With some leave to burn due to the pending job change rendering the hoarded vacation hours pointless, I took the day off work to go to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. I love the place.

A new job has been acquired.

On Wednesday I went to the interview for this job fully expecting to not take it even if the job was offered, and in the middle of the interview I even told them I had some reservations about it being not quite what I was looking for, but by the end, I was mostly sold. Not totally sold, but sold enough that I accepted the offer.

This wasn’t even a job I applied for; they saw my resume on the one place I have it posted, emailed me a very brief job description, and asked if I was interested in talking further. I was. We set up an interview. Then they sent me more info about the job, and it didn’t seem like my sort of thing. Bummer. But the interview was already set, so what the heck, may as well go. The interview went well, the lead guy flat out told me at the end they liked me and wanted to bring me on board, and the next day (Thursday) I had an offer in hand.

It is not tech writing, and it’s not even tech editing. It’s editing for the graphics department. It sounds busy, has quite a bit of variety, and the topics are fairly interesting. Actually, it seems very non-governmental, which kind of shocks me. Think magazine editor. And brochures and stuff. And reports to Congress, so okay, finally we hit something governmental-like. As for the writing, when I expressed my hesitation to abandon that completely, they thought it likely I could support the public affairs group. Not quite my favorite type of writing, but since I’m taking a detour from tech writing anyway, why not. I was definitely impressed by their desire to make me happy in the position, to find a way to accommodate my desire to write. That speaks very well of the work environment and how they treat employees.

The building is really, really cool. Government buildings tend to look exactly like what you think a government building looks like, but this one doesn’t. It’s huge and very non-square and new and, like I said, really cool – lots of glass, color, hipness. Honestly, half the job’s appeal is getting to work in that building. It’s farther out from my home, so that’s kind of a bummer, but it’s not unreasonable.

I interviewed with a group, all folks I’d be working with, and they all seemed fine. I asked about the atmosphere, and they said things are running smoothly, no major conflicts, and the government is very happy with the work from the contractor. The contract seems as stable as contracting can be. That all matters.

My hesitation is that it’s not tech writing/tech editing. I like tech writing, and this is a different direction. Sort of. I mean, graphics people – they are foreign creatures! And public affairs? Meh. It’s just another corner of the same patch of government I’ve supported for years, so it’s not radically different. I think. And yet it seems so. (Maybe it’s the cool building that’s throwing me off. “Government” and “cool” just don’t match.) That said, it’s not like taking this job suddenly thrusts me down a different career path from which I can never return. I have 13.5 years experience as a tech writer. If I go down this path for a couple years and it’s not my thing, my tech writing experience is still there, so I can go back that direction for my next job. This isn’t even so far different that it’s going to give future recruiters pause when they see it on my resume. (“Editor? Wow, that’s quite a change from tech writing/editing! How did you manage the wild shift?”) So this isn’t some high risk path or anything like that, even if I kind of feel that way and have to keep reminding myself it’s not.

I think this is a good thing. I just need to feel it.

The only strong downside is the appalling benefits package. Alas, for that reason alone I will be casually keeping my eyes on the job listings. I won’t be searching hard. I want to give the job a shot. Also, I consider it incredibly impolite to bail in less than a year. But a casual searching must continue. I really, really, really want to settle into a job long term, but with a benefits package like this one, this company is not going to work for that. Disappointing. I’ve changed jobs too quickly for my tastes since coming to DC. I haven’t had a chance to get bored yet. I want that chance!

Around noon on Friday, just as I was closing programs on my computer in order to migrate to Office #2, Supervisor^2 poked his head in my office.

“Hey, what are your plans for the day?”

“Um, I was just getting ready to head over to [the other office]. Should I not…?”

“Yeah, can you stick around for a bit? Give me 15 minutes.”

I suspected what was coming. I hadn’t yet given them my 2-weeks notice because I’m waiting for the final “t” to be crossed. I fully expect the universe to take this sure thing and rip it away and laugh, so I was waiting until I had a firm start date. (No date until some paperwork is processed.)

Fifteen minutes later, Supervisor and Supervisor^2 came into my office and shut the door and handed me an envelope.

“You probably already know what this is,” said Supervisor^2. He then went on to explain that it was the 30-day notice of my last day as an employee with them. I pulled the letter out of the envelope but didn’t read it because he was just explaining everything then anyway. I fingered the paper and listened and fought crying. I succeeded in the fight. The almost-tears caught me by surprise. I’m the lucky one. I already have my next step. Why be upset? I have no doubt the panic and tears would have broken through if I didn’t already have that offer, but still I fought the panic. My first pink slip. (Well, 30 days notice slip. Or letter, actually.)

Supervisor^2 started talking about how, of course, if I get a position elsewhere before the 30 days, that’s great, and they’ll do what they can to make the transition out of the company smooth. I interrupted.

“Well, actually, I got a job offer yesterday and accepted it. I hadn’t given my notice yet because I was waiting for the last little things to fall into place.”

He was relieved and said he felt much less guilty knowing I already had something in place. They asked where I was headed, and so we discussed that for a couple minutes. Supervisor^2 left, and Supervisor and Prime Physicist (who came in as soon as the door was opened) asked to see my pink slip letter. They (and the rest of our group) would be getting their letters later in the day, and they wanted to know what it said. I got mine early because I was heading out to the other office. Then we discussed my new job.

I still feel a bit panicked, which makes no sense. I’m good. I’m covered. I will seamlessly transition from one job to another. I’m the lucky one. So just chill the heck out, brain!

I really can't get enough of this. It's just so entertaining! Last week BYU called to get a donation out of me, and the student who called asked if I kept up with what was happening on campus. I replied, "Well… not really. No. Oh! Except I read the police beat each week. So there's that." He laughed and agreed it was a good thing to follow. He told me they're building a huge new Life Sciences building. I went online and looked up info about it. Very nice. (I guess I should glance through the alumni magazine before tossing it.)

But back to the police beat.

April 27 – An officer was dispatched to the Cannon Center to care for a woman who needed medical attention because of a blister on her right foot. [Who on earth calls police for a blister?!]

April 27 – A ward group was watching a movie in the common area in the JRCB and was asked to leave. An officer was called to mediate. The group was not cooperative but eventually left complaining. [Whiners]

April 28 – An officer was called to the Chief Massasoit sculpture located on the west side of the HBLL. Someone had placed different colored construction paper teepees on and around the sculpture. The officer removed the teepees. No damage to the sculpture was reported. [This was labeled "Criminal Mischief" but I can't help but NOT be scandalized.]

May 1 – A professor forgot the keys to his office and called the campus police to let him in. After verifying his identity officers let him in. The professor was told he would only be allowed assistance two more times before it is declined. [I am amused that they included the detail about it only being allowed two more times and then, ha ha! Sucks to be you!]

April 25- An individual flagged down a police car and asked the officer to take him to the BYU Student Health Center. The individual was late for an appointment and was feeling chest pains because he had been trying to run to the center. [Nothing but laughter here.]

April 20 – Police were called at midnight with a complaint about a group of males by a white SUV playing loud music and throwing fireballs in Lot 41. When the officer arrived, he located the students; they were lighting powdered sugar on fire by throwing it in the air and lighting it with a lighter. He told the students to turn down the music and to refrain from lighting the powdered sugar on fire. [I'd kind of like more details on these fireballs. I'm thinkin' youth activity possibilities the next time I have a relevant youth leader calling!]

April 20 – Police were notified by a woman that her mother was missing from the library for three hours. She had been in the Special Collections section and could not be reached by cell phone because of poor cell phone coverage in the lower levels of the library. When the officer arrived, the woman was on the phone with her mother. She had been in Special Collections the whole time, an aisle away. [Yeah, that's not embarrassing at all. And then to have it immortalized in the student paper...]

Finally got around to seeing Hunger Games last night. I liked it. Didn’t love it. Good movie, though. The book was better, but that’s usually the case. (Except for Jurassic Park. The movie was way better.) I’m glad the movie made lots of money because that means they’ll cinematize the next two books, and I’m looking forward to that. (Fingers crossed they do the third book justice. That one was my favorite, just barely a sliver above the first book, but I worry how it will turn out in movie form.)

I just have say, though, Lenny Kravitz is a very attractive man. Oh my. More Cinna would not have been unwelcome :-)

Of the previews we saw for other movies, I’m really looking forward to Prometheus. Fingers crossed it doesn’t suck because it really looks like a lot of fun.

I met up with a couple friends, and we went to Gallery Place, downtown. Useful location, but last night reminded me of why I usually avoid the area: people! That and the solid wall of smokers I had to stand by waiting for my friends to show up (because, of course, I was early). Loud, crowded, smoky. What’s not to dislike? I actually like the theater itself, though, and since the movie has been out for ages there were only a few others in the room. Also happily, the line at Chipotle (our target for pre-movie dinner) had a relatively short, rapidly moving line.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

No news on the job front, though today was supposedly the pink slip day. Talked with my supervisor (“Sooo… do I just go to the government building like normal?” “Yep, for now.”) who asked my job hunt was going. I thought I’d been more subtle than that, but apparently I fail at subtle. I told him I’d had some initial interviews, but so far nothing has progressed beyond that. He suggested I kick the search up a notch and wished me luck.

Despair.

Far too long since I last posted. So here, have some snippets with little context and some photos.

1. Job situation still up in the air.
2. Our group in Office #2 moved to a different cubicle area. I am overall indifferent to the move, but the new location is FREEZING!
3. I love my book club group.

Saw the shuttle. It was cool!

I arrived at the Mall around 9:00 and settled in with a book. There were some people already there, but I was one of the early ones. It filled in over the next half hour. There were A LOT of people. Normally I hate crowds, but the wide open space muted it, and it was kind of fun to be experiencing it all together, everyone so excited, no one obnoxious.

I overheard people behind me who seemed to have inside info saying the shuttle/plane was running early, and sure enough, it made its first pass around 9:50. It made three passes. The first went down the Potomac, right behind the Washington Monument. So low! So close! There was a gasp, and “there it is!” and “ohhhh”. A few minutes later it made another pass overhead and to the south of us and then looping around, and a few minutes later it made another pass about the same. Each time there was a collective gasp and “ohhhh!” and scattered applause. I admit, I got chills seeing it. Goose bumps.

I wasn’t sure if there would be a fourth pass, so I lingered, but planes started taking off from National Airport again. No more.

It was totally worth taking the morning off from work.

So, so cool.

A few weeks ago a new Z-Burger opened up in Southwest, right across the street from the Waterfront Metro station. I’d heard Z-Burger burgers were good, so I added it to my list of things to get around to doing. Today was its day.

Conclusion: Yum! Good burger. Nice bun. Lots of topping options. I went with the standard toppings minus mushrooms and onions because I don’t like them. The burger tasted a lot like a Five Guys burger (which isn’t a bad thing at all), but the bun seemed sturdier. I also added onion rings to the order. (I know what I just said about onions, but contradictions and irony are a part of life.) They have shakes, 75 flavors, but that will have to be sampled at a future trip. I got a soda because their soda machine looked fun: a touch screen and lots of options. Did you know there’s such a thing as lime Fanta? It was pretty good.

The burger really was tasty, but unexpectedly the onion rings were my favorite. They were very large rings. They serve them with some sort of orange colored sauce, but I didn’t like it much. I got a side of mayo to make my own fry sauce, since onion rings without fry sauce are pointless, and that was the perfect addition to the onion rings.

I definitely plan to go back.

After that I headed to Union Station to visit The Body Shop for a new facial cleanser and mask (ahhh, happy skin), whereupon I stumbled past a friend who was working at a booth selling Cherry Blossom Festival merchandise. We visited. It was good.