...make it cool!

In the lazy days after xmas my son and his friend Henry were playing with legos... i suggested a lego battle...

Henry: what's a lego battle?
Me: You build a big ship, and then you ram 'em together! No hands... only ship to ship battle!
Henry and Karsten: YES!
Henry: Oh yeah, you've got to make your ship strong, and powerful, and cool!
Karsten: Oh yeah, strong and powerful.
Me: and cool!

I had to be sure Karsten knew that 'cool' was a requirement. :-) Now that I've been married to Jana (a designer) for 12 years, i know - cool is important!

A new hole in the worst possible location

It was cold and windy today. But for some reason i felt unusually cold as i was standing on the beach... I grabbed my windsurfer and headed into the sound when a sting in my crotch made me jump! I looked down and noticed a large hole in my wetsuit - gasp! What the heck?! I took a closer look... i could see the family jewels through this hole!

On a day like today my hands are sure to go numb. In fact, anything outside my wetsuit goes numb. So you can imagine my horror when i thought about what 'else' could go numb today... I've heard about blue balls, but i sure didn't want to see any!

I dropped the board and sail and headed to the boathouse. must... find... something... to... save... balls.

packing tape. that'll work.

After a few well placed strips of tape, i was on my way.

I windsurfed for an hour on my 5.2. Wind was 20-25.

And no, they didn't turn blue... but i could sing higher than normal.

hockey mouth

hockey mouth
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

Karsten jumped off the school bus today...

me: how's that tooth? did it fall out yet?
kk: no. but don't touch it. i want it to fall out at school.
me: let me pull it out, then you can watch tv.
kk: no! (waving his hands like he's signaling a ship)
me: let me pull it out... then you can have a cookie AND watch tv.
kk: no dad. no!
me: well, you know... the tooth fairy brings money, and with money you can buy candy or toys... (kk was rubbing his chin thinking this over, hummm)
kk: well, ok, you can give it a wiggle, but don't pull!
me: ok, i'll give it a little wiggle... open wide... YANK! :-)

He looks like a hockey kid now.

Eddie would go

Do you remember the "Eddie Would Go" bumper stickers? Of course you do. they're classic. the stickers inspired a whole generation of us to say - what the hell - why not - Eddie would do it! Of course, all those years i had no idea who Eddie was. I just knew he was a bad-ass surfer.

I just finished a library book Stealing the Wave, The Epic Struggle Between Ken Bradshaw and Mark Foo. As it turns out, Eddie Aikau was the undisputed king of Wiamea bay. After his death Quicksilver created a big wave surf competition in his honor. The competition could only be held if the surf was over 20 feet. One morning the judges woke up to 30 foot waves and decided to cancel the competition "too big" they said. Mark Foo, a big wave superstar, tried to convince them to run the competition by taunting "Eddie would go!" The judges thought this was a good argument, but decided to cancel the competition anyway - but the phrase stuck, and was used by Quicksilver to promote the event.

I had a 'Eddie would go' moment today. I was on kid duty and the wind kicked in - blowing 25 to 35 from the South. It was beautiful! Big swells, no logs, low tide. I HAD to go windsurfing. Then it hit me "Eddie would find a babysitter, then go!" After a few quick calls I found a kind neighbor to watch the kids while i got my fix. :-) I got an hour of OP'd (over powered) 4.7 (that's a small sail). It was snowing in parts of Seattle today - my hands were frozen - but i had a huge grin!

Oh, regarding the book. I couldn't put it down. Loved it. I'm not sure if the book is for everybody, but if you like surfing and/or if you're crazy - then you'll find it reassuring to know that there are other crazy people out there too. This book is like candy for crazy people.

Oh, there's a great quote in the book from Buzzy Trent "A wave is not measured in feet and inches, but in increments of fear". The same could be said for catching air on a windsurfer.

Free money, whales, pineapple pancakes & legos

Jana left early this morning for work... no school for the kids, so I'm on dad duty with the ultimate question - what the hell are we going to do all day? Well, It's only 1:30pm, but the day has been great so far.

10ish: Two Orca whale pods, right here at Three Tree Point! They were spewing water (is that a whale term?). Very cool. We haven't seen em for a few years.

11ish: We went to AAA Polynesian Deli in Burien - just to poke around - but the food looked great. So, we had chicken, rice, lamb and a great fish casserole. Wow! Fatty and yummy. And the people there are VERY nice. I really like this place. I hear they have great pineapple pancakes too.

While we were eating, a very jovial guy (think polynesian saint nick) came in and started talking with me and the kids. As he was leaving he handed Karsten, Britta and me a bunch of money!?!! I was shocked. He said, "I'll probably never see you again, have a good christmas!" Britta scored about $25. Karsten $35. Me $6. I paid $10 for the food and we headed to Hans' - the best German Deli in Burien.

12ish: Hans' Deli: Lye rolls, bacon, salami, cheese, candy...

12:30: Quick trip to Burien library. Scored a Harry Potter book on tape, comic book, sing-a-long CD for britta and a book about big wave surfing for dad Stealing the wave.

1pm: Time to spend the 'free' money at Lollipops toy store in Burien! I told Karsten and Britta "now kids, we can't spend all our money, we have to save some..." yeah right, that didn't work. legos. jewelry box with spinning butterfly. and the money is gone!

I just put Britta down for a nap, Karsten is assembling his new Star Wars lego toy and Harry Potter is playing on tape... fun day!

Would you drink this?

tea
Originally uploaded by B-TownMom.

Western medicine is very predictable. You go to a doctor. The doctor prescribes a pill. The pill masks your symptoms. The pill company makes a lot of money. The doctor gets a golf trip. Everybody is happy.

Pills are clean. white. easy.

So, if western medicine is so great, why did jana visit a Chinese herbalist in the I.D.? She came home with a crazy mix of tree branches, mushrooms, flowers, and who-knows-what-else. She must boil the crazy mix for one hour, then choke it down. And believe me, this tea is stinky and nasty.

I have a theory here... sometimes to get well, you have to EARN it. The easy path (get rich quick, get skinny quick, or learn Java in 21 days) is littered with failure. So, I've got to give props to Jana - she's not afraid to earn her good health - one nasty chug at a time. :-)

Serve coffee, and wine!

Two weeks without drinking and I finally pulled the "get out of jail" card for a fun night with The Shepards, Terry Marks and his wife Laura! I broke the top off a wine bottle while opening (pent-up aggression - must get to the sweet juice!) so Kyle and I decided to filter the wine into the coffee pot. The coffee filter worked like a charm, and as an added bonus the coffee pot was a great carafe! We all joked about the old folgers commercial, "while the guests weren't looking, i secretly replaced the coffee we normally drink with a cab blend..."

Don't call after 1pm

where's my wetsuit?!
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

Or, perhaps i should say, call the coast guard after 1pm! OMG, it's getting windy. I took this photo 15 min ago, and it looks TAME compared to what's going on now... I'm warming my wetsuit by the fire. Garbage cans are rolling down the street. It's going to be epic. Wes and Karl are headed over to join the party. Woo Hoo!!

Good kids get... Fishballs!

I have fond memories of fishballs.

I remember the old Prairie Market in Burien. begging my mom for fishballs. Sometimes I convince her to open them in the parking lot, i'd eat them cold, out of the can. Other times we'd wait for dinner... mom would make gravy... i loved the white, fluffy, even-consistency, fiskbuller! yum.

Now that i have my own kids i'd like to continue the fishball tradition (jana doesn't care for canned, bottled, buried or pickled fish - so i'm on my own here). I purchased two cans of fiskbullers at IKEA... and set my plan in motion... tonight Jana was working late, kids were hungry, the conditions were perfect...

ME: You kids have been sooooo good the last few days, i'm really proud of you.
KIDS: (no comment, sensing a set-up they just looked cute and listened to my pitch)
ME: You know what bestemor (my mom) did when I was a good kid?
KIDS: What?
ME: Well... i would beg and beg bestemor for fishballs, and if I was REALLY good, she would make fishballs for dinner! Ohhh they were soooo good!! Ya know... you kids have been so good... if you were to beg for fishballs... i guess i could make some for you... you've been so good...
Karsten: (hands in praying position) Oh PLEASE, FISHBALLS, PLEASE!!!
ME: (singing the swedish chef song from muppets, which i turned into a fishball song somehow - all i know is it ends with - bor bor bor!!)

By this time the kids were in a fishball frenzy.

I cracked the first can. Ahhh. Fishballs in red sauce. mic'd that sucker for 1 minute. and the kids devoured it.

They begged for more.

I cracked the second can. Fishballs in water. Karsten demanded sauce. So, i mixed the new fishballs with some leftover red sauce and pow, devoured.

My kids downed TWO cans of fishballs. A day i'll fondly remember.

Then Jana walked in the door "Whoa. it smells in here."

Lego's Mars Mission teaches evil empire techniques... good idea?

Karsten's latest lego toy is freakin me out... the Mars Mission lego toy is not for the politically correct space tourist... no, this time the lego space heros are on their toughest mission ever - alien genocide!

The premise for the Mars Mission (i'm not making this up) ... Our lego heros have discovered powerful crystals on Mars and have established a profitable mining business, exporting the crystals to earth. The only problem - the local martians also want the crystals... ohhh what do to?! Could we share the crystals? Live in harmony? Create a peace treaty? Not this time alien scum! These aliens hate our freedom! Let's blast em!

Karsten quickly assembled his alien incarceration vehicle - complete with restraining device and alien sucker-upper. Or, better yet, let's just use our blasters and terminate the pesky aliens! After all, these crystals are ours now, sucka's.

Karsten and I discussed other ways to 'get rid of' the native aliens... I suggested an alien reservation on the cold side of Mars. And for good measure we could provide cheap cigarettes and let them gamble. He thought that seemed fair. But then again, we just built this perfectly good incarceration vehicle, so we may as well use it. These aliens are gonna pay! Get your green hands off our crystals! Blast em!

I don't think this Mars Mission is going to end well...

Trick or Treat or SHOT?

We had about 150 treaters this year - but every year I think about the moms and dads... wouldn't it be great to give them something too?! Something to keep them warm and happy? Jana suggested Hot Damn... but i'm a fan of Goldschlager... for a second i wondered "would parents take shots from a random guy in a mullet wig?" But then i remembered, we're in Burien, and most bartenders still proudly wear mullets. So really, this mullet makes me an authority figure - a trustworthy drink dispenser! And yes, the moms and dads gladly shot it back. The bottle is almost gone. And NO, i didn't even have one little taste - 4 days and i'm still on the wagon.

30 Days of Detox

That's it. enough is enough! I was hanging (hungover-hanging) with Kyle and Tina Sunday morning when i had an epiphany... I must take a 30 day hiatus. For the next 30 days there will be no boozin, no smoking, no deep fat fried foods and no ice cream (*see exception). But, before i could start this 30-day-torture-plan i had to cure my hangover... a quick trip to Dicks... two Dicks Specials later (w/ fries) and I was feeling much better.

*The exception... actually there will be TWO exceptions in my 30 day plan. After all, I don't want to quit all my bad habits, i just want to take a break... so I am giving myself 2 "get out of jail" cards to use during this 30 day stretch. They can be used at any time - and are good for 2 hours each.



Gwod, I'm not looking forward to this.

CTIA was a blurrr

The largest US wireless conference descended on San Fran this week. And as always, I jammed 2 weeks of business and drinking into 72 hours. After CTIA I need a vacation, and rehab.

There's no way to possibly describe what happens at CTIA - so here's a few memorable moments, quotes, thoughts, etc...

Early advice from Larry Short:
"I've got to remember to stop drinking at 2am. Cause when I stop at 5am, it's too late."

Party Awards: Worst Party
The MoCoNews Party 'sold out' faster than any party in CTIA history - and was the worst party in CTIA history. They had huge sponsors but still charged $12 per drink! What?! Huh? Have they ever been to a CTIA party? Cause, that aint the formula. And whatever you do - don't make everyone 'BE QUIET' so your sponsors can deliver product pitches! OMG. Go back to what you do best - i love the moconews product - but your party, not so good.

Party Awards: Best Party
Nokia and Def Jam did it right. (*see disclaimer) The only drawback, it was too popular. Hundreds of people didn't get in... the line was stupid long. The bcode thing (wave your phone over the red dot to get in) was a cool concept, but i heard mixed reviews. Or as Brian Levin put it "this new technology (bcode) will never take off if all the beta testers are stuck on the sidewalk!" To be fair, it was not a bcode problem, the club was just too damn packed. Or, perhaps Nokia was worried about the bar tab? ;-) I've got to throw out a big thanks to Karl Woods for the the VIP pass.. and up in the VIP section i ran into Jeff Yee and Brent Brookler of Treemo. VIP's fur sure. ;-)

*Best party disclaimer: Ok, i like parties. But i can't possibly go to every party (try as hard as i may). And, of course, there are some parties that *simply forget* to invite me (shame! i'm sure it's an oversight, you know Kleitsch makes the party) - I want TED to tell us about the secret CTIA party society... :-)

Party Awards: Best "old peeps from AT&T Wireless" party
No question about it - CTIA is soooo much fun when you're hanging with the old ATTWS crowd. The SinglePoint / ZenZui / Ontela party had a healthy mix of the crew including Tom Trinneer (snapin), Stacia Pache & Ivy Cunningham (mobile centric) and Brian McGarvey (ZenZui).

Other ATTWS alum I ran into during the event... David Brudnicki, Glenda Lin, Analisa Roberts, John Loschky, Farah Houston, Teresa Keller, Paul Rehrig, Adam Flick, Ken Willner and Steve frickin Kanefsky! Kanefsky, btw, is doing great, working 20 hours a day at Google, but loving it.

The current ATT crew - Ted Woodbery, Larry Short and Elaine Grabicki we're around the first night - but eventually they were sucked into the exclusive party scene (or boring conference room) and never heard from again... speaking of... i never saw Drew! never. not once.

Other notable peeps:

• Rick Hennessey (Cequint) gave me a bruise. I think we wrestled.
  
• Tim Green (Mobile Entertainment Magazine) still wears converse, everywhere. Never change Tim!
  
• Mike Dulong (Third Sceen Media) is a stud from Maine.
  
• Jack Cowie (Fan Text Mobile) cured my hangover. Thanks Jack!!
  Marc Bolh has the best story about Orange... probably can't blog about it... but classic!
  
• Welcome Dan Myers (the Platform) to the party!
  
• Nice to finally meet you Neil Haldar (Pinger).
  
• Adam Levin (CinemaElectric) treated me right.
  
• I distributed many Text-a-Day cards from my first customer, Greg Lambrecht. And yes, everyone thought your "Lifestyle" card was a condom card. :-)
  

Drew gets engaged and my life goes to hell

We had such a good thing going. me and drew. drew and me. always. together. at every wireless conference it was a given. i'd shack-up with drew. sometimes he only had a queen bed, other times there was a couch. but it was always fun!

Now, life is boring. Drew has replaced me. Sure, she's cute, and yes, I'm happy for the guy, but man... it hurts!! Why, drew, WHY?!?!!

I'm headed to CTIA tomorrow and I just started looking for a hotel... I think i better wait till Monday morning to book a place... i need a new drew.

big airs, big crashes

Oct 18th was windy
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

45 minutes of crazy over-powered 4.7, sprinkled with oh-my-god-i'm-going-to-crash airs and yup, i crashed, many times... two big pain pills for the encore. ouch. I took this photo just before hitting the water.

the new bus stop

the new bus stop
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

A few weeks ago i called the school district to request a school bus stop change... You see, Karsten is always the last kid on the bus - he's the only kid that rides all the way to the end of the line. And every day the school bus drives right past our house and drops off Karsten 20 doors down the street. All the neighbors say "i can't believe the bus won't stop in front of your house!" It didn't really bother me, but it was kind of silly. So, I called the school district a few weeks ago to ask about moving a school bus stop - they said they'd look into it... i wasn't holding my breath. But guess what? They changed the stop! unbelievable. i'm really shocked. So, i had to take a photo... this is Karsten's first drop-off in front of our house. :-) Thanks school district!

what the hail?!

hail on the deck
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

The front of my house is half-way painted... all i need is a few more nice days to finish-up painting before winter kicks in... uhh... hail?! Are you serious?! Well, I could always finish painting next spring. :-) This is a photo of our deck, thick in hail.

a lust for adventure

Am i addicted to risk-taking-activities?

...i fabricated 'an urgent sea rescue' last night just so i could get my adrenaline / dopamine / rush... is there anything wrong with that?

Why are some people compelled to take chances, while others are perfectly content to play it safe? Or, to phrase it differently - why am i a total nut-risk-taker, while others prefer to sip tea? Is there something WRONG with me? Jana must have pondered this question (many times I'm sure !) - cause she casually handed me a book that discusses this very topic... The Science of Happiness.

So, is there something wrong with me? Well... this book claims there may be a common trait among all risk-takers... we do not absorb dopamine (and other feel-good drugs the body naturally produces) as well as other 'normal' people. So, if you're a happy-go-lucky-corp-america-is-just-fine-with-me-kinda-guy then your brain must be sucking down the dopamine and your essentially stoned all the time. lucky you.

Others of us. not so lucky. we must produce TONS of dopamine to achieve the same result. That means we must take more risks. And when we run out of risks - or when life just isn't risky enough - we simply double down. chase it with a fireball. supersize it. go all in. or run from the cops.

... back to last night. it was raining. windy. fairly large whitecaps. high tide. cold. dark. just plain ugly. Yes, this was a perfect night to sit inside and drink tea... for normal people. Instead, i was pondering our rowboat - tied up to the buoy, getting pounded by waves, full of water - and what about the rope? It must be strained by the extra weight and ready to break any minute... "i've got to save the boat!"

A half hour later I was launching my kayak into the dark surf with my wetsuit, lifejacket, safety strobe, bail bucket and extra rope. Imagine a navy seal on a special night ops mission... ok, it was nothing like that. Now, imagine a middle-aged bald guy in complete darkness getting pounded by the waves struggling to keep right side up. Ahhhh the dopamine.... sooooo gooood....

wind for lunch!

Yes, winter is back baby! Southerly winds. logs in the water. migrating birds. and a little lunch-time-windsurfing-session. 7.3 for an hour. :-)

New Business Idea: Road Sign Clothing Line

You see these "plain" signs everywhere! Now you can express your fashion freedom by dressing your local crossing sign! You like Run DMC? Purchase our hip-hop sticker pack - including Adidas sneakers, low-rider jeans, gold chains, halter top and Gucci handbag!

Wake'n with the dads

Second jump
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

Sure, we invited a bunch of single guys to join us... but they thought we were crazy! "who gets up at 7am on a Saturday to go wake boarding?!" Definitely not my single friends. Only a group of die-hard-dads... I had a great time, and caught my first air!

tooth fairy in business

After dinner tonight I took the kids to the local tennis court. While hitting a few balls with Karsten (and Britta chasing them as the ball-girl), I could see Karsten pushing his bottom tooth in and out... for days we've been anxiously waiting for his first baby tooth to fall out. With the tennis court as my operating room, dad-the-dentist went to work... one swift pull - and pow! - Karsten lost his first baby tooth. He was extremely happy, and proud.

"Dad, look! Blood!!!"
"yeah, baby teeth bleed sometimes. it's no big deal."
Then, feeling very inspired, Karsten grabbed the tennis net, clenched his tooth in his fist, lowered his head and launched into a center-court prayer...
"God... I don't care if the tooth fairy is real or not, I just want a lot of money under my pillow. amen."
"amen to that."

The rest of the night all we heard about was the tooth fairy. On the way home I asked Karsten to sing a tooth fairy song... I only remember bits...
"late at night... the tooth fairy wants to steal my tooth... tooth fairy, bring back my - tooth fairy, bring back my - tooth fairy bring back my TOOTH!"

im crack-blogin from wes's minivan, on the way to OMG kinda wind. we have big smiles. thank you jana for watching the kids so i can get my wind fix. ;-)


... Wind Advisory remains in effect until 8 PM PDT this evening...
A Wind Advisory remains in effect until 8 PM PDT this evening.
Winds will continue to increase today across the Kittitas Valleyand become very windy in the late afternoon and evening.Northwest winds sustained at 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 50 mphcan be expected from noon today to 8 PM this evening.
A Wind Advisory is issued when sustained winds are forecastbetween 30 and 39 mph or gusts ranging from 46 to 57 mph. Windsof these magnitudes can make driving difficult... especially forhigh profile vehicles. Minor property damage may also occur. Foradditional weather information... check our web site atwww.Weather.Gov/Pendleton.

Wake'n with Alex

IMG_6427
Originally uploaded by B-TownMom.

Alex took me and the kids wakeboarding last night. It was perfect! Warm water, cold beer & big wipe-outs. This is a photo of Karsten with the flag and Alex behind the boat. Woo hoo!

old-looper

For 20 years I've wanted to loop. every windsurfer dreams of it.

When I tell people i windsurf, they ALWAYS ask "oh, do you do that loop thing?!?!"

My head hangs low and i mutter... "ahhh, not really. no. that's scary."

15 years ago in the middle of Mexico i worked up enough courage to attempt 15 loops. total disaster. i don't even know what went wrong. shit blew up. i limped for a few days.

Fast forward to now... i'm a mid-aged guy, wife, two kids... i windsurf a handful of times a year, but I want to loop now more than ever. i'm obsessed with looping. and now i've decided i will live my life by one simple rule, and one rule only: LOOP OR DIE.

That's right... DIE!! Just as samurai believe dying in battle is a good death - i too believe that dying while looping would be a GREAT death. i'd hate to die while washing the dishes, or cleaning the bathroom, but to die while looping... that's fine with me.

So... on to the good news... I came CLOSE to looping / dying today!! The first few attempts were horrible. big crashes. but the 5th attempt was soooo close! I slapped the back of my legs on the water - the rig totally flipped - I'm closer to death now than ever!!

Oh, I also tried 3 duck jibes and 3 vulcans. all disasters.

I'm in pain.

Big dreams and small pools

Silicon Valley is full of big dreams, big companies, big wallets, big budgets and the worlds smallest pool. Super 8 really splurged on this one. :-)

Randy & the Rack

IMG_6083
Originally uploaded by B-TownMom.

This was our first day in the office. Ahhh, the early days are soooo much fun! Randy didn't have a chair, but he still had a big grin on his face! That's why I like him. :-)

90 and windy!

Carl watching Ethan
Originally uploaded by B-TownMom.

You don't get many days at Three Tree Point with the temp over 90 and a strong northerly... I love global warming. In this shot Ethan is boosting an air on the inside while Carl is rigging his 6.4. This photo was taken around 7:30pm as the wind was dying.

I caught a great lunch session. Over an hour of powered 7.3 in the shipping channel... then back to work! :-)

office needs some work, but looks good!

office needs some work, but looks good!
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

Randy and Ksenia took a tour of the office space today and they loved it. Yay!! The landlord is replacing a few ceiling tiles, painting, cleaning the blinds, etc., etc. And there's an extra bonus - a rooftop deck with amazing views of the sound. We're moving in July 10th (or so).

Exclusive! iPhone Beta Device for Sale!

Don't wait outside for days in the cold, or buy one for thousands of dollars on eBay - get the BETA version of the iPhone NOW! Be the first one - and the only one - to own this amazing prototype. So easy, my 6 year old son can use it. So heavy, you'll never lose it! $600.

New Office in Post Alley!

Post Alley
Originally uploaded by One More Salute to Vanity.

I just secured office space for Billing Revolution in Post Alley - 30 yards from the heart of Pike Place Market. I'm soooo excited!!

I found this photo of Post Alley on Flickr... Our office is down the alley on the right side, just past the yellow light. The girl in this photo is standing in front of the Alibi Room - a great pub/restaurant. And on the left - the GUM WALL. Fascinating! Perhaps I'll start adding my own gum... or... maybe not... I'm kinda scared of the gum wall. IT'S ALIVE!!

I need office space!

SoDo, Seattle, Mercer Island...hell, I'll even go to Bellevue!

We're 2 guys... looking for 4 walls and a door. 150 sq ft.

If you have any extra space let me know! :-)

Birthday boy, hung over

polka dancing
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

This will be one long rambling post. so get ready for it. no apologies or excuses. this is simply kleitsch - hung over.

Last night Dave Upthegrove and I celebrated our 36th b-day. We were born on the same day, grew up about 10 doors apart, and have been hung over on May 4th, many times. On our 21st b-day Dave flew to Boston (to visit me while i was in school), and we enjoyed bloody mary's at CHEERS for breakfast... (back when CHEERS was cool... remember that... wow, we're old.)

Last night, under the glow of the space noodle (karstens pet name) a much weirder tale unfolded...

The neighborhood book club (all women) invited me to join them for a trip to the Seattle Center House where we saw the play Rhoda.

While in the space needle parking lot, a guy standing next to us (trying to pay) started talking with Pam. It didn't take long for Pam to discover that it was HIS birthday too, and he was also turning 36! His name was Paul. Pam took a few photos of my long lost brother (she was now calling Paul my brother). Jana went back to our car and returned with a birthday cup cake for Paul.

As Paul walked back to his car he turned around and yelled "Hey, you guys want a Jell-o shot?!?!" Paul's wife held out a tray of jell-o shots and a can of whipping cream...

My first reaction... "ohhh no, that's ok!" I yell and wave to Paul.
Then i looked at Jana, and something in her eyes told me "you know you want the jell-o shot, it's your birthday, we're in a parking lot, this is frickin random, i'm surprised you said no"
Then I quickly said "Well, ok, just one!"
I jogged across the parking lot.
Pauls wife "i'm sorry, you can't have just one"
Me "Oh good, cause i love jell-o shots"
Pauls wife gave a quick squirt of whipped cream on top (nice touch by the way).
Paul "take this jell-o shot to the girl that gave me the cup cake"
Jana appreciated it.

20 minutes till the play starts... the book club hit the bar for a quick drink.

We passed these dedicated polka dancers. had to take a photo.

Enter the play... Jana did a quick scan of the audience... 3 men in the house, about 100 women. Hello?!?! Guys... forget the bar scene, THIS is the place to meet women...

After the play we met Dave and Bryce and headed to the McLeod Residence. Buster joined us for a few drinks. Tequila. Ginger Whisky.

On the way home, grabbed a sixer and some chips.

Spent a few hours in the boathouse... David crashed on the futon.

the most disturbing news... I look old.
Half way thru the night i stopped asking people "how old do you think i am?" cause the answers were horrifying. 45. 42. consistently low 40's. I've always looked old... this was great when I was 16, trying to buy beer. Or when I was 22, starting my first company. But now... to be 36... and everyone thinks I'm 41!! Hummmm. Not sure I like that.

announcing... Billing Revolution

I unveiled my latest start-up at the Dow Jones Wireless Innovations conference last week... Billing Revolution. I've always been a buck-the system / fight-the-power kinda guy. So starting a company with the name "Revolution" in it just felt right... and that's what I really love about Billing Revolution - It's bucking the system, big time. It's a disruptive technology. And for some weird reason, my job satisfaction is sky high when bucking the system! It makes me warm and fuzzy on the inside. Like I'm "fighting the good fight".



I'll tell you more about Billing Revolution in future blog posts.


About the conference:
I thought the conference was really well orchestrated. The company presentations were 20 min in length. Each company pitched twice. It was very easy to jump from room-to-room and catch many presentations in a short amount of time. Billing Revolution was the only billing-related company to pitch. There were many co's pitching mobile social networks with youtube-ish mobile video. Also many Mobile Ad co's, and a few Location Based platforms/services.

a few hours in A'dam

I landed in a'dam after midnight and caught a train to richards place in the city. I managed to squeeze in almost all of my favorite amsterdam activities in the span of 10 hours:

- Talked about start-ups till 4am.
- p/u favorite cookies at Albert Heijn
- p/u black licorice
- went to coffee shop
- had raw herring snack with onions and pickels
- rode my bike along a canal

Now I'm on the train to the airport... Good bye Amsterdam, it was great to see you again.

The wrong train

Its a good thing I finally asked someone "is this the stop for the airport?" it wasn't.

A'dam last weekend

This last weekend I was back in the hood - Amsterdam red light district, that is. That's where I keep my bike - and I was amazed it was still there! The front tire was flat, so the junkies left it alone.

I stayed with Richard and Frita - they are the best. Food, wine and dutch conversation (I learned a few new words, but I think I spit on them while sounding the "g" - it's a throat clearer). Its great to have friends in A'dam, it adds a personal side to this wonderful city. I love it.

first 48 hours in barcelona

Crackberryblogging:

Highlights from the last two daze.
- 22 hours spent standing in conference hall
- 7 hours of sleep (total)
- frickin hours of walking around the city (beautiful)
- 4 shots of tequila
- 10 cups of coffee
- 8 mixed drinks

blown ear tube

I've been traveling for several days, currently in Barcelona having dinner at 10pm, just like the locals. I'm blogging from the crackberry...but the entire trip may not have happened had it not been for a few last-minute trips to the ear doctor...

Rewind to Thursday. 11:30am. Ear doctor waiting room. My flight leaves in one hour and 25 minutes, but Wes and I are reading travel magazines. At this moment I didn't want to miss my flight, but there was something definitely f'ed up with my ear.

The previous day I had two ear tubes inserted (rather forcefully, with a good dose of PAIN). I was fighting off two ear infections and my hearing was screwed. Totally plugged.

11:45. Ear doc says "hummm looks like you blew that tube half way out of your ear canal, its resting on your ear drum, hummmm." YANK, ear tube gone.

11:46. Wes driving with a purpose.

11:55. "Last call" at the northwest airlines ticket booth. If you show up any later than 1 hour before an international flight (which I have, several times) you really need to kiss ass to get your ticket. But this time, luck was on my side.

10 days to BCN

I'm going to Barcelona in 10 days and I just came down with a NASTY ear infection. I'm ear fuk'd!!

I have a history of ear trouble on flights, and over the years I've found that massive amounts of sudafed (the good meth type), nasal spray, pain killers, scotch and benadryl seem to help.

My doctor said he could poke a hole in my ear drum... uhhh... is that a good idea?!? I'm soooo ear fuk'd.

5 reasons why indie music will bomb on mobile

Headline: Ericsson announces indie music for mobile

Nooooo!! Ericsson, run away from this now!!

I'm sure Ericsson execs are proud of their achievement - "it's never been done! we're the first company to have all these shit songs on a crappy phone!" Woo hoo!!

So why do execs of major corporations think indie music is a GOOD idea?

Reason 1. it's cheap compared to major labels. The major labels have squeezed every penny out of the value chain. Ericsson knows they can only make low-single-cent margins on the hits. But then they discovered indie music and thought "WOW, we can make ten cents more per track if we sell indie music! Our business model will work now!" Nooooo - sorry, indie music will not save your business model.

Reason 2. it makes our music service unique. Yes, their music service *should* be unique - but not by loading it full of music nobody wants. Instead, they should focus on making it easy to use, easy to port to devices, etc - the unique features should actually add value and make the service better.

So... now the fun part...

5 REASONS WHY INDIE MUSIC WILL BOMB ON MOBILE:

1. no demand. really. sure they mention Green Day, but most of their shit is Irish folk music.

2. not worth it for the MAJORITY of the artists. The Irish folk singer will be sooo excited that their song is available in S. Korea - but she'll be equally bummed when NOBODY cares. Her royalty payment will be $3.19 each month.

3. it's a pain to provide the service. Indie bands change labels about as often as they change undies. this just adds to the massive confusion.

4. try promoting the music. "This irish hottie keeps pumping out the obscure hits!" Open your eyes! People don't want to take chances on mobile music - it's too expensive and slow. you've got to REALLY want a song to go through all the pain of getting it on your phone - so people will buy the hits.

5. no money. My prediction: Ericsson spent MORE on legal fees signing this deal than they will ever make on selling this trash.

For the story that started my rant:
http://www.moconews.net/entry/ericsson-pocket-group-in-deal-for-mobile-music

3 Windsurfing Sessions

The first few weeks of 2007 had some great wind. Just before the big snow storm hit we had three days of 25+ mph winds!

The photo above is local ripper Matt. I took this photo with my digital camera... I attached a Darth Vader pouch to my harness so I can easily stash my camera while cruising around.

You can check Flickr (in the right navigation) for more photos of the local rippers. :-)

5 Things

5 things you may not know about me…

1. I had a killer mullet in the 80’s. But my hair was really frizzy kinky curly Seinfeld-ish. Jana was happy when I lost my hair – she said my hair didn’t add any value.

2. As a summer job in college I was a singing waiter on a harbor cruise boat.

3. I’ve always wanted to be a game show host. And I still think there’s a chance it will happen.

4. I know all the words to Staying Alive and once had a custom jumpsuit tailored for me (doesn’t fit anymore – Jon Hartley wears it on occasion).

5. I’ve known my wife since second grade. we grew up 1 mile apart. we went to prom as friends. while she was finishing college I mailed her a job posting for a graphic designer position at the local newspaper Highline Times – she applied for the job – was hired – moved back to Burien – we started dating – and 13 years later we’re still together!

This "5 things" is a crazy chain letter running around the blog world... Ted tapped me (as a form of revenge after Jana tapped him) - and I'm tapping UpTheBlog! :-)

The Bears

IMG_4624
Originally uploaded by B-TownMom.

12 bears took a dunk in the drink on New Years at Three Tree Point... it's still the best cure for a hangover.

first butt-kicking in '07

I just limped off the water - I got POUNDED by huge swells in the shore break and liquid smoke completely leveled me several times... what a way to start '07! I was riding my 4.7, but i could have easily been on my 3.7. I should have seen the warning signs - while i was rigging my sail my board flipped over and scooted down the street... that's a classic sign from the wind gods to rig small!!

I just checked the ferry wind speed - it was blowing 40mph at Fauntleroy while i was out there!

I'm seriously doing the happy-dance. It was a great morning. Now, off to work!