getting ready to take the plunge

…back into the job world. I’ve reviewed the benefits materials and decided on my choices, barring a few questions I still have to ask. I’ve decided what to wear, barring last-minute changes of mind. (Navy sheath dress, slightly lighter blue linen cardigan, muted red shoes, probably a red handbag (actually, it’s a knitting bag – all my best bags are.)) I don’t have to get up early, just actually get out of bed when the alarm rings instead of checking email while still in bed – we ought to do a test today to make sure we can both take showers at the same time and have enough hot water.

What I still need to do is to decide what to take with me tomorrow. Some things are obvious, like pens and a portfolio, as well as normal purse stuff like my wallet, keys, phone and little every-day-carry pouch (small pen, flashlight, pony-tail bands, lip balm – it’s supposed to have a small knife/multitool but I keep mislaying it after taking it out for travel). Normally at work, I keep a water bottle, box of pretzels, and a wrap for when the office gets cold (more versatile than a sweater), but that all seems like too much for the first day. For one thing, I doubt I’ll be at my own desk much. I don’t want to take lunch, in case we go out – and if not, there are several restaurants and a supermarket close by, but since I tend to snack frequently and to get light-headed and crotchety if I go too long without food, I do need to take something. Probably Luna Bars and some trail-mix, since those are small and allay hunger for a while. I’ll probably take commercial bottled water, so I can reuse the bottle but abandon it if it’s inconvenient. I need to take reading glasses – I’ve got two pair, so can leave one there. It might be a good idea to take an iPad; usually I don’t take mine to work, but if they don’t have a computer ready for me for some reason, it might be handy to have one to access the emails with benefits info and such. When they do give me a computer, it should come in a laptop bag, so I won’t take one. I might buy a new one, since the old one I like is a bit beat-up, but I’ve been waiting to see what kind of computer it is (and what kind of bag it comes in!). I’ll take the folding grocery bag I normally keep in my purse; i doesn’t take much space and might be handy if they load me down with lots of papers. (I doubt that will happen, since all their benefit info seems to be online.)

Oh, and lipstick, not that I ever do seem to reapply it. I think that’s it.

In news somewhat related to my work, I finally got my post on Process Systems written up and posted to the other site. This is written at a very basic level, aimed mostly at someone who uses processes at work (that is, just about anyone who works in a company with more than a couple people) but hasn’t really thought about them much. The book itself covers basics, but is at a more technical level, for someone who has started thinking about processes and process systems and needs to know who to create or improve them. This series of blog posts is more for someone who wants to know what my book is about; I tried to write it for my mother, figuring that she’s a good example of someone who’s intelligent but doesn’t have much knowledge in this area. Next I probably need to write something slightly more technical on what’s in the book, for someone who’s deciding whether to buy it.

Mirrored from Dichroic Reflections.

The thing I was *supposed* to have said first

Um, yeah. Oops. Official word: I start work (paid-job-type-work) tomorrow.

I will be a Quality Manager at a medium-sized company that provides “Complete architectural, engineering, environmental analyses and property survey services for commercial, government, institutional and healthcare industries” (the words are from their website). I’ll mostly be working with the local part, that builds and modifies fabs for semiconductor and medical-tech companies; they’re in the process of merging with a slightly bigger company that is more into the general office architectural side so I get to help get the two sides’ process systems to play together nicely.

This is the job I really wanted, that I had three interviews for; I’ve worked in semiconductors but not architectural work, so it ought to be the perfect blend of stuff I know and new things to learn. The company has all kinds of awards for being a great place to work, with excellent benefits, and the commute is 5-10 minutes – in fact it’s just down the block from teds company, so we might be able to carpool, though as it’s less than 2 miles away biking is also an option.

I think I’m ready to go back; with the book done, I would have had to start a new project to keep me busy and challenged at home, and I’m looking forward to meeting lots of new people, since I’ve been fairly isolated here. (One result of this is a fierce gratitude to my local yarn shop, for giving me a chance to hang out with other knitters every week; luckily they have a crafting “guild” meeting on Thursday nights as well as the one I’ve been attending on Tuesday mornings, and a monthly gathering on Friday nights with wine.) Tomorrow will be mostly orientation, so should be an interesting but quiet start to being employed again.

Pretend I posted this before the previous entry, OK?

Mirrored from Dichroic Reflections.