work The new job starts tomorrow.

Posted February 5, 2006 • Comments Off on The new job starts tomorrow.

I could not be more paralyzed with fear. I’m supposed to report to someone who isn’t any of the four people who interviewed me, which is odd. I haven’t gotten up early or taken a shower in the morning or anything sensible in ages. I don’t know if I even CAN get up early enough to arrive downtown at 9am, which I never really had to do (I used to work 10ish to 7ish at CDI, the alternative being 9ish to 7ish). I have no idea what the dress code is, and I only really have two good pairs of pants. I’ve been sick with the flu, allergies, and a cold since last Sunday, and while I can breathe a little better today, my entire face is chapped and red. The staffing agency girl told me very early on that the man who manages their contract staff at the IMF is “a tough cookie.” I was interviewed by permanent staff, not contractors, and told that my contract would be separate from the embedded staff arrangement the cookie manages. Of course I’m supposed to ask for the cookie when I get in tomorrow. I’ve never met him and I’m scared of him. What on earth does it mean when a man is described as “a tough cookie”? The scenario in my head has me showing up late through no fault of my own, the front desk security staff being unable to locate this man because he isn’t permanent staff, and him showing up as some sort of cigar-chomping Edward G. Robinson type and telling me I’m underdressed and that broads (he says “broads” in my head) are expected to wear skirts or dresses. I could not be more paralyzed with fear.