Catching you up! It's been awhile.

Gosh you guys. I almost forgot that I have a blog it’s been so long since I’ve posted anything. I hope you didn’t forget that it exists! There are a lots of updates from the Hoag household. Turns out that life can get in the way of blogging sometimes. I have so many things I could write about that I don’t even know where to start. So I’ll boil it down to five things you should know:

1. Turns out that my husband is more than just a cute piece of eye candy! Matt successfully defended is more than 100 page dissertation this week. You can officially call him Dr. Hoag! He has worked so hard on this, it has been a really tough semester for Matt with many long hours and a few all-nighters worked in. To say I am proud is a understatement.

2. Today I sent my boss my official resignation letter. That’s right…two weeks from today is my official last day at Edison. I’m definitely excited to see where my career goes next and will start my full on job search when we arrive in Sacramento next month. Yay!

3.Yep, you read that right. We move NEXT month. Kind of hard to believe it’s already that time. Our departure date is July 16 and arrival date is July 23. The details of that trip deserve their own blog post so stay tuned!

4. Our townhouse is on the market right now. We could use all of the well wishes and prayers we can get. It’s been for sale since mid-March and we haven’t had a single showing. This process is much more frustrating and wearing that Matt and I ever expected. It’s not rocket science to know that selling a house is tough right now, but just how tough, I had no idea! We took the advice of my good friend, Brenna, and bought a St. Joseph the Worker statue and we pray to him to help us find the perfect person to buy our quaint little home.

5. So now you know my last day of work is July 1 and our departure date is July 16. Wondering what we are doing in between? Going here for one week:

(more on our trip plans later)

And then spending one week putting all of our belongings in these:

Phew! See why we have been busy? And I didn't even touch on everything going on. We are fortunate and can't complain about any of it because it is all good news and all very exciting! I'll try to post some more before we go on vacation July 1 so check back.

Oh and don't forget... I love comments! ♥ ♥ ♥

Stories of the South

When I first moved to Knoxville I was very observant of how the South is different than the Pacific Northwest. I blogged about it here. I still notice many oddities of the South but I sort of forgot to document and share them on my blog. Now that Matt and I know we only have 6-8 months** left in the South, I feel the pressure to note my experiences in the South.

At work on Friday, I was talking with a few people about our upcoming office move and the office dynamics. We work in the tallest building in downtown Knoxville, the First Tennessee Bank Building.

So we're talking and my coworker Michelle said something that was a quick reminder that I live in the South. Before I tell you what she said, you should have a picture of Michelle in your head. She is in her thirtys, dresses fairly trendy, has a pretty "hot" body, has fake red nails and often wears bright red lipstick. She comes across as a very girly girl. Are you picturing her? Something like this only with a little more skin showing:

Then somehow she slips this into the conversation: "Can you believe we can't bring guns into the office? I mean, if though I have a license to carry it, I can't have it here because of the bank. It's so stupid."

Hmm...Okay. Didn't expect her of all people to want to carry a gun. And why in the world would she think she needs to carry it around in lil' old downtown Knoxville? Definitely not something I would have heard at my old office in Vancouver, WA!

And then, to cap the day off, we had our Christmas party in the office and at least 4 guys pulled out pocket knifes at different times to cut open presents. Now I recognize that many guys carry pocket knifes so that isn't that unusual, but in combination with the gun comment, I was totally cracking up.

I'm alive, just busy!

Wow, I definitely fell off the blogging bandwagon...Matt also had the same problem, a sign that this is just a very busy time for both of us.

I've been consumed with work, much more than I care to be and I am hoping the demands taper off by the end of August. It turns out that Summer is our busy time in charter school enrollment. We have quite a few new schools that are taking up a lot of my time, but the biggest drain on my time is Louisiana. Before this job I new very little about Louisiana and the more I learn about it, the less desire I have to ever come back. Since June 30th I've been in Louisiana (in either Baton Rouge or Shreveport) for 21 days. I calculated that and that means I've spent 52.5% of my time here. Over 50%!?! Crazy, huh?

Time is just flying by with all of this work travel and having to work weekends, late nights, etc. Since the last time I blogged:

• Matt and I celebrated the 100 days until the wedding! Now we are down to 74 days.
• We attended two weddings in one day
• We celebrated our engagement anniversary (from afar because as you can guess, I was in Louisiana)
• Matt's parents came to visit us
• I booked travel to come home late August for my dress fittings and a bridal shower
• We booked our flight and hotel for the wedding week!
• Matt kicked off the interview process in NYC with 15 interviews with different schools from Seattle U to Northeastern and lots of places inbetween

Well I have lots I want to blog about but most of those things include pictures so I will have to wait to blog until I'm back in Knoxville. I miss blogging!

Who knew?

Working in education is new to me. Working with low-income, inner city schools is also new to me. It's an eye-opening experience so far.

Here are five things I never knew until my current job:

1. Louisiana is like its own country. They abide (or don't abide) by their own rules/laws and it is all about who you know.

2. When people say Detroit is bad, they mean half the population is leaving and what's left is a mess. The Detroit school district has closed 100 schools in the past five years. Just this year 29 schools will close and 40 are being restructured. Read more: Detroit schools are 'ground zero,' U.S. education secretary says

3. Contacting parents can be nearly impossible because families move so often. Schools are left with bad addresses and phone numbers and no way to reach the parents.

4. In some areas if you ask a parent what is most important about their child's school the answer is "safety." Not academics, not qualified teachers, but knowing that their child is safe for the 7 hours they are at school

5. Every child deserves a good education, no matter where they live and what status they have. That's why everyone I work with does what we do (even if we want to pull our hair out some days).

Etiquette Revisited

You might remember my thoughts on Bathroom Etiquette back from December. Some of the comments suggested that what I deemed questionably unacceptable is actually just unacceptable. I’ve been swayed to the other side and want to concede. It is in fact unacceptable to talk on the phone in a public restroom.

It was another work incident that made me realize my wrongful judgment. A woman was in a stall on her cell phone having a rather serious conversation with a friend. It seemed to be a call that this person didn’t want to take from her cube as she was giving relationship advice to the person on the phone. I totally understand that this isn’t an appropriate cube phone call, but that doesn’t make it an appropriate bathroom stall phone call. I felt awkward when it came time to flush the toilet as they discussed whether some guy was worth the time and investment or not. But of course, I flushed and quickly washed my hands and left after feeling I had unintentionally eavesdropped on a private conversation. How awkward!

Another etiquette note: in Knoxville men go way out of their way to make sure women go in and out of doors first and in and out of elevators first. I notice this every day as I take two elevators in and out of work. Men will shuffle around the elevator just to let the women out first even though it’d be much easier if they just exited. It’s actually kind of nice. I’ve grown accustom to it and don’t mind letting men open doors and touch the germy doorknobs instead of me! Plus, not a bad idea from a man’s perspective…they constantly get to watch women’s backsides as they exit meanwhile they come off looking polite! Well played.

High fives of one of my top my pet peeves: Know It Alls

1.
There is no way one person knows it all. Accept it and quit trying to act like you’re the one person who actually does know it all.

2.
Learn to value other people’s opinions –you might be surprised to learn from other perspectives and sometimes, you might actually like their perspective more than your own.

3.
It’s just annoying. It makes you less likeable if you are a Know It All…and don’t you want to be liked?

4.
Two heads are better than one… It’s true! A collective group really can bring more to the table than one person.

5.
My biggest peeve about Know It Alls is the way they take time to remind people that they were right when it is completely not necessary. And when they take that to another level and correct people just to correct people.

I’m in a meeting and currently annoyed with a Know It All. Can you tell?

My feet are finally wet

Yes, it is raining in Knoxville but that isn’t why my feet are wet. I’m finally feeling valuable at work!

Up until a few weeks ago, when people asked “How’s the new job?” I tried not to come off as too negative. Chalking it up to good experience. But then I complained that I’m not busy enough, haven’t figured out the internal politics, don't love it--that it is a good temporary job to have while living in Knoxville but not long-term.

Fortunately my perspective is starting to change. I’d still like to be busier, but I’m not as bored as I was prior to January. I’m starting to figure out the politics, or at least navigating them enough to make a name for myself. And I finally feel like I’m bringing value to the company! I’m starting to get pulled in on more projects and asked for my opinion on more things. I suppose it just took awhile to really get my feet wet.

It is a good reminder that I am not the type of person who jumps in and takes control right away. I like to take control but only after I feel comfortable and after I’ve analyzed the situation enough to know that I am right (heaven forbid I take a risk and be wrong!!). I love figuring things out on my own and being a self-starter but I guess it takes time to dothat well in a new company and new industry. So I’m glad to say that 3.5 months into the new job, it’s going ok and getting better.

I’m still not convinced that it’s a long-term thing, but really, that’s because there are too many other things I could do (not to mention many places I could end up living). I’m already looking ahead to the next thing. Yesterday I found a way to get the design software I want for a great price through the University. And found a local college that has an online graphic design certificate program…it’s a 6 month (80 hour) program so I think next January I will go for it! Keep broadening my resume so I have lots of options! Plus I think design would be quite fun.

BE -short for Bathroom Ettiquette

I debated whether I should blog about this topic. But when I expressed my concern to Matt, he said that bathroom etiquette was an acceptable topic and that people should read and learn about it. So I’m going for it!

In my opinion, there is an unspoken bathroom etiquette (BE). I have no idea where it originates and I think it’s something an individual just picks up over time. At the age of 26 I think I follow most of the unspoken rules. But if I’m being honest, I have to admit I have been on my cell phone and answered my cell phone while in a public bathroom…sorry if you’ve been the person on the other line! I believe that phone use in a public bathroom falls as questionable BE, but I could be wrong, I could be partaking in unacceptable BE in which case I apologize!

This topic came up after an incident at work earlier this week. A nice woman at my company walked into the bathroom while I was washing my hands. We politely greeted each other (acceptable BE). While standing in the sink area, she asked me when I am heading west for the holidays (acceptable BE). As I was answering her question she headed into the bathroom stall (questionable BE…I hardly know this woman so talking while she is going to the bathroom is a little odd. I will gladly talk to my friends while they are peeing, but even among friends this is questionable BE).

It gets worse…

My response about traveling was “Next Friday.” To which she says, “Oh, you are taking the week of Christmas off too.” I was thinking, “Phew. End of conversation, I can quickly make my exit.” But no, she continues on to tell me that she is taking the week off but isn’t traveling…she wants extra time off to just be at home, get ready for Christmas etc. You might be thinking, “Cara, that isn’t that bad. She was just carrying on a conversation.” But there is one more factor to consider. During this conversation, with me standing awkwardly by the sink, already done washing and drying my hands and coworker X in the stall, I can CLEARLY hear this woman going #2. Yep, she was pooping and it wasn’t subtle. There were definite farting and blopping sounds (very unacceptable BE). Ew. So I wrapped up the conversation as best I could and hollered back, “See you later” as I fled out the door.

Now if you do this type of thing, I’m sorry if you are offended…but please stop. It is awkward and not compliant with the unspoken bathroom etiquette.

Always Learning

When I decided to move to Knoxville I was really sad to leave Vancouver –for many reasons, one of which was leaving a job I enjoyed and wonderful coworkers that I love.

When I was offered my current job, I was overjoyed…mostly because it meant I got to move to Knoxville and be with Matt. But the opportunity to try my hand at something new also excited me. I wasn’t entirely sure what my job actually entailed, but it sounded very promising. As I’ve made the transition and am learning what my job really is, I still greatly miss my old job and my old coworkers. I haven’t made up my mind on how I feel about my new position and my new company, but I definitely know that I am enjoying the lessons I am learning.

My old company was small-medium in size with a “flat” organization (I put flat in quotes because I don’t think flat actually exists, but it definitely wasn’t a traditional hierarchy). My new company is the corporate world. It is my first taste at working in this environment. Now I will be able to say that I understand both the corporate and the non-corporate setting. It’s great experience for my professional growth and good old resume.

I only starting to realize how different it is, and how that will affect my actions. And WOW what a different world! I’m realizing that in corporate America you start to question what people’s intentions are more than non-corporate settings. Are your peers just trying to work up the corporate ladder? And I’m also noticing how for some people, hierarchy gets in their head and they become power hungry. There is more of a need to self-promote, you have to get to know the “right” people, you have to make certain people happy and not worry about others. And when I list it that way I get a little put-off. That doesn’t interest me, it isn’t how I work.

That being said, I don’t think acting in that way necessarily gets people where they want to be. I am choosing to keep doing my best work, striving to keep learning and bettering myself, being a good team player, helping the company meet their goals and I’m confident that my approach will pay off (not necessarily pay off in a promotion or raise (which I won’t complain if it ever does) but in my own personal satisfaction. But I can’t be naïve…I’ll definitely look out for my best interests.

It's a new day!

In Megan’s blog, she spoke about the new day created when we elected Obama as our next president. When he won, I was really happy and hopeful for the next 4-8 years. But it hadn’t really sunk in how monumental it is to elect a black president. I think for me I have just seen Obama as qualified--as a president we can be proud of, a well-composed man and someone that aligns with my political viewpoints. In my evaluation of him as a presidential candidate, his race never played a piece—even though it was a well-communicated element in the election.

Megan pointed out that Becca, my adorable niece, will never know a time before having a black president. Then the immensity of Obama’s win started to sink in. But it didn’t fully hit me until I went to St. Louis for work. I was there visiting some of my company’s charter schools to see EdisonLearning education in action (great experience for me overall, BTW). The four schools I saw are all about 95% black. Quite a different scenario than any school I ever went to or have even visited—actually pretty much the exact opposite.

I arrived on November 5th, the first full day we knew Obama would be our next president. Bulletin boards littered the hallways with information about the election. Many were displaying pictures kids drew, or sentences they wrote with their thoughts about the election. Some showed bar graphs, pie charts, etc. of who the students wanted to win. Others said why they would vote for Obama (cute to see what kids say or think is most important). I think everything I saw was supporting Obama. In the entrance to most the schools, the front page of the newspaper was hanging up to announce the election results. Election information was everywhere!

First, it is just awesome that kids get to learn about the political system in America and for many, this is the first election they will ever remember…and what a good one to have in their memory banks!
Second, it was really neat to see how proud and supportive kids and staff were of Obama. In these St. Louis schools he has quite the fan base! Now when these kids say they want to grow up to be president, they know it really can happen.

Now I wonder when we will elect a female president…

I heart NY!

I went to NYC for work this week. I spent most of my time in an office building listening intently in meeting after meeting. But my first night in town I did take time in the evening to go to the Top of the Rock. (Rockefeller Plaza that is.)





This is my favorite picture looking up at Rockefeller Plaza from below. I had to kneel down on the ground and look like the ABSOLUTE tourist to get the flowers to frame the shot...but the embarrassment was worth it (and after all, I WAS a tourist).




I also looked like a total tourist when I took a picture of a street sign...but I couldn't help it:


New York driving cracks me up. They even have a New York edge to their street signs. And not surprisingly, as I took this picture, a car pulled up and parked in front of the sign. Things like the driving and the excessive honking, the bad taxi car driving and the piles and piles of garbage that collect on the sidewalks all remind me that NYC is a fun place to visit but I'd have a really tough time living there. I do hope the next time I go to NYC for work that I can stay a little longer and Matt can come along for a couple of extra days. I'd love to go back to Times Square, ice skate at rockefeller center and really really want to go see Wicked on Broadway!

Toilet talk

In our new office we have fancy toilets. They are the kind that flush up for liquid waste and down for solid waste.

The handles are even labeled as "coated" to protect them from germs. ...I think that's odd. Cool, but odd. I only flush public toilets with my foot anyway, but my shoe is now exposed to fewer germs. But I do wonder, is this a coating that never wears away or one that gets reapplied.

Anyway, I like coated toilet handles!