The Verdict Is In: I Love My New Job!

You find out what you are supposed to do each day, and a person figures out how to do most of those things. You feel like you belong. You have a sense that you generally know what you're doing. People tell you that you're doing a good job.

(My desk - note the Oregon State logo in the bottom left)

(A closer view)

These are the events that are making me love this job. I'm going to go out on a limb and tell you that I think my coworkers love having me in this office as much as I like being there! I am starting to feel like I'm fitting in. One lady (one of many employees) has been there for over thirty years, told me "you're going to love it here, it's just like a family." I knew at this point I had made the right decision. It is definitely confirmed at this point that I've landed in the right place. They are keeping me more busy now as well, people are finally discovering that I'm the new technology coordinator. It's a good feeling.

(I frequent the nearby Subway at the Capitol with friends Michele and Virginia, who took a pic of me feeding my face as I only have a half hour lunch break while I'm going through radiation treatments -- this allows me to leave work early in time to make it to OHSU)

(There's one of the guilty party - Michele, who has been known to mess around with my cell phone at lunch time! BELOW: Our insane server room at ODOT)

I am also starting to make some new friends with some pretty cool people. One guy, Jonathan Stephens I got to know pretty well in the past couple of weeks... I guess as well as you can get to know someone in two weeks. He works in the GIS unit (where my cubicle is), and this guy loves maps. That is a good thing, because it means he likes his job too. I look forward to getting to know him even better in the coming weeks and months. I also got to know Laura, Robin, and a few others a little better in the past couple of weeks as well.

A fellow by the name of Ryan Johnson, was a senior when I was a freshman at Joseph High School... he is literally feet away from me in the same office. To have two guys from Joseph working in the same office in Salem is just strange! Anyhow, I didn't know him hardly at all when we lived in Joseph, but I'm getting to know him better now too.

(view of my desk from where I sit in the GIS unit, notice the maps all over)

This weekend my folks came down and we had a delicious dinner at McGrath's... which is probably my favorite seafood place in Salem now. We also hung out and watched a few movies this weekend and they left this morning. Unfortunately my mother had a dentist appointment scheduled for Monday, so they had to leave today. Oh well, in just another week I'll be home for Thanksgiving.

By the way, Monday is the observed Veteran's Day... it's a HUGE mark in history for me -- it is the first ever paid day off that I have ever had in my life. Don't you worry, I'm going to enjoy it immensely!

(ODOT server room)

Another thing I'm enjoying about the Mill Creek ODOT office is the internal "war" between Duck and Beaver fans. Yours truly has always been a Beaver, and to my good fortune, Ducks are outnumbered in this office... including Ryan Johnson.

(Laura's Oregon floor mat, that I like wiping my really muddy feet on)

(blurry picture of Ryan Johnson and his Duck paraphernalia)

(Laura has a U of O blanket on her chair)

(Laura's baby -- who is no longer with us, was also a Duck fan)

So I've met a lot of new people down here in Salem, but oddly enough, I wouldn't mind seeing more of my Joseph friends once in a while. I've been going up to Portland everyday for radiation and it has been making me extremely tired... but one of these times hopefully I'll get to see Dylan, Thane, Jay and Ellie. Which by the way... radiation is just about to wrap up in a week and a half. I should be completely done the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. They were going to finish me before that, but since my skin has been holding up so well (in other words not falling off), they are going to nuke the living crap out of me apparently? I guess it's worth it as long as this version of cancer doesn't come back!

(my view from the doc's office when I have radiation checkups... you can see the new condos going up on Portland's waterfront)

(Parents new F-350 Ford pickup they just bought a couple weekends ago while they were down visiting me... this pickup has power everything, a navagation system, 6 disc/mp3 player, ipod hookup, usb ports in the console, electric rear window, sunroof, you name it, it has it).

(My old man walking by the new pickup)

It's funny how life works. I was just thinking this week on how things worked out. There could have been a pretty good chance of me staying in Wallowa County. As many of you don't know, I applied for a job at the Education Service District... a job I was overqualified for. I didn't so much as even receive a phone call from them (don't know why except it could have been someone internally responsible and small town BS); then low and behold a couple of weeks later the state of Oregon is interviewing me. I now know why I didn't get the ESD job in Wallowa County... and am thankful that I didn't because a much better opportunity came along, fate or not, some things work out the way they are supposed to.

-LB