I hope this update finds you all well. It has been a good little while since I have visited wordpress and oh my, change is certainly in the air. I apologize for the length of this post but much has happened in the past 2 months.
This was the view from downtown Santa Barbara May 8th 2009
Where to begin? Our friends Chip and Amy had their long awaited baby! The Brass Tax unveiled their new baby at the Howard Street Fair. The world went temporarily insane as “The Swine Flu Pandemic” claimed the lives of 100 hispanics and 300,000 pigs in an act of complete stupidity. I only bring this up because my wife and I were also knocked out of commission for 2 weeks with an unrelated flu. The 5th season of LOST wrapped up this week with another bang, and I wrapped up another epic season of snowboarding.
It was a long time goal of mine to take up a snow sport and I am proud to say that I can finally keep up with my wife and our die hard friends. Winters will never be the same. Even now in mid May, Robert and I are eyeing Mammoth which still has an incredible base. One last weekend before the heat wave perhaps? The mind wanders..and I digress.
May 1st proved to be pivotal date in my life. In addition to being my 6 year anniversary at Premier Retail Networks, it was also the day that I was extended a job offer at videoegg, a very savvy ad network in San Francisco. Making a career change in this economy definitely gave me pause, but ultimately, this was a simple decision and one that I am quite happy with. After 6 years at PRN, it was time for a change, and I am very excited about immersing myself in a new business.
ground zero
The following week was quite emotional. While debating the career change, my parents neighborhood, and much of my home town was going up in smoke during the Jesusita fire (90% contained at the time of this posting). Many of our friends, as well as my parents were displaced. My folks were largely unreachable and as a result my phone was ringing off the hook as concerned friends and relatives sought information about their well being. After 5 days of uncertainty, they were finally let back into their homes. It was a tough week for everyone. My parents were rushed out on Tuesday morning without being able to grab most of the keepsakes or even the cat! We had one eye on the the news all week as sundowner winds spread the fire through the canyons of Santa Barbara in a scene that can only be described as apocalyptic. It was difficult to watch the news, seeing the neighborhood I used to ride my bike around as a child go up in flames. Fortunately my parents home was spared. Four other homes on their block did not fare as well. Much of the neighborhood I grew up in has been has been completely destroyed. Wow.
Anyway, I am glad my friends and family are back in their homes, and definitely do not envy them their stress last week. I guess living in a setting as beautiful and unique as Santa Barbara comes at a price beyond the expensive real estate. I suppose when “the big one” hits they will say the same thing about San Francisco.
That’s all for now. Oh, and happy birthday Mama Reicker !
