I do not like having my time wasted.

[trinityvixen]

There are some things you can't help. It was not my choice to, a month before I'm to leave my current position, attend an all-day seminar about shipping dangerous goods. This was mandated from above even my boss. Someone from our Environmental Health & Safety division sought me out specifically, since our lab was listed as one that shipped dangerous goods. Never mind that we're all but done with anything we'll ever ship, I had to go. The FAA/DOT/OSHA/EHS was coming down hard on all shippers, probably because of an incident in which someone didn't follow protocol and the FAA got pissed about something radioactive not being in its right container.

So last week, EHS rep comes to me, says I have to do this course, and, of course, of the three days it was running, I'd scheduled something on one day, the other was booked, and the last day was my birthday. I spent my birthday work-day time not sleeping in and video-gaming, but sitting, bored out of my nut, listening to a guy tell us how things are supposed to ship. At the beginning, they told us that it might be available as an online course later. I so should have bolted right then and there. If I hadn't had my new netbook, I would have. I worried, though, that they'd not actually end up doing the online course and then I would have wasted a morning and still have to go again for the test. As it was, I spent the day as I spend most days at work nowadays: goofing off online. I kept half an ear on the proceedings, got free lunch and stole seven cans of diet pepsi to take with me.

Six hours to wait and wade through instructions that, honestly, not a single person would remember, not even only six hours later as they took the test. A test which, it should be noted, was fourteen questions long, fully half of which one could have gotten right with common sense or process of elimination alone. There was all of one question that gave me pause, and even then I could have guessed it. I don't even know if how I did--I handed in the test with the excuse I had to get to class because I didn't want to wait for the full forty minutes they gave us to finish it before they would go over the answers. (I was done in five.) That's when I found out that those who had registered online for this course already had certificates with their names on it. I should have just bum-rushed the podium and taken mine in hour one. LE SIGH.

On a happier note, for my birthday, my roommates got me an awesome and delcious cake (and the entirety of Buffy the Vampire Slayer!), and moonlightalice+wellgull got me money to use at AMC theaters, which will never, ever go to waste. (I know I can now see at least a few movies that I otherwise wouldn't in theaters!) My former roommate gave me a lovely cupcake which I'm saving for when I have room in my belly again. I'm still full today because I had delicious Ethiopian food with a few folks as won't be able to make the Kick-Ass party. I have excellent friends whom I love to pieces. You all rock. It is official.

(FYI: Presents are not to be brought to the Kick-Ass party. They're not to be given to me, period. Absolutely not necessary. My present is having you come with--I know not all of you are won over by the trailers and aren't anticipating a great time. I hope that you're wrong in that regard. I hope that good food and company are worthy substitutes if the movie does not live up to its title.)

Comments

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Well, at least somebody gets it! And thanks for the birthday well-wishing! I do appreciate it.