The Job, the Work, and the Trip

It's been quite a while and I'm somewhat delighted
That it has passed quickly and I'm happy in spite of
The fact that I'm working and I'm feeling quite busy
From a crap-trip to Boston and long days has me dizzy

I've been really bad with the blogging, I know, and I suck.

But it's been super busy.

About six weeks ago I started a new job at my new company (we'll call it ABC Consulting for the sake of saving my ass in case I ever say anything not so PC). The night before I started I was pretty upset, really worried that the job would suck (never having had a job that I liked before) and even more worried that I wouldn't like any of my coworkers. I had met them all before, of course, but I was worried that things would be different once I had to hang out with them day to day -- I'd just get tired of making difficult conversation and stuff.

But the first week was okay. I met all of the people who were starting on the same day as me (same position, same office) and I got along with them really well. Six weeks later, I'd venture so far as to say that I actually really like them and we're all getting to be pretty good friends. But the first week of work was pretty boring because it consisted mostly of training. Boring, but most of it was done through webcast, and with the help of a handy mute button, I got to talk to my coworkers and get to know them better.

The next week was much more interesting -- we got sent to Boston for another week of training where we got to meet all the other new hires from offices all around the continent. That was really cool. It was awesome. They put us up in a super nice hotel (I have NEVER stayed in such a nice place before), and even though a lot of the days were spent in more training, I had tonnes of fun. We got to go to a Red Sox game at Fenway (they won, beating KC 7-0), do a great scavenger hung, eat lots of seafood, and of course, party every single night (I probably hit more clubs and bars in Boston in those four days than I have ever been to in Toronto total -- it was awesome).

Which doesn't mean that I liked Boston. In fact, I hate Boston. I've decided that I really don't like that city and it sucks. The people were, for the most part, very mean. They're rude and they just say whatever they're thinking.

Why Boston stinks, Exhibit 1:
The damn hotel lost my luggage. Yeah. Not the airline, the hotel. I had to check out in the morning on my last day, but I still had training to do, so I checked my (brand new) suitcase in with the hotel concierge, and later when I was ready to go to the airport that night, I went to pick up my suitcase -- and they come back and say: "Yeah, we don't know where it is."
-What?
-It's not here.
-What do you mean it's not here?
-It's not here.
-(silence)
-Do you need it?
-(silence -- thinking: what the frig?)
-Well, we can't find it. When do you need it.
-Uh...right now. I have a plane to catch in an hour.
-Are you sure you didn't misplace it?
-What? I checked it in with you guys.

Anyways, fifteen minutes later, I left with only a business card of the hotel manager (who was off duty that night). They promised he'd call me the next morning at 7am, which he didn't, and I was freaking out because all my stuff was stuck in the US. Called him after lunch and it turns out that they had found my bag. I tried to give him my mailing address (even though he chewed me out for "not giving me an address" the previous day -- even though I had, plus my business card) and we spent three minutes trying to get him to spell Mississauga. "Is that in Georgia?" he asks. Anyways. Long story short, it got Fed Ex'd to me the next day.

Why Boston stinks, Exhibit 2:
My flight was delayed by two hours. So not only did I not have any of my luggage, but I had to sit in the airport waiting for the damn plane. At least I was with my coworkers, and it ended up being fairly fun.

Why Boston stinks, Exhibit 3:
I was in a taxi (driving to the airport, without any luggage, on my way to sit in the airport for 2.5 hours) with a coworker. He asked the taxi driver to turn on the a/c. Taxi driver responds with the temperature outside. Coworker says he's hot. Taxi driver says that he shouldn't feel hot, because it's cool outside. Taxi driver is an ass.

So Boston was fun, but the city is not very nice.

Since then, things have cooled down in the fun department, but they've been keeping me busy with work, and for the first time, I'm actually really enjoying the work. So much so, that when I pulled my first 14 hour work day on Monday (left work at 11pm) I actually really didn't mind being there. I'm working on a strategy case right now, and it's great. Business design is actually really cool and I'm learning a tonne. I love how businesses are like puzzles -- and it's all a matter of being analytical and creative. It's awesome. Seriously guys...I'd love to see more engineers in consulting. But the best thing -- the people are awesome. Work is great. Fridays are super -- we all hang out on Friday afternoons, it's part of the day (like a requirement) and someone gives a presentation about something, whether it's a recent trip they've been on or something they learned, or something funny.

Verdict? Great so far. But it means that the blog suffers a little ;)