Top 5 Favorite Items/Tools at Work

I believe that I mentioned recently that I love office supplies, and one of the things I like best about doing admin. work is the use of copious amounts of office supplies. Here are my top 5 favorite things I get to use on a regular basis as I begin week 4 of the job. (NB: I find it hard to believe that this is my 4th week! Where has August gone??)

5. The sweet pen/ paper clip/ random office supply holder on my desk. It even has a little drawer for sticky notes.

4. This isn’t an item or a tool, but I love that I have my own office. I intensely dislike having people look over my shoulder when I’m working, so it’s great to have my own space where I can work. Plus I get this cool sign over the door. It’s pretty sweet, let me tell you.

3. Colored paper.
You may laugh, but there are about 20 different (and distinct) colors of paper in the copy room. In the folders I made for the student ministry parent’s night, each new announcement was on a different color. It makes me happy that we have color in our lives.

2. The laminating machine.
Yes, we have a laminating machine! It smells like a glue gun, and somehow the paper and plastic sheets go in one side and come out on the other magically sealed together. It’s pretty amazing.

1. My 24 thin tip sharpies.
They’re just so great; so many colors to choose from; it’s like a small party on my endless sticky notes.

The Dangers of Coffee

For most of the day I’ve had a caffeine headache. Alas, the day has come. It works like this: my housemates all like coffee, so I’ve had coffee most mornings since I moved in 2 weeks ago [and actually, I had coffee many mornings in July as well]. Yesterday I think I had 2 or 3 cups of coffee because people offered it to me and I like coffee. I was especially tempted because it was Shenandoah Joe’s coffee, but that’s beside the point.

This morning I did not have coffee. I didn’t have coffee when I went to work, and I didn’t have coffee in the middle of the afternoon. In fact, it has been a caffeine free day, hence the pounding headache and the fatigue. I think I need to stay away from caffeine for a couple days until my body figures itself out.

Working for a Living

I think I’m going to like my job all right. I don’t like everything about it, of course. Today, for example, I spent most of the day updating the Sunday school rosters and making sure that everyone who registered had their children in the correct classes and that their contact information is correct. It’s important that somebody do it though, otherwise when August 24 comes there will be mass chaos and no one will know what’s going on or where they’re supposed to be.

But it’s still boring to do data entry.

I just kept reminding myself that it needs doing and good things will happen because I’m taking time to make sure that things are as organized as possible.

But the people I work with are all great and it’s so nice to be around pleasant people. :) That helps a good deal. And there are fun and good things I get to do. I like being organized, and my job is to organize the family ministries team, which is good. I also got to go shopping for some pretty sweet office supplies last Friday, which made me happy. My favorite purchase of the day: a set of 24 thin tip sharpies. I love office supplies. I’m nerdy that way, and I don’t really care….

Working a 9-5 also gives me time in the evenings to do other things. I started painting again, which makes me happy. I started reading the Brothers Karamazov (we’ll see if I get through it!), and I want to play the piano again. I think I’m going to miss being in classes though. Maybe if I can figure out where I want to go I can work myself up to the GRE and apply to grad school. We shall see. In the meantime, I’ll just make the most of the opportunities I have, get to know more people in Charlottesville, and try not to worry about what comes next.