Volume II, Number IV: 2003
A Late Edition
Cough. Sputter. Sigh.
Not known for their timely yuletide correspondence in the best of years, the TG editors were further delayed this year with alternating bouts of the flu, crud and cold that consumed most of December. That’s our excuse and we’re sticking to it.
Passages
Kaylee, born on March 15, 2003 in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. (Elaine's neice and daughter of Paul and Diane)
Mary Routledge, died on March 17, 2003 in Hamiota, Manitoba (Elaine's Aunt)
Carol Farrow, died on April 15, 2003 in High River, Alberta (Paul's Aunt)
Milestones
- 75th Birthday - Rachel Routledge, August 19, 2003 (Elaine's Mum)
- 45th Wedding Anniversary - Mel and Wilma Taylor, December 21, 2002 (Paul's Parents)
- 25th Wedding Anniversary - Dave and Karen Taylor, December 23, 2003 (Paul's brother and sister-in-law)
- 15th Wedding Anniversary - Paul and Elaine Taylor October 8, 2003
- 10 Year Service Award - Elaine at Harborview Medical Center, Seattle - November 9, 2002 (Awarded May, 2003)
Decoding the Year that was
Paul’s editorial for which Elaine accepts no responsibility
Mad Cows. SARS and WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction). Shock and Awe. Reporters that were imbedded and others who were unilateral. Diplomacy that was multilateral toward North Korea and unilateral toward Iraq. Arnold Schwarzenegger (Terminator I, II & III) and Gary Coleman (Diff'rent Strokes) faced off in the race to replace the governor of California ; Bono apparently won the leadership convention that chose the new prime minister of Canada (but, then again, I was watching with sound down). And the social critic who warned us all of this was coming -- that we were Amusing Ourselves to Death -- Neil Postman, died at the age of 72.
A Whale of a Project
The first phase of the Online Record of Clinical Activity (ORCA) system at the three medical centers run by the University of Washington is now live – and Elaine has the scars to prove it. ORCA was as complex and conflicted as large technology projects come – and, as is typical, the training component was squeezed during development and then sent in as a white knight to save users from the new system after launch. As you would expect, writes a proud husband, Elaine distinguished herself throughout and was chosen to be part of the university’s hand picked delegation to the manufacturer’s annual conference. Only 3 more phases to go!
36 State Capitols and counting
Paul can now check off three dozen state capitols from his travels during his first two years as Chief Strategy Officer at the Center for Digital Government. The speaking, briefings, consultations, meetings and on-site research helped fuel a major report on funding alternatives, three book chapters in compiled volumes, and columns and commentary for Government Technology magazine and the journal, Public CIO. The book chapters were opportunities to collaborate with an old friend on each project – Dr. Kevin Kawamoto, J.D. Williams and Mark Struckman respectively.
First Annual Christmas Cruise on Lake Pattison
We were delighted to share our Olympia Christmas with new visitors from Canada this year. Elaine’s sister and brother-in-law, Suzie and Zeke (Ian), traded snow for rain this year – and helped us inaugurate Christmas cruises on the lake. Our neighbors were surprised but enthusiastic to see us out on the water. Those crazy Canadians. (Mind you, we might not have the lake to ourselves next year.) The boat, a 20’x8’ pontoon barge, debuted in May.
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise
Sometimes the nicest things come in the mail – and sometimes they come by plane. Our surprise appearance in Hamiota was the first in a day long string of celebratory surprises for Elaine’s Mum to mark her 75th birthday. The first surprise package came in the mail from an old friend in Toronto who, after reading a post left by Elaine on stevebell.com lamenting the loss of a vinyl copy of an old Elias, Schritt & Bell album, sent a copy of the recording, which he had painstakingly transferred to CD. The second surprise package arrived just before Christmas with a watercolor painting of Rosemary’s gate – a landmark from last year’s UK trip – painted for Elaine by ‘Mom’ Taylor.