Monday, January 10, 2005
Boston Day ONE
Ok it is REALLY late and I have to go to bed soon. But I had to post some stuff.
- Changed the title of my blog to reflect current situation. I'm not actually in Boston but it sounds better than 'Lost in Franklin, MA'. Besides we'll hit up Boston on Friday nights.
- My hotel room is awesome. Basically I have a one bedroom apt. Two TVs, kitchenette, wireless internet access, cable ... I'm set. Only problem is that most ppl are on the 2nd and 3rd floors while I'm on the first. But they will just call me up if anything is going down.
- although the hotel has really crappy exercise and pool facilities, apparently we will soon be able to sign up for the exercise facilities at the local EMC sites. A lot of us want to be able to work out soon.
- The ppl here are really chill. And they like to drink. A LOT. Everyone drinks. So I have to up my game. We are already planning trips into Boston to get drunk (will take the train to Boston then rent a limo service to drive us back).
- They are trying to freak us by saying the training will be a huge bitch. We have exams and stuff to pass. I'm going to have to study like a mother. They threw a lot of information at us and I definitely do not want to fall behind.
- The weather isn't bad SO FAR. But it will get worse. I need to get a black jacket since everyone has one and my is taupe colored.
- Met this cool guy Matt from Boston who knows how to get a Treo 650 for $49.99 after EMC discounts and reimbursements. I'm definitely getting that now. We are setting up an AIM list so my contacts will basically double. Plus we get everyone's contact info and whatnot. My group is looking good, the Boston guy, one guy from Phoenix, two asian girls (both apparently taken, both cute...), and more.
- The 'Intro to EMC' and 'Intro to EMC products' were very yawn-inducing. One of my friends actually fell asleep and only woke up when the presenter was literally standing right next to him (made the mistake of sitting in the very front).
- People paid the most attention to the benefits and reimbursement overview. We can reimburse things such as toll fees, dry-cleaning, mileage from home to airport, etc. We even have to tip the housekeeper of our hotel rooms $20 a week (which EMC will reimburse).
- finally got issued an interesting device called a "FOB key." Yeah, F-O-B, FOB. It's used to gain access to VPN and other intranet services. Basically it's a security device that cycles through a six-digit number every 5 minutes.
- Alcohol. Although we get $30 per dium for dinners (breakfast and lunch are covered), it was so funny when the operations manager specifically specified "NO LIQUID DINNERS." i.e. if you order 5 drinks for dinner they will flag the expense. Also if you buy stuff from the supermarket, ALCOHOL IS NOT COVERED. A bit of a bummer for most people. I have to save all receipts and figure out how to write up expense reports.
- Again with the meal allowance. Everyone had a ton of questions regarding the per dium and how to spend the $150 per week. The operations manager also specified "Do NOT stiff your waitress if your bill is $29.99." Everyone had a good laugh at that.
- After the first day, they took us to an Irish Pub where they basically encouraged us to drink (gave us vouches for 3 drinks). I had a Heineken and a Guinness, then stopped cuz I was going to have to drive. After everyone had been drinking, we were all buzzed and said a lot of funny stuff. Alochol really does make getting to know people easier. I know that my volume was definitely amped up. After that we went to the supermarket, THEN to another liquor store to buy MORE alcohol. My
friends actually called me up to their room to drink so more. I poured too much rum and now I should really be getting to bed.
To be continued ... ¶ 9:31 PM
- Changed the title of my blog to reflect current situation. I'm not actually in Boston but it sounds better than 'Lost in Franklin, MA'. Besides we'll hit up Boston on Friday nights.
- My hotel room is awesome. Basically I have a one bedroom apt. Two TVs, kitchenette, wireless internet access, cable ... I'm set. Only problem is that most ppl are on the 2nd and 3rd floors while I'm on the first. But they will just call me up if anything is going down.
- although the hotel has really crappy exercise and pool facilities, apparently we will soon be able to sign up for the exercise facilities at the local EMC sites. A lot of us want to be able to work out soon.
- The ppl here are really chill. And they like to drink. A LOT. Everyone drinks. So I have to up my game. We are already planning trips into Boston to get drunk (will take the train to Boston then rent a limo service to drive us back).
- They are trying to freak us by saying the training will be a huge bitch. We have exams and stuff to pass. I'm going to have to study like a mother. They threw a lot of information at us and I definitely do not want to fall behind.
- The weather isn't bad SO FAR. But it will get worse. I need to get a black jacket since everyone has one and my is taupe colored.
- Met this cool guy Matt from Boston who knows how to get a Treo 650 for $49.99 after EMC discounts and reimbursements. I'm definitely getting that now. We are setting up an AIM list so my contacts will basically double. Plus we get everyone's contact info and whatnot. My group is looking good, the Boston guy, one guy from Phoenix, two asian girls (both apparently taken, both cute...), and more.
- The 'Intro to EMC' and 'Intro to EMC products' were very yawn-inducing. One of my friends actually fell asleep and only woke up when the presenter was literally standing right next to him (made the mistake of sitting in the very front).
- People paid the most attention to the benefits and reimbursement overview. We can reimburse things such as toll fees, dry-cleaning, mileage from home to airport, etc. We even have to tip the housekeeper of our hotel rooms $20 a week (which EMC will reimburse).
- finally got issued an interesting device called a "FOB key." Yeah, F-O-B, FOB. It's used to gain access to VPN and other intranet services. Basically it's a security device that cycles through a six-digit number every 5 minutes.
- Alcohol. Although we get $30 per dium for dinners (breakfast and lunch are covered), it was so funny when the operations manager specifically specified "NO LIQUID DINNERS." i.e. if you order 5 drinks for dinner they will flag the expense. Also if you buy stuff from the supermarket, ALCOHOL IS NOT COVERED. A bit of a bummer for most people. I have to save all receipts and figure out how to write up expense reports.
- Again with the meal allowance. Everyone had a ton of questions regarding the per dium and how to spend the $150 per week. The operations manager also specified "Do NOT stiff your waitress if your bill is $29.99." Everyone had a good laugh at that.
- After the first day, they took us to an Irish Pub where they basically encouraged us to drink (gave us vouches for 3 drinks). I had a Heineken and a Guinness, then stopped cuz I was going to have to drive. After everyone had been drinking, we were all buzzed and said a lot of funny stuff. Alochol really does make getting to know people easier. I know that my volume was definitely amped up. After that we went to the supermarket, THEN to another liquor store to buy MORE alcohol. My
friends actually called me up to their room to drink so more. I poured too much rum and now I should really be getting to bed.
To be continued ... ¶ 9:31 PM
