Happy Friday!

The productivity at my new job continues to grow. I am showing all of the 'hallmark' signs of being a full-fledged 'post doc': losing several hours at a time staring at data, running and rerunning analyses for the sake of exploring new ideas, reading articles, writing papers and developing manuscripts. I arrive at the office at about 7:45 a.m. and leave around 4:00 p.m. and all of the hours in between overflow with nerdy-delight.

Weekends in Boston are the time that we are tourists in our new city. However, I have to say, it is very difficult to 'squeeze' everything that we would like to see and do into the weekends. It turns out that 'regular' life came with us (it must have piggy-backed on the roof of the prius!) and we still have to spend weekend and evening time doing laundry, cooking, grocery shopping and, gasp, cleaning. It is unclear to me today why I imagined that we would have so much 'extra' free time after arriving in our city. It turns out that there are still only 24-hours in a day, 7-days in a week out here in Boston.

Nevertheless we have committed to seeing something (anything) new in our city each week. Last week we visited Newbury Street....a ritzy shopping district in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. It was more than 90 degrees, giving us PLENTY of reason to duck into every charming (read: air conditioned) boutique that we fancied. In addition to ooing and awing at lots of exorbadently priced items, we also found a few FAB-U-LOUS second hand boutiques. But more than anything, it was wonderful to spend an afternoon together doing something that did NOT involve our adjustment.

This weekend it promises to be equally as hot so we may stay close to Myron, our new airconditioner, and visit a few neighborhood venues a little closer to our new home. There is so much to see and do....it would be really helpful if some one would come out and visit...help us see some of these tourist attractions!

Today was the second day of really fantastic, off the charts workout since our arrival in Boston. After we unpacked and felt relatively settled we started back to our daily movement routines. Naively, and despite everything we know about exercise and the influence of life transitions on exercise (and other healthy) routines, we thought I would just immediately pick up where I left off working out a few hours a day. It turns out that the emotional and physical disruptions that naturally characterize a relocation DO indeed interrupt previously well established exercise routines. Something seemed to come up every day that kept us from getting to the gym or the park (for a run). So, instead we have been doing a ton of walking and recently returned to running short distances.

This week however it seems that we have turned over a new leaf. We have tried MANY gyms since arriving in Boston (see my heart is still in it!), but nothing really fit. Despite the mismatch we have had a few really terrific interval workouts in which I combine intense cardiovascular work with high rep/low weight strength training. I have also had a great heavy strength training workout this week.

Today we picked a new gym, located only 1 mile from home, that seems to be a much better fit. I ran nearly 3 miles and felt terrific! I could actually feel my bad mood slipping away under my pounding feet. The bonus was that my lady joined me...is there anything better than running beside the love of your life? I have also found that the time I've taken 'off' from heavy training has given new life to my legs for running and all of my 'lifting' muscles. Turns out these 'exercise-experts' may know a thing or two about 'rest' and 'recovery'.

So, here's to turning over a new leaf in Boston where everything is the same but oh so very, very different!

By the way: have attempted to locate stylists and waxers (aesticians)...boy what a post have I got for you. I have never had such an aggressive, intense, hold me down sort of eye brow wax before. I knew that they were bad, but man-alive...what was that?

Hi-Ho-Hi-Ho It's Off to Work I Go

Go Terriers!
Give me a T.
Give me an E.
Give me an R…....
anyone tired of this yet?
Go Boston Terriers!

I love my new job and I love the institution, Boston University. I love it so much I may never want to leave…well, that might be a stretch (have you seen the weather here today? I’m melting all over my key board). Back to my point: I love BU because from what I can tell so far they do a great job taking care of employees (classified and unclassified) and seemingly make an extraordinary commitment to students with teaching excellence and educational support. Boston University is ALSO a world renowned research institution…’world renowned’…go figure. Turns out that BU is kind of an amazing institution to be affiliated with…huh. I am going to just being grateful and hope that they don’t realize who I am anytime soon and realize that they’ve made some mistake!

My first days of work so far have involved orientations, meetings, and generally getting set up at my desk and with IT. Today I spent a bit of time actually working. This involved locating and selecting literature for reading as I prepare a little mini project for a future conference. The topic involves the role of physical activity and social support in cancer survivors and how ones participation in physical activity differs by years since diagnosis and how physical activity influences cancer survivor outcomes. This is the very rough, preliminary ideas and product of my work today, but I’ll keep you posted on how it develops. But for those of you who wondered what my days would be like, today involved researching articles, reading and looking at available data. Go Terriers!

You can see here that my office is located in a very urban area, in the South End neighborhood of Boston. I take the Orange line train to get to Massachusettes Avenue, followed by a very short bus ride down ‘mass ave’…aka, Massachusetts Avenue (‘locals’ call it mass ave, so I will too) where I get off at Boston Medical Center.

From here I enter the “Cross Town” building (this is the name of my building) and take the elevator (locals call this the ‘elevator’) to the fourth floor.
Here are a few pics of my little workspace.


In my department there are real offices with doors (for faculty, professors etc), large ‘cube’ workspaces (for post docs, research coordinators etc), and smaller ‘cubes’ for temporary students or research assistants. I was given a large ‘miranda’ cube workspace near a very large window. You can see from the pictures that my workspace is ample for research and writing, and the window with view of medical buildings are perfect for day dreaming, or I mean contemplating unique analytic and methodological techniques I will use. Go Terriers!

Updates from Boston

We pulled our little pruis, strategically stuffed to the gills with cat, dog, and girly accoutrement one week ago yesterday. Since then we have accomplished a significant degree of work in setting up our humble abode. When we pulled in to Boston we did not have our furniture (as we knew we wouldn’t) so we spent our first two nights on an air mattress and eating take-out meals from local diners and grocers. Then, on the third day a GIANT truck, carrying all of our most beloved treasures (ha!), pulled in (taking down only small trees and weak branches)thereby ‘delivering’ us from simplicity. As you can see from the picture below we were floor to ceiling in boxes, our house runneth over.When I arrived home from my first day on the job I found Trina digging out from the storm that the movers called ‘delivery’ and Jasmine was perched high above the rest of us ‘lowly’ family members on her kitty tower, which was also precariously balanced on two large boxes. Get her down, you say? And take my life into my own hands? She’s lived a long, full life, come what may. I'm just kidding (mostly), I would have assisted her as necessary but she seemed safe and content.

Since that massive delivery 5 days have passed and we are delighted, perhaps even proud, to say that all of the boxes are emptied, and removed from the premises (thank you craigs list!). The kitchen became fully functional the day after delivery, and we have been eating off of our clothed table dressed with colorful plates and glasses ever since. Our books are sorted. Clothes are put away. Pictures are hung (well, all but three). New roman shades are hung in 10 of our 14 windows (Lowes ran out of blinds!). New dressers and TV stand have been assembled. The internet is very officially, and wonderfully, up. We feel pretty darn close to being set up!

So, enjoy the pics! It was an intense journey that has involved a combined total of more than ten days of driving, unpacking and getting settled without a day off (are we crazy??). Currently we are fantasizing the arrival of our newest family member, the air conditioner (we will reveal her name when she arrives) and about having a ‘down’ day together to explore our new city this weekend.

Movin' In, Feelin' Good

Today I was encouraged to stay home from work to unpack our home. HOLY MOLEY! Why, on God's green earth, do we have THIS MUCH STUFF? Better yet, why on earth did we PAY to ship it this far? Seriously? Yikes.

Enough whining. We have lovely things and are blessed by our bounty (did you throw up a little in your mouth?). Actually, the truth is, we have been working pretty solidly since yesterday afternoon when the movers left (well, since I got home at 6'ish from my first day at work). 24 hours later and this place is starting to shape up! I plan to post before and after pics in the next few days, so stay tuned! If you're dying for a sneak peak, you can check out my facebook page where I posted a pic of our first home-prepared (I can't really say 'cooked' because it was only spaghetti) meal and a pic of the living room as it takes shape. What? Don't tell me that you're surprised that we are 79.4% unpacked and set up...I mean, if you're reading this you KNOW Trina and I, right? We get stuff done. Just ask Jen and Meg about their yard-scape-extravaganza several years ago. Give me a shovel, box cutter, agenda, task list, or general physical labor and I'll work until it's done. Several times during our massive unpacking hoopla I thought of Ironman.....

Amidst the unpacking, sorting, organizing, setting up mayhem, T had to work for several hours today (she is so good!). So, I took the opportunity to make a few donations to the local goodwill (why we paid to ship it so that it could be donated is beyond me) and pick up lunch at the local 'city feed'. I also took a spin around the 'pond', both within walking distance to our apartment.

Jamaica Pond is, in my uneducated opinion, the crown jewel of my neighborhood. http://www.jamaicapond.com/. It is a pond encircled by a paved 1.5 mile path perfect for dog walking, running and enjoying the wooded and sunny glory of the waterfront. The pond is large enough for kayaking (come one come all!!), sailing small crafts, and row boats. The boat house on site rents by the hour and you better believe it will be merely a matter of days before
I'll be out there soaking up the sun as it glitters off the water. The path around the pond gets ample sun, but plenty of shade so that both sun-philes and shade-philes can enjoy the peace and beauty of this little gem amidst the hustle and bustle of urban life.

City Feed is an organic, local (or as local as possible) grocery and deli located in our neighborhood (http://www.cityfeedandsupply.com/) They serve terrific breakfast, coffee (and I imagine other morning beverages as well), and FABULOUS sandwiches. Today I had one of the best mozzarella, tomato, basil sandwiches EVER! I think the thing that I love most about this establishment is that it reminds be of a sweet little place (the Kiva) in Eugene. I ate at the Kiva for lunch every day for 5 years prior to pursuing my PhD in Corvallis. There is something incredibly comforting about the familiarity of the City Feed in this time when everything feels turned upside down...in the most positive way, of course.

Another HUGE benefit to the City Feed is that they are located on my way to the train...and it was wonderful to stop there for a hot, steamy cup of coffee on my way to my first day at work yesterday! More on work later...but for now know that things look appropriately challenging and absolutely FABULOUS and wonderful in every possible way.