Day 98 - First day at a new job, originally uploaded by clarity25.

I woke up this morning at 7 A.M. with conflicting emotions.

On one hand, I was happy to have a temporary job in a law firm that pays so well, on the other hand.. it's so far removed from my dream job situation or anything I had even trained for.. it was a little unnerving.

I'm stepping out of my element

But lets face it. According to a recent SF Chronicle article..It takes an average of 3-7 months of job hunting to find your dream job these days and I'd rather do temporary stints during the process than sign up for something more permanent and get stuck...It's only a week of my life.

While I slid on my stockings and pulled back my hair.. I tried to look at it as an adventure. I thought of Ally McBeal and Dancing babies.. Lawyers are just people too after all. I shouldn't be so intimidated by the expensive suits.

I pulled on a pair of sneakers and put my high-heels in my purse. I kissed Eric goodbye and walked out the front door. As I strolled down Clay street, I could see the Financial district at the bottom of the steep hills..the tall buildings made of glass, the bay bridge..It really was a beautiful view. (see previous picture)

I continued my walk and blended in with all the other adults wearing business attire, walking briskily to their jobs, sporting I-pods in their ears and fancy handbags slung over their shoulders. They didn't seem to notice that I was a newbie or how I was gazing up at all the skyscrapers like a complete tourist. I was feeling a mixture of awe and terror...clutching the FED EX package and the print out with the address of my new job.

The building that loomed in front of me was also made entirely of glass and seemed to stretch up as far as the eye could see. I've never worked in a building this tall and pretentious-looking before. My first instinct was to run away screaming. What was I doing here?

I exchanged the comfortable sneakers for those dreaded high heels and pushed through the glass doors into the expansive intimidating lobby. The clicking of my heels against the floor seemed to echo as I walked to the front desk to sign in. I was handed an ID badge and instructed to go to the 24th floor.

I took a deep breath, stepped into an elevator filled with suits and pressed number 24. The big thick metal doors slid shut.

I'll write more about the experience of my first day tomorrow. I'm exhausted right now and I just want to take a long hot shower.

Yes, I survived it.

NOTE: This picture is a sad attempt at Take a Class with Dave's Week 53 assignment. CUBISM