It Will Only Get Better

It is almost 2021 and it has me thinking that things have to get better soon. I just wrapped up the toughest semester of my teaching career due to COVID-19, a feeding tube, and an ileostomy. My guts are a mess and I cannot continue my journey of having them fixed until the burden on the Cleveland Clinic from COVID019 is reduced enough that they will schedule “elective” surgeries requiring overnight hospital stays. It is frustrating to me that “elective” includes passing my waste into a bag attached to my abdomen with a lot of crazy adhesive (this is how you go #2 with an ileostomy pouch) but, on the other hand, many people live with ileostomy pouches every day. They must be better at pouch management than I am.

Aligning with the surgery, there were also complications. First, my heart rate was too low for surgery and I required a three-day cardiac workup. Next, I developed an ileus, which means part of my intestines did not want to wake up with the rest of them. Finally, my recurring pancreatitis, after a record six years of silence, made a vicious reappearance—corresponding directly to finals week and turning in final grades for my students. The folks in the hospital thought I was nuts for grading while in the hospital, but I also respect and acknowledge the agreement I not only made with the university but, especially, the agreement I made to my students that I would have their material graded by a certain date.

To maintain my health and preparedness for the upcoming surgeries I am hunkering down at home a lot, reading a lot of trashy novels, getting more caught up on emails than I think I have ever been, and reconsidering a jaunt into the blogging world. Reach out if you have any questions about working while navigating multiple abdominal surgeries or if your life experience puts you in a position to offer advice on the matter. Well-wishes are also never declined.

It will only get better!

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November 21, 2020 at Massanutten Mountain, Virginia

I'm Alive

Since graduating with my Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Penn State, my desire to write has largely been outweighed by my desire to catch up on all of the sleep I did not get as a graduate student. But fear not, as life has moved on nicely. I have been working as a Transportation Analyst at a medium-sized consulting firm that does all kinds of interesting stuff both within the realm of transportation and beyond. It is a good fit for me.

In addition to sleeping, I’ve had a lot of fun resuming participation in Toastmasters and even getting out there to do more geocaching. For many years I couldn’t imagine my life without school, but it sure was nice to be able to take a weeklong vacation in September.

Part of me really misses the structure of being in school and very directly learning things every day. I often think about a master’s in statistics or some kind of bachelor’s degree in engineering or computer science. I’ve managed to quell the urge by trying out some OpenCourseWare/MOOC-type classes.

Night Shift

I recently switched from working day shift to working night shift at a small community hospital in North Central West Virginia. There were a lot of good reasons to make the switch, ranging from shorter shifts to liking the quieter work environment. Believe it or not, even though the patient volumes can be just as high during the day, ER patients at night tend to be quieter. So far the greatest adaptation required is switching from the daylight life to the darkness.

Despite the fact I have worked as an EMT for several years, I never routinely worked one shift or another (and truthfully, I worked a lot of event or odd shifts). This means I never needed to adapt to a set shift, there were just some awkwardly long days and some “lost” days.

But this is the real deal and it’s an indefinite schedule. So here’s what I’ve been working on to make the adjustment:

1. Regardless of how much my husband hates it, the bedroom is getting dark. Because daylight is a prompt that it is time to get up and be productive, I need as little of this as possible in the room I intend to sleep in.
2. Keeping it cool, I’ve always slept better under cool conditions. Even though it may be warming up outside (especially this time of year), keeping it cool seems to help trick the body into thinking it is a totally normal time to be sleeping.
3. Cutting out the caffeine by 2:00am. My shifts run from 10:30pm to 7:00am. I can usually get to bed by 7:45am (given the commute plus a few minutes to try and wind down). By holding back on the caffeine far less jittery on the road (you’re welcome, I-79 commuters) and feel more ready to sleep when I do get home.
4. Packing healthy snacks. Caffeine is a great way to perk up, but I’m finding fruit, yogurt, and granola bars can help extend my usefulness as a night drone well beyond the end of my self-imposed caffeine deadline. 
5. Establishing a routine. For example, I try to be in bed between 7:45am and 8:00am each day and I want to allow myself to sleep as long as possible. The first morning it was about 3 hours, then it was 6 hours, then it was about 4.5 hours, but gradually the amount of time my body will let me sleep at this point is extending. 
   1. Note: I’ve attempted to avoid using sleep aids, but have considered some basic over-the-counter aids (e.g. melatonin and diphenhydramine) but have so far resisted, trying to avoid needing them.
6. Napping, it’s not just for pre-school kids! In the evening, prior to beginning my shift, I try to watch something on TV (the more mindless the better) and lay very comfortably on the couch. Sometimes I don’t get any sleep, sometimes I’m off to dreamland for an hour or two. It’s sort of like a last chance before re-entering the maelstrom that is the ER.

Having only been a “night-owl” for about two weeks, I’m sure I’ve got a lot to learn. I’d be interested in hearing any of your stories about adjusting to night shift as well as tips and tricks that have made your night shift life a little less weird.

#TRBAM 2014

And thus another Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting (and trip to Washington, DC) comes to a close.

The events related to the meeting were a blast. It was wonderful to catch up with old friends and existing colleagues, as well as find new ones from all corners of the globe. Once at the meeting, I learned that next year there will be a major venue change, so I made sure to take in all of the fond memories of the Wardman Park Marriott (I never had much going on at the Shoreham or Hilton). I also got a lot of mileage out of the #TRBPM Twitter hashtag, the analog to #TRBAM.

It also goes without saying that the research and technical content were outstanding. I’m not sure how well it is understood that all of the programming is compiled by volunteer committees, but it is not a small feat. As a fellow at the Transportation Research Board in 2009 I became intimately familiar with the “sausage making” that is planning and compiling the annual meeting and it is truly incredible. But I think it’s worth it to celebrate the accomplishments of an industry that affects every single person on this planet so intimately.

What I most appreciated was the opportunity to candidly talk to transportation professionals at all stages in their careers, working for all kinds of companies and organizations and are experts in any mode you choose to name. Given this is likely to be my last TRBAM as a student, this was the information I needed more than anything in a session this time around.

And congratulations to the parents of the three TRBabies born this year!

See everyone next year!

Q. Why are Transportation Engineers so Cranky?

A. Because we get to listen to everyone complain about what we do!

I am a very lucky person in that I get to pursue my favorite hobby as a profession. I absolutely love transportation. I find how we get from Point A to Point B genuinely fascinating. I find it incredible how so much movement is accomplished relatively safely in the United States and Canada. Terms like green wave, Clearview, SPUI, and SHSP drive me wild! But just like you occasionally need a break from your favorite TV show or videogame, sometimes transportation folks need a break from that which they love most. In fact, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

When most people find out what I do and study they simply cannot wait to tell me how bad traffic is where they are from, what I should do to fix traffic, or enthusiastically share some very minor, regional (often agency specific) change to their local road network. I appreciate people trying to relate with what I do. In fact, I think it’s really cool that what I do is so universal. As soon as you leave your home, whether you walk or drive, you’re interacting with what I and people like me do. There aren’t too many professions that touch every single individual (and virtually every living thing) so much!

But there are a few things to consider.

First, most people have pretty limited experience with the transportation network. Furthermore, they only have their experience and the reported experiences of their friends to base their comments on. I hate to point fingers, but even a lot of transportation professionals are guilty of this lack of network experience. Basically, unless you’re a trucker you’re not going to tell me something I haven’t heard before or that will surprise me. My response is always some variation of: each agency sets different priorities and depending on the agency responsible for the area/road you’re telling me about, there will always be some things done exceptionally well and some things done exceptionally terrible. Unless you want to pay more in taxes, it is what it is.

Second, “fixing” traffic is a team sport. I cannot fix traffic alone. I do not have direct access to your tax dollars. Projects take time to develop, involve many people with many different backgrounds, and plans and priorities can change at any time. Furthermore, traffic is a moving target. Efforts to improve the network are just as often met with jeers as they are cheers. I get nagged at constantly over the “disaster” that is the Gateway Connector in Fairmont, West Virginia—even though research I performed independently lets me sleep quite soundly over the existence of the project.

Third, while I love transportation and am pretty good at what I do, I don’t catch every single detail of every single regional change. I put a lot of miles on my car each year and visit a lot of places that eventually start blending together. But I can say without reservation, it makes me indescribably happy to hear people enthusiastic and interested in their immediate transportation network. While I can’t “fix” your traffic situation, you can help! Your personal interest can be translated into letters and phone calls to your elected officials or local transportation agencies. Enough of this input will mobilize projects that I and others like me will be part of, and we will work diligently to do our absolute best to “fix” your transportation problem!

So if you run into me on a day off or grabbing dinner and I’m not taking your bait, try asking me about the book I’m reading (currently about two-thirds of the way through Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee!), what I ate for lunch, or about my cats (bonus: I have adorable pictures of them on my phone that I love to share!).

A design exception: I promise I will always enthusiastically answer any questions about transportation. While I don’t always want to hear complaints, I unconditionally love to teach people about the networks they can’t help but interact with.