Olympics; packing light

The 2008 Beijing Olympics are now over. I really enjoyed watching the closing ceremonies on TV. I think these Olympics were the most enjoyable to me since I was a kid, and perhaps even more so. Of course, it helps that I could watch events in the afternoons and stay up late each night. But, I also think these Olympics meant more to the host country, China, than to previous host countries, including the U.S. I am very, very grateful to be an American, but I am glad China got to host these Olympics. And they did a great job.

But now that the Olympics are over, I think I'm a little sad. Fortunately, this upcoming weekend is the Penny Arcade Expo!

And of course, I shouldn't forget my three main reasons for leaving my job and moving to Seattle: searching for God/truth, writing a particular computer program, and getting to know relatives here.

I hope this picture will help illustrate my attempt at simpler-living: it's pretty much everything I brought to Seattle. Amazingly, it all fit in the trunk area of my Scion xB! Starting from the big translucent box in the lower-left, going clockwise: all my files/papers, Wii Fit, shoes, oatmeal/vitamins, office supplies, suitcase containing some books and clothes, and a bag of clothes. Not pictured are the Wii and my MacBook, which didn't take much space either.

Of course, I'm very lucky that my cousin had an extra bed, pillows, blankets, desk, and chair. However, in church today the pastor said that if we want to experience God more often in our lives, perhaps we must *expect* to experience him more often. (He was preaching from Psalm 63.) That teaching spoke to me, in terms of acting in faith: doing what is right, giving beyond sacrifice, following the call, and ultimately trusting in someone good beyond this world. Right now, it's just one day at a time.

My first full week in Seattle

Well, I made it through the first week! My goal was to work a solid 40+ hours on programming, as opposed to 40+ hours of movies, video games, napping, etc. I did okay. My cousin Jason and I have been watching a lot of the Olympics, which I've really enjoyed. And on Friday I took a 4-hour nap, so that wasn't so good. It has been really hot here, and it is more humid than I'm used to. (Friday was a high of 90°F, compared to an average high of 74°F, I think.)

I did a little programming--80 lines--but I'm expecting to go slow at first, because I have so much to learn. I'll talk about my programming more after I've finished more.

Overall, I have been trying to keep a simple life here. I haven't driven my car since I arrived. At the same time, I've gotten to see most of my relatives up here. I was especially happy to see Baby Jubilee ("Little Jujube"). I added her blog to my links (sidebar, under "Other Blogs").

I should have some Seattle photos eventually. If anyone has any requests, please let me know. Here is a photo of my old landlord in SF, Terence. He's playing Wii Fit for the first time. :-) I lived with Terence and his family for two years; it sure went by fast!

Geoff's blog, take two

I've decided to re-start my blog, because I know I've left a lot of friends and family behind. I plan to write every Saturday. (I know it's Sunday already . . . .)

I am now in Seattle, Washington. On August 1, I quit my job at Genentech in South San Francisco as a postdoc studying the disease lupus. I had a great boss, co-workers who were also kind friends, and the research was state-of-the-art. Church was going well, too. However, I really have felt a . . . calling? to write some computer programs. On Monday, I plan to start working on some Adobe Flash stuff full-time. But I'm working on my own; i.e., unpaid.

Today was my first day walking around my new neighborhood. There are certainly a lot of shops nearby, and I finished all my errands. Then in the late afternoon it started raining! It's stopped already, but I thought I'd have a few weeks of sun at least. :-) Well, I'm very thankful to have a roof and an apartment which doesn't seem to leak.

From Genentech (3/24/08 - 5/7/08)

Here is one of my favorite pictures from SF. Of my many lunches at Genentech, this was the only time I was ever at (or even saw) a table this crowded: 7 of us, at a table for 3! I miss you guys! (Including many people who aren't in the picture.)