Tocked
Work is going much better than I thought it would, inasmuch as I don’t want to cry at the end of each day.
The turmoil of the previous week was that when I was given the verbal offer I mentioned some days I would need off for some pre-existing commitments. The HR specialist said that the dates were fine. I didn’t think too much about anything until the day I first met with my supervisor and in the course of a conversation alluded to a big vacation I have planned in December. I don’t know what made me say something, I just felt like there should have been more of a recognition than I was given. I asked if she was aware of my plans for the next few months and she looked at me with an entirely blank face. And then she said: “Oh, I’m sorry. We have a strict policy about new employees not taking any personal time off for the first six months of employment.”
Eventually sanity won through and the medical director, to whom both my boss and I answer, gave the thumbs up on my time off through the beginning of next year.
Just as with every job the first weeks are a little slow going. I have times during the day where I stare aimlessly off into space. Luckily I face a wall so if I am careful about how I tilt my head no one can tell that my eyes have glazed over and a little drool has started to collect in the corner of my mouth. I’m sure that in about four months I am going to miss these days of aimless staring.