Inside these blank walls
Rain falls upon the skylight
I stare at a screen
Category: Personal Reflections
Lessons learned about life; pearls of wisdom I’ve gleaned through pain, failure and honest reflection
Love’s Legacy
Can’t forget
What has passed
Some may wish these
Memories to vanish
For me? No…
I hold them dear
Pain and joy
For that’s
Love’s legacy
Another Great Comic From PhD Comics
I did a few projects, back in the day (so to speak), at the University of Washington. There were several professors there that would match this profile.
On a side note: there were several developers and computer scientists at Microsoft who would as well.
I highly recommend checking out PhD comics, as I find them wonderful.
Boldly Dreaming
<
p style=”font-family:"”>Dreams growing bolder
<
p style=”font-family:"”>Reaching out from deep within
<
p style=”font-family:"”>Unstoppable force
Six Words
Air moves
Downwards With
Cold water
Gotta love those home renovation shows on TV
Finally made it to taekwondo yesterday and the gym today. This after a several week sabbatical of sorts. Was fighting a nasty cold for a few weeks, then sprained my ankle at taekwondo. Now, that sounds better than the full description. I sprained my ankle, at taekwondo, after my third JUMPING JACK! Jeez…I’m a black belt who can land jumping back kicks, and I lose my ability to walk normally from jumping jacks. Ugh!
Anyway, I’m slowly coming back up to speed, and didn’t push myself that hard tonight. Spent about 1/2 hour on the treadmill watching one of the real estate shows. This one is about buying fixers and flipping them.
I’ve seen the show before, and recognize the hosts. I admire their work, find the subject interesting. But…BUT…elements of the show boggle me. Today there was one moment where the project was nearly derailed because, in Torrence, CA, there’s a code preventing powerlines from crossing above pools. I get that, and it makes sense. What doesn’t, though, is how no one discovers this until the concrete patio has been poured. How did they get permits without having this addressed? Maybe California is different, and the grant permits after you build. But that seems quite daft.
The other thing this evening, which almost caused me to truly laugh out loud, was this shot where a host discovers a rat in this nasty, messy bank repo property. Now, don’t get me wrong, many of these houses have rats. When I was working for a real estate company selling bank owned properties, we had many. However, the rats were never, EVER a pristine white. Nor were they demure, like the one in the ad. The ones I’ve seen would hiss and snarl at you, and quite possibly chase you.
Anyway, that’s just my experience ruining the suspension of disbelieve. Don’t let that stop you from enjoying the shows. Just now that those shows aren’t, well, “exactly” realistic. So, having a team of folks who knows what they’re doing might be a worthwhile investment.
Seattle’s “Network After Work” Event on Wednesday, March 22
Hey Seattle-based chums,
Any of you planning on attending “Network After Work Seattle at Amber“? It’s Wednesday evening right by Pike Place Market.
For me, driving to downtown mid-week/evenings is a bit of a pain. Back when I worked at Starbucks it was easy (it’s only a few minutes north, and, ostensibly, on my way home). Even when I was at Microsoft, heading into downtown was pretty straightforward. Marysville, though…well, with traffic, construction and all the other events in my life make these sorts of things challenging.
So, let me know if any of you are planning on going, or even just thinking of going.
A perfect quote for a #rainy #Seattle day
Life is not about how you survive the storm; it’s about how you dance in the rain.
A week of challenge, growth and development
An interesting week. Much excitement, accompanied, as that often is, by aggravation. My team is moving at a frantic pace. In such circumstances, things get lost in the blizzard. Which frustrates me more than anything. I can deal with most annoyances with grace and patience. Except when the causality is mine. My tolerance is slim towards myself. Strange phenomena, that. I’ve read how compassion towards oneself is the critical first step in developing compassion towards. I seem to be in reverse. As I’m want to do.
Next month I’ll be taking classes again, bringing my autocad skills into the 21st century. I took autocad back in the mid-90s (DOS based, I should add), used it on a handful of projects, with the last of those ending in the late 90s. From that point forward I used Visio for that sort of work. Mostly just laying out office space, mapping outlets and network jacks, that sort of fun.
I’m actually quite delighted to get this update, build this knowledge. Construction has been great fun, even with the challenges. Looking forward to continuing onwards.
There’s a great alignment of my interests within this industry. My time at Starbucks working on environmental issues, as well as accessibility, plenty of opportunity for that here. Studying Seattle and the region’s culture has a place, too. Plus the things I liked most about real estate have a place. Very pleasing, indeed.
It is interesting that, at 50, I feel like I’m new, freshly learning. I’m blending refreshing old skills and knowledge with the new. Part of what drives that feeling of newness: the mistakes. Fortunately, I’m in a place where real risk taking is encouraged. “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not pushing yourself enough.” As I embrace that, let it pull me forward, there’s positive changes coming forth. I like the way things are moving, the direction I’m growing.
I can’t think of a better life than that.
A Friday #Haiku from #Edmonds
This morning’s calmness
I always feel at peace here
The presence of home
I hope your Friday or productive and effective.