Biggest Loser: Northampton Couples, Friends and anyone else!

The Holidays were a crazy period of time. Though I only had a few parties to attend, I felt like life sped by at and incredibly fast pace. Lizzie and I went to Disneyworld with her family which was wonderful. That was the first 'real' vacation I have really had. We had a great time and went to bed every night completely and totally exhausted. We got home on New Year's Eve around 6 pm and crashed. We had stopped at the sketchy liquor store on Conz Street to pick up some champagne. Needless to say, it is still in the refrigerator. I don't blame us though, after getting up at 4 am, taking two flights (with a two hour layover) with a 6 month old baby, and then driving home from Boston.

Since then I have started working part time at a consulting firm which has been a great experience so far. I am grateful it is only two days a week and I didn't jump right into this as it will take some getting used to. The biggest difference is the pace. At an academic institution the emphasis on learning seems to calm the pace a bit, but at this firm I feel like every second is ticking away at a client's pocketbook. I feel some pressure to work at a faster pace which is probably really good for me.

Lastly, I made some grande New Year's resolutions. The biggest one is to lose 75 pounds! This decision began when a gaggle of my friends were eating dinner (Rocklette and Fondu) and all griping about our weights. So we decided to start our own version of Biggest Loser among our little circle of friends. My partner is Lizzie so I am pumped. We have totally made over our lifestyles: eating, exercising, etc. We weigh in every two weeks (the 1st and 15th of every month) and calculate % lost. In theory, every one was on board but it seems that Lizzie and I are the only ones serious about this. Our friends helped us with the motivation to get started and that was all we needed! We are on a roll, supporting each other, and working our asses off! At our first weigh in we had, together, lost 3.28% of our total combined weight. We are determined so keep checking back in and I will post the results after each weigh in.

As for other things...well I just registered to take the FE Exam in the Spring....SCARY!!! Now I really have to study since it is official. Dang. Also on the burner is this pesky thesis that doesn't want to write itself. I lack motivation to work on it. It is very challenging. I seem to pick up momentum when I think about graduation or something happens at UMASS that makes me want to finish sooner. Overall, I have to just grin and bear it and bowl my way through it.

Have a great weekend! Thanks for reading!

Cheers!

'Tis the Season for Change

Usually the New Year brings a laundry list of resolutions that last about a day; save more money, eat better, lose weight, keep track of birthdays better...the usual. This year is going to be different though. Okay, well not that much different since I already have those resolutions written down. The New Year, for me, will hopefully bring a welcome change from way too many hours spent 'researching' to working as a professional. Now, all I have to decide is what I want!

I have now interviewed with three companies, all of which are located in Western MA. They all cover traffic engineering operations and design and have clientele in the area. However, these potential employers could not be more different! They really run the spectrum of projects, budget, office structure, resources, etc., you name it. At one end we have the completely public sector and at the other end we have the jazzy upscale consulting firm. Somewhere in the middle falls the third company, a private company with a large public sector clientele.

What to do? How to choose? This is particularly challenging for a compulsive shopper like myself. Mind you that is getting much better but it is still a bit of a challenge. I am grateful that I have options but options can make choosing rather difficult!

So what do I do? How to choose...how to choose. If only I could come up with an ingenious algorithm or utility function to choose for me. Guess I should have paid better attention in math. Dang.

Craziness!

Well friends, it has been a crazy two weeks so I apologize for the void in between. Let's just say that for starters, we almost had a new pet last night named Clancy after we resecued him from running into traffic on Route 5. A skittish, skinny dog, Clancy was a sweetheart. We were both relieved and sad when her owner returned our phone call and we had to let her go. It is amazing how attached you can get to a poor and helpless creature in mere hours!

Speaking of poor pets, Mr. Rusty has been through total trauma! He is recovering from urinary obstruction which has been an exhausting ordeal for the poor boy. He has lost 2 lbs, 6 ouces through it all! He finally got his sutures out yesterday and has to endure one more week of pills and a collar that he hates. I will have to post some pics of our little patient.

As for myself I am proud to say I defended my thesis proposal on Friday which was a huge weight off my chest. I feel like the pace of thesis progress is now in my hands and I can barrel my way through it and hope to finish sooner than later. I am also an aunt again, to Ethan Jarvis Metzger. Well, that is enough of a little blurb for now. Hope ya'll are well!

Another crazy week

The weather is changing and I am waking up to a crisp bite in the air. Nothing new going on here, but I feel like the work is piling up and my productivity just cannot keep up! I suppose many people feel that way at work and school.

We, my partner Lizzie and I, had a terrific weekend. It was our first true weekend in quite sometime; one where I only did minimal work and we did not set a time for anything! We casually strode up to Rattlesnake Knob in the Holyoke Conservation Area for a good hike. We actually ended up hiking to Cuddeback Trail to a gorgeous lookout point overlooking the valley towards UMass. It was a good, humbling hike. It reminded us that we really have to get into better shape. After lots og grumbling we finally reached the top and were rewarded with this great view.

On Sunday we had to travel to Shelburne Falls to take photos of some Route 2 through Shelburne (obviously for work) and walked around town a little bit. It was surprisingly quiet in town and we were able to find a parking space on our second attempt. The bridge of flowers looked lovely and the glacial potholes are always neat. Anyway, time to get back to work. Is anyone reading this anyway?!

Calling out to my friends

I have recently realized that just when I think my life is going to slow down, that there will be a clearing in the road ahead where I can take mid-day naps and my stress will magically disappear, it seems to pick up speed like a locomotive. I have made several promises to friends to call, hang out and "catch up" but these promises have disipated into the wind and I do not like that one bit. Hence, I am creating this blog in an attempt to rekindle tattered connections and save friendships fading away. "I'm too busy" is a tricky excuse, one that I am trying to rid my life of.

I will start by calling out to all my friends to keep a blog of their own so I can spy on you and see how you are doing when I get a spare break during the day. An email, note, or phone call will also be great. I would love to know how everyone is doing and what they are up to. I quit Facebook, my previous source of such information, so I no longer have that superficial social connector on my side. ;)

I will start with a brief update as to what I am doing...

I am about 1/4 of the way through my second to last semester at UMASS-Amherst working towards a Masters of Science in Civil Engineering with a focus on Transportation Engineering. When I am looking for jobs in less than a year (holy cow!) I will be looking as a Traffic or Transportation Engineer. I would LOVE to stay in Western MA but the jobs options out here are quite limited (2 private sector companies and 1 public sector). Before I get to that point, however, I must first finish my coursework, write a thesis (I have yet to defend even my proposal but my advisor assures me I am not behind schedule) and pass the EIT exam.

Hope everyone is well!