Wow, I really don't like it when I go so long between posts. Of course there is often a lot happening in our lives which is worthy of chronicling, but that is also the very reason that it is hard to chronicle! Not that I ever dreamed that this would be more than an occasional posting place for some anecdotes, but over a year between posts is not what I had in mind either. I guess in the pre-digital days, people made scrapbooks, but now the pressure feels on to document and digitize everything. Which in some ways is good, especially for people like me with spotty memories.
It has been quite a busy year since the last post. Probably one of the biggest highlights was traveling to California in July of 2009. I went out for the ESRI International User Conference in San Diego, and the family came along. They had a great time in San Diego, swimming in the pools, going to the Zoo, exploring the area. I always enjoy SD for the weather and the food, and of course learning a lot about GIS. I know that posting pictures on the blog would probably make it more interesting, but I often post from machines where I don't have access to my pictures. We also went to Legoland, which was an absolute blast.
Then we made our way up the coast to Thousand Oaks, where we visited a college friend of Sharon's. I have known them for while, and they are fun folks. It was enjoyable - we went down to Malibu for dinner one night, which was a hike, but worth it in the end, as the girls saw Ally and AJ at one restaurant where we didn't get in, and then we saw Tori Spelling (who I hate, but hey, it's a star sighting) at the restaurant where we did eat. The friend's house was the site of one of the more disturbing incidents I have witnessed. Everyone seemed to be getting along fine, and P and the friend's daughter were swimming in the pool together. Everyone else was inside, and I was kind of keeping half an eye on them. Well, the friend's daughter all of a sudden puts her hands on P's shoulders and just pushes her under the water in an area that is over her head. I figure it is just one of those games kids play, similar to stuff I had done as a kid. Well, for one, that is not how we play in our family, but for another, this girl didn't let go. I watched for a second, and then I told her to let go, and even then she hesitated. Meanwhile I can see P down below starting to struggle a bit. Finally she let go, and P came up pretty darn scared. This girl was 8 or 9 - plenty old enough that she knew that holding someone underwater could hurt them. P was fine - not really even any coughing, but I was just tremendously disturbed that this girl would do this, and even more disturbed at what might have happened if I had not been watching. As I am writing this, I am wondering whether she should have seen someone about this incident. I mean in my mind, this is in league with hurting animals - you have to wonder about what it means for the future of this girl.
But I really don't want to dwell on the one negative incident of a great trip. From TO, we proceeded up the coast to Ventura, where we visited my cousin and his wife, who we really love. We had a great time, and during our stay there, we went back down to LA to see a Counting Crows show at LA's Greek Theatre. Very cool venue, and it was a fabulous show. I had organized a bunch of people to go, including the friends from TO, my cousin and his wife, and 2 of my friends from Taft who lived in the area. I think it ended up being 12 people or so, and Adam hooked us up with great seats. A good time was definitely had by all!
One of the things that struck me about the CA coast was it's ruggedness. I mean I expected the famous Malibu to be a huge beach, but it was more coves of small beaches from what I could see on our brief drive through. And really hard to get to - driving down long canyon roads. The beaches up at Ventura were a bit bigger, but the water was cold, the weather wasn't that warm, seaweed, rocks, etc. Just not quite the paradise CA beach culture that I had imagined. I got a taste of that in San Diego a few times. The beaches out at Coronado were actually much more like what I had pictured - big long beaches with lifeguard towers and such. But it is hard to get excited about a beach when the water is so cold. But I guess the surf makes it all worth it...
Well, I guess this became more of a trip post than a collection of thoughts that I had originally intended, so I'll change the title from Random Thoughts to California Trip. That is all.
It has been quite a busy year since the last post. Probably one of the biggest highlights was traveling to California in July of 2009. I went out for the ESRI International User Conference in San Diego, and the family came along. They had a great time in San Diego, swimming in the pools, going to the Zoo, exploring the area. I always enjoy SD for the weather and the food, and of course learning a lot about GIS. I know that posting pictures on the blog would probably make it more interesting, but I often post from machines where I don't have access to my pictures. We also went to Legoland, which was an absolute blast.
Then we made our way up the coast to Thousand Oaks, where we visited a college friend of Sharon's. I have known them for while, and they are fun folks. It was enjoyable - we went down to Malibu for dinner one night, which was a hike, but worth it in the end, as the girls saw Ally and AJ at one restaurant where we didn't get in, and then we saw Tori Spelling (who I hate, but hey, it's a star sighting) at the restaurant where we did eat. The friend's house was the site of one of the more disturbing incidents I have witnessed. Everyone seemed to be getting along fine, and P and the friend's daughter were swimming in the pool together. Everyone else was inside, and I was kind of keeping half an eye on them. Well, the friend's daughter all of a sudden puts her hands on P's shoulders and just pushes her under the water in an area that is over her head. I figure it is just one of those games kids play, similar to stuff I had done as a kid. Well, for one, that is not how we play in our family, but for another, this girl didn't let go. I watched for a second, and then I told her to let go, and even then she hesitated. Meanwhile I can see P down below starting to struggle a bit. Finally she let go, and P came up pretty darn scared. This girl was 8 or 9 - plenty old enough that she knew that holding someone underwater could hurt them. P was fine - not really even any coughing, but I was just tremendously disturbed that this girl would do this, and even more disturbed at what might have happened if I had not been watching. As I am writing this, I am wondering whether she should have seen someone about this incident. I mean in my mind, this is in league with hurting animals - you have to wonder about what it means for the future of this girl.
But I really don't want to dwell on the one negative incident of a great trip. From TO, we proceeded up the coast to Ventura, where we visited my cousin and his wife, who we really love. We had a great time, and during our stay there, we went back down to LA to see a Counting Crows show at LA's Greek Theatre. Very cool venue, and it was a fabulous show. I had organized a bunch of people to go, including the friends from TO, my cousin and his wife, and 2 of my friends from Taft who lived in the area. I think it ended up being 12 people or so, and Adam hooked us up with great seats. A good time was definitely had by all!
One of the things that struck me about the CA coast was it's ruggedness. I mean I expected the famous Malibu to be a huge beach, but it was more coves of small beaches from what I could see on our brief drive through. And really hard to get to - driving down long canyon roads. The beaches up at Ventura were a bit bigger, but the water was cold, the weather wasn't that warm, seaweed, rocks, etc. Just not quite the paradise CA beach culture that I had imagined. I got a taste of that in San Diego a few times. The beaches out at Coronado were actually much more like what I had pictured - big long beaches with lifeguard towers and such. But it is hard to get excited about a beach when the water is so cold. But I guess the surf makes it all worth it...
Well, I guess this became more of a trip post than a collection of thoughts that I had originally intended, so I'll change the title from Random Thoughts to California Trip. That is all.
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