New Office View

Posted usiLast day as the Assistant Division Director! Monday I start my new job as the Director of our Department! I'm super excited and honored to be given this huge opportunity. This is a picture that I took as I left the office tonight of the view from my new office. It's been a busy week. iPhone

Run Picture

This is a photo that I took on my run home today from work. I'm one long run away from completing 3 weeks of 16 for the Stockholm marathon. This photo is in the shores of the UW campus and is about a mile from our house.


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Amnon's Retirement

Tonight was the retirement party for my boss. Ammon is a great boss who I will miss working for. The event was very nice. This is a picture of Amnon and Jean and I. We have been the leadership team of the MH and SA Division for the past 11+ years together! It's been a great run and I have been prepared well to step into his role on March 1st. Thankfully Jean will be around for a few more years!


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Cold Denver

Selfie of my sweet husband who is in Denver where it's 14 degrees! Burrrrrr.

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Old House

I had to go Olympia today to testify on a bill so on the way home I swung by our old house and took a picture. Lots of great memories of our time living there but I have to say I love our new neighborhood so much more!

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MOHAI - Seattle

Busy day that started off with a bit of work and then we took the bus to the Museum of History and Industry. It's a great museum which we've been to before but they had a special exhibit on the history of GLBTQ issues in Seattle. The evening was nice - I worked a bit and got ready to head to Olympia tomorrow to testify on a bill. Most exciting thing today was taking a shower for the first time in our new shower! It was awesome! I can see that our water bill is about to increase!

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2 down 14 to go!

Week two of training for Stockholm Marathon under my belt with a 14 mile run today! I left the house and ran on tails much of the way. I ran through the nature preserve to the waterfront trail, through the Arboretum, Interlaken trail, around Lake Union to Fremont and then to Gasworks Park and then the Burke Gilman home. Awesome run in the rain/snow mix. Worked for a while later in the day and ended with going to see a couple of the short documentaries nominated for Oscars.

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Master Bath Done!

Finally! Our master bath remodel is finally complete! This may well be my final picture to post of the bathroom! Unfortunately we can't use it for 48 hours. It turned out totally awesome! I've taken more baths in the last week than I've taken in the last year and half! The shower looks beautiful and I can't wait until Sunday evening when we can use it for the first time.
Finally! Our master bath remodel is finally complete! This may well be my final picture to post! Unfortunately we can't use it for 48 hours. It turned out totally awesome! I've taken more baths in the last week than I've taken in the last year and half! The shower looks beautiful and I can't wait until Sunday evening when we can use it for the first time. They left that strip of blue tape on it to remind us not to use it for 48 hours. At least now next week when we are getting ready for work we don't have to traps downstairs for our shower! Yay!

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Surprise!

I walked into my office this morning to a very pleasant surprise from one of the staff. What a great way to start the morning. As it turns out I really needed it today. I am going to really like my new job - it starts officially a week from Monday. It's going to be a great challenge that I'm looking forward to doing it.

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Evening Run in the City

Sometimes it's difficult to chose a photo of the day when the day has been so full. I started by testifying on a bill in the legislature and then hightailed it back to Seattle for meetings all afternoon. I came home and went for a wonderful six mile run. It was wonderful because I ran fast, felt comfortable and although it was dark it was beautiful out. I ran from my house to Gasworks park and back. From Gasworks I took this picture of downtown Seattle with the Space Needle. We had the contractor come by tonight and paid off the bath remodel. Yikes! The only thing left to do is install the glass for the shower. It will be done on Friday. So happy it's done I can back from dinner at Chipotle and took a nice long bath!
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$6 Bouquet

This is my $6 bouquet of tulips that made my day! I stopped at Safeway to pick up some milk and broken hearts on Valentines Day was to my benefit with bunches of 10 tulips for $1! I was so excited I picked up six bunches! I love fresh flowers and I love them even more when I can get them practically free!

I was off today for Presidents Day. Mostly did chores but managed to get my haircut and clean the house. I also started week two of my marathon training by going for an 8 mile run.

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Busy Saturday!

What a day - started with the contractors getting to the house early to finish work on the bathroom. It's mostly done - glass shower doors come in next week as do the towels we ordered from Restoration Hardware. Side note - if you have never bought Restoration Hardware towels they are well worth it! We bought our first set 10 years ago and if it weren't for the fact that we remodeled and needed a new color we would still be using them! Anyway - I then went for a 14 mile run. Week one training for the Stockholm Marathon complete! Logged 34 miles this week. We then went to a basketball game and watched he Huskies lose to Cal. Home for the afternoon to watch a movie Kent bought me for Valentines Day followed by attending a play called A Great Wilderness. It was about an older guy with early dementia who ran a camp for boys who were gay and tries to convert them. It was very good.

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New Job/Old Job

I'm super excited to be starting a new job in two weeks. I'll be the new director for the King County Mental Health and Substance Abuse Division where I have been one of two deputy directors for the past 11.5 years. It's been a great run and I'm excited for the next chapter in my career. If you know anyone interested in a great job in a great community pass it along! Word of caution - the position reports directly to me. Lol.

This is our office in downtown Seattle.



Job Title: Assistant Division Director/Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Coordinator

Opening Date/Time: Thu. 02/13/14 12:00 AM Pacific Time
Closing Date/Time: Fri. 03/07/14 4:30 PM Pacific Time

Salary: $95,574.00 - $121,145.00 Annually

Job Type: Appointed

Location: Chinook Building - 401 5th Ave, Seattle, Washington
Department: Department of Community & Human Services

The Assistant Division Director/Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Coordinator provides supervision and leadership for direct clinical substance use disorder, prevention and treatment services in a recovery oriented system of care for the King County Mental Health , Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services Division (MHCADSD). MHCADSD is an integrated division coordinating recovery oriented services for individuals with substance use and mental health disorders. The combined budget for the Division is $246M. $28M for substance abuse, $168M mental health, and $50M of sales tax revenues for both mental health and substance abuse programs. The position oversees the day to day administration of the substance abuse prevention and treatment delivery system for public funded individuals serving 24,000 individuals annually with approximately 34 direct service staff. The position oversees the direct service functions of the 24 hour/day Emergency Services Patrol, substance abuse involuntarily commitment and directly supervises the High Utilizer Program Manager, the Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment program Manager, the Science to Service Coordinator, Prevention and Treatment Manger and the Special Duties Program Manager.

MHCADSD provides high quality mental health and substance abuse services to low income individuals in need. This division provides a wide variety of services including crisis services, mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, and criminal justice initiatives.

We offer services that are respectful, tailored to individual needs, and most of all, effective. MHCADSD is one of four divisions in the King County Department of Community and Human Services.

WHO MAY APPLY: This position is open to all qualified individuals that meet the minimum qualifications.

WHERE TO APPLY: Interested individuals should submit an online application, resume and cover letter indicating how you meet the requirements of the position. You can find the online application at: http://www.kingcounty.gov/jobs.aspx Electronic submission is preferred. For inquires, you may contact Alex Golan at: alex.golan@kingcounty.gov or 206-263-1503.

WORK SCHEDULE: This at-will position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and is not overtime eligible. The workweek is normally 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Job Duties:
· Oversight, negotiation and monitoring of direct services activities through close coordination, regular meetings, and periodic full scale reviews of operations to assure compliance with all local, state, and federal requirements.
· Negotiate the state prevention and treatment biennial revenue contract and prepare and submit required reports and plans.
· Participates in the planning and evaluation of substance use prevention and treatment programs. Direct short- and long-range planning activities to define broad goals, objectives, and priorities. Plan short- and long-range utilization of the professional, technical, and managerial staff to meet program objectives.
· Work collaboratively and interdepartmentally and with community partners to ensure that substance use disorder prevention and treatment recovery services are designed and delivered in a manner that addresses disparities.
· Align all existing and new work with the mission of the department’s Equity and Social Justice strategic plan: To reinforce and embed equity and social justice principles into policies, practices, attitudes and actions that produce equitable access, opportunities, treatment, impacts and outcomes for all.
· Oversees the formulation and development of MHCADSD policies, objectives, and strategic goals to ensure a comprehensive and integrated delivery system.
· Coordinate and manage activities related to complex cross systems and multi-systems
integration. This includes mental health, substance use disorder prevention and treatment, co-occurring services, primary healthcare, criminal justice, homeless service providers and other social service systems touching the lives of individuals seeking recovery.
· Provide support, staffing and recruitment for the King County Substance Abuse Administrative Board and its various subcommittees.
· Active participation in the Washington Association of County and Human Services.
· Responsible for publicly funded substance use prevention and treatment services for King County, including policy and procedure development which governs the work of multiple provider agencies – issues related to and involving information systems, documentation and reporting, fiscal management, and contracting services.
· Identify and respond to grant and other funding opportunities that further upgrade the quality of recovery services, improve the effectiveness of prevention and treatment programs, and to provide resources to ensure evidence based, integrated care.
· Coordinate and support services with the King County Drug Diversion and Family Treatment Court.
· Identify philanthropic and public private partnerships that increase the delivery of prevention and treatment services in an integrated manner that supports a Recovery Oriented System of Care.
· Assume the role of Treatment Fellow in the Reclaiming Futures Model.
· As delegated, act in the Director’s absence to carry out goals and objectives of division operations.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills:

1. Substantial experience with progressively greater responsibility administering social service programs provided in the public sector, working in a culturally and economically diverse metropolitan area.
2. Strong knowledge working with Mental Health and Substance Abuse systems, including program management, development and monitoring.
3. Strong experience in a large multidisciplinary organization with the ability to establish and maintain strong working relationships.
4. Significant experience as a supervisor, working with personnel policies and procedures.
5. A Master’s degree in social work, business administration, public administration, or related field; or equivalent combination of qualifying education and experience.
6. Effective communication skills.
7. Experience with successful negotiation and building collaborative work teams.
8. Use of Microsoft Office including, Word, Excel and Outlook.

Additional Requirement:

Final selection for this position may require confirmation and/or approval by the alcohol and other drug addiction program board.

The most competitive candidate will also have the following desired qualifications:

9. Knowledge of substance use and mental health disorder treatment issues and systems.
10. Knowledge of local, state and federal regulations governing substance use and mental health treatment providers.
11. Supervisory experience with a multidisciplinary team.
12. Knowledge of general government principles and procedures.
13. Experience interfacing with the legislature and other public officials and elected individuals.
14. Dual certification or licensure in Substance Use Disorders/Mental Health Professional.

Too Late People

Gay Marriage Foes Scrambling after Court Setbacks

Update at 6:37 AM
By: DAVID A. LIEB, DAVID CRARY and RACHEL ZOLL

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Opponents of same-sex marriage are scrambling to find effective responses, in Congress and state legislatures, to a rash of court rulings that would force some of America's most conservative states to accept gay nuptials.
Some gay-marriage foes are backing a bill recently introduced in both chambers of Congress that would leave states fully in charge of their marriage policies, though the measure stands little chance of passage. In the states, they are endorsing a multitude of bills - some intended to protect gay-marriage bans, others to assert a right, based on religious freedom, to have nothing to do with gay marriages should those bans be struck down.

In Utah, Oklahoma, Kentucky and Virginia, federal judges have voided part or all of the bans on same-sex marriage that voters approved between 2004 and 2006. Each of the rulings has been stayed pending appeals, and a final nationwide resolution may be a few years away in the U.S. Supreme Court.

The trend is unsettling to the activists who oppose gay marriage, and some have called for extraordinary measures in response.

Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, known for fighting to display the Ten Commandments in a judicial building, has written to all 50 governors urging them to support a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as between only a man and a woman.

In Missouri, where voters approved a gay-marriage ban in 2004, eight Republican House members filed articles of impeachment against Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon after he ordered his administration to accept joint tax returns from same-sex couples who were legally married in other states. The Republican House leader has yet to schedule the matter for public hearings, but some GOP sponsors insist they are serious.
"The people put it in the constitution that marriage is between one man and one woman - the issue is the governor has absolutely ignored the constitution and the people's will," said Rep. Ron Schieber, a Republican from Kansas City.

The demand for religious exemptions, meanwhile, is widespread. Gay marriage opponents have fought for strong exemptions in every state where lawmakers have already decided the issue. In New York, for example, gay marriage was recognized only after Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state's top two legislators struck an 11th-hour compromise on religious accommodations.

However, the resulting exemptions have generally been limited in scope - and haven't come anywhere near to what gay marriage opponents sought. In Massachusetts and Iowa, where same-sex marriage won recognition through the courts, there are no religious exemptions related to the rulings.
In light of this track record, opponents in red states have been proposing pre-emptive bills with broad accommodations for religious objectors. Most of the bills aim to protect individuals or businesses who, for religious reasons, don't want to serve same-sex couples.

Bills in Ohio, Mississippi, Arizona, Idaho and Oklahoma would allow a person or company to assert a religious freedom defense against a lawsuit from another private party. For example, a baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple could defend his decision as a legally protected religious right.

In some states, they have suffered setbacks.

The Kansas House passed a measure last week providing a faith-based legal shield for people who refuse to provide services to gays and lesbians. It details which services would be exempted - ranging from bakeries to adoption agencies to government clerks - and allows faith-based refusal of services to gay couples in any domestic partnership. But the top Republican in the state Senate put a quick stop to the bill's momentum, declaring that a majority of GOP lawmakers in that chamber don't support it.
"A strong majority of my members support laws that define traditional marriage," said Senate President Susan Wagle. "However, my members also don't condone discrimination."

In South Dakota, a Republican-led Senate committee narrowly defeated a similar bill that would have barred lawsuits or criminal charges against clergy who refuse to perform same-sex weddings. Critics of the bill said it was unnecessary because the U.S. Constitution already guarantees religious freedom.

One of the sponsors of that measure was Rep. Steve Hickey, pastor of a Sioux Falls church that opposes gay marriage.
"I'm saying keep the state out of my church," Hickey said at a committee hearing. "I only promote and perform traditional marriages. ... It's is not because there is any bigotry. It's because I deeply care about people."

In Indiana, the battle over gay marriage has revealed rifts among Republicans. GOP Gov. Mike Pence urged lawmakers to refer a constitutional ban on gay marriage to the November ballot, but the measure suffered a significant setback last week that could delay a vote until 2016.

Proposed constitutional amendments must be approved twice by the Indiana Legislature - unchanged and in consecutive biennial sessions - before making the ballot. The proposed gay-marriage ban cleared the Republican-led Legislature two years ago but was changed recently to remove a ban on civil unions, thus preventing it from going to the 2014 ballot.

Peter Sprigg, a senior fellow with the conservative Family Research Council, expressed disappointment with the Indiana development.
"That was our best hope for a victory at the ballot box this year," he said.

Overall, Sprigg said he remained hopeful that the U.S. Supreme Court - if it takes up appeals of any of the recent federal court cases - would not rush to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide.

Last June, the high court did order the federal government to recognize valid same-sex marriages, which are allowed in 17 states and the District of Columbia. But the court declined to go further and require all states to allow them.

John Eastman, an opponent of same-sex marriage who chairs the National Organization for Marriage, said he and his allies were battling to challenge a growing perception that nationwide gay marriage is inevitable. In particular, he derided Republican political consultants who were advising the party - which officially opposes same-sex marriage - to tone its rhetoric on the issue.

"The consultant class of the GOP has been stupid," Eastman said.
Eastman's organization has praised a bill recently introduced in Congress by conservative Republicans titled the State Marriage Defense Act. It would require the federal government to respect state determinations of the marital status of their residents when applying federal law.
However, the bill is considered to have no chance of passage in the Democratic-led Senate, and its prospects in the GOP-controlled House are uncertain.

"The bill is so tortured by hypocrisy that it falls of its own weight," said Fred Sainz of the Human Rights Campaign, a national gay-rights group. He noted that only a few years ago, many social conservatives sought a federal amendment that would ban gay marriage nationwide, overriding the wishes of the states that had legalized it.

But opponents of same-sex marriage insist on the right to take their cause to the statehouses.
"We support the right of people in the country to disagree on the policy of marriage," said Jim Campbell of the conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom. "We as a people, state by state, need to decide what the future of marriage is going to be."

Happy Valentine's Day

Celebrated Valentine's Day having diner at Judy Fu's Snappy Dragon. This is our standby dish - mongolian beef. So happy to celebrate with my husband.


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Evening Run

Tonight I had a 6 mile training run to complete after work. One more long run this weekend and I'll be complete with the first week of training! Only 15 more weeks to go! I took this picture on the last leg of my run. There is a great trail across the street from our house the crosses a nature preserve that comments the Center for Urban Horticulture with the rest of the UW campus. Kent and I use this trail a lot. Last night we were walking home from the basketball game and wondering how many times in the year and a half that we have lived here have we walked the path? I know sometimes on busy weekends we have walked back and forth 6 times in a day. So lucky to live in such a vibrant part of the city.

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Go Dawgs! Great Win over Stanford!

Husky basketball game tonight. It started early at 6pm which always makes it challenging to get home from work, take care of the dogs and get to the game on time. Work is very busy right now. I transition into my new position in less than three weeks. I finished my second of 64 training runs for the Stockholm marathon. Because we had a basketball game tonight and it's too busy to get away during work hours I had to get up at 4:45 for a 7 mile run. Very tired this evening!

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Delish Wrap!

Not much to report today so I took a picture of the wrap I made for today's lunch. It was avocado, brussel sprouts and asparagus. Just a touch of honey mustard. It was delish!

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Stockholm Marathon!

So obviously I did not take this picture but it's the picture of the day because I did my first training run today for the Stockholm Marathon! Kent and I have been wanting to visit a few Scandinavian countries. We will try to make it to Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Should be awesome!

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Snow!

A little late in the year but our first real snow of the year! Luckily it came on a weekend and will be mostly gone by tomorrow morning!

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Good Food Finds!

Tried two new restaurants this weekend, both at U-Village. We had dinner on Friday at Joey's and Saturday we ate at Liam's. Both were great for different reasons. My meal at Liam's we particularly good. Who knew a kale caesar salad could be so delicious!



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Tub Room

Tub and shower room near completion! The glass doors are not up yet but master bath tub and shower room is nearly done! Today they finished installing the tub and faucet. It looks amazing!

Toilet Room

Our new toilet room is nearly complete! Final touches should be done tomorrow. The tub and shower room is just about done as well! Super excited for it all to be complete!


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700,000 People!

700,000 people! That's the estimate of the number of people who came downtown to watch the Seahawk parade. It was amazing to see so many people on a weekday on the streets of Seattle! A very memorable day to say the least!

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Boeing 747 - Go Hawks!

The city is still on a high from the awesome win in the Super Bowl! Tomorrow is the big parade in downtown Seattle. We have all canceled our meetings for the time of the parade! The Boeing jet in the picture will fly over the stadium as part of the celebration! Looking forward to the celebration continuing!

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2nd New Tub

2nd new tub! So excited that our bathroom is getting closer to being done! We ordered a new tub since the first one seemed a little small and we really wanted a deep soaking tub. Definitely a better choice. I have to admit that it's a little tight fit in the room and that perhaps the other tub looked a little better due to size but in this case I am going for function. I still think it looks great!


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Super Bowl Champs! Nearly a blowout! Had an awesome time with at Bill and Abby's! Go hawks! Can't wait for the parade downtown!















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Bathroom Remodel Update

We about a week or so from havering the master bath remodel complete! I'm super excited and it looks awesome so far! We are also past the stage of having to pick out things so that is really nice too! We picked out the final wall paint and grout color yesterday.

The original plan was to combine the existing small one sink bathroom upstairs with an adjacent small kitchen into one larger bath. The picture below was the original inspiration design.




In the drawing above we would have closed off two doors, created a new entry and repositioned a window. We made a few changes to save a few dollars and still achieve what we wanted.

We basically kept them two separate rooms. One is a toilet room with a toilet and single sink while the other room has a stand alone shower, tub and double sink.
We did have to move any windows and only had to switch out one door with a pocket door and move one wall to make it all work.

Here are a few before pictures.












So this picture above illustrates how the two rooms were separate. The room to the left was a very small and very old bathroom and the room to the right was a small extra kitchen that was upstairs. The prominent wall in the picture above is now gone and where our shower is placed.














The pictures above give you an idea of the extent of the remodel. Right down to the studs!





















The room is finally starting to come together walls are back up and framing and wallboard are complete!
































That pretty much puts us where we are at right now in the remodel. So far we love it! It's challenging because we love a modern looks but at the same time we wanted to keep with the age of the house so we think we have found the right balance. I love the green subway time with the white marble. We decided to break from nickel and go with chrome for all the hardware. I also love the fact that the toilet is completely separate from the rest of the bathroom. Not just with a pocket door but and actual separate room. It actually makes it much more fictional.

More final pictures to come soon! Looking forward to being done and putting it to use!

Later -

Jim



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