ciao everyone,
now that i'm getting settled in at the house an update is in order.
my job is awesome and the people are great. i've started working on real clients now so it will only get busier. my feeling is that there is not going to be too much down-time. thats ok by me because it will make work fly by. i got my desk on friday so now i have an established home in the office. there isn't anything on my desk, but a computer should be coming sometime soon. and the phone that i have tells everyone my name is 'denise', so i'll have to change that somehow.
my roommates and house are amazing. right now i live with emily and carie but another person will be moving in shortly. and there is a dog named abbey. the commute from work is about an hour but i think that is a good thing. in the mornings it gives me time to wake up and on the way back i have an hour to unwind. by the time i get back home i feel relaxed and calm. right now the bus goes over lake washington right at sunset, so the timing is perfect. i've met cool people on some days (and avoided eye contact with a few crazies too).
my first seattle rain happened on thursday. maybe it will stay until next year, or maybe it will clear up. my vote is that it will clear up tomorrow (i have a feeling i'll be saying this a lot).
i want to keep exploring and experiencing the city and surrounding areas, so i've started 'seattle saturdays!' i'll be doing something cool in the city every saturday. yesterday i went to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens. the locks were rad. its where the water from lake washington meets the sound (part of the pacific ocean). the water levels are different so they have something set up just like the panama canal. whats cool is that there were huge salmon jumping out of the water all over the place--i guess they don't want to get sucked into the pumps so they jump around at the top of the water (at least thats what some guide said). what made it really interesting is that it was pouring down rain with some wicked lightning. everyone was in their gum boots and rain coats, while i was in my hooded sweatshirt and chuck taylor converse; not quite the outdoor weather gear i should have had. first item to buy in seattle: waterproof jacket.
also, i am now a member of the seattle public library system. my first seattle library book: catch-22 by joseph heller. first i have to finish 'the traveler's gift' by andy andrews. thats a great book. anyone that liked the alchemist should read that one.
so i'll be keeping this site and posting every month. the reason is kind of a reverse of why i started it. originally it was to keep everyone at home in the u.s. informed and now its for everyone i met while i was travelling. its funny how things change like that.
have a good day
your friend
chad
