I feel rather guilty about not writing more often here since starting my new job. I’m actually excited about the project I get to head up — intranet usability/design/etc — but I’m also now working in a corporate environment. While my coworkers are fun, the culture is “nose to the grindstone.” I feel badly interrupting them just to chat when I wander out of my office. (They’re in cubes, except for my boss.. when she’s in town.) So I feel like I’m always “on” — in corporate mode: a pleasant face, a polite and “can-do” attitude, good posture (especially to avoid wrinkling the clothes — the fact that I now wear jackets and suits and blouses and all keeps me in “work” mode too). And I am still figuring out how to take a creative break. Obviously, wandering over to the cubes to chat is not really an option. And so many sites are blocked (streaming media, internet radio and tv, freeware and shareware, games, general email, zip files, exe files, etc.) that I feel like I can’t “lounge” online. I suppose that’s the whole point of blocking those sites, to keep people from lounging all day, but I need a brain break somewhere. (And since they track where you go and what you type already, why not just block the problem people?)
Well anyway, the point is that when I get home, I really don’t want to do anything. Lie down with a good book. Browse all those art sites I couldn’t or didn’t want to visit at work. Do something brainless like watch a movie or play Diablo II. Even the power woodcarving takes too much concentration. Hanging out with friends on the weekend is something I have to make myself do, even though I know I will enjoy it — I’m simply too tempted to lie around home.
Maybe I’ll get used to it. Maybe I just have to find the balance and regain my equilibrium. It’s weird that I can like my job and still be drained by it, more drained than when my job was easier but in a toxic work environment.
Ah well. At least I can still post del.icio.us links.