Monday 19 March 2007
Today was a Monday from Hell, but honestly, it wasn’t that bad to me… a lot of things went wrong right from the beginning like price types going missing that I had to put in. The really hard thing was what happened when we told who did and did not get the Deputy Manager position. The loser didn’t take it well and eventually walked out halfway through her briefing, then went home without telling anyone. I don’t know if she’ll be in tomorrow, but the general thought is that we’ll pay her her 4-week notice period and ask her to not come back, I think. It wasn’t good- more on it later.
She was supposed to close, so the remaining supervisor (Supervisor #2) and I had to cover. It was madness because Supervisor #2 was also helping Deputy Manager (who used to be just interim until i gave her the permanent spot) with a group booking demonstration (Swan Lake on Ice- some of the skaters came in to talk and demonstrate lifts and things). And then one of the two shows on that night got cancelled, again, because the turntable broke (again). So I hopped on the computer out front with Deputy Manager and Supervisor #2 (all the sales advisors were gone for the night, and we would’ve been gone in two minutes ourselves), and refunded/exchanged people. It was the first time I was really interacting with the patrons- it was nice. And since it was opening night for the other show, there were free drink vouchers floating around that Deputy Manager got ahold of after we were done with the refunding. So Deputy Manager, Supervisor and I went to the café and had a glass of wine. While we were sitting there, The Chief Executive came up to us and we talked about her trip to China for quite a long time and she congratulated Deputy Manager on her permanent appointment to the post (I still can’t get over how accessible The Chief Executive is, and how I’m not intimidated by her!). After we finished off our free glass of wine, Deputy Manager, Supervisor and I headed off to the pub, and I bought the first round to celebrate Deputy Manager's permanent appointment. It was really nice- a good end to a crazy day.
Tuesday 20 March 2007
Today seemed to be a continuation of the nuts-ness of yesterday. I felt like I was constantly behind, but that I knew what I had to do to catch up.
Word on the street is that the Supervisor who walked out on me won’t be in for two weeks due to “stress,” which is taken very seriously in England. As soon as someone says that, we can’t contact them for two weeks. This development makes me mad, because now I feel like she’s playing the system. But we’re all picking up the slack, doing what needs to be done. I’m learning how to close out, we’re all pulling extra/less desirable shifts,… it’s hard, but I feel like us remaining ones can get it done. It actually makes me appreciate what it must’ve been like before I got there and there was so much unstableness.
Last night we went out for drinks, and tonight Supervisor and I had a talk as we were closing out. She explained some of her life story, and who a particular male friend of hers, was, and I talked a bit about what I’d been doing for the past few years… I think we’ll be doing quite a bit of hanging out after work, and once things settle down. It’s a nice feeling…
On another front- it looks like I’ve found a choir to join. A lot of people at the theatre are in it. It only meets once a week for an hour and a half, but… it’s better than nothing! Now I just have to make sure I haven’t scheduled myself to work Monday nights :-P
Wednesday 21 March 2007
Is it only Wednesday?! I think it feels like that because I’ve wound up working 12-14 hour days the past few days without a real lunch, and before that I was kept to a pretty strict 8 hours a day, with an hour lunch. I feel like I just manage to get caught up and more stuff falls in my lap- but it’s the end of the fiscal year for us, so I can understand some of it. And honestly, it’s not like it was at Purchase. I know things will calm down, and everyone likes everyone here (and those that don’t really like each other stay out of the other’s way), and it’s not uncomfortable, and there’s no screaming or phone slamming or anything like that.
More on the Supervisor disaster- I’ve found out now that there’s been wilful intent behind some of the things that’ve been going on. She’s been checking and deleting emails from home, and before she walked out of the office without telling anyone on Monday, she completely screwed up the sales advisor rota (schedule), so that it looked like nobody was supposed to be at work on Sunday, when in fact there IS a show… oy. So we (the theatre) changed the password for her email account and everything incoming is being routed to me. I’m wondering how nasty this is going to get, but luckily it shouldn’t involve me too much because I haven’t been there long enough to get hit by whatever might come out of this. And My Boss keeps apologizing to me- like it’s his fault this woman is a nut job? We probably won’t hear from her for a while, but I’ll let you know when the two weeks is up and things happen again.
I opened the box office by myself today, and I get to close it by myself tomorrow night. I was thinking about it tonight, and I realized “it’s not so different, after all.” the general process is the same no matter where you go- I know how to run reports, and fill out deposit slips and things like that- it’s just remembering *which* reports to print, and who needs what circled in what color.
That’s it, really, just a normal day… although I found out that supposedly there aren’t any Twinkies in England (I’m sure there are if one looks hard enough!), and most of my sales team has never had one. So I emailed my mom and asked her to ship a box to the theatre :-P And we (the Sales office) have come up with a fun thing to do in the mornings during Morning Briefing: word/phrase/thing of the day. If I’m working the early shift, I write an American word and definition on the dry-erase board, and if I’m working the late shift, the morning people will write a Northampton/British thing for me. It was so funny yesterday- I called My Boss a goober, and everyone was like “what’s a goober?” I explained that it was a term for someone that was silly/goofy/funny. And then we had to work on pronunciation. At first they would say it with their British accents, then I would say “no, no, it’s ‘goo - ber,” and they’d come up with “geew- ber” and it was just really funny and everyone was laughing really hard.
I just noticed that I have a journal on my hard drive of some of the things I was thinking about just before I left Purchase, and then what it was like to be at my parents’ house while waiting for paperwork to get done. I will have to figure out the best way to post it- some of you might find it really interesting to see the contrast between then and now. Will let you know when I figure it out (and do some minor editing).
Sunday 25 March 2007
It feels good to have had two days off in a row. I started by going to see the show, Joseph, on Friday night with one of the House Managers. I wasn’t pleased about paying £ 25, but… it was a fun night. I didn’t go to the wrap party for the other show, because I was a little tired, and wasn’t sure I knew who’d be going, and besides, I was getting up early the next morning to go to Birmingham. Birmingham was fantastic, by the way. I went to the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery first. It was free, which surprised me a bit (still used to having to pay for art and culture, I guess). But it was a great museum- hey, any museum that’s free that also has a real mummy in it is pretty sweet. Then I spent more of the afternoon wandering around looking at the shops and clubs and things. It’s a fantastic little city, and I’m sure I’ll make a lot more trips back. It’s smaller than London, but I didn’t get the feeling of stuffiness I got from London, either.
This week is also going to be a bit stressful. There’s so much to get done at work, and not enough people to do it… and it’s only the Deputy and me for the week, because the remaining supervisor is on holiday… there’s just not enough time for me to get shows cleared off, build new ones, check all the old ones that have been done incorrectly and worry about Tessitura at the same time… I think I’m working a 6-day week, but I’m not sure. All I know is that I’m going to London on Saturday night (hmm, will have to confirm that, now that I think about it!). But things are still going well.
Monday, 26 March 2007
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
Thursday 15 March
Having to interview the two candidates for the Deputy Manager position today really made me think about myself and my job, and what I needed to be doing. I need to be proactive, I need to be a bit more assertive. I still feel like everything is doable, but I think it’s time for me to really grab hold, even more than I have. It’s a learning curve for me… but I don’t think I’ve done a bad job in the two weeks I’ve been here. And I really like what I’m doing. I’ve just got a lot to do now (I think I was at my desk for a total of two and a half hours today- not nearly enough time to get things done!).
Random bit of information- my credit checks went through okay (of course they would, it’s not like I have a criminal history or anything!), and I get to move into my flat on April 7. That means I’m not going anywhere for Easter, but that’s okay. I need to save my travel money for two things at the moment- a weekend in Germany, and possibly (hopefully!) a long weekend on the other side of the planet. I figure if my parents want to see me, they can buy my ticket :-P Actually, I have to go back to the US at some point anyway, to pick up another suitcase’s worth of stuff (like my cowboy boots!). But plenty of time to think about that. Once I know if I’m going to the Tessitura conference in Arizona in August (I know, it’s gonna be hot!!!), I can then plan some vacation time. I get four weeks, and I’m expected to use it all, every year.
I need a bit of advice from you all (you can either post comment, or send me email)- I should know this, because I’m a big girl now, but… how do you think I should take all of these generic friendly overtures and actually try to turn them into something? It’s a lot of “oh, if you ever need anything”, “yeah, thanks, I’ll keep it in mind”, “let’s all go out after work sometime” kind of thing. I find myself generally coming right home after work, and while it doesn’t bother me a lot right now (I’m content preparing blogs and reading some of the books that are in my room- right now it’s all about Jane Eyre), I’m sure it will get to me a bit more, once I get into my real home. Part of it is scheduling difficulties, (we do work in the arts, after all!), and part of it is not wanting to become *too* friendly with those who are under my direct supervision at the moment (I don’t want to undermine my authority), but… I think I have an advantage at the moment because I’m new and novel, and I don’t want to waste that. So, comments appreciated!
I’m not sure how we got on the topic, but after the interviews were over and before I ran off to yet another meeting, one of the sales supervisors and I got to talking about September 11th. It was really interesting to hear an outsider’s thoughts on what happened. She’s been to New York a few times, including once after the attack, and agreed with me that it was a different city in some ways. She said that she couldn’t go down to the site because she remembered the buildings as they were, and couldn’t comprehend how they weren’t there anymore, and she didn’t want to see the big hole in the ground. For a moment, I thought, “lucky you, to be able to choose what you do and do not want to deal with,” but I then realized that nobody in the world was unaffected by what happened... She was genuinely interested in what was happening, and wanted to know if the development committees had finally settled on a monument, and what was going on. So I told her that the first support beams were in place, and how they were taking such painstaking care tearing down the Deutsche Bank building, peeling it away floor by floor, going over things with a comb (at a cost of something like 800 million USD, yes?). Not everyone hates Americans- I think it’s more that people hate the government. And it’s shocking to me to realize that this is the most I’ve ever talked about what happened…
I don’t think guys wear a cup when they play football (soccer). I’ve got the tv on as background noise, and I happened to look up as two players collided, and one guy got a direct kick to the nuts, and was rolling around on the ground and looked like he wanted to puke. That’s my random observation of the day for all of you :-P
Saturday 17 March
I decided it was time for me to venture out of Northampton today, so I went shopping at this huge mecca about halfway between Northampton and London. I was debating about taking the train or the bus up until the very last minute this morning (the train would take about 25 minutes, the bus would take an hour), and I decided on the bus. I was very happy I chose the bus. It turned out to be a gorgeous day (it’s been sunny a good 85% of the time since I’ve been here, and not one drop of rain since the day I arrived). I saw much more than I would have on a train. We went through some picture-postcard villages, with stone buildings and thatched roofing, the “Inn & Pub,” friendly, happy looking people, sheep and newborn lambs frolicking in the fields… really, it was like everything you’ve imagined. Sorry, I didn’t take my camera with me. Actually, about the lack of pictures: I hate feeling touristy, so I haven’t really been taking my camera around with me. I’ll take it to work and take a couple pictures of the lobby for you all (it’s WAY better than the lobby at Purchase), and I’ll try to take some pictures of Northampton, but it’s really hard. Once you feel like a part of the community, you don’t want to take pictures… but I promise I’ll work on it. I think I know of one or two good pictures I can get without being too blatantly touristy.
Work is going well, though I have a lot to get done. In addition to letting the two candidates for Deputy Manager know who won and who lost (the “loser” will get to keep her current position, and I really want her to stay), I have to completely revamp the front ticket counter procedures. The “collect at box office” tickets are a mess, and I had to reprint a good 35% of the orders on Friday night. There was also a huge line, because people were waiting in the wrong spots, which means I’ve got to price out and order “ticket pickup,” “today’s sales,” “future sales,” etc. signs… argh! J Still beats Purchase any day of the week (I’ve started to tell just the tip of what I dealt with at Purchase, and people here are beyond horrified).
I am already thinking about vacation time, not because I need a vacation yet, but because I get four weeks a year, and they don’t carry over- everyone is expected to take their full allotment every year. I think I’m going to take the week between Christmas and New Year’s off (that will be back to the States for sure), though I feel a bit bad about taking the “best” holiday for myself. Manager’s privilege? I’m also looking at taking some time in October, and possibly in May. May would probably be a quick trip to Germany to visit a friend before she goes back to New York, oddly enough :-P October… have a couple of things in mind for that (Cowgirl Camp is out sadly, because I can‘t afford flight AND the camp fees)… maybe I’ll do a long weekend back to the States in June… but that still leaves me with a bunch of time to burn. So if anyone has any votes on where else I should go and when (July and August are out, sorry), just send me an email or something! I’m looking to do a total of three round-trips across the Atlantic (or equivalent mileage) this calendar year, so I can get some status back on my airline (I’ve already completed half of a trip). I know, I got sucked into it all :-p But I feel like I can go to so many more places from England…
Sunday 18 March
I started out the day horribly- I accidentally locked myself in the shower bathroom (there are three “bathrooms” that I have access to- one is just a toilet- a true wc!, one has a tub and a sink, and the one in the basement has a shower and a toilet) for 20 minutes, until I finally managed to get the door unstuck. As I’ve mentioned before, I live in an old, old house, and the guy that lives here has kept a lot of the antique doorknobs, and fixtures and things. The shower bathroom had a lever, and it was stuck for a while :-P
And then it was windy the whole day. When I went out to walk to the town centre and get my bus pass for the week (the store happened to be closed, so I’ll have to pay full-fare tomorrow, and buy a pass at lunch), the wind was bad enough to blow me around a bit, but there were strong bursts of sun coming through the heavy clouds that were racing through the sky. Maybe about 4:30 or 5pm, it got dark out, and at first I thought it was just sunset as normal (I hadn’t really been thinking), and the wind was blowing in harder gusts, and at first I thought it was just picking up bits of random stuff and blowing it against my window, but the scratchy, pebble-like sound continued, so I opened the curtain, and at first I thought we were having a snow squall, but then I realized it was hail! I haven’t seen hail in a really really long time. And this stuff was getting large! It started small (you know what it looks like when you try to break up the Styrofoam bars that come in packaging, and it gets bits all over the floor?), but then there were pieces of hail as large as the tip of my finger! And it was almost whiteout conditions! I wonder if there was a rainbow at some point… the weather was that weird.
I think I’m beginning to figure out what I’ll miss from the United States. Because I’m not fond of sharing a kitchen (and there’s only a tiny freezer besides), I haven’t looked at the ice cream selection in the grocery store I’ve found (I still have to find a bigger one), but I know Ben&Jerry’s isn’t common, if they have it at all. And while there are a few Starbucks in England, Northampton isn’t a lucky host. Usually, I won’t go to Starbucks unless I want a frozen Frappucino (better quality than a Dunkin’ Donuts Coolata- no Dunk’s here, by the way), but I really wanted to sit down in a Starbucks with a hot chocolate and my computer, because nearly every Starbucks has free wi-fi. So I miss Ben&Jerry’s, and I miss Starbucks. Both are things I can live without, and will eventually find replacements for.
Another funny thing I’ve noticed recently- I think I’ve gotten used to the accents around here, and can even pick out dialects from different parts of England and the UK (not surprising- I used to be able to distinguish the difference between three North Carolina, two Georgia, Virginia and South Carolina accents). The thing that bothers me is that while the accents don’t get to me normally, if I find that I’ve been watching an American tv program (yes, they do have a *few* programs- I was watching the O.C. today- I can‘t *believe* I almost moved there!) and then switch back to a British show, it’s very jarring for a while- like I’m having a hard time reconciling or something. But soon I won’t have to worry about it because I will move into my real home, and will cease to have television (for at least a year, I promised myself).
Having to interview the two candidates for the Deputy Manager position today really made me think about myself and my job, and what I needed to be doing. I need to be proactive, I need to be a bit more assertive. I still feel like everything is doable, but I think it’s time for me to really grab hold, even more than I have. It’s a learning curve for me… but I don’t think I’ve done a bad job in the two weeks I’ve been here. And I really like what I’m doing. I’ve just got a lot to do now (I think I was at my desk for a total of two and a half hours today- not nearly enough time to get things done!).
Random bit of information- my credit checks went through okay (of course they would, it’s not like I have a criminal history or anything!), and I get to move into my flat on April 7. That means I’m not going anywhere for Easter, but that’s okay. I need to save my travel money for two things at the moment- a weekend in Germany, and possibly (hopefully!) a long weekend on the other side of the planet. I figure if my parents want to see me, they can buy my ticket :-P Actually, I have to go back to the US at some point anyway, to pick up another suitcase’s worth of stuff (like my cowboy boots!). But plenty of time to think about that. Once I know if I’m going to the Tessitura conference in Arizona in August (I know, it’s gonna be hot!!!), I can then plan some vacation time. I get four weeks, and I’m expected to use it all, every year.
I need a bit of advice from you all (you can either post comment, or send me email)- I should know this, because I’m a big girl now, but… how do you think I should take all of these generic friendly overtures and actually try to turn them into something? It’s a lot of “oh, if you ever need anything”, “yeah, thanks, I’ll keep it in mind”, “let’s all go out after work sometime” kind of thing. I find myself generally coming right home after work, and while it doesn’t bother me a lot right now (I’m content preparing blogs and reading some of the books that are in my room- right now it’s all about Jane Eyre), I’m sure it will get to me a bit more, once I get into my real home. Part of it is scheduling difficulties, (we do work in the arts, after all!), and part of it is not wanting to become *too* friendly with those who are under my direct supervision at the moment (I don’t want to undermine my authority), but… I think I have an advantage at the moment because I’m new and novel, and I don’t want to waste that. So, comments appreciated!
I’m not sure how we got on the topic, but after the interviews were over and before I ran off to yet another meeting, one of the sales supervisors and I got to talking about September 11th. It was really interesting to hear an outsider’s thoughts on what happened. She’s been to New York a few times, including once after the attack, and agreed with me that it was a different city in some ways. She said that she couldn’t go down to the site because she remembered the buildings as they were, and couldn’t comprehend how they weren’t there anymore, and she didn’t want to see the big hole in the ground. For a moment, I thought, “lucky you, to be able to choose what you do and do not want to deal with,” but I then realized that nobody in the world was unaffected by what happened... She was genuinely interested in what was happening, and wanted to know if the development committees had finally settled on a monument, and what was going on. So I told her that the first support beams were in place, and how they were taking such painstaking care tearing down the Deutsche Bank building, peeling it away floor by floor, going over things with a comb (at a cost of something like 800 million USD, yes?). Not everyone hates Americans- I think it’s more that people hate the government. And it’s shocking to me to realize that this is the most I’ve ever talked about what happened…
I don’t think guys wear a cup when they play football (soccer). I’ve got the tv on as background noise, and I happened to look up as two players collided, and one guy got a direct kick to the nuts, and was rolling around on the ground and looked like he wanted to puke. That’s my random observation of the day for all of you :-P
Saturday 17 March
I decided it was time for me to venture out of Northampton today, so I went shopping at this huge mecca about halfway between Northampton and London. I was debating about taking the train or the bus up until the very last minute this morning (the train would take about 25 minutes, the bus would take an hour), and I decided on the bus. I was very happy I chose the bus. It turned out to be a gorgeous day (it’s been sunny a good 85% of the time since I’ve been here, and not one drop of rain since the day I arrived). I saw much more than I would have on a train. We went through some picture-postcard villages, with stone buildings and thatched roofing, the “Inn & Pub,” friendly, happy looking people, sheep and newborn lambs frolicking in the fields… really, it was like everything you’ve imagined. Sorry, I didn’t take my camera with me. Actually, about the lack of pictures: I hate feeling touristy, so I haven’t really been taking my camera around with me. I’ll take it to work and take a couple pictures of the lobby for you all (it’s WAY better than the lobby at Purchase), and I’ll try to take some pictures of Northampton, but it’s really hard. Once you feel like a part of the community, you don’t want to take pictures… but I promise I’ll work on it. I think I know of one or two good pictures I can get without being too blatantly touristy.
Work is going well, though I have a lot to get done. In addition to letting the two candidates for Deputy Manager know who won and who lost (the “loser” will get to keep her current position, and I really want her to stay), I have to completely revamp the front ticket counter procedures. The “collect at box office” tickets are a mess, and I had to reprint a good 35% of the orders on Friday night. There was also a huge line, because people were waiting in the wrong spots, which means I’ve got to price out and order “ticket pickup,” “today’s sales,” “future sales,” etc. signs… argh! J Still beats Purchase any day of the week (I’ve started to tell just the tip of what I dealt with at Purchase, and people here are beyond horrified).
I am already thinking about vacation time, not because I need a vacation yet, but because I get four weeks a year, and they don’t carry over- everyone is expected to take their full allotment every year. I think I’m going to take the week between Christmas and New Year’s off (that will be back to the States for sure), though I feel a bit bad about taking the “best” holiday for myself. Manager’s privilege? I’m also looking at taking some time in October, and possibly in May. May would probably be a quick trip to Germany to visit a friend before she goes back to New York, oddly enough :-P October… have a couple of things in mind for that (Cowgirl Camp is out sadly, because I can‘t afford flight AND the camp fees)… maybe I’ll do a long weekend back to the States in June… but that still leaves me with a bunch of time to burn. So if anyone has any votes on where else I should go and when (July and August are out, sorry), just send me an email or something! I’m looking to do a total of three round-trips across the Atlantic (or equivalent mileage) this calendar year, so I can get some status back on my airline (I’ve already completed half of a trip). I know, I got sucked into it all :-p But I feel like I can go to so many more places from England…
Sunday 18 March
I started out the day horribly- I accidentally locked myself in the shower bathroom (there are three “bathrooms” that I have access to- one is just a toilet- a true wc!, one has a tub and a sink, and the one in the basement has a shower and a toilet) for 20 minutes, until I finally managed to get the door unstuck. As I’ve mentioned before, I live in an old, old house, and the guy that lives here has kept a lot of the antique doorknobs, and fixtures and things. The shower bathroom had a lever, and it was stuck for a while :-P
And then it was windy the whole day. When I went out to walk to the town centre and get my bus pass for the week (the store happened to be closed, so I’ll have to pay full-fare tomorrow, and buy a pass at lunch), the wind was bad enough to blow me around a bit, but there were strong bursts of sun coming through the heavy clouds that were racing through the sky. Maybe about 4:30 or 5pm, it got dark out, and at first I thought it was just sunset as normal (I hadn’t really been thinking), and the wind was blowing in harder gusts, and at first I thought it was just picking up bits of random stuff and blowing it against my window, but the scratchy, pebble-like sound continued, so I opened the curtain, and at first I thought we were having a snow squall, but then I realized it was hail! I haven’t seen hail in a really really long time. And this stuff was getting large! It started small (you know what it looks like when you try to break up the Styrofoam bars that come in packaging, and it gets bits all over the floor?), but then there were pieces of hail as large as the tip of my finger! And it was almost whiteout conditions! I wonder if there was a rainbow at some point… the weather was that weird.
I think I’m beginning to figure out what I’ll miss from the United States. Because I’m not fond of sharing a kitchen (and there’s only a tiny freezer besides), I haven’t looked at the ice cream selection in the grocery store I’ve found (I still have to find a bigger one), but I know Ben&Jerry’s isn’t common, if they have it at all. And while there are a few Starbucks in England, Northampton isn’t a lucky host. Usually, I won’t go to Starbucks unless I want a frozen Frappucino (better quality than a Dunkin’ Donuts Coolata- no Dunk’s here, by the way), but I really wanted to sit down in a Starbucks with a hot chocolate and my computer, because nearly every Starbucks has free wi-fi. So I miss Ben&Jerry’s, and I miss Starbucks. Both are things I can live without, and will eventually find replacements for.
Another funny thing I’ve noticed recently- I think I’ve gotten used to the accents around here, and can even pick out dialects from different parts of England and the UK (not surprising- I used to be able to distinguish the difference between three North Carolina, two Georgia, Virginia and South Carolina accents). The thing that bothers me is that while the accents don’t get to me normally, if I find that I’ve been watching an American tv program (yes, they do have a *few* programs- I was watching the O.C. today- I can‘t *believe* I almost moved there!) and then switch back to a British show, it’s very jarring for a while- like I’m having a hard time reconciling or something. But soon I won’t have to worry about it because I will move into my real home, and will cease to have television (for at least a year, I promised myself).
Thursday, 15 March 2007
Monday 12 March 2007
(I must be boring you all to death with the mundane, but… maybe there are some good nuggets in here somewhere, someday, perhaps?)
Minor Inconveniences
The first thing I’ve found that’s not perfect about England (or at least Northampton)- the stores shut too early on weekdays! Most stores (except for grocery stores and restaurants/pubs, etc) will shut between 5pm and 6pm, which is really inconvenient if one needs to stop off after work. I usually don’t leave work until just before 6pm to begin with (that’ll change when I start working show nights, though). Catching things on tv like the following definitely make up for it, though!:
‘no one wants to feel like a sausage in a sausage factory’ & ’we promise to treat you like a person, not a sausage’ - from an eyecare commercial on tv.
The other minor inconvenience I have is cell phone- it’s too damned expensive to call the States, which I’ve had to do quite a bit in the past week to get things sorted out. I’ve put £ 10 on twice (forced to do the pay-as-you-go option at the moment because I have no credit history in England), and I’m almost out of my second round already. That’s almost 40 USD! I know international calls are expensive, but… I guess it’s still better than using my credit card at a payphone (ha ha- BT won’t get my money!).
Tomorrow is the big meeting with my supervisors and deputy. Actually, they’re all acting, and I have to go through the process of interviewing and hiring for the positions… but anyway. I’m looking forward to this meeting, because I think it will really help assert myself as being their boss rather than a co-worker on the same level. I already feel different than I did at Purchase, like my contributions count for something. My Boss has mentioned more than once that I’ve already made a big difference (how can I have, in only a week?), and I’ve been invited to join every department’s Tessitura implementation meeting. At the moment, I’m flattered, though I’m sure 6 meetings a week (sometimes once every two weeks) for just Tessitura will get to me eventually:-P And people are asking me for random one-on-one sessions, too. Good to know I’m loved ;-)
No news on a personal front as of yet. Mentions keep being made in passing of “oh, we should do dinner some night” or “let me know if you want to do something” but I haven’t yet taken anyone up on anything. I did, however, ask after a Royal & Derngate community choir that I heard about by accident (someone sent a system wide email announcing a rehearsal change). Maybe that’s something I can get back into. We shall see.
I don’t quite know what to do with myself- I feel like there’s hope, there’s promise, and that I might actually be content, and maybe even more than that?… (some of you will understand that one better than others)…
Wednesday 14 March
Today was my first crazy-person day. Wednesdays are particularly bad meeting days, so I was backlogged. I was supposed to leave at 5pm, and was about to leave at 6:15, when one of the sales advisors came to me and said she had a person on the phone who was really unhappy with something (turns out we had had to move him because weeks ago we sold him into seats that weren’t really there). I said to offer to move him to house seats. He wouldn’t have it. I was still trying to get out the door, so I said “fine, give him a refund.” He wouldn’t have that, so then he needed to speak to me in person. I told him the same thing, that I’d be happy to refund him his tickets, and to comp him to something else. He kept being really nasty, saying I should move someone else so he could have better seats, etc, etc, and why was he moved in the first place. Of course, I’d only been at work for a week and a half, and I didn’t know, so I asked him if he minded holding while I found out, and he’s like “you don’t know? How’d you get the job in the first place?” And he told me I had a very strong American accent, and he wasn’t pleased. Eventually, a third person was able to calm him down somehow, basically offering him the same thing I did, but maybe he liked it better from this other person because she didn’t have an American accent. It didn’t bother me at first, but the more I think about it, the more it bothers me :-P Oh well, I’ll get over it by tomorrow. It’ll be interesting to hear what the Customer Services Director has to say about it tomorrow when I tell him what happened.
Things are moving ahead with the flat- they’ve already called my place of work, and my father’s place of work (I needed a guarantor because I haven’t been living in the UK for 6 months). And I have a firm offer of help when I’m ready to go (“help” meaning pick up my two gigantic suitcases and whatever else I’ve accumulated so I don’t have to make a billion trips on the bus). I’m excited to move, even though I won’t have tv anymore. Am actually looking forward to it, in a sick way… before I left the States, I was consumed by the thought of excess, and how much of it there is (in America), and I wanted to get away from that for a bit. I think I’m also looking forward to getting into my permanent place because I feel slightly unsettled in my home life, and I don’t really want to let go, for lack of a better word (or two), until I’m in my own place.
(I must be boring you all to death with the mundane, but… maybe there are some good nuggets in here somewhere, someday, perhaps?)
Minor Inconveniences
The first thing I’ve found that’s not perfect about England (or at least Northampton)- the stores shut too early on weekdays! Most stores (except for grocery stores and restaurants/pubs, etc) will shut between 5pm and 6pm, which is really inconvenient if one needs to stop off after work. I usually don’t leave work until just before 6pm to begin with (that’ll change when I start working show nights, though). Catching things on tv like the following definitely make up for it, though!:
‘no one wants to feel like a sausage in a sausage factory’ & ’we promise to treat you like a person, not a sausage’ - from an eyecare commercial on tv.
The other minor inconvenience I have is cell phone- it’s too damned expensive to call the States, which I’ve had to do quite a bit in the past week to get things sorted out. I’ve put £ 10 on twice (forced to do the pay-as-you-go option at the moment because I have no credit history in England), and I’m almost out of my second round already. That’s almost 40 USD! I know international calls are expensive, but… I guess it’s still better than using my credit card at a payphone (ha ha- BT won’t get my money!).
Tomorrow is the big meeting with my supervisors and deputy. Actually, they’re all acting, and I have to go through the process of interviewing and hiring for the positions… but anyway. I’m looking forward to this meeting, because I think it will really help assert myself as being their boss rather than a co-worker on the same level. I already feel different than I did at Purchase, like my contributions count for something. My Boss has mentioned more than once that I’ve already made a big difference (how can I have, in only a week?), and I’ve been invited to join every department’s Tessitura implementation meeting. At the moment, I’m flattered, though I’m sure 6 meetings a week (sometimes once every two weeks) for just Tessitura will get to me eventually:-P And people are asking me for random one-on-one sessions, too. Good to know I’m loved ;-)
No news on a personal front as of yet. Mentions keep being made in passing of “oh, we should do dinner some night” or “let me know if you want to do something” but I haven’t yet taken anyone up on anything. I did, however, ask after a Royal & Derngate community choir that I heard about by accident (someone sent a system wide email announcing a rehearsal change). Maybe that’s something I can get back into. We shall see.
I don’t quite know what to do with myself- I feel like there’s hope, there’s promise, and that I might actually be content, and maybe even more than that?… (some of you will understand that one better than others)…
Wednesday 14 March
Today was my first crazy-person day. Wednesdays are particularly bad meeting days, so I was backlogged. I was supposed to leave at 5pm, and was about to leave at 6:15, when one of the sales advisors came to me and said she had a person on the phone who was really unhappy with something (turns out we had had to move him because weeks ago we sold him into seats that weren’t really there). I said to offer to move him to house seats. He wouldn’t have it. I was still trying to get out the door, so I said “fine, give him a refund.” He wouldn’t have that, so then he needed to speak to me in person. I told him the same thing, that I’d be happy to refund him his tickets, and to comp him to something else. He kept being really nasty, saying I should move someone else so he could have better seats, etc, etc, and why was he moved in the first place. Of course, I’d only been at work for a week and a half, and I didn’t know, so I asked him if he minded holding while I found out, and he’s like “you don’t know? How’d you get the job in the first place?” And he told me I had a very strong American accent, and he wasn’t pleased. Eventually, a third person was able to calm him down somehow, basically offering him the same thing I did, but maybe he liked it better from this other person because she didn’t have an American accent. It didn’t bother me at first, but the more I think about it, the more it bothers me :-P Oh well, I’ll get over it by tomorrow. It’ll be interesting to hear what the Customer Services Director has to say about it tomorrow when I tell him what happened.
Things are moving ahead with the flat- they’ve already called my place of work, and my father’s place of work (I needed a guarantor because I haven’t been living in the UK for 6 months). And I have a firm offer of help when I’m ready to go (“help” meaning pick up my two gigantic suitcases and whatever else I’ve accumulated so I don’t have to make a billion trips on the bus). I’m excited to move, even though I won’t have tv anymore. Am actually looking forward to it, in a sick way… before I left the States, I was consumed by the thought of excess, and how much of it there is (in America), and I wanted to get away from that for a bit. I think I’m also looking forward to getting into my permanent place because I feel slightly unsettled in my home life, and I don’t really want to let go, for lack of a better word (or two), until I’m in my own place.
Monday, 12 March 2007
Saturday 10 March 2007 (in the afternoon)
I went flat-hunting this morning… on my first weekend in town, and I got up at 8am to do it :-p I had made the appointment while I was running errands at lunch one day (I love it, I can go outside and run errands during lunch!), and didn’t make appointments with other estate agents to see anything else. But it doesn’t really matter because I decided to take the place I looked at today. It’s the one bedroom (yay, I’ve graduated from a studio apartment!), and it has a washer/dryer combo in addition to a nice deep tub, and wood (laminate?) floors in the living room. The bedroom is a bit small, but really, what else do I do in there except sleep? It’s on the 3rd floor (which is actually the 4th floor in the States, because here they count the level one walks in off the street on as the ground floor), but there is a lift (elevator). It lets in a lot of light in the morning, which is perfect for me. It’s less than a five minute walk to the theatre, and while it *is* on a street with a lot of pubs/clubs, I think that’s great, because I was living in the middle of white-picket-fence-suburbia before. The kitchen has real countertops, and not that cheap-ass stuff that’s glued on. There’s a little half-wall sectioning off the kitchen from the living room, which I might be able to put a stool or two at. The living room and bedroom don’t have a lot of character, but I see it as a plus- like a blank canvas. The only drawback is that the apartment is unfurnished. All I *have* to have right away is something to sleep on, and everything else will come eventually. I’m trying to not get stressed thinking about how I’m going to get what stuff I do have with me over there… it will take all morning if I do it by bus. I’m hoping that maybe someone can drive me over?.. I suppose I’ll worry about that more than I should, though I don’t need to until I know when I’m moving. It won’t be for at least another week. Ok, now I’m stressing out about how I’m going to get stuff to my new place, and where I’m going to buy stuff after I have it. It will work out. I made it from London dragging at least my own weight in luggage; I can make this work too.
Aside from my morning flat hunting (and suit-buying- I needed another one, and possibly one more), today has been quiet. I was tired by the time I got in, and have had rugby and soccer on in the background all afternoon as I made up lists of things to do/buy. I don’t understand rugby at all. It looks extremely violent. It’s like soccer, but you can touch the ball with your hands, and people can pull you to the ground, but you’re not wearing any kneepads or helmets. Anyway, I think tomorrow will probably be a day in… I’ve spent a bunch of money today (on necessary things, but still), and really don’t want to spend any more. If I stay inside, I won’t spend. Yeah, I’ll probably be bored, and I should probably be out looking for something to do, but… does it help if I say that I think someone at work either runs/volunteers with/is otherwise engaged in some kind of community choir? I bet that I’ll be out after work at least once next week, how about that? :-P
More Saturday (in the evening)
I happened to look over at my computer a minute ago, and my picture slideshow screensaver was on, and the picture that was up was of the guy from the San Diego Zoo (will post a picture when I can, so check back for a link!). It got me to thinking “what am I going to do for Memorial Day Weekend *this* year?” 2005 was San Diego, I can’t say what I did for 2006 here in case it should get back to my mother (but I will tell you if you email me)… I’d kind of made a promise to myself that no matter how little money I had, I would do something wild/crazy/special over Memorial Day Weekend, just to remind myself that I‘m still alive, and that I‘m lucky to have the opportunities that I do. Then I thought to myself, there is no Memorial Day weekend in England. So, I need your help- should I do anything even though the British don’t celebrate, and if so, what should I do? I would really like it to not cost more than £ 150 (about 300 U.S. dollars). Anyway, that’s not really what I wanted to share. My mind started out there, and then went on a tangent, and somehow I got to thinking about how I’m not homesick, but that I really, REALLY wish that I could talk to Nana, and tell her what I was up to. But I can’t, because she passed away a year ago April. And right now, I’m having a very hard time dealing with that, because I can so vividly imagine her reaction, I can hear her voice, see her eyes light up as I’m telling my story… I wish I could tell her, she’d be so proud and excited for me…
Sunday 11 March 2007
Today was about adventures in washing my clothes. First thing I had to do was buy detergent and fabric softener (though I wasn’t sure the machine I was to use could even *do* liquid softener). So I’m standing in the mini-grocery store around the corner from where I’m staying (almost like a super bodega) looking on the shelves- there’s no Tide, there’s no Snuggle, I don’t recognize anything. So I grab a box of powder detergent (they didn’t have any liquid) that said it was “sensitive” and some liquid fabric softener that mercifully had something I recognized in it- Febreze. As I was walking back up the aisle, I saw the funniest thing, and I almost got a box just for the hell of it. I was looking at tissues, and they have “mansize” tissues. I’m not kidding, they really do! The box for one brand specifically said “man size”, and the other- it was Kleenex- said “Kleenex tissues for men.” and these boxes were gigantic! At least 50% larger than regular. It was really funny. If any of you want a box of man tissues, I’d be happy to send some over :-P
The washing machine itself was kind of funky. First of all, it held about half the size of a washer in the States, so now I have more laundry to do, but I don’t want to do more than a load a week because I’m not paying extra for it. Then, while I knew where to load the powder (I guessed on the fabric softener), and to turn the knob to the right letter (for temperature), I had no idea how to actually start it! So I’m poking and prodding, and eventually I get the machine to start after I pulled something hard enough that I was afraid I would pull it off. Then the machine took FOREVER to finish. I went down after half an hour, and again five minutes later, figuring that it would take as long as it normally does in the States. Wrong answer. It wound up taking an hour. And that was just for a wash (there’s no dryer, so I currently have three pairs of pants, two shirts, and some socks and underwear strewn about my room, which is already a mess because there are no drawers for me to put my stuff in). Anyway, when I tried to open the washing machine door after it stopped (the last time I went to check, I decided I was better off waiting for it to finish than go up and down two flights of stairs AGAIN), it wouldn’t budge. The door appeared to be stuck. I have to mention it was a front load washer, and not a top load. Again, I’m afraid that I’m going to break the handle off if I pull too hard, but I eventually get it open. I think my fear of breaking things if I pull too hard stems from the fact that I’m living in a very old house, and there are a lot of old, ornate doorknobs that aren’t all that secure.
So far, I’ve seen two ironing boards, but no iron. I would be happy if I could iron some of my clothes. I’m just about at the end of things that don’t need to be ironed. Maybe I’ll go out and buy an iron (I’ll need one soon anyway) and sneak one of the boards into my room. Have I mentioned that I can’t wait until I’m out of temp housing? :-)
I went flat-hunting this morning… on my first weekend in town, and I got up at 8am to do it :-p I had made the appointment while I was running errands at lunch one day (I love it, I can go outside and run errands during lunch!), and didn’t make appointments with other estate agents to see anything else. But it doesn’t really matter because I decided to take the place I looked at today. It’s the one bedroom (yay, I’ve graduated from a studio apartment!), and it has a washer/dryer combo in addition to a nice deep tub, and wood (laminate?) floors in the living room. The bedroom is a bit small, but really, what else do I do in there except sleep? It’s on the 3rd floor (which is actually the 4th floor in the States, because here they count the level one walks in off the street on as the ground floor), but there is a lift (elevator). It lets in a lot of light in the morning, which is perfect for me. It’s less than a five minute walk to the theatre, and while it *is* on a street with a lot of pubs/clubs, I think that’s great, because I was living in the middle of white-picket-fence-suburbia before. The kitchen has real countertops, and not that cheap-ass stuff that’s glued on. There’s a little half-wall sectioning off the kitchen from the living room, which I might be able to put a stool or two at. The living room and bedroom don’t have a lot of character, but I see it as a plus- like a blank canvas. The only drawback is that the apartment is unfurnished. All I *have* to have right away is something to sleep on, and everything else will come eventually. I’m trying to not get stressed thinking about how I’m going to get what stuff I do have with me over there… it will take all morning if I do it by bus. I’m hoping that maybe someone can drive me over?.. I suppose I’ll worry about that more than I should, though I don’t need to until I know when I’m moving. It won’t be for at least another week. Ok, now I’m stressing out about how I’m going to get stuff to my new place, and where I’m going to buy stuff after I have it. It will work out. I made it from London dragging at least my own weight in luggage; I can make this work too.
Aside from my morning flat hunting (and suit-buying- I needed another one, and possibly one more), today has been quiet. I was tired by the time I got in, and have had rugby and soccer on in the background all afternoon as I made up lists of things to do/buy. I don’t understand rugby at all. It looks extremely violent. It’s like soccer, but you can touch the ball with your hands, and people can pull you to the ground, but you’re not wearing any kneepads or helmets. Anyway, I think tomorrow will probably be a day in… I’ve spent a bunch of money today (on necessary things, but still), and really don’t want to spend any more. If I stay inside, I won’t spend. Yeah, I’ll probably be bored, and I should probably be out looking for something to do, but… does it help if I say that I think someone at work either runs/volunteers with/is otherwise engaged in some kind of community choir? I bet that I’ll be out after work at least once next week, how about that? :-P
More Saturday (in the evening)
I happened to look over at my computer a minute ago, and my picture slideshow screensaver was on, and the picture that was up was of the guy from the San Diego Zoo (will post a picture when I can, so check back for a link!). It got me to thinking “what am I going to do for Memorial Day Weekend *this* year?” 2005 was San Diego, I can’t say what I did for 2006 here in case it should get back to my mother (but I will tell you if you email me)… I’d kind of made a promise to myself that no matter how little money I had, I would do something wild/crazy/special over Memorial Day Weekend, just to remind myself that I‘m still alive, and that I‘m lucky to have the opportunities that I do. Then I thought to myself, there is no Memorial Day weekend in England. So, I need your help- should I do anything even though the British don’t celebrate, and if so, what should I do? I would really like it to not cost more than £ 150 (about 300 U.S. dollars). Anyway, that’s not really what I wanted to share. My mind started out there, and then went on a tangent, and somehow I got to thinking about how I’m not homesick, but that I really, REALLY wish that I could talk to Nana, and tell her what I was up to. But I can’t, because she passed away a year ago April. And right now, I’m having a very hard time dealing with that, because I can so vividly imagine her reaction, I can hear her voice, see her eyes light up as I’m telling my story… I wish I could tell her, she’d be so proud and excited for me…
Sunday 11 March 2007
Today was about adventures in washing my clothes. First thing I had to do was buy detergent and fabric softener (though I wasn’t sure the machine I was to use could even *do* liquid softener). So I’m standing in the mini-grocery store around the corner from where I’m staying (almost like a super bodega) looking on the shelves- there’s no Tide, there’s no Snuggle, I don’t recognize anything. So I grab a box of powder detergent (they didn’t have any liquid) that said it was “sensitive” and some liquid fabric softener that mercifully had something I recognized in it- Febreze. As I was walking back up the aisle, I saw the funniest thing, and I almost got a box just for the hell of it. I was looking at tissues, and they have “mansize” tissues. I’m not kidding, they really do! The box for one brand specifically said “man size”, and the other- it was Kleenex- said “Kleenex tissues for men.” and these boxes were gigantic! At least 50% larger than regular. It was really funny. If any of you want a box of man tissues, I’d be happy to send some over :-P
The washing machine itself was kind of funky. First of all, it held about half the size of a washer in the States, so now I have more laundry to do, but I don’t want to do more than a load a week because I’m not paying extra for it. Then, while I knew where to load the powder (I guessed on the fabric softener), and to turn the knob to the right letter (for temperature), I had no idea how to actually start it! So I’m poking and prodding, and eventually I get the machine to start after I pulled something hard enough that I was afraid I would pull it off. Then the machine took FOREVER to finish. I went down after half an hour, and again five minutes later, figuring that it would take as long as it normally does in the States. Wrong answer. It wound up taking an hour. And that was just for a wash (there’s no dryer, so I currently have three pairs of pants, two shirts, and some socks and underwear strewn about my room, which is already a mess because there are no drawers for me to put my stuff in). Anyway, when I tried to open the washing machine door after it stopped (the last time I went to check, I decided I was better off waiting for it to finish than go up and down two flights of stairs AGAIN), it wouldn’t budge. The door appeared to be stuck. I have to mention it was a front load washer, and not a top load. Again, I’m afraid that I’m going to break the handle off if I pull too hard, but I eventually get it open. I think my fear of breaking things if I pull too hard stems from the fact that I’m living in a very old house, and there are a lot of old, ornate doorknobs that aren’t all that secure.
So far, I’ve seen two ironing boards, but no iron. I would be happy if I could iron some of my clothes. I’m just about at the end of things that don’t need to be ironed. Maybe I’ll go out and buy an iron (I’ll need one soon anyway) and sneak one of the boards into my room. Have I mentioned that I can’t wait until I’m out of temp housing? :-)
Friday, 9 March 2007
so it begins...
(edit: i have put security on this so only those whom i invite should be able to read it- it wouldn't be good if certain people got ahold of things in here, and I hate writing what i hear in my head, then having to edit it!!)
It seems like a blog is the easiest way to let you all know how I’m doing, because I spent an hour at a cyber café the other day, and only got through two emails! I’ll write and post as I can, but I wouldn’t necessarily expect eloquence, because I’m very much of the stream-of-consciousness school. This first one is extremely long, but it covers the week.
Will post pictures after I take some….
Enjoy my stories, and let me know what you think! ;-)
Monday 5 March 2007
I have no idea where to begin- Sunday I was tired, cold, hungry, wet and just generally miserable. It was such a pain in the ass to take the two suitcases. If I had to do it over again, I would just take one, and maybe just the smaller of the two at that. (Though, to give the British credit, I never had to carry my suitcases up a full flight of stairs by myself. Any time I ran into an obstacle, someone always offered to help!) In order to make things manageable when I find a permanent place, I think I’ll have to make three trips by bus (unless someone offers to drive me), because two suitcases is way too much hassle, and overfilling the big one is not a good thing, either. Anyway, I was feeling really glum after I got here, and everything was so quiet at the house. (It‘s a gorgeous old house, maybe like what a brownstone would be in the city: tall- maybe four stories- and narrow, brick outside with a smart red door and a cute little iron gate(like a garden gate) out front by the sidewalk. It‘s in a nice area, with a church right around the corner, and a billion restaurants and takeout places, and some bodega type stores). Anyway… I’ve only seen the owner, and none of the three other people that live here (all guys, I believe). I was used to having people around because I’d been living at my parents’ for so long, and even when I was in CT, there was always some kind of noise from the people above… While I’m okay with having the tv on, I feel like running my hairdryer makes too much noise. I really want to find my own place as soon as I can, so I can really make myself at home.
Piece of ettiquette learned: it’s really not the thing to ask to take home leftovers if you’re out at a restaurant. The British are more about serving the appropriate portion size.
A lot to process about work. I think I will really like it there, but I just have to make sure I establish myself as a boss before a buddy. It seems like I could get along really well with just about everyone. Everyone was so nice to me, and My Boss kept telling me that if was beginning to feel jetlagged, that I was to go home. He was really sweet. There’s a lot that needs to be done, though. There’s a lot of disorganization, and a bit of a communication gap, and there are areas of Tessitura that really need to be looked at. Also, the supervisors and the deputy are all on an interim basis. They wanted to wait until the Sales Manager position was filled (and I got there) before they hired anyone permanently. So, I will be on the hiring committee for those positions. We’ll start internally, and if I decide that it would be settling, we can hire outside. But whoever does not get the deputy position will be able to choose which supervisor job they want. And then we will hire the other supervisor, looking internally first. That’s all accomplishable, though. I feel that I will be able to really grow into this position. I was a little overwhelmed by the end of the day today (it was nearly 10am-6pm, although we did take a long lunch). But I’m excited.
I also really like Northampton. It’s not really a city, but it’s not the country either. I think it has to do with the town centre, and how there are so many pubs, restaurants, cafes, and places to hang out, all within walking distance. I’m sure there has to be wi-fi access somewhere (I know, I’ll ask The Boss!). Oh, something weird I noticed- the ‘@’ symbol is on a completely different spot on the keyboard, as are a few other symbols. That freaked me out for a minute.
More I’ve remembered- I’m frustrated that because I have a lack of British credit history, I can’t get a pay-monthly cell phone plan yet (though if I‘m not using that many minutes, it might be cheaper for me to continue to pay as I talk, and pay the extra for broadband). I have to open a bank account and wait three months. It’ll be the same issue with broadband. Oh well. Just one of the things that goes along with moving to a new country.
More I remembered- there is tea and cake every Friday at 4pm! And I have two offices- one is between the ticket counter and the phone room, and is shared with the deputy and one of the assistants, and the other office is upstairs, the “juliet” room (I think it‘s called that because there‘s a tiny balcony where one can look out over the counter and the rest of the (foyer isn’t the right word))- it’s a quiet room, that is really mine, but other people can use, but they’re supposed to ask me first.
Tues, 6 march, 2007
Well, I felt more in control of things today. A bit more, at least. I spent most of the day either in meetings with people, getting HR stuff done, or sitting at my desk wading through the 200 emails that awaited me upon arrival at R&D. One of the things that made me feel really good was a meeting with The Deputy Sales Mgr, someone who works in arts-in-ed, and myself to discuss performances that have workshops attached. Evidently, it was a major concern for them, but it was such an easy thing to solve. And we all discussed well.
Tonight was Press Night for one of the shows (kind of like an opening night party, I guess, although there’d been rehearsals and a performance or two already). I decided that I should attend, even if I was dead tired, because I needed to meet people and be seen. Before the show, I was talking to the Chief Executive of the theatre and at the intermission My Boss took me around into the VIP room (which is usually just for senior management and special people), and I had a drink and wound up chatting with the programming manager, as well as the playwright of the show! And then there was the after show reception, and My Boss graciously hooked me up with another glass of wine, and I wound up chatting with the technical director, The Deputy Sales Manager, one of my Sales Supervisors, and the arts-in-ed person from the other morning. It was really nice to feel such a part of things. I’d been there for two days, and I already felt like what was happening was normal.
I do have to be careful, though… because I’m not sure if I was being hit upon or not. The Arts-in Ed guy was trying to be very chivalrous in asking if I needed something from the bar at the after party, then the group of us went to the pub for the after- after party, and wanted to know if I needed an escort home, or was I taking a cab or anything like that. We wound up splitting a cab, more because we lived in the same section of town. Funnily enough, when the “oh my gosh, is he trying to hit on me” thoughts were going through my head (though he could have just been being nice, I don’t know), I thought to myself “my god, I’ve only been here for a day and a half, I’m not interested in *anyone* at the moment!” and it’s rather unfortunate, maybe, because I wasn’t really physically attracted to him. My first impression upon meeting him earlier in the day was “ok, he looks a bit like Austin Powers but with red hair.” totally unfair, I know, but…
The culture at the theatre is really unlike anything I’ve experienced. I continue to be astounded by how accessible everyone is- I don’t feel scared at all when I’m talking to The Chief Executive, whereas if I were back at Purchase, and I were talking to The Executive (the old or new one), I would be terrified of saying the wrong thing, or wondering if I was in trouble for something… and the fact that so many different factions went out to the Mail Coach (the pub) after Press Night. Granted, there were a lot of cliques, but… still, everyone went to the same place (and the Mail Coach will shut down to the public, but let us stay until 4am). I wound up hanging with The Deputy (deputy sales mgr) most of the time, and I think we’re really similar in a lot of ways- quiet and sort of reserved, and we like to sit and watch, more than mingle. I was really glad we had that bonding experience, and I felt really badly that Supervisor #2 wasn’t there. I’m concerned about her, actually… I like how she’s able to deal with customers, and l really like that she doesn’t seem to have a problem being hard with customers when she needs to be, but… I think that carries over a bit into other areas… it seems as if she doesn’t quite fit in. I think I’ll see if I can take her to lunch tomorrow, just the two of us- for the sense of fairness. The Deputy and Sales Advisor #1 got to hang out with me tonight, and I want Supervisor #2 to have that same opportunity.
Thursday 8 March, 2007
Just more good times today. I have open invitations to dinner, or if I want something to do, or want to borrow movies, or the use of a truck when I find a place to stay (though I only have two suitcases). You know what it reminds me a lot of? Timberlane. When I moved four days before my senior year of high school, I was prepared for a really rough year, but by the end of the first day of school, I was in the school play, and I had a great bunch of people to hang out with, and it turned out to be my favourite year of school overall, including anything in college. (ok, I know I spelled “favourite” instead of “favorite”, but now my spellchecker checks for British English :-P).
I know everything’s not going to be sunshine and roses, and I’m already figuring out who people *really* are at work, and I’m getting put in the middle of office politics, but… every morning I wake up, and as I’m walking to the bus stop, I think to myself “oh, it’s such a nice day out” or “I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at work.” And every night as I’m leaving the theatre, birds are chirping their evening songs. I’m told that they do that year-round. I think that I couldn’t have come at a more opportune time, because there’s been fantastic weather (aside from Sunday), so now if it decides to rain every other day for the next month, I’ll know that it will get lots better.
I went out of the office today during lunch hour to run some errands. I know I didn’t have all the information I needed to open a bank account, namely my passport, but I stopped in to see exactly what I should bring in, and they started work on the account anyway! They were so incredibly friendly, without being smarmy or condescending. The same kind of thing happened when I stopped in at the real estate agent. It only took 5 minutes for me to get an appointment for Saturday to see a place… speaking of which- this place is well within walking distance of the theatre, but everyone has said while it’s a generally safe area, it can get a bit loud. I saw a picture, and it doesn’t necessarily look that appetizing on the outside, but it’s a black and white picture, so we’ll see. I think I might walk past tomorrow night after work, because it being a Friday night and supposedly in/near the club district… I’m tempted to take it even if it isn’t perfect (it‘s unfurnished), because it has a washer/dryer in it, and it’s slightly under my price limit, and it’s close to the theatre (also, I walked into the kitchen to heat my dinner the other night and met the other two guys living in the house, and their topic of conversation was “price and quality of mushrooms in Northern Europe). I can deal with anything for a year, so…. And if it really is noisy, that’s okay, because I always wanted to live a year in Manhattan. This might be the closest I get, now :-P
I wonder if this is what it means to be happy? I feel like the future is bright- I like my job, I love the people I work with, I love the town of Northampton… no it’s not a big city. But I have London if I want big. As I was running around at lunchtime today, Northampton really reminded me of Santa Fe- yeah, it’s technically a city, but there’s a lot of old history…. Santa Fe has the plaza, and Northampton has market square, where you can get fresh fruits and veggies every day, and if it’s not Farmer Market day, you can find lots of other cool, bazaar-like stuff, too. I just seem to fit here.
(but yes, in spite of my professed love for where I am now, I’m still apprehensive about my first weekend here, though I know if I get blue, I will feel better once I figure out where I’m really living).
(and no, I don’t hate the United States, nor will I ever, really, but I’m also not yet homesick)
It seems like a blog is the easiest way to let you all know how I’m doing, because I spent an hour at a cyber café the other day, and only got through two emails! I’ll write and post as I can, but I wouldn’t necessarily expect eloquence, because I’m very much of the stream-of-consciousness school. This first one is extremely long, but it covers the week.
Will post pictures after I take some….
Enjoy my stories, and let me know what you think! ;-)
Monday 5 March 2007
I have no idea where to begin- Sunday I was tired, cold, hungry, wet and just generally miserable. It was such a pain in the ass to take the two suitcases. If I had to do it over again, I would just take one, and maybe just the smaller of the two at that. (Though, to give the British credit, I never had to carry my suitcases up a full flight of stairs by myself. Any time I ran into an obstacle, someone always offered to help!) In order to make things manageable when I find a permanent place, I think I’ll have to make three trips by bus (unless someone offers to drive me), because two suitcases is way too much hassle, and overfilling the big one is not a good thing, either. Anyway, I was feeling really glum after I got here, and everything was so quiet at the house. (It‘s a gorgeous old house, maybe like what a brownstone would be in the city: tall- maybe four stories- and narrow, brick outside with a smart red door and a cute little iron gate(like a garden gate) out front by the sidewalk. It‘s in a nice area, with a church right around the corner, and a billion restaurants and takeout places, and some bodega type stores). Anyway… I’ve only seen the owner, and none of the three other people that live here (all guys, I believe). I was used to having people around because I’d been living at my parents’ for so long, and even when I was in CT, there was always some kind of noise from the people above… While I’m okay with having the tv on, I feel like running my hairdryer makes too much noise. I really want to find my own place as soon as I can, so I can really make myself at home.
Piece of ettiquette learned: it’s really not the thing to ask to take home leftovers if you’re out at a restaurant. The British are more about serving the appropriate portion size.
A lot to process about work. I think I will really like it there, but I just have to make sure I establish myself as a boss before a buddy. It seems like I could get along really well with just about everyone. Everyone was so nice to me, and My Boss kept telling me that if was beginning to feel jetlagged, that I was to go home. He was really sweet. There’s a lot that needs to be done, though. There’s a lot of disorganization, and a bit of a communication gap, and there are areas of Tessitura that really need to be looked at. Also, the supervisors and the deputy are all on an interim basis. They wanted to wait until the Sales Manager position was filled (and I got there) before they hired anyone permanently. So, I will be on the hiring committee for those positions. We’ll start internally, and if I decide that it would be settling, we can hire outside. But whoever does not get the deputy position will be able to choose which supervisor job they want. And then we will hire the other supervisor, looking internally first. That’s all accomplishable, though. I feel that I will be able to really grow into this position. I was a little overwhelmed by the end of the day today (it was nearly 10am-6pm, although we did take a long lunch). But I’m excited.
I also really like Northampton. It’s not really a city, but it’s not the country either. I think it has to do with the town centre, and how there are so many pubs, restaurants, cafes, and places to hang out, all within walking distance. I’m sure there has to be wi-fi access somewhere (I know, I’ll ask The Boss!). Oh, something weird I noticed- the ‘@’ symbol is on a completely different spot on the keyboard, as are a few other symbols. That freaked me out for a minute.
More I’ve remembered- I’m frustrated that because I have a lack of British credit history, I can’t get a pay-monthly cell phone plan yet (though if I‘m not using that many minutes, it might be cheaper for me to continue to pay as I talk, and pay the extra for broadband). I have to open a bank account and wait three months. It’ll be the same issue with broadband. Oh well. Just one of the things that goes along with moving to a new country.
More I remembered- there is tea and cake every Friday at 4pm! And I have two offices- one is between the ticket counter and the phone room, and is shared with the deputy and one of the assistants, and the other office is upstairs, the “juliet” room (I think it‘s called that because there‘s a tiny balcony where one can look out over the counter and the rest of the (foyer isn’t the right word))- it’s a quiet room, that is really mine, but other people can use, but they’re supposed to ask me first.
Tues, 6 march, 2007
Well, I felt more in control of things today. A bit more, at least. I spent most of the day either in meetings with people, getting HR stuff done, or sitting at my desk wading through the 200 emails that awaited me upon arrival at R&D. One of the things that made me feel really good was a meeting with The Deputy Sales Mgr, someone who works in arts-in-ed, and myself to discuss performances that have workshops attached. Evidently, it was a major concern for them, but it was such an easy thing to solve. And we all discussed well.
Tonight was Press Night for one of the shows (kind of like an opening night party, I guess, although there’d been rehearsals and a performance or two already). I decided that I should attend, even if I was dead tired, because I needed to meet people and be seen. Before the show, I was talking to the Chief Executive of the theatre and at the intermission My Boss took me around into the VIP room (which is usually just for senior management and special people), and I had a drink and wound up chatting with the programming manager, as well as the playwright of the show! And then there was the after show reception, and My Boss graciously hooked me up with another glass of wine, and I wound up chatting with the technical director, The Deputy Sales Manager, one of my Sales Supervisors, and the arts-in-ed person from the other morning. It was really nice to feel such a part of things. I’d been there for two days, and I already felt like what was happening was normal.
I do have to be careful, though… because I’m not sure if I was being hit upon or not. The Arts-in Ed guy was trying to be very chivalrous in asking if I needed something from the bar at the after party, then the group of us went to the pub for the after- after party, and wanted to know if I needed an escort home, or was I taking a cab or anything like that. We wound up splitting a cab, more because we lived in the same section of town. Funnily enough, when the “oh my gosh, is he trying to hit on me” thoughts were going through my head (though he could have just been being nice, I don’t know), I thought to myself “my god, I’ve only been here for a day and a half, I’m not interested in *anyone* at the moment!” and it’s rather unfortunate, maybe, because I wasn’t really physically attracted to him. My first impression upon meeting him earlier in the day was “ok, he looks a bit like Austin Powers but with red hair.” totally unfair, I know, but…
The culture at the theatre is really unlike anything I’ve experienced. I continue to be astounded by how accessible everyone is- I don’t feel scared at all when I’m talking to The Chief Executive, whereas if I were back at Purchase, and I were talking to The Executive (the old or new one), I would be terrified of saying the wrong thing, or wondering if I was in trouble for something… and the fact that so many different factions went out to the Mail Coach (the pub) after Press Night. Granted, there were a lot of cliques, but… still, everyone went to the same place (and the Mail Coach will shut down to the public, but let us stay until 4am). I wound up hanging with The Deputy (deputy sales mgr) most of the time, and I think we’re really similar in a lot of ways- quiet and sort of reserved, and we like to sit and watch, more than mingle. I was really glad we had that bonding experience, and I felt really badly that Supervisor #2 wasn’t there. I’m concerned about her, actually… I like how she’s able to deal with customers, and l really like that she doesn’t seem to have a problem being hard with customers when she needs to be, but… I think that carries over a bit into other areas… it seems as if she doesn’t quite fit in. I think I’ll see if I can take her to lunch tomorrow, just the two of us- for the sense of fairness. The Deputy and Sales Advisor #1 got to hang out with me tonight, and I want Supervisor #2 to have that same opportunity.
Thursday 8 March, 2007
Just more good times today. I have open invitations to dinner, or if I want something to do, or want to borrow movies, or the use of a truck when I find a place to stay (though I only have two suitcases). You know what it reminds me a lot of? Timberlane. When I moved four days before my senior year of high school, I was prepared for a really rough year, but by the end of the first day of school, I was in the school play, and I had a great bunch of people to hang out with, and it turned out to be my favourite year of school overall, including anything in college. (ok, I know I spelled “favourite” instead of “favorite”, but now my spellchecker checks for British English :-P).
I know everything’s not going to be sunshine and roses, and I’m already figuring out who people *really* are at work, and I’m getting put in the middle of office politics, but… every morning I wake up, and as I’m walking to the bus stop, I think to myself “oh, it’s such a nice day out” or “I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at work.” And every night as I’m leaving the theatre, birds are chirping their evening songs. I’m told that they do that year-round. I think that I couldn’t have come at a more opportune time, because there’s been fantastic weather (aside from Sunday), so now if it decides to rain every other day for the next month, I’ll know that it will get lots better.
I went out of the office today during lunch hour to run some errands. I know I didn’t have all the information I needed to open a bank account, namely my passport, but I stopped in to see exactly what I should bring in, and they started work on the account anyway! They were so incredibly friendly, without being smarmy or condescending. The same kind of thing happened when I stopped in at the real estate agent. It only took 5 minutes for me to get an appointment for Saturday to see a place… speaking of which- this place is well within walking distance of the theatre, but everyone has said while it’s a generally safe area, it can get a bit loud. I saw a picture, and it doesn’t necessarily look that appetizing on the outside, but it’s a black and white picture, so we’ll see. I think I might walk past tomorrow night after work, because it being a Friday night and supposedly in/near the club district… I’m tempted to take it even if it isn’t perfect (it‘s unfurnished), because it has a washer/dryer in it, and it’s slightly under my price limit, and it’s close to the theatre (also, I walked into the kitchen to heat my dinner the other night and met the other two guys living in the house, and their topic of conversation was “price and quality of mushrooms in Northern Europe). I can deal with anything for a year, so…. And if it really is noisy, that’s okay, because I always wanted to live a year in Manhattan. This might be the closest I get, now :-P
I wonder if this is what it means to be happy? I feel like the future is bright- I like my job, I love the people I work with, I love the town of Northampton… no it’s not a big city. But I have London if I want big. As I was running around at lunchtime today, Northampton really reminded me of Santa Fe- yeah, it’s technically a city, but there’s a lot of old history…. Santa Fe has the plaza, and Northampton has market square, where you can get fresh fruits and veggies every day, and if it’s not Farmer Market day, you can find lots of other cool, bazaar-like stuff, too. I just seem to fit here.
(but yes, in spite of my professed love for where I am now, I’m still apprehensive about my first weekend here, though I know if I get blue, I will feel better once I figure out where I’m really living).
(and no, I don’t hate the United States, nor will I ever, really, but I’m also not yet homesick)
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