...and don't call me Shirley

No matter how many times I fly (last year between March and August I flew to and from 4 different destinations, one of those trips had 3 layovers, one of those trips I was completely on my own), I always get super nervous and uppity the days before.  

Tomorrow I am flying to Connecticut to visit the company I interviewed for 2 weeks ago.  I realize that it is 1000x safer than if I were to make the 6.5 hour drive alone.  I mean, other drivers are unpredictable...and at least in an airplane there aren't thousands of other airplanes within a few feet of yours.  There's just something unnerving about hurtling through the air at 500 mph 20,000 feet above ground in an aluminum tube with wings.  So I would be 1000x less nervous if I was just driving myself.  Not to mention the fact that between arriving at the airport an hour early, having a 2-hour layover in Philadelphia, getting a hold of my rental car and then driving half an hour to the hotel from the airport, I will be spending approximately the same amount of time traveling whether I drive or fly.  But they wanted me to fly, so here I stand, plane ticket booked. 

But tomorrow will be an adventure!  I had a great time flying by myself last year to Virginia Tech (there's something to be said about navigating an airport by yourself, you just feel so independent and self-sufficient...plus there are Cinnabons involved!).  The days leading up to travel are just, for me, a nerve-wracking few days. 

Do you like to travel?  Or is flying scary for you too? 

Beautiful fall days

Fall days are my favorite kind of day.  They are good for apple cider, campfires, hayrides, pumpkin picking, ultimate frisbee (if it's not too windy), kite-flying, and staring at gorgeous fall leaves.  Thank you, Lord, for fall. 

It was also recently pointed out to me that this is the last fall that I will experience that also coincides with anything "back-to-school" related.  At least for me.  I guess someday if I have kids then they will go to school in the fall.  But for now I'm done.  Finito.  No more school in the fall.  And that will make it so much better :-) 

And on a note completely unrelated to fall:

I recently had a job interview with the company that sponsors my research (totally unplanned, I did not even apply for a job there...they literally called my adviser and asked her if they could interview me), and they are bringing me to their plant next Monday to visit and interview some more.  And I realized:  deciding whether or not to work for them is a decision that will likely be with me for the REST OF MY LIFE.  I mean, so was the decision for which college to go to, which grad school to go to, and so on...but college only lasted 4 years, and grad school only 2.  By default, those two decisions had a set end date (although their influences will affect the rest of my life).  This one will not...  Some people work at one company for 30 years or more.  Sure, I can quit my job in 2-4 years if I hate it, but that's so much harder.  Quitting a job.  Ick.  I didn't even quit Dobbins.  I have this thing against quitting.  It's silly, but to me a job is always a blessing (especially in this economy right now), and to quit without another job offer in hand is...wrong and stupid.  But it's obviously not wrong if you're miserable with that job, or if it doesn't fit your personality, or if it's in a location that you despise.  I need to work on my quitting a job perspective, I think. 

So, where do I work after I graduate?  At this point it's October, and I (almost) have a standing job offer.  In Connecticut.  Do I want to live in Connecticut?  It's 8 hours from the place I call home.  But it's only an hour away from Boston, Providence, New Haven, and 2 hours from NYC.  And (I hear) it's beautiful there in the fall.  What other jobs should I apply to?  Should I stay close to my family?  To my friends?  To my boy?  Should I expect them to follow me?  Should I take a chance and turn down this job offer, and not see anything else that's quite as good come along?  What if I want to get married, have kids, and live somewhere else?  What if I don't want to work in the jet turbine industry for the rest of my life?  Ugh.  I hate life decisions.  This indecision is why I went to grad school in the first place...to put off the rest of my life.  But it looks like eventually, the rest of my life is going to catch up with me.  Because frankly, I'm getting old :-)