New job!

I think most of you who still read this blog already know that I started a new job last week. After 5 tries, I was finally offered a position at Hopkins. I'm working as a lab tech in the School of Public Health in a lab that develops vaccines for enteric diseases (stuff that gives you awful diarrhea and kills babies in developing countries). It's quite a change from what I've previously done. This is my first job that doesn't involve animals in some way (though we may eventually begin some animal studies...I will be sure to lobby for that!).
I'm still very much learning my way around, but it's nice to have a more set routine. It'll be nice once I'm fully trained and more independent and can set better hours (to avoid rush hour....it somehow took me 1h15min to drive the 10 miles home today?!?!). I hope to eventually coordinate my hours with Josh so we can just commute together since our respective workplaces are probably only about a mile apart.
Anyway, my new job has awesome benefits and it's nice to feel secure in that aspect. In fact, I'll only be paying about $30 a month for my health insurance (compared to $500/mo for my current plan!). I pretty much have the full range of benefits (health, vision, dental, life insurance, retirement, tuition remission, etc.) plus vacation and sick days and 2 magical floating holidays I can take whenever I want! And if, by any chance, I'm still working at Hopkins when I have teenagers, Hopkins will pay half their college tuition wherever they go to college! It's a pretty sweet deal.

Everything else is going pretty well right now. Josh still loves the aquarium (and they love him). I think his turtle season should be winding down soon and he's currently at his first graphic design class of the semester. He's obviously super busy and it seems like most days we just see each other in passing, but we're hanging in there.
We also have a new addition to our home/family: A 6ft long Jungle Carpet Python named Mystik Spiral (though we're thinking of changing it). He's had a rather interesting background but he seems like a pretty sweet guy.