Day two of going back to work. Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head. Bill, up and atom, looking good as he headed out the door wishing me a good day. I showered and dried off, had some cereal and some coffee and after checking my emails I gathered the recyclables and headed out into the world. I was fairly ambivalent towards work, just trudging along listening to the wonderful cd that Juan made for me the other day. Listened to Camera Obscura and thanked Juan in my head. Loving Brazilian Girls A LOT and also enjoying a certain Justin Timberlake again.

Got to the office, setting up and starting things, including new chores like stocking the copiers with paper since no one else can actually do such a thing. Oh these people. They can’t find garbage cans and they can’t carry a cup of coffee without leaving a trail of coffee on the floor. No they don’t clean up after themselves, I had to get on my hands and knees and clean up the mess with paper towels as various coworkers walked behind me. Andrea who used to have the same job as me in the now defunct San Francisco office was flown into New York to see if she wanted to relocate and become the new office manager.

She’s a good kid, she’s 25 and could be on the way to becoming my new boss, replacing Felicia. Of course in the eyes of the management team, I am simply not qualified. Of course communication being as dysfunctional as my coworkers, no one told her about the possibility of working there. They flew her out to New York, and put her up in a midtown Holiday Inn. She wants to see ‘Wicked’, go to the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. She’s never been to New York and always wanted to. So she’s here, supposed to be working beside me at the desk, no scrubbing floors for her.

Management suggested we go to lunch and I had no idea where to go since I hardly ever go out for lunch. I usually run out, get a salad and run back to the desk, eating my salad and answering phones while I attempt to eat. I thought about where to go and we wound up at the Grey Dog Café on Carmine Street where we sat opposite Web and Baldy from the office. Of course they didn’t acknowledge me, and I didn’t acknowledge them. Andrea and I sat and ate our sandwiches talking about San Francisco and New York. Management wants her to work for McMann and Tate, but no one is really making her an offer. No one told me anything so I said nothing. I just pointed out various movie landmarks in the Village.

They finally spoke to her though I didn’t really know what they said. She said she enjoyed working with me and just in case she thought we’d make a good team working side by side, I told I wasn’t sure how long I’d be staying at McMann and Tate. She’s only working two days this week, today and tomorrow, the rest of the week she’ll be sightseeing. They will supply a temp to work in Andrea’s stead. In the meantime I lined up one, maybe two interviews for Thursday so I won’t be going in to work on Thursday. I feel some relief at going out on interviews and feel this could turn out to be a good thing.

Back to work after nine days off. Woke up with a feeling of dread and by dread I don’t mean waking up with hair like a Rastafarian. I got out of bed at 6:15, such an ungodly hour, Bill was up and dressed and ready for work after a night of snuggling and an elbow to his forehead. I had some cereal and some coffee after showering and spent too much time wonder which black jeans should I wear to work, after that it was which shirt should I wear. I don’t like dressing like this, I want to wear a suit, but there is too much dirty work in my day.

I walked with the other drones headed to the Path train. I saw Plantain Man as I bought my bananas, too self absorbed to see if he was sporting wood. After last week, I didn’t need to. I got on the train and proceeded to read the book I forgot to drop off at the Library as I passed it. The book, ‘The End of Faith’ is, for me, an enjoyable read. Unfortunately it’s due today and I couldn’t renew it because someone else wanted it. I wasn’t through with it and wound up buying a copy in the city. (Remember, you were reading page 140 Johnozed) The author, Sam Harris presents a brilliant case against religion, one that I certainly subscribe to. Spoiler alert: It’s all mythology! I’m moving onto the chapter where Sam Harris goes after Jean Beaudrillard and Noam Chomsky. Intellectual cat fight! YES!

There are some good people at McMann and Tate and I like them and they like me. But the way the place is run, so slipshod distresses me. Which is odd since I used to fit in a situation like this, way back when working for Rupert Murdoch. But I find I prefer organization to this. I had a new assistant, another day temp, this one named Christina, of course very nice and helpful and of course they’re going to let her go, instead flying in someone who used to work in the San Francisco office to see if she’d like to work in the New York office.

She’ll be in tomorrow supposedly. I arranged to have a car pick her up at the airport to take her into Manhattan. They’re probably putting her up in a hotel. I wonder if they’re maneuvering to get rid of me. I wouldn’t put it past them. But who will clean up after these pigs? Believe me it’s not an easy task, rather soul crushing I must say. Yes, an atheist who claims to have a soul, and a crushed soul at that. People like Lizzie B, and Alan, formerly amiable make it worthwhile and there are one or two others who are quite pleasant and helping them out is a pleasure. There are other nice people who vent with me about how things are in the office.

Throughout the day I worked cleaning things that were in such a bad way since I was out last week. So much trash, so much inconsideration. I fled at 5:30, having Christina the temp turn the night phones on at 6:00. I walked through Manhattan, smoking a Padron, wondering what to do. Can I hang in there at least until January, get the bonus and split? Actively start looking for a new job? I’ve sort of since June really. Perhaps even before that, when I tried to get back to good ol’ Wanker Banker. Time will tell patience is required.

Patience is what I nearly lacked when I finally dropped off ‘The End of Faith’ I tried to find out why I can’t get a copy of Sam Harris’ other book, ‘Letter to a Christian Nation’. Twice I saved it in my http://bccls.org account, the cooperative library for Hudson and Bergen counties. Twice it vanished. Divine censorship or computer glitch? Hoboken has it, but it’s out and they can’t hold it for me. Argh.