happy new year.

According to a friend, the new year doesn't really start until the State of the Union. His logic is that everyone gets caught up in the new year hype, which quickly dies down, they forget resolutions, life back to normal. But to make a preliminary resolution and pick it up around SOTU time, is golden. I like this logic. Therefore, I'm going to present you with a bit of a summary of this past year, insights and values I have gained.

• The importance of education. I do believe this may be number one. Graduating with an undergraduate degree in architecture was no easy task, it ends up. Multiple times while walking down the street after work I remember thinking, as I passed normal-dressed folk in my Habitat-soiled garments, "Wow, I wonder if they think I'm homeless. I wouldn't blame them. . ." But what really keeps my mind okay with this is knowing that I have a college education. If I wanted, I could get a job where I where nice clothes all the time. If I wanted, I could be cooped up in an office moving lines on AutoCAD so the facade detail looks just right. But for now, this season in life, I enjoy getting dirty and tired on a daily basis. Also, reading Greg Mortenson's book Three Cups of Tea helped me realize that education can encourage, enlighten, and jump-start critical thinking within a community. There's no doubt that our modern culture and country agree with this insight I've learned, as it was one of only three statements Obama made in the State of the Union this evening in which Republicans, Democrats, and Independents all gave him the highest approval at the time.
• Adventure. Sometimes it's sought, sometimes not. As of last January I had no idea I'd be living in Seattle. I thought Americorps was quite a silly thing, to be honest. Yet here I am. Even knowing the job description of what I was getting myself into, I had no idea the people I'd meet, friends I'd make, wonderful places I could explore and opportunities to take advantage of from being here. While trying to decide which program to choose (when I thought I had my choice between two), I voiced this concern to some classmates. People were skeptical, even critical of my view that this decision could change the course of my life and major decisions I make in the future. I still believe this though; my experiences in Seattle will indeed shape and strengthen my future in a way any other experience could not. Being available to this dramatic change of lifestyle, geography, etc. is undoubtedly still challenging, beneficial.
• Value of Adversity. Learning and living with people whose views are different from my own challenges what I believe. Of course it's nice to think that I always know exactly what's right and why, but if no one challenges this, for better or worse, it's impossible to gauge.
• Feminism. Girls can be strong, too. And yet embrace our essence as females, not males, also created in God's image, at the same time.
• Pop music sucks. Unoriginal, created for money, and exploiting as it is, my lack of knowledge of non-pop music has now changed. Thank you friends in Seattle, for enlightening me. (you can learn a little sumtin' too)

I'm not going to share everything I learned as it would be even more ranting than has already been written. However, this brings me to another point, which is voicing my appreciation for this wonderful city in which I now live.

Reason #27 Seattle is so Great.

The sun! A quick lesson for anyone who did not spend three years learning about sun patterns from Michael Zaretsky: Depending on the latitude of a location and time of year, the zenith (highest point), of the sun's pattern in the sky each day varies. The farther a location is from the Equator, the more varied this becomes. That is why at the poles there are seasons of total darkness and total light, and at the Equator the temperature is always generally the same. In regards to Seattle, the winter daylight is brilliant! Granted, we do not see it very much as the clouds tend to take the stage, but when it does come out, everything is illuminated with long, contrasting shadows. This is impressive at any scale; pebbles with shadows longer than them, to mountains with epic crevasses accented by these shadowy wonders. Notice, the noontime shadow:

I also feel the need to express wonderland I call the jobsite. Not a bad view 8 hours a day.

I don't know what life holds after Americorps; my birthday weekend will actually be marking the halfway point, which is pretty cool. I have an idea for the summer though, which involves Polaroid the Generous Corporation, some National Parks, and a nice 4-wheel vehicle yet to be obtained. Yee-ha. Adventure awaits.

He has showed you, O man, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6.8