The Waiting Game

When last we visited, I had passed the Oral Assessment and was waiting for my Medical, Security and Suitability clearances so I could be put on the Register and, eventually, be offered a job. That was last October and I'm still at the beach watching the ocean and waiting. However, progress has been made. I received my Class One medical clearance on December 12th and am now medically qualified to serve anywhere in the world. My Security file is in the works and was scheduled for completion yesterday. Several of my references have been contacted and I've been interviewed as well. I spoke to the customer service people in the Security Department and they said my file was being sent off for final 'adjudication'. So it looks as though it might be released to Pat Evans by the end of this week.

Pat is the woman at the State Department who manages the register list and sets up the incoming classes of new hires. I spoke to her on Friday and she told me that the March class has already been invited and the next opportunity for me to join will be the April 30th class. As of right now, I would be number twelve on the Management list and she feels that I should make the April group without any problem as long as I receive my final clearance.

So, that's where I stand at the moment. Just waiting. I did fly out to Las Vegas for New Year's Eve and had a great time. I rented a car and drove out to the Valley of Fire and Hoover Dam, saw a couple of shows, ate in some pretty good restaurants and welcomed in the New Year out in the street with 100,000 total strangers!! I gambled a little and won at poker but lost it at dice. Playing poker was a lot of fun because there is so much poker on tv now that everyone thinks they're pros. I got into a game with a bunch of college guys who had studied the look and the language but forgot to learn how to play. I felt like I was taking their lunch money. Oh well, someone should teach them to beware the bumbling old fellow who seems a bit slow.

January 12th

I've just learned that all of my clearances have been issued. This information has been forwarded to Pat over at the State Department and I'll probably learn sometime next week about my position on the Management list. I passed the Written Exam on April 8, 2006 and the Oral Assessment on October 16, 2006. I received my Class One medical clearance on December 12, 2006 and my Top Secret security clearance on January 11, 2007. From everything I can determine, this seems to be a fairly typical time line. Once I can contact Pat, I'll have a pretty good idea about if and when I can expect to be offered a slot in one of the start-up classes.

In the meantime, I joined a gym and hired a guy to help design a workout program for me. This is beginning to have all the earmarks of a colossal mistake. I was under the misguided impression that working out in a gym would make me stronger and fill me with energy. I find that I need more energy to play online poker until the wee small hours every night. Anyway, after one solid week of 'working out', I am sore beyond belief and too tired to play a hand. The guy who's responsible for this condition swears that it's temporary and that I will improve. Maybe if I pay him more, he'll do the exercises for me!

Hopefully, I'll have something more exciting to write about soon.