The Humane Interface
Dharma Bums
Game Architecture and Design
Design of Everyday Things
Double Fold
Emergence
Understanding Comics
Haroun and the Sea of Stories
A Traveller's History of Japan
The Pragmatic Programmer
lots of James Kochalka
The Future of Ideas
Lawrence Lessig
Jef Raskin
Jack Kerouac
Andrew Rollings, Dave Morris
Donald Norman
Nicholson Baker
Steven Johnson
Scott McCloud
Salman Rushdie
Richard Tames
Andrew Hunt
Warm greetings, happy holidays, congratulations, and so on. May you be in peace, happiness, and prosperity.
This year marked my fifth anniversary with Amazon.com. A recent
statistic indicated that I have been working for the company longer
than 99% of the employees. But you wouldn't have known it from the
hours I kept this year: my group tackled some very aggressive
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engineering projects. We were successful, but collectively had to
sacrifice a lot of our personal time to be so. That said, looking
back, I am quite pleased with the work I have done. Amazon continues
to drive an agenda of industry-leading technology innovation. It is a
remarkable place to work. I learned 2 new programming languages, and
a host of other techie geeky skills which make me a better software
engineer. I'm still chewing bubble gum and kicking ass.
In mid-August I started my sabbatical from Amazon. As autumn's breath
whispered over Seattle, I spent 3 months resting, recuperating, and
reflecting on my career. While I had no ephipanies, it was great fun
to slack off and, for once, not worry about every little detail.
In October, Jordan and I went on vacation to Japan. It was wonderful,
and strange, and wonderful. Pickles for breakfast, futuristic
toilets, lots of bowing, and more Zen Buddhism than you can shake a
chopstick at. We saw Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, and Koya-San. I had dreamed
of visiting Japan for many years, it was great to make it a reality.
We ate so much sushi, even I had had enough! When we returned home,
Jordan and I were so "food homesick", we ate nothing but burgers and pizza
for an entire week. :-)
November was the last month of my sabbatical. I wanted to finish off with style; so, armed with only a camera, a notebook, some clothes, and a rail pass, I set off on a solo adventure through Europe. Starting in Italy, I explored Rome, Lucca, and Milan, before continuing on to Paris. All the while I greatly missed Jordan, but had a great time. Paris was my favorite stop: I spent many leisurely days hanging out in cafes, taking walks through winding side streets in Le Quartier Latin, and reading in the park. I returned home to Seattle just in time for Thanksgiving, which Jordan and I spent in Anacortes, Washington (her parents have just retired there.)
This year also saw great strides for my budding career as a
photographer. Serendipity threw me a bone as I managed to land a
series of semi-professional projects, most of which had to do with the
local music scene.
My greatest achievement was portraits of the band Maktub, who have just released their second album. My work appears in both the album jacket and their promotional materials. Next stop: the cover of Rolling Stone.
Then my photography appeared in both the album jacket and the cover of
the second album by local band Sugartown.
Lastly, selections from my black & white portfolio were published in CrossConnect's national distribution 2002 print annual. Thanks Dave!
This winter, I plan to focus on many personal projects -- software, photography, writing -- as I reassimilate to my "normal life" at Amazon. I have my first photography art show coming up in January, in Ballard's Cafe Fiore. The show is small, just a sampling of last year's trip to China and Tibet. Nonetheless I am very excited!
Also this winter, Jordan and I will seek more adventure as we fly down
to Cape Town, South Africa to attend the wedding of one of Jordan's
cousins. After the wedding the whole family is going on a short
safari. Another year, another dream vacation. I'm a lucky boy. Stay tuned on my photography website.
Jordan and I have a happy little home on a very steep hill. We cook healthy food, drink wine, and do our best impressions of grown-ups. At our neighborhood cafe, they know our drinks by heart and invite us to their holiday parties. A little grey kitty comes by our house for food and warmth. Most importantly, Jordan and I have each other.
Well, that just about wraps up this chapter of my story. I have health, love, an historic job, many fun hobbies, and a few more years left before I hit the big three-oh. I can't complain.
Be well in the new year,
