Comments (16)

By kilax, January 22, 2009 5:55 pm

For a few weeks in December, I worked in the same building as Barack Obama. The office I work for was actually in charge of his transition! Of course, I wasn’t one of the lucky people that got to meet him (My mom kept saying to me, “If you run into him, tell him I said hi!” To which I responded, “Mom. You voted Republican.” Her response: “That’s okay! Tell him hello anyway!” Ha.).

Today we were allowed to tour his transition office. I felt kind of dorky going up there, but knew I would regret it if I didn’t.

His office layout is very similar to the layout of the floor I work on. Actually, the only difference is the color of the chairs and columns, and a few different office configurations. It was exciting though, to know which office was Obama’s, his wife’s, Biden’s, Jarrett’s, Emanuel’s, etc.

I’m not sure if this guy is moving in now or what. I think that most of the excitement is in the past now though.

Me at Obama’s old desk

Obama’s conference room

Obama’s private bathroom… built just for him!

Comments (16)

By kilax, December 11, 2008 8:27 pm

It’s really weird, starting a new job as Mrs. “Steven’s Last Name.” In fact, I haven’t become fully accustomed to it yet. As my new supervisor was introducing me to people on Monday, I just introduced myself as “Kim.” Only when they asked for my last name did I give it, after thinking about it for a split second. (It’s necessary to know the last name of the “Kims” – there are 4 or 5 others on my floor!)

I didn’t exclude Steven’s last name out of insult… I just really haven’t gotten used to it yet (well, obviously, if I am still calling it “his last name”). We got married in September of 2007, but I didn’t change my name until October of 2008. For various reasons. So, it’s a recent development.

Now it is almost 100% changed. The passport and a few various subscriptions and rewards cards remain. Ilax is now my middle name. Goodbye, Marie. (Sorry, mom)

So, having a “new” last name kind of adds to the fun of starting a new job. Because starting a new job is kind of like a chance to start over. You can be whoever you want! You can leave behind your bitchy ways (unlikely), be less of a goober (very unlikely),  quit it with the potty mouth (I’m trying!), work harder (not a problem, heh), be more social (also not a problem, HA!), etc. You get the idea.

I like that having a new last name means NO ONE from work knows about my website. If you search for my first name and Steven’s last name, it takes a long time to get to me. And the first correct hits are my 5K results. Ha! Anyone is welcome to see those! There is one post I wrote that reveals my last name, but I made it private.

Why do I desire to remove my “new” last name from public search? So that I can start to be a bit more candid here. I don’t plan to bash people I work with. In fact, I don’t plan to write about work at all.* I just want to be able to say I feel upset about things, like my problems with food, and not worry that my boss read it and thinks I’m a super weird-o. It’s a relief.

You know, it’s hard not to tell people about your blog. When they say “You ran a 5K as Santa? Are there any pics?” You want to say, “Yeah, go to www.ilaxstudio.com!” But, I won’t be saying THAT anymore. I’ll get used to it. It will be worth it.

So far, I am having a lot of fun my first week at work (hmm… is it a good thing to say you are having “fun” at work?!). My old office had 15 people on a full day, but the floor I work on now has almost 100 people. And we have at least 3 other floors in my building. It’s really fun to meet new people, share your interests, and discover their personalities.

I am in a training group, so there are a lot of social activities. Also, with it being the holidays, we have a lot of social events going on – 3 parties next week! And I even volunteered to help bartend at one. I also volunteered to help load the “letters-to-santa” gifts into the cars for delivery tomorrow. Yes, I like to get involved.

I can tell I am going to like the work, and the complexity of it. And I already know quite a bit about it because my previous employer was a contractor for where I work now (the naked truth comes out!). Of course, it being my first week, I am still filling out paper work and settling in. But I will let you all know how it goes. I really appreciated everyone’s support on Sunday’s post! It made me feel great!

*I work for the government now. Anything mentioned about work is going to be SUPER SUPER SUPER GENERIC. P.S. Did I tell you that I work just a few floors under Mr. President-Elect, Barack Obama?

What is with the two annoying super-long posts in a row? A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G!!!