hail to the chump.

either I'm a wonderful employee, or I'm an idiot. I guess it's possible I could be both.

my predecessor worked a 40 hour week. and towards the end, it's even debatable as to whether she worked the whole time... but she didn't stick around for extra. it's a salary position. that doesn't mean overtime isn't possible, but it's not really available.

I've worked a couple extra hours the past couple of days. and I volunteered to head in this weekend for a few hours. I didn't ask about getting paid for it, and no one said anything. for now, I'll just assume it's volunteered work unless I hear otherwise. my logic for donating precious non-work time is two-fold. mostly, I feel guilty for not being up to speed, so I'm making up for my lack of production by working extra hours to get the shit done. but I also have an insane sort of loyalty, a trait I get from my dad. I think I'm eager to prove that I'm a team player by going above and beyond what would be expected of me. plus, I want to take in as much as I can as quickly as possible. I don't like feeling lost. I'm taking on extra tasks that I normally wouldn't need to do, just to understand the processes so I know what I'm delegating. I think that's important.

unfortunately, this will probably set a dangerous precedent. if I start out working extra for free, it'll become expected. and once I'm up to speed and functioning at 100% within the normal 40 hours, I might be expected to still put in that extra ten hours a week, just to get a bit ahead. odds of this happening our slim. like most people, I only work at a pace necessary to accomplish what needs done. I'm not gonna shift into overdrive during a slow period. few people can sustain that, you burn out too quickly. when you're behind, some people can gear up and get more done. I'm one of those people, but I need the right motivation. from what I've seen, there are peaks and valleys anyway, so there will always be slow times and fast times. at ridgemont high.

it's only been three weeks. most everyone has said I'm doing well. I do feel I'm doing better now than I was a week ago. but it's gonna be another month or two before I really settle in and feel comfortable.

I just hope I don't forget everything during the holiday break. oh yeah, did I mention I get nearly two weeks off at the end of the year? whole plant shuts down dec 22 and doesn't open again til after new years. seven normal working days off. paid. and without using vacation time. the three weeks vacation time I'm allotted.

this job does have its perks.