Wilde Away

What does someone do when they've been laid off?  They go on vacation!  No wait, that doesn't seem like the normal thing to do.  Nonetheless, boyfriend and I are not in country right now, we are in Morocco!  In a way it's a good time to go on vacation.  It gets the mind off of the fact that I don't have anywhere to go in the morning.

Boyfriend and I are currently in the Sahara desert, riding camels around.  We got to spend the night in a Berber camp in the desert, where I saw the stars for the first time in a long time.  We have spent the past few days in Marrakech and will be moving on to Agadir tomorrow morning, where we will learn how to surf!  I'm very excited and totally frightened for my life.  The ocean is scary and I'm hoping we're surfing little baby waves.  On giant surf boards.  While wearing floaties.

Until I come back, enjoy these uh-mazing strawberry bars.  I made them just before we left, you know, in all my unemployed free time.  I really enjoyed them hot with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.  For breakfast.  Don't judge.

Disclaimer: OXO was nice enough to send me some fun fruit-related products as a part of their blogger outreach program, including the strawberry huller you see in the first image.  I used the huller to remove the hulls of the strawberries.  You can use a paring knife just as well, I like tools.

Ten things I'll miss

With the shut down of my company, I'm led to think about the things that I will miss about OSI. Of course there are always thing that we hate about work, but there are the small things that keep us coming back day after day. 

10. Location location location. Our office was right across the street from Target. Since I don't have a car, being able to walk across the street (okay, six lane highway) to get anything I needed (or didn't need. It is Target after all) was super convenient. 

9. Riding on the LIRR. Not because it's the bet train service ever. No. I liked hearing the all too often announcements that plagued the LIRR riders and made them late. We were going to start a twitter account called "LIRRexcuses" because they were always unique. 

8. Tiny Thai. Run by one of the nicest ladies ever, Jenny.  TT was a standby lunch location for us, as long as we could get there right as she opened her doors. TT is small and unless you get there at noon, you're not getting a table. After a few times visiting, Jenny had my order memorized and always brought us amazing food. 

7. Fun club activities. BF said we wasted a lot of time, but in reality we were working together and building a work community. Fun club organized a ping pong tournament, soccer match, volunteer days, a scavenger hunt, the summer picnic, Chinese new year, the fall football showdown and the end of the year holiday party.  OSI worked hard, but we knew how to have fun. 

6. Food feedback. My coworkers were my guinea pigs when it came to food. Any desserts made at home would inevitably make their way to my office and would provide sugar rushes for the chemistry department. I'm going to have to send the snacks I make during my unemployment to BFs office!  Can't go eating them all myself. I won't have any time to job hunt, I'll be at the gym the whole time. 

5. Bagel day!  Thursday is a tough day to get through because you are so close to Friday, but still a full day away. Our company made Thursday - Bagel day and it really helped us work through the end of the week. It was also a time when everyone, from every department, would come together in the lunchroom and chat. It really helped me get to know so many people I would have otherwise not seen or had interactions with. 

4. My book club an workout ladies. The book club generally didn't read the book, but the workout girls definitely worked it. Book club made us fat with fondue and sangria and the workout girls sweated with Insanity and Combat. Hopefully we can still get together and "discuss the last book." Aka - get together and gossip about life after OSI. 

3. My manager. Now I'm not trying to suck up or tease out a good recommendation. My manager helped me fit into the company from day one and guided me through all the trials and tribulations associated with being the new girl. 

2. The Dancab. We had a small group of NYC commuters an we took the Dancab to and from work everyday. Those rides were always full of laughs and fun stories. It helped make the long commute feel a little brighter. 

1. The people. My little OSI family made the long commute worth the trip. I could not have asked for a better group of people to work with at my first job. Luckily he pharma industry is small and I'll likely see many of them again. 

Goodbye OSI. 

Bittersweet Celebration

I'm settling into my unemployment quite well.  Though I'm not technically unemployed, yet.  Due to Warn Act laws in New York State, companies of a certain size must give their employees 60 days notice before they can just shut down.  So technically, I'm still employed by my company.  They just don't want me to come to work.

If only I could get paid indefinitely to not come to work, I'm quite good at this not working thing.  The house is clean, the dishes are done and all the laundry is folded.  Yesterday I got to sleep in, I headed to my 9am Crossfit class and did some grocery shopping.  I even got a pedicure, something my running weary feet loved.

It's not all fun and games though.  As much as I want to imagine this will last, I realize I only have a few months before they won't be paying me to sit at home.  I've been dusting off my resume and contacting all my friends and former advisers.  I am so thankful for all my friends and colleagues that have reached out to me.  I have had the privledge to work with some amazing people over the years, including those that I have just parted with at OSI.

I know that all my friends will come out of these sad times even stronger.  While I don't want to say that it was a good thing, the site closure, but I'm sure there are opportunities out there for all of us.  The world of pharmaceuticals is strangely tiny, I know it isn't the last time I see my friends.

This is a celebration cake.  Not of the end, but of a new beginning in my life, a new chapter.  Full of sweet, early summer peaches, and covered in tangy, sharp ginger cream cheese frosting, this cake is a little bittersweet, just like this week.  Make it for yourself.  If you're having a rough week, it will totally cheer you up.