a gorgeous capture of the Lake Monona skyline

A Glowing Madison Morning
Originally uploaded by WisDoc.

"A Glowing Madison Morning

The skyline of Madison, Wisconsin taken just as the sun was coming up over Lake Monona."

Transitions

There has been so much change in my life this year. As you know, the move to Madison was a huge change... chosen, but still, leaving friends behind, and the city I had lived my entire life in, and a job I had dedicated myself to and grown in over 6 years (not to mention my earlier years at DOT in the 90's)...

Also recently, friends and family have diagnosed with cancer, and have demonstrated strength I cannot even imagine.

Our dog FleeWee, at 14 years old, has been going steadily downhill. We have tried a variety of medications to ease his pain and encourage his appetite, but he is still doing poorly. He will no longer eat even the treats that we sneak his pills into, so we will let him go on Monday. If you haven't already, please read our boy's story on Susan's blog.

---

As I've indicated here previously, the culture at my current workplace doesn't suit me (very conservative and regimented), nor, I have discovered, does the project management field. I was not so unhappy with the job that I was actively seeking anything, but I thought it would be worthwhile to see what might come to me, so I updated my resume and left it online. There were the usual clueless recruiters who, having happened upon sought-after acronyms in my resume tried to lure into short-term positions in New Jersey, or engage me in work I haven't done for 10 years.

But in the midst of those was an intriguing opportunity to join a small startup company downtown (2 miles away - a short ride down the bike path) which provides managed network security services. It would be risky, for certain, working for a startup. But the work! The work is exactly what I want to do. As the Director of Managed Services, I would be stepping into a position just created for this growing company. I would establish processes (using my knowledge of and interest in ITIL) for better customer service. I would supervise and mentor about 20 engineers, and design training and review systems to help retain them. I would evaluate their technology infrastructure, make recommendations, and implement them. And all in an environment that the founder/CTO calls "aggressively casual" -- I can wear jeans every day, and I won't even have to press them. (Being able to wear jeans to work is no small benefit with the winters here!)

I'm sure you can tell how excited I was about the opportunity. But I'm risk-averse when it comes to my career, so everything had to be perfect for me to take a chance on a startup. But after 3 interviews (founder and CFO, a team of other managers, and finally the CEO) over several weeks, they made me an offer. I negotiated a package that made me feel as comfortable as I could in such a circumstance (including a professional development budget so I can keep my skills current just in case), and I'm taking a flyer on this opportunity.

Thanks to those of you who served as references! I am especially grateful to Susan for being so supportive... with her new job as business manager at Gail Ambrosius chocolates, we will now both be working for new small businesses... yikes! I think Susan's is far more likely to succeed than mine (I expect my new company will. like most IT startups, either fail or be bought out by a larger company), but I am hoping to at least get in a couple of good years of exciting work while continuing to grow my skills and network in Madison.

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So, yeah, lots going on, happy and sad. Thanks for listening, again, via this impersonal medium. I want to hear what's going on in your life too... comment on this blog, email me, give me a call, whatever works for you!

Madison mid-autumn moon

Madison mid-autumn moon
Originally uploaded by dcmarch.

Capitol Building

Capitol Building
Originally uploaded by ctchen.

State St. Leading Up To The Capitol

State St. Leading Up To The Capitol
Originally uploaded by Maitri.

Goooo Badgers

Originally uploaded by Tierney100.

UW's Camp Randall stadium holds 80,000 people, and sells out every week... that's more than most NFL teams! Quite the impressive sea of red, eh?

Wisconsin State Capitol

Wisconsin State Capitol
Originally uploaded by drhunter.

Betcha can't park this close to YOUR capitol. :-)

Fall in Wisconsin

Fall in Wisconsin
Originally uploaded by tenth48.

"These are just some berries on a tree, along the Yahara River canal, which link Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. Since one is about 6 feet higher than the other, to go from one to the other, you must use the Yahara River and go through the Tenney Lock."

Red Gym

Red Gym
Originally uploaded by Mazda6.

"This building served as a guards barracks during the American Civil war. It faces Lake Mendota and currently serves as administrative office for UW-Madison... "

And so it begins...

... the high temperature in Madison today is expected to be 40 degrees. Yes, it's 20 degrees below normal for Oct. 12, but still... 40. And snow flurries! We'll be back into the (more normal) 60's next week, thankfully.

The good thing is that I am, apparently, hardier than many Madisonians. I have been smiling to myself as I see the layers and weight of clothing others have been reduced to in this cold spell. More evidence that I belong here.

on this gorgeous day,

about 70 degrees and a bit windy, I took the nerd bike out for a ride with Susan around the lake, my longest ride so far, about 15 miles or so. Took about 2 hours, and I was rewarded with my first visit to the new RP's Pasta restaurant. RP's is national now (you can probably find their fresh pasta at Whole Foods if you have one nearby), but it is based in Madison, and we are lucky enough to get it served at a no-frills cafe just outside the doors to the kitchen. We had the specials -- spinach-fennel gnocchi with clam sauce for me, vegetarian lasagna for Susan. Awesome!

Last night, we visited a few local businesses participating the the Gallery Walk, a regular event at which art is displayed by businesses which often also provide music, appetizers, and drinks.

Tonight, going to see Cyndi Lauper (yes, that one) at the Orpheum . Haven't been to this venue yet, but this will be the first of 2 trips this week -- seeing Ani DiFranco there on Thursday.

Tomorrow, we may go out for an "Open Art Studios" stroll, to check out the studios of local artists participating in that annual event.

Who needs to go to the gym with all this running around?!

NPR: E-Mail Takes a Holiday, at Least for One Day

Great story about a company that bans corporate email on Fridays.

NPR : E-Mail Takes a Holiday, at Least for One Day

(Click on the headline to the story using a RealAudio or WindowsMedia player.)

Chalk artist...

Chalk artist
Originally uploaded by Ann Althouse.

"Drawing a face and drawing a crowd, on Library Mall today" - Ann Althouse

Why I need a new job

I can't even wear jeans on Fridays. Bummer! But here's the best part: by donating $3 to the United Way campaign I can get a "Denim Day" sticker that will allow me to wear them tomorrow. But you knew there'd be a catch! From a corporate email:

What is work-appropriate denim? All denim should be clean, gently-worn and pressed. You also can wear athletic footwear, such as tennis shoes. Please make sure your footwear is also clean.

Uh, no, I didn't buy a sticker, too much pressure. :-)

Reduce, reuse, THEN recycle

Grist's Umbra on the American addiction to disposable products and the like:

Most Americans... generate 4.5 pounds of garbage per person per day. To get a sense of just how obscene that is, consider this: in 2003, Americans tossed out 236 million tons of solid waste. The people in your current home of Thailand, by comparison, chucked a mere 14.4 million tons. Thailand has about one-quarter the population of the U.S. -- but only one-sixteenth the trash. Yikes.

[...]

Sadly, in this world of Nifty mops and Zippy sandwich containers and things that are made to break, it's hard to convince people to buy -- and therefore throw away -- less stuff. But according to the EPA, more than 6,000 communities have "pay as you throw" programs that charge residents for each unit of trash they toss. And some industries have made progress. Remember those silly big cardboard boxes that CDs used to come in? And it seems that two-liter plastic bottles are 25 percent lighter today than they were 30 years ago. Small steps, but we'll take them.

So what can you do? Write to companies whose products you admire but whose packaging gives you shivers. Buy in bulk. Buy products with little or no packaging. Make thoughtful shopping lists, based on need, to avoid snatching things up spontaneously at the store. Shun anything that's marketed as handy, disposable, or one-time use in favor of more permanent solutions. And above all, don't get caught up in the Stuff Race.

In this case, less is truly more.

I do wish that environmental costs were reflected in the price of Ziploc bags (surely, a reusable plastic container will do?) and cell phones (how many have you owned in the last 5 years?) and grocery bags (a $.05 charge would encourage people to take new bags only when they really need them).

Read the full article.

The Union Terrace, UW Campus

The Union Terrace
Originally uploaded by Ann Althouse.

Somehow, going back to school holds more appeal here than it did in DC...

I want ...

one of these.

(If you like this kind of stuff too, consider subscribing to Inhabitat's way cool green design and architecture blog.)