Ok, time to update myself. I've wondered why I even bother with this, and I've come to the conclusion that when I'm much older I will be able to read this and reminisce, and although I don't do much of that now, I will probably find some pleasure in it later in life.

Anyway, so I've done my first year at UofA, and I have my solid B GPA of 3.3 something. I decided to concentrate on my other classes other than Chemistry and get a couple more As. I was really hoping to get an A in physiology, but it didn't happen. The plan has been to get my name on the list at the local community college for their radiology program, and I needed a B in physiology for that. That accomplished, I started looking around for work to bring in some extra moola while I take classes in onesies and twosies at the same community college at night waiting for room in the program. I was looking for stuff on the Internet... the local Harley dealer needs a driver and a parts person, one of the resorts is looking for a shuttle manager, and I picked up an application at the local book reseller chain in town, Bookman's.

I was also checking out the city website, and made my way eventually to the Tucson Police Dept website, and it turns out they have just started the hiring process that goes on once a year. I visited the main station for a 'workshop' they were running, and today I took their written test. I passed that, tomorrow they have a minor physical test they put people through. I will have to run a few hundred yards, hold a gun at arms length for one minute, make my way over a 6 foot wall, and drag a dummy 50 yards. Shouldn't be a problem.

It will prove to provide lots of blog material, this testing process while I'm participating. Think about it, these people are probably worse than Marines in the ego department. They carry guns around with them and wear a utility belt with all kinds of shit on it that puts Batman's belt to shame. During this workshop this cop walks in wearing a vest beneath his T-shirt, talking about being on a gang-related mission. It was just interesting to watch him stand in front of us with his chest puffed out explaining how much he enjoyed his work and how challenging it was. There was a prospect in the front row sitting ramrod straight with a shirt and tie sporting a military crew cut, he was sucking up so much I half expected him to rip into the recruiter’s trousers and start sucking him off right there.

Ok, that’s a little crude, but there really is no other way to describe it. Today, I pulled up to the testing place waaaay early, and there’s a guy pacing in front looks like he jumped off a poster for a Hitler youth organization. The guy told us to dress comfortably because we would be sitting for a long while, and this guy shows up in a shirt and tie. There were several there sporting the same attire. It is very interesting to watch people, and it seems I’m always dwelling on the negative aspects of human nature. It is true, but sometimes I just can’t take the posturing that people display. The Officer big wig was cool though, very professional and courteous without being demeaning. Then there’s the lady proctoring the test, she came straight out of a Gestapo organization. Picture this, rows of tables, each with two seats per, all isolated. We were supposed to file in and fill the rows in from the front back, although there were no signs offering instructions, and nobody really directing. I only got the notion this is the way it was supposed to be when the head proctoring official reprimanded a guy for starting another row without filling the previous row. It was obvious there were going to be enough people to fill in all the seats, but she berated this guy as if he were a child and had committed a grave error. She really had control issues, and loved being the center of attention. Not very professional, but overly demanding to say the least.

This brings me to the test itself. It is amazing the state of our society when it comes to basic knowledge. This test included interpreting simple graphs, presenting information in a logical sequence, catching simple spelling and grammatical errors, and displaying reading comprehension. I am by no means a brain, but there were people that couldn’t answer correctly 82 questions out of 100 within 90 minutes. There were more than there should have been. I don’t have exact figures for how many were weeded out by the test, but it was far too many. Those people that failed should view it as a wake up call and get on the ball, but some of them will undoubtedly blame the test somehow. There were some questions on the test were ‘iffy’, but not enough to be used as an excuse. I missed 5, but only because I went too fast. I finished in half an hour, then went back and checked some of my answers.

So tomorrow the process continues with the physical stuff. The only thing that concerns me about that would be clearing the wall and having a knee go out or something. I should do ok though, and I’ll make my decision about continuing the process after the ‘board’ interviews next week…….