My year....
Too much: caffeine, work, stress, war, bullshit (mostly from politicians), incompetence (ditto), interest, debt, cholesterol, opportunity
Not enough: family, friends, guitar, variable comp., sleep, vacation, blogging, common sense, reading
Sounds kind of bad when I put it like that doesn't it? So, I've been pretty lax in keeping up with my blog. My last post was in October I believe. So, I'm going to get it all out here, in one massive post that two people might end up reading. I'll start with the simple stuff. I finished my second, and last (I mean it this time) marathon. I ran the Nike Marathon this year in San Francisco. Yes, I realize that the Nike is a "women's" marathon, but given the choice, I'd rather run with thousands of beautiful women than the same number of smelly guys. Thanks to Leigh DePuma (cool name) of Del Ray Beach, Florida, for helping me through the first half. She was a little too fast and bonked just before the half way mark in Golden Gate Park. I cut 20 minutes off of my first marathon time, although I fell short of my personal goal of 4 hours or better. It was at mile 20 that I decided that marathoning just isn't for me. Half marathon is now the new max for me. In 2007, I'll be running the San Francisco and the Nike half marathons, but by far the biggest challenge will be the Pike's Peak Ascent. 6K feet, straight up, biggest difference is that you start at 6K feet. Oxygen content could be an issue. So, even with my marathon career behind me, I'm still finding ways to potentially injure or kill myself. I toying with the idea of a triathlon as well. More on that later.
Enough of that. Here's my ramble on the people and events most important to me, and not just in 2006.
My family is amazing. I've always wanted my own family and now that I have one I couldn't have imagined the overwhelming love I have for them and the joy that they bring me. My wife Jody is incredible. Never giving herself enough credit, she has managed to mold the little guys into wonderful children and at the same time, continue to garner kudos for her work as a professional photographer. Jodes was published in a national magazine this year, The Knot, one of the premier wedding rags. You can see her work here, but the attribution for the photos is incorrect (I let them know). All of this while remaining the neighborhood's premier party planner and entertainer and hardest of all, putting up with me. This past year has been tough and I'm no picnic to live with sometimes. I do love her so. Calvin and Hudson just keep getting cuter. I know it won't last forever, so I'm trying to enjoy as much of it as I can while it lasts. Hudson started walking and like his brother, within a week, was running. As he figures out how to make off with his sibling's toys, I'm sure the conflict will increase accordingly. But, for now Hudson thinks his brother is the funniest guy in the world and Calvin loves having the built in audience, so all is right. The personality difference between the two is striking. Calvin continues to be a pretty cerebral kid (as it applies to a 4 year old anyway). He was born with artistic ability. While other kids were scribbling at 2 years old, he was able to draw figures and now that he has settled on being a lefty, his dexterity with the pen just increases. It makes sense, there are a couple of artists in the gene pool, including Jody's Mom, Rebecca. Calvin could sign 45 words and assemble sentences before he could speak. The Hudder, on the other hand, is a little more blunt. His parents have handicapped his ability to develop signing ability by anticipating his every need, so mostly he's sticking with the point and grunt. He made up his own sign for his pacifier which is hilarious, but other than that we've had very little success. He's much more likely to just whack you one if he doesn't like what you're doing. Last week Calvin was laughing at him and received a smack to the melon for doing so. He loves to hug and give zerberts, but is not consoled easily (or at all) by touch. They both have very cute giggles though, and they're the best part of my day.
My Brother is a guy I don't see nearly enough of. Our family was (and remains) a very close one growing up. Joey has managed to carve out a tremendous career for himself, is married to a fabulous woman, and is one of my favorite people. He lives in So. Cal not too far from where we grew up and as such time and space have conspired to keep us apart. I'm not sure how exactly to remedy this, but I'm going to devote some effort, there are only so many "next years". Joey and Dar, we're coming to Yellowstone for Christmas this year, so get ready. I see my parents more often these days, a happy byproduct of having kids. Nothing can keep them from their grandkids for very long, thank goodness. Grandparents are just much more fun than Parents, period. Not to discount the influence of the Holmans by any means. Buddy Josh still ranks as Cal's best friend and we nearly drove Bob and Becky over the edge this year, having spent so much time (although you'd never know it, wonderful as they are).
It was tough to keep up with all of my fabulous friends in 2006. It was tougher mostly because I have been working in San Jose for about a year now. Almost everyone I know, professionally, is in San Francisco. I'll be spending much more time in SF this year, so hopefully that situation will improve. Without trying to name all of them, several of my close friends, both new and old, were tremendously helpful in providing advice, council, and direct assistance in making it through the year. Saar Gur, Scott Sorochak, Jon Murray, Jim Green, and Chris Raniere continue to be constant sources of guidance. Bustin is out there hookin' me up (I think I owe him at least one now). Butler, Cass, and Linde all remain way to generous in a technical pinch. Gordie serves well as my alter ego, allowing me the opportunity to live vicariously as we discuss our frequent guitar and car acquisitions. There were a bunch of people I didn't get to see nearly enough last year and I miss them terribly. My entire team (and some of those not on my team) from Adteractive. Looking back I can say with confidence that 2005 was spent with the greatest group of people I've ever been able to work with and privileged to lead. 2007 must be the year that we pull together the alumni association. Lastly, but by no means least (quite the opposite actually), one of my best friends is leaving for greener pastures. Mike Abbott, written about frequently in my posts, has accepted a new challenge out of state. We've known each other for quite a long time now, and this year had the opportunity to work together again. Mike has served as my go to guy for technical and professional advice, sushi, coffee, and great conversation. He'll be a relatively short plane ride away and I'm sure he'll be around periodically for a while, but when things get cranked up, I don't expect to see him much in 07. Leaving is definitely the right thing for him to do, I was very supportive during the decision process, but I'll miss his presence for sure. Vaya con Dios Senor Abbott.
I'm gonna stop there. The formatting on Blogger can get quite long. Here's to a fantastic 2007. Let's hope that despite the continuing evidence to the contrary, cooler heads and common sense prevail the world over.
Peace.
Too much: caffeine, work, stress, war, bullshit (mostly from politicians), incompetence (ditto), interest, debt, cholesterol, opportunity
Not enough: family, friends, guitar, variable comp., sleep, vacation, blogging, common sense, reading
Sounds kind of bad when I put it like that doesn't it? So, I've been pretty lax in keeping up with my blog. My last post was in October I believe. So, I'm going to get it all out here, in one massive post that two people might end up reading. I'll start with the simple stuff. I finished my second, and last (I mean it this time) marathon. I ran the Nike Marathon this year in San Francisco. Yes, I realize that the Nike is a "women's" marathon, but given the choice, I'd rather run with thousands of beautiful women than the same number of smelly guys. Thanks to Leigh DePuma (cool name) of Del Ray Beach, Florida, for helping me through the first half. She was a little too fast and bonked just before the half way mark in Golden Gate Park. I cut 20 minutes off of my first marathon time, although I fell short of my personal goal of 4 hours or better. It was at mile 20 that I decided that marathoning just isn't for me. Half marathon is now the new max for me. In 2007, I'll be running the San Francisco and the Nike half marathons, but by far the biggest challenge will be the Pike's Peak Ascent. 6K feet, straight up, biggest difference is that you start at 6K feet. Oxygen content could be an issue. So, even with my marathon career behind me, I'm still finding ways to potentially injure or kill myself. I toying with the idea of a triathlon as well. More on that later.
Enough of that. Here's my ramble on the people and events most important to me, and not just in 2006.
My family is amazing. I've always wanted my own family and now that I have one I couldn't have imagined the overwhelming love I have for them and the joy that they bring me. My wife Jody is incredible. Never giving herself enough credit, she has managed to mold the little guys into wonderful children and at the same time, continue to garner kudos for her work as a professional photographer. Jodes was published in a national magazine this year, The Knot, one of the premier wedding rags. You can see her work here, but the attribution for the photos is incorrect (I let them know). All of this while remaining the neighborhood's premier party planner and entertainer and hardest of all, putting up with me. This past year has been tough and I'm no picnic to live with sometimes. I do love her so. Calvin and Hudson just keep getting cuter. I know it won't last forever, so I'm trying to enjoy as much of it as I can while it lasts. Hudson started walking and like his brother, within a week, was running. As he figures out how to make off with his sibling's toys, I'm sure the conflict will increase accordingly. But, for now Hudson thinks his brother is the funniest guy in the world and Calvin loves having the built in audience, so all is right. The personality difference between the two is striking. Calvin continues to be a pretty cerebral kid (as it applies to a 4 year old anyway). He was born with artistic ability. While other kids were scribbling at 2 years old, he was able to draw figures and now that he has settled on being a lefty, his dexterity with the pen just increases. It makes sense, there are a couple of artists in the gene pool, including Jody's Mom, Rebecca. Calvin could sign 45 words and assemble sentences before he could speak. The Hudder, on the other hand, is a little more blunt. His parents have handicapped his ability to develop signing ability by anticipating his every need, so mostly he's sticking with the point and grunt. He made up his own sign for his pacifier which is hilarious, but other than that we've had very little success. He's much more likely to just whack you one if he doesn't like what you're doing. Last week Calvin was laughing at him and received a smack to the melon for doing so. He loves to hug and give zerberts, but is not consoled easily (or at all) by touch. They both have very cute giggles though, and they're the best part of my day.
My Brother is a guy I don't see nearly enough of. Our family was (and remains) a very close one growing up. Joey has managed to carve out a tremendous career for himself, is married to a fabulous woman, and is one of my favorite people. He lives in So. Cal not too far from where we grew up and as such time and space have conspired to keep us apart. I'm not sure how exactly to remedy this, but I'm going to devote some effort, there are only so many "next years". Joey and Dar, we're coming to Yellowstone for Christmas this year, so get ready. I see my parents more often these days, a happy byproduct of having kids. Nothing can keep them from their grandkids for very long, thank goodness. Grandparents are just much more fun than Parents, period. Not to discount the influence of the Holmans by any means. Buddy Josh still ranks as Cal's best friend and we nearly drove Bob and Becky over the edge this year, having spent so much time (although you'd never know it, wonderful as they are).
It was tough to keep up with all of my fabulous friends in 2006. It was tougher mostly because I have been working in San Jose for about a year now. Almost everyone I know, professionally, is in San Francisco. I'll be spending much more time in SF this year, so hopefully that situation will improve. Without trying to name all of them, several of my close friends, both new and old, were tremendously helpful in providing advice, council, and direct assistance in making it through the year. Saar Gur, Scott Sorochak, Jon Murray, Jim Green, and Chris Raniere continue to be constant sources of guidance. Bustin is out there hookin' me up (I think I owe him at least one now). Butler, Cass, and Linde all remain way to generous in a technical pinch. Gordie serves well as my alter ego, allowing me the opportunity to live vicariously as we discuss our frequent guitar and car acquisitions. There were a bunch of people I didn't get to see nearly enough last year and I miss them terribly. My entire team (and some of those not on my team) from Adteractive. Looking back I can say with confidence that 2005 was spent with the greatest group of people I've ever been able to work with and privileged to lead. 2007 must be the year that we pull together the alumni association. Lastly, but by no means least (quite the opposite actually), one of my best friends is leaving for greener pastures. Mike Abbott, written about frequently in my posts, has accepted a new challenge out of state. We've known each other for quite a long time now, and this year had the opportunity to work together again. Mike has served as my go to guy for technical and professional advice, sushi, coffee, and great conversation. He'll be a relatively short plane ride away and I'm sure he'll be around periodically for a while, but when things get cranked up, I don't expect to see him much in 07. Leaving is definitely the right thing for him to do, I was very supportive during the decision process, but I'll miss his presence for sure. Vaya con Dios Senor Abbott.
I'm gonna stop there. The formatting on Blogger can get quite long. Here's to a fantastic 2007. Let's hope that despite the continuing evidence to the contrary, cooler heads and common sense prevail the world over.
Peace.
posted by Jaybeau at
2:59 PM
1 Comments:
Hey buddy, you are missed at Adteractive too. I know a lot of your team is no longer here but the ones that are left miss you dearly. I am sooo happy to hear that the kids and your wife are well. Keep up the good work.
-Tami Washington
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