Work Travel Fun

I do consider myself lucky that I get to travel with my job. I wish I did more, honestly. But I happy that I get to go when I do, especially since some of the places are cool to get to.

I had a quick down and back trip to the Austin, TX area this past week. Nothing 'fun' to speak of, since it was so quick - but we did have a nice lunch as a restaurant overlooking a river in the town of Georgetown. Very relaxing - felt almost serene and non-work trip like. Just last month, though, I got to a couple of other destinations that were, well, picture worthy, to say the least.

First, there was a Portland, OR trip. I have been here before - many times, in fact, when I was at Kite. This was even my second time with Pedcor. But this one was planned with a little cushion and extra time to explore. So we did. Aside from more fabulous food, we checked out Multnomah Falls, which I had seen before, driving by (literally), with only time for a quick stop to take a picture. But this time, some of us hiked to the top. I wish I would've done that the first time... when I was younger. It was a hell of a hike! Only about a mile in length, but the vertical climb was what gets you! But it was worth it - beautiful view from the top, even if it was a little drizzly. I'd do it again, maybe taking a little more time to enjoy the views along the way, too. The Portland area is really pretty, even with the large amounts of rain/dreariness.

The other 'fun' trip was a little more intense, only because I chose for it to be that way. It involved me driving all up and down I-35 in TX, between the north Austin suburbs and San Antonio. Which, if you look on a map, is more than you think. I stayed in Austin for two nights, with the first night being when I arrived and had a little chill time with one of my good friends, Chris, that moved down there a number of years ago. The next day was all the driving... So. Much. Driving. But I don't mind it. In fact, I was a little bummed I didn't get further north to see a couple more of our properties... next time. Anyway... while in San Antonio, I made it to the Alamo. Because why not. I had heard how it's such a small landmark, really, right in the middle of downtown. Any 'they' were right - it is. But it's still something to see, and there's more to it than the infamous building you see whenever you type "The Alamo" into Google. I actually spent more time there than I thought I would... but it was a nice day to walk around the grounds. Plus, with all my driving on I-35, I got to go to Buc-ee's... which if you're from or travel to TX often, you know what it is. The day was wrapped up with a project closing dinner with a bunch of work folks. At a nice restaurant. Of course.

I don't travel as much as I'd like in this position, but I'm happy I get to do what I do... I love exploring and getting away from Indy on occasion. We'll see where the next projects pop up - I'm hopeful for some new destinations.

Cubs Game #3 ?!?

So this was unexpected... a third Cubs game! And Eric DIDN'T have to go to this one... this was actually a one-off work event. What's that, you ask? It's what happens when you have awesome consultants based out of Chicago!

So we received a very unexpected invite for our department to join them (our awesome consultant) for a Cubs game verses the Cardinals. And with the Cubs still doing so awesome, and the Cards being on top of our division, it was sure to be a good game (and probably a hard ticket to come by!). So after some going back and forth, and after realizing that we couldn't all go (so our side of the office wouldn't be left empty), we got the okay to go, with only about 6 of us being able to commit. Was supposed to be more, but two backed out at the last minute (boo!), but we still had a bunch from our consultant's side to fill out the group for an afternoon of fun!

We started at Murphy's Bleachers for some pre-game festivities. After some drinks and a bunch of tater tots (they tasted really good, for some reason), we headed into the game. We were in the stands out by left field - an area I've never sat before, so it was a completely different experience for me! It's a weird combo of die-hard season ticket holder (like really old guys that you can tell have had tickets for ever) and groups that wanted to be in the bleacher (young people drinking a lot). We fell somewhere comfortably in the middle. And the Cubs beat the Cardinals! Pretty good, too, 8-3!!

The whole trip was fun for those of us that drove up. A lot of bonding. Which was cool, because it was across teams and even had a new person for us all to get to know. We got home late, though... midnight, for me, by the time I dropped both the people and the car off (I had the easy access to a rental since I flew back to the airport the night before). I really work with some cool people, bit in my company and as consultants. I really love my job!

First Official Work Trip

So I'm on my way home from my first official work trip. Yes... right now... I'm on a plane. You gotta love technology.

So two weeks ago, I gained the Dallas/Ft. Worth market as my area to find and develop projects. This was an area I've never been before... I can honestly say, I expects Dallas to be very, how shall I say... Texas? You know... "Everything's bigger in Texas" and lots of trucks and boots and cowboy hats. You know... like the show, Dallas. I was surprised to see that is wasn't and really just like any other big city with lots of suburbs. Houston was more 'Texas' (IMO) than Dallas is. Maybe it was because it was just my first time there... but who knows.

My main focus was actually over in Ft. Worth this trip. I had a meeting with the City about a new project, and we wanted to make sure we were heading down the right path before starting the formal design/submittal process with them. Not that those reading this really have a honest care about it, but this site just seems too straight forward to be true... even the City Planner said it was a pretty straight forward looking site. Scary. So here's hoping that's true.

I did drive by some other potential sites and explore a bit. For those who don't know, the downtowns of Dallas and Ft. Worth are about 30 miles away from each other - straight show on I-30 between the two. And as Cities go, the two are actually quite different, from what I saw. Again, this was my first time and just my first impression. Over the next few trips, I'm sure I'm form a final opinion. Upon arrival to DFW, which is right between the two cities, I was hungry for lunch and had only my own schedule to deal with (driving to sites). So I found the closest Panera on my way to my first site. Which happened to be in Arlington. Which I didn't even think about being the home of the Cowboys. So without even looking, I found myself in the shadow of AT&T Stadium. I passed by it a few more time on my trip, as well - you can see it very clearly from I-30. There was also a Wet-n-Wild there, that looked just like the one I went to growing up in Orlando (Kissimmee). Only, this one had be sold to the neighboring Six Flags across the interstate and renamed. But it was still on Wet-n-Wild Drive. LoL

So Texas... I did not think I'd end up there (in a working sense), but there I am. For now. That could change at a moments notice when you're in development. But it'll be interesting while I am traveling down there.

How's the Job Going?

So I've been at my new job 'for real' for a couple of weeks now. I say 'for real' because I can't really count the two weeks I was technically employed there, but not going into the office over the holidays. But now that I have two full weeks of actually going in when the office is fully staffed, I can finally say I feel like it's official.

It helps that I came into this job, working for a guy I used to work for (at Kite). So the comfort level was there from the beginning, which was a huge plus. I didn't meet most of my coworkers until after the holidays - they took off the few days I was in the office. It's really a fun group - everyone meshes together really well. Nobody's going rogue, thinking they know better. That's a nice change of pace from my previous development experience, as well.

I can already tell you that I love being back on this side of development - the client, rather than the consultant. I love being part of the big picture and not just a small piece that I'm not supposed to go beyond. I always felt so pigeonholed, like I couldn't comprehend anything out of my scope.

The company, itself, is amazing so far. I've heard companies say they're like a big family, and I even thought I was in companies like that before... but this one... wow. It really is a big family. No matter your title, everyone's just a family member in the office. And the respect amongst everyone is unlike anything I've seen before.

So yeah... I'm loving my new job. I imagine it's only going to feel more like 'home' as I get more into it and we get busier. It'll be a good wave to ride, regardless.

Eric's Fashion Boutique

I can honestly say that I never imagined I'd be saying, "My husband just opened up a fashion boutique." But, that's what happened. The official opening (albeit, a soft opening) of The Pattern Store was last night.

Okay... so it wasn't all Eric's doing. But he's pretty proud of this - his first true venture as the director of his own non-profit, Riley Area Development Corporation. Not too long into his new job last year, he came up with the idea of starting an 'incubator' of sorts to help a small retail business get off the ground. Ideally, an entrepreneur or someone that didn't have experience opening a store - something that is not easy to do. Riley Area would help with the financial backing (through grants) and the business end, kind of teaching along the way, and the incubatee (is that a word?) would have a chance to learn how to run a business and, hopefully, be able to run it without assistance in a few years. Pretty cool concept, really.

Well, in his inquiries and talking to other community leaders, he found Pattern Magazine, a local fashion magazine that is created and published locally. They were looking for a way to promote the local designers they worked with and thought a storefront and an outlet to sell their clothing would be a great way to do that. But as a non-profit, themselves, and no experience with opening a store (they didn't even have a permanent office space), they weren't sure how to go about it. So a partnership was formed. And, quite quickly, a store/studio space for the magazine concept came to be, and just four months later, a store is now open.

Now there was quite a frenzy of a process to get to this point in just four months. I felt like Eric was back at Kite Realty, for awhile, with the late night he had to put in. He had no say in the fashion inventory going into the store (thankfully, they hired a professional for that), but he was very hands on with the design of the store, done by LUUR Design, if for no other reason than the budget they had to maintain. They jumped right in with design concepts for the store, trying to keep the budget in mind. Then they had to get those concepts to reality... still staying in budget. That's the hard part. But this was where his Kite Realty experience really came into play - he gets how to build out a retail space. Even if it means a bunch of trips to Ikea. And, much to my personal dismay, he also knows how to jump in and do some of the build out himself, if he needs to. Which he always seems to 'need' to help in this way. I think he enjoys playing with electricity more than he lets on.

But the final product is quite cool. He was lucky to have a great team the whole way through and, for the most part, everyone knew their part in making this work. Considering last night was just the soft opening, mostly spread through word of mouth, they had a good turnout and I think it bodes well for their future success. And now Eric can just fall into the silent partner/'big brother' role... maybe. Hopefully. But it's good to see Eric in this mode - and I'm proud of him for this venture. It was definitely out of his comfort zone working with people in the fashion industry - they don't do things like him, and he had to accept that and make it work. And he did. And now I can have people look at me oddly when I say, "My husband opened a fashion store."

Spring Break?

I'm not sure if it's because I live in a cold northern state, or if it's an epidemic brought on by spoiled millennials... but when did Spring Break become such a big deal outside of the college form of Spring Break??

I know I sure as hell never went anywhere for Spring Break growing up - I was just happy to have a week off school! Granted, I already lived in FL... but I kid you not, I know of at least six coworkers/clients that are 'away on Spring Break' this week. WTH? When did this become the norm to actually take a family vacation on Spring Break?? Working and actually being productive (because you can converse with people who you need to) is almost as impossible as it is the week between Christmas and New Years!

I get this was a crappy winter. But really? You have an obligatory need to actually go on a vacation, just because the school calendar gave your kids a week off? You'd think that since 'spring' is finally here, you'd want to just enjoy that and the fact that you can enjoy your own outdoors. I don't see where taking a week off of work makes any sense, especially from the standpoint that everyone else seems to be doing the same thing.

I grew up in FL. This time of year annoys the crap out of Floridians. I think it's worse than snowbirds. At least snowbirds, while old and mostly slow, don't all flock to the exact same place for a week straight. They kind of take up residency and have a clue. It's no wonder Disney can charge $100/ticket now.

Is this jealousy speaking? Maybe. But I didn't grow up with the thought of spring break as anything more than a break from school. Even in college I was a little baffled by the party mode that happened. At least then, the age for partying made it seem a little more tangible.

I digress. I call this week over and pointless in the realm of productivity. Sure.. I want to go to FL, too. But not with everyone else. I'll just go visit my family another week.

The Spring Work Schedule

The thing about spring is that it wakes up clients at work. All winter, they slumber away with their dreams of what they're going to build one day... the keyword there is that they just dream about it.

As soon as the first really warm spring day hits, the one where you can roll your car windows down, they suddenly realize they need permits to build what they want. Which means they need plans. Which means they need to give direction... to me. And they want the plans NOW. No... they want the plans yesterday!

I should be used to this. It's standard practice in my industry. A winter lull leads to lots of spring deadlines and chaos. I had to work today, even... yes, on a Saturday. It sucks. In the past three weeks, I've had at least six 'we need it now' deadlines of some sort... and those are the ones I can easily think of. I'll admit... there's some projects I thoroughly put out of my mind once they're out the door.

But even with the chaos looming, it feels good to be busy. It wearing me out and I'm in desperate need of a vacation - I don't get a spring break like most folks around me seem to. But I'd rather be busy than bored. Which happens for me too easily... but that's just my mind. If there's any chance of it wandering, it will. And a wandering mind means I'm bored.

But I still at least want my weekends. This sudden burst should only be for a couple more weeks, and then we should settle into a steady pace through the summer. Plus, there's construction starts, which get me out of the office. Which I really like. I am not a desk jockey - can't stand being at a desk all day. Granted, it's nice to NOT have to be outside in the winter... but I'd a least rather be running around to meetings then.

This is why I actually miss working at Kite... I really miss the travel. I never got bored at that job. There was always something going on, or some place I had to be. I didn't travel like Eric had to... but it was enough to keep me happy.

Driving Around Indiana

My job doesn't really require travel. At least not in a plane. Some of my new responsibilities, though, require some drive time to do some due diligence for projects. Ideally, you can just do day trips, driving to where you need to go and back. Luckily, Indiana is a pretty small state, so this is pretty doable if it's a 'local' project.

Today was one of those days. I've had a few projects pop up in southern Indiana in recent weeks, and finally, it was time to both see the sites in person, and talk to the City personal that could answer my questions. I drug Eric around a few weeks ago to see a couple of sites when we were in the area, anyway... but the needs had grown.

So I started my journey on I-65 South, heading towards Seymour, IN. It was going to be a beautiful day, weather wise. This made me happy. A lot of people still don't know I have a cell phone for work, so I'm lucky not to get too many calls on it yet. I'm sure that'll change. But the bluetooth in my Armada had me covered if I did get a call. It was about an hour drive to the City Engineer's office... almost all interstate. But it was beautiful out, so I didn't mind.

After a super productive meeting, I was back on the road, heading a little bit deeper in the the farmlands of Indiana. One of my newer projects was between my two meetings, in the middle of nowhere. But it was, again, quite a peaceful drive. But, boy, was it in the middle of nowhere!

My second meeting was in Columbus, IN - an area I'm a little more familiar with from my past work with the airport there. But interestingly enough, I never had to go to the City offices before... yet I was down there every month for about 2 years! This was another productive meeting. And my last 'scheduled' time for anything. From here, it was site visits, which were my own time to schedule.

It was starting to warm up a little, at this point, so I was more than happy to start wrapping up time walking around sites. So after a quick lunch at a Panera in Columbus, I was back onto I-65 North, heading back to Indy. I had one more site to go by, but I literally just had to drive by it to know the status of it. So it was an easy 'stop' before finally going into the office.

Funny thing about driving around for work... it's almost relaxing, in that you don't have the constant drone of computers and 'blah' office noise. I'm almost looking forward to my next day out in my mobile office.

It's Sinking In...

So I've had a week or so for last week's bomb to sink in. I've gone through a few stages... anticipation, denial, panic, anger... but at the end of it all, I'm just trying to stay positive about it all.

And I mean all of it. I think I've been downplaying, in my own mind, everything that just happened to me. And no, I'm not trying to make it all about me... I'm thrilled for both Eric and Rich with their new quests and career directions. But I'm the only person that has been affected by both sides in a great way. And anyone who knows me know that I am the queen of keeping it together. To a point. That's probably my biggest flaw... I push things down deep and put up a fantastic façade that I've got it all together. Then one small thing will just set all that buried emotion off in a volcanic eruption that no one understands.

I guess at the end of the day, I still have things under control. Somewhere along the way, though, I picked up this habit of not letting people see everything going on inside my head (and heart, I guess). And why I'm spilling this all out in a blog right now is a beyond me... maybe I subconsciously see this as a pressure release to avoid a meltdown later.

Please don't take this as an invitation to 'talk about things' with me. If I want to talk, I will. But obviously, I'm not an open book, nor do I want to be. Just know that there's a lot more going on with me than you know, and leave it at that.

Next week will be my first 'official' week in my new gig. Should be interesting. I know my counterpart in the office is completely freaked out, so I know I'll be the epitome of calmness to keep him from freaking out more. Now the question is, will I actually be as calm as I appear to be on the outside?

Busy Season...

One of the downfalls of being in the civil engineering industry is when the busy time of the year is... which in concurrent with when it's nice outside.

Sure, we do some design in the cold months in preparation for the construction season, but more often than not, the developer or municipality seems to forget they have things they want to build until that first pre-spring warm day. And then they want it yesterday. So it's crunch time for us in order to get permits so construction can still happen this year!

So I see some busy days/weeks ahead. Days/Weeks stuck inside when I'm much rather be outside. My FL roots make me yearn to be in the sunshine, not stuck inside at a desk!

Granted, there will be those uber hot days that I'm glad I'm inside, but I still like to be in the sun. I just need to be near a body of water on those days!

Which brings up another thing... when am I going to get my beach time in this year?? I have no planned trips.... bummer.

A Victim of the Economy... Again

So amidst all of these good times with friends and family I've been having, a major downer was sent my way. Once again, I was laid off.

This time, however, I was given early notice (which I've now decided is a bad thing... I'll explain why later in this blog). Last week, after a major announcement from the company on Tuesday about needing to make cuts of all forms (due to an international debacle, basically - my opinion), I was called into a meeting with the head of HR and my boss. As soon as I saw who was calling me, I knew what was happening. This wasn't my first time. Sure enough... though I was surprised I wasn't leaving right then... I figured boxes would be waiting for me. But they wanted to smoothly transition things over. I understood. And I wanted my clients to be taken care of, not screwed over.

This turned out to be a very hard thing to do. Not the transitioning, but the coming in everyday, knowing that in less than two weeks you wouldn't be there. I couldn't tell anyone in my department - I knew I wouldn't be able to handle the questions, the sympathy, etc. I'd start crying at the thought of it, let alone being prompted! So it was kept quiet, only being shared with those work was being transitioned to. Everyday, I took a few things home to avoid having multiple boxes to take home today. Last Friday, one of the big bosses called me upstairs - he was completely torn up about the situation. He even teared up a little talking to me and offered whatever help and support he could give. And again today, another one of the top guys called me up... and he, too, teared up. It's hard seeing the bosses tear up - though you definitely get the sincerity of how they feel in the situation. That meant a lot to me, though it didn't make it any easier. I got similar sympathy and support from the few others that knew the past week or so.

Once I came to grips with the situation and the fact that it was happening to me for the second time in this crappy economy, I started to see the silver linings and bright spots to the whole situation. I'm good at that. For one, I'll be able to get fully packed and moved out of my house in Fishers... FINALLY! This is what I needed - a big chunk of time to just spend up there, making it happen. It also came to light the type of connections I have made in my industry. Pleasantly surprised by that. In fact, there are a couple of prospects due to these connections, so maybe it won't be as long before I'm employed this time. But it's scary to see how little is being posted out there...

So keep your fingers crossed for me. The good thing is I have someone to back me up this go around. Eric has already been a big support for me the past couple of weeks. And since we're married, I won't have to lose insurance coverage or completely lose an income. We'll just be a single income for awhile. Plus what little unemployment will give us.

Here I go again!

Crazy Work Schedule!

So I think this had to be about my most crazy work week since I did full time stock at Publix. It started out like a 'normal' week, but quickly changed...

One of my projects, the runway rehabilitation at Columbus Municipal Airport, finally started construction in the middle of July. The inspector, however, had a previously planned vacation, so I filled in for him this week. It's started out like a normal construction schedule... 7am start time, ending right around 5pm... no biggy. Then we started paving on Thursday...

Now, the past couple of weeks have been HOT in Indiana. Near record breaking, if not record breaking temperatures. So it was mid nineties every day I was down there leading up until Thursday. One element we must keep in check in the temperature of the concrete as it's placed. Well, that 90d temperature was quickly reached and exceeded when the air temperature was near 95. The solution? Night paving.

So my relatively normal days changed... we started at 4am on Friday morning, and even earlier on Saturday morning. And to top it off, I added this morning to the mix with a 2am start time since out inspector wasn't able to make it in that early on last minutes notice after his vacation - so I filled in until he could get there during his normal time.

Aside from the early time, though, the night paving was much better. The air was much cooler and nice to work in - it even hit a low of 66d this morning! So that was good for the machines and the guys doing the work. Not to mention the concrete. And one weird bonus was some spectacular sunrises! Saw more sunrises this week than I normally see in a year! So that was kind of cool.

Needless to say, this wore me out. I slept a lot over the weekend and got off at lunch today and took a LONG nap this afternoon. And I'm still tired! SO I'm off to bed for the evening... *yawn*

A Nice Surprise

I had a really cool surprise at work today. With my local reception tomorrow, I was planning of taking off early today to pick up my parents and finish getting ready. So my focus at work this morning was just to get what I needed to get done, done!

Well, you can imagine my surprise when one of my coworkers lured me into one of the conference rooms for a surprise bridal shower of sorts! BIG surprise - totally unexpected! But I thought it was pretty cool.

They had all pitched in and got a few really nice gifts, and plus, has some cake and chocolate covered strawberries. It was a nice little break from my focus on work. It really makes for a nice work environment when you work with such great people!

Loooong Day...

I just got home. I left my house a 6:30am. And I just got home, close to midnight! Ever have one of those days?? Today was a LONG one... and I'm amped up on the second adrenaline push because I've been going for so long... so I'll blog myself to sleep here...

6:30am - left me house. Had to drive to Zionsville to meet coworkers. We had to drive to Chicago for a 10am meeting with the FAA. Met with the FAA. Went to lunch. Met with the FAA some more on other projects. Finally left. Drove to Michigan City. Had to meet with some City Council member and the some airport board members. This really wasn't my meeting, but I really had little choice but to tag along. Finally wrapped up there about quarter after 7pm... central time.

Bang! Lost an hour already!

Stopped by some Mexican place for some dinner on our way out of town. Ate dinner... and FINALLY started heading home around 9pm (eastern time). Got to my car shortly after 11pm. And now I just got home.

You know you're jealous.

The best part? Tomorrow's going to be a long day, too... 1) Because today was a long day and late night. 2) All of the follow-up that needs to be done because of today. and 3) an afternoon meeting out of the office that's sure to last into the early evening if our predictions are correct.

So now I will go to bed to avoid being loopy tomorrow... if that's at all possible.

Mental Note

I need to remember for next year that January SUCKS at work! It's finally winding down... because it's the end of the month.

Since I deal with certain government agencies (that shall remain nameless), they're doing all their budget crunching right now - which is ultimately good for us. But during January, I have so much data/information to gather and update... it takes SO much time and frustration! I was thrilled to be able to be done at 5pm today... even though I really shouldn't have been. But I just couldn't take anymore!

So I just keep thinking... two more days. Actually, just a day and a half... I'm gone at noon on Friday! Florida, here I come... though that'll be stressful, too, probably... wedding planning!

Brain Drain in Columbus, OH

About a month ago, I was asked if I wanted to go to a seminar on airfield lighting design in Columbus, OH. Since I'm still relatively new to the game, I thought it would be great for me to do... little did I know... let's just say that I had to take a 2-hr test on the last day!

Despite the intense conference, my coworkers and I did get away for a bit on a couple of the evenings. Everyone we knew suggested going to Short North, which is this cultural strip of galleries and restaurants just north of downtown. So we did. The first night we were in town, we hit a little place called the Northstar Cafe. They seemed to specialize in vegan dishes, but had other relatively healthy options for others. And HUGE portions! We hit another restaurant a couple of nights later called Haiku. If not obvious from the name, it was Japanese. It, too, was pretty good. That same night we went to an ice cream joint that had the craziest flavors... sweet corn and raspberry?? But it was wildly popular, with a line out the door. So these crazy flavors must not be all that bad!

In general, I was pleasantly surprised with Columbus! This was my first time stopping in the City (I've driven through, before, on my way to PA). I kind of wish I could've explored their downtown some more, as well as German Village just south of downtown. I'm guessing they have other areas worth exploring, too. Next time, I guess...

The conference itself, as I said, was intense! I kid you not when I say it was basically a college course, complete with final, crammed into 3 days! I don't think the Airport Design Senior Project went into this much electrical detail (for civils, anyway)! Not that I can say that from experience since I did a different senior project... but I can't imagine they delved this much into the electrical side. And of course, my boss wants me to pass along this knowledge (in a much more brief format) during a lunch meeting. That'll be fun.

Oh well. I shouldn't complain about being sent to learn something like this. In the long run, it is good for me. But I know for next time to read the seminar description much more carefully!

Jimmy Buffett Day (at work??)

I've never really gone too much into the company I work for now. The company seems to be a really good company when it comes to taking care of their employees, which is very

rare this day and age. It's nice to know there are still companies like that out there.

Today was a good case for that... we had our annual Jimmy Buffett Day, complete with lunch pitch-in and entertainment even Jimmy would be proud of. The entire office is decorated by some of the staff and they encourage employees to even decorate their own workspace (which I did, of course). I can honestly say I've never been somewhere that celebrates Buffett this way... or ANY way! Even the owners get into and sing (and even PLAY) along! And in the end, they gave away four packages, which included VIP tickets to the concert and a half-day of vacation among other things. I didn't win, but it was still pretty cool. It's such a great way to wind down the week.

They do pitch-ins on a fairly regular basis - at least once a quarter, sometime more near the more commercialized holidays. Each department gets aside a type of dish to bring in and of course not everyone brings stuff, but there's always plenty of food! We have 'grillmasters' that start grilling first thing in the morning so there's plenty of 'main dish' ready by noon. The only downside to it all is that the company has grown so big that the table get pretty tight in the common area. But it's still a lot of fun.

Project Inheritance

I must vent.

Back in November, I inherited a bunch of projects from a coworker who left the company. That part didn't bother me. What bothered me is that just about ALL of the projects were at or over budgets, flawed in design, and had no good direction to go on.

Well, I'm down to one of the last ones, which is under construction. What makes this one worse is that it wasn't even designed by my firm - we're just doing CA on it. There have been lots of issues with it, but I don't know which is worse - the design or the contractor! The plans are far from complete - many lacking details, bad layouts... I'm not even sure how it was approved by the locality. But the contractor, whom I know has done plenty of work in the area, isn't doing the simplest, most obvious things, and then crying "bad design!" Granted, some of the items he's called about are lacking from the plans, but any contractor that knows site work should just be able do what's correct - so much of it is common sense (ie Rip-Rap at pipe ends).

What makes it more difficult is that I have to defend these crappy plans, even though I know they're crap. But we can't take any fault on our end if it's even remotely right on the plans, so I have to make every effort to show the wrong is on the contractor's end. I really don't like doing that, but the fact of the matter is, that's what I have to do.

*sigh*

Oh well. Another day, another dollar.

Stuck in the Mud

So I'm at work today and I find out there's an issue at one of the sites that I inherited. Extra dirt. They need to know where to put in and not effect the drainage. So off I go to Noblesville!

Now mind you, it rained A LOT yesterday, which actually made it a perfect time for this determination - you can tell right away where water already stands and where it needs to go. So I stop off at the house and change into some jeans and boots before going to the site. Good thing, too. Because when it rains in a farm field in Indiana, it gets M-U-D-D-Y!!! I remember when my house was being built, and even when I first moved in (before I grew my backyard), I would walk around and come back into my garage standing a couple of inches taller because the mud would just cake itself onto my shoes!

But today was a little different. I'm walking around the site, observing things and checking out the standing water when I step into a bit more of a muddy puddle than the rest of the area, and I (try to) continue to walk as normal and *pop!* my shoe stays in the mud while my foot comes right out!! Thankfully, I was walking the site by myself, so there was no embarrassment. But it took some effort to pull it out of the mud, and it didn't happen without getting a little water IN the shoe! But eventually I did (you try doing it without putting your socked foot completely in the rest of the mud around you). I shoved it back on, but now I had a soggy, muddy shoe to contend with while I was finishing up.

Oh, and did I mention it was near freezing when I did this? There were snow flurries in the area!

I was much more careful where I stepped when I went back to the car. And now I have a big mud spot on my floor mat I'll have to clean off. But in the meantime, it makes for a fun story to share. So hopefully I at least made you smile. :)

Did I Sign Up for This?

I already have over 20 hours in at work this week... and it's only Tuesday.

A little background. When I started this job, I came in not knowing a thing about airport design - I only ever flew out of them (A LOT!) at my previous job. So they put me on a 'team', which within a few months 'disbanded' somehow. One guy left for another job, another went to work in our Abu Dhabi office... which left little ol' me and my CAD girl, Randie. Now, this isn't the first time I got thrown into a position quicker than anticipated (or desired). I took it in stride, as always, and did as much as I could do. They didn't leave me completely out there, mind you... those who needed to jump in did so. But they also let me know they wanted me to take over eventually. Again, no biggy. Did it before. I like a challenge.

Fast forward to this week. Airport Board of Aviation Commissioners (BOAC) meetings. The second week of the month will always be hell for me, though I hope not this bad.

This was the first month I went to the 3rd of 'my' airports' meetings... and it's two hours away and doesn't start until 7pm (though I had to go up early to take pictures yesterday). This was last night. Of all times, the board members choose this month to get into a BIG debate over something and stretch the meeting out. The meeting lasted over two hours and I still had to drive home. Late night.

Tonight, I had the second of my board meeting for the week. This one starts at 4pm, thankfully, but it's still a 45 minute drive from downtown, and an even longer drive home for me. So not much later than my normal work day, but the driving still made the day seem long.

My third meeting is tomorrow, and is only just down the road in Greenwood. But it does start after hours. The bright side is that it's close. Normally, they have their meetings on Thursday, so I'd have a break in the middle of the week from all the meetings. But due to a schedule conflict, it was moved up a day. It just makes for a long week when they're back to back to back.

I know... it sounds like I'm complaining... but I am looking forward to the weekend already. Hopefully I make it without collapsing. Everything going on IN the office adds to the chaos... really busy right now.

So what's my point? Well... I feel like I've been thrown into the airport world head first, like it or not. I'm treading water fine for now... but man... there's so much to know and I know that I don't know all of it yet, not even close! So sometimes it feels like I'm cramping up and will have to utilize the deadman's float... but not yet. However, I can tell you this is just the beginning of it.