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5 June 2006 (Queen's Birthday)
Hey, 2005 wasn't too bad after all. After an awesome visit from my folks the entire month of February (see photo gallery), I started work as a Senior Strategic Advisor at Wellington City Council, and so far it's gone pretty well. Lots of work, but very interesting.
For 4 weeks in June and July (05) Kelly and I visited my family in Ohio, and we managed to sneak in a camping trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula.(again, see photo gallery).
In November 05 we took a week's holiday to the rugged West Coast of the South Island, followed by a good Xmas holiday in New Plymouth and then a long weekend in Nelson and Golden Bay at the top of the South Island in March. Soon after that I headed back to the USA solo for 4 weeks to see my new baby nephew Alex, to visit my friends Victor and Wes in SF and New Orleans, and for general family fun. (yet again, see photo gallery).
I've also kept busy doing lot of interviews and record reviews for my friend Dan's excellent zine Amplitude = One Over Frequency Squared, and playing Yahoo Fantasy Baseball. I also have some more "arty" photographs of landscapes and cityscapes at my Flickr site.
Kelly has scaled back to 3 days/week at Massey University so she can do more freelance illustration work, and she is very happy about it. She is due back any minute now from New Plymouth, to eat my delicious homemade fish pie (half tuna, half salmon). I haven't showered in far too long...wonder if I have time before she gets back?
Best wishes to everyone
January 1, 2005
Happy New Year!
As the Columbus band Scrawl said so cheeringly in a song from about 1993: "Last year went down the drain...they all do really, so why complain." So I won't complain. Though events like the election results and the recent tsunami in SE Asia have me feeling like 2005 couldn't have kicked 2004 to the curb soon enough.
Kelly and I are still living in Island Bay, Wellington (New Zealand) and working at our respective jobs. We had a great visit back to Ohio in June/July for 4 weeks, as well as a week-long trip to Melbourne for a housing/planning conference in September. We've also done a bit of traveling around NZ--mostly to Palmerston North and New Plymouth to visit Kelly's family, but also to Rotorua over Labor Day weekend to check out children's book authors and bubbling mud pools.
Kelly is currently making chicken stew and I am listening to a new compilation I made called "Treacle." If you want a copy send me an e-mail.
More news to follow in a couple months once I put up some photos from 2004 and figure out how 2005's shaping up. Best wishes to everyone for a great year!
-Jim
January 25, 2004
It's been a year since I wrote last, and what a year. I did a semester-long radio show at Brown Student Radio focused on NZ music (my shows were archived on-line but appear to be gone now). Kelly had a series of kick-ass exhibitions at RISD and graduated with her MFA with flying colors in June. We had a frenetic July and August as we wrapped up things (literally) in Providence and packed for our move to NZ by way of Ohio. Friends like Wes Wallace and Mike Lewis and Dorthe Alstrup kept our spirits up by taking us to beaches and puppet shows and joining us for BBQs and baseball games.
We spent a month in Ohio in Aug.-Sept. and had some really nice times with family, especially down at Megan and Keith's place in Athens, and up at the Cottage with many cousins whom I hadn't seen in years. Unfortunately we were also very busy preparing 100+ boxes for their journey (by boat) to New Zealand and preparing at least 70 more for semi-permanent storage in a metal shed on the outskirts of Mansfield OH. So there was a lot of busy-ness and stress interspersed with the relaxation and fun.
Kelly and I arrived in NZ on October 1 after a great 2-day trip to DisneyLand courtesy of cousin Dana, and a 5-day free stopover in Fiji. We spent the greater part of October visiting Kelly's family in New Plymouth and Palmerston North, then moved into an apartment in Wellington at the end of October. After a week, we moved to a different place, a house on the beach at Island Bay, Wellington. It's a beautiful location, on a bus line only 30min. from downtown. Our boxes arrived in mid-Nov., and we're slowly unpacking.
I started work December 1 at Housing New Zealand Corporation, a public housing agency and provider of housing policy advice to the Minister of Housing. I have the exciting title of "policy analyst" for the third job in a row. I'm working with cool people on interesting issues and am slowly adjusting to 8am starts and open-plan offices. I'm also still working for ECONorthwest one day a week as an independent contractor. Kelly is working on her portfolio and is applying for various jobs in art-related fields. She's also enjoying the opportunity to visit her dad and the rest of her family during frequent trips back to New Plymouth. We had a great time up there for 10 days around Xmas and New Year's.
It's late here--about 2:30am, and my watch dial is telling me that it's "SAB" for Sabado (Spanish for Saturday), a phase it goes through very briefly in the wee hours as it's rotating to Sunday. That's my cue to hit the sack. Fare thee well and keep in touch.
-Jim
(p.s.: don't forget to look at all the new photos, and the massive new genealogy section!)
January 27, 2003
A lot's gone on in the past 8 months since my last update. Most of you know that Kelly and I spent most of the summer in New Zealand. Kelly's mum Jenny, whom some of you met during her summer 2000 visit to Ohio, passed away in August from cancer. We were able to spend a lot of really nice time with her while she was still with us, and we also had some good times with the rest of Kelly's family.
Kelly decided to come back to RISD and do the last year of her Master's program, so we are back in Providence, albeit in a different, nicer apartment. We went back to Ohio for Xmas for THREE WEEKS and had a wonderful time, as the recent photos reveal. I am starting a radio show at Brown Student Radio tomorrow that will be mostly focused on NZ music. The link above should provide internet access to listen to my show, Tues. nights at 10pm Eastern Time. My press corps are recently working on an update to the press release that came out when I started DJ'ing at Harvard's WHRB.
That's all for now. -Jim
April 13, 2002
No news is good news. So I guess things are good. In news from the former home town region, the Perrysville, Ohio police chief is behind bars for shooting himself in the leg, then pretending it happened in a shootout with a criminal. My sister Meg and bro-in-law Keith came out for a visit in March, and their dog Chauncey came too. We had crappy weather but an awesome time anyway--discoved "duckpin" bowling, yet another twist on our favorite sport. Kelly's got another 6 weeks or so of school before she heads to New Zealand for the summer. I will mix it up between Rhode Island, Ohio, and a month in NZ myself this summer.
That's all for now. -Jim
March 2, 2002
Still getting by in Providence, Rhode Island. Kelly is doing great in school, earning all A's in the first semester. I'm still working for ECONorthwest and Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation from my home office. We went back to Ohio for over 2 weeks for Xmas and had a fantastic time, and we just got back from a one-week escape to Paris. We loved it; I hadn't been there since 1986 and Kelly had never been there. We were able to celebrate Valentine's Day from the top of the Eiffel Tower, and the next day was Kelly's 26th birthday. We took lots of slides and may try to scan some into here soonish.
We are looking forward to sister Megan and her husband Keith coming out here in a few weeks, and we would love to have other visitors too, so don't be shy...call NOW!!
That's all for now. -Jim
November 25, 2001
Hardly a monthly update. I haven't written since last June, so it's been 17 months. What have we been up to? Well, Kelly got into art school at Rhode Island School of Design, so this fall we moved to Providence, Rhode Island. Before that happened we had a lot of fun times in Oregon, with lots of visitors. Kelly also went home to NZ for a couple months this past summer. There are many photos from the past 17 months at the gallery. Now I'm working from home, still for ECONorthwest. We live in a small apartment that's part of a larger house inhabited by Kate Champa and her 5 cats.
June 24, 2000
Lotsa big news! First of all, my sister Megan was married on March 21 to a very special guy, Keith Macartney. A photo is in the gallery. Megan just turned 24 yesterday.
Speaking of birthday news, my mom turned 50 in May, and Kelly and I and Kelly's mum Jenny, who is visiting from NZ for 6 weeks, went to Ohio for a week to help celebrate. Great time had by all, as it coincided with Memorial Day and our biker neighbors' 10th wedding anniversary. Now we are having a good time in Portland with Jenny, who is a real treat to have around. See the recent photos for some shots of her.
Kelly has now started at ANOTHER job, this one as a bookseller at the children's book section at Powell's, the largest and coolest independent bookstore in the U.S. I am toiling away at ECONorthwest, very busy with summer projects like doing a fiscal impact on a property rights initiative in Oregon.
That's all for now. -Jim
March 23, 2000
Wowee zowee. It's been 6 months since the last update, due to the general lack of free time combined with lack of a scanner to provide new pix. But now we're rolling.
Things are great here in Portland. We have a pretty swell little house in the northwest part of town, about a 20min bus ride or a 45min walk to downtown. I'm working still at ECONorthwest (more info on my Planning page), and things are going well there. Kelly has just started a job at a really cool toy store downtown. We are putting in a garden soon in our little yard donated by our landlord/neighbor. I am apparently crazy to attempt to grow corn in Oregon--you can take the boy out of Ohio, but you can't take the Ohio out of the boy.
Kelly and I had a great time back in NZ over the Xmas holidays--check out the photos in the gallery. Recently we had a weekend visit to San Francisco to see friends Victor and Melissa, and last week Pat Mac was out. Boy, did we eat well!
S'all for now. Enjoy the 20 new photos!
-Jim
September 15, 1999
We had a great summer in Ohio. Spent a lot of "pond time" and reshingled the roof. We flew to Portland at the end of August and have found a cool little house not far from downtown. Kelly has started work at the Northwest Film Center, and also at a nearby video store. I've begun my job as a Policy Analyst at ECONorthwest . E-mail me at ebenhoh@portland.econw.com if you want our new address and phone number. Sorry not so chatty now; it's been a long day! New photos may or may not materialize on this site, as I still haven't found a scanner.
June 28, 1999
Well, we're heading off for Ohio now, leaving Boston for good. We'll be hanging out at the Ebenhoh homestead for most of July and August before we move to Portland, Oregon. I will be working as an economist at ECONorthwest . Kelly and I are very excited about the move (well, actually at the moment we're exhausted from packing). I don't know my future computer/scanner situation, so there may not be new photos on this page for a while. Maybe in Sept. in Portland I will work something out. Until then, stay in touch via ebenhoh@alumni.ksg.harvard.edu.
-Jim
June 1, 1999
I got a job offer with ECONorthwest in Portland, Oregon. It looks like we are Portland-bound! Details to follow in a few weeks...
May 13, 1999
It's been a while, I know, I know. It's been really busy I tell ya! I finished my Policy Analysis Exercise (the big Master's project-thingy) for Rails-to-Trails, and presented it down at their DC office in April. Cool bunch of people, and they seemed like it would be useful to them. I also took a 8-day trip to Seattle for the American Planning Association conference. Had a great time staying with mi amigo Victor, trying to meet planners, and spending a lot of time picking up brochures and business cards. Met some really time KSG alumni who gave me some good job tips. But as of yet, still no offers...
Seattle is a really cool place, lots of hills and water and mountains, and coffee, and hipsters, and it actually didn't rain much when I was there. Saw a great band called the Music Tapes who integrated large hand-cranked wooden metronomes and clapping wooden hands and basketball-activated bangy-pans into their performance. Never too old for some self-indulgent art rock.
Kelly graduates this Saturday!!!! We're all so proud of her. Our friend Pat is coming out tomorrow to help celebrate. I graduate June 10; just one exam to go, and no more papers (thank sweet goodness). The current plan is still to head out to Perrysville Ohio on July 1 and to continue the job search there indefinitely if need be. Currently planning some short-term gigs to pay the rent (Perrysville is gentrifying, y'know).
I'll give an update next month when things may have crystallized a bit more.
-Jim
February 27, 1999
The morning after I last wrote (January 30), my Grandpa Ebenhoh passed away. I spent a few days back in Ohio to be with family and remember my wonderful grandfather. Things won't be the same without him.
February has been a very busy month. I've started the job search (at least thinking about it), leaning towards the West Coast, hopefully San Francisco, Oregon, or Washington State. I'll be going out to the American Planning Association annual conference in Seattle in April and hope to meet a few people there.
Kelly and I filed for Kelly's permanent residency (Green Card) at the Immigration offices here in Boston--what a nightmare! I think everything is set to go now, but let's just say it wasn't exactly "service with a smile."
We bought our plane tix to NZ for next Xmas already since the tickets are all being bought up for the Millenium; NZ is just over the date line and will be one of the first countries to see the year 2000. We've also tentatively sorted out our travel plans for this summer; basically we will be U-Hauling our stuff to Ohio and spending a couple weeks there in early July, then off to wherever we'll be living (westward ho!).
And my Master's project has given birth to a first draft, which was not enthusiastically received by Cambridge experts. March will be a tough month.
But I got a haircut today! And I feel like a new man.
-Jim
January 29, 1999
Well, the wedding was wonderful, as was the entire holiday break. Thanks to everyone who made it to the party, and those who sent letters or e-mails of congratulations. We'll put some wedding photos on this site in February some time, after we finish sorting through the stacks of em.
So my exams are over and Kelly's started her 2nd (and final) semester at art school; I start classes again next week. It will be a busy semester as we both have final projects due in the spring. Nothing really more to report! Check in late February for some wedding photos...
-Jim
December 17, 1998
Well, I just finished my final urban planning studio review, and I have to say our proposed "Pink Line" rapid transit line for Boston was fairly well-received. Now I have to try to catch up on sleep before leaving for Ohio tomorrow. Kelly and I will be back in Ohio until Jan. 9, with of course our wedding on January 1.
A few weeks ago I went to Washington DC to visit with my Master's project client (Rails to Trails). Saw the sights for the first time since I was an intern for Congressman Pease back in '91. Went to the Holocaust Museum which is new since I was there last. It was a very moving experience.
In January I will put up some of the highlight photos from our November trip to NYC and my DC trip. By February we should have Xmas and Wedding photos back! Stay tuned.
-Jim
November 12, 1998
Well, Veteran's Day has come and gone, as has Halloween. Kelly and I went up to Salem with a couple friends for Halloween, but all we found were drunken, belligerent teenagers in costume. We had just stuffed ourselves at the Olde Country Buffet, so it was fortunate that we parked about two miles away from Salem and walked off at least that last piece of cheesecake.
This past weekend Kelly and I fled Boston for the serenity of New York City, staying with our friend Jen in Washington Hts (home of Manny Ramirez) and basically doing all the touristy things. In a couple weeks I'll put some of our photos in the Photo Gallery. The highlights were decrepit Coney Island, the view from the Empire State Building at night, the free ferry ride to Staten Island past the Statue of Liberty, foraging through curio shops in Chinatown, and eating at Dojo's in the East Village. Oh yeah, and we also went to Saks Fifth Ave. and Bloomingdale's and were assaulted by old ladies with perfume spritzers. I still stink.
We are continuing with plans for our January 1 wedding. The Mayor of Perrysville has agreed to perform the ceremony, and we are currently in the process of looking for rings and deciding on a dress for Kelly. There will be a big party following the small, closed-to-the-press wedding, starting at around 2pm. You are hereby invited and should e-mail me if you need directions.
And then there is school. I am enjoying my classes but hardly finding the time with the demands of my planning studio and my part-time job. My planning studio is currently looking at ways to improve the Codman Square area of Dorchester in Boston. I have also started my Policy Analysis Exercise (kind of like a Master's Thesis), which involves working with Rails to Trails in DC on a project analyzing federal funding for bike and pedestrian trails. The project will go until April.
On that note, I suppose I had better work on one or more of these things. I'll write again post-Thanksgiving.
-Jim
October 22, 1998
Well it's been a few weeks since I wrote last, but I think I was a bit unrealistic thinking I'd write every week. Things are really busy with school now. The weekend of Oct. 8th Kelly and I were back in Loudonville, Ohio for the Street Fair. We had a great time; rode the Ferris Wheel (photos to come soon), hung out with our friend Pat and my cousins Mark and Molly, and drank 85cent draft beers at JR's in Perrysville. Coming back to Boston was a shock to the system as it always is. I had to design a freeway system for Cincinnati in a few days and have just barely survived that ordeal. Last weekend Kelly and I went with our friends John and Erin out to Walden Pond and took a walk around the pond checking out the fall colors. Lots of people there but always beautiful. We also bought a couple pumpkins and plan to carve them this weekend.
Upcoming highlights include a show tomorrow night where the Renderers (from NZ) and Barbara Manning will be playing.
Kelly has set up a darkroom in our bathroom and has already developed a few pinhole camera images.
So that's the skinny. I'll be back in a week or two.
-Jim
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