October 2011

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Going forward…

October 23, 2011 by Mayde | Leave a comment

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about the future of this website, and have made an important decision.

From now on, I will not be blogging here on mayde.net. Here’s why:

I originally set up this website with the intention of creating a professional nameplate site for myself in order to promote my freelance work. Then, in the spring of 2010, I decided to stop taking on regular freelance work in order to focus more on my day job and my family. That decision changed the nature of this site completely, and it went from being a professional portfolio to a personal blog with a portfolio on the side. Even though that was the direction my life was heading in, I’ve never felt quite right about having my personal and professional information side-by-side like that, since I have two very different intended audiences.

After debating this issue with myself for several weeks now, I’ve decided to return this site to its roots and move the blog to its own URL.

Introducing:

Life in the BurghLifeInTheBurgh.com is where I’ll continue to blog, share photos, and post more “personal” information. This site will continue to host my professional portfolio, and will remain my nameplate site, as it was originally intended.

Going forward, I think this separation will allow me to present myself and my content in the best way possible.

So, please, keep reading, keep commenting, keep visiting my blog, only do so at its new home: LifeInTheBurgh.com.

And if you’re subscribed, remember to update your RSS feeds!

Dogs and Moving

October 14, 2011 by Mayde | Leave a comment

Since we’ve moved, the question I’ve been asked most often is:

“How are the dogs doing in your new place?”

Dogs at Home

Answer: Quite fine, thank you.

When we first got there, they weren’t really sure what was going on. We’re talking about two dogs who’ve never been off-leash, except at home and at the dog park. During the first couple of weeks, we’d let them out, and they’d sit by the front door until we let them back in. It was only when we let them play with my in-laws’ dogs (a 2-year-old pitbull and a 15-year-old German Shepherd) that they’d actually go off and run around in the woods. There were, however, a couple of problems with this:

  1. My in-laws’ German Shepherd is old and cranky and doesn’t like to be around our dogs, since they’re still young and playful.
  2. On the 3rd or 4th day we were in the new house, we got a phone call from our neighbor about the dogs being on their property. Oops!

So for the time being, we put our dogs on a run outside when it’s time for them to go potty, and we have to keep them separated from the old, cranky German Shepherd. When Dan and I are at work during the day, our dogs tend to stay upstairs in our bedroom, where they’re around familiar smells. When we come home at night, they do more roaming around the house and are slowly getting acclimated to the new environment.

Our dogs are definitely creatures of habit, so now that we have a routine for them, they seem to be settling in and enjoying themselves. At least, until winter comes.

Have you ever gone through a major move with pets? How did they handle it? Let me know in the comments.

Want to read a really funny story about dogs and moving? I suggest you visit HyperboleAndAHalf.com. 

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

October 6, 2011 by Mayde | Leave a comment

While I don’t consider myself an Apple fangirl, I will always defend Apple in the great Mac vs. PC debate. Apple products have brought a lot of joy to my life, and have contributed greatly to all of the work I’ve produced over the years. Therefore, I feel it’s only right to post a little something about Steve Jobs’ death.

Steve was an inspiration to all developers and designers, myself included. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that he was talented, he was a genius, and he contributed more to the world of technology than most people ever have or will. The world lost a true visionary yesterday, one that will always be remembered for his big ideas and his ability to turn those ideas into reality.

Thanks for everything, Steve.

Blogging About Work

October 3, 2011 by Mayde | Leave a comment

Women WorkingThe number one rule of blogging is: Thou shalt not blog about work.

But I’m going to break that rule just this once to make a little announcement. I got a new job!

As much as I absolutely loved my old job and my former coworkers, I was commuting 6 hours a day for most of the summer and I simply couldn’t take it anymore.

Just in the nick of time before I started going crazy from my long commute, an incredible opportunity presented itself and I couldn’t say no.

So here I am, a proud new employee in a new job with new coworkers who are equally as fantastic as my old coworkers. And, my commute is now only an hour each way.

But the best part of my new job is not the commute. It’s that I get to continue doing what I love – working in higher education and online marketing. Very few people can honestly say they love what they do for a living; in this case, I am extremely grateful to be in the minority.

* Photo by Seattle Municipal Archives.