Weekend visitors

This weekend we have had visitors. My parents have come to spend the weekend with us.



Fall in New York. This is my parents in battery park.



We had a great time walking along the walkway and just chatting.
We were on our way to the Statue of Liberty. We took a ferry.








The statue of Liberty is an interesting thing. It was one of the tallest structures and and engineering marvel at the time it was built but since then much more sophisticated buildings have been built. But the thing that is unique is tht it was a gift from the French to the Americans. There was love then. It seems a shame that when this now relatively small structure, with "old skool" engineering, stands for freedom, but sometimes it seems we're locked in hate so much of the time.

We also visited Ellis Island. My mom loved it. I liked it because of the building. it was old and big and quite empty but that was it's uniqueness in this "starving for space" city of New York.

Happy Halloween

what a good trip

We just got back from a fun 4 days away from NY. I was getting some training Wed,Thurs,Fri, and then we played in Boston on Sat. Minna and I just had a good time. I spent most of my time in Providence Rhode Island (my first time to the smallest state in the nation) while I was getting trained by a true New Englander... When we talked about "data" he said "datar", and "source" was pronounced "sauce". "Alpha" is pronounced "Alphar" I learned alot. Minna spent her days in Boston visiting her friend Julie.
Providence is a pretty cool town, filled with people and students. We visited the campus of RISD, what does that mean?... well it took us a while to figure out. so we finally asked someone. We decided that it could have been but wasn't Rhode Island Sick Dogs. Minna guessed the D stood for ducks, but in reality the SD or RISD stands for School of Design. Which reminds me of the design of the womens bathroom. They designed the toilets so that when one was sitting upon the porcelin you were sitting at the sink, and were able to wash one's hands at the same time. It's true I'm not fibbing. Perhaps it was an efficiency design... but I dont' know we didn't exactly ask.

this morning

This morning was kind of funny... well, it was funny once we got home. Minna woke up with a terrible neck kink. I called a Chiropractor and walked just a few blocks to the closest one. Minna nearly lost her lunch due to the pain of his examination, but he did some ultrasound therapy and she felt better. The funny part is that he sold us a neck brace. It is such a silly device, but it works. I love you Minna.



I'm still convinced, from my past few expriences with a Chiropractor, that they are salesmen, like a medicine man of old that would go from town to town giving samples of tonic to people and when they feel better they buy. Not that what he is giving was fake but as a salesman was keen, like a lawyer, of what to say to give so much credit to the product. Well, our Chiropractor gave us samples of "BioFreeze", a Bengay type product which, if we like it, we can purchase in no stores, but is only sold in doctors offices... which is true but I found some easily on the web: here Well salesman or not this man that Minna saw was helpful and was a blessing, but I don't think I'm going to buy stuff from him. oops we already did, Minna is wearing it.

The arrival

I haven't been able to post to my website for a while (due to not have the right permissions), otherwise I would have posted more about our drive from Salt Lake to New York in a 24 foot Truck. We loaded it up in Seattle, with Caleb's stuff in the back half of the truck. He drove it to Salt Lake and we flew out to meet him there. His stuff was unloaded and we were off across the country.

In about three and a half days we arrived in Rego Park NY. Passing through all the states in between. We stayed the first night in North Platte Nebraska, in a hotel but the next night we spent somewhere in Illinois at a reststop. We pulled out some of the padding for the furniture and a feather sack we pulled a blanket over the top of us and we went to bed. In the dark were stacks of boxes piled up behind us that we couldn't see and furniture shuffled to the side so that we had room to lay on the floor. The sounds of the night were large trucks as they exited I-80. The thin walls of our truck didn't offer too much shelter from the noise but we slept well enough to make it to Eastern Penn. where we stopped more because of the terrible rain than because of tiredness. Again we slept in the back of the truck, lulled away into slumber by the nearest diesel truck slowly chugging in it's parking spot. Minna said that she was so comfortable that night that she didn't want to get out of bed. But we did. We drove through New Jersey and on through Manhattan and Queens via the tunnel 34th street, tunnel. Thankfully some people from our Branch helped us unload. It would have been an all day job for us without their help... we are very grateful. We are officially living in New York City.

We really live here. It was always beyond me that we would ever have this opportunity. I walk out the door of our apartment down the stairs and skateboard down the street and up Austin street turning towards Queens Boulevard to catch the E train avoiding the strange looks people cast, bewildered by such a long skateboard. Coming out of the subway I walk straight into my building across the dark marble floor past the security guard, into the elevators. I get off on the 3rd Floor walk down the hall and through a door way. Here are my co-workers. I walk around a few cubicles and arrive next to the wall where a cube has my name on it and I sit down, in New York.

Alone

Here I am at work. There is no one here. well I can here people out in the hall every once in a while. but nobody is in my office. It's kind of nice just to have the whole place to myself. I just went with minna to the airport. She's flying to Salt Lake tonight to hang out and decorate her brother's house. So I'm alone for a few more days. It won't be so bad since I'm going out of town myself, on an office retreat sort of thing. but I'm with minna so much of the time that it will be quite strange. Tonight it was really fun to hang out with her at the airport before she left. She really is just beautiful. I'll miss her.

Traveling

We go through life traveling, we moved around everyday it ages us, we gain or loose heath by our daily journeys. Life is a journey. Even if we don't think we are moving, we are. Things are always changing. For example if you live in a home and then move out and then have the opportunity to visit the same home again it's the exact same home and it may look the same but yet it doesn't seem the same, even if it looks the same. Two days ago we arrived in Seattle and drove away from the curb on our journey toward Lake Stevens. We pulled around the way and headed toward the freeway, my wife's father passed this same stretch circling maybe five or six times before he picked us up. Many cars passed this way accumulating thousands of laps every day. I'm suprised that the smog around the airport is not more donut shaped. They should create an automobile race at the airport called the Airport 500. Here the ground is trodden and anything there upon. As we drove away from the airport passing white lines, a car floor-mat half fliped over by passing cars we discussed the flight and flying's usualities.

Yesterday we drove back to the airport picking up my wife's mother having who had been in Utah for the week. Minna dropped me off and circled while I went to the bathroom. Her mother would not arrive for a few more minutes. I came back and took the wheel while she went in to use the facilities. I eased onto the gas pedal to begin my slow circling and add my treads to the unofficial airport 500 race. I rounded the first bend curious about the interesting airport architechture, keeping my eye on the road began the turn back toward the curb passing a car floor mat, the same mat I'd seen the night before but a hundred yards further down the road. It was now at the fork where the road splits to head toward the freeway or back toward the exit. It seemed like the mat had traveled the distance on its own, 100 yards in almost 24 hours. It was the same mat I had seen the night before yet different having moved along on its path it had progressed in its journey unnoticed by passers by. I would say that 100 yards for a car mat is quite a distance (on its own). What a journey. We picked up Minna's mother and I tried to snap a photo of the mat. The photo didn't turn out but I have the memory. This week Minna's brother is getting married. I'll be going back and forth many times to the airport this week picking up relatives. I may see the same mat again perhaps a little further on its journey. I'll try again for a picture but it won't be the same.

Dental Convention

Smart Irony, this place was full of it.

This past weekend my friend Weston came to town, it was good to catch up.

He works for a company that makes money on one of the most hated ways to spend money by one of the most hated professionals. The company is called Wykle Research. This company makes amalgams. An amalgam is what is used to fill the cavity in your tooth. There were two observations to me that were interesting when I visited Weston at this dental convention. Before I make these observations I would like to note that the majority of the dentists were male while I never did spot a male hygenist (everone wears tags telling their position).

1 - the many isles of booths were filled with hundreds of people, milling about, who make their living by sticking their fingers into other people mouths. As I passed one vendor selling rubber gloves I thought, "if there is any company that would make any money at this convention it would be this company," that company and the three booths that were selling jewelry to the hundreds of hygenists, these people are smart.

2 - many of the vendors selling products to these professionals were handing out candy.

And so to all the companys at the convention, who know a whole lot about job security, Wykle Research says, "Thank you"

weekend trip

Once upon a time there were two people who liked to do very fun things. So one weekend they decided to go camping in Winthrop, Washington.

The two set out on their trip late on a Friday night just in time to experience the Cascade Mountains by sunset. They arrived at their campsite and put a soft memory foam mattress down right next to the car and fell asleep looking at the stars and listening to the river. What a wonderful drive it had been. The next morning was started with unsuccessful pancakes and tastey turkey jerky, while observing a hot air balloon above. Winthrop was a funny little town designed to look like it was directliy out of an old western. The fun loving people hitched their Honda to a post and looked at all the shops, entering a select few before driving toward home. The road meandered around rocks and trees and snaked through steep hills around Diablo Lake, a very green lake.

The two fun loving people decided the lake was a perfect destination for next years saint patricks day. The views and weather were top notch as the couple wiped sweat from their faces. It was so hot but why wasn't anyone in the lake. Was it contaminated with unusual toxicness that made it green? was it really shallow? was it really hot water. The answer came as Dan dipped his feet in the water and immediately became numb. At first it shocked his toes and immediately it cooled his internal temperature, then promptly began to sting his skin. The water was very, very cold.

As the afternoon wore on the two thrill seekers found themselved once again on I-5 headed for home, having successfully visting Winthrop, Washington and finding out why no one was swimming in Diablo.

end of the road

Well, we found it. Minna and I did, the end of the road. We went on a fabulous drive on one of the more fun packed saturdays that we've ever had. We drove past Granite Falls and Verlot on this a winding road along side a river. The road was packed with trail heads along the sides and some hikers here and there. The pavement ended and we kept going on the gravel that kicked up the dry dust onto the freshly washed car. Oh well it is worth it to wash the car again to see where this road goes. Finally we drove up to a concrete blocker and a "road end" sign. We found it. We hiked a bit on the road and we saw this collection of jumbled rocks and fallen trees that had been over grown by moss, softening the trees to a rotted wonder. I walked up from the road, stepping on the soft jumbled hillside. It felt like there was something underneath, like there was a hidden world of gnomes and hobbits hidding underneath all of it. I was just making flip-flop prints in their ceilings.

Minna took this awesome picture.

The rest of the day consisted of a picnic lunch and driving to a golf course to hit on the range for a bit. It was Minna's first time. She is quite athletic and did a fabulous job of swinging. If she practices a little more I'm dead meat in a round of 9 with her.

swim

tonight I went swimming. by my self. it was amazing. swimming at night has it's amazing qualities. it is first of all, still... the water is picturesque and black. reflecting any lights from yonder near perfect. you can't see anything underwater but close to the shore... where you realized how clear it really is... even in the dark you can see your feet stepping through the water as rises past the belly. the water is cool but not so cold it's unbearable. its just waking temperature. and my body feels alive slipping into the unknown. all I feel is water no ground. I am deeper, I don't know what's below me. but controlling the fear is good practice. I move the water past me and slip away from the shore. it becomes distant and so does everything else. The stars close in and viewing them at night while swimming in the lake rivals that of hearing the silence that falling snow brings to a hillside. further from shore the slightest water movement is very loud, the next state could hear these micro splashes it if they were awake. My own foot surfacing surprises me. I'm out pretty far. it's quite thrilling to think of how deep the water could be. i look around nobody, nothing seems to care I'm there. it's a good thing. the lake though is just as thrilled in it's quiet excitement that I'm learning again how great the stars are from the middle. I tread for a bit, taking in everything, heading back to the shore I'm swimming and focused on the floating buoy I went under when I crossed the swim boundry, and beyond that much further I see the shore. eventually I'll get there again.. I'll just feel the water's quietness for now.

late one night

The other night Minna and I were just crazy right around 10:15 just as we passed a theater. Feeling crazy and a little like celebrating (we were just at a friends wedding reception). We stopped in on a tuesday night and bought tickets to the movie Dodgeball. We were feeling so crazy and spontaneous we even spent money on popcorn and a sprite. I don't think I've ever done that in my entire life. We went into the theater about 30 minutes early and waited around long enough to do a dance and take a picture. No body was there. We were the only people in the theater until about 5 minutes before it started.

It was a spontaneous.

invited back

I've been invited back to New York. This company called JetBlue seems to like me enough to ask me more questions this coming wednesday. Last monday Laura from JetBlue called and I returned her call the same day but seemingly too late for she did not answer her phone. The next morning we talked and I was asked to come back to New York to speak with the department manager Steve. But the best part about this whole thing is that Laura called back and left a message inviting Minna to come along for the trip, if she was available. Of course Minna was down for that! The message also said that she could give Minna a tour and meet some of the people there while I was in my interview. So NICE! who knows what this could mean but the possibility of Minna and I going to New York is so fabulous! We know its expensive rent, that's all anyone says about living in New York. It would be kind of nice to hear about the other nice things that New York has to offer. Were this exciting opportunity to come we would be able to see so many cool things an have so many new adventures. We are amazed at howt this could change our lives.

naming things

I like to make lists of things. I keep a couple of lists of what I would name something. For example names for pets. Minna and I were talking about things we don't like to say, and we thought that if we had pets with names that are words we don't want to say then we would find ourselves saying these words less. Our list consits of 'like' 'dude' 'sooo' and 'ya-know'

If we had a dog named Like and a Cat named Dude we'd probably say those words alot less in our everyday word useage because we would be more aware of it. Think of it... "heeeere Dude"...or ... "sit Like, sit."

We were talking today about trying to improve our fake sneezing ability. And decided to ad the name "Repeated Sneezes" to the list of names for a band.


This picture is very old of my holding Sophia's kitten. My friend Brian is doing dishes I believe. We're at Sophia's house.

I believe names are important for things that don't have much value monetarily but are important like pets. I have not named my computer but i've named my harddrive. because my harddrive is valuable but not worth much. My computer well... I paid a lot for it so I've never named it. but harddrives must be named. I've never named any of my own cars. My car seems a part of me, and extension, and naming one's self is a bit wierd. But in talking to my friend Karl the other day I was thinking of his car 'The Blue Banshee" and wondered if he has replaced it.

Nicknames must be given by other people. There was a trend in the recent years here in seattle amongst friends to have you house named. I lived in the Ranch House. named by a visitor. I remember a house full of girls. One girl wanted to name it the "Star house" I never thought it would stick, it didn't. I remember another girls house. They had two girls named holly living there and it became the hollie-holly house. and that name stuck well, and they never liked the name.

I just can't wait for a band to come out named "Repeated Sneezes". I'll claim the thought first, but you just wait.... they'll be a band with that name in the future...

a lazy friday

Minna had friday afternoon off this week. So I took her to the Columbia Tower for lunch. We packed PB and J. Drove to downtown Seattle and paid our $5 to get on to the observation deck.






It was so lazy. We just walked around. It was so high we could actually feel the building move just a bit. One plaque said that the wind force on the building is 16 million pounds or something. It didn't actually feel like the building was moving, everyonce in a while you felt like you were dizzy for just a second.

See the video of our excursion.

the story

This is the story of my trip to New York for my JetBlue intervew. This was an email sent to my family and friends.
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Thank you everyone for your prayers I really think they helped. I felt so comfortable and confident about my interview, I was truely blessed with energy and confidence.

Ok, so I was scheduled for a 11:59 pm flight out of Seattle. I knew I wouldn't get too much sleep on the plane so I took a nap that afternoon for about 2 hours. this would come in handy over the next 36 hours. Flying on JetBlue's famous airplanes with a TV for each seat was pretty cool. except most channels dish out infomercials after midnight. they don't serve meals but they load you up on snacks. I had two small orange juices (which would later haunt me) and a cookie. I watched an infomercial made by pontiac. It was a "documentary" on making a car chase. but they highlighted Pontiac's new sports sedans. one of the coolest ideas for an infomercial I've ever seen. about 30 minutes before we landed at 8:10 NY time I fell asleep. I woke up at landing. Jet Blue has dominated JFK airport they have most of one terminal. and it's all "jetblue-ed" out. but the cool thing was we didn't taxi very long. (we taxied for hours when we flew to Boston) and I got a taxi right outside of where I changed into my interview clothes. Minna taught me a cool trick of spraying your clothes with water (just a bit) then giving your shirt two hard shakes. nicely done. I had fresh clothes. The taxi ride was about $16 and the office it was only about 3 miles away. the driver stopped in front of an unassuming tall building with nothing but an address. I walked in and there was a big glowing jet blue sign on the wall. and the wall had a familiar two tone blue stripe. I signed in at the front desk and went to the 6th floor. I met a few other people getting interviews and we talked for a bit. I ate my energy bar. I met two very nice ladies I had talked to on the phone. Laura and Tanarra. We found an empty conference room and I was interviewed. I think I had some tough questions. like how do you deal with negativity and I told of my bike shop experience. they asked about priority of tasks when there is pressure. I was able to make them laugh a few times. I was taken on a tour of the building and peaked in where there was the annual stock holders meetings. I saw david neeleman. up in the front speaking. I was shown other things. They have a big huge simulator and they have training for tons of their new flight attendants. which includes a full size airplane cabin (but it's only about 10 rows long) they take up most of the 6 floors. There are a few offices that aren't theirs but they will probably be aquiring those. It was nearly lunch time Laura and Tanarra exited the room for a moment and Tanarra came back and asked if I would like to take a drug test, just to get it out of the way. yep. so I met one of the nicest people who assigned me my cup and showed me the bathroom. I was a bit astonished when she didn't hesitate as I gave the cup to her, pouring my warm specimen into another test tube and sealing it, like some crazy chemist mixing a special concoction for lunch. I met tanarra again and she and leslie wanted lunch, but first I met with the big wig of JetBlue University, he was full of energy and wanted 0 nonsense. I felt he had just a bit of ego, but he was a fighter pilot, and a trainer at top gun, I returned his energy as he gave it out and asked where I would like to be in 5 years. "family, home moved up in Jet Blue" 10 years? "i'll have your job" He smiled and said only a few have said that. he was the numbers guy signing the checks to spend lots of money. I met tanarra again and we all walked across the street and JetBlue bought my second ever meal. I had a BLT. Lunch was much more casual and I asked them questions about how they've used their flight benefits etc, tannara had just taken a red eye that night as well and everyone was very tired. Afterward tanarra showed me how to get to central park using the subway and gave me a map. I was happily on my own again. The whole morning was spent with JetBlue and mostly with tanarra. I felt comfortable, I felt positive and I felt like they liked me and already knew they wanted to ask me back but just weren't going to say anything yet because they still have to interview a few other people. Over lunch tanarra admited that there were probably going to be 2-3 people hired in this area. Then as I was leaving I thanked her very much and hoped I'd see her again. She gave me a pat on the shoulder and said "i'm sure we'll see you around" it was like a hint, an assurance. I really believe I'll be back in NY for another interview. I was now on my own in the biggest city I've ever been in.

I took the F train but I was supposed to take the E train. some nice philipino lady was more than helpful. she repeated many times which I'm sure was because of my glazed eyes and blank expression. I was running on adrenaline at JetBlue but I had run out. I got off. got on another train. The subway is ugly. Boston's subway is so much nicer. This subway feels dirty, cramped and old. I found my way to Central park.



This place was huge. everything seems big in NY. Central Park seemed like a national park. It wasn't too busy or anything but it was really nice. This was the number one factor in thinking that i would still like to move to NY. I called minna and called another friend ryan. I took some pictures. but really I just wanted to sleep. but I can't do that on my free trip to NY. I explored the Park. It was so nice and big. sometimes it just doesn't feel like you are in the city when you are in the park. it was quiet, not too many people and it was just beautiful. I went into a very expensive department store and saw an really ugly purse for 1,379 dollars. holy cow that is so gross. I found the bathroom and I changed back into my jeans. I went to time square and then made my way back to the airport. I'm running on only 3 or so hours of sleep since i had woke up the day before. I didn't want to walk around any more I didn't want to fly I didn't wan to do anything but sleep. I got on the plane and was asleep before we took off. I slept maybe and hour and woke up feeling better. Yes I was still tired but I didn't feel like I would fall right back asleep so I watched TV until we landed. It was so good to see minna. but she had some bad news we were locked out of the house. we tried to break in but it was no use the Malloys have high quality windows and they lock well. we slept at rachel's house. I fell asleep at maybe 2 am. having had maybe 5 hours of sleep in the last 45 hours.

Random Rambling

Some cool things that are going on my my life right now:

My Marriage. I've only been married for 10 months now and it really is nice. Everyday I feel closer to my wife. I feel like we are growing in massive amounts (not physically) but in all other ways. I feel like I've been shown all of my shortcomings and here in my marriage I'm allowed to work on them, AND after finding all these out my wife still loves me.

Fantasy golf. This is really cool. My male family members are golfing on Yahoo Golf. We don't exactly email all the time so it's kinda cool to have this place that we all meet and have a little competition.

Job. I'm looking for a job. I have no job, but my business is doing better than it ever has. (Duster Books) I'm selling lots of books and spending alot of time making them. I'm quite enjoying it actually. But I've applied for a position at JetBlue and they flew me out for an interview. I'm now waiting for a call back... OK I should really tell the whole story...

Once upon a time there was a boy named Dan who had gotten a whole bunch of education and really like to use computers and make movies and websites. He had a few jobs making these types of things but none paid very well and now that he had a master's degree he felt like he should have a real career and a real career-like paycheck. So he applied to many many jobs. Most of them were on the internet. No, all of them were on the internet. This didn't seem to be the best way to get the attention of recruiters so he decieded that he needed to take extreme measures. He had heard of a man who did the same thing and it landed him a job at the software giant Microsoft. "What a good idea" Dan thought the first time he had heard of this idea. He thought it was the coolest thing but he didn't have a company in mind worth trying this idea on... Until one day while he was in Boston and his good friend Tadd (his website) told him about this CEO of an airline who was sooo totally awesome that he would go on the airplanes and serve the passengers their peanuts (even as a CEO). Dan got home to Seattle and looked up all sorts of articles about this company and it's CEO. Dan decided that this was the company that he liked the most and would like to try some extreme measures to get a job there. The CEO's name is David Neeleman. So Dan decided to make a website that would attract enough attention that the CEO David Neeleman would want to hire him. Please see the website: DavidNeelemanPleaseHireMe.com and then come back here (oh, don't forget to compare it to jetblue.com).

Well the story goes that Dan made a few comments on their "Customer Care" website about "how cool" their company was and that he had made a "fan" website. Well eventually a woman called from JetBlue and told him that his qualifications didn't meet the minimums for the position that he applied for but that there was another position that would fit his skills. She gave him the number to some other hiring people there in JetBlue. So he ended up talking to 4 people before he had a little pre-interview. A woman named Jenny from JetBlue was going to be there in seattle and met him for lunch... At first he thought that this was going to be his first interview of 3 or so. Well it's looking more like it was the interview to make sure Dan wasn't crazy having made the wierd website and all. Well he was invited into the Corp. HQ for an interview. How exciting. These extreme measures were working!! He thought the interview went well, and they asked for some of his urine in a cup. With that taken care of JetBlue then paid for his lunch as he ate with two of the women he would be working with were he to get the job. Farewell was said, and Dan was on his own in New York, until his flight back to Seattle. He got home and sent the background check they gave him to fill out... The story is yet to be finished... They did say that the website did attract alot of attention from the people there at JetBlue. as a matter of fact the biggest attention getter was the video posted on the website "Like My Dad". Everyone watched it and they all wondered what he would look like.... ha. He has yet to post a picture of his dad on there. The mystery remains as to whether or not Mr. David Neeleman himself has acutally seen the website. Dan thinks he has.

Crazy exciting huh? I'll post the email I sent to friends and family later.

other things going on.

House sitting. Minna and I are living in this totally awesomely free house... at least until we move to NY or until the owners come home. The home belongs to the Molloys. They are retired, and now professional RV-ers. Now in Minnesota somewhere visiting grandkids we have full rein of their house... well sorta. We just use the upstairs. There's a pool table and a telephone. What else more could you use. Oh a bathroom. yep that's here too.

Going to Reno. Next week Minna and I will off to Reno to visit my family. Everyone will be there and we're gonna have so much fun there.

First One

This is my very first ever blog, for all to see. I might as well write something... important. How about an abstract (it's not supposed to make sense):

I was walking fine but I couldn't run. That's the problem with muscles. They like to work. Mine was working so hard, as I began to enjoy the concrete. I stepped more and more and stepping helped. I once time saw the house that kids were throwing stuff at Minna, thence time they missed. Home was nice. A ways away, I saw the single car and supposed the driver said, "sure I'll go, meet me here". Poor van nobody likes it. Poor busstop it's so far away. I saw a dog I should've known but the walker said, "we live by the park" I said "nice". My stomach felt better and I stepped more slower.

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I went running today, but I'm sooooo out of shape.