Around 1:30 AM Wednesday morning the thief cam back and tossed my car again. To his shagrin, I am sure, there was nothing of interest left for him to steal. Still it is very disquieting. I still haven't gotten my lock fixed so that's probably how he got in again.

Microsoft may rethink position on gay-rights bill

You may have heard the recent stink over Microsoft removing its support of the recent Washington gay rights bill HB 1515. An article today indicates that Bill Gates is surprised by the strong reaction from the public and from employees and as a result they may consider their stance in the future. There certainly is outcry internally among progressives and diversity groups. I just signed a petition about it. Read the complete Seattle Times article.

Today we went to brunch at Barbara & Martin's West Seattle house to celebrate Barbara's birthday. It was a nice, low key event. More photos. Afterward Benjamin and I came home and took a long nap. Back to work tomorrow. :-(

Today Benjamin and I slept late and then ran errands before going to Mimi's house to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. He looks pretty great for 60, huh? He doesn't even have any gray hair (for real)! Happy 60th Dad.

I just watched Spanglish on DVD and it was really good. It is well acted and has strong character interactions. The plot isn't even trite. If you find the preview at all appealing then I highly recommend it.

I met Amelia Lynn in the flesh tonight. She is a beautiful little girl with a sweet smile. I caught her past her optimal time of day, but it was still good to meet her. I'm planning to see her in the daytime next weekend and then maybe I'll even hold her. ;-) More photos.

Step one of taping is done. They'd hoped to be done on Friday but now they think they won't get done until Saturday or Monday.

Another fun centralization of powers

Radical Right members of Congress are trying to sneak through the REAL ID Act, legislation that would grant the Secretary of Homeland Security the power to waive "all laws" -- including environmental, civil rights and labor laws -- that he or she determines would interfere with the construction of barriers and roads along our nation's borders. These decisions could not be challenged in any court because the bill exempts such decisions from judicial review. House sponsors of the REAL ID Act have attached it to a "must-pass" bill, the Iraq war appropriations supplemental. This means that we need to get senators to remove the Act in conference committee, since senators are very unlikely to vote against the final version of the supplemental, no matter what it contains. Get more info and email your senators.

OMG! Adobe to acquire Macromedia

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq: ADBE) has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Macromedia (Nasdaq: MACR) in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $3.4 billion... The combination of Adobe and Macromedia strengthens our mission of helping people and organizations communicate better. Through the combination of our powerful development, authoring and collaboration tools – and the complementary functionality of PDF and Flash – we have the opportunity to drive an industry-defining technology platform that delivers compelling, rich content and applications across a wide range of devices and operating systems. Read Adobe's complete press release.

The sheetrock is up (more photos). Now on to mudding & taping.

I continue to be amazed at the things that the thieves chose to steal from my car. Apparently his/her M.O. is to be very selective. Aside from the statistical probability I think it was a man who broke in because one of the items stolen was an unopened Gillette men's razor I had in my car to return to Fred Meyer. On the other hand s/he also stole my crap-ass sunglasses, which definitely won't fit a normal man. Maybe it was a guy who stole them for his girlfriend. Anyone with taste would have passed them up since they were all of $20 originally and had since gotten all kitty-wompus such that they refuse to sit straight on one's face. Yea, I don't think a woman would have wanted them.

I stayed up until 4 AM Sunday night working on a web site for UX Day. Today I attended UX Day all day and was mainly on booth duty and website cleanup. I sat in on a couple of talks, like this one, but didn't get to as many as I wanted. I also missed most of the other teams' booths, but I think I did a good job of representing my team. It was hectic most of the day, but enjoyable. I got to see RobG twice and that was nice. I also ran into lots of designers I know and it was a (pleasant?) reminder that I've made a network for myself at MS.

When we finally got settled down on the couch to eat and watch a movie, I proceeded to spill pizza sauce all over myself and the linen couch cushion. I wipped out my copy of Getting Dirty With the Queen of Clean to investigate my stain removal options. I took off the cushion cover and did an emergency stain attack in the bathroom and ,em>it worked! Yea for white vinegar and the Queen of Clean.

Saturday night Benjamin ordered a bunch of pizza for us and The Remodeling Guys. I went and got movies from Hollywood Video and got some groceries. When I got home I realized I had left one of the DVDs at the Whole Foods checkout stand. I drove back to get it. When I was there I saw these minature purple artichokes. Wild.

Friday night I had my rescheduled hellerwork appointment with Maggie at her new office in Ravenna. It is a nice office in a beautifully maintained craftsman house. The waiting area is nicely decorated; I really like this painting.

The is my driver's side door lock, or rather the lack thereof. Sadly this is an improvement. Originally the lock was here but broken so the door wouldn't lock, even when initiated from the other side of the car. However, the lock cylinder has now fallen down inside the door, which allows the door to lock when initiated through other means. Unfortunately I have to unlock the door from the passenger. One step at a time I suppose.

There is a funny little red-breasted bird that has adopted me. S/he frequently visits my office window, annuouncing him/herself with a little beak tap to the window. It took me days to get this photo because the little turkey (figuratively speaking) flies away every time I get the camera out. I like having my new little friend; it's entertaining. S/he even came to visit with a beak full of nest-making materials the other day. :-) Does anyone have insights into the bird's species and/or gender? I haven't gotten around to researching it.

I came home the othe rnight and the house reaked of smoke. I confronted Uncle Mike about his smoking again and that it had to stop. With three people sharing ~750 sq. ft. of usable living space that stench is intolerable. I proceeded to vaccuum the living room area rug but once I started cleaning I couldn't stop. I cleaned the house for the next 2-3 hours including washing the door repeatedly. A little sick, but it did make me feel better. Some cleanliness in the midst of chaos.

I went to the doctor on Wednesday for my annual exam and to check up on my cold. In addition to the usual stuff they took blood for an allergy screen and gave me my 10-year tetanus shot. I got yo wear this hot band-aid afterward.

Lately I've been trying to take walks when my RSI (repetitive stress injury) pain gets too bad. The weather has cooperated beautifully on several occasions.

I drove by myself last Tuesday because Brice & Emilio were swimming and Benjamin had something he needed to do. It's been a while so it felt weird to drive to work and back alone.

I was so exhausted and sleep deprived that I took early morning naps in my office two or three times the week before last. At first I slept on the floor but then I slept in this red guest chair. It's not bad when you're tired enough to sleep sitting up. ;-)

Why is it that when you are finishing up a project and are finally ready to print at 2 AM the printer heads need alignment and three ink cartridges run out in succession?

My mom and Rich came over this evening with Carol. We went for a walk and did a basement remodel tour. Then we hung out and ate snacks, but never got around to eating dinner. Barbara came by for a little bit just as they were leaving around 8:30.

Roller coaster ride

Today is a bit of an emotional roller coaster. I've had several bad things and at least one good thing happen so far today. I suppose that could also just be termed life, but either the situations or my reactions to them are particularly dramatic today. Summary: Got ready for work (ok), argued with Benjamin about who should call DirecTV today (bad), left for my osteopath appt. (ok), discovered my car had been broken into overnight (bad), felt vindicated that they were unable to steal my stereo this time since the face was in the house (good?), realized they had stolen all the CDs and CD holders from my car (bad), drove Benjamin's car to the osteopath and had my appt. (good), realized I left my wallet at home so had to drive back home (bad), called DirecTV and arranged for them to come run coax cable tomorrow morning (good), drove to The Door Store in Shoreline and found that they had the exact door we needed pre-hung on sale (great), found out that the driver's side lock on my car is busted from the break-in (bad), got everything I needed for the door and brought it home right then (great), the guys from Seattle Window called me back to say they aren't coming until Monday (annoying), had to carry the door up the stairs with uncle Mike (bad), argued with Benjamin over the phone because I am cranky (bad), called the guys at Seattle Window and convinced them to come on Saturday (better), ate lunch (a very wise idea), checked and responded to work email (ok), called Bulger Safe & Lock and discovered they won't work on my car on-site and they won't do it on a weekend and since Benjamin has my car in Bothell today I can't have the lock fixed today (bad), found out the driver's door won't lock at all even using other methods (bad), did accounting to give some remodel numbers to Benjamin (un-fun), and now I am starting to work on my interaction design spec (so-so). Other happy things in the last 24 hours: I got the doctor's okay to see Claire's baby! My mom & Rich are coming over with Carol tonight to see the basement, hang out and have dinner!

Last night Benjamin and I went to a birthday celebration for Miller and her friend Janette. It was at the Capitol Hill Arts Center Lower Level. It was good to see everyone and Meghan N. made us feel more normal by having a real and interested discussion about exterior doors with us. ;-)

Our new window.

On Tuesday I went to Earthwise and the Re-Store looking for a window to match our existing windows and an exterior door to replace the current one. I found two of these matching single-pane windows at Earthwise; they were the right size but I couldn't find any 3-pane windows like our current ones. But I did find one at Re-Store for $12. :-)

Wednesday night I stayed up until 3 AM making this electrical diagram for Mike to work from.

Uncle Mike is staying here again and making quick work of the new electrical. Todd was also here today and ran all the new copper (though it's not connected yet).

Despite a great interview, things with MS Game Studios didn't work out. Earlier this week Benjamin accepted a full time Unix Systems Analyst position with the Cingular online team. That's where he's been contracting for the last 6 months (AT&T Wireless -> Cingular). They are thrilled to have him and he's happy to be there.

Today at lunchtime Benjamin and I went to Seattle Lighting again. When The Remodeling Guys framed the basement Marcos decided to put an angled ceiling into the nook in Benjamin's office. Originally we thought the ceiling would be stair-stepped to work around the plumbing and ducting, but Marcos decided an angled ceiling there would look more professional. I think he was right. Unfortunately the change made the regular can lights we had purchased for that spot a sub-optimal lighting solution. So today we considered special recessed lights for sloped ceilings, wall sconces, and single-point (?) lights like these ones in the photos. We selected the small white single-point light seen here with the little red tag on it. That way we can rotate it and point it at the wall for diffused light behind Benjamin's computer monitors. I'm planning to "sheetrock" the nook with cardboard this weekend and try the lights in different locations - on the side walls, back walls, and on the flat part of the ceiling before the slope. Grand plans. We'll see.

This evening I went to Leanne's house. This was the first time I'd been to this home, Charles' townhouse in Fremont. We walked down the street and got yummy chicken sandwiches for dinner from a little Carribean place, Leanne showed me lots of her wedding planning stuff and I offered some advice on the invitations and website. We chatted and played with her kitties. Charles' came home shortly before I left and so I got to see him for the second time ever. :-) Then I finally dragged my butt home at 10:20. Now here I am at 1:30 in the morning dreading getting up for work in a few short hours. And I've kept the sour cream out of the fridge too long, too. I am clearly a bad person. ;-)

I had an interesting "water cooler" conversation with one of my coworkers in the kitchen this morning. We were talking about relationships and how having different interests (rather than seeking a mate who shares your interests) can actually make the relationship stronger. This came up in relationship to remaining friends with exes. I never have stayed friends with any of them, but I've typically found we have little in common once we break up. In my marriage I would say that Benjamin and I don't share a lot of interests/hobbies, but we have many shared philosophies and life goals. From my point of view those are the more important things to agree on. We also discussed the American idea that your mate should fulfill all of your interpersonal needs and what an unhealthy expectation that creates. I think it's better to get your interpersonal needs met through a variety of channels including your partner, friends, family, hobbies, and ideally work as well. If you're reading this, tell me what your approach is. Does your mate share most of your interests or are your interests largely different? How does that work for you? Have your past relationships revealed a pattern in this area? Tell all. ;)

Photoshop CS2

Adobe just announced a spate of new software releases including Photoshop CS2. It sounds like there are some great additions. Get out your wallets...

• New features in CS2
• Article on CS2

Sunday afternoon-night I went to Tacoma to escape the construction din and try to relax with my mom and Carol. We had lunch, messed with mom's laptop, washed the pug, and went out to sushi. In the background I did laundry (our washer has been disconnected for more than a week now). It was nice to get away, but my stress level is still incredibly high. More photos.

The workers came back on Sunday and finished all of the framing. They were only supposed to work another couple of hours but they arrived a little before 9 o'clock and were still working when I left for Tacoma at 2. I have to say they are definitely hard workers.

Benjamin has an interview on Monday with Microsoft Game Studios for a network engineer position. Who would've thought? He's stressed about the interview but is also excited. He's already had an informational interview and a technical screen so we hope his passing those is a good sign. There's some concern because he's more of a Unix guy than a Windows guy. He's also been offered a good full-time position at Cingular (he's been contract at AT&T Wireless, now Cingular, for about 6 months now) so that is great to have as an option. The work at Cingular is all Unix, which is really great. But of course working on games is very appealing to Benjamin. It's been a bit tough recently because the MS interview took a while to get scheduled but Cingular would really like him to accept their offer. Hopefully it will only be a few more days before we know which it will be.

Benjamin has been playing a lot this week on his new thin PS2. He was playing a lot of God of War and now he's playing Gran Turismo 4. I kind of like Gran Turismo; I can get into racing more than some other games. Benjamin says that God of War is the best game he's played on the PS2, maybe ever.

Today framing began (and almost finished!). Marcos and his guys got here this morning at a little after 8 o'clock and were here for about 11 hours working on the basement. Todd came over too because we realized that there were a few pipes that needed to be capped off in order for them to do all the framing. He also hauled away the pipes we'd put in the yard. There was one moment of excitement with a nail busting into a cold water pipe, but that was resolved (once we found the water shutoff!). The guys are coming for a couple of hours tomorrow morning to finish up the framing and then Mike will start on the electrical on Tuesday or thereabouts.

At home on Friday I ate dinner and watched some television. Benjamin came home a bit later after having a drink with some of his coworkers. Eventually we dragged ourselves down to the basement and carried the old pipes into the yard and finished cleaning Benjamin's office out, hauling everything upstairs or into the crawl space.

Friday I went to the library again to pick up another hold and I discovered there was also a new issue of Fine Homebuilding magazine available. I flipped through it and found an article about installing engineered flooring over cement. This magazine is really cool for homeowners who work on their houses or hire people and like to better understand how things should go.

Thursday night we realized that we needed Todd to clean up the old sewer stack and pipe he pulled out because we were running out of storage room in the crawlspace. Benjamin was going to call Todd Friday morning but didn't actually get to call until late afternoon. By then Todd was unwilling to come to Seattle and blow his whole evening on the project. Understandable at 4 o'clock on a Friday, but Todd hasn't actually been out to our place to work since he put in the bathtub. Apparently his friend had a plumbing emergency and he forgot that our framing was starting today (Saturday).

Thursday after work I ran some errands. I picked up a hold from the library, retrieved our comic books from Comics Dungeon (they weren't old enough for them to buy), bought crickets at Petco, and got pizza & breadsticks from Pudge Brothers Pizza. While I waited for the pizza I went for a walk and talked to my mom on my cell phone. Man there are a lot of beautiful craftsman houses in that neighborhood. After we ate and watched some TV Benjamin & I started moving things upstairs from the basement. We did that for a couple of hours until Ben H. came over and he helped Benjamin carry the heavy stuff (futons mainly) upstairs. Ben is such an awesome helper!