Walmart here I come!

Well, Brian made it home from his Orientation week this evening just in time to take me out to dinner (I cried the night before he left home, but I'm OK now.)

LOLOLOL, he's so funny -- keeps saying over and over, "Peace and love, peace and love ... " He says that he has drunk the Walmart Kool Ade and that everything is now peace and love!!!

They had a graduation party and served a cake with all three graduates' names on it today! For whatever reason, they blew off the QualCom lesson this afternoon, but nobody is worried about it. He met Dennis, his mentor today, who assured him that he and Brian will cover it much better with hands-on in the truck over the next two weeks.

His head is still all abuzz with everything they tried to cram into it this week. He is quite smitten with the entire experience, even though he was running on information overload all week. He says everyone at the DC is so incredibly happy and pleasant -- he thinks that they're all nuts and that it's some kind of happy, loony insane asylum!

Brian is very excited about "bonding" with his mentor over the next couple of weeks. Though he is new to mentoring, Dennis has been there for 15 years. The way it works now is that instead of the mentor doing all the driving for the first day, now he does it for the first two days. They believe that it prepares the new hires much better having two full days with the mentor at the wheel. The two of them will be spending nights in a hotel.

They have a guy at that DC who is into making maps. He has created a schematic map with extensive notes for each of the stores that they serve! So when you come onto shift you get your assignment and go directly to the filing cabinet to pull the maps for the stores on your run.

He has already gone to bed, but I'm sure he will have much more to tell me tomorrow! Brian is a really laid back, easy-going, optimistic sort, but I don't know that I have ever seen him this happy and excited -- he's like a kid, and I'm loving that!!!

 

Thanks Matt! So, how many safe miles is the Sealy fleet up to these days? I could use a cheeseburger or two after 70 weeks!

Debra, congrats to Brian. I know exactly how he is feeling right now. What I have found while I have been on LOA is that by talking to drivers new to Walmart, it has kept the spark alive inside myself for the day I returned to active duty. Brian will have a great time with his mentor. I know I did. Ironically, my mentor was named Dennis as well.

 

Buzzard2157, If you remember can you tell me what kinds of questions there were on the phone interview ????

 

@ Tom -- Thank you, Tom! I can see how being a mentor to us here has probably been gratifying to you, Matt and ninetofive!

Brian is really looking forward to everything coming up. His days off will be Wed/Thur, and he will accumulate enough time off to take his annual 3-day weekend to Vermont this fall. The DC told him that they're fixing to receive a bunch of new equipment, so it looks like he will probably have his own truck by the first of May. He is psyched!

 

@ rkcaves08 -- Hi !!! I will ask Brian about that tomorrow!

 

@Buzzard2157 Thank you soooo much ! Your excitement comes through loud and clear !

 

/\/\/\ You're so very welcome! Well, I sure hope that excitement is a good thing -- I caught it from Brian, LOL !!!

 

Debra, by the time Labor Day 2015 rolls around, Brian could have 5 paid days off available (Defer paid holidays from Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day plus 2 paid safety days off for safe driving for quarters ending in April and July 2015). Add to this his regular days off at the beginning and end of a work week and suddenly he would have 9 consecutive days off! Not bad for only being here 6 months!

 

/\/\/\ Tom, thanks for that!!! LOL, this just keeps getting better and better!

"Peace and Love"