Logistically, it's a pretty easy commute, since I live close to a Metro station, Discovery is across the street from the Silver Spring station, and I just have to make one transfer. But it can take nearly an hour door-to-door, so I have to leave the house when Josh is just getting out of bed, and don't get home until 7 or so. Of course, just about everyone who works here seems to hate their commute, regardless of where they live, so I guess I should consider myself fortunate that I can take the Metro and don't have to deal with the DC area's notoriously bad traffic.I'm essentially doing the same job I've been doing as a contractor for the past seven years, so at least I mostly know what I'm doing. Still, it's a big change after working from home for more than 10 years. And I'm definitely going to need to do some back-to-school shopping this weekend, since I've already worked my way through my entire 'business casual' wardrobe in my first week. They probably frown on working in yoga pants or pajamas at the office...
It's also a little weird being "new" considering that I've been working for Discovery (on and off) since 1996, so I've actually been around much longer than most of the people I work with, including my new boss. I spent most of Monday in orientation with 5 other new employees. To make it more engaging, they had a series of quizzes and scavenger hunts to help us learn more about the company. Those of you who know me personally can certainly guess how well I did on those. By the third exercise, they decided to award the prize to the person with the lowest score, since it was obvious I was otherwise going to end up with all the prizes. The other guys (I was the only woman) took to calling me "nerd" and I was concerned a wedgie or swirlie was awaiting me after orientation ended. Fortunately, they rose above it. And I did end up with a cool Deadliest Catch poster to decorate my cubicle. It goes nicely with the huge cardboard cutout of a Roboreptile that a previous occupant left behind.
On Tuesday my new boss took me out to lunch with the rest of the group so I could meet the other people I'll be working with. On the way back, one of my new co-workers pointed out a new burrito place across the street from the Discovery building and suggested I get lunch there on Wednesday. It turns out she had dropped her business card in a bowl to win a free lunch there, and they drew her name. They told her that everyone in her company could come in for a free meal, and she explained that she worked at Discovery, which has several thousand employees. So, instead of just limiting it to her group or division, the restaurant decided to offer everyone at Discovery a free entree and drink every Wednesday for the month of September -- which has 5 Wednesdays. I'm not sure how they are making any money, but sure enough, there was a line that snaked all the way through the restaurant and out the door at lunchtime yesterday. I left a dollar in the tip bowl, since I don't think a single person in there was a paying customer. If they don't go bankrupt, I guess they'll develop at least a few regular customers by the end of the month.
Anyway, that was a very long way of explaining why I haven't had much time to keep up with the blog or add new photos. But if I can't telecommute from my new LEED Silver home office, at least I'm taking public transportation to a LEED Platinum building. As they say, "It's not easy being green..."
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