Blowing the Dust Off This Blog (cough, cough)

Hello again! It's been awhile - actually a long while - since you last heard from me. The last time we chatted, I asked you all to participate in a survey for a school paper - and WOW! - the response was tremendous. THANK YOU! I'll post the results from the survey later this week so you can see for yourself. Interesting stuff.

Much has transpired in the last few months, so in the spirit of pithy headlines and snappy descriptions, here's the Top 10 headlines in my life:

1. I went Mac.

   And will never go back. Yup, I bought a 24" iMac for personal use and I love it! I still have my Dell laptop, which I'm using right now to write this post. Seems that Microsoft Windows Live Writer (the best blogging tool out there!) doesn't work on a Mac...whaddup?!

2. Noetix no more.

   In April, I said an emotional goodbye to my employer of 7 years (actually 17 years if you add in its parent company). It was weird leaving the "family nest," but my friends and colleagues sent me off with a suitcase full of hugs and well wishes.

3. New job, same roots.

   I've returned to my roots working for a consulting company, but I'm not a consultant. Check out the press release on Forbes.com to see what I'm doing now. It's really kewl.

4. School's in session.

   I took last quarter off to ramp up on my new job, work on Semper Vita (see #5), and give my eyes a break (that's a story for another day). My break is now officially over. I start class again. Today. The doors open at 8:00 AM. I love summer school...I love summer school...I love summer school...

5. Semper Vita is in its 9th month.

   If you've talked to me in the last two years, you've probably heard me mutter something about "Semper Vita." Well, next week, the interim website for Semper Vita is rolling out, so now you'll be able to learn what all the fuss has been about. Stay tuned for more.

6. My Seattle Mariners, my oh my!

   The team really sucks this year. We're in last place in MLB. They just "let go" of all the top dogs who've allowed us to fall into this deep hole. There's still ~90 games left - plenty of time for a worthy comeback. Go Mariners go!

7. Another blog on ConversantLife.com.

   I have been invited to be a contributing blogger on ConversantLife.com - a site devoted to connecting faith to news and culture. I'll be approaching the conversation from a technology perspective. Stay tuned for that announcement too.

8. Jeannie releases her first book.

   My good friend, Jeannie Keneley, released her first book this month. It's called Beyond My Yesterdays: A Woman's Journey from Darkness to Light. Go check it out on Amazon.com. Congratulations Jeannie!

9. I'm changing my picture. Finally.

   I got a slough of pictures taken recently, so I can finally switch out my "peephole" picture in the banner of my blog. You will soon see that I really do have hair - actually, it's pretty long now. I'll switch it out this week.

10. Coming up.

    This week, watch for: survey results for the Eli Stone paper (mentioned earlier), a video on how to say Thank You to our troops (it's great!), a recent report on the current vision of the American Dream (times have changed), and a link to a visual diagram that explains why Barack Obama is able to decline participation in the public financing system. If you like pictures like I do, you won't want to miss this one.

Comments

[Alex Seidel]

Hey Tamara - So how can Windows Live Writer be the best blogging tool out there if it does not run on Mac? ;-)

I just got a MacBook Pro 15" myself and wondered how I ever stuck with Windows so long. The Mac OS, though not perfect, makes Vista look like a cobbled together, over-tech'y mess.

Hope you are doing well! Congratulations on the new job too!!

[Tamara]

Hey Alex! Regarding Live Writer, I don't get it either. It's Microsoft, it works great and it's free! "Scribble that!" :)

For my new job, I also use a MacBook Pro 15". I have Windows XP installed as well so that I can run all the Office products - especially Outlook 2007 - without a hitch for work. With Spaces and two monitors, I'm good to go.

Thanks for writing. Hope you are doing well too!

[Angela]

Tamara, great photo of you! And YEA for going Mac - you are soooooo... brave... a model for the rest of us who haven't quite gotten there yet.

BTW, you were supposed to call me... something about PR... you can still call you know! Silly girl, tricks are for kids. :)

[Scott]

Hey, Lady. Congrats on surviving and thriving through so much mayhem -- gracefully and graciously, as always. Glad you're back at the blogging, and hope to see you soon and catch up. As for the conversion to Mac, all I can say is "what took you so long?!"

[Tamara]

Thanks Scott! I so enjoy reading your blog too. I remember the three of us - you, Jill and me - sitting in our chairs in the Rogue River talking about blogging. You clearly "get" how to do it. Perhaps we'll see each other at TDWI in San Diego. Are you going?