Yesterday was my second day on the job, and I wanted to pull my teeth, eyeballs, and weave out. It was crazy! The assistant I replaced was not very organized and left me with a gang of pending projects, i.e., stuff she let sit until it was time for her to jump ship. So in addition to learning the inner workings of my new gig, I had to keep up with incoming assignments and get caught up on the piles of this and that she'd left undone. The phones rang nonstop, instant messages popped up like pimples on a pubescent teenager’s face, and every time I gave my monitor a gander there was a new email. By noon I was sucking the insides of my jaws. I sighed, hemmed and hawed, and rolled my tired eyes more than a dozen times. And of course I did it all on the down low. The last thing I want is for my new employer to think I can’t cut it, that I don’t have what it takes to support high level executives. No siree, I’m gonna fake it ‘til I make it!
The problem is not the work. I’ve been doing administrative assistant work for more than a quarter of a century, and I was on my last job for twelve years. That’s what makes it difficult. I’m used to being the ‘Go to Girl.’ I’m used to having all the answers. Starting over is very humbling. I’ve gone from being the ‘Go to Girl’ to “Who’s that girl?” I no longer have all the answers, just a ton of questions. I know I should pace myself, but I want to learn everything like yesterday. So, I’m pushing myself—maybe too hard.
Yesterday morning, I got up at four am so I could do some cyber marketing for my new novel “Married in the Nick of Nine.” If you haven’t gotten a copy, please do. It won’t disappoint. I left the house a little after five in order to get to work by six, two hours before my actual start time. I figured I’d have a better chance of getting caught up without ringing phones or incessant requests. It’s amazing how fast times goes by when you want it to stay still. Before I knew it, it was eight and my co-workers were starting to file in.
It doesn’t look like I’m going to get a chance to work out this week. I had planned to go to the gym yesterday, but I needed to get the work off of my desk more than the fat off of my butt. Speaking of butt’s, it’s getting bigger by the day. It doesn’t take much. And they cater in lunch every day at my new job—one of many wonderful perks. The food is off the chain. Yesterday I had some kind of chicken smothered in sweet gravy with potatoes and mixed vegetables. Every time I go into the kitchen and feast my eyes on the free spread, I pinch myself. The free food alone is worth all the stress, not to mention the good salary, and hundred percent medical. Yes, it’s a goooood job. I love it. I just have to pace myself and not want to learn everything in a day. Well, I better end this blog. I have to get to bed, so I can get up early enough to share it.
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