Archive for September 2010


4 years later and it’s still a great story …

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By the time Phil and I got near the front, people were pretty impatient. They were putting 3 to a chair, and when a couple in front of us got on, the lift operator looked to us and a few others for one more. Phil said, “We have two,” and to make himself better understood, he held up two fingers. The lift operator gave Phil the middle finger and said, “One!” Phil was very surprised, as was I. I turned and saw that Phil was using the baseball symbol for 2 outs, his index finger and pinky. This is very Read more…

Consolidation?

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Tacoma and Pierce County each recently announced openings for a “director of social services.” While precise functions differ a bit, these are essentially the same jobs, except one works in Tacoma and the other works outside; and some revenue sources are different. Would it be hard to combine departments or simply share a director, and segregate revenue and services as needed? How about libraries? Pierce County and Tacoma libraries now share access, so a card-holder in one system can also use the other system. From a patron’s perspective, these function as one library. So why have two directors, two acquisition Read more…

October Travel Adventures

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October’s going to be one of those awesome, crazy months for Mary and me. We’re only in Tacoma for eight days in October. 8 Days! That’s it! Crazy. Our travels are going to take us to Charleston, SC for a wedding; Minneapolis, MN for a convention; and … Italy! We will be in Italy for 13 nights. Highlights include Venice, Florence, Tuscany, the Cinque Terre, and Rome. I’ve been to Italy before but this will be Mary’s first time. Expect some travel blogging (as usual) and maybe some gelato reviews along the way. Until then, blogging’s going to be a Read more…