I'm Walking On Sunshine

While I was driving my bike today, I received a telephone call, forwarded to me from my VOIP* service. It was Amy from First Data. She confirmed that my background check was satisfactory, and that I would attend orientation Friday 9/1/05 at 8:30am to 12:30pm. There had been a discrepancy in my not accounting for my time since working with GMR Marketing since I accidentally put 12/05 as my end date instead of 12/04 or 1/05. I was therefore relieved.

I was told that positions have become available in a different position, company, and division, with a different hourly schedule, days off and hourly rate. I was offered the position and a choice of schedule and days off. All changes were favorable and better than my previous offer. You can refer to my posting of 8/24/05. ** I chose to accept the position, and work Thursday through Monday, from 10am to 6pm. My Training schedule will change as well. I will get a formal written offer tomorrow, and I plan to sign it.

My employment with Telecheck will start with an orientation on 9/2/05. Training week one will be 9/6-9/2005. I will be off Saturday and Sunday 9/10,11. I am not sure about week two, including 9/15/05. Training hours will be 8:30am to 5pm instead of 3:30pm to 12:00am, and longer than only one week. I will be earning $8.61 per hour, 40 hours each week. I will be receiving a tiny amount more than I have been from NYS UI. My hours ultimately will be 10am to 6pm. I will be working five days per week, and off on Tuesday and Wednesday. I am not sure if that includes that week of 9/15/05.

Benefits available include: Medical and Dental Insurance, 401k, Discounted Auto and Homeowner's Insurance***, Tuition Reimbursement, Short-term and Long-term Disability, Employee Assistance Program, Flexible Spending Accounts, Legal Assistance, Long-term Care Assistance.

I had calculated that I would have had to work one hour each day to pay for my gas use of that day to commute to and form the job that I would earn that pay for that hour. This morning I noticed that gas is now $2.90/gallon. It is convenient, that my new earnings rate has kept up with this. My commute is 78 miles total per day*****, and my car runs at about 25 miles/gallon. I feel privileged to be employed, own a wonderful comfortable home, and have good friends and family. Many in the gulf area now have nothing. “Katrina and the Waves� has taken new meaning, and it is not “Walking on Sunshine�.

*My VOIP is VOnAge, and uses Verizon telephone service. Even though I turned off my landline service years ago, and not live in a land dominated by Sprint and Bell South, I have not escaped Verizon.

**Remember that you can right click on this date since it is probably underlined and or blue. You can also scroll down to that date’s entry as well.

***I will save a whole bunch of money on my car insurance by working at Telecheck!

****Of all the years I have been a member of Yahoo, through August 2005, I have only had the original four-letter password requirement.

*****See posting below from day before on 9/31/05