The Weave Mill

"In 1807, Samuel Slater helped start the American Industrial Revolution by creating the first village whose sole aim was to produce textiles. As the centerpiece of that village, the mill complex that stands today, made up of the Spinning, Weaving and Center mills, was built in 1826. Each building provides a thoroughly modern living experience infused with unequaled historical authenticity. With sturdy wood beams and exposed brick throughout the homes that attest to the site's notable beginnings."

-The Halstead at Slatersville Mill Website

It is the oldest standing textile mill that remains intact in the United States. The buildings are actually very intersting themselves. Old pieces of machinery flank the hallways, and pictures of the working mill over the years line the lobby. My apartment reminds me a little bit of my brother's old apartment in the Harness Factory Lofts downtown.

There are 3 different buildings that house apartments on the property: The Spinning Mill, The Center Mill, and The Weave Mill. The Center Mill looks a little bit like a school (below).

I live in the Weave Mill, which is the two-story brick building you see below. There are two floors of apartments of vairous sizes, and the building also houses the mail room, the lounge, the media room, and the workout facility--that will definitely come in handy during the winter! Pictures of the building exterior and the facilities are shown in order below.

Last night I managed to finish putting together a set of file drawers for my desk, and I'm hoping to finish the dresser and bookcase tomorrow night. Until then, here are a few pictures of some parts of my apartment. (No, I am not going to start with the outside again!) Don't you just LOVE the giant "S" on top of the cabinets?! My mom got it for me at White River Salvage in Indianapolis. I went there with Monica a couple of months ago, and she fell in love with the place! If you live in the area, like beautiful old things, and don't mind bargaining and searching, you will LOVE this place! They have an old Otis elevator that I would love to buy, but a) I don't know what I would do with it and b) I don't have an extra $15K laying around.

The "S" is from an old neon sign. The bulb doesn't work inside it, but I think I'll try putting Christmas lights in and/or around it in a bit. I have been looking for one of these forever! Thanks, Mom! Here is part of my living room:

Another HUGE thank you to my brother, Ryan, for letting me borrow his flat screen t.v. for the year! I promise that I will bring it back in one piece. More to come later... Cheers!

Ready... Camera... Action!

If I told you that I was at a store shooting a training video on my second day, would you believe me? Neither would I... I acted as "Nikki Clement," a patient at both drop-off and pick-up. If you are wondering, I made up the name, but not in regards to anyone in particular. :)

They were shooting the video to highlight some of the added features of our new computer system that is going be rolled out company-wide by the end of the year (if all goes well!). I never realized how much work goes into making a production. We had to do each scene from several different angles, all of which were repeated as well. So, in the end, 7 hours of footage = one, 3-minute video. Isn't that incredible?! I forgot my camera's battery, but Deb snuck a couple of pictures at the end. I'll pass them along when she sends them to me.

This experience ALMOST counts towards one of the items on my list of "Things to Do Before I Die," which is "to be a commercial." I'm still hoping that the makers of Diet Coke reach out to me to be a spokeswoman, but I don't think I'm quite qualified enough at the moment. If you didn't already know, I am a HUGE fan of lists. I've got them everywhere... in folders, stored on my phone, and on my yellow legal pad. It would take up a lot of space to list everything I want to do, but here are a few highlights:

• Own a sailboat and live on the ocean
• Surprise a deserving waitress with $100 tip
• Run a mini-marathon
• Be a contestant on a game show
• Take my parents on a special vacation
• Start a scholarship fund
• Build a treehouse

I also have lists of places to visist, bands/artists to see in concert, personal qualities to have, budgets/expenses, goals, blah blah blah. Right now I'm in the process of making a couple of lists that I need YOUR help to create! I have been out of the movie and book scene for basically the last 6 years (pharmacy school does that to you!). I did manage to finish The DaVinci Code during our trip and The Kite Runner just over the past week. I'm really going to try to make an effort to read a book every 1-2 weeks as soon as I'm done studying for my boards. What are some of your all-time favorite books and movies? In your opinion, what are some classics that I should read/watch/etc during the next year? Thanks in advance for your help!

A Great First Day (But Not Without A Hiccup)

Today was my first day of my community practice residency! For privacy reasons (mainly for the company), I will not be publishing the actual name of the company I'm working for while I'm blogging. Just know that I am a Post-Graduate Year 1 (PGY1) resident that works for a large national drug chain. Most of you reading this already know who I work for anyways (The Man, as Nick says). I was a little overwhelmed today with the volume of information, but I'm sure I will get settled in during the next several weeks. As I learn more of my job functions (and as appropriate), I'll share what I am doing with you. The Clinical Services Department Staff was very welcoming, and I am looking forward to calling 12087 (I think that's my cubicle number) home. If you ever come to visit Woonsocket, I'm on the second floor. Just after you enter the doors for my department, I'm the first cubicle on the right. I love friendly faces. :)

After work, there was a meeting for Network of Executive Women that Deb (my preceptor) let me tag along to with her. There was a panel of eight top female executives in the company that shared best practices, experiences, and personal stories about their careers. (TR even was there and gave a speech at the beginning of the meeting! I was going to introduce myself to him afterwards, but I opted instead (and kind of chickened out- it was my first day!) to meet a female panel member that is a Vice President with Gina instead. TR is the CEO of the company and meeting him is definitely on my agenda for the year.) It was a great way to end my first day- thinking about my career aspirations and how I want to help change pharmacy practice.


When I went to take my things out of my car, I realized that my water bottle had at some point opened during the ride home. That's okay... I mean it's not like I had my calender in there (I did), important papers (yep), or a prescription I needed to get filled (that too). So, behold the paper maze that is my apartment.

In the picture just above, you can see one of the post-it notes I used (ten!) to remember the order of the papers. Next to my keys you can see the spoon I had to use to open my door. Yes, a spoon... This was after a half an hour of waiting for the maintenance man to come help me get into my apartment because my key wasn't working on the deadbolt. As it turns out, all I needed was a spoon. Silly me.

I promise I will get around to sharing my apartment with you! However, tonight, I've got work to do. Cheers!

I Should Have My Own Show

Do you ever feel like your life could be used as the storyline for a sitcom? Me too. Read on...

After a long day of shopping, sorting, and more cleaning, I was winding down for the evening and thought I'd take some pictures of my somewhat finished aparment to share with you. I started in the living room/kitchen/great room but decided to start with my front door. Behold, Apartment 121W.

Swoooosh. And just like that, I was locked out of my apartment. At 9:00 PM on a Sunday night. I knocked on my neighbor's doors and two other doors of people I've met, only to get no answer. Desperate, I stopped the valet trash man to use his phone. (About Valet Waste- Let me just say that I think it is absurd to pay to have someone walk around the apartment building and pick up trash. I don't even want to know how much I'm paying for the yellow-vested guy with the hiking boots to take out my garbage. And no, it's not optional here.) Just that minute, my next door neighbors showed up (whom I had not met). Angelica was nice enough to lend me her phone to call a locksmith. It took everything in me not to break down, but I somewhat held it today until the locksmith came to save the day.

He ended up not being able to pick the lock, which actually makes me feel somewhat secure to know that not even a professional could break in without an electric drill. I would normally feel guilty about a half an hour of drilling, but 1. My neighbors didn't answer their doors and 2. the people above me wake me up with crying children and keep me up with fights that border on verbal domestic abuse. After it was all over, I had to laugh at myself... all I wanted was to have good pictures for my blog!

Locksmith drilling my door open: $140

After-hours lockmsmith service call: $40

Learning never to lock myself out of my apartment: priceless

The Deadliest Catch

Mom and Dad left this afternoon to head back to Indy- I was sad to see them go! (Yes, I cried... shocker.) It was wonderful to have such great help with moving boxes, assembling furniture, and finding my way around. Here are a few moving photos... You can see I still have some work to do.

How many trees do you think I killed?

Last night we went into Downtown Woonsocket for a special dinner to celebrate. We saw signs for the River Falls restaurant and their Lobster Fest all over town, so we figured we'd give it a try. It actually turned out to have a wide selection of both seafood and beef and was tasty to boot. Mom had lobster, I had shrimp, and Dad had "The Deadliest Catch"- almost a pound each of lobster, crab legs, mussels, and clams!

It must have been good because Dad gave it a rare 9 out of 10!

I promise to put up pictures of my apartment- just give me one more day to do some final cleaning and sorting. I'm hoping to show you the apartment and my complex, the Halstead at Slatersville Mill. See you tomorrow!

Welcome to the Ocean State!

Greetings from Rhode Island! I am excited to be sharing my adventures over the next year with you. I will be posting several times a week about my new job, new experiences, and new life as a New Englander. It may not be anything fancy, but hopefully it will give you an idea of how I am spending my time in the Ocean State! I forgot to charge my camera after Jon and Myra's wedding last Saturday- oops! I'll include pictures of my apartment and the area in the next couple of days. Cheers!