向前一步:第178期 全能女人是个神话(11)

 I started arriving at work around 9:00 a.m. and leaving at 5:30 p.m. 从此，我开始早上9点到公司，下午5点30分离开公司。

This schedule allowed me to nurse my son before I left and get home in time to nurse again before putting him to sleep. 这样的时间调整让我可以在上班前、下班后及时地给孩子喂奶，然后再哄他睡觉。

I was scared that I would lose credibility, or even my entire job, if anyone knew that these were my new in-the-office hours. 我很担心我全新的出勤记录会损害我的公信力，甚至让我丢了这份工作。

To compensate¹, I started checking e-mails around 5:00 a.m. 为了弥补这一点，我不得不在早上5点就开始查收邮件。

Yup, I was awake before my newborn. 是的，孩子醒来之前我就起床了；

Then once he was down at night, I would jump back on my computer and continue my workday. 每天晚上孩子入睡后，我会再回到电脑前继续当天的工作。

I went to great lengths to hide my new schedule from most people. 我竭尽全力不让大多数人知道我的新时间表。

Camille, my ingenious executive assistant, came up with the idea of holding my first and last meetings of the day in other buildings 我的天才助理卡米尔出了个绝妙的主意，建议我每天的第一个会议和最后一个会议都在其他办公楼进行，

to make it less transparent² when I was actually arriving or departing. 这样可以让我实际到达和离开办公楼时不至于太招摇。

When I did leave directly from my office, I would pause in the lobby and survey the parking lot to find a colleague-free moment to bolt to my car. 如果必须从我的办公室直接下班，我就会先在大厅里观察停车场，瞅准没人的时候才会冲出去发动我的车。

(Given my awkwardness, we should all be relieved that I once worked for the Treasury³ Department and not the CIA.) （鉴于我的做法非常笨拙，大家都应该松口气，还好我只是为财政部而不是中情局工作过。）

Looking back, I realize that my concern over my new hours stemmed from my own insecurity. 回想起来，我发现这种顾虑源自内心的不安全感。

Google was hard charging and hypercompetitive, but it also supported combining work and parenthood — an attitude that clearly started at the top. 谷歌是一家锐意进取、竞争激烈的公司，但它的创业文化也非常支持员工兼顾事业与家庭——这种立场显然源自高层管理者。

Larry and Sergey came to my baby shower and each gave me a certificate that entitled me to one hour of babysitting. 卡纳里克和谢尔盖参加我的宝宝欢迎派对时，各自送了我一个礼物——1小时“特许状”，让我方便照顾宝宝。

(I never used the certificates, and if I could find them, I bet I could auction⁴ them off for charity, like lunch with Warren Buffett.) （我从没用过“特许状”，如果真有这样的东西，就像和巴菲特共进午餐那样，我绝对拿它来做慈善拍卖了。）

 

1 compensate   

vt.补偿，赔偿；酬报 vi.弥补；补偿；抵消

参考例句：

• She used her good looks to compensate her lack of intelligence. 她利用她漂亮的外表来弥补智力的不足。
• Nothing can compensate for the loss of one's health. 一个人失去了键康是不可弥补的。

2 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

3 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

4 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。