Widows and orphans

Writing this down makes it so much more real than I'd like it to be. My mom died on Tuesday evening. It was sudden, it was quick, and we are heartbroken.

I'm not really sure what else to say. I certainly didn't expect to bury both my parents and my grandma in less than three years, but clearly God had a different plan. Hug your family. Tell your friends you love them, and don't ever take a moment for granted.

Team Highlighter walks again

In anticipation of getting my ass kicked at Bay to Breakers in (gulp) three weeks, I decided it was time to hit the road this morning. Though I haven't lost any speed, this nine month hiatus has left me starting mostly from scratch. Today, I walked some short intervals. In the rain. It was kind of awesome. And, if my Garmin wasn't completely wrong, it was also pretty fast. So I'm happy. Cold and wet, but happy.

And since I'm gearing up for Bay to Breakers, I walked this morning in my Team Highlighter racing outfit.

Turns out, in the rain and the fog, everybody else is dressed like this too. Except for that woman in the bunny ears.

If I had a smart phone....

I could track the bus departure times, so that I would arrive at the bus stop before the bus does, rather than watch it pull away while waiting for the light to change on the other side of the street, four days in a row.

I could check the weather before I leave my house, instead of getting stuck in a rain storm while walking to work.

I could check email and maybe blog on my lunch hour, instead of missing all my Internet friends in my days-long seclusion from the social aspects of the Web.

I would most likely not have 600 Facebook posts waiting for me when I finally turned on my computer last night.

I could possibly carry on a conversation from my apartment, instead of dropping every. single. call. I try to make from my house.

I think I could take better photos on days I can't carry around my camera.

Well, maybe not so much that last point. It's possible that the camera on my lousy not-a-smart-phone is its best feature.

Zero to 5K in record time

I met a friend for brunch yesterday, and as we were enjoying fabulous food, she mentioned that a local 5K fundraiser was happening this morning. She was thinking of going, provided public transit could get her across the Bay before the race started. We talked about some other ways of getting there, and I thought the race sounded like fun. I committed. We figured out driving logistics, and she registered us at Sports Basement.

I haven't even considered pinning on a bib and appearing at a starting line. I registered for Bay to Breakers with the idea of strolling my way across the city. My foot is mostly healed, and I've worked hard to get stronger, but I've got a lot of work to do to get back into race shape. Or at least I thought I did.

It was a small race on a flat course along Lake Merritt, and we started out conservatively. We chatted through the first mile, but realized when my Garmin beeped that we could put out a little more effort. And we finished the second mile a minute faster. And the third mile a little faster than the second.

By the third mile, I was trying to keep up with my faster-than-myself friend, while trying to fend off the friend on my heels. Together, they pushed and pulled me to a pretty serious 5K PR. A PR faster than any of the times I estimated I would have been capable of last year, had my foot not gone on strike. A PR that maybe could have been faster, except that I slowed to talk to friends (and strangers) along the course.

I am stoked. And my foot seems pretty happy. And the race was completely unofficial, so I'll have to duplicate this effort again after I've got some real training under my feet. Hopefully, that will be sooner rather than later. I just need to convince my foot of that.

Transition

I'm not gonna lie: at around 3 pm yesterday, I really, really missed my ability to nap at will in the middle of the afternoon. And I'm pretty sure my new office would frown on me setting up camp under my desk and settling in for some shut eye. Though my desk is pretty big, and I could maybe sneak far enough under it that nobody would notice my blankets.

But, nap woes aside, things have gone pretty well the past few days. Everyone I've met so far is very nice and welcoming. My on-foot commute is 20 minutes, and on the bus less than 10. I think I'm going to like my team, and the work is going to be challenging, but not ridiculous. Yes, I'm overwhelmed by all the newness, but I know that will fade quickly. I'm relieved that a lot of the work I'm doing right now is similar to what I've done before, so while the details have changed, the basic framework has stayed the same. That's helped me to be productive this week, and to only stare blankly at the computer screen for a little while each day.

All in all it's good. A little exhausting right now, but good.

Ready

The clothes are ironed. I've decided what I want to wear on my first day of work. The fridge is stocked, and my sister's awesome chili recipe is simmering in my crock pot. I'm nervous about all the usual first day things: will my colleagues like me? Will I like them? Will I get lost in the building again like I did last week?

For the most part, though, I'm ready. I already know where my desk is. I can already find the bathroom and the kitchen, and I know where to go for a mid-afternoon caffeine fix. And I'm so excited to get back to work. I felt a small wave of sadness today when I realized that, by no longer working downtown, I'll miss lunch dates with a couple of really good friends. I'll also miss some of the Financial District's best lunch spots. But lunch dates can easily become happy hour. And I'm sure there are some terrific hidden lunch spots new my new office. And I'm assured there are good places to eat in the cafeteria.

I also got a little blue this morning as I enjoyed the quiet of an almost deserted gym. But I can get up earlier or fight the after work crowds again like I used to. And I can take some lunchtime classes at the gym on campus. I think faculty and staff yoga will be particularly fun.

I'm trying to keep my expectations low for the first few weeks, because I know everything will be chaos. Transition is hard, no matter how long I've waited for it, or how much I want it. But I'm ready to go. 

The final stretch of my job search marathon

After nine months and four days of unemployment, I signed an offer letter today. I've got a job!

And after a week of emotional turmoil - from being turned down to being reconsidered to getting a verbal offer at the end of the final interview yesterday morning - I am ready to get started. I met some colleagues and got a brief office tour today. I like my desk. I've got a window that opens (!!) and a pretty view. And my plants will do well in the sun.

I've signed a bunch of papers and met several people whose names I probably won't remember come Tuesday, but that's OK. I know I won't feel like the new girl for too long. And I'm sure I won't get lost in the building after the first week or two.

Funemployment ends on Tuesday, and I have a bunch of adventures to finish up while I've got the time. But first, I need a nap. The past two days have been exhausting. But awesome.