Hello Happy Pitbulls

Excuse me, are you Lt. Uhura?

2008-07-08T22:00:41-07:00

Finally. It's now illegal for all of those chatty people to be driving down the freeway with their cell phones jammed into their ears, unable to check mirrors or use turn symbols. I can't think of how many times I've been cut off by SUV-driving cell phone addicts.

Unfortunately, there's nothing that specifically addresses texting while driving, mascara application, or my personal favorite, driving with the newspaper neatly folded and propped up on the steering wheel. Haven't those people heard of podcasts? There is that nasty "distracted driving" prohibition, but I think there's probably a lot of laxity in how that's enforced.

So now that California is requiring hands-free devices (whether wireless bluetooth devices, wired devices or speakerphone), there's this lovely abundance of people wandering aimlessly all over the streets with bluetooth headsets stuck in their ears. Some are engaged in conversation over the phone, some talking to people around them. Over the past week, we see people in restaurants with their bluetooths on, I see them at work in meetings, and I even saw someone with one on today while I was delivering a presentation. Come on people, you need to take those off when you are out and about! It's just rude. It's one thing in the car, but really, in meetings? As if you're going to take a phone call in the middle of a meeting? Puhlease.

Okay, I am climbing down off my soapbox. I think I need more migraine drugs.

There is no fight club

2008-07-01T23:55:36-07:00

Just like in Fight Club, the number one rule about blogging about work is never blog about work. And with that said, tonight I went to Manderes with a bunch of people who may or may not be from work and checked it out for the first time. First of all, the selection of beer was daunting. The one I ended up with was Racer 5 IPA, which was quite lovely, if such a word can be used about an IPA. I had my eye on the Old Rasputin, but realized if I wanted to drive in the next week, I probably wouldn't sober up in time.

Also, the food was fabulous. I ordered the Korean Barbecue Beef (Bulgogi), which is a house specialty. Comes with yummy seaweek and a cucumber kimchi. It kicked but (even though I thought the owner was calling it "doggy" when he recommended it).

The atmosphere was really different than what I expected...it's located in an old Dairy Queen, which makes it kick ass even more. But this place has the feel of a neighborhood hangout, with great beers on tap.

And I insisted on showing picture of my dogs and their poop to people who may or may not work with me. Good food, good beer and good bonding. Overall, good times.

Go check it out!

Ball Girl Goes Viral

2008-06-28T10:13:52-07:00

This video has been flying around the web for a little bit now, and now that it's hit the Ogilvy 360 Degree Influence Site, I figured it was time for me to talk about it.

First of all, this was filmed in Fresno at a AAA baseball game featuring the Fresno Grizzlies and the Tacoma Rainiers. How cool am I that I'm completely looped into the Pacific Coast League? Of course, our Sacramento River Cats play these guys all the time.

Do I care whether this is a great viral video or whether it's on- or off-brand? Not so much. I just wanted to state that I'm still irritated about the person who yesterday sent me a 5MB .wav file and clogged up my email at work. First of all, stop sending me crap at work. We DO have a policy about that. It did however remind me I wanted to pop this on my blog.

In the meantime, I am working to find ways to incorporate elements of social media into the workplace. My team has a blog (which they sometimes need prodding to remember to post there rather than emailing to everyone). I'm hoping some pilot efforts like this will help demonstrate the value of social media to team building, productivity, and information sharing. Just wait until we get to social tagging. Just downloaded Daniela Barbosa's new ebook The Taxonomy Folksonomy Cookbook. In an organization full of internal jargon, acronyms, and internally focused intranet sites, this might be the answer to creating a more structured, user-centric world.

In the meantime: check out the ball girl!

Governor asks us not to buy fireworks: bad for air quality; bad for pitbulls!

2008-06-26T21:27:36-07:00

Our Governor has asked us not to purchase fireworks this year due to horrendous air quality caused by over a thousand active fires in northern California. The air quality is so bad that you can walk outside less than a block and then have your clothes smell like smoke. Today driving home, the visibility was similar to driving through December fog. My eyes are burning and red.

We almost never buy fireworks, but I encourage others to follow this ban. The fire danger is high, and the air quality is poor. I'd gladly donate money to local charities, volleyball or softball teams, to help our collective lungs.

There must be some fireworks on sale right now, because there's been people lighting them off in our 'hood. And this is bad because my scared little Fifi dog is freaking out. She does NOT like it. She tends to go off into corners and hide, or when it's really bad, she starts shaking then collapses her 30 lb. little body to squish under our bed and hide out. For an 11 year old little pitbull with arthritic hips and ankles, this is not good.

She shouldn't have to hide like this!

Woodland Wiki

2008-06-23T21:22:22-07:00

On my evening cruise through my blogs, I found a post on Matt Rexroad's Blog about the Woodland Wiki. I love wikis. I know it's super geeky, but I just love community generated content, especially when it's generated by this community. I know Woodland has its share of supergeeks, but I am hoping that this Wiki takes off, because it could be a valuable resource. Just like Karl Krist's The Pile, this is a great way to link Woodlanders to content, businesses, information and more that they need.

I'm thinking about what I could contribute to the wiki. Something about the Happy Pitbulls? Information on my rockstar podiatrist and physical therapist? Hmmm. I'm sure I will come up with something in time...

The Ankle: 3 months post surgery

2008-06-21T23:51:11-07:00

After a long haul through this ankle surgery experience, the news is all good. On Thursday, I was released from formal physical therapy. After completing 3 weeks of fun balance, rubber band, and other exercises, I got my range of motion within the normal range, I can walk up and down stairs, I got my normal speed back, and I've been off crutches for a while.

Friday, I went back to the doctor for the first time since the end of May. I'm not fully released, but I'm free to roam the streets sans brace, with my lovely scarred naked ankle! It's a joyous thing!

I'm allowed to get back on the treadmill as tolerated, for walking, but not running yet. I am going to see how that goes. I follow up in 3 months. That's all the way in September. So my doctor says that if I am pleased with how the ankle is now, I'll be really happy in 3 months.

Overall, despite the first two really crappy weeks, this was not a bad experience, relatively speaking. Considering I had an ankle reconstruction and tendon grafts, I am quite pleased with the speed and success of the results.

Thanks for following the journey! More to come as I start to see if I can get back in form for some fun half marathons coming up next fall!

Heading Back to Mexico!

2008-06-20T23:21:13-07:00

As we prepare for a trip back to Puerto Vallarta in December with our niece and her parents, Mike and I decided to get up to speed on the lingo. We've turned to the web, our favorite source for all things learning. We're gonna do well after this one.

Fading fast...my scar, that is.

2008-06-16T21:46:09-07:00

Ankle update,
originally uploaded by marlinex.

On Wednesday, it will be 12 weeks since my surgery. Zero told me it's time for an update. My scar, as you can see, is fading. My flexibility and strength are improving. My walking is amazing. I can cruise along, sometimes without even limping!

I still have a spot that feels really tights, and I'm guessing that's the spot where the ligament and retinaculum got sutured down to my bone. My scar is still really sensitive, so I'm doing the massage thing on it to help with that. I'm still having swelling that prevents me from wearing most of my shoes when I wear my brace.

But considering 3 months ago, I was expecting to still be in my boot, I couldn't be happier. I feel like I'll be back to normal within a few more weeks, and Zero couldn't be happier about that. He wants his walks back.

Sneaky sneaky

2008-06-16T21:23:35-07:00

Pig dog,
originally uploaded by marlinex.

Zero has this habit of going into stealth mode and sneaking onto the bed. Next thing you know, he's slithering closer until he's staring right at me. Then he gets a few pets on the head and before you know it, he's lying down on the pillow like people. He's a good boy, really. I swear.

Bring it on: Same Sex Marriage

2008-06-15T09:24:12-07:00

Next week will mark the string of same sex marriages following a supreme court ruling that legalized gay marriage. I have been participating in dialog on the web about this ruling, but haven't yet said anything on my blog. First of all, I have declared myself the wedding fairy. All of my friends who are in long-term committed same sex relationships have been berated with questions: Are you getting married? When? Where? Am I invited?

Apparently, there are people who are not happy about this. So unhappy and threatened that they are running out to declare it unconstitutional. There will be an initiative on the ballot in November to make same sex marriages illegal.

Amongst my friends, we decided that there should be a study of the economic impact of same sex marriages in California. In California, there's no residency requirement that would restrict folks from other states from coming here for wedding ceremonies. The wedding industry, including facility rentals, restaurants and caterers, florists, clothing retailers, jewelers, and more, will be getting a boost, not to mention tourism, hotels, etc. Don't the ultra conservative folks see this as an advantage to our state?

All I am hearing is that this ruling somehow diminishes the institution of marriage. I don't get it.

I think my dad is siding with the Fox News perspective. His argument is that if "the gays can marry, when they break up, they have to get a divorce." Yup, just like the rest of us. That's equality. And just think of the boost to the legal community's economy.

I know not everyone agrees with me on this, and that's fine. I support my friends and applaud them for their courage to live openly in a world that generally does not accept any stray from "the norm". I will be getting out there and advocating for the right for same sex marriages.

In the meantime, I'll be celebrating with friends this summer.

The Cloud

2008-06-12T22:41:42-07:00

This is my favorite category, for obvious reasons.

Today, I had to move a meeting from a conference room to my office, due to a scheduling conflict caused by evil Microsoft Office. There's about 20 people around in my work area, who come and go throughout the day, but pretty much everyone can hear what's going on.

The topic of the meeting: Social Media technology.

In the far corner, our student assistant was overhearing and planning the ultimate geek drinking game. We'll call it "The Cloud." Everytime someone uses a buzz word or drops a name, you have to do a shot.

Here's the list he came up with:

Leo Laporte
Second Life
The Cloud
2 point oh
Blog
Wiki
Podcast
Vidcast
Telepresence
Twitter

I was given an overview of "social media technology" and was told it was for twenty-somethings. Uh, yeah. 'Cause I'm 41 and have been blogging for years, I'm on Twitter, Facebook, Friendfeed, Linked In, You Tube, Flickr, and a bazillion other sites. Uh, yeah. I get it.

I didn't go home and play The Cloud drinking game. I just went home and drank. Augh.

The perfect comeback

2008-06-09T21:33:26-07:00

The next time someone asks me how my ankle's doing, I have the perfect response: swell! Partially because it is doing swell. I am chugging along without crutches, relatively painfree, and getting stronger by the day. But...my foot is SWOLLEN! It was actually swollen before I put my shoes on this morning. I think I need to find some different shoes that allow a little more movement and room for swelling throughout the day. And I need to ice.

Confession time: I ordered a new pair of shoes from Zappos.com: The Superga Portofinos. Don't tell on me.

Baseball season in full swing

2008-06-08T20:19:44-07:00

Sacramento River Cats,
originally uploaded by marlinex.

We've hit almost the half-way mark of the River Cats baseball season and I've yet to really blog about the excitement of it all. We watched from the Cache Creek Casino suite on Saturday night, and this was the view of the Sacramento Skyline, which seems to be expanding at a furious rate. But there's more to tell...

It's always fun to look at baseball outfits. Some are appropriate; some, not so much. Here's a picture of two lovely ladies who were doing taste tests for Miller (I shudder at the thought). Girl on the right: cute shoes, perfect for baseball games. The girl on the left, not so much. I tried hard to capture this for the blog, but this was the best thing I could do. We're talking 5 inch stiletto heels, patent black, with a peep toe. Now peep toes...aren't they supposed to be just that? Peep, right? This chick had major toe action hanging out the front of her shoes, practically dragging on the ground. It's a baseball game! What's up with this style?

This is one of my favorite things to do. Maybe it's part of my strange shoe obsession, but there is a time and place for every shoe and this one missed the mark. Just saying.

Update on Physical Therapy

2008-06-08T09:44:35-07:00

I've received some comments and email about PT, most say "yes, it's supposed to be that lame" others say I should shop around for a new therapist. Turns out, lame was the way to go so soon after surgery. I spent a week with that dumb rubber band, the bike, the standing like a flamingo, etc. And you know what happened?

I am walking without crutches!

Friday was my 2nrd physical therapy session, and it was a whole lot better. It was even fun! Here was the agenda:

10 minutes on the bike (easy peasy!)
Step ups on a stair
Leg Presses! Yes, using a full on real leg press machine. NO PROBLEM!
Balancing on this balance board contraption, moving my foot first front and back, then side to side. That was kinda fun.
Lunges on this crazy thing that looks like a jelly fish that helps improve stabilization when walking.
Next, my favorite: standing on my bad foot, throwing a ball at this trampoline kind of thing and catching it. That was FUN!

This all culminated with the measuring of my range of motion. Dramatic increases all over. I am now crutch free, going up stairs (but not down -- gotta get more range of motion), and I have more fun home exercises to keep me occupied.

I have to say, there are moments where I can practically walk without limping. I need new shoes. My converse chuck taylors are freaking killing me. I need to check with my Zappos friends for a new recommendation for casual fun shoes. The ones I got a month back are starting to bore people.

Laundry weekend is for the dogs

2008-06-06T23:11:22-07:00

WTF?,
originally uploaded by marlinex.

Last night Zero was seeking bed time privileges in the bed and we shooed him away. I woke up this morning to get ready for work and found Zero adding extra creases to our already folded laundry. He looked a little surprised that I busted him, so I grabbed my phone and snapped this moment.

He's been weird lately. It's that damn baby-slipper.