Unlike most of my days here so far, I stayed in my office today and worked my way through follow-up items from the team meetings earlier this week. One of my assignments from my boss is to come up with a list of goals and objectives for the year. This is a surprising approach for a corporate setting. I'm completely new here, so how on earth would I know what objectives I should set to advance the larger goals of the team and the company! On the other hand, I've rarely had such a flexible opportunity to create the job that I really would like to have. I guess I'll just jump into the deep end of the pool and start swimming.
This is a rare free weekend alone in St. Louis. I'll do some exploring, probably shop a bit, and find out about neighborhoods that might be interesting to live in after my time in the corporate apartment expires. For many years I've wished I could have a chance to live in an urban environment for a while, so I'm weighing the pros and cons of a moderate commute from one of the nice areas close to downtown vs. living in this northern suburb that is very convenient to work but almost totally without charm.
I want to put off these decisions, however, because work is so involved that I don't really have much inclination to spend lots of time or attention on them. The easiest alternative would be to ask the company if I can just pay them rent for this place after the end of the time they've agreed to accommodate me. That would be fine. I've added little touches to make it feel more like home, and I spend weeks at a stretch lodged at the Leadership Center anyway.
Random fact: The hydraulic, fuel, etc. lines in a fighter jet are not only color coded but also marked with different patterns so they can be accurately maintained at night under low-light conditions.
Random fact #2: Detroit Metropolitan Airport frowns on accepting checked luggage that has a fleece boa tied to the handle. I can't fathom it either.
