It has been a long time since I’ve written and I’m due for an update. So here goes:
Moved to Mountain View
On July 5th of 2009, we moved into our new place in Mountain View. We weren’t really looking in Mountain View (we were looking in west San Jose and Willow Glen) but I have to say, so far I love it. Just a couple of miles to downtown (can ride my bike or take a < 10 minute bus ride) and central to many stores, two parks, freeways and Caltrain. I'm closer to work as well, which I've been taking advantage of by riding my bike to and from twice a week (7.3 miles each way). Our (town)house is great too, with a creek right that opens up into a small (man-made) lake with fountains all right outside our front door. Just behind that is the (usually empty) pool which is close enough for me to pick up the WiFi from our place. The 3 beds, 2.5 bath, patio (the cats dig that) and 2 car garage give us the space we wanted and really not for much more than we were paying in Santa Clara. Oh, and the schools: Los Altos. You don't get any better than that. The twist in the story was that we learned of our July 5th move-out date on July 2nd. We had just seen this place the night before and it just so happens that we loved it. Can't believe we moved everything in 3 days. Much thanks to Pierre and Janise for all the help and support. We couldn't have done it without you guys.
Joined a new team at Yahoo!
Not sure how much of this is public knowledge, but I’ve joined a new team at Yahoo!. Funny thing is, so did the rest of News. We’re now all part of the Media Integration Team (MIT). We’ll be bridging the gap between Media properties (News, Sports, Finance, Entertainment) and Platforms by working with both groups to create uniform, ready-to-go solutions for Media. It’s a neat gig, as we get evaluate and prototype with new technology at Yahoo! and come up with whatever is necessary to roll it out. Many times a technology at Y! can’t get implemented right away due to scheduling, lack of resources or the “lack of polish” (usability, SLA, required features) needed for a Media Property to use it. We’re the solution to those problems. I’m definitely looking forward to working on some new and challenging things.
Trip to NY/Cruise to Bermuda
Elissa and I are joining our friends Dale and Katrina on a cruise to Bermuda. This will be our first trip without Evan – and I absolutely can’t wait! We both need a break and a chance to recharge and what better way to relax? The on-shore excursions look great and I’ll enjoy doing nothing while “at sea”. Evan will be vacationing as well at Chez Grandma, aka: boot camp. I’m sure she’ll whip him into shape. Much to Elissa’s dismay, of course.
In retrospect, our timing may not have been the best for this cruise, but we bought the flight and cruise tickets during the “OMG, the economy is going to crash and we’re all gonna die” period of this year (has that ended yet?) and so we’re going on a great vacation for a bargain. Nice to see some $$$$ flow our way as Uncle Sam got plenty of it in 2008.
Shoulder surgery in September
I’ve lived with my “trick” shoulder long enough. Evan just got his first baseball mitt, and I’d like to play catch with him without risking a trip to the hospital. So, I’m going under the knife in September. Should be in and out in a couple of hours. My shoulder will need to be immobilized but I’ll still be able type (albeit awkwardly). Three to nine months of physical therapy to follow.
International PHP Conference in November
In November, I’m heading to Karlsruhe, Germany to the International PHP Conference. I’ll be speaking about highly-configurable web applications and will certainly share my slides, etc. with the community afterwards.
I plan on staying a few extra days to do some sightseeing, and even went to my first German restaurant in preparation the other day. Delicious.
New Baby in January
Elissa and I are pleased to announce a new addition to the family come January. We won’t know the sex until the big day and we’re at a loss for names. I suggested “Sylvester” and “Jesus” (pronounced “Hey-Zeus“) but Elissa shot those down cold.
So, that’s about it from me. I’d like to say, “I’ll be posting something new every week”, but I doubt that will happen. 🙂