Job update

I'm having a bit of trouble with expressing what I want to say at the moment. I came in to use the internet specifically for the purpose of writing a particular post - the one I wanted to write on Sunday - but I keep putting off getting started. I've been here for over an hour now and I told myself I'd go home at 7pm. I have done a few other things that I needed to get done - like send off my registration form for the Earth Carers Training course - but mostly I've been browsing randomly through the New Scientist blogs.

They have about half a dozen all up, devoted to specific things (technology, space, invention,... etc). You will probably not be surprised to hear that my favourite is the environment one.

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The new job is going well. I've done 2 days so far and today I have the day off. After monday I was feeling a bit uncertain about it, but I enjoyed yesterday a lot more. There's a lot to learn. I had no idea how much behind the scenes stuff goes on in a library. From a borrowers perspective you'd think it's just checking out/in books and helping people find information but actually you mostly only do that when you're rosted on the circulation desk - which is usually only 2hrs per day (or sometimes 4hrs). Also they've got probably the most complex computer systems (plural emphasis) I've ever used. And to think I thought Booknet was complicated when I was in my previous job.

I think I'm getting the hang of the circulation desk stuff fairly quickly - but I reckon it'll probably take weeks/months to learn all the other stuff. That's ok though, because I like learning. Also the backroom tasks are divided up between the library officers on a roster system, which means that you do the same set of tasks for 6 months and the everyone rotate to another set. This is good because it means I only have to learn 1/6 of the things immediately (there's a new rotation starting next week) and the rest can wait until later. My background working in the bookshop, being a regular library user, and as books on wheels volunteer helps quite a lot. I would be really lost without it instead of looking forward to all the new things to learm. (but I probably wouldn't have got the job without it, anyway.)

I'm still feeling a little like I don't quite fit in. I think this is mostly because of being so new there but there are a few other factors:
1) I am, I estimate, at least 2 decades younger than the combined average age of the other people working there. I haven't met all the casuals yet but so far I've only met one other person who's within a decade of my own age. Well... possibly within a decade, given that I don't actually know how old he is. Everyone seems really nice and friendly, just... I don't know what I'm trying to say. They are all really nice.
2) I don't follow the footy and it appears that the footy is one of the major bonding factor between most of them. I am lost in conversations about football - apparently something really tragic happened last weekend...?

I expect the sense of not quite fitting in will disappear once I've got used to things. And I'm enjoying it regardless. I think I will enjoy working in a library. I guess it's just a little odd being younger (by a long way) than almost everyone else I work with. But it's not really a bad "odd".

I need to get some more work clothes too. Apparently denim is not acceptable. Nor sleeveless tops. Other than that we can wear what we want, but I only have 2 pairs of pants that seem suitable. And most of my jumpers are old and a bit too scruffy looking to wear to work I think. Good Sammy's, here I come... :-P

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It's late. I don't know if this "sunday's post" is ever going to get written. I need to get home and make dinner (quite very probably ratatouille) before Spicks & Specks and going to dancing.

Hey cool, Gilkison's have got themselves a new website.