Writing from Work

Writing from Work

by Rebecca Smith

OK, so sorry that I haven’t written in a long time. I have been extremely busy. I only have Internet access at work, and I have yet to figure out what I need to get in order to plug my computer in, so I refuse to do that for fear of creating an exploding computer instead of a functioning one. Therefore, I have no opportunity to write while I am at home. So I try to squeeze it in at work, but I am extremely busy trying to learn all that I need to about my job and the French markets, and then actually apply said knowledge to my job. Accccckkkkkk, extremely difficult. I know nothing. All the people here have been here for a long time, or if they haven’t they have been doing similar work at the Sydney office or the Zurich headquarters, or just leading glam lives in foreign countries. Ahhhhhhh, so now I join those ranks, but at the bottom of the pole since I truly have no experience in this and no prior knowledge. I am picking up as much as I can as fast as I can, but it’s all just a bit overwhelming. The subject matter is pretty straightforward….traders make trades and then put them into a system, clients confirm these trades through similar system, we see both these system feeds on a screen. If something goes wrong, that’s where we come in and fix or chase up traders. This I got, easy peasy. It’s the how of it where I get lost. There are so many little system tricks and rules to the markets. I am not using anything particularly familiar either, no nice safe monopolizing corporate software like MS in use here. But I really enjoy this job. It suits my personality to a T!! It involves making the screen look neat and tidy and finding the correct places for things, and just basically being extremely OCD, otherwise the company loses money. Perfect. And I really like the company. It is excessively user friendly. They really want well-rounded employees. Even when they make cuts or outsource, they do everything in their power to move employees to another department. They would much rather keep employees that they have invested time and effort with and just put them elsewhere than to lose them entirely. It’s fabulous. The team I work with is great. It is primarily male dominated. And they all have a slight cockney lilt. They replace th with f. So 3 is said free. It’s extremely confusing sometimes. Oh well. So my flat…hmmm my flatmates are all really nice. I really like them. I am very glad I got the girls I got. I think we will all get along quite well. I was very afraid I would wind up with one of the several girls who I will not name or call names, but let’s just call them bitches. All I have to say is phew!! My actual flat on the other hand….hmmmm, where to begin. Well I think the best place to begin is the crushed orange velvet walls. Who knew that this was possible, let alone that someone would actually purposefully opt for this particular décor faux pas? Well now I know. I think this particular decision involved quite a bit of hallucinogenic motivation, as the crown moulding has been painted (i.e. RUINED) to match the wall covering. The carpeting is horrendous. There are some acid trippy geisha sitting on shroom pictures hanging in our entrance hall. There is a scary pair of parakeets looming over us in the living room. We have an enormous and over the top faux baroque bombe chest with matching gilded mirror hanging above to accent the evil parakeets. Oi! Just oi!! Faux marble bathrooms. Enormous depressions in the kitchen floor beneath the stained white linoleum. Oh it’s just lovely. Besides all that, it’s perfectly nice. I actually think we lucked out. It’s not small at all. It’s actually quite a nice size. I like it though. It’s a great location, we have a balcony, its pretty large, ...there are good qualities...so I will stop complaining. Oh quick note, someone posted me a note as anonymous saying that they were the last person on earth to buy a computer and now they would try to keep in touch better. Ummmmm, hello….ANONYMOUS!?!?! Who are you, how can I write back to you if I don’t know who you are? At least this time I have an excuse for not keeping in touch. I don’t know whom I have to keep in touch with. Muah hahahahahaha, I have beaten the system. Anyways, so yeah, this weekend we have to go to Henley Management College, in Henley-on-Thames where the famous regatta happens. Not so excited, but who knows, it might be fun. But I doubt considering we are spending most of our time in lectures and seminars. Yick!! But next weekend, departing on Friday September 26…..can anyone tell me why this is an important day?!?!!? (HINT: It’s my Birthday, write it down, remember it, celebrate it, It’s a NATIONAL holiday—in my opinion) ….right so, on that day, Suz and I depart for Bruges in Belgium….why Belgium you ask…..well let me tell you. Here in the UK they have a few small airlines that often run deals to European destinations for really cheap. Ryan Air is one of these. When we were trying to find a cheap flight for my birthday we find one to Bruges for £0.02. That’s right 2p +airport taxes. Wa HOO!! Super cheap, and good beer, and good chocolate, and good waffles (or gauffres, to you French speakers)….and it only cost us about £20 to get there. So top that. We wanted to go to Barcelona, but no available flights, especially not any for 2p +airport tax. So that is what I am doing for my birthday…flying to Belgium to gorge myself on the aforementioned good stuff there. Right…so what are you all doing for my birthday? A parade, oh well that’s so nice! A benefit concert in my honour. Terrific. OK well, talk to y’all when I next get the chance, or when I have something more interesting to report.

***PLEASE NOTE*** the preceding message includes some words you may recognize, but believe are misspelled. DO NOT PANIC or write to me telling me my spelling and grammar skills are poor. Remain calm and walk slowly to the nearest seating implement and avail yourself of its accommodating nature. These seeming typos are in fact correct British spellings of these words. So get over yourself.