Well, it's hard to believe this is my last week in ND. There's still so much yet to be done to prepare for the move, and I'd rather spend that time just enjoying my last few days here. Everyone is busy with finals this week, anyway, so I guess it works out.
I have been very busy this weekend packing and cleaning. I am just about done packing...which is awesome. I want as much done as possible by Friday since I will be busy with family and graduation. Then all we'll have to do on Sunday is pack up the truck, maybe do some last bit of cleaning and be done!
I have been able to sell most of big items which is awesome...like the TV, DVD player, table, and rocking chair. I'm still trying to sell some kitchen items, but those I'm less concerned with since I'd be happy just donating them to Goodwill.
Oh, I finally got my thesis copies (all 8 of them) to the library to be sent off to be bound. I went with a dark green (school color) and gold lettering. Unfortunately, I won't see them until the middle of June. Boo.
So, today the plan is to wrap up the packing and clean what I can. I may even move the boxes out to the garage to get them out of my way, but that means sweeping out the garage first. That has to be done eventually anyway. I also want to make some rhubarb pie, too, because I have lots of frozen rhubarb left. Yay rhubarb pie...so tasty. Then I have to take my TV and DVD player over to Amanda's. It'll be a busy Sunday.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Is this what I have to look forward to?
32 shot, 6 killed in violent Chicago weekend
Oh joy. I realize that it's unlikely for me to be involved in any sort of violence, but I will still have to be much more vigilant when out by myself. I've already heard gunshots in Ian's neighborhood, and Ian has been robbed at gunpoint. Shit happens, but know this...I will put up one hell of a fight if I am ever attacked. They won't know who they're dealing with until it's too late.
Oh joy. I realize that it's unlikely for me to be involved in any sort of violence, but I will still have to be much more vigilant when out by myself. I've already heard gunshots in Ian's neighborhood, and Ian has been robbed at gunpoint. Shit happens, but know this...I will put up one hell of a fight if I am ever attacked. They won't know who they're dealing with until it's too late.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
I'm listening - Are you?
Hate against gays has to end. This is just plain disgusting, but I guess ignorance is bliss.
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Job Interview
I'm not so sure I'm cut out for this blog thing. I don't update enough. haha. Every time I go to write something I think I have nothing to write about. By the time a month has passed, I can rattle off list of things I should have been blogging about and didn't. Oh well. The few readers I do have will have to be okay with my sparse writing.
(This is a way longer post than I had planned. It's about my trip to Chicago for the interview, and if you've heard it before, I wouldn't waste my time reading it. haha.)
I think the last time I wrote, I was about to head to Chicago for my second round of interviews in person at Weather Command. I flew out Monday (President's Day) and made it to Chicago on time. I headed straight for Hyde Park and waited at PotBelly's while Ian finished with Workshop. It was my first time seeing the new apartment and I think it's totally awesome. Tenth floor, large living room, kitchen could be better but typical for Hyde Park, and large bedroom and the best part is the wonderful view of downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan. We spent a nice five hours together before I had to drop him off at workshop dinner on the Northside. I made my way back to drop off the car (which in retrospect, I wish I had just kept instead of taking a taxi but that's a whole nother story), and onto the hotel.
By the time I made it to the hotel, I was starting to feel pretty crappy. I had taken my temperature at Ian's because I was starting to get that - I feel weird, I think I'm getting sick- feeling. Oddly it was below normal at 98.3 F. I thought ok maybe I'm just tired from getting up early that day and traveling. Well, I knew when I got to the hotel that something was not right and all I wanted was a nice hot bath before bed. Guess what. There was no bath tub!! I couldn't believe it. It was a beautiful hotel (Indigo) but it was lacking in a tub. I eventually fell asleep only to wake up at 3 AM miserable and tossing and turning til I just gave in and got up at 6 for the interview.
To say the least, I medicated myself with sudafed and tylenol, and by the time it kicked in, I was feeling okay. Mike Doll picked me up at 8:45 and took me to the office. I met everyone working there, about 3 people at the time, and he explained generally how the office worked. It was a smaller than I had expected. The main forecasting area had four cubicles with computers all facing each other with peg board all around with different maps and such. They still do hand analysis which was nice to see. That morning they had calls coming in from the DOT from the toll road about possible snow later.
Mike and I went in for the main part of the interview in the conference room. It was pretty much what I had expected...basic questions like "why weathercommand, why do you want to forecast" and so on. There was a bit of snow forecasting in there but it went well. I met the CEO/President and he seemed nice but was very apparent he isn't involved with the everyday workings of the company. I can understand why, but I was getting the impression that he was too disconnected. Could be wrong, but just a feeling I got. Oh one question that threw me a bit was, Who is someone you admire in meteorology? I had to think quick on my feet and initially I thought Ted Fujita but went with Chuck Doswell. He sorta chuckled but I think he liked I came up with something different. He said many people had said Tom Skilling (weatherman on WGN) and Ted Fujita. haha.
Then Mike and I went to lunch. This was the part I was most nervous about. I hate small talk but have learned to deal with it over the years. Surprisingly, this part was the best part of the whole day. I think we both relaxed and just got to know each other. He was very, very honest about the company which was refreshing and reassuring that they weren't trying to seem like they were the perfect company. Most of the employees have been working there 10 years or longer and I asked him if they would have any problems with a fresh, out of college employee working with them. That got Mike on a roll about the direction of the company, and how they need something new and refreshing. He told me repeatedly throughout the conversation that I had interviewed well on both sets of interviews and that got me excited. I knew it'd come down to experience, though, so I was nervous not knowing who else was interviewing for the position.
So, it's been about three weeks. I have received one email from them saying they needed more time but would let me know early last week. Well I haven't heard yet. nothing. The funny part, though, is that they needed more time because they had an internal flu outbreak that week. Well, they most likely got it from me because by the time I got home Tuesday from the interview, I had a 101.2 F fever. I was out the rest of the week. It was awful. On top of that, I had an ear infection.
I'm back to normal, though, and the JGR paper is done. It was sent off to the co-authors last Thursday and hope to hear back from them by Friday. If we don't, we're submitting it anyway. I'm nervous about what they might say, but all I know is I worked my butt off and did the best I could.
'til next time...
(This is a way longer post than I had planned. It's about my trip to Chicago for the interview, and if you've heard it before, I wouldn't waste my time reading it. haha.)
I think the last time I wrote, I was about to head to Chicago for my second round of interviews in person at Weather Command. I flew out Monday (President's Day) and made it to Chicago on time. I headed straight for Hyde Park and waited at PotBelly's while Ian finished with Workshop. It was my first time seeing the new apartment and I think it's totally awesome. Tenth floor, large living room, kitchen could be better but typical for Hyde Park, and large bedroom and the best part is the wonderful view of downtown Chicago and Lake Michigan. We spent a nice five hours together before I had to drop him off at workshop dinner on the Northside. I made my way back to drop off the car (which in retrospect, I wish I had just kept instead of taking a taxi but that's a whole nother story), and onto the hotel.
By the time I made it to the hotel, I was starting to feel pretty crappy. I had taken my temperature at Ian's because I was starting to get that - I feel weird, I think I'm getting sick- feeling. Oddly it was below normal at 98.3 F. I thought ok maybe I'm just tired from getting up early that day and traveling. Well, I knew when I got to the hotel that something was not right and all I wanted was a nice hot bath before bed. Guess what. There was no bath tub!! I couldn't believe it. It was a beautiful hotel (Indigo) but it was lacking in a tub. I eventually fell asleep only to wake up at 3 AM miserable and tossing and turning til I just gave in and got up at 6 for the interview.
To say the least, I medicated myself with sudafed and tylenol, and by the time it kicked in, I was feeling okay. Mike Doll picked me up at 8:45 and took me to the office. I met everyone working there, about 3 people at the time, and he explained generally how the office worked. It was a smaller than I had expected. The main forecasting area had four cubicles with computers all facing each other with peg board all around with different maps and such. They still do hand analysis which was nice to see. That morning they had calls coming in from the DOT from the toll road about possible snow later.
Mike and I went in for the main part of the interview in the conference room. It was pretty much what I had expected...basic questions like "why weathercommand, why do you want to forecast" and so on. There was a bit of snow forecasting in there but it went well. I met the CEO/President and he seemed nice but was very apparent he isn't involved with the everyday workings of the company. I can understand why, but I was getting the impression that he was too disconnected. Could be wrong, but just a feeling I got. Oh one question that threw me a bit was, Who is someone you admire in meteorology? I had to think quick on my feet and initially I thought Ted Fujita but went with Chuck Doswell. He sorta chuckled but I think he liked I came up with something different. He said many people had said Tom Skilling (weatherman on WGN) and Ted Fujita. haha.
Then Mike and I went to lunch. This was the part I was most nervous about. I hate small talk but have learned to deal with it over the years. Surprisingly, this part was the best part of the whole day. I think we both relaxed and just got to know each other. He was very, very honest about the company which was refreshing and reassuring that they weren't trying to seem like they were the perfect company. Most of the employees have been working there 10 years or longer and I asked him if they would have any problems with a fresh, out of college employee working with them. That got Mike on a roll about the direction of the company, and how they need something new and refreshing. He told me repeatedly throughout the conversation that I had interviewed well on both sets of interviews and that got me excited. I knew it'd come down to experience, though, so I was nervous not knowing who else was interviewing for the position.
So, it's been about three weeks. I have received one email from them saying they needed more time but would let me know early last week. Well I haven't heard yet. nothing. The funny part, though, is that they needed more time because they had an internal flu outbreak that week. Well, they most likely got it from me because by the time I got home Tuesday from the interview, I had a 101.2 F fever. I was out the rest of the week. It was awful. On top of that, I had an ear infection.
I'm back to normal, though, and the JGR paper is done. It was sent off to the co-authors last Thursday and hope to hear back from them by Friday. If we don't, we're submitting it anyway. I'm nervous about what they might say, but all I know is I worked my butt off and did the best I could.
'til next time...
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Life or something like it
Hi all!
I'm back after a long hiatus. Sorry bout that. I have been awfully busy and been meaning to update this blog...so, here I am! So what's new, you may ask. Well for starters, I did get the second interview for Weather Command in Palatine, IL!! I am very excited. They're flying me out Monday morning from Fargo to Chicago. Then I have the rest of the day to myself (which I'm utilizing to see a special someone at the U of Chicago) then I interview on Tuesday morning. They're picking me up at 8:45 AM, and I'm assuming, meeting people the rest of the day. I'll probably have to head back to the airport around 2:30 since my flight leaves at 4:30. I really haven't gotten that nervous about this interview...yet. I'm sure I will, but I have a great feeling about this next interview. I think it'll go well.
I completed the first draft of my JGR (Journal of Geophysical Research) paper, which is a relief. I had to redo a couple of images to combine them because I have so many colored images and we have to cut costs. So, once that's done, my advisor will make some revisions. I'll be happy when it's done. The JGR paper will be the foundation of my thesis...basically, I'll expand and add more details to the JGR paper and that will be the thesis. Simple, right? haha. Well, since the first draft is done, the hard part's over, I hope. Also, my advisor seems to think that I could be ready to defend anytime. It's just a matter of finishing the writing. I think that's somewhat reassuring. They're happy with my work, and all of the analysis is done. Scary to think that I will be defending in about six weeks! Yikes!!!
Oh, last week I went out with everyone to celebrate JJ's birthday. That was fun. We went to JJ and Feng's apt for awhile to play Burnout and eat DQ cake. I can't say I've ever eaten an ice cream cake on one of the coldest days of year. It was about -20F out that night not counting wind chill. haha. Then we went out to our usual 'dance club' here in GFK - Gilly's Bar and Grill. Initially, I thought it was going to be a slooow night cause it was cold and no one was there. But sure enough, about 12 or 1230, the place was hoppin. We even ran into Feng's old roommate, Justin and all his buddies.
Lost was insane this week! This season really is living up to the hype.
Crystal's in town visiting everyone and it's been good catching up with her.
Oh, I made it in the local paper...front page, no less! The picture is funny cause my hair is obscuring my face almost completely.
I'm back after a long hiatus. Sorry bout that. I have been awfully busy and been meaning to update this blog...so, here I am! So what's new, you may ask. Well for starters, I did get the second interview for Weather Command in Palatine, IL!! I am very excited. They're flying me out Monday morning from Fargo to Chicago. Then I have the rest of the day to myself (which I'm utilizing to see a special someone at the U of Chicago) then I interview on Tuesday morning. They're picking me up at 8:45 AM, and I'm assuming, meeting people the rest of the day. I'll probably have to head back to the airport around 2:30 since my flight leaves at 4:30. I really haven't gotten that nervous about this interview...yet. I'm sure I will, but I have a great feeling about this next interview. I think it'll go well.
I completed the first draft of my JGR (Journal of Geophysical Research) paper, which is a relief. I had to redo a couple of images to combine them because I have so many colored images and we have to cut costs. So, once that's done, my advisor will make some revisions. I'll be happy when it's done. The JGR paper will be the foundation of my thesis...basically, I'll expand and add more details to the JGR paper and that will be the thesis. Simple, right? haha. Well, since the first draft is done, the hard part's over, I hope. Also, my advisor seems to think that I could be ready to defend anytime. It's just a matter of finishing the writing. I think that's somewhat reassuring. They're happy with my work, and all of the analysis is done. Scary to think that I will be defending in about six weeks! Yikes!!!
Oh, last week I went out with everyone to celebrate JJ's birthday. That was fun. We went to JJ and Feng's apt for awhile to play Burnout and eat DQ cake. I can't say I've ever eaten an ice cream cake on one of the coldest days of year. It was about -20F out that night not counting wind chill. haha. Then we went out to our usual 'dance club' here in GFK - Gilly's Bar and Grill. Initially, I thought it was going to be a slooow night cause it was cold and no one was there. But sure enough, about 12 or 1230, the place was hoppin. We even ran into Feng's old roommate, Justin and all his buddies.
Lost was insane this week! This season really is living up to the hype.
Crystal's in town visiting everyone and it's been good catching up with her.
Oh, I made it in the local paper...front page, no less! The picture is funny cause my hair is obscuring my face almost completely.
Being apart of Super Tuesday was pretty sweet. I was supposed to be working on the paper that night, but I couldn't tear myself away from CNN's live coverage online. PLUS, there's a tornado outbreak in the south, so I had live coverage of that up, too. This is what my computer screen looked like:
The image on the left is one that Aaron sent me from his sweet GRLevelX radar program and on the right is live coverage of the Super Tuesday results. It's no secret (especially now that it was posted in the paper in the figure [finger? hehe :D] caption) who I'm supporting for the Presidential elections -- Obama. His speeches are the most uplifting and inspirational speeches I've ever been able to witness. Sure, I've heard the "I have a Dream" or "Ask not what your country can do for you" speeches, but it is an entirely new experience for me to see it unfold right before my eyes. See it become a part of history. Barack Obama's "We are the one's we've been waiting for" speech from Super Tuesday, I believe, will be added alongside the two speeches mentioned above.
Continuing with the current events topic....The recent shootings at NIU have saddened me. My generation has seen what the Columbine and VT shootings have done to change the way we think about school safety...forever, most likely. I would like to write more, but I think I'll save it for another day...
PhD comic:
until next time...
The image on the left is one that Aaron sent me from his sweet GRLevelX radar program and on the right is live coverage of the Super Tuesday results. It's no secret (especially now that it was posted in the paper in the figure [finger? hehe :D] caption) who I'm supporting for the Presidential elections -- Obama. His speeches are the most uplifting and inspirational speeches I've ever been able to witness. Sure, I've heard the "I have a Dream" or "Ask not what your country can do for you" speeches, but it is an entirely new experience for me to see it unfold right before my eyes. See it become a part of history. Barack Obama's "We are the one's we've been waiting for" speech from Super Tuesday, I believe, will be added alongside the two speeches mentioned above.Continuing with the current events topic....The recent shootings at NIU have saddened me. My generation has seen what the Columbine and VT shootings have done to change the way we think about school safety...forever, most likely. I would like to write more, but I think I'll save it for another day...
PhD comic:
until next time...
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Exciting News
Well, I suppose it's not really exciting now that the people that actually read this blog already know, but just in case....I HAVE A JOB INTERVIEW on Wednesday with Weather Command! I am totally excited, and completely nervous. I pray that it goes well, but I think this may be my only opportunity in Chicago for getting a 'weather job'. So, no pressure at all. haha, right. My friend Shelley works at the water survey in Champaign, and she knows a person there that used to work for Weather Command. It was helpful knowing a little of what to expect and what it's like on the inside. It sounds like a typical private forecasting job, which is what I was expecting. For those of you that are in the meteorology community, you know what I'm referring to, so I'll leave it at that. ;)
On another note, I wish I was going to the AMS conference in New Orleans this week. I've never been to N.O. , and this would have been a great way to experience it. Oh well. I should be honest, it's not about N.O. or the conference, it's about the free pens, calendars, posters, and other random fun free stuff given away at the conference. Not to mention the fact that the AMS meeting is really just spring break for meteorologists disguised as a conference. (To all my friends that are down there right now...have a drink for me!)
On a totally unrelated note...I was watching an episode of West Wing tonight (yeah, I'm huge fan and a huge geek), and it made me realize...I want to be in Washington for the inauguration of the President. Maybe it'll be next year, maybe it'll be 30 years from now, but some day, I want to experience it. I think it'd be fun to be a part of history. Also, I'd looooove to go to one of the inauguration balls. There's nothin better than getting in a ball gown and dancing the night away. This week, the Library of Congress announced that they recently discovered pictures that were marked incorrectly and are actually rare pictures of Lincoln's second inaugural. This is the first inauguration where African-Americans were allowed in the parade. Here's a link to those photos. I think if I couldn't make it as a meteorologist I would have been A) a used book store owner or B) a historian. I loooove history and loooove seeing it unfold before me. Maybe someday I can combine meteorology and history by writing a book on some sort of historical event that was affected by weather or just a history of weather. haha.
Now, to end with a great PhDcomic:
until next time...
On another note, I wish I was going to the AMS conference in New Orleans this week. I've never been to N.O. , and this would have been a great way to experience it. Oh well. I should be honest, it's not about N.O. or the conference, it's about the free pens, calendars, posters, and other random fun free stuff given away at the conference. Not to mention the fact that the AMS meeting is really just spring break for meteorologists disguised as a conference. (To all my friends that are down there right now...have a drink for me!)
On a totally unrelated note...I was watching an episode of West Wing tonight (yeah, I'm huge fan and a huge geek), and it made me realize...I want to be in Washington for the inauguration of the President. Maybe it'll be next year, maybe it'll be 30 years from now, but some day, I want to experience it. I think it'd be fun to be a part of history. Also, I'd looooove to go to one of the inauguration balls. There's nothin better than getting in a ball gown and dancing the night away. This week, the Library of Congress announced that they recently discovered pictures that were marked incorrectly and are actually rare pictures of Lincoln's second inaugural. This is the first inauguration where African-Americans were allowed in the parade. Here's a link to those photos. I think if I couldn't make it as a meteorologist I would have been A) a used book store owner or B) a historian. I loooove history and loooove seeing it unfold before me. Maybe someday I can combine meteorology and history by writing a book on some sort of historical event that was affected by weather or just a history of weather. haha.
Now, to end with a great PhDcomic:
until next time...
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