Not that bad of a week folks. Actually, quite good. My days at work went smooth and I was thrown
right into a design project for the excavation of the Brooklyn Avenue station for the North Link extension of the light rail. I definitely was not expecting being given stuff to do starting the very first day but I am so glad that I was. The one thing that drove me the most nuts in previous internships was running out of things to keep me occupied and constantly having to ask for things to do. That is something I am neither good at nor like to do. So far I have been brought up to speed on the 60% design of the excavation, performed a lot of timely but quite enjoyable hand calculations on the influence of ground movement on an existing historic apartment building on the site, and got to even break out colored pencils and color in some plans. I can’t tell you the last time I got to color but I have always, always enjoyed coloring and this was no exception. Definitely that was the time that went by the fastest at work.
Luckily for me I have already gotten to participate in some company events too. Since I have to decide
on a lot of HR things right now it couldn’t have come at a better time that it is open enrollment for all of the employees so they have had a meeting to go over any changes in benefit plans and explain them in thorough. My first day I was taken out to lunch right downstairs at McCormick and Schmick’s for a lunch with all the young(er) thangs in the office. I like them so much already. They are a fun group and make me laugh. It doesn’t hurt that many of them and others in the office are European so they just have a cheerful and casual attitude, sweet accents, and an appreciation for many of the things that I do too. I got a delicious salmon burger that was so fresh it had a large bone in it that I had to take out!
And as so many offices do, we have already had two office “parties”. These aren’t that elaborate
of parties, which I appreciate. The first was on Wednesday and my supervisor got a cake from Belle
Epicurean just two blocks away. Okay, this may have been the best, most flavorful and moist cake
I have ever had, no joke. It was life-changing. It was black forest cake/red velvet and I have had my fair share of those working at the League and this was hands down the best. The occasion was actually celebrating the office’s efforts towards ride-your-bike-to-work month (May), which I guess many of my office workers (including my supervisor) do every day anyways. After talking to them about it I found out my route from Fremont has a really good trail to downtown and Google-mapping it is only about a 4.5 mile ride. So I tried that commute on Friday when it was such a gorgeous day. I liked biking there and having my bike with me downtown after work for a few blocks but then boarded that puppy on the bus and rode back, lol. My biking stamina is not good at all right now…especially with those hills but getting a good stretch in before and after work is really nice. Our second party was the regular staff meeting with pizza and cake for all of the May birthdays. Again, I have definitely had my fair share of pizza meetings throughout both work and college but not like this. They got really, really delicious thin crust superb pizza from Pagliaccis (I think that is the name). Wow! I thought it would take me a while to find a pizza I liked in the city, but no. I think Seattle is big on the whole brick-oven, thin crust minimalist philosophy that agrees with my own. I had two slices of this pulled chicken, mushroom, and basil pizza as well as some great salad for the meeting. Not your college pizza meeting for sure. During the staff meeting I was asked (and prepped by I think 20 people) to introduce and talk about myself for up to five minutes. Sure, why not! I think everyone in the office already met me.
So the only other things I have to say about work is…I like it a lot! I seriously can’t believe how time goes pretty quickly but there hasn’t been one moment that I thought to myself, “Get me outta here!”. I like my desk though I can’t wait to dig through my boxes at home to find things to spruce it up like pictures of family and friends, UM paraphernalia, I should bring my civil books in for references, and I need a calendar and a flower I think. I love my very nice and new Lenovo laptop hooked up to my very nice Samsung flat screen monitor. I love the awesomely stocked office supply room. I really love the office coffee which is amazing and I like not drinking coffee with breakfast in the morning because it makes me more eager to get to work to get a cup. I really like both of my supervisors/mentors that I am working with right now and think they like me too. They both sit very close to me and I have heard them being asked by senior members how I’m fitting in and if I’m getting enough to do and they said good things. The one also seemed very impressed with the speed and neatness of my one coloring/Excel project calculations. That felt good! And there was talk today of getting a safety vest and I’m going to get work boots this weekend (I’ll be reimbursed) so it looks like I’ll be in the field soon enough. Friday four of us went on a field trip to look at a place that makes tunnel boring machines, which are pretty much the coolest things ever, because they were looking for bid prices and I just wanted to tag along. And you wouldn’t have believed our staff meeting. It was the funniest, most light-hearted meeting ever. And there are some great events coming up in the office and the work is keeping the office very busy and profitable. One of the younger coworkers told me that I was lucky and was about to be really spoiled for finding such a perfect office on my first shot. Oh, I also REALLY like working in the Financial District but boy I wish I could find a free place to park my scooter. I am still working on that one and may have found one right by Pikes Place market.
Enough about work though. I really, really love my roommate already. It seems like we’ve known each
other for a while already. She is so sweet and just seems to be naturally a friendly, happy, and free
spirit which is amazing coming from Southern California. We’ve already gone over our nuiances with
roommates in the past, which are both the same, none really other than outrageous uncleanliness. She seems to have everything in order with the place. She has nice furniture and a nice flat screen tv, new Xbox, and gave me her extra guitar stand. We are looking to get a new coffee table and a gas grill soon. The kitchen is so nice and it seems she really has a passion for cooking like me, meaning mostly easy but tasty things and every once and awhile getting adventurous. She just bought this new Mexican
cookbook that she wants to experiment with and I’m game. She has really nice planter boxes already
with tomatoes, kale, romaine, beans, cilantro and mint growing up outside. She did a great job on those but I think we are going to go get more tomato plants because those are the only ones not really coming up. In many ways she reminds me of my old roommate and that is very comforting. She does have a
boyfriend who is from UM, from Dewitt, worked at Beaner’s as a barista at one point and has a framed
Bars of Ann Arbor. Too funny! I finally met him last night and seems very nice.
My first two days after work were uneventful because I didn’t want them to be and Wednesday I
was waiting for my IKEA delivery which didn’t come until 10pm. But it came! And now I’m 90% sure
I don’t need the dresser I bought. I can’t wait to have a bedroom. Thursday, however, I went to my
first Meetup event in Seattle which was a fabulous and packed event called Spring Social Mixer. It was
conveniently in Belltown, just a 10 minute walk from my office. It started at 6pm so I just changed
into cute jeans and headed over, strolling leisurely through Pike’s Place on the way sampling some awesome but pricey pepper jelly (reminded me of my grandma) and apple and pumpkin butters. The venue was Acquabar, a new bar in Belltown and the place was reserved strictly for the Meetup event. Good thing too because there were 185 people RSVPed and I’d say around 100 that actually came. I met quite a few people, getting some people’s numbers for future lunches or happy hours, as well as a cheap glass of wine and FREE appetizers that were so plentiful it definitely sufficed as dinner. Tonight is a night out with my coworkers for one of the guys birthday. I’m going with a girl who I have clicked with right away. I am really looking forward to my first full weekend, especially since the forecast shows 70’s and sun everyday and the company gave me their season tickets to the Mariners vs. Devil Rays game (Devil Rays again lol)!!!!!
Evolving in the Emerald City 