Doh's in Seattle!

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone!

 

[This is going to several of my lists, so ignore what doesn't apply...]

 

Yep, I'm back online. The move went very well and we're getting settled in.

 

And can I just say I **love** Seattle? It's a beautiful city, and the

people are really nice. Almost everyone I've talked to has gone out of

their way to be helpful; they even drive nicely, which is a big change from

Orlando. Seems like everyone takes advantage of the summer and has colorful

gardens surrounding their homes. My neighbor has sunflowers that are as

high as the railing on my 2nd story balcony.

 

Griffin is adjusting superbly, which is standard for him, the little

sweethead. He has made some great friends, and it's nice that it can be

pretty much assumed that all his friends typically eat healthy foods - no

treats are allowed at his (vegetarian) daycare, and many of the parents shop

at Whole Foods. Overall, Griffin is still amazing and ridiculously smart

and quite funny and rather adorable. When I unpack my camera I'll send a

picture to prove it (at least the last part).

 

I found a really comfortable place to live (with no more housemates). For

those who live here, it's in the Oak Tree area of Northgate. The

playground/park is on the other side of the block; from the balcony we can

hear the kids playing. Rent is a good bit more here, but truly shocking was

the cost of daycare. I didn't pick an expensive one. The going rate is

over $800 a month! In Florida it was < $350. At least I can feel good that

the teachers are paid a respectable wage for their efforts (a job I could

never handle), something that always left me feeling unsettled in Florida.

Fortunately for my bank account, only a few more weeks of that and Griffin

will start kindergarten in a public school. Even more shocking than the

cost of daycare is the fact that I've been a mom for 5 years, and I have a

kindergartner! He told me today that he " loves kindergarten " and can't wait

for it to start. The school I picked (Summit) has all 13 grades (k-12) and

still only has 600 students, with small class sizes, mixed-age classes, and

" looping, " which is the practice of teachers staying with one class for

several grades. It has a visual and performing arts learning environment,

and uses an " emergent " curriculum - what interests emerge in the kids, they

follow and study them in depth and from many angles. I'm so excited that

the public system here has incorporated the types of education I value, and

that are usually found in expensive alternative schools. I may still try to

get Griffin into the International School, also public, over the next couple

of years (long waiting list), because it's heavily focused on languages

(Spanish and Japanese taught every day, plus others as electives), which

Griffin has a knack for.

 

Work is going well, given the circumstances. Those circumstances being, I'm

the manager of a team that didn't initially want me, I have no assistant

manager, I had a minor-league buyer walk out on her job one day, I have

others with deeply engrained bad work habits (slackers), and I'm leading a

department that had really poor customer service for so long that our sales

are still suffering. Still, it's all an exciting challenge for me - I love

going to work, and I know that in 6 months the department will look very

different. One good thing about taking over a pathetic department with lots

of problems is that it makes me look good just for showing up.

 

Everyone asks - the weather here has been stunningly beautiful. Warm,

sunny, clear days, cool and breezy nights - only 1 rainy day since I

arrived. I've been able to see Mt. Rainier almost every day, which I've

been assured is something I should appreciate while it lasts. I love the

fact that I'm a ferry-ride away from Victoria, Canada (where a new Whole

Foods opens in a couple of weeks). There are really too many things to

contrast with life in Florida, but the rolling hills here are a big one.

 

So, that about wraps it up for this update.

Hope you all are well, and now that I'm here, I hope to meet the Seattle

Veggie families soon!

Peace,

Doh

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All beings tremble before violence. All fear death, all love life. See

yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do? ~ Buddha