June 12, 2003 - 5:58 p.m.

i've just gotten home from my second day of training at the bank, and poor little miko has a serious eye infection. when she had the kitty cold (for which she's just successfully completed a course of antibiotics), they warned us about the eye discharge, but it never happened. that is, of course, until after the sneezing had stopped and she'd become much more playful and happy. so now we're back to square one.

because we got her less than a month ago, her vet care is still free at the RSPCA. however, that's out in burwood, a good 20 to 30-minute drive from here, and the latest appointment available is before simon finishes work tomorrow. i'll be home, but i still don't drive, so burwood is a no go unless i want to fork out the money for a taxi.

instead, we've decided to fork out the $40 bucks to take her down the street. our local vet is so close that i can put her in a cat carrier, walk with the cat carrier less than two minutes (no kidding) and be there. we'll probably spend a fortune on new medicine (which would also be covered by the RSPCA right now), but what am i going to do - let it get worse over the weekend? we made a commitment to this cat, so i'm going to take care of her.

a big thanks to natalie for offering the free scratching post. another big thanks to mommy, who sent a toy catnip monkey in the mail. she loves it (or wants it dead! we're not sure, but it certainly is cute).

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training has me confused. it's basically like school, with 15 or so people learning about banking practices and codes of conduct etc.

the things i've learned about the company have been really positive and make me want to stick with it, eg a bowl of fresh fruit in every kitchen, good benefits, casual dress code etc.

however, my confidence is definitely waning. some of the learning is through "modules" - little booklets that take you through the information and then provide a quiz at the end. the stuff is pretty dry and technical. i wouldn't have a problem with it, however, if it wasn't for the noise. when people are finished (or want to collaborate on answers), they begin to talk, constantly increasing the volume until i can't hear myself think anymore. this makes it very, very difficult for me to get through the reading material.

i've lived with two different types of housemates in my life: the type who prefer to study and concentrate in quiet, and the type who like to have the tv or radio always on in the background. i am the former, but it seems the rest of the group fall in the latter category.

it became embarrassing toward the end of today because everyone else was finished while i still had an entire learning module to go (meaning i'd accomplished only half of what they had). i had to plug my ears while trying to complete the module i *did* work on because the noise was so intense.

when the trainer asked, i explained the situation. i'm too old to be ssssssssshhh-ing the entire room, you know? her response: "how are you going to be able to work the phones, then?" she was implying that the call centre floors are just as noisy as the classroom. we've taken tours, so i know they're definitely not as noisy, but she has a point.

there have been other little signs that this is not the job for me, even as a temporary one. i'll stick it out for the rest of training, though, because they're paying me. maybe by then i've have a clearer idea of what i'm going to do.