A Trip To Remember

Last night I returned home from a long week of travels. On January 17th I left Hudson, WI and traveled to Chicago. The weather was awful and I averaged around 50 mph all the way to Chicago but I did obtain an impressive 35 mpg in my car. On my way into the city I stopped by Oerlikon for a tour of their facility. After an hour and a half tour of the facility and many questions answered. I waited around for half an hour for the HR director to come and interview me. I was semi-expecting something like this but was not going to dress up for my 6 hour car ride down jsut to see the facility. I ended up talking with him for about another hour and then headed into downtown Chicago to meet up with Marlena, a good friend from SLU. Since I did not know the address of the place I was supposed to meet Marlena I spend the next two hours trying to find a wireless signal for my computer so that I could look it up. I tried three different coffee shops, none of which had a free signal. For being a city ranked in the top of the nation for wireless connection it is sure hard to find a free or unlocked one. My search ended when I received a phone call from Marlena and she was able to give me directions. The rest of the night was spent at a little bar by Marlena's house where we had dinner, a few drinks and great conversation/gossip. Nicole met up with us later in the night and it was a pleasure to catch up with a couple of friends I have not seen in quite a while.

The next day I spent all day at caribou coffee, the only place with free Internet, researching jobs and waiting around for Coliver to get done with all of her activities so that we could leave for Saint Louis. I originally planned on staying in Chicago until Saturday morning and going out that night with Jin (my freshman year roommate) but Coliver was really wanting to get back to STL as soon as possible. Once she was ready go to I met her at her house and we started driving out of Chicago at around 7pm. Unluckily there was really bad traffic and it took us an hour to get to the other side of the city. Luckily for me I had the company of such a great conversationalist and there was not a dull moment for the whole 5 and a half hours we were in the car together.

Originally this trip was intended to only include a stop in Saint Louis for an Alumni Association Trivia Night and do some work in the workshop of Parks, but it was quickly expanded into a multiple stop trip. The trivia night (on Saturday) was a bunch of fun. It was great to meet up with a bunch of old friends from SLU and have a great time together answering interesting trivia. Unluckily, I was unable to use the labs until Tuesday so I had to stay at my old apt for a couple of days. This lead to a couple of college parties all of which changed the feeling of SLU for me. I used to feel very welcome at anything pertaining to the SLU community. This changed a little during my "super senior" semester last year but it was not until my last visit that it really changed. I felt unwanted and like an outsider. When I was with a select group of people it was fine but at other times it was boring and did not feel accepted as a peer. This whole experience was what I needed to move on with my life. After I finished my manufacturing projects at SLU on Tuesday afternoon I headed to Columbia to meet up with my cousin. We met for dinner with a few of her friends and ended the night at a bar with dollar longnecks. I always enjoy hanging out with my cousin and her friends. They are very different from my SLU friends and always a good time.

The next morning I got up and headed to Fayette to visit my aunt and uncle. I talked with them individually for about 45 min and really wish I could have stayed around longer but still had to make it up to Iowa State to see my friends up there. I arrived in Ames around 4:30 met up with Kirk. The next three days were filled with debauchery and good times. It was nice to connect up with Kirk and Chris who I have not had much time together with since we went our own ways in college. During this time I had plenty of time to discuss important issues with some of my best friends from high school.

I decided to come home on Sunday night and met up with Bryon my high school friend. He ended up coming over to play some ping-pong and then go see a movie. This is where the night really got interesting. We went to a 9:45 showing of Atonement. When the movie was over and I was walking out to my car I found another car parked in it's spot. My car had been stolen while I was in the theatre. So, If you happen to see a 1999 Black Honda Civic Si driving around with a bent front license plate bent up and a crack in the driver side rear bumper I would really appreciate a call. This would not be so bad if I had full coverage but all I have is liability and therefore if the police don't find the car then I am out of a car and get no money back.

This situation brings about a paradox. I no longer have a car and to get anther one I will have to take out a loan but in order to take out a loan I need a job. This wouldn't be so hard but it is kind of hard to find a job if I don't have a car! Hmmmmmm... what to do? It seems like my luck with cars is not going to change any time in the near future. Maybe I should just start biking everywhere and train for my bike trip this summer.

On a good note: I received an e-mail today from Oerlikon and they are putting me threw 3 more interviews with various managers. If all goes well then the main recruiter will want to meet with me in mid-February for a formal interview! I will just say that I don't think that there will be anything that will go wrong in the phone interview.

This trip has been one to remember. It was great to meet up with many of my friends and hope that this is not the last time I will get to see them.

The Beginning of Progress

Over the past few days I have spent quite a bit of time at Caribou coffee. Most of my time there I have spent researching jobs on Monster.com and careerbuilder.com. Both sites that have become very resourceful! I have applied to about 3 corporations with varying positions but primarily located in California. I don't know how my mother feels about that. She seems to enjoy my presence at home even though she works long hours and I spend my nights out she wants me to be close to home. One company, located in San Diego, has requested more information on my course work at school and wants a phone interview sometime this week. The company is called Oerlikon and deals with various coatings on materials. It is exciting to know that there are opportunities out there that might fit my needs!

I am a little nervous about tomorrow for I have an interview at 2pm in Saint Paul with a work agency. I know that I shouldn't be nervous but I want to take it as an opportunity to practice my interview skills and make a good impression.

I also found a company looking for an intern. The company is called N Spine and has a lot to do with my major. I am going to be applying for this position tomorrow before my interview. It will be fun applying to a position that I really would like to pursue.

I have recently taken part in discussion with my mother about the order of events for the next year and a half before medical school. Much to my dismay it might make more sense to be looking for a full time job for a year right now and push back my bike tour a year. I am still in contemplation of this scenario but will not jump to any conclusions about what is best until I start getting offers. Until then I will continue to explore what is in this unknown world.

I currently received an e-mail asking if I will be able to attend Camp Avanti this year. It saddens me to think that I might not be able to partake in something so important to my life and determinant of my personality. I am trying to figure out a way to prevent this from happening. If this means pushing back my bike trip even longer, then so be it.

I have also been able to reconect with a highschool friend and foresee spending more quality time with her. It is promissing to know that there are other people that I know still in Hudson of which I can hang out with.

As people are tending to find their way back to college and being drawn back into the life of online chatting I have recently been able to connect up with a couple more people. One of which I am now going to be spending my/her spring break with. I have been privilaged enough to be asked to go out to Steamboat and stay at a friends condo that her father graciously is letting her use. I have been dying to get out to CO and go skiing and this is a prime opportunity!

One End Leads to Anothers Beginning

Graduation has come and gone, the beginning of the future is here. I am expected to take on the world and figure out my place. There is no more avoiding reality. How do I do this? Living at home is my answer!

There are many things on my plate and since the new year is over and all my family has left there is no more putting it off. The order of operations for the next few months is as follows:
1) Find an internship or a job. Since moving home I have been jobless. Over the past couple weeks my delayed paychecks from Maggiano's have come in very handy. They have given me some hope on surviving until I can locate and apply for the jobs I want and will enjoy doing. As of right now I am thinking that an internship is the most logical choice because I can then continue planning my bike trip and make that a reality. I am not saying that I will not actually accept a job if offered to me but then my bike trip may be delayed for a year until Spring 2009.
2) Study for the MCAT. In mid-late March I will attempt round two of the MCAT. The first round did not go as well as I had hoped so I am enthusiastic about now being familiar with the format and test prep. I plan on beginning a 4-5 hours per day/6 days per week starting on January 22nd when I come back from Saint Louis. Until then I will spend about 2 hours per day studying, although this will not happen until I feel confident that I can find or have a job.
3) Planning and training for the bike tour. In May I am going to be embarking on a 9000-mile tour of the United States of America. The trip will last approximately 3 ½ months. The goal is to average 100 miles a day for the duration of the trip but there are some places that I will be wanting to stop at and spend some extra time with friends. I started planning this last summer but the planning process was interrupted by my last semester of school. I have spent numerous hours planning this out but there is still so much more to be done because it is a philanthropy event. I am going to be raising money for Cancer Research and Autism. The fine details of the planning will of course be discussed later on. Training begins on Saturday January 12. Friday the 11th will be spend deciding a training regimen which will allow me to ride 100 miles a day for 90 days.
4) On January 17th-22nd I will be on a road trip to Chicago and Saint Louis. This was originally going to be only stopping in STL for a trivia night and to see my friends again but Chicago was quickly added because I have been dying to see Wicked and see my friends in CHI town. Sadly, one Molly Oliver will not be in town because of her Boyfriend. Damn you Andrew Millard, I knew her first!
5) Start planning for my trip to Europe. I am so excited to have the chance to go to Europe. There has been little planned with this trip besides the possibility of going over with a friend from college. I need to get in contact with her to see what is going on with that. The big issue here will be money and how much I will be able to spend which is dependant on a finding a job.

That is what is on my plate at the moment. I know it is not much but what can I do... I am no longer in college allowing all the time in the world to do any extracurricular that I desire. I have found that since moving home I have lost much of my physical endurance. I brought my brother to a soccer camp today and was dribbling around kicking the ball and got winded just with a small little run to the end of the field and back while kicking a soccer ball. This makes me a little worried about how long it is going to take me to get into good enough shape to do the bike trip. Surely 5 months of training will suffice!