Minyan

I drove my mother to work during lunch. Afterwards, I caught a Mincha Minyan at one o'clock (the timing worked out perfectly, especially considering I wasn't positive what time they would daven). I figured better to take a few minutes off of work midday, and be able to stay as late as necessary than rush back from dropping my mom off and pushing to get out in time for prayers before sundown. I ended up working until 7, so from a work-hour standpoint, I definitely was able to put in more this way.

Unrelated, I had a conversation with my new supervisor about praying in synagogue. I explained how I arrange my coming and going around prayer times. Hopefully, that'll give her a better understanding of my work ethic - I'm not running away from work...I'm running to synagogue.

Heading Out

Today I worked a pretty full day 7-5:30. It was a packed day, barely any down time. In fact, I rushed everything at the end. I wanted to make it to synagogue by 5 to 6. I felt bad being the first to leave. My boss even called to ask if I wanted to special order dinner. But I told him I'd make it out in time. In truth, I would've had enough work to keep me until 6:30, or even later if I wanted to get some things done that I could do tomorrow, but I wanted to get to Shul, so I rushed everything. I hope it didn't look bad. It just didn't seem to make sense to miss praying at Shul when I was almost done anyways. If I had work that had to be done tonight and would've kept me until 7, then I would've stayed without a question. But I was so close, and felt no need to slow down just to keep up impressions. Next week the clocks change, so I can afford to work an extra hour late.

What Dress Code?

There's this new girl in the office. She must be in her mid-twenties, blonde, thin. Not a model, but she is attractive enough. But apparently she is one of those girls who grew up in a trailer home. She doesn't seem to understand professional dress. She appears to be from somewhere where the only way she knows how to get attention is by dressing, well, by not dressing. In a professional environment, status is basically acheived by dressing with class, ie wearing matching clothing, brand names, the latest styles. In the trailer parks, it is like sticking a piece of meat into a shark tank. The less you wear, the more attention you get, and therefore get further in life. But an office isn't quite like that. As in all more sophisticated enviroments, you have to be more tactful.

So this girl doesn't seem to understand any of that. She wears short skirts, tight pants, low cut blouses, and blouses that don't fully cover her stomach. We have a dress code and Kraft, but maybe because it's business casual, maybe that is accepted as anything goes.

I don't know whether to say something to this girl or her boss. It just seems so out of place. Even for her, I think she should know. Like a guy who is walking around with his zipper down, sometimes you appreciate somebody letting you know that you missed something. Of course, some people would rather learn on their own, and avoid the awkward moment.

Holiday

One of my co-workers asked me about the "Holiday" tomorrow. She wanted to know whether I was planning on working. I am planning on working. I told her that it wasn't the kind of holiday where Jews can't work. I'd love to take the day off - while work isn't forbidden, it sure makes it hard to fully enjoy the day. But I have to save my vacation days to fly to New York. It's tough budgeting all your vacation days L'Shem Shomayim - For the sake of Heaven.

Update:

Another coworker came up to me Purim morning, and asked me what the holiday was about. Apparently, he saw it on his calendar from the Confederate States Civil War organization, and didn't recognize it as an event related to that group. He asked his wife, who thought it sounded like a Jewish holiday. But when you try and explain Purim, it's kind of hard. You can't quote scripture, and you can't just make it sound like the frat party that it has become.

Life's a Breeze

Not sure how this happened. Today went by really fast. It's not that I was busy. Or that I had fun. But time really flew. Before I knew it, it was 5 o'clock. I didn't realy do anything today. I remember eating breakfast. And lunch. With a few bathroom breaks. I even took a nap. But working? I only remember one thing. And yet I hardly found myself looking at the clock.

Of course, my goal isn't to be occupied. It's to be productive. So still not happy. I did come up with an interesting idea, which is on my computer at work. I'll try and share that tomorrow.

Early Dismissal

If you're told a week in advance that you'll be dismissed early Friday afternoon, what do you do? Well, after looking online for place tickets to New York to no success, I showed up a half hour early Friday morning. Then at 12:01, I was ready to head out the door. In truth, I didn't leave until closer to 12:30, but I think the important lesson here is that clearly the "afternoon" off means the second the clock hits PM, no?

Looking busy?

I had an interesting discussion tonight about wasting time at work. Mainly, this discussion focused around using the internet for personal use. We basically eliminated this being halachicly problematic (excluding any questions of whether the internet itself is halachicly problematic). It shouldn't be considered stealing, since 1) the cost of using the internet is less than any measurable amount, and 2) I wouldn't be stealing time from the company, assuming I only used it when I had no other assignment to accomplish (which is a large part of the day). Since they pay me to sit there all day and to do certain tasks, when I have completed my taks, I theoretically am being asked just to sit there and be available when more come around. In the meantime, I could twiddle my thumbs, or in this instance, use the internet.

Of course, we concluded that the problem of using the internet isn't actual. It's purely image based. If anyone would see me using the internet frequently, they would assume that I'm either A) a slacker, or B) do irrelevant tasks and am therefore at a dead end. So I guess I have to steer clear. And find some new clandestine office hobbies. Like looking elsewhere for openings...

Candy

I ran out of candy in my gumball machine. My boss dropped me five bucks, telling me that since he is my only customer, he felt obliged to pitch in. I asked him if he was joking. But I have five dollars, so I guess he wasn't. I bought more candy.

Work Ethic

On Friday, I did a bang up job of working. Basically, I showed up at 9:45, talked on the phone with two friends until 11, and went to meet a friend for lunch. That lunch lasted from 11 to 2. Then I came back to work, and worked until 3:30, at which time I left for Shabbos. The sad part is that I wasn't being irresponsible. I had nothing on my desk to do. Of course, my boss did come looking for me a few times. But I did stay later than he did. And my immediate supervisor was off for the day, so I guess I took some liberties. But I can only put forth so much effort when so little is required of me.

Corporate Shakeup!

So frum boss is no longer my boss. Our group has been realigned. Now the "woman who sits next to me" will be the "woman in charge of me". Did I mention that she never liked me? That's not really true. We have very different personalities. I come off as the hotshot young guy who thinks he can conquer the world, and she is a quiet accountant. I sense some friction, that I rub her the wrong way. So I could see her A) trying to slow me down, teach me the corporate pace, and B) not appreciating my attention grabbing antics.

But aside from affecting my career prospects (which it does drastically), it will also affect my religious/personal life. By that I mean dating. I have no doubt that she won't change my ability to take off for holidays. That I'm sure she expects. But for dating...this will be tough. Keep in mind she is 45 and not married. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. So I have to recreate all my arrangements with my boss to go to New York regularly, like "working remotely". And since she is a first timer to this management thing, I think she will be hesitant to sign off on any abnormal arrangements...We'll see.