cynthia & mike

520 Toll Bridge Haiku

2011-12-29T07:02:00.001-08:00

The day has finally arrived.

Today tolling begins on the 520 bridge between Seattle and Bellevue. I believe that a lot of people will avoid the toll and re-route through Kenmore - that's not a good thing for me.

So before the tolling began I took my last couple of free trips over the bridge...just because I could...and both times on the way from Seattle to Bellevue I spied a grand bald eagle perched on a lamppost right at the beginning of the bridge. It was so close I could see its face. I think it was looking for fish in Lake Washington.

From these thoughts came these Haiku -

520 bridges the gap
520 toll begins -
Kenmore will suffer!

Eagle soars low in blue sky
Fish jumps in the lake
Huge hunger is avoided

Xmas Came Early in Kenmore!

2011-12-13T07:07:00.000-08:00

Cooking With Teresa in Nagoya, Japan

2011-12-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

My friend, Teresa, and her husband, Steve, packed up about four months ago and moved to Nagoya, Japan where Steve has a two-year assignment with his employer. Teresa regularly sends an email update on her latest Japanese adventures and I’d like to share a part of her email from December 6.

last week in preparation for our party, i decided to make some banana bread. well, low and behold it burned, and to make matters worse, about 10 minutes later, the oven broke. this was last thurs. and they finally fixed the oven this morning/by the way, i couldn't use the stove either.

i had to turn off the fuse because if it was on the oven made a noise that was deafening!!! so, today after the repairman left, i tried to make the pumpkin bread that i had tried making on sat. but couldn't because of the horrible sound, and guess what! it burned again!

i am discovering that this oven does not like anything baked with sugar on top-i do that for a nice crunchy crust. the house smelled so bad from the smoke that i had to open the windows and doors and go for a walk. i'm wondering if maybe i shouldn't have preheated the oven like the recipes call for. my flan, lasagne and porkchops have turned out fine so i don't know what happens with these breads.

i talked to 2 other women in the complex and turned the oven on to the setting they told me to use. if you'll recall from an earlier e-mail the darn oven has 6 different settings-no such thing as just turning the temp. on to 350. i just don't understand why these german appliances are so darn hard to use. i finally learned that in order to make the washer and dryer work, i have to slam the doors shut. no such thing as just pushing them gently. oh well, life goes on.

That really got me laughing! And Mike and I shared the same frustration with our oven in Guaymas. It had no temperature settings, in fact, no settings at all. We just turned the oven’s knob to the right and hoped for the best. Needless to say, we didn’t use our oven much. Ahhh…the joys of living in another country!

Thanks for sharing Teresa!

December Festivities

2011-12-07T07:00:00.002-08:00

December is always a good month for us.

It starts on the first. That’s the day I share my birthday with Cheryl. This year Cheryl came and met me at Nintendo for lunch on December first. That evening Mike and I went out for dinner to the Purple Café in Woodinville. I love that place! I had a three-course meal with a three-course wine flight – a chance to pair wine with food and try wine I would never think to order. It was wonderful.

Saturday morning Cheryl, with husband Pat, and I, met Cheryl's parents for breakfast in Bothell. Her parents are like second parents to me (heck they let me live in their motorhome for a spell way back in 1976 after my year living in Florida). It is good to spend time with them.

December fourth is our wedding anniversary. Last Sunday Mike and I celebrated 13 years together. We began with an early dinner at Prelude (inside McCall Hall at the Seattle Center) which was followed by a night at the Nutcracker Ballet. Everything was so festive and all the little girls wore their finest velvet holiday dresses!

Plus, this Saturday a new December tradition begins for us. It will be the evening of the Nintendo Holiday Party. They have already begun decorating the first floor of our building. It will be a gala affair with music, friends, and food prepared by local celebrity chef, Mr. Tom Douglas. I can’t wait!

And then winding up the month will be time out of the office. You see, Nintendo Headquarters closes early the afternoon of December 23 and doesn’t open up again until January 3. Yippee!! A winter vacation right here in Seattle!

Our apartment is adorned with our holiday décor and we even have stockings hanging over the fireplace this year. Rock keeps trying to get into the candy dish and Squeak is curious about all of the candles. All we need is a tree – which we’ll get sometime this week.

Life is good. And December is especially good…

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Ouch

2011-11-29T07:00:00.002-08:00

Sunday morning Mike and I got up and were ready to catch the bus to downtown Seattle for the Seattle Seahawks v. Washington Redskins football game.

We grabbed our bus passes and umbrellas and headed out. We were so excited…sitting in the Nintendo suite for any game is a treat! It was raining so hard we were laughing and wondering how we’d stay dry on the walk from the bus to the stadium.

And then it happened.

The rain and wind was strong, Mike’s walk became unsteady, our umbrellas flipped inside out, and I could see it coming. But it happened so quickly that there was nothing I could do. The poor guy looked at me and then he went down. Thank goodness his head hit bark in a flower bed and not the paved street. But there was blood everywhere, including his Seahawk cap.

We hobbled back to our apartment and cleaned up Mike’s face and his bloodied hand that broke his fall. He was shaken and unsteady, but alert and coherent. I felt so bad for him. We got him situated on the couch with the heating pad and blankets because Mike was in no shape to go to the game.

Our neighbor, Mark, went to the game with me and we made it to the suite in time for the national anthem. The game was exciting - very close - however, the Redskins ended up winning.

We got home and Mike was still resting his achy, ole body on the couch so we hung out and eventually made a pizza to share. Yesterday he was doing better even though his body thoroughly ached. Hopefully today the pain will lessen. Get better soon Mike!!!

Thanksgiving Haiku

2011-11-24T07:07:00.000-08:00

Friends gather at my table
Dog looks for a treat
One chair is empty this year

Fire burns low in the morning
Wood fuels the hot flame
By nightfall – it is all is gone

The Nintendo Suite at the Clink

2011-11-23T07:10:00.000-08:00

One of the great benefits of working at Nintendo includes all the amenities available…

LIKE FREE TICKETS TO THE NINTENDO SUITE AT CENTURY LINK FIELD (aka the Clink)!!!

Mike and I will be enjoying the luxury of the suite as we watch the Seattle Seahawks National Football League team take on the Washington Redskins on Sunday afternoon.

GO SEAHAWKS!

Searching for Mr. Scott Vanderpool

2011-11-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

I’ve been listening to KZOK FM radio for years and years – it’s Seattle’s best rock. It’s a classic rock station and I never get tired of listening to the Doors, Beatles, Who, Stones, Jimi...the greats.

For the past year I have been commuting from Kenmore to Redmond in a grueling freeway/highway/arterial route that takes about 45 minutes each way. The commute is bearable because I listen to KZOK and I particularly enjoy the antics of morning DJ, Scott Vanderpool.

Scott is a local musician, a drummer, and he loves his rock and roll. His radio selections are excellent. He walks the talk and shares personal stories of days gone by in the rock world. He’s well known – and liked – and he has many guest appearances from local celebrities. He is the king of music trivia and it is interesting! He knows the Seattle area and he references local activities. He supports good works like “The Schools of the Rock - Battle of the Bands” in which local high school bands compete for cash prizes for use in their school’s music programs. (Did you know many school districts have eliminated music programs due to budget cuts?? How are we ever going to have more great musicians without great music programs?)

So imagine my surprise Monday morning when I started up the truck and heard a most annoying, gravelly, scratchy voice on my radio – and then I realized who it was. It was Danny Bonaduce. He’s the red-haired, trouble-making kid from the old Partridge Family show from the 1970s. Ugh.

Quick research found that Mr. B replaced Scott Vanderpool on the morning KZOK show! Yet I can find nothing about what happened with Scott. However, I did notice that ownership of the station changed hands November 1 and I suspect that has something to do with it. I sent an email to the station manager – venting gently.

Tuesday morning I listened again. Ugh. I don’t like Mr. B or his sidekick, Sarah. They just moved to Seattle so they don’t know anything about anything local. AND they don’t know music. They never even talk about music. They talk about weird stuff like buying a car. Who cares. Ugh.

Wednesday morning I listened and began to think I need to write a post about Scott Vanderpool. Mr. B and Sarah talked about more weird stuff – so weird I forgot what it was.

Thursday morning I heard that knarly, irritating voice and I hit my radio’s scan button. Adios Mr. B and Sarah…I’m looking for a new station.

Scott Vanderpool – if you’re reading this tell us where you are!!! And what happened over at KZOK??

Dad's Birthday

2011-11-15T07:11:00.002-08:00

My dad's name was John. John Johnson. I remember growing up and everyone called him Johnny. And he was from the South where they called him Buddy. I called him Dad. And I recently learned that my brother called him Johnny Danger. I'm not sure what that means, but Mike and I chuckle about it.

Today Dad would have been 82 years old. But he died when he was just 49.

Here is a picture I took of Dad back in 1976. I had been living in Florida and I was driving home to Seattle when I stopped in Mississippi for a week to visit Dad and my grandparents. Of all places, Dad and I visited Vicksburg National Military Park.

And we climbed, and posed, on the horses. We probably weren't supposed to, but that's just how Dad rolled.

I wish he was here today so we could climb on some more horses and maybe we could find out why my brother called him Johnny Danger...RIP,Dad.

Haiku Time

2011-11-14T07:02:00.001-08:00

Dead leaves falling from the trees
Wipers - can't keep up
Mounds build along the way home

Cat ready to pounce on it
Life is near the end
Cat eats very well tonight!

Veteran’s Day at Applebee’s Restaurant

2011-11-11T07:04:00.001-08:00

Today we want to say THANK YOU to all of the men and women that serve/or have served our country!! And a special shout to to Dad and Mike.

And once again Applebee’s Restaurant honors our veterans and active duty military by offering a free meal today. Check it out!

Earn$t Money

2011-11-10T10:34:00.002-08:00

The original cashier’s check was returned to us on Monday. It is now resting in our bank account...waiting for the next house!

Inspection #1

2011-11-04T07:01:00.002-07:00

We found a house. Last month. But it’s been an uphill battle.

It’s a foreclosed house. Little did I know what that entails. But I am learning.

I learned that when a bank owns a house they don’t know how to be a “seller.” They are not in the real estate business and it shows. And even though the bank uses a real estate agency that focuses on foreclosures it doesn’t mean that that agency is going to play by the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) rules that were drilled into me when I was a real estate agent.

I contacted my former Coldwell Banker Bain broker/mentor and asked him to be our agent. We put in our offer on a Wednesday morning, with a response requested by Thursday at 5:00pm. It wasn’t until TEN DAYS later that we learned they had gone with a “cash buyer” and we were knocked out of the competition. Hmpff!

But I kept watching the MLS listing and never saw it change from Active to Pending. I thought that was weird, however, considering my short-lived experience with the bank’s agent I wasn’t that surprised. So every day I watched it and then – out of the blue – our agent contacted us and told us the cash buyer backed out. Whoo-hoo!!! We were back in the game.

We had additional documents to sign (plus, we had to magically turn our earne$t money check into a cashier’s check) and those went back and forth until last Thursday when we were told the offer was accepted – even though TO THIS DAY we have not received a copy of the signed around Purchase and Sale Agreement which documents mutual acceptance! Nevertheless, I noticed last Thursday evening that the MLS listing had changed from Active to Pending Inspection so we presumed our deal was on the table. Whewww…

So we had our agent set up an inspection and we crossed our fingers.

The inspection was Wednesday afternoon. Mike and our agent met the inspector at the house and the plan was to have me meet them at the house to hear the “results” when the inspector was done. My heart sinks when I think about the next paragraph I am going to write.

First off, it appears that someone used a water pressure cleaner to “clean” the roof – multiple times – and they ended up damaging numerous shingles and actually causing enough damage to see the plywood under the shingles in places. Cost #1 – a new roof NOW.

Secondly, since the house was vacant the water had been turned off. So the inspector turned it on and heard a leak behind a wall in the bathroom. Cost #2 – tear out the wall, find the leak and fix it.

Third, the gas water heater is old and near the end of its lifespan. Cost #3 – a new water heater and quick before it quits working.

Fourth, someone somehow made a "new" laundry area in the kitchen, but the dryer they have cannot fit into the laundry area so that the laundry door can shut! And in order to open the dryer door you actually have to "unhook" the laundry door to give it enough room! Cost #4 - re-engineer the whole laundry area.

And I could go on and on with the other issues. But I won’t. The bank stipulated in the Purchase and Sales Agreement that they would not pay for any repairs and that the house was sold “as it.” So much for negotiating. (As an aside, our agent offered to go back to the other agent and request concessions, but we have our doubts that that would ever happen.)

The drive home with Mike was quiet. We both knew in our heart of hearts that we didn’t want to buy a “fixer” and sink extra money into it just to make it livable. When we got home the floodgates opened and we debated the issues until we came to a resolution.

Not this house. Nope. Too many issues.

So yesterday morning we talked to our agent and said we were ready to walk away from the deal. He posed some good questions for us to think about, but could not change our minds. We explained that we’d rather keep looking. And we will. And I have no doubt that we will find the perfect, little house for us – one day.

Now the question at hand is – how long will it take for that lame seller’s agent to return our earne$t money???

Where in the World are Mike and Cynthia?

2011-11-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

We’re right here in Kenmore, Washington. And we’re living the good life.

Mike’s health is excellent – even with all of the pills he has to take and the numerous doctor visits.

Cynthia loves her job and all that goes with full-time, permanent employment again!

Cynthia’s brother is doing pretty well…he had a bad few months in the hospital, but he’s recovering and almost back to par.

Our doggie, Rock, is eating well. He does, however, run off down our street every now and then – causing me to chase after him!

Our kitty, Squeak, is also eating well and sleeping quite well.

Everything is going so darn well that we’re moving forward with another goal in mind. We want to buy a house. Our “nomadic” life is drawing to an end…and while it was fun to pack up and sell everything and travel - we long for putting down roots again.

There is something about pride of ownership that we miss. We’ll never have the perfect garden, but we can grow tall sunflowers! We’ll never have the newest car on the block, but we can keep ours washed and shiny. We’ll never have the biggest house, but we can keep the gutters cleaned and the windows washed. We'll never have the biggest party at our house, but we can get to know our neighbors and be there when someone needs a hand.

Just the idea of settling in to our own place again makes me smile...stay tuned...there is more to come…

Nintendo Orientation

2011-10-21T07:08:00.003-07:00

As a newly appointed permanent employee (oxymoron for 2011) of Nintendo America Inc., I recently participated in a two-day orientation. All the other newbies come to Redmond from NYC, San Francisco, North Bend and Kirkland and together we all go through a comprehensive ramp-up to hit the ground running as new Nintendo recruits.

The conference room we used was huge, the large conference tables were beautifully set, and there was a breakfast awaiting us on the side of the room. We were a group of nine and we were divided into teams of three with three of us at each of the large conference tables. Executives and managers took turns addressing us and providing information about their department or the company structure.

We even took a field trip to the North Bend facility where games and consoles are sent out round the globe. We had lunch with North Bend executives and managers and had the chance to ask them about North Bend activities.

We returned to headquarters in Redmond and heard more about some of the fabulously robust employee benefits and opportunities to win all kinds of prizes throughout the year.

We shared stories with our table-mates and we collaborated when competing against the other two teams – yes – we had contests that tested how much we’d been paying attention during the presentations. At the end of day one my team won the Jeopardy competition and we each received a shopping bag full of Nintendo goodies.

Upon our return to the same conference room on Tuesday morning we were greeted with a nice, red and black athletic bag that had been tucked onto each of our chairs. Our nametags had also been rearranged so that we sat with new people on the second day of our orientation.

We began with a complete tour of Redmond and I had my first glimpse of the Contact Center (reps responding to Nintendo calls, email, and correspondence) in the building next to mine. It was also my first time to see the underground parking in my building and the state-of-the-art Nintendo workout facilities. WOW.

We had a catered lunch and were joined by high-profile people that work at the Redmond campus. Again, it was an opportunity to have a 1:1 with someone that was open to questions from new employees. The person who sat at my table is someone I have seen around the building for months and months and it was so nice to finally be introduced.

The afternoon included a competition with a crossword puzzle. Each team went to a private conference room and went to work. We found that calling Nintendo employees and asking for the answer was the way to go! We didn’t win, but we had great teamwork!

We finished the day with another Jeopardy competition and we fought hard, but, alas, no win for my team.

Prior to this week, I had heard lots about the orientation and I was looking forward to it. I was not at all disappointed. It was fun and it was a fulfilling two days.

News from Nagoya, Japan

2011-10-19T07:01:00.003-07:00

My friend, Teresa from Lake Stevens, Washington, recently sent more pictures that describe the life she is now experiencing in Japan.

My favorite: A two-car garage!

Teresa explains that this globe-like building is the Nagoya Planetarium, the largest one in the world!

A ferris wheel!

I had asked Teresa about challenges in using her washer and dryer and in a recent email Teresa wrote:

Now, what you've all been waiting for, washers and dryers and recycling, oh my! said to the tune of lions, and tigers and bears......as i said a while back, our washer and dryer are from Germany. l am most grateful to have them, but they really try my patience. For some strange reason, they almost never work on the first try, especially the washing machine, so I have to keep pushing the buttons which can get frustrating after several tries-I swear between the washing machine and stove, I am going to have arthritic fingers by the time we go back home. The dryer takes at least 2 hours to get everything dry, even though I do very small loads, therefore if I want to keep up with the dirty laundry, I have to take care of it just about every other day or so. Unfortunately I often get behind then I spend hours doing it. Oh well.

I was also curious about recycling in Japan and Teresa said this:

As for recycling, which my friend Cynthia asked about, things have to
be sorted into 6 different bags-burnables, which is basically food refuse, paper, plastic, bottles, cans and non-burnables. We have 3 large containers into which we put different colored plastic bags and that is how we sort things. The non-burnables get picked up once a month, things like pots, glass, electronics, etc. and everything else gets picked up twice a week. I refuse to keep the stinky garbage inside, so it sits outside our door in its own container. I hide it under a tarp when we have company ;-) On pick-up day we have to put the burnable trash under crow nets. I wondered what those were when I first heard about them. Well, the garbage goes out in bags, not in their containers, and if it does not get put under the nets, the crows come and make a big mess. They have managed to make holes in the net so they still sometimes get into bags. They are determined, they are huge and they seem to know the value of teamwork!!!

Teresa and Steve ate at a teppanyaki restaurant that was pricey and short on the food portions.

Teresa gets around Nagoya and comments:

I went to feed the cats in Meijo Park this morning. Saw more than ever but Poco, the one that was injured, was nowhere to be found. He was improving a lot the last 2 times I saw him so hopefully he was asleep or maybe someone took him home. Last week when I was coming home from teaching in Sakae, I saw a family of beautiful kittens with their mama near our subway station. There was a huge crow hanging around trying to attack one of the kitties so I hung around and chased it away until the kittens went for cover. Dang crows!
The little red bike that takes Teresa on sight-seeing trips.

Teresa in a cooking class.

A farmer in her field.

Rice drying.

Thank you for sharing, Teresa!

Seattle Sounders Fan Appreciation Night

2011-10-17T07:04:00.001-07:00

I love Nintendo! Back in June Mike and I were lucky enough to watch a Seattle Sounders professional soccer match with the New England Revolution from the deluxe Nintendo suite at Century Link field.

Oh, la, la…we were spoiled with high-end snacks and beverages – not to mention the view.

The stadium view from the entry onto the suite level.

Our view from the suite.

And it was in August that I saw a Nintendo announcement offering Sounders tickets for Fan Appreciation Night – and only $10 a ticket. I ended up getting 5 tickets – for Mike, me and 3 friends. The game was Saturday night and traffic into Seattle was predicted to be a mess with the 520 bridge closed. Mike and I decided to take the bus and enjoy the ride into the city.

We got to Pioneer Square just after 5:00 and went to the Central Saloon for a beer. It was nice and crowded, but we found two bar stools at the bar. We had some French fries and then wandered over to the stadium.

Our seats were on the three-hundred level – which mean we’re covered – but it’s also a long climb up to our seats! Unfortunately, Mike took a bad fall on the steps and I doubted he could sit in that seat the whole match. We found Cheryl, Pat and Kevin and we all sat down.

We watched the “pageantry” although we weren’t always sure what was happening. The game was really loud with all the fans in a packed stadium - lots of fans cheering their hearts out.

By half-time Mike’s fall was taking a toll and he was in a lot of pain. We packed up and headed for the bus. Luckily, we waited a very short time and the bus whizzed us home.

The Sounders ended up beating San Jose 2-1, and Mike was better on Sunday and hopefully he’ll continue to improve!

New Laptop & Old Wireless Connection

2011-10-14T08:56:00.001-07:00

For my new old job at Nintendo of America Inc. I got a brand-new laptop! Yep, my IT guy took away my workstation and left me with a pretty Dell laptop. That was over a week ago.

The first day I got my brand-new laptop I took it home with me. I wanted to test the wireless connection and VPN account to make sure I could connect to the internet and to Nintendo’s network from home.

At home Mike has a laptop and I have a laptop and we share a wireless connection through Comcast with a dual modem/router. We’ve had this set-up for more than a year and a half. And it always worked fine. Until I brought the brand-new laptop home from work…and I had to remember the Network Key (password). I dug out my old notes from when we originally set up our network a year and a half ago. And I saw the password that I had written down. So I tried using the password to hook up my brand-new laptop from work into my home wireless network.

Ahhh…but just to make life interesting, the password didn’t work. Subsequently, over the next few hours I tried various passwords and made numerous attempts to simply change my password. (I set up the network – why can’t I change the password??)

Oh and did I mention that I no longer have an IP address on my personal laptop? How in the world did that happen?

ARGHHH!!!

Since that time I have tried novel ideas like trying to ping my personal laptop for the IP address or disabling my network and then attempting to re-install the wireless network software. And poor Mike got on a call with Motorola (manufacturer of our modem/router) for hours…they suggested he call back when he was ready to shell out $30/hr to talk to a Tier II rep who would not be allowed to “run” to our laptops to do the troubleshooting. That could get pricey.

So I plan to sit down Saturday morning and take a fresh shot at figuring it out on my own. OR if that doesn’t work out in the first hour I think I’ll call Moto…wish me luck.

Mike's Birthday Adventure #2

2011-10-03T07:00:00.001-07:00

Last week I wrote about Mike’s birthday present tickets to the Seahawks football game. Today I want to tell you about our second little adventure – a jet boat tour at Deception Pass.

Deception Pass is about 95 miles north and west of Seattle. The Deception Pass Bridge (actually two twin bridges) hooks Whidbey Island to Fidalgo Island and is host to Deception Pass State Park. The Deception Pass Jet Boat Tour takes off from the little marina on Cornet Bay Road and provides a one-hour tour through the salt waters of Deception Pass.

So Saturday morning we jumped in the truck – with gloves, hoodies and umbrellas – the forecast was rain, but heck we live in Seattle – and off we went. In about an hour and a half we got to Deception Pass and found the marina.

Here is our boat coming into the marina.

It’s an unusual boat with several seats in the front, the captain’s wheel in a funky wheelhouse and the jet in the back.

It was a small cruise and the other family even brought their little doggies bundled up in doggie coats!

Our gloves came in handy, but it didn't rain on our boat tour - not even a drop.

Here is the view of the twin bridges from our seats on the boat.

These folks climbed into a prohibited area and were sitting on a precarious ledge.

I thought it was weird how the trees grew right out of the rock.

Here’s a view of the bridge from below – a view I’d never seen before.

One out of the Pass area, the Captain turned it up and we headed west at a fast clip! We saw great blue heron perched on tall, green trees. We also saw harbor porpoise breaching the surface in their playful way. Although we didn’t see any bald eagles, the Captain did point out a huge eagle nest in one of the trees. He explained that the eagles mate for life and keep the same nest year after year. We also saw a harbor seal poking his head out of the water and checking us out. But alas – once again - no orca whale sightings. Maybe next year…

All too soon our hour was up and we headed up to the park to check out the vista from the bridge. And that’s when I discovered I have a bit of acrophobia (height aversion). It really made me feel weird as I was walking across the bridge trying to get the perfect picture of Deception Pass.

I couldn’t even make it to the middle of the bridge – which was about where these tiny people are in this picture.

But here are two fairly good shots of the Pass. The water is an intense emerald green that is not reflected well in my pictures.

We finished the adventure with a late lunch at The Corner Bar and Grill, on Highway 20, not too far from the state park.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (again) MIKE!

Stay the Course

2011-09-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

Five years and four months ago I was laid off from Cingular Wireless - after the merge with AT&T Wireless. I cried. I loved my job and I loved the corporate world. But I tried some new things...real estate agent, English teacher in Mexico, government worker in Oregon...and then I came home to Seattle, looking for another job in the corporate world.

That was one year, four months, and two weeks ago - May 15, 2010.

And today I am soooo happy to report that my eight-month contract job at Nintendo's headquarters that morphed into a nine-month contract job that then morphed into a ten-month contract job has now turned into a PERMANENT corporate position – effective today! I am now an official employee in the Legal Department at Nintendo of America...and I am so glad my job search is over.

The moral of this story is: stay the course. Nothing worth having comes easily.

Seattle Seahawks v. Arizona Cardinals

2011-09-28T07:01:00.003-07:00

This past Sunday the Seattle Seahawks played a National Football League game with the Arizona Cardinals in the Century Link football stadium (warmly referred to as the Clink) right here in Seattle. And we won! The game tickets were part of my birthday gift package to Mike last week. We had never been to a Seahawks game together – it was the home opener and we were stoked about going.

We beat the traffic into the city by taking a bus and that was fast, cheap and easy. We went directly to the Central Saloon, Seattle’s oldest bar, for breakfast. We stopped to chat with the owner – someone I originally knew over 25 years ago when I tended bar in Pioneer Square – and then we made the walk over to the Clink.

We saw this festive truck - all decked out in the blue and green.

Seattle's finest - and longest police vehicle!

The restaurants and bars had a good morning, the lines were full of fans, and the atmosphere was lively.

The forecast was rain, but it was only cloudy as we made our way through the growing crowd.

We stopped to watch this amazing band – not only were they playing music and revving up the crowd – but they were doing gymnastics while playing their instruments! Very cool. A short video is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEDlIYq2ZOc. The blue and green was everywhere.

We worked our way up to the 300 level and found our seats. Not bad for $50 each through a Nintendo offer! I slipped away to buy Mike a Seahawks cap and a jersey.

I got him a jersey with the #12 and the name “Fan.” He loved it and put them both on. He looked so cute!

The pre-game festivities began and the flag waved in all her glory.

They raised the "twelfth man flag" and the crowd roared!!!

Soon enough the players hit the field. And so did the rain. I was very happy to be sitting in the nosebleed section – that was covered – as sheets of rain pummeled the field and uncovered fans. It was so intense that clouds blocked the view of Puget Sound and we couldn’t even see the water! Unbelievably, that lasted only about five minutes and it ended up being a nice, sunny day.

This guy was two seats down from me...his head hung low the entire game!!! TOO MUCH TAILGATING!!!

The game was fast and exciting. And we yelled and cheered and clapped for our Seahawks! It was close at the end, but we came away with a 13-10 victory and our first win of the season. We walked with the other 66,199 fans out of the stadium with huge smiles on our faces and made our way to our bus stop. Before we knew it we were home. What a fantastic day – GO SEAHAWKS!

The Sound of a Woman Facing Death

2011-09-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

I’ve made a decision. If you read my posts last week about the testing I completed for a 911 Operator position, you read that during the testing process I listened to four real-life recordings of calls to 911.

All of the calls were tragic. Heck, one call was from a mother whose two little daughters had just had their throats slit – by their father – and they were hanging on for dear life. But the call that got to me was the one that included the Sound of a Woman Facing Death.

At the very beginning of the call, the woman identified herself and tried to provide her address to the 911 Operator. But the operator interrupted the woman and asked for other information. The woman explained that someone was trying to break into her home. The woman explained that she was elderly. The woman explained that she lived alone. But the operator did not ask the woman for her address. (And this call occurred years ago - before calls made from a landline phone automatically provided the 911 Operator with the address from where the call was placed.) The operator had no idea where the woman lived.

The next thing I heard was the Sound of a Woman Facing Death. I cannot describe it and I will never forget it. The HR Manager had warned us – if we found the calls still bothering us days after hearing them, we most likely were not cut out for the job.

That’s me. Not cut out for the job. Not able to work through that Sound. Not comfortable knowing the woman was attacked and died while on the 911 call.

And there is more to my decision than just that Sound. There is the fact that the job is para-military, with a defined chain of command, and there are aspects that are similar to military service – not something I am crazy about. There is even a 12-week academy! There is the fact that the 911 Operators work varied shifts (depending on seniority) and they are basically on call 24/7. There is the fact that I already have a life and I’m not willing to give that up for a job.

Nevertheless, I’m glad I gave it a shot. And it sure makes me appreciate those people who are 911 Operators. Next time you dial 911 be nice to the operator…he/she may have just heard the Sound of a Woman Facing Death.

After the Tests…

2011-09-23T07:04:00.006-07:00

…continued from Wednesday’s post.

Once the three tests were completed, and I knew I had passed, I was eager to learn about the next steps in becoming a 911 Operator. Little did I know that I was just about to be affected in a way I had never imagined.

The greeter left the room with tests in hand and returned with nametags for the three of us that had successfully “made the grade” thus far. She explained that the Human Resources Manager would soon be joining us and indeed she did. The HR Manager set up a CD on a boom box, hit the run button, and left the room. For the next 8-10 minutes we listened to four real-life recordings of 911 calls.

We got a true sense of what we might deal with on any given call. One call was particularly disturbing – one I will never forget. We actually heard the sound of a woman facing death and, in fact, she did die.

Whoa.

The HR Manager returned and explained that she plays these calls to all 911 Operator candidates. And she advised that if any of us found the calls troubling us over the next few days then we may want to reconsider our decision to go forward in the selection process. We may have the necessary fortitude for the job.

We learned about the next steps in the process – and there are many. The fourth and final test includes watching a videotape with an operator at a console taking calls. The operator plays through 38 scenarios and provides four responses to each call. Our job would be to select the operator’s best, and most appropriate, response to each scenario.

Also, while watching the video we would be taking notes about such things as phone numbers, descriptions of suspects, details about cars – and the second part of the test would be depend upon those notes we took. Could we correctly identify a phone number or describe the height of a suspect and so on.

If we passed that test, we would be invited in for a first interview with the HR Manager and two other managers who would use behavioral interviewing questions. Passing that would mean that a comprehensive background check would be completed on each of us. And if we had a clean record we would then go to the Kirkland Police Department for a Computerized Voice Stress Analysis – a polygraph-like test that determines by our voice whether we are lying or not. It was stressed that the goal was to measure our integrity and that we should not lie. We were also told that the questions would be very probing and probably make us feel very uncomfortable.

A group psychological evaluation was next on the list and we learned that sometimes the whole group failed at this point. Several short tests are given and a one-on-one interview is held with the forensic scientist that runs the psychological evaluation. The scientist rates each candidate on a scale of “very suitable,” “highly suitable,” “fairly suitable,” and so on and the HR Manager uses this information to make her cuts.

If, after all of that, a candidate is still in the running, they have a second interview with the Executive Director and the Operations Manager. Following that would be a physical exam – their interest is in getting a baseline audiogram to determine if they need to provide an amplification device and to have a defense for any future Labor & Industry claims if an operator claims their hearing has been damaged by their work. Lastly, and it probably goes without saying, a drug test would also be performed.

And there’s more. More about the job that I’ll share next time. Right now I’m still thinking about those real-life calls I heard…

911 – What is Your Emergency?

2011-09-21T07:13:00.004-07:00

Recently I applied for a position as a 911 Operator for Eastside King County. I had to submit an application, resume, cover letter and typing test. Shortly thereafter, I was notified that I qualified to move on to the next step – a day of testing. I accepted and yesterday was the day of testing.

There were eight of us. All women and they were all younger than me. We met in the lobby of Bellevue City Hall and waited for our greeter to take us upstairs at 10:00am. Our greeter explained that there would be three timed tests and that we would need to get a certain percentage of the questions correct in order to move on to the next test. I like tests. I test well.

The first test was a multi-task/split ear evaluation. We listened to a CD of a woman’s voice calling out 1) colors 2) three digits and 3) three words from a phonetic alphabet (she’d say alpha for A, bravo for B, etc.) Our task was to write out what we heard – the colors (using three character abbreviations such as blu, gre, pnk), the three digits (256, 731, 095) and the three letters (nvt, soe, vlm). Sometimes there was more than one voice and it was really hard to hear what they were saying. This test was 2.5 minutes, but it seemed a lot longer. The tests were scored and six out of eight of us passed. You needed 80% or higher and I got 89%.

The next test was a 100-question, multiple choice exam and we had one and half hours to complete it. It began with lists of addresses, social security numbers, phone numbers, alpha/number strings and there were two sets of each set of information. Our task was to determine which sets were exactly alike and which sets had slight deviations. This was harder than it sounds! There were also lists of words and we had to identify which ones were spelled incorrectly. Plus, there were sets of four sentences that we had to put in order to make a sensible paragraph. At the end of the test were customer service questions with scenarios in which we had to pick the answer that would suggest the most appropriate customer service. Not so hard. When we completed this test we were let go for a half-hour lunch break.

When we returned to the lobby at 12:45 our greeter told us that three out of six had passed. You needed 80% or higher and I got 85%.

The greeter took the three of us back upstairs for the final test. It was another 100-question, multiple choice exam and we had two hours to complete it. It had the same lists of addresses, social security numbers, phone numbers, alpha/number strings in which we had to identify the sets that were exactly alike – and again this was harder than you might expect. And it also had customer service questions. But additionally this test had scenarios that an operator might actually face and one in which we would need to determine how many fire engines or police officers to send to any given emergency. We were provided plenty of information in order to make the correct determination and I found it to be sixty questions that were solved by using logic. It was challenging, but satisfying at the same time.

The three of us finished with 15 minutes to spare. The tests were scored and we all passed. You needed 70% or higher and I got 91%.

There was more to the day and I’ll fill in the gaps. But for now I need to get to Nintendo!

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

2011-09-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

As I noted yesterday, for Mike’s birthday we went to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It was a lot better than I had expected! Plus, it really got me thinking about the possibilities when we start messing around with human/animal chemistry and the possibilities…WATCH OUT!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE!

2011-09-18T10:45:00.004-07:00

Yep – today is Mike’s 55th birthday!!!

We started the celebration last night with best friends, Cheryl and Pat, who joined us at Outback Steakhouse for dinner. And this morning Rock, Squeak and I gave Mike his presents.

We gave him tickets to some fun activities. First is a one-hour Segway tour of West Seattle. Mike is fascinated with Segways – the unique personal transportation device – and West Seattle (on a sunny day, but not today) will be a great venue. And I’ll be going too!

Secondly, we have tickets for a boat tour of Deception Pass – up north, on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Maybe we’ll finally spot some orcas! But we’ll wait until the sun returns before make the trip north.

Lastly, Mike and I are going to a Seattle Seahawks football game! It’s next Sunday and it’ll be the Seahawks v. the Arizona Cardinals – from Mike’s hometown. We’ve never been to a National Football League game together. It should be a blast.

So for today’s somewhat wet and windy day we’re planning to go see a movie, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I know it’s sci-fi and probably pretty corny, but we have been dying to see it and a blustery day like today is perfect for a movie and popcorn.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE!

Teresa at Home in Nagoya, Japan

2011-09-16T07:01:00.001-07:00

The last time we checked in with Teresa who recently relocated from Lake Stevens, Washington to Nagoya, Japan she and husband Steve were hotelling it at the Nagoya Hilton while Boeing was processing their “housing papers.” They have since settled into their modern, Western-style home – albeit not without a few kinks and funny stories.

Following are pieces from Teresa’s September 11, 2011 email - beginning with bidets and bathing:

our move went very smoothly with only a few garage sale items breaking, so no big deal. we love our house and yard and i have so many plants i've already lost count. a few interesting things about the house: we have bidets in both bathrooms, or washlets as they call them here. not only do they wash your privates, but they blow dry them as well. then again, maybe my friend was just pulling my leg when she told me about the blow drying because i haven't seen a sign for that, i'm so gullible ;-) they actually have those in a lot of public bathrooms as well-only in japan. taking a bath was a bit of a challenge at first. the controls are all digital, and there are 5 buttons to push. even though our realtor wrote little notes in english, they were very hard to read and of course when i put on my glasses, they got all fogged up!

This next tidbit had me rolling on the floor…the visual of Teresa trying to cook:

the stove is also digital. you have to push one button to turn it on, another to pick which burner you want to use and yet another to pick the desired temp. which ranges from 0-10. the first night i cooked i couldn't get the front burners to work. we'd totally forgotten that our realtor told us we needed special pots for those 2 burners. it's due to some type of safety precaution. when you remove your pot or pan, it immediately turns off and cools off, therefore keeping curious little children from burning themselves. last night as i was finishing dinner all the burners automatically shut off. i kept trying to figure out what had happened and the only thing i could think of is that i put a lid on one of the burners, it wasn't even turned on and i had immediately removed it. hearing how frustrated i was getting, steve came to help and after a few minutes he noticed a key emblem on the surface of the stove. it had turned red which made him realize it had turned, or locked off the burners. once he pushed it we were able to get the burners back on and i was able to finish cooking.

Coming from the Great Pacific Northwest recycling is not new to Teresa, however, I found this comment interesting and I’d like to hear more detail:

last but not least is the recycling. to make a long story short, things have to be sorted into 6 different groups.

(Cynthia: I’ve also heard that if you don’t sort your recyclables correctly and tie them in the preferred fashion, you will be scolded and they may not be accepted!)

In closing, Teresa advises that she is still feeding the feral cats and that two friends have recently had babies so she has the opportunity to “play grandma" in Nagoya. Additionally, Teresa and Steve live close to the professional soccer team's Brazillian coach and they have been invited to a game and BBQ. It sounds like she’s settling right in…Sayonara for now!

25 Minutes to Go

2011-09-14T07:10:00.001-07:00

It was written by Shel Silverstein and originally recorded by the Brothers Four (Seattle band!) in 1963. Johnny Cash performed it on two of his albums, one in 1965 and the 1968 live album, At Folsom Prison. I didn’t hear it until 2003 when Pearl Jam played it at their Benaroya Hall acoustic show. Eddie Vedder's voice in the first line is so very deep...I love this song. It reminds me of something Señor Zapata would write...

Wiki says: It is sung by a man waiting his own execution by hanging. Each verse consists of two lines, of which the first line is anything from humorous to poignant, and the second line is a minute-by-minute countdown.

Well they're building a gallows outside my cell I've got 25 minutes to go

And the whole town's waitin' just to hear me yell I've got 24 minutes to go

Well they gave me some beans for my last meal I've got 23 minutes to go

But nobody asked me how I feel I've got 22 minutes to go

Well I sent for the governor and the whole dern bunch with 21 minutes to go

And I sent for the mayor but he's out to lunch I've got 20 more minutes to go

Then the sheriff said boy I gonna watch you die got 19 minutes to go

So I laughed in his face and I spit in his eye got 18 minutes to go

Well I call out to the Warden to hear my plea I’ve got 17 minutes to go

He says, "Call me back in a week or three...You've got 16 minutes to go"

Well, my lawyer says he's sorry he missed my case I’ve got 15 minutes to go

Yeah, well if you're so sorry, come up and take my place I got 14 minutes to go

Now hear comes the padre for to save my soul with 13 minutes to go

And he's talking bout' burnin' but I'm so cold I've 12 more minutes to go

Now they're testin' the trap and it chills my spine 11 more minutes to go

And the trap and the rope aw they work just fine got 10 more minutes to go

Well I'm waitin' on the pardon that'll set me free with 9 more minutes to go

But this is for real so forget about me got 8 more minutes to go

With my feet on the trap and my head on the noose got 5 more minutes to go

Won't somebody come and cut me loose with 4 more minutes to go

I can see the mountains I can see the skies with 3 more minutes to go

And it's to dern pretty for a man that don't wanna die 2 more minutes to go

I can see the buzzards I can hear the crows 1 more minute to go And now I'm swingin' and here I go-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!

September 11, 2011

2011-09-11T06:46:00.001-07:00

Ten years – 3,652 days – yet the heartbreaking memories of that morning so long ago remain fresh in my mind. Today I’ll be especially thankful for the freedoms I enjoy and the pride I take in being an American.

A Lot on My Mind

2011-09-07T07:02:00.002-07:00

I have a lot to contemplate right now. It is almost overwhelming. But I stopped to practice my Haiku. What do you think?

Dry cracked leaves fly by
Stacks grow quickly with the wind…
Happy cat pounces

Snow is all around
Silence is all I can hear;
White is white on white

Matthew Epstein

2011-08-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

That’s the name of the guy I wrote about two weeks ago. He is a product marketer and he was bent on working for Google – it was his dream job. So he created a website that included the words “google please hire me" and a link to a blog about his journey.

And he wore a crazy fake moustache and made funny videos. His efforts paid off as his site went viral. Not only that, but he ended up meeting with NINE companies in his 1.5 month quest. And at the end of the day, he got a job offer that he accepted. He has yet to announce the name of his new employer, but I’m dying to learn if it is Google – or not.

These are difficult times to look for a job. There are highs and there are lows. Mr. Epstein included a video clip from Rocky Balboa and the following quote:

"You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”

I have to remember: keep moving forward...

Horoscope: August 28, 2011

2011-08-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful, warm, sunny day in Seattle. Mike and I stayed home and enjoyed our back yard with Rock and Squeak. I also had the pleasure of reading the Seattle Sunday Times newspaper without interruption.

One thing I found interesting was my horoscope:

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): What do you want to do when you grow up? Keep questioning your role in society. What would be the most fun? Go for reality over fantasy, including dream elements for spice.

With my Nintendo contract drawing to an end and the commencement of yet another full-force job search, I am faced with the same question I have asked myself over the years…what do I want to do when I grow up?

If it was only that easy...

Blankets

2011-08-26T07:10:00.004-07:00

I like blankets. Especially soft, plush, snuggly blankets that keep me warm. When we downsized in preparation for our move to Mexico we gave away some of our blankets. But there were a few that we just had to keep. And in fact we’ve added a couple of new blankets since our return to the US.

This is my kitty cat blanket.

My friend Cheryl gave it to me many, many years ago. It is fun because it has all the different kitty cats on it. It lives on our loveseat and it is Mike’s favorite. He wraps it around himself when he’s watching TV and it keeps him very happy.

These are our twin AT&T Wireless blankets.

Both Mike and I worked for AT&T Wireless – before it merged with Cingular Wireless. :( And one year AT&T Wireless gave these soft, fuzzy blankets to employees as part of a promotion. They also had handy straps that wrapped around the blanket, transforming it into a nice, easy-to-carry package. (The handy straps were lost long ago.) These are perfect blankets to take to early spring Mariners' baseball games to keep us warm in the chilly innings of the game. They fit into a backpack and they’re just big enough to cover us. Plus, the traditional Mariners' peanut shells fall right off with just a shake of the blanket!

This is our Puerto Vallarta blanket.

It was year 2000 when Mike and I made our first trip to Mexico together. We went to Puerto Vallarta and stayed at the Sheraton Buganvilia. I remember that trip like it was yesterday. The swim-up bar. The room with the bright blue chairs and fuchia pillows. The view of Banderas Bay. Room service! And the short walk from the hotel into town. But I also remember buying this fiesta-colored blanket on the beach. We schlepped it home to Seattle and I sent it to my mom in Alaska. When she passed, it was one of the few treasures I brought back home. I always think of my mom when I see this blanket. It’s been good for picnics from here to Mexico to Salem and back.

This is our gray wool blanket.

I’d call this a utilitarian blanket. No frills. No snuggleability factor. Not even a cool color. But it’s handy. I used to carry it in the trunk of my car – you never know when you might have an emergency and need to get down on the ground. And who wants to get their pretty, little knees dirty when kneeling on pavement? I don’t know why it’s not in the truck. Maybe I’ll move it there. (And the funny thing is I couldn't find it right off the bat for the pic - it was in my cedar wardrobe in the office...what a weird place for it!)

This is our giant electric blanket.

Mike is always cold. I am always hot. So we found a solution for nippy winter nights. We got this monster in Salem for our king size bed. It’s a little big for the queen size bed we have now, but it is still a good answer because it has dual controls. Yes. Mike can have his half of the blanket cranked up so that he breaks a sweat. And I can have my half of the blanket not turned on at all (see how my electrical cord has never even been unraveled!) Our giant electric blanket keeps the peace in our family.

And this is Mike’s Harley Davidson birthday blanket.

Betty and Ron gave this to Mike for his birthday in 2009 when we were living in their house in Salem. It is bright and bold, soft and fluffy, warm and cuddly. And funny enough, it has become my TV blanket. It lives on the arm of our couch and it has lulled me to sleep many a time when my eyes could not longer fixate on the TV. I love Mike’s Harley blanket!

What's your favorite blanket??

Haiku 2

2011-08-24T07:10:00.002-07:00

I recently “re-discovered” Haiku. And lately I have taken the time to study and practice writing my own Haiku. It is so simple, yet so difficult. There is the syllable counting and the search for the perfect cutting – not to mention the craving for yugen. Yes, Haiku is difficult.

I think I found yugen in the second Haiku below…

Mist over water
Loud croaking breaks the silence
Webbed digits spring

Grey feathers in flight
Death waits with the killing gas –
No more geese fly low

ProLango Career Search Optimization

2011-08-22T07:01:00.006-07:00

Last November, just a week before I started my contract job with Nintendo, Mike and I went to a “mixer” sponsored by ProLango, an employment consulting service. I wrote a post about it and I was disappointed in this idea of building my work-related network with drinks in Seattle’s Hard Rock Café.

Subsequently, I started to receive emails from ProLango with information about how to gain employment. So I began to make it a habit to go to the links within the emails and read the informative articles. And guess what? I liked what I was reading. I used some of the information to re-work my resume and to target some of the employers I’d like to work with on a permanent basis.

Recently ProLango advertised an upcoming seminar addressing online job applications. It hinted about how dismal it is to apply for jobs online – dismal in that hundreds of people apply for one position; dismal in that resumes are scanned by special software that looks for key terms, resulting in the “grading” of resumes; and dismal in that applicants can be blacklisted by a company simply by applying to the company too many times.

So Saturday morning Mike and I headed to the Bellevue Hyatt for an hour and a half seminar that turned out to be one of the most enjoyable and helpful presentations I have ever attended!

ProLango is led by Paul Anderson, a former Microsoft and Expedia employee, who writes a newspaper column, hosts a TV show, and speaks nationwide on career transformation. Paul is a very engaging speaker. Paul is not loud and pushy. Paul is genuine. Paul tells stories and backs them up with names and numbers.

I learned a lot and I feel rejuvenated. I’m ready to develop a new marketing strategy for my job hunt and then put it into play. I highly recommend tuning into ProLango and Paul and learning as much as you can!

Our (Pathetic) Garden

2011-08-19T07:07:00.004-07:00

We planted seeds May 1 this year. (And that was a lot earlier than last year’s planting in July.) We tilled the earth and added fresh soil. (Last year we went with the dirt that was already there.) We've dilligently watered and pulled weeds. (We did that last year…) We talk to the plants and ask them to please grow. (They wink back at us.)

I had such high hopes for this year. Remember all the seeds I bought in early spring?

Unfortunately, the sun has not been cooperative and our garden is, yet again, less than bountiful. We did have a few radishes early on…the lettuces became salads…the pear and cherry tomatoes are tasty…the cilantro and chives have added a kick to the salads…and Squeak has thoroughly enjoyed the fresh catnip!

But overall it’s been dismal. A lot of my seeds didn’t even come up – or they made a showing, but with stunted growth (peppers, corn, long radishes, even the zucchini!)

The tomato plants are tall, but not bearing much fruit.

The sunflowers are going strong, but the nasturtiums are getting weaker by the day.

On a good note - the pumpkin patch is full and robust, but will we have enough sun to turn them (all FOUR of them) orange?!

It's a good thing we're not farmers...maybe next year...

Parallel Parking at Warp Speed

2011-08-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

Last week I saw one of the funniest things I have ever seen. It is a Guinness World Record video of a German guy parking his car in a tiny spot – just 10.24 inches!

And the funniest thing about it is the speed at which the guy does the parking. Watch it. I think you’ll laugh.

p.s.

2011-08-16T07:07:00.000-07:00

When viewing the site referenced in yesterday's post, don't neglect to go to the "Follow My Journey" link at the bottom, left-hand side of the page...that's where you'll find his blog with the fascinating stats/details. Now go read it!!

Extended Stay at Nintendo

2011-08-15T07:00:00.003-07:00

It is with mixed emotion that I report to say my contract at Nintendo has been extended once again. My manager recently asked me if I could stay on through the end of September. Of course, I said, “Yes!”

How could I respond in any other way? While I have submitted resumes to other companies recently and I have gone through a few interviews, there have been no offers of employment extended to me.

Knowing that I have a known income for another six weeks is wonderful. Not knowing what will happen at the end of those six weeks is not so wonderful.

I recently read about a guy on a mission to be hired by Google. And I have been reading his Google Please Hire Me site.

Dude is clever and I admire him for having the huevos to create a site and go out there, taking a stab at it. He had a phone interview with Google last Wednesday and I hope Google hires him! And I hope you enjoy his site. I'm still laughing...

Haiku

2011-08-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

I have been reading about Haiku and I think I may start a book of Haiku for myself.

Here are my first two -

Pussywillow gone
Birds with no food at their water
Fish gasping with air

Too gloomy? How about this...

Violin stings plucked
A quiet cymbal waiting
Music on the way

Now this one feels good!

I Love Cynthia Day

2011-08-10T07:10:00.003-07:00

Last week on Tuesday I had a wonderful surprise.

I was sitting at my Nintendo desk and I got a call from the Receptionist. She told me that I had FLOWERS waiting for me.

Flowers? I thought, it's not my birthday, it's not my wedding anniversary, it's not Valentine's Day...why would I have flowers delivered at work?

They were from Mike and the card read:

Thinking about you
Still in love

I called Mike and he told me it was "I Love Cynthia Day." THANK YOU MIKE!!! xoxo

Home Sweet Home

2011-08-08T07:09:00.003-07:00

I like to walk. It slows down my senses and I take in a lot more than when I am zipping by on my bike or going even faster in my truck. Something I’ve noticed lately is the different styles of houses in my neighborhood. So one morning I took my camera with me and took some pictures. And then I gave the houses names.

The Ranch

I love this place. But I have to climb a steep hill to get to it. It is a large spread - a farmhouse with a barn, out buildings and big, black bovines (probably Black Angus) although they are not in this picture.

The Final Home

In the same area is this adult family home, a place for a family member that needs assisted care in the waning years of their life. The place is grand! I wonder what it looks like inside. I hope I get to live in a place like that when, and if, the time comes that I require assisted care.

The Castle

Back down the hill, tucked away in an older neighborhood, is this monster. It has been for sale for at least the whole year + that Mike and I have lived in Kenmore. In fact, it is not fully completed and the signage advises that the buyer can make decisions on final details. Ugh. It is so out of place. Kenmore is really not suited for a castle! Notice the small rambler next door? How would you like to live in the rambler and look out your window and see that?

The Three Stooges

Sometimes a developer buys a chunk of land and attempts to make the most of it. These three houses are identical (with a slight change in color) and they sit on cramped lots, packed tighter than sardines, right next to each other. What was the developer thinking? And how about the people that bought the homes? I wonder if they ever pull into the wrong driveway and try to go into the wrong house. I hope their keys are unique.

The House with Too Many Windows

Seriously, why so many windows on such a flat wall? Why not break them up so they are not in the same pattern? Why not add a deck or shutters or something to provide some contrast? When I first saw this house I thought it might be a multi-family dwelling so I walked up around to the front of it. And there I confirmed that it is indeed a single-family home. And their view? The fenced basketball court with a kid’s play set to the far right. Another ugh.

The House with the Big, Brown, Wooden Door

What else can I say? It doesn’t “match” the rest of the house. Maybe it has some special meaning to the owners – maybe they brought it from their old house.

The Tired House

I think this house has been condemned. And foreclosed. But I also think it was recently purchased because I noticed that the bushes in front of the house have been trimmed. It has potential. And with a lot of love it could be turned around. I’ll keep my eye on this one.

The Free (and Ugly) Boat

No, this isn’t a house. But it is on the property of The Tired House. I guess it’s a tired sailboat. I better not tell Mike about it or he’ll somehow manage to haul it home…

Those are the houses and that is my House Tour.

Teresa in Nagoya, Japan

2011-08-05T07:08:00.005-07:00

If you’ve ever noticed my “Cool International Blogs” blogroll to the right, you’ve probably guessed that I like learning about different cultures. I am curious to hear about everyday experiences people have outside of the US.

Recently I wrote about our friend, Teresa, who was moving to Nagoya, Japan with her husband, Steve. I took Japanese in high school and I have always been fascinated with Japan. Plus, I am working a contract assignment at Nintendo and our parent company is in Kyoto, which results in a lot of interaction with our Japanese teammates. Now with Teresa in Nagoya I can get first-hand knowledge about life in the land of the rising sun.

Following are snippets of three emails from Teresa that I thought were very interesting about her new life in Nagoya.

In a July 31, 2011 email to friends and family Teresa wrote:

last night marked the end of our first full week here. funny, it seems like we`ve been here much longer, probably because i have been constantly on the go. i have been exploring new areas every day. i start out each morning with a long power walk-with all the great food here, i really need to keep up my exercise routine.

Nagoya from the 24th Floor of the Hilton Hotel

one day i ended up lost, or temporarily misplaced as i like to call it. after 2 1/2 hours i ended up back in the place i had headed out to find. luckily i had used the subway system when we were here on our house hunting trip so i just hopped on a train and came back to the hotel.

The Maneki Neko or Lucky Cat

later that day i went back to kimble, the place i`d found in the morning. it is a huge thrift store (they call them recycle centers or reuse shops) that has a great variety of dishes and pottery. i bought some planters, tea mugs and bowls. i was really weighed down with all the heavy bags and as i was heading towards a set of steps to go down to the subway, one of the attendants chased me down and directed me to an elevator. i find that japanese people are very helpful and kind and although i only know a few words and phrases, we somehow manage to communicate. i can`t wait to start learning the language so i can actually talk to people. boeing provides us with 40 hours of lessons and i plan to continue studying after that as well.

Katsudon - Fried Pork Cutlets

the food here is great however the one thing steve and i miss is salad. the japanese do not eat big salads like we are used to in the states. imagine my disappointment when i ordered a caesar here at the hotel and it only had about 3leaves of lettuce, 1 large crouton, wedge of tomato and small piece of broccoli-i`m not exaggerating. steve ordered a steak which was so minuscule that we ended up going out in town and buying potato croquets, very popular here, and some cake. the bakeries here are amazing! i could probably gain weight just getting a whiff of the bread. by the way, bread bakeries, and pastry shops are 2 different things all together-and they all look soooo delicious-i`m getting hungry just thinking about them.

OSU Kannon Shrine

yesterday was the most interesting day i`ve had! the hotel provides bikes free of charge for up to 4 hours. instead of walking, i enjoyed going out for a 3 hour ride and seeing some new areas i had not made it to on foot. the best part of the day however was when i walked to osu kannon shrine and shopping arcade.

Teresa in the Covered Shopping Arcade

as i wandered around i heard some brazilian music. ilooked up and saw police controlling the crowds and before i knew it a bunch of dancing girls in their tangas thongs) came dancing through the arcade. the musicians were in the back playing great music. i felt like i was at carnival in rio or mardi gras. after that i headed back to the shrine area and spent about an hour listening to some japanese drummers. there were about 4 different groups and they were great! their arms were all so well toned. i envisioned myself becoming a drummer so i could have such nicely defined arms, however the next performance was by a group of kids so it appears this is something they start at a young age.

steve is enjoying his job and is getting to know the people at the office. as some of you know, his work week is from sat.-wed. for the summer, so he was not able to join me for the fun activities yesterday. however, we did go to a bar and grill last night that was highly recommended as having big salads. we both had one of the best chicken salads ever! now we know where to go for our salad fix.

our shipment is due to arrive tomorrow but it has to go through customs and due to some change in procedure, boeing has not paid our rent yet. hopefully that will all be taken care of this week and we will be able to move in soon. we`ve been living in hotels for 4 out of the past 5 weeks, so it will be great to move into our new home. in the meantime however, i will continue to enjoy life at the hilton.

In one email I had asked Teresa 1) if many people spoke English 2) how money was used (cash v. credit cards) and 3) if she had been back inside her rental house yet. Her July 31, 2011 response follows:

there is very little english spoken here that is why i am so eager to learn the language.

just like mexico, it is pretty much a cash society. there is a hefty fee charged on cards issued out of country, so no more racking up freq. flier miles for us. like you, we used our cc for just about everything and paid the bill at the end of the month.

Teresa and Steve in Front of Their New House

we`ve only been back to the house once but it was at night after we went out there to meet a couple for dinner. we did not have a key so only looked at the outside. there`s a good italian restaurant not too far from the house.

This week I asked Teresa if I could post about her and her Nagoya experience. She replied on August 2, 2011 that she’d be happy with that idea and she added this info:

we had a 6.1 earthquake on monday night, about 75 mi. away or maybe that was km, and i slept right through it. shows you how tired i was. i`ve been in several small earthquakes during our overseas tours and lake stevens, but i`d always felt them. one in japan and one in sicily woke me up. i have been constantly on the go for the 9 full days we`ve been here so today i am just going to chill, read and sleep.

So there you have it - a taste of Nagoya - with more to come!

Edmonds, Washington

2011-08-03T07:04:00.004-07:00

Check out the map. In the bottom left-hand corner, at the north end of Lake Washington, is Kenmore, the town we call home. To the west, on the brisk waters of Puget Sound, is Edmonds. Edmonds has about 40,000 residents and it is a fairly affluent little city.

The forecast for this past Saturday was sun, and more sun, so Mike and I decided to make the short drive to Edmonds to wander around. The waterfront is home to a couple of fresh seafood restaurants and there is a great view of the Olympic Mountains to the west.

Fish-art embedded into the rocks at the pier.

Edmonds is also a port to the Washington State Ferries system with a run to Kingston, the gateway to the Olympic Peninsula. Plus, there is a good-sized marina with all types of boats and a sandy beach for those brave souls who dare get into the water.

But the most activity on the water happens on the Edmonds pier. We were surprised to see all of the fishing poles dangling in the water. And we were even more surprised to see the numerous crab nets continuously tossed from the pier into the water by the crabbers looking for dinner. We didn’t see any fish hauled in, but we did see one guy with a good-size red crab – although one of its large claws was missing.

Here's Mike!

We strolled along the marina and watched crabs swiftly moving on the sea floor and I even caught a quick glimpse of an eel! There were small fish swimming in the kelp and lots of little translucent jellyfish floating by.

We relaxed on a park bench and took in the activities of the playful children splashing in the water and digging in the sand.

We stopped to say hello to some people and even spotted a small seal!

We searched and searched the marine vista for a whale sighting, but none was to be had. Eventually we ambled back to the truck and headed home to Kenmore.

The MV Kalakala

2011-08-01T07:05:00.002-07:00

It was early morning, mid-August several years ago. The sun was shining, but the air was cool. Both Mike and I wore thick, cotton sweatshirts over our tank tops. We stopped for hot, black coffee to warm our bellies before launching our nine-foot, inflatable Sevylor boat onto Lake Union – at the edge of downtown Seattle. It was a sporty boat that we pitched onto the top of our truck, strapped down with bungee cords and put in water every chance we got.

Mike had installed a wooden motor mount and a little electric motor on that Sevylor and we cruised different lakes with two batteries sitting on the sturdy, wooden floor of the boat – yes, the sturdy, wooden floor – we had a hardwood floor in the nine-foot inflatable Sevylor. He also made a little “house” for the two batteries. We would hook up one battery and putt, putt, putt until the battery went dead. Then we would change to battery number two and turn the boat around because we knew we had one battery’s worth of power left to get us back to the launch.

We would also pack a lunch in a small cooler with cold drinks. Sometimes lemonade and sometimes beer. We set the cooler on top of the battery house to leave leg room for the both of us. I would bring the Sunday edition of the Seattle Times, sunglasses, and huggies to keep our drinks cold. It was perfect!

So on that early morning in mid-August several years ago we set out to investigate Lake Union. And our major objective was to see the Kalakala up close and personal. If you don’t know about her, the Kalakala is a retired Washington State ferry once known for her “unique streamlined superstructure, art deco styling and luxurious amenities.” We never saw her in her prime. We saw her in her retirement – years after her luxurious amenities had been put to bed. In fact, she didn’t look very good at all. But she had quite a history and Wiki provides a good recap.

The Kalakala featured in National Geographic Magazine, 1938.

I cannot explain the intense desire we had to putter around her for at least an hour, looking at the rust and corrosion, and wondering what she looked like “in her day.” I remember thinking she was reminiscent of an aged movie star who had seen better days, but still attracted devoted fans. When we had our fill of poking around and taking pictures of the ole gal, we tied up to the her and ate our lunch. Soon enough we pulled off our thick, cotton sweatshirts, stretched out, and took a nap.

When we awoke we said farewell to the Kalakala and went on our way…

The Blue Whale

2011-07-29T07:03:00.002-07:00

It was a long, long time ago. In an unspoiled land, at least back then it was pristine. It was northwest on Glacier Highway, bypassing Mendenhall Glacier, out in Auke Bay; the closest town was Juneau – Alaska – where everything is big. It was early spring, 1975, and a chill was in the air, as it often was during the six months I lived in Juneau.

I had gone fishing with my mom and my boyfriend, Bill. We stood on the wet, slippery rocks and cast out into the Bay, hoping to haul in a fat, shiny salmon or two. Funny, but to this day I cannot remember if we caught any fish.

But I do remember that as we packed up and carefully tip-toed back toward our car I looked up. I am not sure why. But what I saw in the gray, overcast sky was etched into my memory and it remains there today. I would guess that there were at least fifty large, handsome bald eagles soaring in the gray, overcast sky. Too many to seem normal, even in Southeast Alaska where bald eagles are plentiful.

Mom and Bill continued the trudge over the slick surface and I hesitated. Just as I was about to call out to them to turn and look at the mass of bald eagles, I was overcome with bewilderment. In a fleeting moment I understood why the bald eagles had gathered.

On that chilly day I saw the biggest animal I have ever seen. A whale. A whale that was so big I cannot even fathom how large it was. It might have been a right whale (45-50 feet) or maybe even a massive blue whale (100 feet!). I’ll never know. It looked larger than the expanse of a football field. But what I will never forget was the sight of that whale rising out of the sea and the bald eagles hovering above the immense mammal – probably scouting for the fish tagging along with the whale.

And just as I had gathered my senses the whale disappeared back into the deep. It all happened so quickly. I was stunned. I didn’t believe I could adequately describe what just transpired to Mom and Bill. They would not be able to comprehend the vision. Hell, they probably would have thought I was joking.

So I caught up with them and continued the walk to the car. The bald eagles dissipated. The whale swam on.

The Kenmore Surpise Pictures

2011-07-27T07:02:00.001-07:00

I must say I cannot take credit for these pictures. I still have not had my camera with me when I most wanted it. These pictures, however, parlay the majesty of the surprise in the driveway of the small, run-down rambler.

The Kenmore Surprise

2011-07-25T07:06:00.001-07:00

I first saw it last year. It was in the driveway of a small, run-down rambler not far from where I live. It caught me off guard. It was such a surprise to see it in the driveway of a small, run-down rambler while I was power walking around my ‘hood. I pined for my camera, but it was at home, in a drawer in my office. So I buried the image in my mind, still so surprised to see it in the driveway of a small, run-down rambler.

It was majestic, regal in color, and in stance. It moved slowly, each step deliberate and calculated. It was not afraid of me, yet it did not venture toward me. I called to it, talked to it, held out my hand. It did not come.

It would be months before I saw it again. Even though each time I passed the small, run-down rambler I craved another sighting. And finally it happened – although only for a fleeting moment – I caught a glimpse of it in the same driveway of the small, run-down rambler as I was speeding by in my truck. Oh, if only I had taken the time to turn around and get another long look at the magnificent beauty.

Many more months went by without a sighting. However, on occasion I would hear it. I walk through densely treed environs and although I could not see it, I knew I heard the unique, high-pitched sound that it makes. You see, I had some experience with them many years ago and that unique, high-pitched sound does not ever leave one’s memory. It was around me, near me, but not to be seen.

With only the sound, I coveted the sight. And the more I walked, the more I needed to see it again. I won’t soon forget the early morning I most recently saw it. As I was power walking around my ‘hood, I came around the corner to the driveway of the small, run-down rambler and there it was. No unique, high-pitched sound to warn me – just the grand, stately presence of it standing in the driveway of the small, run-down rambler.

What a sight to see!

Yet Another Farewell

2011-07-22T07:00:00.001-07:00

It was almost one year ago that I added Felipe Zapata’s The Zapata Tales to my blog roll on the right. He wrote about his life in Pátzcuaro, Mexico, his lovely Mexican wife and her family, the “love hotel” next door to his house, his beautiful homes and luscious garden at the Ranchito, sometimes hot political issues, cafecito and marmalade, and many, many other topics. Señor Zapata has a certain flair with his writing and it is most enjoyable to read.

Sadly, last week Señor Zapata announced that he was retiring The Zapata Tales and moving on to another writing venture, The Unseen Moon. I will miss his anecdotes about Mexico as The Unseen Moon will not focus on that subject matter. Nevertheless, the first few posts there are animal stories…even better than Mexican sagas…creative writing at its best.

I’d say the posts are quite descriptive and they produce vivid images. Just reading the words awakens my sense of smell, touch and taste. Go for a visit. You won’t be disappointed.

Nagoya, Here They Come

2011-07-20T07:07:00.002-07:00

I “met” Teresa from Lake Stevens though another blogger’s blog that belongs to First Mate (Bliss) in San Carlos, Mexico. Bliss and The Captain had sailed down the Sea of Cortez and were somewhere near Chacala. Teresa had been reading and commenting on Bliss’ blog and she knew the sailboat was anchored out in the water. One day Teresa spied the SV Bliss from shore and swam out with her son to introduce themselves. Yep, that’s just how she is.

Teresa, her husband, and son were in Chacala teaching English while on an extended stay in Mexico. At the same time Mike and I were preparing to move to Mexico to teach English and a connection with Teresa was made – via blog posts. We began to email each other and I found that she lived north of Seattle – not far from where we hailed.

When Mike and I moved back to the States, and landed in Salem, Oregon, Teresa came to visit and we met for the first time in person. It was as though we’d know each other a long time. Conversation flowed and stories were exchanged. During her visit we all hooked up with Mr. Steve Cotton – the blogger of all bloggers – who was still in Salem at the time. The emailing continued and when Mike and I finally made it back to Seattle, Teresa came to visit our new home. We’ve gotten together a few other times since then and our friendship has grown.

This past Sunday Mike and I met Teresa and her husband, Steve, for lunch. And to say good-bye – or I should say sayonara – for now anyway. You see, they are off to Nagoya, Japan, for a pair of years or more. Steve’s employer offered him an assignment he could not refuse so they packed up their house and this Saturday they’re off for a new adventure in the land of the rising sun.

We plan to keep in touch and I hope to learn about Nagoya vicariously through Teresa. In fact, if we plan it right, we might even go visit at some point. GOOD LUCK my tomodachi (=friend). See ya on the flip side!

Ukulele Songs

2011-07-18T07:17:00.000-07:00

24 rows back from the stage, outstanding sound, awesome view.

Ukuleles, mandolin, acoustic guitars, white Fender Stratocaster guitars, black Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar…+ violin, viola and a cello. Oh yeah and a Corona kick drum (beer box with a drum workshop kick pedal).

Acoustic, electric, unplugged, vocals, no-vocals, sing-alongs, Glen Hansard (opening act +), 4-piece string section including April Acevez (Matt Cameron’s wife).

Loud, soft, originals, covers (Neil Young, The Who...). No Daughter although a lot of chatting about his own 2 daughters and cries from the crowd for the song.

Crisp, clear, clean, acoustically excellent, polite audience.

Anecdotal, hilarious, serious, somber, memories of days gone by, love to/of Seattle.

Almost 3 hours.

Yep, Eddie Vedder knows how to put on a show.

Eddie Vedder's Ukulele Songs Tour is Coming to Seattle!

2011-07-15T07:11:00.002-07:00

Eddie Vedder kicked off his Ukulele Songs tour in Providence, Rhode Island on June 16. Spin magazine covered the show and there’s an article here. Nice writing – and it includes the setlist.

Tonight and tomorrow night he wraps up the tour at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, an intimate 2,500 seat performance venue. Mike and I saw Pearl Jam do an acoustic show there in October 2003 – it was a benefit for YouthCare, a Seattle non-profit.

On Saturday I’ll see Eddie at Benaroya with his ukulele.

Resume

2011-04-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have decided it is time to update my resume to include my current temporary employment assignment. I believe this is a good start in preparing me for my upcoming job search. That said, I am considering a total revamp – maybe altering the style of my resume from chronological to functional. Or perhaps I may even change my resume to reflect a combination of chronological and functional resume features.

I understand that the purpose of a resume is to get my foot in the door and schedule an interview. So how do I make that happen?

Are there any readers out there that work in Human Resources? Does anyone have any suggestions for me? What can I do with my resume in order to stand out from the rest of the crowd?

Squeak & Rock

2011-04-12T07:07:00.001-07:00

Just in case you are wondering, our new kids are settling into Holly Hollow (our apartment, named after my mom) quite well.

The best news is that Squeak, the cat, no longer has a cat box inside! Weeks ago Mike put the cat box out on the patio and Squeak has been using it out there. Hee hee…silly cat. The goal is to eliminate it completely when the kitty litter runs out.

Squeak has also developed quite a meow – even though we were told he had no meow and that was why he was named Squeak. Following that theory, his name should be MEOW.

He also has shown his affinity toward my veggie seedlings that I have started and am growing in our office. One day I noticed little cat paw prints in the soil – arghhh! Now we keep the office door closed when we’re not home so that the seedlings don’t become deadlings. And they’ll be transplanted outside shortly so this issue will resolve itself.

Squeak does have his own SmartyKat Sweet Greens, but he's not interested!

Squeak likes attention and from time to time he uses his arms to reach out and touch us. He especially likes to do this when we are trying to see something on the TV and he blocks our view. But he is also a very cuddly, loveable cat with a good disposition and no bad habits. Good kitty cat!

Rock, the dog, is a sneaker. He is so stealth in the way he tip-toes around us and we don’t even realize he’s there. He can go from the living room, pass me in the hallway and wind up in the bedroom and I seriously did not even see or feel him go by! It’s almost spooky.

And Rock loves to eat! It’s almost like he is always starving. The vet said his weight is good (he’s 64 pounds) and he has a solid middle so he’s not starving by any means…I just think he enjoys a good meal. We got him some doggie treats and Mike uses them when he’s teaching Rock commands.

Rock goes with us in the truck everywhere we go. Sometimes we put him in the truck’s canopy, but most of the time he’s right there with us in the extended cab. So far, so good.

One thing Rock needs to improve on is occasional barking. Ugh. There are now six dogs in our fourplex and sometimes they all get going. But he also barks when someone knocks on the door or rings the doorbell and I like that. I like it that he is protecting our home.

Rock also covets attention and he cuddles up with his paw stretched out on us or with his chin lying on our leg or arm. He has a very sweet temperament, however, STRANGERS BEWARE! He already has bonded strongly with Mike and I think he would protect either of us if necessary.

Rock loves Papa Mike!

So there you have it. Our diggity dog and our kitty cat came out of a bad situation and they’re doing great! Plus, they LOVE each other. I have never seen two different species so comfortable with each other.

Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway

2011-04-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

Wednesday evening Mike and I attended a Kenmore Heritage Society event. The event was called “Take a Ride on the Interurban” and it was most enjoyable.

Part of the enjoyment was attributable to the fact that my friends Cheryl and Kevin (sister and brother) were the guest speakers!

You see, they wrote a book titled, Images of Rail: Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway, and it was published last May. The book is an historical tale about the construction, use, and eventual closing of the short-lived interurban electric railway system that operated in the first decade of the 1900s in the Seattle-Everett area. It is chock-full of vintage photographs of the electric trolleys with stories about not only the interurban railway, but also about the area itself.

Both Cheryl and Kevin are members of the Alderwood Manor Heritage Association and they have done extensive research of the locale. Plus, they grew up in the area and live nearby to this day. (You may remember them from my recent post about the Alderwood Heritage pancake breakfast.) Their research included numerous interviews with people that had knowledge about the railway and they gathered and digitized a multitude of era photographs.

The most famous trolley car is Interurban Trolley Car 55. The Alderwood Heritage web site states: Interurban Trolley Car 55 is one of six Interurban rail cars that provided commuter service from Alderwood Manor to Seattle and Everett from 1910 to 1939…After the demise of the Interurban in 1939, Car 55 was retired, serving as a restaurant diner for several years, and later as a ticket office for the Snoqualmie Valley Railroad. The refurbished trolley now enjoys its respite at the Association’s Heritage Park in Lynnwood (what used to be called Alderwood Manor).

The presentation was very interesting and several people in the audience had questions for Cheryl and Kevin about different types of rail. It really got us thinking about how Seattle, and the surrounding communities, developed and the role that rail played in that development.

Before leaving we were able to purchase a book and even get it signed by the authors! Thank you, Cheryl and Kevin – great job – I can’t wait to curl up with your book.

Trouble in Temp Town

2011-04-06T06:59:00.002-07:00

Here I am – almost five months into my eight-month temporary assignment at a large, humble company with headquarters in Redmond, Washington. This is the longest temp job I’ve ever had and I’m getting antsy.

I'd like to have a permanent position and all the perks that go along with it. I’d like to be able to go to company and department meetings. I’d like to be able to participate in contests and other events. I’d like to know that I really am part of a team. I’d like to think that there is a future for me there.

Conversely, I like working and getting a paycheck. I like the challenge of trying to figure stuff out (i.e. "Where is that darn women's bathroom? I know I saw it around here somewhere...") without all of the usual training that permanent employees receive. I like showing up everyday and surprising people that are accustomed to having temp employees “call in sick” when they don’t feel like going to work. I like to do a good job with most things I tackle.

And I’d love to share detailed stories of my temping, but I don’t because I’m never sure who is reading this blog. However, yesterday I came across a blog, Laura’s NYC Tales, written by someone named Laura. The blog is divided into six sections and one of them is titled, Temping Escapades. I read the six Temping Escapades stories (on my lunch break, of course) and laughed and laughed and laughed. I wish I’d kept a notebook about all of my crazy temp assignments so that I could write a book!

And thank you Laura (whoever you are) for writing your stories. Following is a sample that lifted my spirits. Read it! Laugh about it! Think about me!

The Glorious Start of it All

As a temp en route to a new assignment, I never know what kind of environment I'm going to be working in or exactly what the work will be. Counselors at placement agencies have a job order that serves as a basic guideline, but you can't go by that alone. Landing a good temp job is really all in the luck of the draw.

I was booked for a job working in the administrative offices of a hospital. After meeting my supervisor, he led me down a long hallway to a remote area at the very end. I was shown into a tiny, windowless room containing two back-to-back workstations facing opposite walls. One of the workstations was vacant; in the other was this extremely sad-looking woman typing away at her computer. Beside her was a stack of papers that teetered to the sky.

The supervisor mumbled a few words to the woman and then left. You're not going to leave me here, are you? I guess you are....

The woman sat me down at the vacant computer and began to explain what she did all day -- and now what I would be doing all day: entering information from the endless stack of invoices into the hospital's database system. I tried to digest her instructions, but I found the entire situation so dismal and depressing that my mind wandered to all these thoughts other than the task on hand. This woman seems so nice. Is this really her life, sitting here in this isolated room, entering numbers day after day while life outside passes her by? Does she have a boyfriend? Is she happy?... How does she do this job? I can't do it... I just can't....

I started to get overcome with emotion. Try as I might I couldn't hold back my tears, and started sobbing minutes after she left me to my work. Feeling sorry about my distress, she came over and put her hand gently on my back. In a soft, reassuring voice she said, "It's okay. I know it seems hard at first, but you'll get it. At first I didn't understand, but then I learned how to do it." I nodded in agreement, trying to make it seem like her pep talk was helping. But the truth was I couldn't have cared less about the data entry process.

When my crying spell ceased I excused myself to go to the bathroom. I splashed cold water on my face and took many deep breaths. When I saw my reflection in the mirror, I thought to myself that I looked like hell. (Mr. DeMille, I am not ready for my close-up.) I came back red-faced, but firm in my decision that I had to, and was going to get out of this place.

I found my supervisor and told him I was sorry, but I was the wrong person for the job. He didn't know why it upset me so, but thankfully I was allowed to leave without an interrogation. My agency? Well, they weren't thrilled, but they didn't fire me.

After my disastrous reaction to this job, I realized something I never knew about myself: I possessed an almost psychotic aversion to data entry. It's completely soulless to me, and it affects my sense of self-worth -- or lack of it -- on a deep, almost primal level. When I do data entry I can't help but think, Is entering numbers into a spreadsheet all I'm capable of in life? No, I know I can do more. Much more.

I made sure to double check that subsequent temp jobs would not be data entry. But like I said, with temping you never know for sure what the job is going to be until you show up and sit down at your desk. And thus, if you plan on trying your luck at the "Temp Job Table" it would behoove you to blow on those dice with all your might before rolling them.

Eddie Vedder Ukulele Tour

2011-04-04T07:07:00.000-07:00

Eddie Vedder, frontman for Seattle band, Pearl Jam, goes on a one-month tour in June, ending with two shows in Seattle’s intimate and acoustically excellent 2,500 seat Benaroya Hall.

And guess who’s going?

I AM!!!

My cousin, Mary, who saw Pearl Jam with us in Vancouver, Washington in August 2009, managed to get tickets via the Pearl Jam Ten Fan Club and she’s taking me!!

WHOO-HOO – I can’t wait for July 15th!

Mike the Diplomat

2011-04-01T07:07:00.001-07:00

He’s good. He had the big chat with the neighbor’s sister.

The cord has been severed and yesterday she took Bella to work with her and last night told Mike that there were no problems with doing that.

Further conversation between the neighbor’s sister and Mike found that in the past she had never really dropped off Bella to stay with her brother, Rock and Squeak. She clarified that she had done that on occasion, but not every day. So why did she tell Mike “untruths” in the first place?

Who knows. She may have just been so upset about her brother’s suicide that she was reaching out to Mike. The two of them would sit out on the patio and smoke cigarettes together. And a couple of times they had tea together when she came to pick up Bella in the afternoon. They enjoyed each other’s company and Bella was able to hang out with his friends, Rock and Squeak.

Maybe she’ll stop by to see Mike now and then. Maybe she won’t. Maybe they’ll share cigarettes and tea again. Maybe they won’t.

I am so happy about how Mike handled the entire situation. Don’t forget that he has that darn arachnoid cyst growing on his brain and that it affects his decision making process. He listened to his heart and did the right thing – even when he cut the cord.

The memorial for her brother is this weekend and we’re planning to attend. I think it will bring some closure to the recent events and allow us to move forward without guilt. Hallelujah.

The Lhasa Apso Isn’t So Bella After All

2011-03-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you know me, you know I like dogs, cats, birds, fish, mice, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, goats, COWS (I like them a lot!), horses and most people (well...a lot of people). What I don’t like is this little rat-style icky dog that barks, digs, scratches and nips!

I tried. I really tried. And even though I only spend about an hour each morning with this mutt, it is an hour I could do without and I wouldn’t miss her at all. Besides I have my own doggy and kitty to spend time with! (And they are a very good doggy and kitty.)

I’d cut the cord today. I’d just tell the neighbor’s sister that dog-sitting her pooch everyday while she’s at work Monday-Friday is not working out and that she needs to find another sitter.

Mike is not as direct as me. So he’ll probably let this situation bleed out through Friday. I guess I can make it another three mornings with the little rat-style icky dog that barks, digs, scratches and nips and then THAT’S IT!

Pozole in Ballard

2011-03-28T07:03:00.002-07:00

Years ago I went through an American Sign Language Interpreter Training program at Seattle Central Community College. And over the years I have remained in touch with two people (Jackie and Mick) that went through the program with me and yesterday we all got together for comida at Jackie's and husband, Kurt’s, home.

The pretty table just waiting for us…

Mick, who spends a lot of time at his second home in Zihuatanejo.

Jackie and Kurt treated us to homemade pazole. Pazole is a traditional Mexican stew full of things like corn or maize, pork or chicken, chili peppers and all kinds of seasonings. We had a traditional cabbage, radish and lime garnish – well traditional to Mick anyway!

Here's Mike, Mick, Kurt and the back of Jackie's head - all ready to dive into the hearty meal with a mixed bean and avocado salad and fresh tortillas to boot. Of course, a couple of shots of tequila and a Mexican beer rounded out the meal.

Ahhh, but coffee and dessert were the finishing touches…Jackie made a most delicious tres leches cake that was the perfect ending to our fiesta.

Thank you, Jackie and Kurt – it was great! And it was also great to see Mick…next time Kenmore!

p.s. It was our first time to leave Rock and Squeak alone at home while we were gone. And guess what? No problems - they did just fine!

Pleased to Meet You, Won’t You Guess My Name?

2011-03-23T07:02:00.001-07:00

We’ve been snapping and snapping, taking pictures of these three little bundles of energy, but we’re having a hard time getting them to stand still! Nevertheless, we have come up with a few cute pics.

Ladies and gentlemen – we’d like to introduce you to Rock, Squeak and their “cousin” Bella (yep, she turned out to be a female Lhasa Apso).

Here’s our diggity-dog, Rock…“Let's go outside and play!"

“Ahhh…it’s so nice and warm in front of the fireplace. Can you turn the stereo up a bit?”

“I’m a happy dog!”

Here’s our kitty-cat, Squeak. They told us he was named Squeak because he didn’t have a meow. But he does! I’ll have to record that. And see that light-colored patch on his side? Apparently he had a tangle with a pit bull years ago.

“I’ve never been outside, but that sun looks so inviting…” They told us Squeak would bolt if he ever went outside. He went out with Rock on his 3rd day here. And he has been out every day since. (Yes, we have nametags on both of them with our phone number.)

And here is that straight-standing stick of a tail Squeak sports.

“Arf, arf, meow, meow – we’re hungry!” Dinnertime!

While we are smitten with these two new adopted critters and they are very loving and well-behaved, I cannot say the same for the sister’s Lhasa Apso (see previous 3 posts) that Mike has been doggie-sitting this week. It’s something about a small, fluffy dog…that’s just not my idea of a dog. I like a big, strong, playful dog – like Sitka and Rock!

Here’s that little Bella now…ewwwwwww…

And here are the three amigos. Hehehe…notice who’s outside?

Changes in the 'Hood, Part III

2011-03-21T06:00:00.001-07:00

Yep, I clearly remember Mike last week telling me over the phone, “Our world is about to get rocked...” But Mike’s a joker - I never know when he is kidding with me. But this time was different and so the story continues. Read all the way to the end...

When I came home from work on Tuesday, Rock had officially moved into our home and was now our new diggity-dog. He is a mixed-breed dog, but looks like he’s mainly Australian shepherd. He has one of those little bobbed tails, small & floppy ears and a solid body. He is a chocolate color with a small white chest patch. His temperament is excellent, even in this sad time. Those first few days he’d sit on our patio and gaze east to the building he used to live in. I imagine he’s wondering where his “real dad” went and why he is over at the neighbors’ place.

The fact that a suicide was committed in our neighborhood has really opened up some dialog with Mike, our friends and some blog readers. I don’t know how people get to that point. Quality of life? Tired of hanging on? Nothing to look forward to? Broke and desperate? Mental health issues? Sick and tired of being sick and tired? A visit to Señor Zapata’s blog last week found the same topic and many reader comments.

So Wednesday morning I got up and said, “Good morning, Rock!” He was such a good doggie his first night with us. And then I went to work. That afternoon, as I was leaving work to head home, I called Mike. He told me that our neighbor’s sister had been back to see Mike and she had another request. Mike tried to tell me we’d discuss it when I got home, but he hinted around in a way that I had to keep asking him questions.

And then I finally got it out of him. The sister has a little doggie, a Lhasa Apso. This little doggie and Rock have been hanging out together for seven years. You see, the sister dropped her doggie off at her brother’s every morning on her way to work. That way, the two doggies could play together while she was at work. So what was her request???

She wants Mike to take care of her Lhasa Apso Monday-Friday, just like her brother had been doing. When I got this information out of Mike, I could tell he could have gone either way. But the more he talked about it and described how the two doggies loved each other, the more I could hear in his voice that he wanted to tell the sister he’d do it. So he did and beginning today Mike will have two doggies to watch. Maybe a doggie day care business is in Mike’s future...

And, believe it or not, there is one more element to this story. Once Mike got over telling me about the Lhasa Apso, he told me about the cat.

In addition to Rock, and unbeknownst to us, our neighbor also had a cat. His sister explained to Mike that the cat was still in the neighbor’s apartment, but that he needed a home. She went on to tell Mike how the two doggies and the cat were all pals and that they loved each other very much and that the three of them have been hanging out for seven years together and she would hate to break them apart.

I was still on a phone call with Mike when he began to tell me about the cat. And I knew he was giving it all he could to convince me that the cat needed to stay with the two doggies…I finally said, “OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Tell the sister we’ll take the cat already!!”

So when I came home from work on Thursday the cat (named Squeak cause he doesn’t have a meow) had officially moved into our home and was now our new kitty-cat. He’s a big boy with orange and white stripes and a very long, straight tail. He walks around with his tail standing straight up and then tumbles down onto the carpet for a few rolls. Mike said he hid under the bed most of Thursday, but by evening he was cruising around.

So that’s the end of the story about the Changes in the 'Hood. Well, the “adoption” part anyway. I’m sure there will be many opportunities to write about our three new four-footed friends. Plus, I haven’t even met the Lhasa Apso yet or know his name!

Now where is my camera?...

Changes in the ‘Hood, Part II

2011-03-18T07:08:00.003-07:00

“Our world is about to get rocked…” That’s what Mike said to me on Monday after he told me about our neighbor committing suicide. (See the previous post.)

First of all, Mike was able to tell me the neighbor’s name. And I felt better about at least knowing the guy’s name (I’ll keep that confidential in respect to the neighbor’s family). Secondly, Mike was also able to tell me the dog’s name. And I felt better about knowing the dog’s name, which is Rock. Not Rocky, not Roche (French for rock), but just plain Rock. Lastly, Mike told me exactly what was in the suicide note.

Mike knew exactly what was in the note because he met the neighbor’s family members on Monday. The neighbor’s sister read part of it to Mike: “Would you ask my neighbor in the building directly across from me – his name is Mike – if he would take care of Rock?”

HOLY COW! When we said good-bye to Sitka last July I never thought we would have another dog. But how in the world could Mike deny our neighbor’s request? Well, of course he couldn't and I couldn’t either. So guess who moved in with us?

Changes in the ‘Hood, Part I

2011-03-16T07:07:00.006-07:00

For close to a year we have lived in Kenmore. We live on a dead-end street with a large apartment building on the other side of the fence in our back yard. All last summer Mike and I talked to a neighbor on the other side of the fence when he was walking his dog. He’d always stop at our fence so his dog could sniff at Sitka.

Because of the height of the fence I could never see the neighbor’s face – or the dog’s for that matter. It was like that TV show with Tim Allen talking to his neighbor over the fence, but you never got to see the neighbor’s face. Yeah, just like that.

Over time, Mike had more conversations with this neighbor and his dog. And recently the man asked if Mike could take care of his dog for a week while he went out of town. Mike agreed and last weekend we were ready to have a dog in the house again.

But something went terribly awry. We were expecting the neighbor on Saturday and we waited and waited. By Sunday afternoon we still had not seen the neighbor. We presumed that he must have had a change in plans. We were not prepared to learn what actually happened.

For reasons unknown to us, the neighbor unexpectedly committed suicide in the early hours of Monday morning. We saw the fire trucks and first responders, but had no idea what was going on in the apartment building on the other side of the fence in our back yard during the middle of the night.

It was late morning when Mike called me at work to tell me what had happened. I was truly shocked. But even more overwhelming than the shock was the guilt.

Guilt because this neighbor on the other side of the fence had a name, but I hadn’t bothered to ask what it was. Guilt because this neighbor on the other side of the fence asked a favor and I didn’t go over and knock on his door when he didn’t show up on Saturday – or Sunday. Guilt because this neighbor on the other side of the fence must have been in such a bad space that he took his own life, yet I wasn’t even aware that he was troubled.

After Mike told me about the suicide, he told me about the note. The note that mentioned Mike. Yes, my Mike. And as Mike explained it to me over the phone, “Our world is about to get rocked…”

Seeds, Seeds, Seeds!

2011-03-14T07:01:00.000-07:00

Saturday’s pancake breakfast fundraiser for the Alderwood Manor Heritage Association was a great success – and the food was good too!

Here are Cheryl and Kevin – doesn’t Cheryl look like a restaurant manager??

We saw a few friends and relatives also enjoying their pancake breakfast…here is Cheryl and Kevin’s mom, Marlene, and their dad, Karl. Thanks to everyone who supported the fundraiser. I understand there is a chicken dinner in the fall - I’ll have to get more info about that event…

After our breakfast Mike and I did some shopping. We’ve been thinking about our garden and what to plant this year. We’re going to get a jump-start on it and get our soil in shape before planting. I have so many ideas in my head about the garden even though I know Mike will be the master gardener this year since I’ll be at work.

These are the seeds I bought yesterday - except the Oregon wildflowers that were a gift from Cheryl. Now I have to think of where to plant them all.

One thing we are going to do is to supplement the soil with Starbucks coffee grounds. The Starbucks closest to us saves the spent grounds for gardeners and we’re hoping we can get in on that. If anyone has any hints about how coffee grounds have helped in your garden, let us know!

Alderwood Heritage Hosts Pancake Breakfast Saturday March 12th

2011-03-11T07:27:00.003-08:00

The Alderwood Manor Heritage Association invites you to their first ever Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser, Saturday March 12, 2011 from 8 - 10 am. THAT'S TOMORROW!

The breakfast is to be held at Applebee's Restaurant on 4626 196th SW in Lynnwood, Washington.

Breakfast includes pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, milk, juice and coffee. Servers will be volunteers from the Association and all tips they receive will do donated as well. To purchase tickets contact Kevin Stadler stadlerkk@gmail.com or 206.660.7080. (It's only $10!)

Yep, that' my friend Kevin that you have read about right here...both Kevin and his sister Cheryl (see last post) are very involved with the Alderwood Manor Heritage Association. Mike and I will be going to the fundraiser and having a great breakfast. And hey, maybe Kevin will be our server!

Help support the Association and go have breakfast at Applebees in Lynnwood!

Cabbage Patch Restaurant, Snohomish, Washington

2011-02-14T07:00:00.003-08:00

Saturday was “girls’ lunch out” – if you’re a regular reader you know that means a meet-up with my three childhood girlfriends. One of my girlfriends, Beth, lives a quite a bit north of the rest of us so we made a plan to meet in Snohomish for lunch so that Beth wouldn’t have to drive so far.

Well, as it turns out Beth couldn’t make it and the reason is wacky. Her birthday is Valentine’s Day and for years her family owned a floral shop. If you know anything about flowers and Valentine’s Day you know that the entire week leading up to Valentine’s Day is a frenzy of activity in any decent floral shop. And for years Beth was working Valentine’s Day week and on her birthday!

Beth’s dad is now working for another florist, delivering flowers. And this year he somehow roped other family members (including Beth) into delivering flowers this past weekend to help with the Valentine's Day crunch. And that’s why Beth couldn’t join us for lunch on Saturday. Nevertheless, we decided to celebrate her birthday without her!

So off to the Cabbage Patch Restaurant for lunch we went.

We arrived at the restaurant before noon and were seated in the front room (the restaurant is an old house converted into a restaurant). Our server, Mary, brought waters, scones and coffee for me. Soon enough we ordered. After Mary took our order I asked if she could please take our picture when our meals arrived. I told her that we were celebrating a birthday (Beth’s, of course!) and I wanted a special picture for the occasion.

I was never more surprised when she replied, “Yes, I can take your picture IF I’m not too busy…” and off she went. The three of us were aghast! Having worked many years in management in the hospitality industry I could not, and still cannot, believe that a server would make that sort of remark. We were the only customers in the front room – it’s not as if the restaurant was packed. I have no idea what other tables were in her section, but that really was not my concern.

It was, however, my concern that my coffee cup was completely empty before Mary brought more coffee. Again, I was shocked. And I probably would not even mention the coffee if it was not for the snide remark Mary made about taking the picture.

Our food was delivered by another young woman, not Mary. I had my camera on the table and she gladly agreed to take our picture. I said thank you very much and was appreciative. To Mary's defense, I must say that she did come by and offered to take our picture, but I advised her that it had already been taken.

And here is the coveted picture! Our food (crab & shrimp louie salad, crab and shrimp sandwich, and crab and shrimp omlette - we were feeling seafoodish...) was hot and good...doesn't it look yummy? So sorry you missed your lunch, Beth!

Call me crazy, but Mary provided very poor customer service. I sent an email to the restaurant owner and am waiting for her response.

On a brighter note, after lunch we walked over to see our friend Shelly (another girlfriend from junior high) that I mentioned in my last post. She works at Joyworks - the "girly stuff" store that is very cool. Check out her blog to see all the girly, crafty things Shelly creates!

Here's Julie and Cheryl at the entrance.

The four of us yakked and yakked and shared stories since the last high school reunion. Next time Shelly needs to join us for our girly outing.

Here's Shelly and Cheryl.

After that we went to Cheryl’s house and she dug out her high school yearbooks. What a hoot! We were so goofy back then (haha…not like now when we are so mature…haha). We read some of the “comments” Cheryl’s friends had written in her yearbooks and we were very surprised when reading something Julie wrote. You see, first we found my comment to Cheryl in one of the books…and we laughed and laughed…I even used some gibberish words (almost like Spanish) which I think I made up.

But the FUNNIEST part was that in the same yearbook we found Julie’s comment to Cheryl and it was EXACTLY THE SAME COMMENT I made! Even with the Spanish gibberish…HAHAHAHAHA…none of us remembered having done that or why we did that. Geez, I guess our memories are fading…but it was very funny.

All in all, it was a wonderful afternoon. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETH! And Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone!!

Lunch in Snohomish

2011-02-08T06:59:00.003-08:00

Teresa from Lake Stevens and I decided to meet halfway, in Snohomish, for lunch on Saturday and what a lovely afternoon we had! We left the guys at home (hehe) and had a "girls only" outing.

We met at noon at El Paraiso, a good sized Mexican restaurant with delicious food. In fact, here's Teresa now.

We both decided on fish tacos and our waiter had a little fun with us. I asked what kind of fish was used in the fish tacos and he looked me straight in the eye and replied with a heavy accent, "guppy". It took me just a second to realize what he had said…hahaha, Victor! And then he clarified and said the fish was tilapia. While we waited for our lunch Teresa and I caught up with each other.

The topic of the day was unemployment. Teresa's youngest son is back home and still looking for a job. I explained how my Nintendo job is just temporary so I'm actually in the same boat as her son. I mentioned that ProLango Consulting was having another mixer on the 7th and she thought that was something from which her son might benefit. I'll have to check in to get his feedback about the event.

Our food came and it was hot, fresh and yummy! I found that I really like "guppy". Here we are with our funny waiter, Victor.

And we splurged and shared churros for dessert. Yum!

After lunch we strolled through downtown Snohomish, popping into one antique store after another. We were just window shopping…it's always fun to look and dream.

The last shop we stopped in wasn't an antique store, but one of those girly stores with all kinds of girly stuff like dinnerware, linens, clothes, household stuff. Teresa got a ceramic frog for her frog-collecting son.

And I got a surprise when I heard one of the store clerks and realized it was Shelly Dankenbring from high school! Well, actually Shelly reminded me that we met in junior high, yep, Alderwood Junior High. Oh, we yakked and yakked and had so much to talk about. Next Saturday I am tentatively meeting my girlfriends from high school in Snohomish (what a coincidence!) for lunch and I hope to bring them to Shelly's shop so we can all say hello. Hey, maybe she can even join us for lunch!

After that surprise Teresa headed home to Lake Stevens and me to Kenmore. But I just had to stop at the airport on the way to the freeway. It's something about small planes, I guess...

Here I am at Harvey Airfield. Hmmm…they also offer helicopter rides, hot air balloon rides, skydiving...now I really need a permanent job so I can have health insurance and I can take to the air at Harvey Airfield!!

Aren't they just so cute?

Neighbors in the 'Hood

2011-02-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

Mike and I have lived in Kenmore for almost nine months. And I love it. It is close to where I grew up and close to people I have known all my life. (Being "close" to anything in the Seattle area is good because traffic here is very challenging!)

We have attempted to befriend some of our neighbors, but sometimes it has backfired. Like when we had the upstairs family over for a BBQ last summer...they moved out shortly thereafter…it might have had something to do with my frank conversation with the wife about the kids making too much racket above our apartment. Whoops.

And a few weeks ago we asked neighbors from the building next door over to our place to watch a Seattle Seahawks playoff game with us. It was a 10:00 a.m. kickoff on a Sunday morning and we fixed a brunch-like spread. We were all set to go and at 9:45 I pressed the button on the coffeemaker to make a fresh pot. At 10:10 we started to get a little nervous. By 10:30 I started eating. By 11:00 we concluded that we had been stood up. HMPFF! So Mike and I ate (a lot) and watched the game together. And not only did the Seahawks lose, they lost bad. It wasn't until 3:00 that our neighbors came knocking on our door, thinking it was an afternoon game….

Currently the neighbors in our own building include a single gal with 2 doggies who live upstairs from us and a dad with his teen-age daughter and their little doggie who live in the other upstairs unit. (The fourth apartment is vacant right now.) We all got to know each other a lot better one night last week when the bathtub faucet blew off the wall in the tub of the single gal and water was shooting straight out of the wall at a very fast rate of speed….if only I had grabbed my camera! It was unbelievable!!!

Luckily the woman had a five-gallon bucket that she was using to empty the tub as soon as it was full. But the water was winning and the tub was overflowing. By the time Mike and I heard the commotion and went upstairs there was water everywhere! And then the dad and teen-age daughter joined the action…the next thing I knew was that Mike and the dad were out in the parking lot looking for the water main. They had the building owners on the phone and they finally found the water main and shut off all water to our building. The owner arrived shortly thereafter and was able to do a patch job so we could turn the water main back on.

But the apartment was a mess. We grabbed dry towels and brought them upstairs to help with the mop-up. The teen-age daughter worked diligently on getting the bathroom in shape and the dad gave out kudos for her initiative in helping out. Mike took wet towels and hung them over the deck railing. And I tried to calm the poor woman down. She was exhausted from dumping all that water.

Soon enough we said good-night and headed downstairs. To our nice, dry apartment – except the fan in the bathroom was "leaking" water from upstairs and some had also seeped into our kitchen. It was quick work to clean up.

And out of adversity often comes surprise. We were surprised when the woman washed our towels, folded them nicely and returned them to us quickly. Mike had offered to wash all the towels, but she wouldn’t agree to that. And the dad brought us some home-made fried chicken this week (he's a chef). Nice, huh? All we needed was a little water emergency and we have new friends in the 'hood.

Alternative Transportation

2011-02-01T07:05:00.004-08:00

For those of you who've been reading for a while you know all about Mike's brain cyst and the brain surgeries he went through in Mexico City. Since that time Mike has not driven and we have been a one-car (well, actually a truck) family. And somehow we have managed. But it gets tricky sometimes.

For example, when we lived in Guaymas I taught English at the Preschool and there was a big parking area for the teachers. So I drove to work. And I drove fast. In fact, it was a daily ritual…how fast could I make it to work? (Remember that speed limits are a suggestion in Mexico, not a rule…) I had it down to eight wild minutes, door-to-door. And fun at that! Shopping, appointments and going to the beach could all be arranged in the afternoon after school or on the weekends. The guy who changed the oil in our truck was about 3 blocks up the street we lived on so we walked home while waiting for the oil to get changed. In Guaymas it was never a problem with just one vehicle and just one of us driving.

Then we moved to Salem, Oregon. I worked in the Capitol Mall, and there was rarely parking available. So I usually rode my bike to work. In bad weather - I took the bus. When I knew I had a parking space – I drove. But mostly I rode my bike to work. While a lot of errands could be done on the weekend, we were lucky to have Betty as our upstairs neighbor and landlord – she took Mike to many appointments. Plus, the two of them would go swimming and sometimes shopping together. Salem was small enough to get around and we had a truck guy who came right to the house for a "house call." Again, it was never a problem with just one vehicle and just one of us driving.

And now we live in Kenmore, just north of Seattle, at the north end of Lake Washington. There is no speedy eight-minute racetrack to work. There is no guy on our block that can change our oil. There is no easy bus commute to my job. There is no neighbor for Mike to hitch a ride with (well, actually there is one guy that has taken him a couple of places…) There is no truck guy who will do "house calls" (well, there might be – but I don't know him). All of a sudden we have problems with just one vehicle and just one of us driving.

Saturday morning we had an appointment at Midas to get three belts replaced. It was going to be a long appointment because one of the belts was the timing belt (one of the most expen$ive belts to replace, of course!) and the Midas guy wanted us to drop the truck off at 8:00 AM and pick it up "sometime in the afternoon." So what to do? What to do? Well, we knew exactly what to do!

Friday evening Mike got my bike out of our garden shed, checked the tires for air, and schlepped it into the truck bed. Saturday morning I drove to Midas, gave them the keys and hopped on my bike. The Burke Gilman Trail was a block away and after a leisurely ride west on the Trail, I was home within 15 minutes. Around 2:00 we got a call advising that the truck was ready. By now it was drizzling, but no matter. I got back on my bike, rode the quick ride to Midas, paid, put my bike in the truck and was home by 3:00. Not bad, huh?

Where there is a will, there is a way!

Temporary Employment

2011-01-29T07:07:00.001-08:00

Have you ever worked as a "temp"? By that I mean, have you ever accepted a temporary work assignment though a temporary employment agency? I have. In fact, I have had a multitude of temp assignments over the years.

My first one was back in 1995. For many years I worked in the hospitality industry...mostly bartending, some food service, some hotel experience, and some management. Subsequent to our Lynnwood High School 20th Reunion in 1994 I made a conscious decision to leave that industry and get into an office environment. I felt like working in a restaurant was a "fun" job and not a "grown up" job. After all, I had a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Washington. I should be working on developing a "career" – not creating new and delicious libations and getting home at 3:00 AM. But how to make the change?

I registered with three temporary employment agencies in downtown Seattle. I explained to each of the recruiters that I wanted only very short-term assignments – a week or less – so that I could "taste" the Seattle business world and see what type of company/type of industry I'd like to work for.

And that's when I should have started this blog. I had blog material galore. Even now when I sit here and start to think about all the crazy situations I found myself in I begin to giggle.

It was like starting a new job every few days…new names and faces, new buildings (where's the bathroom??), new drive/bus/walk/bike to work, new office machines, new software, new hardware…aye, yi, yi…the assault on my memory brain cells.

I remember walking around office halls looking for a particular person I needed to give documents to or even when I was just looking around for my own desk and I had no clue. My strategy was to hold my head high, keep walking, don't look scared or start crying, and I always (eventually) found my way. HA.

And that's another thing – as a temp, it was never "my desk" – yet I was privy to family photos, drawers stocked with candy and feminine products, electronic files and email that weren't meant to be reviewed by "the temp", and other personal things. (Just remember that when you call in sick or go on vacation or maternity leave and your company calls in a temp…)

There's another tidbit. Temporary employees are always referred to as "the temp". Even when people know "the temp's" name. Again, I have to laugh. As many temp jobs as I've had, even I still always refer to temps as "temps"!

And you may not know this, but often times temps are not allowed to go to company meetings. I presume companies are afraid that temps might learn some inside secrets or financial information or product details if they attend company meetings. Well, whoever made up that dumb rule never sat at a temp computer and had access to entire drives of information, as well as drawers and file cabinets overflowing with confidential documents. Plus, it makes the temp feel like an outsider when we don't get to go to meetings. ALIENATION! Whaaa…

So why do I bring up temporary employment? Well, my job at Nintendo is a temp assignment. It's supposed to last about eight months which means I should be there at least until mid-July. After that, who knows?

And the Winner is…

2011-01-27T07:01:00.003-08:00

Not Jan in Mississippi (although I thought "the cleared land at my old high school" was an excellent guess!)

The winner is Betty Derricott! Yes, the picture from Tuesday's post is a rooftop garden. And it’s a rooftop garden on the brand new roof of the brand new building for my brand new humble employer, Nintendo.

The 300,000 square foot, four-story building for Nintendo of America headquarters in Redmond, Washington, opened in May 2010. And it has one of the largest green roofs – 75,000 square feet – in the area.

The roof supports low-water vegetation that diverts rain water, shields the roof underneath to increase longevity, and insulates the building. Plus, it’s just cool to look at. The fourth floor of the building houses conference rooms and access outside to take in the view. And THAT is where I took the pic from Tuesday's post.

The roof is also home to several large skylights that bring natural light inside - some skylights are two stories deep so that even Floor 2 gets natural light. In fact, the lighting was constructed in such a way that indoor overhead lights adjust throughout the day depending on the natural light that is coming in. Very high tech and very energy conscious.

Nintendo believes in having fun. So much so that the original headquarters building was demolished and replaced by fun things.

Here we have fun things like a soccer field, tennis court, basketball court and even a volleyball court - with sand - well, I think it's sand. There is also a nice walking/running/skating trail winding past randomly placed benches and the landscaping is luscious.

One last picture. It's the front of the front of the building with the lights on at dusk. The quadrant you can't see is to the very far right and it is yellow. Do you like it?

My Second-Ever Blog Contest

2011-01-25T07:01:00.000-08:00

I have been goaded on by the last 4 commenters – ah, maybe that’s not such a good choice of words. I have been “encouraged” by these friends to write more so here goes...

Way back last June, when both Mike and I had every day to explore Seattle and enjoy the time off, we did just that. The only thing holding us back was crummy weather. And when the sun finally made an appearance I had a blog contest…to guess what the picture I posted represented. Go ahead. Take a gander. Make an intelligent guess.

So today I am having my Second-Ever Blog Contest.

Ready...set...go...

Who can be the first person to tell me where this picture was taken???

Clue #1 – Yep, those are the majestic Cascade Mountains lurking in the background. Double click to enlarge - and, yes, it's worth the keystrokes.

Calling Antarctica (Again)!

2011-01-24T07:37:00.001-08:00

Here we go again..check out my little Recent Visitors map to the right of the posts. See? EVERY continent except Antarctica has checked the blog recently. Who’s down in Antarctica that can read this blog?? Do YOU know anyone in Antarctica??

If I see a reader from Antarctica I may be motivated to start writing again...

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, Oh Sweet Baby Jesus

2010-12-28T09:05:00.005-08:00

Our Christmas tree shines throughout the evening and we’ve had fires almost every night.

We had a quiet Christmas - visiting my brother and eating Chinese food.

And later at home opening our gifts to each other. See that cute little box with the yellow bow on it? And that huge bundle of bubble wrap? Mike outdid himself once again. Yup. That’s the Baby Jesus. Nice touch, Mike!

North Creek Florist and the Gingerbread House

2010-12-24T07:41:00.002-08:00

Yesterday we were surprised by a delivery from North Creek Florist...a thank you from the owners for the gorgeous orders we received from them earlier in the month. Don't you love my little gingergread house? How colorful with Chistmas ornatments tucked into the greenery and fragrant with sticks of cinnamon. Thank you North Creek Florist!

We hope everyone enjoys a wonderful holiday with family and friends. Merry Christmas.

Maya in Japan

2010-12-20T08:02:00.001-08:00

Not too long ago I added Maya’s blog to my blogroll to the right. And today I want to encourage you to take a look at her blog.

She and her husband (originally from Oregon) raised their four daughters and were now living in rural Uruguay after exploring parts of Latin America. But recently they accepted English teaching positions and just moved back to Japan.

Maya’s last two posts are all about the transition and are very interesting. Check it out.

The Weekend

2010-12-07T07:32:00.004-08:00

Friday after work I headed to south and east to Snoqualmie. For a party. An annual tradition. A gathering of women who used to work in the Legal Department at AT&T Wireless – a company that was acquired by Cingular Wireless, whose parent company acquired AT&T, and now goes by the name AT&T Mobility. Confused? The telecommunications mergers & acquisitions era was busy...many, many changes.

And from the change mentioned above developed a small group of powerful women that get together now and then. Due to the merge of AT&T Wireless with Cingular most of the women at the party were either laid off (like me) or made the wise decision to find a new job before getting their proverbial pink slip. I missed the last two Annual AT&T Wireless Reunion and Holiday Gift Exchange parties because I wasn’t living in Seattle, but I wasn’t about to miss this one.

I walked in and it felt so comfortable to see all of the familiar faces. I learned we are working at power companies like Microsoft, Amazon.com, Nintendo, Premera Blue Cross, and Motricity. We all brought either an appetizer or dessert and a gift to exchange. We ate and chatted and caught up with each other. It was a delight to see everyone and I really enjoyed the evening.

“I am woman, hear me roar!”

Our Saturday morning began with a drive north to Lake Stevens. More specifically, to a middle school in Lake Stevens that was holding a holiday bazaar. A holiday bazaar that included my friend and blog commenter, Teresa from Lake Stevens.

We spied Teresa from a walkway above her tables. We knew she’d be easy to spot because we’d heard about all the plants she had been nurturing over the past few months – and there she was! She had her tables nicely organized and she was ready to sell and make some money for her fundraiser. We bought a plant that was cleverly dropped into a holiday gift bag - it was already “wrapped”!

From there we went out to lunch to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Twelve years! Maybe next year we’ll celebrate BIG…like with a trip to the tropics...

Sunday morning Mike was off to his volunteer gig at the Center for Wooden Boats (CWB). He and another guy are in charge of the sailing of the model sailboats on the pond that is next to CWB. Check it out some Sunday morning, 10:30-1:30.

So while Mike was downtown Cheryl and I met for our belated birthday lunch. And Cheryl gave me a Box of Fun. I'll have to tell you about that in my next post...

The weekend was busy and fun. Here's to more busy and fun weekends!

Flowers, Flowers, Everywhere

2010-12-04T10:06:00.002-08:00

What a week! It was my first full week of working in over six months and I loved it. My brain is stuffed with new information and it needs this weekend to rest. But what a week...Dec 1st was my birthday and today is Mike’s and my 12th year wedding anniversary.

So back to the post title – I like having fresh flowers around me. They make me feel peppy and I love a good smelling flower. Right now our apt is full of flowers and I took some pics.

Two weekends ago Cheryl and Pat came over for the Birthday Feast and I put together this bouquet of dianthus. They look good bunched up and as you can see they last a long time.

And I know a poinsettia is not technically a flower, but they look so pretty that I call ‘em flowers.

Imagine my surprise when I went to work Wednesday morning and saw cookies and flowers on my desk at work - from my new boss. And there was a birthday card signed by my new team. Nice nod to the “new girl”.

And Mike surprised me with this beautiful bouquet. He talked to a florist we hadn't gotten flowers from before. They're called North Creek Florist, on the Bothell-Everett Highway and we are very impressed with the customer service and the lovely floral arrangement. Nice job, North Creek Florist!

So we have the little dianthus bouquet, the poinsettia, the roses from work, the birthday bouquet from Mike and when I got home Friday night, what did I see? These red holiday roses that Mike got for our anniversary. They are luscious! Thank you again, North Creek Florist.

Happy Anniversary, Mike!

Kenmore Wildlife Watch – Great Blue Herons

2010-11-29T07:03:00.001-08:00

Behind the Kenmore Park and Ride lot is the Great Blue Heron Sanctuary. I noticed it when we first moved here while on a walk exploring Kenmore.

Well, what I really noticed was the double-sided sign at the Park and Ride that describes the Sanctuary. I walked to the back of the Park and Ride and saw the fencing, but other than that I couldn’t really tell that there was a sanctuary. Ever since that day I have looked toward the Sanctuary, but never saw any clues that the Great Blue Herons called the area home.

Last year in Salem I wrote about nests I spied in winter when the leaves had all disappeared from the trees. This year I was recently surprised when walking through the Park and Ride. I looked up and saw the naked trees. And within the naked trees are the nests. Lot of them.

It was like Great Blue Heron condo city!

This is the tree on the far right in the pic above.

There is a webcam for the Sanctuary – although it is currently offline for the season – and I am going to remember to check it out in the spring. Maybe I can see some baby Great Blue Herons waking up in Kenmore!

Thanksgiving 2010 in Kenmore, Washington

2010-11-25T20:24:00.003-08:00

We had more snow today and Mike got busy and built a stylin’ snowman! We also took time to take stock of how grateful we are for the important things in our lives – our health, family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

BRRRRR!!!

2010-11-24T07:53:00.007-08:00

It was snowling lightly on Sunday morning as I began to prepare the Birthday Feast for Cheryl and Pat.

On Monday morning there was a light blanket of snow in Kenmore - the truck was barely covered. I got up and drove to work at the regular time.

It was snowing while I was driving and the traffic was slow, but I made it to Redmond without any problems. I have a window at my desk and as the hours ticked by, I could see the snow piling up. By noon I decided to skip lunch, wrap up what I was working on, and head home. That was the best decision I could have made!

I got home fairly easily…it was smooth going until just a couple of miles south of Bothell and then traffic got real slow. Nevertheless, I was home before I knew it and I was very happy about that. Mike and I watched the special TV news that interrupted regular programming (hey, this was a big deal!) and began to learn just how bad it was going to get. The temperature was below freezing so all the snow that fell turned to ice. And here in Seattle we don’t know how to drive on ice. Many, many people abandoned their cars on freeways, highways and side streets and began walking. Metro buses were sliding sideways or over railings. The multitude of hills compounded the matter. There were wrecks everywhere.

It got real cold and the snow continued to fall. Mike wrote on our Weber BBQ table, “C&M I LOVE YOU” – isn’t he cute?

We got a fire going and Mike took some kindling and wood to four of our neighbors so they could have a cozy fire too.

Tuesday morning I got up and realized that I would not be able to drive to work. By now we had about 3 or 4 inches of snow and the truck was covered. We live on a hill and have to be able to stop at the bottom or risk sliding into traffic on Bothell Way. No thanks...not even gonna try. I thought about taking a bus to work, but that didn’t seem like a viable option either so I decided to stay home.

Although it was cold, it was clear and sunny and around 10:30 Mike and I decided to walk to Safeway and pick up a few things we needed. Right off the bat Mike slipped and fell coming down our hill. His wrist is terribly swollen and he may have broken a finger or two. We went home and he changed into his Harley boots and we still walked to Safeway...the cold weather was easier than actually putting ice on his wrist!

I wasn’t surprised at the lack of traffic. Normally this road is very busy at this time in the morning. And if you think that is water on the road, think again. That is pure ice!

And here’s something we rarely see in Seattle – a truck with a snow plow attached to the front. I wonder if this guy is making some side money today...We got home and Mike found that a neighbor’s water heater exploded so he helped to install a new one. He finally finished, we had dinner and then settled in in front of the blazing fire.

I’m up this morning and it is around 17F. It is pure ice outside and I won’t attempt the hill. I’ll see if it warms up any and maybe go into the office for a few hours.

But for now I’m going to bring in more wood for the fireplace. Stay warm, Seattle!

Things That Happened in 1955

2010-11-22T07:00:00.003-08:00

In no particular order...

Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
President Eisenhower sent the first US advisors to South Vietnam.
The average wages were $4,130 per year, and the minimum wage was raised to $1.00 per hour.
The average cost of a new house was $10,950 and the average cost of a new car was $1,900; a gallon of gas was 23 cents!
Albert Einstein, developer of the relativity theory, died.
Congress ordered all US currency to say, “In God We Trust.”
The first cans of Coca-Cola are sold - up till then it had only been sold in bottles.
The Brooklyn Dodgers won the World Series.
Ray Kroc started the fast food chain, McDonalds.
The theme park, Disneyland, first opened its gates.
Elvis Presley made his first TV appearance.
James Dean’s stars in the movie East of Eden; James Dean killed in car accident near Cholame, California.

And...it was the year of many great births:

Bill Gates
Steve Jobs
Whoopi Goldberg
Kevin Costner
Bruce Willis
Cheryl Stadler Ryan and Cynthia Johnson – yep, that’s us, same day, same year!

And if you do the math you’ll see that since Cheryl and I were born in ’55 this year we will be 55 years old on December 1st. Same with Disneyland (turning 55) and that’s where Cheryl will be partying on her birthday. So this year we had an early celebration with dinner at our place.

Here’s to us! Happy Birthday, Cheryl!

Back to the Grind

2010-11-20T07:21:00.002-08:00

Answers.com says, “It means back to what you usually do, i.e. work, school, etc. It comes from the term ‘grind stone’, but has since built up its own meaning.”

That sounds about right...I usually work. I just had one long vacation. But I had a blast the past three days. Like I said, I like a schedule. And I stuck to my goal of getting in a power walk all three mornings before heading to work.

The abundance of new information I have had to process has been challenging. It’s like a mental marathon and I’m doing pretty well. I’m also using Microsoft Office 2007, instead of Office 2003 that I have on my laptop, and that has been a little tricky adjusting to the nuances of 2007. But, hey - I’m smart. I can do it!

The thing I didn’t like was the commute. Ugh. I drove the truck all three days. And Kenmore to Redmond is a tough drive up I-405. But coming home is worse. Every day I took a slightly different route home – none of which were much better than the others - although taking a route entirely off the freeway was less stressful. It’s hard to keep the clutch going in and out! My left leg is getting quite a workout.

I have figured out a way to get to work using the bus system and I will try that next week. I’m not sure that it’s faster, but it has to be less nerve-racking. And easier on the environment and clutch…we’ll see.

For today and tomorrow I’m going to enjoy the weekend! We may have snow in the Seattle area and that always makes for excitement because we don’t “do snow” very well in Seattle. Stay warm and stay tuned!

Workin 9 to 5

2010-11-18T07:00:00.001-08:00

What a way to make a livin
Barely gettin by
Its all takin
And no givin
They just use your mind
And they never give you credit
Its enough to drive you
Crazy if you let it

(Dolly Parton had a different sort of take on work...)

It was exactly six months. We got back to Seattle May 15, 2010. I accepted an offer for employment November 15, 2010. I had no idea it would take that much time, but it did.

Wednesday I started my new job in the Legal Department at a large, humble company with headquarters in Redmond, Washington. So far, sooooo good.

I was ready to go back to work. I like the “regularity” of work – getting up at the same time every morning, heading out for a walk (well, I’m going to try to keep up that habit), having a cup of coffee at home, feeling excited about what may happen each day, wondering how I might be able to solve the problems I face, and then coming home and sharing my day with Mike.

There is a lot to learn and I need to get up to speed quickly. No worries. I’m ready. And I’m grateful to have a job. It was risky leaving Salem and my job, but we made a plan, stayed the course, and here we are.

Thanks for everyone’s support while we toughed it out (Jejeje...yeah tough summer flying on Kenmore Air, kayaking in the San Juan Islands, biking at Alki, Shilshoe and Lake Washington, sailing on Lake Union, riding the Duck, BBQs galore!)

School Reverses Course After Ordering Student to Remove American Flag From Bike

2010-11-14T17:55:00.003-08:00

Update on my previous post follows:

Cody Alicea, 13, rides his bicycle with his American Flag attached.
A California school has done a U-turn after it forced a student to remove an American flag attached to his bike, saying the Stars and Stripes could spur racial tensions on campus.

Cody Alicea,13, had been flying the flag on the back of his bicycle for almost two months to show support for veterans like his grandfather, Robert Alicea.

But just in time for Veterans Day, school officials at Denair Middle School told Cody he would no longer be allowed to display the flag, citing complaints from other students.

Now, after a public outcry, the school has decided that the grand old flag can come back.

Superintendent Edward Parraz says the school was trying to avoid racial tensions that stemmed from a "little issue" that arose when Hispanic students brought Mexican flags to school on Cinco De Mayo.

"That's when it all kind of started, and I think it carried through so that when Cody started doing his flag everybody said well why isn't he getting in trouble?" Parraz told Fox40.com.

Click here to see Parraz's interview with Fox40.com.

So the school asked Cody to remove the flag, both to keep the peace and for his own protection.

"It was a safety concern that that particular campus supervisor called at that particular time based on information she had heard," Parraz said.

Cody says he complied with the request to avoid trouble, but he asked the school to reconsider because he believed the decision was wrong.

Click here to see Cody's interview with Fox40.com.

"I'm supposed to be free in this country and I should be able to fly the flag wherever I want to," he told Fox40.

Apparently, he wasn't alone.

Parraz says the school got flooded with so many complaints from upset parents both inside and outside of Denair that he was called into to "handle the situation."

"It was crazy" he said.

Parraz says the school decided on Friday to allow Cody to display his flag again, and now it will be shifting its focus to the students who complained.

"In no way did we want to take that right away from Cody," Parraz told Fox40 on Friday. "…We think we know who the instigators are that were trying to do that and we need to meet with their parents and those students to just kind of explain that this isn't what we want to have. We want to make sure that our kids can appreciate a safe environment and be able to have the American flag."

If you read my blog regularly, you probably have noted that I don't usually take on HOT topics. But in this instance, I felt compelled to express my disagreement. What do you think about that? Do you want to know what I really think about stuff?

p.s. I haven't let the original issue/dispute drop. I'm in the middle of email exchanges with the School Board. I continue to dispute the original decision and the fact that they waffled after the controversy does not make it all better with me.

School Doesn’t Allow Student to Fly American Flag on his Bike in the United States of America!!!

2010-11-14T07:00:00.003-08:00

You’ve probably already heard or read the story. We saw it on the Friday evening local TV news and I’m mad as hell. I’m so mad I called the superintendent for the school district, (209) 632-7514, and left a scathing message Friday night. I think that whoever made the decision should be fired. I encourage anyone who feels strongly about the situation to also call and express your sentiments. Read on:

DENAIR, Calif. -- A Stanislaus County school is forcing a student to take an American flag off of his bike.

Thirteen-year-old Cody Alicea put the flag there as a show of support for the veterans in his family.

But officials at Denair Middle School told him he couldn't fly it. He said he was told some students had complained.

So now the eighth-grader folds up the flag and puts it in his backpack while he is in class.

His father, Robert Kisner, said his son should not have to put the flag away.

"He's got that flag on his bike because he's proud of where he comes from," Kisner said.

But the superintendent said he's trying to avoid tension on campus.
"(The) First Amendment is important," Superintendent Edward Parraz said. "We want the kids to respect it, understand it, and with that comes a responsiblity."

Parraz said the campus has recently experienced some racial tension. He said some students got out of hand on Cinco de Mayo.

"Our Hispanic, you know, kids will, you know, bring their Mexican flags and they'll display it, and then of course the kids would do the American flag situation, and it does cause kind of a racial tension which we don't really want," Parraz said. "We want them to appreciate the cultures."

Parraz said if a disruption arises over a flag, they want it to be taken down to protect the safety of all students.

The teen's mother said she hopes to talk to the school principal to work something out.

Outside of the school, a large U.S. flag flies from atop a flagpole.

For crying out loud, this is a kid in the United States of America who wants to fly the American flag in the United States of America in support of his family and Veteran’s Day. How in the world can there be any controversy regarding this situation?

Veteran’s Day Lunch at Applebee’s Restaurant 2010

2010-11-13T07:05:00.001-08:00

If you saw my post on Thursday you know that in honor of Veteran’s Day Applebee’s Restaurant offered a complimentary meal to all active duty military personnel and veterans.

And last year I wrote about our visit to the Salem, Oregon Applebee’s on Veteran’s Day with our friends and landlords, Betty and Ron. This year I invited two of Mike’s Marine friends to join us for lunch and let Applebee’s say thank you to them for their service. Unfortunately, they both cancelled at the last minute so Mike and I went without them and had a great time!

I love how they have the little USA flags flying and the “Welcome Veterans” painted on the front doors.

Mike struck up quite a conversation with our server, Elijah. He recently moved here from Kentucky and his dream is to buy a sailboat. That was all he needed to say…they yakked and yakked about different types of sailboats. And Mike told him all about the Center for Wooden Boats and Elijah plans to check it out and possibly become a volunteer there like Mike.

Part of the Applebee’s deal is to bring something that shows that the veteran served and a picture in uniform qualified. So there’s Mike in uniform, joining us for lunch - jaja. Thank you Mike and to all other Americans who are serving or have served our country!

ProLango Career Mixer Powered by NWjobs.com

2010-11-12T07:02:00.003-08:00

I read about ProLango Career Mixers in last Sunday’s Seattle Times. The description follows:

ProLango Career Mixer Powered by NWjobs.com cultivates relationships between job seekers and hiring companies. We discourage handing out resumes or elevator pitches and instead advocate building strong sustainable relationships.

Both companies and candidates have benefited from building relationships at these mixers and many have found employment by attending these events.

It was going to be at the Hard Rock Café in downtown Seattle, Monday night from 6:30pm to 9:00pm – a gathering of job seekers, employers and people who have jobs but want to expand their work-related network. People with drinks in their hands casually “mixing” with others. Different from a job fair in that there would be no tables with employers handing out trinkets or candy and accepting resumes. Plus, there was a Career Transition Consultant scheduled to give a presentation about “How to find a job before the holidays.”

I’m still looking for a job and I’m using resources such as WorkSource Washington workshops, online software tutorials and assessment tests, temporary employment agency information/feedback, and I’ve gone to one job fair…so I thought, why not go to a mixer and see what that’s all about? And why not bring Mike? The ad said to bring your friends! And Mike’s my friend. We both signed up online and printed our tickets at home. The mixer was free, but we needed to have a ticket to get in.

So Monday night Mike and I got dressed in our best "business casual" and went downtown. There was a fairly long line at the Hard Rock Café and it was a little chilly. Soon enough a woman got in line right behind us and we struck up a conversation. Unfortunately (for Mike and me), the conversation quickly turned into a sales pitch from the woman. She sells pre-paid legal services and I guess she thought we looked like a couple that needs legal help. NOT! We have our wills and our power of attorney docs…we’re all set…but she gave it her darndest. As the line moved inside, we were shuffled upstairs, tickets were taken, and nametags were stuck on our jackets. But we noticed the pre-paid legal services woman was pulled aside. She didn’t have a ticket and I don’t think she was allowed to go in…

Once past the ticket table we were ushered into a large open area with a four-sided bar in the center of the room. There was no music (unlike the downstairs section of the Hard Rock Café where music was blaring), but the sound of human chatter was excruciating.

We hit the bar (where I noticed almost all of the bartenders donned a hat of one kind or another. When did bartenders start wearing [weird] hats? I bartended for years and can’t imagine how hot that would make you with a hat on your head. ??) I digress.

We ordered a white wine and a non-alcoholic beer. That came to $14.89. I paid with a $20 and left a $2 tip before almost fainting. For crying out loud, the mixer was for people who don’t have a job = people without a lot of $$. Not to mention that my wine was served in a small, plastic cup. Although after looking around I saw lots of people drinking wine in glass stemware. HMPFF! I was dressed well...what was up with that Hard Rock Café bartender???

I calmed down and had to practically yell out the details of the bar purchase to Mike. It was waaaaaaaaaaay too loud in there to have a decent conversation. Nevertheless, we were there, we had our obligatory adult beverage in hand, and we wanted to make the best of the situation.

We moved about the room which by now was full with people looking at nametags and yelling out greetings to each other. I decided to venture out of my comfort zone with Mike, but I just could not do it. Me, the social butterfly. I couldn’t bring myself to just start talking to anyone. For one thing I knew I’d have a hard time hearing and understanding any conversation. But more than that was that the entire situation seemed so contrived. So fakey. Put me in a bar without an agenda and I think/know I could have several new friends before the night was over.

Within the hour Mike and I left the Hard Rock Café and went home. We were disappointed – I’m not sure if the disappointment originated within ourselves or with the mixer itself. Would I ever try another mixer? Maybe. Maybe not.

Veteran’s Day 2010

2010-11-11T07:01:00.004-08:00

It seems more important than ever to honor the men and women of the United States of America that serve, or have served, in the military. And once again Applebee’s Restaurant is saying THANK YOU by offering a free meal to all active duty military personnel and veterans today. Check it out!

Interviews

2010-11-10T07:03:00.002-08:00

I recently posted about WorkSource Washington and one of the job search workshops I attended. I was not at all satisfied with the workshop. Module Six, of the six module program, was on last week’s calendar. It was titled Interviewing Techniques and since I had two interviews scheduled I decided to give WorkSource another shot. The description of the workshop follows:

Being able to handle an employment interview is a necessity for any job seeker. Learn helpful interviewing tips, and practice your interviewing skills in a supportive, realistic environment.

You might have the best resume ever, but if you don’t interview well, it won’t matter. Being able to handle a job interview is a necessity for any job seeker. Knowing what employers are looking for, and being prepared, are absolute musts. In this workshop you will learn valuable interviewing tips and have the chance to practice answers to frequently asked and sometimes difficult questions in a supportive, realistic environment.

Learn how to complete applications, develop resumes, and design cover letters that will attract employers and lead to more interviews.

Imagine my surprise when I walked out of the workshop, satisfied with the information provided, happy with the instructor, and pleased that it was an interactive workshop – there were 18 of us and we all shared experiences and role-played throughout the three hours we spent together.

The following day I had a 45-minute interview with a panel of three. I had already submitted my letter of interest, resume and writing sample. The interview was the next step in the process. And guess what? The first two questions for me were the EXACT SAME FIRST TWO QUESTIONS we practiced answering in the workshop. I rattled off my answers and felt I was off to a good start. The next step in this job application would be another in-person interview and then “working” in a pseudo database to see how the candidate navigates though the maze. I should find out if I make it to the next step in a week or so.

Two days later I had a 15-minute interview with a business owner. This was the next step after completing the personality test and the cognitive test. The first question was the EXACT SAME FIRST QUESTION we practiced answering in the workshop. I provided my answer and continued on through the interview. The next step in this job application would be a two-hour “test drive” – actually working for the business and having the business owner observe and see how quickly the candidate catches on. Yesterday I was informed by email (using a template response in black with Dear Cynthia in blue - nice...) that a better qualified candidate was moving on to the next step, but if that doesn't work out I'd be one of the first to be considered.

Boy, getting a job has sure changed over the years, huh? Writing samples, tests, “working” before getting the job...guess it’s a sign of the times. So many applicants for each job gives the employer the opportunity to find the best of the best.

For any job hunters reading this, I suggest you rehearse answers to the following two questions:

1) Tell me about yourself. Tailor your answer to the job to which you are applying. Don’t talk about yourself as if you were talking to a friend. Talk about selling points that will help you land the job. This is the question stressed in the workshop and it was the first question posed to me in both interviews last week.

2) What are your strengths and weaknesses? Again, tailor your answer to strengths needed in the job to which you are applying. As for weaknesses, spin it in your favor, but be careful to be honest. This one is hard. That’s why practice answering it before an interview helps.

That’s it. Only time will tell how I did in the panel interview. But no matter what, after that workshop I feel much more prepared to do well in any interview.

Answers to A Quiz for People Who Know Everything

2010-11-09T07:11:00.001-08:00

Following are the answers to the quiz questions. Please bear in mind that I didn't make up the quiz or the answers and if you want to dispute any answer feel free!

1.The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends is boxing.

2. North American landmark constantly moving backward is Niagara Falls . The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute.

3. Only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons, they are asparagus and rhubarb.

4. The fruit with its seeds on the outside is strawberries.

5. How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle? It grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.

6. The three English words beginning with "dw" are dwarf, dwell and dwindle.

7. The fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar are: period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses.

8. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh is lettuce.

9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with "S" are, shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts.

Soooo, how’d you do? I got rhubarb!

A Weekend Quiz for People Who Know Everything

2010-11-07T07:01:00.001-08:00

I’m not sure if this quiz was emailed to me because of my earlier post this week with the cognitive test, but here goes...

There are only nine questions. This is a quiz for people who know everything. These are not trick questions (although they may be considered tricky). They are straight questions with straight answers.

1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.

2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?

3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?

4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?

5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?

6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters 'dw' and they are all common words. Name two of them.

7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them?

8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.

9. Name six or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter 'S'.

Check back Tuesday for the answers!

Pablo Picasso

2010-11-05T07:06:00.003-07:00

...aka Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso (gotta love Wikipedia!)

We are not huge art fans, but when the grand and varied works of Picasso hit town at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) we had to go. SAM describes the special exhibit with the following:

The works in this exhibition come from Picasso’s personal collection—works of art the highly self-aware artist kept for himself with the intent of shaping his own artistic legacy. Drawn from the collection of the Musée National Picasso in Paris—the largest and most important repository of the artist’s work in the world—the exhibition will feature work representing every major period from the artist’s prolific output over eight decades.

So we ordered our tickets online and set out for SAM and our 11:20am entry time on Thursday morning. When we arrived at the museum it was already filling with people and there was a long line for those of us who printed our tickets at home. Soon enough we entered the exhibit.

We were offered, and accepted, audio devices with which we could listen to 20 or so descriptions of some of the highlighted pieces. These recordings provided so much information about the art, the artist, and his life. It really made me think about the meaning behind the final product. Without the audios, I would have been lost - and lost out on so much.

The collection includes paintings, drawings, sculptures and metal pieces. It was very nicely laid out, gallery by gallery, in chronological order with each gallery highlighting a specific time frame in Picasso’s life.

Mike’s favorite was The Matador, an oil on canvas, from 1970. I was captivated with Portrait of Olga in an Armchair, also an oil on canvas, completed in 1918. Olga was the first of Picasso’s two wives, although he had multiple mistresses over the years.

I could go on and on, but words do not due the art justice. Go see it!!!

Autumn Colors on the Burke-Gilman Trail

2010-11-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

When I head out of our apartment, toward the Burke-Gilman Trail, this is the first view I have. That’s Bothell Way in the foreground, the Sammamish River and fog in the middle, and the luscious trees in the background.

It gets better with fewer electrical wires in the picture.

Once I cross the street and actually hit the trail, I am treated to sound barrier walls covered with ivy that is a brilliant rose-red hue right now. The colors are a real treat for the eyes.

Tall trees form an arbor while the leaves fall gently to the ground.

The bridge is dark with the fog hugging its sides.

The river runs slowly...almost at a standstill.

Wayne Golf Course last spring.

Wayne Golf Course now.

This tree hugs the shoreline. The colors are real. Autumn is here.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T07:07:00.002-07:00

Here's the one pumpkin we were able to harvest from our garden. Turn up the volume, but don't let any kids see it...it's pretty scary!

Olympic Sculpture Park

2010-10-31T07:00:00.001-07:00

Early yesterday morning Mike and I went to the Olympic Sculpture Park in downtown Seattle. It is a 9-acre public park with bigger-than-life, permanent sculptures and it also welcomes visiting pieces. The sculptures are visible from the street and I’d always wanted to stop by and take some pictures. Plus, I knew that there was a giant Mexican sand painting on display (inside the pavilion...this is rainy Seattle after all) to celebrate el Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Day). So off we went!

It started to sprinkle as we left Kenmore and before long I had the windshield wipers going. Slow speed, but windshield wipers going nonetheless.

Soon enough we were downtown and we found parking right across the street from the park. The sprinkling had subsided, but a chill was definitely in the air.

We headed straight into the pavilion to see the sand painting. There was a staff person sitting nearby, keeping her eye on it. I asked permission to take a picture and she said that would be okay, but that we should not touch the piece of art.

This picture doesn’t do it justice. But I didn’t want to step onto one of the chairs to get a better shot. The detail of the sand is amazing. And it is quite large - maybe 20'x12'.

Moments after I snapped my pictures a toddler ran over to the sand painting – luckily the staffer saw him and rushed toward him, the mama caught the little rascal just in time, and the painting was left unscathed.

We wandered outside to see the piece I’ve always wondered about. This is Typewriter Eraser, Scale X, created in 1999 by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. It’s made of stainless steel and fiberglass painted with acrylic urethane. It is NINETEEN feet tall and on loan from the Paul Allen Family Collection. (Note the live human on the right to see just how big it truly is.)

This is Split, created in 2003 by Roxy Paine. It’s made of polished stainless steel and is fifty feet high. If it wasn't for the shiny, steel color, I would have thought it was a real tree - really!

And guess what? There were many, many more pieces I would have liked to photograph, but my camera battery was exhausted. ARGHHH!!!! I was so mad at myself.

But I found that there are free 1-hour public tours (Saturdays noon-1pm; Sundays noon-1pm & 1pm-2pm) of Olympic Sculpture Park so we plan to go back and take the tour sometime soon. And yes, I will make sure my camera battery is charged.

Testing, Testing, One, Two, Three

2010-10-30T06:53:00.004-07:00

My job search continues. And this week I came across an employment advertisement that included the following:

Approved resumes will receive a personality and cognitive test leading towards an interview process of both a verbal and working interview.

Well, that intrigued me more than the job itself! I sent in my letter of interest and resume and following is the email response I received:

Thank you for responding to the Craigs List add (sic) for employment. You have advanced to the second round of the qualification process. Please complete the two enclosed attachments and send them back. The personality test has no right answers but obviously we are looking for a certain type of person. Have fun.

Ahhh...the personality test included a battery of multiple choice questions such as the following:

Someone cuts in front of you at the post office, You find this

Not at all annoying
Slightly annoying
Annoying
Very Annoying

How important is it for you to help humans or animals that are deprived

Somewhat important
Quite important
Very important
Extremely important

Philosophical debates (what is the meaning of life)

Interest me
Bore me

The second section of the personality test had me rate myself as follows:

Rate the following statements on a 1-5 scale
Write your answer after the statement

I am romantic

I am organized

I am playful

I am assertive

I am a care giver

I am out-going

I am able to criticize others without feeling uneasy

When working on an important task with someone, I like to dominate.

I like arguing as a sport

I prefer friends that are assertive

My ideal partner should be assertive

My ideal partner should be socially outgoing

The cognitive test made me think. Hard. I found it quite challenging. Following is a taster of the questions asked. Can you answer them all correctly??

Each row of numbers forms a series. Write in the brackets the number that logically follows.

3, 6, 12 , 24, ( )
81, 54, 36, 24, ( )
2, 3, 5, 9, 17, ( )

The numbers in each row run in series. Write the two numbers that should appear in the blanks on the right-hand side double squares.

Example
1-2 2-4 3-8 4-16

3-4 4-6 5-8 ( )

2-8 3-12 4-16 ( )

This last one was the hardest for me. It really made me think.

Each set of 4 numbers in a row follows a set of rules.
Each row follows a different set of rules.
Solve for the fourth number in the third set for each row.

1/2/3/0------2/3/4/1------4/3/2/ __ Answer

2/3/1/5------4/3/2/10-----1/2/1/ __ Answer

2/4/3/5------1/2/3/4------3/4 /2/ __ Answer

I hope you liked the sample questions. There’s nothing like a little brain candy to keep us happy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-10-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

Autumn is here. I always liked autumn because it meant going back to school and I always liked school.

At this point in my life autumn means different things to me. It means it’s dark when I wake up in the morning and on my walks I see that the leaves are dying and turning glorious colors. It means it rains more and I have to use my windshield wipers a lot. It also means it’s time to clean up the garden and harvest the last of the veggies.

This week I cut down the sunflowers and tomato plants. Mike mowed the lawn for the last time and whacked part of the pumpkin patch. The squash is still growing, but we'll clean it up with the rest of the pumpkin patch.

I’m so happy to see that ALL of the sunflowers finally bloomed! And some of them got so very tall. I will be harvesting the seeds in the next day or so.

This stalk had 3 blossoms and 3 more flowers that didn’t get to bloom!

This my white pattypan squash. There are six squash on this plant, but most likely only the big one will make it to the oven.

Here’s my pumpkin. Well, the biggest one we have – see how it compares to the size of my credit card? Unfortunately, I don’t think it will turn orange before Halloween.

And the best part about autumn is the title of the post. Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies from Safeway. They are my favorite and a seasonal special. Go get some and you’ll see what I mean!

Gloria’s Just Faces-Unibrowed

2010-10-25T07:00:00.003-07:00

I recently added Gloria (lover of all things Frida Kahlo) and her blog to my blogroll. I did that because Gloria is a very interesting Latina and I like to read about her art, her cooking and her zest for life.

On August 19, 2010 Gloria provided herself a daunting challenge. She had received some paper, Papel Amate, that she really liked for painting and she decided to use it for a journal that would have paintings of 40 faces on 40 pages – all done within 40 days. Wow. Challenge, indeed!

She posted pictures of her paintings on her blog and on September 4, 2010, I had my first glimpse of Mindy. You see, Gloria named all of her faces and she even included snippets of dialogue with her faces. I liked Mindy because she reminded me of myself...jejeje...

Gloria kept up her momentum and on September 22, 2010 she completed #40. Again, wow. Gloria had prints made of the faces and I was surprised to read that she was going to give away 5 of the faces to lucky readers who commented on the blog about which was their favorite face.

Well, of course I commented on Mindy and low and behold, on October 1, 2010 I found out I was a winner! Yes, Gloria sent me the Mindy print. And ever since then I have been looking for the perfect frame for Mindy. I finally found it and this weekend I hung Mindy in our living room.

Isn’t she beautiful? THANK YOU, GLORIA! Mike and I will take Mindy with us wherever we go...