I spent that last six days at the Oregon Coast and the experience was exactly as it was expected to be. The weather changed several times a day, there were a lot of tourists, and the kids couldn't stop begging for candy, swimming, the beach, the arcade, stuff, candy, swimming, clam chowder, candy,... Well, you get the picture. It was a relaxing time overall and we all had a good time. The kids got to do all of the things they wanted, the SO got her hair did and a manicure, I went running most mornings, and we all got a lot of sun.
No sooner did we get home than we turned around and went shopping for shoes and school clothes at the Nike Employee Store. If you have never been there, or even heard of it, the store is basically Nike's clearing house for styles and also a way to provide apparel for staff at highly reduced rates. A neighbor of mine got us a guest pass so we could partake, yet again, in the savings and madness of the store. We were all ready to check out when what did we see, but huge duffel bags that will work for carrying stuff overseas. So there went more money.
As for going to D.C., the countdown is at seven days and a wake up.
Be well.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Vacation and Work
It feels kind of strange going on vacation a week before my last days at work, but I booked this vacation last summer and have no intention of giving it up. Five days on the beach with my family is just what I need before I drive 3000 miles to start my new life. The Oregon Coast is perfect this time of year and I am looking forward to sitting back and staring at the ocean for hours while my kids play in the sand and the surf.
As for work, once I return from the beach I will have three full working days left. Time enough to clean out my office, have a few meetings, clean out my email and computer files, shake hands and give/get hugs, and generally close out a chapter of my life that spanned 13 years. This is a very surreal experience and one that I have mixed feelings about. I am trying to stay present throughout and pay attention to how I am feeling, how others are responding/reacting, and not just glossing over this part of my life. There is a lot to learn here if I pay attention.
Lastly, I have my travel orders and I have mostly cleaned out my car in preparation to fill it up again with all that I am taking to DC with me. You can see the inventory in a prior post, but now I have to re-figure how I am packing everything in. I thought I could hang my clothes behind my seat but it turns out there isn't enough space. This means they go behind the passenger seat, reducing visibility. But I guess that doesn't really matter, since I have no intention of looking back.
Be well neighbors!
As for work, once I return from the beach I will have three full working days left. Time enough to clean out my office, have a few meetings, clean out my email and computer files, shake hands and give/get hugs, and generally close out a chapter of my life that spanned 13 years. This is a very surreal experience and one that I have mixed feelings about. I am trying to stay present throughout and pay attention to how I am feeling, how others are responding/reacting, and not just glossing over this part of my life. There is a lot to learn here if I pay attention.
Lastly, I have my travel orders and I have mostly cleaned out my car in preparation to fill it up again with all that I am taking to DC with me. You can see the inventory in a prior post, but now I have to re-figure how I am packing everything in. I thought I could hang my clothes behind my seat but it turns out there isn't enough space. This means they go behind the passenger seat, reducing visibility. But I guess that doesn't really matter, since I have no intention of looking back.
Be well neighbors!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Promoted
Big news! I was promoted to Green Belt this evening and that is an awesome thing for me. With just three weeks until I move to D.C. and look for a dojo it will be good to show up with more than a white belt after nearly two years of training. Of course this means I have to work harder so I don't make my senseis look bad when I move but that isn't a bad thing.
On a different note; DAMN I'M SORE!
On a different note; DAMN I'M SORE!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Wardrobe
I picked up my last suit from Macy's this evening, bringing my grand total to five. Yes, that's right, I now own five suits. You may not think this is a big deal, but up until 4 years ago I didn't even own one. As of June of this year I only owned one.
Now I own five.
I am changing worlds; from sweats or khakis to a suit and tie.
Oh well, it's just another uniform, to be worn with pride in service to my country.
Did I forget to mention that I bought a watch too? I did? Oh. Well, I did buy one, so now my wardrobe is complete. I hope.
Now I own five.
I am changing worlds; from sweats or khakis to a suit and tie.
Oh well, it's just another uniform, to be worn with pride in service to my country.
Did I forget to mention that I bought a watch too? I did? Oh. Well, I did buy one, so now my wardrobe is complete. I hope.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Decisions
It's three weeks out until I drive off into the sunrise to begin my adventures in D.C. and it's time to start figuring out some of what is going to come with me and what will arrive later when my family joins me. So far the list includes:
golf clubs
three cases of beer that didn't get consumed at my Birthday party
a half case of wine from the same event
(Please note that the important stuff is listed first)
most of my clothes
assorted hand tools
some things to drop off with family for safe-keeping along the way
my coffee maker and coffee grinder
five pounds of Pete's coffee
rice cooker
printer and scanner
laptop
a few books
and pictures
That should all fit in a 97 Saturn, don't you think?
On top of these decisions, I am also selling most of my library, throwing away and/or donating old clothes, and just generally downsizing my life. Oh yeah, I have to empty out my office too, and decide what I will leave with my staff, what stays for the new manager, what gets tossed, and what I will bring with me. It's amazing just how much stuff you can collect over 13 years in the same company.
Seriously! You just never realize how many damned knick-knacks you collect or inherit in your life until it is time to move them somewhere, AND you have a weight limit.
golf clubs
three cases of beer that didn't get consumed at my Birthday party
a half case of wine from the same event
(Please note that the important stuff is listed first)
most of my clothes
assorted hand tools
some things to drop off with family for safe-keeping along the way
my coffee maker and coffee grinder
five pounds of Pete's coffee
rice cooker
printer and scanner
laptop
a few books
and pictures
That should all fit in a 97 Saturn, don't you think?
On top of these decisions, I am also selling most of my library, throwing away and/or donating old clothes, and just generally downsizing my life. Oh yeah, I have to empty out my office too, and decide what I will leave with my staff, what stays for the new manager, what gets tossed, and what I will bring with me. It's amazing just how much stuff you can collect over 13 years in the same company.
Seriously! You just never realize how many damned knick-knacks you collect or inherit in your life until it is time to move them somewhere, AND you have a weight limit.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Paperwork
I'm going to work for the US Government. Again. I was reminded of this when I had to fill out the 10 inch thick security clearance forms. OK, fine, 3/4 of an inch, but it sure felt like more. That was only a teaser though for what was to come. Before I even leave for D.C. to start training, I had to provide State with 20 separate forms. That's right, 20.
What was my ethnicity?
Do I have a disability?
How much Life Insurance do I want?
Who gets it?
Who gets any back pay if I die on the job?
(No, I'm not whining. I know I have been hired for an amazing job and am lucky to have one. I'm just pointing out what has to happen before I even start getting paid.)
You get the picture. Some I could just fill in a couple of fields and sign. Some were bigger, and some required witnesses. There were even some I had to fill out and not send, but rather bring with me for my first day.
Did I mention that this is the US Government we are talking about? Good, because you might then understand that I also made a lot of copies of all these forms, just in case I have to turn them in again. And then give another copy to the next department, and the next, and the next, and then have copies left over when the first set is misplaced. I've done the paper dance before so I am planning on overkill, hoping I wont need any of the copies.
I know there will be LOTS more paperwork in my future, and my soul is prepared. I just hope my organizational skills are prepared too.
What was my ethnicity?
Do I have a disability?
How much Life Insurance do I want?
Who gets it?
Who gets any back pay if I die on the job?
(No, I'm not whining. I know I have been hired for an amazing job and am lucky to have one. I'm just pointing out what has to happen before I even start getting paid.)
You get the picture. Some I could just fill in a couple of fields and sign. Some were bigger, and some required witnesses. There were even some I had to fill out and not send, but rather bring with me for my first day.
Did I mention that this is the US Government we are talking about? Good, because you might then understand that I also made a lot of copies of all these forms, just in case I have to turn them in again. And then give another copy to the next department, and the next, and the next, and then have copies left over when the first set is misplaced. I've done the paper dance before so I am planning on overkill, hoping I wont need any of the copies.
I know there will be LOTS more paperwork in my future, and my soul is prepared. I just hope my organizational skills are prepared too.
A Hard Right Turn
I'm 40 now, and as the title of this blog says, I am making a hard right turn in my life. 18 months ago I decided it was time for a change in career. I have always wanted to travel, see new things, visit lots of places, and meet more people.
But how was I going to do this? I certainly didn't make enough. I don't have a trust fund. So what was I going to do?
So I started looking at options. Teaching at the American Schools, working for the DOD as a civilian contractor running rec programs. Both possible, but I wasn't finding jobs I thought I was qualified for. Then a friend suggested I look into the US State Department. I did, and I was immediately hooked. Foreign Service Officer! That looked like the job for me! Live in different countries, meet lots of people, see new things. Everything I wanted and they were going to pay me to do it too.
There was a catch though. There were tests involved. Three of them. Apparently they were very hard and the only people that knew how they were scored weren't telling. The first test, the FSOT, was a three hour test, much like the MCAT, GMAT, AFOQT, CPA exam, etc.
Hard.
So I signed up and checked out the online resources. The reading list (pdf) was rather daunting and dammit, I had to go back and learn US history again. I didn't get a seat during the next round of testing so had to wait until June of last year before I could take it. I got to the testing site and the computers couldn't connect to the test server. JOY! But Lo, the IT gods were smiling and they got it to work and I took the test. Three weeks later I was told I passed, and oh by the way, will you please answer these questions and send them back to us in three weeks. Kthanksbye!
So I answered their questions, sent them in, and waited. And waited, And waited. Mind you, I sent them in July. It was now September. I still waited, until a member of a Yahoo group for the Foreign Service Oral Assessment (FSOA) announced that invitations to the Oral Assessment (OA) were coming out.
And Lo! I answered the mysterious questions correctly and received an invitation to sign up for the OA, and oh by the way, here is the window of time where you can sign up. So on that day I stalked the signup site and the system overloaded and I couldn't refresh fast enough to get signed up. I waited 15 minutes and went in to sign up again. Would you believe that 80% of the available dates were already taken?! But I got a date in January of this year and bought my tickets for D.C. I wont bore you with the details, though I know there are OA hopefuls out there who wish I would, but suffice it to say, I passed on my first go. I passed with the lowest score possible, but I passed. So what next?
Let me tell you.
Nearly every detail of my life for the past 10 years was peered into by the State Department, trying to figure out if I was a security risk and if I was going to die soon of cancer or a heart attack. Or maybe I was depressed, or used drugs. Lucky for me I was clean enough that they gave me a clean bil of health and said I was trustworthy enough.
What does that all mean? It means I got put on the bottom of the depth chart for a Management position in the Foreign Service. It meant that unless I learned a language, I was never getting off that list and getting a job offer. So I started studying Mandarin in hopes of getting off the list in 18 months, the total time you can stay on the list before getting kicked off and having to start over. On a chance, I sent in my DD-214s from the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard to see if I could get any Veteran's Preference points to help my score, and what do you know, it did. I got moved from 137th on the list to 37th! That's right, 100 spots! I was blown away. I had a real shot at getting a job offer this year (2011).
Soon I was 25th on the list and I was told that only 15 to 18 would be chosen for the September A-100 class, the class that introduces you to the Foreign Service and must be gone through by every new member of the Foreign Service. I was sweating because I didn't know how many of the people in front of me had deferred or were on the Do Not Call list. Then word came out on June 27th that not only were offer letters going out, but that there were going to be 22 offers for Management. Talk about torture! So I emailed my HR contact and asked "where was I on the list and can you please, pretty please, tell me where I am on the list and are you really taking 22 people?"
Crickets.
Not a peep out of them.
And then, on the afternoon of the 28th, I got the email that every candidate wants to see. You have been accepted! And there, about a month before my 40th Birthday, my life began what is shortly to be, a hard right turn.
But how was I going to do this? I certainly didn't make enough. I don't have a trust fund. So what was I going to do?
So I started looking at options. Teaching at the American Schools, working for the DOD as a civilian contractor running rec programs. Both possible, but I wasn't finding jobs I thought I was qualified for. Then a friend suggested I look into the US State Department. I did, and I was immediately hooked. Foreign Service Officer! That looked like the job for me! Live in different countries, meet lots of people, see new things. Everything I wanted and they were going to pay me to do it too.
There was a catch though. There were tests involved. Three of them. Apparently they were very hard and the only people that knew how they were scored weren't telling. The first test, the FSOT, was a three hour test, much like the MCAT, GMAT, AFOQT, CPA exam, etc.
Hard.
So I signed up and checked out the online resources. The reading list (pdf) was rather daunting and dammit, I had to go back and learn US history again. I didn't get a seat during the next round of testing so had to wait until June of last year before I could take it. I got to the testing site and the computers couldn't connect to the test server. JOY! But Lo, the IT gods were smiling and they got it to work and I took the test. Three weeks later I was told I passed, and oh by the way, will you please answer these questions and send them back to us in three weeks. Kthanksbye!
So I answered their questions, sent them in, and waited. And waited, And waited. Mind you, I sent them in July. It was now September. I still waited, until a member of a Yahoo group for the Foreign Service Oral Assessment (FSOA) announced that invitations to the Oral Assessment (OA) were coming out.
And Lo! I answered the mysterious questions correctly and received an invitation to sign up for the OA, and oh by the way, here is the window of time where you can sign up. So on that day I stalked the signup site and the system overloaded and I couldn't refresh fast enough to get signed up. I waited 15 minutes and went in to sign up again. Would you believe that 80% of the available dates were already taken?! But I got a date in January of this year and bought my tickets for D.C. I wont bore you with the details, though I know there are OA hopefuls out there who wish I would, but suffice it to say, I passed on my first go. I passed with the lowest score possible, but I passed. So what next?
Let me tell you.
Nearly every detail of my life for the past 10 years was peered into by the State Department, trying to figure out if I was a security risk and if I was going to die soon of cancer or a heart attack. Or maybe I was depressed, or used drugs. Lucky for me I was clean enough that they gave me a clean bil of health and said I was trustworthy enough.
What does that all mean? It means I got put on the bottom of the depth chart for a Management position in the Foreign Service. It meant that unless I learned a language, I was never getting off that list and getting a job offer. So I started studying Mandarin in hopes of getting off the list in 18 months, the total time you can stay on the list before getting kicked off and having to start over. On a chance, I sent in my DD-214s from the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard to see if I could get any Veteran's Preference points to help my score, and what do you know, it did. I got moved from 137th on the list to 37th! That's right, 100 spots! I was blown away. I had a real shot at getting a job offer this year (2011).
Soon I was 25th on the list and I was told that only 15 to 18 would be chosen for the September A-100 class, the class that introduces you to the Foreign Service and must be gone through by every new member of the Foreign Service. I was sweating because I didn't know how many of the people in front of me had deferred or were on the Do Not Call list. Then word came out on June 27th that not only were offer letters going out, but that there were going to be 22 offers for Management. Talk about torture! So I emailed my HR contact and asked "where was I on the list and can you please, pretty please, tell me where I am on the list and are you really taking 22 people?"
Crickets.
Not a peep out of them.
And then, on the afternoon of the 28th, I got the email that every candidate wants to see. You have been accepted! And there, about a month before my 40th Birthday, my life began what is shortly to be, a hard right turn.
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