Life was colorful when I spent my days half-assing on my writing, biking to the beach and people-watching. Time was like clay, to be molded and sculpted per my whims. But now that the job has started, I sense my activities are starting to march lock-step into the steady beat of deliverables, deadlines and meetings. By today (the third day), I've managed to shave my morning routine down to 30 minutes: from the time I open my eyes to the time I get on the shuttle before the morning breaks.
On my first day, wide awake for the unknown, I witnessed the yolky sun's climb from the vast grey expanse of the South Bay. The clouds were like blinds as they cut the orange in parallel tracks. I haven't seen a sunrise in ages, and it took a commute to work for me to rise early.. Today, I didn't care any more. Like everyone else, I took the hour-long ride as an opportunity to sleep. Surprisingly, no one snored. Everyone was cognizant of personal space. No one really talked that early in the day, and meetings on the phone were held by whispers. There were no personal calls as a courtesy rule. Even the opened laptops were dimmed for the sensitive eyes.
I think the sun was the only unexpected color for the past couple of days. The company has a set of branded colors, which makes choosing stationary, napkins, cubicle walls and carpeting pretty simple. From orientation to small talk to meetings, it seems like everyone is shaded by the same colors too; they speak, act, and talk in the same ways. Ask an opinion, and it falls in line with the most recent company press release. It makes sense – the company hires people who matches its values, but I was one of those kids people hated in kindergarten... one crayon was never enough.