Deja Snow!

The snow is falling fast and furious right now.

Tom didn't even attempt to drive home from work tonight. Instead, he left his truck in the parking lot and just started walking home -- about a 7 mile trek! And that's where he is as I write this. I expect him home in maybe an hour or two -- and he'll probably be freezing cold because, as far as I remember, he was wearing only a fleece vest over his work shirt!

The Pacific Northwest has just been battered this winter like never before! Between the ice storm in late November, the wind storm in December, and now this in January, one can hardly argue that global warming is having an impact! Usually Seattlites are thrilled by that one fun nowstorm per year -- school is cancelled, kids go sledding, and everyone's happy. But this winter things are very different. It seems that we're just constantly being pummeled by the weather!

So I'm off to pack for California, where the weather is unfortunately not sunny and glorious... but not snowy and freezing cold, either. Let's just hope I actually arrive tomorrow and don't encounter another airline/airport fiasco!

A Biz Trip -- I Actually Missed Those!

I'm headed to the California Bay Area tomorrow morning for what I'm sure will be the first of many business trips to come in this new position. Fortunately, I like to travel... airport hassles aside. I have a feeling that the biggest hassle will be getting to SeaTac airport, since it's been snowing here and a freeze is forecast for tonight. Fortunately, I'm leaving that driving to Shuttle Express!

My schedule on Friday is jam-packed with meetings, from early morning till late afternoon, and I have a feeling I'll be exhausted when I'm done. I've definitely been going through a major case of information overload in the last two weeks!

On Saturday, I'll get to play with my three adorable nieces and visit with my brother and sister-in-law, who will be seeing more of me in the future, since they live just a stones throw from the company's headquarters! You KNOW I'll be posting pictures of and writing about adventures with these hilarious girls, ages 9, 7 and 4.

What Not to Wear: Home Edition!

Elisabeth dove into Tom's closet in disgust last night, ruthlessly tossing/throwing/verbally shredding many of his favorite articles of clothing that he's had for the past twenty or so years. Overheard during this process:

• "The universe goes on forever and comes out the other end. That's how bad this shirt is, Dad. It's so bad that it's almost becoming cool again!"
• "Dad, this jacket has a strap that you actually tighten around your waist. Women did that in the 80's! Give it to some nice, deserving woman!"
  
• "This one has got to go. Little kids who carry lunchboxes with Fruit Snacks in them wear Lands' End!"
  
• "It's not just 80's woman, it's pregnant 80's woman! Get it out of here!"
• "It's flannel. Remember, we talked about flannel."
• So what if it's a London Fog! If you're in London, in the fog, maybe you can wear it then. Probably not."

Lest you think my closet escaped her ruthless scrutiny:

• "Don't you feel like a pedophile, Dad? You married a woman with THIS in her closet!"
• "Do you have a jumper to go with this blouse? A pink lunchbox? Hair ribbons?"
• "Dad, take Mom on a safari. She has the perfect wardrobe for getting lost in an African jungle!"

It was traumatic! So cruel! But our closets are significantly emptier now. And these five big, full bags are headed for the Goodwill... and I to the MALL! :-)

So... this new job

So you're wondering what, specifically, I'm doing in this new job, eh? (OK, maybe you're not!) I can't divulge specific details, but I can tell you that my staff (yup -- I'm still reviewing resumes) and I will be responsible for creating "something" for the Gates Foundation that will support education reform in high schools across America. With nearly half of all African-American and Latino ninth graders dropping out of school these days, the need for education reform became obvious and the Gates Foundation hired the company I now work for to make an impact in one area of education reform -- high school reform.

As a document released by the Gates Foundation attests, the impact of a stronger educational foundation is "larger than securing economic and civic health; by building upon young people's intellectual assets and critical thinking skills, we can significantly reduce their risk for violence, drug abuse, unintended pregnancy and HIV/AIDS, which has reached a state of emergency among under0served populations."

Obviously, my day-to-day responsibilities don't address the specific health concerns listed above (though my work with my previous employer did), and my current focus is only on education reform. But I'm hopeful that I am, in some small way, making a difference. I don't think I could ever again work in a job in which I don't do something that makes a difference -- which my recent stint at Microsoft proved!

(The interview for this job was referred to in this post.)

The Sound/Memory Connection

We always hear about the connection between smell and memory -- with the classic example being the smell of paste and the memory of wetting one's pants in first grade -- but I just had the most intense SOUND memory connection!

Mom loved nuts, especially almonds and hazelnuts, and any chance she'd get she'd sit at the kitchen table and crack nut after nut. The sequence of sounds was completely predictable: rustling through the bowl for the right nut, cracking the nut with one solid CRACK, placing the nutcracker on the table, digging the meat of the nut out of the shell, and chewing the crunchy reward... to be repeated over and over again, providing a steady cadence to conversation or background music (always classical), or sometimes as a solo.

As Tom came into the kitchen while I was cracking a nut, I asked him if the sound reminded him of my mother. "Nope," he said, "It reminds me of cracking nuts for Christmas cookies with my mother." And then he recited a memory of his mother that for him must be as vivid as my own memories of my mother.

Interesting stuff, that sensory-memory connection!

(Side note: The bowl in the photo is the result of my one and only attempt at glassblowing!)

My LEAST Favorite Part of the Holidays

...is this part -- cleaning up and putting away.

In the same way that bringing out the boxes and gleefully unwrapping each item in December feels so joyous and hopeful, breaking it all down, wrapping it all up, and shoving it all back into the dark closet in January feels so sad and disheartening.

Seattle is wonderful, and in August there's no place on earth like our Emerald City. Even after 15 years, I can't get over how the summer air smells like camping in the Pacific Northwest. It's glorious! And the spring months in Seattle have their own charm -- teasing, hopeful, ever-changing. But the dead-of-winter months -- January until March --can be excruciating around here. And this year, with all its bizarre weather, seems to be especially so. The cold, the wind and the rain are relentless and cruel, and those who are prone to S.A.D. (seasonal affective disorder -- a real diagnosis!) suffer horribly during those months.

I always picture a chapter from Little House on the Prairie, in which Laura Ingalls and her family just sit in their dark little cabin as the wind whirls and the snow piles up outside... waiting, waiting, waiting for any sign that spring is around the corner.

So today, in between the incessant work tasks (I don't expect that to let up until at least July), I'll methodically put all our holiday joy into dark, cold boxes and move them into that dank, hidden space under the steps to wait out another year. And, as I do every year as I put that last box away, I'll say a little prayer (well, as close to a prayer as I ever get) that our family will again be healthy and happy when we bring the holiday boxes out again next year.

If I See One More Resume Today...

...I'll scream!!

I have to hire at least eight positions in the next few weeks and, although some resumes are truly impressive, I have yet to understand why a self-proclaimed "mountain man" would include his wife's name and her age, as well as his kids' accomplishments, in his resume, which he submitted in pursuit of an IT position! Or why a bank loan officer, who has NO content experience whatsoever would apply for a Project Liaison/Content Development position!

On the other end of the spectrum, why would someone with a Masters degree in Information Technology, a high school teaching credential, and a Microsoft Development Certification apply for what's basically a secretarial position?

I've learned more about what constitutes a good resume in the past day than I ever learned on the OTHER side of the process, as a job-seeking applicant! (I've done this hiring gig before, so why do I always forget what it's like to pore over stacks and stacks of resumes?!)

Tomorrow morning we'll have our first big meeting at the Gates Foundation to meet all their key education players. Truly, I'm so excited about it! When I accepted the job, my boss warned me that we'd "hit the ground running." He wasn't kidding! I've worked pretty much non-stop since the minute I walked into that coffee house on Tuesday! But I absolutely love the job, the responsibility, the mission, the product and the people.

What more could I ask?

My New Office

We took a field trip today to our new downtown(ish) office digs. This is the view from my office:

And in the other direction (the beautiful new Gates Foundation complex -- to be finished in '09 or '10! -- will be in the foreground):

Unfortunately, I have massive amounts of work to do before tomorrow. I promise to post more substance this weekend (while Tom and Peter remove the tree from the hot tub!).