Some Bathrooms Never Change

Last year, through some cosmic déjà vu, I found myself working at the facility of my old company.  I was laid off five years ago, but my new company had entered an agreement with my old company (they have since broken up and now we treat them like an old boyfriend). I found myself testing our new instrument in their labs, right back at my old facility.

The biotech instrumentation field in the Boston area is quite close knit and you will most likely know everyone within two degrees of separation.  This can be good or bad, but it mostly means that you can’t burn any bridges because you’ll never know who you’ll have to do business with in the future.

The first time I walked into the building my old company after three and half years, the lobby filled me with memories of good years with great co-workers and fun, often stress-filled projects.  I felt a strange sense of familiarity yet I could see that things have changed.  The cafeteria and stairwells were updated.  There were new faces as well as old.  It was great to catch up with some of my old colleagues, some of whom I had worked closely with.  Although I ran into many familiar faces, all of my closest friends in R&D were laid off eventually. 

But nostalgia didn’t really hit me full force until I walked into the bathroom.  It was exactly the same as when I first walked into this building for the first time 15 years ago (when I say that, I feel really OLD!).  Nothing had changed.  The tile, sinks and walls were exactly the same.  Even the door to the handicap stall was hanging crooked like it always had been.

The first time I walked into the ladies room at my current job, I was surprised by the light pink color on the walls.  Now I've gotten used to it.  But if I leave this job and then come back to visit, I'm sure that color will immediately jump out at me again.

In my new bathroom, there are auto flushers.  So when I was travelling back to my old facility, I would use the toilet and stare at it wondering why it didn’t flush.  It’s a work bathroom, they should all be the same right?  Somehow I can’t get around the fact that they were two different workplaces.  Even after spending a year working at my old facility part time, I couldn’t get used to the two different toilets.

From an old PostSecret.

Since the break-up, I’ve been back to pink auto-flushing bathroom.  But the break-up has just been another way my old company has screwed me over.  I had worked there for 12 years and was well on my way to becoming a lifer despite an hour-plus commute when they sold and then closed up their R&D shop.  Now with the break-up, it looks as though my days at my new company are numbered as well (hopefully by choice).  Good thing I haven’t burned any bridges.  As far as I know, most people would be willing to work with me again.  There are just some people that I would refuse to work with unbeknownst to them.  Because you know, some bathrooms never change.

WW - Time for a New Table

In a passing spring thunderstorm, our table toppled over.  Partly because I always leave the umbrella open.

So this:



Became this:









The glass shards were quite beautiful but a huge mess to clean up.  Thanks Doug!

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Rainy but Wonderful March for Babies

Last Saturday, I ventured out in the rain with Christine of Boston Mamas, Christina of Fairly Odd Mother and their kiddos to walk in the March for Babies. I was very pleased to raise more money than my goal.  It's not too late if you would still like to donate! Just click the banner above.

The weather was dismal. I thought I came prepared wearing my Disney World poncho, but one step into a puddle and my feet were soaking wet for the day.



We started out at the Hatch Shell where the Boston Pops performs on the Esplanade in Boston.  Enza Youkilis, wife of Red Sox Kevin Youkilis, spoke with her charming son Michael, who was born prematurely at 29 weeks.



As the walk started, the rain let up.  Here's the bridge to the Arthur Fiedler statue.



We walked down the Esplanade across the river from MIT. I got a photo McCormick Hall where I had an awesome dorm room with a view.



At the end of the walk, I finally took off my poncho after checking the weather radar on my iPhone. It turned out to be a fine day!



Since I rarely get to Boston without the family, I decided to park at Alewife in Cambridge and take the T (subway) into Boston.  I hadn't realized that parking had gone up to $7, or else I would've just tried to find parking in town.  The T fare was also up to $1.70!  But without that, I wouldn't have run into this character who looked like a cross between Jason Lee and Ryan Gosling.



Hooray for people watching on public transportation!

Please consider donating to my Relay for Life team as well.


Hosted by Cecily and Lolli

WW - Water Balloon Fight

Since it took me 15 minutes to figure out how to tie a knot on a teeny tiny water balloon, I had to make the best of my finger-shredding experience by capturing a few photos of the water balloon fight.





It is nearly impossible to catch a water balloon exploding, but I did capture the spray and a little piece of balloon stuck on Adam's back.



Adam threw his balloons with vigor. So much so that Dova got red welts on her back.



Dova only got that one shot, so for her last balloon, she cracked it over his head.



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Please Support American Cancer Society's Relay for Life

Last weekend I had wonderful experience of walking for the March of Dimes with the Boston Mamas team.  We raised over $7600 and I beat my personal goal of raising $500. Thank you to all who donated to help moms to have healthy, full-term pregnancies.



Next month I am walking for my company's American Cancer Society Relay for Life team.  From their website:

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life is a life-changing event that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. At Relay, teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Because cancer never sleeps, Relays are overnight events up to 24 hours in length.

One of the most touching and emotional part of the event is the Luminaria Ceremony.

As the sun sets over campsites and darkness falls, the night is brightened by the glow of illuminated bags called luminaria, each bearing the name of someone who has battled cancer. Some celebrate cancer survivors, while others help us honor and remember those gone too soon.

I have a luminaria for my father who died of brain cancer in 2005 and plan to walk the luminaria lap.  Since this event is 18 hours long, I also signed up to walk for two hours in the middle of the night.

If you'd like to donate, please visit my Relay for Life page.  You can also honor or remember someone with a luminaria during the Relay For Life Luminaria Ceremony.  No donation is too small, please help.  Thank you!

Schleimscheiss - Boot Licker - Anissa!

Awesome photo from CrazedMommy of Anissa of Free Anissa and Hope4peyton.

A few weeks ago, one of my co-workers wrote a bit of a brown-nosing email to a company in Germany.

Thank you ... for the part numbers, descriptions and outline drawing. Several of us here are very refreshed by your response. It will be great to work with your organization again - this comes from many of us here at [my esteemed company].

To which he got a one word response from the CEO of the company:

Schleimscheiss…

Of course we had to look this up and found that it meant "boot licker" in German.  He printed out a sign with the word "Schleimscheiss" on it, took a picture of the sign over his head, and sent it back with the message:

Thanks [esteemed CEO] - I deserve this very much!!

Later, we went to google images of "boot licker" and look who popped up, Anissa!  I saw her on the screen and said, "I know her, it's Anissa!"  My co-workers looked at me in disbelief.  How could I know a person coming up in a random image search?  Sure enough, I proved them right.

As many of you know, Anissa suffered a stroke last November and is making a remarkable recovery.  You can follow her journey at Free Anissa and Hope4peyton.  May is stroke awareness month.  My father experienced two strokes before he passed.  Always always always call 9-1-1 if you have symptoms of a stroke:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

Anissa, we love you!  Hope this post brings a smile to your face.


Asian Invasion photo by Angie (A Whole Lot of Nothing) with Sandy (Momisodes), Anissa (Free Anissa) and myself.

Biking to Work - Infinity MPG

Infinity MPG from Threadless.

Back in my days of college and grad school, a bike was a necessity to get around. In 1987, I bought a new bike in California for grad school.  It was my prized possession.



Here's a bonus shot of me and my bike in 1989.



But the 5.4 miles from my apartment in Oakland to the UC Berkeley campus was a killer on a bike.  There was a hill on Linda Ave, where I always felt like I was going to die.  Sometimes I hopped off and walked to the top.  Going to school was a gradual uphill for 3 miles (thanks to Google, I determined this was about 300 ft).  I would arrive in class with my hands shaking so badly, I couldn’t take notes.  On rainy days, I would take the bus and eventually I bought a moped to zip to school.


View Larger Map

In 1993, I had a job in Cambridge, MA which was bikeable from my home in Winchester, MA.  But this commute was through heavy city traffic, and there was hill at Teele Square which was a tough.  Every time I went up it, I would be on the verge of hopping off and walking.  I thought it would get better as I rode more and got in better shape, but it never did.  I hate hills!  The 7.9 mile ride took about 35 minutes, which was nearly the same time as by car with all the traffic.


View Larger Map

For 10 years after that, my commute was 34 miles, which was definitely not a biking distance for me.  When I started my current job in 2005, I had a dream commute of 9 miles, but also kids to pick up from daycare before and after work.  So I brought my bike into work and rode around 12 miles at lunch on a nice flat bike trail near work.  No hills, no traffic, good temperatures, good tunes and podcasts on my iPod, it was cycling heaven for me.

But I always had that nagging feeling that it wasn’t very green to be driving to work and riding my bike just for exercise and not for transportation.  Sure, I wasn’t driving to the gym and using gas, but it still bugged me.  In reality, I was afraid of this hill that I couldn’t find a decent detour around.



This is a major road with a pretty narrow shoulder, lots of traffic and cars going around 40-50 mph.  I wasn’t sure I could even make it up the hill, let alone negotiate the cars and the shoulder.  I’m 43 now and not in my 20’s anymore!

This section of road was also riddled with potholes which made it even more dangerous.  They paved it a few weeks ago, and I finally took the plunge and rode to work last week.  Miraculously, the hill wasn’t too bad.  I didn’t even have to get into a standing position.  It was over before I knew it.  Once off the main road, it was smooth sailing to the bike trail and to work.  I made the 10.7 miles in 44 minutes, at an average speed 14.4 mph.  I couldn’t believe I made it!

I was a little concerned about the ride home since the ride in was so easy.  It was definitely harder.  The hill on the way back was tougher and occurred 35 minutes into the ride.  But I made it without feeling like I was about to die.  In fact, the second time I rode back from work, I did it in 45 minutes, nearly the same time as the easier ride in.  Could be that I’m actually in better shape than before?

At least now I can proudly wear my Infinity MPG shirt for finally commuting to work on my bike.  By the fall, I will definitely be in awesome shape!





Yes, this is the very same bike from 1987.  It’s held up so well for me, why get a new one (yet another green move)?  OK, it’s ancient, but at least it has index shifting.

Take Those Naked Photographs Before It's Too Late

One of my favorite corner's of the internet is PostSecret. "PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard."  PostSecret, is intimate, anonymous, and voyeuristic.  Many secrets are sad, some are funny, and there are always one or two that hit right home.  I've always imagined creating a PostSecret and mailing it in.  But I've never been able to decide upon a secret that I was willing to part with.  Besides, most of my secrets have already been posted in one form or another. 

Back in January, I happened upon a PostSecret that was simply a text email, and not even a postcard.  It said, "I wish I had taken a naked picture of my husband, back in the day when he was a hard body and looked like Bob Seger. He is gone now and I miss him."  For some reason this has really stuck with me.

So on our annual trip to Newport this year, I made a point to take some nude pictures of Doug and myself.  Regardless of how my mommy body looks.  Doug has one of those (extremely annoying) metabolisms that has left him at the same weight for 30 years.  So his photos came out fantastic.  Mine?  I can barely look at them.  But no matter what, these will probably be better than any photos we take in the future.  The moment is now!

And you can't beat these knowing smiles (fuzzy because it is cropped way down - the rest is not for public consumption!).



For more on naked families, check out my BlogHer post.


Hosted by Cecilyand Debi

WW - Guest Photographer Adam

It's been a while since I've let Adam use my camera.  That would be this 9yo boy here.

 

He took portraits of Dova and me.



As well as silly candid shots.



I love this shot of me basking in Dova's hug and kiss and the golden hour sun.



Dova doesn't mind posing either. It's been nearly a year since she's lost those teeth and still no sign of permanent teeth yet!



Adam pretty much was snapping non-stop. I had to whittle down over 100 photos. In the end, I had to get mad to get my camera back.



Visit by Wordless Wednesday or 5 Minutes for Mom or 7 Clown Circus (wordful) for more participants.