Month: February 2008

Sun and Snow

/ Ryan Donovan / Leave a comment

Hogs Back Park #1
Originally uploaded by rdonovan

Seattle is twelve months of mild weather. And nine months of drizzle. Despite the fact that it almost never snows, the amount of gray can be downright depressing.

Ottawa is a stark contrast. Winter brings several meters of snow. But, many cold and clear days. Sunglasses are definitely required – especially with the glare caused by the reflection.

The photos in the attached set are taken in Hog’s Back Park – in the center of Ottawa – one one of the many beautiful, sunny winter days.

I, for one, would much rather have cold, clear days – and a lot of snow – than continuous gray.

See my experience at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rdonovan/sets/72157603808033108/

02 x 04 = 08

/ Ryan Donovan / Leave a comment
It has indeed been a while.

Since the last update, I have:

  • Concluded my professional journey at Microsoft – and transformed the business I had been running the last several years
  • Chosen my next professional journey – continuing on the last 12+ years of working in e-commerce
  • Chosen a new company to work for – Cactus Commerce
  • Moved to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada metropolitan area
  • Bought a nice new condominium in the Westboro/Wellington Village neighbourhood (yes, that’s how it’s spelled in Canada)
  • Still kept very close ties to Microsoft and my old team – Commerce Server (I work with them just as much in the same space as I did before, just  not in Redmond any longer)
  • And become addicted to Facebook 

But as they say, every ending is a new beginning. And the more things change, the more they stay the same. I’m still posting photos on Flickr, blogging about Commerce Server, and blogging personally about this and that.

Stay in touch! Be seeing you…

Home Ownership

/ Ryan Donovan / Leave a comment

With my move to Ottawa, I have joined the wonderful world of home ownership. I have purchased a condominium in downtown Ottawa. Westboro/Wellington Village to be precise. It is a great 20-minute (or less) commute to either office (one on the south end of the city by the airport, one to the north across the river in Quebec).

The unit itself is almost twice the size of my apartment in Bellevue. And many wonderful features coupled with great build quality. And it cost probably 1/3 to 1/4 of what it would have cost in Seattle for a comparable location. Though, the traffic will hopefully never be comparable to Seattle.

This will be a big change for me – as it requires considerably more consideration, care, and feeding than an apartment. But it’s high time from a investment perspective. And I have no doubt it will be the source of many interesting blog posts.