Movin' Right Along

I decided to be fashionable today. In order to take a bus from New York to New Jersey, I go to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Littered around the hallways are a number of small carts selling items from toys (get your pikachu pencils right here!) to watches (3 for $10!) to phone cards (in 60 minute increments) to pets (yes, I got my own frogs from a Port Authority stand). The jewelry cart caught my eye as I was passing by and noticed that it was selling the currently-trendy bracelets in the style of buddhist prayer beads. Ever the impulse shopper, I inquired on the price, was impressed by its low value and decided to get two of them: one for me and one for my sister. I selected this dark number for myself (20 beads total) and a green tiger-eye beaded one for Els (with 23 beads total). I took this photograph, sporting my new bracelet. I realized I need to redye my hair. The blonde is slowly working its way out of my hair and I want to see my roots blonde again.

My day was on the slow side at work, the high point being my move to a new job.

My old desk. Yes, it is empty.

Yes I took the offer I got last month to move into the creative department and since there is a nice window seat desk available for me in the graphics corner of the office, I decided to move there. I didn't have as many things as I thought I had and my move took practically no time at all. Three quick trips with a small milk crate moved all my stuff. Boy, did my old desk look empty afterwards, its grey walls stripped of my posters and pictures and postcards.

My new desk area is tucked into one corner of the small portion of our office dedicated to the creative department. We have a corner of a rectangular office space, bordered by two walls of windows. Most of the window spots are taken up by offices (for all the exec people and people with jobs that really require individual offices like HR) except for a small strip in the application development department (where all the senior project leaders and technical architects sit) and the creative space. The previous owner of the window is still in the department, he decided to sit somewhere else because:

1. the sunlight glare from the windows causes monitor glare that gives him a great deal of difficulty when trying to design stuff
2. the proximity to the windows means a greater fluxuation in temperature than farther from the windows
3. it's New York City out there.. lots of street noise
4. the creative department is a lively bunch and the chattiness and noise distracted him
5. the yo-yo-yo-yo-yo-yo guy (see, there's some guy who lives in the shelter across the street that, on occasion, will go outside and yell "yo yo yo yo yo yo yo" really really loud.) FYI: I haven't heard this guy yet outside my window, but I've been warned of his existance by a number of people who have window seats. It's probably due to the fact that when I'm working, I wear headphones and can't here his yelling.

I thought that, with the first picture, you wouldn't be convinced that I did have a window seat so, I took the second one. I highlighted the windows in yellow. The window sill is very wide and I can put my books on it, once I clear off the outdated design books. I'll need the space since I'm going to getting one of the Macs (300 G3, I believe). HR was convinced that, upon joining the creative department, I would give up my NT and take a Mac. Nu-uh. The NT is excellent for web development work (non-graphical) and I will need it if I am to work on ASP or Domino development. I expect to continue this kind of work, even if I am in the creative department. It's not that I've changed what I do, I've changed who I do the work for. The creative team needed someone more technical on their side to do the development integration into their design and work.

Now they've got me. Muahahaha!

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I had finished the Star Wars book yesterday, so I picked up The Left Hand of Darkness to keep up my good book/bad book/good book trend. Before I left, my coworker handed me a new book that she just finished reading. I looked down at the book she handed to me.

"Oh, I've heard of this book. It's supposed to be really good."

"Oh it is," Piper said as she nodded emphatically. "I finished it in one day."

"Wow! It must be very good then."

"I couldn't put it down." She made a half-smile, half-sleepy look on her face.

Sleep depravation due to reading is always a good recommendation so I began reading it right away. While I was reading the novel on the bus line, the guy behind me yelled at me to "pay attention" to the moving line. It had just started to move and the woman was only three or four feet away from me. I could see it moving and was just about to lift my leg to take a step when he barked. I was irritated at this man's impatience. I looked back to look at him. He was a middle aged gentleman with a really bad toupee. I imprinted his looks to my brain as a reminder to avoid him in future.