Gluteraldehy... what?

I got a job.

That in and of itself is a major statement. After months of searching (and angst) last year I was not very optimistic heading into interviews that I would actually get something. People once impressed by the left side of my resume then take a gander to the right side of my resume and see that we move every year or so. Here in the South, that's grounds for not hiring someone (aka a Yankee like me). But, I applied to the university that CO attends - more specifically, to their temporary service. Yup, I'm a temp.

Again, even that was not enough to make me... what's the word... optimistic. I had applied there last year and never heard a peep from them. Phone calls and emails left unreturned. I went into the interview curious of why I was not placed in a position last year, and highly doubtful of anything that will come in the next few months before we are restationed. So, in my interview last week, I casually asked about last year. My recruiter looked at my file. More accurately, my recruiter looked for my file. And couldn't find it. Anywhere. That explains a lot.

Fast forward to last Friday - my recruiter called me with a position! Woohoo! I have a legitimate excuse not to unpack boxes! Yay! Boo, I won't be able to play on Facebook for hours on end. I started today, Tuesday. My position involves "Microsoft Office use and maintaining a database" it also is potentially long-term as they are looking for a permanent placement for this position. Sweet. (I am potentially nervous about whether or not I say CO will graduate in May... but we'll save that for later).

I go to work today. I'm on time. I look good, certainly better than my sweatshirt/jeans combo I've been employing for unpacking. My boss takes me on a tour - good stuff to know. The tour involves ENTERING A CURRENTLY OCCUPIED SURGICAL ROOM. Well, I didn't need to scrub up or anything, but seriously, it was the control room for an operating room and I am fully convinced the surgeon looked at us when we entered the room. Ok.

I had problems logging onto the programs I need to use to do my job, so the only thing I really could do was either organize my cubicle or do the one assignment my boss has for me. That assignment - TRANSCRIPTION! Um... medical transcription? I watched ER back when it first came on. I've been to a doctor. I've been in a hospital (today). Other than those last three facts, I'm not too sure I'm qualified to type out those notes you have spoken onto the little tape recorder. But yes, I did it, and I think I did pretty well.

After all, the transcription was interesting. Not the typical words that I usually use, mind you, a whole new set of words. Words that included "gluteraldehyde" and "flowcytometry." No, I still don't know if they're spelled correctly, and NO, I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY MEAN! I think I still got the basic gist of what the whole transcription was about though... you know, if the doctors cut something out of you, do you know where it goes? Sometimes you get to take it home with you (Cousin Beth?) or sometimes they send it to a research lab. When they send it to a research lab, they have to process it in such a way that the research lab can do their magic. And that process of how many grams the sample can be and how to prepare the slides - that's what I was typing!!

Oh, and I learned where the mail room is. It's in the basement, 12 floors below my cubicle. I hopped on the elevator and ventured down to the underworld. Nothing on the Basement floor is signed. No maps to show you where to go -you just have to know where you're going. Today, being my first day, I am reading the signs posted next to each and every door. And about two doors before the mailroom, I saw a sign reading "Express Access to the Elf Kingdom". I had always wondered where the express access was - I'm so tired of taking the normal route. ;)

I think it'll be an interesting next few weeks, if not months!