Altogether Impossible

Let's Try This Again

2012-02-08T21:23:00.000-08:00

I'm in a different phase of my life than I was in March 2010, and I miss blogging. So I'm just going to dive right in.

Almost every day, I encounter an article or editorial pertaining to women's issues, a topic I am so incredibly passionate about that I sometimes feel powerless of my ability to affect change in the feminine / masculine sphere.

In the last couple of days I've seen a few articles about the LEGO company's blatant sexism in the marketing of their toys to children. As a foreign language major, I believe in the power of semantics; I believe in the power of messaging; and I believe that the messages we imply to our children will haunt us, if we're not careful.

When I was three years old, one of my best friends had LEGOs. They were the style that LEGOs marketed to female children: pastels, and primarily in pinks and purples. I begged my parents for a set of LEGOs, and I didn't care if they were pink and purple. I just wanted to build things.

My mother told me that LEGOs were "boy toys."

To this day, I have never had a set of Legos. And up until now, I've lamented this fact. Yesterday, I came across this image, via Achilles Effect / Pigtail Pals:

The caption, from Achilles Effect, is as follows, and I couldn't agree more, "One step forward--a female firefighter at LEGO Land--but one HUGE step back--she's applying lipstick instead of doing anything even remotely related to fire fighting. Egads!"

When I re-posted this to my Facebook wall, my caption was, "Oh, ffs." For Fuck's Sake.

I'm appalled. I love LEGOs, and I wish I'd been allowed to have them as a kid. I wish I'd been allowed the set of K'Nex that I asked for when I was a teenage girl, and I wish I had received the tool kit I'd asked for in college. I wish it were more appropriate for women to want to do more than adjust their lipstick.

I'm not sure what to do about this. My desire for building things and ultimately for LEGOs hasn't changed. But what am I to do in the face of such horrible pigeon-holing? Boycott LEGO? Certainly the money that I couldn't afford to spend in the first place won't matter for the company's bottom line. Speak out? To what end?

Sometimes I'm tempted to bury my head in the sand, and ignore the injustice I see. That doesn't make me any happier, though, as evidenced by the termination and subsequent rejuvenation of my blog within a mere 11 months. So I leave you without a solution, without a message besides: I'm appalled and I feel powerless.

How do you fight against the day-to-day injustices that you encounter?

With Love,
Klaity

Bye Bye Blog

2011-03-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

After nearly seven years and one thousand posts, I am saying goodbye to this blog.

Sometime last year a friend of mine asked me why I got one of my piercings. I rattled off some reasons that sounded good (and which were admittedly proximal rather than distal causes) before she told me that it was okay to have gotten the piercing just because I wanted it. The wanting was enough.

I could list many, many reasons as to why I'm saying goodbye to this blog, but the truth is that ultimately I'm saying goodbye because I want to. I'm ready to move on to something different. I am not finished writing and I don't know what that will look like in the years ahead, but I know that this particular blog has run its course.

This blog's history will remain published on the Internet, however it might require some digging to find. On the off-chance that something I've written enters your mind and you'd like to have a copy of it, feel free to contact me. I will be happy to track down anything you might like.

Thank you for being such wonderful readers. It's been a pleasure.

With love,
Klaity

Here's a Logic Problem For You:

2011-02-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

Given:
An account is verified with another account when their billing addresses match.
I have 3 accounts.
Account 1 is verified.
The billing address on account 1 does not match the billing address on account 2.
The billing addresses on account 3 do match the billing address on both account 1 and account 2.

Query:
Is account 2 verified?

Sympathy Wounds

2011-02-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

So much has happened in the several months since I posted anything of substance. I've worked a ton of overtime (hence the not posting anything of substance), I made a trip to Eugene to meet my new nephew just hours after he was born, and Roughy and I became gimps.

A few weeks ago, Andy and I discovered that Roughy had injured his paw. The wound is still healing and we're hoping that it won't ultimately require surgery, but the whole situation became ironic this morning when I fell down the stairs and broke one of my toes.

Andy and I affectionately (and unoriginally) refer to Roughy as my shadow: everywhere I go, he follows. Now this procession has turned comical. First there's me, limping around the house in my white sweatshirt, and then there's Roughy, a little white dog limping around after me wearing a baby booty that Andy and I purchased to protect his paw. I know that it's a long-standing joke that dogs and owners tend to resemble each other eventually, but this is a little ridiculous.

Roughy and I make quite a pair, and Andy is taking extra care to avoid coming down with a sympathy wound of his own. There's no need for Roughy's and my procession to become a parade.

Overheard in the Office Strikes Again

2011-02-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

Okay, I realize I have posted nothing of substance lately and for that I am sorry. Nonetheless, this was such a great Overheard in the Office moment that I just can't help but share:

KaKa: Yeah. It's clever in a cocky way (seriously, I wish that weren't a pun)
ReSa: I love puns, so I'm glad that it was a pun!
GrMi: I love cock
GrMi: *cocky
GrMi: EFF!!!!

Baked Ziti

2011-01-27T23:47:00.001-08:00

I think the thing that most fascinates me about cooking is the way that it transforms foods I would otherwise dislike. I don’t like mustard or Dijon, for instance, but roast some chicken or potatoes in a Dijon-based sauce and poof: all of the sudden Dijon is edible.

(This phenomenon is even more pronounced with baking—who eats baking soda by itself?—but that’s another blog post.)

Tonight I made Baked Ziti in phase two of my Baked Ziti Experiment. For some reason I don’t like lasagna all that much, but since Andy loves it I’ve been searching for a way to make lasagna without actually making lasagna. Enter the Baked Ziti recipe.

In phase one of my Baked Ziti Experiment I followed the recipe to the letter, which included ricotta. This went poorly for several reasons, one of which being that I don’t like cooked ricotta (I’ve never had raw ricotta, so I really can’t make a general ricotta proclamation).

So, I substituted cottage cheese. This is another food that I don’t like raw or by itself. But cooked in a lasagna-type dish, cottage cheese is magic. The cheese curds spread evenly throughout the dish so there isn’t a concentration of cheese in any one place (one of the reasons things turned out poorly with the ricotta) and it makes the ziti less gooey.

Thus, without any more ado: Baked Ziti

Ingredients

Approximately 12 oz penne or ziti
1 pound bulk hot Italian sausage
1/2 onion, chopped
Garlic, as much as you want
Spaghetti seasoning, about 1/2 bag
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 jar marinara sauce, your favorite or whatever is cheapest
1 regular-sized tub (I think it’s a pint or something?) cottage cheese
Some combination of mozzarella, romano, and parmesan cheeses

Directions

Cook pasta, drain, add olive oil to prevent sticking

Cook sausage, onions, and garlic until sausage is browned.

Add Spaghetti seasoning and red pepper flakes

Add marinara sauce. Cook for 1 minute.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients (no layering necessary) in a 13 x 9 Pyrex (or whatever floats your boat). Bake for about 20 minutes.

Eat. Enjoy.

The Swift Integration of New Technologies

2011-01-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

In the last couple of weeks I discovered two technologies-- the eReader and the online To Do list. Now that I've found them, I don't think I can live without them.

Andy and his parents got me a NookColor for Christmas (yay!) and I absolutely love it. I'm really looking forward to when Barnes and Noble implements a Marketplace system and offers apps, but even without complete Tablet functionality, it's still a pretty awesome eReader. I have absolutely no desire to pick up a paper book anymore, and although there's a piece of that which is a little tragic, it's just astounding to me overall how something I've only had a week or two has become so indispensable to me.

I also discovered Toodledo this week, courtesy of Lifehacker (one of my favorite websites). I'm pretty much in love with To Do lists to begin with, but until I discovered Toodledo I hadn't found an online task program that I liked (Remember the Milk and Google Tasks weren't my cup of tea). I don't know if I can explain why I specifically love Toodledo so much, but you have to admit, it has a pretty sweet name.

Leavenworth, Let's Go!

2011-01-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

On New Years' Resolutions

2011-01-05T12:46:00.000-08:00

Here's a good take on setting New Years' Resolutions. The best part? According to this writer, it's not too late to set your goals. The author runs an art website, so just change all of the art references to whatever your interests happen to be. I like his take.

A Transition

2011-01-02T00:10:00.000-08:00

For the last six years I've pretty much been the poster child of the Post Your Life on the Internet Club. I'm not sure how the switch flipped or when, but in the last several months I've become increasingly private. I've become irritated and intolerant of Facebook, for instance, and although I haven't canceled my account (Facebook does have its merits), I've pretty much taken myself off the grid there.

I've also been writing (read: blogging) less, and although I went through a defined state of self-recrimination for it, I'm pretty much okay with it now. I'm committed to observing this stage and processing it, and that's all happening on a pretty internal level. It's kind of weird for me, I'm not going to lie.

The one exception to this has been my adoption of Twitter as a medium. I resisted Twitter for a long time, but decided to give it a try. It's really grown on me, and I quite like it.

I still plan to publish to my blog, but I'm not putting any pressure on myself. I'll publish when it feels natural to do so.

In the meantime, I'm at the end of a 58-hour, seven-day work week, so I'm going to bed. 'Night.

The Christmas Present Debacle

2010-12-15T23:39:00.001-08:00

Andy and I are spending Christmas in Tennessee, so in an effort to avoid checking baggage I’ve shipped to his parents’ house all of the Christmas gifts that I can’t purchase in Chattanooga. This includes Andy’s gift, which I’ve been super excited about giving to him ever since I settled on it. I purchased the gift from an online store a couple of days ago and received a notification that it had been shipped. Everything was going according to plan.

It was, that is, until I arrived home tonight and the following exchange took place:

Andy: So, I talked to my mom today. She said a package arrived for you.
Me: Oh, that must be your Christmas present!
Andy: Yeah…
*pause*
Me: She didn’t tell you where it was from ,did she?
Andy: Maybe…
Me: Noooooooooooooooooo!

Andy’s Christmas gift was purchased from Zappos.com. Anybody know the number one item that Zappos.com sells? That’s right: shoes. There’s really only one kind of shoe that I would possibly give to Andy for Christmas, and Andy and I both know what kind of shoe that is because it’s the only pair of mine that he routinely hijacks from the entryway.

Any illusion I had that he still didn’t know the precise pair of shoes I purchased for him was shattered as we went out to run errands later. I made it down the stairs first, so naturally I put on my shoes before he did. They were the shoes in question, of course.

“Those are some nice Uggs!”

I flipped him off. There was only one other thing left to do. “They’re returnable, you know,” I threatened humorously. “For the next 365 days I can send them back.”

He laughed. I haven’t returned them (yet), but I have threatened to give him coal on more than one occasion. I’m sure there’s a cute lesson in here somewhere, but two things are for sure: not only do Andy and I have a great sense of humor about things, but this Christmas is definitely going to be one we’ll remember.

A New Google?

2010-12-15T17:10:00.001-08:00

Just yesterday Andy and I had a conversation about the limitations of various blogging platforms, including Wordpress and Blogger. I mentioned that last summer I explored alternatives to Blogger and ultimately decided that Blogger, limitations and all, offered the best service for my needs. Blogger has made some improvements since then, but it still doesn’t do everything I’d like a blogging platform to do, so last night Andy and I did another cursory examination of the blogging platform market.

Not much has changed, but Andy did mention that Microsoft used to have something very similar to what I’m looking for called “Spaces,” which was sold to Wordpress. While Wordpress might be able to do what I want it to, I’d have to pay $12 / year per website since I use a custom domain for all of my blogs. Given that I currently have seven active blogs (out of twelve total) this solution isn’t all that realistic. (It’s possible I could get away with just one installment of $12 / year if I worked the system correctly, but I’m not in the mood to do the necessary research to make this happen.)

Then, just this morning, Andy sent me this article about a new Wordpress app for the Windows Phone 7 that integrates the basic elements of the blogging process directly into the phone.

Well, shite. The incentive to convert to Wordpress may have just gone up a few notches.

The reality is I probably wouldn't use the app anyway (I'll probably connect to my blogging platform via the Internet connection on the Nook I plan to purchase instead), but this whole scenario illustrates a principle that has emerged rather fiercely since I switched cell phone platforms: in general I’m finding it difficult to continue being a Google whore while integrating WP7 into my technological arsenal. I now completely understand why consumers pick one brand of technology and stick with it (Apple, for instance: iPod, iPhone, iBook, etc.).

From my mostly uninformed, entirely consumer-based perspective, it seems to me that Google's completely web-based programs used to be compatible with any platform and access point, but that Google has become more proprietary and software-specific with the advent of Chromium and the Android. Consequently, it has become progressively more difficult for me to continue using their (admittedly awesome) products while maintaining the Microsoft foundation that, if for no other reason, isn’t going away because of the personal loyalty that comes from being in bed with the company (totum pro parte, that is).

Now that they're direct competitors, Microsoft and Google aren't likely to collaborate with each other enough to smooth out the quirks involved in integrating the two families of products (making a Google Voice app run smoothly and fully featured on WP7 and accommodating the philosophical difference between Google’s labels and Outlook’s / Hotmail’s folders, for instance). Perhaps this is the fault of WP7 project managers and perhaps the disparity will be softened as WP7 settles in, but this sort of conflict has emerged already in the context of Apple and Google. Although the proximate cause of that particular conflict differs from the growing chasm of incompatibility between Microsoft’s WP7 and Google’s auxiliary web-based products, the distal cause is the same: in the mobile world especially, Google’s products are no longer the universal adapter between web-based products and the consumer’s platform of choice.

To a certain extent, this migration is natural and predictable—Google Voice, for instance, wouldn’t be nearly so powerful a communication tool without some sort of integration into the mobile market, but ultimately I'm not sure that I like the new Google because I'm being forced to choose as Google moves away from the very come-as-you-are philosophy that made me the Google whore that I am. Consequently, I fear that Google is gradually going to lose my loyalty over the next five years, and I told Andy as much last night. “You do realize that within five years,” I predicted, “I will have completely converted to Microsoft products, right?”

“Yes,” he said, “I’m turning you over to the dark side, I know.”

Although I know what Andy meant, it occurs to me that I’m not sure which side is the dark side anymore. Given that Google, Voice notwithstanding, no longer has the monopoly on the awesome features that drew me to it in the first place (comprehensive and relevant search, sending and receiving email from other accounts, an exceptional spam filter, and tremendous storage, for instance) and that Microsoft has showed incredible dynamism and consumer-focus in the last couple of years (Zune, WP7, the Hotmail renovation, and the Steven Sinofsky philosophy overall), the changes that both companies are undergoing make me question whether Google is the white knight and Microsoft the evil empire anymore.

“I think I’m already there,” I replied to Andy after a beat. “My computer is named Vader, after all.”

The Long-Awaited Chrome OS

2010-12-14T19:28:00.001-08:00

Much to the chagrin of my Microsoft ~~Fanboy~~ -employed boyfriend, I have been a self-proclaimed Google whore for quite some time now. Grandfathered into the Windows OS as a kid, I became almost militantly anti-Microsoft during the Windows Vista phase. Windows 7 fixed that issue quite nicely, and it helps a little that Microsoft pays the mortgage now, too.

Just a couple of weeks ago I traded in my Android for the new Windows Phone 7-- not only was it a really simple way to tangibly show my support for Andy (who works on the Windows Phone), but it was free, too (AT&T had a buy-one-get-one sale). I do really like the phone, and with Andy's help I've found some creative solutions for some of its little quirks, like the lack of sub-calendaring (solution: export each my sub-Calendars to one of my many Google email addresses and then set up the phone to sync with the calendar for each email address).

The earth's magnetic poles must be switching, because just this week I sent Andy an email with the subject line "Chrome OS just lost me." The email referenced a Slashdot article that explains the premise that underlines Chrome OS-- applications and users cannot be trusted.

I understand the concept that applications can't be trusted (that's exactly what Microsoft Window's user control proselytizes, too), but I resent the idea that as a user I can't be trusted. No, I don't know everything there is to know about computers, but I do enjoy the customization that PCs and the Windows OS allows me. I can choose my hardware and my software, and I can also adjust elements of the UI to my liking.

My biggest complaint about Apple products (and the reason why I don't use them) is that I can't choose my hardware. I'm something of a technology maven, and as someone who not only uses technology to get things done but also uses technology for technology's sake, Apple's lack of choices irritates me. In this way, Apple operates from a place of not trusting the user, and I don't like that Chrome OS is on the same track.

Admittedly, Google's implementation of the unreliable user philosophy will be different from Apple's. I'll reserve my final judgement until I have an opportunity to try out the Chrome OS for an extended period of time (much to Andy's relief, it doesn't sound like I'm getting a CR-48 after all), but going into this OS I'm dubious.

Life through Painting

2010-12-04T11:57:00.000-08:00

I've been doing a lot of painting lately. Painting has represented different things to me at different times in my life, much like dancing, writing, or music has. Appropriately, the way in which I paint has changed almost drastically with every representation. My current painting stage has been an extension of one of my current (or recent, at least) stages of growth: respect for process.

When I first started painting, the emphasis rested simultaneously on production and expression. If I had been learning to write instead of to paint, that first stage would have the unencumbered, uncensored, cathartic free-write assignment.

My painting now is different, naturally. To carry the writing metaphor, it's a stage of writing I have a hard time valuing-- that of evolution and iteration.

I started painting a nude this summer, and it's the first painting I've done that is based on any sort of real life. This particular real-life painting is based on a photograph of me that was taken several years ago. It's a photograph that I love, so my motivation to get it right is high. After six months of painting, repainting, and then painting again, I finally have the basics of the image right-- the proportions are correct and the lines are beautiful.

I'm not exactly sure what my intention is in sharing this particular snapshot of my life, and perhaps I should have figured that out before I wrote it. But perhaps the fact that I didn't demonstrates the very process I was trying to describe. I'm going with it.

It's been really freeing, in general, to not have to know exactly where I'll end up before I start heading in that direction. Speaking in the tangible terms of painting, when I started the nude I had a vision. As I've worked toward that vision in the last six months, the vision has changed. It's been difficult for me to not get attached to the original vision and fight the process, but every time I take a step toward flexibility I'm rewarded.

I think this experience of painting applies to my life, too. I have clear goals, but I'm learning that direction is more important than destination. I don't know what I don't know, and for the sheer, shameless fact that I'm not omniscient, my destination changes as I move toward it learn about myself. It's less important that I have everything figured out before I take the first step, and more important that I start moving and then adjust my course as I go.

Painting has been a gift to me in the last two years, and I feel so blessed to be able to see tangible examples of life lessons through it. Here's to process, evolution, iteration, and direction.

Reflections on Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T17:35:00.000-08:00

I love Thanksgiving. I'm not particularly keen on the preparation of a dozen complicated and oversized food dishes, but I love the spirit of reflection and giving thanks. One of the most valuable things I've learned in the last two years is the importance of gratitude-- if I don't have gratitude, then I'm stuck.

This year I am so thankful for the things that brought me to this place in my life-- the decisions I made, certainly, but also (and especially) the decisions that were made for me.

What do Doggy Daycare and Keggers Have in Common?

2010-11-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

Roughy had his first full day of doggy day-care today! His report card was very positive, and yes: I put it on the fridge.

When I started working full time last week it became obvious to me that leaving Roughy all alone for fifty hours a week was not an option. By the end of the week I had a stressed and anxious dog, and I was tired of coming home and cleaning up urine every day because we don't have a yard. I found a doggy daycare within a quarter mile of the park and ride, and voila: I now come home to a happy dog!

Work is still pretty awesome. I get paid to write, make people happy, give away free stuff, play video games, and attend keggers.

Yes, you read that right: today we had one of our monthly, employer-funded, still-get-paid-by-the-hour keggers. I learned today that my job is super cool... and that I need to become a beer drinker.

TUA #11

2010-11-17T18:47:00.000-08:00

It is a truth universally acknowledged...

... that if it's too cold to drive with the windows down then it's too cold to camp out for anything.

Me? A Gamer?

2010-11-16T19:39:00.000-08:00

I never thought I'd hear these words describe me, but yesterday Andy looked and me and said resignedly, "My girlfiend is a gamer."

Currently I'm hooked on Fishdom (an addicting Match-3 game with adorable little fish) and Virtual Families (BFG's version of The Sims). Virtual Families doesn't require my constant attention, so I leave it running all day on my PC at work. I'll check it periodically between tickets and put out an oven fire or try to get my peeps to make babies (I'm not kidding on either account).

I've still managed to keep my life in balance (or as in balance as it realistically can be right now as I adjust to a new job), and I've welcomed game-playing as an opportunity to exercise my brain in different ways.

I'm sure that this will fade (my co-workers have assured me that it does) but for now I'm enjoying this phase.

< as-FacebookRant >

2010-11-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

< rant >

I am seriously frumpled with Facebook right now. My Facebook profile was inexplicably disabled for most of the day, and while I'm really quite agreeable to it being disabled for security reasons (my credit card company does it all the time-- why shouldn't Facebook be able to?) I am really quite peeved at Facebook's inability to get two simple questions answered: why was my account disabled and how can I prevent it from happening again?

I don't question Facebook's right to implement said arbitrary action, however I am appalled at its general unresponsiveness on the customer service front. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it as Facebook has the monopoly on social networking at the moment, but I've set the wheels in motion to demand answers and I'm not afraid to escalate.

< /rant >

[Edit: it's been driving me nuts that this post doesn't have a close tag, so: ]

< /as-FacebookRant >

(Hint: Check the Sidebar)

2010-11-09T21:22:00.000-08:00

I LOVE MY JOB.

I don't think I have ever loved a job the way I love my position with the Super Awesome Video Game Company (which shall remain unnamed). The company culture is an incredible fit for me, and the work itself is right up my alley. I can see myself building a career at this company, and the organization definitely has room for me to do so. I have never before had the experience of being so in love with my job that I look forward to work every day and come home bouncing off the walls with enthusiasm. In the words of Voltio and Jagged Edge: so amazing.

Cryptic Katy Says:

2010-11-09T20:53:00.001-08:00

It sure is a heck of a lot easier to forgive. This time goodbye doesn't mean nothing at all-- I already feel beautiful.

To Fill the Blanks

2010-11-07T01:31:00.000-07:00

I made some new friends this evening, or rather: I made friends with some old acquaintances who recently moved into the Puget Sound area. They also have a blog, and upon reading it I began to remember what it was like to write honestly and candidly about my life.

The last few weeks have been pretty difficult for me as a writer-- I've consumed other peoples' words more often than I've created my own, and although I haven't read these essays in a long time, I've had Didion and Orwell churning through my head: why I write, why I write, why I write, why I write...

Why do I write?

I don't have an answer for that self-propelled inquiry yet, and I'm not sure I need one in order to put pen to paper (fingers to keyboard?) again. That being said, I think it's important to clarify my intentions in putting my life onto the world wide web.

I already have some ambitious plans for tomorrow, but I'd like to spend some time writing. I have no intention of sharing. If I am to find my voice again, I'm going to have to give myself space to write whatever I want without fear. Maybe I'll do some creative writing. Maybe I'll bend to the philosophical. Maybe I'll read a page in a book and write a response or copy the style. I just want to do something... anything... that gets me to put my soul in print.

Say Hello to WineNoob

2010-11-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

I may have lost my voice when it comes to sharing what's going on in my personal life, but apparently I haven't lost my voice completely: my friend Megan and I started a wine blog this week, and we're pretty proud of it. It's still a work in progress, but we like the direction in which it's headed. Check it out!

http://winenoob.klaitylady.com

The First Three Months

2010-10-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

In the last several weeks I've encountered a fair amount of opposition to the content on my blog. The objections have been unsettling enough for me to lose my voice in the face of them, and, truthfully, I'm not sure that I've recovered it yet. I do have news worth blogging about, however:

I got a job!

I've been hired on as a contractor at a gaming company in Seattle (ohemgee, so cool). The contract is ninety days, with a high possibility of extension or full hire at its end. I start November 8 (next Monday), which is, incidentally, exactly three months after I moved to Seattle.

I've grown a lot in the last three months. I have survived a competitive job market and learned that I am my best advocate. I have asked for help and discovered the relief that follows. I have honed in on my passions and begun to nurture them. I have learned to stand my ground and remain humble within the same moment.

As challenging as the last few months have been, I'm thankful that I didn't walk into a new job immediately upon moving to Seattle. It has been important for me to be able to transition slowly, and I'm sure I would have felt much more overwhelmed otherwise. Now that I have a job I think that Seattle is my home-- I'm not just visiting anymore. I feel settled.

There IS Hope...

2010-10-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

I had a job interview today with [edit], and it's the first job I've encountered here in Seattle that I think would really be a good fit for me. I should find out Monday next week whether or not I was chosen for one of two positions available... I'll be crossing my fingers all weekend (and trusting the Universe no matter what)!