March was kind of a weird month for me.
http://www.unreality.net/weblog/?p=8390″>got sick pretty early on, actually still nursing what I thought was a cold from February, and I spent the whole first full week of the month at home with pneumonia. While I was out, two of my co-workers were let go (“made redundant” in our UK office’s phrasing), and it was more than a little bit of a shock.
Shortly after I got back to work — the very day, in fact — eager to shake off the cabin fever that a week stuck at home will cause, I learned that I, too, would be leaving the group. I’m still working for the company, and in the same role, but as a part of our larger development group. In the short term, it’s meant a lot of changes and learning of new procedures, figuring out what I will (and will no longer) be responsible for, and that’s a process that’s still going on. I have a new boss, new colleagues, and while for the rest of the year at least I’ll continue to work on psychology and mental health titles, I’ll no longer even be sitting on the same side of the office as them.
On Friday, I moved most of my things to my new cubicle. My new computer — the one I got last Monday, when some malware basically destroyed the old one — will hopefully follow if it didn’t over the weekend. My work phone number is supposed to be staying the same — meaning, I guess, that my business cards aren’t completely out of date — but I’m sure I’ll have a couple of questions for IT before the week is out.
The good news, I guess, is I can see them now from where I sit.
I spent exactly one month in that first cubicle — from April 4, 2011, actually — and a lot longer working for the same team. I think this change will ultimately be good, though both for my own career and for the team. It’s been just one of many changes to have happened since the start of the new year, and the changes came especially fast and furious throughout March. (I didn’t even mention the fact that I turned thirty-five.) In some ways, quite honestly, I’m glad the month is over. I’m nervous about that’s to come, and what’s expected of me, but I’m also eager to start really working on developing books.
Speaking of books, that whole week at home really played havoc with the rhythm I had going up til then, reading about one book a day. A lot of them were (and continue to be) comics and graphic novels, but even those wound up going unread the week I was out. I seem to have spent most of my time doing little more than watching several seasons of 30 Rock. I’m trying to get caught back up, but my secret, in-my-sick-head-only goal of getting the total up to 366 titles may not be doable at this point.
I did listen to some music this month, though, and here’s my mix for March for whatever that’s worth:
- “Rivers and Roads” by the Head and the Heart
- “Les plus beaux” by Fránçois & the Atlas Mountains
- “History Book” by Dry the River
- “Lego” by Lady Leshurr
- “House of Circles” by Mr. Gnome
- “Landfill” by Daughter
- “Manchester” by Kishi Bashi
- “The Concept” by Teenage Fanclub
- “Tea for the Tillerman” by Cat Stevens
- “Houdini” by Foster the People
- “Helicopter” by Bloc Party
- “The Dreaming Moon” by the Magnetic Fields
- “Turn into Earth” by the Yardbirds
- “Skyscrapers” by OK Go
Beyond all that, there’s not a whole lot to report. I spent the rainy day cleaning and watching some TV (Fringe, Supernatural, Community) and doing the Sunday crossword. Regular stuff.
Time now, I think, for bed. I want to be at work early tomorrow.