Life In The Pacific Northwest
I love Seth Godin’s post today.
We’ve all seen policies that only serve one function of a business to the detriment of others. And watched that team fail to address this.
It’s painful and often sad, as good people either leave, or get sucked into that paralyzed mindset. When creativity and innovative thinking are crushed, this is your journey’s destination. It sucks.
While I’m getting my son dinner ready, I see a tweet from a reporter friend stating the I5 bridge crossing the Skagit River has collapsed.
This image comes through Twitter, and I know this will be bad.
I’ve crossed this hundreds of times, know it well, and understand the impact this will have. Of course, that alarms me and captivates me.
I’ve engaged with breaking news on Twitter before, but this one has a greater sense of urgency, of connection than before. I engaged, mostly, on this Twitter feed, #I5BridgeCollapse, though there were a few others (most notably #SkagitBridgeCollapse and #Skagit).
As always happens, tons of speculation blast through Twitter. The bridge was “deficient”, reports of reports, bodies seen floating…and, slowly, pieces pull together. By now, we have a good idea of the basics.
Looks like an large truck carrying an oversized load struck the bridge. This is what precipitated the collapse. Lastly, and to me, most importantly, all the people tossed into the river were rescued and are safe.
I commend Gina Cole’s work today over at the Skagit Valley Herald, as well as that of her colleagues Erinn Unger and Lynsi Burton. Great journalistic pros serving our communities.
The next stage of this, though, will be painful. This shuts off the major north/south artery between Canada and Seattle. The routes around this are not designed for this level of traffic flow. We’ll all need to patient as we deal with that mess.
Now, it being a long and draining day, I’m going to turn off my electronics and head to bed. I’m sure there’s more to come.
Edit: Added Lynsi Burton to the Skagit Valley crew. Wretched oversight on my part.
As a ex-Microsoftie, I find this one pretty witty. And, yes, I’m something of an Apple fan-boy.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86JMcy5OqZA&w=560&h=315]
I can’t “like” this enough! It makes Evernote (which I use extensively) orders of magnitude more useful.
Great work, Evernote team!
Just read a few of the stories about the Xbox. I’m pretty jazzed at what the ‘Soft is up to. I’m wondering about a few things:
Several of my friends tease me, since I’ve worked for Starbucks, Amazon and Microsoft, when will I work for Boeing. PACCAR gets occasional mention, too. It’s never been an official goal of mine to experience the cultures of all the region’s largest businesses. Yet, now, having journeyed this far, I’m mildly interested in the rest.
Boeing holds a unique spot. As a boy, I was a space and aircraft nerd. My purpose for joining the Navy was to work on aircraft. (Going from that to serving on a submarine is a story for another day,) I grew up, for the most part, in the shadow of Everett’s Paine Field. Myriad friends and family work at Boeing.
With all this, I’ve never worked there. Every time I have wanted to work there, I commit to some other job before the big B gets around to asking me in. I can think of two times that I would’ve needed to turn down a job offer for the chance to work at Boeing. My brain doesn’t work that way. Perhaps the right time and opportunity will come. We shall see, I guess.
There are several other larger companies is the area that bear mentioning. Ones like Zumiez, Premera, Fluke, Pemco, and Safeco. Several world class companies. And this shouldn’t minimize the huge number of small and mid-sized businesses around here, too. A diverse economy, with a variety of businesses. Helps make this a dynamic place.
Yesterday spent a lovely afternoon at the Edmonds market. Below are just a few shots. Enjoy!
Was just reading an article at RIS Media, “April’s Stable Home Prices Reflect The New Normal“. It’s good to see prices stabilizing, and actually increasing. What I find funny, though, is the concept “normal”. That this market will somehow find an equilibrium is a amusing. It fluctuates month by month, season by season, heck, even week by week. That’s what some folks seem to seek. Doubt I’ll ever see that.
Non-segue: it’s hard not to love the spate of gorgeous weather we’ve had. Though I actually enjoy the region’s famous misty weather, sun is glorious. Whether walking along the Edmonds waterfront & beaches, one of the area farmers markets, or riding along a bike trail, this is what makes living here just delightful.
So one that note, I’m off to enjoy it. And you should, too.
I’ve long been fond of the Edmonds Farmer’s Markets. I find exploring the local wares and season produce vibrant yet relaxing. It’s one of my favorite parts of Spring & Summer Saturdays.
The 2013 season starts up this weekend, May 4th from 9-2. I hope to see you there!
For years I’ve pondered the nature of work in our society. The way our sense of self is intrinsically tied, how one of the first things we ask new acquaintances is “what do you?” Work provides us social status, links within our communities and, of course, critical economic resources: survival.
Additionally, I’ve seen so misery surrounding work. Hatred for their work, disdain for certain crafts and, thus, isolation. Dignity and social acceptance play out in this space. And, let’s not forget the pain surrounding job losses.
I’m committed to exploring this deeper, so there will be more soon.
May you all find peace on this journey through the cosmos.