Thursday, December 23, 2010

I'm a Slacker...but I will tell you about my life anyway

I swear once finals started the time that I once had became consumed. This may or may not have something to do with the fact that I started my new job just days before finals week. This is what I decided, I am starting to get tired of school. Sure I have taken of a semester here and there (I probably didn't blog about it because to be quite honest I am a little ashamed of myself, I couldn't handle the stress of school and work. I mean, doesn't that make me weak?) but I have been in school pretty much my entire life. My plan has always been to go to medical school, although I really think I would like being a doctor or surgeon I don't know if that is something that I really want to commit to anymore. Almost 8 more years of school? Right now, that really doesn't appeal to me. So, all of a sudden I am standing in the middle of nowhere, without a map or an escape plan. What do I do now? My last plan included lots of hard work and pretty much longest route from the point I was standing to where I wanted to get. Now I have the freedom to take pretty much any of roads that I come across. My first instinct is be scared and more than just slightly overwhelmed by this new freedom. I supposed this could be a new adventure for me, finding out what I really would like to do (without a million and a half more years of school). So now, I am wandering around, nowhere in particular, and I am going to stop and smell the roses on my way. No need to hurry, heck, I don't even have a destination. Maybe it's because I am a slacker, or maybe it is because I feel like something has changed.
I don't quite feel like as much of a slacker anymore, since I have a job again. Really, it is quite depressing when you don't have a job. When you get fired, or laid off they hand you a name tag that says "Not good enough" or "You just weren't worth it"... and then you carry that name tag around with you until you can find a new job. Then in this economy they must being using some sort of superglue because it takes months, and sometimes even years for people to get rid of their name tag and get a shiny new one that says "employed" or sometimes "I did it by myself (I am a big girl now)". Luckily for me it only took a couple months for me to have the opportunity to take off the ugly and unwanted name tag that Zrii (from this point on, instead of calling it by name it will be refered to as hell) handed me back in September. Now I have a shiny new name tag that says Amber Harward, and it's green which happens to be my favorite color. They even liked me enough to put my picture on it. That is only the beginning of the perks that came with my job.
Most people get all happy when I tell them I got a job, and then as I start to explain some aspects of my job (such at my schedule) they give me that fake smile, the one that means, I'm glad you think this is good because I sure would hate to be in your shoes right now. But lets be honest, I freakin LOVE where I work right now. No, I don't see it as a place to spend the rest of my life, but right now it is perfect. I am done with work, at ten o'clock in the morning... which means over this break I have ALL day to play. Then once school starts I can pretty much have any schedule I would like. Instead of work taking up most of my day it only interferes with 2 hours of possible class scheduling. That means I can take the classes I need when I need to take them, unlike before where I would have to push them back another semester until they fit in with my work schedule. I actually have enjoyed my shift, my body hasn't quite adjusted to my new sleep schedule but I am sure that eventually it will feel normal. Another perk, I get 17 days of PTO my first year and then for the next couple years that increases, that is nicer than the 13 days of vacation I had from hell. There are 10 paid holidays, which they may have me work some of them (the 4th of July, Memorial Day, Presidents Day, Pioneer Day, Labor Day) considering they aren't really international holidays and I am on the international team. So instead of getting the day off I get double pay, I'll be done by ten in the morning, so even if festivities where going on it isn't likely I would miss anything. As I mentioned, I am on the international team, because who in their right mind is awake and calling customer service between 2 am and 10 am in the US? That means I get to perfect my British accent, did you know that the weird english accent we all pretend to do actually sounds nothing like a real Brit? Plus I find them much nicer than Americans. They do not call in and tell you what you are going to do for them like Americans, instead they call in, tell me they are having an issue and ASK what we can do to help them solve the issue. Much better than hell if you ask me. Can someone say tuition reimbursement? I can, and I like it. Sure it only covers half of one semester per year, but it goes up every year, and who wouldn't like to have free money to help pay for school? Life is pretty good, and I really do enjoy my job. ps. If you know me and you use ancestry.com (ancestry.co.uk or any other variation) I can give up to 3 friends or family a discount on an annual subscription, and as far as I know, nobody uses it.
Other good news...
  1. I get to talk to Scott tomorrow!! I am so excited, I love that boy, and I miss that boy, and I just am excited to talk to him. His mission president is even letting him to do skype which means video chat!! YES!!!
  2. My friend is coming home. Sure I saw him not too long ago, but I really do enjoy his company. I would put his name on, but by some odd chance his family looks at my blog I don't want to mess up the surprise that he is coming home.
  3. I get a real paycheck next week. Hallelujah, I hate the little checks that unemployment gave me (although I was very grateful for them).
  4. Scott has less than 4 months left! Yes, I am excited if you couldn't tell. Did I mention that I get to talk to him tomorrow? Because I do!
Sorry about the long, and pretty much worthless blog post, but it has been a while. So now you know what is going on with me.

3 comments:

  1. Amber, I use ancestry.com so pick me to be one of your 3 friends that can use the discount:) Merry Christmas. We are so excited to talk to Rob and Ryan Saturday!

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  2. I'm in the same situation with School! I just decided this semester that I no longer like my major and that Law School needs to be a further in the future goal. And now I don't have direction which is weird cause I've had the same academic path since my Junior year of high school. I also feel like a slacker. But I know we'll both find excellent career paths. :D

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  3. sounds like a lot of perks for a student job. pretty awesome. so cool that you got to talk to scott today and that you'll get to see him soon. we have something in common: we are both eagerly antcipating the arrival of someone in april! :)

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