December 15, 1987

Yep ... it's that time of year again!  That's right it's raining here, as usual, and will probably stop come May.  The sun recluses into hibernation all winter in the Great White North and the groundhog never sees his shadow due to the umbrella he wields as he emerges from his subterranean residence in the spring.  Sun worship becomes a mandatory summer experience in the Pacific Northwest.

The house restoration dominated my spare time this year with dramatic results.   The yard is now landscaped with the addition of a bi-level deck complete with an 8x8 foot section recessed and wired for a hot tub.  With the main floor finished attention focused on the lower level.  I acquired the talented help of a carpenter/roommate for the last three months and between the two of us the plumbing was completely redone, the entire house was completely rewired (I never want to see another roll of 12-2 romex in THIS lifetime!) and the lower level was finished.  I now have another two bedrooms, an extra half-bath, a large den/rec room and a laundry room.   When painted and the remainder of the stained woodwork is installed, it should look exactly like the main floor right down to the crystal doorknobs.  My bank account definitely shows a few less digits than it used to!

A creature of culture is clandestinely evolving from the social Neanderthal that used to claim my name.  Did I really just write that?  I just procured season tickets to the Pacific Northwest Ballet.  The stock market was good to me this year, but I'm not driving a BMW and I'm not dating anyone from a sorority, so I guess you couldn't consider me a yuppie just yet.  If that day ever comes where I'm a total conformist, take my life and bury me in my blue jeans.

I began working part-time for Lear Siegler in January and did a lot of local interviewing until mid-May when I accepted a comparable salaried job offer with a small Seattle-based firm known as Microcomputer Electronics.  They develop and manufacture flight management systems for small business jets.  Same type of work, but I'm programming most of the time on short-term projects, rather than doing mostly systems work on long-term projects, as I did with Lear.  Much more desirable work.  The company had around 60 employees, but they've hired in about ten people after me and are exhibiting all the signs of major expansion.

Our Ski-To-Die club lost a charter member in mid-season last year, when overskiing my ability (as usual) I decided to "catch air" in the midst of a "strong uncontrollable freak gravitational fluctuation" (in other words, a MAJOR wipeout) at the top of a black run on Mission Ridge in eastern Washington.  Long cold stretcher rides down the mountain with a dislocated shoulder are NO FUN!  I went skiing in late August (70 degree weather!) with the same group at Mount Hood lodge in Oregon and miraculously escaped unscathed.  Glacier skiing in shorts and t-shirts is masochistic, most discovered that once they fell.  A flicker of wisdom forced me to sign up for lessons this year at Alpental (a local ski area).  So far this year, I've made it out to Mount Baker (WA) with a four-day ski trip scheduled in early February to Whistler/Blackcomb in British Columbia.

"Spuds MacKenzie" appeared at the annual Halloween parties and the '87 Sun Island Revival saw some frigid inner-tubing down the Snohomish River.  Played softball in three leagues this year, in one our team came in second place with a 14-4 record (we won't EVEN discuss the other two).  Did a lot of water-skiing this year as well, I understand my "Careers" group even filmed a bearded daredevil doing a "ski with no hands while tossing and catching the frisbee" trick.  I couldn't EVEN believe it when I pulled it off!  Saw many movies, plays and concerts this year the Doobie Brothers, the Beach Boys with the Fat Boys" singing "WIPE OUT" and Van Halen (I was probably the OLDEST person at that one)!

September I found myself in Dayton again, in the wedding party of my LAST SINGLE college drinking buddy.  We definitely drank to your memory, Jeff!  I can still remember those Spring Breaks in Myrtle Beach and Fort Lauderdale!  Bachelors appear to be an endangered species in Ohio these days...

Well "New Wave" just said to wish everyone a "Merry Christmas 1987" and I've still got all my Christmas shopping to do so I've gotta run ...