Scott A. Wilburn
PHP/MySQL programmer in the Pacific Northwest
Spokane
Seattle Cut Off from the rest of the US
Jan 8th
The severe winter storms that have pounded the Pacific Northwest have taken their toll, and now Seattle is effectively cut off from the rest of the US in terms of ground transportation. Interstates 5 and 90 are closed as well as all mountain passes over the Cascade Mountains, due to flooding and avalanches. The rains have subsided here in Seattle and in the Wallingford area there doesn’t appear to be any problems with flooding. I’m flying over to Spokane tomorrow (the only way to get to Spokane at this point), and I’ll see what the effects of the winter weather there have taken on the house. It’s hard to believe that Spokane has had over 6 feet of snow, and winter is far from over.
Too much damn snow: Season 2
Dec 27th
Last year I posted a blog entry about how much snow fell in Spokane in January. Well, this is December and it snowed a lot more than last year (over 36 inches in a week). That’s just too much damn snow to fall in just one week. This year I thought I would be more prepared for this much snow, but my preparations have not been perfect. For example, I made sure the snow blower was working properly at the beginning of the season, but I managed to break the clutch cable. The other major thing I have this winter is the Subaru with all-wheel drive, but despite it’s snow going ability, I managed to get it stuck in a snowbank coming off 29th avenue. With the help of a nearby neighbor and some passers-by on snowshoes, we freed the car from the snowbank. Tomorrow, I am returning to the now snow-free streets of Seattle.
Back to Seattle… sort of
Sep 4th
After a year of being in Spokane full-time, I’ve decided to re-establish a residence in Seattle so that I can be closer to my business partners and work with them in person more often. That’s not to say that I will be leaving Spokane behind. In fact, I will keep my primary residence in Spokane. I found a nice little furnished cottage to rent in the Greenlake neighborhood of Seattle. Yay! No more apartments. At some point, I plan to buy a house in Seattle or a live-aboard boat.
Spokane Salaries: Why so low?
Jul 16th
I recently came across a problem. I was really in need of consulting with a qualified PHP/MySQL developer close to home to discuss a problem that I needed to solve. I only know of one in the area and it got me thinking about where these mid-career professionals might be. Did these qualified developers leave the area?
So I started thinking about salaries. The bulk of my work comes from Seattle, so for me personally this is not a concern, but what about the people here who work for a Spokane-based employer? I went to payscale.com to get some salary comparisons, not just between Seattle and Spokane, but also from cities closer in population to Spokane.
When I did a search on software developer salaries between Spokane, Boise and Seattle, I found that salaries are significantly lower for software developers in Spokane. This could be why there’s few qualified software developers in the area. Read the rest of this entry »
Pacific Northwest Gay Pride 2008 Roundup
May 9th
Last year, I published a list of all the Gay Pride events in the Pacific Northwest and I decided to make it a tradition for 2008. So here’s the list of this year’s celebrations around the Northwest:
Idaho
- Boise: Boise Pride (June 14)
- Moscow: Palouse Pride (August 2)
- Pocatello: Pridaho (August)
Montana
- Billings: Montana Pride Celebration (June 20-22)
Oregon
- Bend: Bend Pride (June 21)
- Eugene: Eugene/Springfield Pride Festival (August 9)
- Medford: Southern Oregon Pride (July 26)
- Portland: Pride Northwest (June 14-15)
- Salem: Capitol Pride (August 2)
Washington
- Bellingham: Bellingham Pride (July 13)
- Bremerton: Kitsap Pride (July 19)
- Olympia: Capital City Pride (June 21-22)
- Seattle: Seattle Out and Proud (June 29) Seattle Black Pride (July 18-20)
- Spokane: OutSpokane Pride Parade & Rainbow Festival (June 14) – Visit the WilburnWeb booth at Pride!
- Tacoma: Out in Tacoma (July 12)
- Vancouver: Saturday in the Park (July)
- Yakima: Yakima Pride Festival (June 14?)
British Columbia, Canada
- Kelowna: Okanagan Pride (June 22 – July 1)
- Vancouver: Vancouver Pride (August 3)
- Victoria: Victoria Pride (July 6)
Too much damn snow
Feb 2nd
There’s a lot of snow on Spokane’s South Hill. Last Saturday, there was about a foot of snow on the ground and that night 17 more inches of fresh snow fell in a 24 hour period. After we barely got all that snow cleared, another 6 inches of snow fell. Then on Wednesday, 7 more inches of snow fell. I believe this officially qualifies as too much damn snow.
Yesterday, I took refuge from the snow in Seattle. I had to fly over since all the passes were closed (because the Cascades got too much damn snow, plus 4 more feet). I will be back in Spokane in a few days (with hopefully not much more snow accumulation).
Moving Forward
Oct 22nd
My decision has been made and I have chosen to move to Spokane by the end of October. There are things I’m looking forward to in Spokane, and things I’m going to miss about Seattle. Here’s my list:
Things I’ll miss about Seattle:
- Living on Lake Washington
- Being close to Vancouver, BC and Portland
- Friends I’ve made in the past 2 1/2 years
- Eating at Bing’s, Jamjuree and Broadway Grill
- Whole Foods Market
- Kayaking on Lake Union
- Bald Eagles in the Washington Park Arboretum
- Being close to my brother & sister-in-law
- Mild weather
- Shopping in downtown Seattle
Things I’m looking forward to in Spokane:
- Living in a quiet single-family home on the South Hill
- Still being close to Seattle, Portland and Vancouver, BC
- Being close to my good friends in Spokane
- Eating at Europa, Wild Sage and Herbal Essence Cafe
- Rocket Market
- Kayaking on the Columbia River and area lakes
- Living close to Manito Park
- Living a block away from my sister and her family
- Great downhill skiing
- Saving money so I can afford to buy things when I go shopping in downtown Seattle
I will continue my participation with groups such as Ski Buddies and OutVentures in Seattle, plus I will still have business in Seattle and will visit often.
Is it time to leave Seattle?
Oct 3rd
For several weeks (if not months), I’ve been thinking about my living situation here in Seattle. I no longer have an office or corporate job tying me to the Seattle area and have been asking myself the question: is it time to leave Seattle?
Fundamentally, there is nothing wrong with Seattle. In fact, I’ve grown to like the city a little more in the past year. What it’s coming down to for me is mainly the cost of living here. Without a regular paycheck, it can get expensive to live here, not to mention the cost of buying real estate in this area. I also have opportunities in Spokane, both for business and social growth. Over the next few weeks, I will be giving it serious thought.
Pacific Northwest Gay Pride 2007 Roundup
May 13th
It’s like Christmas for gay people: Gay Pride. At any rate, pride season is here, starting the second weekend in June and ending the second weekend in August. Here’s a roundup of all gay pride events in the Pacific Northwest: Read the rest of this entry »
