Scuba Ken

Ken has a new job!  He got it a few weeks ago, but I was busy being too tired to blog about it, so here this news is now.  He starts shortly after Thanksgiving at a company called Deep Sea, located about 42 miles north of Seattle.

You may be thinking, "That's a long commute!"

It is, but Ken will be designing something well worth the drive.  Scuba and kayaking equiptment.

You are probably thinking, "That is so much cooler thank kitchen towels!"

It is.  It certainly is.

And now for a little Q&A with the designer himself.

Ashley: Ken, how excited are you?
Ken: 100!   

Have you ever scuba dived?
No.

Why not?
I had jacked up ears as a kid.

Ken has baby ear canals, and changes in pressure cause severe pain.  One of the first things he told me when we started dating was that he couldn't sky dive.  That was almost a deal breaker, because ever since I was a little girl I always dreamed of having a sky-diving wedding.  There is something horribly romantic in reciting our vows to each other in a space between heaven and earth, which I feel accurately describes the our love for each other if love were a place as well as an emotion.  Sometimes I think that love is a place.  After getting engaged, we compromised and decided that I would sky dive to the ceremony and he would just hang out on the ground.  The venue we selected is perfect for this because not only do they have a sky diving school nearby, but the ceremony site is clear of plants and trees so my dress won't catch.

Will you learn to scuba dive?
Yeah, it has ram horns.  It's pretty awesome.

Ken was answering a question about the monster he is painting.  However, he has previously said that Deep Sea is going to pay to get him scuba certified.  How his baby ear canals will fare is a question for another day.

Is the apple-pear cobbler (with organic apples and pears that our wonderful aunt Susan made) going to make you sink to the bottom of the Deep Sea?
Yes

Are you also adding vanilla ice cream to that?
Yes

I'm on my "I have to go wedding dress shopping next month" diet, which isn't really much because I don't have to wear the wedding dress next month (I have until August!), so I'm drinking wine for dessert and foregoing the delicious cobbler that is taunting me from the stove top.

How do your past design experiences relate to this upcoming position?
I've designed military equipment, including a Halo diving suit, which is a high-altitude, low deploy suit.  It's for jumping out of planes.

It seems that Ken has a trend of designing things he can't use.  Due to his baby ears.  He also isn't a Navy Seal, but I'm sure if he tried....

What will you wear to the office?
We allowed my cousin, Max, to answer this question for Ken.
Max: Jeans, but nice jeans.  Very nice and well trimmed.  Black socks, dark brown loafers.  White long sleeved collar shirt under a blazer.  A black blazer.

A black blazer? What about the brown loafers?
Max: Well, black loafers, then.  It indicates a certain touch of formality with...
Ken: ...A willingness to conform.  To the Northwest.
Max: You should make those horns....you should leave them white.  With shading.

Again, they are back on the monster painting.  

How does the office environment compare to the big apple? (Not apple-pear)
Ken: Cleaner.

How will you incorporate kitchen towels into your new designs?
Maybe I will dry off with them.

Thank you Ken and Max for your limited concentration!