Swim Lesson for family and friends!

My brother-in-law asked me to teach a swimming technique lesson, we recruited two others to join in and we had a lil swim lesson this morning.

We talked about proper kicking, body position and hand placement. At the tail end we talked a little about backstoking and flip-turns.

I hope everyone learned a little something that will help them sometime in the future.

Palo Alto twins!

These lil boys are just as cute as can be! Both are pushin over 7 lbs, so it means they've gained about 2 lbs each over the last month. They are eating and sleeping like crazy.
Um... JEALOUS MUCH?!?

Memorial Day BBQ with the Family

We all fit in our tiny house! We grilled burgers outside, and planned on sitting at the picnic table, but the weather was all but cooperating! It was windy and rainy. BOO!

Good company and good conversation... Thanks Fambily :) We love you!!!

Wow. Hulu + SNL skits + Great Video Streaming = Good Times

Wow. I just laughed harder than I can even remember laughing recently. I think Amber was even slightly afraid. It was sudden and forceful. Wow. The kind of laugh-attack that has after shocks. With snorts. The kind of laugh that almost instantly makes you sore in your abs. Wow. It was unexpected, it was exhausting, and it was great.

Day 1 of Hulu.com use and I am impressed and already thinking that I will be back. YouTube has it's place (user-generated content), but premium content like this little gem I'm sharing with you now will cinch the deal on creating come back users. Plus, the video streaming is flawless and scales full screen beautifully.

Feast on this comic delight:



Amazing. Juvenile, yes, but you have to appreciate the build up and the clever, if crude, visual and verbal punch line in the end. Wow.

Facebook 101: A quick introduction

I love my job. I was asked by a client to help him start and understand a Facebook account. This senior executive "gets it" and is trying to connect with his youthful audience. I wrote up this brief account for him and thought y'all might find it useful.

For those not online, and Facebookin' start here.

On the first page you'll be able to sign up by entering your information. Sign up using an email that most people would use to contact you directly, as it will be the way people will connect with you via the facebook social network. Some people sign up with a secondary or "junk" email account they don't use much to avoid spam, but in this social utility, that tactic works against people finding and connecting with you. You can control how Facebook and others contact you, but we'll get into that later.

Facebook is the land of News Feed and Status updates. Friend's online activities and "Facebook status" stream to your home page in the News Feed area. This aggregator of online activity is the pulse of your social network. Set your status in the right hand column to add to the mix. In the Profile section, see how the world sees you. If it seems lacking, add to it by going to the upper left menu "edit" right after "Profile."

Profile (Account & Privacy)

Jumping in to your profile can be a bit intimidating. You'll find that some people fill it out extensively, but the basics should at least be a picture of yourself (a must so you aren't a big blue "?" pic), the "Basic" profile info, "Contact" (more info here, the more people can find you), and anything else you care to share.

In the upper right menu you'll find "account" and "privacy" sections. In the "account" section there is a "Notifications" section where you control your email notifications. Going through this will give you a better idea of the basic services available and how much you want to be bugged (via email) by them. If you are really daring, dive into activating your mobile phone for mobile Facebook use.

The "privacy" section lets you control how much you want news about yourself spread across the network. I like the "Friend of Friends" contact option for many of the more sensitive settings as it keeps things somewhat buttoned down to people you know, otherwise I just let my networks know me.

Friends

Friend connections are heart and soul of Facebook. The best way to get into the mix is by accessing the Friends submenu "Find Friends." Here you can log into your personal web-based email and automatically get a list of who is on Facebook and add them all quickly. If you use Outlook, or any other offline email application, click "Upload Contact File" and you'll find directions under "How to create a contact file..." This is an awesome feature that accelerates your Facebook experience, so don't underestimate it!

Groups

Although somewhat obscure, groups are a great way of getting people together around a cause, event, or affiliation. Go ahead and create yourself a group page, just let others in and help you keep it updated and fresh!

Applications

Facebook Apps are internal, 3rd-party randomness that boil down into a bunch of silliness (for fun) that enhance the Facebook experience. Some are useful, but right now its a toss up. I avoid most apps, just because of the clutter (once you add them they are a part of your profile, but have fun and experiment... just beware, I know plenty of people who once they've added an app, don't know that on their profile they have prominently displayed "Give a Beer to..."

Have Fun!

The Basement Apartment: A Video Tour

I've been meaning to post this for quite some time... but the small glitches in technology always push you back further than you'd ever think (I'm experiencing this at work some right now too!). So, without further ado, the video tour of our newly remodeled basement!

Revisiting The Old-school Playground: The Ladybug

Amber and I took a great Sunday walk today... all the way from our house to the Hotel Carlston! Along the way we happened upon Howard R. Driggs Elementary School, my alma mater (and saying "Hi" to Dan & Rachael Gregson along the way!). This multi-colored building and it's grounds hold many fond memories for me. One of my favorite playground installations was surprisingly still there, namely The Ladybug.



The Ladybug, to this day, is a wonder of playground goodness. Harmless looking to the common elementary school principle, it is a ready proving ground of skill, agility and social pecking order within the ranks of the first through possibly third grades (I can't remember the grade limit of who got to use the "upper" playground). The name spawns from its history of being regularly painted bright red with black polka dots on the center dome. The paint never lasted the gravel constantly thrown upon it, and I guess they finally gave up renewing the name-giving paint job.

At first glance it looks like a simple four-way teeter-totter, with seats, handles, and foot peddles. But the under pinnings of four industrial sized springs prove that assumption quickly wrong as they facilitate movement in the four axis of up/down/right/left. Standing upon the seats across from an opponent, one's movements are amplified across the span with dramatic effect. Swaying, bouncing, popping and absorbing or any combination of the four are valid offensives/defenses.

I think I spent almost all of my recess time on this thing, perfecting and honing my technique. Those who could stay on got to play on it all recess... those who fell off had to wait for someone else to fall. With a trampoline background, I remember holding my own and remaining on the Ladybug for longer than most. Amber's fish-legs-and-balance might need some serious training time on the Ladybug for her to compete.

Surprisingly the Ladybug withstood the adult version of me as well- a tribute to its longstanding status on the playground. Perhaps we need to have a reunion of sorts... an old-timer Ladybug championship if you will. Anyone game?

Needing a little caffeine? Maybe try Propel invigorating water!

Maybe this is a better solution than a Diet Coke or Diet Dr. every once and awhile, to avoid all of that black corn syrup? The average amount of caffeine in a 12 oz can is about 34 milligrams. There is about 20 mg in Propel invigorating water. However, maybe you should read what I read on caffeine through Wikipedia before you crack open that nice cold can, hit your favorite fountain drink spot, or go to Sonic for Happy Hour. There was a picture in this article that I thought was very interesting, this is a picture of what happens to a spider on caffeine.
Hmmmm, maybe it's not such a good idea for me to "drug-up" to stay awake at work anymore!