Junior Olympics

Congrats to the Little Girl. She swam a two day meet - eight events in total - and set a best time in each event. She also qualified for Junior Olympics - a big deal in the world of youth swimming. She's pretty stoked on her performance and I could not be more proud of her.

World Series

Holey moley is this an amazing world series. I'm going to go so far as to say that it just might be the best series I've ever been witness to. While you might say that a Yankees series might be my favorite, that's far from the truth; I'm generally too stressed out to really enjoy the quality of play. With this series, I have zero skin in the game; I truly don't care who wins. I get to sit back and enjoy the game for the pure sake of enjoyment.

And man, has this series delivered, especially last night. It wasn't a particularly well played game, bit it was off-the-charts from a drama standpoint. To think that the Rangers were one pitch ONE PITCH - away from winning the World Series not once but TWICE - that's practically unimagineable. And then to lose by a walk off 11th inning home run by a hometown kid? Seriously - you couldn't script that story. I hope tonight's game delivers the same level of intensity.

My prediction? Cardinals. I find it doubtful that the Rangers can bounce back inside of 24 hours from a back breaking loss like that one. I guess we shall see soon enough.

Man, do I love baseball. How many days until pitchers and catchers report?

Congrats Little Boy

I'm super proud of the Little Boy - he took 10th yesterday at the Marin cross country championships. The amazing thing is how much he improved relative to recent performances; in three previous races this year, his best place was 25th. The best I could explain such a big leap is a. he's been training very hard these past few weeks. I ran with him last Friday and for the first time ever, had to really work to keep up with him 2. he finally learned how to "race." I think in his previous races there's been some gas left in the tank.

Whatever the reason, I'm very proud of him and he is very proud of himself. He was all smiles last night and he didn't take his medal off (medals only went to the top 10 finishers) until he went to bed. He nabbed the last one, which he said was a big motivator over the last 200 meters.

The most important lesson in this and one I think he finally understands; hard work yields results. If you're reading this; great job Kid. I'm super proud of you. Now apply this lesson to other parts of your life too (like - your homework!).

Miscellaneous

I have to say that my Everday Carry posts proved to be more popular than I anticipated. I received emails from several people telling me they were really into both the site as well as the notion of an every day carry. If you have a photo of your carry, please send it my way; I'd like to get a few more posted. Dad, if you are out there and know how to take a picture with that antiquated phone of yours, please do. Lord knows I'd be interested in what you are carrying.

Nothing too much else to report. I read a great book over the weekend, The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson. It was a breezy but interesting read. I plowed through it quickly so I could start the Steve Jobs bio.I'm about 10 percent of the way in and so far, so good. More on this later - I have to get back to watching the World Series. I don't care much for either team, but have to admit this is a hell of a Series so far.

Wiley's Carry

Note that the Blogger iPhone app seems to cut photos off. If you are seeing an abridged view of this for some reason, just click on the photo and it should enlarge.

Wiley is the one who got me into this nonsense. His carry includes:

IWC chronograph
Etymotic iPhone earbuds
Paul Smith pin-up girl wallet
Hand carved skull keychain (gift from Dylan)
Victorinox midnight manager (includes knife, light, pen, bottle opener, scissors, flathead and Phillips screwdrivers)
Car key in leather pouch
Wallet pen
Carmex
iPhone 4 (not pictured)

My Carry

iPhone 4s in BookBook combination wallet case
Panerai GMT
Ironman buds with ear lock technology
Moseley Tribe sunglasses
Victorinox Midnight Manager swiss army knife. Small enough to fit on key chain and includes knife, can opener, small pen, flashlight and scissors.

Nick's Carry

This is Nick's Everday Carry.

Keys
iPhone
RayBans
Wagner slide case/money clip

Everyday Carry

My boy Wiley turned me on this this website, which is starting to become a quasi-obession. I guarantee that my brother Neil gets really into this too; I know that dude all too well.

Wikipedia describes Everyday Carry as follows:

Every Day Carry refers to a small collection of tools, equipment and supplies that are carried on a daily basis to assist in tackling situations ranging from the mundane to the disastrous.^[1] The term EDC also refers to the philosophy or spirit of 'preparedness' that goes along with the selection and carrying of these items. Implicit in the term is the sense that an EDC is an individual's personal selection of equipment, arrived at after deliberation, rather than a standardized kit.


Check out the site if you get a chance; it's pretty cool and has a cult-like following. And how about this for an idea - in the spirit of the site linked above, send me a picture of your Everyday carry that I can post. I'll do the same tomorrow.

iPhone 4S Review

A lot of folks have been asking me what I think of the iPhone 4s, so here are my thoughts.

To kick things off, if you are a 3gs user (hello, Wife!) and your contract is up for renewal, it's a complete no brainer. Nothing to discuss; just do it. If you are an iPhone 4 user you are probably ok unless photography is important to you. The camera is actually THAT good; it's like finally having a solid point and click in your pocket. Same holds true with video as well. I'm constantly taking pictures and video of the kids - I would have upgraded simply for this one aspect (though who am I kidding? I was upgrading even it was the exact same phone).

What else to like? Siri is cool and is clearly the future of mobile. It hasn't been working that great for me thus far - it requires a connection to Apple's servers which appear to be massively overwhelmed. But when it connects it generally works well and you can see that it is without question the future pf mobile. It's a game changer for Apple and I expect that it will iterate quickly - it's currently considered a beta product by Apple - and once API's open up to other apps and services, the potential is sky high. Right now it sits a bit on the novelty side of the fence, but it's something to watch and an excellent differentiator for Apple.

It's fast too, but that's to be expected.. Next to zero latency when opening other apps.

And then there's iOS5 which is fantastic and almost like having an entirely new OS. The best aspect of iOS5 for me personally is the new notification system. I'll do a separate post some time soon on iOS5 but the bottom line is that it delivers on its promise.

There's only one question mark. I have some real concerns about the battery. I've only used it over the weekend - and my use was relatively light, especially for me, but the battery appears more like the 3gs than the 4 and that is not a good thing. I suspect it's due to the new notification system and so I havbe made some modifications, but we shall see. Given how much I travel for business, battery life for me is a huge issue. So we shall see - I'm going to keep my yes on this.

So, bottom line; it's another solid winner from Apple and despite the fact that the exterior remains the same (why mess with near perfection?) it's very much a new product.

Alcatraz Via Kayak

I kayaked out to Alcatraz and back today, in support of Coach Phil who swam one of his insane ultra swims. It was pretty rad; the views and perspectives of San Francisco from the water are indescribable. I wish I took pictures but no way my new iPhone 4s was getting anywhere near the water. I think this is the prettiest City in the US and the views form the water make it even that much more so.

After swimming I ran 11 miles - up and over the Golden Gate bridge and back and then I met up with the family and swam with the kids in the Bay (the Little Boy is prepping for his triathlon swim, per my earlier post). That water is c.o.l.d.

Anyway, a long and tiring day (especially coupled with yesterday's Crossfit workout and a work event in Napa) but a gratifying one.

My Son, The Triathlete

So check it out, the Little Boy is on his way to becoming a triathlete. Like father, like son.

I'm super proud of both him and his two compadres in arms, Gregory and Sydney. They are doing the Marin Triathlon as a relay team to help raise money for cancer research. And y'all know what this cause means to me.

What's really cool about this is it's part of their bar/bat mitzvah project(s) as well. I think this is a terrific effort on their part (by the way, be sure to read the Little Boy's note on their website - not sure how he got suckered into the swim but good for him) and I could not be more proud of the three of them.

I've never asked you all for anything much but if you are able, please consider supporting them in their collective effort to raise $1,300. I have yet to make my donation to Livestrong as part of the Thyroid Cancer run - I will do that soon. But to get things started on their behalf, I'll make a donation on behalf of of all of us.

Again, you can check out the site here. And thanks in advance for your support. I'm sure the Little Boy thanks you too.

Wolverines

I'm probably jinxing the hell out of us with a post such as this on the week of such a big football game, but screw it: Michigan football is 6-0 and regardless of how the rest of the season shakes out, there's no question that our program is finally pointed in the right direction. Coach Hoke is the right man for the job. I was stoked when he was hired and halfway into the season, I'm even more stoked today. He has us believing. I suspect when its all said and done he is going to have a very successful tenure at Michigan. Speaking of Michigan, in addition to the Wolverines they all of a sudden have the Tigers, Lion and even the state college football team. It's nice to see the state of Michigan on the rise, if even just from a sports standpoint; lord knows that theycould use a break. Good for you! Michigan. And Go Blue.

The Art of Fielding

I've been reading a ton this year. One of the personal goals I set for myself for 2012 was to do 12 races and read at least 12 books. So far, I'm on track for both. Most of what I read these days is non-fiction, but every so often a reviews(s) comes along that I just can't pass up.

Such was the case with The Art of Fielding: The Novel by Chad Harbach. The reviews have been terrific and I based on the first 200 pages, I can see why: it's just beautifully written. You don't have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this one, though it certainly doesn't hurt. It's longish at 500  plus pages, but it moves very fast.

If you are looking for a great new read, trust me on this one and buy/download this book asap.

For whatever it's worth, I'm trying to get through it sooner than fast so that I can read the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. The publication date has been moved up to October 24th and I am sure it's going to be excellent.

RIP, Steve

What more can really be said? We were truly fortunate to live in the same age as the Man. He was the greatest CEO of our time, a technological/design maestro and his legacy is secure alongside that of Vanderbilt, Carnegie and other titans of business. We were lucky to live in his era, his products were life(style) changing and his legacy will endure probably forever.

Not sure what else to say. It's just so sad. Also goes to show that money can buy most anything but good health.

Anyway, I'm at a loss for words. In many respects, he had evolved into my hero. RIP, Steve. You were taken far too early. Thanks for making things so incredibly entertaining this past decade past.

iPhone 4S

Well, unless you live under a rock you know that iPhone 4s was unveiled today. And I for one am stoked. Super stoked, actually. And of course, I will be getting one on the first day of availability. I wouldn't want to mess with my four year streak.

For the life of me, I cannot figure out why people are upset that an iPhone 5 wasn't introduced today. Either they are misinformed.or idiots. The iPhone 4 is a near perfect design so I'm not sure why Apple would want to change that. We'll probably see a design iteration next time around (iPhone 5) which will likely be when LTE is fully built out. My guess is that next-generation phone will probably feature a slightly larger screen in consideration of faster download speeds. 

But right now, the iPhone 4 design is just fine and there is an entire ecosystem of accessories already available. And anyway, what counts is under the hood. And from that standpoint, iPhone 4s is absolutely, without question a new device. Speed aside, I am most excited about the camera. As a father, I'm constantly taking pictures and videos, so any improvement on that front is a welcome one. I think Siri is cool - the demo was mind blowing, but I'm looking forward to checking it out for myself in real-life conditions (i.e. a noisy street, restaurant). I suspect it might be one of those features that looks cool but doesn't get much use, ala Facetime.

Anyway, I can't wait to place my pre-order on Friday. Anyone else planning to do the same? Anyone have any other thoughts?

Livestrong Day

Today, October 2, is Livestrong Day, the anniversary of Lance's diagnosis. In celebration I went for a 50 minute swim with the Little Girl and then ran four miles while she and the Little Boy ran alongside me. I was impressed by the two of them - they jumped of their bike and proceeded to run a mile. A nice little brick workout for them both.

In celebration of Livestrong Day and our own little Thyroid cancer run I'll also be making a donation to Livestrong at some point this week. More on that later.