Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off to Work I Go...

There is about to be a whole lot more writing on here and probably very few pictures because...I have re-entered the working world! (And the job I now work at doesn't encourage personal Internet use...duh.)

Today was my first day working for a third-party insurance provider in their Retirement Division. What does that mean? Well, we are all still figuring that out. The division is being restructured so people were let go and others, me being one, are being brought on. *Full Disclosure: I have absolutely NO experience in securities nor do I have a financial degree. I was actually hired BECAUSE of those reasons and because of my interest in expanding my work experience in to a new arena.

So...today I went to work and went through some orientations, learned how to work the phone (a ridiculously intricate but simple system once you get the hang of it), the Internet and e-mail service (NOT Outlook...ahhh!), and was shown how to do some basic clerical-esque work. The theory is that I will go through every little detail on how the division is run and, day by day, gain more and more experience until I eventually am given my own clients (entire companies) to manage. Wow!

I am, as of yet, not too overwhelmed. The good news is that everything is quite systematical so far, so it really is just a matter of watching, taking notes on the processes, and repeating myself. So far so good.

Going back in time...this past weekend was great! M, four friends, and I, went to Shout House (a brewery) and then Jimmy Love's (an awesome bar with AMAZING cover bands) in the Gaslamp Friday night. It is the second time I have been to Jimmy Love's and I have to say that it is my favorite place to go out, in San Diego AND Seattle. M and I kept the drinking to a minimum because we felt like it was our turn to drive everyone around and it was...um...interesting. Our friends did the exact opposite, particularly the girl I went with, and well, pardon the expression, "shit hit the fan". I won't go in to details, but it wasn't pretty. We are talking about falling all over the dance floor, having screaming arguments, talking to EVERYONE we passed on the street, and, the best, while in a pizza place around 2:00 AM, holding the Parmesan and red pepper hostage, only relinquishing it until other patrons would sing a Black Eyed Peas song. Right... That is just the PG-13 stuff. She basically went insane which was both alarming, sad, and entertaining.

Saturday was a bit frightening. I realized I desperately needed a haircut before I started work Monday and couldn't stand the thought of entering my new workplace as a brunette, so I booked an appointment at the Paul Mitchell School in downtown San Diego. Let me just say right away...it turned out fine. BUT...the girl who I got had apparently NEVER done highlights before and left foils on my head for, no joke, two hours. Usually they are on for about 30 minutes tops. When she started pulling them off, just as I suspected, my hair looked WHITE. It turns out that when you leave color on that long it gets white and foamy. I was on the verge of having a complete meltdown for several hours. It was terrifying and I was afraid I'd be starting work with either white or orange hair. Fortunately the hair gods were watching over me and spared me from that horrible fate. One of the instructors ended up cutting my hair because my girl ran out of time, so I at least got a fear-free cut. Yikes.

Now on to SUPER BOWL SUNDAY! Can I just say that I am THRILLED that the Saints won?! I knew they were going to, even in lieu of their predicted chances. I had a dream I was in New Orleans sometime early last week. The dream was incredibly detailed and I've NEVER been there. I knew then that it was a sign. Unfortunately nobody listened to me. Oh well, their loss.

M and I went over to the house that a couple of his childhood friends live in. I had a great time. I met a ton of new people, got to play with two cute dogs, and ate homemade guacamole and fish tacos. YUMMMMM!

The dogs are now crying out for attention. (Lola is having a hard time with me being gone and pooped in the house both on Saturday when I was getting my hair done and TWICE today while I was at work. Uh oh.) I'm going to go re-write notes that I took in a hurry at work, eat some dinner and maybe have a beer.

**I think I should get a superstar award for working out both BEFORE and AFTER work today. Yep, I did.