Finding the chink in the armor

Recently, I began a 9 week contract as a reception/admin. Right down there with Data Monkey, receptionist is one of my least favorite jobs. Office minion, with its diverse odd jobs and errand-running is preferable. Even exec admin is better because for doing largely the same thing as reception/admin, you get paid more because you deal with bigger personalities.

A day as a receptionist is LONG. Not even because I have so many things to receive (phone calls, faxes, deliveries), but rather because I spend the better part of 8 hours trying to look productive or at least prevent myself from face-plowing into the keyboard from mind-numbing ennui. My number 1 task to combat this: web surfing. I know, I read trash. But it's easy enough to tear myself away from for phone calls. I don't care if I lose my place.

Unfortunately, my company is one of those that blocks EVERYTHING. Even random stuff. So email is out. (This is really unfortunate). Most entertainment/gossip/puzzle/blog/music sites are out. Most of the things that reliably keep me occupied are out. But I can do all the internet-shopping I could possibly want (which is not really at all my thing.) And if I felt my web junk-food consumption was interfering with my "office productivity", I wouldn't use it. Given that I don't really do anything, it's not exactly cutting into my productivity. And this poses a conundrum. Because by requesting access to anti-productivity sites, I alert them to the fact that I don't do much. But the fact of the matter is there isn't much for me TO do. Other than surf the web between calls, waiting for something to do. This could be a very long summer. I guess I can't complain. There is air conditioning, and I can read a book. But it still sucks. So I am taking any suggestions (books, ways to subvert, subtle work-friendly ways to amuse myself).

However, I am already discovering the little chinks in the armor. How to circumvent the system in little ways. Like blogging via Google Docs.

Tomorrow I start flying solo, as the woman I am replacing finally gets to start her maternity leave. It is a bit awkward, because I am naturally eager to do stuff, and especially so for women who are lugging small children in utero. But I don't want to treat her like she can't. It's a delicate balance. But it's good that she's leaving, because she has serious placenta-brain. Which kinda messes with my learning curve. So instead of surfing the web, I surf the learning curve.