Well Friday was my first day working at the lab in Queens. What surprised me most was how unstructured the whole thing was. We got there at 8 and had the sit down with Dr. Scott (who is Scottish coolly enough) and he told us generally what was going on, the plan for training, got us lab coats and key cards, and went over some different rules and other stuff with us. But that was really about it for the first day. There are about 10 or so other people who are in the training class and who has been there anywhere form a few months to just a few weeks. But by 12 or so most of the real work was done. People were reading and talking and generally sitting around. I did get some semi-productive reading done from the “Drug Identification Bible” but all in all it was very low key. I guess I should enjoy it though while I can. We are told they want to start the training as soon as Wednesday of this coming week and from then on I am sure things will be a bit more demanding.
Speaking of demanding, I am in the process of packing all my stuff still. Tomorrow I move to my new apartment in Glendale, Queens. It is going to be quite an adventure to move all my crap in (and I have a lot of it), and to do it in one day. But I am sure I will manage some how. On the plus side I got a futon so woo hoo, I will have a place to sit in my new apartment. It is just going to take a while to get settled and such. To that end there may be quite a lull in journal posts for a week or so until I can get internet access at my new place. I will likely write posts on and off over the next week but they wont go up until I get connected so look for a good deal of reading once I get back on line.
Episode VI: Return of Captain Science »« Day 1
Well it is official. I am now an official member of the NYPD, complete with nifty ID card and everything. For the most part this first day was just filling out paperwork, very exciting I know. Luckily Alison, who also went to UNH and who I filled out paperwork with last May, was there so at least we could chit chat and make fun of the people who were having issues filling in those complex forms that required things like you name and SSN. After a few hours of filling out forms and reading our nifty “NYPD Civilian Employee Handbooks”, we had to go out and across the street to a different building to hear all about our health plans (which still baffle me) and then take a little lunch break. After lunch things got better and we got to go get our official NYPD ID’s (which look really cool) [and poor Alison got her name spelled wrong on hers]. Then we had our “oath of office” where we swore in front of the head of the personnel department that we would “uphold the US and New York constitution” among other stuff. That was it. We were done by 1:45 and got to go home. But not before stopping in the equipment shop to get nifty ID holders for our cards. The shop it self is cool. You can get all sorts of police stuff: shirts, hats, gloves, handcuffs, ect. And it is only open to NYPD employees!
Tomorrow we have to go to the lab it self in Queens for our first day there, which I am sure will involve more paperwork and tours and the like. For now anyway I am at Alex’s again and seeing as I gave his roomie back her keys, I won’t be going anywhere tonight! But it’s all good, I got food and snacks and survivor on tonight. Whee! Hehehehe.
Check back tomorrow for info on how my first lab day goes!
In the lab »« Weblog from NY
I am in NY City right now mooching off of Alex’s kindness. He is letting me stay at his apartment for a few days so I can meet with the guy renting me my apartment tonight and then have my first two days of work Thursday and Friday. If all goes well I will be able to move into my new place this weekend. Which will be a lot of work but quite a relief once it is finally all over and done with. Look tomorrow for more and info on my first day of sorta working (its going to be most all paperwork tomorrow and stuff…whee.)
Day 1 »« Still knocking on wood
Well not to jinx my self, hence I’m still knocking on wood, but it looks like I have an apartment. We went down to see a place in Glendale on Saturday and it was really, Really nice! It was a great area, building, and apartment. Exactly what I had been secretly hoping for but didn’t think I would be able to find, especially in the two weeks I had. Tomorrow I have to talk to the guy renting me the place and set up a time for me to come down there and sign stuff and give him the deposit. I think I will still be a bit nervous about the whole thing until I actually sign a lease and know that the place is mine for sure. But, knock on wood again, all seems to be going well and I shouldn’t have any problems. I have already started packing, which I need to do no matter where I will end up living, and I got a whole bunch of stuff from the dollar store that I will need in my apartment. Really random stuff too like a dish rack and pizza cutter, spatula, measuring cups/spoons, broom/dustpan, and a mop. I still need a good amount of stuff (like furniture) but I’m not that bad off either. And its not like I am going to some foreign country either, I think they have a few stores and stuff in NY city where I can buy stuff I need/forget to steal from home.
(god I hate MS Word, it keeps freezing/crashing on me, grrrr time to look into open office or some such better word processor)
I am surprised at the number of hits I am still getting on my web page. I have had over 40 this weekend alone. I can only assume that its all still due to me being on the donation page for the “Flowers for Al and Don” project. Which as of February 21, 10:15pm PST had collected $6,061.30 and donated dozens of bouquets of flowers and roses to random couples in SF waiting to get married. They also have pictures and some stories up now which is very cool.
On a final note this might be on of my last posts for a week or two. I will likely be moving next week and have no idea how long it will be before I have Internet access at my new place. I plan to get it ASAP but knowing how cable companys work and everything who knows.
Weblog from NY »« flowers
This is a really cool idea. This after noon on http://www.boingboing.net/ they had a story about people calling a flower shop in San Francisco and sending flowers to random gay couples waiting in line to get married. http://www.darrenbarefoot.com/flowers/ takes it a step further and is collecting paypal donations to keep up the flower sending project. From the website:
“The flower shop cited, Flowers by the Bay, is apparently charging a minimum of US $47 to deliver these flowers. That’s probably market value, but it’s a bit steep for individuals who might want to help out (particularly if they’re paying in Canadian dollars or other weaker currencies) but can’t spare fifty bucks.
Hence, Flowers for Al and Don. I’m using a PayPal account to collect money, with which I’ll buy bouquets in bulk for the couples in line. You can donate as much or little as you please, and I pledge that every cent (minus the PayPal fees) that I receive will go to this project. If make a donation, and want your name and/or Web site to be listed below, let me know when making your payment in PayPal.”
A very cool idea. I gave 20$ (which is sadly all I could afford at the moment) but if yah give what ever yah can you can email the guy and he said he will add yah name or site to a list on his page!
Just another example of the power of the internet!
Still knocking on wood »« Still looking
Well I have yet another apartment to go look at Saturday at 11am (which means we have to leave her by like 9am eek!) Ideally by then I will find another place or two that I can go see Saturday afternoon incase this place doesn’t work out. In the mean time I really ought to start sorting/packing stuff here. I got a lot of crap and probably don’t need to move a lot of it to a new place if I’m not even using it now.
Also to anyone reading this I understand this is…well really boring at the moment but once I start working it should get better. Promise!
flowers »« Hum…
Dad, being bored at work at the movies tonight, came up with an interesting idea for my apartment situation. Keep looking for a place to live for now but if I don’t find one by the 26th not to worry. For the first month, even though it will be über crazy, live here in Hartford still and commute in. Now true it is a 2-hour drive into queens, but it’s only a 45-minute drive into New Haven (or area) where I could jump on metro north and take then train into the city then the subway into the lab. Yah it would still be a LONG commute but it would only be for a month or so, it would give me more time to find a decent apartment instead of having to take the first thing I can actually get, I would save a lot of money that first month not needing to pay rent so when I do find a place I will better be able to cover the deposit and all that stuff, and maybe most important just the idea has made me feel about 100 times better and the feeling of dread and hopelessness that I have had for the last two weeks has somewhat lifted. Yes, I still have to find a place but if I don’t have one by the time I start its not as bad a thing really. Not that I am going to try any less but just the knowledge that there are more options is a help!
Still looking »« even more pointless
My trip to NY/NJ Saturday was mostly all pointless. The apartment I was supposed to see in Jersey City made the trip even more pointless. I had emailed the woman who is trying to rent the place and she told me the current owner would be there around 7 on sat. So we get there (after hours of driving around NY city looking for random places) and wait around for an hour. No on ever answered the buzzer or anything. Grrrr. I am getting to the point where I sware I’m never going to find a place to live. Sigh! Tomorrow I guess its back to the hunt!
Hum… »« Coats
So I go to call the guy about the appt today and he’s like “well I have some one who is going to meet me tonight and give me a check for the place”. But he said he would let me know if it didn’t work out and stuff. Personally I think it’s a load of crap. There is no other person and he will call me tomorrow saying that they backed out and will try and get a check out of me with in a day or two and stuff. What ever! I was so iffy to begin with about the place now even if he does call back I don’t think I’m going to bother. Instead I’m just going to keep looking. Blah!
Coats »« More appt. hunting.
Took a drive to NJ today to look at an apartment. I wish I could say that I have made up my mind that this is the place that I want to live but at this point I am still sort of up in the air. Odds are that I will end up taking it, but I still have this little part of me that isn’t 100% sure. The building it self is older and in a so-so area. I mean it’s by no means a bad neighborhood (not in the ghetto). The side streets have most all single-family homes that are very well kept up and nice looking. From first glance at the building the apartment in I was totally not impressed. I is an older building, and the area its in is, well its hard to describe. It’s the city. Not a great section of the street/town but by no means the worst either. Thing is I think it would be easier for me to decide one way or the other had the apartment matched the building/neighborhood. But see the thing is that the apartment is self is REALLY, really nice. It has a totally new kitchen, totally re-done and new bathroom, and the hardwood floors are being totally re-done and from what we say in another unit in the same building will look really nice. It has 3 closets and really good-sized living room and bedroom areas. Hence the indecision! While the exact spot where the building is might not be the greatest there is a bunch of stuff (shops, food, things like that) right down the road from it. That, and it is only a 30 or so minute drive from where I will work, and right on the bus line so I wouldn’t even have to drive to work. There is no parking at the location it self, but supposedly some can be found on side streets in the area I guess. Building it self also has no laundry room, but there is a laundry mat literally across the street from it. I guess the question I have to ask is can I find something as good or better for $665 (which includes heat and hot water) in two weeks? While I don’t want to “settle” per-say, I have doubts that I really could do better in that time frame for that I am looking to spend. I guess I have the night to think about it, and will likely call the guy tomorrow and let him know either way….
I guess I’m still looking for an appt. »« Crunch time!
So now its crunch time. I start my job in 17 days and in that time have to find an apartment and move in, ideally some where close to the lab. Hence now I am looking at places in NJ but am willing to settle on something in CT (New Haven area) if I have no other choice. Eek! As excited as I am to have the job I really wish I had more time to get settled before I have to start work. Oh well. I have a few leads on places in the NJ area that I have to call tomorrow so wish me luck….I’ll need it! :confused:
More appt. hunting. »« Appt. Hunting
Today was my last day at Omar. Yay! Now I have to find my self some place to live which is turning out to be a touch harder then I expected. All the places I am finding so far are WAYYYYY out of my price range, even if i were to up my price range they still would be WAYYYY out of it. Sigh. It’s not as easy as just moving to a “normal” new city. This is NY…which is kinda big so it can’t exactly just go down there and drive around till I find something. And i have to start in 20 days! Double Eek! :crazy:
Crunch time! »« Ok, now for a little more coherent blog entry…
After months of waiting and giving up all hope the NYPD called me today and told me they want me to start at last. Right now the date they would like is February 26! Which is like in two weeks!!! Eek! I got to find me a place to live and such things. At this point I have absolutely no idea as to where that will be but I got to figure out something fast. A commute from Hartford would be like more then three and a half hours which is a tad much. Even from new haven it would be like two and a half. Right now I’m looking for something in either NY (outside the city it self) or even over the river in NJ. From what my salary is going to be I figured that I could swing at most 650 or so a month at most. Which is asking a lot for the NY area but I will do just about anything not to have to have a roommate so I will make it work some how. Ahhh how sweet it will be tomorrow to give notice. Friday will be my last day at Omar. Fuck the two weeks. Cut my hours and that’s what you get! Hehehe (evil laugh). Tonight we celebrate! Tomorrow, well we work and pick up Ben but now I really have to get my ass in gear. (Mental note…steal boxes from Omar before my last day to pack stuff 
hehehe)
Its about damn time!
Appt. Hunting »« blinks…
