Sunday, May 22, 2011

5 Things I Learned This Week - May 22

I started a new job (yay!) and have been in training for the past two weeks EVERY DAY. What is it about being locked in a windowless classroom that saps every bit of energy out of you? << That was definitely rhetorical..., but also my big excuse for not getting a blog post out sooner, so here's my 5 Items for the Week:

  1. I learned if you have student loans - PAY THEM. Trying to deal with defaulted student loans really sucks. Trust me on this one...  in fact, if you need inspiration, read my latest article 10 Things That Can Happen If You Don't Pay Your Student Loans
  2. I learned studying for certification tests can turn your mind to mush... have no fear tho', mush brain goes really well with Facebook games, like my two favorites: Ravenwood Fair and Frontierville. If you haven't played them, give it a try. Maybe it's just that I'm easily entertained at this point, but Ravenwood especially has one of the funniest audio tracks. Nothin' like a little forest creature exclaiming "Awesome!" or the background soundtrack that includes the Thunderbox outhouse er...flushing, to make me chuckle.
  3. I learned Amazon is open 24-7! Okay, I already knew that and have shopped online for years, but it's amazing what you can order all under one roof. Because my goldfish are complaining about their less-than-crystal-clear tank, I ordered this handy Mag Float Floating Magnet Aquarium Cleaner
    No more green glass and no more sloshing. It is a seriously strong magnet and scrubs the algae right off (but don't use on an acrylic tank - it can scratch).
  4. I learned that good things (and fairly good sound) comes in really little packages. I ordered one of the iHome mini speakers for my laptop an MP3 player from Amazon too. It's so cute! ...and purple...and about the size of a yo-yo. 
  5. And lastly, I learned that some companies DO actually pay for experience. Hence the reason I'm currently starting at a wage that is $2 an hour more than the 20-something obnoxious "dude" that I've been in class with for the last two weeks. After endless interruptions, remarks about all of us over-35 being OLD, constant disregard for our instructor (he and his friend played Pac-Man and texted constantly) I kinda considered it positively karmic to find out that I had a higher wage due to my overall experience in the business world. There is a God...