I am employed!

Hari and I are back to having some structure to our day. This has come courtesy of Blue Cross Blue Shield of MN, my new employer. I started on November 12 and after a full day of orientation activiites, class began. This is the first time I have been through a thorough training class since 1997. I must confess, I was nervous -- wondering if I could still learn, afraid I would be the only "oldie" in the class and panicking about not having enough "business casual" clothing to wear. Wow, did I get a pleasant surprise or what. To begin, I figured my best bet was to be right up front so I plopped myself there. Now, I realize this isn't where the 'cool' kids sit but you have to weigh the pros and cons and there is plenty of time to hang in the back row once I actually understand what is going on.

You know how the first day is. Everybody is trying to get a read on everyone else and then you get to play a "get to know you" game. What was ours you may ask? It consisted of passing around a roll of toilet paper and taking however many sheets you felt you needed. And guess who they started with - damn! I couldn't even watch what the others did. Ugh! I chose 4 and hoped it would turn out okay. What a relief to find that I wasn't the only one taking a "safety" amount. It was great to learn we weren't using this for the intended purpose but to determine how much information we had to relay. For each sheet we had taken, we had to share something about ourselves. Not only did we learn a little about each other but it was refreshing to find myself in a class of new hires that are at least 24 years old.

We have completed our first two weeks in fine fashion. We have met our teams and our mentors, completed our first side-by-side observations and had a highly successful potluck. In addition, we have been informed we are able to wear jeans as long as we adhere to the dress code! After more than 10 years of a "casual" dress code that was music to my ears.

I am amazed that I am comprehending nearly all that is being presented. Health insurance is complicated on its own but learning new computer programs at the same time is putting my brain on overload. By the time I get home at night my brain is a pile of mush. Maybe this old dog can still learn a few new tricks!

And . . . in another week I get my first monetary reward. Finally, a deposit into my bank account instead of a withdrawl. (Just in time for Christmas!)