Four, Out of All

First of all, thank you to everyone that has been offering prayers on my behalf.  I know that they've helped.

Second of all, apartment hunting may be over.  I'm not quite sure yet, but I think I may have found my new home.

Third of all, a completely different topic.  I work with a bunch of nerds.  Clearly, I mean that in the most loving way that I can as a man that devoted several years of his life to collecting comic books (and still retains useless knowledge about superheroes - did you know that the creator of Wonder Woman helped invent the polygraph?).  But think about it.  Engineers are math nerds that keep nerding it up in their careers.  Now, as you should know, I am a nerd, too; however, I am an English nerd.  Can the two breeds coexist?  Of course, but the other day, after I shared an obscure word origin with a coworker, I was called a "dork."  In the land of math nerds, the English nerd is a dork.  I find this rather amusing. Of course, as a trained technical writer, I get along with engineers pretty swimmingly.  Technical writers think more logically and rationally than creative writers.  We focus on everything being communicated clearly, not in the most poetic or beautiful way.  Math is all about making both sides of the equal-sign match (it's a gross over-simplification, I know), so technical writing and engineering go hand-in-hand together to create new stuff.

Fourth of all, I should be able to let everyone know if I'll be moving soon by next week.  Try not be on the edge of your seat all weekend.

A Part, Meant?

I'm going to be perfectly honest: I don't have the time or mental capacity for a full post.  As you know, I've been searching for an apartment, and I've gotten close, but I'm not quite there.  I'm exhausted and little anxious over the whole thing.  I've been praying on the matter, but I'm missing something, but I don't know what.  Prayers on my behalf would help, for those that wish to lend a hand.  Hopefully by Friday things will be resolved.

In Memory

Since today is the day that we, as a nation, unite to remember those servicemen and women that gave the ultimate sacrifice by throwing barbeques and getting great deals on furniture, I thought that I should give my thoughts on the matter.

As a kid, Memorial Day was just a day off from school.  I didn't really have a way to connect to the holiday.  After all, there were no major military engagements that I knew about at the time and I didn't know of anyone that was a veteran (I wasn't a very observant child, so who knows how many vets I actually knew).

As an adult, things are quite different.  Certainly having a brother that is a veteran helps me make a connection to the holiday, but I'm also much more aware of how many people I've encountered that are vets.  I've worked with veterans at every job I've worked at since 2009 (I don't know if I work with any vets at my new job, but considering that it's only been two weeks, I think that's excusable).  They have all been very different people with different personalities, but they all shared the fraternity of having been servicemen and women at a previous stage in their lives.

As many of you (if not all) know, I began the process of joining the Air Force as an officer last year.  I took the AFOQT (and apparently impressed my recruitment officer, but I never got the actual score) and started training for boot camp, but because my credit score was too low, there was a hold put on my application.  Looking back, it wasn't a good fit for me.  I'm not very competitive and there were no jobs that would really employ my skills as a writer properly.  Even though I think it's for the best that I wasn't able to join, I gained a greater appreciation for what's required to be a part of the military.

So, even though I'm mostly using this day off as an excuse to relax, it really is a wonderful thing to be able to recognize the people who have died in the service of this great country.

House Hunting

The search for an apartment to call my own has been an annoying one.  As you may recall, I was very close to applying to one complex when I found out about past bed bug infestations.  Since then, I have viewed several other apartments, hoping to find one that would work.  But what constitutes working?  I don't think I was really clear on that at the beginning.  For example, how much are you willing to pay to have an easy commute to and from work?  How much for a washer and dryer in the unit?  How much for a nice neighborhood?  Would you pay 30% of your monthly income?  What about 50%?

I had to think a lot about what I really wanted out of my home and what I was willing to pay to get it.  Amanda reminded me that "you get what you pay for" is popular idiom because it often applies.  If I had taken that first place I found, it would have been pretty cheap, but that doesn't mean it's a bargain.  So, I've extended what I'm willing to pay (around 50% when counting utilities) after having decided that I want an easy drive (within 20 miles of my work), a washer and dryer in the unit, and at least a 51% score on ApartmentRatings.com.  These are the things I've decided that I am willing to pay for.

However, the downside to knowing what I want is that it's a lot harder to find.  I think I've got some really great candidates to look at tomorrow, but who knows if any of them will actually pan out.  I do feel like I'm getting closer and that the Spirit of the Lord is guiding to something will be for the best.  I just hope that I'm attuned enough to follow.

The Job I Was Hired For

For the last two days at work, I've been copy-editing a proposal to be submitted that indicates that we are qualified to do the job.  While I'd enjoy doing something more complex than simply copy-editing, it is very nice to be given an assignment that I know I'm qualified for.  While I was working on it (the portion that I looked over was about forty pages), I was worried that I was taking too long, but when I turned it in at the end of the day yesterday, my boss expressed her surprise that I was already done (and what a wonderful feeling it is to pleasantly surprise your boss), so clearly my fears were unfounded.  Hopefully, I'll be able to take a more active role on the next proposal and be able to impress my boss again.

Brothers Helping Brothers

Family can be a wonderful thing.  Obviously I never would have found my new job if I hadn't been looking in this area, which I never would have done had I not been invited by Ian and Amanda.  But there are other nice things about people that I am legally connected to.

I haven't talked to too many people about it, but for the last few years I've been experiencing "seizure-like" episodes where I feel disoriented and fatigued and I lose the ability to speak or comprehend reading for a few minutes afterwards.  As far as I'm aware, only Allison, my Dad, and (most recently) Ian and Amanda have witnessed one of these episodes.  The reason I bring it up here is that I had a really bad one this week where I actually blacked out for about thirty or forty seconds.  That's a new and disturbing development.

As I thought about it, I remembered that Isaac had had episodes of epilepsy, so I called him up to compare notes.  Turns out, he probably never had epilepsy, but had episodes of not getting enough oxygen to his brain.  This makes sense to me.  I have terrible allergy symptoms, but every allergy test I've taken (and I've had several) comes up negative.  I often have trouble breathing when exercising.  I suffer from sleep apnea (and there's been at least one day that I've had waking apnea).  I was thinking that my breathing problems and my "seizure-like" episodes were separate, but there's a very good chance that they're related.  Obviously, I need to still see a doctor when my health insurance kicks in, but now I've got a much better idea of what could be causing my problems.

In addition to Isaac, I spoke to Bryan (a different kind of brother) recently about my job.  Since I'm a Business Development Coordinator and he just finished his MBA, I just called him and asked if he had any pointers.  As it turns out, Bryan worked for a while at an engineering firm and so he's actually familiar with what I'll be doing.  He made suggestions about communication styles and ways to proactively improve my knowledge of the industry and increase my importance to the company.  It was very beneficial for me and I could tell that Bryan totally has that explaining gene that all Larsen men have because he seemed to enjoy the chance to tell me what he knew.

Isn't family a wonderful thing?

Business Development Coordinator

Go back and read the title of this post again.  That is my official job title and what I'll be introducing my as to new contacts.  Huh?

So, I applied for the job because it was called "Technical Proposal Writer" and I've been working to be a technical writer for a long time.  Now I'm told that while that training will be useful, my real job will be so different that I need a different job title? Huh?

I'll be honest, I have no idea what's happening.  The job that I worked hard to get, the job that I had to write an email convincing them to hire me, isn't the job that I'll be doing.  And yet, I prayed hard about and got a very strong witness that I should take the job offer.  I trust Heavenly Father that he knows what he's doing, but I'm pretty confused.

At the very least, what my job seems to be turning into still appears to be within my skill set, for the most part.  It's for the most part because I've learned over the last few years that I'm really awkward and uncomfortable when meeting new people and this job will require me to network with people.  I'm trying to look at this as an opportunity to grow and not as an opportunity to be overly terrified.  Let's see how I do.

More Than Just a Writer

So, I'm officially a professional writer.  How have my first couple of days been?  Filled with a lot of stuff that isn't writing.  The reason for that is because RJM has never had a full-time writer working for them, they aren't sure how to train me to do my job.  The VP, who is not my direct supervisor but has taken an active interest in my introduction to the company, gave me a bunch of files to read in order to get me up to speed on what the company does.  When she checked on me yesterday, I pointed out some inconsistencies and minor errors on the company's website and she was pleased that I caught them so quickly.

One thing that I wasn't quite expecting is that I'm a part of the Marketing Department.  I shouldn't be surprised since my title is Technical Proposal Writer, but it still was a surprise.  What this means is that in addition to putting together proposals for potential clients, I'll also have additional responsibilities.  One of these is attending publicly advertised pitch meetings and ... well, I'm not sure what.  I'll be going with my boss, the head of Marketing, to my first meeting on Thursday.  I've already been assured that I'm not expected to do anything this time other than introduce myself, but I'm sure that also means that eventually I'll be attending these meeting alone.

I'm looking forward to when I get to do some actual writing-related work, but I'll do whatever work I'm given.

This is Why We Pray

As many of you know, I spent this last Saturday visiting and touring potential apartments to rent that would be closer to my new job (that I started today!).  I saw a few different places and was honestly impressed with what I saw.  In the end, I narrowed my selection down to two apartments.  After describing both apartments to Ian and Amanda and to my parents, everyone agreed with me that the slightly more expensive but significantly closer apartment was the better choice.  I had all but made my decision to apply when I remembered that I hadn't yet prayed about the matter.

Once I prayed, I got a confused feeling.  There was some more to do on the matter before I applied.  I felt prompted to look at reviews online and boy am I glad that I did.  All of the places I looked at had low scores from tenets (the highest I saw was a 36%).  While each one had unique problems (unresponsive management, thins walls, towing risk within the parking lot, etc,), all of them had a similar problem: infestations.  Most mentioned mice and roaches, but the one I had my eye one also had a bed bug problem.  If you know anything about bed bugs you are probably aware that they are incredibly hard to exterminate completely.  Most people simple throw out much of what they own when bed bugs are discovered.  I don't care what the location is or how nice the place looks, I'm not risking bed bugs in everything I own.

As frustrating as this information is, it's still comforting that I avoided a huge potential problem.  Imagine if I signed a leased and had to deal with bed bugs.  All completely passed over because of a simple prayer.  I am very thankful that my Heavenly Father is watching out for my welfare and protecting me from harm.  And while this means that I'm back to square one for finding my own place, learning about what could have been is making me reconsider what I'm willing to put up with.  Maybe I'll have some roommates for a few months; I really wanted my own place, but maybe I just need to get closer to work first and then take my time before I'm truly on my own.  At least I avoided sharing an apartment with uninvited guests.

Shorties

I have a few things that I want to blog about but they aren't really enough to warrant their own posts, so I figured I would do some micro-blogging and squeeze them into one post.

Name Game
I experienced something for the first time this week: someone asked me how to pronounce my last name.  Not how to spell it; how to say it.  How many ways can you pronounce Larsen?

Choices Made While Behind the Wheel
There's one long stretch on my commute home where the traffic becomes bumper-to-bumper every day.  Knowing that I will allows be slowed down at this point, I just relax and barely move the car for about ten minutes.  I also try to be polite and let other drivers turn into the barely moving line of cars.  The other day, there was a gentleman who forced his way in (I had already decided I would wave him in) and then flipped off the car in front of him (I was behind) and honked, I think because the other car wasn't moving fast enough to allow him in.  I'll remind you, the traffic was thick and every car was pretty much right up against the car in front.  Contrast that behavior with another fellow who, after I let him in about five minutes later, waved as a "thank you."

Sugar-High
A couple of weeks ago, Clara explained to me that she wasn't supposed to have sugar close to bedtime because it'll make her hyperactive.

Me: Sugar can make you a little crazy.

Clara: Yeah, crazy like a noodle!

Green Screen
The trees are so thick and green here that when I look deep into any given grove, it seems like there are few trees in front of a green wall.  Even Ohio never had so much foliage.

I hope you liked the shorter format.  I may do this again when I have just a few smaller things to share.

Well, I Guess This Is Growing Up

I forgot to set my alarm to wake me up for work on Monday.  In the past this would have been a disaster, but this time it was no problem because I naturally woke up at the time I needed to.  I had to laugh in spite of myself because such a small thing was actually kind of a big deal.

I shared my success with Allison, who teased me, but just a little.  She then expanded the point and asked, in all seriousness, how I felt about my new life that's about to start.  I have a great job that I start next week, I'm making car payments, and I've started looking for an apartment.  Contrast this to a year ago (or, heck, even three months ago) and it would appear that things could not be more different and I feel really good about it.

Of all of the people who have wished me congratulations on my new job with RJM (many thanks, by the way), Allison said something that had the biggest impact.  She said that I deserve this.  I really hadn't thought of it like that but I have to agree.  This job took a lot of work to attain, not just because of the work required in finishing school, but also because I had to convince the company that I was qualified.  And even though I agree that I've earned this job (and the improved lifestyle with it), I'm still humbled by that fact that it's happened.  I may deserve the job, but I know that it's still a gift.

I may still be shocked by other mundane things that I'm able to accomplish, but even if I don't I'm sure that I'll still find ways to laugh at myself.

The Joy of Running

As I was running around the neighborhood on Saturday, I felt inspired that my next blog post should be about running.  I wondered why this was, but it was the act of wondering that brought me to my answer.

Running is the most basic of activities.  Clara and Henry both love running around while laughing wildly.  There doesn't need to be anything added to the activity for it to be completely and totally engaging for them.  This is not a unique experience for children.  I remember when I was a child that running was part of several activities that were some of my favorites (Tag, Hide 'n' Seek, Red Light/Green Light, etc.).

Running is also difficult to be good at.  What I mean by that is that beyond childhood, running does not come naturally.  I've been running off and on for about a year now and every time that I take any kind of break, I lose a lot of progress that I had made.  For example, when I was running around Boomer Lake in Stillwater, I worked my way up to about a seven-and-a-half minute-per-mile pace.  I've been running here in Maryland for about six weeks and I've nearly made it to an eight mpm pace.  I'm shaving seconds off every time I run, but I've still got quite a ways to go to make it back up to where I was.  Why was it so easy as a kid but it's so hard as an adult?  Part of it is that as a kid, I never ran very far.  Short bursts of speed around the playground or backyard was all I was interested in.  Distance running is a very different creature.  In a sprint, I can run much fast than the eight mpm, but I can't maintain that for very long.  Part of the art of distance running is figuring out what pace to go.

Running is a race - against yourself.  I am not a competitive person.  As long as I do my best, I am happy with my efforts, even if I lose (which is why I can't do sales).  When running, there's always a part of me that wants to stop or at least slow down; since I have some breathing problems (likely due to an undiagnosed deviated septum), this part of me is hard to ignore.  But there's also a part of me that wants to finish quickly and beat my last time.  Part of the attraction to running is that as time goes on, the second voice wins more and more often.  I've only run in one race as an adult (but I think I'll run another 10K this summer) and I didn't care that there were lots of people that passed me as I ran.  I was happy to just do my best and ignore the part of me that wanted to stop.

I wrote this post because I know that there are some of my audience that know the joy that comes from running, but I also know that there are some who simply think of running as something that is hard and not for them.  I would encourage you to give running another try.  I hope that I've made it clear that running is hard, even for someone like me who enjoys it.  But a lot of worthwhile and good things are hard.  I think running is one of them.  (I've also mentioned another reason I like running before.)

You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone

Since my start date at RJM is a week away, I gave my notice on Monday for the temp job I'm currently working (which was a full two weeks from my final day).  Supposedly the job was only for the duration of a month and at the end of next week it will be four weeks, but I gave notice anyway.

Now, the way I did this was I called and talked to my contact at the temp agency and allowed her to tell Alan, my supervisor at the Department of Information Technology (DoIT).  I don't know if that's standard protocol or not, but since I'm technically an employee of the temp agency and not DoIT, I figured that was more professional way of handling it.

Why do I bring this up?  Because earlier this week Alan came up to me and called me "traitor" for leaving.  I responded back that we all knew that I would leave pretty soon since my badge says "temp" right below my name.  He assured me that he was teasing (which I thought was obvious) and that he's bummed out that I was leaving since, as he put it, I "do good work."  I certainly appreciate the compliment since I know that he's been through other temps before.

And while it hasn't been terrible work at DoIT, I am looking forward to not having to go back there.  Still, beats waiting tables.

Success for Everyone

Apparently, success is something that needs to be shared.  As you know, I very recently landed a technical writing job, having been looking since graduating back in July.  While that's great, I'm not the only one who is seeing their hard work pay off.

Bryan, my oldest brother-in-law (I mean that he's been my brother-in-law longer than any of the others, though he has been alive the longest, too), has just graduated with an MBA in marketing from BYU Provo.  Not only has he completed a degree that only around 7% of US population has attained, but he's already landed a job.  In a recent text he told me "I'm going to Mars."  While he'll be working for the food company and not the red planet, that's still an awesome quote.  I offer my congratulations as well as wish him and his family the best of luck with their future.

That's not all.  Felicia, my youngest sister-in-law (meant the same way as with Bryan, but also works both ways) just finished her certification to be a CNA.  As I have worked with people who were studying towards the same goal, I know what kind of accomplishment that is (plus, after her training, there is pretty much nothing left that can gross her out).  I don't know if she has a job already lined up, but I know that nurses are always in demand so I'm sure if she hasn't found something yet, she will soon.

Finally, Ian has had some small success recently as a voice-over artist.  He did some freelance work that he found online and he's now the voice for an upcoming sale for a local-area Sears in Arizona.  It's rather strange hearing him do it with all of the super cheesy music and sound effects.  This is a smaller achievement compared to the others, but it's still nice that he enjoyed doing it and he'll be on the radio.

I know that my faithful readers come here to get updated on me, but this is a good outlet to be able to praise the successes of others and I would be selfish to not do just that.