Adjustments

I've been back in a full-time work situation for two weeks (not counting the day off for the holiday), and I am still getting used to many things.

First I had to figure out my commute. Getting almost anywhere from where we live requires taking a bus into Wellington on the Orange Line. That bus is pretty predictable most of the time, and the Orange Line runs pretty frequently in the morning. In this instance I'm going to Harvard Square, so I decided my best option was taking the subway two stops to Sullivan and catching the 86 bus. That has worked fairly well, though the 86 is a crawl in the mornings due to the volume of ridership, traffic congestion, the large number of traffic lights, narrow streets, road construction, etc. On average it took 35 to 40 minutes to go the 2.5 miles from Sullivan to Harvard Square.

By accident I left the house a bit later one day last week, and I found that the trip was somewhat less painful overall; the 86 was slightly less crowded, there was a little less traffic, and the trip took about 25 minutes. I did my trips that way this past week and it was basically the same each morning, so I will probably keep doing it that way regularly. Evening trips on the 86 from Harvard to Sullivan are also somewhat easier.

Getting up early enough to make it out of the house on time has been probably the biggest challenge. I've never had a problem getting up when I need to, but I have a hard time adjusting at the other end of the day, to get to bed early enough to get a decent amount of sleep. I'm used to staying up until 1 am or so, so trying to warp up and get into bed by 11:30 or thereabouts, and to fall asleep, is not easy. Eventually I will get tired enough that the routine will take.

My work environment is perfectly pleasant, with a lot of natural light and infrequent need for the dreaded overhead fluorescent lights. My one real issue is that the kitchen/lounge area does not have comfortable seating for eating. There is a counter, but it's on the low side, and there are no stools or chairs to use with it. There are couches and chairs, and a couple of coffee tables, but these are too low to eat on comfortably.

At my old job I was used to eating at my desk so that I could blog, read websites, and do whatever other personal pursuits I wanted during that hour. The people in my little area do not seem to eat at their desks, and as a newcomer and a temp I feel it might be overstepping for me to do so; also I try to be sensitive to the fact that food smells sometimes bother others. I would like to think that someday I might have an office of my own, but who knows if that will ever happen.

I'm scheduled to be on this assignment until some time in September. I was supposed to be starting on a work-at-home assignment, but I have essentially been "borrowed" from that until this one ends. This meant we also had to arrange for a dog walker on short notice. Our dog-caring neighbor now runs a day-care business in Somerville, so she is not available during the day, but fortunately she was able to recommend another walker who was able to step in. The dog has not been so thrilled at this change in routine, and has been somewhat less than cooperative when taken out. Due to the Mrs.' schedule, we only need a walker three weekdays, so we are all adjusting.