On Ten Months, New Pets, and Different Paths
Jean Sexton muses:
Ten months ago I entered Texas. It is still a wonder to me to leave the city of Amarillo and go out into the country. There is so much sky and the land is so flat. And then there is the weather -- I've seen more snow than I have for the last four winters -- in fact, the last snow that I had in North Carolina was in January, 2011. I still get teased about the snow (and the fact that schools would close in North Carolina) and how much I enjoy it. That's okay -- I tease them back about dry creek beds that claim to be rivers.
I've been working in the office at ADB for ten months. We are settling into a routine which is productive. I handle the social media, answer the phone, work on Traveller, manage our outreach programs, and try to make sure things run smoothly. If you read "This Week," you find that the list of things I have done each week is quite long. I enjoy all the duties and try to make sure they are balanced. Is it what I expected? No, not quite, but I am growing into what the company needs me to be. I am also growing in my personal life.
When I first moved out and got my own apartment, within three months I had a cat. From that point on, I always had at least one pet. When I first started contemplating moving to Amarillo, I had two large dogs, two indoor cats, and one cat that lived outdoors by his choice, with the option to be in the carport when the weather was bad. Here Kitty Kitty and Merlin passed away long before I would move. But between the end of 2011 and the start of 2013, I lost all my remaining pets. My landlord had two cats that I could visit and play with as did the Coles, so I didn't start having "pet withdrawal" until I moved into my apartment. Even then, I stayed busy unpacking the essentials until the end of the summer, so the emptiness of the apartment didn't affect me until then. You've heard the story of Markie, my floppy-eared, stubby-legged, brave little dog. After he passed so unexpectedly, my apartment echoed with the sound of silence. Then The Wolf waltzed into my life and the life of ADB. Who would have thought a long-haired chihuahua would wrap everyone around his tiny little paws?
The Wolf is a very social dog. After everyone has arrived, the front door is locked so Wolf cannot slip out. Then he visits people throughout the building. He usually isn't too obtrusive. He comes in, looks to see if you will notice him (and pick him up and pat him), and, if you are too busy, he moves on. I have noticed that everyone in the office talks to him, pets him, and carries him around. I think that he helps reduce stress at the office. Wolf follows anyone walking; he may be a seeking weapon. He has a small number of toys which he "kills" with great glee.He's a great mascot for a gaming company.
Sometimes a person walks a different path than was expected. Nowhere in my plans in college did I think I would work for a gaming company. I was a librarian with gaming as a hobby. None of my plans included marketing, although I did some of that at the library. I never thought my top three skills on LinkedIn would be blogging, creative writing, and copy editing. I thought I would live and die in North Carolina.
However, sometimes an opportunity presents itself and you must stretch your wings and fly, not follow the carefully laid-out path you envisioned for your life. Maybe there are more rough winds ahead for me; I don't know. I do know that I will continue to fly and soar to a new destiny.
Ten months ago I entered Texas. It is still a wonder to me to leave the city of Amarillo and go out into the country. There is so much sky and the land is so flat. And then there is the weather -- I've seen more snow than I have for the last four winters -- in fact, the last snow that I had in North Carolina was in January, 2011. I still get teased about the snow (and the fact that schools would close in North Carolina) and how much I enjoy it. That's okay -- I tease them back about dry creek beds that claim to be rivers.
I've been working in the office at ADB for ten months. We are settling into a routine which is productive. I handle the social media, answer the phone, work on Traveller, manage our outreach programs, and try to make sure things run smoothly. If you read "This Week," you find that the list of things I have done each week is quite long. I enjoy all the duties and try to make sure they are balanced. Is it what I expected? No, not quite, but I am growing into what the company needs me to be. I am also growing in my personal life.
When I first moved out and got my own apartment, within three months I had a cat. From that point on, I always had at least one pet. When I first started contemplating moving to Amarillo, I had two large dogs, two indoor cats, and one cat that lived outdoors by his choice, with the option to be in the carport when the weather was bad. Here Kitty Kitty and Merlin passed away long before I would move. But between the end of 2011 and the start of 2013, I lost all my remaining pets. My landlord had two cats that I could visit and play with as did the Coles, so I didn't start having "pet withdrawal" until I moved into my apartment. Even then, I stayed busy unpacking the essentials until the end of the summer, so the emptiness of the apartment didn't affect me until then. You've heard the story of Markie, my floppy-eared, stubby-legged, brave little dog. After he passed so unexpectedly, my apartment echoed with the sound of silence. Then The Wolf waltzed into my life and the life of ADB. Who would have thought a long-haired chihuahua would wrap everyone around his tiny little paws?
The Wolf is a very social dog. After everyone has arrived, the front door is locked so Wolf cannot slip out. Then he visits people throughout the building. He usually isn't too obtrusive. He comes in, looks to see if you will notice him (and pick him up and pat him), and, if you are too busy, he moves on. I have noticed that everyone in the office talks to him, pets him, and carries him around. I think that he helps reduce stress at the office. Wolf follows anyone walking; he may be a seeking weapon. He has a small number of toys which he "kills" with great glee.He's a great mascot for a gaming company.
Sometimes a person walks a different path than was expected. Nowhere in my plans in college did I think I would work for a gaming company. I was a librarian with gaming as a hobby. None of my plans included marketing, although I did some of that at the library. I never thought my top three skills on LinkedIn would be blogging, creative writing, and copy editing. I thought I would live and die in North Carolina.
However, sometimes an opportunity presents itself and you must stretch your wings and fly, not follow the carefully laid-out path you envisioned for your life. Maybe there are more rough winds ahead for me; I don't know. I do know that I will continue to fly and soar to a new destiny.
posted by Federation Commander at 4:55 AM
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