scarlettina | Today is apparently not the first day...

So I went in today as scheduled, got oriented, set up my workspace, sat in on my first meeting and began my training. My new boss is cool; we bonded over shoes. My other teammates are cool, too. And I'm sharing workspace with someone I worked with a year ago, which is kind of hilarious. I was allowed to leave early because, really, without an official account, there's not much I can do. I called my my rep at the agency to give her a quick report on my first day, then sat down at home for some quality time with the cats.

About ten minutes later the phone rings. It's my agency rep. "It's a good thing you called," she tells me, "because I checked your records just to make sure everything was rolling along." Apparently, I wasn't officially at the office today. Somehow, my paperwork got missed in the processing and I was nowhere in the system. I'm not to return to the office until Tuesday. I will be paid for my hours, but my start has now been delayed.

I'll take a long weekend, sure. My RSI is already acting up, so I'll be living in my wrist brace for a while and trying to rest the arm a bit this weekend. (HAH! I have editing and wordage to do.) And this delay gives me more time to read The Book. But I gotta admit, it's all a little weird.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

First off, take lots of tiny breaks while you are working, and stretch out your wrists. That will help keep this from continuing or coming back. Try using outlook or some other program (or cell phone) that will chime every 30 minutes or so. Break and do a couple of stretches, go back to work.

This will totally suck, but..

Fill sink with cold water. Add two ice cube trays. Put arms in up to your elbows. Wait until numb. (It will hurt, you will cry, but it will help.) Then do the stretches below. If you can, get someone to rub their thumbs, firmly across the top of your arms, just before the elbow back and forth while you are still numb.

Get massage from someone who does it. Regular little ones - so you might want to look into finding a place that has chair massage near your work.

Check out http://ergocise.com/wrists.html they have pictures and movies for great break stretches. The stretches I recommend first are: "Break at the Wrist" and "Stop! (In the name of love)"

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Loves!

Thank you! This is great stuff. I don't know if I'll have the courage to do the full immersion but I'll give it a try. :-) And I need to, because the discomfort is pretty regular right now.

It's like you were psychic...you said nothing much would get done, and you were right!

Have a wonderful weekend, and think of me as I start my workweek.

Will do!

Weird but not surprising--I always find when I show up for a gig that they're never ready for me. The first day is always a waste.
Enjoy the weekend and REST that wrist!

Well, usually the first three days or so of a Microsoft contract are more-or-less wasted days. I was actually prepared for that. This first day was different in that they started my training within two hours of my arrival. I wasn't prepared for being told that the agency had screwed up and the I wasn't officially there. A new precedent.

Well, at least they're gonna pay you for it.
Are they paying you for Monday also even though they don't want you there?

Nope, no pay for Monday, which is okay. My boss and her second won't be in the office, so it would have been only me and the other contractor, so I would have been twiddling my thumbs anyway. I'll earn it when I'm there.

I guess that would've been too good to be true.

Excellent icon, btw.

::chuckle:: Thanks. It's one of my favorites. Feel free to snurch it if you want to.

Really do make sure both your work and home work environments are set up to be best for you, ergonomically. That can make a HUGE difference, even if it doesn't seem like it day to day.

This is SOOOO off-topic, but I didn't know where else to put it.

Caryn (Galeni) is also interested in the Seattle Ring.

So, you want to be Ring-heads with us next time they do it?

Today is apparently not the first day...

I'm sure you are familiar, but "The patented Kistha speach on RSI or Carpal Tunnel"

Re: I'm sure you are familiar, but "The patented Kistha speach on RSI or Carpal Tunnel"

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THE RING