Set it and forget it

As the time between blog posts indicates, I've been pretty swamped with a new new job, my baby, my husband, 8-day power outages, family illness, and weekend getaways. I keep thinking things will slow down soon, but they don't! And my 5:50am alarm sure does go off early.

My new job is going well. The last few days have been very busy, which I like, because the day just flies by. I ate lunch at 2pm today. That never happens. My clock strikes breakfast, lunch, and dinner everyday. I look forward to each meal, and have always reacted to those who claim "I just forgot to eat!" with sincere skepticism. Today I didn't forget to eat, I was just trying to finish a few things before I took lunch.

One bummer is that I now work full-time. I'm the first to admit, I had a very lovely on-ramp back to work after I had Edie. Following my maternity leave, I worked three days a week for about 10 months. In between jobs and newly planted in CT, I had July off, then began working a four-day week. A full year after going back to work, I'm a full-timer again. I'm certainly not the first mom to do it, but I really did enjoy my days home with Edie.

I miss my girl but have been streamlining operations at home to make room for hanging out. For example, we hired a bi-weekly (not live-in, unfortunately) housekeeper on a friend's recommendation, and her rates are totally affordable. I've also been trying to order groceries online. The housekeeper is going well, but the food delivery has not totally taken hold. I have two gripes with Peapod: when something I order is out of stock, they don't provide an alternative. I ordered one type of eggs the other night, and they were back-ordered or something, so I got no eggs. They should just send a comprable carton of eggs. And, what's with the 89 plastic bags? Ever heard of Mother Earth?

Also on my streamlining to-do list: sign up for delivery dry cleaning. They pick up and drop off for no extra charge. Seems too easy.

To counter my new commute, which for the first time ever is in a car, I intend to download episodes of This American Life and KEXP's Music That Matters podcasts. KEXP is a wonderful, unique Seattle-based radio station that I really miss. CT radio makes me want to cry a little, or get satellite radio.

Lastly, Dave and I have started a new family work-out routine. We're training for the Manchester Road Race on Thanksgiving Day, and have been running with Edie after work. We bought some reflective gear and a flashing light for her jogging stroller. Although it's already dark at 5, we stick to the main roads and wear our shiny gear as we run around the 'hood together.

City Mouse or Country Mouse?

Last week I took a red-eye to Boston to meet with some people in the planning and design biz. I had set up four interviews, and a fifth one came to fruition while in town. My biggest fear was that everyone would cancel at the last minute, and I'd be stuck filing my nails. Luckily that didn't happen. My nails did not get filed. Everyone showed up as scheduled, and I got some incredibly valuable information about companies that I might want to (or not) work for.

Upon landing in Boston, Michelle and Camden brought me to sunny Waltham, where I got 1.5 hours of sweet sleep before my first informational interview. I ironed my clothes and sang a few songs to Camden before they drove me back to Boston. After my first meeting at a coffee shop (thank God; I was running on fumes) I had some time to kill, so I took a lovely stroll through Back Bay. The cherry blossoms were blossoming, the sun was beating down, and I gotta say, Boston was feeling mighty fine!

My second interview was with a young man who does what I do for a reputable Boston firm. We met at his well-appointed office in the heart of the city. Turns out that we have a lot in common: both from Connecticut, started our educations at UConn, transitioned to MassArt, do graphic design for planning firms, and have freelance wedding invitation businesses on the side. Michelle suggested we go into businesstogether; maybe she's onto something! Too bad this great firm isn't hiring at the moment. I really liked the feel of the place.

At the end of the day I rode the T to Newton, where my chariot awaited. After Michelle put Camden to bed we ate take-out sushi on their back patio. I kept saying how warm it was, even though I wore my down vest through dinner. For the most part, we're still rocking winter coats in Seattle, so it's all relative.

We met my Dad the next day, halfway between Hartford and Boston. Michelle and I hugged goodbye, and my dad and I drove to Manchester, CT. We proceeded to get lost thanks to TomTom, our deviant GPS. After rebooting, we found our destination in time, where I met with the Director of Design of an engineering and design firm. Their office is located in a refurbished lace and doily factory. I like to think the staff are contributing something more worthwhile to the world.

Armed with the Snack Pack my Mom put together (Babybel cheese, trail mix, and iced tea), my dad called off work for the rest of the day to drive me to New Haven, CT. I knew I was back home when torrential downpours made it nearly impossible to navigate the highway. Before making it to my third meeting at an international architectural firm in town, we picked up Ashley at the MetroNorth train station. Intentions to walk around, rub elbows with the Yalies, and get a feel for the city were washed away by rain. Instead, we ducked into a vegetarian cafe, where we split a huge piece of carrot cake, warmed up with coffee, and I charged my phone by plugging it into a strand of Christmas lights in the shop window. Of course, it was really satisfying to see (pregnant!) Ashley, if only for a few hours. We really don't miss a beat.

That evening, I went home to the smell of a roasted chicken that my Mom baked. She is very good at luring her children home with olfactory bait. I was beat, and after eating and debriefing my Mom and Aunt Kitty, went right to bed.

The next morning, my dad and I drank coffee while he showed me his progress on their basement, which he's been refinishing, slowly, for the past year. We talked a little about design ideas and space. And then I looked at my watch and realized I needed to get on the road, back to Boston.

The drive was great. The sun beat down. I listened to a couple of my parents' CDs on rotation. Then I hit dead traffic outside of Boston, and my heartrate began to rise. I turned down the volume, my eyes darted between the digital clock and the road ahead. TomTom, that bastard, didn't make a peep when I reached a critical intersection off the highway, and I hate to say that I was a few minutes late to my meeting. Shameful. I blame myself, and also TomTom.

But that interview was my favorite. I really enjoyed the women I met, the work they do. I even like the location: within spitting distance of Boston but not in the thick of it. And around the corner from Michelle. True fact: Jay is this firm's FedEx delivery dude!

My trip was fast-pased and productive. I'm so lucky to have people to cart me around, make sure I'm fed and hydrated, and to come out of their way to visit me. I covered a lot of ground, in suburbs and cities. Where do we want to live? The city or the suburbs? I love walking city streets, and the amenities at my fingertips. I do not like gas prices, nor the thought of spending a good chunk of the day commuting with TomTom. But my folks and a big support network are in central CT suburbs.

We'll see where we get work, and take it from there. It's all pretty exciting stuff.

The Magical Job Cauldron

As many of you know, Dave and I are planning to move back to the Northeast within the next few months. That's our goal, but we are reluctant to move without jobs (or one job) lined up. We are both hitting the hunt hard, networking our tails off from across the country, and I've redesigned my web site and developed some promotional material to shop around.

The last time I looked for a job was 2006, when the market was a bit more robust. It took me six months. Granted, I was trying to get into urban planning, a field that I had no experience in, and again, from across the country. I hustled my little butt off until I found one company that thought I had some chops and promise, and I've worked for them, happily, ever since.

I'm sure this comes as no surprise, but today's job market is fierce. I might even say it blows. By one report, at least five equally qualified candidates apply for every job listed. So my strategy is to proactively pursue like-minded companies, regardless of open positions advertised, in the hopes that they'll remember me when a job pops up. Crafting sincere and informed cover letters, tweaking my resume, and researching each firm takes a decent amount of time. And waiting for a response (or no response) can be agonizing.

So to counter the time consuming, dogged process, I've immersed myself in the fantasy world of Harry Potter! Yes, I know I'm about 12 years late to the party, but I finally decided to jump on the Hogwarts Express. I've flown through the first two books and am onto the third.

In my fantasy my job hunt is magical. Potential employers hang up on me when I call to follow up? Let me tap my wand and make them burp ladybugs. Professional contacts dump my qualifications in the recycle bin? Let me add some unicorn fur to my cauldron and turn the contents of that bin into slimy sludge. Actually for every three people who don't respond there is someone who answers their phone or pushes my resume through. And for them I am forever grateful. I'll let them borrow my invisibility cloak or time travel cloak, whichever they prefer.