Seattle 3-day, day 3

Seattle 3-day, day 3, originally uploaded by bcdady.

Kari walked from Lincoln Park in west Seattle to Seattle on Sunday. I met her on Alki with Langley and she was very happy to see us.

Seattle 3-day final lap

Seattle 3-day final lap, originally uploaded by bcdady.

Kari and all her teammates were all decked out in pink today for the final day. Their destination is Memorial Stadium near the Space needle in the background.

Seattle 3-Day, Day 1

Seattle 3-Day, Day 1, originally uploaded by bcdady.

Kari walked from Bellevue Community College to Tukwila today. I got to cheer her on towards the end of the 20+ mile walk. She was understandably tired but in good spirits.

Seattle 3-Day

Seattle 3-Day, originally uploaded by bcdady.

Kari with her Komen for the Cure walking team captains, Dennis and Melissa Cole.

Mariners swept up by Angels

Mariners swept up by Angels, originally uploaded by bcdady.

But at least it was a beautiful summer day in Seattle.

Go Seahawks

Kari and I got to go to a Seahawks training camp, held at Husky Stadium.



You can the rest of the photos in my Flickr photo set Seahawks Training Camp at Husky Stadium

Mariners vs Red Sox at Seafair

My Dad and I rode our motorcycles to Safeco Field on Sunday to see the Mariners host the Red Sox. The Mariners lost, but it was a beautiful day at the ball park, and we got to see the Blue Angels flying overhead a few times.

More shared photos

I've started using Flickr to share photos taken with my mobile phone.

Flickr makes it really easy to upload photos from my Blackberry Pearl, so I'm trying to take more photos and share those that I think you might enjoy.

You can check 'em out here: flickr.com/photos/bcdady/

Kari's Journey on the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk

Join Kari in a "remarkable event and help work toward a long, healthy life for everyone threatened by breast cancer".

You can see more details and support this good cause at Kari's info page:
http://www.the3day.org/seattle07/kari_dady

Disneyland!

We recently went to LA to visit Kari's dad and warm up in the sun.
We had a chance to spend a few days at Disneyland too.

View the rest of the photos

Weekend in Whistler

I've been a little delinquent on some of my photo sharing lately, so here come some updates.

I went to Whistler, B.C. with some friends from work over the weekend of 4/20 to 4/23.
I just took shots with my phone and then uploaded them to flickr.com

Happy Dog

Langley had a great time playing ball in the sunshine Sunday.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Seek Justice Seattle

www.ijm.org | privacy policy

More Langley Photos

sorry for not sharing sooner...
I created this new(er) Langley photo album a couple weeks ago.
I was trying to update some other parts of my website but decided it would just be quicker and easier to share the link here.

http://www.dady.us/Langley.html

p.s. This page is part of an iWeb project I was working on so if you try any of the links on the page, you'll probably notice that there are parts of the site that are not finished.

New designs

I'm toying with a few new site designs and I'm looking for feedback.
I don't want to explain too much in case what I say might influence your impression.

Please take a look at these two sites and then either email me or post comments (to this blog) to let me know what you think.

http://dev.dady.us/
http://students.washington.edu/bcdady/


Thanks for your help

Jobs Gates innovators

I recently applied for a scholarship by writing a quick essay to answer the question:
"Whom do you think the better innovator is, Steve Jobs or Bill Gates? There is no wrong or right answer, we just want to see your creativity."
I rather enjoyed crafting my answer so I thought I'd share it with you.

Both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are each phenomenal innovators in their own specialty. Bill Gates has grown Microsoft to a dominant position in business computing. Steve Jobs has revolutionized personal electronics and focuses on providing intuitive computers for consumers. Granted, Microsoft also holds a dominant market share of desktop operating systems in homes, but even Windows experts agree, the Mac is a superior product (http://www.scotsnewsletter.com/88.htm#mactest). Gates and Jobs each have applied their enthusiasm for innovation to make the world a better place.

Microsoft is most impervious to Apple in the enterprise, where Active Directory, Exchange Server, Office, Share Point, and SQL reign. In our free market economy, there are plenty of other players who would like a piece of the enterprise technology pie, but Microsoft is the main player. Gate's Microsoft also plays to the consumer market with Windows Media Center and the recent Zune, but these are feeble attempts to play catch-up in a market space where Apple reigns.

Jobs and Apple have created a substantial impact on American culture with the iconic iPod and iTunes. The iPod's achievements include the ability to purchase, download and view TV shows or movies and listen to podcasts, and of course, music. iTunes and downloadable songs may very well be the end of traditional music distribution like CD's. Then, as if that's not enough, Jobs has recently debuted the iPhone, which purports to invade the PDA, cell phone, and tablet PC markets with one svelte device.

Each of these men have raised the game of innovation and used their passions to advance our civilization. Bill Gates has clearly brought substantial innovation to the business world and the global economy owes he and Microsoft (and other technology companies) a debt of gratitude. Steve Jobs continues to pursue and provide easier, more attractive, more enjoyable gadgets and tools which can be integrated to improve our lives. According to their own priorities, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are each the consummate innovator in their fields.

Bryan as a South Park character

I am a student at the University of Washington, majoring in Communications. Next quarter, I will be working with their Instructional Resource Center (I.R.C.), podcasting interviews of alumni (and others ) for the Master of Communication in Digital Media program.

While I was browsing the site and staff/faculty pages, I discovered a site with a South Park character; as a likeness of the professor. The bottom of her page referenced SP Studio as the source, so I went to check it out.

I had fun attempting to make myself as a South Park caricature and I wanted to share my creation with you.

Agent Smith works for Steve Ballmer, "Vader is a Mac Daddy"

I found this funny article last week that matched sci-fi characters with their preferred computer operating system. Here are two of my favorites:

Agent Smith = PC: He's a machine that hates interacting with human users. He's almost unstoppable, unless confronted by an avatar of choice (the "bug" in the Matrix, according to The Architect, AKA Steve Ballmer). He wants everyone to look and act and work just like him, effectively converting the entire machine landscape into one standardized techno-clone army. He forcibly upgrades his old counterparts to become extensions of himself (XP to Vista?). And the only way to defeat him is to surrender to him. Seriously, could Agent Smith be any more of a Windows PC? The dude should have the Microsoft logo stamped on his lapel.

Darth Vader = Mac OS X: When you boil the Empire down to its core philosophy, it's this: Order at any cost. Hate to break it to you Mac fans, but that's Steve Jobs' mantra as well. He'll build you the slickest personal computer in the world, so long as you're willing to give up any control over the inner workings of your tech. Besides, just look at the stormtroopers–they're walking iPods. Or take the Death Star: Clean lines, efficient design, impressive features–you could almost hear Jobs introducing it at some MacWorld expo in a galaxy far, far away: "One more thing…it blows up planets." The downside of this orderly, simplistic scheme is a that any R2 unit with a USB link can access your ultimate weapon and shut down all the garbage mashers on the detention level, any decrepit old Jedi can disable your tractor beam generators thanks to an intuitive interface, and your security-through-obscurity principles mean any consular ship or Bothan spy can intercept plans for this battlestation, exposing the inadequacy of your thermal exhaust systems (dude, you need more case fans). That is why you fail.

The full article is available here: http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/geekend/?p=524

GOOWY!!!

You may notice I added a new banner on the right. I recently discovered a site called goowy.com, through a newsletter from TechRestore.com (near bottom of page).

You really have to see Goowy yourself; any eloquent description I offered you would fall short of personal experience. Follow this link to see the demo.

Meet the newest member of the Dady family!

Hi Everyone,
I'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our family, Langley.
Kari found her through a contact at work. She was staying at a
shelter in Wenatchee and needed a good home, so as soon as we got
home from Montana, our Mom Gloria and I hopped in our Xterra and
headed back over the pass.

Langley is a three year old border collie/black lab and she is super
sweet. She barely made a peep the whole ride home and is proving to
be very playful and cuddly.

Kari and I are both very excited that we found a fun new companion
that seems to like her new home and family.

Happy New Year,
Bryan and Kari




Langley says "gimme the ball"








Langley smiling







Langley all dressed up

Merry Christmas

Forwarded from my friend Tristyn

For My Democrat Friends:

        Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.  I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere . And without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishes. By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher!

For My Republican Friends:

           Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Mike's new axe

My friend Mike Fullerton won a guitar from a radio station in Washington D.C. They did a promotion called The 12 Guitars of Christmas 2006. He won a Santana electric guitar autographed by the members of the band Kansas.

See more details at 947thearrow.com

Whitefish Christmas 2003

I know I'm a few years off, but I've finally got the gadgets I need to pull some of my video footage together and do something interesting with it. This is my first attempt at compiling, editing and publishing videos so please bear with the size and occasional choppiness.

I hope you'll enjoy this little trip down pleasant memory lane.

Whitefish Christmas 2003
Requires Quicktime plugin

Mazatlan

We had a great trip to Mazatlan for Thanksgiving. We spent time by the pool and played in the sand on the beach. Here are some of the pictures we took:

Mazatlan

Enjoy!

Skype Me

I was going to post a button that would show my current status; whether or not I'm logged into Skype, but blogger wouldn't allow the script tag. I'm trying Skype so I can talk to my sister in Chile (see Michelle's Space). I'm looking for a Skype gateway to connect to my SuSE Linux server at home. I just won an auction for a Lexmark X8350 All-In-One (color photo printer, scanner, fax) and I'm curious if I can hook it up to Skype for faxing.

Nick Onken Travel Journal from Asia

My friend Nick is a photographer who's currently travelling through Asia. He's posted some of his fantastic work and I'd like to share it with you:

http://www.nickonken.com/Stories/Asia/

We feel so fortunate that Nick was willing and available to shoot both our engagement photos and our wedding. He's accomplishing great things and we're just proud and blessed to know him.
I hope you enjoy his photo journal(s) as much as I do.

Washington State Bar Exam Results - Summer 2006 Pass List

The results are in!

Summer 2006 Bar Exam Pass List

Kari and I are celebrating the official announcement that she passed the BAR exam!

Road Trip Pictures

You may recall Kari and I took a holiday road trip through Montana in early August. Well, I finally got the pictures organized and posted for you all to share.

You can see them here: home.dady.us/Road_Trip/

Enjoy!

Google Transit now covers Seattle

now includes Seattle! (King County Metro)

Official Google Blog: Happy trails with Google Transit

New dady.us site

I'm working on moving www.dady.us to Google hosting. I'll get the addded features of GMail, Google Calendar and 2GB of web storage and it's all free!

Check out the work in progress at bryan.dady.us

Try out the meebo me widget and if I'm online, you can let me know what you think of the new site, live!

Bad Pit video from The Daily Show

Watch this funny video about Butte, MT on YouTube.com

Meebo Me!

I've recently discovered meebo web based chat. I've added a meebo me widget to my home page and you can see whether or not I'm signed in to meebo and chat with me directly. It also allows me to use my MSN, Yahoo! or ICQ messenger accounts from one web screen; It's pretty slick. Stop by www.dady.us and try it out sometime.

Snohomish High Class of 1996 Ten year reunion

Snohomish High

Class of 1996

Ten Year Reunion

http://www.snohomish96.com/

Here is a list of classmates that are as yet unaccounted for!

Send their contact info to info@snohomish96.com or send them the web address above if you know how to get in touch with any of these classmates.

40 Great Road Trips

Popular Mechanics Magazine: 40 Great Road Trips

Favorite WA Roads - VFRNW

I found this list of suggested motorcyle roads in Washington State as compiled by members of the VFRNW group. You can leave a comment to this post if you'd like a pdf version instead of this graphic/image version.

My new Quota

I am happy to announce that I have a new (used) motorcycle. It's been over a year since I sold my 2002 Honda VFR and I have finally found another bike that I can be excited about. It's not the fastest or the sexiest two wheeled machine on the road, but it's unique, it's comfortable, it's a V-twin, and it was a great price (especially compared to similar bikes by other makers).

Moto Guzzi V11 Quota ES

I picked it up on Saturday as only the third owner of this bike and it has less than 13000 miles. Mine also came with MG branded Hepco-Becker hard luggage and a 'factory' windscreen, but I took the shield off because it caused me horrible wind buffetting on my helmet. I went out for my first ride without the shield last night and although I do feel more wind, it's a much more comfortable wind than with the screen. I've started doing research on parts and upgrades and I may look into a more popular replacement screen if the wind becomes a problem on long freeway rides.

I'm excited because I think this bike is well suited for a ride my dad and I have talked about since I was young. We're making plans now to ride the Pacific Coast Highway next summer. He recently upgraded to an '86 Goldwing so he's definately ready for a long haul. I'm thinking about getting a handlebar mountable GPS as well as Chatterbox type radios. But first, I need to spend some time getting to know my bike and tuning it up. I am really looking forward to that.

Montana road trip wrap-up

Here's the whirlwind finale to our Montana summer vacation:

Kari hadn't been sleeping well so her Mom gave her a sleep-aid on Wednesday night. It worked wonders so I let her sleep in. I woke up early and was making coffee when the phone rang and Cliff came running upstairs to the kitchen. I didn't know it but apparently the phone had rang early in the morning from his security team at the Kalispell airport. This was the morning of the big news in London of the foiled terror plot. He had to run into work employees get settled with the new rules. I sat and watched the news and went through the rest of the pot of coffee before anyone else woke up.
Kari and I took Molly and Olivia to the waterslides and Brad and Jordan met us there. Brad's real estate partner Garret joined us later and we all had a really great time. After an afternoon rest (and aloe vera) we rejoined at Brads for a BBQ. Kari's dad Mike was there along with their cousin Riley and some of Brad's other friends.

Friday morning we met up at the Montana Coffee Traders in Columbia Falls with Brad, Jordan, Riley and Mike. We had some really good food and great coffee. We did a little site-seeing / driving around and our first stop was Glacier Raft Co where one of Brad's friends works. Kari picked up some cool outdoor clothes on sale and then we took off for West Glacier. We went through Apgar and had a brief stop at Lk McDonald. On the way back toward Columbia Falls we drove over Hungry Horse Dam. That night was a big dinner with the Buhmiller family at Gerry & Linda's property at Star Meadows, west of Whitefish. It was a beautiful ranch on some really beautiful property and we had a great time sharing a meal and laughs. Brad suggested we had back to Whitefish to the Great Northern tavern. We shared a few pints and listened to live music. Then we rendevoused in Columbia Falls for darts and huckleberry pie at Brad's house

Saturday morning, Kari, Molly & Olivia got started on their crystal growing project (a Christmas gift). The rest of the morning went by pretty lazy, then we got cleaned up in the afternoon. The memorial service for Kari's Grandma (on her dad's side) was to be held out west of Whitefish at the Streich family cabin. We had been warned the access road was rough, but I didn't really expect to use four-wheel-drive. It was a gorgeous, natural setting, avery nice service and we had some nice conversations afterward over a late lunch. That night, we had dinner back at the Crick home, played some more Spite & Malice afterward, and then started to pack up.

We got up early Sunday morning so we could be home at a good time. We loaded up Rexx and drove to the Buffalo Cafe for breakfast. We got there a few minutes before they opened but it was well worth the wait. We took another quick stop for a huckleberry milkshake at St. Regis then set the cruise control on I-90 eastbound.

We made it to Whitefish!

I'm almost caught up to today on these journal entries. Here's the one I wrote about our arrival to Whitefish on 8/9.

On Wednesday, Kari and I sleepily packed our stuff up to check out of the Prince of Wales hotel. The wind was howling over the bluff all night so neither of us slept very well. But we managed to stumble around until we got the car loaded. We drove into the Waterton village and picked New Frank (cafe) for some eggs and coffee. We trekked back across the border fairly easily and drove south to St. Mary, MT to re-enter Glacier Park. I had never driven through Glacier Park but I'd heard a lot about the Going to the Sun road. It was even more interesting and beautiful than I had imagined. They're starting to do some restorative work on it, so we encountered a couple short delays, but we enjoyed seeing a bear and mountain goats along the way.

Even before we got through to West Glacier, Kari was excited to stop at the Huckleberry Patch for a milkshake. She volunteered to take the wheel for awhile after we stopped and I was glad to take a break. We arrived in Whitefish to find her sisters jumping on the trampoline with their cousins. Olivia was excited to show us the nearly completed addition on the house as well her she and Molly's 'new' bedrooms. We unloaded and unpacked and Kari took a nap to recover from the long night in Waterton. We played some more Spite and Malice and then Brad and his new girlfriend Jordan stopped by after dinner.

Waterton

It's roasting in Waterton today (drafted 8/08/06). I'm sitting under a fan, sipping an ice-cold beer and I still have sweat beading on my forehead. We went for a short hike today but we got so hot we didn't stay out long. The drive up from Many Glacier was nice after we woke up and checked out from Swiftcurrent. We grabbed a few morsels and some bad coffee from the little motel store and drove north across the Chief Mountain border crossing. Waterton Park is really beautiful. The Rocky Mountains are just as impressive in Canada as they are in the US and the lakes here are dazzling. We hiked to a nice lookout over Waterton Lake where we could look south back toward Glacier Park.
Kari should be down shortly and we're going to participate in High Tea here at the Prince of Wales Hotel. The hotel sits on a bluff above the lake and overlooks the town, which is right on the lake in the midst of these mountains; it's really beautiful. We thought about taking a kayak or canoe out on the lake, but we couldn't find anyone who would rent them. As we drove back through the village of Waterton after the hike, we saw quite a few nice places to stay and/or eat. Maybe we'll try one out for a late dinner.

Montana Travel Journal Update

A few days have gone by since I've updated our Montana travel journal so I'm going to just hit the keynotes to bring you up to speed. Thursday included buying a DVD player and some computer speakers for Marge and concluded with Glenn & Anna joining us for a very nice dinner at Bridge Creek in Red Lodge. After some delicious Grandpa specialty waffles for breakfast, we followed Grandpa around his Yellowstone Boys and Girl's Ranch. He showed us the impressive new Equestrian Center, the updated Administrative building and plans for a new driveway. Kari and I then took off from east Billings on I-90 and headed for Three Forks.

We had a short lunch stop at Taco Johns in Livingston and arrived at Trevor and Courtney's house a little before dinner time. We had a lot of fun playing with baby Lyle and showing him the Mater toy we brought him. After dinner they showed us a new game called Settlers and I think Kari and I got a little addicted. We didn't win but we definitely wanted to play again. On Saturday morning, Pony Days was happening at a small town in the area so we hopped in their Dakota Club Cab to check it out. We grabbed pancakes, eggs and coffee at the Mason Hall just before the parade started. Afterwards we walked through the small craft fair in the park. Courtney also showed us an abandoned bank building that she wants to turn into a bed & breakfast.

Our ultimate plan for the day was to tour the Lewis and Clark Caverns, but Trevor also thought it would be fun for us to see a couple nearby ghost towns. We had fun walking through an old hotel and playing some silent movie machines. After we had walked around Nevada and Virginia City's and grabbed a quick lunch, we departed for the caverns. Once we signed up and paid for our cavern tours, we had a little time to tour the gift shops and buy some ice cream. When it came to our turn, we hiked up to the start of the caverns and took some photos. The tour took about two hours and although he was humorous, our guide was kind of slow (the group behind us caught up a few times) and his flashlights died by the end. We all had a great time (even little Lyle in his Baby Bjorn) but were ready for some rest and refreshment after crawling around inside the mountain for a couple hours. Trevor and Courtney made another delicious dinner and agreed to play some more Settlers with us after Lyle was put to bed.

Sunday morning started at a more relaxed pace. We shared breakfast and then packed up Rexx (aka our 2005 Nissan Xterra). We made a quick stop to fuel up and grab some sandwiches at the original Wheat Montana before heading north to Glacier Park. The roads were really rough and made for some slow going at first. We started to see and smell the forest fires as we began breaking west at St. Mary. We arrived at the breathtaking Many Glacier Hotel before dinner time and checked in. We cleaned up and shared dinner at the hotel's restaurant and then we were ready to head to bed early after a long day on the road.

We didn't have far to go on Monday. We enjoyed a breakfast buffet at Many Glacier Hotel and then packed up and checked out. We loaded our luggage and drove a short way up the road to SwiftCurrent Motel. We had expected to hike first and check in later, but we were able to unpack our things before hitting the trail. I'm really glad we did too because after we came down from the Swiftcurrent Pass trail we were both thoroughly exhausted and dirty. The hike was beautiful and we saw some wildlife and beautiful scenery. There were quite a few fat chipmunks (we called them Chubmunks) near the trail on the way up and on the return trek we encountered a good sized moose quite near the trail. After showers and naps, we shared lasagna at the Swiftcurrent restaurant, then drove back to Many Glacier Hotel to play Spite and Malice and watch the sunset over cheese fondue.

Family BBQ in Billings

Wednesday was a good day to get chores done and we kept it pretty low key. We caught up on some laundry, ran around and did some shopping. I had a homework assignment I thought was due Wednesday that I needed to watch an obscure video clip for. We spent hours combing video rental and retail stores to find it and never could. Fortunately, the class instructor posted a video file where I could download and watch it and she also gave until Monday to turn it in.

Wednesday night we went to Glenn and Anna's house in west Billings for a barbecue. We picked up Great Aunt Winnie at her new townhouse on the way and she's doing really well at 90 years old. Anna's dad was also there as were Sean, Heidi, little Kylie and new baby Taylor. They just finished their new house next door to Glenn and Anna. We got a quick tour after dinner and had a really nice conversation time over peach pie and ice cream.

Missoula to Billings

Tuesday morning we woke from our KOA Kabin and went to find breakfast at Bernice's Bakery. After enjoying strong coffee and fresh baked goods, we hit I-90 eastbound for Billings. We took a lunch-break in Three Forks to share tuna sandwiches with Kari's cousin Courtney, her mom Linda and baby Lyle. Courtney and her husband Trevor recently moved to Three Forks with baby Lyle after Trevor finished vet school at WSU and joined a local practice.

We met my Grandpa Bob at the Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch on the east end of Billings at around 4:30. After a tour of the great new greenhouse, we followed him to their new townhouse. After unpacking, Kari and I enjoyed dinner together with Grandpa Bob and Marge at Johnny Carino's.

Windy in Lake Chelan

We were expecting sun burns and splashing around in the cold lake water. What we got instead were wind burns and cold breezes forcing us to wrap up in beach blankets while we lay by the pool. It wasn't a typical eastern Washington, summer break but we did have a great time. We stayed at Campbell's Resort which is right in the town of Chelan, on the lake. We had a nice Mexican dinner at El Vaquero and also enjoyed tasting some of the local wines.
The white-caps died down on Monday morning so we took a wave-runner out for an hour before we checked out and hit the road. When we were planning this trip, we left our Monday lodging plans pretty loose so, I got online at Campbell's and made a reservation at the KOA in Missoula. We took highway WA-2 through Spokane and enjoyed seeing the quieter side of our state before rejoining I-90 and breezing through Idaho.
We dare not break tradition, so we took a pit stop in St. Regis and Kari was very tempted to keep heading North into the Flathead. We joked about how bad the roads got once we crossed the Montana state line and not much later we encountered several teams of road workers diverting traffic to work on the Interstate. We arrived in Missoula hungry and drove strait to the Fuddruckers for dinner.
After checked in to our little KOA kabin, Kari wanted to show me around her alma mater. We drove through Missoula to the University of Montana campus. Her sorority house is in a beautiful neighborhood and the main campus is also very nice with a large central clock tower and natural landscaping in the main 'oval'.

Motorcycle shopping

I went motorcycle shopping on Saturday. I thought I was going to get to test ride a Suzuki V-Strom that I'd found on Craigslist, but the seller never called me back. That post is gone now, so I suspect it's sold. While I was waiting for the call, I drove over to Aurora Suzuki to sit on a new V-Strom and just check it out in person.

It matched what I expected from the pictures and the only real point of difference was that the small DL 650 V-Strom just has one tail pipe and no lower guard while the bigger DL1000 does have the lower guard and twin pipes. The price of a new V-Strom isn't much more than the craigslist seller, but he had added luggage, so that was a small perk.

After I left the Suzuki shop, I walked up the street to Moto International to look at Moto Guzzi's and Aprilia's. The guys at both shops were really nice and helpful but the guy at Moto Int'l offered to let me take a ride on an '04 V11 Ballabio. I took it around Green Lake for a warm up and then short run down Hiwy 99 and back to the shop. It was the first V-twin I'd ridden in quite a while. I really enjoyed the torque and the ergonomics of the bike, but I wasn't used to that much vibration. I commented on this when I turned in the keys and the response was that Guzzi's smooth out after about 10,000 - 13,000 miles. I had to take the guys word for it; he has six of 'em.

Then, yesterday, I was looking on craigslist again and found a Guzzi version of the V-Strom. The Quota 1100 is a 90° V-twin 'Enduro' bike, much like the BMW GS or KTM Adventure (a.k.a. LC8). The greatest thing about this Guzzi though, is that it's considerably less expensive than the better known bikes. I hope to take it out for a spin on Thursday evening, after this seller is supposed to get home from Whistler (B.C.).

What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage - New York Times

What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage - New York Times

By AMY SUTHERLAND

Published: June 25, 2006 in the NY Times

Tour de France; Shaken up at stage 14

There was a really spectacular crash in the Tour de France yesterday. The yellow jersey changed owners for a near record 7th time since the event began about two weeks ago.
Cycling experts expected the results would've been different had three of the breakaway riders not slid across the road and over a barrier. Two were taken off in an ambulance for broken bones, while the third, got back in the saddle and was caught by the peloton.

See video recaps from OLN

The Difference Between Men and Women

Let's say a guy named Mike is attracted to a woman named Lisa. He asks her out to a movie; she accepts; they have a pretty good time. A few nights later he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves.
They continue to see each other regularly, and after a while neither one of them is seeing anybody else. And then, one evening when they're driving home, a thought occurs to Lisa, and, without really thinking, she says it aloud: "Do you realise that, as of tonight, we've been seeing each other for exactly six months?"

And then there is silence in the car. To Lisa, it seems like a very loud silence.

She thinks to herself: Jeez, I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe he's been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks I'm trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesn't want, or isn't sure of.

And Mike is thinking: Gosh. Six months.

And Lisa is thinking: But, hey, I'm not so sure I want this kind of relationship, either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so I'd have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily toward... I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a lifetime together? Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person?

And Mike is thinking: ..so that means it was... let's see... February when we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealer's, which means... lemme check the odometer... Whoa! I am way overdue for an oil change here.

And Lisa is thinking: He's upset. I can see it on his face. Maybe I'm reading this completely wrong. Maybe he wants more from our relationship, more intimacy, more commitment; maybe he has sensed - even before I sensed it - that I was feeling some reservations. Yes, I bet that's it. That's why he's so reluctant to say anything about his own feelings. He's afraid of being rejected.

And Mike is thinking: And I'm gonna have them look at the transmission again. I don't care what those morons say, it's still not shifting right. And they better not try to blame it on the cold weather this time. What cold weather? It's 87 degrees out, and this thing is shifting like a garbage truck, and I paid those incompetent thieves $600.
And Lisa is thinking: He's angry. And I don't blame him. I'd be angry, too. I feel so guilty, putting him through this, but I can't help the way I feel. I'm just not sure.

And Mike is thinking: They'll probably say it's only a 90-day warranty... scumballs.

And Lisa is thinking: Maybe I'm just too idealistic, waiting for a knight to come riding up on his white horse, when I'm sitting right next to a perfectly good person, a person I enjoy being with, a person I truly do care about, a person who seems to truly care about me. A person who is in pain because of my self-centred, schoolgirl romantic fantasy.

And Mike is thinking: Warranty? They want a warranty? I'll give them a warranty. I'll take their warranty and stick it right up their...

"Mike," Lisa says aloud.

"What?" says Mike, startled.

"Please don't torture yourself like this," she says, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "Maybe I should never have... Oh God, I feel so..."
(She breaks down, sobbing.)

"What?" says Mike.

"I'm such a fool," Lisa sobs. "I mean, I know there's no knight. I really know that. It's silly. There's no knight, and there's no horse."

"There's no horse?" says Mike.

"You think I'm a fool, don't you?" Lisa says.

"No!" says Mike, glad to finally know the correct answer.

"It's just that... it's that I... I need some time," Lisa says.

(There is a 15-second pause while Mike, thinking as fast as he can, tries to come up with a safe response. Finally he comes up with one that he thinks might work) "Yes," he says.

(Lisa, deeply moved, touches his hand.) "Oh, Mike, do you really feel that way?" she says.

"What way?" says Mike.

"That way about time," says Lisa.

"Oh," says Mike. "Yes." (Lisa turns to face him and gazes deeply into his eyes, causing him to become very nervous about what she might say next, especially if it involves a horse. At last she speaks.)

"Thank you, Mike," she says.

"Thank you," says Mike.

Then he takes her home, and she lies on her bed, a conflicted, tortured soul, and weeps until dawn, whereas when Mike gets back to his place, he opens a bag of Doritos, turns on the TV, and immediately becomes deeply involved in a rerun of a tennis match between two Czechoslovakians he has never heard of. A tiny voice in the far recesses of his mind tells him that something major was going on back there in the car, but he is pretty sure there is no way he would ever understand what, and so he figures it's better if he doesn't think about it.

The next day Lisa will call her closest friend, or perhaps two of them, and they will talk about this situation for six straight hours. In painstaking detail, they will analyse everything she said and everything he said, going over it time and time again, exploring every word, expression, and gesture for nuances of meaning, considering every possible ramification. They will continue to discuss this subject, off and on, for weeks, maybe months, never reaching any definite conclusions, but never getting bored with it, either.

Meanwhile, Mike, while playing racquetball one day with a mutual friend of his and Lisa's, will pause just before serving, frown, and say:

"Norm, did Lisa ever own a horse?"

And that's the difference between men and women.

Device lets thoughts control a computer

The power of thought:

A paralyzed man using a new brain sensor has been able to move a computer cursor, open e-mail and control a robotic device simply by thinking about doing it, a team of scientists said on Wednesday.

Dady's Photo Gallery Back Online

I am proud to announce that I have restored my Linux web server in my office. This probably isn't nearly as exciting for you as it is for me, but what this translates to, in practical terms for the rest of your, is that I have a new edition of the Dady Photo Gallery available for viewing.

The links on the www.dady.us homepage have been reactivated and you can also browse directly to the Gallery via home.dady.us

The Rafting Trip is also posted to Snapfish in case you'd like to purchase your own prints. I have some pictures on a Windows laptop and the majority on our Apple PowerBook (iPhoto) which Kari is using heavily for BAR Review. Regardless, I will continue to try and post more and more of our photos for you to share in their enjoyment. Please let me know if there are any particular pictures you'd like for me to share and I'll move them to the top of the queue.

The Lonely American Just Got a Bit Lonelier - NY Times

---

July 2, 2006

Ideas & Trends

The Lonely American Just Got a Bit Lonelier

By HENRY FOUNTAIN

FOR as long as humans have gathered in groups, it seems, some people have been left on the outside looking in. In postwar America in particular, the idea that loneliness pervades a portion of society has been a near-constant. Only the descriptions have changed: the "lonely crowd" alienation of the 1950's; the grim career-driven angst of the 70's and 80's; the "Bowling Alone" collapse of social connections of the 90's.

There is a new installment in the annals of loneliness. Americans are not only lacking in bowling partners, now they're lacking in people to tell their deepest, darkest secrets. They've hunkered down even more, their inner circle often contracting until it includes only family, only a spouse or, at worst, no one.

And that is something the Internet may help ease, but is unlikely to cure.

A recent study by sociologists at Duke and the University of Arizona found that, on average, most adults only have two people they can talk to about the most important subjects in their lives — serious health problems, for example, or issues like who will care for their children should they die. And about one-quarter have no close confidants at all.

"The kinds of connections we studied are the kinds of people you call on for social support, for real concrete help when you need it," said Lynn Smith-Lovin, a sociologist at Duke and an author of the study, which analyzed responses in interviews that mirrored a survey from 1985. "These are the tightest inner circle."

The study "should provide a wake-up call to our society," said Bill Maier, a vice president and psychologist in residence with Focus on the Family, the evangelical Christian group. "We're missing out on deep, meaningful interpersonal relationships."

Yet within the analysis there was at least a suggestion of hope.

"The one type of relationship that actually went up was talking over personally important things with your spouse," Dr. Smith-Lovin said.

Like "Bowling Alone," the essay and, later, book by Robert D. Putnam, a public policy professor a Harvard, the Duke study suggested that a weakening of community connections is in part responsible for increasing social isolation. More people are working and commuting longer hours and have little time for the kinds of external social activities that could lead to deeper relationships.

So the closest ties increasingly are limited to family members, in particular to spouses.

"That's probably a result of the fact that men's and women's lives are more structurally similar now than in 1985," Dr. Smith-Lovin said. It's more likely that both spouses are working at jobs that are important to them, and men are more involved around the house. "Spouses literally have more to talk about," she said.

Dr. Maier, for one, sees that as cause for at least some optimism in a society whose fast pace generally bodes badly for family life. "To hear that people are investing more in their nuclear family is a positive thing," he said.

The Internet is also cause for some optimism, because it has made it easier to maintain ties among family members who have become scattered. Those ties inevitably developed over long-term, face-to-face contact, but e-mail can help keep them strong.

"E-mail really does help maintain your social networks," said John Horrigan, associate director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Recent Pew surveys, he said, found that "when you contact family by e-mail, you share important and serious things."

Still, Dr. Smith-Lovin said, any optimism must be tempered. For one thing, having only one confidant, even if that confidant is a spouse, leaves a person extremely vulnerable if the spouse dies or the marriage disintegrates.

And in the end, she and others pointed out, e-mail or instant messaging is no substitute for face-to-face contact. "E-mailing somebody far way is not the same as them going to pick up your child at daycare or bringing you chicken soup," she said.

Dr. Putnam said the new study reinforced much of what he had reported in "Bowling Alone," which had been criticized by some academics as a faulty analysis that ignored other social and economic trends. And even if the new study points to a rise in spouses as confidants, that is not especially cause to rejoice, he said. "It's like with global warming, if we learn that temperatures are going to rise slightly less than we thought," he said. "It's still a problem."

"Sure, you might say, we've still got our wives or husbands or mothers," he said. "That's true. But gosh, the number of friends you have is a strong predictor of how long you live."

The impact goes beyond the individual, as well. "There are effects on my neighbors of my not knowing them," he said. For one thing, "If I don't know them well and they don't know me, that has a demonstrable effect on the crime rate."

Dr. Horrigan said there was anecdotal evidence that some members of a community use e-mail and the Internet "to keep up with people very close by." The Internet can help expand social networks, although the ties it creates are not as strong as those the Duke researchers are concerned with. Yet they can be useful.

His group's research has shown that the Internet is increasingly being used during life's "major moments" — to gather information or advice when making a big financial investment, deciding where to live, or choosing a college for a child. The research has shown that "people were more likely to get help through their social network" for those kinds of decisions.

Still, Dr. Putnam said, "The real interesting future is how can we use the Net to strengthen and deepen relationships that we have offline."

New song by Wideawake for LIVESTRONG (R)

Quick Links... iTunes Lance Armstrong Foundation WIDEAWAKE Myspace

Amazing computer capabilities video

Watch this video of interactive computer commands demonstrated with Google Earth and Warcraft III (Created by Edward Tse)

I wanted to share this because I was amazed at how natural the communication with the computer(s) seemed. I think there are some pretty powerful possibilities related to this work.

My first day of school

I start my first class at UW today. Yes, I know it's summer, but I'm getting an early start on the year since Kari's still studying. I'm at the William H. Gates Hall law library right now. I went to the University Bookstore and bought my textbook, a new mechanical pencil and a 3 section, UW logo, spiral notebook. My class starts at 7pm so I've got some time before I walk across campus.

Kari agreed to hang out in the library till my class is out to give me a ride home. She's the BEST! She's studying real hard for the BAR exam and I know she's going to do well. I saw several other 'law student husbands' over the weekend at a baby shower and we're thinking of starting a support group. It's only another six weeks or so to go; after three years of law school, the end is definately in sight.

Not like my education. I'm just cresting the half way point, but it feels good to learn new things and have a sense of accomplishment. It can be hard to get that feeling from work sometimes.

Two great, local Seattle, video-blogs (vlogs) from LeanBackVids

Local Mountain Biking

and

The Mirror World (tour Seattle with Google Earth)

Matt Costa: Cold December video

Watch Matt Costa: Cold December video on youtube.com

Evolution of Dance

You simply must set aside 3 minutes (or so) to watch this video.

Put on some headphones, turn up the volume and let the memories flood back. :)

http://www.evolutionofdance.com/

If you're still not convinced, let me just say; this dance routine may even be better than Napoleon Dynamite's.

Blogging Dictionary

I found this clever article through lifehacker.com


Blogging dictionary article from lifehacker.com


The Giant Blogging Terms Glossary

Convention; Day 9 - Final (D.C.)

Saturday began at a more relaxed pace. We made plans Friday night to have breakfast together with Jeff and Heather and Steve at Open City. I was looking forward to my fourth meal there in one week. Steve dropped his luggage in our room so he could check out without paying for Bell service and we met the Roys in the lobby. We enjoyed a nice walk across the bridge above Rock Creek Park. The weather had cooled off and it felt like the humidity had relented as well. The restaurant was busy when we arrived, so we got some coffee and a scone to help us bide time till a table opened up. Fullertons were there with the Vails and Abares too. Once again, Open City was worth the wait.

After breakfast, we made plans to meet the Roys for dinner and said goodbye to Steve. We took the Metro to Capital South and walked to the Supreme Court. It’s an immense, beautiful, impressive building but we weren’t able to see the inside on a Saturday. We walked around the Capital and found an interesting brick fountain. We opted out on the tour of the inside this time and instead, walked across the street to see the statue of Grant on our way toward the U.S. Botanic Garden. The walks through the garden building and nearby Bartholdi Park were fun and informative.

We wanted to see the National Archives next, so we headed to the nearest Metro station at Federal SW and arrived at the Archives/Navy Memorial stop. Our feet were tired and our tummies were rumbling so we started looking for a good place to stop for a snack. Andale caught our eye and we started talking about chips and dips but alas, they were closed for Siesta. We ultimately arrived at Austin Grill and shared Queso Fundido. Once we were feeling better, we ventured out again, but as we arrived at the National Archives a tour bus full of junior high kids unloaded in front of us. We decided we would be back in D.C. and that it wasn’t worth the wait, so we headed up the street past the FBI building.

Out next stop was Ford’s Theatre where we heard a National Park Ranger recount President Lincoln’s assassination. I didn’t know before that literature on Lincoln measures second only to Jesus Christ. We opted not to visit the house across the street where he died to avoid more crowds. Up around the corner, we entered the International Spy Museum. The waiter at Austin Grill recommended it and warned that it’s not a part of the Smithsonian, so we were prepared to part with our entrance fees. We spent about 2 hours going through and it was worth it.

Our next stop was Union Station and Capital City Brewery. Jeff and Heather met us there for more good food and good conversation. Kari and I were both said when they dropped us off at the hotel and said goodbye. We had a really wonderful time with our friends in D.C. but we’re excited to get back home too; to wash our own clothes and make food in our own kitchen. It’s all just one long day in an airplane away.

Convention; Day 8 (D.C.)

I got up at seven again today to meet Jeff downstairs. I was really glad when he showed up unexpectedly carrying a Venti coffee for me. Things seemed to be in good order for an Urban Impact meeting and a Pastoral Care breakfast with Pastor Jack. Mike came down to check on a few things and make sure all the people were getting their stuff out of the ballroom; there would be more people showing up to setup for a Navy event at around noon. He had traded in his suit for shorts and sandals. His right ankle was wrapped up and he was eager to show off his bruises.

Jeff and I managed to hold up the ICFG Communications truck to stash a few banners and curtain rods. Then, when Mike recognized that the City Lights band was going to lead praise and worship next door to Pastor Jack’s prayer breakfast, with only a 2 ½” air-wall between them, he hurriedly recruited the hotel staff to swap the rooms. Jeff and I helped move tables and chairs and booklets and then we took a break for breakfast.

Once the final meetings of the Convention were ready to start, Mike suggested we all get some breakfast, so we headed up the escalator to the hotel restaurant. Jeff’s wife Heather came down to meet us and we all shared a leisurely buffet. After a few harassing phone calls, Stevie finally came down to join us. I went back to our hotel room after breakfast to check on Kari and, since things were kind of slow, I took a cat nap.

We wanted to get some sightseeing in, so we made some calls and found everyone waiting downstairs. Apparently, there were a few more items to be picked up. Mike, Jeff and Steve were lounging in the Cabinet Room, which had been used as the V.I.P. green room through the week. It had a private elevator and a private bathroom for use if/when President’s visit. We moved the rental furniture out of that room, into the courtyard/foyer and then Stevie and I set out to move the rented scissor lift back over to the loading dock level. After we moved the ramps into place, I drove the larger lift down and then scooted the ramps back into place for Stevie. Somehow, he managed to knock the smaller ramp down a step and it looked like he was going tipped the lift over. Fortunately, Steve kept driving and all was well.

About this time, Kari and I discovered Segway tours on the National Mall and wanted to go try ‘em out. We hopped in a rental minivan with Mike and Debbie, Jeff and Steve. They were going to drop us off at Capital Segway, but we hit bad traffic so we jumped out on a nearby curb. We grabbed a quick sandwich at Potbelly and then met up with our tour. We had a really great time cruising the mall; lot’s of other tourists looked at us longingly from the window of their tour buses. We saw the Old Executive Offices, the White House, the Capital and as much of the rest of the mall as possible in two hours. Our tour guide was really knowledgeable and friendly guy named Kyle. He’s a history student at GWU and had lots of unique tidbits to share. Apparently I pulled too many ‘advanced’ maneuvers and I wore the batter out too soon.

At about 5:30 we caught a cab to Georgetown to eat at Five Guys with Fullertons, Roys, Vails and Steve. I had no idea how big and messy their burgers would be when I ordered, but they were gooooood. After dinner we all met at Filmore school to see Emily perform in a dance and theater recital; she was really great. We had a quick pit-stop at the hotel, then we all met at Cosi for s’mores to celebrate! It was really great to hear Mike share about some of his struggles and his visions; an excellent conclusion to an exhilarating (and exhausting) week.

Convention; Day 7 (D.C.)

Things have started to slow down a bit and it’s a good thing because I’m starting to slow down. The fatigue is starting to catch up. We were able to break a little earlier last night than we had before and we showed up in the ballroom at 7am instead of 6am. We had another great worship session with the City Light band and a powerful presentation by John Mazariegos. After a brunch break, we heard some more worship from New Song and then a passionate purpose was delivered by Robert Stearns. Before he took the stage, we finally played the Israel promo video for next years convention. Some people got a good laugh.

The business meeting kicked off almost immediately after Mr. Stearns concluded and the CFO is presenting the treasurer’s report right now. It’s pretty dry material but we’re making it through because Kari was sweet enough to pick up California Pizza Kitchen to pick us up some snacks. SHE’S THE BEST EVER!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The rest of the day has gone by pretty fast. I’m back in our hotel room now, waiting for room service. We broke down the bullpen before the crowd had cleared the room. I helped fold up all the flags and then, we carted all our gear, on our office-type chairs, up the elevator and down the endless hallway to the convention office.

The evening program was really great. It included honoring international missions, sharing stories from inner city churches and hearing from the Chaplain of the Senate, Barry Black. He had an amazing voice; if he gets tired of political life, he could be the next James Earl Jones. Bishop Ken Ulmer wrapped up the evening and the week of excellent presenters following several honorary doctorates. I was really impressed to learn that Bishop Ulmer held church in the Great Western Forum. At first I wasn’t sure if he had skipped a line in his notes because he started repeating himself, but it soon became clear that certain repetitions and reiterations were injected for both comic and considerate impact. It was another late night, but the end is in sight.

Newsboys, Live at the International Ballroom

Convention; Day 6 (D.C.)

Dean Jones was in the house last night. He presented a really great speech interlaced with powerful humor and drama. He touched on both current events and talked about our founding fathers and their documented reliance on the Word and Truth. He ended with a recreation of a prayer discovered in a journal of George Washington. It was an excellent experience.

This morning, the City Light band returned to share some soulful praise. Our hometown hero Nate Poetzl (Head Pastor, New Life Foursquare) shared the morning message on worship. Between Dean Jones and Nate, I definitely want to buy the DVD set from this week (available from Fresh Audio & Video).

We ran into a little trouble today after Nate finished up. We were supposed to show a four minute video about next year’s convention in Israel, but we didn’t have the right clip so, even though I ran across the hotel and back to get the right one, the audience watched the same short version twice. Pastor Jack joked about it, but it was disappointing; maybe we’ll show the full version later.

Kari brought me snacks before the late morning praise and teaching. I’m going to be happy when I can go back to eating on a more regular schedule. She also ran to the Rite Aid down the street to get Mike some bandages and Ace wraps; he took a bad step on a short set of steps in the ballroom. It looks like he’s planning to tough it out through the Business Meeting before he takes his shoe off to ice his ankle.

It’s about 12:30 pm (EST) and we’ll get our next break around 2:30. The newsboys will be here to lead worship for the evening session. I like some of their songs and I haven’t seen them live before. I always like live music.

Well, the Business Meeting was not called to order because there were not enough voting members to make a quorum (50% + 1 attendance). I think there are around 3800 attendees and about 1800 voting members. Approximately 900 members were needed at the business meeting but only 600 or so were present in the ballroom. Mike tells me they’re likely to handle quite a bit of ‘business’ during this evening’s session when they expect 900 plus voting members to attend. I imagine the newsboys will help draw a full house.

Molly and Tucker Cauble just took off for the local music shop (probably Guitar Center) to get a new ‘axe’. Apparently the newsboys broke one of theirs and Tucker’s knows what to get (probably a Les Paul). Soundcheck is going on right now. The newsboys brought in their own production talent so the guys from Delicate are just kind of sitting around watching all their settings get replaced. The lights look great and the sound is rocking! I think the 50-year-service award recipients who will be seated in the front row are in for a real treat (I think someone ran down to the drug store to get them ear-plugs) :-).

Convention; Day 5 (D.C.)

This morning arrived about as early as I expected it to. I was a bit surprised at how easily I got out of bed to attack the noisy hotel alarm clock. Sometimes I can tune those things out and snooze away. I was really hoping to find the hotel’s café opened and at least serving coffee, but I was bitterly disappointed. I wouldn’t get coffee until after 7:30 when Mike handed me his Starbucks card. Kari and I went to get drinks for the rest of the crew and it was already warming up outside. The SunTrust bank down by DuPont Circle has shown as high as 102° (although weather.com shows high 90’s) and the humidity is in the 70% range.

I spent the morning updating the MediaShout script that was running in the house, but was basically wrapped up before we went to Starbucks. The service got going about 8am and included a rockin’ praise set by City Light. There was a speaker in the morning and then a brunch break which I missed. I took a cab to Clarendon (Arlington), Virginia to the nearest Apple Store. I picked up a DVI-VGA connector for a presenter in a workshop session and hurried back to the hotel. I actually rode in a really nice, clean taxi on the way there and had a pretty enjoyable conversation with the driver on the way back. When I got back, the brunch session was wrapping up and a second speaker was getting ready to go.

Steve and I escaped for lunch at about 1 o’clock and ran up to our rooms to change. Kari and Molly were planning to have girl time and go shopping so we boys decided to hop on the Metro to Pentagon City. We were pushing it on time but it was time to find something new to eat. We settled on Johnny Rockets; I had a St. Louis burger, ½ & ½ onion rings and “American Fries”, with a root beer float. :) We were thoroughly sweating and exhausted by the time we got back to the hotel. Even though I was late, I had to have a shower before I went back to the ballroom for the evening session.


I’m in the ballroom now and the show’s about to start. I spent some time running around on little errands but mostly I’ve been updating these blog entries for the last half hour (off and on). I’ll probably resume tomorrow.

Convention; Day 4 (D.C.)

Monday morning, Kari and I got up to share an American Breakfast in the hotel café. I met Steve, Molly, Jeff and Mike in the ballroom at 9 o’clock. We took care of some cleanup stuff and I spent most of my day fine-tuning the MediaShout countdown clock for displaying to the speakers/singers on stage.

Various performers rehearsed throughout the day while the technical and production teams ironed out all the kinks. I was really impressed at how well the sound engineers tamed the crazy acoustics in the International Ballroom. It’s a giant oval room with a concave roof that has elliptical recesses in it. If you stand in the right spot under the recessions, it’s a great echo chamber. But, by the time the worship band rehearsed, things sounded great.

The evening session included some great patriotic Memorial Day elements like a fife and drum corps, a choir who led us in the National Anthem and the Pledge of Allegiance, and Taps. My timer was highly effective and helped pastor Jack [Hayford] trim his teaching time by 15 minutes so we ended just about on time. I did spend some time with the hotel’s A/V staff to try to get the video and sound in the rooms cleaned up, but everything in the ballroom went very smoothly.

We tried several Italian restaurants to find some dinner, but struck out so we went back to Open City, where we’d eaten on Friday night. Debbie, Steve, Jeff, Edwin and myself piled into the white Jeep Cherokee while Mike and Molly helped wrap up a ‘post-mortem’ meeting. After we got seated, I ordered a Cuban coffee and Kari followed Debbie’s lead with a Iced green tea. This was the perfect opportunity for me to try the Open City Cubano sandwich I had passed up for on Friday; It was worth the wait .

Kari and I grabbed a cab back to the hotel to make room for Mike and Molly to ride back in the Jeep. I was really tired and not even remotely enthusiastic about showing up in the ballroom at 6am.

Convention; Day 3 (D.C.)

We had a lot of fun on Sunday visiting Hope Christian Church (Georgetown Foursquare). There were many familiar faces like Randy Remington, Ted Vail and Kurt Kobernik. Ben and Jaime were visiting from Seattle too. Mike shared a great message about learning the proper proximity from the Lord to balance confidence and adventuring out by His guidance. Afterward, the whole church reconvened at Cactus Cantina for food and fellowship. Mike joked that half the world was represented in his little church because Foursquare representatives from North Asia, the Middle East and Africa had visited that morning.

Steve and Molly had stayed back at the hotel to manage Glenn Burris’ teaching, but Molly caught a cab to join us (Kari) at the Cantina. After we ate, Mike, Jeff, Kari and I hopped on a metrobus back to the Hilton. We put some finishing touches on the ballroom so that rehearsals could start Monday morning. Fortunately, Monday was a later morning (9 am); we get started at 6 on Tuesday.

Convention; Day 2 (D.C.)

Yesterday was when we really got into the swing of things. We met in the ballroom at 8am and got started on setting the stage. Our graphics/production platform is now setup at the back of the International Ballroom at Hilton Washington. The sound, lighting and video teams are setup in front of us and are just dialing in their systems now. The ballroom looks great now, with nice white columns and patriotic banners around the stage.

My main project for the day was to create a timer and clock to be wired up to the stage for the presenters. I was surprised how difficult that was… I ended up using Excel, Word and PowerPoint to create the visual I wanted. Today, I exported it all to MediaShout.

The highlight yesterday was borrowing Mike and Debbie’s jeep to pick up Kari at the airport. She had called earlier in the day and vented about the miserable time she had in Valley City, North Dakota. So, I was glad to surprise her by picking her up and taking her for dinner. I had a great adventure driving through the city of Washington. We hurried back to the hotel, but then I had to go straight to a tech meeting. The meeting was slightly amusing but I couldn’t stay through the end.

Kari and I ducked out early to grab a burrito at Chipotle.

Wedding Weekend [part 2]

The pictures and other wedding preparations went well. The weather was clear and pleasant. Somehow Kari got a little something on her dress, but she was able to hide it in the pictures and on the stage during the ceremony. She looked really great!

Paz and I killed time hanging out with Luke and Artie while guests collected in the foyer; we just waited for Pam to give us the green light on the front door. After we sat all the guests, we walked our families to their VIP seats without incident until Mom and I (the last two to sit before Allison walked down the aisle with our Dad). The candles were precarious to begin with but, when first when Mom sat down and again when I sat down in the pew, the candle teetered and fell. I picked up the first time and set it back, but then it fell again and Jenny lunged to catch it mid-air; everyone applauded.

Then the music changed and Allison and Dad began to walk down the aisle. Chris fought back tears; Ken (his Dad couldn’t hold ‘em). John Sharpe led them through a nice ceremony and Laila and Katrina Sharpe shared a very nice song. Then everyone was excited to celebrate! Luke and I were privileged enough to join the wedding party in the Party Bus where we shared champagne on the way to Washington Park for more pictures. It was warm and everyone was beautiful. I had a minute to chat with the driver and he shared about how he had taken a rowdy bunch across the border to Whistler the night before and he hadn’t fully rested or recovered; I think he was glad to drop us off at the Bellevue Westin.

Since I had previously checked in, I was able to head straight to the ballroom. Luke and I setup camp at the bride & grooms table so Kari and Michelle would know where to find us after they were formally presented and announced I into the room. We had some drinks and chatted for a bit before they cut the cake. Then, dinner was served before the speeches began. Chris’ best man Jake said some very nice things about how anyone of the groomsmen could’ve been in his shoes. I especially appreciated how he confessed that their group of friends was not easy to gain acceptance into. He did a really great job.

Michelle had been stressing about her speech the entire night. But when it came to her turn, she knocked it out of the park! She was funny and kind and ‘amazing’ (. The moms and dads all shared a few words too, then the dancing began… (what happened on the dance floor stays on the dance floor).

We’re all very excited for Chris and Allie and wish them a wonderful time in Bora Bora!

Convention; Day 1 (D.C.)

I arrived in Washington D.C. yesterday and this is my first morning of setting up for the 2006 Foursquare Convention. My flight was direct although some type of maintenance concern kept us on the ground in Seattle longer than expected. Immediately upon arrival Mike Fullerton had left me a voicemail and I rushed directly to hotel to meet the crew for dinner.

We went to a cool American café/grill call Open City (I think) where I tried the odd combination of a Darjeeling tea and carnivore pizza (split with Steve B.). After checking in, Steve and I hit the town in search of X-Men tickets. We ultimately arrived in Union Station, thoroughly enjoyed the film and returned to ‘hit the hay’ at about midnight.

I’m really glad Kari’s arriving today. I don’t know what airline, flight number, or time but that’ll just add to the surprise.    

The Big Wedding Weekend

My (first) sister has gotten married. We knew this was coming for quite a while and I’m happy for them that the weekend was so much fun for Chris and Allie and their friends and all the family. The madness started on Thursday night with a picnic at Marina park in Kirkland. We had good food and great weather. Grandpa Bob grilled salmon, I grilled veggie kabobs and teriyaki chicken. Artie (from Orlando) won the Bocce contest and someone else won at frisbee. Kari tried real hard to get her little trick kite to catch some wind.

Afterwards, we convened at the Kirkland Pub (where Chris and Allison first met) for cold drinks and conversation. Tristyn had come down on his bike and later on, so did Chris’ other brother-in-law Paz. I was glad to get to talk with him and also with Artie. I also caught up with cousin Carey before we had to head out. We had our Xterra loaded down with rented tables and borrowed chairs.

The next morning was off to an early start to get the tables returned before meeting all the guys at the golf course. I had only gotten in about 45 minutes at the driving range the previous Monday and I was feeling pretty apprehensive about golfing with future pro Luke Bakke. At first, I felt like Artie and I were going to be ok together, but it didn’t take long for a few of Luke’s tips to accelerate his abilities. By the end of the day I lost eight balls and a fair bit of pride. I still want to golf and fish more, so I better sign up for some lessons. We hung around at Willows long enough to get a bite and a beverage. I met Gino and Matt and chatted more with Luke, Artie and Chris.

I got in a short nap after getting home. Then, I had to clean up and head to the rehearsal and First United Methodist in Seattle. Kari got me new ties and a shirt to go with my suit, so I got ready and drove downtown. Practice went pretty well and afterward we all caravanned to Salty’s on Alki. More good conversation with friends and family; the view of the city skyline across the bay featured a rainbow at one point. Chris and Allie shared kind words with their attendants; Allie was succinct with her friends, mostly from high school, and sisters; Chris was a bit more elaborate with his friends and fraternity brothers: it was ‘amazing’. That night, most of the bridesmaids stayed at Hotel Vintage Park, but I was happy that Kari wanted to stay home with me. Jenny and Marina Nelson stayed with us too.

The next morning, we picked up bagels and coffee and delivered them to the girls at the hotel. I left Kari there to get her hair done and get into her gown for the ceremony. I came home to do a little cleanup and help Jenny and Marina get ready and meet Gloria and Joan at the Bellevue Westin. Once they were off, I cleaned up, (with my new shirt and tie for my suit) and went to check in at the Westin as well. That way, our SUV would be at the hotel the next morning, after we rode the party bus from the church to the reception (at the Westin, where we all stayed). My Mom had setup a room for me and so, I dropped Kari’s and my things off and got in the car with Gloria, Joan, Jenny and Marina to head to the church; pictures began promptly at 1:30. [more to follow]    

Snapshots from the ballpark - take 2

It doesn’t look like MacJournal and Blogger are seeing eye-to-eye over Quicktime attachments so I’m posting photos now. I hope you enjoy.

Seattle Skyline (mostly just Qwest field) from 100 level seats behind the plate.

Father and Son - going to the game!

Thanks for the tickets, Chris; and for treating us at Pyramid while you only had a salad and lemon water. Kudos though on dropping weight - your accomplishment is inspiring.

We had great seats, the roof was open. Even though the Mariners didn’t play especially well, we had a great time.

Thanks Chris, Ken, Paz and Dad (Curt).

Snapshots from the ballpark

This is an experimental post from my new journalling/blogging software. I’ve included a Quicktime file with pictures from our Dady/Smith guys day out. I hope you enjoy.