March 27

Snowy Sunday, a week after the first day of spring... a good day to stay home, clean the house, do laundry, read a book, bake, and work on job applications.
Of course, the snow sticks to my side of the street more than the other, which means I get to shovel snow more. If the glass is half full, then shoveling is good exercise, and I get more of it.
Or I can stay inside and look out, watching the snow flurry around, and hope it melts soon so I don't have to shovel.
And while I'm inside, I can fill the house with the smell of baking pumpkin bread (and small honey wheat breads).
And Callie can sleep through it all, snoozing cozy in the chair, waiting for me to join her.

I think I've been here before...

So, gave my verbal notice Monday that June 30th will be my last day. I have known this in my head for some time, but wanted it to be made real. I also wanted to shut the door firmly on the possibility of staying. I'd found myself thinking, well, if nothing else comes up, I could always stay a little longer. No, staying longer is not an option. I fit into this work environment like someone slamming an octagonal peg into a circular space with a sledge hammer. Not well at all. The fit is not there, and it's wearing on me.

I'm happy to have everything out in the open, and am working on my future plans. I can't really share them here yet, but hopefully will be able to do that soon. Meanwhile, I am trying to get things organized at work so I can finish all the things I need to in the next 3 1/2 months. I'm getting ready to present at a conference in April. Life will be interesting. I'm curious to see what new adventures it will bring.

Inspirations

My new mantra at work:

Take what you can use and let the rest go by.

--Ken Kesey

Quotes that have been inspiring me lately:

If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.

--Robert Fritz

The essential conditions of everything you do must be choice, love, passion.

--Nadia Boulanger

Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.

--W.H. Murray

You will make all kinds of mistakes; but as long as you are generous and true, and also fierce, you cannot hurt the world or even seriously distress her.

--Winston Churchill

Where?

So, since I feel like I've got a pretty good idea of what I want to focus on career-wise, I decided I would try to figure out WHERE I want to be. I'll be moving this summer, but to where?

Instead of resolutions, I decided to create a list of requirements for the place I'll be living. I broke them down into geography and work environment.

Geography

• Mid-sized city (60,000 - 500,000-ish), or a large city that has distinct neighborhood areas
• Moving water (river, creek, whatever - if it's wet and moving, that's good)
• Cultural opportunities - access to museums (natural history, historical, art, etc), zoos, arboretums
• Nature access - green space, hiking/walking trails, nearby nature areas (state or national parks, national forest land, etc)
• Public transportation - bus system, light rail?, car sharing?, bike trails?
• Airport - if not in town, then nearby
• University - large enough for research opportunities

Bonus: in a valley with hills or mountains around; within 12-16 hours of Omaha; variety of housing (affordable); space for a garden

Work Environment

• Less hierarchical structure - more flattened, team-based, collaborative
• Work expectations established (things not run on favoritism, nepotism, or any other ism; things not changing constantly)
• Stable (or relatively stable) budget, with money dedicated for professional development
• Transparency (especially with the budget)
• Co-workers who meet standards for competence
• Co-workers with skills/experience/knowledge they are willing to share (mentors)
• Professionalism, organization, flexibility, respect

Bonus: co-workers I like and respect; stable, upbeat environment; people who are curious and continue to learn; learning and professional development are valued (especially in terms of time and money)

Sledding Videos

Tree Hunting!

Snow, sunshine, kids, dogs, nice people, snacks, and lots of trees - everything you need for the perfect tree hunting excursion. I haven't gone out looking for a tree for quite a long time, and this really was one of the better hunting expeditions I've experienced. (Thanks, Peck Family, for adopting me for a day!)

Hmmm, which way?

My little tree (which will hopefully fit in the living room)

The big one (Bo is guiding them in)

Glad I don't have to figure out how to fit it in my living room!

Fun with rocks

Trees, check. Now it's time for some sledding!

Seriously, that tree just jumped out at us.

Moss and snow

Tree versus rock

Rocks and snow

Trees, Rocks, and Snow

Run!

Mmmmm

Mission accomplished

Hey, that looks like a good one for next year!

December Update (yeesh)

So with all the crazy moving stuff (having to clean two places, and everything taking longer at the new place), novel writing went by the wayside, as did blog updates, having a life, etc, etc. Callie and I are pretty settled in, and once the old stove leaves this week, everything will be fully functional.

The library had one of the fire suppression main pipes burst last Monday. It's been chaos and disaster. Still, the damage could have been much, much worse. The collection in kids took a bit of a hit, but most of the damage is carpet, walls, etc, etc. The Butte and Montana collections were moved right away, so it looks like no damage. It'll be awhile to come back from this one, though.

One of the "sure thing" grants that my job is based on was not renewed. As the rest of the potential funding is a HIGHLY competitive federal grant that we really have no business applying for (but that I have been assigned to do....), I'm planning on not having a job after June or July. I'm developing a variety of plans, and then will see what happens with those, and where I end up. My plan now is to train for the Missoula Marathon (July 10th), and to bring my mom out to Montana in July to go to Glacier. If anyone else wants to come, start saving your pennies. It'll be fun! The library job market in Montana (along with some of my other plans) leads me to believe that I will be moving somewhere else, so I want to do some Montana sightseeing before I go, wherever.

On a happier note, I went tree hunting today with the Peck family (I work with both Vickie and Laci). The weather was perfect - snow and sun. I'm going to post pictures and videos separately (because I'm too lazy to rearrange everything - since blogger always inerts pictures at the start of the post). As always, except for work, things are pretty good.