01-31-23

 

Battle of the treadmill as we end January.  On Monday there are stickers, Do Not Use.  On Tuesday the stickers are back plus a zip tied tag.

And this isn't Viktoria management, they have no idea what is going on, but think it may be the tenant in the unit below the fitness center, tired of the noise.

01-30-23

 

Uncle Pat got a stunning photo of a stunning sunset on our walk to the vegan Mexican place.

01-29-23

 

Anastasia and Jacob wanted to check out the new night market style food hall at Westlake, and I never turn down curry.

01-28-23

 

Photos don't do it justice, but we went to UW Bothell to watch the crows of SW Washington roost with Kimberly and Adam.  Fun evening.

01-26-23

 

Attended a virtual event tonight of best photos of 2023, through the Seattle Times.  So many great photos, but this was a favorite.

01-25-23

 

We went to a homelessness talk through the Architectural Foundation tonight.  It was really interesting, especially in the middle of reading the book San Fransicko, to hear a real estate based perspective.

One of the speakers was a UW professor.  He used the analogy of an aggressive game of musical chairs.  If there aren’t enough chairs/housing, the weakest and most vulnerable are going to miss out on getting a remaining chair.  But the problem is a lack of chairs, not the vulnerable population.  Homelessness is high in areas where rents are high (NYC, Boston, San Fran, Seattle) and supply is low.

01-24-23

 

Five trips to the ATM so far this month, and more to go.  WANTED: bills with no markings, no tears, and printed 2009 or later.  

01-23-23

 

Shanna gave me special seaotter art for Christmas this year.

01-22-23

 

We walked in Renton today.  Nice to see different scenary.  And not a single homeless or distressed person.

01-21-23

 

We got to visit the Cougar Mountain Zoo today with Stephen and the gang.  There was a lot of fun things, but feeding the alpacas chopped apples was a highlight.

01-20-23

 Look at that sunshine!

01-19-23

 

It's been very chilly, but clear and lovely.  Excited for the days to get longer.

01-17-23

 

Function of Beauty sent me two shampoos in error.  If only it had been two conditioners, I seem to use more conditioner than shampoo anyway.

I was sad when they discontinued the marshmallow scent, but the pear is pretty yummy smelling too!

01-16-23

Forgot to take any Monday night photos... again!  We did look at watercolor bookmarks though.  Been playing with monochromatic color palettes.

01-14-23

Once you become aware of Frida Kahlo, she is everywhere and cannot be unseen.

We went across the street to Moore Coffee today, and she was there in mural and manequin form.

Reading a biography about her presently, what a tragic but interesting life.

01-12-23

 

Got my last two vaccines today, woo-hoo!

Someone in line at the pharmacy heard me checking in for Shingles vaccine and she decided to ger hers impromptu.  Fool, she has no idea how ill she might get.

01-11-23

 

It's difficult to tell from this photo, but our office is really busy this week.  I'm sad to see the orange moving crates, it means that Karen is moving soon to be with her new team instead of her prior team.

01-10-23

 

The incredible shrinking popcorn bar of soap.  Funny how the design is intact, it is just disappearing from the bottom. #FUNGIFTS

01-09-23

 

Today was our MAVen book club meeting, but didn't take any photos, as usual, so here is a picture of Foster, the cute seaotter on my new 2023 focus word necklace.

01-07-23

 

We went to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation today.  Their displays are so tastefully done.  The circles in the window art pops forward into relevant art.

01-06-23

 

TGIF.

We made it to Wild Laterns at Woodland Park tonight.  Very well done, lots of flowers and animals to see.

01-05-23

 

Pre-departure zoom call tonight for Africa, so excited!

01-04-23

 

The reflection of me with the night lights, because I am too lazy and cold to go outside on the roof to get a better photo.

01-03-23

 

Anastasia's theme this year was things we don't need.  Not sure if these will get used much, but they do look good!

01-02-23

 

The sun setting over Pike Place Market.

01-01-23

 

My 2023 focus word is Foster.  I stole it from my alma mater.  Foster School of Business at UW is currently using this tagline:

Together…

We foster leaders

We foster insights

We foster progress

… to better humanity

I LOVE that, I want that!  The word foster means encourage or promote the development of.  My mascot will be a fictitious seaotter named Foster.

So here goes:

In 2023…

I foster community

I foster health

I foster exposure to new things

…to grow my faith and resilience

For community, I intend to initiate 6 new gatherings with extended family, 9 gatherings with friends, support Tanuia in her post-release year, continue co-writing our book, and keep looking for volunteer opportunities as things open up post pandemic.

For health, I intend to exercise harder, eat better, lose 5-10% of body weight, and spend consistent time in bed in hopes of getting better sleep.

For new exposure, I intend to embrace our time in different cultures, take an agile leadership course, and visit at least twelve new places or restaurants in Seattle.

For a fourth mish mash category, I intend to fit a busy work year into life, read more work-related books, read more books from my shelf (starting point of 16 physical books), spend less money on books (2022 baseline of $420), and watch at least four movies from my ‘to watch’ list.