Doreen the Downer

Mun Y. Choi

I haven't even met this guy, but I'm impressed. Choi is the new dean of engineering at UConn. Just reading his emails and hearing some second hand accounts of him has me thinking that he's an intelligent man who actually cares about the students in the department. Imagine that. He turned me on to www.engineeringchallenges.org. This is a pretty concise and poignant summary of where things need to go.

further proof...

...that 4 wheel drive is for gapers.

I hope this isn't a tease

Spring has sprung in Seattle. It hasn't rained in over a week and Mr. Sun is warming things up nicely. Mike and I rode from Queen Anne over to Bainbridge Island last Sunday. I (almost) like being a roadie. Luckily things have dried up enough that I was able to hit the trails again yesterday. Yay obstacles!

all revved up and nowhere to go

Despite ridiculous amounts of snowfall in the past week (90- something inches), causing Stevens Pass to be closed for days, I didn't go skiing this weekend. Here's why:













That little strip of black at the bottom of the frame is US 2. Mt. Baker was also closed on Saturday because of avalanche danger just getting to the mountain.

PFD

For when the going gets deep. Like 52" in the past week deep.



I've got tomorrow off and I'm going to Stevens Pass. The road up there has been closed all day because of accidents and avalanche control, but its open now...see that the morning brings.

Very nice end to a bike commute

Mt. Baker is a 2.5 hour drive from here

good idea, bad idea

For those of you who watched way too much Animaniacs where you were younger. This falls into both categories. The sound track is a good idea as well.

eats snow, something's bricks

Saw this....had to share. If you're wondering, this blog is PG now.

Sunny days in Seattle

You don't get many. Just before sunrise this morning.





I'll have some more tomorrow...riding to work.

Save Japanese Gulch

www.saveourgulch.com

http://www.stpns.net/view_article.html?articleId=75944291053267413

One of the biggest adjustments I've had to make in moving to Seattle is living in an urban environment. There are very few large green spots on the map in the vicinity, but Japanese Gulch is an oasis. This rugged and lush piece of land is sandwiched between Boeing, a corporate park and the towns of Mukilteo and Everett, including many homes. It is the best mountain biking, hiking and views within an hour of my house...and hundreds of thousands other's homes. Unfortunately some of the landowners are trying to develop a large parcel of the land.

Last Wednesday, I attended an Everett city council meeting intended to push the council to save the gulch. The room was packed with hikers, bikers and homeowners who want the Mukilteo and Everett city councils to somehow save the land as is. The city council seemed very receptive to the idea, but were concerned by the legal minefield necessary to do so. I'm even a little unsure of how its supposed to proceed. Let's hope all the support carries through to the heavy lifting...

hello again

Isn't the point of a blog to post things on it? I have to remember that.

I had a great weekend. On Saturday, my cooworker Jarrod and I went to Mt. Baker to ski. Just driving there was an experience. 20 miles from the mountain there is no snow and it is raining. Then the snow just starts rising. By the time you reach to parking lot, the snow is 10 feet deep. Its hard to tell where you are because of the walls of snow everywhere. The actual skiing was fun, but rough for me. It was like learning to ski all over again and I had a hard time staying on the surface. My skills and skis were not up to the job. It was fun in the fact that I could do absolutely no wrong regardless of whether I was on my boards or somersaulting through the snow.

After lunch, disaster struck...Jarrod bit it hard on a packed run and broke his collarbone. Sorry dude. So the day ended on a sour note, but I'll be back for more.

Sunday dawned sunny and warm! This was the first sunny day I've seen in a while, so I went out for a road ride. I was having fun cooking up and down some good hills, but once again the tables turned. Flat. Had a pump, but no tube or patch kit. Long 5 mile walk home.

Sorry I don't have any pics of the travels and tribulations. Here's Sunday dinner though...thanks for the recipe Deb and Doug! Happy B-day btw.
















Oh yeah, and here's a pic of one brave cat. This is taken straight out my second floor window. Curiosity did what to the wha?