father’s computer. I didn’t mind. I felt more useful and more comfortable doing that than trying to chat with the in-laws. I like the in-laws, I’m just better at troubleshooting a computer than I am at small talk.

The point is this: I’m not afraid of work and I like what I do for a living. The big grin that has been on my face for the last two days comes from the working conditions. So far I’ve observed the help desk. Not real demanding. So I’ve been observing my co-workers too. These folks chat with each other, they tell jokes, they are relaxed. And when the CIO comes out of his office, they don’t change their behavior one bit. There is plenty of work being done, but they are relaxed about it. I don’t want to harp about my old job, but that wasn’t the environment at all. People worked hard at being busy. If you aren’t busy then either you weren’t doing enough or you weren’t necessary to the operation. If the boss came by, all these busy people somehow got busier. People came in on vacation days for an hour or two take care of stuff. If you walked out the door at 5:00 (Close of Business) everyday, people whispered about it. That guys not working hard enough. It was a grim environment. Some of that is just inherent to the manufacturing industry, but this place was hardcore even by those standards. Cost cutting was the only thing that mattered. Why employ 2 or 3 people to do a job when you can get 1 to work himself to the bone getting the same thing done.

I do not think there is much that can happen that will wipe that grin of my face. I know that there will be days, there always are, but I couldn’t ask for a better place to work. I am going to be doing what I love, and in place that will appreciate it for what it is. So, how’s the new job going? Couldn’t be better.