Still Good, Still Tired

I mean, really, how is it only Tuesday? It feels like the week should be almost over at this point. Still, let me see what I can get down, incoherent as it may be, before I crap out for the night.

I started yesterday and another person started today, bringing us up to nine people in the office that I know of (there may be one or two more). Then there are three people (again, that I know of) who don't work out of this office, and a few more starting later this month. Not too many names to learn yet, and so far everyone seems very nice. We're moving to larger office space, just down the hall, sometime this summer; since this has been mentioned to explain why some of us are sharing offices now, I wonder if that means I'll be getting my own office then? Who knows, but wouldn't that be something.

For now, I'm in an office with the only guy, who does something production-related, and has been very quiet though not unfriendly. The room is big enough that it has another desk, and could probably fit a fourth, so it's not like I have to look before I push my chair back or anything too claustrophobic. Still, it makes me a little more self-conscious, and thinking of things like quiet snacks (though I can't rule out carrots and eat chocolate forever!). The woman who started today is a medical writer, and when she heard where I came from, the name was familiar to her, though it took a moment for her to pull up the name: my old boss! Yikes. She doesn't know her well, clearly, but it's not the most positive association for me. Still, she was very pleasant, and I will try not to let it prejudice me too much.

My nominal boss has been very busy, but I've spent time on the phone with one of the other editors, who is showing me the ropes, virtually speaking. After we talked yesterday, I put my pages of scribbled notes into a somewhat cohesive list, and sent it to her this morning to ask her if I'd misunderstood anything. Her reply started out, "This is brilliant! We’re going to keep this as a teaching tool" before going on to mention a few small things to add. It was a nice shot in the arm for my confidence (and not the first time that's happened to me, actually, eh Mum?).

I needed it later, in fact, as she gave me a sample piece to work on and I found it kind of overwhelming. She said afterward that she'd chosen one with some issues, so I could see them, and I totally understand the value of that, but I wish I could have had an easy one first. We had gone over a good one together on the phone, but that's not the same as doing it yourself. Still, I know it will get better, it's only the second day, all that. Just, you know, not fun. One day at a time. I can tell that this work isn't going to be beyond me, just that it will take getting used to the 87 things to keep in mind all at once, 42 of which are different from my recent experience. Yesterday she gave me a ballpark idea of how long each type of article will take to edit, once I get used to them, which is actually fantastically helpful*, but that's when I get used to them. It will take time. I have time.
*When I started my last job, the then-editorial manager gave me a report to work on and would not give me an idea of how long it "should" take. If you don't know whether it should take a day or a week or a month, it's sort of frustrating.

If this sounds discouraged, I'm really not feeling that way. I'm tired, and mildly brain-dead, but still optimistic. And now I'm going to ride the stupid bike for a few minutes, before I get ready for bed. Or, in pictures, this (ha):

Followed by this:

Woo.