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While I am here, Lax Update…

// June 11th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Goings On

Just a quick update on Jack’s LAX season – we finished 6-1 and made it into the U13 championship bracket for Class B.  The top 4 teams in the state (out of 30 or so) will face off this weekend to determine the champion.  Last week, we beat up on Plymouth and Grandma Sandy, Papa, and Brenda made the trip up for the game.  The weather was lousy but they played great, almost scoring at will.  This will be Jack’s first run at a real league championship in any sport.  Wish him luck!

Hollis 5K Results Are In…

// June 11th, 2010 // No Comments » // Goings On

The gang ran the Hollis 5K yesterday and despite the crappy weather, they did a great job.  For Jack and Ryan it was their first race while Megan, Kelly, and Olivia each ran last year.  Jack is ready to head back out on Saturday at another 5K and was very disappointed it ended so quickly.  I was quite surprised as his practice run earlier in the week did not go so well.  Here are their times:

Megan – 22:35
Ryan – 23:34
Jack – 24:04
Olivia – 28:57
Kelly – 29:11

Nice work guys, congratulations!

Lax Update – 1st Loss

// May 23rd, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized

We got outplayed today by a very good team.  The kids just didn’t seem to have it, ground balls weren’t getting picked up, the pipes kept getting in the way of our shots, the refs (yeah, I know, but it’s worth mentioning) we’re inconsistent, etc.  Just one of those days.  Jack played one of his better games collecting a handful of groundballs and getting a couple nice clears.  He’s seeing the field better every week and his brain and feet are working together instead of pulling him in two different directions.  The other team was undefeated as well so the loss knocks us into second place in a 22 team division.  We only have one more regular season game, 6/6 up in Plymouth NH.  I think there’s playoffs or a tournament of some kind, I’ll keep you in posted.

Have a great week.

Bizo targets business-to-business niche for ads

// May 21st, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Nice article in the SF Business Times on Bizo.  There’s a shot of Russ (left) in some alley.  Maybe it is symbolic of how Bizo is alone in the B2B data space?  I dunno.  Here’s the free version of the article, you have to be a subscriber to get the full version.

Bizo targets business-to-business niche for ads

San Francisco Business Times – by Janet Kornblum

Bizo is one of the hottest Internet startups that most consumers have never heard of. That’s because Bizo, an advertising company, focuses on the business-to-business — not consumer — market.  The San Francisco company said it reaches more than 50 million business people across thousands of websites with its business-to-business targeted ad network.  Bizo uses digital tags — cookies — that are planted in the web browsers of individuals to target business ads to business users. Unlike some advertising companies that surreptitiously plant the tags, Bizo does it openly.  It doesn’t store any personal information, such as name or emails, but it does collect information about the person’s profession and interests so that it’s “highly targeted, but anonymous,” said CEO Russell Glass.

Love him or hate him, Obama should be more careful

// May 10th, 2010 // No Comments » // News?

Just like the Las Vegas comments except directed at us vidiots.  C’mon dude, stop insulting those of us who don’t know (or care) that much about you.

Wait — did Obama just diss the iPad? – The Gadget Hound, Yahoo New Blog

Lax Update – Still Undefeated

// May 10th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Goings On

It was freezing up in Guilford NH and the wind was blowing hard from the north.  It couldn’t have been much more than 25 degrees with the windchill but the kids showed up to play and we won 12-3 (or something like that).  It was great to see them so focused despite the weather.  You can see in the pics here when they weren’t in the game they were snuggled up on the sidelines.

Jack continues to improve each week and he’s actually asking me to spend time with him at home working on stick handling and defensive footwork.  I love it but I’m just about out of knowledge.  If only I would have stuck it out in high school instead of taking the easy way out for baseball.  Oh well, I’ll start doing some reading in all my free time.

Happy Mother’s day to all as well.  Jack and I got Kelly a new washing machine.  The old one still works but it takes at least an hour and a half to dry a load because of how poorly it spins out the clothes.  I did a little research and found a good front loader that wasn’t too expensive.  It will be delivered in a week or so.  She is really looking forward to it.

Have a great week.

Spring Vacation in the Mayan Riveria

// May 8th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Goings On

Since I’ll never get around to a full fledged post on our recent vacation to Mexico, I figured I’d at least say this much, we had a great time!  The weather wasn’t typical, mostly overcast with a little rain, but it was hot and sunny enough to get a decent tan and have a lot of fun.  I’ve uploaded some of the pictures to flickr here and will try to get the rest up soon.

The highlight of the trip was our visit to Xplor.  Their main attraction is a series (2 circuits) of ziplines taking you over the jungle.  I believe the highest one was 45 meters and the longest one had to be close to 1/8 mile.  If you take a look through the pictures you’ll notice that some end at another tower, while others end in a pool of water.  The cave were also very cool – most of the paths for the park were underground – and some were filled with water.  Whatta blast.

That’s all I got for now.  Maybe more later…

almost home

// April 23rd, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Goings On

I’m somewhere over the Midwest typing up my first ever blog post on an airplane. The red eye is tough, but at least it’s quiet and no one is using the wifi.

I can’t wait to see the family and spend some real quality time together over the next few days. We truly deserve it.

My Top 3 Sports “Moves”

// April 16th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Goings On

I heard something about this on the radio this morning and it got me thinking about mine.  These are not specific events and I won’t bore anyone with a bunch of old high school and college football stories.  Those are special moments that really only matter to the people who you shared them with.  Anyway, Here are my top 3 favorite athletic moves (any action that is sports related):

1. Dunking a basketball (regulation hoop and ball) – sadly the last time I managed to do this was a few years ago.  If you manage to get one down in a game setting there is nothing better.  If you can mix in a 180 reverse, even better.
2. Running an interception back 100 yards or more – I only did it once but when you reach the end zone and turn around to get tackled by your teammates it is a tremendous feeling.  It’s almost surreal and goes by so fast.
3. Hitting the perfect golf shot (not putting) – You know it right when the club head strikes the ball.  You almost feel it happen.  I wish it was more often for me (but then it wouldn’t be as special?).

My 4th would be baseball/softball related – hitting a homerun over a fence/wall.  It’s similar to the perfect golf shot, you know as soon as the bat meets the ball it’s gone and all you can do is watch it.

Next up, top 3 work related moves (yeah right, that would be even more boring).

You’d think the Vatican has More Important things to Comment On…

// April 12th, 2010 // No Comments » // News?

But it’s nice to see Catholics don’t have to feel any god-guilt about liking the Beatles.

Vatican makes peace with the Beatles

By ALESSANDRA RIZZO, Associated Press Writer Alessandra Rizzo, Associated Press Writer

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican has finally made peace with the Beatles, saying their drug use, “dissolute” lives and even the claim that the band was bigger than Jesus are all in the past — while their music lives on.

Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano paid tribute to the Fab Four in its weekend editions, with two articles and a front-page cartoon reproducing the crosswalk immortalized on the cover of the band’s album “Abbey Road.”

The tribute marked the 40th anniversary of the band’s breakup.

“It’s true, they took drugs; swept up by their success, they lived dissolute and uninhibited lives,” said the paper. “They even said they were more famous than Jesus,” it said, recalling John Lennon’s 1966 comment that outraged many Catholics and others.

“But, listening to their songs, all of this seems distant and meaningless,” L’Osservatore said. “Their beautiful melodies, which changed forever pop music and still give us emotions, live on like precious jewels.”

It is not the first time the Vatican has praised the legendary band from Liverpool.

Two years ago, Vatican media hailed the Beatles’ musical legacy on the 40th anniversary of the “White Album.” And last month the Vatican paper included “Revolver” in its semiserious list of top-10 albums.

Now, L’Osservatore says that the Beatles’ songs have stood the test of time, and that the band remains “the longest-lasting, most consistent and representative phenomenon in the history of pop music.”

Giovanni Maria Vian, the editor in chief of L’Osservatore Romano, said Monday that he loves the Beatles.

He said that at the time of Lennon’s sensational statement, Osservatore “commented that in reality it wasn’t that scandalous, because the fascination with Jesus was so great that it attracted these new heroes of the time.”