iPhone

Yeup, that's Boo. With an iPhone.


This is our "girls' weekend". For her special time, she asked to go shopping in Portland. So we just happened to be here for the release of the new iPhones.

At first it was a real drag. We are staying across the street from Washington Square Mall. One of the attractive things to me was the fact that there is and Apple Store. Mecca? Nah... I am all about the Genius Bar. Unfortunately the release of the iPhone meant that the Apple Store was closed until the release time of 6pm... and the queue wound through the mall and we didn't ever make it in.

So after a lovely breakfast with Carrie, Sim, and Ana... we all went to the mall together to play at the Apple Store this morning.

Boo was pretty skeptical. We had already been to the Lego Store and the Disney Store. The Apple Store really wasn't on HER agenda. But she ended up having a good time test driving those iPhones, and really enjoyed the kids' area too! So I have another Mac addict in the making now!

By the way, the iPhone is cool. REALLY cool. But no, I didn't get one.

33

That's me. Here's the rundown:

What he got me: camera lens (woot!)
What the rugrats got me: Cooking Mama Cook-Off
Where we ate: Baldy's
Dessert: Brownie Batter ice cream
Last time I got carded: July June 19, 2007

Good day? Yeup.

Ballet

Boo's ballet recital was tonight. The highlight? When some kid ran up to me and gave me a huge hug...

And then I realized it was her. Wearing A LOT of makeup. I never thought I wouldn't recognize my own kid.

Wow.

COWPU

It's that time again...

The next COWPU meeting is tomorrow, June 20!

I have gifts (including books from O'Reilly Publishing) that will be raffled following Ricardo's presentation. Everyone that attends will receive a raffle ticket. In addition, if you bring a friend and/or RSVP for the meeting (on upcoming.org or leave a comment) you will receive another raffle ticket.

See you tomorrow!

Event Details

Central Oregon Web Professionals Usergroup (COWPU)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007 (6:00 PM)
Please join us!
Wednesday, June 20th - 6:00pm

Programmers, SEO-er's, Web developers & designers in Central Oregon... This is an opportunity to network and share ideas with others in your field!

The topic this month is Plone CMS presented by Ric Newbery.

Come check out Plone CMS , an open source content management system used by organizations as diverse as NASA, Marriott, Continental Airlines, Oxfam, eBay, Trolltech, Nokia, and Creative Commons. Supported by thousands of developers from around the world, Plone is one of the most sophisticated, popular, and easy to use Enterprise Content Management Systems on the market today.

Web applications developer, Ricardo Newbery, will be demonstrating the latest bleeding edge features available in the soon-to-be-released version, Plone 3.0, and, if we have enough time, maybe even demo a new local web service under development based on Plone technologies.

Special note for librarians: Plone is also the technology being promoted by the Plinkit Public Library Collaborative, a multi-state cooperative started by the Oregon State Library.

After the presentation we will head down the street to O'Kanes Pub (at McMenamin's) for socializing around the outdoor fireplace!

Agenda:
6:00pm - Networking and discussion
6:30pm - Presentation by Ric
8:00pm - Social at McMenamin's - O'Kanes Pub

Venue Details:
Deschutes Public Library
507 NW Wall Street
Bend, Oregon 97701

For more details about this event, including maps, comments, and other attendees, visit our website or the event page on upcoming.org.

Imagini

This is kind of interesting... a personality test based on pictures!

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Check it out at imagini.net (via Ryan Stewart on Twitter)

Backup

Not the computer kind. The traffic kind.

I waited in backed up traffic for no less than twenty-five minutes at the north end of Deschutes Market Road, near the railroad crossing. And after all that time, when we passed by the crossing (that was supposedly being repaved)...

The workers were perched on and sitting around the barrier supports, chatting and laughing.

How much do these guys get paid? Cuz... well... I can do that too. Where do I sign up?

Warble

Our cat doesn't meow. He warbles. He spent most of the afternoon perched in the window sill that looks out over our back patio, warbling at the birds on the feeders.

Apparently now he has become bored with that. Currently he is plopped on the back of my chair, and is trying to play with (and chew on) my hair. Which makes it really, REALLY hard to get any work done.

What a weirdo.

Sad

As seen on Wil Wheaton's blog (yes, I am THAT big of a nerd)...

Mr. Wizard (Don Herbert) died yesterday. I used to love to watch Mr. Wizard when my family first got cable TV. He was like a "Zen" version of Bill Nye (the beloved science geek of my kids' generation). His manner was courteous and calm, and he seemed well spoken. The experiments were interesting and related well to kids' everyday lives. He definitely made science seem more interesting to me!

66

In two weeks I will be the age my dad was, when I was born. Today, June 9, he would have been 66 years old. After golf, Scott and I went to dinner and I had a margarita for him.

More than half my life, I have been without his presence. But he and his spirit affect me every day. He was a landscaper and "plant nerd". When I planted our yard, his words and his guidance were with me. I think he would be proud of what I have done so far.

Pllllayball!!!

Baseball season in Bend kicked off on Friday. We headed to Genna Field to watch the Elks play Gresham (a non-league game). It was amateur night all around - from the field... all the way up to the press box... and back at the snack bar. But it was still baseball, and we still had a good time. Everyone was working hard, and they have all summer to work out the "kinks".

I had my first Golden Glove of the year, and Scott was delighted to see that they had Twilight on tap (bottles aren't out yet).

It was a good time, and a nice way to kick off the season. I am ready for more!

deep

Driving through downtown today, I noticed that the paper is off the windows and the menu is posted...

OpenTable.com has a link (here), where you can make reservations for Monday, June 18th & after...

And finally, there is this little snippet on the Merenda website:

deep is now open, folks!

(If you go, please let me know what you think!)

Mulligan

(In golf speak that means "do-over".)

Last night was like final exam time for golf lessons. Over the first two days the class was coached in hitting with irons, then chipping and pitching, and finally hitting with woods. We went over etiquette, safety, and general guidelines. Then they let us loose on the links.

We played scramble format. (From about.com: In a scramble, each player tees off on each hole. The best of the tee shots is selected and all players play their second shots from that spot. The best of the second shots is determined, then all play their third shots from that spot, and so on until the ball is holed.) The instructors stayed with us for the first hole, then wandered between groups. Some played only one hole. At about 8:45pm my group - cold, shivering, and laughing - finally headed for the clubhouse.

If you are thinking about taking golf lessons, I would highly recommend this program as a good place to start. I will probably return for another lesson at some point in the near future. For now I am confident enough to play on my own for a bit, and practice what I have learned.

Big thanks to Bob and Dylan at Lost Tracks for a great class!

p.s. Complete Ashland coverage is coming soon!

Golf

I am taking golf lessons.

Scott is an avid golfer. And he is a great golfer. And sometimes (who knows why) he wants me to go golfing with him. Usually this means we meet up with another couple, and I am embarrassed for 18 long holes. With a sigh I pick up my ball after each sorry shot, and put it up with Scott's well-placed shot. Once we get to the green things go a bit better - I am actually a fair putter.

I like the experience of golf. I like being outside. I like driving the cart. I like drinking beer. I just don't do well at the part where I actually have to PLAY golf. Scott tries to coach me, but sometimes I think that does more harm than good. He says things to me like "hit down on the ball". But he can't tell me HOW to do that - just that I should. Huh?

This year, I resolved to try to be a better golfer. I found out that Parks & Rec offers golf lessons. I signed up for a women-only class. Why bother embarrassing myself in front of a bunch of guys? The first class was last night.

While the weather wasn't great - and class was actually over early due to lightning - I already feel like I am going to get my money's worth. The instructor (Dylan) is great. He can tell me HOW to do all those things that Scott says I should be doing.

And... I hit the ball with my 7 iron further than I have hit any other golf ball... Ever!!! It was very cool!

Yapta

Via Jen Pondo's Monday Mission... here's my travel guide entry.

Travel tool for cheapskates

Admit it, traveling is expensive, and you don't mind saving a buck.

Booking airline tickets is tough for cheapskates. Watching airfares go up and down, wondering when is the right time to buy... it's almost like playing the stock market. You want to get the best deal possible, but you don't want the flight to sell out.

That's where Yapta comes in.

There are a lot of "fare watchers" out there, and some work better than others. What I like most about Yapta? It watches fares for purchased itineraries... and if the fare goes down it emails you step by step instructions for getting your money back.

Now - sometimes it's cash, sometimes it's a voucher. But a voucher is still better than watching dollars sprout wings and fly away.

So, when the airfare for an upcoming trip dropped 50 bucks? I got $250 back on our five tickets. How cool is that?

Frak!

The title says it all. Here's the story...

Wildlife

It was hot and muggy in Ashland, so we didn't see as many critters as usual. On the ride downtown on Friday (we were on bikes) we did see three deer grazing in a neighbor's yard. There were few ducks in the pond at Lithia Park. Updated Monday, 6/4... Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the paper wasps building a nest in the umbrella that shaded our breakfast table. That was a little exciting!

But we were dive-bombed by droves of these beetles:


And my sis was "adopted" by a baby bird:


We aren't sure why it chose her, but you could hear "are you my mother?" in its worried chirp. (To which she responded, "Not Mother".)


We were careful not to handle it, and when the area quieted down and fewer people around, the real mama started swooping at baby, and eventually he went with her. Yea! Another happy family!