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.