Blah, blah, blog!

The Amazing Race...again

We were resolved in our decision to forgo the 8th grade Europe trip for our oldest child.  We had a pros and cons list that was torturous, and we chose to sit this one out.

Then Gilbert called me.

Gilbert is the trip coordinator.  He is also a dad of a fellow student, one who has grown up with my daughter from the time they were five.  He  is French, has a passion for sharing his homeland and by ALL accounts and testimonials, "You will NEVER see Paris like you do led by Gilbert!  You simply must go!"  When Gilbert heard we were not going to make this trip he called me and said simply, "What happened?"  He said, "You of ALL people have been talking about Paris for years". 

He went on to explain that his fear was that my daughter was going to leave our school and all of the kids that have grown up together, and gone to school together since they were five would never have this chance to experience this trip, this time together again.  We only travel this way once in life.  Sold.

We leave November 11.

Thank You Steve Jobs

Thank you Steve Jobs. "Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward. Maybe they have to be crazy. How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels? We make tools for these kinds of people. While some see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."

- Think Different, Apple Computers

I remember standing in the Apple retailer, with my mom,  purchasing my first Apple SE in 1987 when I went away to college. It was a HUGE leap of faith for my parents who were not versed in technology at the time, but they trusted I needed one and they trusted Apple was the way to go.

From 1985-1986 I made the trek up to the Moscone Center in San Francisco to the Mac World expo to wander the trade show floor. I was just a kid, but I was enamored with all things Apple. I remember marveling at the possibility and creativity. Just being surrounded by that energy flipped a switch for me.

When I moved to Ecuador in 1993, I couldn't take very much with me, but I do remember taking this very quote from a full-page Apple marketing ads for decor in my site "This is for the crazy ones....".   It somehow fortified me when I was so far away from home for those two years.  I also brought back a Mac PowerBook to write grad school applications after a Christmas visit home. Today's Peace Corps volunteers go over pretty wired. I took mix tapes and a Walkman

Today, I use my Macs (yes, multiple) in my work and private l life extensively. I use my iPhone to communicate and manage my time, my children use iPads in the classroom and for homework, iPods for games and music and even for music instruction. I use my iPad in many ways , both as a productivity tool and for relaxing (reading, movies, browsing). 

Thank you Steve Jobs.  You are a force.