Tonight was the first corporate holiday party that I’ve attended. The firm had rented out the Franklin Institute and seeded the place with food stations. I don’t drink and was trying to keep to keto. The people manning the chicken salad station and the roast beef carving station quickly became friends.

The museum was open to us, and I had a bonded with a coworker when we found out the flight simulator would indeed go upside down. Upon egress, we found out the sim cockpit wasn’t nearly as sound-proof as one would want and expect and our expletives were heard throughout the hall. There as quite a line for the simulator later, and I’d like to think my clarion call of “OH FUCK” was partly to blame.

Most of the actuaries drank lightly, some other departments moreso and a coworker challenged me to a dance competition. I giggled politely and then looked him in the eye saying “you, me, Lindy Hop, floor, now.” He reeled back in wide-eyed terror. Mind you, I have no idea how one does the Lindy Hop but I was gambling on him being in the same boat. He bowed to my dance non-skills and I became dance champion for an evening with skills so renowned I would never have to demonstrate them.

The party was fun and the food was presentable.  There were a few hundred people present and although our firm occupies 20 floors of a high-rise, the event seemed small.  I ran into a lot of Temple University alumni and even a woman who had helped me contact the Actuaries Club of Philadelphia.  She was a transplant from another career track only a few years ago and I noticed she had the professional title of “FAS” which takes most people five to 10 years.  I asked her about this:

Me: How did you do that?
Her: I put my head down and studied my ass off for three years.
Me: Did you have a social life?
Her: No, not really.  But now I look back on my paychecks and laugh at how small they are.
Me: Would you do it again if you had to?
Her: Best decision I ever made.

With that, I formulated a plan to pass three actuarial exams this year.  My odds of passing all three are about 20%, my odds of passing two are closer to 50%, and my odds of passing one are probably around 90%.

I’ve just reached a level of competency at work where my coworkers can make the move of expecting things from me. Today, I was asked to do some loss triangles but the requester had some questions and so my boss and my boss’s boss sat in my cube and watched me do it. So, two people who combined probably make eight times as much as me watched me decide if I wanted to use Match + Index or Vlookup to spit out a value. I think I would have been more comfortable had I been asked to do burlesque in Love Park.

I overcame this tension and had a six cheese lunch at DiBruno’s. I’ve concluded that cheddars and Stiltons seem to be my things. I guess dairy is the one case where I’ve embraced the British.