Sophia Goes To Work

Sophia became a working girl this week! She went to work with me on Thursday, the 4th day of my new job as a housing consultant. (The third day I did field research and worked at home - how cool is that??)

Sophia goes to work on day 4 of my new job! 

Wendy and Sophia as the sun sets off Alki Point. 

The sunset light plays among the waves and sand (Alki Point) 

Along Alki. 

Our stroll along Alki Beach let us see many plants in various states of bloom or seed. 

My new desk at Lane and Associates. 

Fly like an Eagle...to the sea

It's exciting times for me as a transition from my marketing job at Eagle Home Mortgage (a part-time dream job when I first landed it two and a half years ago) to self-employed Housing Consultant Extraordinnaire for Lane and Associates. Don't bother googling it - they don't have a web site or anything like that, altho that may change soon now that I will be there and also have access to Stephen (who could design one for her). See My Full Profile for how this new opportunity fell in my lap...

I don't know a whole lot yet about the many things I will be doing. I do know I have to get my real estate license again, which I never dreamed I would find myself doing. But since I have done it before I am not too worried about it, and am quite excited that I can do all of my clock hours from home or office via the internet (no need to hole up in a real estate office somewhere). I need to have my real estate license since part of my job will be as a relocation agent for Port of Seattle clients (Lane and Associates assists Port staff in relocating families suffering from too much plane noise around the airport). I also know I will be learning how to handle massive files for little land purchases from civil improvement projects. Case in point: City of Newcastle has engaged Lane and Associates to manage the purchase of all the little bits of privately held property along Coal Creek Parkway so a road-widening project can take place. I'll be representing the City's interests and managing the land purchases from individual homeowners living along this street. That's all I know so far. And that a similar project in Enumclaw is already on the calendar for 2007.

I do know that attire is mostly casual, altho that is hard for me to do much of the time, so I will try to find a compromise in my wardrobe so the other consultants don't feel uncomfortable. Linda Lane, the owner, already has three other consultants working for her on various projects and at different locations. Some of my time will be at the Port of Seattle (Seatac Airport), but much of my time will be at her small office in Renton. I cut my commuter distance from 36 miles RT to 20, and by driving south I will rarely if ever have to contend with traffic, taken my 60-90 minute daily commute time down to 30. But the biggest boon to my new gig? I get to bring Sophia to work. Now THAT is a dream job. I didn't think I would find something like this, but here I am. I won't take her every day, but if I know I am going to be there with files all day, she will be a great way to break up the monotony and also get some exercise. Especially during the winter!! It's impossible to walk in the dark in my neighborhood in the winter (very few streetlights). I will be able to maintain my bond with Sophia and also keep up our exercise.

The biggest coup of all is that I will still be writing the monthly Eagle Home News on a freelance basis. I have 6 agents signed up - and some other schlep to stuff all those envelopes. Huzzah!!

Oh, and I will be creating a new newsletter for Pacific Coast Mortgage, located in the office next door to Lane and Associates. Of course I intend for all the material to be the same in all of them each month, maximizing my earnings against my time spent on the effort. Now that's smart thinking!

Wish me luck!

IGGY Ambassadors Fun Run

Steve finally came to one of the IGGY Ambassadors monthly meetups at Great Dog Daycare in Northgate (the 4th Saturday of every month). I have organized several special IG-exclusive events this summer. The Great Dog "fun run" happens year-round, especially important in Seattle because of our rainy weather and the iggy's tendency to not like rain all that much!

You can find out more about our playgroup, IG rescue, and see photos from other events (including the big picnic at our house at the beginning of June!) by visiting http://itgreyhound.meetup.com/145/

outandabout : the dog park

Sophia momentarily "owns" the small & shy dog area at Sand Point-Magnuson dog park. We visited midday on Thursday and there was no one about (very unusual). I took the opportunity to walk with her off-leash out in the large dog park, but it was clear she was nervous when other dog groups passed us in either direction. I finally ended up putting her on the leash and forcing her to walk next to me properly instead of slinking along in the bushes hoping no one would notice her.

It was my first day after leaving my job at Eagle Home Mortgage and what did we do? Go to Eagle so Sophia could meet all my now-former colleagues.

outandabout : Harbor Avenue (West Seattle waterfront)

Very interesting birds (and bird nests) seen from the dock walk at Jack Block Waterfront Park. Not sure what they were, but they sounded really neat. It was quite windy out there, which Sophia didn't care for much.

Visiting Friends

Sophia sinks into the luxurious papa-san chair at Colette's house. Colette made a wonderful dinner to celebrate Steve's birthday weekend. Sophia met Colette's two large dogs for the second time - and this time she actually could run around the house and yard and worried less about being eaten by Torra, an 80# fluffy mixbreed. Gideon almost ignores Sophia - all 130# of him. Which is exactly the way Sophia likes it.

outandabout : Harbor Avenue (West Seattle waterfront)

Sand barge travels from West Seattle to Seattle-side waterfront - pushed by a tugboat. As seen from Jack Block Waterfront Park.

Sunbathing

From left to right: Havana - Switch - Sophia on a lazy summer day.

Majestic Snoqualmie Falls

Daisy Day at Snoqualmie Falls



Sunday, June 18, was Stephen's 36th birthday. I fulfilled a promise made during our April communications workshop - to visit a place together that was special to both of us. Snoqualmie Falls is special because the 2nd night after we were married we stayed at Snoqualmie Falls Lodge. (We were married on New Year's Eve, so after the midnight celebration that night we just crashed and went on our honeymoon night the next day). I don't think we've been back since. Hard to believe that was eight and a half years ago.

We had a nice linner in the Attic Bistro (including drinks and dessert!). Their new summer menu is out and we sampled a few items. We visited the hotel gift shop and read some history on the falls (see below). Then we went and viewed the falls.

Snoqualmie Falls is a relatively short drive from our house. We can go door-to-door in about 30 minutes.

You can find out more information about Snoqualmie Falls Lodge at http://www.salishlodge.com/index.php


History of Snoqualmie Falls
Courtesy Seattle PI - Thursday, February 6, 2003
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/getaways/107345_hikebar06.shtml

Several thousand years ago, when the glaciers receded, they left a fertile plain near Snoqualmie Falls. When Native Americans arrived, they found a bounty of edible bulbs, roots and berries on the prairie. Deer and mountain goats were plentiful.

Though there were no salmon above the falls, the upper Snoqualmie River became a seasonal rendezvous and meeting place as trade among native peoples increased. The Snoqualmie Tribe (a subgroup of the Coast Salish) established a camp at the base of Mount Si. They also established villages at Fall City and Tolt (Carnation).

Snoqualmie is the English pronunciation of "sah-KOH-koh" or "Sdob-dwahibbluh," a Salish word meaning moon. As a spiritual place, it gave birth to many legends. One tells of "S'Beow" (the beaver), who climbed into the sky to bring trees and fire down to earth. The Native Americans who roamed the valley were known as people of the moon.

White settlers began to arrive in the valley by the early 1850s. Long before, the falls became a tourist destination; pioneer women would edge as close to the falls as they could while friends held on to their dresses to keep them from falling. Jeremiah Borst was the first permanent white settler in the Snoqualmie Valley and is known to some as "the father of the Snoqualmie Valley."

Josiah Merrit ("Uncle Si") built a cabin at the base of a local peak in 1862 (the peak became known as Uncle Si's mountain -- now Mount Si). He raised vegetables and hogs and kept an orchard. According to local historians, he was a rugged man who sometimes hauled bacon to the large settlements.

To do so necessitated hauling the load on a sled to the river, canoeing downstream, strapping the load to his back and climbing down the 268-foot falls, hiking several miles, and then canoeing the rest of the way to Everett or Seattle.

By 1877, there were several logging operations in the region. In early days, logs were floated over the falls and down the river to Everett and Puget Sound. By 1889, entrepreneurs funded and built a railroad (the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern) into the valley, opening up timber resources to the world market.

In 1889, the town of Snoqualmie was platted by Charles Baker, a civil engineer. He also constructed an underground power plant at the falls in the 1890s (those original generators are still functioning today). The power plant resulted in electricity and jobs for locals, and soon a small company town was established at the falls. In 1911, a second powerhouse was constructed.

Such large waterfalls often attract daredevils. When that first passenger train arrived in 1889, it was a big event -- more than 1,000 people turned up for food, celebration and entertainment. A Mr. Blondin successfully walked a tightrope over the falls.

In 1890, Charlie Anderson was less fortunate. He parachuted into the canyon from a hot-air balloon, but when he opened the chute a strong air current pushed him toward the falls. As the crowd watched in horror, another gust pulled him in another direction and dropped him on a large boulder; he died that night.

CARS

The promo display at Meridian 16 Theater, downtown Seattle

The new Pixar movie, CARS, opened Friday. It was GREAT! We'll see it again on the big screen and of course will "own the movie".

We've been waiting for this movie for years! While we were traveling Route 66 in September of 2004 we were following the trail of the Pixar studio folks out doing research for the movie.

Many cafes and restaurants have guest books for travelers to sign, and in some of them the Pixar's people drew little cartoon character pictures of some of the characters in development.

One shop made t-shirts out of the pages in their guest book. Kind of wished we had the presence of mind to photograph the books and/or buy one of those early t-shirt designs!

Much of what you will see in CARS really is right there along Route 66. It's an amazing part of American history and I am glad CARS casts such a positive light and celebrates America's small town and car culture heritage!

You can see photos and read our Route 66 story of Streaking Across America on a popular national MINI Cooper site. Visit http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34164

Belly Up

The Lion and the Lamb

The lion (Cheerio) lies down with the lamb (Sophia). This is a first. I was sitting to the far left with Sophia's head on my leg. Cheerio chases Sophia around regularly. She's sort of a grump and doesn;t like it when Sophia gets rowdy with her own lamb stuffy.

outandabout : Beach Drive

Gerber daisies in bloom - along Beach Drive SW.

SSCC Arboretum

SSCC Arboretum

outandabout : SSCC Arboretum

The rose garden is in bloom at the SSCC Arboretum. Smells fabulous!!

SSCC Arboretum 

SSCC Arboretum 

SSCC Arboretum 

SSCC Arboretum 

SSCC Arboretum 

SSCC Arboretum 

Don't piss on Mother Nature

She'll get you back


Man slips while relieving himself, falls into river, dies
The Associated Press

SMITHS FERRY, Idaho - An elderly man who stopped along a highway to relieve himself slipped, fell into the Payette River and died, Valley County sheriff's deputies said.

The man's wife was trying to revive him when emergency crews arrived at the scene about 50 miles north of Boise on State Route 55 late Wednesday afternoon, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

The power of free association

Picture this...

In car on the way to work, crossing the West Seattle bridge.
A cool tune comes onto the radio.

Thought:
Chill 35 is my favorite station on Sirius (satellite radio)
I think on the interview I had with Oceans West Development a couple of weeks ago

Setting up the interview via email:
The girl who emailed me said their office is downtown
I said good, because I was tired to driving to Kirkland
She said oh, you need satellite radio for a commute like that!
I said I have been a listener for almost 3 years and love Chill, Big 80s, and Classic Rewind
She likes Big 80s, The Pulse and Free Jazz
I arrived at the interview with a Sirius satellite radio antenna dog (I had a few left in the closet from when I was coordinating MINI Cooper meetups and toting around MINI and Sirius give-aways)
My interview with Roger Nixon was rushed because he had to leave for a meeting.

That guy Roger Nixon never called me back I wonder if they hired someone.
I am sure glad my new job is in Renton - it's half the commute and none of this Seattle traffic bullshit.
Idiot!! **beep beep**
Some people don't belong behind the wheel.
I wonder how hot it's going to be today.
***cell phone rings***
"This is Wendy,"
"Hello, Wendy? This is Roger Nixon."
"Roger? It's totally creepy that you just called me."
"Is creepy the right word?" he asks.
"I was JUST thinking about you. I was thinking you never called me in again! And I sure am glad I took that job with the real estate consultant in Renton."
"Oh so you accepted another position? I haven't talked to anyone else but you. I've been busy and haven't had a chance."
"Yes, I did. But I was thinking about you. If for some reason it's not as I expect or doesn't work out, I will give you a call since you are going to need someone like me sooner or later," I tell him.
"Please do. I enjoyed talking with you. I'm sorry I didn't get back to you again."
"I bet it was the Virgo Vibe the made you call me," I said (he is also a Virgo).
"Yeah, I bet it was your thinking about me that made me call you," Roger said.
"Good luck with the hunt!" I hang up call.

Pick up phone again and call Stephen and tell him about the most amazing thing that just happened. The power of my mind.

666

Today is one of those weird-number days that looks cool on paper. There was a neat article in the PI this morning about it, which I post here:

Tuesday, June 6, 2006 ·
Curiosity, humor surround June 6, 2006
By SETH BORENSTEIN
AP SCIENCE WRITER
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1501AP_666.html


Is Tuesday's date - 6-6-6 - merely a curious number or could it mean our number is up?

There's a devilishly odd nexus of theology, mathematics and commercialism on the sixth day of the sixth month of the sixth year. OK, it's just the sixth year of this millennium, but insisting on calling it 2006 takes the devil-may-care fun out of calendar-gazing.

Something about the number 666 brings out the worry, the hope and even the humor in people, said the Rev. Felix Just, a professor of theology at the University of San Francisco. A Jesuit priest, Just has taught both apocalyptic theory and mathematics and maintains a "666-Numbers of the Beast" Web site that contains history, theology, math and precisely 66 one-line jokes about 666.

You can even make sport of it, betting online whether the apocalypse will happen on that date. The good news is that one online oddsmaker has made the world a 100,000-to-1 favorite to survive Tuesday - something that Just said is supported by theology.

"Many people avoid the number; they're afraid of it almost and there's absolutely no reason to be afraid of it," Just said. "It is not a prediction of future events. It is not supposed to be taken as a timetable for when the world is going to end."

It all started with Revelation 13:18 in the Bible: "This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six."

The beast is also known as the Antichrist, according to some apocalyptic theories.
Many scholars, such as Just, say the beast is really a coded reference - using Hebrew letters for numbers - for the despotic Roman emperor Nero and 616 appears instead of 666 in some ancient manuscripts. The Book of Revelation isn't prophesying a specific end of times but "is about the overall cosmic struggle of good versus evil," Just said.

But for some more apocalyptic theologians, the end of times is coming, even if not specifically on Tuesday. The evangelical Raptureready.com Web site puts its "rapture index" at 156, calling that "fasten your seatbelts" time.

It's not the date June 6 that's worrisome, but the signs in our society of the approach of the 666 antichrist, said the Rev. Tim LaHaye, founder of a self-named ministry and co-author of the best-selling "Left Behind" series of apocalyptic novels. And even though LaHaye said Tuesday isn't the date of the apocalypse, his Left Behind Web site promotes his new book "The Rapture" with an ominous "06.06.06 Will You Be Ready."

"I don't think that people understand that 666 is not a good time," LaHaye said. He said he sees signs of an upcoming "tribulation period" that leads to the Antichrist's arrival in a movement toward one-world government, a single economic system and single religion.
Apocalyptic culture and theology, especially those surrounding 666, "is especially appealing for people in an underdog situation," said Just (pronounced Yoost).

So people have looked for - and found - 666 in all sorts of places. Believers in the number's power have used biblical letter-numeric code to convert the names of countless political leaders, including many popes, to come out 666, marking them as that generation's Antichrist. That includes Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.
It's a number that the Reagans didn't want as an address when they moved out of the White House in 1989 to the Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel-Air. So they changed their address from 666 St. Cloud Road to 668. In 1980, a TV host and others rigged the number 666 to come up in a Pennsylvania lottery drawing. It's a number that is part of every UPC barcode on groceries (a coincidence according to the code's inventor). With biblical coding, 666 also is the number for the WWW of the World Wide Web.

The math of 666 is also open to biblical interpretation and manipulation. Just points out that 666 is the sum of all the numbers on a roulette wheel. Other oddities include variations on pi and products of prime number multiplication.

There's also something special about the number 6, which in the Bible stands for man, said Brian C. Jones, a religion professor at Wartburg College in Iowa.

"People need to lighten up about this," Jones said. He noted that Tuesday has a more neutral reputation than other days, like dreaded Monday or bad-luck Friday the 13th.

But this Tuesday is a day to cash in on the number associated with the apocalypse. It will mark the debut for a remake of the classic 1970s horror film "The Omen," the publication of LaHaye's new "Left Behind" book, and an Ann Coulter polemic called "Godless: The Church of Liberalism."

And for truly cashing in, there's the nonsectarian online sports book, BetUS.com, which gives Earth a better than sporting chance. At 100,000-to-1 odds, if you bet the maximum $500 that the world will survive and it does, you win half a penny. If you bet $100 that the apocalypse happens and it does, you can earn a cool $10 million, but you might have a devil of a time collecting it. People are betting both ways, company spokesman Mike Foreman said.

Commercialism based on numbers and fear bothers American University astronomer Richard Berendzen.

"What it really does is use some coincidence of some numbers for commercial gain," he said. "It's superstition and money when it comes down to it. And that's about as satanic as you can get."

Still scared about the date 666? Jack Horkheimer of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium has a piece of advice: "If it really spooks you, you can stand on your head and it'll be 999."

---

On the Net:

Rev. Felix Just's Numbers of the Beast 666 Web site:
http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/666.htm

Raptureready.com's rapture index: http://www.raptureready.com/rap2.html

Math fun with the numbers 666: http://users.aol.com/s6sj7gt/mike666.htm

The "Left Behind" series: http://www.leftbehind.com/

Work to live, not live to work.

I’ve been working part-time at Eagle Home Mortgage for two and a half years. It’s been a great run – but with the end of Steve’s contract looming I knew I needed to get back out there full-time and build on my career. I started looking at the end of March. The market is amazing for people with backgrounds such as mine – in property management and real estate. I’ve been aiming at jobs paying 25% over what my last industry job was – and I have never had so many interviews in all my life. I had some close calls, too. Three times for three great jobs I was second choice, the other applicant just being a “better fit”. If anyone knows what the hell that means, please enlighten me.

I guess it doesn’t matter because I finally received a great job offer – and not from any of the places I interviewed with.

When I interviewed at the Port of Seattle there was a consultant who was part of the interview panel. She’s been doing acquisitions and relocation work there longer than any of the actual employees have, which is why she was asked to be part of the panel. She called me about 10 days after the interview (this being Wednesday May 24th, when I was sick as a dog at home). She asked me if I had heard from the Port yet and I said not yet. She said she knew I had been high in the rankings and that when my interview was over she told the Port folks that if they didn’t hire me, she would. She said I should be hearing soon and she would be in touch.

I got a message the next day asking me to email my resume over to her – but after my interview that morning I just drug myself back home and collapsed on the couch and never even turned on my computer.

On Friday morning she left me a voicemail when I was in that morning’s interview (I had 5 total last week). She said she had heard the Port had made its final decision and I was 2nd choice (this is the 3rd time confirmed this has happened to me). And when would I be available to come and talk to her about working for her? So I made an appointment for the morning of May 31, after the holiday weekend and not interfering with any other appointments.

I got the distinct impression when I walked into her little office in Renton that she had made up her mind long before I got there and it was just up to me. Linda Lane (Lane and Associates) is a real estate consultant and has 3 other people working for her – all as consultants. I will also be an independent housing consultant, working with the others with contracts with the Port of Seattle and a number of other government entities. I'll be managing the purchase and sale process of such things as rights-of-way, cell towers, power lines, parks, and relocating families living in homes impacted by airplane noise to new homes not under SeaTac's flight paths. I will also be managing the lead consultant's technology and marketing efforts. I'll be out in the field a lot, and working from different field offices. I’ll be getting my real estate license again to be able to work with relocating families.

She said the magic dollar amount and I admit I am attracted to the idea of being self-employed again. I will still have some flexibility but I also will have guaranteed work – and I will be getting paid what I am actually worth. It’s a win-win situation.

So I gave notice to Ted and Eagle Home Mortgage. Ted looked panicked (because it’s all about him you know) and verified with me that there’s no way he could compete financially to keep me at Eagle. I am really looking forward to all of the variety I will be doing, the people I will be helping, and the people I will be working with. Linda seems real smart and professional and I respect her since she saw a good thing and grabbed it – ME! And I love her beliefs in work/life balance and was relieved when she told me she now works to live, and no longer lives to work. That is exactly the kind of environment I need. I'll be starting June 26th, after she returns from her vacation in Greece.

You just never really know where your life is going to take you.