Friday, February 28, 2014

Bingeing (or Binging) on Arrested Development


Back in '05 I was told to watch Arrested Development by a friend because they said it was right up my alley. I didn't get around to it because, well...no reason. I just never watched it. Until last night. The show ran from 2003-2006 and has recently been resurrected by Netflix with all new episodes. So last night I clicked up the first season and started watching.

I couldn't stop watching. I watched several eps even though I had tons to do. This show is so freakin' funny. Twisted and awesome. What took me so long?


Thursday, February 27, 2014

PORTLANDIA IS BACK!


Season Four begins TONIGHT!

Put a bird on it!

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

P.O.D.


Post Olympic Depression is a real thing.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

LIG-EEE-TEEEEE!


Great to see Ted Ligety win the Gold Medal in the GS today. I follow World Cup skiing year round and first noticed Ligety when he won the Combined Gold in 2006. I remember my son, as a three-year-old, yelling "LIG-EEE-TEEE!" when we watched World Cup events in the years following his Olympic debut. Since then, Shred has become the best GS skier in the world...by far. He's won nine of the last 14 World Cup GS races and now has his second Gold. He's the first American to win two Golds in Olympic Alpine Skiing. Ligety's still young and if he stays healthy may have more Olympics in him.

It is bittersweet to see the great Bode Miller's Olympic career come to an end today. He hurt his surgically repaired knee today and won't compete in the final Alpine event, the slalom, on Saturday. What a run. Bode, who won Bronze a few days ago in the Super G, is the most decorated American Alpine skier in Olympic history. He's got Olympic medals of all colors, six overall. He's also the oldest person to ever win an Olympic alpine medal. Not to mention he's by far the most decorated American World Cup skier by a long shot, winning the overall title twice.

I've been following his career for twelve years, ever since the 2002 Salt Lake games. He's been one of my skiing heroes. One year, my wife had my birthday cake made with a screen shot of him skiing on it. I have a Bode Miller ski hat. I've read his biography. His approach to skiing was fearless. He says his injury isn't too serious and he plans on finishing the World Cup season. But, knowing he won't be at the next Olympics is a bit sad. He had a super run. Unforgettable.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

My Favorite Star Wars Figures


I started collecting Star Wars figures when I was five years old. Too bad these, pictured above, weren't available at the time. They may have been my favorites.

Friday, February 14, 2014

St.Valentine



St. Valentine was a Christian priest in 3rd Century Rome when it was illegal to be a follower of Christ. He was known for assisting persecuted Believers and presiding over Christian marriages. He was arrested and when he tried to convert the emperor he was sentenced to death. He was beaten with stones and beheaded. Well, that's according to legend. No one knows for sure. There's lots of different stories out there.

Anyway...

Happy Valentines Day!

Monday, February 10, 2014

San Antone


So we made a quick trip to San Antonio over the weekend. We just wanted a quick getaway. San Antone was beautiful as usual and our trip down was very smooth. We stopped at The Village Bakery in downtown West on the way down. We wanted kolaches. Everyone else stops at the Czech Stop on the service road. But if you drive a mile into downtown, the Village Bakery is worth it.

We stayed at the Menger Hotel, which is right next to the Alamo. The Menger opened in 1859, twenty years after the fall of the Alamo. It is the oldest continuously operating hotel west of the Mississippi. Famous guests to the Menger include Robert E. Lee, U.S. Grant, Sam Houston, Oscar Wilde, Eisenhower, Bill Clinton and more. Teddy Roosevelt recruited his Rough Riders at the hotel bar which Carrie Nation also personally visited in an attempt to shut it down.

The Menger is a beautiful hotel in a perfect location. But the rooms are small and the walls very thin. The historic charm is fun but it can be noisy. You'll hear every flush, conversation, shower and door slam. It's supposed to be haunted but we saw no evidence of ghosts! I would probably recommend another hotel if you're looking for a good night's sleep. Visit and tour the Menger, but stay somewhere else...unless you're prepared not to get any sleep.

The Alamo was very crowded and I was a bit disappointed at how crazy it all was. The last time I had visited the place several years ago, it was very quiet. People treated the Alamo like a shrine and I found the place solemn and magical. This time, there were too many people and they weren't quieting the crowds inside as they have been known to do in the past.

We spent a lot of time on the Riverwalk, of course. We ate that evening at Las Canarias. We ate indoors, by a window overlooking the River. We ate inside because it was getting chilly and there was a convention of annoying competitive cheerleaders wandering the Riverwalk. They were loud and we weren't in the mood for them to spoil our dinner. Dinner was amazing and the view was great.

We headed back the next morning and stopped at the Outlets at San Marcos. I've been to a lot of outlet malls, but this is by far the largest and nicest set up I've ever seen. Ate great burgers at Johnny Rockets and then made it back home in time for dinner. Nice, fun trip.

Friday, February 07, 2014

iPhone Tips


HERE'S an interesting article about how you may be using your iphone wrong. 
 

Thursday, February 06, 2014

Quick Review: The Circle by Dave Eggers


Just finished The Circle by Dave Eggers. Eggers is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint. I found it riveting, a real page turner. Actually, I was reading it on a Kindle so I guess it was a real button clicker.

The premise: a young woman, Mae Holland, gets a job at a tech company called The Circle. The Circle is a company that is basically Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple rolled up into one. The headquarters is a sprawling, modern campus in northern California where everything is clean and shiny and intentional. Working for the company is almost like belonging to a cult. The company believes in absolute transparency and the progressive utility of technology. "Circlers" believe technology will change the world and make it a better place.

As Mae becomes more engulfed in the culture of The Circle, we are taken on a ride into radical democracy and openness. We are shown a world that believes secrets are lies and that privacy deprives others of ourselves. Mae finds herself drawn deeper and deeper into a tech Utopia that may hide serious consequences for the way we interact with our fellow humans.

The Circle is a fascinating parable about our modern obsession with social media and technology. After reading it I almost canceled my Twitter account. Great story, with important themes that we really need to consider as we become more attached to our smartphones and Instagram feeds.

Tuesday, February 04, 2014

The Big Chair


J sitting in the "big chair" in the Oval Office. Fieldtrip to the Dubya Library.