LadyGypsy.net – the blog of Kimberly Dowd of New Jersey

TNP is awesome, so far. In every way. But I do miss some things about the place I toiled at for 12 years. Like:

The way the office smelled every morning: newspapers and fresh brewed coffee. How can a workday be bad if it starts out smelling like a Sunday morning? (workday suck often triumphed over the pleasant aroma)

My plucky family of coworkers.

Proximity to shopping. There are no stores in lunchtime-walking-distance to TNP.

The patch of grass in the parking lot where I used to pitch my beach chair and read in the warm weather.

Admin privileges on my PC. Every day there is an Adobe update I can’t install. Drives me crazy.

The pride of working for the local newspaper. Love it or hate it, everyone knew of the Courier-Post. And we did good things. I believe if we weren’t owned by Gannett we’d have done even better things. But I used to see the trucks go by and smile because I was a part of that. It used to be really good.

…and that’s about it.

Whoa! Why hello there! Yesterday completes week 1 at TNP. A few observations..

I am by far one of the stupidest people there. By. Far. I used Excel every day at the CP, but these guys have taken it to an art form.

What I see from my desk. Natural light and yes, Virginia, dual monitors.

They use words I haven’t heard in the workplace in years. Like…innovate. Innn-oh-vayte. I have to look that up.

I am also one of the biggest rubes who has walked 16th street. Here’s the thing: I have always loved taking the train into Philly. We did it all the time when I was a kid and we were po’ and only had one car that Dad used to take to work. So every morning, I walk from my train stop to the shuttle top and say to myself, “Look! Homeless guy! Look! Crazy drivers! Look! Mysterious puddle! Hi! Will you steal my phone?” I am the luckiest person ever to be stepping in strange, viscous puddles and walking the wrong way down 16th street.

I have to take a Meyers-Briggs test this weekend. Everytime I take one, I type as an unwashed loner who avoids all eye contact and makes friends with imaginary fleas.

The bathroom is passcode protected.

And my Internet’s monitored. They actually black out certain websites! I’d be irritated about this but I’m so nuts about working for a place where they care if I’m visiting a Chinese illegal download site that I’ll let it slide. (Plus, I’ve been shown how to get around it.)

And there are windows. I can see natural light all day long.

And a cafeteria downstairs.

And every other Friday off in the summer. (Have to make up the time, but still.)

And they replace computers every 2 years.

And I can wear jeans every stinking day.

Surely, there is some horribleness associated with this job, but I havent found it yet.

Health-wise, I’m on the mend. Oh, you wouldn’t know it from looking at me, but I’m not coughing and sniffling constantly. I’m beat tired though. Which is why this weekend, I’m taking it easy.