radar hill

what it means to me to be back in the pool

2010-04-19T06:56:00.000-07:00

it has been over a year since i’ve been in the pool for some reason other than a sun tan. the captextri is less than 6-weeks away & for that reason i could delay no longer.

yesterday i signed up for 2-weeks free at 24-hour fitness & this morning concluded my 2nd swim workout. while in the water this morning, on my drive back home, & making my oatmeal & eggs for breakfast (#2) some thoughts about what it meant to be back in the pool raced through my mind:

there is no better workout than swimming...it builds muscles you didn’t know existed, it increases your endurances, & best of all it’s easy on your joints (unlike running or weights).
don’t judge a book by its cover...no matter how fit you look, it doesn’t mean anything when it comes to swimming. some of the most unfit looking people are some of the best swimmers ever.
swimming is a great excuse for having bad hair.
swimmers really do shave for a reason.
thinks swimming will be good for my allergies.
the more chlorine, less deodorant & showers required.
lots of wet clothes & gear to carry around...still NOT as bad as the leftovers from taking bikram yoga.
there is nothing better than coming home to a cup of fresh coffee after a morning swim.
swimming isn’t a sport, it’s an art form!
i will be hungry all day now after swimming in the morning.
if god had intended for me to swim, he would have given me gills & fins.
raccoon eyes can be cool...just own them!

if you haven’t tried swimming i highly recommend it, i think...

rice paddies

2010-02-28T11:04:00.000-08:00

i was first introduced to malcolm gladwell through his second book, blink. after reading blink & buying into many of gladwell's theories & appreciating his ability to make me think outside the box i quickly gravitated to his first book, the tipping point, which also helped me expand my way of thinking about why things occur the way they do.

his third book, outliers, has by far been most favorite! chapter 7 specifically, which gladwell analyzes the correlation between plane crashes & ethnic origins. chapter 7 just knocked me off my feet! the fact that i began reading this chapter on the way to the airport & i literally finished the chapter as the plane was accelerating down the runway during takeoff (flight from denver to austin) really had my blood pumping!

communication, communication, communication!

chapter 7 of outliers described how the majority of plane crashes have nothing to do with blown engines, malfunctioning wings or landing systems, etc. the majority of plane crashes are caused by a series of small & connected communication errors between the pilots in the cockpit & the pilots in the cockpit with the folks in the air traffic control tower.

two examples that come to mind include: a S. korean co-pilot who wouldn’t speak up to his captain & tell the captain that they were heading straight into a mountain...the co-pilot wouldn’t speak up because at the time it wasn’t allowed for a co-pilot to question the captain. the second example had to do with a co-pilot & pilot not being straight forward with an air traffic controller at JFK airport...their plane was literally running on fumes & they were inevitably going to run out of fuel & crash if they didn’t land immediately; but instead of telling the air traffic controller that they needed to land immediately they simply agreed to circle the runway again because that is what the air traffic controller was telling all the planes coming into JFK at the time to do.

the overarching theme of the book though isn’t about communication & it is NOT about just being at the right place at the right time. being at the right place at the right time is a component of one’s success, but what IT really comes down to is HARD WORK & DEDICATION...think about the 10,000 hour rule! sure the opportunity has to present itself, but if you don’t jump all over that opportunity & give it your all it won’t add up to anything.

my favorite quote of the book comes from chapter 8, rice paddies & math tests. “no one who can rise before dawn 360 days a year fails to make his family rich.”

i highly recommend you check out outliers for yourself...at a minimum read chapter 7; preferably not while on a plane.

2010 new years resolutions

2010-01-02T21:21:00.001-08:00

one of my 2010 resolutions is certainly *not* to blog more. i've noticed a number of folks that i read/follow have listed this as a goal for 2010. unless you are making cash or benefiting in some other significant way i don't understand why people are bothered that they don't blog about what they had for dinner, or how tough their day was, or exciting their trip to (fill in the blank) was. while fun to share all the "fun" in your life, it really isn't that big of a deal that you aren't posting it on the internet.

ultimate super healthy pumpkin bread, version I

2009-11-24T10:01:00.000-08:00

i thought it was pretty funny when roland (a good buddy & colleague) told me that my original "super healthy pumpkin bread" recipe was a #1 hit on google. at the same time, the recipe rocks & if you are a fan of pumpkin bread & watching your waist line then this recipe is for you.

the original recipe was posted back in jan. '08 & like most recipes it has evolved over time. the feedback/comments i received & my unrealistic approach to make every food ridiculously healthy & tasty too has motivated me to release the "ultimate super healthy pumpkin bread" recipe.

if you dare...

dry ingredients:

3 1/2 cups: whole wheat flour

2 tbspoons: milled flax

2 tbspoons: whole flax

1 1/2 tspoons: salt

2 tspoons: baking soda

4 tspoons: nutmeg

4 tspoons: cinnamon

1/2 cup: raisins

1 cup: walnuts (go wild & add as many of your favorite type of nut)

1 scoop: EAS vanilla protein powder (of all the ingredients this is the most optional)

wet ingredients:

2/3 cup: water

1 cup: apple sauce

4 egg beaters (or real eggs if you prefer)

1 tspoon: vanilla

1 tbspoon: honey

1 tbspoon: blue agave

mix all ingredients together

oil pans (makes 2 pans) with oil (i use grapeseed oil) & then dust the pans with whole wheat flour to prevent the bread from sticking

bake at 350 degrees for 1hr & 5mins

enjoy with family & friends!

-------

the results: unfortunately for me the results weren't so good... i will of course eat every bit of this pumpkin bread & i'll enjoy knowing that it is super healthy, but even i will have to add something to each slice to give it some flavor. probably just smear on some peanut butter, jam, or honey.

version II of this recipe coming soon.

payton's first 5K

2009-09-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

payton has run a number of miles alongside me & kristin, but never before has he officially run a race. this morning that all changed & he joined me & my buddy mitchell for his first official run - the 3rd annual got guts 5K. in true payton form, he we a real animal!

he was the show of the party & in fact (not making this up) at the end of the race he gave an interview on camera (one of those small flip camcorders) to an older gentlemen that had never seen a ridgeback before & was really interested in the breed.

anyhow, it was a fun morning. kristin, carol, & kasey cheered the three of us on. the race continued to help in bringing awareness to celiac disease, introduced us to some awesome local businesses that cater to the gluten-free community, & even better mitchell & i received some real positive feedback about moon tower brewing - soon to be the first gluten-free beer brewing company in austin!

the 5 minute management course

2009-04-07T09:57:00.000-07:00

a colleague forwarded me this clever short course in management.

lesson 1:

a man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.

the wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs.

when she opens the door, there stands bob, the next-door neighbor.

before she says a word, bob says, 'i'll give you $800 to drop that towel.'

after thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of bob, after a few seconds, bob hands her $800 and leaves.

the woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.

when she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, 'who was that?'

'it was bob the next door neighbor,' she replies.

'great,' the husband says, 'did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?'

moral of the story: if you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

---

lesson 2:

a priest offered a nun a lift.

she got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg.

the priest nearly had an accident.

after controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.

the nun said, 'father, remember psalm 129?'

the priest removed his hand but, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.

the nun once again said, 'father, remember psalm 129?'

the priest apologized 'sorry sister but the flesh is weak.'

arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.

on his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up psalm 129. it said, 'go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.'

moral of the story: if you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

---

lesson 3:

a sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.

they rub it and a genie comes out.

the genie says, 'i'll give each of you just one wish.'

'me first! me first!' says the admin clerk. 'i want to be in the bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.'

puff! she's gone.

'me next! me next!' says the sales rep. 'i want to be in hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of pina coladas and the love of my life.'

puff! he's gone.

'ok, you're up,' the genie says to the manager.

the manager says, 'i want those two back in the office after lunch.'

moral of the story: always let your boss have the first say.

---

lesson 4:

an eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing.

a small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, 'can i also sit like you and do nothing?'

the eagle answered: 'sure, why not.'

so, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. all of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

moral of the story: to be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

---

lesson 5:

a turkey was chatting with a bull.

'i would love to be able to get to the top of that tree' sighed the turkey, 'but i haven't got the energy.'

'well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?' replied the bull. they're packed with nutrients.'

the turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.

the next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.

finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.

he was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree..

moral of the story: bull shit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there..

---

lesson 6:

a little bird was flying south for the winter. it was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field.

while he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.

as the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.

the dung was actually thawing him out!

he lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

a passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.

following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

morals of the story: (1) not everyone who shits on you is your enemy. (2) not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend. (3) and when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

---

thus ends the five minute management course.

the homie shot

2009-04-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

i was introduced to the homies brand through work & since that initial introduction i have become a fan of what the homies brand represents.

i had the pleasure of having dinner with david gonzales, the brand’s creator a few months back. david’s stories about how the brand started & how it has matured through the years are fascinating. he has put a whole lot of heart & soul into creating this brand, the characters, & he works effortlessly to ensure a positive image surrounds his brand.

the breath of products that have been built around the homies brand today & that are possible for the future are vast. combine david’s super creative & amazing artwork, with the personality he gives each character it’s no wonder why the brand has been so well adopted & could fit with so many products.

being a big fan of caffeine & all that it does to “make a body good” i was thrilled to see the homie brand used in marketing a new energy shot. this little homie shot packs a BIG punch. it's full of lots of vitamin B & enough caffeine to wake elvis from the dead :) if you like those 5-hour energy shots, then you are going to go crazy over the homie shot because it’s a very similar product, but these little jewels actually taste good.

check out this homie shot video featuring homie character's macho & sancho. even if you don’t speak spanish, you’ll get a kick out of this short clip.

3 movie strikes

2009-02-15T12:30:00.000-08:00

we are batting 0 for 3 on movies right now. i’ve given up TV, do i have to give up movies too :)

it started with surfer, dude, which was directed by S.R. bindler. bindler was known for his hands on a hardbody documentary which i think was hilarious & unfortunately real – i now know a little more about longview, TX than i’d like too. surfer, dude didn’t make any sense to me. it was a hour & a half long movie with matthew mcconaughey running around with his shirt off looking for waves while the “bad-guy” producer was trying to cast his character in a “real-world” TV/video game. from time-to-time woody harrelson & willie nelson would make appearances as pot smoking weirdos & hot chicks would run around with their tops off wearing nothing but bikini bottoms. i couldn’t categorize this movie. was it a surfer movie, a T&A movie, a pot-smoking movie? i think it was just the worst of all three movie types & now i’m going to try & forget that i watched it.

bad movie #2 – nights in rodanthe: this isn’t just me not giving into a sappy love story; kristin couldn’t stand it either. there was little to no dialogue in the entire movie, yet this couple played by richard gere (how did he ever end up with cindy crawford) & diane lane (i think she’s hotter now than she was when she starred as cherry valance in the outsiders more than 25 years ago) fell madly in love. the director, george c. wolfe, was all over the place with the camera & cut ever little bit of dialogue or story telling short. it was a disaster of a movie.

we capped our bad movie experiences off with 2 days in paris. there was a story (opposite of surfer, dude) & there was dialogue (opposite of nights in rodanthe); however, the characters didn’t fit one bit. adam goldberg’s (i remember him from dazed & confused) character was this jerk-off interior designer from NY with a bunch of mean one-liners awaiting his girlfriend played by julie delpy. goldberg’s character was allergic to & got sick by everything in sight, yet he lived in NY, one of the “dirtiest” cities in the U.S., had tattoos all over his chest, arms, & back, & he smoked, & to top it off here he was back-packing across europe with his girlfriend who was from paris. his character just didn’t fit the part. if he just wouldn’t have gotten so sick by everything in sight i would have felt completely different about this movie.

juno awaits us courtesy of netflix – wish us luck because we can’t take another bad movie.

cutting the cord

2009-02-12T19:29:00.000-08:00

no we didn’t just have a baby, or go totally green & move completely to wind power. i (hopefully kristin will tag along too) am cutting the cord from the TV for the next month. i’d like to think that cutting the cord will last longer, but i’m not willing to say forever just yet.

i’ve suggested time & time again that TV is a huge waste. although we have one of those super high-def, xyz P resolution, flat & wide, etc. type TVs, i have to laugh a bit internally when anyone talks about their TV specs. when did it become normal to spend thousands of dollars on a TV? folks are so hard-up about their TVs, DVD, & blu-ray players. they talk about how crisp & clear the picture is & how the people they are watching look real – if you want real people get your ass (i’m talking to myself here too) off the sofa & go & be social with real people – it doesn’t get any crisper or clearer than that!

so what am i hoping to accomplish by cutting the cord from the TV during this next month? no, i don’t expect my life to get fantastically better, or that i’ll be speaking 5 languages, etc. i do however hope to enjoy the simple things in life – like spending quality time with the love of my life kristin, relaxing with peace & quite, really be able to focus on something versus having the noise of a TV in the background, getting back in touch with music, accomplishing more of those home to-dos during the week so my weekends are spent crossing items of a check-list, & while it may not seem a big deal to many getting more sleep. if that’s “all” that i gain from this no TV thing, then i think those things alone are reason enough to cut the cord permanently.

since being home today after work (6:30 PM) i spent an hour playing with payton, took payton on a walk to grab the mail, rid the backyard of payton’s poop (while not attractive or exciting it needed to be done & i’m simply being honest about what i’ve done tonight), listened to a many long lost CDs to include a girlie mix that eryn compiled for me & then i reconnected with the smiths & james taylor. i “read” the march issue of bon appetit, did all the dishes which included giving the stove-top a good scrubbing, prepared the coffee for tomorrow morning, & finally dinner for myself.

kristin arrived home about 30 minutes ago (8:50 PM) after a long day of work & volunteering at the resale shop as part of her junior league provisional year. we shared the news from our day, then i proceeded to check & respond to a few e-mails, & now i am writing this post. next, i plan to prepare a water bottle for an early morning spin class i’m going to take at the gym – it’ll be my first spin class in 5+ months. see, this no TV thing is already paying off!

prior to falling asleep i hope to turn a few pages of the wisdom of crowds, by james surowieck which kristin was kind enough to pick up for me at Barnes & Nobles today while grabbing another one of those vampire books for herself.

ask yourself, what you would be giving up if you too were to cut the cord on the TV. i’m confident in saying that you'd be missing nothing as important as the things you are already giving up by leaving it on.

january 20, 2009 - obama day

2009-01-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

regardless of where you were today when obama took the oath of office as president of the united states, you must have felt the positive energy that surrounded this occasion. as i sat with kristin by my side in a hotel room in hawaii this is the most historic event in american history that i have had the pleasure to witness & i will never forget this moment.

god bless america!

a true bears fan

2009-01-11T06:31:00.001-08:00

this year's football season is rolling to an end. unfortunately the season for the bears has already come to an early close. like a true bears fan i must keep my spirits high & hope that next year will be different. one fan, my boy payton, is showing his true colors & keeping all of us bear fans excited for what the future may hold.

you should have seen him tear up that green bay packers koozie!

"catching up"

2009-01-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

tomorrow a number of employees will return to their office after holiday vacations. i suspect that a high percentage of these people will answer to their bosses, colleagues, etc. with updates something to the effect of, “i’ll be catching up on things since i’ve been out.”

i hate hearing things like that. when i hear people gives those types of updates all i hear them saying is:

- i didn’t plan very well before leaving for vacation.
- i haven’t spent any time staying in touch with what’s been going on while out.
- i don’t have a clue what going on so i’ll just make it sound like i have a lot of work to do.
- i’m not sure what i’m supposed to be doing now that i'm back.

when returning from vacation i expect people to have a clear list of action items to deal with. vacation time is one’s opportunity to get away from it all so when they return they can hit the ground running with a plan. the vacation breaks up the monotony of everyday work & allows one to come back with some focus & purpose.

as i participate on my morning call with our CEO i hope & expect to hear clear-cut action items from my colleagues & no “catching up” type of statements.

a new fan of used

2009-01-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

until last year i didn’t realize how much more sense it made to buy used versus new. it was the ’99 4runner that i purchased that opened my eyes to this revelation.

last christmas i sold my a4 almost as soon as the warranty ran out. i loved the a4, but the idea of driving a german car w/out a full warranty is just a bad idea in my opinion. not to mention i was riding a lot back then, we had just gotten payton & a 4runner just seemed to make more sense. i decided to go after a used 4runner because i trusted toyotas, i liked the 4runner, & i wanted something that i could pay cash for.

after selling the a4 i was able to pay for the 4runner with cash & even stick a few bucks in the bank. after buying the 4runner i took it to toyota & gave them a blank check to fix anything & everything that was wrong or could go wrong with it. they suggested i get an oil change, rotate the tires, & change the transmission fluid & in the next 10K miles they said i should get the front brakes replaced. that was it; all that it needed!. that first visit to toyota cost under $200 bucks & it wasn’t until 9 months later that i had the front breaks changed along w/ another oil change (had one other oil change before then) all for less than $300 bucks. in the year i’ve driven the 4runner i have put over 12K miles on it & spent less than $600 in maintenance costs (included 3 oil changes & 1 air filter change). that $600 bucks was only a $100 more than i was paying each month for the a4. used wins!

just this last week kristin & bought a house. it was built in 2006 & the previous owner took excellent care of this home & upgraded it from floor to ceiling. wood floors, new tile, travertine tile & granite counter tops in the bathrooms, recessed lighting w/ dimmers throughout, converted the patio to an office, stained the garage floor & finished the walls, garage door opener, fans throughout, stone built flowerbeds, stained fence, upgraded hardware on all doors & in the bathrooms, replaced carpet in bedrooms with upgraded berber, painted walls to include accent walls, sprinkler, gutters, security system, blinds, curtains, & the list goes on & on. after moving in last friday, kristin & i have only had to make one run to home depot & that was for new bed slats & a new battery for one of the garage remotes. when we moved into our first house, which was brand new, we spent the first year at home depot almost every weekend. we had to install, paint, configure, & setup everything. it made home owning a disease & it consumed much of our free time.

not anymore. this place is like a dream. nothing to do except move in & enjoy. that’s what we plan to do & not to mention we saved thousands of dollars by taking the used versus new approach.

lakeline watersports going big

2008-11-30T18:35:00.000-08:00

a big congratulations to my bro roland who has busted his ass for a couple years straight in an effort to make lakeline watersports a reality. today he & his family (heather, zoe, evie, roland's sister, & heather's dad) cracked a bottle of champagne on their new brick & mortar store.

it's been truly impressive watching roland put this together. it began with roland spending early morning hours for many months before "work" at einstein's reading business books & building a business plan. then shelling out cash to attend his first outdoor retailer show in salt lake city, utah to meet with kayak dealers & begin the buying/distribution process. then selling kayaks from his garage via craigslist. then came the website (very well designed) & then the move to a storage facility. as business continued to grow roland moved shop to a larger storage/office facility. now fast forward to today with the grand opening of lakeline watersports.

my take on the time-line of lakeline watersports doesn't even begin to tap into the reality of the hard work, early mornings, late nights, & the many things that were given up to make today's grand opening a success.

if you know anyone that is even slightly interested in kayaking & fishing i recommend you send them roland's way. i can assure you roland is a good guy who will do everything he can to help them out.

again, big congrats to roland & his family. i wish them all the best & i believe that lakeline watersports will be a success!

23.43

2008-11-30T07:39:00.000-08:00

an unfinished post (fitting for the topic) i found in my e-mail inbox (often i'll send myself an e-mail reminding me of something to write about or a post that i began).

---

since returning from the half ironman in california a few weeks ago i began questioning why i signed up for ironman coeur d' alene which is now only 9-weeks away from today.

i have not once questioned whether i can complete the race. funny for some to imagine that the 140.6 miles that make up an ironman don't scare me. if the race was tomorrow i'd be happy to wake up & do it. the training time i have put in both by myself & with t3 up until this point has prepared me physically for the ironman.

regardless of the physical aspects associated with the ironman there are just so many other things that an athlete must do & in many cases not do to prepare for this type of race. dedicating the time to train both during the week & on the weekends has been the biggest struggle for me. at this stage of training it requires 10+ hours during the week & another 10 hours on the weekends. these 20 hours only include training time too. so many folks don't realize the time that goes into training when you aren't actually training. i'm referring to the time spent washing water bottles, filling & mixing water bottles, packing nutrition, giving up nights out so you can be in bed early & on the flip side up super early in the morning, driving to & from workouts, shopping for workout stuff, equipment tune-ups, planning travel (air, lodging, car) for races, reading about tri training, & because the weather is ever changing you have to have cold & warm weather gear ready to go at all times, & of course there is an abundance of laundry to do. the list goes on & on.

this is why i've been questioning the value of dedicating so much time to these activities. what am i & the people (kristin, family, friends, co-workers) around me getting out of any of this? if it isn't rewarding & it's no longer fun then why continue forward?

it easy to argue that because you signed up you should do it. i had one guy in the gym tell me to "just man-up & do it." isn't part of being a mature adult (man or woman) knowing when it makes more sense to call something to an end? why remain bullish to prove a point or to simply finish something you started? identify something (an ironman in my case) for what it is, waste no more time & energy, & turn your focus toward something that does offer value instead. the opportunity costs to continue my ironman training do not outweigh the other items in my life that do matter right now.

this past week i was still in it. although i was following my own (not t3s) less structured training plan i was still getting the time & miles i needed. this weekend however included a 100+ mile ride for which i knew i'd be better off doing with the team. it's these 5+ hours training rides (which turn into 8+ hour days) that drive me absolutely mad these days. i met up with t3...

boo hoo retail

2008-11-25T22:11:00.000-08:00

a colleague e-mailed our entire company the following list of retails stores that are either closing all stores, a specific number of stores, or just some unknown number of stores between oct. '08 & jan. '09.

closing *all* stores: linens & things, cache, wickes furniture, bombay, levitz, talbots, wilson leather, sharper image, j. jill, piercing pagoda, whitehall, movie galley

closing "x" many stores: the gap (85), ann taylor (117), footlocker (140), eddie bauer (27), zales (82), ethan allen (12), home depot (15), pep boys (33), disney (98), sprint/nextel (133), KB toys (356)

closing "some" stores: loews, dillard's, circuit city, lane bryan, fashion bug, catherine's, JC penny, pacific sunware

the e-mail was to serve as a list of retail stores that we should avoid buying gift cards from during the holiday season as gifts.

it is evident from some of the names in this list (see linens & things, the gap, ann taylor, footlocker, lowes, home depot) that things aren't right side up in the economy. luckily everyone i know still has a job & for the most part it sounds like everyone's company is doing well. so kudos to those of us in austin for now at least.

of course you didn't need this list of retail stores to realize something wasn't right in the economy. unless you've been living under a rock you know what i'm talking about. think freddie & fannie, the $700 billion bank bailout, & now the BIG 3 detroit auto manufactures are on their knees looking for $25 billion from the government. lucky for me & kris right now mortgage rates are looking good & we are hoping to lock any day now.

i've digressed to far from where i wanted to go with this one. back on topic.

so my initial thought when i saw the list was wow, the ripple of effect of a down economy is just beginning. my other thought was what little value these stores added to begin with & how i wasn't going to miss any of them.

when i drive between austin & dallas (almost once a month now) it's evident to me that there are way more BIG box stores than we need. hell, it's evident when i drive to & from work each day that there are too many BIG box stores. it drives me nuts to see so many of these stores. the stores take away from the personality of a city/town in my opinion. many will argue that they offer convenience & low costs. convenience is one of the last things i'd suggest that the offer. shopping in my opinion is one of the most inconvenient things we could do with our time. internet shopping, that's convenient. too many folks are running around shopping after work & on their weekends versus spending "real" time with their family & friends, traveling, going to the park, exercising, cooking, enjoying a nice meal, reading, drawing, you get the picture by now. as i walk through most department stores & grocery stores the isles are packed with 5 or more of the same item. take for example laundry detergent. there is an entire isle in the store full of detergents with 15 or more scents, some with bleach added, some powder, some liquid, different sizes, etc. --- give me a break --- i just need laundry detergent. do we really need that many choices? does what type of laundry detergent we buy say something about "who" we are?

maybe i'm a bit of a socialist but i'd be just as happy as i was when i was a kiddo in school. remember when you got a list of what you needed for school? i'd be more than happy if i got my home supplies determined for me based off the square footage of my home, number of rooms, bedrooms, pets, number of people living in the space, etc. just ship me my supplies once a month & let's call it good. does anyone really enjoy shopping for groceries, cleaning supplies, or anything at stores like walmart, target, etc.?

i think what's happening in the retail market right now is more than just some economic disaster. it's a sign of excess being cleaned up. we never needed so many retail stores to begin with. it's urban sprawl to the extreme.

what scares me most right now is what will come of these big & empty stores (warehouses). will our strip malls begin to look like ghost towns? how long will these building that don't have any architectural character sit emtpy? if i had my choice i'd like to see them all torn down & have them replaced with parks & the wild/natural areas they once were.

i could go on & on about this. so many parts of retail frustrate me. maybe i should just say, oh goodie thanks for the e-mail b/c now i won't buy a gift card (what kind of gift is that anyway - tis this season to be shopping versus finding something that will have some meaning to someone) from one of these stores.

while i'm hating on shopping for the holidays for a moment. has anyone else noticed how quick the retailers have moved to hang christmas lights, reefs, etc.? can't we wait for thanksgiving to pass before putting this stuff up? if you are a UT fan you have to wonder if the UT/ATM game was moved this year from the day after thanksgiving (black friday) to thanksgiving day so no one (to include men) have an excuse for not being out shopping.

bah humbug :)

my take on dubai

2008-11-18T20:06:00.000-08:00

i was in dubai for work & as far as a work trip goes it was great. as for a hot travel destination, my recommendation is that you save your money & time. dubai was much like a vegas w/out casinos, it's a non-walking city, unless you were shopping at a local market you weren't getting any type of deal, & the hot restaurants & bars were full of waiting lists & food & drink minimums. i'm tired of wasting my time talking about dubai so i'll wrap things up with a quick list of my take on dubai:

- it's not a walking city
- so much construction!
- outside of traditional items, nothing is cheap!
- the cost of a coffee is the same as a cappuccino or latte - $4 to $5 bucks
- traffic is horrific
- it's a safe place
- unique smells (good & bad)
- you can find hummus & french fries on every menu
- the amount of construction workers are insane
- strict laws
- it all started with the crowne plaza dubai
- a rail is badly needed; it's under construction
- most good restaurants/bars have minimums on what you spend
- alcohol is super expensive!
- it's all about having the biggest mall, building, island, just fill in the blank.

london surprised us both

2008-11-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

kristin & i weren't sure what to make of london. we'd talked about going to london in the past but neither of us had any real desire to make those discussions a reality. there were still so many great destinations in this world that we'd yet to enjoy & london simply didn't rank high enough on our list to deserve it's own trip.

my take on london was pretty simple. it was a big city, much like a NY for example with the downside of everything being two to three times more expensive. kristin & i also had a horrific layover in heathrow when returning from prague a couple years back & ever since we've had a bad taste for london.

the good news is that our trip to dubai landed us in london & we decided to give london a go for a couple of days. the outcome was that we both loved it. granted we spent a lot of time in/out of different pubs, but we both really dug the history, the city, & the people.

from the moment we hopped in a cab from paddington station to our hotel we were hit with the common question from the locals, "are you both happy about obama?" regardless of whether we were in a cab, a pub, or a restaurant there was a happy stir about obama just winning the election back home. it made us both feel really good that our UN friends were as happy about obama as we were.

beyond the drinking at the pubs & obama talk we took a ride on london's eye, watched the changing of the guard at buckingham palace, experienced the typical dark & rainy weather london offers, we enjoyed tea & coffee at some local eateries, we walked through both st. james & hyde park, & we saw big ben which reminded us that we needed to get out of town & catch our flights to dubai.

in the future we'd both like to use london as a transition point for a couple of days before reaching our final european destination. i'm thinking greece, ireland, &/or istanbul will be where we travel next in europe. before europe we owe a visit to south america (chile, peru, brazil, &/or argentina).

wiping the posting slate clean

2008-11-16T20:32:00.000-08:00

personal blogging has slowed for reasons you would imagine - time is precious & blogging simply doesn't rank. even though i'm not blogging regularly i often think of all the interesting & fun topics that i would like to write about. as a result i found myself creating a list of topics (beginning feb '08 - oct. '08) that i hoped i would one day return to write about. the list of topics has grown to almost 100 & knowing that it will continue to grow further & cause me even more frustration i decided to share my "to blog about" list with you in a single blog post. the majority of these thoughts are just one liners on the topic & a quick reference to where the thought originated from, while a few are almost finished posts.

anyhow, i'm happy to wipe my posting plate clean (minus the two pending about our london/dubai/chicago trip we just returned home from) & i hope you find a little humor & interesting points within my list.

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pick your battles (reference to something mitchell pointed out to me related to trash in the office)

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show attire – jeans & sport coat versus the traditional business suit (reference to what folks wear at tech conferences (mobilize08 for example) & why i prefer this style of dress)

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IVRs versus scripted customer service agents (reference to how an IVR can actually provide a better customer experience than CS agents who just read through a scripted list & have no personality)

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food photo log – – dinner (reference to my way of sharing foodie experiences)

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title: cereal has become a food group

i had a fun conversation with some friends this past friday while eating lunch at the clay pit. the conversation was about cereal & how 3 out of the 4 of us at the table saw cereal as a staple in our diet.

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apartment raised dogs (reference to the behaviors of dogs that live in apartments & how it's correlated to the demographic of folks living in apartments)

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3^rd story apartment move-ins (reference to the inconveniences of apartment stairs)

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lucky to be raking leaves (reference to brent describing what it means to him to be thankful)

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title: 7 years later

these past 7 years with you have taught me…

year 1 – what i thought was fun really wasn’t healthy for the long term

year 2 – learning to share

year 3 – respect

year 4 – not to take each other for granted & to communicate

year 5 – how

year 6 – the importance of traveling the world together

year 7 – together we can control our destiny & that you are my biggest fan & supporter

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stumbling on happiness (reference to how happiness can appear when you least expect it)

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title: first time in salt lake city

all & all i wasn't to impressed with salt lake city, utah. the focus of the trip of course wasn't to "enjoy" the city, rather to learn as much as i could about the outdoor retail business. as far as that effort is concerned the trip was a huge success.

for the past couple of years roland has attended the outdoor retailer show & i had remarked that it sounded like a good time. roland knowing that i would enjoy the vibe of such a show, all the free health bar swag (probably too much), & the opportunity to feed the entrepreneur spirit within me invited me along this year.

the show was great & really opened my eyes to the business of being a retailer. regardless of industry, retailers are offered goods at a minimum of 35% less than the product will retail for. it seems the smaller the product, the higher the profit margin. along those same terms, the more you buy the greater the discount. the next time i purchase cliff bars for example i will try & block out the fact that the place I am buying them from most likely paid $0.35 to $0.45 cents for them.

of course the retailer needs to make profit b/c he/she has to pay to keep the lights on, pay salaries, pay for insurance, pay rent, etc. i know running a retail shop isn't a sure fire plan to make it rich & like anything else there are risks involved. if it was so easy to prosper in this business we would all be doing it.

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if at first you don’t succeed (reference to a story that aired on CBS sunday morning 2008/08/03)

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how low does ford's stock have to go before they'll see the light (reference to an article in the WSJ titled, "finally, ford sees the light"

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title: are imported cars just better?

i don't watch a lot of nascar (anymore). as of today, july 24th 2008 the nascar leader board according to car manufacturer is as follows:

points wins

toyota 124 8

chevrolet 105 4

ford 99 3

dodge 90 4

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never know who you are going to touch (reference to the leukemia & lymphoma society & someone i met at the gym who had survived leukemia)

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but i tried didn’t i, GD. at least i did that. (reference to a quote i read somewhere about trying)

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title: surprise food find in ORD

just as i begin to think there is no hope for finding anything descent to eat in airports i find myself enjoying a wonderfully prepared meal in chicago’s ohare airport.

i can’t even complain about the price. i think $16 bucks (plus tax & tip) for a nice piece of salmon, 5 nice sized pieces of broccoli, & 5 asparaguses that are cooked very well is reasonable. maybe, i’m just becoming immune to the prices of food when travelling… last week i was charged $19 bucks at the hotel breakfast buffet for which i had a bowl of cereal, fruit, & coffee. just two days ago i paid $14 dollars for a turkey bagel sandwich with no cheese!

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starbucks says sorry in the right way (reference to starbucks apologizing for loosing gift card balances for a day & then sending every card holder a free bag of espresso beans)

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title: hotel gyms

hotel gyms are not the best place to workout, but they at least provide you a free way of getting free water & fruit (apples) while on the road.

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i didn’t know that tucson stood for “the lack of possessing color & life” (reference to the lack of color i saw while in tuscon in april of this year)

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free espresso & apple & bread just by being friendly (reference to a free treat a barista at starbucks gave me just for being friendly)

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starbucking (reference to a movie about a dude who attempted to visit every SB in the world)

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dear starbucks, (reference to a letter i began to write (obviously didn't get to far) to starbucks about them not offering plain soy milk & their new & crappy ice drink tops that crush the straws)

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a casa de luz in san francisco (reference to ananda fuara)

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what you can do with the iPhone (reference to all the things i was able to accomplish with my iPhone in an hour)

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siphon coffee at the blue bottle (reference to my love for the siphon coffee made at the blue bottle coffee company in san francisco)

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only three timewarner women technicians (reference to a conversation i had with a super friendly CS agent at TWC)

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schlotzsky’s 5K run w/ the family (reference to my race experience with my family to include my mom who just ran her first 5K the week prior)

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coffee shop review (reference to me beginning to write a coffee shop review only blog)

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title: mom, the runner!

yesterday, april 5th 2008 my mom (sandra) kicked some butt! she ran the seaton soles 5K & took 2nd place in her age group. after my folks came down to watch kristin & i run the 3M 1/2 marathon in january of this year my mom decided she wanted to start running.

after returning home (garland) from austin, she immediately bought a real pair of running shoes & signed up with run on, a local running group in plano. she began meeting with the group 3 times a week & was loving every minute of it. my mom has always maintained a very strict diet (she's the reason why i don't eat sweets) & maintained a love for...

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kristin’s bday (reference to the good times i enjoyed with kristin on her 28th bday)

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title: value of your purchases

casa breakfast vs. a traditional café latte or a $2 smoothie or a $1 coffee at lift.

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starbucks as a business (reference to how evaluating starbucks provides a plethora of business material)

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30% more time to first-borns (reference to an article that suggested that parents give 30% more time to first-borns than there other children)

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title: the B’s of interviewing

a fellow t3er posted a question to the t3 message board the other day on a topic unrelated to triathlon training. he has a friend who is going to interview for a personal trainer position at pure austin (a locally owned gym here in austin – kristin & i workout at pure) & she was asking about what the appropriate dress attire for such a position warranted.

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male synchronized swimmer in the olympics (reference to a story about a male synchronized swimmer who is on a women's only team)

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spin on obama following race speech courtesy of FOX news (reference to just how bad FOX news can be)

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title: just living in a city isn’t enough

moving back into austin proper was the best move for kristin & i yet. each day of the week is treated differently all due to our new location. while owning a big brand new home in round rock had its perks from time-to-time it did not satisfy our active, healthy, & adventurous life styles.

kristin now works downtown for starters & can drive to work & home in less than 10 minutes each way. we can both make it to the lake in less than 10 minutes. we’ve discovered new restaurants all around us. we are getting to know the neighbors. we were able to get a dog because it’s now possible to swing home during the day to let him out. we can bike run from our house, running in this area is great too. we can walk to coffee shops, restaurants, & bars. our grocery shopping is now pleasurable versus painful.

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nokia food (reference to the food we had while visiting with nokia earlier this year in NY)

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nokia offices (reference to impressive nokia officies in NY)

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dd1 (reference to something that i don't even remember anymore)

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why is resting so hard? (reference to it being difficult for me to rest)

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title: ironman training time – i want my hour back!

today turned out to be a much longer than expected training day. i woke at 5:15AM & did not return home from training until 5:30PM...

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military rank pay vs. the corporate system (reference to the pros & cons of the corporate structure following the military structure for pay & rank)

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floating plastic island (reference to the debri/trash in the ocean that has accumulated to form a small island.

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postum (reference to the coffee substitute that is no longer sold in the states)

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malachi 3:10 (reference to this chapter/passage in the bible)

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title: addicted to being honest…

i was just faced w/ having to present a very bad review to one of my employees (who is also one of my best friends) & it turned out to be one of the most liberating experiences of my life. i was quite nervous & anxious about this review & it turned out to be my high of the day. how good it feels to be honest & open w/ people. my employee (i think of him as a friend first) responded so well & actually was very appreciative of the feedback. it was amazing how it helped not only our professional, but personal relationship too. i recently read an article in the new york post…

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austin makes you happy (reference to how austin really does rock)

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new gravel dropped at the trail (reference to the simple things that make me happy)

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6AM concert in austin? (reference to a concert that i noticed during an early morning run w/ ed)

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the netflix game (reference to the game kristin & play with watching & returning DVDs to netflix)

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delorean’s in humble texas (reference to a company in humble, TX that restores deloreans)

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on my way home from dallas wednesday i passed this restaurant in temple called BJ’s brewhouse (reference to the name of this place, i don't buy the answer they gave me for naming this place BJ's)

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don’t judge a person by looks alone (reference to a person i met on a plane)

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vita spelt wins! (reference to my own pasta taste/health off)

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title: the best pinot noir to date

last night kristin & i enjoyed the best pinot noir to date. it was a bottle of 2003...

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office fax machines (reference to being the only guy in the office that knows how to work it)

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title: athlete hangout

i had my first visit to performance wellness this past friday. my left cheek (not on my face) was giving me grief. the pain/stiffness had become...

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president maybe? (reference to the likelihood that obama will win the election)

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SOCO on a saturday night (reference night out with eduardo/jennifer & eryn/alex)

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own your city (reference to running early in the morning)

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working(out) from the gym (reference to how i brought my work with me to the gym)

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jesus on our tree (reference to kristin seeing jesus's face on the trunk of our tree in rosedale)

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single ply = BIG mistake (reference to the trouble i was in for brining home single ply TP)

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monarch – apartments, homes, apartments (reference to the loft market here in austin)

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carbotarian or vegetarian (reference to how i see most vegetarians as people who eat a lot of carbs, cheese, & sugar & not a lot of veggies)

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interesting new years resolution – don’t knock yourself (reference to something angela gave up in 2008)

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grub after a swim (reference to how hungry you are after a long & hard morning swim)

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title: healthy vegetarian indian curry dish

it’s quickly becoming a favorite for us. at least once every two weeks we have this super healthy vegetarian indian curry dish. it’s super spicy (just the way we like it!) & also very good for you (considering it’s curry & most curry dishes are super fatty).

we all know coconut milk can be heavy, yet it is super healthy for you too so what we do is buy the lite version so it isn’t as "bad" for you. we also use brown basamati rice which helps add to the nutritional value (& fiber). the tofu rocks because it just absorbs all those wonderful indian spices & because it is so high in protein i love the stuff. we usually make a large pot so we each have enough for one dinner & then one left over lunch for me.

ingredients that go into this dish:

- 2 whole packages of firm tofu

- 1 cup of brown basamati rice

- ½ a can of lite coconut milk

- 1 cup of fat free vanilla yogurt

- 1 – 2 chopped up mangos

- & as much indian spice as you like!

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roasted nuts (reference to a discussion i had with brent about nuts loosing their nutritional values during the roasting process)

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ironman nutrition - calories, calories, & more calories! (reference to the amount of food it takes to fill an ironman)

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title: recycling made simple

- use paper towels instead of plates

- re-use paper bags

- re-use plastic bags

- wash plastic forks

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the four P's (reference to covey describing items as pressing, proximate, pleasant, orå popular)

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volunteering (reference to the importance of giving back)

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title: car buying pattern for males

age:

16 – 18

18 – 22

23 – 24

25 – 29

30 – 34

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italian dinner at home (reference to an amazing italian dinner we made at home)

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title: me & my cell phones

as far as electronic devices, cell phones are turning into...

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history of the name kirk (reference to tracing back my family name)

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title: constructive criticism leads to free stuff

in the past month i’ve been pleasantly surprised by the response i’ve received from a few business for which i’ve given them some constructive criticism on my experience working with them.

it started first with california pizza kitchen i met my friend amber there for lunch a couple of months ago. we both ordered pizza with honey wheat crust. when our pizzas arrived neither of them had honey wheat crust on them. so the waitress offered to leave us with these non-honey wheat crust pizzas free of charge & would make us two honey wheat crusts as we ordered to go. i wasn’t feeling much like eating a pizza i didn’t want so the waitress then brought us two cups of complimentary soups & still boxed up the plain crust pizzas to go. my friend amber took them home. this isn’t the whole story though… about two weeks later i receive a card in the mail from cpk apologizing for their service & in the card was a gift card for a free pizza. so i sat down for two pizzas & ending up getting 5 pizzas (3 of them free) & 2 free bowls of soup just because a cook could read the waiter’s order. talk about a company going above & beyond for their customer.

similar story to the previous… kristin & i went to fago de chao which just opened here in austin for dinner. the food was great (assuming you like lots of meat), the décor of the restaurant was pleasing, & the service was perfect. the only flaw was the valet service for which fago de chao out sources. after dinner we waited close to 30 minutes for our car. see the above picture of kristin & many other chilly austinites waiting outside for their car. i even asked the valet if i could just have the keys & i’d get the car myself. i was told that you need a special parking pass to exit the parking garage & that i just needed to wait. the next morning i sent a nice e-mail to fago de chao explaining that everything was great minus their valet service & that they’ll need to get that piece of their operation working if they want happy clients. first thing monday morning i received a phone call from a representative of fago de chao explaining that they appreciated the feedback, that they’ve already begun working with their valet service to correct things, & that they take full responsibility for what happened. to close, they sent me a free lunch for two.

the last story, which just happened today & is the reason why i thought to write this entry, is a call i got from a representative at ESI international (www.esi-intl.com)...

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title: public bathrooms, office refrigerators, & craigslist

what do public bathrooms, office refrigerators, & craigslist have in common? they are places that we can *all* use & for which no one takes responsibility for taking care of. ever wonder why cities have so few public bathrooms, parks, etc… it’s because folks abuse them & they cost the city to much to keep them clean.

i gave up on using the office refrigerator over a year ago. i purchased a small fridge for my office because i couldn’t stand the mess of the office refrigerator. just last week, i told the guys in the office that everything in the fridge was being tossed & that if it got like this again we’d get rid of the refrigerator altogether. upon rob cleaning out the fridge for everyone the photo connected to this post is of lunch meat that was over 7 months old, a container full of lasagna & a PB&J sandwich with more bacteria growing on them than what you’d find in a typical science laboratory.

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austin gazelles (reference to what a great group of runners make up this group)

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plumbing story (reference to the benefits of renting vs. owning when things such as a leaky kitchen sink at rosedale turned into a $1,600 problem)

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city top tens (reference of top10 "things" a city has to offer)

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walking/driving to starbucks in the domain (reference to how walking to the domain is much easier & almost as fast as driving to the domain from our offices)

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starbucks vs. dunken donuts (reference to no only the business differences, but the demographics of who goes where)

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running at townlake – early morning (reference to rocky)

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no customer service at continental airlines

2008-10-16T23:30:00.000-07:00

this is most likely the longest post i’ve written to date on this blog. the crappy service that continental provided me today really got under my skin. if you don’t have the time or don’t want to read the entirety of this post i understand; i know i probably wouldn’t either. this post was more for me as i needed to get these thoughts out of my head & on to paper. also, i’m writing this while on a plane r& don’t have much else to do :)

just yesterday i wrote about how great continental airlines' service was. two days later & i’m telling a completely different story.

i left the IBM executive conference center at 2:45 PM today in order to make it to laguardia airport for my 5:05 PM flight from NY to houston & finally on to austin. i arrived at laguardia around 3:40; one hour & 25 minutes prior to my flight departing which is super early for me. i immediately headed to continental’s self check-in service when a continental booking agent approached me to ask if i was connecting through houston. i responded yes & she continued to tell me that because of bad weather, all flights to houston had been delayed for at least 2-hours. i actually didn’t mind hearing the news too much. of course it sucked, but i’d just plant myself on the computer & get some work done, makes some calls, etc.

because of the delay, i was told to proceed to the long line of folks waiting in the main check-in line to be informed of the bad news to come. when i reached the counter after about a 15-minute wait i was still quite cool about the whole situation. then the continental agent informed me that because of the delay i would miss my connecting flight from houston to austin & that i’d have to spend the night in houston. on top of that, continental wasn’t going to compensate me the cost of a hotel room because the delay was due to bad weather which is out of continental’s control.

i asked if there was any other flight i could take tonight that would get me to austin. not only did i want to get home to see kristin & sleep in my own bed for a change; kristin & i are leaving for san francisco the very next morning & i couldn’t afford to miss that flight. the agent then informed me that there was a direct flight to austin leaving [insert mumble followed by flight number] at 7:40 & that if i could make it there on time she would book me on that flight. without hesitation, i nodded my head & said thank you & i was out the door – by this time it was 4:20 PM.

i grabbed this first taxi i saw outside & told him i needed to get to JFK. about half way to JFK the driver, who couldn’t speak very good english (what a surprise) asked me which airline. i told him continental. he seemed puzzled & asked again, what airline. i responded again, “continental.” he kind of shrugged & went about driving.

when we arrived at JFK the driver asked which terminal i was leaving from. i said i’m not sure, all i know is that i’m flying continental. low & behold we finally saw continental on a sign for terminal 4 which was good because terminal 4 was the last of the 4 terminals at JFK. i paid the driver $32.50 & headed into the terminal. before messing with checking in i quickly called kristin to let her know i made it. then i called mitchell to talk about some project work at the office. i was on the phone with mitchell for a solid 30 minutes when i let him go. i began looking for the continental desk when i noticed that the majority of airlines in terminal 4 were foreign carriers. i headed towards the one continental terminal which was closed. by that time i realized something was wrong & that i was at the wrong terminal.

i hopped on the phone to continental to find out which terminal my flight was leaving from. after hanging on hold for 5 minutes, i was connected to an agent who began looking for my flight info. since i didn’t have a flight number or reservation number it was a bit more difficult. i even began thinking that maybe the agent back at laguardia booked me on another carrier & that was why finding the continental terminal was so difficult. a few minutes into my conversation my connection dropped – damn cell phones/AT&T network!

i dialed continental again & was again put on hold for about 7 minutes. when the agent answered this time i was telling my story to a much friendlier agent than the first one that answered the phone. this new agent quickly found my flight information & that’s when she gave me the bad news – my flight which was still a continental flight was leaving out of newark airport, not JFK. by this time it was around 5:45 PM & my flight was leaving at 7:40 PM - 1 hour & 55 minutes away, no problem right?

i ran out the door of the JFK airport bound for the newark airport. i hopped in a long line of folks waiting for cabs. as i was working my way toward the front of the line some dude for a car service was running around trying to get people to take his service instead of the cabs. i asked him how much he would charge as a flat rate to newark & he said $125 plus he wanted me to pay for the tolls. i told him no & he immediately dropped his price to $100 plus i pay tolls. i again told him no. he then said OK, $100 bucks flat, no tolls but i must pay him with cash. i told him all i had was credit card. when i got about three people away from the front of the taxi line i asked the curb-check how much a taxi was going to cost me to newark. he said $120 bucks easily. i hopped out of line & went after the car service dude because i thought if i could save a few bucks why not. Plus the car service would be nicer than a taxi & the driver might even speak english. i told him flat out that i’d give him $100 flat (no tolls), that i would take care of the driver (even with a solid 20% tip it would cost less or just as much as a taxi) & he’d have to accept a credit card. he reluctantly agreed & i hopped in a nice black lincoln town car headed for newark.

i told the driver my situation & that my flight departed at 7:40 PM. he said as long as traffic wasn’t too bad we’d probably be there around 7:00 PM. i wasn’t surprised when traffic turned out to be a mess. i mean it was rush hour in NY & i was heading from one busy airport to another. i proceeded to just make work calls during the drive until about 6:55 PM when i called kristin to let her know it wasn’t looking good. i then called continental to see what other options i had in case i missed this direct flight to austin. they informed me that i could still catch a later flight (8:15 PM) that would get me to houston, but i’d have to take a flight in the morning to austin. this of course was the same situation i was in 3 hours ago in laguardia. so now i’d made all this effort & was still going to end up in houston tonight & i’d be out $150 for the cabs plus another $150 for a hotel room in houston.

around 7:10 PM the driver & i (we became good friends at this point) finally came out of the tunnel between NY & jersey the roads opened up. it was awesome; the driver was doing 90 MPH down the road trying to get me to my flight. to add to the excitement & what i found to be a bit funny was that the driver handed me the credit card machine to scan my own credit card & fill out the paperwork in an effort to save time. we finally pulled in to the continental terminal at 7:20 PM. i tipped the driver $20 bucks & he wished me good luck & a safe flight home.

i immediately ran to a continental self check-in terminal & began entering my information. the machine told me that it couldn’t print my boarding pass & that i’d have to see an agent. again, there was a long line in front of the counter & this time i just skipped the line. i walked up to the closest agent desk & simply said, “i really need your help.” to my surprise the agent could have cared less about my situation; she was playing this one by the books. she said she couldn’t print my boarding pass for the direct flight to austin because i was within the 30 minute window prior to departure time. i pleaded my case about all the hassle i went through, the cost of the cab fair, etc. & she wasn’t having it. i even asked if she would just print up my boarding pass & if i couldn’t make it to the gate in time then i’d rebook to the houston flight. she said she couldn’t do it though.

i conceded to the houston flight because that was my only choice. when i asked for continental to compensate me with a room in houston, the agent said she couldn’t but she would ask a “supervisor.” i thought for sure the “supervisor” would take care of me & understand all that i had just been through. then a dark cloud appeared & the meanest customer service supervisor appeared before me. talk about someone that could care less, she immediately began typing at the computer & told me there was no way she was going to compensate me with a room. i asked about alternative airlines or maybe a flight to dallas instead of houston so i could avoid the hotel costs by staying with my folks. she said houston overnight was my only option other than staying in newark for the night.

she then began booking my flight to houston & then to austin in the morning. she then lifted her head away from focusing on the computer & she looked at me & said that unfortunately i was now again within the 30 minute booking window & now i was going to have to spend the night in newark. this is when i lost it & said i wasn’t going to accept that; especially since i’d been in front of the other agent & now her for a solid 20 minutes discussing flights. she dropped her head & just began typing away. she then, against her will, booked me on the houston flight & handed me my boarding pass.

i then headed to security which was basically empty. i was thinking to myself that i surely good have made that austin direct flight if they would have just printed my boarding pass when i first walked up to the counter instead of adhering to that damn 30 minute rule. i proceeded to search out some grindz because i had not eaten since lunch. i checked out a few places before settling on a bottle of water & two cliff bars – one hell of a dinner huh?

as i was walking toward my gate i glanced up at the flight departure board & i noticed a continental flight to austin was NOW BOARDING. i took off running to gate 105 where the flight was leaving from. i nearly screamed with joy when i noticed the ticketing agent still at the gate & the door to the walk-way to the plane was still open. the flight was literally leaving in the next minute or two. the agent grabbed my boarding passes & hastily began scanning them while i was telling her that these boarding passes were for another flight. she got super frustrated & even after i told her all that had happened she said that this flight had to leave now & that she couldn’t hold the plane up to re-ticket me.

at this point i really wanted to just go off on this chic. she threw my tickets down & said there was nothing she could do & then proceeded to walk down to the plane & close the door behind her. what really frustrated me about this whole thing was that the agents down at the front desk obviously knew that this plane wasn’t leaving on time & given its new departure time of 8:05 PM i was well outside of the 30 minute rule that prevented them from printing my boarding passes in the first place.

the gate attendant then came bounding back from the plane & through the door & she said her boss told her that she couldn’t do anything (she didn’t apologize or anything). as she was telling me this a younger male continental agent was arriving at the gate; probably for the next flight. the female agent that had told me no then took head back down to the plane. i looked at the younger continental agent, shook my head, & said i can’t believe this is happening like this after all i’d been through to make this flight. he looked back at me & said don’t worry about it. he took my tickets for the houston flight & just threw them on his desk & he proceeded to unlock & open the door to the jet way leading to the plane & told me to have a nice flight. wow! what a cool dude & someone that puts the customer’s best interest before any damn company policy that is ridiculous to begin with.

when i reached the plane the chic that had told me i couldn't get on this flight was standing with the other flight attendants laughing & looked to be drinking a coke. i looked at her, shrugged my shoulders, smiled, & proceeded to board the plane. there is a good chance that my name was never put on that flight roster.

the plane then sat at the terminal for 10 more minutes before backing up & heading to the taxi way. when we arrived at the taxi way the pilot's voice came on over the speakers & he announced that there were 27 other planes in front of us & that it would be 30 – 35 minutes before we would be taking off. it was 9:05 PM when we got in the air (exactly 4 hours after my original flight was supposed to leave). to think that if i wouldn’t have looked up on that departure board & had seen that this flight hadn’t left yet & then to have this plane not even get in the air until 9:00 PM still pisses me off big time.

i still can’t believe that this same airline was the one i was profusely complementing not much more than 48 hours ago. now, they fall right in the same crappy category as american airlines. granted, continental can’t control the weather or long taxi lines, but i dealt with 2 agents & 1 “supervisor” who treated me like crap & who could have cared less about the time & cash i’d lost today just trying to get home.

my airline shopping continues again tomorrow when i take a southwest flight to san francisco. i’m keeping my fingers crossed & really hoping that southwest doesn't let me down too.

a commitment to speed – update 1

2008-10-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

i ran on the treadmill at pure austin last night while also watching the browns beat up on the giants; i feel sorry for you giant fans.

i did 3-miles in 0:28:16 which is 8 minutes faster than i did it sunday night at town lake when i made the commitment to go sub 18 minutes in the 3-mile. i’ve got an additional 10 minutes that i still need to shave off my time.

i’ll get there, don’t you worry!

why did i ever choose american airlines?

2008-10-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

not sure why i did it, but some years ago i choose american airlines as my airline of choice. that’s where i had my miles & i continued to use american airlines to accrue more miles in hopes of one day getting a “free” flight or two.

there have been a few occasions in recent years that i’ve taken southwest & other than southwest’s relatively cheap fare i wasn’t too impressed with their service. i’m not complaining about southwest, i’m simply suggesting that it wasn’t so special that i would walk away from american airlines & more importantly the many miles i had with american. i will openly admit that i don’t like southwest’s first-come/first-served approach to boarding; probably because i’m typically running late to my flights.

this past weekend it finally came time to cash in some american airlines’ miles. kristin is joining me on a trip to dubai next month & we are paying for her ticket with miles. a few things in particular really ticked me off about the american airlines’ mile redemption process. first off, the mileage cost just increased from 75K miles to 90K miles on october 1, 2008. second, even though we aren’t flying during a peak time, only a small number of advantage spots exist on their schedule so we were forced into a flight itinerary that neither of us really wanted. lastly, because the flights that american had available include a british airways flight we had to call our reservation in & as a result we were charged a $20 booking fee because an operator booked our reservation. i complained about this $20 booking fee as high as i could go in the american airline organization & no matter who i spoke with i couldn’t have the fee waived. how ridiculous is it that there are no other options for booking these flights & then american charges you for it?

today’s flight on continental really had me wondering why i have put up with such poor service from american airlines. both my flight to houston & to new york were practically empty. i had an isle to myself on both flights in fact. the interior of the continental planes were much cleaner & better kept than any american airlines’ plane i’ve been on in 5 years & i’ve been flying a lot & have seen my fair share of american airlines’ planes. both of my flights on continental were on time today, while almost every american airlines flight i’ve flown in the past year has been delayed for some reason or another. continental offered a movie on the longer flight from houston to new york, a “free” lunch (cheeseburger & salad that i didn’t take), & the flight staff toured the cabin 4 times asking if i wanted anything else to drink.

the service that i received today on continental was the total opposite of the service that american airlines offer. not only does american ding you for every little thing (baggage, food, booking fees, etc.), they are for the most part rude & could care less about making you a happy customer.

going forward i’m going to try & not marry myself to any one particular airline & i plan on doing some airline “shopping” so i have the right perspective on what level of service i’m getting when i fly. i can already confidently say that american airlines does *not* know how to do it.

a commitment to speed

2008-10-12T18:32:00.000-07:00

call it a reality check, a wake-up call, whatever you want to call it – it hit me in the face this evening. i “ran” town lake as a way of wrapping up my weekend. one last opportunity to clear my head & raise my heart rate before the hectic work we begins again.

i started out feeling a bit stiff & i knew i was moving slow, but i would have never have guessed that it would take me 0:36:16:61 to finish a 3-mile loop. i felt like absolute dog crap when i finished my run. i knew right then that this “out-of-shape” phase of my life had to end.

kristin has been saying it for months & i’m finally listening. i need a race, i need a goal, i need something to drive me & push me to get back in the groove.

so this is it – i’m setting my own goal. not an ironman, not a marathon, not a century… i’m going back to the basics. back to where i started – the 3-mile. i’m not going to be competing with the likes of steve prefontaine; however, i’ll be competing with my own kirk record.

while stationed in hawaii i nailed a sub 18-minute 3-mile run a few times. that was over 10 years ago & it’s been a while since i’ve moved that fast. so that’s it, that’s what i’m chasing – a sub 18 minute 3-mile run. i’m giving myself 3-months to complete this goal. so come january 12, 2008 ask me if i’ve accomplished my commitment to speed.

craigslist powers ACL

2008-09-28T18:09:00.000-07:00

for the past few weeks i've been tossing around the idea of heading out to ACL this weekend. i've never been & with my bro from hawaii (bryan) moving to austin this weekend i thought for sure we'd have a blast at ACL this weekend. ACL sort of reminds me of the big mele in hawaii (huge outdoor music event with multiple BIG name bands).

this wednesday kristin scored two free ACL tickets for sunday & a day later she scored us two tickets (not free) tickets to the UT versus arkansas football game. talk about a sweet weekend in austin!

when bryan arrived friday we took him & bryan's good friend monica to manuels for some pupus (hawaiian for appetizers) & drinks at manuels in the arboretum. we then took the windy tour down 360 to maudies for dinner & drinks outside. jennifer & eduardo joined us for dinner too!

saturday was a blast. the game was over by the end of the 1st quarter though. the horns smashed the razorbacks; final score was 52 - 10. texas put their 2nd string team in before the 3rd quarter was over actually. after the game, bryan & i cruised over to opal divines for a beer & then we headed home. kristin cooked up orange ruffy for dinner & we washed it all done with some red bridge gluten free beer (see celiac disease).

bryan & i slept in late (7:20 AM) this morning, but kristin was up before the sun & hit the trail to knock out a half marathon. we took payton out for some exercise where he showed us his wings (long & scary story) & then we returned home to watch what was left of the CBS sunday morning show & then i made up omelets for breakfast.

around 11AM, bryan had to head out to meet up with a realtor in hopes of scoring a new pad for he & the family (carol & kasey). kristin & i started working on bills/budget & before we knew what happened the 2nd round of sunday football was starting. around 4PM we took of for some bird grub & on the way we stopped off at bone daddy's (kristin lost a bet & owed me a beer) for a quick drink. we then cruised to the bird to fill our bellys & by the time we returned home it was 6:30 PM. the bears game was starting in a few & i had to get up early the next morning to head to houston for an executive retreat & there were only a couple of bands left to see at ACL by this time (gnarles barkley & the foo fighters).

believe it or not we decided just to cash in & stay at home to watch the bears game & relax before this next week started. in an effort to get something for these tickets i quickly posted an ad "2x ACL tickets for $20 - still time to catch the foo fighters & gnarles barkley" to craigslist. within 30-minutes of posting i had 5 people e-mailing me for them. in less than an hour i had them sold to two UT college dudes who had driven here from central austin. by the time i had come back to the house to tear down the ad from craigslist i had 10 more e-mails asking if i still had the tickets available.

it's crazy how people are watching craigslist & are that quick to move on something. with craigslist, it's a wonder that anyone ever throws anything away or has a garage sale. as soon as you decide you don't want/need something anymore, just throw it on craigslist. regardless of what it is, it is sure to sell. one man's trash, another man's treasure.

food photo log – thu, sep 18, 2008 – dinner

2008-09-18T23:24:00.003-07:00

place: market bar
location: san francisco, CA
companionship: solo (assuming iPhone doesn’t count)

the food:
- appetizer: n/a
- main course: seared ahi tuna tonnato w/ helga beans, tomato, & shallots
- sides: spinach & forest mushrooms
- drink: 1-pint/750mL of Pellegrino
- dessert: n/a

restaurant décor: 2
restaurant chatter/scene: 2
restaurant service: 1
meal taste: 2
meal presentation: 1

price before tip: $38.00

rating scale: 1 – fantastic, 2 – just OK, 3 – horrible

food photo log – wed, sep 17, 2008 – dinner

2008-09-18T23:24:00.002-07:00

place: the slanted door
location: san francisco, CA
companionship: trevor, karthik, & neil (nick met us at the bar after dinner)

the food:
- appetizer: dozen oysters, alaskan black cod roll, daikon rice cakes with shitake mushrooms & shallots, & a green papaya salad w/ tofu, rau ram, & roasted peanuts
- main course: niman ranch shaking beef, chicken claypot, & oven roasted alaskan halibut
- sides: see dinner menu
- drink: zinfandel, dashe, mcfadden farms, potter valley, 2007 & blue bottle pressed coffee
- dessert: ruby port poached figs w/ hazelnuts & spicy chocolate & house made ginger ice cream

restaurant décor: 1
restaurant chatter/scene: 1
restaurant service: 2
meal taste: 1
meal presentation: 1

price before tip: $200+ but i don’t know the exact price

rating scale: 1 – fantastic, 2 – just OK, 3 – horrible

brian is beginning a food photo log

2008-09-18T23:24:00.001-07:00

i enjoy really good food for fueling the body & the heart. i’m not sure why, but for years now i’ve been taking pics of a good number of my meals. every now & then i’ll post a pic online, but the good majority of them just end up on my PC & after some number of months pass i can’t remember when i had the meal, who i was with, or whether or not i even enjoyed the meal. so in an effort to give a little love back to radarhill (given my absence since starting our corporate blog) i am going to take a simplistic approach of posting my food photos & providing a quick blurb about the meal.

the layout of each food photo log will read something like:

title of post: food photo log – day of week, month, date, year – (breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack)

place: where i was
location: city & state
the companionship: who i was with

the food:
- appetizer: usually soup, salad, or some tiny portion of food that costs a lot
- main course: usually the most exciting part of the meal
- sides: ya know, the things that come on the side
- drink: what i was drinking beyond standard tap water
- dessert: the sweet stuff

restaurant décor: the feel & setup of the restaurant
restaurant chatter/scene: evaluating the other diners, the vibe, & the noise level
restaurant service: usually focusing on the waiter
meal taste: self explanatory (as if the ones from above weren’t)
meal presentation: everything from the stem ware to how the meal looked

price before tip: i figure why not include how much it costs to eat these meals

rating scale: 1 – fantastic, 2 – just OK, 3 – horrible

i hope you enjoy my food pics as much as i enjoy taking them. i’ll kick this food photo log of with my next post from dinner at the slanted door.

banana republic can't make socks

2008-09-18T23:24:00.000-07:00

this past sunday, september 14th, kristin helped expand my wardrobe by buying me some new threads for my birthday. yes, last sunday i turned 31 & no I will not forgive "you" for forgetting to wish me a happy birthday.

one of the many new additions to my wardrobe that kristin showered me with were socks (4-pairs) from banana republic. she got me two brown pair & two black pair with fancy blue patterns on the black pair & fancy orange patterns on the brown pair. OK, the colors don’t matter actually. what matters is that i get it across to everyone that these fancy socks from banana republic suck.

initially i thought that they were great. i liked the style, how they looked, & how they felt. of course after wearing a pair for the first time i realized very quickly that the quality in these socks were crap. the diamond pattern on the pair i wore was already fraying after one wear. the threads had come apart almost entirely & i’m sure after one wash in the washing machine these socks would be in complete shambles. i’m not even going to bother trying to wear the other three pair that kris got me. instead i am going to return all four pair to banana republic & let them know how disappointed i am in their quality, especially given the $8.50 price tag per pair.

banana republic may offer great shirts, pants, & other items of clothing, but when it comes to socks they really suck (i could have written stink things up instead of suck, but i can’t bear to sink that low in my writing, not yet anyway).

don't be fooled by the corn refiners association

2008-09-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

i saw one of the two new commercials released by the corn refiners association (CFA) while in the gym last week & i wanted to punch the goof-ball actors in this commercial in the face before the ad ended. the CFA attempts to make people think that high fructose corn syrup isn’t bad for you. this type of propaganda stinks something awful!

i am happy to redirect your attention to our friends over at the cleaner plate club who did a great job of responding to this piece of garbage commercial.

democratic national 4 day commercial

2008-08-28T23:57:00.000-07:00

i am amazed at the extent too which so many folks are calling this year's democratic national convention in denver, colorado so life changing, ground breaking, & such a win for the democrats.

before you begin to walk away from this post or start thinking of all the things that you want to fire back at me with because you think i'm some die hard conservative i'll let you know up front that i'm not a fan of bush, i voted for barack in the primaries, & i'll most likely vote for him again in november. so this post, while being a week early, applies to not only the DNC, but the RNC too.

i was already sick of the DNC by lunch time on monday. when NPR started interviewing speakers, congress men & women, delegates, etc. i didn't even need to see any more on the big screen. the DNC wasn't like a pep rally, it was a pep rally just for adults (or should i call them sheep)!

during the DNC there wasn't any discussion on the topics, there wasn't a single person that backed up one of their statements with a qualifying or quantifying fact. it was 4-days of commercials & one party beating up on a single man - mccain in this case. of course, mccain & crew will do the same next week to obama.

i was reading eryn's most recent blog post on this topic & i was appalled at how fascinated she was with the speech that clinton gave. it was all a big marketing campaign. i wouldn't call anyone who got up & spoke at the DNC a politician... they were all great actors & sales people in a big commercial with a mission to destroy one man.

i too enjoy a great speech & i think obama can nail them like no other. but i didn't even have the heart or stomach to take any more mccain bashing or goofy marketing messages such as "no way, no how, no mccain." by the team obama finally made an appearance.

this one bugged me too --- yesterday morning NPR interviewed this governor (wish i could remember his name) & he was commenting on how the republicans have run nothing but a smear & fear campaign for the past 8 years & this year the democrats aren't going to let the republicans get away with it. in his very next breath he begins answering a question with a smear against mccain related to him not immediately being able to answer how many houses he owns. he used this goof on mccain's part to suggest that there was no way that mccain can be in touch with the "common" american person because he can't remember how many investment properties he owns. give the dude a break - he's got invest properties & good for him. he's not a dead beat folks! & by the way, neither is obama. if anyone took the time to look at the clinton's yearly earnings, mccain's yearly earnings, & obama's yearly earnings you'd know that they are all earning significantly more money than the "common" american.

count me out of the RNC next week & i'll circle back when mccain & obama are actually talking to each other & debating their points face to face. enough with the one-sided mud slinging 4 day commercial.

an even bigger fan of bobby flay now

2008-08-22T15:47:00.001-07:00

while in vegas this past week (no that wasn't me that you saw dressed as a gladiator) i lucked out & had dinner at mesa grill which is one of bobby flay's restaurants. there aren't many things that i enjoy about las vegas, however, i was blown away with the flavors in the dishes i enjoyed from mesa grill. i actually went for dinner & then the next day went there for lunch - that's how good this place was.

for dinner i started with the tiger shrimp + roasted garlic corn tamale with corn-cilantro sauce which was amazing. i think it's the first time i've ever enjoyed a tamale. for the main course i had the mango + spice crusted tuna steak with green peppercorn-green chile sauce + toasted pinenut cous cous. the flavors & spice from the green chiles & pinenuts complemented a beautiful piece of raw seared tuna!

the next day for lunch i started with the roasted corn soup with smoked tomato salsa. rarely do i order soup but the waiter said i had to try it. like everything else at mesa grill, the combination of spices & heat made this dish fantastic. a bit on the creamy/butter side for my tastes but given the powerful tastes i would order it again. as a main course i went with the pan roasted alaskan halibut with red chile-tomato sauce, crushed avocado + barbequed red onion. the fish was so fresh & such a nice cut too.

the presentation of the meals floored me too. i highly recommend you visit mesa grill & i can only assume that the rest of flay's restaurants are just as amazing.

the monster in me

2008-08-22T15:16:00.001-07:00

it's been a solid year since i've eaten at freebirds. kristin & i burnt ourselves out long time ago on the bird. it used to be really bad when we would eat at both freebirds & chipotle. when i learned that mcdondalds backed chipotle i had to stop going.

today for lunch i ordered the monster freebird. what i got looked more like the super monster! i actually took a bet years & years ago & was able to kick back the super monster. i wouldn't recommend anyone try this though.

this picture really puts the size of the burrito i ate in perspective. check out the 12oz cup next to that burrito.

one thing i did learn from my many years of burrito eating was to have them hold the rice. the rice is nothing but a filler & just weighs the thing down. when i order now i have the bird stuffed with grilled white chicken, black beans, & veggies only. sure i felt stuffed & a bit euphoric from all the habanero hot sauce after finishing this monster but nothing like i would have felt if i'd have ordered it with rice.

my recommendation is to go all in on the monster, just have them hold the rice & load it up with hot habanero sauce too.

my SMB goal

2008-08-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

it made me feel good when last week a buddy of mine walked up to me & handed me a flyer for a free seminar on "how to start or run a small business." eventually i do want to run my own business & it's great that my friends realize that fact & are there to support me. right now i'm enjoying my position in corporate america & working hard to learn as much as i can & to engage with as many smart people as i can come in contact with. at the same time i'm building a nest egg for the future & having lots of fun on the side.

in less than a month i'll turn 31 & i'm going to take one from a buddy's playbook. i'm going to determine 10 BIG things that i want to do before turning 40. i don't feel that i have the full top 10 right now, however, i do know that running my own business will make the list.

payton turned 1 year old

2008-08-13T14:17:00.001-07:00

it's been an awesome first year with payton. we became proud parent in december of last year so we've only had him for 8 months. he's been a treat & has become a very special member of our family. so special that we've booted one cat (poor bevo) & will soon be booting another (cubbie).

payton is a pure bred rhodesian ridgeback & he is such a good pup. not only is he good with people, he's also super cool around other dogs. like most kids (pups), he'd play all day if we let him. just this past week his buddy royal (he's a vizsla) stayed with us & the two of them were at it non-stop. i wish i had as much energy as the two of them have. no matter how much caffeine i pump into me i still can't get as wired as the two them were.

now that payton is a year old (birthday - august 5th) we can start bumping up his run mileage. so far, we've limited him to 3 & 4 miles run. the vet recommends we hold back another few months before increasing it too much. we hope to have him running 5 - 6 miles before end of year & next year kristin wants to take him with her for a half marathon.

we are really looking forward to year number 2 with payton & we may even get him a younger brother or sister. i said we *may* get him a brother or sister kristin - we haven't decided anything yet :)

i am an uncle (again)

2008-08-12T20:14:00.000-07:00

sarah & jeremy are very very happy to announce the birth of their healthy baby boy. lewis abram kirk is a little guy at 6lbs 3oz, but he brought a lot of joy when he was born at 2:13pm august 10, 2008 at northwestern hospital in chicago.

that's the news my bro, jeremy, shared with the family via e-mail earlier today. how very cool for the two of them! jeremy said it was an amazing birth. sarah was in super shape both prior to & during her pregnancy & the docs said it paid off big time. the whole thing was over & done with in less than 2-hours!

when kristin & i got the call on sunday afternoon from jeremy sharing their great news we were paying bills & freaking out (as usual) about moving to the burbs. the phone call made us realize what's really important in life. yes, bills need to be paid & we need a roof over our heads, but the things that really matter in this world are your family, your friends, & your health.

it's a big, yet very small world that we all share. it's fun for me to think sometimes what others around the globe are doing. back to sunday... here I am paying bills with kristin & my brother & sarah are bringing a new life into this world. when we are all sleeping here in the U.S. tonight, world records are being broke in beijing & dreams are being fulfilled.

life, it is such a precious thing. let's not take it for granted.

training for the 2008 rock 'n roll marathon

2008-07-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

yesterday i kicked off a 16-week marathon training program in prep for the 2008 rock 'n roll marathon in san antonio, texas. D-day, or marathon day, is november 16th.

this will be my first marathon & seeing how i normally take things of this nature to the extreme my coach, kristin, (who will be doing her first marathon in october of this year) helped me pick a training program that would allow me to relax more about the training & let me focus on the experience versus looking at this race as a competition or going after some specific time. i'll be running to run & enjoying the experiences along the way & on race day.

today i have my first training run which includes a 4 mile run combined with 4 minutes of up-hill running. i'm a bit bummed that i've got to start my first run off indoors but being on the treadmill will make it easy to get in the 4 minutes of up-hill running. i plan to run 1-minute on a very steep incline in between each mile. nothing wrong with the treadmill really; it allows me to catch up on what's been happening on the food network.

sunday, a variety of foods & calories

2008-07-27T08:12:00.001-07:00

each day i become more & more creative in the kitchen & try new things. this sunday has been a day full of a variety of foods & calories. for breakfast i decided to go all in & try waffles; not just plain ordinary waffles either, i included blueberries! my breakfast dish turned out great. i enjoyed 4 whole wheat blueberry waffles with real maple syrup & a sliced up banana with light cinnamon on top. the waffles were garnished with a bold texas pecan roasted bean coffee & a sliced pink lady apple.

for lunch kristin & i made a pasta salad with whole wheat pasta, some of the best tasting olives, some super rich sun dried tomatoes, some roasted peppers, & some simply amazing artichoke hearts that had been seasoned in olive oil. we enjoyed this lunch with a glass of red wine also.

for dinner we hit an old favorite - manuels. kristin had her usual 3-sauce mushroom enchiladas & i enjoyed a bowl of tortilla soup & migas with black beans for dinner.

kristin was feeling super good about her 16 mile run yesterday so we went over to NXNW for apple crisp. it was by far the best apple crisp ever. it was so good that we had to order a second plate of it & this time with 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream instead of the 2 it's normally served with.

for a late night snack i had one of my very own recipes that only i would enjoy - a warm wheat tortilla with crunchy natural peanut butter & go lean cereal added for crunch. i actually had two of these puppies with a cup of dark roasted coffee.

it was amazing day for this foodie. i enjoyed a wide range of foods & calories today. i am looking forward to the new week as i begin marathon training for the san antonio rock 'n roll marathon where i'm sure to make good on my calorie intake from this weekend!

brian's version of car talk - 1 of ?

2008-07-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

i noticed more closely today while glancing at a full ad taken out in the wall street journal by general motors (GM) how much their marketing has turned away from price, performance, luxury, etc. & is completely focused on miles per gallon (MPG).

the advertising was clever because it only include MPG for highway miles - always read the fine print. according to GM's ad all of their trucks/suburbans are right at 20 MPG for highway excluding the escalade which falls just below the 20 MPG mark at 19 MPG. their saturn aura & pontiac G6 were the only two cars listed in the ad that were reported to get 30 MPG which for highway mileage isn't all that great considering what some models from toyota & honda offer.

it shouldn't shock anyone that GM is hurting right now. i heard a story on NPR last week discussing GM's move to cut insurance coverage for retirees. the article jokingly referred to GM as generous motors.

GM isn't going to get themselves out of this hole that they've dug for themselves with some clever ads. they need to begin building sensible vehicles that offer solid quality all around which includes good gas mileage. it's time for GM to remember what engineering & not marketing is all about.

starbucks & vivanno, give me a break

2008-07-21T17:06:00.001-07:00

i've been behind a lot of the moves that shultz has taken since returning to starbucks. specifically the decision to replace t-mobile wireless service with a "free" solution powered by AT&T. i'm even a fan & understand the need to close some 600 stores here in the United States (2 in Austin). i like the $0.99 cup of joe idea that was piloted in seattle although it has yet to make its way to austin.

however, the move to only offer the pike place roast after 12 PM really bugs me. especially because i'm not a fan of the new blend. for heaven's sake, it's a coffee joint that only offers one roast after 12 PM. from the time they open (probably safe to go with 5 AM for most locations) they only offer two roasts. the rest of the time they are busy selling $3+ lattes, mochas, etc.

their most recent move to sell smoothies, the vivanno as they've branded it, just adds fuel to the fire. face it, starbucks isn't trying to return to their roots of being a coffee shop. they are simply doing everything they can to make a buck. i haven't tried one of these "healthy" smoothies yet; regardless i can only imagine that this drink is going to cater to the sweet tooth person & not the health guru that wants something safe to put in her/his body.

i wonder if this new drink will bomb as quickly as the chantico drink they tried selling a couple of years ago?

3M half marathon 2009

2008-07-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

kristin & i enjoyed the 3M half marathon so much this year that we've already signed up for the 2009 race. talk about *not* procrastinating! maybe we'll get the #1 & #2 bib numbers :) i bet we definitely get a number below 100.

since withdrawing from the ironman in april i've yet to sign up for any races/events. i'm semi-committed to the rock 'n roll marathon in san antonio this november. i need to begin training & actually cough up the entry fee. once i commit the dollars i'm all in.

who is going to join kristin & i next year for 3M? it's a great race course, great people, & the weather is totally rocking! what do you say boshart; has your ankle healed?

lloyd dobbler

2008-07-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

this past weekend kristin & i ventured into a best buy for the first time in probably a year. those stores make my skin crawl. you walk in & there is music blaring on 20 different radios, 10 TVs all with something different on screaming at you, & kids running around playing video games. it's not my ideal shopping experience.

about the only reason i ever visit one of these stores is to purchase a DVD which i've been caught saying is such a ridiculous thing to do. kristin & i subscribe to netflix so rarely do we have a need to rent, let alone buy a DVD. of course this weekend the "gotta have it now" bug hit us hard & we both wanted to see 'say anything.'

about two weeks ago, ben, updated his gTalk message with an oh say famous quote from one of my favorite movie characters lloyd dobbler. the quote was, "i don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. i don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. you know, as a career, i don't want to do that." for a great list of 'say anything' quotes visit IMDB. ever since reading that quote i've been wanting to see the move again. i have it in a closet at home on VHS, but i no longer have a VCR to play it on...

anyhow, we rushed in & out of best buy as quickly as we could. we coughed over the $10 bucks for say anything & kristin couldn't resist from buying the love story & tear jerker, the notebook. in total we spent just under $25 bucks. that's almost two months worth of netflix. whatever you do, don't tell our accountant that we splurged.

if you haven't seen 'say anything' you were either born in the 80s or you've been living on another planet. go & rent it now. it's such a great flick & i assure you that you too will become a fan of lloyd dobbler. you'll also never be able to hear the song, in your eyes by peter gabriel, without thinking of lloyd dobbler.

payton makes a new friend

2008-07-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

payton, our 11 month old rhodesian ridgeback, is still growing. i weighed him about 2 weeks ago & he weighed 82 pounds. his dad was just over 100 pounds & his mom was 85+ so we are expecting him to put on another 15+ pounds at least. of course with all the walking, running, playing at the dog park, & eating super healthy organic dog food that kristin insists on it's a wonder that he weighs as much as he does. payton is nothing but muscle; i'm actually quite jealous of how lean he is. he makes me want to go to the gym more.

as kristin's marathon training requires her to put in more miles i've been doing more & more dog walking/running than previously. the walks around the neighborhood are quite peaceful & relaxing. it's actually a nice way to wind down after work & it clues me into what's going on in our little neighborhood.

when we aren't able to hit the trail for a run & i'm short on time for a walk payton gets to hang with his friends at the dog park just two blocks from our house. payton is quite the pain when around other dogs too. he's actually great with the other dogs; it's us that he chooses to ignore. i've been spending extra time to ensure he starts coming when we call him.

usually payton dominates the park. he's definitely got the most energy, he's usually the biggest dog out there, & with the ridge on his back he just stands out in a way that catches the attention of all the other owners. this past friday, payton finally met his match.

there was a one year old great dane at the park & he was just massive. he wasn't just big, he was very lean, had a great shiny coat, & was just so masculine looking. he was very friendly with payton & the two were playing for a good 30 minutes non-stop. however, the great dane was just so much bigger & stronger than payton that he would roll payton every time the two tangled. while it looked aggressive at times the two were definitely just having fun. of course later that night we noticed a few new scratches & bruises on our pup. i suppose he's got to learn that playing rough with the wrong dog will leave him with some bumps & bruises.

raw foods diet

2008-07-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

not sure what i was thinking... as usual i'm from one extreme to the next. i got the bright idea to try a raw foods diet. i've been following in kristin's foot steps with the vegetarian thing for a while now. of course on the 4th i celebrated with a burger on the grill & kristin stuck true to her diet & went for the portabella mushroom. from time-to-time i do enjoy red meat & i couldn't imagine giving up seafood. i used to think i couldn't live without chicken, but since kristin became a vegetarian we just rarely buy it & i can't remember the last time i ate chicken (probably about 3 months ago).

anyhow, i'm back to working out (like a normal person, not an ironman) & with the working out my super healthy diet has returned too. while at the store this friday kristin grabbed some carrots & snap peas to enjoy as snacks. we also bought some red cabbage & after we got home & chopped things up i started nibbling on a bit of each raw vegetable. right then & there i told kristin i was going to try a raw foods diet for a week. only seven days, why not?

meal #1 (dinner) was easy & quite simple. in-fact it was just more of what i ate as a snack earlier that day. red cabbage, carrots, & snap peas. by 9PM last night my tummy was grumbling for more & something with a bit of substance. i had a glass of green tea & forced myself to bed early so i wouldn't give in to eating something cooked or processed.

meal #2 (breakfast) i actually felt good when i woke up this morning. probably even dropped a pound or two. kristin was well into her morning oatmeal when i headed to the kitchen to figure something out. oh BTW, no way i was giving up coffee (or tea) on this diet. i was well into my second cup of joe when i started making my breakfast. i pulled a pear, an apple, some blueberries from the fridge. i chopped up half of the pear & apple & tossed them on a plate. i grabbed a handful of blueberries & threw those on the plate too. it didn't seem like enough... i headed to the pantry & grabbed some dried prunes & some flax seed & added them to the morning treat. surprisingly i was full & feeling very good again.

meal #3 (snack) i enjoyed the other half of that pear & apple i chopped up for breakast. i also had an apple cinnamon lara bar on the drive to the gym. i had no idea that the lara bar was a raw food either. i knew it didn't contain anything that was processed, but i didn't realize it was a raw food. thankfully that little bar held me through my afternoon gym workout (25 minutes elliptical, 15 minutes treadmill, back & core workout).

meal #4 (lunch/post workout) by the time i got home from the gym, feeding trevor's cats (he's out of town), & picking up more raw veggies at the store so i could keep this silly diet up i was starving. i fixed a heaping bowl of salad to include spinach lettuce, 1/2 of a roma tomato, red cabbage, carrots, snap peas, & broccoli.

meal #5 (snack) the other 1/2 of that tomato :)

by dinner time i'd thrown in the towel. kristin & i fixed up vegetarian stir fry consisting of mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, & red cabbage all tossed over steamed brown rice. while i'd given into the "cooking foods god" it wasn't like i was eating another burger or something. the raw food thing was fun but not knowing how to eat beans or grains without some cooking or processing i would have been feeling some real hurt come tomorrow.

oh, for dinner i had a plum... a raw plum at that.

a speech from my bro to his troops in iraq

2008-07-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

tomorrow (the 4th of july) my brother jason, a lieutenant colonel in the army, will deliver the following speech to his troops in iraq:

JULY 4th Prayer Luncheon, FOB HAMMER, IRAQ, 2008

Thank you chaplain…

A rider on horseback, many years ago, came upon a squad of soldiers who were trying to move a heavy piece of timber. A Corporal stood by, giving lordly orders to "heave." But the piece of timber was a trifle too heavy for the squad.

“Why don't you help them?" asked the quiet man on the horse, addressing the important corporal "Me? Why, I'm a corporal sir!" Dismounting, the stranger carefully took his place with the soldiers.

“Now, all together boys---heave!" he said. And the big piece of timber slid into place. The stranger mounted his horse and addressed the corporal.

"The next time you have a piece of timber for your men to handle, corporal, send for the commander-in-chief."

That horseman was George Washington, then General of the Army.

Independence Day Celebrations brings to mind many fond memories for all of us-I'm sure that in this room, many of you can think back to cookouts in the park, waterskiing on the lake, and enjoying the fireworks under the stars-always a gathering of family and friends fondly reflecting on the freedoms earned for us beginning with the original DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, July 4th 1776.

It is my honor to join with you today, this Independence Day 2008. Working as your BCT XO,
I am afforded the chance to come in contact with so many of you-so many different folks making different and important contributions to the IRON BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM; your talents come together to truly put the TEAM in BCT!

On the screen behind me, I draw your attention to a painting many of you may have seen before, it is a painting by Arnold Friberg titled "Prayer at Valley Forge."

The Story of Valley Forge is a Soldier's story of blood and gusto. It is a story of "near naked Soldiers wrapped in thin blankets huddled around a smoky fire of green wood." It was believed that conditions were so bad that "the plaintive chant from the starving: We want meat!
We want meat!" echoed throughout the camp. These indeed are the indelible images of Valley Forge...of suffering...but also of endurance.

While our great mess sergeants and our KBR partners ensure that our Soldiers aren't having to chant, "we want meat, we want meat," we do face our own challenges and relative privations here in Iraq in 2008.

So how did the Soldiers and their leader, GEN George Washington survive through the harsh winter of 1777-1778 encamped on the banks of the Delaware River in Valley Forge. For GEN Washington and many of the Soldiers, they drew strength from their belief in God and their
connection with him through prayer and through their belief in their mission-their fight for freedom. I trust that you enjoyed the IRAQI National Anthem video that helps to capture the effort of so many fine Iraqi Security Forces fighting their own “REVOLUTIONARY WAR.”

Allow me now to share with you a prayer attributed to George Washington, one he wrote during that harsh winter some 230 years ago:

-----

Almighty God, Father of All Men:

To Thee we raise thankful hearts for deliverance from forces of evil...Deliver us also, we beseech Thee, from the greater danger of ourselves, Have mercy upon us and forgive us for our part in the present desolation of the world.

Awake us each time to a sense of responsibility in saving the world from ruin. Open our minds and eyes and hearts to the desperate plight of millions. Arouse us, from indifference into action. Let none of us fail to give his utmost in sympathy, understanding, thought, and effort.

Fulfill in us-- and through us Thy glorious intention: that Thy peace, Thy love, and Thy justice may enter into the regeneration of the world.

In our Father’s name, AMEN.

(This prayer, attributed to George Washington, is said to have been written by him on Christmas at Valley Forge. Copied from the Richmond Times-Dispatch.)

-----

Many years ago, then President Ronald Reagan commented on the "Prayer of Valley Forge" - I quote: "The most sublime picture in American history is of George Washington on his knees in the snow at Valley Forge. That image personifies a people who know that it's not enough to depend on our own courage and goodness; we must also seek help from God, our father and preserver."

(Ronald Reagan, commenting on a painting that is well-known to be a work of fiction, on the National Day of Prayer, May 6, 1982 (Dallas Morning News: June 11, 2004)

-----

As you go about your days and nights her in Iraq, take time out-in the mornings, prior to patrols, before you go to bed-whenever, to seek that help from your God, your preserver, your strength. May you be strengthened-to move out on your daily missions to bring peace and security to the good people of Iraq, just as the young Soldier recruits of GEN George Washington's day made their historic crossing of the Delaware River and fought the hard fight against tyranny, oppression and for FREEDOM.

Again, thank you all for joining us this afternoon.

May God bless you all, May God bless our Armed Forces and May God Bless America.

shifting gears

2008-06-24T20:36:00.001-07:00

it's time to shift gears. this year is almost at the half way point & i've reached a breaking point with my working out (or lake thereof) & my weight. this year has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride thus far. like a roller coaster there were some really good times & some scary moments too. consider this past year:

january
- kristin & i begin raising our dog (payton)
- we sell the A4 & purchase a used 4runner
- began training for an IM
- kristin & i ran our first 1/2 marathon together

march
- i ran my first 1/2 IM & it was a real disappointment
- kristin & i fell in love with la jolla

april
- i went to my first pro basketball game
- i got promoted to VP business development & started traveling
- i withdrew from ironman training- we started house hunting

may
- we ran a 5K with my mom, brother, sister-in-law in austin
- we got rid of our cat (bevo)

june
- i goofed my trip to london
- after batting 0-3 with the house hunting we found like got a hit
- we may be moving to the burbs

with the 2nd half of this year just around the corner i hope to start off on the right foot. i'm finding myself getting more & more comfortable with my new position at the office. kristin & i appear to be done home shopping & if all goes as planned we'll move in the middle of august. kristin will be running her first marathon in san fran in october & i'm planning on running my first marathon the following month in san antonio.

tonight we toasted things with the oh so famous & oh so good plain cheesecake at pappadeauxs. it was my way of closing down the poor diet & lack of working out as well as toasting our new lifestyle from the burbs. a pull one of jeremy's tricks & put myself out there & declare no more of the laziness & back to a healthy lifestyle (full of "cat food" sandwiches & salad). today 187.5 & the goal is a solid 165 - 170.

can

2008-06-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

i can, you can, we all can. just when you think you can't, remember that when there's a will there's a way. let this father's triumph remind us all of what we can accomplish if we put our minds & hearts to it.

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8cf08faca5dd9ea45513

ironman CDA 2008

2008-06-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

a BIG shout out to all my friends competing this morning in ironman coeur d' alene. i've been in tune with the race since the canon went off this morning at 7:05 AM. you too can get live coverage & video at http://ironman.com/coverage/?race=coeurdalene&year=2008. you can even watch live race coverage! the sights & sounds really bring it too life.

i talked with my buddy ed (he's racing this morning) yesterday & he said that CDA is awesome. he said the course was spectacular & beautiful. a good majority of the bike & run course line the lake & mountains. the weather is supposed to be great today & the water temp even warmed up a bit (high 50s still).

please join me in wishing this great group of athletes from austin a great race - they've trained hard & deserve nothing but the best from today's race:

- ed hughey
- greg edwards
- noah bartsch
- jill berman
- eryn wike
- maggie caldwell
- colleen wilson

good luck to all of you & enjoy this race day in beautiful CDA, idaho!

fat outlawed

2008-06-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

could you imagine if something like this happened here in the states? talk about a country taking control. is it wrong? think about soaring health costs here in the states due to obesity & i think you'll understand why such an approach would be considered. if people can't control themselves, maybe the government should step in...

beginning to rid the U.S. of trans fats was a good start!

Starbucks offers "free" Wi-Fi

2008-06-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy tracking Starbucks. While I have my rants about some of the things Starbucks does & by no means am I a fan of the chain-store I still can’t help but walk through their doors at least 3 times a week for a cup of their coffee. For all their wrongs, they still do so many things right & with Shultz back in the driver’s seat I believe they are on the right track to right some of their existing wrongs.

Today Starbucks announced their plan to make Wi-Fi “free”. The approach will require each Starbuck’s customer to purchase a Starbucks card with a minimum balance of $5. The customer must then register their card online & use their new card for purchases at Starbucks at least once a month (which will require customers to reload their cards with more money). In exchange, Starbucks will provide two consecutive hours of “free” Wi-Fi access offered by AT&T.

Starbuck’s will surely gain repeat business from customers who will use their cards at least once a month to continue getting their “free” Wi-Fi. However, the BIG value-add for Starbuck’s is the information they’ll have as a result of having so many new Starbuck’s customers registering those gift cards. Starbucks will now be able to track customer purchases with precision. They’ll know your buying habits, what you like & don’t like, what times & days you most often frequent Starbucks, when you prefer one drink over the other, etc. This type of data is invaluable to Starbucks & this data will provide Starbucks the keys to market specifically to each customer to ensure repeat business.

So how “free” is Starbuck’s Wi-Fi?

- It’s going to cost you $5 bucks up front.
- The cheapest thing you can buy at Starbucks is a tall coffee so with tax you are looking at $1.73 a month recurring depending on which Starbucks you frequent & what your sales tax is.
- You’ve got to give register your card – provide your personal data so Starbucks can then track your purchases & then bombard you with marketing.

The worst part… I’ll sign up tomorrow :)

people & community spaces

2008-05-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

there isn't a single thing i enjoy about airports. parking is normally a hassle, check-in lines are often long & painful, bathrooms are messy, food options blow, & the costs for anything you may buy is outrageously out of control (almost as bad as hotels)!

granted... air travel has become a necessity for many folks & businesses. i for one love the fact that in less than 24-hours i can be in any part of the world.

no matter how much air travel has become a way of life, airports in my opinion are gross places & i don’t enjoy hanging out for hours waiting for flights in them! i don’t blame the cities for the grossness of their airports. in fact i’m sure the dollars spent to spruce up airports & daily costs associated with janitorial costs are outrageous.

so who’s to blame? simple, the folks that visit airports daily & don’t know how to pick up after themselves! as i've suggested before, community spaces are treated like wastelands by the average joe (see office kitchens for example). most people simply aren't accountable for their actions & as a result they don't clean up after themselves when they make a mess.

while passing through terminal 1 in the cincinnati/north kentucky airport this morning i was stopped dead in my tracks at what i saw. next to a row of chairs was someone’s clipped fingernails (let's hope it they were fingernails & toenails) all over the floor. as if it isn't gross enough that someone would sit & clip their fingernails in public! the fact that this person left their fingernails all over the floor just makes me sick.

question: if you were to see a person cutting his/her fingernails in an airport & then begin to walk away leaving the fingernails all over the floor would you say something to this person? i'd like to think that i would. the airport staff can’t control everyone so it’s time we pitch in & defend our community spaces.

son of rambow

2008-05-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

i have know idea what i just witnessed. zia called me up this morning & said we should meet up this afternoon to watch this flick called 'son of rambow.' i'm a huge fan of indy films & normally i enjoy anything that is showing at the arbor theatre. unfortunately 'son of rambow' wasn't one of those movies. i walked out not knowing what just happened.

at best it was a cross between 'standby me' & 'first blood.' luckily i was with good people, i paid the matinee price ($6.50), & the movie didn't last much longer than a hour & a half.

if you do get/enjoy this movie, please ellaborate.

introduced to the paramount theatre

2008-05-18T06:27:00.000-07:00

last night kristin & i were both introduced to the historic paramount theatre here in austin. we were part of the sold out crowd celebrating the paramount theatre’s 92nd & the state theatre’s 72nd birthdays. the main attraction of the night & what i enjoyed the most was listening to the legendary kris kristofferson perform in such an intimate setting.

after all these years of performing live, the 71 year old kristofferson approaches the show with such cool & calmness. he came dressed in a newly starched black long sleve shirt & matching black slacks. when i googled for pics of kristofferson the black on black appears to be his signature outfit. it was his beat-up old grayish cowboy boots that grabbed my attention.

i view those old boots as kristofferson's way of saying no matter how much cash i've got or what i'm supposed to be wearing these boots are mine, they are comfortable, & i wear them because they feel good on my feet. unfortunately not enough of us take advantage of the simple liberty of wearing & doing what we want. we unfortunately conform to what society expects of us. we give in to the hype of conformance & do what someone our age, in our professional position, in our social status is supposed to do. i've always respected artists, musicians, etc. for their ability to not conform to the typical standards. i suppose that's the implicit aspect of what most of us appreciate about artists & musicians.

so i'll pose this question. is conformance necessary & why?

some really cool & historic info about the paramount theatre & why the historic theatre is such a treasured jewel that continues to grace congress avenue after all these years.

more about kris kristofferson. i bet you didn't know that he is a rhodes scholar who holds a masters degree in english literature, he was a helicopter pilot in the army, & he was assigned to be an english professor at west point (the US military academy).

when did i become so yuppie?

2008-04-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

if we can't laugh at ourselves, who can?

a couple of weeks ago i was introduced to the blog stuff white people like by my friend trevor. trevor sent a link to this blog to a group of us "white folk" & the e-mail responses from all of us whities were absolutely hilarious. i recall our friend walt saying he had to stop reading the blog after about 5 posts because he was scared his name would show up any minute.

yesterday i myself experienced what should be the next post to the stuff white people like blog. what should have been a long bike training morning for me turned into a shopping extravaganza at the yuppie domain right here in austin. kristin wanted to meet-up with the team-in-training staff who were recruiting for the nike women's marathon in san francisco later this year (kristin signed up folks!) at austin's very own betty sport run shop. after hanging at betty sport for a bit & me binging on the free luna teacakes (i must have eaten 7 of these luna bars) being advertised at a booth in the domain atrium we decided to do a bit of clothes shopping for the new VP of business development as i'd soon be needing some new threads as i travel the world obtaining new business for my company!

eventually i find myself in a leather chair at cole haan trying on new dress shoes. i'm wearing a pink t-shirt that kristin insisted i buy a few weeks back, i've got my starbucks coffee right beside me, & the free pelligrino sparkling water the sales assistant (lyn - she's a chemist during the week) offered me. i felt like such a yuppie king & at that moment i handed kristin the camera (iPhone - jeez, how yuppie am i?) & said you've got to take a picture of this... how yuppie white can i get i thought to myself. the sad thing - none of this was staged! oh, & if you are wondering i did not buy the $200 shoes lyn was so kind to fit for me :).

procrastination

2008-04-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

today is april 15, 2008. it's also tax day & i've taken the day off of work so that i could do our taxes. why oh why do i procrastinate like i do? hell, i'm procrastinating right now... i should be doing our taxes this very moment yet i'm taking time out (procrastinating) & making a blog post about the very thing that i'm saying i shouldn't be doing...

if you follow my blog, you'll notice a large gap (2-week period - end of march through the beginning of april '08) where there was basically zero activity from me. not only was the ironman training consuming so much of my time, but the act of blogging was becoming some what of a to-do list for me. i would start a number of posts & i was keeping track of things i should blog about but i didn't just sit down & write the post. so now, i've got stacks of thoughts & pictures for which i'm not sure i'll come back to post about. it's just like letting dishes stack up in the sink, or clothes in the laundry basket, etc. if we would simply maintain these "to-dos" they would simply become motions that make up our day rather than feeling like work. i actually think i'm pretty good about keeping up with the dishes - i'll defer to my beloved for her opinion.

OK, i really do need to do the taxes now :)

starbucks has competition

2008-04-14T08:14:00.001-07:00

i have yet to try mcdonald's coffee, however, i hear it really is good. the idea of ordering a coffee from someone that just mixed up a batch of mcmuffins, big macs, & fries just doesn't sit well with me. regardless of my feelings about mcdonalds & their coffee a number of folks do order their daily cup of joe from this grease pit.

of course it is this grease pit's ability to offer good coffee for less than a buck that continues to make starbucks nervous. further to their dollar cup of joe, today while visiting usatoday.com (wondering why i was visiting usatoday.com today?) i noticed a mcdonald's ad for their lattes. i'm not sure if this is a new offering by mcdonalds or if they've been doing this for some time... the cool thing is that they sell their medium latte for less than $2 bucks (a $1.87 i think). if it's any good, like their coffee supposedly, starbucks could be in some serious trouble. if anything, those of us regulars at starbucks we'll all benefit as starbucks may need to soon lower their prices to remain competitive.

pike place roast

2008-04-08T18:51:00.001-07:00

i really love coffee & i enjoy visiting new coffee shops too. recently i've visited a number of coffee shops here in austin. did i mention i've been drinking soy caffe lattes too? way to expensive, but oh so good!

today i ventured out to starbucks to try their new pike place blend. i thought they were serving cups all day beginning at 11 AM CT for free (as stated in the austin biz journal & on NPR this morning). it turned out they were simply offering a free tasting (read tiny cup) from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM CT. i stopped in after lunch around 1:30 PM to find this out. the starbuck's crew behind the counter turned out to be pretty cool & hooked me up with a short cup (i'll introduce this later) regardless.

the pike place blend is a medium roast that i wasn't too crazy about. it had a very weak after-taste & it just felt to light. starbucks is obviously excited about this new blend - it's their back to the basics approach. howard shultz (returning CEO) is trying real hard to turn the company around. starbucks even developed new branding on all their cups to promote this new blend - they really want us to know that they've got it!

a fun little fact about starbucks that i learned while having lunch with the CEO of one of our vendors. he said starbucks has a 'short' cup size. it's one size smaller than the 'tall' & about $0.50 less for any drink. if you've ever ordered a to-go pot of starbucks you should be familiar with the 'short' cup. funny (upsetting) how they don't promote it on their menu though...

the more i think about coffee & visit new coffee shops the more i think i should start a coffee shop review blog. i want to do it right & currently i don't have the luxury of time to start such a blog. it's something i (& you) can look forward to when this full ironman training is over with.

posts coming soon

2008-04-06T06:18:00.000-07:00

i've taken a break/vacation from blogging since kristin & i left for la jollam, california last week. while in la jolla i decided i wanted to stay as far away from the computer as possible. when we returned to our daily lives here in austin late monday night (flight delays in dallas) we were both wiped. i hit the ground running both at work & with training the very next morning & am just now feeling like i have an opportunity to come up for air.

it's been a tough week recovering from the race, the vacation, adjusting to work, gearing up for kristin's birthday (it's today!), preparing for my parent's & my brother & sister-in-law's visit next weekend, & getting right back to ironman training (which is not going so well right now).

if you are following my thoughts & stories what's to come:

- i'd like to introduce you to some really wonderful people we met during our vacation
- a race report on my first half ironman
- the wonderful cuisine we enjoyed while in la jolla
- traveling with our buddy danielle
- coffee shops
- the value of the dollar
- my training
- my mom's first 5K
- kristin's birthday

so stay tuned family, friends, & strangers because more posts are coming soon!

new kicks

2008-03-26T15:25:00.001-07:00

i picked up my new asics nimbus 9s this afternoon. it's either a great move or a *really* bad move to be running in new shoes for my upcoming & first half ironman this weekend. trust me, i tried getting them before last weekend but timing & posted store hours for the new rogue run store (really cool place - glad to see some competition for run tex) didn't jive well. anyhow, i'm returning to the nimbus 9s after a couple of years of bouncing between mizunos & brooks running shoes. i bought my first pair of nimbus 9s back in 2004 just prior to running my first 1/2 marathon (the 3M) & they rocked & were the best pair of shoes ever. i'm really not sure why i switched to something else after i wore those shoes out. i think i was looking for something cheaper & for a support shoe versus a comfort/cushioning shoe. anyhow, the mizunos that i have now have really done a number on my feet & ankles so i'm looking forward to being back in a pair of nimbus 9s - they even match the t3 colors - white/grey/blue!

i took them for a test run as soon as i picked them up today. i had just finished lunch at casa with kristin & i needed to burn off my 4 plates worth of food. plus the sun was out & i could use a bit of a tan. they felt great, however, like breaking anything else the 4-mile run resulted in a small blister on my right foot. i figure i'll wear them on the plane tomorrow & around san diego prior to the race & they should be fine. plus i plan on getting in a short jog tomorrow or friday so come race day they should be good-to-go.

regardless, i'll berunning in them on race day - it can't be any worse than what happened at the austin tri last year when i ran without socks & zip laces for the first time. i've still got the scars on both feet & the blood stains on the mizunos to prove that it wasn't a pretty sight.

tri packing

2008-03-26T14:33:00.001-07:00

packing for an out of town triathlon is a lot of work. i packed less for a 3 week vacation to europe. for once i can give kristin about all the stuff she's packing because i've got way more with me than she's ever packed for a trip :)

consider that i need all the goodies for an open water swim (wetsuit, goggles, swim cap, slippers, & towel), a bike ride (bike, bike shoes, tri shorts, tri top, food while on the bike, bike box (we'll talk about this one in more detail) sun glasses, water bottles, helmet, & maybe gloves), a run (running shoes, socks, visor, more nutrition - gu packs), & of course a bag to lug all this stuff around in. i'll also need some workout clothes prior to the actual race (t3 coaches say i still need to get in a run on thursday/friday & a decent bike ride). then there is the "normal" packing. i need day clothes & night clothes especially if we want to visit some nice restaurants. & of course these days no one can travel anywhere without your iPod & your laptop too.

out of all these goodies you got to bring with ya i've still got to be super good about my nutrition so we may be packing some stuff just to ensure i've got the right type of protein bars, gus, shakes, etc.

the best & most scary part of all this packing was packing up the bike. i think next time i'll definitely pay to have the bike shipped in one piece. i borrowed a bike box from my buddy ed. i was expecting the bike box to be this BIG box that had the perfect foam cut-outs for a bike. instead it's a tiny box (in comparison to what i was expecting) with basically just 3 pieces of foam inside. you practically have to take your whole bike apart to get it in there. i wasn't prepared to do this at all - thank goodness for the guys at Jack & Adam's!

even with the expertise of the Jack & Adam's crew i'm still very nervous about my bike. both wheels came off, the seat posts comes off, the pedals come off, & the handle bars come off. then the wheels are placed in the box between two of the three pieces of foam & then the bike is jammed on top just barely fitting into the box. to close the top of the box you are basically crushing the entire bike which is sort of a good thing because at least nothing (the seat & handle bars) should move around inside.

after all that work to get my new B12 & get it setup just perfectly to fit me i'm nervous about getting it put back together & having everything work/fit perfectly when we arrive in san diego. i've also got race wheels for this race that i've never been on before so i'm hoping everything synchs up well when they are put on the bike. danielle, a friend who is also doing ironman california, has an appointment for us at a local bike shop to get our bikes put together. thank goodness because i don't think i could do it right. at the end of all this we've got to repeat this entire step of breaking the bike back down & putting it back together when i get to austin. please oh please don't let anything happen to my bike!!!

off to the races now!

week 11 - CDA training in 2008

2008-03-26T06:55:00.000-07:00

this was a solid, yet relaxed week of training. coming of the 100 mile ride & 21 mile run this weekend made anything less feel easy. i only worked out with t3 once this week - an afternoon swim & a track practice). this was my first track practice with t3 & i did enjoy the intensity & will make it a point to attend at least one every other week as this ironman training continues. i also hopped into the quarry for this first time this week on easter sunday. while the quarry isn’t as “cool” as barton springs i do enjoy that it feel more like an open water swim & i don’t have to watch out for other swimmers (head on collisions). i’m thinking it may be time for a new wetsuit – i need something a bit more “pro” than the wetsuit i got from team-in-training last year. week12 training should be interesting as it’s going to be a mix of IM CDA training & preparing (tapering) for my first ½ IM (oceanside) next weekend.

week11 CDA ‘08
mar17 – mar23

mon
- elliptical (2 miles) at pure (20-minutes)
- total body weight workout at pure (20-minutes)
- swim (1000 meters) at pure (20-minutes)
- total: 1-hour
tue
- trainer at home (1-hour & 5-minutes)
- run (2 miles) in neighborhood (20-minutes)
- swim (2500 meters) at pure (1-hour)
- total: 2-hours & 25-minutes
wed
- track (6.2 miles) workout (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- total: 1-hour & 15-minutes
thu
- swim (3050 meters) with t3 (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- spin bike at pure (1-hour & 15-minutes)
- treadmill (1.5 miles) at pure (15-minutes)
- total: 3-hours & 15-minutes
fri
- run (5 miles) at town lake (45-minutes)
- total: 45-minutes
sat
- road bike (50.5 miles) to MD & up & down 360 (2-hours & 45-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 45-minutes
sun
- run (11 miles) at town lake (1-hour & 25 minutes)
- open water swim (1500 meters) at the quarry (30-minutes)
- total: 1-hour & 55-minutes

total training time: 14-hours & 20-minutes
total run: 27.7 miles
total bike: 50.5 miles road & 2-hours & 20-minutes spin bike/in-door trainer
total swim: 5.03 miles or 8050 meters

a pink shirt

2008-03-24T06:35:00.000-07:00

kristin says that every guy should own at least one pink shirt. while shopping yesterday for some new shorts at the one store that wasn't closed on easter sunday (both costco & the rogue run store were the other stores we were hoping to get some shopping done at) kristin insisted that i purchase my first pink shirt. while not totally objecting to the purchase of a pink shit i am a bit leery to say the least. rather than going "all in" i'm starting off with a cheap cotton pink t-shirt prior to spending the big bucks on a nice pink dress shirt. i'll take my chances & wear this bad boy into the office today just to see how much grief i get from the guys. i'm not really sure that fashion statements coming from software engineers is a really good test though... what do you girls & guys think about the pink shirt?

4,000 US soldiers killed in iraq

2008-03-23T19:41:00.001-07:00

as a result of the 4 most recent US soldier deaths just reported (march 23 2008), the number of american soldiers reportedly killed in iraq since the beginning of this war is now 4,000. let's put these numbers into perspective... this war was launched just over 5 years ago. (4,000 / 5 = 800) 800 soldiers a year on average have died in iraq. (800/365 days in a year = 2.19) 2.19 is the average number of american men & women killed each day in iraq.

tomorrow when you get up & enjoy our morning breakfast & coffee & then go to work & come home to complain about how hard your day was - think about the two US soldiers that gave their life that day so you could complain about that "hard" day at work.

*** this post was *not* published in support of or against this war, bush, or any candidate running in this year's presidential election. it was simply an observation of the US men & women paying the ultimate sacrifice for what most of us to often take for granted - our freedom. ***

droids of starbucks

2008-03-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

sometimes it is hard to believe that starbucks is having financially difficulty. while their falling stock prices & the firing of their CEO end of last year clearly points this fact out it's still hard to believe given the perception one sees when visiting a starbucks. especially if you are visiting one in the yuppie suburbs of dallas, TX one morning on your way into the office for all day meetings.

there must have been 15 cars lined up around the starbucks drive thru & at least 10 people deep in the line inside. these people weren't just stopping in because it was friday (this picture was taken on a wednesday morning) & they wanted to treat themselves to an expensive morning treat - they were regulars for sure. i noticed 3 women in their cars putting on their make-up - just part of their morning routine while waiting for their caffeine fix. you'd think that starbucks is putting crack in people's coffee given the way that these people get so excited when they get their order served up too. oddly enough, i rarely leave the house in the morning without having coffee.

it surprises me that so many folks do get up & get ready at home but don't actually have their coffee until on their way into the office or when they get in the office. coffee is part of my morning wake-up ritual. to each his own obviously. oh, & this week i started ordering soy caffe lattes & i even going as far as adding a bit of soy milk in my cup of joe at home - just looking to add a bit more protein/calories to my diet plus i like the way it tastes :)

easter 2008 with payton

2008-03-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

a number of our friends & family members have been asking about payton. how's he doing with the cats, how big is he now, how far can he run, etc. given that he'll be 8 months old on august 5th (just two weeks away) & kristin took this great picture of him this easter morning (minus the girlie flower on his collar) i thought it a good time to post an update about him.

each day with payton just gets better. kristin is so amazing with him - those dog whisperer DVDs really helped :) payton is now weighing 70+ pounds & can easily run 4 miles. the vet recommends we keep him under 4 miles until he's a year old so while he got the stength we'll have to hold him back for 4 months more. payton & the cats (bevo & cubbie) while not best friends for sure, they do get along better than before. bevo stands up to him every now & then & cubbie just runs around the house like a soldier running for his life & as long as payton never gets a view of him all is good.

payton has some new friends now too. a couple of weeks ago kristin set him up for a play date with cisco (a yellow lab) down the street & he & cisco enjoyed a 1/2 day running around in cisco's back yard. cisco's owner said that the two of them playing looked like a mix between a bad porn video & a wrestling match. payton has yet to be "fixed" & is all to happy to be a bit to friendly with anything with four legs. payton also plays with charlie (another yellow lab in the neighborhood) at the dog park at the end of the street. just yesterday payton met royal who will soon be one of his best friends. royal (a vizsla) belongs to our friends greg & katie who will be hosting payton at their house for the weekend while kristin & i are in san diego. to ensure payton & royal get along well we introduced the two dogs at bull creek yesterday. royal showed payton the ropes & taught him a thing or two about bull creek & swimming. actually dad had to help with the swimming - it took a little push but once in the water payton swam like a champ :)

so payton is doing well. i think we enjoy him more than he enjoys us, although he's quickly becoming a momma's boy. he still greets dad at the door when i come home, but he's definitely more loving towards his momma.

first quarry swim of 2008

2008-03-23T15:40:00.001-07:00

today (easter 2008) is just the day for firsts... brunch came second, i had to work up an appetite before i could truly enjoy casa :)

both kristin & i met our friend danielle at the quarry at pure austin. danielle & i are racing together next weekend at ironman oceanside & this was her first open water swim of the year. if you've been paying attention to my blog you already know that i've enjoyed a few open water swims at barton springs this year.

i actually think that the water at the quarry is colder than barton springs right now - it felt like 30 degrees when i jumped in. that's me in the water screaming like a girl & payton getting a bit hyper on the pier in reaction to me jumping in & screaming. kristin said that when i started to swim off he ran to the edge of the pier & almost jumped in after me - lucky for the both of us, & payton for that matter, that he didn't go through with jumping in.

minus the freezing temperatures & the fact that some of the buoys had gone off path & one seemed to have disappeared completely it was a great swim workout. both danielle & i completed two laps (1500 meters - just shy of 1 mile) right at 30 minutes. i'm definitely finding myself more comfortable in the water & i am getting used to breathing on every other stroke. i do notice that when i breathe on my right side that i pull way left so i'll have to be careful about that & get that bad habit under control soon.

i feel like i had a really good training/recovery weekend following a very long one last weekend. i rode just over 50 miles yesterday via a modified version of the dam loop which included a number of trips up & down 360. then prior to meeting up at the quarry this morning i got an 11 mile run in down at the lake.

when arriving to casa following this morning's run/swim the "family style" serve yourself approach was a welcomed site to my tummy!

first sunday brunch at casa

2008-03-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

this easter sunday kristin & i enjoyed brunch at casa de luz with our dear friend danielle. this was in fact the first time that any of us had made it to casa for a sunday brunch. we've enjoyed a many of dinners at casa & every so often we are fortunate enough to make it to casa for breakfast & lunch.

the BIG deal about casa’s sunday brunch, so we thought, is there pancakes with fresh fruit. while they were healthy pancakes, they didn’t have the yummy factor i was anticipating. i would have been completely OK with the lack of yummy tastes if it were to have been replaced with a super hearty/healthy taste. instead they were pretty dry & boring; even with the fresh berries draped on top.

if you do like the sunday pancakes you are in luck because just like everything else they are served “family style.” now this part about sunday brunch i thoroughly enjoyed! for dinner & lunch you serve your own soup & salad (as much or as little as you like & as many servings as you like too) & the staff make your plates. normally your first plate is prepared according to the menu & brought to your table prior to you finishing your soup/salad & then should you want more (like me) you can either ask for another plate “as-is” or you can ask for a little of this, a lot of that, & none of that for example – again, as many trips back as you like (i’m a 4 – 5 plate kind of guy). anyhow on sunday everything is yours for the picking from the beginning! today’s menu – see below – was pretty amazing. i was a big fan of the tempeh veggie stir-fry & the black beans with suncheese (my first time to have suncheese). i was also quite impressed with the jalapeño hot sauce – it was a nice compliment to everything on my plate minus the pancakes, soup, & salad. to note, today was a 5 plate meal for me :)

sunday brunch
march 23, 2008

specials: pancakes w/ fruit sauce (contains gluten)
specials: tempeh veggie stir-fry
specials: *jalapeño hot sauce*
soup: cauliflower & summer squash
salad: garden salad w/ ume flax veggie dressing
grain: short brown rice
greens: mixed blanched greens w/ mustard & basil tahini sauce
veggie: baked sweet potato, kabocha & butternut squash
bean: black beans w/ suncheese
pickle: radish & onion
made with infinite love by: timo, ada, ciara, ross, cory, & rosi

burgers are back!

2008-03-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

since we parked the grill in the garage & moved into rosedale (9 months ago) we haven't made or had burgers. that all changed tonight - we made burgers & we made them with a whole new style & attitude. don't get me wrong, the "old" burger was amazing & super healthy. this "new" burger however was off the charts & reflected the new style & attitude that we have both adopted since moving back into this great city.

the "old" burger was made with super lean beef or bison meat seasoned with rancher's steak rub from wildtree herbs. we used whole wheat buns, smoked provolone cheese, sliced avocado, & sauteed baby bella mushrooms. sounds pretty tasty doesn't it?

the "new" burgers - let's call them the rosedale burgers are jazzed up to better suit our new lifestyles. remember, kristin became a vegetarian in october off last year & while i haven't completely kicked the meat habit i've grown to love & crave vegetables with everything that i eat.

kristin's rosedale burger was made with a portabella mushroom cap. she used a whole wheat bun from whole food's bakery, goat cheese, oil curred olives, & grilled garlic artichoke hearts. it was the best looking & best tasting vegetarian burger she's ever had.

brian's rosedale burger was made with a half a pound of bison meat seasoned with cracked pepper & sea salt. i used a seduction bun from whole food's bakery with avocado spread on one half of the bun & garlic hummus on the other half. i also topped this beautiful burger with baby spinach salad, oil curred olives, & sun dried tomatoes.

on the side, we both enjoyed roasted sweet potato sticks seasoned with olive oil, cracked pepper, & sea salt.

we washed these rosedale burgers down with a 2005 claret from becker vineyards. this claret was light, crip, & full of berry flavors.

it was simply an amazing burger night in our austin home & we'll enjoy future rosedale burgers very soon.

mediterranean dinner with friends & beeturia

2008-03-20T20:58:00.000-07:00

this past weekend kristin & i entertained our good friends zia & heather. kristin was especially excited about the mediterranean dinner she prepared & it turned out fantastic!

appetizer: fresh pita from austin's very own phoenicia bakery & hummus from whole foods.
salad: arugula & mint salad with oil-cured black olives, oranges, & ricotta salata.
entree: orange roughy baked in parchment packets with fennel, asparagus, & thyme. roasted beets & carrots with cumin vinaigrette. whole wheat cous cous topped with lemon greek yogurt & chamoula.
dessert: baklava (again from phoenicia bakery) with rose water & black tea granita.

as i suggested above - this meal was amazing. so amazing that i had seconds & thirds of the whole wheat cous cous & the roasted beets. i would have had seconds & thirds of everything else but this is all that was left over from the original place settings. remember, this was my BIG (100 mile bike & 21 mile run) training weekend so the calories were well deserved.

*** this is where the story heads south - not sure i should be sharing this ***

later that night i noticed that my pee wasn't the usual clear color that it is from drinking the gallons of water that i do. it was a little pink in fact. i had heard stories of how biking can make you pee blood. i did just ride a 100 miles that morning & i thought that maybe i had injured something. when i woke up the next morning & made my usual bathroom stop before loading up on coffee & i noticed that my pee was even pinker. i began to get a bit nervous at this point. in an hour i needed to be at the trail & running 21 miles & here i was peeing pink. i took down my usual breakfast of oatmeal & coffee, showered, & headed to the trail.

when i arrived to the "rock" most of the t3 team were already there. i quickly grabbed ed & noah & told them about my "pee problem." they said it didn't sound right to them - that only freaked me out more.

regardless of the feedback i got from my training buddies i started the run off feeling physically fantastic. within a 1/2 a mile my legs were warm & i was leading the run. around mile 10 i had to take a pit stop to pee & no longer was i peeing pink - i was peeing blood red. it scared the ever living sh*t out of me. i had 11 miles ahead of me, i was nervous, yet feeling very strong. as i ran strong for those 11 remaining miles all kind of scary thoughts were going through my head. i couldn't understand how i could feel so strong & yet my body was obviously not doing well. i ended up finishing the 21 mile run right around 2-hours & 45-minutes & beyond the pee scare i was feeling awesome.

the t3 group was meeting up at austin java at 12th & lamar so i thought it a good time to grab mo (our coach) & get his opinion. after the group ate plenty of calories & consumed gallons of caffeine i grabbed mo in the parking lot as we were leaving to get his opinion. i was hoping he was going to tell me that peeing blood is just part of biking. to my surprise the news he gave me was a total downer. he said that the only other time he'd heard of something like this it turned out that the guy ended up having tumors that needed to be removed. talk about being freaked out by some news! i told mo i'd make a doctor's appointment for tomorrow & i would let him know what the outcome is.

when i got home kristin & i talked about my condition. she, like me, couldn't see how i could have something wrong with me. regardless, we setup a doctor's appointment for tuesday afternoon. as the day continued on i felt physically strong, yet mentally trashed. the good news is that my pee continued to get less pink. while gearing up for dinner that night a light bulb flashed in my head. i ran to kristin & told her what i was thinking. could it be that the beets i had consumed the night before were causing my pee to go pinkish? we immediately hit google for answers. normally i stay away from google when looking for medical advice because any symptom you enter suggests cancer & that's the last thing i wanted to read about right then. to my delight there were a many of sites discussing how beets & other foods such as blackberries can actually tint a person's pee. the odd thing was that i've eaten beets almost all my life & never before has my pee been pink. one website in particular won me over though.

the website introduces what is referred to as beeturia which simply suggests that your pink/red pee is nothing more than the result of consuming beets. the articles i could find on beeturia all suggested the same facts... about 14% of americans have or have had beeturia & it is thought to be linked to an iron deficiency of some sort. given that i have gone semi vegetarian i know that iron is something i've got to be sure i get enough of & it's possible that this training/new diet has affected my iron intake.

anyhow, i latched on to this notion of beeturia & made it a point to *not* polish off the remaining fresh roasted beets that were waiting for us in the refrigerator from the night before. by the time i went to bed the pinkish tint was almost completely absent from my pee. by mid-day on monday it was totally gone. i made it a point to pee clear a few more times prior to getting home later that night & putting the beeturia theory to a test.

when i got home monday night i went straight to the fridge & consumed at least two whole roasted beets. within an hour of having to go to the bathroom my pee was once again pink. so there you have it folks - i've got beeturia! i would have gone ahead & kept my doctor's appointment on tuesday just because it couldn't hurt to have myself checked over given all the training that i've been putting myself through. however, an unexpected trip landed in my lap for work & i had to leave for dallas right after lunch (swim workout) on tuesday. i think i'll go ahead & schedule an appointment first thing next week just to be *extra* safe.

sorry for all the details, but it was your choice to continue to read this very long explanation of how eating beets scared the sh*t out of me for a good 24+ hours. it's the honest truth people - nothing else seems to matter when your health is compromised.

the gayest picture ever

2008-03-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

one of my very good friends zia... i can't believe i hang out with someone that would do something as gay as put his snoodle (it's a cross between a poodle & a schnauzer) in a baby travel backpack & then let someone (girlfriend heather) take a pic of him. this is worse than the purple pin-striped suit he wears from time-to-time. indeed, zia is the most metrosexual friend that i have.

rather than just knock zia i will note that he's also one of the most interesting, talented, & smartest people i know. he's running his own consulting firm (razorwire5) & a not-for-profit organization (aienla project). he's traveled to more countries than all of my friends combined (& most of my friends have been overseas a few times) & he's living life "his" way. while zia makes for an easy target to make jokes about i respect him & what he's got going on at many levels.

cheers to you zia & to the gayest picture ever!

so not moving to san fran

2008-03-17T05:22:00.001-07:00

i think san francisco is one of the best cities in the US. the views are amazing, the restaurants rock (i love avocado on everything), the wine country is a short drive away, the weather is pretty constant, & the city supports an active life-style like mine. in fact, san francisco is number 2 in my list of top 3 favorite US cities.

1. austin

2. san francisco

3. chicago

it's the cold weather without a doubt that keeps me from considering actually living in chicago. as for san francisco - it's simply the cost of living! just as i'm posting this past friday about gas prices here in austin my good friend trevor who is vacationing in san francisco this weekend (following a speaking engagement at eComm highlighting some awesome new & free technologies released by jaduka) sent me a pic from his iPhone of the current (03/14/08) gas prices in san fran.

- $3.93 unleaded plus

- $3.99 performance plus

- $4.09 high performance

that's almost a dollar more a gallon than here in austin. sure, i know that *most* folks living in san francisco get paid more than those of us working in austin, but my gosh that's a lot for gas. it's almost as if they are marketing the gas there too. note that the sign doesn't read $4.09 for 93 octane... they call it "high performance" gasoline. i suppose if i'm going to shell out $4+ bucks for gas i too would want to think i'm getting something more special than just 93 octane gas.

week 10 - CDA training in 2008

2008-03-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

as much as it pained me i took it super easy monday – wednesday while traveling to white plains, NY for work. if i really wanted to i could have worked out early monday morning before flying out & when i got back home wednesday evening. instead i let this trip & time off really F with my head & as odd as it sounds i got really depressed. the worse thing about the trip was my sleeping & my diet were both way off course. given that i wasn’t working out, i could have at least made it a point to catch up on some much needed (& deserved) Zs. kristin (thank you so much sweetie) let me make up for a “rough” trip & let me get to sleep super early wednesday night after returning home & when i woke up thursday i hit “it” hard & haven’t stopped since. i got 3 solid workouts in on thursday & on friday, saturday, & sunday i completed my longest workouts of thus far: friday – 1.2 mile (non-stop) swim, saturday – 100.5 mile bike ride in the miserable wind, & sunday – 21 mile run! also, my achilles is doing much better as a result of the daily icing, making ibuprofen part of my daily meal, & changing up my run stride (thank’s for the great advice coach mo). oh, & i (kristin too) had a great 1.5 hour massage yesterday after my bike ride. i’m also heading out to get a pair of new run shoes this afternoon because after resorting back to a 3 year old pair of asic nimbus 9s my feel have never felt better – so long mizuno wave inspire 3s.

week10 CDA ‘08
mar10 – mar16

mon
- rest – traveling to NY from austin
- total: 0
tue
- total body weight workout at hotel (35-minutes)
- exercise bike at hotel (25-minutes)
- total: 1-hour
wed
- rest – traveling to austin from NY
- total: 0
thu
- run (7 miles) at town lake (58-minutes)
- swim (2900 meters) with t3 (1:17 minutes)
- spin class at pure (55-minutes)
- treadmill (1.2 miles) at pure (10-minute)
- total: 3-hours & 20-minutes
fri
- bike trainer at home (1-hour & 5-minutes)
- run (1 mile) with payton in neighborhood (10-minutes)
- swim (2000 meters) at barton springs (45-minutes)
- total: 2-hours
sat
- road bike (100.5 miles) to san marcos with t3 (5-hours & 15-minutes)
- total: 5-hours & 15-minutes
sun
- run (21 miles) at town lake with t3 (2-hours & 45-minutes)
- total: 2-hours & 45-minutes

total training time: 14-hours & 20-minutes
total run: 30.2 miles
total bike: 100.5 miles road & 2-hours & 25-minutes spin bike/in-door trainer
total swim: 3.06 miles or 4900 meters

shave & suit

2008-03-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

in november/december of last year i was sporting a mountain man beard. while i’m not a fan of the beard today it was fun at the time & i enjoyed not having to shave for those 5 – 6 weeks. given that i had to shave daily & get hair-cuts weekly while serving as a US marine i haven’t been a fan of either activity ever sense. after the mountain man experience i began using the shortest guard on the beard trimmer & i’d usually only shave twice a week.

my “no shaving” style for 2008 all ended this tuesday, march 11th, when i shaved with a real razor. i was meeting with nokia folks at their office in white plains, NY & i felt the need to “clean-up.” not only did i shave; i was sporting a suit for this meeting. while fun to dress up everyone now & then i really prefer jeans & a nice shirt.

to my surprise my shave & suit were not necessary. i was expecting a room full of suits & what i got was a bunch of 30-some dudes (minus the accounting guy) wearing jeans, nice shoes, & those pin-striped shirts that are currently so popular. worse off, 2 of the 7 guys had that short shave look that i’d been sporting. oh, & then there was the most senior of all the guys sporting sunglasses on his head.

boy did i feel like a bone-head. i have to remind myself of the industry that i am in & that in tech almost any thing is allowed – even from folks that are with a big organization like nokia.

87 - 89 - 93 - $$$

2008-03-14T20:48:00.000-07:00

oh my! i've been listening to NPR & i realize oil is at its highest selling price per ever - $107.88 a barrel - but damn i didn't realize the impact to us (the consumer) until i was at the pump tonight.

*** 87 - $3.139, 89 - $3.269, 93 - $3.399 ***

it may be time for me to consider riding that new shiny bike to & from work & if kristin wants that honda fit then i'm going to support that decision all the way. is it possible that we may see the price for a gallon of gas reach $4 before end of year? at this rate of increase i'm afraid it's actually possible.

yellow trash

2008-03-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

i think like so many other things you should have to subscribe or opt-in to receive the yellow pages phone book. anyone know how often the yellow pages company updates this BIG paper weight that only people like my grandmother still use? just last week they were dropping new yellow page books off in our neighborhood. lucky for me i was at home letting payton out at lunch & i was able to stop the delivery dude from dropping one on our porch. seriously, for the past 8 years every phone book i've received has ended up in the trash. of course today, if i were to receive one it would end up in the recycling bin.

the point isn't about recycling though. sure, these yellow paper weights should be recycled, but my point is that we don't need the BIG yellow book anymore. if you really feel like you do need it then you should have to subscribe to it & possibly pay for it versus every home & business in the US receiving these damn wastes of paper.

when i returned to the office after lunch today i found 6 yellow books in our lobby. at most we'd need one book for our our office & in all reality we don't even need one. if someone in our office doesn't know how to google for a phone number, then they shouldn't be working with us.

plenty mag

2008-03-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

not to far away from that rolling stone magazine with obama on the cover that i referenced in a previous blog lie another magazine titled 'plenty' that caught my attention. i thought it very cool that there was a magazine that focused solely on "going green." its pages were filled with articles about environmentally smart ways to go greener. topics included hydrogen cars, clothing made from recycled materials, the right foods to eat based on how they were grown, etc.

i thought to myself for a moment - what a great magazine & how wonderful to see something like this. then i pondered, if this is all about going green why am i looking at a magazine filled with pages & pages of paper? shouldn't this magazine be in digital format if the creators behind it really mean what they say about being green?

when having some time after work today i took at look at plenty's website to learn more. while happy to see that they do produce a magazine that is environmentally conscience - see statement below regarding how plenty takes their mission seriously & practices what they preach. but isn't it still wrong that this magazine isn't in digital format only? if plenty was distributed via digital format only there would be so much less machinery involved to develop the content in this magazine, there wouldn't be bounds & bounds of paper (recycled or not) for printing, there wouldn't be any printing or print machines running that use energy & require A/C for cooling. let's not forget the distribution involved in getting this magazine to the many different retailers - mail planes, trucks, etc. burning all types of fuel.

when i think more about how the digital age can help reduce so many negative things affecting our environment i'm frustrated to think about why we don't enforce such approaches. all music & movies should be downloaded, all software should be downloaded too, all magazines, bills, books, etc. could all live in soft form & require little to no paper, manufacturing, & the delivery to get these products to market. the digital age we say we are in could bring such relief to a number of things that negatively impact our environment every day - so why aren't this approached being enforced?

comments from plenty magazine:

"we take our mission seriously and practice what we preach. we offer a digital version of the magazine. our paper is 85-100 percent recycled and contains 20-30 percent post-consumer material. we also offset our carbon footprint (the energy used to print the magazine and run our offices) with green mountain energy. oh, and our website is carbon neutral as well."

obama in the mix of magazines

2008-03-14T16:11:00.001-07:00

while avoiding the high prices of all the junk food in the airport & waiting for my connecting flight from dallas to austin on wednesday of this week i roamed through a magazine shop where i was delighted to see obama on the cover of this month's issue of 'rolling stone magazine' with a title that read "a new hope."

while i was delighted to see obama on the cover looking all "god" like i was ammused with the other magazines that surrounded this one. to the left there was 'playboy magazine' - quite fitting for a scandal down the road. to the bottom left was 'esquire magazine' with a picture of mr. republican governor arnold schwarzenegger with a caption that read "what obama, mccain, clinton, & the rest can learn from arnold the president of 12% of us." just below the rolling stone issue was a copy of 'the source magazine' which is referenced as being the bible of hip-hop culture & politics. to the bottom right was a copy of 'mac life' for the nerd/yuppie in all of us.

i'm suprised there isn't a product placement guideline for a magazine with a cover of a presidential candidate on it. anyhow, i got a good laugh from this one - i hope obama's campaign manager did too :)

price gauging at airports

2008-03-14T15:27:00.001-07:00

i'm bias to airports to begin with. i can't stand them! i rarely find anything worth eating, if i'm not running for a plane i'm sitting for hours waiting for one, the never ending security lines, & to top it all off the price gauging that takes place inside of airports makes me sick.

while i can fill my bag with cliff bars & trail mix you aren't allowed to bring your own water. if you buy a water outside of security you are then forced to throw it away or drink it before you can enter an actual terminal. granted, i understand the need for security... security is actually at the bottom of my list of things i can stand about airports :) everyone knows or should know that while in the air your body gets seriously dehydrated. airlines all recommend you drink plenty of water while flying, yet the airport stores price gauge you on water - $2+ bucks for a small (20oz) bottle of water. the airports should enforce a price cap on water in my opinion so that anyone with a dollar can get a big bottle of water because we all know if you order water on a plane you get a small cup of water & nothing else. isn't it odd that if you order a coke you get a full 12oz can, but if you order a water all you get is a cup filled with about 4oz of water?

as for the food marts, coffee shops, etc. they price gauge on everything. the same coffee that you'd get at starbucks (which is already over priced) costs you double in an airport. i ordered a smoothie from smoothing king while at the airport earlier this week & the same smoothie was three dollars more than what a smoothie king in town would charge (note: don't get a smoothie from smoothie king, especially while in the airport - this deserves it's own blog post). i'm suspect that the overhead costs for the smoothie king in the airport are way less than a smoothie shop that has to maintain their own brick & mortar store, AC, heating, security, etc. so the margin these chains are making on the items they are selling must be astronomical.

checkout the attached pic. that south beach bar is being sold for $3.49. you can find that same bar in a grocery store for less than a buck. probably not the best example, but you get the point about the type of price gauging taking place at airports.