I love tuna-noodle casserole in that comfort food way, and I grew up with a mom who never made it because that was the kind of food she was running away from when she moved to California. But I have always loved it, and yet, like my mom, I never make it.

Same! Except my mother didn't move to California. But she wasn't one for casseroles.

So some Russian guys decided to celebrate the New Year in style, and share it with the rest of us:

[link]

So awesome.

I love tuna noodle casserole, but I have not made it in a while. For some reason, the kind we had growing up had olives in it? But I think it was pretty good.

I like olives in my tuna salad, so putting them in tuna noodle casserole sounds like a good idea.

I have been racking my brain trying to think why my shoulders should be so sore, Zen (my neck is also achy, but I can always attribute that to stress). Vitamin C sounds like a good idea. Big glass of oj for breakfast, then.

Woes about my niche skill set aside, I am really well networked up here. And, because of recruiting bonuses, my connections have a vested interest in pimping candidates. He should, if he hasn't already, connect with me on LinkedIn. Sure, I can't help myself get a job that doesn't suck, but I can assist people with desirable skills in their hunt.

Dylan is also well-networked and has something of a reputation as a career counselor within his network. (His specialty is UX, but it all connects AFAICT from the outside.) And my impression of the Seattle tech employment market is that it's easier to find something here despite the number of people in the industry because there's so much of it that there's constant churn.

But throwing another idea into the mix, have you thought about Chattanooga? Apparently they're something of a small-city tech hub, and Dylan had a first-round interview for a position he described as his dream job. I was quietly glad he didn't get a second interview because I didn't like the idea of uprooting Annabel at her age and because I'd struggle to get a job there--no big research university with lots of grant money to administer. But it did seem like a lovely place, enough so that I would've seriously considered it if Dylan had gotten the job and it had paid enough to allow me to write full time. Which, given how much cheaper the cost of living is there, was a real possibility.

Wow, Connie.

No olives in tuna noodle casserole. Definite comfort food.

This being awake thing is just not fun this morning. Uggghhh.

Just a caveat, Chattanooga has about 3x the national violent crime and property crime rates—it's one of the sketchier cities in Tennessee and I say that as a former Memphis resident. But it also has a LOT of culture and activities for a small city, and you can't beat the scenery.

Chattanooga is really a beautiful little city. It's got a nice artsy vibe and lots of outdoor activities too. I don't know about the beer scene but wouldn't be surprised if there was a decent one.

For that matter, Nashville has a bunch of local breweries and is going through quite the restaurant renaissance...

Huh, Matt, I would not have guessed that! I've only visited twice but didn't get that feeling at all.