Friday, July 31, 1998

        Well, I survived the first week. I worked hard, and I learned a lot. Nothing like just plunging right in. There's no better way to learn, really. I worked quite a bit in PhotoShop today, learned a new software tool for creating image maps, messed around a little in Adobe Acrobat, and used Mac for the first time. I have a bad headache tonight that I can't get rid of, though. I think my brain my be too full . . .

        I'm actually kind of enjoying the drive in to work in the mornings. It's been a long time since I've had to drive on the highway in rush hour, but I'm beginning to pick the rhythm back up--remembering which lane to stay in, and when to slide over. There's a lot of lane changing involved, even though the highway part of the drive really isn't that long. There are two places where the right-hand land turns into an exit-only lane, and then when I actually do have to exit, I have to cross over two lanes. In order to miss the worst of the traffic, I apparently have to leave at about 7:15. That gets me there a little too early, but if I leave it any later, then I'm too late.

        The drive home is actually worse. I need to start experimenting with different ways to get home. Last night it took me almost fifty minutes to get home, but I tried a different way tonight that only took a half hour. Of course, I didn't leave until nearly 6:00. I guess I'll figure it out. It's interesting, anyway, and it's something new.

        I guess I may have been mistaken about the Office 97 Assistants. I said that I thought I had been lied to when someone told me that Office 97 didn't ship with the additional assistants, but I did a little research and found that it apparently didn't. I don't know exactly which editions had them and which didn't, but I did find out that the additional ones like the dolphin and the puppy dog can be downloaded from Microsoft.

        A couple of people wrote that they hated the paperclip as much as I did, but someone else wrote and said that she loved the paperclip and couldn't believe that I didn't like him (or her). I think it's always nice when you can personalize something and make it your own to a certain extent. I love changing the Windows colors occasionally, and changing the background wallpaper. Those kinds of things are small changes that can make a big difference in your outlook. Denying employees those small pleasures always seems mean-spirited and petty--these things cost absolutely nothing, but they make people feel like they have at least some say, no matter how small, in the way things are done.

        There will always be people who will take advantage of and abuse any advantage offered, but most people are just glad to have some input and control, no matter how slight, over their own environment.

        I've done absolutely nothing this week except go to work and come home. I've been keeping a list of things that I need to do over the weekend, things that I normally would have done during the week but that I either didn't have time to do or was just too tired to take care of. It's interesting, getting back into work mode. I like. I feel useful. I really could have gotten used to staying home, though. It was great, but I did feel sort of rudderless or something. If I had done that for very much longer--stay home without a full time job--I would really have had to come up with some sort of schedule or system or something. I know I wasted a lot of time, which was okay for the length of time that I was off, but wouldn't have been okay for an extended period of time.

        Once I knew that I had a job waiting at the end of my "vacation," I was able to look at it as a vacation and not feel guilty about the time I spent doing nothing, or sleeping, or playing. I think it did me good to have some uncommitted time, but it was time to go back to work.

        This entry feels about like my picture looks tonight--tired and boring. And my eyes are itching and hurting. I think I've done about enough for the week. Time for the weekend and getting recharged.