So, for those of you not on Facebook (and thus not privy to my every movement through status updates), or who haven't yet received a personal e-mail from me, I started my new job on Monday.
Things are good so far: everyone has been extremely nice, I work down the hall from everyone I worked with as a graduate student (so I know practically everyone on our floor already), and I haven't had much of a problem adjusting to an 8 hour work day....Okay that's not entirely true. I work an 9 hour work day because at around 11:30 every day I go work out with Scientist, making my day longer as I have to stay later for taking a long lunch. This makes my day seem really long by the time 5 rolls around, but I'm glad I can work out during the day--it makes me more productive in the afternoon, when I have a serious energy slump.
Anyway. I don't really have an idea of what my work load is really going to be like yet; my boss and other people I work with are actually out of town this week, and won't be back until Monday. I was told that come Monday things are really going to start 'movin'. Whatever that means. I'm okay with that though, I would much rather have stuff to do than be super bored, as I was during my graduate assistantship.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
What I did with those two years
Thursday, I submitted my background check to my future place of employment. If you've ever done this (which, I actually have--I was fingerprinted and thoroughly checked out before I left for Ukraine), it's a little unnerving, no matter how clean one's record is. I didn't even have to submit that much information: just my social security information and the addresses of every place I've lived in the last 7 years. I hate this sort of thing not because I have anything to hide, but because it is SO annoying. Especially if you've, say, spent a significant portion of time overseas and have to explain to someone why it would a giant pain in everyone's ass for you to write down every address you've lived at ( a) they're in Russian, and b) I don't remember all of them and c) if you want a really good picture of what type of citizen I was thru 2005, its easier to check with the Peace Corps office in Kyiv than with the local police department in a small town in southern Ukraine). It always sounds like you're lying or hiding something.
This is actually something I run into frequently: having to explain my Peace Corps service and all it entailed to people who haven't spent any/ a lot of time in a developing country. I had a less than idyllic Peace Corps service: I started out my service with a giant, painful cyst in my ear which I had to have removed (after 2 operations I'm finally okay); I had a very difficult time with the administration at my school; I moved a bunch because of a bad landlord or two; I had put up with some seriously childish, asshole-like behavior on the part of other volunteers(think re-living high school in a bubble); and I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder 3 months after arriving home (I didn't tell anyone about the anxiety while I was in Ukraine for fear of being sent home). It sucked. Not everything, and not the whole two years, but a significant proportion of it.
So, when I try to explain why I moved four times in a year, or why I don't consider Peace Corps the best time of life, or why I don't even bring it up right away when I meet people, it's hard. I don't want to scare anyone off from trying the Peace Corps, or, God forbid, traveling/living overseas, but I don't want to lie and say everything was sunshine and roses. It wasn't: but not for the reasons that most people think (no heat, intermittent water, frigid weather, etc.). How do you explain that? I don't play the "poor me" violin and ask for pity. I just want to put the bad parts behind me completely and forget about it sometimes, which is difficult when I have to constantly talk about the circumstances surrounding my service whether in an interview or filling out a background check.
This is actually something I run into frequently: having to explain my Peace Corps service and all it entailed to people who haven't spent any/ a lot of time in a developing country. I had a less than idyllic Peace Corps service: I started out my service with a giant, painful cyst in my ear which I had to have removed (after 2 operations I'm finally okay); I had a very difficult time with the administration at my school; I moved a bunch because of a bad landlord or two; I had put up with some seriously childish, asshole-like behavior on the part of other volunteers(think re-living high school in a bubble); and I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder 3 months after arriving home (I didn't tell anyone about the anxiety while I was in Ukraine for fear of being sent home). It sucked. Not everything, and not the whole two years, but a significant proportion of it.
So, when I try to explain why I moved four times in a year, or why I don't consider Peace Corps the best time of life, or why I don't even bring it up right away when I meet people, it's hard. I don't want to scare anyone off from trying the Peace Corps, or, God forbid, traveling/living overseas, but I don't want to lie and say everything was sunshine and roses. It wasn't: but not for the reasons that most people think (no heat, intermittent water, frigid weather, etc.). How do you explain that? I don't play the "poor me" violin and ask for pity. I just want to put the bad parts behind me completely and forget about it sometimes, which is difficult when I have to constantly talk about the circumstances surrounding my service whether in an interview or filling out a background check.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
JOB!
I done gotten myself offered a job! Okay, I actually received a "contingency offer"; meaning, my offer is contingent on me passing a background check. God willing, I will pass said background check and then my ass will be employed!! YAY!
I will be working on a tobacco cessation project. Actually, there are two projects I'll be working on: one is smokeless tobacco intervention and the other is a smoking cessation project for pregnant smokers.
I'm super excited. It could definitely pay better, but its in my field and my future boss is a master grant writer, who, hopefully, will impart some wisdom and experience on me and teach me how to write an awesome grant. Researchers love people who can write grants and get them money. Love. It.
I will be working on a tobacco cessation project. Actually, there are two projects I'll be working on: one is smokeless tobacco intervention and the other is a smoking cessation project for pregnant smokers.
I'm super excited. It could definitely pay better, but its in my field and my future boss is a master grant writer, who, hopefully, will impart some wisdom and experience on me and teach me how to write an awesome grant. Researchers love people who can write grants and get them money. Love. It.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Cranky
Reasons why I'm pissed:
1. The economic stimulus package: I'm unemployed and, if/when the SP is passed, I will be (hopefully) working in a field that benefits enormously from it and is STILL PISSES ME OFF. What a huge waste of money.
2. Unemployment: I supposedly live in the city with the lowest unemployment rate in the country....So, where's my job, biatch?
3. Having to avoid the woman at Starbucks who, for no reason, scolded me for reading 'A Year of Living Biblically'. I see her all the time now, and, because I'm a nice person who was raised with manners (unlike SOME people), I feel like I need to say hello and exchange niceties with her.
4. My former adviser.
5. My mom hurt her back.
6. I'm about to be offered a job that pays crap. Seriously. Like, imagine what you might think would be normal for someone in my field with a Master's degree and experience, and then lower it. Lower. Lower. That's about right.
7. I'm ambivalent about children.
8. It's February.
9. Next month will be March.
10. I LIVE IN WEST VIRGINIA FOR GOD'S SAKES.
1. The economic stimulus package: I'm unemployed and, if/when the SP is passed, I will be (hopefully) working in a field that benefits enormously from it and is STILL PISSES ME OFF. What a huge waste of money.
2. Unemployment: I supposedly live in the city with the lowest unemployment rate in the country....So, where's my job, biatch?
3. Having to avoid the woman at Starbucks who, for no reason, scolded me for reading 'A Year of Living Biblically'. I see her all the time now, and, because I'm a nice person who was raised with manners (unlike SOME people), I feel like I need to say hello and exchange niceties with her.
4. My former adviser.
5. My mom hurt her back.
6. I'm about to be offered a job that pays crap. Seriously. Like, imagine what you might think would be normal for someone in my field with a Master's degree and experience, and then lower it. Lower. Lower. That's about right.
7. I'm ambivalent about children.
8. It's February.
9. Next month will be March.
10. I LIVE IN WEST VIRGINIA FOR GOD'S SAKES.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Fingers Crossed
I had a second interview on Tuesday for one of the jobs I applied for a few weeks ago. It went really really well. I gave some great answers about why I was interested in the job and why I got into Public Health, and the women I was interviewing with (the boss women) seemed to take quite a liking to me. I kept emphasizing that I wanted to become more familiar with the grant writing process, as look at how Public Health policy can work to improve the overall well being of communities in need, which they seemed to really like (who doesn't want an employee to VOLUNTEER to help write a grant that will get you federal money?). Towards the end of the interview they really started talking in concrete terms: what I would be doing, as well as the work environment, etc. A good sign, for sure.
When I e-mailed both of them yesterday I was told they both enjoyed meeting me, enjoyed my enthusiasm and I would be "hearing from them very soon". Now, either they are playing a cruel mean joke on me and I won't hear anything, or I've got it. The second interview seemed almost like a formality; the first interview was really the "vetting process" and I managed to somehow impress the first set of women who interviewed me the first time.
The only thing that isn't so great about this job is the pay. It sucks. I mean, really. I don't think I'm unreasonable in my salary expectations: I have a Master's degree and 3 years of public health experience (1 1/2 of which was overseas). But this pays nothing....The one up-side to all this is, the review process through the university is frequent and the pay increase is "significant" (or so I was told by another employee). Still, the starting pay is about $10 K less than I envisioned. All jobs here pretty much pay poorly, and I'm getting a job in the recession, so I'm trying to be positive about it. A job, is ultimately a job, and I can always keep looking.
When I e-mailed both of them yesterday I was told they both enjoyed meeting me, enjoyed my enthusiasm and I would be "hearing from them very soon". Now, either they are playing a cruel mean joke on me and I won't hear anything, or I've got it. The second interview seemed almost like a formality; the first interview was really the "vetting process" and I managed to somehow impress the first set of women who interviewed me the first time.
The only thing that isn't so great about this job is the pay. It sucks. I mean, really. I don't think I'm unreasonable in my salary expectations: I have a Master's degree and 3 years of public health experience (1 1/2 of which was overseas). But this pays nothing....The one up-side to all this is, the review process through the university is frequent and the pay increase is "significant" (or so I was told by another employee). Still, the starting pay is about $10 K less than I envisioned. All jobs here pretty much pay poorly, and I'm getting a job in the recession, so I'm trying to be positive about it. A job, is ultimately a job, and I can always keep looking.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Good things
Good news! I got a call for a second interview on Friday for the position I interviewed for a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, I have to wait a week; my interview isn't until a week from Tuesday, but I'm feeling good about this. I'm trying not to get too excited, I mean, there is a possibility that I won't get this position. I still want to apply for another position that actually pays more, has more responsibility and will be a better "resume builder", but given the state of the economy and the fact I live in an area that is not so flush with great jobs I may just end up taking what I can get, you know? I hate settling, but I may have to do that and keep my eyes open. If I can get this position and get some experience with grant writing I will be in very good shape for the next place we move.
I really need to find a job--I'm starting to run out of things to do. I hate saying that because inevitably someone always says [insert stupid voice here], "I wish I was unemployed....I'd love to just lay around and stuff..." The problem is, rarely does unemployment accompany a windfall of money and/or the promise of a job (and therefore more money)in the immediate future. Don't get me wrong: Scientist has a good job and we're not hurting, but I hate feeling like I'm not contributing something financially. Plus, I'm bored. How much can one knit, read, cook, watch bad TV and play with one's cat?
I really need to find a job--I'm starting to run out of things to do. I hate saying that because inevitably someone always says [insert stupid voice here], "I wish I was unemployed....I'd love to just lay around and stuff..." The problem is, rarely does unemployment accompany a windfall of money and/or the promise of a job (and therefore more money)in the immediate future. Don't get me wrong: Scientist has a good job and we're not hurting, but I hate feeling like I'm not contributing something financially. Plus, I'm bored. How much can one knit, read, cook, watch bad TV and play with one's cat?
Monday, January 19, 2009
A Glimmer of Hope
Not two days after I last posted about my frustration with not finding a job, I received a call asking me to come in for an interview. This position is with some people I know of, but don't actually "know" per se (as in, I'm sure the boss would recognize me right off the bat, but not necessarily know my name). I was encouraged to say the least.
The interview went well, but I could not get a read from the people conducting it. I hate that--I pride myself on picking up non-verbal cues and trusting my instinct (that comes from traveling: you learn to trust your 'gut' about people and places so not as to run into trouble), but I couldn't tell how well I was doing with either of them.
I must have done fairly well, because, when I emailed one of the interviewers later they said I would be hearing from them about a second interview (they'll be interviewing the top 3 candidates) by the end of this week. Now, when I read the email to Scientist he said it definitely sounded like I would be hearing from them. However, given my past experience I was a little wary of reading into anything.
The problem is I've applied to 3 other jobs, two of which I KNOW a) pay better, b) have more responsibility and c) will look way better on a resume. I've already gone in and talked to one person about one of the jobs (which should be posted on the HR website today), and have a feeling that I'll get an interview (we just met to talk about the position because someone in my department recommended me for the position that's about to go open). The thing is, getting just to the interview part might take forever--the job has to be posted two weeks, then they have to sort through the applications, do interviews, do second interviews....I'm thinking, realistically, IF I got through the second set of interviews it would be late February. The employers of the job I just interviewed for will already have long ago made up their mind. So, I don't know...
I guess this is all a moot point--I don't know for 100% I'll get a second interview or that I'll even get this job. And the other job--who knows? I hate being in limbo, but what am I gonna do?
The interview went well, but I could not get a read from the people conducting it. I hate that--I pride myself on picking up non-verbal cues and trusting my instinct (that comes from traveling: you learn to trust your 'gut' about people and places so not as to run into trouble), but I couldn't tell how well I was doing with either of them.
I must have done fairly well, because, when I emailed one of the interviewers later they said I would be hearing from them about a second interview (they'll be interviewing the top 3 candidates) by the end of this week. Now, when I read the email to Scientist he said it definitely sounded like I would be hearing from them. However, given my past experience I was a little wary of reading into anything.
The problem is I've applied to 3 other jobs, two of which I KNOW a) pay better, b) have more responsibility and c) will look way better on a resume. I've already gone in and talked to one person about one of the jobs (which should be posted on the HR website today), and have a feeling that I'll get an interview (we just met to talk about the position because someone in my department recommended me for the position that's about to go open). The thing is, getting just to the interview part might take forever--the job has to be posted two weeks, then they have to sort through the applications, do interviews, do second interviews....I'm thinking, realistically, IF I got through the second set of interviews it would be late February. The employers of the job I just interviewed for will already have long ago made up their mind. So, I don't know...
I guess this is all a moot point--I don't know for 100% I'll get a second interview or that I'll even get this job. And the other job--who knows? I hate being in limbo, but what am I gonna do?
Monday, January 12, 2009
Unemployment
So, like I've said before, I just graduated almost exactly a month ago and thus far I've had little luck in the job department. It's frustrating, for obvious reasons, but also because I actually have a good amount of solid experience in my field both here and abroad (not to mention a lot of other work experience in teaching etc.)
Right before Thanksgiving I had an interview which went super well. The interviewer (who, I'm pretty darn sure actually made the hiring decisions) said to me, "Well, once you graduate, if you're interested in this position, we can see what we can do", and then, not 5 minutes later the other person sitting in on the interview told me (after they showed me around and introduced me to everyone who worked in the department) "We will definitely be giving you a call." I found out two weeks later they offered the position to someone else.
Now, I'm not going to take this personally (really), but why ya gotta go building my hopes up like that when you don't know for sure you can hire me?! "We'll definitely be giving you a call"?! That's a total tease.
I'm not yet at the position where I'm completely frustrated. I realize I just graduated. I realize we just got past the holiday season and no one hires right before the beginning of the year. I understand this is a terrible economy to be looking for a job in, but.....I have a feeling there are other reasons why I'm not getting calls back and they have nothing to do with me, my education, or experience. And I'm not going into them on a public forum like this. Not yet at least...
Right before Thanksgiving I had an interview which went super well. The interviewer (who, I'm pretty darn sure actually made the hiring decisions) said to me, "Well, once you graduate, if you're interested in this position, we can see what we can do", and then, not 5 minutes later the other person sitting in on the interview told me (after they showed me around and introduced me to everyone who worked in the department) "We will definitely be giving you a call." I found out two weeks later they offered the position to someone else.
Now, I'm not going to take this personally (really), but why ya gotta go building my hopes up like that when you don't know for sure you can hire me?! "We'll definitely be giving you a call"?! That's a total tease.
I'm not yet at the position where I'm completely frustrated. I realize I just graduated. I realize we just got past the holiday season and no one hires right before the beginning of the year. I understand this is a terrible economy to be looking for a job in, but.....I have a feeling there are other reasons why I'm not getting calls back and they have nothing to do with me, my education, or experience. And I'm not going into them on a public forum like this. Not yet at least...
Friday, January 09, 2009
A fresh start
A lot of people think making resolutions is lame. I love them: resolutions make feel a renewed sense of hope, which is generally the kick in the ass I need given that they're made during one of the most miserable times of year. I also have a thing with lists (I get this from my mother, for sure), which also love because I have an overwhelming need to organize, organize, organize.
So, without further ado, here are (some of) my resolutions for 2009.
1. Work up to getting 200 minutes of cardio per week and lifting weights (for both upper and lower body) twice per week.
2. Start studying my Russian again (after a 3 year break!).
3. Stick with my knitting—including starting and finishing an “advanced” knitting project.
4. Be better about getting cards out to people for birthdays and Christmas.
5. Keep my blog at least reasonably updated. (Ahem)
6. Find a job!
So, without further ado, here are (some of) my resolutions for 2009.
1. Work up to getting 200 minutes of cardio per week and lifting weights (for both upper and lower body) twice per week.
2. Start studying my Russian again (after a 3 year break!).
3. Stick with my knitting—including starting and finishing an “advanced” knitting project.
4. Be better about getting cards out to people for birthdays and Christmas.
5. Keep my blog at least reasonably updated. (Ahem)
6. Find a job!
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Changes
I know in the past, oh, year and a half or so I've been really bad about posting updates on this blog. And, I know that I always seem to offer up some lame excuse about why I haven't been posting, but this time, I have a really good reason for not updating this blog for four months....For real.
I graduated last month with my Master's degree in Public Health. The last half of the semester was very trying to say the least; I was having problems with my program that I won't get into here, plus I was writing my 60 page thesis type paper thingy.
Right now I'm looking for a job. Needless to say, with the economy the way it is I'm pretty sure it's going to be awhile until I actually find something in my field that doesn't pay a few dollars a week. In the mean time, I'm going to try to entertain myself with various projects: painting all three of our bathrooms, going to a local Russian conversation circle, reading, and knitting (my newest love). And updating this blog--I'm going to make this a priority (I love writing and I have friends all over the country so why not make this a regular way of keeping in contact with people?). I'm even thinking of making some major changes. I need to mull this all over first, however.
I graduated last month with my Master's degree in Public Health. The last half of the semester was very trying to say the least; I was having problems with my program that I won't get into here, plus I was writing my 60 page thesis type paper thingy.
Right now I'm looking for a job. Needless to say, with the economy the way it is I'm pretty sure it's going to be awhile until I actually find something in my field that doesn't pay a few dollars a week. In the mean time, I'm going to try to entertain myself with various projects: painting all three of our bathrooms, going to a local Russian conversation circle, reading, and knitting (my newest love). And updating this blog--I'm going to make this a priority (I love writing and I have friends all over the country so why not make this a regular way of keeping in contact with people?). I'm even thinking of making some major changes. I need to mull this all over first, however.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Married!
The wedding went perfectly. The weather was gorgeous (80 degrees with blue skies and no humidity), everyone showed up on-time, fully awake, dressed and in good spirits. We had had some problems in the previous days with getting suits pressed at the last minute, arranging ties and vests, so I was a little on edge about something really stupid going wrong.
In fact, something really stupid did go wrong: the day before Scientist was about to head out to Iowa for wedding he burst a blood vessel in his left hand while lifting weights. Of course, his hand turned red and swelled up all cartoon-like. The one finger he needed--his ring finger--remained too swollen for me to fit his ring on it during the ceremony, so I had to make due with sliding the ring down to his first knuckle. I tried not interpret this as a bad omen, but rather some messed up coincidence. I guess this will be one of those funny stories we'll tell our child/children (along with the story about how mommy and daddy slept on the floor of a shitty apartment for 10 weeks while the government messed around with paperwork, delaying the delivery of their furniture--HA!).
It's funny, I got increasingly more and more nervous as the morning wore on (we got married at noon), but once my father and I were standing behind the doors of the entrance of the church about to go in, I suddenly relaxed. During the ceremony, as far as I was concerned, the only people there were Scientist, myself and the minister (who sweated profusely throughout the ceremony).
There were two times I had to hold myself back from crying--once while Scientist was reading his vows to me, and then while I was reading my vows to him. I had been really nervous about sounding like a sappy idiot, but I ended up creating vows that were both simple and meaningful without being ridiculously corny.
Afterward, we took pictures (which I'll post as soon as I have, but, from what I've seen, are absolutely gorgeous), and then had a small luncheon. Ice Cream Man gave a nice toast in which he ripped on Scientist and, my honor attendant, Brian, gave his own toast to love in Russian. They were both beautiful (thank you Brian for not telling terribly embarrassing stories about me involving ridiculous amounts of vodka).
When we were originally planning the wedding, Scientist and I decided we wanted to combine both the formal and informal. Obviously the ceremony and luncheon were the 'formal' part. The pig roast we had later on that evening, while maybe a little nontraditional, was an opportunity to really talk spend time with our guests. One thing we kept hearing over and over again while we were planning was "You'll be so busy you won't have an opportunity to talk to anyone," which totally would have been true, had we not had the pig roast. I feel like I really got to spend time with my dad, who I only see once a year (he lives in rural China), and some friends I rarely see because we live so far from Iowa City.
In a week we will leave on our honeymoon to Italy and Croatia. If you're jealous that's okay--I would be too, if I weren't so ridiculously happy to be going on this trip myself. I promise to post pictures of both the wedding and the honeymoon once we get back.
In fact, something really stupid did go wrong: the day before Scientist was about to head out to Iowa for wedding he burst a blood vessel in his left hand while lifting weights. Of course, his hand turned red and swelled up all cartoon-like. The one finger he needed--his ring finger--remained too swollen for me to fit his ring on it during the ceremony, so I had to make due with sliding the ring down to his first knuckle. I tried not interpret this as a bad omen, but rather some messed up coincidence. I guess this will be one of those funny stories we'll tell our child/children (along with the story about how mommy and daddy slept on the floor of a shitty apartment for 10 weeks while the government messed around with paperwork, delaying the delivery of their furniture--HA!).
It's funny, I got increasingly more and more nervous as the morning wore on (we got married at noon), but once my father and I were standing behind the doors of the entrance of the church about to go in, I suddenly relaxed. During the ceremony, as far as I was concerned, the only people there were Scientist, myself and the minister (who sweated profusely throughout the ceremony).
There were two times I had to hold myself back from crying--once while Scientist was reading his vows to me, and then while I was reading my vows to him. I had been really nervous about sounding like a sappy idiot, but I ended up creating vows that were both simple and meaningful without being ridiculously corny.
Afterward, we took pictures (which I'll post as soon as I have, but, from what I've seen, are absolutely gorgeous), and then had a small luncheon. Ice Cream Man gave a nice toast in which he ripped on Scientist and, my honor attendant, Brian, gave his own toast to love in Russian. They were both beautiful (thank you Brian for not telling terribly embarrassing stories about me involving ridiculous amounts of vodka).
When we were originally planning the wedding, Scientist and I decided we wanted to combine both the formal and informal. Obviously the ceremony and luncheon were the 'formal' part. The pig roast we had later on that evening, while maybe a little nontraditional, was an opportunity to really talk spend time with our guests. One thing we kept hearing over and over again while we were planning was "You'll be so busy you won't have an opportunity to talk to anyone," which totally would have been true, had we not had the pig roast. I feel like I really got to spend time with my dad, who I only see once a year (he lives in rural China), and some friends I rarely see because we live so far from Iowa City.
In a week we will leave on our honeymoon to Italy and Croatia. If you're jealous that's okay--I would be too, if I weren't so ridiculously happy to be going on this trip myself. I promise to post pictures of both the wedding and the honeymoon once we get back.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
A Simple Wedding
After Scientist first asked me to marry him last year, I promised myself that I would not a) have a complicated wedding and b) become one of those women (or one half of one of those couples) who expects people to spend a lot of money/time/energy on my wedding. So far, I've been successful at avoiding both of the things I feared.....or so I thought.
Having a low maintenance wedding and being a low maintenance bride is extremely difficult. Scientist and I are having only one person each in our wedding parties--both of whom, incidentally, are men (my friend Brian, who put up with me throughout my rough Peace Corps service, is my 'honor attendant', and Scientist's childhood friend, Ice Cream Man, is his best man). We're getting married at noon, not in the late afternoon or evening. We're not having a band or giving our guests little mementos of our wedding which would eventually end up gathering dust in someone's cupboard for the next several decades.
And yet, I am overwhelmed with crap to do for the next 2 1/2 weeks I'm back in Iowa. I have to meet with hair stylists because my stylist backed out on me after I made an appointment right after we got engaged (very professional--she's not getting my business or my mom's business any more, no matter how long we've known her), make-up people, the florist, the caterers.....I'm astounded at how complicated my 50 person wedding has gotten. I shiver to think at what would have happened had I not bitten the bullet and hired a wedding planner to help me plan all this. Grad school, work and planning an out-of-town wedding would have driven me crazy and we would have eloped, I'm sure of it. In fact, eloping doesn't sound like to bad of an idea right now.
Having a low maintenance wedding and being a low maintenance bride is extremely difficult. Scientist and I are having only one person each in our wedding parties--both of whom, incidentally, are men (my friend Brian, who put up with me throughout my rough Peace Corps service, is my 'honor attendant', and Scientist's childhood friend, Ice Cream Man, is his best man). We're getting married at noon, not in the late afternoon or evening. We're not having a band or giving our guests little mementos of our wedding which would eventually end up gathering dust in someone's cupboard for the next several decades.
And yet, I am overwhelmed with crap to do for the next 2 1/2 weeks I'm back in Iowa. I have to meet with hair stylists because my stylist backed out on me after I made an appointment right after we got engaged (very professional--she's not getting my business or my mom's business any more, no matter how long we've known her), make-up people, the florist, the caterers.....I'm astounded at how complicated my 50 person wedding has gotten. I shiver to think at what would have happened had I not bitten the bullet and hired a wedding planner to help me plan all this. Grad school, work and planning an out-of-town wedding would have driven me crazy and we would have eloped, I'm sure of it. In fact, eloping doesn't sound like to bad of an idea right now.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Reservations '08
I've been debating whether or not to write about some of my feelings regarding the campaign since my gal Hilary (as I like to call her) dropped out of the presidential race. See, I was, and still am, one of those pesky, middle class, educated white women who just isn't sure whether or not she should vote for Obama. I used to be ashamed to admit that, but after a couple of different conversations I had recently I realize I'm really not alone in my feelings, and I'm now willing to "out" myself as a fence sitter.
Had you told me back in January that I would feel torn between voting for Obama, voting for McCain, or not voting at all I would have laughed. However, after some of the things that were said in May and June regarding Hillary and her bid for the presidency by my fellow Obama supporting, Democratic comrades, I'm having a hard time throwing my support fully behind Mr. Obama. The sad thing is, only 50% of the reason why I'm not fully behind the Democratic nominee is for political reasons--the other 50% is because I strongly dislike a small but very vocal group of his supporters.
Here's a great quote from a Salon article that pretty much sums up how I feel about the campaign, and especially how I feel about the aforementioned group of Obama's supporters.
"Clinton behaved with the kind of naked drive and aggression and mercilessness we revere in, for example, football greats, wrestling stars and military heroes. Her political ambition and ruthlessness are qualities native to anyone putting themselves up for the job of running the country. That includes Barack Obama, who is an inspiring leader I fervently hope will be our next president, but who is not, despite what some of his supporters seem to believe, built entirely of altruism and hope and, I don't know, puppies. "
I know that once November comes I will, truth be told, vote for Obama. I have serious problems with the whole Obama-as-Messiah picture that the New York Times, MSNBC, and a small faction of his followers have created, but I can't not vote for him on the obnoxiousness of his media image alone. I reservations about his readiness to take on his position, as well as his evasiveness regarding a whole host of issues (health care and the war specifically), but I am too much in disagreement with McCain on issues like health care and abortion to vote for him. That and I'm still unwilling to give up on my party, no matter how much I dislike the arrogance of our canidate and his fanatical followers.
Had you told me back in January that I would feel torn between voting for Obama, voting for McCain, or not voting at all I would have laughed. However, after some of the things that were said in May and June regarding Hillary and her bid for the presidency by my fellow Obama supporting, Democratic comrades, I'm having a hard time throwing my support fully behind Mr. Obama. The sad thing is, only 50% of the reason why I'm not fully behind the Democratic nominee is for political reasons--the other 50% is because I strongly dislike a small but very vocal group of his supporters.
Here's a great quote from a Salon article that pretty much sums up how I feel about the campaign, and especially how I feel about the aforementioned group of Obama's supporters.
"Clinton behaved with the kind of naked drive and aggression and mercilessness we revere in, for example, football greats, wrestling stars and military heroes. Her political ambition and ruthlessness are qualities native to anyone putting themselves up for the job of running the country. That includes Barack Obama, who is an inspiring leader I fervently hope will be our next president, but who is not, despite what some of his supporters seem to believe, built entirely of altruism and hope and, I don't know, puppies. "
I know that once November comes I will, truth be told, vote for Obama. I have serious problems with the whole Obama-as-Messiah picture that the New York Times, MSNBC, and a small faction of his followers have created, but I can't not vote for him on the obnoxiousness of his media image alone. I reservations about his readiness to take on his position, as well as his evasiveness regarding a whole host of issues (health care and the war specifically), but I am too much in disagreement with McCain on issues like health care and abortion to vote for him. That and I'm still unwilling to give up on my party, no matter how much I dislike the arrogance of our canidate and his fanatical followers.
Sunday, June 08, 2008
I've been debating whether or not to write about some of my feelings regarding the campaign since my gal Hilary (as I like to call her) dropped out of the presidential race. See, I was, and still am, one of those pesky, middle class, educated white women who just isn't sure whether or not she should vote for Obama. I used to be ashamed to admit that, but after a couple of different conversations I had last week I realize I'm really not alone in my feelings, I'm willing to "out" myself as a fence sitter.
Had you told me back in January that I would feel torn between voting for Obama, voting for McCain, or not voting at all I would have laughed heartily. But honestly, after some of the things that were said last month regarding Hillary and her candidacy by my fellow Obama supporting Democratic comrades, I'm having a hard time throwing my support fully behind Mr. Obama. The sad thing is, only 50% of the reason why I'm not fully behind the Democratic nominee is for policy reasons--the other 50% is because I strongly dislike a small but very vocal group of his supporters.
Here's a great quote from a Salon article that pretty much sums up how I feel about the campaign, and especially how I feel about the aforementioned group of Obama's supporters.
"Clinton behaved with the kind of naked drive and aggression and mercilessness we revere in, for example, football greats, wrestling stars and military heroes. Her political ambition and ruthlessness are qualities native to anyone putting themselves up for the job of running the country. That includes Barack Obama, who is an inspiring leader I fervently hope will be our next president, but who is not, despite what some of his supporters seem to believe, built entirely of altruism and hope and, I don't know, puppies. One of the great things about our history of ambivalence and resentment toward Clinton was the almost sweet relief we could take in knowing from the start that her raw will to power was going to grate on and enrage us."
I know that once November comes I will, truth be told, vote for Obama. I have serious problems with the whole Obama-as-Messiah picture that the New York Times, MSNBC, and a small faction of his followers have created, but I can't not vote for him on the obnoxiousness of his media image alone. I reservations about his readiness to take on his position, as well as his evasiveness regarding a whole host of issues (health care and the war specifically), but I am too much in disagreement with McCain on issues like health care and abortion to vote for him.
Had you told me back in January that I would feel torn between voting for Obama, voting for McCain, or not voting at all I would have laughed heartily. But honestly, after some of the things that were said last month regarding Hillary and her candidacy by my fellow Obama supporting Democratic comrades, I'm having a hard time throwing my support fully behind Mr. Obama. The sad thing is, only 50% of the reason why I'm not fully behind the Democratic nominee is for policy reasons--the other 50% is because I strongly dislike a small but very vocal group of his supporters.
Here's a great quote from a Salon article that pretty much sums up how I feel about the campaign, and especially how I feel about the aforementioned group of Obama's supporters.
"Clinton behaved with the kind of naked drive and aggression and mercilessness we revere in, for example, football greats, wrestling stars and military heroes. Her political ambition and ruthlessness are qualities native to anyone putting themselves up for the job of running the country. That includes Barack Obama, who is an inspiring leader I fervently hope will be our next president, but who is not, despite what some of his supporters seem to believe, built entirely of altruism and hope and, I don't know, puppies. One of the great things about our history of ambivalence and resentment toward Clinton was the almost sweet relief we could take in knowing from the start that her raw will to power was going to grate on and enrage us."
I know that once November comes I will, truth be told, vote for Obama. I have serious problems with the whole Obama-as-Messiah picture that the New York Times, MSNBC, and a small faction of his followers have created, but I can't not vote for him on the obnoxiousness of his media image alone. I reservations about his readiness to take on his position, as well as his evasiveness regarding a whole host of issues (health care and the war specifically), but I am too much in disagreement with McCain on issues like health care and abortion to vote for him.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
The West Virginia Way
Over the past few months I've had a quite a few things I've wanted to write about: being a bride, buying a house for the first time, academia, the election. But recently there's been some things going down here in Morgantown, and at WVU in particular, that have distracted both me and everyone else in Morgantown, becoming all that anyone can talk about.
Last fall, the Pittsburgh Gazette wrote a piece on a former WVU grad, Heather Bresch, after one of their staff writers discovered that Bresch, an employee at Mylan Pharmaceuticals, had lied about a degree she had earned from WVU. Bresch was set to be promoted to high ranking executive position in the company, and in the course of investigating her credentials, the Pittsburgh paper uncovered that not have the academic credentials she claimed to have. Apparently, when the Pittsburgh paper called WVU to check to see if she had earned the aforementioned undergraduate and MBA degrees, they discovered that while she had begun her MBA degree here and completed roughly a year's worth of classes, she never actually completed the program.
Now, that wouldn't be such a huge deal--people have lied on applications about degrees and skills and jobs they've had since applications were invented--except just a few days after the Pittsburgh paper discovered that Heather Bresch didn't have the MBA degree she claimed to have she was suddenly, magically, retroactively awarded the very degree in question from WVU--nine years after she claimed to have graduated.
Who is Heather Bresch and why does she matter? Why, she's the governor's daughter! She got her degree the old fashioned way--she called Mike Garrison, the president of WVU and made sure that she was awarded that MBA degree she always wanted but only completed 26 academic hours out of 48 academic hours for.
Bresch and Garrison go way back. They were both in the same "graduating class" at WVU (she was in the School of Business and he was at the WVU law school), plus Bresch employed Garrison as a lobbyist when she worked for a firm in Charleston. When Garrison was appointed president of WVU by the Board of Governors it was widely (and correctly) believed that Garrison was just another crony of Bresch's father, Joe Manchin III.
Like Manchin, Garrison has conviently surrounded himself with people who will either protect him or take the fall. The Board of Governors, who appointed Garrison, are also the only the people who can "fire" him. Not surprisingly, the BOG is made up of people who Garrison knows from his past--one of them he practiced law with years ago. Garrison, like a true blue West Virginia crony, has managed to appoint people who have helped him along the to positions of power within in WVU: the dean of the medical school (for which the Public Health department is a part of) was someone Garrison had known for years and replaced a man who was forced out by Garrison after heading the department for 15+ years.
Garrison claims to have no knowledge or involvement in Bresch's mysterious diploma, as does her father, Governor Manchin. However, Garrison admits that he did receive a phone call from Bresch who said she "sincerely believed" she had earned her MBA. Instead of handling this matter himself, however, Garrison said he handed it off to Provost Lang and the Dean of the College of Business, Gerald Sears, who months later, as this whole thing unfolded, suddenly resigned (but who still teach at WVU and will rake in over $200,000 per year).
Garrison thinks, apparently, that he can pt his head down, ignore the outrage that has infected the campus and ride this out until the next year. Fortunately though, the faculty, staff and some of the students have signed petitions and held two seperate meetings in which they expressed their own sincere desire that Garrison get his ass kicked out of office. At the most recent meeting, over 600 faculty and staff met and voted 565-39 in favor of asking Garrison to resign.
This type of scandal doesn't just affect the president's office, BOG and the governor; it tarnishes the reputation of the school, chases off current and potential faculty and students and creates a backlash in which everyone walks around looking over their shoulders wondering if someone is going to accuse them of something. Furthermore, it makes people like myself who have worked their asses off towards their degree look bad. As another graduate student in Public Health told me: "I think about all the hours I spent working towards my degree, writing my thesis, doing my homework, going to class....time I spent away from my family...and someone like Heather Bresch can just make a phone call and suddenly be awarded an MBA."
The Bresch/Garrison scandal also perpetuates the image of West Virginia and West Virgininans as clanish and backwards, which is terribly unfortunate because of it overshadows all the good things about West Virginia and Morgantown in particuliar. People here are incredibly nice. The landscape is breathtaking. I know without a doubt I've received a far better education here than I would've at U of Iowa due to the well trained (and sometimes unbelievably demanding) . But how anyone know that? Your average person associates West Virginia with Hatfields and McCoy type feuds, coal mining and corruption, all of which are certainly a part of West Virginia history but really betray some of the lovely things about WV. Scandals like this also distract attention away from problems that really affect West Virginians like ridiculously high rates of obesity, smoking, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and poverty.
But don't take my word for it: read about a recent grad's opinion of what he thinks the university's presidents next move should be. Football fans should also take a look at this article with Rich Rodriguez, whose sudden departure seems a lot clearer given what we know about how Garrison operates.
Last fall, the Pittsburgh Gazette wrote a piece on a former WVU grad, Heather Bresch, after one of their staff writers discovered that Bresch, an employee at Mylan Pharmaceuticals, had lied about a degree she had earned from WVU. Bresch was set to be promoted to high ranking executive position in the company, and in the course of investigating her credentials, the Pittsburgh paper uncovered that not have the academic credentials she claimed to have. Apparently, when the Pittsburgh paper called WVU to check to see if she had earned the aforementioned undergraduate and MBA degrees, they discovered that while she had begun her MBA degree here and completed roughly a year's worth of classes, she never actually completed the program.
Now, that wouldn't be such a huge deal--people have lied on applications about degrees and skills and jobs they've had since applications were invented--except just a few days after the Pittsburgh paper discovered that Heather Bresch didn't have the MBA degree she claimed to have she was suddenly, magically, retroactively awarded the very degree in question from WVU--nine years after she claimed to have graduated.
Who is Heather Bresch and why does she matter? Why, she's the governor's daughter! She got her degree the old fashioned way--she called Mike Garrison, the president of WVU and made sure that she was awarded that MBA degree she always wanted but only completed 26 academic hours out of 48 academic hours for.
Bresch and Garrison go way back. They were both in the same "graduating class" at WVU (she was in the School of Business and he was at the WVU law school), plus Bresch employed Garrison as a lobbyist when she worked for a firm in Charleston. When Garrison was appointed president of WVU by the Board of Governors it was widely (and correctly) believed that Garrison was just another crony of Bresch's father, Joe Manchin III.
Like Manchin, Garrison has conviently surrounded himself with people who will either protect him or take the fall. The Board of Governors, who appointed Garrison, are also the only the people who can "fire" him. Not surprisingly, the BOG is made up of people who Garrison knows from his past--one of them he practiced law with years ago. Garrison, like a true blue West Virginia crony, has managed to appoint people who have helped him along the to positions of power within in WVU: the dean of the medical school (for which the Public Health department is a part of) was someone Garrison had known for years and replaced a man who was forced out by Garrison after heading the department for 15+ years.
Garrison claims to have no knowledge or involvement in Bresch's mysterious diploma, as does her father, Governor Manchin. However, Garrison admits that he did receive a phone call from Bresch who said she "sincerely believed" she had earned her MBA. Instead of handling this matter himself, however, Garrison said he handed it off to Provost Lang and the Dean of the College of Business, Gerald Sears, who months later, as this whole thing unfolded, suddenly resigned (but who still teach at WVU and will rake in over $200,000 per year).
Garrison thinks, apparently, that he can pt his head down, ignore the outrage that has infected the campus and ride this out until the next year. Fortunately though, the faculty, staff and some of the students have signed petitions and held two seperate meetings in which they expressed their own sincere desire that Garrison get his ass kicked out of office. At the most recent meeting, over 600 faculty and staff met and voted 565-39 in favor of asking Garrison to resign.
This type of scandal doesn't just affect the president's office, BOG and the governor; it tarnishes the reputation of the school, chases off current and potential faculty and students and creates a backlash in which everyone walks around looking over their shoulders wondering if someone is going to accuse them of something. Furthermore, it makes people like myself who have worked their asses off towards their degree look bad. As another graduate student in Public Health told me: "I think about all the hours I spent working towards my degree, writing my thesis, doing my homework, going to class....time I spent away from my family...and someone like Heather Bresch can just make a phone call and suddenly be awarded an MBA."
The Bresch/Garrison scandal also perpetuates the image of West Virginia and West Virgininans as clanish and backwards, which is terribly unfortunate because of it overshadows all the good things about West Virginia and Morgantown in particuliar. People here are incredibly nice. The landscape is breathtaking. I know without a doubt I've received a far better education here than I would've at U of Iowa due to the well trained (and sometimes unbelievably demanding) . But how anyone know that? Your average person associates West Virginia with Hatfields and McCoy type feuds, coal mining and corruption, all of which are certainly a part of West Virginia history but really betray some of the lovely things about WV. Scandals like this also distract attention away from problems that really affect West Virginians like ridiculously high rates of obesity, smoking, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and poverty.
But don't take my word for it: read about a recent grad's opinion of what he thinks the university's presidents next move should be. Football fans should also take a look at this article with Rich Rodriguez, whose sudden departure seems a lot clearer given what we know about how Garrison operates.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Resurfacing
Believe it or not, not everything here in Morgantown is sunshine and rainbows.It's been a rough semester to say the least. The amount of reading and writing I've done over the past few months has far surpassed any other semester. In fact, I doubt if I've done this much writing since I started graduate school. Don't get me wrong--I love to write, but being forced to constantly produce something in the form of a brilliant and lengthy paper on a regular basis gets old.
However, I have learned a few things over the course of the last few months. Here's a list:
1. Sometimes you don't get the grade you deserve. Even if you put your heart and soul into it.
2. When number 1 happens, get upset, bitch to your significant other and then get the hell over it.
3. Academics love to hear themselves talk.
4. Just because you're a physician doesn't mean a) you like people or b) you have any social skills.
5. Research begets more research.
6. Public health can be as ivory tower as any other discipline.
7. Ph.D. students are not necessarily smarter than MPH students no matter what big wigs in the department think.
8. No matter how many times the aforementioned Big Wig asks me to consider applying to the Ph.D. program the answer is still NO! NO! NO!
I have two days left of school, a three day weekend and then I start my practicum. I hope to start updating this site more often once I get settled into a routine.
Hopefully, I'll even be able to post more pictures of our little home soon!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Our House
We're homeowners!
We hadn't planned on looking for a house, but, honestly we decided back in January that we were sick of living like graduate students (remember, I'm the only one who is still a grad student and this is, in essence, my last semester of school) so we decided to look for a place.
We had thought it would take us a while to find something, but we found something right away. The current owner is a total jerk and has been difficult to deal with, but other than that the whole home buying process has gone well. It's unnerving to sign your life away to the bank though--even with a low interest rate you still end up paying almost twice the price of the house over the course of thirty year loan.
I feel so adult. I'm super excited. It will be nice to own something and make the home ours. We move in the May 15th. More pictures will follow, for sure.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Blah
I really should be working on some homework, but since I'm not completely bogged down in journal articles, assigned readings and papers to write, I thought I'd take this opportunity to actually update y'all with what's been going on here in Morgantown.
This semester started off with a bang. It seemed like within a week I had an huge amount of work to complete and no time. Thankfully, it looks like things won't be quite so bad; I'll have periods of insanity--like the entire month of April, for example--but otherwise, if I stay on top of things I should be okay.
My job with Santa hasn't really gone anywhere yet, unfortunately. We're waiting for a bunch of epidemiological data from a state agency, who for a variety of reasons I won't get into here, hasn't handed over the data. As a result, in my five weeks of work thus far nothing has happened. I haven't written anything. I haven't analyzed anything. Nothing. I have however, gotten a LOT of homework done and gotten paid for it while I supposed to be working, so I guess I can't complain too much.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
A list
In the past few weeks there have been some seriously good things that have been happening here in Morgantown.
· I got a job!: After waiting for several weeks to hear whether or not I’d gotten a job at the university with one of my professors, I finally found out that I was totally unqualified. However, my professor, who bears an amazing resemblance to Santa Claus (seriously), offered me a job as a graduate research assistant on a state health project. Apparently I’ll be writing a small part of the state’s burden report on cardiovascular health (a burden report basically uses epidemiological information from different data sources to describe how a particular disease/condition affects the health of a state). The best part is I get free tuition and a stipend for the semester. Hallelujah!
·We got a kitty!: Some of you who are on Facebook may have read my little rant a couple of weeks ago about how someone had abandoned the cutest, sweetest little gray kitty in our apartment complex. I was really upset because this cute little kitty, whom we had made little kitty friends with, was howling and crying outside our door to be let in during a really ugly wind and sleet storm about to weeks ago. I’m a huge sucker for cats, and it was unbearable to listen to her cry. So we adopted her (it wasn’t quite that easy—I had to wear Scientist down). We found out yesterday that she’s a) indeed a girl, b) not spayed c) never had kittens and, to our surprise, d) more than 4 years old (Scientist, myself and the vet all thought for sure she was a lot younger than that). We’ve named her Sophie and we’re getting her fixed ASAP.
·We hired a wedding planner!: Next semester is going to be damn busy given that I’m taking nearly as many hours as I did this semester, plus I have a job and a fiancé I would like to see every so often. So, I bit the bullet and hired a wedding planner. I feel kind of silly doing so given that we’re only having about 75 people attend the ceremony, but I just don’t want to deal with being out of town and trying to plan everything.
· Some asshole hit our car!: Okay, this isn’t exactly great news, but I thought I should include it in the list of exciting things that have happened lately. Some shithead hit our car and cause $2100 worth of damage to the bumper and rear left door. Lovely. It happened in our parking lot, during the day and, no, they didn’t leave a note. I’m sure it was someone who lives in the parking complex though.
·I will be home from December 16th until December 30th. If anyone is interested in hanging out, let me know.
· I got a job!: After waiting for several weeks to hear whether or not I’d gotten a job at the university with one of my professors, I finally found out that I was totally unqualified. However, my professor, who bears an amazing resemblance to Santa Claus (seriously), offered me a job as a graduate research assistant on a state health project. Apparently I’ll be writing a small part of the state’s burden report on cardiovascular health (a burden report basically uses epidemiological information from different data sources to describe how a particular disease/condition affects the health of a state). The best part is I get free tuition and a stipend for the semester. Hallelujah!
·We got a kitty!: Some of you who are on Facebook may have read my little rant a couple of weeks ago about how someone had abandoned the cutest, sweetest little gray kitty in our apartment complex. I was really upset because this cute little kitty, whom we had made little kitty friends with, was howling and crying outside our door to be let in during a really ugly wind and sleet storm about to weeks ago. I’m a huge sucker for cats, and it was unbearable to listen to her cry. So we adopted her (it wasn’t quite that easy—I had to wear Scientist down). We found out yesterday that she’s a) indeed a girl, b) not spayed c) never had kittens and, to our surprise, d) more than 4 years old (Scientist, myself and the vet all thought for sure she was a lot younger than that). We’ve named her Sophie and we’re getting her fixed ASAP.
·We hired a wedding planner!: Next semester is going to be damn busy given that I’m taking nearly as many hours as I did this semester, plus I have a job and a fiancé I would like to see every so often. So, I bit the bullet and hired a wedding planner. I feel kind of silly doing so given that we’re only having about 75 people attend the ceremony, but I just don’t want to deal with being out of town and trying to plan everything.
· Some asshole hit our car!: Okay, this isn’t exactly great news, but I thought I should include it in the list of exciting things that have happened lately. Some shithead hit our car and cause $2100 worth of damage to the bumper and rear left door. Lovely. It happened in our parking lot, during the day and, no, they didn’t leave a note. I’m sure it was someone who lives in the parking complex though.
·I will be home from December 16th until December 30th. If anyone is interested in hanging out, let me know.
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