One Week Down - 311 More 'til Retirement

I know the suspense is killing you, so I thought I'd give everyone an update on my first week back at work after my nine-month hiatus. All-in-all things went pretty well. My biggest problem was feeling something akin to jet-lag for the first few days. I've never been a big fan of sleeping really late, but during my exile from the work force my average time of rising in the morning was around 7:15 AM. This wasn't exactly sleeping the day away, but it's late when compared to 5:00 AM. My commute has been about what I expected. After trying every conceivable route I've determined that the fastest and easiest way is Highway 59 to Highway 36 to FM 442 to Highway 60 to FM 521. During my scenic 75-mile drive I pass through the metropolises of Rosenberg, Needville, Pleak Village, Boling, Bay City and Wadsworth. These are just the big towns. There are also several smaller ones whose names escape me at this time.

The people at work are all pretty nice and for the most part pretty laid-back types. The differences between Transocean and the South Texas Project Nuclear Power Station - affectionately known to the locals as "STP" - are striking. Transocean had 25,000 employees located literally all over the world. STP has about 1,500. Transocean was populated by a large percentage of international employees. STP is about 95% locals who were born and raised in south Texas. Transocean had an atmosphere of tension, chaos and suspicion, born from years of continual mergers and acquisitions. STP has an atmosphere that seems closer to one big family. A large number of people who work there have been there for 20+ years. Three of the people who work in my department have known each other since they were kids, having grown up together in Bay City, gone to school together, and actually graduated together in the Class of 1976. To them, I'm practically a foreigner.

There's a company store on-site - called Nuclear Notions - that sells STP shirts, jackets, caps, key chains, and just about any other trinket upon which an STP logo can be placed. There is also a small fitness center - called Nuclear Motions (I not kidding). I found out yesterday that on Thursdays the Credit Union offers free popcorn. They have one of those big popcorn poppers that you see at the movie theater in their lobby and everyone just goes in, grabs a bag and fills it up.

One thing that STP doesn't have is covered parking. I first became aware of this when I arrived for work on Monday morning and it was raining. This realization was reinforced every day for the rest of the week. For the last 30 years I've always worked in places with parking garages. I'll need to get a decent umbrella.

In spite of the long commute, the goofy names for the company store and fitness center, and no parking garage, I'm looking forward to my new nuclear career. Please keep those jokes about glowing in the dark coming.

This is a picture of STP. The two big domes are where the nuclear reactor units are housed. The building in the foreground is where my office (see below) is located. Disclaimer: I did NOT take this picture, which if I had would have subjected me to disciplinary proceedings "up to and including termination of employment." This is a picture of a picture from a recruiting brochure. Of course, this begs the question - If it's okay to put this picture in a brochure that is distributed to the world, why is it not okay for employees to take the same picture?

This is my office. I'm still working on ideas for my decorating motif. Note that I have a great view of the dumpster.