But enough about you

OK, here's mine, from careercruising.com.

1. Computer Engineer
2. Mathematician
3. Computer Support Person
4. Actuary
5. Cartographer
6. Computer Programmer
7. Air Traffic Controller
8. Project Manager
9. Biomedical Engineer
10. Mining Engineer
11. Agricultural Engineer
12. Petroleum Engineer
13. Astronomer
14. Materials / Metallurgical Engineer
15. Electrical Engineer
16. Industrial Engineer
17. Operations Research Analyst
18. Physicist
19. Chemical Engineer
20. Mechanical Engineer

In Mountain View and all's well so far... tomorrow I begin the official brainwashing, er, I mean, orientation.

Today was my last day on the job as a stay-at-home-mom. Now it's the weekend, and come Monday I'll be a working mom. After three years at home I feel very ready for the change and happy about what's to come, but also a little wistful about the end of this bit of my life. Mostly I feel grateful to have had the chance to stay home these first few years, and also grateful to have the chance to start up my career again without too much difficulty. I'm so lucky on both counts.

I told Elliott this morning that it was our last regular day like this, and that we were going to make it extra fun. He was pretty psyched about that. I let him decide the agenda, for the most part. I thought he might want to go to the zoo or the park or eat lunch in a restaurant, but whenever I suggested anything like that he said he just wanted to stay home and play with toys or read a book. So that's what we did. This morning he wanted to take a bath -- in Mommy's bathtub, to make it novel -- so that's what he did. (He smelled like my flowery bubble bath all day.) He wanted to take his nap early, and have me stay and snuggle until he fell asleep -- so that's what we did. In the evening, Chris had a late ultimate game, so Elliott and I had an early dinner and then met up with a friend and went to the playground. On the way home he was tired and there was a big hill to climb, so I carried him, and he said, "I'm sleepy, Mommy. It was extra fun."

Three years -- that's 10% of my life at this point, but 100% (and then some) of Elliott's. Wish us well, please!

Joel Spolsky linked to this fabulous recruiting ad by Meetup the other day. It cracks me up.

A quote from the ad, referring to the fancy toilets at Google headquarters:

At Google, after you consume all the Google Food you can eat, you will enjoy Rear Cleansing, Front Cleansing, Dryer, and Oscillating options.

You will not be forced to interact with those without ample access to Rear Cleansing, Front Cleansing, Dryer, and Oscillating options.

May, 2007
Elliott's main site

Elliott's May pictures are up!

I'm not sure what the plan is, going forward. I am starting work in less than a month. Should I keep updating his site every month now that I'm going to be a lot busier? And then there's the question of how long it really makes sense to chart a kid's progress on a monthly basis. A baby grows a lot between four and five months old. But how embarrassing is it when your mom charts your progress from 98 months old to 99 months old?

So I think this all adds up to a rationalization to slow down to bimonthly or quarterly updates. Unless there are vociferous objections from Elliott's adoring fan club?

• Only one month until I start my new job!
  
  
• The weather in Seattle has turned downright gorgeous. It's about two months early for that. I'm sure we'll get smacked back down with some rain pretty soon, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.
  
  
• Chris and Elliott are going on a mystery trip in two weeks. Chris wanted to plan the trip his way without my OCDish interference (smart of him) so he has not divulged any details to me. All I know are the trip dates and that they are going to California.
  
  
• Elliott is going through a hard time right now, having a lot of tantrums, separation anxiety, clinginess, and contrariness. Any kind of transition time is especially challenging. I am surviving.
  
  
• I'm spending a lot of time sorting and tagging my entire photo collection and scanning anything that's not already digital. It's going to be so great when it's done. Many of you will be subjected to slideshows on various themes when I've got it all together.
  
  
• Elliott's doing great on reading. As I type, he's sitting on the couch reading out loud to himself. He does seem to memorize easily so he gives the appearance of fluent reading on the second or third time through a book, whereas the first reading is pretty choppy. I'm buying a lot of Dick-and-Jane style books right now to give him plenty of chances to practice.
  
  
• I have to get an Employer Identification Number and all kinds of bureaucratic rigamarole in order to employ Laura legally as our nanny. I feel like such a part of the establishment. I'm the Man. Scary.
  

My job search is over! I accepted an offer from Google last week. I couldn't be more thrilled! Google was very much my first choice. I don't know yet what I'll be working on; Google doesn't usually hire people for specific projects. I will find out my project assignment closer to my start date.

I'm starting on June 11th, once co-op preschool is over for the year and Laura has graduated from college and is free to nanny full-time.

I'll be working in their Kirkland office (not moving to California). For those who don't know the area, Kirkland is just across Lake Washington from Seattle. The commute across the bridge is going to be nasty, but I should be able to join a carpool.

If anybody wants the inside scoop on my interviewing experiences at Google, Amazon, Zillow, and a few others, send me an email. I'll tell you all about it.

I finished writing my résumé yesterday and I sent it out to a bunch of places. I have two phone screens tomorrow already! It's all happening very fast. I won't be starting anywhere until June first, even if the interview process turns out to be dizzyingly quick.

Here is a previous entry on what I'm looking for in a job. When I wrote that entry, I wasn't sure what type of position I was looking for. Since then, I've decided to return as a software engineer, just as I was before.

Wish me luck! I probably won't post much about the process, since I'm aware that people who work in HR departments have the power of search engines at their disposal, but I'll certainly post an update when I accept a position somewhere.

I'm planning to return to work full time in about six months: I'm targeting June 1st, give or take a little. I'd like to see Elliott through a few more major developmental milestones before I quit the full-time mommy gig, and I'd like to finish the year at our co-op preschool. Once I'm back at work we'll likely get a nanny, though if anyone has recommendations for excellent local day care, I'm open to that.

I want to return to software in some capacity. I was a software engineer before. This time I am considering the full gamut of possibilities: dev, PM, tester, technical writer, programmer/writer.

I'm also considering lots of different types of companies. The obvious biggies in the area are Microsoft and Amazon; Google is the new big contender. I will also look at smaller companies and start-ups but I don't have a preformulated list of those companies since they change constantly.

The criteria for choosing a job are, in approximate priority order:

• the vibe of the group I'd be joining -- if I'm going to spend all day every day with these people I better like them
  
  
• how much I'm interested in the work itself
  
  
• the opportunities to learn cool stuff that's new to me
  
  
• a culture of good work/life balance (flexible hours, reasonable number of hours, no constant crunch mode)
  
  
• the sanity of the company's development process (i.e. how do they do on the Joel Test and its ilk?
  
  
• the level of stress (neither too high nor too low)
  
  
• the opportunities for advancement
  
  
• the money/benefits
  
  
• the relative painlessness of the commute
  
  
• the availability of yummy lunch in proximity to work
  
  
• the stability of the company
  

I'm sure I forgot something critical but that's what comes to mind at the moment. I could write a whole blog entry on what exactly I mean by each of those points but I'll spare you that unless there are requests.

I am presently entering into networking/schmooze mode. I want to make a good choice this time around. If you would like to share information about companies you know, or more generally, about your experiences working in different software roles, I would love to hear what you have to say. In fact, I would love it so much that I will buy you lunch or dinner while you're telling me.

Thanks in advance!

1. The tree south of our house was casting a beautiful fractal-like shadow on our house in the October sun this morning as I pulled into the garage. The shadow got more and less intense as the breeze made the tree sway back and forth. I was transfixed. Luckily not too transfixed: I still managed to park the car OK.
   
   
2. When Elliott is looking at Le Grand Livre de Mots, he says l'orange, la lune, la pomme, les soldats, but when he is looking at any other book he says the word in English. I know every mom thinks her kid is the best kid ever, but...
   
   
3. Christmas is 9% done. That's not much for October 17th but it's a solid improvement from a few days ago. Yes, I realize I'm insane, but it's a fun kind of insane. Every time a piece clicks into place and I realize what I'm getting or making for someone, I feel an evil glee.
   
   
4. I'm having a good hair day.
   
   
5. The people in my life are amazing and I am so lucky to have each and every one of them.
   
   
6. Elliott hasn't been napping well the last few days but I've been able to handle it well. I remember when the idea of a no-nap day used to send me screaming and running for cover. Elliott and I are buddies these days. We know how to hang out and have low-key, undemanding fun in the same space without driving each other too nuts. At least, some of the time. For example, right now he is attacking a helium balloon and laughing maniacally. His laughter is infectious.
   
   
7. My job search, currently in the network-and-schmooze phase, is going surprisingly well considering that I'm putting very little conscious effort into it.
   
   
8. I think I might be having sushi for dinner. Yum! Spicy tuna roll!