Work
January 27, 2010
I am tired, sore, and overwhelmed.
It was an OK first day. An awful lot to take in, a lot of information was thrown at me, and my sense of timing is really messed up now that I haven’t cooked professionally for over 3 years…
I just need a bit of perspective. A hot tub would be nice, too.
Back again tomorrow for another training shift. The menu for dinner is homemade Chinese food.
Man, I cannot cook with salt there! FYI, no salt = no flavour!
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Wandering Coyote 
Well, you survived! That is always a plus! =)
Don’t worry about being off the mark/having a timing issue… it will take a bit of adjustment but you’ll do just fine.
Congrats on the first day!
Thanks, Van! I did survive, my feet were not killing me, which means my shoes are all good – thank God. It will be a huge adjustment and I know I just need to give myself time…
Congratulations on the first day! You made it through so that’s the most important thing.
The first few days are always the hardest, with everything new. It is completely normal to feel overwhelmed.
I think you should be proud of yourself!
Thanks, Milla. Yeah, I am proud of myself…But I am also just so anxious about this…
Does your back still hurt? Maybe the back pain is stress. Stress settles in my neck and shoulder but Doug feels stress in the back.
Sounds like a good gig though and I look forward to hearing about the Chinese food.
The back pain may be stress, it’s true, though that’s not normally where I carry my stress. I also suspect it could be PMS (a very bad sign…) or I am wondering if it’s my bed (also not good…).
Getting through the first day is clearing the first and biggest hurdle. I hope your back starts treating you nicely so that you can concentrate on the job and start to really enjoy it.
Thanks, Barbara! Back feels better this morning, actually – just a bit stiff and twinge-y.
WC, try to get a copy of The Back Doctor, by Hamilton Hall whose also head of the Canadian Back Institute. It describes the four general types of back pain and what to do about it, sans surgery and medication; i.e., exercises specific to those conditions that you can even do at work, a minute or two at a time. Hall has a wonderful, non-nonsense style of writing, absent medicalese. The book helps people understand where their pain is coming from and alleviates concerns regarding spinal damage.
I’m with everyone else here: WOOHOO! YOU GOT THROUGH IT! The first day is always tough.
Let us know how you get round the no-sodium diet. I’m guessing you can’t add a teaspoon of chilli flakes either…
@ Chrystal: Thanks for the recommend. I’ll definitely take a look.
@ La: uh, yeah…the food has to be………..bland……….Nothing too spicy at all – definitely no curries, no chili, and stuff like that. No Mexican. Chinese food should be interesting tonight, seeing as it’s usually so salty. There are a lot of special diets and allergies to cater to, too, so that often puts a wrench in things.
A big loud YAY FOR YOU, WC – mega congratulations on your first day!! Hope Day 2 is just as positive and less achey!
I think it’s so great you are back at (paid) work. It’s a huge transition and yeah, there will be pain and stress. Just don’t put huge expectations for yourself. Right now, the big thing is the “new” job. Other than that, you have to do NOTHING, so it’s totally ok to just go home and veg out and be good to yourself. You will find your rhythm and it will be a bit easier as it becomes more routine each week.
Ok, now that I wrote it out like that it sounds kind of lame…but I hope you get the point.
Baby steps.
And seriously, who cooks without ANY salt?! I declare shenanigans.
No salt? Something seriously wrong there. But hey, it’s a job!
I hear ya about first days. They are THE WORST. But you’ve lived to tell the tale, so it’ll all be easier from now on.
I also recommend The Back Doctor. Read a book of his about 25 years ago – very good. Try doing an easy yoga “cobra” before getting out of bed in the morning … nice way to start the day.
Well, I am cooking for seniors and they cannot have much salt. At least, I don’t add salt. They have salt at their tables so they can add their own.
I’m late (as usual), but I KNEW you could do it and you did! Kongratulations, kiddo.
As far as Chinese, it seems like the soy sauce has all the salt.