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Like most weeks, this past week consisted mostly of working.  The really nice exception, is that we were able to A) go to a really fun 4th of July part at Jenn & Baron’s place, and B) we had a party at our place on the 5th to celebrate Taryn’s 29th birthday!  A good time was had by everybody at both events, in spite of the summer rains which dumped both nights.  Friday night they even lost power and we had to resort to ghost stories by candlelight.  Saturday we kept our power, but I personally got soaked while grilling… but it was totally worth it.  Lots of food was eaten, lots of mojitos/margaritas were drank, and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves.  Taryn’s phone rang off the hook on Saturday, with calls from all over the world to sing to her. :)  I’ve already started thinking of what we can do next year….

IMAGE: While working this morning at Third Place, I talked Hide into stepping out front for second to enjoy the beautiful weather.

For the first time that I can remember, my birthday wasn’t on the Memorial Day holiday. I don’t know exactly why, but I missed having a three day weekend to celebrate my 40th birthday. We turned it all into a festival of sorts anyway, with at least three different functions (two dinners out, and a cookout at our place) over four days, which were all great! I don’t feel any different than I did last year or the year before, but it’s always good to take the time to appreciate all the great things happening in your life, and the great people around with whom you share it. I’m blessed with terrific friends and family, and I want you guys to know that I realize that. Thanks for being there!

IMAGE: My friend, and a damn fine photographer, Ethan Hyman at the Memorial Day Cookout Kleinstack held.

Lots has been going on in the past few weeks, including my departure from a full-time position with my last employer. I’m now doing some pharma consulting on the side as I continue to build my photography client base. We’re also preparing for Taryn’s trip back to South Africa for a few weeks, which leaves me home alone for a while. I don’t like it, but I’m treating it as a working vacation. Lots of projects to work on, so I’m hoping to impress her with my productivity when she returns. And it’s birthday season too: Dad turned 69 yesterday, Taryn’s Gran turns 80 next month, and I’ll be 40 in May. That wheel keeps on turnin’.
IMAGE: Hide Terada, at our most recent Raleigh Flickr Group Meetup. We hadn’t seen him in quite a while, so it was great to catch up.

There have been all kinds of things happening here in the past few weeks, but two are significant.  One, as of the end of January, I have joined the ranks of the unemployed.  I’m beating the streets for consulting work in the pharma industry, since that’s where I have the most experience.  After consulting with my lovely wife, I’m also setting up my photography business and looking for work both shooting and assisting commercial shooters in the area.  I’m confident that it’ll all come together, but it’s still just a wee bit stressful to be unemployed for the first time since college and having my 40th birthday looming up ahead.  The second item, and far more celebratory, is that Taryn has her Permanent Resident Status for the US (aka Greencard)!  After all the stress and effort surrounding the paperwork and application process, the interview itself was underwhelming.  We were in and out of the office in about 20 minutes, and left with the marshal that interviewed us laughing.  There is one last form outstanding, but we have to file it in two years, and then we’ll be done with that process.  The next step, if Taryn chooses to, is citizenship.  That wouldn’t be for five years at least, so she has plenty of time.

IMAGE: Crystal organized a photowalk in downtown Raleigh a few weeks ago, and this was the wrapup picture before we all went back to our regular lives.  We normally do a group shot, but the table was too close to the wall for us to bunch up, so everyone fell into these poses.  When I pointed out the last-supperesque result, they all struck poses.