Hello Blogger

Good evening Blogger


http://blog.pricepiston.com/spell.php?hope=ku1ap6fqqzkg21s5





glecko

Wold Cup tidbit

Chloe and I were sitting together and watching the thrilling end of the exciting Italy v. Germany world cup semifinal. Italy had just scored 2 goals toward the end of the 2nd half of overtime and the German team and fans were devastated.

Chloe looked at the Germans and turned to me and asked "Daddy, why are the German's crying?" I was a bit taken back by her quesiton since I hadn't noticed that anyone was crying, and wasn't sure that she was actually watching. Being the compassionate person I am I calmly explained that the German team had just lost the game and that they were very sad because of that.

Chloe turned to me and said "When I play soccer in the fall, if my team wins the last game, I will be happy and I will jump around." Then I asked her what would happen if her team lost. Her immediate response was "If my team loses the last game, I won't cry."

A few words of wisdom from my baby.

--
greg

Memo to MPAA

My daughter is heading to only her 2nd movie in a theater at the ripe old age of 4.  However she has consumed tons of DVD's.  She's very excited to see Cars, a G rated movie that is sure to please the whole family.  I wish that you and your stogey old suits would open your eyes and realize that the time to market the DVD for this movie is NOW.  Include the DVD price in the movie ticket as an option and allow the movie goers to pick up the DVD on their way out.

Would this cannibalize the need for multiple trips to the theater?  Yup.  Will my family of 4 make multiple trips to the theater to see that movie let alone any others?  Nope.  Could it drive more people into the theater for their chance to have the DVD?  You bet.

You could have my $$ now, or you can put together a campaign to waste millions of dollars in 4-6 months trying to convince me to buy your DVD.  Your choice.

Sincerely,
Father of 2 young DVD watching kids.

WC Rant ...

Dear FIFA World Cup officials,

Please feel free to instruct the hapless men in the "middle" to keep the yellow and red card in their pocket unless someone has lost a limb.  This cup has been marred by incompetent referees taking it upon themselves to change the outcome of games.  Let the players play.  If anything, start handing out cards for excessive "simulation".

I know I'll sound like an old codger with this one, but for cripes sake, can you PLEASE tuck your shirts in?  If the hoodlums in the NBA can keep their shirts tucked in, I think the players in the world cup can as well.

That being said ... I think we have been treated to some HUGE moments so far.  Shaka Hislop comes to mind.  Ghana exposing the Czech's as old and slow.  USA exposing themselves as unable to overcome the bad luck that was somehow laid upon them.  Amazing goals from all over the pitch. 

Thank you to Germany for being a good host so far.

I'm sure we have great things to come, and I sincerely hope that we don't have to remember this cup as the one that the referees ruined.

--
leffie

Online shopping, watch your back ...

I'm looking for a digital camera, specifically a Nikon D50 digital SLR camera. It's my latest tech-obsession ... well ... at least the one that I am most likely to indulge. I've been reading all of the reviews at Steve's Digicams, Digital Photography Review, Digital Camera Resource page, Epinions, Amazon.com, and Consumer Reports ... so I think I have it narrowed down to the one that I want to buy. Unless someone knows of a better camera for the money?

At any rate, the real story is the search for the best price. I've got a few favorite sites that I like to check into as far as pricing goes ... but this time around I thought I would check froogle.google.com as well. Usually google doesn't steer me wrong, but this time I have cause to question. When performing a search in froogle.google.com it will return your results like normal, then a list of paid search "ads" on the right column. Whoopee I thought ...

I used the search term "D50" and the top 2 ads on the right coulmn were ExpressCamera and BestPriceCamera - both of which were "new" to me. Being click happy, I thought I would check them out. I started poking around and everything looked okay to me. I thought I would check out each place on resellerratings.com which I have used in the past to get feedback for online stores that I haven't heard of. Well ... come to find out that each store has HORRIBLE ratings. They are both being accused of bait-and-switch and trying to upsell customers on things that are supposed to come with the item you are purchasing.

I read Google's policy on the ads that it shows, and they attempt to distance themselves from any responsiblity for the ads they show. I wonder how long that will last. Hmm ... so many issues with that.

The lesson I took is, as is most often true with anything, let the buyer beware and use ALL of the tools at your fingertips to ensure you are purchasing from a reputible seller.

New Year's resolutions

Ya Ya -- the usual -- but this year it's being published for all to see, or not. At the end of the year I'll grade myseld with either a 1, a .5, or a 0 to see how I did.

ME:

1. Eat to live, don't live to eat ... stop the cycle of nervous eating.
2. Lose a total of 40 pounds throughout this year - final weigh in will be Thanksgiving morning.
3. Keep within that weight through the holidays
4. Exercise at least 3 times a week
   

MY FAMILY:

1. Become the tubby-time daddy - to give the girls their night time tubs.
2. Support Heidi in all of her "extra-curricular" activities by volunteering times to watch the girls so she can go out and play.
3. No computer and no TV before the kids are in bed.
4. One weekend per month is outside fun weekend - day hikes, walks in the neighborhood, geocaching, playing at the park - anything outside.
5. Complete the garage "project" - install wall shelving and ceiling shelving
   
6. Complete the backyard "project" - install summer grass
   

FINANCES:

1. Keep "eating out" to a bare minimum. Once or twice a month at work.
2. Define a monthly and yearly budget with focus on saving/investments
1. Begin regular investments in 529's for Paige and Chloe
2. Review investments with Heidi at least 4 times a year
   
3. Define a high level 5 year plan for our investments and finances - includes upcoming vacations, large purchases, home improvements, etc.
   

That's a good start ... I can always change/add as things come up.

Ireland - 10/2 (+10/3 flight back) - shopping

(I had one more day to capture ... almost 2 months later isn't bad right?)

Sunday morning got started pretty late as Saturday night was a late one. I grabbed a quick breakfast at a bagel shop (bagels aren't as good as NY ... LOL) and then a coffee ... and then it was off to shopping. I spent the morning shuffling to and fro looking for gifts for family members. It was a bit of overload since it's hard to get stuff for people who don't "need" stuff.

Before I had done much actual purchasing, I figured it was time to have some lunch. Now admittedly, I'm not the biggest fish and chips fan, but Leo Burdock's was recommended as one of the oldest and best "chippers" in Dublin. I took that under advisement and decided to give it a try. When I walked in I almost bumped into myself. This store is VERY small ... it's what is commonly referred to in Ireland as a "take away". Just enough space for someone to order and look at the menu, pay, and leave. There were two people ahead of me ... one had just finished ordering about 20 fish and chip combo's ... WHOA! The next person ordered cod and chips ... and that sounded great to me ... they wrapped it up in paper and I was off to sit at the Christchurch Cathedral to eat. It was WAY too much food for one person. A HUGE piece of fish with a deliciously crispy shell doused with just enough malt vinegar to enhance the flavor. The fish was sitting on a bed of fried potatoes ... nach ... chips and I also had the nice helper to kick in a little of the "crispy bits" which are the fried floaties left over from the cooking of the fish.

After lunch it was a bit more shopping -- to actually make some final purchases -- and after that I met Brian at the Intel building to drop off my car, which by then was loaded with plenty of junk.

After the drop off we drove into "town" and decided to have Indian food for dinner. No ... not fry bread ... curries and dahls ... the spicy stuff from Asia. We tried a nice little place called Taste of India. The food was fantasic, and an incredible deal to boot. The proprietor was very accommodating allowing us to eat from the early bird menu even though we traipsed in a few minutes late.

After dinner it was back to the hotel for a night of packing and getting some rest for the LOOOOONG flight home.

I woke up Monday morning ... Brian picked me up ... and we were off for a day of crapping around in the Dublin and Chicago O'Hare airports. Ugh ... long flights and longer lay overs are just not part and parcel for a happy Greg. Luckily I made it home with no ill effects other than a slight case of jet lag.

Ireland - 10/1 - visit, country drive, pub crawl

Saturday morning got off to a bit of a slow start ... I walked over to Brian's hotel - the Conrad Dublin - for a free breakfast (Brian is the wheeler and dealer and found a way to get free brekkie -- very nice -- and thanks for sharing!). It was a buffet style with all of the full Irish breakfast trimmings as well as yogurt, juice, cheese, breads, pastries ... too much food ... but good fuel for the rest of the day. While having breakfast I got a text message (which is like THE way to contact folks in Ireland) that one of our cohorts was coming into town with his little boy.

With impeccable timing, Andrew and his little boy Alex arrived at the hotel just as we finished breakfast. Little Alex is a handsome devil although I'm not sure where he gets his dashing good looks (sorry Andrew!). We all decided to walk over to a farmer's market that gathers in the Temple Bar area of Dublin ... and on the way we traveled through the gorgeous St. Stephen's Green. There wasn't much to the market, but what was there was great ... there was a bakery, a cheese peddler, a few butchers, some wines ... just a fun little experience. From there we walked over to Christ Church - a beautiful old cathedral in the middle of Dublin. After this it was back to my hotel and a lovely drive south of Dublin, into the country side of Ireland, on my way to Kilkenny.

Getting out of Dublin is always a chore ... however once I was out of the city center ... it was on the road to Kilkenny. The drive was very scenic and passed right through the heart of at least 2 towns on the way to Kilkenny. Brian joined me on this adventure into the countryside and actually did an excellent job as the navigator (printed/copied tons of maps, etc) where as if it was just me heading out ... I probably would have just started driving ... and would probably still be driving. HA HA! I was told that THE place to eat in town was called Langton's ... so the first order of business was to find lunch/dinner.

Kilkenny City is not a very large place with only really one or two main streets running through it ... however those streets are NARROW and WINDING ... so it's always an adventure. On the way through town I saw Langton's and made a mental note how to get back. About 30 minutes later ... after a narrow close call running a red light ... a U-turn through a petrol station ... and a 5 minute wait for a space in the local car park ... I was at the restaurant with Brian, ready to chow down. I ordered the roasted lamb with a leek soup starter ... very good eats. With the fuel in the belly, it was time to see Kilkenny ...

One of the main attractions to this city is the castle that sits up on one of the hills. It's a funny thing about traveling in Ireland ... you should really plan to do things early ... because by the time we ate lunch ... walked down the wrong street ... then found the right street ... the castle was closed! Ugh ... so it was onto the main shopping street. While Brian was finding deals I was scouting some of the cathedrals ... the first one I came to was St. Mary's (Catholic) and it had amazing stained glass inside and tall spires on the outside. After collecting Brian ... I walked over to another cathedral, St. Canice's (belonging to the Church of Ireland), this one built in the 1200's!! It was time to say farewell to Kilkenny and journey back into Dublin.

On the way back into town I called Andrew to see if he was up to having visitors or even heading into town for a little night out with the boys. After getting completely lost on the way to his house ... I called Andrew and he literally guided me in turn-by-turn ... like a low-tech GPS system if you will. I got to meet Andrew's beautiful wife Liz and had a small tour of their new house ... Alex was sleeping ... so we didn't disturb him by heading upstairs. We visited for a bit ... and listened to Andrew and Liz's fantastic stereo ... then decided to drive into town.

Once the car was parked, it was onto the pubs. The first one we stopped into was called Neary's ... and Andrew filled me in on some little known facts that back in the "day" women were not able to sit in the same area as men at the pub ... and they also couldn't drink a full pint, instead having to drink out of a smaller glass. After a drink it was on to the next pub (can't remember the name right now!!) ... which was PACKED. We chose to go to the upstairs portion of the pub ... and there we encountered some interesting folks ... a few groups of ladies were eyeing our table ... and we all were assuming it was due to the 3 handsome devils that were sitting there. HA! It was fun to have a few drinks ... then the pub closed, so on to the next one. For me it was back to Sheehan's, the first pub I visited ... and another drink, and more people staring ... was I starting to get a complex?! Once again, we were hanging out until the pub closed ... then ... one more pub. The haute and uber-trendy Clarendon's. This reminded me of a Scottsdale-type pub where you had to look pretty and drink pretty beverages to be "cool". Needless to say ... I had a Bulmer's ... then stumbled back out onto the street with Andrew and Brian ... in search of some food to soak all this liquid up. We found a place that did kebab's and shawarma ... just what you need after a pub crawl ... garlicky chicken and pita ... with a few dozen of your closest inebriated friends. I wound up chatting with a few lads from England, and a few gals from Canada at this eatery ... and then it was off to bed after a VERY long day.

Ireland - 9/30 - late start and a nice visit

Since I had been working so late this whole week in Ireland ... there was an understanding that Friday would be a day to "rest up" ... and that means you can come in a bit late. Since my night ended so "early" I didn't make it into the office until around 11am ... and even that was pushing it as my head was pounding. I did a little bit of work and then it was off to lunch around 12:30.

As a celebration for completing the project Deirdre - the manager of my counterparts in Ireland - took the group (including Brian, Caoimhe, Karen, and me) out to lunch at a lovely restaurant in Leixlip (can't remember the name!). They were serving all kinds of meat ... and I chose to sample the Salmon, which was an outstanding choice ... very fresh. The meal included 2 types of potatoes (mashed and roasted) as well as stir-fried veggies ... it was a feast for a hang-over to be sure. As a gesture of thanks, the group that I worked with in Ireland purchased 2 books for both Brian and myself as well as thank you cards. This was a very thoughtful way to say thanks, and to give me a little piece of Ireland to take home.

After lunch it was back to the office to get in a few hours of work ... catching up on email ... talking to the family back home ... planning the weekend's activities ... all the important stuffs.

When the work day was done, I was invited to visit with the only person that was missing from our original "team of 4" from Oregon ... Michael. He provided directions to get from Intel to his house ... and of course ... it being Ireland ... there really wasn't any street names ... just a lot of turn here, then turn at this town, etc. Needless to say ... it only took me 2 U-turns and 30 minutes to find his house. It was wonderful to see Michael and his family again ... they were just blessed with an addition to the family (about 3 months old). After a few hours of visiting ... it was decision time.

Do I go "out" ... or go back to the hotel and get some sleep. Stupid question ... when is the next time I'll be in Dublin on a Friday night? I dropped the car off at the hotel and proceeded to walk to the pub where there was another going away party for another person that works at Intel (don't ask me ... seems like a good place to work?!). The pub was called O'Reilly's and is located underneath an elevated train station in Dublin. The place was very busy, and VERY loud ... and apparently for me ... very difficult to find. I wandered around Dublin looking for this pub for about 30 minutes more than I should have ... but eventually found it ... and then it took me two times thru the place (no, it's not that big) to find my party. It was a low key evening with a few pints, some great conversation, and a relatively early knock off time of midnight. I was in bed by 1:00am for some much needed rest.

Ireland - 9/29 - tons of work and tonight some play

Again the work day started early, and I had a long day to look forward to. This was to be the final day of the project work ... and it was again a very long one seeing me working until about 10pm.

But that's when this just get going in Dublin ... so the night was young ... the project finished successfully ... and there was much enjoyment to be had. There just happend to be a going away party for a few lads that worked at Intel (no one that I had met before) ... but that's no excuse not to join them for a few drinks.

I drove on back to the hotel and parked the car ... went up to my room to freshen up a bit ... then walked over to the pub called the Porterhouse (different location than the one I had visited earlier in the week). Apparantly this pub used to be called "Judge Roy Beans" or something like that ... but I'll call it good fun ... not because the pub was exceptional, but the company was outstanding. I wound up meeting a few new friends; Baz (short for Barry), Anthony, Cathy, Rob, and Brian. Now you have to understand that when I showed up at the pub, at roughly 10:30pm, I was ready to pass out from exhaustion. It's amazing what some good conversation, and a bit of liquid nutrition (read: beer) can do for someone. After about 3 pints ... I was feeling my oats ... and the pub was closing ... and then things got fun!

It was probably about 1:30-2:00 am and "we" decided to go to another pub/night club. The apparantly infamous Viper Room was the stop and after paying a cover charge(!!) we cruised into a totally EMPTY and DEAD night club. Not a problem in my mind since we still have the good company ... and the music is thumping. I kept being re-assured that the place would pick up as the rest of the pubs started closing ... oh ... and I also got introduced into a lollipop of a drink. It's called a Fat Frog ... made with very sweet alcohol drinks ... it goes down WAY too easy. After a few of those drinks ... I was dancing, singing, and whooping it up until about 4 am when the club closed. The rest of the gang that I was with piled into a taxi and vanished into the night as I made my way back to the hotel.

I finished the night with a short and slurry call home to heidi ... and then passing out.

Ireland - 9/28 - work, work, work

Wednesday started just as Tuesday did, wake up, shower, drive to work. The project continuined on into the second day ... and much to my great joy, on into the evening. Another late night, not too many stories ... and back to the hotel for sleep.

Ireland - 9/27 - a birthday abroad

I woke up early ... on this my 33rd birthday ... in a different time and place. I was a bit anxious about driving from my new hotel to intel as the path to get to onto the motorway was a bit tricky. I asked the concierge to draw a map, and it was perfectly simple to follow. Without it though, I would have wound up in south Dublin I'm sure. The drive in was uneventful and I was mentally preparing for a fun day (dripping with sarcasm).

My work day at Intel Ireland was to consist of working from 9am to about 10pm (which is most definately NOT the standard work day). The day was very productive, and the project work was wildly successfull with us being able to finish all of the things we had schedule ... although it did take a smidge longer than I had hoped.

The evening consisted of me driving back into "town", climbing into bed, and passing out.

Ireland - 9/26 - back to work

After an adventurous first few days, it was time to actually "earn" the trip so to speak. I woke up, showered, and hit the road ... not knowing where I was going to spend the next night ... but I left my bags in the Westin Dublin hotel room just in case.

The drive into work was interesting as traffic in the vicinity of Dublin is totally insane. Thankfully I was headed out of town whereas all of the heavy traffic was on the way in. All in all I would say it took about 40-45 minutes to drive into work ... but it's an interesting drive full of narrow lanes and semi-confusing roundabouts (which are a rather interesting way to move traffic). Once you have been through the roundabout a few times ... you start to get a feel for how not to completely annoy all of the local drivers. Due to a slight issue negotiating the last roundabout on the way into Intel, I wound up in the wrong parking lot, heading in the wrong direction on the Intel campus. On the bright side, I got a nice driving tour of the campus, and once I was parked (a real interesting thing to attempt when driving a car on the right hand side!) it was into the building to start the work-day.

Monday was not to be a heavy day as far as work goes ... the morning consisted of breakfast with the group we are working with ... and a few meetings. Then on to lunch ... a few more meetings ... and a terrible fright from a project perspective. It seems that the project that we were to start the next day hit a snag when the building facility maintenance project that was to happen at the same time was postponed due to bad weather. It was a tenuous few hours the project managers negotiated to continue with "my" project ... albeit a few hours later than we were supposed to start. The day ended a bit late, but it was mainly due to attending meeting and chatting/IM'ing with folks from Arizona.

One of the MOST important parts of my work day was to check in with the Intel Ireland travel agency to see what the status of my reservation is/was. I went to visit with the gal that was responsible for my reservations ... and SUPRISE ... she was not in on Monday. Luckily another gal that was working was able to find my "card" and said she would follow up on the status of my hotel. About 30 minutes later I received an email from her that cleared all the smoke from the situation ... my hotel reservation was actually made for the Fitzwilliam Hotel and the confirmation number was in their format. The travel agent had inadvertently typed "Westin Dublin" instead of "Fitzwilliam Hotel"!!!! Um ... not sure how you can make that mistake ... but the gal that helped figure it out was very apologetic and made sure that my reservation was still valid for the rest of my stay.

Leaving work the driving continued to get easier ... and I was determined to get to the Westin and get checked out, so I could then get checked into the Fitzwilliam. When I arrived at the Westin and spoke to the desk agent, she was very accommodating and mentioned that since I arrived so late and was trying to check out, that she would have to check with her manager to see if I would be charged for an extra night. Thankfully I was not charged ... so it was quickly up to my room to collect my bags ... and off to the Fitzwilliam hotel. The route from one to the other is WILD ... weaving in and out of the streets of Dublin.

I arrived at the Fitzwilliam and allowed the concierge to valet park my car ... not remembering that I left my bags in the boot of the car (read: trunk). I checked in and proceeded up to my room ... walked in ... and almost choked ... I had been given a smoking room!! (Can I catch a break on this trip?!). I phoned down to the reception desk to ask if there were any non-smoking rooms ... and of course ... there was not but they would switch me the next night. So it was a stinky night in the Fitzwilliam.

The night was young ... and Brian had text'ed me about having dinner and was asking where to meet. I didn't think I could fit the directions to get to my hotel in a text message ... so I told him to meet me at the Westin, and we'd go from there. I was off to walk from the Fitzwilliam hotel to the Westin ... and the best part was that I had no idea where I was going. I knew the general direction ... and started out that way ... but I came upon Trinity College and was baffled by the large wall and the fact that, again, I had no idea where I was. So I started off in an "easterly" direction ... and kept on walking ... and walking ... and walking ... until I finally figured out that I was lost ... and I should stop and ask for directions. After speaking to a nice young lady in the Alexander hotel she put me on the right path to get to the Westin ... ugh! 55 minutes later I met Brian and we walked around for another 20 minutes looking for a place to eat ... when we stumbled upon a place that Caoimhe had recommended (but if you didn't know where to look you would have never found) called the Pizza Stop. It was a decent little shop and it was a nice little dinner ... and I learned a cultural lesson about restaurant dining in Ireland. Apparently you have to ASK for the check when you are ready to leave since it is common for diners to sit at a table and have drinks and talk for a while after eating ... being from the US ... I was waiting for the server to bring over the check and shuffle us out the door. A big thanks to me buddy Andrew for this bit of Irish culture.

After a HUGE dinner Brian and I walked over to the Porterhouse Pub for a sample of Ireland's finest micro-brew beers. I chose the stout/porter sampler (read: heavy/dark beers) ... it was a nice way to try a few beers without having to drink 3 PINTS of beer. After dinner it was a short walk home (now that I know where I am going) and it was back into the stinky room. I called home to speak to Heidi and get caught up on how life is going on without me. I sure miss my girls ... and I wish they were able to experience Ireland ... but I can tell you that there is NO WAY COME H#LL OR HIGHWATER that Heidi would drive here. HA HA HA HA. And I can't imagine trying to experience something like Ireland, or any other country for that matter, with two little kids ... it would be an adventure in and of itself.

Ireland - the next day

Day 2 was a Sunday - and it started off relatively early considering the night I had before (out 'till 3am). My co-worker Brian was traveling into town this day and sent me a text message on the mobile phone when he arrived at 9am ... and being me the guy that can't go back to sleep ... I was up for the day. I took my time getting dressed/showered and then went down to the hotel's restaurant for a full irish breakfast. For those that are not acquainted with the dish - it's a heart attack on a plate ... a fried egg, 2 pieces of rashers (bacon), 2 sausages, 1 black and 1 white pudding, half of a tomato, and some DRY white toast. Very, very hearty breakfast. After brekkie I checked out of the hotel, put my bags in the car, and was off for the day.

Now it was on to the roads in my car to practice driving ... I was looking for the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre but wound up exiting the motorway too early and found myself in a Superquinn supermarket. The market was very much like our supermarkets with aisles and aisles of food stuffs, fresh meats, and other various sundries. As I was leaving the market and heading on to the shopping centre, I got a text message that Caoimhe was heading to the hotel I had just checked out from ... so I went back there (great practice in driving on narrow winding roads!). I met her back there and I was off to follow her on over to Brian's hotel so we could head into town (read: Dublin), get me checked into my new hotel, and have a bite to eat.

We found Brian's hotel, the Glenroyal, in short order, and it's not far from the Intel campus, which means a nice short drive for him in the mornings. Once we collected Brian, we caravan'ed over to my hotel, the Westin Dublin, located in the middle of town. It was a gorgeous place with lovely dark wood throughout, very classic look. I parked in the taxi area out front while I went to check in. After giving the front desk my "surname" and having them print out a piece of paper that showed the name "Foley" on it ... I started to sense that I was in for some real fun. It turns out that the hotel did not have ANY reservation for "Leff". I provided them a confirmation number that was seemingly missing 3 numbers, and hotel manager came out to meet me, took my documents (emails & notes) and attempted to resolve the case of the missing reservation. They could not contact my travel agency nor could they find the reservation, so they put me up in the hotel for one night pending the resolution of the reservation fiasco. In the mean time, the hotel has asked us to move the car so a large bus could pull in ... thankfully Brian grabbed the keys, pulled across 4 lanes of one-way traffic, and found a "car park" (read: parking lot) to leave the car in. After sorting out that mess, it was on to lunch/dinner ... and a mental note to follow up with the Intel Ireland travel agency on Monday.

Brian, Caoimhe, and I wandered around in the Temple Bar area looking for a nice place to eat and watch the All-Ireland football finals. We decided to eat at the Auld Dubliner and instead of sitting downstairs, we climbed a flight of stairs and found a nice quiet table in front of a lovely flat-panel TV. The game was between teams from the county Tyrone and the favored county Kerry. Admittedly I don't know much about the game, but it didn't take long to catch on, and by the end we were actively rooting for both teams and it was very exciting. A lovely family sat beside us just before half time and we wound up chatting with them a bit about the game. Tyrone were the winner in a HUGE upset ... and their supporters rushed the field and celebrated in grand fashion. The dinner I ate was a lamb roast with carrots, broccoli, cabbage, and - of course - potatoes. It was a lovely dinner - a bit bland - but to be expected as the Irish cuisine does not seem to include much in the way of spices. After dinner we said goodbye to Caoimhe ... then Brian and I were off to wander around town.

We ventured across the O'Connell bridge and onto O'Connell street walking through the throngs of Gaelic football supporters as they were leaving the match that had just finished. There is a large spire/spike/radio tower in the middle of O'Connell street that serves as a land mark in the city. Since it was Sunday evening at this point (around 6pm) most of the stores were closed or closing ... however we did find Carroll's Irish Gift Stores open ... and they seem to be the national Irish trinket store. I'm sure by the end of my trip, I'll have been there a few times to get this, that, and the other. After the jog around O'Connell street, it was time for me to drive Brian back to his hotel (and get one more practice drive on the way to Intel).

On the way to his hotel, we stopped at a supermarket called Tesco, and filled up the car with petrol (read: gas). Dinner was next on the docket, and we wound up in a small Chinese restaurant (can't remember the name), but the food was just ok. I dropped Brian at his hotel, and jumped back on the motorway on my way back into town.

The drive along the motorway was uneventful and nothing really happened until I was driving along the Liffey River. A little set up is warranted for this next bit ... the roads in Ireland are fairly well marked ... however ... lanes disappear and re-appear like magic. As I was heading back to the hotel along the quays (pronounced "keys"), which line the Liffey River, I noticed a van driving a bit fast, and coming up on my right side in a lane that was about to disappear into a right turn only lane. I didn't think anything of it ... until moments later when that van decided to make contact with the back of my car! DOH! Well ... I was stunned ... in Ireland less than 48 hours and I've been rear-ended. Ugh. Well ... I got out of the car to survey the damage ... and luckily there was NO sign of damage, so I waived the foolio that ran into me on, and proceeded on to my hotel for a night of rest.

The first 24 hours in Ireland

It's been an interesting trip so far ... here's some of the stories ...

The flights from Phoenix to Chicago, then Chicago to Dulbin were mostly uneventful ... except that I was not able to sleep on the last leg making for a VERY tired Greg when arrived in Ireland.

When I landed at the airport and made it through customs, it was on to the hotel and to collect my rental car. And the adventure begins ...

I needed to arrange transport from the airport to the hotel ... so I visited the "information" desk at the Dublin airport. The helpful man at the counter informed me that a taxi ride would be about 60-70 euro (very expensive!). He said if I was not in a rush that a bus ride would only cost 5 euro ... it sounded like a decent alternative and also offer a chance to see the city. My next step was to check a local ATM to see if I could take a cash advance with my corporate card ... could not figure out what the PIN was ... so no cash. That and the fact that it didn't seem that the taxi would take a credit card seemed to make the decision easy for me ... bus it was. Of course, this is with my luggage in tow ... luckily only one rolling bag. The nice lady at the bus counter was able to charge my fare to the credit card, and then gave me a map with the bus lines that I needed to take into town (748), then one transfer (66, 66A, 66B), and on out to my hotel.

The bus ride into the city was fairly fast ... and before I knew it I was in Dublin, bussing along the Liffy river with no clue where I was heading, and all day to get there. I knew that I needed to change busses, but I wasn't real sure where I should do that ... so I watched most folks get off at one particular stop and thought to myself ... is this the right stop? But I kept on riding until the next stop where almost the rest of the bus emptied out ... yet I was still riding. On to the next bus stop when there was just about no one left riding with me ... I finally asked the bus driver where I could get the 66, 66A, or 66B bus line. He informed me that I should have gotten out at the last stop ... and that I should get out here ... and of course I was not paying any attention to where I was since I was in a sleep-deprived stupor at this point. So I blindly followed the path that the rest of the folks that exited the bus took ... and I would up on a street, going the wrong way, with all of my luggage, and no idea how to find the 66 bus line.

I was lucky enough to have a friendly bus driver pull up driving the 51 bus line, and when I poked my head into ask where I could get the 66 line, he told me jump on and he'd take me there. 2 minutes later I was jumping off that bus and the driver was trying to tell me to hurry across the street to catch the bus I needed, which was sitting at the bus stop. As I was making a mad dash across the insanely busy street to catch the bus, he pulled away leaving me to wait 30 minutes for the next bus. So here I am, on Irish soil for about 1 hour now ... and I'm effectively LOST in the middle of Dublin, waiting for a bus to take me to Leixlip (pronounced LEEKS-lip), standing across from what appears to be the main Guarda (Irish police) station downtown, standing behind Trinity College, and - only to find out MUCH later - standing right across from the Westin Dublin - the hotel for most of my stay in Ireland.

The 66A bus arrived right on schedule and this time I made sure to ask the driver if he was able to take me where I needed to go and if he could let me know when to get off. So off I went ... through Dublin and on to Leixlip. This bus driver was a bit looney ... having run thru yellow/red lights about half the trip thru Dublin ... but he got me to the Leixlip House Hotel which was my hotel for the first night in Ireland. Exhausted and a bit frazzled, I stumbled into the lobby and queried about my room only to be told that it was not ready and most likely would not be for another 2 hours. After a heavy sigh, I went into the lounge/bar and had a cuppa tea to relax. I still needed to collect my rental car, so I phoned my friend/co-worker Caoimhe (pronounced KWEE-va) and she was on her way to pick me up.

When Caoimhe arrived it was such a relief to see someone I knew! We climbed into her Peugeot 106 (read: small car) and proceeded to the Intel site so I could get my rental car. This bit about driving a rental car was the only thing that had me a little worried about being in Ireland since you have to drive on the LEFT side of the road and the driver sits on the RIGHT side of the car! My rental is a Ford Mondeo which looks nothing like any models we have in the US ... and although it's barely larger than my old Mazda Protege ... it's a GIANT on the road here ... which makes it slightly harder to drive. After picking up the car, I made it back to the hotel and finally got into my room and was able to get a rest for a little while. After waking up and being a little hungry, I ventured into "downtown" Leixlip which is really just one street long. Down the end of the street is an eatery called The Ryvale Tavern where I enjoyed a lovely turkey dinner ... along with a very nice drink called Bulmer's Original Vintage Cider. After dinner it was back to the hotel for another round of rest/sleep. Caoimhe was kind enough to invite me out for drinks with her two sisters (Eimear and Dearbhla - pronounced "EE-mer" and "DUR-vla" respectively). We started the evening at about 10pm!! and the first pub we went to was called Sheehans ... it was exactly how I pictured an Irish pub looking/smelling/tasting - LOL. After a few pints of Guinness we left and started out to a hotel called the Burlington which just happened to be THE pre-game party place for the All-Ireland football finals that were to be held the next day. It was an absolute madhouse in there ... a great experience for a yank from "the states" as they say here. All said and done, I wasn't in bed until 3am!

Are you ready for some football?

Fall & specifically September brings professional and my personal favorite NCAA football. It's a tradition that I look forward to year after year, the monsoons, the cooling of AZ. I' hoping that my two beautiful girls will eventually show some interest in watching sports with their dad.

Most years I try to get a little preview of the up coming football season by attending ASU's Camp Tontozona. What a treat to drive up to the cool(er) pines just east of Payson and watch the young players of ASU build and grow into a cohesive team.

Yesterday was ASU's first regular season game, and their opponent was Temple University, who would most likely rank in the bottom 5 teams in division 1 NCAA football rankings. As such, the 'devils pasted 63 points on them, but did give up a disappointing 16 points. How can you be disappointed? Well ... the defense played GREAT ... and it's just so much fun to pitch a shutout ... probably more fun, and demoralizing for the other team, than a blowout.

The experience of the game was somewhat sad since this was the first game in a LONG time that I experienced without my friend Rob C. The group of friends that we attend the game with all wore our "Team Chambo" shirts from the Pat Tillman run to remember and honor our friend.

Tomorrow marks the 8th annual LFFL draft. What is that you say? It's the 4+ hours spent one Saturday in late August, early September where a bunch of guys get together and talk football. Eat football. Drink football. Well ... it's not that serious ... but it's a fun time where a bunch of friends from all over the US get together and have a good time making fun of each other and the silly decisions that they make when putting together a fantasy football team consisting of millionaire NFL players that each of them hope will have a BIG statistical year.

For my money - the fall is the best time of year. Football is starting up, and as an added bonus, you have some big holidays where my family gets together and shares great times!

Coke Zero - not bad

In the ever crowded field of no-calorie soda - there is a new entrant - Coke Zero. I figured what the heck, give it a shot ... it's zero carbs ... zero calories ... and $.50 for a 20oz attempt - an introductory offer at most grocery stores.

At first taste, I thought I was drinking regular coke. It was sweet, with that carbonated bite to it. It was a lovely floral boquet with a slight hint of oak, berries, and something I couldn't quite put my finger on, but I think it was chocolate -- wait ... this is my Coke Zero review ... oops.

Seriously tho, aren't there enough diet drinks with diet coke and lime, lemon, grapefruit, and kiwi, diet pepsi with all those things, pepsi one, diet rite, diet RC, diet 7up, sprite zero, and the whole host of store brands, rootbeers, fruity things. It's a veritable cornicopia of flavors. Where does Coke Zero fit in ... well ... I think it's up there as one of my new favorites. At least this week.

Coastal drive

From June 25th to July 2nd we took a very relaxing trip to La Jolla, CA. Heidi's mom and dad rented a gorgeous house right on the "beach". The reason that beach is in quotes, is that we were really on a bit of a cliff or bluff, with the beach being just below the bluff. It was an incredible sunset every evening as the glowing orange ball dipped below the horizon.

The first day we were there we ventured down to the rocky shore and looked around at all the tide pools full of crabs, anemone, and mussels. The cool breeze from the ocean and the rythmic pounding of the surf against the rocks was just what the doctor ordered.

Chloe enjoyed the ocean this trip, and she had a great time running out into the water as the waves came in, jumping into my arms just as she was about to be tripped up. Paige was a super beach sleeper ... I think the sound of the waves was very soothing and relaxing for her.

We were so very happy to spend time with our famliy. It was an incredible setting for relaxation and reflection. Life seemed just a bit slower, more comfortable. We were also lucky to have had a visit from Heidi's cousin Amanda and her husband John who live in Chula Vista.

A trip to Sea World was in order and it was a LONG, but very exciting and fun day. Both girls were amazing troopers since we left the house around 9am and didn't get home until 8:30pm ... and we were only 10 min from Sea World. I was exhausted the next day ... and just happened to get sick! Ugh ... so the ride home on Saturday Heidi had to drive ... thanks bubba!

late nite blogging

I'm sitting here. You're sitting there.

I'm typing meaningless drivel. You're reading it.

I've been missing a close friend that passed away recently. He was an amazing person that really knew the meaning of being a friend. It's just not fair that good people like him won't be around to share all that life has to offer. I'm not going to go into all the details about why Rob was my best friend - read the guestbook at the link - see what everyone has to say.

What I am going to say is that RC, I know you are listening, watching, reading ... it's what you always did, it's who you were. You always knew what was going on and were the glue that held so many lives together. The world is not the same without you ...

And the other lovely ladies in my life, the Momma Bird and big sister Chloe.

Paige giving us that great smile ... what a beautiful kid if I do say so myself.

Here she is, baby Paige giving us a look at her tonsils. She's a very happy, well fed baby.

Whoa, close up!

One month old Paige with Chloe

Chloe and Paige

Thought for today ...

"Do all you can with what you have in the time you have in the place you are." - Nkosi Johnson (1989-2001)

Amazing that an 11 year old said this ...

Nicely put

This story from the CATO institute has some interesting quotes - regarding the "conservative" folks and their want for FCC to censor TV.

"The latest Nielsen television ratings are out and they reveal that in addition to being the most popular show among adults, ABC's smash-hit Desperate Housewives is also the most popular broadcast-network television show with kids aged 9-12."

"No doubt, the relentless censorship advocates at the Parents Television Council (PTC) are already firing up the engines at their automated complaint factory to bombard Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulators with letters. Recent Freedom of Information Act requests to the FCC have revealed that the PTC has been responsible for over 98 percent of all indecency complaints to the FCC over the past two years. PTC is quickly coming to have a "heckler's veto" over programming in America as many of the shows they complain about receive significant fines or are even driven off the air."

"While the PTC claims to be non-partisan, the watchdog group's public policy advocacy adopts a distinctly social conservative and moralistic tone ... PTC's motto is: "Because Our Children Are Watching," ... Why are your children watching? Why are they watching Desperate Housewives or any other show you find objectionable? I know my kids aren't watching."

"I've always been particularly troubled by the fact that so many conservatives, who rightly preach the gospel of personal and parental responsibility about most economic issues, seemingly give up on this notion when it comes to cultural issues"

Done. Last quote I put sums it all up. If you take the jump, there is some really interesting stats provided ...

Fast food - not so good for you

I just finished watching Super Size Me - a pseudo-documentary work by Morgan Spurlock. If you haven't heard of it, he basically eats nothing but McDonald's food for 30 days, and tracks his weight, blood work, and overall well being. While his methods may not be the mosy scientific, the outcome is plain to see, eating nothing but fast food is not so good for you. On the DVD there is an interview with Eric Schlosser author of Fast Food Nation - he makes a compelling argument against most fast food restaurants. I tend to agree with his arguments that because these places are driven by corporate greed, they do whatever it takes to addict people, and serve the food that will make the most profits.

Being that I have a 2 year & 10 months old, and a new baby on the way, the discussions in this movie regarding the addiction of children to fast food really hit home. I think that for any "brand" name you could claim that the corporation is attempting to create an addiction that will subliminally force you to choose their product above others.

In this addiction vein, Heidi and I have become incredibly sensitive to TV advertising, to the point that we try not to watch network TV, and I cringe when watching sports on TV with Chloe in the room when the ads come on (which by the way, is with increasing frequency if you are keeping track - another discussion).

My concern is how to make sure that our kids don't become tools of these corporate beasts. How do I teach my kids to make informed decisions when they are constantly being told that brand or company XYZ is the best. We're trying to start with limiting TV, but what else can we do. We very rarely eat fast food ... only really the occasional breakfast Egg McMuffin. Interestingly though, Chloe has already made the connection between the Egg McMuffin and the "fun play place" that McDonald's has ... scary. I teasingly call her the "brand name baby" because she already knows the following by their "icons": Target, Starbucks, Pei Wei, Baja Fresh, Chipotle, IKEA, Home Depot, Joe's Real BBQ, and Costco. I'm sure there are more, but if you look at that list, it's pretty much a list of the places that we frequent ... and she's already built that association with food and shopping at all those places. Are we on the road to ruin with our kids since we eat out too much and they know the names of all the places we shop? Hmm .... only time will tell.

Tis the season ..

This holiday season was the last as a 3 person family unit ... I'm excited, anxious, and nervous for to meet the new little Leff that is putting on it's last few layers of fat before coming out an meeting us. It was a crazy holiday, as usual, since we basically do 3 seperate Christmas "present openings". And it's non stop eating as you troop from one faimly to the other. It is great to spend time with people that you may only see once or twice a year.

This year I got a story from Heidi's cousin that touched me. Admittedly I'm a bit of a sap for these things, but I really think that this story tells the true meaning of Christmas and is an inspiration for us all. Thank you to Jackson, Kyle, and Lucas for sharing the magic of the season.

LOST

I've been watching the show LOST on TV this season. What a great show ... it's really pulled in Heidi and we can't wait each week to see what happens. We're both hoping that the show doesn't get too corny with monsters and such ... the anticipation/suspense is what keeps the show flowing. They have done a nice job of introducing all the characters and their histories to give perspective and show where they are coming from. If you haven't seen it, wait, I'm sure it will be on DVD before next Christmas.

Musings & stuff

It's been a while ... here goes. I've been busy working and trying my best to keep my housing projects on track. Some random thoughts ...

A new location of the uuber-furniture empire called IKEA opened here in AZ recently. We've found some cool stuff ... and shortly I'll have the contemporary office of the new millenium in the next few months.

I have discovered a new "toy" at work and it's called VirtualPC - it's a way for you to install a virtual computer inside your existing computer. I have since installed 3 seperate operating systems on my laptop (including Linux) and I have installed Linux at home too ... might be shifting off the M$ platform soon ... ooooooh ... aaaaaaaahh.

Parting shot ... if you haven't tried it already ... download the internet browser called FireFox ... it's free, and it's kicks IE's arse up and down. Oh ... and it's got a whole host of features included that IE does not ... and oh ... did I mention it's free ... and oh ... one more thing ... you know all those "security holes" that IE has ... Firefox is not succeptible ... not to say it will never have security issues, but it's not swiss-cheese IE. Naner, naner.

Pre-fact check

One day before the final debate at Arizona State University (go SunDevils!!) and this article is publishing the (dis)information that those that have been following the debates have grown accustomed to. It's definately pro-Kerry ... but more than that it's a preview of some of the hot buttons for the upcoming debates.

It would be nice if prior to the debates the "television media" (whatever that moniker amounts to these days) would do some sort of presentation of the FACTS, then watch as BOTH candidates spin their webs around them.

It would leave me the voter to decide which rat is the least harmful.

Makes me sick ...

Here is a story from the NY Times (registration req'd) that outlines how the Bush folks are putting money into the Catholic church to buy votes. Of course the article doesn't really say that, but you can read between the lines and see that they have been trying to influence the opinion of devout Catholics by using abortion, gay marriage, and embryonic research. All well and good if you believe, as the Catholic church does, that those things are wrong and constitute sins.

However, the bit in the story, that was ever so briefly mentioned, was that Mr. Bush is no saint. Are waging war and supporting the death penalty not sins? Apparantly not when a few $$ are thrown around.

I sincerely hope that come November we as Americans are smart enough to make the right decision.

More truth ...

It seems the mainstream media and rhetoric slinging politicians have another website to contend with. FACTCHECK.ORG is the latest one that I have been turned on to ... they went point by point through the VP debate and opened up each claim to well deserved criticism. I have added it to my list of places to read, especially in this electoral season.

Information galore!

Another great site that will cut through the maze of cr*p that BOTH candidates for president have been slathering foth. Spinsanity.org is the site and they collect all of the "spin" that the political parties are constantly bombarding us all with and they attempt to debunk it. Read and be entertained, then understand how you are being played by the candidates. Ouch.

The truth doesn't lie ...

Here is a web site / blog that has kept score of the Bush Administration's track record on many things. It's totally subjective, however, they also include the link to the story that discusses the issue, which then allows you to make up your own mind. (What a novel concept!)

If you look at the things that GW said he was going to accomplish versus what he has accomplished, you will see he veered well away from his stated goals 4 years ago. Oh yes, there was 9/11, and it did change everything. Or did it? What have you done differently in your life since 9/11 except for become more afraid and paranoid that the "enemy is out there"? Seriously. 9/11 was a wake up call. Now we are awake. It was not, however, a blank check to wage war against any regime that we think might be the slightest bit questionable.

This administration's time is up.

The Daily Show ...

Great article about the Daily Show ... which is my only source of TV news. The rest of the time I read about things on the internet, or get it over the FREE airwaves. Try it ... you'll be amazed at how much thinking for yourself is liberating.

If you can't tell, I'm a bit tired of being force fed what the networks TV folks want to feed me.

About politics and truth ...

Democrat v. Republican

Liberal v. Conserative

Good v. Evil

These are convenient labels that apply to the political process so that we can align ourselves to one camp or another. When will the madness stop? How do we really make a difference? How do we challenge these people in Washington DC to climb down from their pedestals and see what is really going on in the USA?

I have been listening to the campaigns of both Kerry and Bush for the 2004 election. Admittedly I haven't been listening that closely, but I have heard and seen some things that are disturbing and others that just don't make sense.

Kerry's Military Service:
If John Kerry's service was truly what these Swift Boat talkng heads claim it was, would they not be condemning themselves? One of the main detractors of Kerry's service earned a Bronze star based on the same event that they are claiming was false. His own account of the events (captured at the time during Vietnam) contradict what heh is now perpetuating.

Iraq War:
Rent the documentary called "Uncovered: The War On Iraq". It's a very good look into the PR machine that the Bush Administration is. The DVD has a collection of experts from many different areas (CIA, foreign ministers, weapons inspectors) and the information that they provide via interview is damning. I am a firm believer that our current president took our country to war based on lies and deciet. The facts speak for themselves. Iraq was never a threat to the USA. Iraq did not harbor terrorists. Black and white.

I have been looking for positive from the Bush administration. All I am faced with day in and day out is fear. I'm supposed to be afraid that a terrorist is going to harm me and as such I have to keep the people that are keeping me safe in office. They are somehow protecting me by wasting my tax dollars on a farse called the "Department of Homeland Defense". What has this department done other then raise and lower the terror threat level whimsically? I'm tired of the fear-mongering. I'm tired of the talking heads and talking points. Please ... please ... please ... stop!

I will do what I can to bring an end to the Bush monarchy ... er ... administration ... what about you?

Neuromancer - quick review

Neuromancer - William Gibson's groundbreaking cyberpunk novel was many
years ahead of it's time. Published in 1984 he discusses ideas that
were most recently displayed in the blockbuster film the Matrix.

I found the book an interesting read some 20 years later. Gibson
discussed ideas that can still be considered many years away if they
will ever happen. For an overview of the story, there is a study
guide on the web that does a fair job of summarizing the novel.

Without going too far into a literary criticism, I found the book hard
to follow at points. Gibson launches into the "future" terminology
without giving the reader any background information. Nothing to
refer to. Other than that ... excellent book ... highly recommended.

Leffie does Google mail

I have created another email address. Yeah, I know ... isn't like 10 enough? Nah ... had to try the new system. Google totally changes the way that you read mail since all the mail you recieve is viewed by conversation. This is fansastic for those of us that subscribe to listserv's. We'll see how it's recieved. Check out GMAIL.

Can you take this standing up?

Well gents, it seems that this product might allow the Ladies to be one step closer to reaching nirvana.

Central Oregon Coast - and a fun visit

We took off on a Friday afternoon for what is referred to as the Central Coast of Oregon, and more specifically, Newport. We got into Lincoln City (about 20 miles north of Newport) and had dinner at a wonderful little place off the beaten path called the Dory Cove Cafe which is located in Roads End, and oddly enough is almost at the end of the road (leading onto a beach!). This unassuming little restuarant located on the coast had good service, excellent seafood (Salmon and Halibut), and an excellent homemade berry cobbler dessert. After that fine meal, it was off to Newport to find our hotel and settle down for the night.

The next morning it was quite foggy during breakfast. We ate at a resturant called the Apple Peddler and had an average breakfast, certainly nothing to write home about. From there is was off to the beach, and the first one that we stopped at was called BEACH. The tide was out that particular morning ... and it was WAY out. As we walked along the beach we came across a magnificent set of tide pools where we saw tiny crabs and starfish making themselves at home. Of course, with all these cool things to see, Chloe just wanted to spend all her time in the water (which is FREEZING!) or digging in the sand. After the beach we drove over to the Oregon Coast Aquarium which was a treat. There was no crowd to speak of and, best of all, we just happened to arrive as all of the animals were being fed so we saw them on their "best behavior". We had fantastic weather while we were at the aquarium, but it is Oregon, so we knew that was subject to change at any time. From the aquarium we started to drive to find lunch, and Chloe passed out from the morning's activities. We got sandwiches from the local gorcery and drove down to historic Nye Beach where we sat in the car watching the birds and the waves come and go. Being that we are in Oregon, the rain is never far away. Our next stop was to see the historic Yaquina Head Lighthouse just north of Newport. The rain actually let up just enough for us to get out and walk around, snap a few pictures, and get back in the car to escape as the rain picked up. Later that evening, I set out to get a sweet treat and found myself on the Historic Bay Front and a candy shoppe run by two very friendly older gals that would have talked to me for the rest of the night. They were very generous as well since I probably could have tasted everything in the store without a purchase (making me sick in the mean time).

The next day we made plans to meet with Heidi's cousin in Depoe Bay (on their anniversary!). The trip was initially supposed to be a whale watching adventure, but the weather was not being cooperative. We met for a late breakfast at a wonderful little place called the Whale Watch Cafe. HUGE reasonabley priced meals! Following that we decided to head inland and visit the home of Oregon State University, Corvallis - which is where Heidi's cousin's Jackson, Kyle, and Lucas live. We cruised around the town, looking at the downtown area, then spent some time catching up at their lovely house. We're hoping to be able to make a trip back to see the remodel once it's completed. Dinner was a fun affair at a very eclectic pizza joint, and then we were off to drive back home.

Memorial Day travels

The NW travels continue ... over the past few weekends we have ventured out to explore some really fantasic areas of the northwest.

Pre-Memorial Day warm up trip:
On May 23, we took off on a day trip up the Oregon coast to Astoria and the general area. We decided to pass Astoria on the way up and continue on to Washington and an area called Long Beach. This was a really ... long ... beach?! We spent some time playing in the sand, and then driving on the beach. Yes, this beach allowed you to drive once you passed a certain point - and we enjoyed the opportunity to see the beach in fast forward. This also gave us the opportunity to let our little CRV kick in the 4-wheel drive. (Scared Heidi though - he he)


Memorial Day Weekend trips:
We kicked off the big 3-day weekend with a 1/2 day trip to one of Oregon's natural wonders, the Silver Falls State Park. On May 29th, we started our mini-hike at Winter Falls (#7 on the linked map) and continued along the path where we passed 4 more falls in total. The hike was just over 2 miles in and out and we found it to be some of the most beautiful naturescape that we had ever seen. It was raining for most of the time we were hiking which made for a bit of a soggy time. However, it also made the falls run just a bit stonger and more beautiful. Chloe stayed in her backpack for the enire hike, what a trooper! She kept telling us stories and making up little songs while we walked and took in the sights and sounds.

For the next trip, we couldn't decide whether to hit the coast again, or try something new. In typical fashion, it all worked out in the end for us as we chose to experience the southern portion of Mount St. Helens. As I was searching the web site for St. Helens, I saw a blurb about Ape Cave and I was intrigued ... so much so that this is where we decided to visit on our first trip to the mountain. On May 30th, we started to drive up to the cave and within minutes of reaching the location, the rain became to come down, and Chloe fell asleep. Instead of stopping at the cave straight away, we passed it on the way up to Lava Canyon and Ape Canyon trail heads. While it was far too wet to get out and walk around, it definately looked like a gorgeous hike with some very intersting natural features to pass. On to the actual cave ... it was dark ... and wet ... and actually pretty cool. We were woefully unprepared as the weather was raining buckets, we were just waking Chloe up, and when we got into the cave, we realized that one flashlight was not going to cut the mustard. I climbed the stairs out, went back to the car to get the backpack (which I should have brought ... ugh), rented a lantern, then returned to the cave. It was a very surreal experience trudging through this old lava tube all the while thinking ... is this the time that St. Helens decides to re-erupt? After the 1.5 mile hike down the tube and back, we journeyed back home, stopping at the most recently added Chipotle restaurant in Beaverton, OR. Yummy, yummy.

For our final journey of the weekend, we took our chances with the weather and drove out to the coast. We returned to one of our favorite spots, Cannon Beach. This time we drove a little further south and parked at Tolovana Beach. This was a beautiful entry to Cannon Beach where we spent the next 4-5 hours enjoying the rain-free day. I forgot to put sun block on and only discovered later what we all know, that a hazy day will burn you as easily as a sunny one. We played in the sand and walked in the surf as we made our way north along the beach towards Haystack Rock. After a few choice photo ops, it was back to the car, change of clothes for Chloe, and on to lunch. We decided to give the "famous" Mo's a try. It was average at best, what I would call a toursit trap type place. I had a bowl of chowder with a dinner salad covered in timy shrimp. Heidi had a burger, and Chloe had chicken tenders and fries. Nothing stood out as particularly excellent, but it filled our stomachs for the afternoon. After that, it was back to reality and the drive back home.

You should now be able to comment on the posts that you are reading ...

The Masters ...

The Masters ... what a trip

First, the schedule ... we watched Thursday morning, all Saturday, and all Sunday. While we weren't watching the golf, we were playing 5 rounds, and staying out until 3 in the morning having a blast.

Thursday highlights:
The first thing we did was visit the golf shop to donate to the local economy, let's just say it wasn't cheap, but in all honesty, it wasn't as ridiculous as it could have been. We saw the first hole of Arnold Palmer's 50th and last appearance at the Masters. He got a par on the first hole, really cool to see. There was a brief tour of some of the front 9 on the course, then it was off to play golf.

Saturday highlights:
This was the day where we basically walked the course from the 1st hole to the 18th hole. As we walked around the course, we were kind of following Riley, Romero, and Faxon (can't remember the other guy). We did get to see
Tiger Woods as well as Phil Mickelson. It was a bit tiring, and by the
end, we were all pooped - which didn't stop us from going out that night.
We talked about our favorite holes on the course, and I just couldn't pick.
I do think that I like the back nine holes better than the front nine holes, but again, they are all magnificent.

Sunday highlights:
We chose to set up camp on the 15th hole in the grandstands. If you were watching and you saw a shot of the "stone bridge" to the left of the green/pond as you approach the 15th hole, we were just above that. This gave us a view of the golfers coming into the 15th green, as well as the 16th green. In order to secure this position, we got to the Masters shortly before 8am (when the gates open) and made a beeline for the grandstands. It wasn't until around 1:30-1:45 until the first golfers made it around ...
well worth the wait! While we were waiting for the golfers, they had a scoreboard where the leader's scores are posted and the anticipation and reaction from the gallery as the scores were posted was simply electric - ooh, ahh, oh!. As the leaders started teeing off we began to hear more and more of the loud cheers coming from all over the course. Each time we heard one, we would all speculate on who it was, and what it was, then the score would be posted and we had our own reactions. We watched every golfer that made the cut come thru the 15th and 16th which was quite a treat. The best of the best on stage for what can be said is the most storied golf course in the world. We saw 2 hole-in-ones on the 16th green from Harrington and Triplett, a few eagles on the 15th hole, and loads of birdies on both.
There was no birdie bigger that we saw than Phil Mickelson's as he's chasing Ernie Els on the back nine of the course. We had just watched Ernie Els birdie 15 to go 8 under par to take a one stroke lead on Mickelson. As Mickelson is approaching 15, Els is teeing off on 16. Phil pars 15, Els pars 16. (Remember, we just saw -2- hole in one's so the crowd is just freaking out). Mickelson steps up to the 16 tee and hits to almost the identical location that both of the hole in ones hit. His ball didn't quite roll the same way due to the spin, but he stepped up and hit the put for a birdie and a tie with Els at 8 under. The gallery was exploding on each put, and everyone was pulling for Mickelson. After they passed the 16th, we hustled to the 10th hole in anticipation of a playoff since they were tied at 8 under (why didn't we go to the 18th? It was a mob scene) As Mickelson came up on 18, we had a camera man from CBS doing his best to provide details. We heard that Phil's second shot was on the green, slightly above the hole. Mickelson's pairing Chris DiMarco putted out so up steps Phil.
At this point, all conversation on the 10th green stopped. Dead silence.
All you could hear are the birds chirping. The camera man says the put is away and is holding 2 fingers out to show it's still traveling. Still silence. Then all of a sudden, the camera man's fingers drop, he says "It's in!" and the sound from the 18th green is just getting to us and we're cheering as well!!! We "ran" up the 10th hole, which is all uphill, to see the jacket ceremony. We didn't get to see much of the ceremony, but as Mickelson was walking in through a corridor of fans, two of our group was in the front row and as he passed on the way in, we were chanting "ASU".

What a finish to a totally amazing trip.

XBox - no Intel Inside

This story talks about the new XBox being powered by a IBM built solution. They gent is speulating that it might be an AMD 64-bit chip. I suppose since i missed out on the PS2/Xbox console ... the next one I buy will most likley be a Nintendo or Sony machine. Grr ... Micro$oft rats.

Tulip festival in Oregon

What a beautiful natural wonder to see the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in full bloom for the 19th annual Tuplip-fest. We scooted on down to see the flowers this past weekend and what a delight. The vibrant colors that you see on their website is what we actually experienced in person.

The day was a bit overcast (big suprise!) - but I think that led to better picture taking since the shadows were slightly reduced. We just got a new scanner so we should be better about posting pictures in the near future. Stay tuned!

The Leffie Rants are now in syndication!!

There is a link on the left side called "Site Feed" that if you have a newsreader or aggregator (see my 8.19.2003 post) you can get my newest posts sent to your door. Yes, I know, you can thank me now for providing you with this instant comment from the mind of Leffie.

Yahoo! News - 9/11 Victims' Kin Angered by Bush Ads

Let the games commence ... and you thought that it was going to be a quiet fall. The political machine that has been in rough idle for a little while is revving up it's collective engine.

I'm not going to pull any punches here, Bush needs to go. Yes, he's a tough guy that runs around the world making it a safer place for his corporate interests. But what has he done at home besides run up HUGE debts while handing out tax cuts to "everyone". The government that he claimed he wanted to shrink has grown by leaps and bounds.

What I would like to see from our leaders:
- Challenge the American public to make a difference. Whether it's their lives, their families, their cities, their state, or their coutnry. Just do something that makes you feel like you are a part of and a participant in the world around you. "No man is an island"
- Point our country in the direction and provide the leadership so that we can stand up and become closer to the ideals that we claim we have rather than cowering behind the facade of fake wars and terror threat levels.

I can't claim to know much about John Kerry. He might be Bush in sheep's clothing - I definately need to learn about what this man stands for.

But I can tell you right now, I will not vote for Bush.

(penned by Heidi ... )

Seattle trip

We had a really nice trip. On Saturday, we drove up around 8:30 and got there just at lunch time. We checked into the hotel which was great! It was the Marriott Waterfront ($60 on priceline thank you very much) and it was a big room with an ocean view balcony. We got some lunch and then headed to the space needle. It was a clear view and we really enjoyed ourselves. We went by a carnival and Chloe had to ride the carousel. We walked down to the Pike place Marketplace and listened to street performers, etc and then had dinner at this great place called the Garlic Tree.

Sunday we had breakfast at "The Dish"--yum and then spent the morning at the zoo. That afternoon we went to the science center and back to the Pike Place Marketplace to watch them throw fish.

On Monday we took the ferry to the other side of Puget Sound and took the "scenic" drive home along the sound. Overall, we had a great trip. It was so nice just to spend time together (even if Chloe was acting very two and refusing to take any naps!). Seattle is a fun city! We can't wait to see you in a few weeks!

I've been extremely busy at work the past few weeks, so it's been nice to be able to spend time with Heidi and Chloe. Last weekend we decided to check out the Oregon Mueseum of Science and Industry - OMSI for short. This place was amazing!! It may be because I haven't been to a science museum in a while, but I was really impressed. There was so much to do for the olders "kids" - which includes me - as well as for the younger kids like Chloe. We're considering getting an OMSI membership since it also gives you access to over 200 other science museums all over the US and Canada.

I recently got an email from Chipotle saying that they were opening a new store in Portland and they invited us to come on down on a Saturday and check it out. Well ... we had to check it out, so we drove by and the Chipotle folks were very generous giving us free burrito coupons, magnets, and T-shirts. The location is a bit far for a quick bite, but it's closer than AZ, so we're excited to have another taste from home.

As some of you know, I have entered a "bet" with some friends to motivate us to lose weight and generally become more healthy in general. We used Weight Watcher's plan in the past with great success, so at the beginning of this year, we decided to do that again. Really it's about learning to eat more healthy and get back into the eat to live mode instead of live to eat. So to that end, I have decided to try the trendiest diet out right now ... the South Beach Diet. I will still try to keep to the Weight Watchers plan while incorporating the South Beach Diet foods. Stay tuned to the Leffie Rants blog for updates on the weight loss and South Beach reviews.

We're heading up to Seattle over the Valentine's / President's Day weekend. We'll be staying at the Marriot Waterfront in downtown Seattle. We used the old standby of Priceline to get the best deal ... $60 a night!!! I'll be posting a rundown of our fun once we get back.

A majority of the holidays are come and gone and it's back to the old grind stone. Some exciting news on the "home" front is that the Leff Family is building a house in Chandler!! We signed all the papers and such during our visit home, and we are about 6 months away from being in debt to the bank again.

The builder is Woodside Homes and we will be living in a subdivision called Sun River. Our lot location in this subdivision puts us within walking distance to the local school and a stones throw from a HUGE greenbelt with a beautfiul view of the San Tan mountains. In the larger scheme of things, we are about 4-5 miles from the soon to be completed San Tan piece of the Loop202 and only 8 miles from Greg's work at the south Chandler Intel plant.

We have chosen the Colorado model and done some rather minor modifications. We're very excited to see how all of our selections will fit into our new home! For more info, check in with Greg or Heidi.

Stay tuned since we'll be having a housewarming party before you know it!!!

A few weeks ago (the weekend of 10/26-27) Heidi and I celebrated our Wedding Anniversary - 7 glorious years!

Saturday was an incredible fall day that saw temperatures reaching into the lower 70's! We took a day trip to the coast to visit Seaside and Cannon Beach. Both cities lie along the Oregon coast, but that's where the similarities end. Seaside seems to be a bit more "commercial" or crowded. There are arcades along the main streets that remind one of an old boardwalk. There is a new time share hotel along the beach of Seaside that detracts some from it's small town appeal. Cannon Beach on the other hand is small, one street town that has many little "mom and pop" shops to lure the tourist into their shops. This was our second trip to cannon beach and we took advantage of the great weather spending all of our time wandering up and down the large sandy beach. One notable thing is that we had to stop for ice cream before we left and we stopped at a yummy place. They were serving Tillamook ice cream which is rich and creamy and oh so yummy. Oh, and then we had to try the homemade fudge, also yummy-yummy.

The transition from Saturday, 10/25 - 10/26 meant more than just our anniversary, it was the first time that the Leff family experienced the daylight savings time "fall back" first hand. I had to be at work at 1 AM on 10/26 to make sure all of our systems were "contained" or in a state that is not usable prior to the 2 AM change. Once we lived the duplicate hour and arrived at 3 AM, we were able to turn the systems back on and go home. This made for a really rough day/night/day for me, but I got to bed early, and I got a comp day on Monday so I could get some rest.

We were fortunate to have my Mom and her fiance Ron celebrate with us. We had a surprisingly good breakfast at the local Courtyard by Marriott. They had a small breakfast buffet with eggs, bacon, oatmeal, cereal, and fruit. The hidden treasure was that they would cook you made-to-order pancakes and waffles, which came out fresh and hot. Yummy-yummy! After the large breakfast, we went to downtown Portland for the - Saturday Portland Market (and Sunday's too) This is a weekly collection of vendors selling homemade things, crafts, arts, food, and such. There were musicians to provide atmosphere and food to satisfy the hunger. This market is under a roadway that is right next to a park that runs along the Willamette River.

To celebrate our anniversary went to see a very good, but very disturbing movie called Mystic River. This one stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon and is about as gripping a drama as there is. We then went to dinner at McGrath's Fish House. This place is a great value for the quality of food that you get. And of course, for dessert you can split a slice of their "Mile High Mud Pie". After dinner we.

Since I had Monday off, I took the opportunity to watch Chloe and Heidi have fun in their "tumbling" class at a place called The Gym-Nest. Chloe especially likes the balance beam and the trampoline - boing, boing.

After the gymnastics and a quick bite to eat, we were off on an adventure. We decided that the Columbia Gorge and Multnomah falls would make a fun trip. We started out trying to find the Historic Columbia Gorge Highway ... with no "real" directions of course. As luck would have it, we were running short on gas, so we decided to pull of on an otherwise random exit that claimed to have a gas station. After --slowly-- climbing up the side of the Gorge at a very steep 10% grade, we arrived at the gas station. It turned out to be a one pump station attached to a little general store in a very small town. From there we discovered that we were actually traveling on the Highway and continued on until we arrive at Multnomah Falls. This waterfall is a natural beauty ... we'll probably wind up posting some pictures one of these days. All five of us hiked the 1 mile trail straight up to the top of the falls. It was a challenge since we had Chloe in her backpack and the grade is very steep with switchbacks the whole way. The hard work was worth it once we got to the top and looked over. Of course, I didn't lean too far over.

On our way home from the falls, we were hungry, and tired. We thought that pizza sounded great, but not knowing the area, and being pizza snobs, we wanted to make sure that we got good stuff. We wound up settling on Belaggio's Pizza in Beaverton, not far from our house. The best part about the pizza was that it was fast. It wasn't particularly great, but it wasn't gross either.

Our famliy ventures out on their own:
This past weekend the Leff family made a journey to the Tillamook Cheese Factory in Tillamook, OR. It was a great little operation where you could see the steps involved with making cheese. Oh, and you can sample the finished product for free, then you can purchase some extremely yummy ice cream.

We also had a beautiful bike ride through Hillsboro while Chloe took her afternoon nap. The leaves are changing and it was a lovely 70-something degrees while we peddled.

We have a visit!
A few weeks ago we were fortunate to have Heidi's parents Charles and Lilly visit us for a few days. They were gracious enough to give Heidi and I two nights on the town, one of which was Cirque du Soleil: Allegria. We started with dinner at Alexander's Restaurant in downtown Portland and they had wonderful food in a lovely rooftop setting.

We also drove out to the coast to visit Cannon Beach. The day that we were there was cold, windy, and rainy ... but I think that's the norm for the Oregon Coast. It was a beautiful setting and we can see why our friends spend Thanksgiving there every year. We ate lunch at a cozy little log cabin style place called Morris' Fireside Restaurant.

I missed the trip, but Heidi, Chloe, Charles, and Lilly drove out to see the Columbia River Gorge". They were most impressed with the Multnomah Falls - which I am hoping to see sooner rather than later.

I'm going to try to capture our adventures on this blog -- kind of like a journal -- so you can see the things that we are experiencing too.

Until the next blog ...

Here's a breaking news story -- greed might keep sports off of Cox Cable. ** Dispute could result in Cox losing ESPN, Fox Sports ** When is enough money enough? When will the madness end? I hate to say it, since i just got the taste for cable t.v. again - and specifically ESPN - but if these money grubbers keep it up, I'll be happy to view my entertainment on DVD. Of course, that whole ball of wax has it's own issues.

But while you are reading, I'll put in a plug for Netflix a superb way to "rent" DVD's.

Here we are in the beautiful City Of Hillsboro in Oregon. It's quite green and ... hilly ... here. If you've never visited, there is no time like the present. Come on up!

This link is a collection of RSS Feed Readers ... or Aggregators. It's the latest technology to gather a bit of the hordes of information from the internet and present it in one spot. Think of it as a one-stop-shop for news feeds on ANYTHING from Arkansas news to Zoological society news.

RSS Feed Reader / News Aggregators Directory :: hebig.org/blog

This Teoma seems to be the latest in a long line of search engines ... some are claiming that it might unseat google.com. We'll see ...

You may think I'm nuts, but if you ask me, this seems like the "next big thing". The technology in this story Wired News: Streaming Video, Cheap and Easy talks about ridding the world of another set of wires. Imagine buying your DVD or CD player, or your TIVO, plugging it into the wall, and you start watching. No more wires to connect. No configurations to mess with. I think the potential is AMAZING for this technology.

And best of all, they are making it "backwards compatible" -- it will work with your existing stuff.

WOW.

This site
EPA Enforcement and Compliance History Online has great info, although I'm not sure that I really understand what is there. The one thing that is easy to understand is the demographic info which I always think is cool.

If you are interested in finding out more "in depth" information about Windows XP -- check this out. It's a bit of a sales presentation, but it does let you know some of the new features.

Windows XP Technical Overview

1 week until the "supposed" due date of Baby Leff. 2-22-02 is the date that we were given. Unfortunately, the little one has not been moving in the downward direction, and the parts are not opening ...

Next blog will probably be quite some time from now ... not that anyone is reading. :)

We're just a few weeks away from Baby Leff's arrival. I can't wait. Heidi said the baby was doing acrobatics again yesterday. It's the neatest thing to feel the baby moving in her belly.

Again it has been quite some time. I suppose this is wouldn't be much of a stretch to say that my 'blogging skills leave much to be desired. Oh well.

Today I ventured forth and interviewed for a different position at Intel ... more technical. It would be a posistion as a DBA. Lot of new stuff to learn if it happens.

I am less than one month from the scheduled due date of the first addidtion to the family. Things are shaping up nicely, the nursery is painted, the crib and dresser are ready, all of the other "frilly things" are ready. I'm just waiting for the big day! 02/22/02 - dueces wild is the supposed birth date, but we'll just be elated when we finally get to meet the litte one.