Three months at TNP

April 23rd marked my three month anniversary at TNP. And I’m still there!

So much of this blog contains accounts of abandoning diets & fitness routines, quitting hobbies and subtle accounts of self-inflicted social hermitude that I have to brag. Not to you, but to me, because I use this blog as my own historical reference. (I certainly don’t use it to make money, although I did get divorced before the popular bloggers started divorcing so I should be rolling in cash from another ‘niche’ market. Hey! I’m a hipster divorcee!) Trust me; someday I’ll search this site for how I felt when I started at TNP.

I’ve gone from an 8 minute drive to a 40-55 minute public transit commute. (The drive is only 15 minutes with normal traffic but would cost 9 bucks a day with a monthly parking pass and $15 without.) I get myself outside my building in time to catch the shuttle to the train station. Then I catch the train into Philly. I either ride the train to the end and catch a shuttle to my building or get off earlier and catch the subway to the stop a block away from my building. I usually base this decision on what time I get to the train. I haven’t lost my train pass (yet) and 99% of the time I pop up from the underground stations at the correct corner.

I’m learning an entirely new industry. I’m using modern software, and having to learn that as I go. We actually have project planning software! At the old place projects were planned by huffing out of the ink barrels until the project due date appeared in a hazy vision. Naturally I’m fibbing here but that really would explain A LOT. In my old job I was an Excel expert. Now I’m looking for inexpensive classes to get me to the level I need to be at. The old job was based on the good days I feel like my brain’s been put through a juicer. On the bad ones I feel like Don Music.

Three weeks ago I had to give a 10 minute PowerPoint presentation to the Operating Committee about data. Public speaking is still not my thing. I freaked and fretted. I self-doubted and wanted to hide. But when the time came, I NAILED IT.

And I’m finally making friends. Not just friendly coworkers, but people around whom I can let my guard down a bit and let them see a little bit of the loopy real me.

I am almost 40 years old and I completely changed my career, which is how I spend almost 50% of my life 5 days a week. I’m proud of me.

Once I get my pension disbursement settled and roll over my 401(k) maybe, MAYBE I’ll tell a few stories about the old job. I have some doozies.