Thursday, May 29, 2008

This and that...

I figured it was time for an update... nothing of signifcance, but an update nonetheless.

1. A week-and-a-half ago I got an email from the Exec. Search company about the Tampa job. It was basically a written interview... about 12 different questions ranging from

• What are the five most important projects you have worked on? Either on your own or with other people?

to

• Given your years of experience and the success that you have enjoyed in your work, please expand on why you believe you are well suited for this position?


So pretty in depth stuff. I assume there using this process to short list candidates before passing them on to the organization. They told me previously that it was almost a sure thing that they'd be passing mine along anyways, given my depth of experience. I'll let you know how things go.

2. I got a tune-up on my bike this week, and then proceeded to do a 15 km ride on some very tricky trails with my friends. It was a technical ride, and I was told it was much more difficult than the 52 km route I'll be riding in a couple of weeks.

3. Ultimate frisbee started again last night! And I'm not too sore today!

4. My boss is moving from the office directly next to me up 12 floors today. This is a good thing.

5. My cousin is getting married this weekend in Ottawa. I haven't seen any of my dad's side of the family in about 7 years, so it will be nice to catch up. Which leads to...

6. As a result of the wedding, I'm taking tomorrow (and Monday) off, which makes three long-weekends in a row. Which leads to...

7. The bad news? My boss is also going to be in Ottawa this weekend for a conference. Staying at THE.SAME.HOTEL. Hopefully, run-ins will be kept to a minimum. Which leads to....

8.I got a great deal on the hotel using Priceline.com This is the second time I've used it (the other time when we went to Pittsburgh *waves to Glowie*) and I've been very happy with the results both times. We saved about 50 per cent off of the book rates.

9.This list is starting to look like Boo's list from earlier in the week, isn't it? I better stop there then. :-)

Friday, May 16, 2008

Considering change

As I mentioned at the other place, I am officially keeping my eyes open for other positions.

There really aren't any opportunities in my immediate geographic area, so it means moving to Toronto (no thanks) or out of province.

If I have to move that far away, my preference (always has been) to move south. I am not happy living in the extreme climates of Canada, and think I would be much happier in a more temperate climate.

So I've applied to a couple of positions this week -- one in Tennessee, the other in south Florida (Tampa). I got a call the next day from the exec. search company doing the Tampa hire, and they seemed very interested in my cv and experience -- considering the position is a step up for me, and a good $15-30,000 more than I'm making now. There were some questions about my visa eligibility, but since most of these positions are in academia, they have a lot of experience in bringing in foreigners for work :-)

We'll see what happens. I love change, but something this major does scare the sh!t out of me - the thought of relocating my family, leaving behind both sets of grandparents. But there's a part of me that thinks we only have one life to live -- why not take chances, be where you are truly happy, and don't be confined by tradition for the sake of tradition.

Things are still very preliminary, but I figure if there's even a slim chance of something happening, I have to start preparing.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

I bought a bike....

Some friends of mine are pretty heavily into mountain biking.

So I decided to take the plunge and buy a new (well, used) bike to help keep me in shape.

We have some great trails around here (despite being in the city), and I have to say: I. LOVE. IT. Been out twice this week, and hope to get out at least once a week for the summer.

Here's a pic of my bike. It's a Trek 4300 for anybody who might care:




Some of you may remember I did a mini-triathlon last year. This year, my goal is the Lake 2 Lake Classic bike race. It's a 52 km mountain-bike race from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. I think I might be slightly delusional in thinking I can do it, but hey, I have 6 weeks to train :-)