D & C's Annual Update

I've attached Casey's annual update she sends out every year. It does a fine job of highlighting what we've been doing the last 12 months. I hope you all have a good holiday season and I look forward to hearing what'cha y'all been up to. (We took this picture on Casey's 30th birthday.)

Greetings! It’s been a busy and productive year, filled with travels and entertaining. If we weren’t able to meet up this year, here’s why. Derek spent the month of February building a second bathroom on the main floor of our house (yes, he’s that handy). Aside from a little help with plumbing and electrical work, he did it all himself. The only interruption was when the dog (Neko) ate a sock and required serious and expensive surgery. In March we traveled to Hawaii and stayed for a week with Bryan and Serena. They were kind enough to lend us their convertible so we covered the island of Oahu, stopping at every coconut stand and beach for a swim. In April we attended Dakota and Audrey’s wedding in the hip town of Palm Springs, CA. I flew to Bismarck, North Dakota and danced my heart out at Jessica and Jason’s wedding and I was struck with the stark beauty of the land.

And then they came: Patrick and Anne, Derek’s family, my sister and her family, Jessica and Jason, Greg, Jerad and Kate, Kristina, Hans, Wiggins and Sreyoshi, and the LeBoutillier/Helget clan to name a few. From May to August we had visitors every weekend except for two. With all of these guests, we wound up traveling to Door County or the beach about every weekend this summer. We discovered our favorite spot in Wisconsin—Point Beach State Forest, located on the lake. It’s one of the few beaches that allow dogs and since we also discovered that Neko’s favorite thing in the world is to swim (he truly is one of us), we hit it up every weekend that the weather allowed. All of these trips to the beach with the dog solidified my suspicions—happiness is being able to bring happiness to others.

We chartered a fishing boat on Lake Michigan and went salmon fishing not once, but twice, with Hans and Kristina. The first time around the weather was so warm that the fish weren’t biting, but the one fish we did catch was enough to give us the itch. When the temperatures dropped in September we all went out again, in the dark and with flasks of black gold. Aside from the bitter cold and our lonely, creepy captain, who talked incessantly about women, we caught 11 salmon weighing in at over 100 pounds. If you’re in for a good laugh you should check out our captain’s website, which he recently had updated to include pictures of our big catch: http://www.bumsandbigshots.com/. (Note all the pictures of me and Kristina.)

In August we crossed the pond. We visited Wouter and Katrin in Antwerp, Belgium (our favorite city in the world). They were gracious hosts. After a few days in Belgium we traveled to Amsterdam, where we ate well, wore holes in our shoes from walking, lounged in Vondel Park, hit up some museums, and visited all of our old haunts. A week after our return we took the dog and met up with Dakota and Audrey at the Witzenburg’s cabin in Canada. By the time my 30th birthday came around, all I wanted was a quiet weekend camping and hiking in the woods with my boys (Derek and Neko).

We were Wisconsinized this fall! That is to say we attended two Packer games. It was a cultural experience. Derek has taken to watching football on T.V. now and I keep asking him what he did with the guy I married—the guy who never watched football. He claims it’s just work related (so he can swap sports talk at the water cooler) but I’m not convinced. We’ll see if the habit goes with him when we leave Green Bay. At least he hasn’t started hunting. Besides, he’s still the kind and supportive man I’ve always known. He helps keep me motivated to write—always giving me the time, space, ear, and encouragement I need when the rejection slips come in the mail. With all of the travels and guests, and with my continued employment with Pearson, my writing life has been suppressed. However, I continue to pluck away and find my voice, and I did have two publications this year. Derek was promoted this fall to the Deputy Director of Economic Development. He still functions as a planner, working on redevelopment projects throughout the city, but he feels the Economic Development department is a good fit because it enables him to see his projects through instead of just writing planning documents. I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be here—a year or so, certainly not two. We plan to spend the next year figuring out where we’re off to next. We hope to meet up with all of you along the way, and of course our guest room is always open. Happy holidays, and may your year be filled with simple reasons to appreciate. Wishing you peace and progress.
Love, Casey and Derek

I see it's update time again!

Hey everyone!
It'd been a little while since I got on here but how exciting to hear from so many of you. Well I guess it's my turn then, huh? Man it's hard to imagine it's almost the end of another year, again. Last weekend we had an 80-something degree day, so it's been hard to convince myself it's already December!
Well, Work is going pretty well. We had some team reorganizing in October... I ended up in the same general group, but I have gotten a little more responsibility... getting to try out leading on a few projects, so that's keeping me pretty busy. I'm in a new band... and we have our first real show coming up in January, so I am very excited about that! Get this -- we're playing at a place called the 'Lonestar Road House'. How Texas cliche is that? Oh well, at least it's not a country bar. ;-)
Anyway, I'm sure there's more going on here... but nothing I can think to write right now. I've finally saved up a bit more vacation -- so hopefully I'll get a chance to visit some more of you guys in person and catch up. Miss you all!
- Kristen

Update, sorta

Hmmm... I feel the need to post an update even though I don't think much is happening around here. Drew and I had a nice steak dinner at Morton's today for his company's holiday shindig. It was nice, we won Macy's giftcards.

We're trying to go home again this year for Christmas. Hopefully we won't get snowed out this time! Otherwise, we're settled in to our new place, I started going to the gym again after a more than 3 year hiatus. It was just time.

Work is good mostly. We're all freakin' out 'cause my boss is going on maternity leave and since she keeps everything going, we're preparing for it all to fall apart. I just found out this week that get to go to Imperial County (as in the Mexican border) to train the County officials on housing conditions surveys and our software - before Christmas - so that's cool, I guess. I'm also moving into a sort of project management role for some projects in anticipation of the boss's maternity leave so I guess that is also good.

Well, I've bored myself now, so hopefully didn't bore anyone else too bad.

Hopefully I'll have more interesting news one of these days such as: we're getting a dog (which I really want) or I'll be working on the City of New Orleans Housing Element (as my company has submitted and made the short list for selection to do the City's next General Plan)!

Until then...

Virgin Poster

WOW! It's taken me nearly a year to get this blog thing figured out. I couldn't sign in and post any thing other than comments because of technical difficulties (it had something to do with my cache and some other pop-up problems). I have, however, been an active reader and know exactly what is going on in all of your lives.

I don't have much time to post now, but I promise more later. Casey will soon be working on our annual New Year's e-letter and I promise I'll post it to our forum. In the mean time, I've included a picture of my new hobby--salmon fishing. Four of us went out this fall and caught eight fish this size. If I died today I would have to be disposed of as hazardous waste because of all the mercury in my system - I shut my eyes and picture everyone at my funeral in haz-mat suits.

It's been fun reading about everyone's life. I have a lot to share (NO kids on the way), so you'll be hearing more soon.

Woo-hoo!! Number 17!

Are these rankings really accurate? I don't think this guy ever visited Fairfield, IA on his tour --

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/04/walkable.communities.ap/index.html

Updates .....

Hello all who read this blog,

There are many things to update since I've last written. First of all, I'm now a married man and, no, married life doesn't seem all that different from before the big day. The key things at the wedding went well (i.e. the pastor showed up and the rings didn't get lost). Our flower girl got a little awestruck walking down the aisle, and I burned up quite a sweat standing for 35 minutes in my tux, which lead everyone in the audience to believe that either I might pass out during the ceremony or I was really nervous about getting married. But I didn't faint, and I'm now happily married. Dave Dunn stood up at the altar with me which I was very grateful for, and we all had a good time at the reception. I've pasted a few pics down below.

We honeymooned in Maui for a week in October and saw several memorable sights and places. We drove the Road to Hana, which is quite a feat -- 618 hairpin S-turns and 54 one-lane bridges (one-way) all on a road that was really no more than 15-20 feet wide at any given point. And the city of Hana wasn't really that much, just a small little town where some celebrities own beachfront property (Woody Harrelson among others). As a transportation planner, I can't imagine what could really be done to improve the driving conditions on those roads. The locals all drive twice as fast as the tourists and I wonder how many people actually drive off the cliffs or suffer serious injuries in head-on collisions coming around a turn. I enjoyed the drive though and the scenery. And I bought a t-shirt commemorating my survival of the trip.

I have also been a firsthand witness to both Minnesota Viking losses to the Green Bay packers (Ugh!). I traveled to Lambeau Field in my purple jersey and was quite embarrased at the end of the game (we lost 34-0, the worst in the history of the rivalry).

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving went well. I think this holiday season might be the one that makes me have to buy a larger pant size. Every time I go with Kayla to Wisconsin, there's three or four Christmas dinners where there's way too much food to eat, and I get guilted into eating too much. Hope everyone has a great Christmas too --

Dan

Somebody needs to update, might as well be me

Hey URPs, how goes it? Same old here I'm afraid. I really wish I had something earth shattering to share with you all, but really not much is new since I moved here. Things are good (except my puppy, he is semi-evil in a hyper way), work is good (except for ESRI), and I've been staying busy. Are any of you on Facebook these days? I joined last weekend so look me up (my gmail address) if you're on there.

Yeah, lame update, I know, but it's all I got right now.

--Matt

It's always sunny in Denver...

Yeah, its snowing already. Looks like the world series is going to be a cold one!

Blast From the Past...

I was just thinking about you guys as I went to the ACSP conference in Milwaukee this weekend. I happened to run into Alan, Heather, Jim, Jerry, Lucie, Paul, and Rick at various points, which was really nice. Sounds like there are some interesting changes happening around the department, primarily with faculty comings, goings, and retirements. They all seemed to be doing really well, though, and presented some excellent research (okay, admittedly most people go to these conferences to drink...).

Other than that, the news from Chicago is pretty quiet. I interened for the City of Chicago's office of special events part time for about 13 months after I left Iowa. About six months of doing the work of several staff people while getting paid chump change compelled me to quit and focus more on my own research. As such, I'm still taking classes and doing research for my advisor's center. I'm looking at taking comps next summer or fall (then I can take out my frustration on wee undergrads or master's students!). I've broken my GIS addiction and haven't used ArcGIS for weeks (sorry, Matt... Dave, I'm sure you were taking bets as to whether that would ever happen- sorry you'll have to pay up to someone)... Congratulations to those of you who have/are getting hitched, making babies, buying houses, or some combination thereof. I'm jealous.

Conversation Starter

so yeah... I wake up this morning and decide to get dressed (something I've become accustumed to ---go figure) anyway I just happen to grab a t-shirt w/o really paying much attention to which one and it happened to be our old bar crawl shirt "CBD in the CBD" Anyway I've worn this shirt aroud plenty and no big deal... but today it was like a magnet. Something like 5 different people asked me what it stood for. Man, I didn't realize before how tough that is to explain to other people... especially some people that don't even know where Iowa is:

"weellll... see, UI URP stands for the University of Iowa which is where I went to school... no that's ohio... yeah with the corn... no thats idaho... anyway... and the URP bit is the graduate program I was in -- Urban and Regional Planning... no 'Urban and Regional'... yeah planning... like cities and stuff... like transportation planning... well no, not exactly... um, yeah close enough i guess... anyway see we had this bar crawl... that's where you get a bunch of people and you go to lots of different bars in one night and get really drunk... what do you call it down here? ... huh, that's funny... anyway we had one of those and, CBD well, it' this planning term for central business district... basically means downtown... yeah and see planners have to use a lot of acronyms for things, so we thought it'd be funny to make the... yeah i know, right? ... anyway and the other cbd, this first one stands for something else though... um... well i'm not sure, we never really reached a consensus on that... we had lots of funny ideas... pretty much whatever you wanted it to mean... no that was sort of the point... we tried to have a different answer everytime... no i guess it doesn't make a lot of sense... but... well we drank a lot."

And that's about how most of my day went. And I knew only you guys would get it.

Hey! Does anyone remember the username and password for the UIURP alumni site??? I thought I knew it... but apparantly only half of it. They probably wouldn't be happy if we just posted it online... but if anyone knows it, could you shoot me an email? (mylastname.myfirstname@gmail.com or myfirstinitialmylastname@nctcog.org) THANKS a TON! - kristen

New Job

Well, I have officially changed jobs. I am now a planner for the City of Chesterfield. I left my previous employment in order to get some more free time and working for a government agency is nice. Previously I was working 45 hours on a slow week and in the upper 50's on a busy week. It didn't take long after Logan was born for me to decide to try and find another job. For the first two months of Logan's life I only saw him sleeping and when he woke up in the middle of the night to eat. While my new job is a bit more mundane, I really enjoy leaving at 5:00 everynight (unless of course there is a night meeting which is only 3-4 times per month). While I miss the projects I was working on, I love having less stress and free time. Other than that, life is the same in St. Louis.

Pedal Power

The summer seems to have evaporated. I got in one lovely bike ride, which I have chronicled at
http://picasaweb.google.com/wigjeff

In other news, I am on the cusp of being a homeowner again. I'll post some shots in a month when I actually live there. Otherwise, just twiddling my thumbs until Sreyoshi returns from Delhi.

-Wiggins

It is time for more posts!

Well, Dave beat me to it, but I agree that it is time to hear from everyone again. Drew and I are now settled in our new apartment. Things are going well with that. Parking on the street hasn't been too bad and it turns out our laundry facility here is cheaper!

Dave, I'm jealous of your NeighborWorks training. I'd love to do that sometime too. Life as a consultant is going well. I just had my annual review, which was very positive and I did get a pay increase! Things are ever changing and my responsibilites are growing. Through the past few months and in the months to come, I'll be taking on more and more responsibilities as my immediate supervisor is having a baby the beginning of next year. Next week, I won't have to be in the office at all as my team is conducting a housing conditions survey in Grass Valley. We'll be driving around all day every day surveying the housing there and recording on our ArcPad program that is synced with a GPS tracker. It'll be fun!

I've finally heard from Banks and he has moved back to Cali, so I look forward to catching up with him in person sometime soon. He's only a few hours away in Santa Cruz.

Drew is doing well and working his way up at the taxidermy shop but still hasn't found a band out here. He is not going on tour with the Hudson Falcons this year thank God!

Otherwise, not much else to report...what's everyone else doing?

12 pounds 6 ounces

Well...baby Joanna is now 12 pounds 6 ounces and I am finally getting to posting some pictures. Taking care of the new creature in our life has been amazing. After making a few major adjustments the first week home, we are now settled and she has even decided to take it easy on us only waking us up once through the night! Ohbe has adjusted to our new pace of life and tolerates cutting his walk short when Joanna gets overly cranky.

I'm glad to hear everyone is doing well and I will be sure to save you a seat at Joe's your next visit to IC.

Oh, and if you want to view more photos of Joe's newest patron check out...http://picasaweb.google.com/agalluzzo

Bachelor Party anyone?

Any of you men out there visiting Minnesota over the Aug. 24th-25th weekend? If you are, you're welcome to come along on a kick-ass bachelor party (that would be mine). The plan right now is to visit several places throughout the day on Saturday (like bars, bowling alleys, other bars, and whatever else is planned for the day).

If you would like to attend, you can call me (952-200-0420) or reply to this posting (which might actually be easier) and I'll have my best man include your email address on the Evite so you can respond.

Congrats to all the people with humongous news lately. Cheers to Kent for the baby -- any names picked out yet, like Kent Jr.? And cheers as well to Dave for his new digs. Congrats to Sreyoshi on becoming a transportation planner (it's not that bad after all, really). And congrats to Matt who has a new dog now, he looks like fun.

Hey Michaela ...

Hey Michaela and hey everyone! I apologize for not being in touch. Blogging, posting pictures and writing updates are not my strongest points! I am alive and well and very busy. Don't have too much to report though. No, I did not buy a house or a dog; neither did I get married or am pregnant! I did quit my job at NC and now have assumed the role of a transportation planner with the Cheyenne MPO. Work is exciting, yeah its true! Some people learn through trial and error and am I the classic example?! I have tried housing, community devpt, economic development and transportation. I'd like to think that 'wildlife photography' is next but maybe I'll settle with transportation at the moment. Apart from work, Jeff and I am having an amazing time exploring this part of the country.
Also, I am on my 3 month sabbatical at the moment (note without pay). Next month I leave for India to spend around 5 weeks with my family. Apart from the 15 hour flight, I am really looking forward to it!

Ciao!

Onion

Ok the article isn't one of their funniest ever but the headline cracked me UP...
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/5_million_car_pileup_kills

Update time, I guess

I knew that someone else was going to be expecting!!! Now its Derek and Casey's turn.;) Congratualions to Kent and Tiffany! Nice house Dunns! Kristen- I'll have to check out the band. Oh, and what's up with Sreyoshi? I've asked before and no one answered but I take it she is no longer in North Carolina (?)? Drew and I are moving into a smaller and cheaper apartment this week and next. We are excited as it is close to the downtown grocery store and number of restaurants and bars. It'll also cut down my commute about 10 minutes. Job is fine, but we're out of work, which is very bad and makes for long, tense days. We did finally move into a new office where everyone has their own desk and we have a kitchen that does not double as someone's office and about 16 conference rooms!

Drew is mastering the art of taxidermy and is driving me crazy with his heightened sense of detail. He's still looking for a music project.

I guess that's all. I should get back to work

Bye now,

Oh My God (and I'm not a religious man)

I swear I just now figured out how to post a blog.... turns out it's really quite easy.

Anyhoo, I've been reading all of the entries posted and am happy to hear people are doing well. Congrats to Matt on his new pup, the Dunn family on their new digs, Matt again for his new job, Wiggins for having what seems like the best job ever, Kristen for a rocking band, Dan on his new home, Galluzzo for having a child, J-town for having a child, Sreyoshi on her newer job, Aaron for getting hitched, Derek for being a bad ass, Michaela for representing the west coast, and anyone else I missed...

As for me, work is wonderful and keeping me quite busy...I am however having some difficulty sitting in my office during the summer months. To remedy this, I've been trying to spend as much time outdoors as my days allow. Tiffany is well and now working as landscape designer at Forevergreen nursery. I'm also pleased to report that Tiffany and I are expecting our first child on December 26th...So, I'm completely nervous to say the least. And, with any luck, I'll figure out exactly what one does to take care of a newborn before this date.

If anyone ever passes through IC you've always got a place to stay...

Cheers

Still Alive

No word from Wyoming recently. Sorry...

A new show in the UK that may be of interest:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/06_june/01/planners.shtml

Cheyenne acquired a 20,000 acre ranch a few years ago to explore water rights and a potential landfill site. The former is alive and well; the latter is pretty much dead in the water. Now, it's looking mostly like an immense trail paradise that's 25% bigger than the entire city. Check out the master planning and some pix at:

http://www.belvoirranch.org

Otherwise, the usual work sclock, some good hikes, plenty of company from Sreyoshi (who is on a long vacation currently), and enough aridity to stimy this world-class spitter.

Oh, BTW, they're bison (not buffalo). Blame the french (cow = boeuf), and their crazy fur-trapping ambassdors to the new world.

Looking forward to 8 days in the saddle starting next week for a tour of Glacier and Waterton Peace Park on the Canuck side. Winter makes one really savor the summer. The world's largest rodeo starts this Friday a mile from my place...

That's my cue...shrimp curry's ready!

A bientot

-Wiggins

Photos of the new Dunn digs

If I did this right, there should be three pictures of our house on here. If not, then I need a tutorial on how to upload photos to a blog!!!!!

what I've been doing with all my time

(besides the job thing - which is pretty lame and there's not much to say about it besides I'm not fired yet and there's a paycheck)

If you didn't already know, I joined a band in Dallas and we've finally started to get our shit together enough for me to tell people about it. We just finished putting together a MySpace page at: http://www.myspace.com/gurlfriendzband

It's still in the preliminary stages. We need to get better recordings of a few more songs and probably some other stuff that I can't think of at the moment, but you can get the idea at least. We're not like super "talented" or anything but anyway, we're having fun and that's what counts, right?

I'll warn you though - the other "girls" in the band are all TG. I know none of you have ever really been the type to judge -- I just didn't want you to think they were all just ugly or something. hee hee jk! OK hope you like the noise! And I hope everything is great with you all!

Trouble...

So I haven't been online much lately and here's why: I adopted Toby last weekend. He's 10 weeks old now and full of demonic energy. And we have slightly differing views on the whole housebreaking philosophy. Anyway, he's a handful. Makes me wonder how those of us with kids we can't lock in a crate at night are doing :)

My Update...Finally

Well, sorry it has taken so long for me to post. Life is going pretty good, although hectic as always. The last 6 months or so has been the craziest time ever. Logan was born on February 5th. He was completely healthy and is doing great. He has started to roll over and is making all sorts of fun sounds.

We also bought a house on Friday, April 13th. Yep, that's right we bought a house on Friday the 13th. So far the house is great. The lady that owned the house before us barely lived at the house. She told her realtor that in the past 5 years she probably slept there less than once a week. So, we have had to take care of several things that we neglected, but we got a GREAT deal on the place and compared to our 1,100 square foot apartment we feel like we are in a mansion. For our first project we hired a contractor to completely rip out the master bath and redo it due to a leak in the shower and a horribly out of date tile throughout the room. The bathroom is finally done and in working condition.

To go along with all of this, Logan was baptized recently and we had tons of family in town. Then, the next week we had the sewer line that runs from our house to the street backup and that was ... well, that was NO fun at all. Then, two days later my car finally died. We had been waiting for this to happen and I refused to buy a new vehicle until mine died. We have now found a new car and hope to have it tonight.

On the work front, things are okay. If any of you still get Planning, you should read the article in the latest publication about St. Louis (I think it's called "Bustling Beyond the Arch" or something like that). In the article they make a small mention about a development downtown that includes a grocery store. This is a project I have spent the last 1-2 months of my life working on (kind of cool to see a reference to it in Planning although the mention is extremely brief). I am also looking for a new job, as mine requires far too many hours when you have a 4 month old baby at home. For the first month or two of Logan's life I don't know if I saw him awake, unless it was 3:00 am and he was hungry. I have been trying really hard the last month to stay at 45 hours, but sometimes that is simply not a possibility. I also have an interview for a City Planner position on Monday and am hopeful it will work out.

So, that is my life in a nutshell. If anyone ends up in St. Louis, look me up.

15 Ashbrook Dr.
St. Peters, MO 63376
(636) 447-6691

Up and running again

Well, I didn't have scarlet fever, but both me and my computer have been out of commission for a few days too. Great time to switch jobs and not have any sick time... But now that I'm keeping solid foods in I managed to get the old piece of electronic garbage running again. ANYWAY, here's my new address:

2108 S. Franklin Street
Denver, CO 80210

And that's my house from the street. You can't really tell, but the big wall on the left side is the convenience store that shades my house...

Damn it Hot!

It's been awhile since I've posted anything. I'm sitting here in my own personal Joe's with a beer and thought I'd post something. It has been nice here but starting yesterday it started reaching 100 degrees and it sucks! We are still planning on looking for a new place soon to save money. I just got over Scarlet Fever, which for those who aren't familiar is similar to Strep Throat but with a strange red, sunburn-like rash. I'm glad I have health insurance! I guess there isn't much more to report, but that we're gearing up for a hot, but eventful summer here in Northern Cali. Will hopefully go to as many summer fests, car shows and the most anticipated Gilroy Garlic Festival in July!! Its good to be done with school and able to get excited about an entire weekend festival devoted to Garlic!!!

What are others planning for the summer?

Mic

Not me, but close

Hey all! Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. And unfortunately this one's gonna be short too. BUT Todd wanted me to let you all know that he was planning to head to Chicago and Iowa City in a couple weeks. (June 26 - July 5) I regret to say that I will not be going with him - since I don't even have enough vacation to cover 1/4 of that trip. But if you're one of those people that liked him better than me anyway (hey it happens) and you'll be aroung that general area... let me know if you want him to look you up when he's there (or pre-book a time slot if you're one of those "always busy" people) ;-) ok that's it for now - I'll try to get back on soon with a "real" update.

Address Change

I just realized I didn't send the actual address out with that last long post. Here it is if people are curious:

2619 Aldine St.
St. Paul, MN 55113

By the way, Gavin Poindexter (remember him??) will be interviewing with my office next week, so I may be seeing more of him soon.

1st Day

Hey folks, sorry for the lack of communications lately... moving sucks. Anyway, I'm settled in and started today at the South Suburban Parks & Recreation District. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed right now, but the people seem pretty cool and there is definitely a ton of work for me to do. I'll send some pics of my new place in a few days. I haven't taken them yet...

my long overdue update

Here is my long overdue update to the almostjoes.blogspot, now that I've been called out by Dave Dunn ....

The biggest piece of news is that I have now moved into a house in Roseville, MN, although I've been told that I should actually tell people I live in St. Paul because the mail will come faster. It is a three-bedroom house on the main level, with a good-sized living room, and a basement with zebra-colored walls (the previous owners has some zebra fascination). Here are some pictures:

Though we are both happy with the place and the location, holy shit! -- owning a house is exhausting some days. I am trying to get a dishwasher installed and having a hell of a time with that. So I quit that project, thinking I would have a better time with the grill outside, and had no luck trying to get that to work. And now my whole Saturday is gone, and my back is killing me again. About the only plans I have for this holiday weekend are to finish those two projects and bet on the horses at Canterbury Park on Monday (and have a few drinks too).

While the house has taken up all of our time lately, I have to remember that Kayla and I are getting married in September and still have to get invitations sent out, tuxedos rented, etc.... Work-wise, Kayla is doing great working with Children's Hospital in St. Paul, and I am still working in Minneapolis and now taking a new bus route. I have to stand most of the time though, as ridership has jumped with the gas prices going up as of late. It's $3.30 a gallon here, but it might be worse elsewhere. Somebody told me it was over $4.00 on the west coast, is this true Michaela??

Dave and Jill came up to visit us last month and Kayla and I will be visiting them in Des Moines next weekend, provided that a snowstorm doesn't blow through southern Minnesota the night before, which is actually what happened to us last March. So, Des Moines, here we come ...

And lastly, I have found a close substitute to Joe's Place near the U of M campus, though it doesn't quite live up to all of Joe's standards, like the pool table and the dartboards and the quality graffiti in the bathrooms. Cheap beer is really the main attraction there, which makes me think back to those much simpler, less back-breaking days. Hope everyone has a good holiday weekend --

Dan

I should be working

Congrats to Jill on finishing school and to Matt for getting a new job and moving to Denver. I expect you'll be much happier there.

Wanted to say "yo" since its been awhile. I've been back in the midwest off and on for the past couple weeks. One of my best friends got married this past weekend. I was a bridesmaid for the first time and now understand why be able to say "always a bridesmaid, never a bride" is usually meant to be negative. I just don't like the ceremony part of weddings - just skip to the reception!! That part was fun except for when I took pity on the 8 year old junior bridesmaid who wanted someone to hold her up during "Loveshack". My arms are still sore!

Anywho - saw lots of friends and family in the past few weeks and came to the conclusion that our days in California are numbered. We like it here but not enough to miss out on so many things with friends and family. Flights are too expensive and unreliable as well.

It is hot here already (well, sort of). We'll soon be looking for a new house or apartment, which will be tons of fun. We're also both hoping for raises in the near future - we'll see...

I should get back to work - its been an especially unproductive afternoon.

Ah, the joys of moving

Right now I am being lazy and putting off packing another few minutes. I realized yesterday that this is the 8th time that I have moved in 7 years. The next time I move, it will be to a place that I own (read that last line as: "the bank owns").

Anyway, enough bitching, I came across class notes buried in a box at the back of one of my closets. As I debated pitching "Land Development Process," I decided to hold off a bit and ask myself "What classes will I really use?" Being too lazy to really pursue that thought, I decided to find out which ones you guys are using and I'll save those.

Of course I'll save VR out of a masochistic need to use it again some day...

Goodbye Windsor! Hello Paycut!

Well, I got a job offer. I don't have to reach any decisions until tomorrow, but it looks like I'm going to take it. It's for a regional park district in the southern Denver suburbs. I'll be heading up their new GIS department... Now, you may ask, what kind of planning will you be doing in that position? I refuse to answer that question.

Anyway, it sounds pretty good, but doesn't pay quite what I'm getting paid now to sit on my butt. That said, if I take it, I have a place lined up near DU and that's a pretty awesome neighborhood. So I'm assuming I'll know my decision tomorrow and have put in my two weeks... I'll let you know how that goes. I suspect my insane boss may fire me on the spot.

Behold: The Power of Data...

Hello, everyone! I thought I'd post a guest spot on the blog to share what I learned this year at school about education, Texas, and school politics. It all comes together nicely in what they call here my "Annual Summative Conference," where administrators get a chance to tell their teachers everything they should have done over the course of the year to make sure they were successful. See, teachers in Texas are scored on 8 domains, which include professional communication, discipline (what's wrong with letting kids do what they want?) professional development, compliance with rules and regulations, and other boring stuff. It was similar in Iowa but much more laid back and informal, like most things in Iowa when it comes to education (especially testing).

I would first like to point out that education in Texas is focused on one thing:

MAKING SURE THE KIDS PASS THE TAKS TEST.

To that end, my life was focused for the majority of the year on making sure I did all that was in my power to make sure these kids passed. From practice tests to strategies to extra hours tutoring on the weekends to silly stories written for the sole purpose of practicing TAKS skills, I did it all.

And, I had to admit, I felt like a sellout.

Anyway, all that paid off now (or not) because we have our TAKS results back. My passing rate was 85%, "Fantastic!" for a first year teacher, but I should shoot for that goal of 90% or higher.

At my annual summative conference, after helping me remember how to get a percentage (you divide, not multiply!) my administrator asked me if I like data.

"Oh, sure," I said, thinking quickly, "but sometimes it makes me nervous."

"Aren't you using it in your classroom? Haven't you looked up your kid's scores and data before?"

"Oh, sure," I said, thinking quickly.

"It's the best tool teachers have," she said. "It gives you kind of a skewed mirror view of your own teaching."

"Oh, sure," I said, nodding.

"In fact, you should take all your kids scores, spread them all out on the floor or on a big table, and disaggregate them. You never really know how helpful data can be until you disaggregate it."

"Oh, sure," I said.

"And then you can even split them into subgroups. That will really give you interesting insights." She smiled.

Silence. At this point, I said nothing, because we both knew that "subgroups" was a euphamism for "minorities." My student's scores showed an abundance of "subgroups" that didn't pass the test. This, I believed, was obviously a red flag showing the bias of the test, but I couldn't think of a way to say that diplomatically.

I realized she was waiting for me to say something. "I bet."

"The important thing to do," she said, "Is to keep doing what you must be doing--teaching them how to think. Then the test comes naturally. Because we aren't just teaching them how to take a test. We're teaching them valuable skills to last a lifetime."

Again, numerous offensive and cutting remarks about the value of the principles and objectives I am required to teach crossed my mind, but, looking at her sincere face, I saw how strongly she bought into this hype, and I worried for her mental state if I said any of them and shattered her belief in the test.

Instead I said, "I'll be sure to look at those scores."

"They reorganize them at the end of June. Make sure you get them before then."

"Right."

"Then you can plan your teaching for next year over the summer." She smiled. Again.

I had planned to do this, in between drinking, traveling to assorted other states, drinking, playing video games, and drinking. It just frustrated me to be told that I should do it.

"Then you can get that 90% passing rate. This isn't rocket science, after all. It's teaching."

Finally, I thought of something diplomatic to say. "Of course."

And I was summarily dismissed from my summative conference.

Sick Day!

So I took a mental health day to evaluate some job prospects. Anybody recognize Emerald Lake there on the left? No jumping in today! Despite evidence to the contrary, it was actually quite hot and I got sunburned...

Doing our part tosave the world

Here's a car parked across the street from the Capitol. Truly proud to have a high-efficiency vehicle (by Wyoming standards, that is!)

This time it's not April Fool's

I can't get over how petty City employees can be towards each other. This is too funny. As a result the agenda item in the City Council meeting was riddled with the proverbial (sic). Read'em and weep.

Unless we're just full of shit...

There's been some talk about getting some people together in Iowa City, among other places... I just wanted to see how many of you would be SERIOUSLY interested in getting up (over, down, whatever) there sumetime this summer. I intended to make a visit at somepoint either way, but it would definately be worth coordinating if others are thinking the same thing. I know the Arts fest is June 1-3 and the Jazz Fest is June 29 - July 1 and both of those are a good time waiting to happen... or if there are better dates?

Are there any days you guys still in Iowa City wouldn't be around? And for those of you in Des Moines / Chicago / close enough to drive - would you be willing to transport folks from an airport if rates end up cheaper than through Cedar Rapids? Anyway - I'm pretty flexible, but I think it could be fun. Let me know what you think!

More Philly pictures? Why not...

On your right is City Hall, on your left that little shack there is the Masonic Temple. Man I wish I could be part of some secret underground society. Anybody want to start a cult? Kirsten? I know you're up for a cult :) We can worship booze...

Not only the other Jeff

The other Jeff should not be the only one taking all the heat for not staying in touch...and yes it's true...Adam is alive and kicking. As you might imagine, things haven't changed much in good ol' IC since graduation, except for fewer trips down to the old watering hole...and Kent wearing fancier threads around town...oh, and Teresa and I are expecting a new addition to the family any day now (well, in the next few weeks).

Glad to hear that everyone has survived the first year out. I up for meeting anyone for a virtual, or real brew at Joe's when you make it to town.

Cheers!

Check out today's news from our other home away from home Jessup Hall. http://dmregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070424/NEWS/70424019/1001

Where is everyone?

I'm starting feel like this is the Kristen/Matt/Michaela/Dave/Jeff W. blog! Where are the rest of you? We haven't heard from the other Jeff at all, have we?

Rockstar

SO - I just got back from an audition to be in a band, which I now am!!!! I wasn't going to say anything earlier in case I sucked and they told me something Simon Cowel-ish, but yeah - it was awesome. Anyway - I'm too tired now to get into all the details but my goodness it was fun. Just one step towards the life long dream of becoming a rockstar!!

Hey all, the conference was good. I saw a lot, did a lot, drank a lot. Now I'm recovering by doing nothing at work for a few days. The first photo I call "Independence Hall and Earth Day protest," the second photo I call "Matt prepares to revitalize New Jersey."

Have a drink with some old friends...

Greetings from the drunken Iowans in Philly!

Finance Flashbacks!

For everyone who was in any of the finance classes and fondly remembers the long Saturday and Sunday afternoons where we all sat in the lab struggling with our spreadsheets - I thought I'd share that, to my dismay, I've had some recent flashbacks!
We're working on a new Regional Fair Share Housing Plan for Pierce County Washington (Tacoma) and it has meant many hours of myself and my two bosses working on this spreadsheet (well, mostly I work on the spreadsheet. They have the "ideas" and I have to figure out a way to make it work). Problems with linking cells from this sheet to that one and from that document to this one!! How to make this adjustment and why won't this column equal that one? ARGHHH!!! It must end!!

Friday The 13

Ah...... I love this holiday. It's the one day that, regardless of how long work is or how nasty the weather gets, if I can make it to midnight without bodily injury, I can call it a good day.


So this afternoon was pretty crazy, though. Tornados caused a lot of damage about 5 miles from here. And we got some pretty tremendous hail at our place - imagine piles of golf balls! When the Iowa City tornado happened last year, I was so oblivious to it that I didn't even know there had been one until the next day. But this one seriously spooked me. Anyway, we're all okay and I don't think anything was damaged too bad, and I got some awesome photos of the hail.

And another one!

I don't know where this was taken - somone help me out! They all represent good times!!!

Another pic

I know this isn't from Joe's, but I think we all have great memories from Derek and Casey's back yard too!!!

My new(ish) car

Michaela, here is my car. This is from a rare time when it was clean and there wasn't snow on the ground. It's a Saab 92x and was the first sign of my 1/4 life crisis.

Kristen, I promised to put up a picture of myself since I put up one of you. Does my shadow count?

Yikes!

So I found some old bar photos tonight, yikes folks, yikes. This is one of the least incriminating photos from that night! Just keep that in mind if you ever run for office and don't pay me off first...

Matt's Day

Looks like you lost your bet DD. I read it, and I technically count as "someone"... just barely, but still.

So my weekend largely consisted of unpacking and assembling furniture and electronics at my parents' new house. Their stuff arrived last Thursday and they were feeling a bit overwhelmed. Aside from the fog, ice, and occasional heavy snow the weather was beautiful.

And now for my day at work. This is basically any day in my life:
6:40 Get out of bed
7:35 Leave for work
8:02 Arrive at work
8:02 - 8:25 Write emails to friends/family
8:25-8:50 Finish day's work
8:50 - Noon Wait for something to happen, surf the web, write emails
Noon - 1:05 Lunch
1:05 - 5:00 Kill time and wait for angry phone calls from public
5:00 Go home, unless there is a public meeting... otherwise kill time until 7:00

Meanwhile, over in Texas…

Well I’m still working with the COG. We recently finished our mobility plan – it still has to get approved by the feds, but it has definitely slowed down here some. I have a few smaller projects that I’ve been working on, but nothing too fascinating. We’re still pushing for more options that allow cities to fund rail (most are maxed out on their sales tax – which is the traditional way of paying for things around here). And if that happens I imagine there will be a lot more for me to work on. As it is, I’ve started branching out into roadway studies, which frankly aren’t nearly as fun. The big issue these days are toll roads. Well, toll roads, a general lack of funding, traffic problems, a regional outer loop that’s been on the books for decades, a state plan to build a new super highway out of Mexico, private investment in and ownership of the aforementioned toll roads, immigration, neighborhood decline and a whole mess of other things that have somehow all become the same issue, and in many places, the same piece of highly contentious roadway. SO, I generally avoid telling people what I do for a living these days. :)

Todd and I have been trying to get out to some concerts recently, and I’ve found some places I really like to go. Unfortunately, a few of those places are foreclosing in the next month or so because of rising property values (presumably) associated with a new rail line that’s about to go into construction. D’oh! Todd’s teacher friends say that’s my fault too....

The Boring Stuff:

The Boring Stuff:

Hey all! I’m excited to see so many posts already – I almost don’t know where to start. (If I was at all meant to be a “planner” I probably would have thought about that a bit before starting to write this. …Meh.) Anyway, I think I’ll do another post here in a bit with some more interesting / personal stuff, but I don’t want it to get all gummed up with the boring technical stuff, so I’ll do that first:

First off – there have been a couple questions about posting, pictures, etc. The main thing for first timers to know is that if you’re just reading on the main page, you won’t be able to do much. To add anything, you’ll actually need to sign in. Then you get this “dashboard” screen and there’s all number of options for things to do from there. I think most of us are gradually figuring stuff out, so if you see someone do something new or different, just ask about how to do it. If you’re the adventurous sort that wants to be the one to pioneer the new and different, you can get ideas from what others have done by hitting the “next blog” button on the main page. I’m sort of evil to tell you this though – because I think there’s like a 1/5 chance of getting something x-rated by doing that, and a 2/5 chance of being visually accosted by something with a “hello kitty” type thing on it.

Second – administrative privileges. There are ways to add pictures, text, links, etc to the header and sidebar, so they don’t get moved every time there’s a new post. I think it also supports some music and video formats, but that’s all still a bit over my head. Anyway, to do all that I think you have to be an administrator – so if that’s the sort of thing that gets you all excited, let me or Matt know and we can add you. (I’m not trying to be a control freak or anything, I just didn’t want to add everyone seeing as it might be more of a pain than it’s worth for those that aren’t interested in all that.) OR if you have ideas for anything to add to the main page, but don’t want to actually do it yourself just ask me or Matt (preferably Matt as I am inherently lazy) and one of us (he) can probably take care of it. :)

Lastly – Authors. Right now, I believe everyone from our graduating class (minus the law school crowd, but adding back in the law school dropout crowd) got invited to read, post, comment to this page. But if you know of anyone else, especially a spouse, friend, etc that understands about “Joe’s” and would like to get in on the discussions without having to read over your shoulder, just send the email address and someone can get them invited. Or if you’re an admin, you can do all that yourself.

In case you were wondering...

In case you were wondering...I haven't seen C.Shaa around town yet.

Response to comments

Dave - to post a new blog select "New Post" at the top of the main page

Kristen - Californians are sort of sheltered when it comes to stuff like that. Most of them grew up in places that have been so urbanized for so long that they don't experience "rural" life ever. Most people don't hunt either. If they do, they don't live in the City, but in the foothills. This is an interesting area because there is the Bay Area and "the city" - referring to San Francisco. Then there is Sac, which is still a "city" but more conservative and Very Much "in transition" as I like to say. Then you move toward the Sierra's where there are "historic societies" that are really a collection of good 'ol boy rednecks that drink a lot and hassle minorities. There are even hidden towns that are so protective of "their land" that they will meet a stranger on the road with a shot gun to tell them that "they don't want their kind in these parts".

Anywho...Matt - I'm going by air. Driving takes way too long and I don't have enough PTO or the desire to make that drive again anytime soon. And, you said you, Jeff and Sreyoshi? I missed something - when did Sreyoshi leave NC?

Satire

As promised, see attached. For some reason one councilman (mocked mercilessly within) has taken a real shine for me. Makes life mighty interesting and difficult, all at the same time.

Fantastic!

Kudos to Matt and Kristen. It's a great idea, and seems to have already created some bandwidth. I'm slowly coming back to consciousness after the last few days. I turned in my 2 Safe Routes to School application to WYDOT last Wednesday, blew off intro GIS class at the community college on Friday, and drove to Lawrence for an ultimate tournament called Fool's Fest. Speaking of which check out the attached page from Sunday's paper. The fine line between wonderful and horrible satire lies in versimilitude. This page hits the City head on!
-Jeff
...I'll post it tomorrow. Seems you can only post GIFs and JPGs, no PDFs.

Sweet

All, I must say that this is a great idea....I must also note that I was at joes sat. night and this is nearly the same as being there, except for the smoke, beer, and smell that I can only surmise comes from the vomit not yet found behind the popcorn machine. Just wasn't the same with out the URP'ers...

I miss u all!

Yay for Matt and Kristen! But, I'd like to say that I don't like that pic of me! I much prefer the one I've chosen for my profile!!! ;) Works okay eventhough I never really now how "secure" my position is. I guess I have a job for awhile though. Still working on Housing Elements and stuff. No real exciting news to report. Drew is now a taxidermist - I'm pretty sure most of the URPers know what that is. No one here is Cali does. I'll be making my first trip back to the midwest since moving here in May so that is exciting. However, I won't be anywhere near any of you so that is sad. Anyway, Happy Spring!!!

Philadelphia?

I know I asked a while back, but is anybody going to the APA conference in Philly? I would love to be around my co-workers as little as possible, so if anyone is going, PLEASE let me know!

The birth of the blog

matt: ok... I've unlocked the liquor cabinet... lets roll
me: yay! Sorry - I may have otten a head start.
wait you have a liquor cabinet?
matt: well, I had a large margarita with dinner so I'm catching up
me: you lush!
matt: its a figure of speech
like, lets get shit faced
me: oh nm
sooooooo glad that one's a figure of speech ;-)
matt: :)
me: yuk!
matt: yeah we all are

....And from thence came the blog.