Day One and Done

The first day back at work went well. Lots of paperwork and meetings, as well as a lovely lunch out with my department. The people are nice. ...I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Perhaps the 'other shoe' is my commute. I spent 7 hrs at work and 5.5 hrs getting there and back. I was just a few seconds late for my bus, my other bus and my train. Yes, I was that person scrambling to chase down public transit like I had left my phone / baby / donated kidney on the CTA. (Ok, technically I've never seen a donated organ on the bus, but I think we can all agree it's probably happened at some point. I mean, FedEx Letter envelopes explicitly say, "Do not ship liquids or blood." That means someone previously tried to ship blood. ...in an envelope.)

In reality, my commute is temporary until I find a place in the city, which should shrink it to only an hour each way. Until then, however, I'm going to continue doing my best impression of this guy...

Here's to Day 2!

Back-to-School

Tomorrow is the big day - Monday, August 31st I start my new job. I will have gone exactly one year without working full-time.

Tonight, on "First-Day-of-Work Eve," I feel like a cross between a nervous school kid and a cantankerous employee who has been pulled back from retirement. I'm attempting to dismiss any nerves with a wave of the hand, declaring starting a new job to be old hat. While at the same time I'm packing a new backpack, picking out clothes, and worrying about catching my bus on time. Oh, and I made sure to get my hair cut last week. 

Here's hoping I find someone to sit with in the cafeteria. 

Full Circle

So, you guys, it's been a hectic few weeks. Here's the long and short of the shenanigans:

I spent a week in an intensive musical improv class that basically re-wired my brain and it's now stuck on the act of rhyming random words....curds, birds, turds, nerds...

I celebrated my 35th birthday! When my family asked what I wanted for presents, I requested gift cards for gas and groceries. Practicality abounds in my thirties, apparently.

I dragged myself out of bed at pre-dawn hours to witness the Perseid Meteor Shower. Sitting like a weirdo in a lawn chair, in the dark, at the end of my parent's driveway, I finally witnessed my first meteor shower. ...Until my mom told me about a family vacation we took to Arizona, where we all sat on a mesa in mystical Sedona to watch intergalactic pieces of rock streak across the sky. I have zero memory of this and am super frustrated.

The most consuming part of the last few weeks - and reason for my radio silence - has been a flurry of job interviews. I suddenly went from woefully filling-out online applications to digging suits out of my closet and preparing for three interviews in a one week period. Then follow-up interviews the week after that. Oh, and the contract work I've been doing? Add that in too. Unfortunately for me and the people I live with, this all hit during PMS. In a five day period I ate an entire tube of raw Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough. Did I get sick and die? No. But I did hate myself afterward when I could barely squeeze into my Ann Taylor power suits.  (...oh well, we all know I'll do it again)

So much was happening! It was incredibly encouraging and confidence boosting. At the same time, every interview FAQ / info sheet / internet article reminds you never to discuss the interviewing process while your interviewing. I understand the logic behind it, but it doesn't leave you with much to talk or write about.

However I'm writing about it now, so you've assumed correctly that my interviewing is over. I've accepted a position at a medical association in downtown Chicago and begin work August 31st. It is a role that will be challenging - in a good way. It will allow me to move to the city and pursue my improv & musical endeavors until my heart is content.  I'll share more specifics as my employment begins, but will say that I am very excited about the choice I am making.

I hope you're happy for me, too.