Working Girl.

And...I'm back.

Today, I worked. And got paid for it. It was awesome.

I got a call from my old boss last week. He needed a freelancer for a few days this week, and I gladly accepted. Before my trip, I had worked at this magazine for nearly five years. So going back felt like the first day of school. A night of light sleep. The slight panic about what to wear. Anxious to see everyone. Nervousness about my commute. Would I be late? (Meanwhile, back in the day, I would sometimes leave my apartment fifteen minutes to 9 when I knew it took me 25 minutes to walk to work).

The subway was packed like sardines. But it didn't bother me today. I was excited. I am sure it will bother me when I am commuting on a regular basis. No more walking to work now that I am living on the East Side. On the street, I saw a man walking and talking into a banana pressed into his ear. Is that a banana shaped cell phone? I squinted and looked closer. No, just a banana. Witnessing that, I knew it was going to be a good day.

Work was fun. It was like I was the most popular girl at school. Everyone wanted to talk to me and hug me and hear my stories and tell me how great I looked. Lots of compliments on my hair and my relaxed demeanor. Dude, this is what four months of not working looks like. Anjali and Kim took me out for sushi lunch--which ran way too long due to the slow service. Trying to get me in trouble on my first day back. It was fun to see everyone and hear the latest trials and stories. And I even got some work done in between all the chatting. It was so easy to slip right back.

Michael, my boss, kept my old name tag (wishful thinking?) which I attached on the desk. When I returned from lunch, there was mail addressed to me scattered near my computer. It was surreal. Like I never left.

"Are you going to write about us in your blog?" Amanda asked.

I think people read my blog to escape work, not to read about work. But today is an exception.

Right now, past 8 at night. My legs hurt from the elliptical this morning at the gym. My brain overwhelmed by the day's events. Eyes weary from looking at the computer screen. The crowded commute home felt really long.

I had forgotten: Work makes you feel really tired.