Thursday, November 15, 2012

I've only been gone 18 months! #49ers Stadium

OK, so I've only been gone like 18 months!  The house that we owned is in the Rivermark area, practically in the shadow of the future home of the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, CA.  When we sold the home, there was nothing more than a proud sign and a parking lot at the site of the planned stadium.



Eighteen months later?

Future home of the 49ers (wide)

Untitled

49ers new home under construction II

49ers new home under construction I 
I don't think I've ever seen this much progress on a project in California in such a short time! Supposedly, the stadium is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2014 season, followed by opportunities for Super Bowls and other events.

Parking is a big weakness for this stadium.  There is almost no parking on the stadium property.  But let's not bother with details right now.

The jury is still out as to whether this will improve home values near the stadium.  Some say it will bolster values, and other say it will drag them down.  If this project is handled like AT&T Ballpark by the San Francisco Giants, values will soar due to ongoing redevelopment efforts nearby.  If the project is handled like the Oakland Colosseum, eh, watchout!  I already know the 49ers wanted to avoid the AT&T Ballpark model, so a bit of concern is appropriate.  It all depends on how Santa Clara City itself handles things.

Breakfast with my Father-in-law, and this giant donut

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Friday, November 09, 2012

Praying Mantis

Found this little guy on top of a trashcan in Wellesley.  Didn't seem to be doing much, but it did take notice when my wife and I took a few shots.  It's kinda creepy to have a bug watch you while you are watching it.


Sunday, November 04, 2012

Grist Mill

A few weeks ago, Allie and I spent an afternoon on a short drive around the area to catch Autumn near its peak in MetroWest.  It's a beauty place near Wayland Inn just off of Highway 20.  It was just past peak, but still very beautiful.














Friday, November 02, 2012

Kimball Farm in Littleton, PA

A popular attraction just outside of the MetroWest area is Kimball Farm.  It's an outdoor family entertainment place with great seafood, driving range, batting cages, famous miniature golf (designed by some Hollywood types, so I hear), arcade, bumper boats, and even more famous ice cream, oh and a few farm animals too...and don't forget the iconic weather vane.  My wife and I had a chance to enjoy the "farm" several times this summer, but only really explored it at a company event held there.  The miniature gold course is one of the best I've seen in terms of creativity.  There's even one hole that pretty much requires you to float your ball down a stream in order to have a chance at getting a hole-in-one.



Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Walking around Philidelphia

On a recent trip to Pennsylvania, I had a chance to briefly explore Philidelphia.  The day I was there, it happened to be some celebration as taking place in front of the First Bank of the United States



Merchants' Exchange Building was kinda strange.  It is a bit boring on the front ,but the back is round.  Or is that the other way round? :)


Independence Hall from the backside (again, really, is this the back?).


Manhole cover in front of the Independence Hall...wait, I mean, to the building's rear...oh never mind.  I thought this would make for an interesting angle of a shot.


Maybe I'll get more time to explore this city and its long history at some later date.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Recent trip to Lancaster, PA

Well, of all the things not on my bucket list that I got to experience anyway, I woulda never have guessed that I'd passing an Amish horse-and-buggy on state and city roads.  Yet, there I was in Lancaster, PA, the heart of Amish Country. 

At Hersey Restaurant and Inn (no where near Hersey, PA)

I was in Lancaster, PA for a SolidWorks 2013 rollout event to show off the newest version of SolidWorks to our customers.  I don't normally talk about SolidWorks on this blog too much because it's a bit specific to my career, but this story would be incomplete without mentioning it.




SolidWorks 2013 rollout event

Fun in our downtime

On some roads in Amish Country, there are special lanes where trails of horse "exhaust" mark the way, showing clearly which lanes are for cars, and which are for carriages.  There was a lively conversation on a my Facebook posting about driving through Intercourse, PA.

Amish horse and buggy

A funny thing about the Lancaster area are the references to Dutch culture.  This is a bit odd since Dutch influence on Pennsylvania is a bit light.  There is a substantial German population in the Lancaster region who are sometimes referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch, but this is a misnomer that comes from the archaic term that refers to people from Germany.  They aren't Dutch we know from the Netherlands.  Even still, images of old fashion windmills are invoked.  Maybe I'm missing something here.

Another thing that impressed me about this region as its beauty.  I took no pictures to demonstrate this beauty, unfortunately.  Rolling hills of farms and trees and rustic buildings meld together like a series of landscape paintings I've only seen in books.  Words (and even simple photographs) could not due it justice.

Would I go back to this region?  Prolly not going out of my way to visit it again.  I am glad I got a chance to see it, though.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Freedom of Speech not an excuse to incite because we are offended

Protection of the speech that we find offensive is critical to protecting our right to speak. If we ban our opponent's right to speak because we find their words are offensive, then we open the door to someone banning our rights (not just the right to speak, but perhaps even the right to worship) for the same reasons.  Second, each of us as a fellow human control our own selves, and it is our responsible to not harm others. Words by themselves are irrelevent to our actual actions unless we are part of a conspiracy to act together to harm others (such as in the case of gangs that are ordered by their leaders to commit crimes). The only people who should be held accountable for the actions of killing another are those who did it and those who told them to do it. Being offended by the words of our opponents is no excuse for harming others.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

No clouds come

For whatever reason, when there's not a cloud in the sky in Massachusetts, there really isn't any cloud, even contrails. That always seems wierd to this California transplant.

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

California Cape Cod and back again

In a bit of double irony, a Californian license plate that professes love for Cape Cod on the wall of a Cape Cod restaurant while California Dreaming played in the background.

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

Toebzilla's first Cape Cod Adventure

Allie and I went to Cape Cod this past Sunday, and we brought along Toebzilla.  We ended up a Nauset Light Beach, which is dog friendly.  It's been a long time since Toebzilla has been to any beach, so the adventure was like new to him.

After settling near the water, I walked with him to the edge of the surf.  A little nervous, he moved towards the small waves as though he intended to take on the entire Atlantic Ocean himself.  He watched a tiny wave or two before he figured out the timing.  When the next tiny wave rolled up, he pounced on it and attempted to nip at it.  Instead, he got a mouth full of salty water and splashed up to his knees.  At that moment, he decided he had enough of the Ocean, and preferred sunbathing on the beach towel instead.



Sunday, July 29, 2012

It's taken forty years to realize just how deeply people feel criticism

It's taken forty years to realize just how deeply people feel criticism. A disagreement with one fine point can be taken as disregard for the person themself. On the flip side, it seems people that are very quick to dismiss the opinions and thoughts of others, then express frustration when they think those people are equally dismissive. To me, that is a vicious cycle. Lesson learned for me? "The only winning move is not to [critique]" in social settings, unless there is a very good cause.


I missed the boat so long because I've been in a state of mind of consistently wanting to be critiqued to improve myself, at least in my own eyes. I accept some statements, and dismiss others, and then move on. In this, I do not believe that I've often dismissed any persons outright. I value the person who critiques me because I seek constant feedback (whether I accept the feedback or not). But in this drive, I've very likely offended a great many people who are not like minded in this regard. Criticism of comments or challenging of opinions is not taken well by many people, regardless to how fine the point.

Ironically, this posting is a critique, but not directed any particular person. It is an expression of my own opinion about my own feelings and thoughts. In case someone comes across this message and thinks it's about them, it's not. It is about me. It is a lament that comes from the culmination of a great many experiences.



Monday, July 23, 2012

Proof that the Zombie Apocalypse is indeed coming

Are you trying to tell your friends and family that the Zombie Apocalypse is indeed coming? Are they not listening to your sane words of advice to prepare?  Well, now you have the evidence you need to show them that it is coming, in the form of recent news articles.

This Artificial Jellyfish Was Built Using Rat Cells goes into detail about recent success in the creation of an artificial animal.

Scientists Invent Particles That Will Let You Live Without Breathing shows a technology that may keep you alive when you are unable to breath.

If those stories do not convince disbelievers, this ScienceDaily article shows how scientists are working on reprogramming cells to "create completely new and useful forms of life":  Easily 'Re-Programmable Cells' Could Be Key in Creation of New Life Forms.  This is how almost every Zombie movie begins!