PHOTO: Brandon (what a frown), Nicholas, and Cameron patiently waiting to open gifts on Christmas Eve.
Taking pause to rethink the holidays...
Jeez, it's Christmas Eve! For reasons I really can't explain here on a public BLOG, I've certainly been thinking a LOT lately of the meaning of Christmas. It hasn't exactly been the happiest of times right now. Even my children have been relatively low-key as they let their ol' dad kinda work through a very difficult period. Thinking out loud, however, I've discovered quite a few "blessings" that I don't always notice during happy times but certainly notice during more stressful, awful moments: 1) There's not too many things I can "depend" on in life, but I'm lucky I ALWAYS have someone in my corner...Maria ;-) 2) My kids are the BEST! Hands down, bar none...the BEST!!! 3) I must have had many many blessings in my life cause all the goodness and strength overflow into my capacity to endure and help someone who needs it now, and 4) The best things in life really ARE free...go figure! ;-) Have a wonderful holiday season...
I have to go back to work tomorrow :-(
Well, the day is here...tomorrow, I have to go back to work (groan). I've been off since the day before Thanksgiving and I haven't taken any vacation since 2002. Needless to say, I'm not thrilled to return to my 4:10 wake-up call! I've been playing tennis every morning with Cameron--he's gotten very good, indeed! Very nice backhand. We plan to keep playing at least a couple times during the week and on weekends. I think I got more exercise off it then he did ;-) I just took this very somber picture with my new Logitech webcam (time, 12:05 AM). Maria told me to go to sleep, but I told her I had to document my sadness on this BLOG! hehehe Besides, she just brought me a bowl of Top Ramen...grin. I can play a really good "helpless" male when I'm hungry. Don't worry, I'm not fooling her any... well, I guess I better get to bed. Good night!
AudioBLOG from Ryan!
Oh NO! He has audio capabilities NOW! The Internet world may never be the same...<g>
On Vacation For Two Weeks...YAY!
My vacation started yesterday...I've accrued six weeks of time off since 12/02. I've never really taken any vacation time. Just a day here, a day there, etc. I'm still checking e-mails at work like crazy. My Deputy Director said it seems like I work harder when I'm away than when I'm actually at work (wink wink). Don't worry, I'll be slowly weaning myself away from the computer monitor and I doubt I'll be peaking into my Inbox shortly ;-) I have lots to do at home...the kids want Christmas lights this year, Cameron and I need to "declutter" the house, and I have LOTS of gardening to do (raked the TONS of leaves last weekend...not I have to trim the hedges)! Hope you all had a terrific Thanksgiving. Maria cooked a fantastic meal!
Falling Behind The 8-Ball
Boy, have I been lame or WHAT? As my good friend Bill said in a recent e-mail to me, "Is there a reason you have not updated your BLOG lately?" Oh yes, the e-mail was just ooooooooooozing with sarcasm! It's so true...so, without any further adieu, here's the news! 1) Yes, I had yesterday off (Friday) for Veterans Day...since I wake up daily at 3:50 AM, I used this day to sleep for several hours in the afternoon...trust me, I did not consider it a waste!!! 2) Drove into Oakland to pick up Maria's mom...Alexandra joined me (I'd like to think it was to spend some time with her papi, but her mom already told me that Alexandra wanted to hit one of the malls along the way back home to pick up jeans that she was waiting on until Dad's payday!). She actually got a jacket out of it, too. Oh well, I will pretend it was all for the sparkling conversation and in depth bonding (hehehe...oh I'm not offended, Alexandra! Just be glad I'm not a vindictive type of person...okay, who just snickered out there????) 3) Because I goofed up my sleeping pattern, I woke up at 12:30 and have been up ever since...culminating in this terrific BLOG posting! I've had four cups of coffee, reviewed the ebay postings that I have no intention to bid on, and watching 7 On Your Side on television. For the last month or so, I've been practicing driving a stick shift early early early in the morning on weekends--if only I could master shifting from neutral to first on a steep hill! LOL The car is a BMW 580i--I'm liking it a LOT! Well, you've been warned...stay off the roads between 500-730 AM on Saturdays and Sundays around Lone Tree Way (hehehe)!!! Okay all, have a wonderful weekend...
I'm celebrating Columbus Day!...YES, Columbus Day
I have the dayoff in celebration of Columbus Day (hey, did you just snicker?).
It's great to wake up at 6:10 AM instead of my normal 4:10 AM (grin). I'm enjoying Good Morning America (I don't think I've watched this show for over five years). The news is so depressing: devastating earthquake in Pakistan/India, police brutality in New Orleans, etc. This is hard to watch. Sure puts life into perspective for those of us who think life's so tough sometimes.
Took the boys to the park yesterday--Nicholas posted an audioclip on the prior BLOG post below. He's a nut!
It's great to wake up at 6:10 AM instead of my normal 4:10 AM (grin). I'm enjoying Good Morning America (I don't think I've watched this show for over five years). The news is so depressing: devastating earthquake in Pakistan/India, police brutality in New Orleans, etc. This is hard to watch. Sure puts life into perspective for those of us who think life's so tough sometimes.
Took the boys to the park yesterday--Nicholas posted an audioclip on the prior BLOG post below. He's a nut!
Read Chapter 2: Reasons to Homeschool
I've updated the link to my book, Homeschooling: For Folks Who Say, "Oh, I Could Never Do That!" Read Chapter 2: Reasons to Homeschool--who knows, it may even motivate you to consider it! ;-)
Why am I awake at 1:46 AM?
I fell asleep very early yesterday night (around 7:30 or so)...and so here I am awake at 1:46 AM typing a BLOG entry (grin). Not good. Being a lifelong PC user, I typically avoid anything Apple...not because I don't appreciate their superior design and excellent capatability with exterior devices. I just didn't want to learn yet another operating system. Ah, but then there's the iPod! I must admit, I've been avoiding it because my world of music is all "Rhapsody", "Windows Media Player," "Yahoo! Music," etc. Besides, iTunes didn't work on anything not running XP...some of us STILL use Windows 98 (hehehe). But, when you inherit an old iPod, you tend to lower your standards (grin). I LOVE the iPod...what a terrific piece of engineering for us everyday music lovers!!! I especially like how well the PC and the iPod sync when connected and how it creates your "Top 25" playlist based on the number of times you've listened to the song. Steve Jobs and Co. really have their finger on the pulse of the real world. Anyone who rides BART during the morning commute will see an iPod in every other person's ears...oh jeez, now I'm joined the ranks of that every other person! Yikes! Well, I'm now on my second cup of coffee and have some e-mail to read...hope everyone has a terrific weekend.
Maria's Birthday!
Today, our family celebrated Maria's Birthday (Number _ _ ...oh, it doesn't really matter...grin). I got home kinda late for a Friday...was very busy at work. So, we had limited dinner choices by the time I got home. Cameron picked Mimi's Cafe in Brentwood. Alexandra made the reservation for six and was told it would be about 25 minutes. Well, that didn't sound so bad...after all, it was a busy Friday. The boys played chase, punch, and slap outside...cute, huh? Alexandra was burning the midnight oil on her cell phone. We watched as they called, "Reservation for two for Mark," "Reservation for three for Sylvia," Reservation for three for Steve," etc. A young couple came up to the door about 30 minutes after we arrived and wouldn't you know it, "Reservation for two for Keith." A good 60 minutes later, we heard "Reservation for six for Alex." Ah, at last, we were getting seated. The moral of this story: make sure you split your family of six into two smaller groups of three if you want to get seated in a reasonable amount of time at Mimi's Cafe!!!" OK, they did bring a slice of chocolate mousse with a candle for Maria at the end of the meal, but guess what? The waitress asked, "Did you want to sing Happy Birthday to her?" Before I could say yes or no, she walked off and I was left to lead the song alone. Well, at least the food was good! LOL...as I tell Maria, "I ONLY take you to the classiest places."
Celebrating Alex's IronMan Triumph! (videoblog)
In honor of Alex's success at this year's 2005 Canadian IronMan Competition, we put together this video montage.
BLOG: From the IronMan.net website
2042 CATAPUSAN, FELIX OAKLAND 2:17:45
You can look up the rest of Alex’s time and all our athlete’s times here:
http://vnews.ironmanlive.com/.
We’re all very proud of all our athletes! Grea job everybody and photos coming.
*Update* (via Whitney)
Crowds of people cheered, shouted, cried as they watched Alex’s red wetsuit approaching the shallow waters surrounded by kayakers…his story had been told both at the Ironman pasta feed dinner as well as during the race so the crowds were familiar with his history. It was electric…strangers faces lit with elation…teammates filled with tears. And all of us chanting “Get UP! Get up!” as he continued to swim in the waist deep waters with his 2 volunteers beside him also telling him to get up. But with Wayne’s voice in his head (keep swimming til you can touch the bottom- it’s faster - little did he know where that mantra would really be put to the test….Wayne, you need to add an addendum to that one) Alex continued his gentle smooth Alex stroke til we almost all decided to rush out there and get his bum up ourselves…and finally…FINALLY he got up (agonizing minute plus watching him swim in shallow waters)…the crowds became completely raucous as he ran his way past his oh so proud mama and throngs of
groupies…
It was everything that Ironman can be and more.
He made the swim cut-off with 2 minutes and 15 seconds to spare.
He completed his first Ironman at 16:46:22.
The next night at the Ironman awards dinner, Alex won the Iron Spirit
award. The same award Louie won.
Just thought ya’ll might like to feel a little bit of that Iron spirit
again.
Hope this finds you all achieving new goals and dreaming ginormous
dreams.
You can look up the rest of Alex’s time and all our athlete’s times here:
http://vnews.ironmanlive.com/.
We’re all very proud of all our athletes! Grea job everybody and photos coming.
*Update* (via Whitney)
Crowds of people cheered, shouted, cried as they watched Alex’s red wetsuit approaching the shallow waters surrounded by kayakers…his story had been told both at the Ironman pasta feed dinner as well as during the race so the crowds were familiar with his history. It was electric…strangers faces lit with elation…teammates filled with tears. And all of us chanting “Get UP! Get up!” as he continued to swim in the waist deep waters with his 2 volunteers beside him also telling him to get up. But with Wayne’s voice in his head (keep swimming til you can touch the bottom- it’s faster - little did he know where that mantra would really be put to the test….Wayne, you need to add an addendum to that one) Alex continued his gentle smooth Alex stroke til we almost all decided to rush out there and get his bum up ourselves…and finally…FINALLY he got up (agonizing minute plus watching him swim in shallow waters)…the crowds became completely raucous as he ran his way past his oh so proud mama and throngs of
groupies…
It was everything that Ironman can be and more.
He made the swim cut-off with 2 minutes and 15 seconds to spare.
He completed his first Ironman at 16:46:22.
The next night at the Ironman awards dinner, Alex won the Iron Spirit
award. The same award Louie won.
Just thought ya’ll might like to feel a little bit of that Iron spirit
again.
Hope this finds you all achieving new goals and dreaming ginormous
dreams.
Alex receives Iron Spirit Award
From the IronTeam.net website:
Here’s Alex holding up the Iron Spirit Award. That would be the same award that Louie got. I certainly wouldn’t want to speak for Louie but he’d be very, very proud of you as we all are! Great job Alex, and great job IronTeam.
Here’s Alex holding up the Iron Spirit Award. That would be the same award that Louie got. I certainly wouldn’t want to speak for Louie but he’d be very, very proud of you as we all are! Great job Alex, and great job IronTeam.
I was recently quoted in USAToday about security training
How one airport keeps its security lines short by Thomas Frank, USA TODAY
Look for my quote about monitoring X-ray efficiency.
Look for my quote about monitoring X-ray efficiency.
ClassicCAM: 1998 Brandon's Birthday
Here's a videoclip of us celebrating Brandon's 1st Birthday in 1998. Notice the bickering between Alexandra (5) and Cameron (3)--they still mix like vinegar and water! ;-)
eBay was MY idea first!!! ;-)
eBay celebrates its 10 Anniversay this Labor Day Weekend.
I've been using eBay since its inception. Over the years, I've bought (and sold) a lot of neat things. But, ask Maria, over 10 years ago, I told her we should develop a website where people could buy Alexandra's closet full of clothes. I said it would foster a couple aspects: 1) People love to buy online (at least I was buying a lot online at the time), 2) Parents like cute outfits for kids, and 3) People love to "gamble." I had a concept called "Alexandra's Closet" where people could see pictures of an outfit and if they liked it, they could send me an e-mail and make an "offer." I would post the offer manually on the website and wait a certain amount of time for others to "counter-offer." Highest offer would win (the gambling aspect). So, sound familiar? I'm not bitter (much...hehehe), just illustrates that I have a lot of good ideas! ;-)
READ Meg Whitman's announcement of eBay's 10th Anniversay.
I've been using eBay since its inception. Over the years, I've bought (and sold) a lot of neat things. But, ask Maria, over 10 years ago, I told her we should develop a website where people could buy Alexandra's closet full of clothes. I said it would foster a couple aspects: 1) People love to buy online (at least I was buying a lot online at the time), 2) Parents like cute outfits for kids, and 3) People love to "gamble." I had a concept called "Alexandra's Closet" where people could see pictures of an outfit and if they liked it, they could send me an e-mail and make an "offer." I would post the offer manually on the website and wait a certain amount of time for others to "counter-offer." Highest offer would win (the gambling aspect). So, sound familiar? I'm not bitter (much...hehehe), just illustrates that I have a lot of good ideas! ;-)
READ Meg Whitman's announcement of eBay's 10th Anniversay.
Thank God It's Friday!
Well, this has been a very interesting week! I'm SO looking forward to the long weekend. Maria salvaged a broken dresser from the boys' room and converted them into "shelves" and "end tables" for our bedroom — very clever. I think she's been watching too much "Design On A Dime" and "While You Were Out." Oh, by the way, if you've been trying to view any of the videos on the blog and it didn't work, I just figured out that you need to first install Macromedia Flash 7 — it's free...as Nike says, "Just Do It!" ;-)
DOWNLOAD it here: Macromedia Flash 7
DOWNLOAD it here: Macromedia Flash 7
Yee Family Slideshow (videoblog)
A slideshow of pictures taken earlier this year.
NOTE: Must install Macromedia Flash 7 to play videoclips.
NOTE: Must install Macromedia Flash 7 to play videoclips.
IT'S OFFICIAL: Alex is an Iron Man!!!
According to the Canadian Iron Man Website, my brother-in-law successfully completed the Canadian Iron Man Competition (YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!)!!!!! He just completed the 26-mile marathon run and placed 2082nd (trust me, that's totally AWESOME). Considering he just learned how to swim a few years ago for this competition (and the swimming portions tripped him up the last couple of years), I think you can see how incredible this accomplishment truly is--he's no quitter, THAT's for sure. He was in 2243rd position after swimming, 2162nd place after biking, and now moves up to 2082nd place in the competition. Maria and the kids are so excited...we're proud of you, Alex!!! Congrats, congrats, congrat!!!!!! Let me see if I can get him to record an audioblog from Canada for this Blog! Stay tune everyone.
WOW, 112 miles on a bike in 7:50.41...onto running!
Newsflash, Alex is beginning the last leg of his Canadian Iron Man Competition after blazing 112 miles on a bike (AFTER a 2.4 mile swim this morning) in 7 hours, 50 minutes! He also moved up about 100 places!!! He's now running the first 13 miles, then will run another 13 miles for a total of 26 miles! Go, Alex, GO!
Alex made it through swimming 2:17
YAY Alex! My brother-in-law just completed the swim portion of the Canadian Iron Man Competition (2.4 miles) in 2:17. This is a MAJOR victory cause for the last two years, he wasn't allowed to complete the swim portion (they force you out after 2:20). We are SO proud of him!!! Now, he starts the 112 miles of biking (his BEST skill). Good job, Alex! Bike, boy, bike!!!
And, he's OFF and running (and swimming and biking)!
OK, Alex just started the Canadian Iron Man Competition about 50 minutes ago. For the next couple of hours, he'll be swimming 2.4 miles. Then, he starts a 112-mile bike ride followed by a 26-mile run!!! He's awesome...our family will be tracking his progress. You can watch for his times on the Iron Man Website. Maria just did her part and lit a candle ;-) I feel kinda guilty just sitting here in bed sipping coffee and surfing the Internet--Go Alex, GO!
Uncle Alex Competes in Canadian Iron Man Competition
Uncle Alex is competing in the Canadian Iron Man Competition tomorrow (8/28/05). You can track his progress by clicking HERE. Good Luck, Uncle Alex...(yup, this is Alex as a toddler)!
Alexandra dances at ShowStoppers (videoblog)
This was Alexandra's solo competition dance to "Love Don't Cost A Thing." Yes, she's grown up a LOT in the last couple of years. She did great, too!
NOTE: Must install Macromedia Flash 7 to play videoclips.
NOTE: Must install Macromedia Flash 7 to play videoclips.
Family Works & Homeschools Together (article)
Sunday, August 21, 2005 (SF Chronicle)
Putting the family to work/Pleasant Hill cafe doubles as homeschool classroom
Putting the family to work/Pleasant Hill cafe doubles as homeschool classroom
Remembering Mom (videoblog)
A nice slideshow in memory of my Mom (passed away in 1983). Includes an audioclip of a message she left on my answering machine in 1982. ;-)
NOTE: Must install Macromedia Flash 7 to play videoclips.
NOTE: Must install Macromedia Flash 7 to play videoclips.
A Day with the Family in Oakland
Just got home from walking the 3-mile Lake Merritt in Oakland with Maria and the kids. I had a doctor's appointment this morning in Berkeley (I'll live...), so we decided to take a quick run over to Oakland afterwards. It was a beautiful day (68-70 degrees). We walked by the church where Maria and I married, passed by the tennis courts where we use to play, ran through the tunnel that leads to the Calvin Simmons Auditorium, played on the sandy shore area where my cousins and I use to play for hours (bandstand and all), walked by Children's Fairyland (too expensive now...$6 for ANYONE 1 to 100 years old the sign said!!!), went by the duck pond, was kicked off the stage where they have Shakespeare in the Park by some mean caretaker (what a grump), had drinks at a cafe, then headed home. I'm sure the kids will sleep well tonight!
Greetings from Lake Merritt in Oakland (audioblog)
Ryan and the Yee Kids send their greeting as they walk around Lake Merritt in Oakland.
