Joined the Working World!

So, last fall, I saw a notice at the Provo post office that the USPS was hiring positions locally. I grabbed one of the little slips and about a month later, went online (finally) and applied. I didn't put much thought into it because I wasn't really looking for a job. I just thought I could enjoy working at the post office. I am prior military (Go Army!) and though, what the heck. Ya know?

Well, imagine my surprise when in mid-December I received a letter in the mail inviting me to come take the Postal 710 exam on Jan 6. Ok. Good. Woke up at the crack of dawn the first Sat of 2007 and with Paul drove up to SLC at a completely too early hour. I'm a night owl like most of you Hens so I know you understand when I say wake up at 5:30 am is to leave by 6 am is just MISERABLE! But I managed! I was sweating being late or even oversleeping so I don't think I got too much sleep that night. Anywho, I made it to the testing center by 7:15 am for my 8 am test. Good thing too cuz the room was already almost full and they close the doors when the seats are filled. Yikes!

Spent a few hours taking ABCDEF fill in circle test and was back out to spend a cold windy day in SLC with Paul by 11:45 am. Well, I walked out to where I had left Daddy O's Nissan and Paul but the car (and Paul) were missing. I scanned the lot but didn't see it. *sigh* Seems Paul had gotten hypothermia level cold while I was inside testing and decided to drive down to the nearby Walmart to warm up. When I called him, he hastily came to retrieve me before I became too much of a popcicle and we decided that SLC was just TOO cold that day for site seeing and our bed seemed way cozy so we returned home for a much appreciated nap after our early call.

I didn't wait with bated breath on my test results. I am a no sweat type of person mostly. I figured I either passed or didn't and no need to worry about the results which could take up to 3 weeks to return.

Skip along to a week later and I received the following Saturday a card in the mail Congratulating me on passing the exam (it didn't have my actual results on it) and inviting me to come in for a typing test either on the previous Thursday or Friday or any day the next week. Well I obviously couldn't go on Thurs or Fri since they had already passed before I got the invite but I made plans to borrow SPH1's van and go the following week. Paul and I drove up on Wednesday morning I believe and I went into take the typing exam not knowing how long it would take. I was back outside in the van with Paul within 30 minutes having passed the typing exam and been invited back for an employment interview on Tuesday. I had been given a lengthy application to fill out as well before my interview. Now I am starting to sweat. 1st, my entire employment history is somewhere in a box in storage where it's been since last Sept when we moved in with SPH1 and Daddy O. I have a good memory but I honestly cannot remember address and phone numbers from employees going all the way back to 1997 when I joined the Army Reserves. Yikes!

I made due the best I could and finished filling out the application as Paul drove me to my interview appointment on Tuesday morning. I wasn't really holding my breath on being hired but I like making a good effort. If I am going to do something, I like to do it well.

Imagine my delighted surprise when at the conclusion of my interview I was told, "You're hired! When would you like to start?" Um, yesterday? *grin* This was the last Tuesday of Jan by now. They were doing an inhouse drug pre employment physical on Thursday. And I needed to go have a urine/drug screen done Thursday morning as well as go get a copy of my fingerprints done and a copy of my Federal Criminal History so that I could go for my orientation on Saturday. Yep! It all happened quite quickly.

Managed to fit it all in and on Saturday Feb 3, 2007, I once more became gainfully employed. :) I'm working at the SLC REC (Remote Encoding Center) typing in address information from scanned mail images so that bar codes can be made for them to help them reach their intended delivery destination. It's not a permanent forever Postal job but it's good for now. I'm making a decent wage and other than the hour or so commute right now, it's a not too bad job.

I am however starting a 30 day LWOP (leave without pay) on Sunday because Bria will be here for 6 weeks and my schedule is 10:30 pm to 7 am Sun - Thur so I asked for a leave in order to spend QUALITY time with the Breezy Monster! :) I mean, who can work nights and spend days playing with their child and not get much sleep? I can if I am in a manic mood on the bipolar scale but I am not manic these days. Just normal as far as normal goes and I needs my sleep! ;) I will have 2 weeks of work while Bria is here but the hours will be 9 pm to 2 am on those 8 working days so that I still get some sleep and have time to be with Bria!