Monday May 30, 2005

Leaving Sun

I've taken a job at Intuit and I'm leaving Sun. Wow, I can't quite believe it is real. The job is an exciting opportunity and I am very excited about all the new challenges, but I am very ambivalent about leaving Sun. I have been here for 17 years.(correction: 18 years) When I started at Sun I had two little girls 3 and 7 and my last name was Brown. Now 17 years later my youngest is going into her last year of college and will turn 21 in a few months, and my oldest has just finished two years of teaching elementary school. My life has changed dramatically. Having been divorced and remarried my last name is now Vermazen. 17 years is in a very real sense a life time. My time at Sun has been an amazing roller coaster. A high point has been working with absolutely phenomenal people who just awe me with their creativity, hard work and intelligence.

One of the things about working for a big company is that you can change jobs but not change employers. I've been a customer support manager, a software development manager, a configuration management manager, a real estate IT manger, and finally the IT director for Sun's iWork program. For most of these jobs I am very proud of what I accomplished. For a couple of them all I can say is that they were low points on the roller coaster and real learning experiences.

Sun is an absolutely amazing company that I will always be proud to have been a part of. I have almost always felt like I could make a difference here and I have never even for a moment doubted the reality of Sun's high ethical standards.

Finally I am so grateful that Sun introduced me to blogging. Creating a blog and being a part of Sun's blogging community has been so much fun. I think I am hooked for life and I just hope I can create a successful blog away from the warm and nurturing environment of blogs.sun.com. Here is the link to my new blog. I am also posting this entry there. For those who are reading this posting on the new blog here is a link to my Sun blog. I don't know how long it will be around.

Friday May 27, 2005

Renaissance People

I often read books or articles that advise you to find your passion, focus and become an expert. That advice has never worked for me. That is why James Governor's blog about the need for the reemergence of Renaissance People really resonated for me. I have always resisted being a specialist. My goal is to have a wide range of knowledge. I get bored focusing on just one topic.

Monday May 23, 2005

Food, Wine and Friends

Saturday night I went out for dinner with two friends I have known for 30 years. Pat, Linda and I were celebrating Pat's birthday which was earlier this month. As usual when the three of us go out it was a special evening. Pat is a connoisseur of wonderful restaurants so we often eat at some truly great places. Saturday night we ate at Manresa in Los Gatos. The evening started with a bit of serendipity. When I arrived to pick up Pat and Linda we realized we were color coordinated. Pat and I each had on chartreuse jackets and Linda's pants were a similar color. When the Maitre D asked what the occasion was we laughed and told him we were starting a secret society.

The menu at Manresa was highly conducive to a great evening of food, wine, and conversation with friends. We had the four course dinner paired with wines. We each picked four things off the menu. Each item came with a glass of wine selected to go with that item. I had the Spanish Mackerel with orange and leeks, the Black Cod, the Beef short ribs with onions and morels, and the Warm Pecan Tart with Brown Butter ice cream. In addition they brought us each four taste treats throughout the evening. One of the them was a parmesan churro. All the courses were small enough that we weren't uncomfortably full at the end of the evening but we were very very satisfied.

The decor was understated elegance and the service was superb. What I love about a meal like we had Saturday night is how wonderful it is to sit and talk with friends and relax over three hours of fantastic food, great wine and the great conversation.

Thursday May 12, 2005

Empathy

I'm empathetic. I feel what others are feeling. When I was a kid I used to cry when my siblings got in trouble. I absolutely hate watching suspense in movies or on TV it bothers me way too much. I also dislike watching shows like the Jamie Kennedy Experiment where people are put in embarrassing, uncomfortable positions. They are almost painful. I just can't watch.

I guess it is not surprising, but I realized a few years ago that books impact me the same way. When I read a piece of literature I become involved in what I am reading. So now I stop reading a book if I realize it is depressing me or putting me in a really bad mood. Occasionally I feel like I need to finish the book. For example The Book of Salt by Monique Truong made me feel isolated but I finished it anyway. But when I started reading Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee(It was this month's book club book.) I decided to stop after 80 pages. The main character is a man who does a very stupid thing at the beginning of the book. I found when I read the book I was getting mad at my husband who of course didn't even know what was happening in the book. On top of that the book was depressing me. I didn't go to the book club meeting but my friend Linda who did said that everyone agreed that it was a very powerful book that was also very depressing.

Empathy has its down sides but it also can be an asset. Because I am empathetic I am often good at bringing people together, understanding multiple points of view and developing and communicating solutions that work.

Wednesday May 11, 2005

The Getty

This past weekend we flew down to Los Angeles. Duke and his girls had college registration stuff to do. On Saturday I hung out with Shan and helped her produce her first ever resume. On Sunday we all went to the Getty. I've been there before but it was as wonderful as I remembered. If you have never been there I highly recommend it. It is not just the art which includes stunning pieces from Monet, Van Gough, Renoir, Raphael., Rembrandt, Warhol, and Michelangelo but it is also the setting. Architecturally it is wonderful and it sits on top of a mountain overlooking Los Angeles and the Pacific. If you are ever in LA it should be at the top of your list of places to go. And other than $7 for parking it is free!

Tuesday May 03, 2005

I passed!

Back in mid March I took the two day certified finanacial planner exam. I invested a lot of time and money in preparing for the exam, so I am very happy to report that the results were posted yesterday and I passed!

Monday May 02, 2005

The Tech Challenge

Saturday we went to watch the Tech Challenge at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose. My daughter, Allison coached two teams from San Antonio, the school where she teaches in East San Jose. The fifth graders were the Fire Fighting Water Hawks and the sixth graders were the Reservoir Dogs 2005. Both teams did a great job and the sixth grade team accomplished the challenge. They are already discussing next year. Congratulations to both teams on a job well done!