Eight days a week

Right now, it feels like there are at least eight days in a week, if not more. It's only Tuesday, but I feel like things that happened on Friday happened a year ago. Time moves slowly when you're not doing much, but now that I'm working, it feels compressed, and I can't believe that tomorrow is only Wednesday, when it feels like it should be Friday about three weeks from now.

Today was my second day of work (officially), and it was just as great as the first. I've really lucked into becoming part of a great team (everyone is fun, friendly, and female, except for one editor, who is male), and of a department which is really in a period of growth and transition, which is exciting. There's lots to be done, and tons of scope for creativity and fun. I'm going to have such a good time! We've had training for the past two days, and while I'm not doing sales, I've been training with the two new sales people because I need to learn what they'll be doing so that I can help them do it better, and because a lot of it is just basic product training. We publish some really great books, and it's so good to know that we make things that really help people, teachers and students alike, and really make a difference to people who are taking on the awesome task of learning a new language, sometimes starting from nothing. Another thing that I love about our company is that it isn't really a company. We're a department of a university, and therefore, while we're not a not-for-profit organization, our job isn't to make money for shareholders, but just to make money to reinvest in our books and authors. I make, in the sales that I support, the money that pays for my job, and the money that allows us to publish new books for me to market. It's a bit odd to think of it in those terms, but it certainly gives me a different perspective on the outcome of the work that I do.

My sister came out to the city for dinner tonight and to see our place in its semi-completed form. All we really need now are some carpets and some artwork, and it will really feel like a home. It's quite cute as it is, and bringing in my books and bookshelves have made a huge difference, but it will be nice to have some things on the walls. I did, however, install an ironing board rack today, which was fun because I got to use a drill. I enjoy being handy. I also went to my fancy new gym for the first time, and I have to say, it is much worth the bit more that it costs than the community centre gym that I used to belong to. There are personal TVs attached to most machines, so I can watch all of the shows that I don't get to watch at home because I refuse to pay for cable (great incentive to go work out!), there are unlimited towels (this is a big deal in the world of stingy towel provision), the locker room has REAL hairdryers and good quality hair irons (not the kind of dryers that are essentially souped up hand dryers mounted at 7 ft), and it's a 2 minute walk from the apartment. I get a fitness assessment and training on all of the machines tomorrow, which should be good, although I refuse to be talked into getting a personal trainer. I might, however, allow myself to be talked into some sessions with a massage therapist, as my shiny new benefits are quite generous around that.

Tomorrow is going to be a really fascinating day. At work, I've got a ton of things to do; aside from getting training on the computer systems and figuring out payroll, I've already got a lot of projects to work on, and many little tasks to do, like revamping a PowerPoint presentation that the sales reps need for Thursday. After work, I've got a meeting with a magazine publisher to interview for a freelance writing job (yep, I might be a published magazine writer. Go figure. I'll let you know how that goes), and then I'm going to a benefit being held downtown for a human rights organization for oppressed writers in other countries. I get to see Margaret Atwood and Ian Rankin, and maybe even meet them, which is quite exciting. I enjoy Atwood, and my dad loves Rankin, so it should be a fun night of celebrity interaction.

I'm off to bed, as sadly, the downside of working is having to get up early. That being said, the novelty of my coffee maker timer makes it less onerous, so I'm not complaining. And my bus ride is my time to read. I'm currently work in Urquhart's The Underpainter, which I vaguely think I might have read before, but oh well. I've read The Stone Carvers four or five times, so obviously she's not someone who I can only read once.