This year we spent Christmas on the West Side with my parents. Kristen and I left Pullman on Wednesday to travel across the state. Thankfully, Eastern Washington has experienced minimal snowfall this year, so the drive was largely uneventful.

After arriving in Tacoma, we went to lunch with our friend Michelle. She’s been teaching English in Japan this year and was able to fly home for the holiday. It was fun to hear about her experiences and the cultural differences between Japan and the United States. For instance, Christmas in Japan is a holiday for couples. They stand in long lines to eat KFC, paying homage to “American tradition.”

On Wednesday we also tried to hit the stores for some last minute gifts. That was a bad idea! We ended up stuck in traffic and waiting in lines for what felt like hours.

To start out Christmas Eve, I helped my Dad with a new Java application he’s been writing. It’s a transmitter control simulator for his students. We made really good progress, and it’s almost ready to be released as version 1.0! I’ll write more about it at a later date.

We all decided that it would be fun to go to Seattle for the day, so we made an adventure out of it by taking public transportation. We rode the bus from Tacoma to SeaTac airport and then boarded the new light rail link to go downtown. On the way home, we rode the Sounder commuter train. In Seattle, we had lunch and saw the sights. It was fun to visit the Pike Place Market and eat humbow.

On Christmas Day we opened presents, went to church, and took the ferry to Whidbey Island to visit my grandparents. Aunt Patti and Uncle Randy were there, too. Grandma cooked up roast beef and twice-baked potatoes for us to enjoy. After dinner, we played Catch Phrase and Farkle.

Saturday was the Christmas Adam party with my dad’s side of the family. We had a potluck-style dinner and the traditional “Right Family” gift exchange. This year’s theme as “Go Green,” and the price tag limit was $1.50. That was a lot of fun, especially with all of the little kids running around.

Kristen and I got up early on Sunday morning to head back to Pullman. What a busy, fun-filled Christmas!

• After the last couple of years, I'm not used to rain in December. #
• Visions of sugar plums #

• Speech went well. 5:45 with 5 ands and 1 but. #
• RT @badbanana: I'm boycotting Holiday Inn until they drop the political correctness and rename themselves Christmas Inn. #

(This is the text of my first Toastmasters speech.)

My name is Kylan. K-Y-L-A-N. It looks like Dylan when you write it down, but it’s pronounced Kylan, not Killan. It’s an unusual name.

How did I get such a strange name? Did my parents think they were being clever? Were they interested in making me unique? Were they crazy? The truth is that they were simply indecisive. My mom and my dad were having trouble choosing between the names ‘Kyle’ and ‘Ryan’. Instead of flipping a coin or playing eenie-meenie-minee-mo, they chose not to choose. Kylan is an original mashup, it takes a piece of each name and smooshes them together to create something completely new. In 1985, Kyle and Ryan were very popular baby names. I have too many friends named Kyle or Ryan, so I’m grateful that I wasn’t part of that craze.

However, my strange name frequently causes confusion. When my wife and I go out to eat at a restaurant, I slip my card into the folder to pay the bill. Usually, when the waiter comes back, he hands the card to my wife, assuming that it’s hers!

This kind of thing doesn’t really bother me, though. I will answer to pretty much anything, but my real friends know how to pronounce my name the right way.

In this Internet age, I’ve become very thankful for my unusual name. When I sign up for a new email address or website account, I don’t have to create a long-winded, easily-forgotten monikers. Most of the time, I simply type in my first name and off I go.

It’s actually quite refreshing to be able to tell all of you the full story about my name. Most of the time, when I meet someone new, the window of time allowed for introductions is extremely small. It usually goes something like this:

“Hi, what’s your name?”
“Matt. What’s yours?”
“Kylan.”
“Kyler?”
“Kylan.”
“Tyler?”
“Yeah… Tyler. Whatever.”

Sometimes, when I want to avoid confusion, I give the wrong name on purpose. This is a fun game that I usually play at fast food restaurants. The kid at the register wants to put a name on the order, so I tell him ‘Mike’ or ‘Bill’ or ‘Tommy.’ Believe it or not, I’ve even gone with ‘Fredrick’ before. Apparently, it’s a lot easier to spell and say than Kylan.

Now that I’ve told you all about my name, what else is there to know about me?

I grew up in Tacoma, and first came to Pullman in 2003 on an academic scholarship to WSU. Computer engineering was my field of study, and I enjoyed participating in intramural sports and WSU’s Model United Nations club. I also spent four years playing trumped in the Cougar Marching Band, which is where I met my wife, Kristen. She played clarinet.

During my senior year, I started working for SEL as an intern. After graduation, I joined full time as an associate software engineer in Automation and Integration Engineering. Kristen is now a third grade teacher at Sunnyside, and we really enjoy living in Pullman. Our hobbies include Frisbee golf, racquetball, camping, and volunteering at our church. Our marching band days trained us to be die-hard Cougar fans. You can find us at all of the games, despite the miserable state of the football team.

Personally, my interests include website design and all sorts of electronic gadgets. Also, I would say that I have a very entrepreneurial spirit. There are always two or three business ideas floating around in my head.

I hope that this little introduction gave you an idea of who I am. I look forward to getting to know you all as time goes on.

• RT @JohnPiper: Every verse in the Bible is meant to have a good effect. Don't throw any away because at first it doesn't. The problem is us. #