Thursday, June 25, 2009

We'll Pick You Up

My apologies on the delayed posting, but I wanted to jump on here and quickly update folks on the latest job stuff. As you probably guessed from the title, I have accepted a position with Enterprise Rent-a-Car as a Managment Trainee, and I started work yesterday.

My title may sound glorious, but in actuality it's simply the standard customer service position you would see if you went into a branch and wanted to rent a car. The title is accurate though, because all of Enterprise's management, from branch assistants all the way to VP's, start as management trainees. It's nice because that means that all of my supervisors have been in the exact same position that I've been in, and likely fairly recently. It's obviously still early on, but so far the people that I have met have been extremely outgoing, friendly and helpful, which is definitely comforting for someone who's been out of the work enviornment for as long as I have.

I'm also impressed with the amount of resources being dedicated to me. The pay is decent and comes with benefits, but I've also been provided two workbooks of information (company policies and benefits details), a 2" thick binder with training materials, and a hardcover copy of "Exceeding Customer Expectations," a book about the Enterprise sales philosophy. There was a lot of paperwork (25 documents or so that I had to turn in) and at times, the amount of information being thrown at me can be a bit overwhelming, but overall it's good to be back to work.

Hopefully some interesting rental stories will arise and provide some great fodder for this blog (which, I admit, I've done a poor job of updating), but until then, stay tuned...

Friday, June 19, 2009

Greetings from the Kogod Courtyard

I'm back once again in the safe, quiet and friendly confines of the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard at the National Portrait Gallery in downtown D.C. This is now my third time relaxing in the sunny portico, and I definitey consider it my preferred refuge in our nation's capital. Thankfully, even though sun is pouring in onto the live trees and rhododendrons, the air conditioning is also working at full power, so it's quite comfortable.

On the personal front, I have gotten my things about as settled as possible at Ted's house. Not that it should be a surprise to anyone, but Ted is also a very gracious and accommodating roommate to have. Huge relief there since we share a bathroom, but not surprising. There is another roommate in the house, but his room is in the basement, so sightings of him are pretty much limited to an occasional meeting in the kitchen.

Professionally, the job search still has not been completely resolved, although I hope to have it tied up in the next week or so. In the meantime, I keep working and hoping that the search will, indeed, be over soon. Living in an area the size of D.C. does have its benefits, and I am truly glad to have found a place like the Kogod Courtyard to spend some of my free time. It's a bit of a new experience, but I love spending time here. Unfortunately, the one downside is they do not have electrical outlets here, so I only ever get about an hour of laptop use before the battery dies.

Going to have one of my first 'cultural' experiences since coming to D.C. tonight. Apparently gathering in the sculpture garden on the National Mall on Friday evenings is quite the happening place to be. There are world music concerts and plenty of people gather on picnic blankets sipping adult beverages or maybe having a picnic dinner while they mingle with friends and listen to music. Tonight is going to be Brazilian Jazz I'm told; what the heck is that? I've pondered that this afternoon, but haven't gotten much of an idea what I'm in for in the auditory department. Ah well, an interesting evening at least!

Anyway, for those that still check this blog, I just thought I'd update a bit on how things are going here. It's pretty humid but, for the most part, a positive experience thus far. If there is further news on the job front soon, I will likely post it here. Ciao until then.