Sycamore Goes Back to the Grind

[elSicomoro]

After 2 weeks of being a lazy sod, I went back to work today.

I couldn't sleep last night...nervousness I guess. I always get like that before I start a new job. I think I got all of 2 hours of sleep. But I woke up at 6am on the nose and did my morning routine.

My new (temp) job is in Center City Philadelphia (our downtown). Parking is expensive and ridiculous. Not worth it. I-95 is under massive construction right now. It would take over an hour. Why go through all that, when I can hop a bus and the El (Subway) and be at work in an hour, for $1.80 (if you use a token). And I haven't taken the El on a regular in some time anyway...since I first moved here. SEPTA (Phila's public transit system) is now my best friend.

I like to get to work a bit early...I start at 8:30, so I like to be in Center City by 10 after 8. Gives me time to get a cup of coffee and smoke a cigarette before heading in.

I haven't worked in Center City in about a year. And when I got off the El at 2nd Street station and walked up to the street, I realized how much I missed it. Stopping at Cosi (formerly XandO) for a cup of joe. The hustle and bustle of people. The cardiac carts (lunch carts that dot damn near every corner in Center City). The up close view of Liberty One and Two (the two tallest buildings in the city). Being one in a sea of many. I've always had pleasant experiences in working in a downtown area.

I work in a nice office building right around the corner from Independence Hall. I can go look at it during lunch hour...so long as you don't get too close. Today, they had a free concert in front of the KYW/WYSP studios. Just some no name band, but they sounded cool. And although it was hot as hell out there today, everyone was having a good time.

The job itself...blecch. Well, apparently, the company I'm working for wasn't ready for temps yet, so we had no desks and very little work to do. I pretty much sat around for 7 1/2 hours today and got paid for it. Hell, I would have been more than willing to go home, but I DID get paid for sitting there. I don't know what exactly my job is, other than keying information and verifying it. That's easy enough. But I don't plan to stay too long...I need a real job with real money.

The pay is alright, and the hours are decent. I get down to Center City before most people arrive, and get off work (4:45pm) before most people have left. Makes the subway and bus ride less crowded. (And let me tell you something...the seats on SEPTA buses and trains are small. For a city that is so damned fat, you would think they would order them bigger. ) Not to mention, I walk from 2nd St. to my job (as opposed to getting off at 5th St. and walking around the corner) and vice versa...gives me a little exercise both ways.

Now, if I could combine Center City AND a good job, I'd be set.