Commuting, part deux

So as you know, I have a new job.  The commute is nearly the same, just 1.5 miles longer.  I had been in Burlington, but am now in Bedford.  I live southwest of Worcester.  Mass pike to 128 to route 3.  I know, you’re jealous of those clogged highways!  It’s 51 miles each way, but I was able to keep the same schedule I had before – 7 to 3:30 or 4.  Traffic is pretty light in the morning, and is manageable in the afternoon.  Last week, it seemed NO ONE was on vacation.  It took 1.5 to nearly 2 hours to get home.  This week, it takes 50 minutes and there isn’t much traffic at all.  Currently, I drive into the sunrise, which might sound awesome, and I guess it is, but that’s 38 miles (east on the pike) of driving directly into the blazing sun.  Oddly enough, I smile when there’s a cloudy morning.  Less solar slowdowns, no need for smudgy sun glasses and that moment when I’m almost in the building at work and realize I still have prescription sunglasses on.

How do I deal with the boredom of commuting?  Well, I’m pretty used to it by now.  I leave home at 6 and get to work at 7.  I rarely realize how long I’ve actually been in the car because I’ve done it for so long and try not to measure it by time, but instead by what milestones I’ve gone by.  On the pike, these are usually exits or rest stops.  On 95/128, it’s turns in the road and construction progress.  I’m only one route 3 for 2 miles, and by then I’m in the work zone.  Once you’ve gotten used to subconsciously recognizing milestones, you start to acknowledge when and where typical slowdowns occur.  Usually, these are by exits the closer to Boston you get, but there are still some that seem random.  You slowly begin to accept these areas and prepare for them, backing off of the person in front of you or switching lanes if you’re getting off soon.  You get used to it so it doesn’t stress you out…it’s all part of the experience and the routine. 

I used to listen to playlists on my mp3 player or iPhone.  That can get kind of isolating.  Now, I listen to the morning shows and know what times they go to commercial and who isn’t at a commercial so I can switch over.  There are some stations that have great little skits or features I wait for.  I’m starting to branch out, as sometimes the radio personalities get annoying.  Today, I happened to tune in as Mayor Manino  called in to talk about Chik-Fil-A.  That was cool, and who can resist his Boston charm?

Anyways, commuting isn’t bad.  Even if you’re driving over 500 miles a week, it doesn’t really feel it.  If you end up having to commute, don’t fret!

Laid off...but it all worked out!

It’s been awhile, but much has happened.  I was laid off from my previous Company at the end of April.  They had a huge, unexpected layoff in which, among many other things, more than half of the doc team was cut.  Severance was issued, but it wasn’t much and only served to slow the process of receiving unemployment.  It happened to rain all work week during my first 4 weeks of unemployment…depressing since those unemployment checks weren’t coming in and I had nowhere to go.  I spent a lot of time with my cat, but it wasn’t paying the bills.  My days were filled with surfing all the job board sites, applying for relevant jobs and constantly updating my spreadsheet of jobs.  I found that there weren’t many jobs because it was the end of the fiscal year.  I had a year of experience, but most places hiring at the time were looking for 10+ years.  When my eyes were tired from searching, I would clean the house or do household chores to pass the time.  After a couple weeks, I started to get into more of a routine.  That was nice.  I was only unemployed for a month and a half, but that was long enough!

AND THEN IT HAPPENED.

I applied to a company I had wanted to get into since senior year of college.  I had checked the company’s website that morning, to no avail, and a few hours later, it was posted!  It was perfect for me and I hastily applied.  I got a call back the next day.  I spoke with the recruiter who said he’d call me back after talking to the hiring manager.  The next day, I had a phone interview with the hiring manager (it was a Friday), and the next Wednesday, I got a call to come in for an in-person interview to meet with him and three others.  It was incredible!  I scurried home, the 51 miles, and sent thank you emails and wrote out actual thank you cards to mail the next day.

I waited.  I received a call from the recruiter saying things were looking great and I just had to send references and take a drug test.  I was in the clear!  They offered me the job and I gladly accepted and started two weeks later.

The moral of the story: from what I thought was devastating (losing the job), came the opportunity to work at an excellent company with other PWTC-ers and also take a raise and a slight promotion (I was an associate tech writer and am now a regular tech writer).  It’s been one hell of a year, but things ended up very well. 

One year ago

Almost exactly a year ago, I had my first interview with Oracle. Nervous, I put on my new pants suit and ran different questions and scenarios through my head. Needless to say, the interview went very well. Time to reflect on the change a year can bring.

A year ago, I was sleeping on an ever-deflating mattress using my coat as a blanket and a couch pillow to rest my head by the sliding door at my friends' house. Sometimes it was the futon which was a bit warmer. I was living out of a bag of clothes and my backpack. I had extra clothes in my car. My roommates in my apartment were making things difficult to say the least. Until I got a new apartment, I was crashing with my best friends. It was bittersweet. As you can tell from my sleeping arrangements, I wasn't getting much sleep. Actually, I was exhausted.

Interestingly enough, one of the questions posed during the interview was about how I handle difficult situations. I was living one! I handled it professionally once I realized that the roommates would not respond to civil interactions. I sought the housing authority to make the change and until then, I stayed away. One of the interviewers had a similar experience while in school...score!

After the interview, I went to work dressed to the nines and then did a presentation for PWTC to the English major newbies. Then back to the house to do work with my best friends. They were more than welcoming and I will always think fondly of that horrible time because of the amazing friends that supported me.

Bright and early the next day, I had a meeting with Housing. While waiting in the office, I received an email from the people with whom I'd interviewed the day before. They wanted to see me two days later! Amazing news!

The two days before the interview were filled with hurried moving and shuffling all of my belongings to another building with the help of my friends between classes, work, and studies. Still sleeping at their house, I prepared for the interview. The night before the interview, I went home, as my parents' house is MUCH closer to where I was going to be interviewing (still a 45 minute drive).

I met with two different interviewers and then had lunch with the group. It was wonderful! They wanted me and I wanted them. I had the job, they just had to get the OK from way above.

After that interview, I managed to stay awake long enough to drive home and crawl into bed where I slept long and deep. When I woke up, I found it hard to comprehend all that had changed in one week. From feeling hopelessly trapped in an apartment with awful circumstances, to couch crashing, to interviewing, to a new apartment with great people, strengthened relationships with my best friends, and my future career in front of me, I was amazed and senioritis kicked in big time. My life as a working woman, the real world, was ready and spelled out. I had just under two months left in this dream world. It was a very odd and comforting place to be.

One year later...

I am at a different building (longer commute, but such is life) with the same company and the same coworkers.

I have learned a lot but am still learning.

I am preparing for a presentation to PWTC students...when under a year ago I was sitting in those seats.

I have a brand new car.

I am engaged.

I have changed more than I ever thought possible...in the best ways.

I miss college and my friends dearly, but we still keep in touch. With gchat and facebook, I talk to people from PWTC that I never really hung out with in college, and now consider them best friends.

I don't pull all-nighters.

I get sleep for the most part.

I commute 100 miles a day.

I still live for the weekends.

I still enjoy life and find new, calmer things just as fulfilling as the old wild adventures.

Time flew by, but it's worked out well. I will always love and miss my college days and have a soft spot in my heart for the two final months of college, but I was well prepared for the real world from PWTC.