Let the friggin fun begin already!!!

So, as most of you know, I'm "working" as a consultant right now. As most of you also know, despite the fact that I was hired a year ago, and actually began at the end of August, I have not yet been assigned to a project. As a result, I'm experiencing a major case of the blahs vis-a-vis the whole job thing.

Picture this: you have just graduated from college, finally found a job that sounds perfect for you, and begin this job with all of the excitement and anticipation one can imagine attends such a wonderful new phase of your life.

Now, imagine going into the office for five straight weeks to get trained on how to do this job. Sure, that gleam in your eyes may have dimmed somewhat, but you're still anxious to get going.

Now, imagine at the end of that five weeks, that you actually don't have anything to do yet. You need to "get staffed to a project." (What? You mean I got hired without something to do? That's weird.)

Finally, fast forward two months, and you still have not begun the actual work. Oh yes, you are getting paid, you've been to the doctor, the dentist, gotten your car repaired, checked your email, answered any and all calls for social events to "enhance your network," but STILL, you have not actually begun to work in this "challenging" environment.

Imagine you are the kind of person who turned down a job where you got to sit in your pajamas all day working on PowerPoint slides for $30 an hour because it wasn't challenging enough, and then imagine that instead of that, you got paid even more to do nothing whatsoever. My insightful husband compared it to an episode of the Twilight Zone: You wish that you could get paid to do nothing, and then you get your wish and it sucks! Well, that's where I'm at right now, cue Rod Serling.

Word on the street is that I am unlikely to get staffed on a project until January, so I have at least one more month of this inertia to look forward to. I'm going crazy. I've watched every movie ever created. I've taken online classes on a variety of scintillating corporate subjects to "enrich my skills." I've had lunch with executives:"Sorry, nothing on the horizon right now, check back in January. If it makes you feel any better, we've all been through this." I'm even "volunteering" for non-billable projects to keep from forgetting how to be a productive member of society.

I know, it is completely "Generation Y" to complain about getting paid to do nothing in a recession, while people everywhere are losing their jobs and lining up in breadlines. But I competed my butt off for this job, and I want the chance to prove myself. I want the opportunity to earn my wages. And mostly, I want some frequent flier miles.