What's Up?

I'm slowly getting aclimated to my new IT job.  I was worried when I got it that I'd be far out of my league, a compete idiot at the job, but it doesn't seem too bad.  Everyone understands that it's a lot to learn, and they're slowly teaching me.  But I'm still spending most of my day online, doing nothing in particular.


One of my new co-workers, Dana, has been passing the hours at work by playing Half-Life 2: Episode 2, which has made me crave a gaming computer, since my laptop isn't up to par to play anything from The Orange Box (including my beloved Portal).  I would look into upgrading our server, an HP Pavilion 9870, if I knew it would take the upgrades well.

Halloween's just around the corner now, and I haven't even thought about a costume.  I was going to hit a couple of costume shops today to find something, but didn't get around to it.  I'll have to go sometime after work, I guess.  It'll probably be Friday, knowing how badly I procrastinate.

Eh, What?

From CNN.com - McCain, Letterman make nice in 'Late Show' visit

McCain said her experience as a mayor, governor and PTA member have prepared her to be president.

Uh, I'm sorry, but I don't really see how being a PTA member really helps with leading a country, or how any of that has to do with international politics.

Tree Vs. My Car, Round 2

In this picture: where my car is, where my car usually is, and the tree branch (moved from it's original position in the driveway

I was looking forward to sleeping in today, since I didn't have work, but at 7:00 this morning, my mom poked her head in and said, "Sarah, a huge branch fell in the driveway."

And my heart stopped, remembering what happened a couple of weeks after I first got my car, when a tree branch took out the back window.

Mom continued on.  "I was worried that it might have hit my car; it's too dark to see, but I think it's alright."

"Yeah, and what about my car?" I asked, still half-asleep and annoyed that her car comes before mine.

"Oh, your car's parked in the street, remember?"  Phew.  I collapsed back onto the bed.  "It's a good thing it was too; this thing would've crushed it.  I'm going to need your help moving it."  So groggily, I got dressed and headed outside in the rain to help Mom move the tree limb from the driveway.  It was lying exactly where my car usually sits, and would've caught it in the back seat.

I could barely lift the one end of the thing, and it was hollowed out.  I was finally able to drag the end of it that was in the driveway out of the way so Mom could get her car out and go to work.

I was so lucky that Mom moved my car yesterday so she could go to the grocery store, and that I didn't go somewhere and pull back into the driveway.  But I think it's official that this tree is out to get my car.

Debilitating Diseases and Other Such Things

I still haven't heard about my new schedule with IT.  I was hoping today would be my last day in Gift Shop, but it might not be.  I called my new boss to see if he had figured it out, and he said that he'd call my current supervisors and work it out, but as far as I know, my side of the pre-job paperwork is done.  I'm still a little worried that I'm in over my head though.

Considering how amazing the first of the month was with all of the good news, I knew that something had to go wrong pretty quickly.  Right now, I have some sort of cold knocking me out.  If that's it, I'll be ecstatic, but surely something else will have to go wrong for everything to balance out.  I'm hoping that if I brace myself for it, it won't happen.  Wishful thinking?

Kate's coming to town twice in November, once at the beginning of the month for the wedding of a high school classmate and again for Thanksgiving.  I'm hoping to coerce her into swing dancing at some point in all that.  It's probably going to be a hard sell though, since she'll be in town so briefly.

Ergh.  I'm just so out of it right now.

Edit 5:08 PM: Finally heard back from the IT department.  I'm starting the job tomorrow!

Moving On

So, last Tuesday, I put in an in-house application for a new IT job.  Monday, I get a call from Ron, the head of IT, asking me to come in for an interview the next day.  Tuesday morning, I go to the interview, meet with another one of the guys from IT who I'd be backup for, and they arrange a meeting to talk about the hiring prospects for later in the day.  I go back to my warehouse work.  Their meeting time comes and goes, and a short time later, Ron comes down to the warehouse and kidnaps me for an interview with either the second or third guy in charge of the whole zoo for something that's a bit more formal of an interview (and here I had changed back into my gift shop uniform from my nicer clothes).  The second interview went well, and I returned to the warehouse job again, leaving around 4:00.  At 5:00, Ron calls me again, asking if I could come in the next morning to talk with all of the IT guys.  I go in this morning, and they're telling me how things work, what I'd be doing, what life in IT is like—not that I'm hired yet or anything.  Not even a half-hour after that little meeting ended, Ron comes down again to the warehouse, this time saying, "My condolences; you're now an IT person."

So yeah, no more gift shop warehouse for me!  I'm now a full-time IT worker, starting next week!