**

Cookie Hunter

For Memorial Day, Trav took us on a long drive all the way around Mt. Rainier. It was cold. rainy, and foggy. And although this meant we couldn’t see the mountain itself, there was no shortage of breathtaking sights along the way. What’s around this bend? A waterfall! And this bend? Craggy black tunnels and a bridge! And this bend? Oh goodie, a ginormous cliff wall HANGING OMINOUSLY OVER THE ROAD. Stopping at the visitor’s center, we discovered it had been demolished and rebuilt since our first visit in 2006. We also spotted this little guy on our way out of the parking lot. As we idled by with our windows down and I scrambled to get one decent shot, he looked back at us, padded softly across two lanes of traffic, and peered up at us with eyes that seemed to say, “I CAN HAS SNAK?”

Paradise, Mt. Rainier, WA

Maple Valley Reporter: Sick and Tired

This week in the Covington/Maple Valley Reporter, I repurpose a story from this blog. Because I was sick. And it was late. And I kinda felt a lot like the cat in this one, so dude, I JUST WANTED TO GO TO BED:

Last year, our cat, Algie, became very, very ill. I had a job, and was very, very busy. This year, Al got sick again. I didn’t have a job. And it was all very, very messy. This is what happened:

Winter 2009

Algie: “I feel sick. I will lay here looking pathetic. Or bored. Or annoyed. Guess which.”

Jules: “What’s a matter, kitty?”

Algie: “Woe. Is me. Oh, the woe.”

Jules: “Hm. Maybe it’s something you ate. It sure smells like it.”

Algie: “Hiss” [click for full article]

Last week, I hit job-search bottom and wrote a ranty email directed at pseudo-postings everywhere:

Dear Prospective Employer,

I would like to apply for this position because I actually have the exact skills you’re looking for. You should be aware that I obliterate every goal and every target anyone has ever given me, and I carry extra bottle rockets in my pockets for days when you’ve gotten used to my awesomeness or when the break room runs out of coffee. However, I’m not going to… [click for full article]

Two weeks ago, I went to a Networking event. Where I met tons of people just like me. And not one employer interested in hiring a web/print designer. Yeah. Super productive. AWESOME:

I discussed my frustration at the online application process with a man named Ben, and how I WISHED someone would invent a network like facebook, but for jobs…“You know, 85 percent of jobs really are filled by personal referral. But the hiring manager can’t just fill it that way – so they post the position, get a thousand applications, and then ignore all but the few they already knew they wanted.” [click for full article]