New Job, Mid-Terms, and a Birthday

Well all I can say is that these last two weeks have been quite crazy. Joining the working class again sure felt weird after 9 months of unemployment. For those of you that haven't heard, I got a job as a phone representative at Wachovia Dealer Services (the call center for Wachovia's auto loans). I started on Monday, October 5th, and have been in training everyday since. As of right now I keep praying that things only get better. The training is very unorganized and unproductive. There are 8 new people in the class and the trainer spends half the day on the Internet shopping for a new car and responding to personal emails, text messages, and phone calls. I do nothing but read the news on the Internet to try and stay awake. I don't think I have ever read so much news on the Internet in my entire life. I have discovered that a person can only read so much information, interesting or not, in one day before they start to go crossed-eye. But in the end, I keep telling myself that at least I have a job, it pays more than unemployment, and I will get benefits starting December 1. So things could be worse.

Ross has been busy studying for his first set of mid-terms. Even though they aren't graded for points, they are still reviewed for format and content so he is better prepared for the real deal at the end of the year. Ross found study flash cards to help him better understand the material. So I have actually been learning a little bit myself by reading the questions and scenarios to him and having him answer and explain them. He continues to enjoy his classes and is having fun which is great!

And as many of you know, this was the first year that I celebrated my birthday without the rest of the family. Ross surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers that he hand-picked himself! (see the picture below). Then we had dinner at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney up in Anaheim. After dinner we spent the rest of the evening riding rides and watching fireworks inside Disneyland. So even though I didn't celebrate my 27th birthday with family having dinner, playing games, and eating cake and ice cream (which I miss), we still had a very fun night!