A New Italic Travels In
Created | Updated Nov 25, 2004
Although I've been here six weeks, I'm only just coming to the end of my
first full week here.
Due to illness and annual leave, I hadn't worked a
full five-day week. What a shock! The change from casual (if an h2g2 addict
can be called 'casual' of course) Researcher to an Italic was
easy to get used to, it felt like a natural progression. However, changing
from a part time (a very small 'part' as well), self-employed worker to a
working mum has been a bit harder to get used to. So many things have had to
change.
My weekends were a time of idleness, of sitting around the house and
watching cartoons. And surfing h2g2 of course. Now I have to do unimportant
things, like shopping so I can feed the menagerie, and various other dull
chores to make certain we all end up clean and tidy (ish) most of the time.
It's the age-old problem. Now I have got the cash to go wild and do all the
things I couldn't afford before, I haven't got time to do any of them! Being
a bit of a gardener, there's always something I want for the garden. I can
now buy myself that wheelbarrow that I've been kidding myself I don't need
for three years. But I haven't got time to make a space in the shed to keep it,
or time to do anything in the garden that needs it! I'd like my son to join
the Scouts, but now I haven't got time to take him. He wants to go to
trampolining classes, but when can I take him? He already has swimming
lessons at the weekend.
Now, does all that sound as if I'm not delighted and excited to be here?
It's not meant to. I love my new job, I love the people here, I love the
building and the canteen. And the bar. What I don't love is public
transport. Although I think I have nearly beaten it. I've (rather sadly in
certain people's opinions) managed to work out my journey so that I get into
the exact carriages I have to get into to put me in the right place on the
platforms. I thought that was rather clever of me. I get off the train at
Holburn right opposite the exit. Which is entirely necessary and desirable as, even as late as 10am, it's very busy. I need to get up those steps before
everyone else! Why? Erm, no idea really. Gets me into work 60 seconds
earlier probably. And less walking around on tediously dull station
platforms.
I've had to come up with some marvellously ingenious ideas to stay
entertained on the trains and tubes. It's very boring otherwise. I'm not
keen on reading on the train, although that might be because I haven't got
any books that are grabbing my attention at the moment. I prefer to 'people
watch'. These strangers are so interesting. They could be potential friends,
lovers, soul mates. Yet we all avoid eye contact, ignore the bodies that we
can't escape from as we stand on a crowded train and try not to notice we
are not alone. Except for Thursday morning. I was trying to avoid watching
someone put her book down while she answered her phone. When she picked it
up again it was upside down. I couldn't resist watching her as her eyes
tried to focus and she turned the book round. I giggled, she looked up and
giggled too, then carried on reading her book. I went back to enjoying the
sun on my face and wondering how often train windows are cleaned.
It's a hard life for a chatterbox like me. But people are interesting.
What I find myself doing is staring at hairstyles or shoes. Does anyone else
do that? Ignore the person in the middle, but admire the imagination and
creativity that goes into what they spend all day standing on or under.
The other thing I like doing on the train is headline surfing. The Metro
in the morning, the Evening Standard in the evening, with tabloids for the
discerning. Because I can't deal with flappy great bits of paper on a
crowded train, I read the headlines on other peoples. That's much more fun.
I like to make up my own news items to match the headlines. Then I make up
my own careers for the people that read them. Some people just look like axe
murderers, you know? Or vicars. A lot of people reading The Sun seem to be
vicars these days.
Now I've gone through the trials and tribulations of the job, I can
mention how great it is. It's great!
