New Kid on the Block

First day was a good day
Lunchtime was a blast
Afternoon was so easy
Now I hope it lasts

They can see it in my walk
Hear it when I talk
See it in everything I do
Even in my thoughts

I got the right stuff, baby
Love the way work ends at 5
I got the right stuff, baby
It's the reason why I feel so high

All that I needed was this
Oh, work, you’re so right
All that I wanted was this
This is everything I've missed

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!
Oh, oh, oh, oh!
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!
The right stuff!

Ok. Now that I've gotten that out of my system, here's a more balanced view of my first day of work, comparing New Job to Old Jobs.

INTERNET POLICIES

Old Jobs: Employers placed trust in employees. (Translation: You could go to practically any site.)
New Job: All personal e-mail (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, AOL, etc.) is blocked. All message boards are blocked. Blogger is blocked. Streaming video is blocked. Looks like Monkey will be extraordinarily productive.

FIRST DAY LUNCH

Old Jobs: A place like Cafe Pinot, Morton's, Roy's, Zucca, etc.
New Job: BJ's.

OFFICE

Old Jobs: Three windows. Two windows.
New Job: No windows. I almost cried. I've had windows for over six years.

SALARY

Old Jobs: $$$$$$
New Job: $$$$$$ - 32.5%

The main drawbacks of the new gig seem to be creature comforts (or a lack thereof) only. I had a lot of fun joking with my new co-workers about these things. One guy said, "So how does it feel, giving up $XXXXX to get a windowless office and lunch at BJ's?" I hadn't breathed a word about what I'd been thinking! It's like he read my mind! We all laughed about that one.

They know exactly where I'm coming from because they're all big firm refugees, too. Most also have diplomas from Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Berkeley, etc. hanging in their offices. I'm in good company, and we all gave up the same things to come here.

The best thing was that all of my colleagues kept telling me that I'd love it here, and every one of them is ridiculously happy with the decision he or she made.

I look forward to getting to know my new co-workers. So many people visited me today to introduce themselves. It was so fun! At one point, I had five people in my office at once.

I was overjoyed not to be alone in my office and to have a steady stream of visitors who stayed to chat for awhile. I hope this is because they liked me. It could be simple curiosity, of course. Cross your fingers that I am lucky enough to make some new friends!