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.