Dear Blog,

 

  Sorry for the lack of entries lately.  Since my dad passed away seems like my blogging Muse has been on bereavement leave.  Nevertheless, life is like a box of chocolates and even as our dad-chocolates fall out of the box...the box keeps on going?  (OK not my best metaphor, but cut me some slack. it's been a while...)

 

  I came back to Washington having to catch up on my PROG120 homework assignments as well as facing my manager I wouldn't have had to face had the Zune team been sufficiently fooled by my practised imitation of a software tester (I've never tested software before) 

 

At Microsoft (probably like most companies) depending on how long you've been in your job, you need to either ask permission or at least notify your manager that you want to interview in another group.  I sought said permission and did not get the job, so we were left in the awkward spot of Oliver's manager now thinking, "Great.  I have to deal with this schmuck who wants out" and me dealing with a smidgeon of, "Great.  I'm back in the crummy spot I was trying to leave." 

 

  There's always a silver lining though and in this case, his low opinion of me not withstanding, my manager decided to find me a spot in our team where I can do some work I'm into, learn some nifty testing skills and contribute in a meaningful way to our team.  So, like it's always been with me, now that I'm on the brink, I gotta step up and overdeliver for the rest of the year (our fiscal year ends in June).    At this point, I'm not quite put out to pasture and I still like my chances of making a fan out of him yet (Though it will likely include a helping or two of Adderall, periodically-elevated blood pressure be damned)

 

  Plus, there are still lots of reasons to be positive.  I finished my PROG120 class (with an 'A'; holla!).  K & I went to the do some refinancing paperwork today and Colby started walking in the last couple of weeks.  He toddles like a drunk/zombie/4-legged-animal-walking-on-hind legs, but he's getting there.  The boys do something nearly every day that surprises me or makes me laugh.  And I've been trying to honor my dad by starting to try and do some of the work he wanted to spend his retirement years doing, i.e. uplifting others, making the world a better place...

 

  Still, in quiet and random moments, I've found myself crying over strange things or feeling a void that my parents aren't out somewhere doing something or around to pick up the phone if I called.   I wanted to write a Christmas letter this year (I started doing that last year) but whenever I thought about sitting down and cranking it out, I just couldn't summon a happy place in me to put sincerely joyful holiday wishes down on paper (or monitor).  Doesn't mean that I don't love Christmas or I don't want everyone to have a merry Christmas; I guess I just feel a little awkward putting it out there...

 

Still, I do wish everyone a Merry X-mas.  Stay warm and safe and I hope your holidays are filled with laughter and happiness.

 

K, Elliott & Mochi in the snow.  The apple box that Elliott is sitting in, was his sled.  We upgraded it by tying a jump rope to the front of it so we could drag it around, but our neighbor still felt so sorry for us they lent us their (actual) sled.

 

Coco-bean (as his nickname has turned out to be) bundled up.

 

Me & my pops from back in the day.

 

 

The boys making faces.

 

Also, I've clued into a couple of kind of awesome bands from playlists on Zune pass.

 

Rodrigo y Gabriela, acoustic guitars played with just relentless energy.  I like the album version of this song more than this one b/c the album has a mic up close to Gabriela's guitar, so when she's banging out the rhthyms, it's a lot louder...

   

 

Fleet Foxes, representing the 206!  The video is creepy (I hate puppets and clowns), but the harmonies and melodies are lovely.