First!

*Checking Raf & Elisabeth's blog* ... Who's the fastest picture-poster now, suckas?

nephew update

Welcome, Elijah!

before/after

Apparently Mr. Galore started a new job in November. At least, that's the word on the street. Before, getting to the what, a typical outfit in old and new position should set the tone:

Before	After

To start with the obvious: gone are the days of Guns 'n Roses shirts (an anniversary gift from Mrs. Galore), the scruffy jeans, shaving whenever it suited, and wearing untied tennis shoes. Fortunately, the blue hair has persevered. Though I'm not much for the new dress code, it gives me much amusement that I am now the proud owner of 11 button up shirts all purchased 24-hours before my first day from Value Village (includes the shirt I'm wearing above).

So with that drum roll done, I'm working on a major internal web content management project for Fisher Communications. For those hailing from or with experience in the northwest, it's the home of KOMO News in Seattle, KATU in Portland, and everyone's favorite weather anchor. I'm serving in the role of senior web developer. You can Google for their current sites but I don't and won't have anything to do with them.

It would be impossible to summarize what got me to this point, but I suppose it all started with a rather compelling (for a nerd like me) job description that I gave a few reads over. I suppose that's how it goes with these things. With that, all of a sudden the wheels were turning. That was way back in August, but it feels like the whole process happened in 2 weeks tops.

An incredibly wise friend and former colleague, told me not to compare and contrast every daily joy and concern to what has been an amazing ~7 years working for ONE/Northwest, but to keep an open mind about the transition.

With that in mind, I'm still very much feeling my way around, but the upshot is that I'm happy. I get to work with really amazingly interesting (for a nerd like me) open source tools and technologies that would cause many of you to fall asleep. I like my co-workers. I like the challenge of trying something new. I like the general problem space of helping the content producers be excellent at local and regional journalism because I think it's the right time to pay attention to things that are happening in one's neighborhood, city, and region. I like the architecture at my building. I like digging deeply into one project, rather than feeling pulled in many directions that's inevitable with consulting.

With that said, it's not all good news. Even though I was ready for a change (7 years at one job, and the only "real job" I've ever had, is a long time), I had to say goodbye to an incredible group of people, who were my friends, serving incredible clients in the name of the worthy cause that is treating our natural resources and our earth as though we wanted it to be around for many generations more. And for that loss, I definitely grieve. Also, ONE/Northwest had way better coffee.

nephew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have one now.

*Happy dance*

it's appeal season

Since it could be argued that my job depends on it, I encourage you again to donate. We're having a staff competition for who can bring in the most donors -- so even if you can donate $1, that'd be great!

And by the by, I make a cameo in this video too.

donate to grist!

Yay donations!

life is a highway

I took this picture when I was in Dallas.


Exit: 49 days.

Yes, it's the other Bush. Whatever.

gobble gobble

Getting-ready-for-Thanksgiving playlist:

qooc

"I don't have a turkey costume, one; and two, where the hell did that come from?" -- Mr. Galore to Mrs. Galore

work

What I've been up to at my job:

1. I was interviewed in Running Times and deemed to not be "puritanical and preachy" as the interviewer had feared.

2. I narrated this video, which is now being shown at some college film festival somewhere.

3. In researching the second item for this column, I learned that it is possible to play Lemmings on the internet.

4. There's a picture of me in this slideshow.

5. I, along with the rest of my building, was mooned at length and with great enthusiasm by a woman in a hotel room across the street.

By the by, I'll be shifting job responsibilities starting next week, moving from the editorial department for a time to concentrate on becoming intimately knowledgeable about the new website we plan to launch in February.

hot hot heat

We recently had a bit of a water heater mishap. It involved much wetness. We spent five days in the company of fans and a dehumidifier, which were very noisy. And we were told to keep the heat up to speed up the drying. So we turned the thermostat on the lower level to 72 degrees. And the middle level turned into Florida.

Kudos to Friend Jon B., who uncomplainingly spent a night in the tropics.

father knows best

Father Galore escaped left Indiana and came to visit us a few weeks ago!

First we met him in Portland, where he joined us in dining with many of our favorite Portland people (who also happen to be some of our favorite people, period).

Then he came up to Seattle, where the first order of business was to sample the most delightful of its many delights.



Father Galore was there to comfort us following the sad demise of Jack.


The loss of Jack was the sort of difficult time wherein the only consolation is a new day planner.


Then it was down to Tacoma for Friend Katie's volleyball game. Her team was very much the underdog, and then they won, and then I was hoarse the whole next day. Here she is serving faster than the speed of light.


Victory beer!


Oh yes, and Brother Galore joined us for a voting party, which seems to have turned out quite well.


I unfortunately don't have pictorial evidence of the evening that Father Galore walked a mile back to our place in the pouring rain wearing his scooter helmet, but I'm sure it was a sight to behold.

We miss Father Galore already and can't wait to see him, as well as Mom and Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles and Cousins Galore, at Christmas.

contentment

We talked last Sunday about busyness, and saying yes and no to things, and how fulfillment can come from choosing what you say yes to, instead of letting your priorities be driven by what you feel forced to say no to. So I thought about the things that I say yes to:

• relationships -- especially the one with Mr. Galore
• community -- especially the Mennonite one
• living lightly on the earth
  

... and was pleased to discover that I do in fact tend to arrange my priorities around these things, and this may explain why I feel satisfied and content with my life right now.

I'm so content, in fact, that I could just hug a rack of feather boas.

qooc

There is a lot going on, a lot to blog. So, uh, look for that soon. In the meantime, some quotes out of context:

"I had a good idea while I was tipsy. Which means it has an asterisk. Which means it's like two good ideas." -- Mr. Galore

"That was very wise, and very unlike you." -- Mrs. Galore to her father

Yes We Can