Greetings from...

...Ballard.

Wow. I never thought I'd say that. It seems like only yesterday when I would make fun of Ballard and its Scandahoovian denizens -- fittingly, I now live in Ballard and am married to a Scandahoovian.

And that about covers the twists of fate in my life so far -- it turns out my 5th grade aspirations were pretty much spot on. So, to make a short story long (which, looking at my contributions to Enigma, seems to be my forte), here's my life in 6 chapters since Room 12:

Chapter I: The Dark Ages: Summer, 1992 - Sept 27, 1996
After doing three years in the slammer (a.k.a. Washington Middle School), I went on to Garfield where I studied various subjects whose exact names escape me at the moment. The only things I remember clearly from my early years at Garfield are being short and a high principal turnover rate.

Chapter II: The Renaissance: Sept 28, 1996
It was fall of my sophomore year at Garfield when I met Eliza Lagerquist. Two years removed from a two-week, long-distance relationship, I was a little "rusty" in the "interacting-with-members-of-the-opposite-sex" department. Nevertheless (perhaps Eliza lost a bet), we began "going out" and soon fell deeply in love.

Chapter III: The Bulldog Age: Sept 29, 1996 - August, 1999
Over the next few years, Eliza and I became much closer, and we even got voted "Most Likely to get Married" by the Garfield Messenger, along with two other couples (one half of one of which still needs to post, I might add...). No longer in the dating game, things seemed to go my way with each passing day. I rose up through the ranks of the mighty Bulldog football (I mean, tennis) team (though my hopes for the #1 rank never quite materialized, thanks to another Room 12 student...). I threw a few Halloween parties that didn't result in my parents' house getting trashed. I was even accepted to some colleges. Life was looking pretty good, until...

Chapter IV: The Grind: August 1999 - August 2003
"I assume you've all seen this before...", said the freshmen physics professor on Day 1 to a roomful (minus one) of nodding nerds, referring to a symbol that meant as much to me as a mass-mailed Christmas prayer from George W. (sorry, had to sneak that one in). And so began four long but ultimately rewarding years at Harvey Mudd College (actual school motto: "If you say it fast, it sounds like 'Harvard Med'" -- true story: In a recent conversation with a relative, having described Harvey Mudd in detail for several minutes, I was asked: "So, how did you like Cambridge?"). Anyway, I ended up majoring in engineering with a focus in control theory. On the way, I interned at Boeing during the summers of 2001, 2002, and 2003. And by the way, Eliza and I did attend separate 4-year colleges, lest we be accused of not giving our relationship the distance-test (though I should point out that, at a dead sprint, I could get from my dorm to hers in 30 seconds -- she went to Pitzer).

Chapter V: The Return of the Red-Eye: May 2003 - June 2004
After four long years of staring, with bloodshot eyes, late into the California night, at unflinching, ever-flickering CRT monitors, I decided I needed some change. So, I packed up and headed to the Aeronautics Department at UW, where my bloodshot eyes stared, late into the Washington night, at unflinching, ever-flickering CRT monitors. My original intent was to obtain a Ph.D. in Aeronautical Engineering, but then two things happened: my advisor warned me of a potential lack of funding for the following year (my first year was covered by a Teaching Assitantship), and I got a job offer from Boeing. Being the engineering student I was, I sought to define this dilemma mathematically to help guide my decision - this resulted in the following equations (Time measured in years from this point):
1) Staying at UW:
Salary = Peanuts - (Peanuts x Time)
2) Taking Job:
Salary = 4 x Peanuts + (Raise x Time) [Raise >= - Peanuts (and hopefully > 0)]
Even taking into account uncertainties in Peanuts and Time, the choice was clear -- so, in June of 2004, having completed 90% of the coursework toward a Masters', I began working at the "Lazy B" up in luxurious South Everett, Washington (I did manage to complete my MSAA degree last year by taking the remaining courses online)

Chapter VI: The Last Corny Chapter Title, I Promise: June 2004 - Present
Life has flown by (at mach 0.85, to be exact) since beginning work at Boeing. I work on the 787 program, and my job involves developing and testing algorithms ("Control Laws") that stabilize the airplane during flight -- interesting tidbit about commercial airplanes: if you fly regularly, chances are the flight computer has landed the plane at least once. If this scares you, just remember that the flight computer doesn't keep a flask of whiskey on hand for those long-haul flights... Anyway, life outside of work has been busy as well. In May of this year, Eliza and I bought a house together (just in time for home prices to plummet! Yay!). On a less sarcastic note, we also got married this summer (August 5th), on a remote beach on the coast of Maine -- I'll post some pictures soon. Oh, and we've got a feisty two-year-old named Rocky (don't worry, he's a cat).

Well, that about sums it up. It's been a long road since Room 12, and I can't wait to read about other peoples' travels, trials, tribulations, tutelage, failed attempts at alliteration, etc. I really hope the rest of you find the time to post!

P.S. I don't really resemble a crazed zombie rooster (see Matt Look's post for a more accurate portrayal of my likeness)

Lost!

I have located 26 of the 28 members of our old class. Two are missing. Any info on Madeline Vulcano or Tony Miller? Anyone?

I lurk! I lurk!

Busted.

Hi!

Room 12.

Hmmmm....

I find myself pointing out to people at least once a year that one of the definitions of "sinister" is "left-handed." I also trace the ability to keep "anachronous" and "incongruous" straight in my mind to all the snuggling with Word Power I did with you guys.

I floss every day.

And clearly I'm having trouble putting together a narrative. I'll start with my weekend.

This past weekend, I went to the Joshua Tree Roots Music Festival in an RV park near Joshua Tree NP (Southern California, in the Mojave and Colorado deserts). I didn't know I was going. Laura, my Australian girlfriend of nearly 3 years, is in town and decided to take me on a secret vacation. I thought we were headed to LA for the weekend to poke around the art museums, but instead she diverted us to the desert. We were going camping.

It really was a lot of fun. To be honest, however, my first thought was: ack! I have so much reading, research, and lesson prep to get through this weekend! How am I going to do this in the dirt?!?! But, by the end of it I was hula-hooping with the best of them.

How did I end up dating an Australian, you ask? Well, that's a good question. We met in Spain. (Oh, of course! you say.) Two years ago, right after graduating from college, I went to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago. Some of you have probably heard of it. It's a thousand year-old, 800-kilometer pilgrimage across northern Spain. It takes about 30 days. Of walking. Just walking.

Before I went, I thought to myself: Well, this will be a fantastic opportunity for me to Think About Life and try to Figure Out The Future. After about 3 days, I was so sick of listening to myself think I thought there was no way I would make it through another 27. I started tagging along with anybody – anybody! – who walked by, just so I could hear them think for a while. I met so many interesting folks from all over the world, trying to hear other people think.

To cut a long story short (something that I've never been very good at), I made it to Santiago. This was supposed to be the end of the pilgrimage. The cathedral at Santiago is where you get to stop walking. Instead, while I was waiting in line to get my official plenary indulgence from the Roman Catholic Church, my self-congratulatory reverie was interrupted by an Australian woman, clearly traveling with her mother, and trying to pick me up. Shortly thereafter, her mother left us ("Ugh, I'm going to the bar"), and we haven't stopped talking since. Our "camino" – back and forth across the Pacific – continues as we struggle to find time to be together and a way for her to stay in the States while I finish my degree.

[insert long rant about Fortress America here]

As for how I feed and clothe myself when not living the life of a pilgrim, I'm currently studying for a Ph.D. in Modern Japanese History at the University of California, San Diego (hi, Emilie!). I have somewhere between 6-8 years to go, though I hear you get time off for good behavior. I'm a huge dork, and I'm still in shock that somebody will pay me to do something I would be doing anyway: reading books and talking about what I think. My particular intellectual hobby is the history of movement, focusing on the railroad system in pre-war Japan and the period of empire.

I never did Figure Out Life, or even manage to Think About Life, while on camino. But, hearing about all of your adventures, challenges, and successes has given me pause to reflect on what I am doing now, how I am living my life, and how our experiences in the classroom shaped us as people. Besides giving me my Word Power skillz, I feel like Room 12 opened up a whole world of emotions and relationships that have been a part of me ever since. It was intense, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

(If any of you remember me in the 4th grade as a particularly angry or confused person, it's just now occurring to me that I was at this time first becoming aware of my "alternative" sexuality. Man, this blogging-thing is dregging up some memories...)

And, in conclusion, nobody believes me when I tell them I learned math while trying to calculate the volume of garbage that will be created in the next century by discarded tires.

Kate

P.S. If you want to learn more about the Camino, check out www.freehighway.org. You can watch the trailer to a fantastic documentary made about the pilgrimage and life as a modern pilgrim.

A Homework Assignment

I'm going to put on my teaching hat now. Please forgive me in advance. Here is your assignment: I think this blog is wonderful because I'm really enjoying what you are all writing, but it only goes so far. Why don't any of you comment to each other's entries? Wouldn't you like to hear from each other? Commenting is easy (I think). Just click on the comment link and write something. How much time could that take? I could have a comment written before you get back from the fridge with that beer.

Also, you can add more to your entry by editing it, or you can create a new entry. Just go to Blogger.com and enter your username and password that you initially created in order to join our blog. Then choose the Room12Blog link and then edit an existing post or add a new one. I know from your private emails to me that many of you have a lot of things in common. For example, there are at least three of you (and I think five) that have spent time overseas learning a language. Several of you either have taught or are currently teaching. Two of you have survived cancer. Many of you have shared the same city (other than Seattle). You should all start talking to each other. In your profile (accessed through Blogger) you can include an email address, MySpace page, other blog, etc. You should do this so others can contact you. It bothers me that I know more about all of you than you do about each other. So I encourage you to comment and to contact each other.

And for you lurkers out there. DON'T BE LAZY! I know that nearly everyone that was in the old Room 12 class has been reading this blog. So post already! You don't have to tell your life story. We don't need to measure your success against others. Just say anything. What's important to you? What are you doing right now? What Word Power words do you incorporate into your vocabulary (incorporate was a Word Power word).

OK, enough rambling. Well, almost enough. When you post, post a picture already! Jared, we want to know what you look like. The rest of you who have had the courage to post so far, nice going. What a fine assemblage of human beings! You look marvelous (pipe cleaners in nose, old Roll On Columbia shirts, and all). Too bad about the Columbia, isn't it?

Keep posting!

it's amazing...

...to get to read all of the writing that we did so many years ago, see ourselves as we were then, and at the same time to get to reconnect and see the same people as they are in the present. it's been such a long journey for me in the years since. after spending junior and senior years of high school at north seattle community college, i left seattle for los angeles, spent six months in upstate new york at a university there starting a computer science degree, and came back to seattle when it didn't turn out to be the right place for me. it turned out to be a great decision, because i got to have some really unique experiences and start my career sooner and better than i would have otherwise.

in 2000 i traveled to malaysia, where i got to spend eight months living with friends and working in a small graphic design company that had brought me there from l.a. i picked up some books and learned web programming for a project, and loved it. when i came back from malaysia in 2001 i was able to get a job as a developer in a software company in issaquah, and i've been settled in seattle ever since.

it's seemed like every time i get settled and feel like things are going to be okay for a while, though, something happens to shake it up. in november 2001 i was crossing a street when a woman ran a red light and hit me with her car, and i ended up with serious injuries to my right wrist and arm, requiring a joint reconstruction. after the surgeries were done, i have been left with a very severe chronic pain disorder from nerve damage caused by scar tissue. i am able to work now thanks to an adaptive keyboard that is designed for one-handed typing, which is wonderful. but it has been difficult to deal with the chronic pain and the limitations that come from being right handed and unable to use your right arm.

despite that, i moved through two companies and four years of being a software developer, building my career and honing my skills, and at the time in a long term relationship that was going well. and then in september 2004, i was diagnosed with melanoma, what turned out to be stage IIIB melanoma in my right hip and lymph nodes. there was only one treatment available, a one-year course of interferon, which i was like the poster child for people who should not be given the treatment. i have epilepsy, it causes seizures. i have a history of depression, it causes depression in 50% of cases. i have chronic pain, it makes chronic pain worse. the list went on and on. but it was the only treatment so they let me choose what to do, and i chose to take it anyway -- i felt like i had to do something, i couldn't just sit there. i tried to work through it, tried to keep my job up, but i just didn't have the energy and was fired. after six months, i started having bad seizures and my blood pressure was dropping and they made me go off of the treatment. they are hoping that the six months i got was enough. and so far, all of the scans have been clear. there's a possibility that some cancer is present and is too small to see, but that's something that we just have to live with. if it keeps going like this for another three years, i'll be considered in remission. three years still seems like a long time.

cancer did something really funny to me, that i never expected. if you'd asked me before i was diagnosed and went through all this what i would do if i got cancer, i'd probably tell you that i'd just go kill myself, that it wouldn't be worth the effort and the pain. and even though i don't know how or why i did it, somehow i found a way to live through it and i did go through it anyway, even though i didn't want to. and now that i am on the other side, i have gone from the person who is always negative and depressed to the person who is always positive and telling other people it's going to be okay. i leave little notes on the bus that have happy, inspirational messages on them. it sounds silly, but i feel this core, good feeling about life and that it is short and there is this goodness in it that you have to feel and enjoy because it will disappear way too soon. and i want to share that with people without them having to get cancer.

so i might be in pain, i might be sick and exhausted from the cancer treatment, still, even after a year, but i've got a better outlook and a better feeling about the world and life than i've ever had. i've climbed the mountain of my struggles and seen the view from the top, and it's more beautiful than i'd imagined possible. it's giving me the strength to continue moving forward.

my current status is working, again, finally -- i consider it a triumph, as i'd already started applying for disability and really thought i wouldn't be working again -- and now i'm doing web sites for microsoft games studios, which is just a really fun job and i love the place and the people. way better than the business software i've been writing the past several years.


my other big project is that i'm starting an animal shelter on the caribbean island of dominica (*not* the dominican republic). it's a small country of just under 70,000 people with a stray dog and animal welfare problem, a national and cultural problem of abusive and harmful attitudes towards animals, and no shelters or services for animals that we would consider necessary. when i visited the caribbean i fell in love with the place, dominica especially, but was especially saddened by the dogs, often pregnant or nursing females, who are thrown out and mistreated because of lack of knowledge about spaying and neutering. the dog in this photo is just one of the wonderful animals i met who survived on the kindness of countless random stranger for food, her life doubly hard because she is blind. she is lucky enough to have a restaurant owner who kind of kept track of her and fed her, but even when these dogs find someone to feed them, it's rare that they will be given any veterinary care, nor spaying or neutering. if anyone here is interested in helping with this project, still in its beginning stages, i'm looking for any kind of help that you can think of, so if it sounds good, ask. (beautiful caribbean island, wonderful people, rainforest... and lots of dogs who need help).

it's been a long road since room 12 was still together. it's good to have this chance to reconnect and see how very much we've all grown.

-- jenny m.

postscript: if you would like to see some of the work i'm doing now, go to http://www.vivapinata.com (opens in new window, flash player required). i did the development work and some of the design for the intro that you see when you first go to the site, and for the "hint hunt" game, which you can get to from the right hand side of the main page. the game was my major contribution and while it might look fairly simple, it was designed (for those of you who might understand this, or care) to use XML for managing all of the text, as well as the game play elements, so that the game can be changed to other languages and new questions and items can be added or removed, without making any changes to the flash file that holds the game code. it was a moderately challenging project that hit a few snags, but i had a lot of fun. this is the kind of thing i'm working on now -- flash development for websites about games from companies microsoft owns or handles marketing and design for.

Sharla's heading to Vietnam

Sharla wanted me to post for her because she is very busy getting ready for an extended stay in Vietnam. Here are a few words from her email to me: "I am heading back to Vietnam very soon. I was there teaching English at a university in the Mekong Delta last year and this year I will be working for a new organization that is trying to prevent the sex trafficking of young Vietnamese girls into Cambodia."

Here's a link with more info about what Sharla was doing last year: http://www.viaprograms.org/programs_in_asia/vietnam/images/top05/index.htm

I will try to get Sharla to tell us more about her life and what's she's doing and I'll post any info I get from her right here.