Week two on the newest contract and I'm working on my flow. With this kind of work, the hours and days tend to change with and without notice. This week for example:
Monday: 07:00 - 17:30 (10.5h)
Tuesday: 12:00 - 20:00 (8h)
Wednesday: 08:00 - 19:30 (9.5h)
Thursday: ??
Friday: 08:00 - 19:30 (9.5h)
Monday, Wednesday, Friday I'm "assisting" in a training class. I have to get authorized to teach at this facility even though I've taught before (standard operating procedure no matter who the facility is). That it what dictates my hours for those days. Right now, there is only class 1pm to 5pm but that could and probably will change. I showed up at 7am today to get ready for an 8am class only to find out that there wasn't an 8am class. As my department lead says "we are water, we flow with it", which I like. You won't last long as an Epic contractor if you can't be silly putty - flexible, ready to bend, adaptable and able to copy/memorize.
It's doubly nice that at this project we have lots of dedicated training rooms with hardware that is set up and ready to go. The rooms are roomy with space to spread out, projectors for demonstrations, a box of supplies for each room and individual temperature controls. It's miles ahead of my last project. The management seems very different so far aw well and in all the best ways. They believe us to be the professionals we are. They give us the information and leave us to prepare, not reading it to us like kindergarteners. They understand that sometimes we will need to work more than forty hours per week to prep, clean up, prepare, etc in addition to class hours. They have a highly rational and logical approach to teaching and management. The key might be SO FAR, but I have high hopes and my fingers crossed.
Since I'm working, I can no longer go to the gym at 11am. I'll take advantage to go midday when I can, like tomorrow I'll go about 9 or 10am, but that will be a treat. Instead I have to figure out when to jam it in to my schedule. LAst week I got to the gym exactly zero days. I did run my neighborhood, but nothing the rest of the week. I saw 25 on Wednesday, went to a brewery for a special tapping with a friend on Thursday, saw 25 over the weekend and now it's Monday. I've got to balance work, the gym and a social life. I am having a hard time believing I can get up at 4am to work out before driving to work at 6am for a 7am start but afternoon turns into the "buts" and not my butt on the elliptical machine. After work I am prone to "I could/should go to the gym but I'm tired/I have to go shopping/I need to let the dog out/I have to _____". It's easier to find a reason not to go after work. A Mariners game, a date, dinner, exhaustion are all acceptable reasons. Therefore, it's got to be morning, but MAN! 4am?!?!
I also noticed that the weekend flew by. I'm now playing that age old game of "how to I cram fun and hafto's into just 48 hours"?
Any ideas?
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Monday, April 29, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Thirteen months and Three Days ago
Thirteen months and three days ago, I flew home.
I left Jakarta. Its been an interesting year. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I can't complain (not that it does any good anyway). In the last year I:
There are a few things that I miss about Jakarta. Mostly the people. It's very hard to stay in touch with people half the world and fifteen hours time difference away. I occasionally miss having a maid but I've managed to get back in the routine of doing my dishes and vacuuming without any tears. I rarely tire of driving instead of taxiing around. I do hate the cost of the car (insurance, gas, maintenance), but other than after nights of drinking, don't miss taxis much. I definitely don't miss the lack of outdoor opportunities. About once a month I get a real hankering for warung friend rice or satay. Other than missing my friends, I miss how far money goes there including traveling for weeks at a time to amazing places.
As you can tell if you've read many of my blog posts, I'm a list maker. I constantly have to do lists, shopping lists, follow up on lists, etc. I didn't exactly make New Years resolutions but I've got a few lists.
I want to complete:
We (the guy I'm dating and I) also have a to do list. I'm really excited about it to be honest. It includes things that are touristy Seattle things, some more generic/routine things, some specific to us things. Not only have I met someone who indulges my list making, but also wanting to make a list with me. It's maybe the best list yet.
I left Jakarta. Its been an interesting year. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I can't complain (not that it does any good anyway). In the last year I:
- made a few great friends and some good ones too,
- completed two mud run, obstacle courses,
- went snowshoeing, hiking, kayaking,
- took over the house after mom moved,
- visited California, Oregon, Montana and Eastern Washington,
- worked the majority of the year in a new field where I learned and excelled,
- went to two music festivals and several other shows
- dated and more specifically, I started dating one particular person,
- started on the path to being a healthier, happier me physically, mentally and emotionally.
There are a few things that I miss about Jakarta. Mostly the people. It's very hard to stay in touch with people half the world and fifteen hours time difference away. I occasionally miss having a maid but I've managed to get back in the routine of doing my dishes and vacuuming without any tears. I rarely tire of driving instead of taxiing around. I do hate the cost of the car (insurance, gas, maintenance), but other than after nights of drinking, don't miss taxis much. I definitely don't miss the lack of outdoor opportunities. About once a month I get a real hankering for warung friend rice or satay. Other than missing my friends, I miss how far money goes there including traveling for weeks at a time to amazing places.
As you can tell if you've read many of my blog posts, I'm a list maker. I constantly have to do lists, shopping lists, follow up on lists, etc. I didn't exactly make New Years resolutions but I've got a few lists.
I want to complete:
- 2 or more scuba trips
- 2 or more camp trips
- 3 or more live music shows
- 3 or more trips to other states (first one at the end of this month!!)
- 4 or more mud runs
- 5 or more kayak outtings
- 8 or more hikes
We (the guy I'm dating and I) also have a to do list. I'm really excited about it to be honest. It includes things that are touristy Seattle things, some more generic/routine things, some specific to us things. Not only have I met someone who indulges my list making, but also wanting to make a list with me. It's maybe the best list yet.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Pit falls of traveling for work
When you think abstractly about traveling for work it sounds great. The company pays for your airfare, hotel, rental car and gives you a stipend or reimburses you for food. You'll go to new and different places. It will be FUN! It will be EXCITING!
In actuality it will be EXHAUSTING! It will GET OLD!
Most people in airports don't travel weekly, or even monthly. They stop in the middle of the walkway, they let their kids wander all over, they run into people and things with their rolling suitcases. Want to know a secret? When you go through security, get in the line with the most business flyers. They know, as do I, how to go through any mental detector without setting it off. They won't forget to take their laptop or liquids out of their suitcase. They will have worn shoes that are easy on/easy off and will know that you have to take off your belt, jacket and scarf. Don't, under any circumstance, get in the line with families, seniors who travel yearly at best, groups of teenagers for school or sport trips. If I could fly for work going to airport that only contained other business flyers that would be brilliant.
Staying in hotels sounds like fun too. You have a restaurant in the lobby, you can get room service, most have a pool, perhaps a sauna, someone will clean up after you every day. It's also not home. You don't have all your things there. There may be a fridge in the room but it will have about two square foot capacity. You want to try to eat healthy right? That holds three yogurts, two apples, a bottle of juice and one of tea, a small carton of milk, a half dozen string cheese and that's about it. Remember, you have to buy things that either does require cooking or you can make using hot water from the coffee maker or potentially a microwave, though I only get a room with a micro about half the time. Wait, you're traveling. You don't have to eat in your room, you can go out to eat. Most people like the idea of eating out . . . until they've eaten out for two weeks straight. The food isn't usually the healthiest, and if it is you're surely going over your stipend. Not to mention that sometimes you want something prepared exactly as you like it. Frito pie with extra cheese, the fritos and chili in layers, a few globs of sour cream and topped with Sri Racha? Not in a restaurant.
The only time I watch TV (aside from the rare Hulu binge) is when I'm in hotels. I don't have a TV or cable/dish at home. I'll admit it was fun to watch the Grammy's and the Academy Awards since I happened to have a big, flat screen TV mounted in my room. Unfortunately, I also learned there are shows called "Swamp people" "My 600lb life" and "My Strange Addiction". There was plenty to scare me away from TV watching. The first week or two I watched TV most nights. I'd turn it on for noise in the room. It wasn't long before I was making two or three passes through the roughly 35 channels and seeing absolutely nothing worth watching, and I do think my "worth watch" bar is reasonably low. I watched a couple nights of Storage Wars marathons after all.
At least you get to see some cool new places right? Not so much. When you work nine to twelve hour days, it makes it very tough to go see the city after. Doubly true for small towns where shops close up early. Not to mention I was going to snow based cities in January and February. With my luck, I'd get sent to Florida in July.
Lastly, I didn't really exist. I got a few text messages from friends asking if I'd died or just dropped off the face of the earth. I couldn't make any plans because even if I was going to be home for the weekend, the odds were high that I'd be exhausted. I'd fly in and get to my house about 9:30pm Friday night. I had to do laundry and repack, hang out with my "kids" Skeeter the dog and BJ the cat, invariably do a few errands, then it was about 4pm on Sunday and time to head back to the airport. I missed beerfests, birthdays and special events. I missed 80% of snowshoe season.
Fingers crossed I can find a local job and enjoy some time at home, being out and active, seeing my friends and keeping the "kids" company.
In actuality it will be EXHAUSTING! It will GET OLD!
Most people in airports don't travel weekly, or even monthly. They stop in the middle of the walkway, they let their kids wander all over, they run into people and things with their rolling suitcases. Want to know a secret? When you go through security, get in the line with the most business flyers. They know, as do I, how to go through any mental detector without setting it off. They won't forget to take their laptop or liquids out of their suitcase. They will have worn shoes that are easy on/easy off and will know that you have to take off your belt, jacket and scarf. Don't, under any circumstance, get in the line with families, seniors who travel yearly at best, groups of teenagers for school or sport trips. If I could fly for work going to airport that only contained other business flyers that would be brilliant.
Staying in hotels sounds like fun too. You have a restaurant in the lobby, you can get room service, most have a pool, perhaps a sauna, someone will clean up after you every day. It's also not home. You don't have all your things there. There may be a fridge in the room but it will have about two square foot capacity. You want to try to eat healthy right? That holds three yogurts, two apples, a bottle of juice and one of tea, a small carton of milk, a half dozen string cheese and that's about it. Remember, you have to buy things that either does require cooking or you can make using hot water from the coffee maker or potentially a microwave, though I only get a room with a micro about half the time. Wait, you're traveling. You don't have to eat in your room, you can go out to eat. Most people like the idea of eating out . . . until they've eaten out for two weeks straight. The food isn't usually the healthiest, and if it is you're surely going over your stipend. Not to mention that sometimes you want something prepared exactly as you like it. Frito pie with extra cheese, the fritos and chili in layers, a few globs of sour cream and topped with Sri Racha? Not in a restaurant.
The only time I watch TV (aside from the rare Hulu binge) is when I'm in hotels. I don't have a TV or cable/dish at home. I'll admit it was fun to watch the Grammy's and the Academy Awards since I happened to have a big, flat screen TV mounted in my room. Unfortunately, I also learned there are shows called "Swamp people" "My 600lb life" and "My Strange Addiction". There was plenty to scare me away from TV watching. The first week or two I watched TV most nights. I'd turn it on for noise in the room. It wasn't long before I was making two or three passes through the roughly 35 channels and seeing absolutely nothing worth watching, and I do think my "worth watch" bar is reasonably low. I watched a couple nights of Storage Wars marathons after all.
At least you get to see some cool new places right? Not so much. When you work nine to twelve hour days, it makes it very tough to go see the city after. Doubly true for small towns where shops close up early. Not to mention I was going to snow based cities in January and February. With my luck, I'd get sent to Florida in July.
Lastly, I didn't really exist. I got a few text messages from friends asking if I'd died or just dropped off the face of the earth. I couldn't make any plans because even if I was going to be home for the weekend, the odds were high that I'd be exhausted. I'd fly in and get to my house about 9:30pm Friday night. I had to do laundry and repack, hang out with my "kids" Skeeter the dog and BJ the cat, invariably do a few errands, then it was about 4pm on Sunday and time to head back to the airport. I missed beerfests, birthdays and special events. I missed 80% of snowshoe season.
Fingers crossed I can find a local job and enjoy some time at home, being out and active, seeing my friends and keeping the "kids" company.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Home? Home!
They say you can't go home again. I don't know who they are, and I don't know why they say that.
I'm home. I'm in the house I grew up in actually. It was a matter of coincidence and happenstance that lead me to be the sole inhabitant (aside from my pooch Skeeter). I moved back from Asia and my mom left for California. Since the "ole homestead" is convenient for work I decided to stay there rather than moving to Seattle. It works out for mom because I'm paying the mortgage and this isn't exactly the best time to sell.
I've spent the better part of the last week going through the house. See, mom and I have slightly divergent opinions about stuff. I like to have less stuff and keep it super duper organized. Mom has. . .her own kind of organization system. On those grounds, I have a charity truck coming on Thursday to pick up ten bags of donations.
The house is beyond orderly; it's nearly exactly as I want it. Well, almost. It's 92.4% there (minus the stuff in the garage pending pick up).
I'm home. I'm in the house I grew up in actually. It was a matter of coincidence and happenstance that lead me to be the sole inhabitant (aside from my pooch Skeeter). I moved back from Asia and my mom left for California. Since the "ole homestead" is convenient for work I decided to stay there rather than moving to Seattle. It works out for mom because I'm paying the mortgage and this isn't exactly the best time to sell.
I've spent the better part of the last week going through the house. See, mom and I have slightly divergent opinions about stuff. I like to have less stuff and keep it super duper organized. Mom has. . .her own kind of organization system. On those grounds, I have a charity truck coming on Thursday to pick up ten bags of donations.
The house is beyond orderly; it's nearly exactly as I want it. Well, almost. It's 92.4% there (minus the stuff in the garage pending pick up).
Monday, December 12, 2011
A Rare Moment
I'm not speechless but I do find myself with little to say. I've been very busy trying to make the most of my remaining time in Indonesia, I rarely have an evening to myself. I have consolidated the radio show and business class into a single night of back-to-back busy-ness and fill at least three of the other four weeknights with dinners/get togethers.
It's year end at work which means overall reports. If you'd like more information on that please see this blog. I am happy to report that I finished the grade 4 scores a day before they are due and with much less stress and hassle than previously. Its makes sense that I'd have my system down pat about the time I leave.
I've also lined up several upcoming trips. My friend Donna and I will spend Christmas Day winging to Penang, Malaysia to spend a night and then truck up to Phuket, Thailand. We'll travel together for about a week. After she returns to Jakarta, I'll carry on for almost another three weeks.
I have a ridiculous five days of work at the end of January to complete my contract. It's not even a Monday - Friday; it'll be Wednesday-Friday and the following Monday and Tuesday. I'd hoped to squeeze in a trip to Lombok and the Gili Islands in February but that is in serious doubt now. I'll have to wait until then and see if I have any cents left (note the intentional spelling there).
I return to the land of red, white and blue the second week of February with hopes of an interview that week. I'll be at home long enough to unpack and rest before going to Puerto Rico for a wedding of two fantastic people I met in Spain. Lord knows I couldn't pass up the opportunity so I'll be there a week.
That aside, there are a few things in a bigger picture but that picture is a bit fuzzy now and shan't be discussed yet. Hopefully I'll find something adequately inspiring to write you about tomorrow.
It's year end at work which means overall reports. If you'd like more information on that please see this blog. I am happy to report that I finished the grade 4 scores a day before they are due and with much less stress and hassle than previously. Its makes sense that I'd have my system down pat about the time I leave.
I've also lined up several upcoming trips. My friend Donna and I will spend Christmas Day winging to Penang, Malaysia to spend a night and then truck up to Phuket, Thailand. We'll travel together for about a week. After she returns to Jakarta, I'll carry on for almost another three weeks.
I have a ridiculous five days of work at the end of January to complete my contract. It's not even a Monday - Friday; it'll be Wednesday-Friday and the following Monday and Tuesday. I'd hoped to squeeze in a trip to Lombok and the Gili Islands in February but that is in serious doubt now. I'll have to wait until then and see if I have any cents left (note the intentional spelling there).
I return to the land of red, white and blue the second week of February with hopes of an interview that week. I'll be at home long enough to unpack and rest before going to Puerto Rico for a wedding of two fantastic people I met in Spain. Lord knows I couldn't pass up the opportunity so I'll be there a week.
That aside, there are a few things in a bigger picture but that picture is a bit fuzzy now and shan't be discussed yet. Hopefully I'll find something adequately inspiring to write you about tomorrow.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Where's my mommy? I'm sick!
I'm firmly convinced that one of the worst sensations is being sick away from home or being sick alone. I'm in my late 20's now and nothing makes me want to be in my mom's house with her as company more than being sick.
Last year I decided to stay in Spain for Christmas. I thought it would be nice to experience how they celebrate. It was fine until I got a horrible flu two days before Christmas. I was home alone, miserable in bed. Most of the city and my friends had left for their homes days before. I felt like an island, cliche but true. After three days inside, I had to get out just to get some popsicles and fresh air. I made a full recovery a day or so after than only to get a whopping chase of food poisioning. I was on the phone to my mom, once again wishing I was there. As a child she was the best for a kid with a flu. Cold wash rag on your forehead, popsicles or ice chips, soup, the tv remote and a soft, safe voice asking if you needed anything and reminding you that you'd feel better soon.
Now that I've been traveling for several years, I've gotten sick a LOT away from home. Last month I struggled to get myself to the clinic to find out I had a throat infection. Ojek's aren't nearly as much fun with a screaming headache on the way to the doctor. Then again, neither are subway rides. I've also gotten a lot of different kinds of sick as one could imagine. In Indonesia, food poisoning is more common than the common cold.
Lately there's been a spate of viruses flying about my school. A teacher was out last week with what is presumed to be Dengue fever (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengue_fever). There are at least 2 other strains of virus causing everything from headaches and diarrhea to rash, exhaustion and fever. A couple of guys at work were out 3 or 4 days last week after becoming very rapidly ill. I'm fighting something different. It's a kind of "ill" I've not experienced before. I am lethargic, like I can never sleep enough. Even after 7 or 8 hours sleep, I am struggling to get up and peel myself out of bed in the morning. My back muscles are more sore than they've ever been before. I'm getting headaches most days and I have these strange tiny pink, blue and purple veins which are quite visible on my legs. They just popped up two days ago. I don't know what it is; a friend suggested low grade Dengue. Since it started two weeks ago I've had other symptoms that show up for a couple days and then leave. I don't know what it is but I wish it would go away. Here's hoping several days of lounging on the beach and sleeping in will do the trick.
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| Courtesy of www.uu.edu |
Now that I've been traveling for several years, I've gotten sick a LOT away from home. Last month I struggled to get myself to the clinic to find out I had a throat infection. Ojek's aren't nearly as much fun with a screaming headache on the way to the doctor. Then again, neither are subway rides. I've also gotten a lot of different kinds of sick as one could imagine. In Indonesia, food poisoning is more common than the common cold.
Lately there's been a spate of viruses flying about my school. A teacher was out last week with what is presumed to be Dengue fever (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengue_fever). There are at least 2 other strains of virus causing everything from headaches and diarrhea to rash, exhaustion and fever. A couple of guys at work were out 3 or 4 days last week after becoming very rapidly ill. I'm fighting something different. It's a kind of "ill" I've not experienced before. I am lethargic, like I can never sleep enough. Even after 7 or 8 hours sleep, I am struggling to get up and peel myself out of bed in the morning. My back muscles are more sore than they've ever been before. I'm getting headaches most days and I have these strange tiny pink, blue and purple veins which are quite visible on my legs. They just popped up two days ago. I don't know what it is; a friend suggested low grade Dengue. Since it started two weeks ago I've had other symptoms that show up for a couple days and then leave. I don't know what it is but I wish it would go away. Here's hoping several days of lounging on the beach and sleeping in will do the trick.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Winter in the Tropics
I’ve found a way to bring winter to Jakarta. It helps that it’s now the rainy season. It rains, strike that, it pours most afternoons, often for interminable hours. I quite enjoy it if I am inside because it makes the sky gray and dark, more like winter in Seattle. The clouds tend to sit really low in the trees around my school. I like the winter feeling it portends right up until I have to get on the motorbike in my plastic suit (refer to previous blog “When it rains, it pours” for more on ojeks, rain and plastic suit). It doesn’t get cold-cold, but it’s much cooler. It’s more a change in my mentality; it’s not sunny therefore it’s cold. If there’s no rain then it’s still hot, last week we had a couple of scorching days.
In addition to my mental state, I’ve brought the cold to my physical world. After work when I get home, I turn the air conditioning to cool my room while putting things away and eating dinner. After which I proceed to take a cold shower (this is not by choice). Next I hop into my sweats. My “buy of the week” last weekend was an over-sized gray hooded sweatshirt, American style. I’ve been in it three of the past five days. I bought it at a second hand shop, with thanks to a fantastic shopping partner. It’s still so thick and fluffy it’s hard to believe it’s not new. I suppose it’s a step up from my “buy of the week” last week- a splurge for celery and cottage cheese. You laugh but they’re not easy items to find here and much more expensive than at home. Before you go speculate, I did not eat them together.
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| courtesy of qualitylogoproducts.com. Mine looks just like this, without those logos. |
Growing up I was never a snow bunny, or even a particular fan of the cold. My sister joined ski club in junior high. As far as I know, she’s gotten ski passes ever since. Beyond not being much a skier, I could never rationalize the cost for a chair lift, gas, food, gear, etc, etc. I’d tell my friends that in my family my dad and I were the sun worshippers (I still think the Egyptians may have been on to something) while my mom and sister were the snow fans. While I do love a beautiful sunny day, and I currently miss tanning at the pool, I have become conscious of how I enjoy the change of seasons. It threw me for a loop when I first arrived in January. I went from cold weather and short days to 12 hours of sunlight, with heat and humidity. It wasn’t until about May or so that I wasn’t sweltering. In the first several months I thought I was a fool for bringing jeans, now I’m in them several days a week. Aside from the rain, the days are always about 12 hours long. When I get on the ojek at 06:00 its light but the sun isn’t up yet. It gets dark about 18:00, rain aside.
As people mention the change of season, temperature and wardrobe in their facebook statuses, I sigh longing for my boots, scarves and sweaters. In the meantime, I’m making my own autumn and looking forward to December and January back in Seattle. La Niña means we might even have snow! Three weeks should be plenty for me to get tired of it and head back “home”.
An associated point-
One more point before I wrap this one up, it dovetails with the end of the previous paragraph. When I meet other expatriates there is a point not far into the first conversation when details about place of origin surface. The concept of HOME is close to home for me. It was interesting in Spain when I had to regularly explain the difference between ‘house’ and ‘home’ to my students as there is only one word- casa which is literally house-in Spanish that suffices for both in English. I tell people I’m ‘from’ Seattle; I was born and raised there. Seattle is also still HOME. My family lives there, it’s my permanent mailing address for important correspondence, it’s the place I go back to, not just go to. As of now, I haven’t lived there more than four months in six years. My mother is nice enough to let me store some stuff there, stuff I’ve been trying to whittle down each consecutive trip HOME. It’s a city I can still navigate in a car. I haven’t owned a car in over three years so that might be a feat. Seattle is a place full of memories and security, of fantastic locations, friendly people and variety. Seattle is a place I talk up to anyone who will listen. I have never heard a story from another traveler about how they hated Seattle; everyone likes it or if they haven’t been, they want to go. For this year and another Christmas, I am looking forward to being home, with family and my Seattle.
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