HR fun

so the training session wasn't quite as boring at one might anticipate.

even though i've been at rutgers for 2 years, i've been a grad student employed by fellowship $$, and since, when i start teaching in the fall, i'll be an official state employee instead, this is when i had to go through training.

the first hour was kinda campy, yay rutgers, etc., but pointed out some useful things... apparently as a state employee i can get 15% of my verizon cellphone bill... etc.... who knew?

the second hour was a lot of going over health benefits plans... i need to rehash with the mother before i officially mark down what options i want and don't, but it was useful and not too nitty gritty to pay attention

the third hour is for pension/retirement plans, so i, as a teaching assistant, was excused (and hence am home to eat lunch before going into the office for the afternoon)

even funnier than me having to attend a "new employee orientation" was that i was sitting by mike, a student who's just now finishing his ph.d. thesis after 6 years of work and was kinda a mentor to people my year when we came in... he's been a fixture in the math dept. for years, and yet he was there because he's finishing his thesis within the next month or so and being hired on to the department as an instructor... even though he's been a TA in the past, since he was fellowship this year, he had to re- go through orientation so he could hear any changes they had for him. he didn't get to skip out on the hour on pension plans though :-P

now to eat, and then to campus... later dudes :P