Done last week (20131208 Su - 14 Sa)

[mdlbear]

Somehow it feels as though I haven't been doing very much lately, and a glance at my notes for the week tends to support this. There has, nevertheless, been some progress cleaning up and organizing the house, and I went out for a shopping expedition with Colleen yesterday. Six car transfers, which is exhausting for both of us. (For me because they involve getting the scooter in and out of the trunk.)

She had a blast, though -- our first stop was Metropolitan Market, a high-end grocery store that she'd never been in before. Cheshire Cat heaven. We also went to Staples, intending to buy her a chromebook to replace her ageing Dell mini, but ended up with a Samsung Galaxy Tab III instead. It's about 2/3 the weight, and with Android instead of Chrome OS it has more apps available.

The only two downsides are that it was about $100 more expensive, and that now I want one too. :P

This was Colleen's first shopping trip since she broke her ankle back in May; it's a huge step for her.

My big news for the week is that my offer from Amazon came through on Monday, just after I got back from a good morning of interviews at the Seattle Times. It was high enough that I was able to give the Times a definite "no". Tough choice -- that could have been a fun job. But it could also have been a disaster: a job I was barely qualified for, at comparatively low pay, in a dying industry, at a privately-held company with a recent history of near-100% turnover. Did I mention that I'm risk-averse and have low self-confidence? Right.

Meanwhile, of course, Google came out of the woodwork wanting to schedule interviews, and Socrata pushed the possibility of interviews out far enough into January that it wouldn't have been feasible. It never rains but it pours, which seems like a particularly apt maxim for Seattle.

The intermittent scraping noise on the Honda finally became continuous last Sunday. After a somewhat harrowing trip up to fetch Chaos I took a look and found that a big plastic piece had come loose. Easy fix with the Wolfling's aviation snips. It'll need to be replaced, but it's not critical. The Honda's due for its 140K service soon.

The van's battery isn't holding a charge. So that needs to be added to its growing repair list.

The YD passed her catering class, and has decided to set herself up as specialist in gluten-free and related niche markets. Her gluten-free Russian tea cakes last week were spectacular, and the sour cream sugar cookies she made for N's work holiday party (today) included 2 dozen GF ones. I can attest to their yumminess.

We are still missing about three boxes of Christmas lights and ornaments. We did find our artificial tree, and a box of plastic ornaments -- because cats. Tipping the thing over seems to have cured Curio of perching in it, so it now seems comparatively cat-safe.

1208 Su
  * up 8:40; W=204.6; d, n
  : YD made GF Russian tea cakes.  Yummy!
  : The plastic piece that has been dragging intermittently for months finally fell down
    enouth yesterday to be dragging full-time where I could see it.  Made for a stressful
    trip up, but Chaos has aviation snips.  Problem solved.  Still needs to be worked on
  * Costco run with Chaos.  Fish, coke, mushrooms, baby bel, batteries, ...
  * Glenn and I moved the DVD tower to the other side of the TV, then (mostly I) assembled
    the other tower for CDs.
  : The kids went down to the garage to spelunk for the Christmas tree, etc.  They found
    the tree and N's ornaments; the stockings and most of the lights are still being
    elusive.  We may end up putting most of the ornaments on a (real?) tree downstairs;
    the Great Room is in the cat zone, making ornaments problematic.
  ! contented.
  % 17:28 BP=134/75, P=66
  * The kids set up the tree in the Great Room.  It was immediately appropriated by the
    cats.  Have they ever shown the slightest interest in their actual cat tree?  Of
    course not.

1209 Mo
  * up 6:15; W=205.6; d, n
  @ Existential Depression in Gifted Children f(Mary Anne Mohanraj)
  * 9:30 interviews - Seattle Times
  : got the job at Amazon.  YAY!  One way or another I'll be employed full-time next year.
  * 2:30 Meghan (Socrata) phone call [ 617 478 0999 ]
  @ The DIY Couturier • 21 Tips to Keep Your Shit Together When You're Depressed. 

1210 Tu
  * up 6:40; W=205.4; d, n
  * Offer letter in hand.  Can start the 23rd or 30th.  Sign-on bonus comes with my first
    paycheck; having some extra cash on hand would be helpful.  OTOH, 401K is in Amazon
    pseudo-stock (RSU).

1211 We
  * up 6:15; W=203.6; d, n
  @ Here’s The Thing About That Bakery That Won’t Serve A Gay Couple….
    "I was hungry -- did you feed me?" f(Terence Chua)
  @ There comes a point where Susan, who was the  older girl, is lost to Narnia... 
    f(Mary Anne Mohanraj)
  @ NAILED IT: This Ad Calls Out 5 Ridiculous Double Standards Women Face In Less Than 60
    Seconds f(Erin Ruston)

1212 Th
  * up 6:35; S=203.8; d, n
  * sent a formal acceptance to Amazon, and rejection to the Seattle Times.
  @ The hackable watch: a wearable MSP430 MCU (LWN)

1213 Fr
  * up 6:40ish; ; d, n
  % what does it say that I totally forgot to update (this is added on Saturday)
  * look on the white plastic shelves for the Christmas stuff from the Starport -> no

1214 Sa
  * up 7:30; W=205.2; d, n; shower
  @ catsittingstill: Fair Is Fair Keeping the Thor in Thursdays
  @ Bark Like A Fish, Damnit! - Slice of Life: Electronic Delivery Edition
  * out with Colleen to Metropolitan Market and Staples.  Went to S. planning to get her a
    chromebook, but she preferred the Samsung GT-III instead.  Sweet!  Want one.
  : I now have Colleen's old tablet and Dell netbook.  Gleep.
  * 9pm pick up Chaos at Highland Ice Arena 18005 Aurora Ave N, Shoreline, WA

Comments

[jenk]

Congratulations on new jobness for you and out & about-ness for Colleen!

FYI, Amazon's 401(k) match is in Amazon stock, but the general investment options are good and low-cost. It's managed by Vanguard.

[mdlbear]

Thanks -- good to know.

[solarbird]

Oh shit, I wish I'd known you were interviewing at the Times. I'd've warned you off.

Seriously, you dodged a bullet. That place is a clown car of despair. It is an ender of joy and destroyer of happiness and careers. I know several people who've worked there; not one of them would work there again.

[westrider.livejournal.com]

I was gonna say. My mom wrote there for a few years after the PI shut down, and had a terrible time with them.

[joecoustic.livejournal.com]

So happy that Amazon came through for you!!! :)

[fractalwolf.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

[jcfiala.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! I'm glad you found a place to settle on.

cat proof Xmas Tree

[roaringmouse.livejournal.com]

That is why hoomans made fishing line and eye hooks to keep the tree from going boom.... My first cat was a tree climber. Once this was discovered. Dad would rig the tree up every year.