Tomorrow is my last day of work for the week!
After work I am driving over to my brother's in Conn., spending the night then heading to WV Friday morning. The purpose of the trip is to bring all my stuff back up to Albany.
For the past month and a half my place has looked as though a squatter has been living here. I can't decide which thing I am looking forward to the most: either being able to sleep on an actual bed or finally being able to use my desk which has been in storage for 2 years. I can also finally get around to fixing my desktop computer which has a virus on it.
Other good things about going back home:
Seeing my mom, grandparents, and other family members
Getting to see the WVU Mountaineers kick the Marshall Thundering Nerds around the field
Today my health insurance kicked in...now I can get sick or hurt and not worry about it. Today at work everyone in my area went out to lunch at this nice Irish Pub which meant a nice lunch hour. Add to the fact that my lunch was covered was cool, but the best part was that the consumption of adult beverages was allowed, in fact encouraged. I found this strange because when I worked for he WV State Treasurer if you had an adult beverage with your lunch you could not come back to work. After lunch my supervisor handed me some cash and told me to have another drink before I came back to the office. So me and the other guys stayed another hour or so and watched some of the Yankee-Tigers game before heading back to the office.
So it was a good day
-c
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Monday, August 21, 2006
Jet Set Weekend
This past weekend was probably the most fun I have had in awhile and also one where I got the least amount of sleep. This past weekend I flew out to Missouri to bring in a new pledge colony into the fraternity .
FRIDAY
My plane left Albany at 4:45pm so I went into work at 7am which meant I got up about 5:30, which is way to early. I left work at 2:30 and headed to the airport thinking that I was going to get the full service going through security like I always do when I fly. Surprisingly enough I didn't get pulled which really surprised me especially with the new "strict" screening procedures. Apparently I was lucky unlike the girl who was in front of me who had to surrender her contact solution and other tolietries. I somehow got through with some old sleeping pills and some hand cream which had been in my computer bag since my trip to NYC in April. My flight went from Albany to Washington D.C. then on to Kansas City. On both flights which were almost full I had a seat to myself which great because I could put my laptop on the tray on the seat beside me and stretch out and be comfortable. After arriving in Kansas City I had to call the rental company to come pick me up and take me to get the car. When you travel cheap I guess you get what you pay for because the other car rental places had nice shuttles which clearly displayed the company compared to the white 15 passenger van with the logo on the side. Being dark I tried to keep an eye out for the white van which I saw drive right by so there I am running in my birkenstock sandal's trying to wave down the van while pulling my luggage. Of course even after running down the street waving like a madman the guy driving did not see me so there I am having a heart attack hoping he will come back around and thinking I am going to have to throw my body in the road to et him to stop. Finally he picked me up and we headed over and I picked up my car and proceeded to drive 2 hrs East to Marshall, MO where Missouri Valley College is located. After checking in to the hotel and getting to the room it was about midnight (1am est) and I was beat.
SATURDAY
After getting maybe 5hrs of sleep, the expansion director and I headed over to the college where we spent the afternoon with the guys who were going to become the new pledge colony. After meeting with them, we headed back to the hotel and I went to the pool/hot tub to unwind, which was not the cleanest pool but was not so bad...mainly a few bugs floating in the pool(it was an indoor pool no less) which I pushed towards the filter. After a short swim we headed to dinner then back to the room and I made another quick trip to the pool since I was getting bored just sitting around the room. At 10 pm we headed back over to the college to officially bring in the group and ended up hanging around and visiting until 1 am.
SUNDAY
After pulling myself out of bed and going down for a wonderful hotel breakfast of biscuits and gravy and doughnuts I packed up and checked out. Since my plane did not leave Kansas City until 5pm I had some time to kill so I decided to go see the local AAA baseball team the Kansas City Royals take on the MLB Oakland A's. For $12 I got one of the best seats I have ever had it was the aisle seat in the second row from the right outfield.
I wish I had a digital camera because it was cool to be able to look right in to the bullpen and see the pitchers warming up and getting ready. My view of the field was this but obviously a lot closer.
Unfortunately I had to leave during the middle of the 6th inning and was probably on ESPN because in the 4th inning Reggie Sanders hit a solo home run and it bounced off the roof of the bullpen, which had it been more to the left it might have fallen right in my lap. So I left the ballpark and made my way to the airport, again with no problems getting through security. No real problems on the way back, however my connection in D.C. to Albany they were trying to load four flights from one gate at the same time...headache. Finally got back to Albany, off the plane, got my luggage, and got to the car around midnight. After waiting for 15 minutes to pay parking and get on the road and headed home I was beginning to feel the fatigue of traveling. Got home about 12:45 and went right to bed (thinking ahead I made my lunch for Monday on Thursday night).
As I said I did a lot in the short weekend and I loved it although I am still trying to catch up on my sleep... speaking of which I think that's where I am headed now...
-c
FRIDAY
My plane left Albany at 4:45pm so I went into work at 7am which meant I got up about 5:30, which is way to early. I left work at 2:30 and headed to the airport thinking that I was going to get the full service going through security like I always do when I fly. Surprisingly enough I didn't get pulled which really surprised me especially with the new "strict" screening procedures. Apparently I was lucky unlike the girl who was in front of me who had to surrender her contact solution and other tolietries. I somehow got through with some old sleeping pills and some hand cream which had been in my computer bag since my trip to NYC in April. My flight went from Albany to Washington D.C. then on to Kansas City. On both flights which were almost full I had a seat to myself which great because I could put my laptop on the tray on the seat beside me and stretch out and be comfortable. After arriving in Kansas City I had to call the rental company to come pick me up and take me to get the car. When you travel cheap I guess you get what you pay for because the other car rental places had nice shuttles which clearly displayed the company compared to the white 15 passenger van with the logo on the side. Being dark I tried to keep an eye out for the white van which I saw drive right by so there I am running in my birkenstock sandal's trying to wave down the van while pulling my luggage. Of course even after running down the street waving like a madman the guy driving did not see me so there I am having a heart attack hoping he will come back around and thinking I am going to have to throw my body in the road to et him to stop. Finally he picked me up and we headed over and I picked up my car and proceeded to drive 2 hrs East to Marshall, MO where Missouri Valley College is located. After checking in to the hotel and getting to the room it was about midnight (1am est) and I was beat.
SATURDAY
After getting maybe 5hrs of sleep, the expansion director and I headed over to the college where we spent the afternoon with the guys who were going to become the new pledge colony. After meeting with them, we headed back to the hotel and I went to the pool/hot tub to unwind, which was not the cleanest pool but was not so bad...mainly a few bugs floating in the pool(it was an indoor pool no less) which I pushed towards the filter. After a short swim we headed to dinner then back to the room and I made another quick trip to the pool since I was getting bored just sitting around the room. At 10 pm we headed back over to the college to officially bring in the group and ended up hanging around and visiting until 1 am.
SUNDAY
After pulling myself out of bed and going down for a wonderful hotel breakfast of biscuits and gravy and doughnuts I packed up and checked out. Since my plane did not leave Kansas City until 5pm I had some time to kill so I decided to go see the local AAA baseball team the Kansas City Royals take on the MLB Oakland A's. For $12 I got one of the best seats I have ever had it was the aisle seat in the second row from the right outfield.
I wish I had a digital camera because it was cool to be able to look right in to the bullpen and see the pitchers warming up and getting ready. My view of the field was this but obviously a lot closer.
Unfortunately I had to leave during the middle of the 6th inning and was probably on ESPN because in the 4th inning Reggie Sanders hit a solo home run and it bounced off the roof of the bullpen, which had it been more to the left it might have fallen right in my lap. So I left the ballpark and made my way to the airport, again with no problems getting through security. No real problems on the way back, however my connection in D.C. to Albany they were trying to load four flights from one gate at the same time...headache. Finally got back to Albany, off the plane, got my luggage, and got to the car around midnight. After waiting for 15 minutes to pay parking and get on the road and headed home I was beginning to feel the fatigue of traveling. Got home about 12:45 and went right to bed (thinking ahead I made my lunch for Monday on Thursday night).As I said I did a lot in the short weekend and I loved it although I am still trying to catch up on my sleep... speaking of which I think that's where I am headed now...
-c
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
The Great Church Search
One of the most important things for me since moving to NY has been finding a church, specifically one where I can take an active roll. In my 28 years here on the planet Earth I have only attended 2 churches on a regular basis, Elkview Baptist and Chestnut Ridge Church (Morgantown, WV).
Elkview Baptist Church was the church I was raised in and spent all my life growing up there. I was even active in the church during the years I was in college, both undergrad and grad. I coached and refed basketball, participated in the drama productions put on during the year, and just willing to help out any way I could when needed. EBC does not have a huge congregation but it is a good-sized church.
When I started grad school at WVU I had a good friend who had just graduated and told me about Chestnut Ridge Church. From the moment I went there I felt welcome and began attending on a regular basis. I was also there when the "Singles" group formed, which although having gone through a lot of changes, still exists as a slightly different group. Chestnut Ridge is a large growing church which also provided many ways to get involved and serve. Due to other obligations and school I was not able to be as involved as I would have liked to have been but maybe it was good for me to just do a little, such as helping with parking which sometimes required a degree in Astrophysics or a minimum of 50 hrs of Tetris experience. For the most part I had a very enjoyable experience in the church and the home group. When I came back last year to finish my MPA I sort of felt like an outsider in the group although there were people there from my previous involvement in the group. I eventually was able to shake that feeling but still protected myself so as to avoid a situation like what happened the summer before I left after I was supposed to finish both degrees.
Flash forward to now. Having lived up North for almost a month now I am still looking for a church which I can call my own. So far I have been to five in all and have seen a spectrum of different churches ranging from the small community church to the "Holy Rollers"(a term I use with the utmost respect). This church was just full of energy which is a good thing. Although I prefer the more calm atmosphere, there is just something about seeing 60/70ish men in suits "jazzercising" in the aisles that made me smile.
I am not sure exactly what I want in a church, but I think I will know it when I experience it. However, until then I keep asking myself do I want in a church...Do I want something similar to what I had in Morgantown or do I need to go a different route to continue my spiritual growth? Again I am not sure but hopefully I will be willing to go where God leads me because I know that he put me here in NY and he will help me find a place to worship.
-c
Elkview Baptist Church was the church I was raised in and spent all my life growing up there. I was even active in the church during the years I was in college, both undergrad and grad. I coached and refed basketball, participated in the drama productions put on during the year, and just willing to help out any way I could when needed. EBC does not have a huge congregation but it is a good-sized church.
When I started grad school at WVU I had a good friend who had just graduated and told me about Chestnut Ridge Church. From the moment I went there I felt welcome and began attending on a regular basis. I was also there when the "Singles" group formed, which although having gone through a lot of changes, still exists as a slightly different group. Chestnut Ridge is a large growing church which also provided many ways to get involved and serve. Due to other obligations and school I was not able to be as involved as I would have liked to have been but maybe it was good for me to just do a little, such as helping with parking which sometimes required a degree in Astrophysics or a minimum of 50 hrs of Tetris experience. For the most part I had a very enjoyable experience in the church and the home group. When I came back last year to finish my MPA I sort of felt like an outsider in the group although there were people there from my previous involvement in the group. I eventually was able to shake that feeling but still protected myself so as to avoid a situation like what happened the summer before I left after I was supposed to finish both degrees.
Flash forward to now. Having lived up North for almost a month now I am still looking for a church which I can call my own. So far I have been to five in all and have seen a spectrum of different churches ranging from the small community church to the "Holy Rollers"(a term I use with the utmost respect). This church was just full of energy which is a good thing. Although I prefer the more calm atmosphere, there is just something about seeing 60/70ish men in suits "jazzercising" in the aisles that made me smile.
I am not sure exactly what I want in a church, but I think I will know it when I experience it. However, until then I keep asking myself do I want in a church...Do I want something similar to what I had in Morgantown or do I need to go a different route to continue my spiritual growth? Again I am not sure but hopefully I will be willing to go where God leads me because I know that he put me here in NY and he will help me find a place to worship.
-c
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Broken Internal Alarm Clock
Until a year or so I could sleep through anything. Blaring radios, air raids, world war, and fire alarms( at least 3 I know of during the times lived in the dorms at WVWC, which tells you what kind of friends I had). However, since I moved to NY I have been constantly waking up anywhere from 5-10 minutes before my alarm clock goes off of a morning at 7 am. I noticed that I started doing it sporadically back in May which probably can be attributed to my anticipating the phone ringing with a substitute job.
I really don't know what it could be except that I am sleeping on an inflatable bed and maybe shifting around and stuff like that might be waking me up . I go to bed around 11ish every evening and been waking up 2-3 times and looking at the clock to see what time it is thinking its almost time to get up and get ready for work.
I don't know, it just struck me as weird since its been going on for a month and not affecting my alertness during the day so I am not going to worry about.
-c
I really don't know what it could be except that I am sleeping on an inflatable bed and maybe shifting around and stuff like that might be waking me up . I go to bed around 11ish every evening and been waking up 2-3 times and looking at the clock to see what time it is thinking its almost time to get up and get ready for work.
I don't know, it just struck me as weird since its been going on for a month and not affecting my alertness during the day so I am not going to worry about.
-c
Monday, August 07, 2006
I Feel Off...
Been feeling off the past few days.
Probably due to finding out that my grandfather was in the hospital with 2 broken lumbar vertabrae. He was riding his 4-wheeler and a dog got loose and knocked him off the ATV. He seems to be doing alright and I have talked to him on the phone a few times but I wish I was home to help take some of the stress off of mom.
Last night and today didn't help. Last night after I was finished reading I got up and went in to the bathroom and as I was finishing up I started to get dizzy and even though I told myself to be a man and fight it the next thing I remembered was my head hurting in two places and I was laying in the floor with my head on the side of the toliet bowl. After checking for blood and making sure I was not seriously hurt I somehow made it back to bed and the next thing I remember is waking up 5 minutes before my alarm went off at 6:15 am. I had to get up early because I am taking a Microsoft Access class for work today and tomorrow. When I got home this afternoon I think a mixture of the heat and the Double Whopper I had for lunch (not a big fast food person but I forgot to grab my lunch this morning) and the throbbing in my head just weren't mixing well. So I laid around and watched Dilbert on my laptop.
I think it is just stress...trying to find a church in the area(plan to elaborate on in a post soon), trying to find a group of people to interact with, worrying about stupid gas prices going up, the Red Sox tanking, and everything else is just piling on to the other more important stresses that I have.
oh well I guess I am still alive.
-c
Probably due to finding out that my grandfather was in the hospital with 2 broken lumbar vertabrae. He was riding his 4-wheeler and a dog got loose and knocked him off the ATV. He seems to be doing alright and I have talked to him on the phone a few times but I wish I was home to help take some of the stress off of mom.
Last night and today didn't help. Last night after I was finished reading I got up and went in to the bathroom and as I was finishing up I started to get dizzy and even though I told myself to be a man and fight it the next thing I remembered was my head hurting in two places and I was laying in the floor with my head on the side of the toliet bowl. After checking for blood and making sure I was not seriously hurt I somehow made it back to bed and the next thing I remember is waking up 5 minutes before my alarm went off at 6:15 am. I had to get up early because I am taking a Microsoft Access class for work today and tomorrow. When I got home this afternoon I think a mixture of the heat and the Double Whopper I had for lunch (not a big fast food person but I forgot to grab my lunch this morning) and the throbbing in my head just weren't mixing well. So I laid around and watched Dilbert on my laptop.
I think it is just stress...trying to find a church in the area(plan to elaborate on in a post soon), trying to find a group of people to interact with, worrying about stupid gas prices going up, the Red Sox tanking, and everything else is just piling on to the other more important stresses that I have.
oh well I guess I am still alive.
-c
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Hot, Hot, Hot
UGH...
Usually I don't mind it beening hot and muggy but the past few days when I get home from work have been torture. It has been so hot and muggy that I haven't even been walking in the late evenings becasue the heat just zaps all the motivation out of me. I drink at least two 2 liter bottles full of water when I get home, so not only am I hot but also bloated.
I have inflated my full-sized air mattress in case it gets so hot and uncomfortable at night that I can sleep downstairs where it is a little bit cooler. It must be nice for those people who live around me who have pools in their yards. I look out the kitchen window and see the next door neighbors out in their pool and it just makes me sweat more.
Everytime I move I start sweating unfortunaely I can just lay here all evening...well I guess I could
Is it fall yet?
Usually I don't mind it beening hot and muggy but the past few days when I get home from work have been torture. It has been so hot and muggy that I haven't even been walking in the late evenings becasue the heat just zaps all the motivation out of me. I drink at least two 2 liter bottles full of water when I get home, so not only am I hot but also bloated.
I have inflated my full-sized air mattress in case it gets so hot and uncomfortable at night that I can sleep downstairs where it is a little bit cooler. It must be nice for those people who live around me who have pools in their yards. I look out the kitchen window and see the next door neighbors out in their pool and it just makes me sweat more.
Everytime I move I start sweating unfortunaely I can just lay here all evening...well I guess I could
Is it fall yet?
Friday, July 28, 2006
The Joys of Podcasting
Ever since I got my new wonderful Ipod I have been hooked on downloading Podcasts off iTunes.
This is how I entertain myself these days since I have no tv and it helps the day at work go by quick. So what do I listen to...
Sports:
Pardon the Interruption (PTI) - No tv? No problem. I can still listen to my favorite sports talk show. I wish it was a video podcast to help with the visual jokes that go on during the show.
ESPN Baseball Today - I nice 20 minute recap of the previous day games with previews of upcoming series around the league.
MLB Radio Daily -a 30 minute program where they talk with different people around the league.
Red Sox: Without a Curse - Hosted by Alex Reimer AKA "The Phenom" ..this kid is like 14 or 15 and he does a good job except I think he needs to sit back from the mike because he shouts the whole time.
Original Red Sox Podcast: two guys talk about the Bo Sox...not a bad one to listen too.
MLB.com Fantasy 411 - thought that I could get some tips to help my struggling fantasy teams plus the hosts are fun to listen to and keep the show moving along.
New England Patriots Podcast: got to keep tabs on my team, it is a 2 hr show which can get boring at times but I listen to it in short segments
NFL Rants and Raves: Just started this one so we will see once the season starts about this one.
Religious:
In Touch w. Charles Stanly and Insights for Daily Living with Chuck Swindoll: Like both but I find that Charles Stanley has the more interesting topics in my opinion.
Movies:
Ebert and Roeper: the two critics who should go sit on their thumbs
From the Balcony w. Statler and Waldorf: My two favorite muppets give their crotchity and sarcastic review of new movies and have the greatest rating scales...well they started off that way and it was funny. Now they just do skits based on the the newest movie that is coming out.
Misc. Topics
Quirks and Quarks : Canadian science show that intriges me and makes me feel really stupid at the same time.
NPR's Wait, Wait,...Don't Tell Me: Think of a game show with comedians who sit on the panel and answer current events questions. Once you get past the fact that it is NPR and they just love to bash conservatives then its a funny show most of the time. My favorites are when Mo Rocca is on the panel, loved him on the Daily Show and he just cracks me up.
Dropped Podcasts:
Steven A. Smith: Ugh...this guy thinks the Yankees are the greast team in the world and I could say other things about the show but they are not fit for a blog.
So can anyone suggest any other podcasts?
This is how I entertain myself these days since I have no tv and it helps the day at work go by quick. So what do I listen to...
Sports:
Pardon the Interruption (PTI) - No tv? No problem. I can still listen to my favorite sports talk show. I wish it was a video podcast to help with the visual jokes that go on during the show.
ESPN Baseball Today - I nice 20 minute recap of the previous day games with previews of upcoming series around the league.
MLB Radio Daily -a 30 minute program where they talk with different people around the league.
Red Sox: Without a Curse - Hosted by Alex Reimer AKA "The Phenom" ..this kid is like 14 or 15 and he does a good job except I think he needs to sit back from the mike because he shouts the whole time.
Original Red Sox Podcast: two guys talk about the Bo Sox...not a bad one to listen too.
MLB.com Fantasy 411 - thought that I could get some tips to help my struggling fantasy teams plus the hosts are fun to listen to and keep the show moving along.
New England Patriots Podcast: got to keep tabs on my team, it is a 2 hr show which can get boring at times but I listen to it in short segments
NFL Rants and Raves: Just started this one so we will see once the season starts about this one.
Religious:
In Touch w. Charles Stanly and Insights for Daily Living with Chuck Swindoll: Like both but I find that Charles Stanley has the more interesting topics in my opinion.
Movies:
Ebert and Roeper: the two critics who should go sit on their thumbs
From the Balcony w. Statler and Waldorf: My two favorite muppets give their crotchity and sarcastic review of new movies and have the greatest rating scales...well they started off that way and it was funny. Now they just do skits based on the the newest movie that is coming out.
Misc. Topics
Quirks and Quarks : Canadian science show that intriges me and makes me feel really stupid at the same time.
NPR's Wait, Wait,...Don't Tell Me: Think of a game show with comedians who sit on the panel and answer current events questions. Once you get past the fact that it is NPR and they just love to bash conservatives then its a funny show most of the time. My favorites are when Mo Rocca is on the panel, loved him on the Daily Show and he just cracks me up.
Dropped Podcasts:
Steven A. Smith: Ugh...this guy thinks the Yankees are the greast team in the world and I could say other things about the show but they are not fit for a blog.
So can anyone suggest any other podcasts?
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Office Computer Background
This is the background for my computer at work...it complements the map of WV held to my wall with blue and gold pushpins
-c
-c
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
It's Been One Week....
since I moved to NY and what an interesting (and boring) week it's been. I wrote about my first day of work, Thursday and Friday were pretty much the same without the massive amount of paperwork that I had to fill out for Personnel. Work is going fine, just difficult coming into a new job where everyone is using acronyms left and right and I am just trying not to do or say something stupid. Luckily I got a nice thick booklet of some of the more commonly used acronyms used in the division, of course the department head was quick to point out that many can stand for different things. After looking through the booklet I noticed one that I will be lobbying for inclusion and that is FUBAR (I am sure I will be needing that one from time to time).
The picture below is my office and the red square are MY windows (click for bigger view) which are nice to look out during the work day. I have a coworker on either side of me and ironically the one to my left is a staunch democrat and the guy on my right is conservative with me being a DMZ. I guess if a rubberband battle breaks out I can offer my rubberband missle shield services to the highest bidder. But the two guys are good friends so I doubt anything will happen, although I did hear about the Limburger cheese incident this afternoon.
In the evenings after I get home I do the usual check email and fraternity boards while I eat a turkey sandwich or have a bowl of cereal. Once the sun starts to set and it cools off I usually go out for a walk around the area, taking a different way each time. One thing I have noticed is that many people have pools which look so nice and cool, although the lady next door who I am renting from has a pool which I got to use one evening. On my walks I just try to clear the old head and try to take everything in between swatting the gnats and mosquito's who love my sweet WV blood. I wish I had a bike because there are some good riding around here, hopefully be able to get one eventually. For the most part evenings are pretty boring and dull.
Saturday it rained most of the day as I worked on getting stuff squared away which was nice because it meant the house was relatively cool. Saturday evening I drove into Albany which was interesting because the hard rain had caused the two main roads that I am familiar with to be flooded so I had to whip out my handy dandy city map to navigate around to where I wanted to go. After stopping at Target and some other places I went and saw CLERKS 2 , which was fairly good, not sure about it being worth the $9.25 ticket cost, but it was a chance to get out of the house a bit longer.
Sunday I started the Church hunt. I attended a relatively small community church in the city the only draw back is the 25 minute drive to get there. Having never really had to search for a church before (when I was in Mo-town I had a good friend who recommended an awesome church and went there ever since). I have found a few other churchs which are closer to where I am so I will make a decision after visiting a few places and find the best place for me. Since I was in town I went back to Target and got a stool (my only piece of real furniture at this time until I get another one(wanted to make sure it was a good height before getting another)) so I could sit at the counter in the kitchen. The rest of the day I spent working on stuff around the house and took a short walk before turning in for the night.
Monday it was back to the grindstone at work and a trip to the store in the evening (exciting I know). Today I sat in a OPTS meeting with one of the bigwigs of OMRDD, and even though the office manger tried to explain stuff to me on Monday I am just glad I did not have to say anything...I am sure eventually I will ::shudder:: The last todays I have been in 3 meetings...the job of a state employee is never done.
So far things have been really positive here. The only thing is evenings are a drag and with no furnature it is either sit in the kitchen or in the floor of what eventually will be the TV room. Another thing that has made the experience difficult is learning that my grandmother(mom's mother) in the moderate stage of Alzheimers and has had a series of mini strokes and I know mom is really stressed out and I can't be around to help out like I used to be able to. I still talk to her on the phone but I can tell that she is a lot more forgetful these days.
I know that I have only been here a week but I feel like I am on the inside looking out at people who are established. Just trying to figure out how to go about meeting people, finding things to do and doing stuff outside of work and around the house(which will have to be put on hold until I start getting paid).
Things will get better
-c
The picture below is my office and the red square are MY windows (click for bigger view) which are nice to look out during the work day. I have a coworker on either side of me and ironically the one to my left is a staunch democrat and the guy on my right is conservative with me being a DMZ. I guess if a rubberband battle breaks out I can offer my rubberband missle shield services to the highest bidder. But the two guys are good friends so I doubt anything will happen, although I did hear about the Limburger cheese incident this afternoon.
In the evenings after I get home I do the usual check email and fraternity boards while I eat a turkey sandwich or have a bowl of cereal. Once the sun starts to set and it cools off I usually go out for a walk around the area, taking a different way each time. One thing I have noticed is that many people have pools which look so nice and cool, although the lady next door who I am renting from has a pool which I got to use one evening. On my walks I just try to clear the old head and try to take everything in between swatting the gnats and mosquito's who love my sweet WV blood. I wish I had a bike because there are some good riding around here, hopefully be able to get one eventually. For the most part evenings are pretty boring and dull.
Saturday it rained most of the day as I worked on getting stuff squared away which was nice because it meant the house was relatively cool. Saturday evening I drove into Albany which was interesting because the hard rain had caused the two main roads that I am familiar with to be flooded so I had to whip out my handy dandy city map to navigate around to where I wanted to go. After stopping at Target and some other places I went and saw CLERKS 2 , which was fairly good, not sure about it being worth the $9.25 ticket cost, but it was a chance to get out of the house a bit longer.
Sunday I started the Church hunt. I attended a relatively small community church in the city the only draw back is the 25 minute drive to get there. Having never really had to search for a church before (when I was in Mo-town I had a good friend who recommended an awesome church and went there ever since). I have found a few other churchs which are closer to where I am so I will make a decision after visiting a few places and find the best place for me. Since I was in town I went back to Target and got a stool (my only piece of real furniture at this time until I get another one(wanted to make sure it was a good height before getting another)) so I could sit at the counter in the kitchen. The rest of the day I spent working on stuff around the house and took a short walk before turning in for the night.
Monday it was back to the grindstone at work and a trip to the store in the evening (exciting I know). Today I sat in a OPTS meeting with one of the bigwigs of OMRDD, and even though the office manger tried to explain stuff to me on Monday I am just glad I did not have to say anything...I am sure eventually I will ::shudder:: The last todays I have been in 3 meetings...the job of a state employee is never done.
So far things have been really positive here. The only thing is evenings are a drag and with no furnature it is either sit in the kitchen or in the floor of what eventually will be the TV room. Another thing that has made the experience difficult is learning that my grandmother(mom's mother) in the moderate stage of Alzheimers and has had a series of mini strokes and I know mom is really stressed out and I can't be around to help out like I used to be able to. I still talk to her on the phone but I can tell that she is a lot more forgetful these days.
I know that I have only been here a week but I feel like I am on the inside looking out at people who are established. Just trying to figure out how to go about meeting people, finding things to do and doing stuff outside of work and around the house(which will have to be put on hold until I start getting paid).
Things will get better
-c
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
First Day on the Job
I survived my first day at work!
Woke up this morning about an hour before my alarm went off at 7:30, so I just lay in bed and let the cool breeze blow over me. Got up around 7:15 and took another shower sans shower curtain and got dressed and hopped in the car and headed for work. Got to work and the office manager introduced me to everyone again and the few that I did not meet the first time and then I headed down to fill out the obligatory paper work and get my ID card made (with my sunburned face and the white patches where my sunglasses were on my face). After doing all the fun paperwork, I went back up stairs and got right into the mix of things. Spent the rest of the day working on evaluation surveys they are processing. I think I am going to enjoy working in the office, the other staff were jealous that me and the other PMI girl have flat screen monitors for our computers and they don't. Got my lunch from the cafateria only because I didn't want to deal with the hassle of leaving the building and trying to get back in while I am waiting for my ID badge to be given to me.
After work I stopped at Wally World to get a shower curtain...I was really torn between the tropical fish and the map of the world but purchased the typical colored horizontal lines with a clear stripe because ...well... not sure guess going for a more mature decoration scheme. I doubt the Fab Five would approve of any of them...speaking of which since I now live in NY if someone wants to put my name in to be on the show I wouldn't mind and could use the free furnature at least. After my adventure at Wally World I stopped at Price Chopper's the local grocery chain and picked up some sandwich stuff, cereal and milk. Apparently only people with NY drivers license can get the Value card which makes no sense to me.
After returning home I had a sandwich, caught up on my email, and worked on a few things around the place like got the window in the kitchen unstuck and tried to figure out what was wrong with the deadbolt on the inner kithcen door. Afterwards I decided to take a walk and explore the area. I walked down Main Street to the edge of town, saw some places I might want to check out eventually. Got back the place sat on the steps and cooled down and talked a friend in Morgantown then showered and got ready for bed and called and talked to mom.
All in all a good day but I need to hit the sack going in to the office early. I get to go to my first staff meeting tomorrow at 9am..I am so syked ;-)
-c
Woke up this morning about an hour before my alarm went off at 7:30, so I just lay in bed and let the cool breeze blow over me. Got up around 7:15 and took another shower sans shower curtain and got dressed and hopped in the car and headed for work. Got to work and the office manager introduced me to everyone again and the few that I did not meet the first time and then I headed down to fill out the obligatory paper work and get my ID card made (with my sunburned face and the white patches where my sunglasses were on my face). After doing all the fun paperwork, I went back up stairs and got right into the mix of things. Spent the rest of the day working on evaluation surveys they are processing. I think I am going to enjoy working in the office, the other staff were jealous that me and the other PMI girl have flat screen monitors for our computers and they don't. Got my lunch from the cafateria only because I didn't want to deal with the hassle of leaving the building and trying to get back in while I am waiting for my ID badge to be given to me.
After work I stopped at Wally World to get a shower curtain...I was really torn between the tropical fish and the map of the world but purchased the typical colored horizontal lines with a clear stripe because ...well... not sure guess going for a more mature decoration scheme. I doubt the Fab Five would approve of any of them...speaking of which since I now live in NY if someone wants to put my name in to be on the show I wouldn't mind and could use the free furnature at least. After my adventure at Wally World I stopped at Price Chopper's the local grocery chain and picked up some sandwich stuff, cereal and milk. Apparently only people with NY drivers license can get the Value card which makes no sense to me.
After returning home I had a sandwich, caught up on my email, and worked on a few things around the place like got the window in the kitchen unstuck and tried to figure out what was wrong with the deadbolt on the inner kithcen door. Afterwards I decided to take a walk and explore the area. I walked down Main Street to the edge of town, saw some places I might want to check out eventually. Got back the place sat on the steps and cooled down and talked a friend in Morgantown then showered and got ready for bed and called and talked to mom.
All in all a good day but I need to hit the sack going in to the office early. I get to go to my first staff meeting tomorrow at 9am..I am so syked ;-)
-c
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