You can never go home again.

Tomorrow will be Day 8 of my Orientation Purgatory. As if I need another reason to look for another job. It took two weeks to get to Dallas in the first place, even though I should have gone to Ohio for orientation. But, getting me back to Ohio proved too much of a challenge for dispatch, so I was brought here instead. I shouldn't be surprised that it has become this impossible task to get me out of here and back home again. You simply can't get there from here, apparently.

Just imagine what it will be like when I'm actually out on the road and request some home time. If it takes 8 freaking days to maybe get me a ride or bus ticket home from orientation...

By the way, if they are for some reason still unable to accomplish procurring me a way home by tomorrow afternoon, I'll be here until Monday. It's that simple. What a lovely proposal. That would bring my Orientation Purgatory to Day 11 if it were to happen.

Orientation is supposed to be a two day process.

This is a testament to incompetence. This is a metaphor for my entire "training" experience. This is a preview of my future with this company.

I haven't actually done anything since Tuesday morning. Here's my typical day:

0600 Wake-up
0630 Continental breakfast begins
0715 Shuttle leaves for terminal
0730 Orientation begins
1230 Lunch
1300 Orientation resumes
1600 Shuttle departs for hotel

Since I've been assigned a truck and I'm just waiting for a ride back home, I don't do anything at all for the 8.5 hours that I spend at the terminal during orientation other than eat lunch after the first five pointless, boring hours and roam around the dock when sitting quietly in the media room overwhelms me with boredom for the remaining four pointless, boring hours. I'm not allowed to be in the classroom with the new arrivals because I might distract them. So, I'm in the room with the computers until they kick me out of there so the new arrivals can use them for learning. If wasn't for the shuttle rides or food, I wouldn't do anything at all. It looks alot more interesting on paper.

I wouldn't be nearly as frustrated if people who arrived after me didn't keep leaving before me. I counteract this frustration by telling the new arrivals how long I've been here and by warning them of their own possible impending doom of joining me in orientation purgatory...

"...forever and ever and ever."