All definitions are courtesy of The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce.

C H I L D HO O D , n. The period of human life intermediate between the idiocy of infancy and the folly of youth.
Basics	I was born in Great Falls, MT. My dad is Irish-American and my mom is Taiwanese. So that makes me Tai-rish-American? I grew up in southern Germany and my stepfather is German. We speak several languages at home, but we stick to German for the most part because my stepdad claims, "Sie koennen nicht einem alten Hund neue Tricks unterrichten." (You can't teach an old dog new tricks.)
Preschool	My dad was in the Air Force, and we were stationed in Rapid City, SD soon after I was born. My memories of Rapid City include making snow forts with my best friend Carol, taking my next door neighbor Jenny on an adventure through the neighborhood, and dragging our dog Skeeter through the grass because he refused to walk home. We moved to Ulm, Germany when I was four.
Elementary School	I spent a very happy childhood in southern Germany. Ulm's claims to fame include the Ulmer Muenster (the tallest cathedral in the world), Einstein's birthplace, and an unclear connection to Nena (of 1983's "99 Red Balloons/99 Luftballoon" fame). My childhood was filled with trips around Europe and the unique experiences of living on/near an American military base overseas. I developed a strong appreciation for history and culture, as well as for Kaesespaetzle, Jaegerschnitzel and Spezi.
High School	I had a pretty typical American adolescence, with the added stress of living on a Pershing missile base overseas during the Cold War. In addition to the usual high school anxieties, we worried about terrorism, bomb threats, and nuclear war. My school, Ulm American School, was small but fiesty. We usually didn't completely humiliate ourselves when competing against our inevitably larger DoDDS rivals. I graduated in 1990 and the Ulm base closed in 1991; thus, I have the distinction of being the only person to have attended Ulm American School continuously from kindergarten through 12th grade.

E D U C A T I O N , n. That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding.
College	I moved to Cambridge, MA to study at MIT. What a great place! It was amazing to be surrounded by so many smart, motivated and dynamic people (I often worried that MIT would figure out that I did not actually belong there and would send me away). I met a lot of wonderful friends and had some of the best experiences of my life. I learned a lot about myself (as well as about the theory of relativity, igneous rock formations, and differential equations) and I built friendships that have sustained me through many storms. Life was outstanding. Alas, I had to graduate in 1994.
Graduate School	After MIT, I moved to Seattle, WA to attend graduate school at the University of Washington. It was very different from MIT. Nonetheless, I tried to make the most out of it by taking advantage of the excellent Design/Build programs in Mexico and Seattle's International District. My thesis was also interesting once it was finally deemed an "acceptable" thesis topic. (Apparently, the ideas of "architecture", "research" and "thesis" are not normally associated with one another at the UW.)

E X P E R I E N C E , n. The wisdom that enables us to recognize as an undesirable old acquaintance the folly that we have already embraced.
Architect	After grad school, I worked for Bassetti Architects in downtown Seattle. Bassetti does mostly public buildings (schools, city halls, libraries, etc.) and I really enjoyed working with them. However, being an architect and living in Seattle did not suit me very well. After six years in Seattle and ten years in architecture, I was long overdue to move on.
Consultant Part I	After architecture, I became a business technology consultant with Accenture. I moved to San Francisco to work in the Communications & High Tech industry. I loved my new job and the people with whom I worked, I made a lot of great friends, and I lived in a beautiful, diverse, and stimulating area. When I wasn't working, I spent my free time traveling, hiking, skiing, surfing, horseback riding or otherwise enjoying the area with my friends. Eventually (and ironically), I got staffed on a project back in Seattle and spent a year traveling between SF and Seattle. I grew more attached to my life in Seattle and more detached from my life in SF, so I decided to move back to the Pacific Northwest.
Consultant Part II	I transferred to Accenture's Seattle office and was excited to be reconnected with old friends and my old Seattle life. Chris and I bought a wonderful old craftsman bungalow and got our sweet golden retriever/chow/german shepherd mix puppy with the biggest ears this side of the Rockies. My life was going really well, but I was not that happy to work in the Seattle office and on Seattle projects (why does it seem that everytime I move to Seattle, I'm disappointed? MIT vs UW, Accenture SF vs Accenture Seattle...). I decided that once again, it was time to move on.
Business IT Analyst	I took a new job at Starbucks, working as a business IT analyst for the Store Development group. The work is very similar to what I used to do as consultant in San Francisco, but's nice to be the "client" and to have true ownership and responsibility for the success of my projects. Plus, the people are great and the business model and environment are really outstanding. In addition to a new job, Chris and I had a beautiful wedding in Colorado and we've shared lots of wonderful times with our friends. My life just keeps getting better, so I look forward to what's coming around the bend!