Travel, not travail
So, I've been busy lately. Now that I'm in Austin, there is a big need for me to travel more for 3 reasons:
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Austin is the most central location in TX, and it's home to the state capitol as well as the main office of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Therefore, all the other offices in TX ask us Austin folk (all two of us Consultants) to run to the TCEQ to do file searches. There are enough stacks of papers and microfilm/microfiche to make your head explode. But it gets you out of the office, so it's not all bad.
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Everyone in Dallas and Houston is really busy, to the point where they don't have time to go the places they want/need to go. Plus, as a Consultant, my time is cheaper than any supervisors'. So when there's a conference or a project that requires travel, it's easier to send me than someone else. And as I mentioned, Austin is more centrally located, so most places in TX are easily driveable from here.
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I have received more responsibility lately because I have more experience now, and I'm in a smaller office that requires a greater workload from each member. Plus, I like to travel as long as it's not constant.
Anyways, let's see...Two weeks ago I got put on two fairly large projects, both with the prospect of a site visit. So I began planning car rentals, hotels, seeing if I knew any friends, etc. Turns out I only really needed to make one of those visits (too bad I had to miss out on that roaring good time in Texarkana), which freed me up to help with recruiting here in Austin at UT. So I came back on a Wednesday morning from the Houston area smelling like formaldehyde (Yes, I showered, but I had to wear the same shirt - and it didn't really smell at all, I was simply trying to convey the immediacy of events, gosh!) and began talking to students. Then I hear that I have to run to TCEQ to make A LOT of copies of permit applications for a Dallas client. I also learn that because someone is busy in Dallas, he can't attend a Seminar the following week, so it would be prudent for someone, ANYone to go in his stead. Like me!
Then comes the weekend. On the weekend, I went to ACL (Austin City Limits Music Festival) and yes, it was amazing. But a funny thing happens when you're an Air Quality Compliance Consultant - you begin to notice the quality of the air...Needless to say, after only one day of having hundreds of thousands of feet stepping all over Zilker Park, the place became a dust bowl. It literally made me sick. People were walking around with dust masks and bandanas covering their mouths and noses, because if you didn't, you'd have black snot and a mean cough. There was a PM (particulate matter) problem for sure. Anyways, we all survived and had a great time. I bought too many CDs.
On Sunday night, after ACL, I drove down to San Antonio (where the conference was) to stay with a friend. I know SA pretty well, seeing as how I grew up 35 miles away, so I knew my way around. I was attending a Texas Aggregate and Concrete Association (TACA) Environmental Seminar. It was pretty interesting, and I learned a lot more about the Aggregates industry (I've only really worked with lime manufacturers, which is still aggregates, but fairly different than these folks). Moreover, I learned how to interact with other representatives and potential clients. Did I win anyone? No. I did exchange some cards though, and I got Trinity's name out there. That's just as important. Now I'm back in Austin and settling down some.
The point of this entry is to show you that yes, Trinity does afford you the opportunity to travel if that's something you're interested in. I know I was/am. It can at times be stressful if you have too much going on. But thus far, I have found it to be at all times rewarding. It keeps you busy, and reminds you how varied and interesting our clients are. Anywho, here's me in Baytown, TX with one of the formaldehyde reactors just over my left shoulder, and a cooling tower adjacent to that (the big tall thing). To my right is a BDO tank that feeds the reactors, and above my head is essentially a series of heat exchange systems. Also allow me to assuage your fears: No, that's not pollutant being spewed in the air, it's steam.
~ttfn
