One Week

Hopefully, a week from today, I'll be A CAPTAIN. I'm going to try to go up and take my test next Monday morning. Today, the other two trainees went up to Portland for their test appointments. One passed, one didn't. He has to retake it. He could have retaken the test the same day, but the officers at the testing center recommended he come back and study more. Ouch.

If I pass the test, then I wait (again). It will take 1-2 weeks for them to send me my actual license, which looks somewhat like a passport. Once I have my physical license, I will be all set and ready to work solo. And man oh man I'm looking forward to that. I'm looking forward to a regular set schedule. I'm looking forward to not wandering into the office at 8, with no clue what I'm doing that day. To be out on the river every day. All of it. I'm ready. And I'm excited.

When I first took this job, I had two initial goals:
-Keep the job long enough to get my "pay or play" benefits. Pay or Play is two weeks that can be taken either as vacation time or as pay. You get your Pay or Play in early July. So I've made that!
-Keep the job long enough to get my actual license and work solo on the river, not as a trainee. I'm so close!!

By the way, I haven't had an opportunity to talk to my boss about whether I want the 3 or 4 day schedule. I want the 4, but I'm certainly apprehensive about how much work it'll be. I'm guessing that when summer ends, we'll cut the hours on the ferry, and it'll only be open 10 hours a day. This sets me up perfectly, to put some money in savings this summer, then have a more normal work week. I'm going to talk to my boss about it tomorrow. He was pretty harried today, since the BV shut down this morning. There was something wrong with a cable that lifted the aprons. I don't fully understand it, but I'm planning on climbing up on top of the engine room and checking it out myself so I know what he's talking about.