New Pictures of Jet

My friend Christy met Jet and I at Seacrest a week or so ago and shot some great photos of Jet.  You can see them here.

17 days.

I gave a presentation yesterday at our conference.

100+ peers (most of whom I still haven't met) in one room.

I've been here 17 days.  I kept mentioning that. (Actually today is now day 18, not that anyone is counting).

Apparently I was funny.  I have a "dry sarcastic humor".

I'm just really glad it is over and now I can sit back and watch.

Weekend Recap

This weekend just flew by.  Here are some bullets to recap:

• Parents arrived 4pm Friday.
• Yummy Chris dinner, per usual.
• Played fetch with Jet.
• Many many dog walks.
• Museum of Glass - Tacoma - Incredible.
• Lunch at Harmon Brewing.
• Fancy dress up benefit dinner at SCCC.
• Silent Auction purchase - Basket of random stuff.
• Wines tasted - 20
• Pork Cheeks eaten - 1 (very very salty)
• 5 loads of Laundry on Sunday.
• Sad to see the parents leave.
• Caught up on Battlestar Gallactica.
• Made big sweeps.

Awesome weekend.  Now it is Monday.  This week is a big conference at work and we have events Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night.  Oh, and I'm giving a speech on Tuesday.  I should probably finish writing it now!

Email Blogging

Finding time to blog anymore has gotten harder and harder so I set up email to blog.  Now I can type up an email and ship it off to be posted on my blog.  I'm sure others have been doing this for ages, but for me it is a new thing.  I can also blog from my blackberry.  W00t.

So while my blogs may be considerably shorter these days I hope to get back to a more frequent interval.

That being said, the new job is going great.  I'm busier than I've ever been, but it is that good kind of busy, where everything you do has a positive impact on those around you.  I've met with about 90% of the stakeholders for the application I am managing and to understate it, my head is swimming.  Lucky for me I am stepping into a job where I actually have applicable knowledge about what I'm doing, so the ramp up time is minimal.  I'm already fixing inefficiencies and planning out the next 12 months of process and application improvements.

Life is crazy good.

Tears of Joy

I cried yesterday.

I was so flipping happy that I cried watching the inauguration replayed last night.

And to watch Obama and the Mrs. dancing on stage, like they were dancing on clouds, holy cow was I proud.

Can't wait to see what the future holds for dear ole America.

5 Years of Boarding Photos

I've been meaning to do this for a while. This weekend I finally found the time to scan in every Argosy Cruises boarding photo I could find. I found 35. Then I put them all in a special photo album for safe keeping.

These come from Harbor Tours, Locks Tours, Lakes Tours, Dinner Cruises, and Christmas Ships. 5 years and 35 photos. Fun times.

Gear'd Up

You'd think with all the gear I have I'd actually be able to catch a fish.

You'd think that, but really that's not how it works.

At the cabin last weekend Chris caught about 9 fish to my 1. And my 1 was pretty tiny.



We're going to Cabela's today. Maybe more gear will help me!

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

This is a repost from Dooce. Grab some tissues if you're a mushy type like me. And if you love animals, heck if you like animals at all, you'll love this clip.

Yay!

Born To Be A Beach Dog

We took Jet to Anderson Island and he didn't want to go home.

He ran all crazy like. He chased pinecones, carried sticks that were bigger than him, shivered at the sound of coyotes, and explored every inch of the beach.



Oh, and then he jumped in, in January.

Needless to say, our little dog with no hair had to head to the cabin for a hot shower.

Hilarious.

Passport Photo or Mug Shot

Today I had to get a passport photo taken for my IATAN card (which is a perk of working for a travel company).

I went to Kinko's, found the right area, and settled into the chair.

The guy came over to take my photo and I smiled.  "No smiling" he said.

Really?  So now my card will have a mug shot on it.  Fun times.

Day One - Done!

I almost thought I wouldn't make it.

It snowed last night. Lots.

Oh and at 10:30pm our power went out.

I tossed and turned all night, worried I would miss my first day.

Finally got out of bed at 6am to take a quick shower to get warm (the house was 54 degrees).

2 minutes into my shower the power came back on!

The snow had begun to melt and the roads were passable.

I made it to orientation on time.

I'm employed, and it feels great.

Merry Christmas To Us

On Friday, after rescheduling the delivery 3 times due to Snowpocalypse 2008, our Christmas present from my parents was finally delivered. I love it.

Nervous Yet Thankful

I haven't really mentioned my work situation in a while other than the fact that I have a new job. Well, it starts on Monday, and I'm beginning to get nervous.

New people, new building, new job (new position for the company as well), new desk, new view, new chair, new new new! Oh, and the same old lame commute.

I really did try to find a company downtown Seattle that was hiring. Then I tried to find a company anywhere that was hiring. I was even interviewing with a firm in Chicago. I know everyone keeps saying "it isn't that bad out there yet in the job market". Well I'll tell you this, we're all kidding ourselves by saying that. It is bad.

Of the companies that actually called me back, 90% of them were holding off any hiring until "Q1 2009". Which I would bet now means "Maybe Q3 2009 if at all".

Of the handful of people laid off by my last company I believe only 2 of us are employed at this time. The others are having a really hard time.

So, needless to say, I am very thankful. Thankful for the new job, the new people, the new position, and even for the same old lame commute. Very thankful.

NYE 2008 - Ringing in 2009!

We spent New Year's Eve at Kara and Shannon's house. They made a yummy Cheese Fondue and Taco Dip dinner and we played Catch Phrase until midnight. This was the first time in the past 3 years I actually stayed up to ring in the New Year. At midnight we moseyed out onto Wallingford Ave to watch the fireworks with their neighbors. Fun times.