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That Standards Guy is the online persona of Karl Dawson, a web developer living and working in Ipswich, England.

I'm a member of the Guild of Accessible Web Designers and the Web Standards Group and team member at Accessites—an awards site to recognise accessible and usable websites.

I specialise as a front-end developer and worry about the minutae of semantic (X)HTML and CSS, accessibility, microformats, typographic rhythm and grid design. I also care about the user experience and remind myself constantly of visitor site goals when working with clients and their aims.

That Standards Guy is proudly powered by WordPress using my own “StrictlyTSG v3.0” theme. Site Policies.

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Getting hitched and haulin’ ass to Vancouver

Well after 10 years of being engaged to Jane, it’s about time we got around to marriage! The big day is 28 February 2009 and will take place at Christchurch Mansion, Ipswich with immediate family in attendance. There will be a bit of a gap until the honeymoon but we’ll be off to Vancouver, Canada for 12 days staying at the Fairmont Waterfront. Well, if it’s good enough for Her Britannic Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II then it’s good enough for us lol.

The lad is coming too as we’re hoping to emigrate to Vancouver as soon as we can and we’d all like to see the place first (he’ll perhaps spend a gap year with us - we’re not pressurising him). It would be great to line up a few interviews in advance as getting jobs is key to making the move initially. I’m hoping that a city of that size will have better opportunities for both of us than Ipswich. I’ve tried hard in London but the salary to support commuting is beyond what employers will pay for me - and we couldn’t afford to live there. Jane is an analytical chemist (as opposed to a pharmacy chemist that most people think of first) so with luck perhaps she can score a chemicals / pharmaceutical industry job. Will I continue working with the web? Currently my passion is being killed off as I work in isolation from skilled, dedicated designers and developers so I will keep an eye out on lab work too (as a technician) or apply to the local police department if that’s practical. I’m keeping a very open mind on what sort of work I can do. Working in a team environment where you feed off each other’s passion, skills and ideas is important to me, that’s why the current job grates so much.

We’re going for what I call a “lifestyle reset”. Downsize the home so we can live outside more - as a keen (12 years +) snowboarder and mountain biker the mountains and forests surrounding Vancouver are the clinchers for us over other Canadian cities. We’ll see. Now I’m older I’ll probably hurt myself quicker lol (I can count 17 concussions in the first 30 years of my life).

So, if you’re reading this from Vancouver and you think you might be able to help then please drop me a line I can be an older intern, no problem.

8 Responses to “Getting hitched and haulin’ ass to Vancouver”

  1. Wow, some big changes. Congratulations on the impending wedding, and good luck with the lifestyle reboot. I’m in the middle of my own at the minute, but haven’t gone quite as far as Vancouver. Scary stuff, but ultimately more exciting and life affirming.

  2. Congratulations Karl! Especially on the impending nuptuals but also on the move.

    From what you’ve twittered about work in the last 6 months it sounds like you’re more than ripe for a change.

  3. Congratulations and good luck! Be interesting to see how you get on with the move to Vancouver.

  4. Hey Karl, that’s amazing news! It certainly takes courage and conviction to emigrate! It’s something Lynne and I have been considering for a while ourselves (maybe to Canada or New Zealand) but haven’t done anything about it ourselves…. who knows though?

    And marriage? Bloody hell, that’ll be your life now consumed with preparations and whatnot.

    Well, good luck on both counts. I’m very happy for you and Jane (and the lad too) :-)

  5. Gratz mate. Canada is an amazing place to go, let alone live there. Good choice in destination!

  6. Woohoo! Congratulations on all fronts Karl, hope it all works out for you.

    I hope we’re going to have at least one get-together before the big days! :-)

  7. That’s It, I’m Moving: A Musical Guide to Canada - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96215289

  8. LOL Blair.

    Thanks everyone for your messages :)


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