Common Sense (Catch-Up Part 3)
Also in November: Overall, the new job was going well. In less than 90 days, provided I didn’t screw up majorly, my trial period would be over and I’d have benefits and would start earning vacation days. I memorized the names of all the different products. I chatted with co-workers on the bus-and-train commute. I car-pooled with others. I got invited to the office holiday party. We drew for Secret Santa. There was a learning curve, of course. After 3 weeks or so, I could work up the quotes and the shipping documents, but there were flaws. Beginner’s mistakes. My supervisor would send the proofs back to me, curtly advising me that the solutions to my mistakes were in The Binder. The Binder? I had found an unlabeled, disorganized ring binder in my desk on my first week, but the documents had made little sense since I had no context for them at the time. And most of them looked like marketing collateral printed off as references for field salespeople, so I’d put