day two: new job

I have acquired a knife. I like the word "acquired" because whenever I use it it makes me think of some barren woman in the Bible who has just given birth ("Behold! I have acquired a son for the Lord") and then she sends her child/son off to be a priest or a prophet and he in turn utters dire commandments against the reprobate children of Israel. So, lo! I have acquired a knife for the Lord. Also, I acquired two utterly white coffee mugs after Mom pointed out that I don't own any or the ones I used to own have disappeared.

The new job is overwhelming and exciting. I've already run about 100 complete scenarios where I a) fail spectacularly due to mistakes I will probably never make or b) succeed spectacularly by being someone I'm not nor will ever be, i.e. a hard nosed, intense-eyed, not-afraid-of-authority-figures journalist. Today I felt very young. To ground myself, I'm going to read the copy of the Constitution that I found in my desk. It's a better way of falling asleep than drinking a shot of whiskey and hitting myself over the head with a chair.

The morning was spent in paperwork and the afternoon in going through my predecessor's desk. I have inherited 80+ manila folders full of official looking papers, handwritten notes and all sorts of documents. I trotted some of them home so I can read them whenever I want. And I will.

I have one assignment so far and it's not at all connected to my beat, but it will get me started.

In the meantime, in preparation for a second assignment at the end of this month, I've reconnected with a summer source. I've decided to name her the Best Source of All Time. Because she is, indeed, the best source of all time.

Meanwhile, tomorrow is another day. I haven't wandered around Astoria very much yet, been too busy, been too tired and it is dark by 4 pm. Plenty of time for wandering later.