In saying "Feeling Stoopid" I don't just mean having a cuddle with the dog (dog if you're reading this, I'm kidding!). But you know when you start in a new place of work, and you haven't the first notion how anything works, who anyone is, or what the punchy sounding acronyms mean? and then you're sitting at your desk, hoping desperately like you look intelligent and useful, and like you're soaking up all the information that's floating around you, especially that which will be relevant to what the worky people would like you to know about... that was me yesterday, and it was kind of tiring, you know when you try and give that intelligent, squinty like you're really thinking something very bright kinda look? that was me, pursing my lips, furrowing my brow, stroking my shin philosophically, (or my chin whichever comes first) and really looking forward to the day when I actually get what's going on.
new jobs are fun... (I will repeat 10 times first thing every morning, till I actually get annoyed with my own nerdiness or until it's an old job)
In response to Dominic's query on the 3 toed sloth poem - craic as a term in Irish may mean "Chat or Conversation" which is presumably the origin for its use on pub ads ie - ól, ceol agus craic, but it also translates as crack, or crazy/ cracked person... not to be confused with cráic - which refers to something else entirely
8 comments:
It's hard tackling something new. A new job is maybe a bit like learning a new language, dis empowering, until you get the hang of it.
luckily for me, it's been so long since I had a new job that I'd forgotten all about it. Also, jobs I had involved working on yards, where you get bawled at by red faced ole fellas when you muck a stable out using not the usual ammount of straw, or groom a horse using "the wrong f***ing brush"!.. then you get given a ton of mental muscle with it's own mind to try and walk calmly out to a field and try and avoid haaving it drag your sorry aching arse for a mile down the road.... Hang in there.. you'll be grand by the end of the week :-)
Oh I remember that feeling.
At least it's not one of those places where they play tricks on new staff and send them off for "long stands" and the like...
ps
Mind you don't rub those shins away... they dont grow on trees!
Hope the end of day two is better. I always hated that starting in a new place feeling. Depressing but it takes a while
before you get to feel like an oldie, unless there is another victim soon, in which case you can start a gang!
Remember you can always hide in the toilet for a bit. When I got a bit tired at one station I was on secondment to I often took a 'short break'. Mind, they were 16 hour days for a while...
And your intelligence will shine whatever your facial expression!
Elisabeth - tis pretty scary at the start alright, hopefully twill get easier.
Thanks Watercats! your experiences make my job seem that much easier, and less life threatening.
Niamh - so far no tricks... so far... I'll be on the lookout tho!
Socks, yes day 2 is that slight bit less head melting, so it's going the right direction. YAY
Titus - in my current situation visits to that area are already probably at the max that could be reasonably tolerated by any employer!
Tks All!!!
Thinking of ways to look intelligent, the best advice I was given (by a psychologist I once worked with was never say "pardon" when you can say "run that past me again". The later somehow suggests you took it all in first time and want to think more deeply about whatever it is!
As for craic - it's interesting, isn't it? I think I first got into all this reading the wikipedia page on it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craic
very interesting Dominic,
thanks!
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