Almost There

My "first day" was actually five minutes of paperwork and the command to pee in a cup and then wait a week for the results of both the drug test and the background check before they'll give me a start date. Exciting, eh?

Another week of waiting is frustrating, but they'll be paying me more than they said they would, so I can deal with the delay. Maybe I can finally get my room clean in the meantime.

Renaissance

Sorry for the delay there, folks. I'm finally back in the saddle, or at least tacking up. I start my new job on Monday! I'll be a TIG welder at a company that primarily makes and repairs aircraft parts. So, lots of stainless, aluminum, and titanium (that one will be new for me), and they're hiring me as a trainee, which means I'll be under a little less pressure to amaze them right off the bat.

I had my interview and test on Monday. The interview went well, with the bosses' two main concerns being my short time in the field and the fact that I'm female. Their last female welder, it seems, encouraged the attention of all the guys, and was asked to leave because nobody was getting any work done. I think I made it pretty clear that I had no problem fending off advances and telling the guys to get back to work, and the manager seemed satisfied.

The test was just to see where my skill level was, and while I'd spent some time at school last week practicing, I still wasn't where I wanted to be. I had to do butt joints on thin (18g) and thick (10g) stainless, and a T-joint of thin to thick. My thin butt was too hot, my thick butt was too cold, and my T, while a little too hot, was actually pretty nice.

So yeah, regular blogging will recommence, and hopefully y'all won't be bored to tears.