So today is my second day of my 7 weeks of training. I’m sort of depressed and very tired because even though my class was fine and all but driving home was a complete disaster. I decided to try taking I355 home this time and as soon as I entered the I55 south, it was nothing but a traffic jam for 6-miles. I wish they could have some sort of electric signs before the ramps letting you know the traffic situation. Because in this particular case, I can’t see the expressway below. — Dang foliage. — I was hoping to hear the traffic on the radio before I entered the highway and even that was too late, I heard the traffic update for I55 as soon as I merged on. — A bit late, fellas. — Turns out a semi was overturned, it looks like a massacre as I finally passed the accident. The entire semi was torn into 4 to 6 different pieces. Also, the rain started falling very heavy while I was waiting in traffic and I have a convertible, so you can see the problem there. After that traffic was clear for the rest of I355, with the exception of I80 where semis get backed up going into the scale station. So I just got home and might break my rule by taking a quick nap.

I also got my schedule for the rest of my class week.

• Monday (yesterday), we did tool safety. Oh, joy!
• Tuesday (today), ladder safety. Seemed like the test for this one was needlessly complicated.
• Wednesday, driving. Okay…
• Thursday, customer service. I have lots of experience in that field.
• Friday, CPR. I’m going to become CPR certified.

Then the following Monday will be my first ride along. I’m really excited because it sounds fun.

On a side note, so for our ladder training test, they wanted us to carry and climb a ladder. And I understand most of it fairly well, with the exception that some jerk in my class kept interjecting over the instructors. So I literally did the entire demonstration, climbed up and back down; the instructor was about to pass me when this jerk steps in and points out how me grabbing the ladder runs was a bad idea. So instead of just telling me that, the instructor makes me do it all over again. From what I was told, the guy was a previous new hire, actually, there was a lot of these guys. They seemed to be guys who were hired the year before to do lineman work, setting up areas for U-verse service. But instead of offering to transfer them to U-verse they just laid them off and made them reapply, plus do training all over again. Crazy!

So as I previously mentioned our union contract expires June 27th. I found out today that every time it’s expired in the past, the employees have gone on strike. Some lasting as long as three and half weeks. This is one concept of unions I don’t understand. If I had kids to feed and a household to support, I have to work. A dumb union contract is my last worry while your bickering with the company about the contract. And sadly it sounds like it’s exactly that, bickering over something that half the employees don’t even care about. My instructor said that if an employee crosses the picket line, the union has the right to fine then $1,000.00. You have to be kidding me! So there would be no point to working if that happens. He also said this week is going to be the most boring week by far because if the only week with so much lecturing and testing. Bummer he won’t be here for weeks 3 and 4.

I heard a rumor that the first 3 weeks on the job once you get your truck and tools, you will be partnered with another tech. So basically two techs do one job. Makes sense.