Jason Colby’s Blog

It has been a busy couple of weeks and the year is nearly gone.  The saying that time goes faster as you get older really does seem to be true.

Last week I finished reading The Walk West: A Walk Across America 2 by Peter Jenkins.  I would have to say that this book was better than the first (A Walk Across America) and I would recommend both of them to anyone looking for a good read.  I also read The Thief of Always by Clive Barker.  The book was intended for somewhat younger audiences though I decided to read it since I missed it in my younger days.  This also was a very good read (goes fast) and well worth picking up.

Typically I wait until after Thanksgiving before putting up any winter holiday decorations though I found that this year the urge came a bit early.  Throughout last week I began putting out decorations and all I really have left to get is the tree.  The cool air seems to bring about feelings of festivity that I feel compelled to act upon. So bring on the holiday season!

This past Saturday I attended a Board retreat for the Lupus Foundation of America, Pacific Northwest chapter.  We accomplished a great deal of planning in our eight hours and I have to say that every member of the Board is a pleasure to work with.  There is no doubt in my mind that the chapter will flourish with the great Board members which I currently have the honor of serving with.

It’s a short work week for me as I am taking Friday off to head for Spokane.  The Spokane Lupus walk is on Saturday so I am driving the 41/2 hours on Friday and staying the night at a hotel.  I am excited about this little trip for two reasons, First is that I am excited to see all the people having fun while working to help the Lupus foundation, Secondly I am excited to see the area as the last time I was in Spokane was when I was a firefighter and was sent as part of a task force to fight a very large wildfire back in 1991.  Despite the reasons for my being there at the time I found that I really liked the area and this is a welcome return, especially as the circumstances of the visit are much more positive.

It’s hard to believe that tomorrow is the autumn equinox as we are expecting temperature in the mid 80’s here in the Pacific Northwest.  Autumn to me is 50’s to 60’s so I will need to use my imagination to make it feel like autumn.  I hope the end of September or beginning of October usher in some cooler weather.  If not then is anyone hiring in Anchorage!?!

It has been a while since my last post on here.  The extended weekend is near and I am excited for the extra time off though I have no major plans (which I don’t mind at all).

The Lupus Foundation of America, Pacific Northwest Chapter has several walks coming up. I will be assisting at the Spokane and Olympia walks and participating in and assisting with the Seattle walk.  I urge everyone that is able to participate in their nearest walk.  If you can’t walk your self consider donating (there is a link to my donation page on the right).

Portland – September 19th (I won’t be able to attend this)
Spokane – September 26th
Olympia – October 3rd
Seattle – October 17th

The summer has been an especially warm one here in the Pacific Northwest and I am looking forward to my favorite season…Autumn!  Bring on the fog, cool weather, and brilliant colors.  The cool foggy mornings have an incredible feel and smell to them that are hard to describe except to say that it is truly wonderful.

It has continued to be busy at work and home over the past couple of weeks. Here in the Northwest we have also had record breaking temperatures including a day that reached 103 degrees in Seattle.
Personally I prefer cool to cold weather and tend not to function well in the heat, If I did not have air conditioning in my bedroom I would not have slept for several days. Happily we are now back
to normal with temperatures in the low 70’s!

Last months board meeting for the Lupus Foundation PNW chapter was great and I am looking forward to the work ahead of us. We have the regional walks quickly approaching and I hope that there will be a decent turn out despite the economy. Anyone interested in being a team captain or walking as an individual please check out the chapter website to see the walk dates. We are also looking for volunteers to help with several projects. If anyone lives in the Pacific Northwest and is interested in helping with either of the below projects please contact me via the contact page:

Person with webmaster experience to bring the chapter website inline with the national template.

Person with Microsoft Access database design experience and knowledge of dBase database structure. This project will involve converting the data currently in dBase format to Access format and creating
a custom form to be used as a UI to meet the chapters needs.

Again if you are interested in helping with these projects please use the contact page to inquire.

This weekend I am heading to Leavenworth, WA for a little get away. I plan on returning to Leavenworth at least one more time this year and possibly twice (Winter and possibly fall). If anyone want a great area to visit this is one that I would recommend. Keep watching as I will post pictures of my “mini” get away.

Below is a PSA for the Seattle Lupus walk. You can see the same PSA modified for each of the Pacific Northwest chapter walks on YouTube. Be sure to share the link to your closest walk with your friends!

If you are unable to walk yourself you are welcome to donate to my walk via the link on the right or you can donate directly to the Lupus Foundation of America Pacific Northwest chapter through their website. Remember there’s always more than one way to help you can donate time by volunteering or just help spread the word.

It has been a while since I posted an update on here and for that I apologize.  One thing I have realized is that the address to this site is linked to my various social media accounts for visibility and that in turn limits what I can freely post on here.  I suppose this is one of those double edged swords I always here so much about. 

I will just say that I have been extremely busy at work with repercussions carrying over to after hours.  Today is Friday and though the weekend is supposed to be much hotter than I like it will be nice to do what I enjoy.

Many months ago (maybe even a year ago) I signed up for a number with what was then grand central and after much waiting and a change in company ownership I am all set up.  A couple of weeks ago I received an email notifying me that I was invited to receive a google voice number which I jumped on.  One nice thing is that an application was created for the Android mobile platform that easily integrates the google voice number with my G1 phone.  Now when I place calls they are directed through my google voice number.  The beauty of this is that by adding my google voice number to my “Fav 5” all outgoing calls do not count toward my anytime minutes.  The same rule applies for anyone calling my google voice number which is automatically forwarded to my G1.  Theoretically this would mean unlimited calling while having the plan with the lowest number of minutes.  Additionally there is a texting feature you could use so eliminating or dropping your texting plan is an option.  There is still some configuration with groups and spam filtering I have to work on but so far I am very happy.

In the next couple of days I am going to imbed a PSA regarding the Lupus Foundation walk that I will be participating in.  As a reminder you can donate to this cause through the link on the right side of the page titled “Support My Walk for Lupus”.

Yesterday was my first board meeting with the Lupus foundation of America Pacific Northwest chapter (LFAPNW) and I have to say that I am very excited about the potential for helping many people that suffer from this disease.

While the economic downturn has meant fewer donations to non-profits there has been no corresponding drop in need for the services provided by these organizations.  Funding has always been a challenge for non-profits and now is a time of increased difficulty.

I would encourage everyone to donate and/or volunteer time to a good cause and I extend a personal invitation for each of you to support LFAPNW.  It’s understandable that not everyone can support a cause monetarily though we each have talents that can be shared by volunteering.  I began volunteering while in middle school and will continue as long as I am able.  There is no better feeling than helping further a worthy cause.

On October 17th I will be walking in the annual “mad hatter walk and roll” charity event to raise money for the LFAPNW to support all the work they do in raising awareness, educating the public and medical community, and supporting those with the disease.  You can support the LFAPNW by donating to my team’s event fundraising page here http://www.firstgiving.com/jasoncolby.

You can find more information on Lupus and ways to help by visiting the LFAPNW home page here www.lupuspnw.org