assistant to the regional manager

today was my first day as team leader. it was exhilarating. i did absolutely nothing that i normally do. i talked with people. i took a notebook and pen into an office for a meeting. i read zero articles, wrote zero abstracts, and didn't have to keep track of my moment-to-moment activities. i was even invited to a lunch by Ellen (head big wig) and the rest of the managers. i feel like i get to play with the big girls now. it's so very strange. at break i went to the gym and ran an easy mile. i felt as if i could run the five k. that must be adrenaline. i guess i've never had that kind of high off of work before.

and part of me is scared that when the dust settles i will find myself looking with envy at the peons reading articles and writing abstracts.

for now, this interests me. i was getting bored. not with reading, but with the tedium of doing the same thing day in and day out. now i will be learning every day and doing something new and making my own projects. they say i will still be able to write abstracts when the work is slow, but for the foreseeable months ahead it looks like a lot of training and quality control. will this become tedium, too?

i guess i feel proud of me. i feel like others are proud of me. i've got this title and new tasks and importance. and yet i loved my old job.

i wonder if i would have to take a pay cut if i decided to go back to being a lowly abstractor?

one year. six months. and counting...