revjim.net

My first official day on the new job is July 17th. That's a Sunday. On Monday, the 18th, I'm scheduled for training at 9am…. in Tampa, FL. It's a two week course in learning how to do the jobs of the people that our applications support. The first week we learn how to do their job, and the second week we do it.

This is both good news and bad news.

The good news is that, not only is this the first time anyone's ever attempted to teach me what our "customers" do every day, but it's the first time that I'm going to be trained in a fashion that I will most likely agree with. The fact that I'll actually do their jobs for a week means that I will have a much greater knowledge of the internal dynamics of their job than I ever could get in a classroom setting.

It's also good news because I'll get to go to Tampa and spend a weekend there. It's a great opportunity for some wonderful photography. Tampa isn't a place I'd want to live, but there's a lot to do in the city and I'm very excited to have a chance to look at it through my lenses. Additionally, while I'll have to be "social" and spend a little bit of evening and weekend time with the two coworkers that will be traveling with me, I'll be alone as well. It's a lot easier to get good shots when I'm shooting alone or with like minded people than when I'm in a group with other goals and agendas.

The bad news is that I'll have to be away from Jess for 2 weeks. I told her that she could come with me, as long as she didn't mind being alone during the day. But, she's not sure she can get away from work for that long and she doesn't think it's worth the airfare for just the weekend. So, it looks like we'll be apart. I'd love to have her there and show her around, but, I'm not sure what to expect on this first trip. So, it's probably good that she isn't going, just in case I have less personal time than I am anticipating. But I sure am going to miss her.

It's also bad news that it looks like my coworkers and I will be in the same hotel and sharing a rental car. So, it might be more difficult and more expensive to get around at night and on the weekend alone. It looks like my hotel is right on the edge of downtown and very close to the harbor, so, maybe it won't be too hard to be without a vehicle. I'm working on getting a laptop. If I can't get one from work on such short notice, maybe I'll buy one. I've always wanted one. If not, then I'll have to watch what images I keep, as I only have 1GB of compact flash storage. 1.5GB if I steal Jess' card too.

The other bad news is that I am going to miss "John's":http://livejournal.com/users/gotardz/ going away party, and "Justin's":http://gentlenews.com/ housewarming party, which are one and the same on the 23rd. Additionally, I'm going to miss my Mom's birthday, also on the 23rd. I'm quite bummed about that. If the world revolved around me, I'd order all events moved to the 16th or the 30th, but… alas… it doesn't. I'm pretty sure Jess is still going to go, so take good care of her for me. No. Not like that. Well. Okay. But just a little. And only if you're sharing too.