The New Normal?

*So, I had to sign something at my work orientation related to blogs. My employee handbook says: The company prohibits posting any employer-related information to a blog and discourages employees from criticizing or making negative comments which could affect morale and possibly lead to lawsuits against the company. So, if any of you think I'm ever crossing the line, let me know so I delete the post, deal?*

My job has been all over the place. I really still don't have a sense of everything I'll be doing. My first week on the job, I went to three days of conferences, so I wasn't even in the office those days. Then, I didn't have my own desk until Tuesday of my second week on the job.

I went to the office holiday party on Thursday of my second week, which was actually really nice. We got to go to a hotel for the afternoon and eat buffet-style food. The dessert buffet was awesome. They had a bunch of little cakes, crème brûlée, and make-your-own ice cream sundaes. The only bad part about the party was that no alcohol was served. Our company's clients were invited to the party, so I think they wanted to avoid any alcohol-related mishaps.

This week, I went to a Child Welfare conference on Monday. People have been out of the office a crazy amount because employees who have been with the company at least six months are given four days of personal leave that need to be used by December 15th, or they just disappear (the days are intended for use when there is bad weather and the government shuts down).

But...yeah...I still have no sense of what a "normal" week of work is going to be like. I'm sure I won't figure it out until sometime after the holidays either.