Items I have learned today:
Have a gas = gossip/chat, it doesn't mean that someone has indigestion, lol
traxy bottoms = sweatpants
lost the plot = someone has gone crazy
Zebra Crossing = crosswalk. Although you need to make sure you pronounce it "ZEB" not "Z" - unless of course you would like your boss to make fun of you.
I pass this on one of my walks home from work.. if I go the long way. Anyone have any idea who this is? :)
I have found that I very naturally do things that are quite British. For example, if someone bumps into ME, I find I more often than not apologise to THEM. That doesn't happen back home. I also wait at the "ZEB"-ra crossing until a car actually stops, and then I thank them for letting me cross the street. Back at home, it's assumed that pedestrians have the right away. 5 lanes of traffic? Doesn't matter.. if you want to cross and you are at a crosswalk.... you just go, part the waters so to speak. Actually, to be fair, if you want to cross even if you aren't at cross walk you just go (especially if you are my mother.. haha, LOVE YOU!). Here? Not so much.
So I'm wrapping up week three of full time job and masters program. With work (and frankly, pretty much every area of my life), I am finding that I am having to be patient. While I did get to do a few things this week - run a few meetings, meet a few more folks, get a few more overviews, the environment is a lot slower paced than I am used to.
While this is a good thing as it enables me to really sit and learn about the company and the culture, I'm finding that I really want to dive in and do some legit project work.
Rich (my boss), leaves the company in a few months, and I am really hoping a new project kicks off before he goes. Of course there are things to do and learn and pickup, and I do still feel like I am swimming from learning about all the different systems, applications and vendors that the company I work at uses, however, I would love to be able to successfully launch a project before he goes. BUT, this isn't advertising, and the projects I am working on now are a different scale than what I was doing before. I really do love all of the people though. Even if I still have my moments of intimidation going into work in the morning,I know I will get there. I am already learning a ton, and I'm excited to conquer publishing. So I know it will be good. I just wish I felt like an expert RIGHT NOW. That is also the story of my life at the moment. I want everything NOW. Patience, Maria, have patience (and compassion).
Tomorrow, I start the first of my 3 day off-site activities for my MBA program. I don't know much about it at this point, other than I have a sh*t ton of reading to do tonight before I spend the next three days problem solving for the Metropolitan Police department.
I also have met with my mentor (Prof. Vlatka Hlupic who I love, but I kind of knew I would) and need to figure out my plan for what's next. I struggle with what I'm going to wear to work in the am (the debate this morning was if jeans and a jacket are OK or if jeans are too casual. I decided I didn't care and wore jeans anyway). If my fashion sense is a challenge, how do I expect to sort out my life? I've been given some exercises to do and think about from Vlatka and will spend the next few weeks trying to focus on "what exactly Maria wants"
So wish me luck as I continue to navigate through it all.
Also - sending lots of love over to Las Vegas and anyone that was directly or indirectly affected by the aftermath of what happened earlier this week. I said earlier this week that I wish I could wrap America in a huge giant hug, and that is still a very accurate statement.
<3