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Tampa?

Hey, does anyone around here live in/near Tampa, Fla? I've got a lead on a job there, and we're looking at the possibility of moving us and our 4 elementary school age children from Michigan to Tampa. Before that, though, does anyone have any impressions / advice / opinions about the Tampa area?

Snow, Ice, Michigan, Whatever...

Winter's back in Michigan -- not that it's ever really that far away. On Nov. 30, I was walking out to the car after work, marveling at the still-green grass on the bare ground, and I remember thinking "this isn't so bad. If the snow holds off until December, I really can't complain about it snowing in December, in Michigan."

Then on Dec. 1 it snowed, and it really hasn't quit yet. This past weekend we got a 2-day snowstorm and now we have about 14" of it in our yard. So yeah, it waited until December, but it's sure not wasting any of the month, either.

Looking back, none of those monetary reasons to not ride the bike ever came to pass. A 2nd opinion on my daughter's teeth came back as a "WTF, why would the other dentist want to do all that!?" I think this happened last year, too. Money-sucks loomed on the horizon...I "volunteered" to keep the bike off the road...the money-sucks vanished.

Well, I'll see what things look like this spring. Right now, I still have that lead on a job in Tampa. It's a project management gig at the hospital, and the director is a guy that I used to work with who's moved up. It sounds like he wants me on his team -- I sent him my resume directly, and he's talking Skype interview followed by in-person interview. I know, it's not a job offer yet, but it really sounds promising...enough so that I'm daring to let myself hope a little bit.

AAaaand, if we're moving to Florida, there's no reason in the world to NOT ride a bike, see? Year-round riding would be totally possible, and I could honestly argue the gas savings and stuff. Besides if this works out, I should be bringing in a bunch more $$ than I am now. Maybe enough to treat myself to that ZX-14 I've been drooling after?

noodlenoggin wrote:Snow, Ice, Michigan, Whatever.......Winter's back in Michigan -- not that it's ever really that far away....This past weekend we got a 2-day snowstorm and now we have about 14" of it in our yard....AAaaand, if we're moving to Florida, there's no reason in the world to NOT ride a bike, see? Year-round riding would be totally possible, and I could honestly argue the gas savings and stuff. Besides if this works out, I should be bringing in a bunch more $$ than I am now. Maybe enough to treat myself to that ZX-14 I've been drooling after?

Humm... warm weather, a better job, all year round riding and you might get a ZX-14 vs staying in Michigan? Is there really a debate here?

Mike

Things are Progressing

So, I had a phone interview yesterday with two IT directors and the Chief Medical Information Office (CMIO) of Tampa General. It went well. They're flying me down to Tampa this weekend for a site visit and a day of interviews with people on the team I'd be working with.

And, I only have five more class sessions before I'm done with my MBA. My family's been done with that for a while now. It'll be great to finally finish.

Carry on...

Yay!!! Congratulations buddy! And if you end up moving to Florida you can convince the wife that you NEED to save money by riding a motorcycle back and forth. Only problem will be finding the three roads that have a curve in the state.

New bike in the future for noodlenoggin? YAY!!

This is where I live right now. 'Nuff said.

48 Hours
Today is Tuesday. On Thursday I fly down to Tampa, and on Friday I have my 2nd interview for a project management job at Tampa General Hospital. It was supposed to be last month, but turns out they can't fly me down for 2nd interviews before they officially post the job. The hiring manager is a guy I used to work with at my current employer, and it sounds pretty sure that there's a job offer at the end of this interview -- he's saying things like "okay, after you nail the interview and I make the offer, when can you start?" I've been pursuing this since November, and if the job's offered, I could very well be starting in mid-March.

And, I now only have TWO (2) class periods left in my MBA program. I'm done on March 19, and I walk in my graduation ceremony on March 26...and then this two-year struggle will be OVER! My family has been done with it since Christmas, when I got a bit of time off and could spend it with them...they evidently liked seeing me, because they're less and less tolerant of Dad going downstairs to study every night.

Just sayin. There's some light at the end of my tunnel.

Awesome! That would be perfect! Plus hey not only can you get out of the cold, but you can get a bike and use it as a legitimate year-round transportation vehicle!

Times They Are A'changin

So...I got the job. I'm working on my counter-offer to their initial low-ball job offer. Then...I'll be a Project Manager at Tampa General, getting physician practices to adopt EPIC for their EMR software -- required by 2014.

Tampa was 82 and sunny and gorgeous. I rented a Toyota Prius (of all things) and put about 200 miles on the thing on Saturday. It's not a bad transportation pod, actually. I drove out onto Anna Maria Island to Bradenton Beach, and got a Diet Coke bottle full of sand, shells and water. I discovered Five Guys Burgers'n Fries -- OMG, the goodness! Then, my flight out of Tampa was delayed 2.5 hours because of a broken leather strap on an emergency door, and I missed my connector in Chicago. And I spent the night in a Holiday Inn in Chicago. Blech.

Now I'm back at work this morning, and having a hard time focusing on anything but salary negotiations and relocation packages.