Went to a dog agility trials/show at the Northwest Fairgrounds in Lynden last Saturday with the kids. It was inside the horse arena, but it was very cold and raining/snowing heavily outside. We lasted almost two hours. Bought sandwiches, burritos and hot chocolate for lunch. Got to see all of the smallest dogs go through the course before we were ready to leave. We were sitting in bleachers, up at the top. There were a lot of people there, several spectators and families sitting below us. Everyone was quietly watching except for N, M & S. They were chattering away animatedly like a trio of starlings. It was kind of funny and very cute, though I did feel self-conscious about how much noise my kids were making. I tried not to shush them too much - just wanted them to be aware of other people around them.

After that we went to the theater at Bellis Fair mall to see Bridge to Teribithia. The last time we went it was sold out, but that gave us some extra time to finish the book. As we were walking into the mall two girls, maybe around 12, both with long blond hair and probably sisters, ran up to N all excited and asked if they could get their picture taken with him. His hair is short, spiky and very red right now. N said "oookay" and looked a little freaked about, but smiled through his blush and let them flank him as a friend of theirs took the pic with a cell phone. Apparently they had seen N the night before while ice skating! M&S and I thought it was pretty funny. The movie was OK, though we were there so early we had to sit through all the commercials before the previews.

It was nice to hang out with them.

Hard times.

Taking it one hour at a time.

Hurting. Trying to adjust.

Still looking for a librarian job. Still want to stay in Bellingham, especially as H's business continues to grow succesfully. It would be unfair to disrupt that, I think.

Paul and I are started on an article about the Digital Commons.

I have a couple ideas for essays, one about ice cream, and one about "bad guys (and gals)". Asked Eric S. if he'd help me with the historical research aspects of the speed article.

BQ at Searcher sounds interested in both a mashups and visualization of information article. I need to solidify a proposal with her and get a deadline. Also am thinking about asking Dawn if she'd like to work on one of these with me.

The kids are all doing well, enjoying homeschool. They're really into Astro Boy and Bionicles right now.

H is juding a play at the Bellingham Theater Guild tonight, and performs with A Few Good Women next week.

Allen and my Ray Harryhausen interview has been submitted to Jeff's Habits of Waste, and will include a video clip of Harryhausen. I'm thinking about uploading the whole interview onto YouTube as well.

Down in OR at the Grandparent's for Christmas. Spent last night at my sister's in Puyallup, which was a great way to break up the long drive from Bellingham to Philomath, plus we got to see her family and exchange gifts. We're probably going to stop there again on the drive back up next Saturday.

Kind of challenging to type right now as my thumb is still bandaged from gouging a big divot out of it last Sunday night on some broken ceramic plates while washing dishes. Cut all the way down to the artery and had to drive myself to the E.R.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to this vacation and family time.

Windy night. Sometimes it sounds like the house is about to be ripped apart.

Still no word from Cornell.

Other prospects:

Law library internship in D.C.

Systems librarian in Guam.

Astronaut ;)

Homeschooling continues to be a struggle and a challenge, but I think we're slowly making some progress. The kids continue to be positive about their learning, which is a big factor.

H just got back from an improv workout at the UpFront - she's performing with Ryan Stiles this Friday. Oh yeah, she got recognized yesterday at the Grocery Outlet! Kinda funny.

Still waiting to hear from Cornell about the fellowship I applied for.

Snowy, icy, and very cold in Bellingham the last few days. WWU was closed Mon and Tue, open today, and may be closed again tomorrow depending on what tonight's storm brings.

H and the kids decorated the Christmas tree today. It looks really sweet.

M says he wants to start his own blog. The kids made a 36 minute video movie today!

Didn't bother applying for the Bellingham Public Library job after I found out they wanted someone with three years of "professional" library experience, i.e., someone who's been an actual degreed librarian, never mind the 16+ years of public and academic library experience I have. A friend of mine encouraged me to apply anyway, with a letter explaining my experience, which I may do if the position opens up again (this is the second time it's been open this year).

Meanwhile, I'm still looking for MLIS work in Bellingham, and I'm applying for a two year fellowship at Cornell designed to help recent graduates. I think it's a long shot, but that's never stopped me before.

The kids and I just got back from the annual Honeyman trip in Oregon with H's family. H didn't go this year. She needed a break and a chance to catch up on her own stuff. We had a fine time, but I'm pretty tired right now.

Um, I didn't get the usability/web designer job. It went to a candidate who was a web designer with Amazon(!) and who has never even done any usability testing (!!) - though she's observed them....

So, it seems they wanted a web designer rather than a user experience person who could design and lead testing, as well as implement results. I'm still fantasizing that it won't work out for her and that they'll call me back saying "Wait, it was a horrible mistake - we really wanted you all along".

***********

We're all going to go see some live jazz tonight at the Firehouse - the kids are excited about it, as am I.

So, next I'm applying for a librarian position at Bellingham Public Library, Head of Reference no less! We'll see...

The interview went well - it lasted for one hour and fifteen minutes. We went overtime, but I think this was a good sign as we had a lot to talk about. I could tell that the search committee was very interested in usability and how it could be applied to PeaceHealth, as well as my experience with user centered design.

D said I did great. My hands were shaking on the elevator ride down. I felt OK in my suit, the first time I've worn it out of the house. I'd just bought a tie for it the day before...

It may take up to two weeks for a decision to be made, and even then there's the possibility of a third interview (if they have more than one top candidate). So, these next couple of weeks will be stressful. I've already had two fairly sleepless nights that I'm blaming on thinking about this job. Last night I woke up at 2:30am and had to read until 3:30 before I could get back to sleep - very unusual for me.

I want this job pretty badly, but I'm still trying not to get overly worked up about it.

I've been asked to interview for the usability/web designer job next Thursday! I'm excited and nervous - it would mean so much to my family (financially) if I got this job, and it would mean a lot to me professionally. Usability is such an interesting and engaging field, with so many interconnections. I also like what I've read so far about St. Joseph's/PeaceHealth's philosophy and community goals. I think it would be a nice place to work.

I've been preparing for the interview by reviewing usability tenets, researching PeaceHealth, and practicing interview techniques and ideas. It's a lot like preparing for a big term paper or exam.

The mini phone interview for the usability job went well today. Now I just need to wait to hear about getting an interview, which I should know about by sometime next week.

And I have to remain cool, calm and collected. Detached. Time to practice my breathing...

I didn't get the Systems/Cataloging Librarian job at WWU - there were applicants with higher qualifications and more experience than I have, of course. I knew it was a long shot...

Well, now I can concentrate on the Usability job I've applied for. And keep looking for other opportunities, I guess.

It's the boy's tenth birthday tomorrow! They gave me their last nine year old hugs and kisses tonight...

Tomorrow they're having a sleep over with some friends as well as a food fight party in the front yard. I think we're doing jello and whipped cream, and then we'll hose them off afterward. Should be fun!

N wrote a poem tonight:

9 YEAR OLD

A 9 YEAR OLD IS SMART AND SiLLY,
FUN AND ON THE RUN.
8s ARE O.K. BUT 9s ARE GREAT!!
10 WiLL BE FUN, BUT 9 is...
FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


H is performing at the Up Front Theatre tonight, as well as doing sound in the tech booth for a different show there. She's also going to be MCing three of the movies in the Cult Film Series for the Traveling Pickford Show in the beer garden at Boundary Bay. She's opening for Army of Darkness, Life of Brian, and Thelm and Louise.

I've been rehearsing with Dawn in order to play some music for a friend's wedding. Dawn plays the cello, and I'm playing guitar. We're going to be playing while the bride and groom walk up the aisle, as well as immediately after the ceremony. The music is coming together well.

I've got a couple of new blogs up, check them out:

Getting In the Mood With Good Food

Grassroots Librarian

Usabiliblog

Fund the Child: A 100% Solution - this looks like a good idea.

From The Progress Report

"EDUCATION -- TACKLING FUNDING DISPARITIES IN AMERICA'S SCHOOLS:

A new Thomas B. Fordham Institute report tackles one of the "most pressing problems in American education": the funding disparity between schools in rich and poor districts. The Education Trust reports that "36 states have a funding gap between high poverty and low poverty districts that averages almost $900 per student." Faced with current policies that "consistently fail to solve problems," the report -- which has drawn support from a bipartisan group of experts and former government officials -- concludes that the "entire financing system needs to be modernized if the problems of inequity and antiquity are to be solved." It proposes a plan for government at all levels to allocate funds to schools on a "per-student basis" according to each student's needs, and not by staffing levels or special program needs or "political jockeying," as is currently done. The funding would follow students to whichever public school they choose to attend. The proposal has received support from 75 signatories, including former Education Secretary Rod Paige and American Progress President and CEO John D. Podesta and Director of Education Policy Cynthia Brown. Sign up here to add your name to the solution."

It's my birthday today, but it didn't start off so well last night. When I got home it was to find that the bathroom sink was clogged up, and after taking apart various pipes under the sink and in the basement it still was plugged up. I finally had to resort to Drano, which fixed the problem.

H and the kids made me breakfast in bed this morning, which was really nice. I also slept in. Then I went to the cafe and had some coffee and read for about an hour. When I got home it was to find the screen door hanging off it's top hinge, so, another thing to fix. But the cordless drill wasn't recharged, so now I have to wait for that...

I was invited to the first round of interviews for the librarian position! It'll be a phone interview, which will be sort of weird as I will probably be in the same building as the interviewers when it's happening, but I understand the reasons. It's important to make the process consistent and equitable between all the candidates, and for all I know the rest of them are from out of town or state. Still, I'm pleased to have made it this far and am looking forward to the next step.

Rode home with N today from the Aikido dojo. It was slow going, about 35 minutes (it usually takes me about 12-15 minutes to get home from WWU), but it was nice to spend extra time with N.

And it was a little nerve-wracking, especially at intersections. N stayed on the sidewalk while I rode beside him on the street. It was only awkward when there was a person or something else in his way on the sidewalk. N also talked to me pretty much the whole way, which was very endearing.

H, M & S all rode to the dojo w/ N, then went to the library and rode home before us.

We're slowly working on the various stop-action episodes for N&M's movie.

S is back! It was great to see her - she was so happy - and it was great to see N&M happy to see her too.

I'm glad she's home again...

I've been working with the boys on several digital shorts that they made, mostly stop-action. We're going to author them onto a DVD later this week. They're very creative.

S has been down visiting her grandparents, and I've really been missing her, but she's coming home tomorrow!

I proposed a podcast tour of the library to the Outreach Committee - looks like it's going to happen! And Paul and I are finishing up another paper, this one based on our LOEX presentation. It should be done by the end of this week.

Meanwhile I'm trying to be patient while waiting to hear back about the librarian position I've applied for at WWU.

Oh yeah, the other night a skunk got into our chicken yard and scared a couple of the chickens right out over the fence, but no one was hurt and all is well now. Luckily the skunk didn't spray anything...

H finished her last classes of KAP this week, so now money will become tighter than ever. Time to put the boat onto Craigslist.

The Kona airport waiting area near the gates is open on all four sides, but covered on top for when it rains. The planes pull up right outside the gates and are very loud when they arrive and leave. It’s nice to be outside while waiting for your plane, especially in such a humid, hot environment, but it’s not so nice to sit here watching a DVD on my laptop and having to smell the exhaust of jet fuel. Kinda ruins the tropical vibe for me.

On Saturday night Paul and I walked around the neighborhood we’re staying in for about four square blocks. We walked in the dark, and for at least half the walk it was pouring a hard, warm rain. The houses we saw were all beautiful, each with a view of the ocean, all two or three stories high, many with wide, full sized verandas running across their second floor. Paul thinks the average price for houses around there is around 600 grand. I’m sure many were worth more than that.

I also heard some strange frogs for the first time. They sounded like birds, a high, whistling, whooping, chirping sound. I didn’t even identify them as frogs – I had to ask Paul. They didn’t sound the way I’ve come to think of frogs as sounding. I wish I could have seen what they looked like. Paul says that there are many different kinds of frogs around here.

We drove up to Volcanoes National Park today and drove around the huge Kilauea caldera and the Kilauea Iki crater. Hot steam wafted up from many vents. It looks like the surface of Mars around there. We also went to the Place of Refuge, a native Hawaiian site, and saw some tikis and green sea turtles.

We stopped at the southernmost bar in the U.S., “Shakas”, and had dinner on the way back from Black Sand Beach – a place I didn’t want to leave.

I arrived back home today, very tired after a mostly sleepless, redeye flight. I'm in zombie mode, but it's been great to see the family again. I'd sure like to get us all over to Hawaii...

Aloha! I was up at 6:30 this morning, listening to the raucous calls of the myriad birds here. It's sunny with blue skies today. Paul and I are planning on driving up to the volcano before having to head out.

Yesterday a young family with two children (3 and 18 months old) arrived to spend the night in the studio that's also available here. They're moving into the two room unit Paul and I have been using today. They've moved to Hawaii, but don't have a place to live or a job here yet! I hope it all works out OK for them.

Have I mentioned the garden here? Tom grows orchids, and has about a hundred of them nestled under a sunshade. There are also mango and banana trees, as well as tomato and kale. It sure would be cool to have our own mango and banana tree. I think you could grow just about anything here, and the season is pretty much yearlong.

Looks like I'll have a slightly shorter flight back, with less layovers, just a two hour one in Seattle. I sure hope I can sleep on the plane - I don't want to be a total zombie when I get home.

The ceviche I made turned out really great - I'll have to make more when I get back to Bellingham.