I have officially completed OFS-1, the first week of work orientation. They gave us a certificate and class picture, as well as a duffle bag to hold our coveralls and boots. We even got done early so were back to the hotel by 4pm which was awesome! I decided to go to the Galleria (a mall) and try the ice rink. It’s hard to believe, but growing up in Wisconsin I never went ice skating! We didn’t have a pond where we lived and didn’t drive in to skate. The opportunity just never presented itself. However I’d been roller blading and never fell doing that so I figured I could do pretty well.
The rental skates were horrible – dull and made of narrow hard plastic that killed my feet. The first time around I used the wall a lot and then had to take a break for my feet. The next time out I did two laps without really using the wall before taking a break – I went faster so I could go a little longer. After a long break for the zamboni which didn’t do all that great of a job cleaning the ice I went back out. This time I didn’t use the wall and made quite a few laps, all without falling! I had one big wobble where I got just a little too fast but all in all it was awesome! I wish I would have had better skates but in spite of that I had fun. I’m not sure I took too many breaths since my focus was on not falling, so that was funny. I’m now convinced that whenever we move somewhere cold I’m going to really learn how to skate and eventually join one of those amateur women’s hockey teams! I tried to teach myself to play hockey one summer on the roller blades and had a lot of fun. I can’t imagine how fun it is when you can really skate. 
Right now I’m waiting for my laundry so I can pack for tomorrow. I’m feeling pretty good after skating and walking to and from the Galleria which is a mile away. It’s very windy and chilly which is quite invigorating to me. While it would have been nice to see Carrie tonight it’s not worth all the driving. Tomorrow I’ll get to sleep in about 2 hours more than usual and head to the airport. We’re off to Tulsa for driving and other safety training. I’ll have to demonstrate that I can get out of a spin and skid in an F-150 in order to pass. This will be a little different from driving the Corolla, but all the principles will apply. They also teach you to maneuver around obstacles (or hit them, depending on the situation which I’m not fond of) and probably some other things as well. It’s going to be awesome and just a bit scary I think. That’s another thing I never did in the winter of Wisconsin – go find an empty parking lot and practice spins and stuff. This will be yet another first – as will being up and on a bus at 6am for 8 days straight. lol
This week was a sleeping challenge. I didn’t get more than 6 hours any night, yet I barely struggled with staying awake while in class. This is very new for me and I hope it continues the next week. Maybe this is a sign that I’m in the right place – my body handling the lack of sleep and adjusting accordingly. I don’t know. All I know is I never stayed this awake in school or at NASA. Since sleep and schedule is my biggest concern here I’m gaining more confidence in my ability to do this job. First, our presentation Thursday was first and I got a big compliment from this guy who’s real intense and a bit of a hardass. He said it was the best presentation on my segment he’s seen and he actually learned a little something! And when I got to my school I’m going to study real hard so I can graduate toward the top. I know there will be challenges in the office but doing well in school will make a big difference. My second school doesn’t finish until September so I have a goal of testing for grade 9 (first promotion point) in November. The more I study the easier that will be. At least right now I’m pretty motivated and want to keep that motivation through for as long as I can.
Oh, I haven’t updated in many days and haven’t had a chance to write down my bad news as well. Carrie called on Wednesday and Blas was having a lot of problems – she hadn’t held down food or water and was in a lot of pain. She stayed up with her all night and there was just no way around it. So I gave my blessing and they took her to the vet to be put out of her misery. Eighteen years came to an end, without me there to say goodbye. That sucked a lot, even though Blas understood and knew I loved her. She wouldn’t have lasted until I got home no matter what they did and there was no reason to torture her for my selfish reasons. That means in the course of a month our entire family dynamic has changed. We lost two very dear companions and gained a new one. I don’t know if we’ll get another cat anytime soon or just focus on Bristol. It’s really up to her and whether she thinks she needs a cat companion. Right now she’s a bit of a handful due to her jumping ability and innate kitten curiosity so it’s probably best to stick to just her. lol I don’t know how it will feel to come home and not have Blas there but that’s the way life goes. Eighteen years is a damn long time with a cat so I can’t complain.
I’m not sure what new things I’ll do this week. I guess being in Tulsa is new! I don’t plan to do much of anything else. It’ll be a struggle just to keep up with sleep and studying if necessary so that’s about it. I should see if there’s an ice rink though, I think I’m hooked.
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