I think I can start to breathe again
Okay, I think I'm about due for an update rather than a complaint...
Things have been friggin' insane in my world for the last 4 weeks. First things first, this whole month I've been spending every ounce of free time studying for the NJ State Property and Casualty Insurance Producers Exam. After Easter I managed to get this horrible cold and somehow contract poison sumac at the same time. I was sick as a dog the following week, but sucked it up and went to work thinking, "Well how bad can it really be?" By Tuesday afternoon I was ready to pack it in and take a day off to get over my sickness. But just as I'm about to leave early the phone rings. Its the president of the NJSLA (New Jersey Surplus Lines Association) informing me that I won the Jack Neubauer Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship will allow me to attend the NAPSLO (National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices) Basic Excess and Surplus School in St. Louis, MO for 4 days in June AND I have to show up to a dinner on Thursday night were my scholarship will be presented (again, please remember that I'm deathly ill).
So I drag myself away from my desk to go tell my manager and all that good stuff. While we're talking he mentions that he needs to have a lunch meeting with me and Len (the underwriter I work for) tomorrow. "Great," I think to myself, "I wanted to take tomorrow off." So whatever, I manage to drag my sick-ass into work the next day and try to get Frank (my manager) to have the meeting early. Noooo, he insists on lunch. Okay fine, I can hold off on dying until then. My curiosity kept me alive. So we go to this meeting and well... I'm basically getting a sweet ass promotion. I'm going to be promoted to an underwriting position (no more assistant in my title!) that allows me to work with the submissions we get through our new internet system. Its almost like a junior underwriter, but much much much cooler. I think my title is going to be OASIS Underwriter (OASIS being our online quoting system). So while I was thrilled, all I wanted to do was go home and get better. So I did...
I wound up taking Thursday off, but came in at 3:30 to go to the NJSLA dinner to receive my scholarship (again, still sick as a dog). Now all this time I'm trying to study for my stupid licensing exam (I need my license to be an underwriter). The week is finally over, but of course the next week (this past week) is when the other assistant on our team is going to be on vacation. So now I'm doing the work of two people, studying, dealing with the attitudes of the people who got a little pissed that I was promoted above them, and trying to not lose my mind.
So that was the past two weeks. I haven't seen the dogs, or Todd, or anything outside of my job, my house, and my insurance books. I think I'm in the clear for a little while though... I passed my exam today, I'm now well enough to be thrilled about my promotion, and I'll be going to St. Louis in June for this special school. Plus, Todd is all set to start his grad school classes and get a teaching job this fall, I'm probably going to go visit the fam in Ohio around the 4th of July, and Bree's wedding is in like, no time at all!! Wow, okay.... yeah.
And that's what has been up with me lately...
To summarize:
1. studying for the past month
2. horribly sick for a week
3. won national scholarship
4. getting awesome promotion
5. passed state licensing exam
Now if you'll all excuse me, I'm off to go relax for the first time in about 4 weeks.
Things have been friggin' insane in my world for the last 4 weeks. First things first, this whole month I've been spending every ounce of free time studying for the NJ State Property and Casualty Insurance Producers Exam. After Easter I managed to get this horrible cold and somehow contract poison sumac at the same time. I was sick as a dog the following week, but sucked it up and went to work thinking, "Well how bad can it really be?" By Tuesday afternoon I was ready to pack it in and take a day off to get over my sickness. But just as I'm about to leave early the phone rings. Its the president of the NJSLA (New Jersey Surplus Lines Association) informing me that I won the Jack Neubauer Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship will allow me to attend the NAPSLO (National Association of Professional Surplus Lines Offices) Basic Excess and Surplus School in St. Louis, MO for 4 days in June AND I have to show up to a dinner on Thursday night were my scholarship will be presented (again, please remember that I'm deathly ill).
So I drag myself away from my desk to go tell my manager and all that good stuff. While we're talking he mentions that he needs to have a lunch meeting with me and Len (the underwriter I work for) tomorrow. "Great," I think to myself, "I wanted to take tomorrow off." So whatever, I manage to drag my sick-ass into work the next day and try to get Frank (my manager) to have the meeting early. Noooo, he insists on lunch. Okay fine, I can hold off on dying until then. My curiosity kept me alive. So we go to this meeting and well... I'm basically getting a sweet ass promotion. I'm going to be promoted to an underwriting position (no more assistant in my title!) that allows me to work with the submissions we get through our new internet system. Its almost like a junior underwriter, but much much much cooler. I think my title is going to be OASIS Underwriter (OASIS being our online quoting system). So while I was thrilled, all I wanted to do was go home and get better. So I did...
I wound up taking Thursday off, but came in at 3:30 to go to the NJSLA dinner to receive my scholarship (again, still sick as a dog). Now all this time I'm trying to study for my stupid licensing exam (I need my license to be an underwriter). The week is finally over, but of course the next week (this past week) is when the other assistant on our team is going to be on vacation. So now I'm doing the work of two people, studying, dealing with the attitudes of the people who got a little pissed that I was promoted above them, and trying to not lose my mind.
So that was the past two weeks. I haven't seen the dogs, or Todd, or anything outside of my job, my house, and my insurance books. I think I'm in the clear for a little while though... I passed my exam today, I'm now well enough to be thrilled about my promotion, and I'll be going to St. Louis in June for this special school. Plus, Todd is all set to start his grad school classes and get a teaching job this fall, I'm probably going to go visit the fam in Ohio around the 4th of July, and Bree's wedding is in like, no time at all!! Wow, okay.... yeah.
And that's what has been up with me lately...
To summarize:
1. studying for the past month
2. horribly sick for a week
3. won national scholarship
4. getting awesome promotion
5. passed state licensing exam
Now if you'll all excuse me, I'm off to go relax for the first time in about 4 weeks.