enthusiastick | Yeah, but I've been down here before

Well its the end of my first full week gainfully employed and I'm pretty much exhausted. Which is pathetic, really, when you consider I spent only 40 hours a week at work -- I mean that literally, I only go in from 9 to 5, I don't take a lunch hour I just eat on the road. Generally speaking most people spend 44-48 hours actually physically present at their jobs at a bare minimum. I don't even actually spend the full 40 hours doing stuff... there's probably a solid hour in every day that I spend staring into space waiting for a delivery to be ready.

A few highlights: Monday was spent doing paperwork including an application to be put on Zimmer's insurance and tax forms. I screwed up my federal income tax form and had to redo it on Thursday (actually I had to redo it on Wednesday but my boss forgot to tell me.) I was introduced to the major figures of my office. Tom is the office manager who is a really nice guy but clinically indecisive and totally unable to multitask - so basically he's what I would probably be like if somebody made me manage an office this crazy. I'm not sure what Jackie's job title is but she appears to be in charge of answering phones and actually knowing what the hell is going on. Phil & Phil are in charge of implants and instruments respectively (yes, they're both named Phil). And Jim is the other full-time driver who is a nice guy and basically just Super-employee. He works harder than any two people I've ever met for no good reason other than its how he is as a person.

There are other people floating around the office including sales representatives and, oh yes, my uncle. There are also a pair of part-time drivers one of whom is a crazy retiree and the other of whom is apparently a crackhead, or at least that's what everyone says. I should clarify that by "crazy retiree" I mean genuinely subclinically neurotic. I did some training with him on Tuesday and he lectured me in all seriousness about his vendetta against Krispy Kreme.

I like the work, mostly, in that mostly it consists of driving and I like to do that. I probably spend almost six hours out of my day in a car driving on the highway. Twice this week I drove to Springfield, Massachusetts to make deliveries. The less excellent parts of my job involve loading and unloading the van (which isn't really so bad) and navigating the labyrinthine corridors of various hospitals and their exceedingly arcane and totally non-standardized bureacracies, which is probably the most frustrating part. I have also learned that even though I was always raised to believe that if you parked your car in a fire lane or a no-parking zone or a tow-away zone for any length of time without your emergency flashers on something bad would happen, especially at a hospital of all places, that is apparently not even a little bit true. I park in all sorts of crazy and illegal places as part of this job and the only thing that protects me is a pathetic plastic sign that says "Emergency Medical Supplies" that I could make on my computer in about five minutes.

All in all my new job absolutely rocks, and if there's anyone in the CT area looking for full-time employment I'm happy to pimp this shit out to you. You must be independent and like to drive. At least some background in the healthcare industry and a desire to work in that industry is recommended. They pay me $12.50 an hour but I'm given to understand that if you're actually looking to do this forever as opposed to as temporary work they'll bump you up higher than that. Any takers?