5 questions

PsychGrad over at The Blogging Wagon sent me 5 interview questions for this meme. If you want to play along here are the rules and the instructions.

Rules
1. You have to link back to the original post
2. You have to put these rules in your post

Instructions:
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

I'm happy to play along so feel free to leave a comment if you want me to send you questions, or if you want to interview me, feel free to send me questions that PsychGrad didn't ask.

Here are the questions (and my answers in bold):

1. Knowing what you know now, would you change your decision to leave your post-doc for a non-academic position?

I feel like staying at my previous post-doc was not an option for a number a reasons, however, even if it were you might be surprised to hear (given my recent venting about ANJ) that I still would have chosen to take this job. It's not the perfect job for me but it is a very good one for right now. I am learning a lot, I've meet some amazing people, I make good money and it gives me time to figure out what I actually want to do.

2. After having recently turned 34, how do you feel about your current station in life (work, home, etc.)?

This is a really great question. I'm pretty happy in my current station in life. I am very happily married and I love my new home. I'm still trying to figure career things out but I'm okay with the fact that I still have stuff to figure out. Sometimes I wish I could feel a little more settled (i.e., having the career stuff figured out, deciding whether or not we'll have kids) but I try really hard not to focus on that stuff. I am much more settled now that I have ever been and so I try to just appreciate that.

3. I like Princess of the Universe’s question…so I’ll copy it. Imagine you’re planning a blog-meet for all the bloggers you follow (and who follow you). What city should it be in? What should we do?

My current favorite place in the whole world is Jamaica. I've been three times and am going back again for a wedding next year. We would sit on the beach drinking rum punch and eating jerk chicken. I can almost feel the sun. :)


4. Why did you decide to start blogging? Is this your first blog?

This is my first blog and I decided to start because I was really unhappy in my post doc and wanted a place to talk about it with people who didn't know me. I had been reading academic blogs for a while and thought this might be a good place for me to get some of what I was feeling/experiencing out while at the same time getting advice from others in similar situations.

5.Did you ever end up telling us about your new office colour? Can we see a picture?

No, I never told you. Not because I don't want to, but because the office is always a mess! Yes, I fully intend to show pictures. I have out of town guests coming this weekend so it's a mess right now but next week, I promise I'll post pictures. :)

Thanks for the great questions PG!!