Greetings, LiveJournal family
Talking on the phone to Sarah a week ago, I realized that in my neglect of LiveJournal, I have also neglected to update all those who I never really talk to about what exactly I'm doing now, or even that I'm still alive. So, I am alive and kicking, and here are the quick and dirty highlights of what's happening in my world.
So, those were meant to be quick bullet points but they diverged a bit. I think I covered the bases... Really, count yourselves lucky that I bothered to do anything at all :P
- I'm officially done at Caribou, and hopefully with food service, forever-ever. I got a cake on my last day because I was the only person in recent memory to leave on good terms. I have to say, I do miss the free money at the end of each shift though. I actually have to use the ATM now. Gasp! I do not even remotely miss getting up at 6:00 (4:45 on Tuesdays), putting on a black polo shirt and pulling my hair into a ponytail everyday. I have now officially joined the ranks of people who go get coffee, or order in lunch, instead of being the purveyor of those services. And boy does it feel good.
- Quitting Caribou means I have a full time job at the Science Museum. WhoHoo! The woman I've been jobsharing with is leaving entirely, so I'm basically doing the same job, only more of it. I'm looking forward to my own office and phone and a little bit more self-direction in projects, etc. But she's been there for almost 10 years and virtually walks on water, so there are very big shoes to fill. Fortunately, I like (most of) my coworkers and they like me. The matter of my pay is still in budget review, but I should have a salary. A salary! And paid vacations! And real benefits, not fake crappy benefits like I've been fighting to maintain and paying out the butt for all year!
- But before I start all that, I'm off to Israel. I leave in a week, on Wednesday, and will be gone until June 22nd. I'm leading a square, and hopefully doing some survey work, which is hard experience to come by pre-graduate school. Alongside drinking copius amounts of beer and getting obscenely tan. I'm glad I have this this summer, so it will still feel like a summer. I can't say how thrilled I am to be able to travel and do something totally different for awhile. I'm also hoping it will jump-start my grad school motivation, which has been taking a hit since my promotion to full time. Yet, as I've been doing some 'training' for it, I'm realizing that I really don't want to end up stuck in this job. I'm hella smarter than it gives me any credit or allowance for. I have a field I'm interested in and passionate about, and am not ready to give up that dream yet. But I still need a kick in the pants to get off my cable-watching, bar-going, books-reading butt. It'll come. I'm sure of it.
- While I'm in Israel, I'm doing this cool Scientist On The Spot blog/Q&A type thing for the Science Museum. I'll post the link when the site's up so you can all keep tabs on me. I promote myself shamelessly.
So, those were meant to be quick bullet points but they diverged a bit. I think I covered the bases... Really, count yourselves lucky that I bothered to do anything at all :P