Nice Work If You Can Get It: Day One (and Two) at St. Louis University

"Opening" from Songs For A New World (music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown)

A new world calls across the ocean
A new world calls across the sky
A new world whispers in the shadows
Time to fly, time to fly

It's about one moment
The moment before it all becomes clear
And in that one moment
You start to believe there's nothing to fear
It's about one second
And just when you're on the verge of success
The sky starts to change
And the wind starts to blow
And you're suddenly a stranger
There's no explaining where you stand
And you didn't know
That you sometimes have to go
‘Round an unexpected bend
And the road will end
In a new world

A new world calls for me to follow
A new world waits for my reply
A new world holds me to a promise
Standing by, standing by

It's about one moment
That moment you think you know where you stand
And in that one moment
The things that you're sure of slip from your hand
And you've got one second
To try to be clear, to try to stand tall
But nothing's the same
And the wind starts to blow
And you're suddenly a stranger
In some completely different land
And you thought you knew
But you didn't have a clue
That the surface sometimes cracks
To reveal the tracks
To a new world

You have a house in the hills
You have a job on the coast
You find a lover you're sure you believe in
You've got a pool in the back
You get to the part of your life
You hold the ring in your hand

But then the earthquake hits
And the bank closes in
Then you realize you didn't know anything
Nobody told you the best way to steer
When the wind starts to blow

And you're suddenly a stranger (All of a sudden)
You life is different than you planned
And you'll have to stay ‘til you somehow find a way
To be sure of what will be
Then you might be free

A new world crashes down like thunder
A new world charging through the air
A new world just beyond the mountain
Waiting there, waiting there

A new world shattering the silence
There's a new world I'm afraid to see
A new world louder every moment
Come to me, come to me

* * * * *

That's the opening number from one of my favorite musicals, and this song was one that I played on "repeat" several times during the last leg of my drive to St. Louis. The sentiment of being on the edge of a new horizon and facing a change in life almost caught me by surprise (I had just about forgotten that this unique abstract musical is really a revue of songs that are constructed around this theme and not a traditional song-and-dance show with a central plot). But the driving melody and dynamic boldness of this opening song hooked me once more and I was captivated by its message all over again. It seemed so fitting for the road that literally lies ahead of me.

The excitement and anticipation of starting my new job overwhelmed the inevitable exhaustion of the drive out here, so I had a fairly late and restless night on Sunday, December 5. But the morning came, along with a very low cold snap in the weather with the morning news forecasting a high of 40 degrees for the week and wind chill dips as low as single digits. (Throughout the day, friends in California and coworkers here in St. Louis had to keep asking me if I was OK, and despite the blood-thinning that must come with 13+ years in California, the cold and dry winter air felt seasonally refreshing, and the New Yorker in me knew how to dress snugly in it.)

So on a rather dark Monday morning, I started my job on December 6, 2010 with the required benefits orientation workshop in Human Resources, the employment and tax forms, and the walk-through of many required forms. The benefits workshop woke me up fully with a pot of coffee available in a building that had a malfunctioning heater (so we had no heat in an icebox of a training room for two hours) and the review of topics included the Accidental Death & Dismemberment coverage. Lovely: premiums that pay out in case of loss of hands or feet or other senses or body parts. Good morning; Welcome to SLU!

That morning, I also got my official staff ID (including handy ID card holder that is supposed to be clipped and worn visibly by all employees at all time), paid for my parking permit (which will be necessary when I can no longer walk to the office), and then a very welcome lunch break with my new AVP colleague. Then it was two back-to-back two-hour meetings: one on policies and one with my new supervisor. After 10 hours, the first day was over and I came home to essentially crash.

First day at SLU (shirt by Mona Lucero)!

Day 2 started with another cold morning. Forecasted high for the day was 35, and it was 16-19 degrees outside on the walk to the office. The weather report used a term that I had not heard before: "deceptive sunshine" so apparently St. Louis was being reminded that it can be very cold and sunny at the same time. The second day at work gave me more meetings that were 2+ hours long, more meetings with staff members, two student events (back-to-back holiday receptions at the end of the day), and even my first "heads up" alert from a direct report to notify me that the media had been on campus to run a news story about some thefts that had occurred on campus. At the second campus event I attended, I was casually introduced to several other faculty and staff members, and not once but twice I was asked, "So what year are you?" Since a big birthday (one for an age that ends with a zero) is coming up, I thought to myself, I'll accept that assumption that I'm a student as a compliment for sure! (And I guess I need to hang out at holiday social events on campus more often to get that kind of stroke to my ego.) After an 11-hour day, I headed home and crashed again.

Soon I will have my first "hump day" at work, then my first TGIF, and a very welcome first weekend break from work. So things are off and running and it all feels right. That's the happy report from here for now.