Usually when I go in to work at Kawasaki I have to pass a quick security check in the lobby of the building by flashing my ID card to the pair of receptionists at the desk. After the first month of this I asked the head receptionist if it was really necessary. It is pretty clear that I am still me, and I come in every day – it seemed a little superflous to go through the ritual every day. But I also knew that checking my ID was one of the few positions of authority that the receptionists have, and as I expected the head receptionist was not willing to let that responsiblility go.
However recently there was a change in staff as the head receptionist left the company just before my two week vacation. She said her farewells before I left for vacation, and when I returned back to work one of the other receptionists had (whether formally or informally) taken her place. She smiled as I presented my ID card and assured me that in the future I can just walk straight in. She said the former boss was a little strict, and as far as she was concerned it was no problem. A change in the pecking order seems to have helped me out a bit.
It was nice to be back at work after the long vacation, but it seems like I lucked into a nice situation coming back – this weekend is a four day weekend at Kawasaki, so I’ll have plenty of time to relax before really getting into the swing of things again. I’ll be working Nozaki sensei’s Halloween party again on Saturday, but other than that I don’t really have any plans. I’m nursing a sore heel (how’d I get that?) so the downtime will be welcome to keep off my feet and rest it.
