Heaven on the 7th Floor

That's an old seventies song. Well, today I started my new job - it's how I pay for my gardening habit. So far all augers well, this is despite being located in the corridor once more - even though located on heaven on the 7th floor. Ah yes, yes once again my seat outlooks onto the corridor. But this time there are a four critical points of difference to note:
1. My desk is not immediately opposite the main entrance door to the floor.
2. My desk is not immediately opposite "Rambos" changing room/wardrobe and the snack store cupboard - even though I grew to like Rambo.
3. My desk is in a strategic location, does get nice natural sunlight and a view of some very happy happy people posted on a wall
4. Most importantly, my desk is located within an arms length of the "dog and phone" filing cabinet. What is the "dog and phone" filing cabinet - well, its a take off of the "dog and bone" pub. It is loaded with wine, chips and top shelf achohol that reminded me of the early days of the alcohol and drugs policy team at my former work place and indeed of one of the managing directors of one of New Zealands utmost policy and regulatory specialists. Oh, woops, possibly too much detail - but given the apparent average reading length of my blog is 30 seconds you may not have got that far - and in any case I have not disclosed names - if you can draw together the dots then you are a genius...

Anyway, I think my new team is quite "quirky". That is another name for eccentric. Especially my new manager who much reminds me of Chinese version of Posh Doktor. But, this is the crunch - they are passionate about what they are do, they are fun, and best of all I do not feel like I am back at school and in a classroom or tutorial - I feel I am in a policy shop. This of course means I have to grapple with big P policy. And actually I think a lot of the policy is quite abstract. But I may enjoy that.

My new manager is a woman. Her manager is a woman. And her manager is a women.

Highlights of the day were:

1. Meeting my Group Manager and my Group Manager cutting to the chase and saying she wouldn't ask me where I had worked because she had read my CV and approved my appointment. I liked that direct approach. She asked me what I was working on. I told her to come back and ask me next week!
2. The team meeting and introductions. The key thing being what kind of cat you have. How could I loose on this one with Ali the beautiful black gifted cat. I nearly lost them when I said he was was named Ali because he was black, but when I backed this up with the boxing interest there seemed to be hushed approval.
3. My "buddy" offering suggestions for my "survival pack" such as muesli bars, shoes etc should there be an earthquake etc. My "buddy" hilarious in nerd way.

I have advised all newbies have to complete a nerd/geek test. I suspect I will fail this.

There are lots of quirks I have observed about my new team environs, but I will post more in the days to come.

There is a full moon. And there is wind. I am almost tempted to say tonight is the windiest night in my personal history of the Wairarapa. Windy.

Lowlight of the day: spending the first 20 minutes on arrival home, coaxing a tortured bird out of my bedroom window. Its part of Ali's sustainability commitment. eg catch play but do not kill. I don't enjoy it.