Activist girls

I told you about my appearance in the Wisconsin State Journal; one of Susan's comments was noted by The Capital Times:

One resident said the water killed her plants, while another angrily accused the Water Utility [sic] of not doing its job to provide safe drinking water for children. Still others voiced concerns about how contaminated water might affect people with already-weak immune systems, such as people with liver problems or those infected with HIV.

[Full article]

I'm in the newspaper. :-)

Susan and I attended a meeting with water utility and health officials discussing issues with the well that serves our area. My comments were well-received, and a Wisconsin State Journal reporter asked for my name afterward. He didn't quite get it right (I had written the mayor questioning the director up public health's approach, not called Schlenker directly), but it's close:

...residents at the meeting remain uneasy about what they perceived as the city's lack of response to health concerns. Deb Hanrahan, from the Marquette neighborhood, said she called Schlenker last summer and asked if the health department planned to track potential illnesses that might have been caused by exposure to manganese. She was told only that the department is keeping track of phone calls from people with concerns, she said.

"I was very disappointed," Hanrahan said. "There's a real lack of confidence here."

[Full article]

A happy Thanksgiving

Susan and I spent Thanksgiving with our friends Scottie and Jim and their daughters Casey and Sammy. They live in Wauwatosa (a Milwaukee suburb affectionately known as 'Tosa). Having Scottie and Jim nearby is one of the things that made us feel more comfortable about uprooting ourselves from DC and moving to Wisconsin!

After feasting on a fabulous meal of traditional T'day fare, we went for a very nice walk which included a hike through the woods which our dog Indy particularly enjoyed! Then back home for more food, good coffee, and relaxation... ahhhh.

If you have a Flickr account and I've added you as a friend or family, you can see more pictures here. If you don't have an account, you can create one and invite me to be a contact (I can help, just ask!).

Over dinner, I had so much emotion over everything I have to be thankful for that I couldn't put it into words. A wonderful partner to share (truly share) my life with. Good health, good friends, good job. A nice home in a great community. Susan's dad's successful liver transplant and the family and friends that pulled together to help Terry and Lora through the recovery period. Sister Kate newly starting grad school and continuing to be supermom to Colin. Brother Terry also in school, oh and teaching and coaching high school students and caring for his son Braden. My stepfather reconnecting with me after 15 years of estrangement.

Yeah, I'm lucky. Lucky... or something. But definitely grateful, every day.

Lakeshore Nature Preserve

The Path Less Taken
Originally uploaded by WisDoc.

near Picnic Point

A Tree Without Leaves

A Tree Without Leaves
Originally uploaded by Johnny Blood.

"A large oak tree has lost its leaves against a colorful autumn sky near Madison, Wisconsin."

An update on the new job

So, I've been kind of quiet as I've settled into my new job. The environment is great, a wonderful converted loft office space downtown featuring exposed brick and contemporary design concepts. I have a nice office, and other amenities (large kitchen with all major appliances and free coffee, tea, sodas water -- and if they don't have what you want, they'll order it).

I love the location; 2 miles from home, a few blocks from the capital. The immediate neighborhood includes the Electric Earth Cafe (one of my favorite coffee and sandwich spots), WORT public radio, the Echo Tap and Grill (an institution -- 41 years in the same location run by the same family), the offices of the Onion.

My co-workers are very friendly, which is good because there is a steep learning curve and I am having to learn in a very ad hoc manner (I have, after all, been brought in largely due to their lack of processes, so hopefully I will be among the last to suffer this!) The other managers are very open to new ideas and offering me the freedom to make changes.

The work is really interesting -- I am excited to learn more about networking and security, and there are so many ways I can help this company be more effective and efficient, the hardest thing is going to be focusing my efforts. I get up each morning excited about what I can accomplish that day, a feeling I haven't had in a very long time. The flipside of that is that the company needs a lot of help -- it is growing rapidly, and if we don't get a handle on it quickly the ramifications will be substantial. Customers are already wary of the changes they've seen as the company has grown, so I'll need to move quickly to make sure I get the staff, most only with the company for 6 months or less, trained and motivated.

So... lots to do, but a good fit for my skills and work I enjoy, as well as an opportunity to gain experience in areas I'm interested in. So far, so good...!

Who's nerdy now?

A couple of months ago, I told you about my new nerd bike , but according to the Wall Street Journal, I was merely ahead of the curve.

Arcade games and photo studios

Susan and I went to Michigan last weekend to join in the celebration of our nephews' October birthdays (Colin's 2nd and Braden's 1st!)! There were many great moments, but these pictures capture some of my favorites: Susan playing in an arcade with Colin; one of the photos of the birthday boys that resulted from an amazing amount of coaxing, pleading, tickling, and more from mom Kate, uncle Terry, and aunt Susan to get Colin to cooperate at the photo studio; and tuxedo'd, eyeliner-mustache-sporting Colin racing across the rec center gym at the Halloween celebration, sippy-cup in hand.

Pumpkins

IMG_4976
Originally uploaded by sfrikken.

2 of Susan's Halloween pumpkins. We had about 35 trick-or-treaters (many more than we ever had in Arlington), so it was fun!

Red Bike

Red Bike
Originally uploaded by FlickrFinn.

"A 'red bike' docked at a rack on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Red Bikes is a community service that allows you to 'check out' and use a bicycle at no charge, like a library book."