Welcome to the chronicle of my travels: my adventures into the unknown. Climb aboard and join me as I document my sensational trip around the world through images and words. Don't forget to buckle up!
Allow me to start out by announcing I am now officially a licensed Florida resident. On the right is the proof. In Florida, getting a driver's license is the only step required to becoming a permanent resident. Fancy that! Not only is all of that taken care of, but I registered to vote, bought some work clothes, had lunch, and renewed my causeway toll card all before noon. I then took the liberty of going to get a haircut (my license picture makes it pretty apparent that I needed one).
Diving the Sapona Wreck from Steve's Boat
Enough about Florida though. This past weekend (Sunday and Monday) I went to my 25th country: the Bahamas! I'm one up on my goal of seeing as many countries as my age. ...one up for the time being. The experience was fantastic, going over with the diving class on one of the students' 50' boat and staying at his vacation house. What a treat! The only semi-downer of the entire experience is that the weather was constant sorrow the entire trip from the moment I woke up in Miami until the moment I finally walked back through the door back at home in Miami. That being said, the Bahamas had it a little easier than Miami did in terms of Monday morning's rain. The bottom line though is that we left RSMAS with 13 people and returned back with the same amount the next evening and had a fantastic experience. Big shout out to Steve, Rick, and UM Risk Management for allowing this trip to happen!
Moving farther backward in time, Saturday was my first shark trip in 6 months! Due to some complications and scheduling issues with our normal boat agency down in Islamorada, we are now going out of Key Largo which is only an hour away as opposed to two so I can leave at 6:30 instead of 5:30. I love it. Anyway, needless to say we went to a new site and while there, we caught a shocking 7 Nurse sharks and 2 Caribbean Reef sharks as well as one Goliath Grouper. Although I was rusty and made a few mistakes, it was great to be out on the water again with the team.
It was a good guess, but the title has nothing to do with my job. It instead refers to ants. Not aunts. Ants. I have ants where there should be no ants. If you guessed my pants, you were hoping for a good rhyme (and there's no shame in that of course, we all like good rhymes at the right times) but if you guessed my bed, then you're a winner. I usually don't have much of a problem with ants when they're not eating my food and when they're not crawling on me. They mind their own business and I mind mine. There have been quite a few in my room over the past couple weeks and I squash them now and again but generally don't pay them much attention. It's weird because I have food sealed up in my closet but they're not there. Instead, they like to hang around my desk where there is never any food. However when I came home tonight and found a half dozen ants in my bed, I turned into Donkey Kong from Super Smash Brothers and started swatting and squashing them. There is something fundamentally sacred about a bed that cannot be violated by any creature whether they understand it or not. A bed is like a temple, a safe place of reverence and peace where nothing and no one can harm you. Beds are where we seek refuge from the boogie monster as a child, school as a kid, and dementia as a college student. No matter which way you slice it, beds are no places for ants. Period.
In other news:
I managed to have a parking ticket nullified by talking to the parking and transportation office.
I will get my first paycheck tomorrow... as a temporary employee that is.
My first shark trip in 6 months is coming up on Saturday.
There's a CHANCE that I could be spending Sunday and Monday in the Bahamas.
I've now taught sailing twice with the sailing team at UM and it will hopefully open up more sailing opportunities.
Tomorrow after work I will be going to dinner and a movie with some friends then will immediately go home to watch the World Cup match between the US and Australia. I reckon our odds are about 1 in a hundred at best but I'll cheer them on the whole way!
From last night's game against Russia, I liked the commentating so much that I started writing down all the funny quotes I heard. Try to imagine all of these in a Kiwi accent.
10.
-...American defense looking 'slick willy.'
9. (regarding a punt from the American team)
-Fairly dusty looking effort.
-Looked like a lame duck, didn't it?
8. (in reference to the Russian team)
-That's coming from a country that's known for tackling abrasively.
-Did we see that? Yes we did.
7. (about an American player who had finished getting bandaged up for a small cut above his eye)
-Now they've strapped his head back together.
6.
-...and go ahead and hit every Russian like his name's Nick.
5. (with respect to a fight)
-He's got an angry face on, hasn't he?
-Yeah, that's because he hasn't done anything.
4.
-He should be arrested for that haircut.
3.
-He got slapped! That's why he went all agro.
-Who does that anymore?
-Well I hear women do.
2. (talking about a couple buff American fans)
-Which one's the girl?
-I don't know but one of them is on sterroids.
-They both might be, mate.
1. (from the referee to an American player after a rough play that didn't quite merit a penalty)
-You'll be picking up my laundry tab after this.
Overall, it was a phenomenal game and the US fought their way to a 13-6 victory over the Russians.
I'll post about my job later but for now, enjoy the commentating and the glorious win because it is predicted that it will be our only one of the tournament.
I have determined that one of the ways for me to be happy is to be constantly stimulated. Much like an 8 year old boy, I can't sit and do the same monotonous thing over and over. This is one of the reasons I would not last a single month in an office job. I need change, expansion, development, action, improvement, and constant stimulation. This explains why automatic cars are so boring to me, why I like to move, why I decide to randomly pick up new hobbies like rock climbing and playing the ukulele, and it helps explain the way I run my life.
I bring this up not due to what the new job is but what it has the potential to be. UM has one of the top diving programs in the country already, but we don't want to just stop there. In a conversation I had with my supervisor tonight, we have the potential to earn the respect of THE premier university diving institution in the country.
I am totally amped up about all the possibilities that there are such as the science diving club, the advanced techniques in research diving course, and the eventual masters degree involving diving and field technician training.
If I end up staying in Miami for more than 4 years, it will be specifically for this diving program. If it continues to grow, it's pretty much the only thing I can see that might keep me here in Miami and for good reason.
It's well past my bedtime but I'll keep updated about any new developments. Stay tuned for greatness!
That's right folks, it is not all quiet on the job front. To my knowledge, everything has been approved for the position. All that I need to wait for is the position to be posted for about a week and for a few interviews to take place. My official job title at the university is Assistant Diving Safety Officer. You are right to think that it is misleading in that it only describes part of my job, but that's what they finally decided upon. Before we know it, I'll be an official full-time employee!
Until then, I'm going to go catch the Men's US Open singles final between Nadal and Djokovic.
Oh, 2 things PS. I'm spearheading the creation of the science diving club at UM. Also, I might be going to the Bahamas in a couple weekends.
Let me preface this post by saying that there's this thing called Groupon and it's pretty sweet. The best way I can explain it in my own words is that it is a website in which companies post deals on their products such as 50% off a meal at their restaurant, 60% off a photo shoot at their studio, and perhaps 80% off kite surfing lessons at their beach. It's a way for the consumer to win on a great deal and a way for the vendor to secure some business both in the short term and in the long run. Everyone wins.
Since signing up for Groupon about 7 months ago, I've purchased 3 deals. First, a deal to get a photo professionally printed on a 16"x20" gallery-wrapped canvas that I got for my sister's birthday. Second, I purchased a discount of $40 worth of food for $20 at a new sushi/Thai restaurant within walking distance (this will be a dinner for two - I'm not eating $40 worth of food). Finally the third purchase was made just yesterday. As I was discussing my job with one of my "bosses" last week, the topic of physical fitness came up. It is so critical to the position that he would have no problem with me taking an hour during the work day to go swimming, running, weight lifting, etc. This conversation was on my mind when I was looking over the local Groupon offers recently and happened to stumble across a very appropriate one. It was $20 for $350 worth of fitness classes at MetaBody Fitness. After thinking about it overnight and deciding to go for it, I now have an allowance of 30 classes between this Tuesday and mid March. Sure, I'm not going to be the next Richard Simmons (for many reasons) but I think I will enjoy going to an array of different fitness classes over the next few months, especially when I consider the 94% discount I bagged.
If anyone is interested in signing up for Groupon, let me know because I would love it if you used me as a referral - I get $10. :)
The quest for official employment appears to be a never-ending story. Yes, just like the 1984 movie with the freaky giant fuzzy flying dog creature.
I THINK that my temporary employment has been sorted out. I haven't seen any emails saying otherwise and I've been assured by several people that no news is good news. Rick has a meeting tomorrow with some of the people in human resources to sort out some more details of my permanent position so I hope that I will know more after that meeting. I do know that they have to post the job offer for 2 weeks and interview some number of people before they can officially give me the position but there are few people that know the way both campuses and programs work, have the dive credentials necessary, have been through the system, AND are available and willing to take the job. The job posting and interview processes are simply formalities so don't be concerned that they'll suddenly find someone else better for the job.
In terms of how things are going thus far, life is pretty good. The dive class has met a few times including doing a swim test and pool check-out on scuba. Most of them are cool and I'm looking forward to working with all of them but one is going to be more than a handful. I will not say anything more but I have my work cut out for me.
As for super awesome things that have happened, I could be able to meet and miiiiight be able to dive with Jeff Corwin! How cool, right? I don't know if anyone remembers when I talked about Little Salt Spring many months ago but it's a great place for archaeology, diving, science, and television shows. He is hosting a show now on ABC called Ocean Mysteries with Jeff Corwin and the production team is very interested in filming an episode about Little Salt Spring sometime this fall. If you don't end up seeing me on the show, you'll at least be able to see the sort of things I do here in Florida.
I'll continue to post updates as I get them but I'm not sure how soon or often that may be. Until then, keep laughing, living, and loving!
As for my position, it's slowly pushing forward. They have an account where my salary will come from, they almost have me in as a temporary employee, I was told that human resources would have a job title for me by tomorrow, and schedules are finally materializing.
I thought I had it rough when I tried explaining my student status last year when people would ask what year I was in school:
"Well, I already graduated but I'm switching fields to marine science (not just marine biology like everyone automatically assumes). I'm taking some undergrad and some grad courses with the long-term goal of applying for a masters either here in Miami or elsewhere."
That's about as short as I could possibly get it.
Now that I'm an employee, things are even harder. Whenever I give the bare bones answer of what I do at UM, it goes something like this:
"My job has two components. First I'm the general lab manager for all marine science undergraduate labs. Second, I'm the assistant diving safety officer."
I generally have to give more details about both positions. Explaining the lab manager portion of the position is not hard because the job is very straightforward. However, no one really understands the other part of my job. Part of the reason it's hard to convey is that I don't know all of the duties I will have but the other hurdle I have to overcome is that when I say it, it sounds like a petty position. Anything I say henceforth is out of excitement and to convey what my job is. I'm not trying to make myself sound better or brag about my position.
Based on facts I've pieced together and a little bit of research I've done on my own online, it's pretty clear that the University of Miami's scientific diving program is one of the most established, safe, and active programs in the country. Scientific diving differs drastically from recreational diving not only in the goals and purpose of the dives but also in the training and the style of diving that is done. All divers, regardless of experience, background, and position in the university are required to go through a rigorous semester-long course that honestly covers more diving theory and rescue skills than the PADI Divemaster course and extensively teaches different techniques for positioning, propulsion, buoyancy, and data collection.
As the assistant diving safety officer, I will be overseeing all diving operations that go through the University of Miami of which we had about 130 active science divers last year logging dives. I will be helping with the classroom sessions, pool training, and open water training dives for students going through the course. I will also be doing check-out dives for those who haven't been diving in a while, equipment maintenance and servicing, administrative paperwork, and even the chance to go out on field work both locally and internationally. The position provides full university job benefits as well as the unwritten ones like obtaining more diving experience and certifications and eventually being able to take and teach the graduate boating certification course alone. My excitement is pretty intense even though the job has not yet been signed off by human resources (remember my last post?). I have a lot to look forward to and I will be posting about it right here in this blog so please stay tuned for exciting news from the academic work force!
Included below is a video about GUE, a diving organization (PADI, NAUI, SSI, etc are examples of diving organizations) that commits itself to education, exploration, and conservation. It is the system in which our science dive training is based on and it is the most thorough system I've ever encountered. By the way, you can find my instructor and boss in the video sometime in the last third of the video. His name is Rick.
My job is currently tied up in Human Resources. Evidently, HR can't find a job title for me and therefore they don't know what salary bracket to place me in thus can't get me into the system which prevents me from getting a parking permit, staff ID, paychecks, etc. Ultimately I have no job right now and all I can do at this point is hang out and wait for things to come together. In the mean time I can see friends and take care of other responsibilities.
Just like this time last year, I've been very good about productivity and luckily this time I have a head start by knowing people and places here in Miami.
