Those First 3 Days

I left Pittsburgh on a cold, rainy day and landed just over 4 hours later in a dry swirl of desert dust. Within 24 hours, temperatures crept into triple digits and for the first time, I considered the thought that I had made a  mistake. 

Upon arrival, I went straight for the office, my body telling me it was surely time for a meal, when in reality it was 10am. I may have been introduced to my team, but all I remember is the gritty feeling in my eyes, being hungry, and hoping it was almost bedtime. I spent the night at my friend's house and the next morning, attempted to look as chipper as I could for the drive into the office. She asked if I wanted coffee, and I may have nearly cried in relief. It was also about this time that my phone began lighting up with text messages and email notifications. My car, which I had sent cross-country via loading truck, had encountered some bumpy weather in the Midwest and would not be arriving that day as scheduled. After some back and forth, I was set up with a rental car and found myself relying on the kindness of strangers to get me to the car rental place. Apparently Enterprise's promise of "we'll pick you up" is not entirely accurate. So after lunch, a kindly newly acquainted coworker volunteered to drive me to the rental office. Observing the passing scenery, I couldn't help but notice the neighborhood looking rougher as we drove on. 

Where are we going...?

Once squared away with the rental, I returned to the office where I pretended to work until I had to go get my keys and get all set up in my apartment. And after that, I had to head back in the opposite direction to retrieve my mother from the airport. The apartment is as one would expect. Neutral, sterile colors. Bland, white vertical blinds. Someone had thought to turn on the ceiling fans, but I immediately cranked the a/c to cool the place down and once again wondered if I had made a terrible mistake. It was late by the time Big Kim and I returned and dragged our tired "I'm-still-on-East-Coast-time" bodies back to the lowly air mattress for the night. It was after midnight, but thankfully Friday. The alarm rang too soon and after one too many ill-advised snooze hits, I was out the door later than planned. I then subsequently missed my exit for the office. My GPS was dead and the charger was somewhere in a yet-unpacked box, and I found myself hoping that I was aiming my car in the right direction. I saw an exit for the airport and knew my office was somewhere on the other side, so I revved the rental, took the exit, and promptly got lost in the interweaving exits of the Phoenix International/Sky Harbor Airport. I was ready to quit the day and I hadn't even made it to the office. 

Finally pulling into the parking garage, I was sweating in the 100-degree morning heat by the time I hit the sidewalk. My normal entrance at the back of the building was roped off with yellow caution tape, so I hoofed around to the front of the building. Approaching the door to my area of the floor, it was again roped off with yellow caution tape. I probably let out an unladylike grunt of frustration at this point. It was pretty clear the world and Friday were conspiring against me. Dragging my bag around to another door, I walked through and stopped dead in my tracks. There in front of me, gracing the floor to ceiling windows, were three bullet holes. Legitimate bullet holes. Through the glass windows on the 7th floor. One section down from my workspace. I gaped. I stared. And I did the only really reasonable thing left: I took a few pictures. When I passed by a while later for water, there were cops everywhere. Very CSI. I finally settled down from the excitement, and let out a deep exhale, trying to expel all the negative energy from the morning. Then my phone rang. It was my mom. The conversation started: "So...I think I might need to go to the emergency room." Confirmation: Friday. Freaking. Hates me.

Despite an inauspicious start, three months in, things are looking up. I mean...with such a tumultuous initial 72 hours, how could they not? It's all part of the adventure, right?