Nikki,

Thanks for the note and I hope your doing well.  You're right, sometimes introductions sound more like the presentation of a resume than a letter...but I think you pulled it off.

I was able to close on my condo last weekend.  It was a tremendous pain with a bit of the last minute run-around, but I finally got moved in on Friday night.  I don't know about my neighbors yet as I am the only one moved in on my floor so far.  The seller is still finishing the renovation of the place...they are converting it from an old hotel.  My condo is about 8 blocks from my office downtown, so it was great to roll out of bed this morning and be able to walk to work. 

Like you, I am not sure what Brendan might have told you about me...so here goes.  I was born on the east coast (Connecticut), moved around for a while, and eventually was towed out to southwest Washington by my parents.  I went to highschool in Kelso (this is where I met and then graduated with Brendan).  Then went to college at University of Washington in Seattle.  College was good, if a bit long.  I received a degree in Metallurgical engineering and worked as an engineer in Portland for a year doing failure and corrosion analysis (whoa!).  A bit less than 2 years ago I started working with Enron as a trader, trading hourly electricity in the West.  I started out on shift, but now manage the group and get to work a more normal schedule (usually 10-12 hours a day) during the week.  I enjoy the job a ton, the market changes nearly every day and it beats the hell out of staring at a scanning electron microscope for 4 hours at a pop.

With regards to your visit.  I've been in Portland for a few years now, so I should be able to provide a fairly good guide service around the town.  Depending on when you get here and how things go,  we'll have to see if we can get you outside the city to some of the Mountains and the Coast.  Astoria is about 2 hours away and it's a pretty scenic drive out there (especially if you're from New Mexico).  If the weather's nice we might be able to check out some of the resevoirs and rivers around Mt. St. Helens and the gorge...good swimming, hiking etc.  It should be a blast. 

Have you gotten any closer to firming up when you will be in town?  I am pretty open at the start of July, and although it always rains on the 4th (EVERY single year), that's still a good time to be coming up.  Besides, if you ever thought about moving here, you have to understand why its so green...

It was good to hear from you, and if you have any questions you can give me a call at 503-887-3449.

Take care.

Bill