one of the masses

Up before 7, out by 7:30 without breakfast. If I’m lucky to grab a seat, speed reading on the subway (today: Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office), if not, slower reading holding on to a pole (I have to remember to buy that anti-bacterial stuff I loathe), at my desk in a dreary cubicle by 8:30, cautiously check my personal email (yesterday, one of my too many supervisors stopped by at 8:40 and caught me in the act…), and thus another boring day begins. Tedious tasks. Reporting back and forth to my supervisor. And more tedious tasks. I feel like a secretary, sometimes worse. Some things are slightly interesting. Ironically I’m working as a mechanical engineer, but sadly getting the mediocre salary of a civil engineer. It was kind of cool to sign off on some drawings I reviewed of brakes for a movable lift bridge. People are generally nice. Every day someone else realizes I haven’t yet been introduced to this or that person (!), and they stop whatever it is they’re doing and excitedly lead me to this or that person, and along the way, introduce me to some others well. I already spotted two religious Jews on my floor. Lunch hour I go out and attempt to shop like the rest of working gals, but lose patience very quickly. So many frummies out. Pushing their baby strollers. Wearing their sheitals and long skirts and sweater sets. Talking on their cell phones with their Yiddish accents. Though I’m never hungry at lunch time, and I don’t think to buy anything while I’m out, soon after I return, I’m inevitably starving, and no matter how much food I bring, it’s never enough, and I’m stuck in the office until 5:15 famished. I stay a bit longer after work to use the internet, since access is limited at home. Back on the subway by 5:45 at the latest. Drained. Exhausted. Hungry. By the time I get home and recuperate and run (if I find the energy) and shower and eat and pack my lunch and try to return the calls I missed, not much time left. Working seems to be every bit as horrible as people make it out to be. But overall, it’s alright.