Unrequested gifts
You must all go this very minute and read The Ragged Edge by jonquil. It is short, so saying much of anything could ruin it, but... wow. Completely kid/worksafe.
Now, there are certain things we get unexpectedly that are nice: the "Congrats on getting a job" gift from miladygrey's mom, the doughnut birthday party, finding a great new fic writer (see above). But some things... Well, I've been assigned a mentor. Yes, assigned. Aren't you supposed to find someone you work well with, get along with, who can help you find your way both professionally and personally? Because I have been assigned to a woman from the sports sciences department. Yes, she's very nice - 29, single (a commiseration factor that will be necessary living here), but that's about it. Once a week, she hangs out after her classes to work out with the volleyball team. If I stay late, I'll probably be plating cookies for a STD event. My idea of a fun movie night: "I taped the entire first/27th season of Doctor Who off Sci-Fi!" Her idea could be "anything starring Jennifer Lopez" for all I know.
I'm trying not to be too negative about it. We are having lunch tomorrow, so we'll see if that works or is miserable. That's another thing that annoys me, being forced into a social situation where I don't know people, have no idea what to expect, and didn't ask to be there in the first place. It's like being at a party only I can't take my plate of cookies and hide in a corner.
On the other hand, the person(s) that I feared running into at the conference did not materialize. That library sent someone who you would know a mile away is a librarian - and I don't mean that in a good way. If you saw her in the grocery store, you would look at the outfit and the glasses and the shoes and say "Has to be a librarian", and then offer to help her take the fifty-pound bag of cat food to her car. But she's a nice person who does her job well, which counts for more in the long run.
Now, there are certain things we get unexpectedly that are nice: the "Congrats on getting a job" gift from miladygrey's mom, the doughnut birthday party, finding a great new fic writer (see above). But some things... Well, I've been assigned a mentor. Yes, assigned. Aren't you supposed to find someone you work well with, get along with, who can help you find your way both professionally and personally? Because I have been assigned to a woman from the sports sciences department. Yes, she's very nice - 29, single (a commiseration factor that will be necessary living here), but that's about it. Once a week, she hangs out after her classes to work out with the volleyball team. If I stay late, I'll probably be plating cookies for a STD event. My idea of a fun movie night: "I taped the entire first/27th season of Doctor Who off Sci-Fi!" Her idea could be "anything starring Jennifer Lopez" for all I know.
I'm trying not to be too negative about it. We are having lunch tomorrow, so we'll see if that works or is miserable. That's another thing that annoys me, being forced into a social situation where I don't know people, have no idea what to expect, and didn't ask to be there in the first place. It's like being at a party only I can't take my plate of cookies and hide in a corner.
On the other hand, the person(s) that I feared running into at the conference did not materialize. That library sent someone who you would know a mile away is a librarian - and I don't mean that in a good way. If you saw her in the grocery store, you would look at the outfit and the glasses and the shoes and say "Has to be a librarian", and then offer to help her take the fifty-pound bag of cat food to her car. But she's a nice person who does her job well, which counts for more in the long run.