I couldn't have made this paneling without the right tools.

My short answer is buy whatever tools you need.  I don’t like the idea that you need a complete and expansive arsenal of tools before you can get started. Every project demands a different set of tools, so prescribing a “must have” list of tools for an unknown project is misguided. Plus let’s not forget: tools can be expensive. Most of us can only afford one tool at a time.

Having said that, the tools listed below have come from my own needs as a homeowner. These are essentially wood working tools for finish carpentry, wainscoting, and furniture making. Although I did extensive drywall work and tiling throughout my remodel, the tools for those jobs are specialized, single-purpose tools that I won’t cover here.

So friends, here is a quick introduction to 20 versatile tools that will help you do a job that’s both professional and quick.

Power Tools

	01. Electric Drill This one is pretty obvious. Drilling out holes with a hand tool will make your muscles rock-hard, but you’ll waste your day getting the job done. Screwdrivers? You will certainly use a screwdriver with almost every project, but I’ve never met a man who has enough patience to use a screwdriver for an entire project. Save your sanity: buy an electric hand drill. I own a corded drill and a cordless battery powered drill.
	02. Compound Miter Saw This the ultimate power tool for doing finish carpentry. You can make accurate angled cuts for all moulding: baseboards, chair rails, and crown. This saw also makes light work of quickly cutting two-by-fours for framing. Unfortunately, a compound miter saw is expensive, even if you get a cheaper model. So if you aren’t planning on doing a lot of carpentry around the house, a basic miter saw will do a good job.
	03. Circular Saw A circular saw is a must-have tool for anyone working with wood. It’s small and easy to bring with you to different job sites. Although a table saw can make more consistent cuts, you don’t always have space or time to set it up. An added bonus is that a circular saw is one of the more affordable tools.
	04. Table Saw This is essentially a circular saw turned upside inside useful table. The advantage of a table saw is that you are able to make longer cuts–especially on sheets of plywood–straighter and more consistent, thanks to the table surface and the table fence.
	05. Reciprocating Saw This is not a precision cutting instrument, but a furious deconstruction tool. I’ve seen guys use a circular saw to take down a wall because that’s all they’ve had, but reciprocating saw gives better leverage and is more comfortable in your hands. This makes the job quicker and more safe (as long as you don’t cut through pipes and live electrical wires.) In short, if you need to tear it down, use a reciprocating saw. It’s fun.
	06. Shop Vacuum A shop vac is an important tool for a DIYer because it keeps your work space clean. A broom and a dust pan work fine if all you’re doing is cleaning the sawdust off the floor of your garage, but if you do work inside your home where cleanliness is a higher priority, then know that a shop vac is your best friend. An added bonus is that a shop vac can be fastened to some wood working tools to prevent dust from ever touching the ground. In my opinion, the best feature is that many shop vacs work both wet and dry. It’s works as well sucking up drywall dust as it does sucking up dirty puddles of water.
	07. Router A router is a powerful tool that allows the wood worker to make fancy edges, like a curved perimeter of a table top. This is my favorite power tool to use because when I pull it off the shelf in my garage, it means that I am putting the finishing touches on a project that will give it the “wow factor”. If you are planning on doing a lot of trim work on your home (baseboards, crown, chair rail), you can save a lot of money by purchasing ordinary boards and then giving them a fancy routed edge. I used my router to build up layers of wood to make the crown moulding that wraps the top of my kitchen pantry. Keep in mind that the router isn’t just for show. I’ve found that my router was very helpful when I was trying to make clean and consistent recesses in my wood doors for the hinges.
	08. Finish Nailer + Air compressor A hammer is a useful instrument that shouldn’t be forgotten, but it’s not the best tool for putting in every nail. A finish nailer is a low-impact tool for fastening wood pieces to one another. If you plan on doing framing or a larger construction job, be sure to get the more powerful framing nailer. I know there are some battery-powered nailers out there, but I haven’t had a chance to use them yet. I like my air compressor because it is a low-maintenance power source for many of my tools. A convenient tool for removing finishing nails is pair of end nipper pliers.
	09. Random Orbit Sander Let’s get real here–nobody wants to spend an afternoon sanding their wood project. It’s boring and monotonous and you will eventually lose patience and be tempted to skip to rolling on your finish. So if you are expecting to do a lot of remodeling on your home, it’s wise to purchase an electric sander. Bypass the small and limited hobby sanders and sheet sanders and go right for the electric random orbit sander for clean, consistent, and quick results.  It’s worth knowing that you have to purchase specialized sandpaper made specifically for your sander. Although it’s pricier than ordinary sand paper, you can save money by ordering online ahead of time. If you are doing a lot of sanding, it’s wise to pair this sander with your shop vac.
	10. Jig Saw Jig saw is the “tug boat” of my power tools. It may not be big and brutish, but it can make quick curvy cuts that no other power tool can accomplish. If you have children who want to join you on a carpentry project, the jig saw is one of the least dangerous power tools. (Of course, train your child well and keep a close eye on them as they work.)

Hand Tools

	11. Hammer + Prybar The hammer is an obvious tool for a new homeowner. However, a prybar is a handy addition to a hammer because it helps pull stubborn nails from wood. Also, a prybar is a terrific tool for helping lift heavy objects. I’ve used my prybar to lift a heavy pre-hung patio door off the ground while my brother slid in shims to make the door plumb.
	12. Level A level isn’t just for perfectionists! A good level is a convenient straight edge when you want to mark cut lines on a sheet of wood. Plus, a level can help you save time measuring. Let’s say you want to hang three framed photos on the wall 55 inches off the ground. You can measure once and mark your point. Then hold a level to the point horizontally and trace a line from left to right. That’s a lot more efficient than measuring and marking 55 inches three different times.
	13. Tape measure Because who wants to carry a rigid 10-foot ruler around the job site? Note: buy a bright colored tape measure or you will lose it again and again.
	14. Plane This is a small but powerful tool to have at your disposal for when sandpaper seems too weak to remove excess wood. It can be used to smooth out rough wood or to reduced the thickness of a piece of wood. This is an ideal tool for thinning out a wood door that gets stuck in the door frame.
	15. Clamps Want a third hand? That’s what a clamp is for! There are many different types of clamps out there, but the most effective clamp for the work that I’ve done is the pistol grip clamp (or “bar clamp”) because it only requires one hand to properly set the clamp. Buying a clamp is not as exciting as buying a cool new power tool, but I’ve never met a guy who regretted purchasing clamps. They will without a doubt make your job easier.
	16. Sanding Block It’s tempting to start rubbing a flat surface with sandpaper alone, but you will not get consistent results because your hand is a pliable surface. But an inexpensive rubber sanding block can be quickly  wrapped with sandpaper and will return admirable results. However, if your want to sand a curved surface, say excess dried wood filler from the face of crown moulding, try purchasing inexpensive abrasive sponges. They will adjust to the contours of your moulding more consistently than your hand alone. If you have a variety of surfaces to sand, try adhering sand paper to a variety of wood shapes with spray adhesive.
	17. Nail Set Don’t expect to do professional carpentry work if you do not have a nail set. It’s a pretty straight-forward tool. You fix the tip of the nail set on the head of a nail that has already been hammered into the surface. Strike the nail set with a hammer to drive the nail head beneath the surface of the wood. Next, fill the hole with wood putty, let it dry, and then sand the surface smoothly. A good woodworker makes it nearly impossible to detect where he used nails. Note: get a bright colored nail set so you don’t lose it.
	18. Chalk Line/Chalk Box with a String Level A chalk line a smart tool for marking long and straight lines. It’s most obvious use is for snapping lines on sheets of wood or drywall or for marking roofs for shingles, but it’s also good for finding the center of rooms for laying tile. While you are buying a chalk line, look out for a simple metal level that hooks onto your string. Together the tools will help you snap perfect lines.
	19. Miter Box and Saw It’s not necessary to set up the electric miter saw every time you need to cut a 45 degree angle. A classic handsaw and a miter box gets the job done just fine. What I also like about a miter box and saw is that they’re inexpensive–less than $20–and it’s easy to use. New carpenters build their confidence in making angled cuts. (Your whole family can use this set for school and craft projects.) Purists may not like the bright yellow plastic miter box, but these ubiquitous miter boxes come with handy pegs that brace the wood while you cut. Just be sure to screw the miter box into your worktable to keep it from rocking around as you saw.
	20. Chisels Chisels are capable of removing excess wood in narrow or awkward spaces. With proper care, chisels can last for a life time. For what it’s worth, there’s a timeless satisfaction that comes from sharpening your chisels in between woodworking projects. Chisels have been used by generations of woodworkers.

Summary

If you are interested purchasing any of the tools above, consult the the senior staff members in the tool department at your local home store. They can help you find the right tool for your job that works with your budget. Also, spend some time researching online to find out what companies make the most precise and reliable tools. You want to feel confident that the purchase you are going to make is a wise investment for the long haul.

Pour yourself a cup of coffee and listen to Jack Johnson.

Big Design Inspiration in Humble Buildings

A life guard tower in Carlsbad, CA

Before we get into the houses, let’s first stop to appreciate the icon of the beach: the lifeguard tower.  The three details to notice here are the color, and railing, and roof:

1. Color. Over the decades, the Southern California lifeguard towers have always been aqua in colored: power blue, teal blue, teal green, mint green, etc.
2. Railing. Here the railings are modest bent piping, probably stainless steel. Although pipe railings might have reached peak popularity in the 1980s (think art-deco Miami Beach around the time of Miami Vice), they’re still a stylish and low-maintenance option that let you maximize ocean views.
3. Cantilevered Roof. Notice that the roof extends out far beyond the walls of the tower without any structural support. These cantilevered roofs shade the lifeguard from the sun, but they also point the way to the ocean view, a detail you will see in many beach houses. Although you won’t see it in this tower, early lifeguard towers had simple, low-pitched roofs that accentuated the forward-looking overhand.

Now lets take a look at some beachy details on some modest buildings at my favorite campground overlooking the Pacific Ocean. These buildings and structures are important to a DIYer because they are low-cost and simple to build, yet they still glow with beachy details.  Click on the photos below to get large images with detailed descriptions.

What details did we see?

1. Layers of painted woodwork: white and aqua in color
2. Cantilevered roofs / deep overhangs
3. Exposed rafters / no soffit or fascia boards
4. No elaborate wood cuts
5. Slender support posts
6. Staircase posts (or balusters) that attach the the exterior of the staircase and dip below the structure.

Let’s see some of these details from both the lifeguard tower plus beach side buildings and structures can be applied to a home.

Elements of Beach House Design

I snapped this photo below in Leucadia, a beach side community in North County San Diego. Notice the aqua colors and the low-pitched cantilevered roof, both details taken from traditional lifeguard towers. What is interesting here is that this room above the garage doesn’t even have an view of the ocean. The windows facing left open up to the side of their neighbor’s home; the real ocean view on the far side of the home. But the simple details give this low-cost structure an undeniable beachy feel.

A simple home with big charm.

Although the builder used fascia boards to hide the ends of the rafters, he opted not to use soffit boards so the rafters would be exposed. (Look under the overhang by the white door into the home.)

Below is another small but attractive beach house within walking distance to the beach. The details to appreciate here are the low-pitched roof, exposed rafters, white painted trim work, and clerestory windows on the left structure and above doors to the deck. These windows maximize natural sunlight without sacrificing privacy.

Notice too that the deck railing is constructed of both painted and natural wood.

The two photos below are of one of North County’s more remarkable ocean side homes. Clearly, the homeowner had a larger budget than the homes above. But it’s interesting that they did not deviate from the mystique of the lifeguard tower.

The stunning interpretation of a lifeguard tower gives a commanding view of the ocean in the distance.

Notice the multitude of exposed rafter tails.

The front entry is filled with good design.

The photo above reveals a multitude of architectural details.

• Exposed rafters are exposed beyond the roof, capped with galvanized steel to prevent them from rotting.
• Slender support posts that hang below the cement block stair structure.
• Hand rail the uses taught lines of cable, not unlike the cable found on yachts.

Let’s take a look at another well-thought-out home in quiet neighborhood close to Encinitas’s Moonlight Beach. The details to notice cantilevered roof supported by simple four-by-four post. The railing that wraps the deck is similar to the staircases that lead people from the bluff down to the beach.

A small beach house with contemporary leanings.

Again, a cantilevered roof suggests a beautiful view in the distance. But in the case of the home above, the only view is of street-side parking (notice rear window of the black SUV). The home was built on a peculiar plot of land that dipped a good 15 feet beneath the surface of the street. But clever design with well-placed beachy details allowed a charming home to rise out of made a scrappy lot.

Architectural Details

Now let’s take a look at a dozen beach homes and see how they repeat design details.

Ranch House >> Beach House

So how do you apply these architectural details to a home that wasn’t “built for the beach”? Let’s take a look at a straight-forward ranch style home that was redesigned to look like it belonged by the ocean…

My Favorite Home: Modern & Beachy

I want to close with a gallery of one of my favorite homes in San Diego. The architect successfully combined traditional beachy elements like white-painted trim, exposed rafters, steal cable railings, and sunshine-colored siding. But you’ll also find boxy contemporary details including concrete fencing, tall contemporary windows, and the boxy stuccoed structures that wraps the garage and continues along the side of the home. Although this homes leans towards contemporary, it is without a doubt a beach home.

Over the past four weeks, I’ve been a speaker/presenter at three big events: summer camp for junior high kids at Covecrest, a Steubenville Conference for teenagers in Ohio, and the Life Teen Training Convention for adults in Carefree, Arizona. Each stop was a powerful experience of community–people taking time to care for other people. It is good for the soul.

Matt, the King of San Diego

While other eighth graders are squandering their last summer before high school with mindless video games, Matt is in the ocean surfing like there’s no tomorrow. Matt’s the man!

Thinking About Cars

I had “scheduled service” done on my car and Candyce’s car over the span of two weeks. This was unpleasant. Car owners have a complex relationship with mechanics. Mostly, it comes down to the fact that people don’t like to spend money repairing/maintaining a car they already pay for each month. (Not to mention the fact that we pay for insurance as well.) Plus we’ve all heard horror stories about how greedy mechanics scare you into doing work that doesn’t need to be done.

So when it is your turn to stand in front of the auto repair shop as the mechanic preaches about the hell and damnation waiting for the car owner who refused to be saved,  you can’t help but feel like discouraged. Why me?! Why now?! Although I understood in my head why I had to pay out $1500 to keep our cars running strong, that didn’t mean I had to like it. The only way I can make myself feel better is to imagine we avoided a massive mechanical overhaul that would cost us $5000. That’s a savings of $3500.

Restoring the Kitchen Floor

Eighteen months ago, my dad and I laid the travertine tile in the living room, dining room, and kitchen at the beginning of the massive remodel of the first floor of my home. We had to work fast so my brother could install the baseboards, door casings, and finish the kitchen island. The end result? My brother’s trim work looks great, and our grout job looked uneven and sloppy. After a year-and-a-half of living with this ugliness, I recruited my brother-in-law to help me make all things new.

We cleaned the kitchen floor with soapy scrub brushes and the shop vac. Then we did it again, and again, and again. There was a lot of dirt that had settled in the natural “craters” within the stone tile. If we left that dirt no the floor, our grout wouldn’t adhere and we’d have another problem to deal with down the road. Then we floated grout, let it dry, and then sponged off the excess. I woke up every three hours through the night to put on coats of sealer/polish. By morning, the kitchen floor was so smooth and shiny I wanted to ice skate. Next step? Fix the tile in the dining and living rooms. (See July 2009)

Robber!

I am sad to say that I was not apart of this next story because I was out of town. The location: Seattle Espresso, Tempe. The crime: robbery. A punk kid grabbed the tip jar from the counter and bolted out the door. Richard, the emo-Jesus barista, sprinted out the door and down the sidewalk. Four hundred yards later, Richard is gaining on the thief and shouts to him, “I can do this all day!”

The chase halted 100 yards later when the robber was blocked by a busy street. Now just steps away, Richard shouted a few curse words and yanked the jar from his hands and marched dutifully back to the coffee shop. Richard was greeted by a long line of confused customers. He placed the tip jar firmly where it belonged on the counter, then turned to first customer in line and started taking orders like the whole “I just chased a crook thing” never happened. What a rock star.

Mother’s Day

I wanted to treat Candyce to a tour of the Queen Creek Olive Mill because she’s addicted to olives and sometimes you just have to feed the fire. But they didn’t offer tours on Mother’s Day.

Plan B it is. Candyce, Norah, and I ran 4 miles on the Tempe Canal. What a beautiful run! Later in the morning, Candyce and Norah put on fancy dresses and sun hats and we drove downtown to have lunch at Postino Central. We hung out at Lux and then explored Haus before heading back home to Tempe.

Traveling

We made a last minute decision to hitch a ride with John out to San Diego to surprise Candyce’s family. I enjoyed lounging in the backyard and reading Do You Matter? How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company, a book Jeff gave me for Christmas. Did I mention Life Teen had a staff retreat in Georgia earlier this month? It was fun to have our staff from around the country come together again. Plus, I got to see Mom, Dad, and Grammy. I’m excited to get back to Georgia in next week.

Now it’s time to get along with my day.

Candyce continues to snap photos and shake the toy and then slowly explains, “She just looked so cute I couldn’t help myself.”

Whenever Norah had on a particularly “precious” outfit, Candyce would carry her outside and trample through our front yard to our neighbor’s yard. Then she would lower Norah onto his flawless thatch of green and start snapping photos. Why? My patchy brownish yard was a raw and savage terrain that was not fit for an infant.

This hurt my self esteem.

That was two months ago. How things have changed! Take a look at the photo below that I snapped over the weekend. The black Jeep in the distance is the driveway belongs to my neighbor, the young doctor who has unknowingly hosted photo shoots with Norah. Sure, you can see a minor shift of texture between the two yards, near the white planter box. But make no mistake, that big ocean of green that covers most of the photo is my own yard.

Greenalicious

I cannot take credit for nursing my yard back to health. I can only take credit for hiring Marcel & Associates to do the job for me. After nearly eight years of home ownership, I recognized that life has changed and I did not have the time to take care of my yard.

Now my yard is ready for a photo shoot with Norah. If any of my friends and family want to take some photos on a flawless yard, just give me a call and we’ll arrange a time.

We are the champions.

The run was beautiful. It was exciting to cross the Tempe Town Lake and run through the south end of Papago Park.  I was proud to push Norah in her running stroller because I love my little girl and I want her to experience this kind of thing. (Note to self: start the race with the 7-minute miler because the 10-minute milers are really just walkers who are delusional.)

The stands at Sun Devil stadium were packed with cheering friends and fans. We crossed the finish line with great sense of accomplishment. We ran and we ran hard.

To celebrate, we met friends and family who also ran at La Grande Orange for a festive brunch. There were dozens of other runners there, all sporting their race number pinned to their chest. The place was glowing with pride. This is why I’ve become a huge advocate for these road races–because it builds pride in yourself and in your community. Plus, exercise makes you look hotter and live longer. What could be wrong with that?

I will avoid chastising people who do not exercise, because I understand that it’s difficult to keep exercise as a top priority in your life. It’s rare to find an adult who has exercised consistently throughout their adulthood, that is, unless that someone is a professional athlete. There are just too many big life experiences that demand your attention. My post-college years were active for sure–working in the yard, on the house, traveling–but I wasn’t getting my heart thumping.

Lucky for me, life changes. Candyce and I have been married for two years, and we’ve run several times a week through most of those 24 months. It’s a huge part of our lifestyle together.  We enjoy the weather, nature, and looking at the beautiful homes in our neighborhood. We talk to each other and share about our day. It’s wonderful. For the past seven months, I’ve had the added bonus of buckling baby Norah in the running stroller and pushing her down the streets of my neighborhood. She loves adventures outside of the house, and that makes me and Candyce happy.

Norah bundled up in her stroller on a cool evening, taken in January of this year.

Today we’re not running. We’re relaxing and letting our bodies rest after yesterday’s race. We’re feeling good. …I know that hot summer months are coming and they aren’t the best condition for running. This makes me sad if I think too much about it. Candyce and I have talked about how it will be more difficult to exercise as our family grows in the years to come.  I imagine that our life together may get more complicated as our years unfold. Who knows if we will be able to continue to exercise as consistently as we do today? I certainly don’t. But what I do know is that Candyce and I will always remember these first two years together as being blissfully active. And we’ll always be pressed to recreate this feeling for the rest of our life together.

Now let’s admire a beautiful custom 1970 Dodge Super Bee called The Mutant Bee.

What did they do? They shaved door handles, side marker lights, emblems, windshield wipers,  and antenna. They tweaked the suspension and stuffed big rims under the fenders. The “halo” headlights are something I’ve never seen before–but they look cool. The recessed grill that surrounds the headlights are black diamond-shape pattern, a subtle upgrade from the original vertical slats.  It looks like front air dam beneath the headlights is completely custom. The custom details are everywhere on this car. I don’t know much about the 1970 Super Bee, but after looking at photos of the original car, it’s clear that every change was for the better.

…but it would be nice to be able to have been around in 1970 to buy an original for around $3,000.

Read More about the “Mutant Bee”

The first three months of this year have been profoundly productive in both my personal life and my professional life. (I opted for “profoundly” because “extremely” and “ridiculously” are overused.) Today I will write about the profound productivity in my personal life.

This all started because Candyce and I crashed for the last two weeks of 2008 on the beaches of San Diego and the slopes of Big Bear. It was good to relax and enjoy Christmas with family. We returned home with a new year prompting us to be go-getters. We spent the first week in Phoenix explaining to each other all of the things we had to do. By the weekend, my head was spinning with the dozens of things we had to do right now. I was filled with anxiety.

In years past, I would see that there was something to do and then immediately do it. The kitchen is dirty? Clean it. What’s next–the car needs an oil change? Drive it to the shop down the street. Are my gold teeth getting dull? Polish ‘em!!!

You get the idea.

This impulsive and never-ending laboring is a sign of a young overachiever who hasn’t reckoned ambition with reality.  In high school and college, a young overachiever takes difficult classes, plays lots of sports, gets a job, and you stays involved in clubs.  I’ve learned that packing your schedule is a good thing, but it’s also a linear way to be productive. It’s good to get stuff done, but am I getting the right stuff done? Don’t confuse being busy with being productive.

Make Priorities, Save Your Life

I like to think I’ve matured into becoming an overachiever who obsesses over making priorities.  How does this look? You step away from your projects/goals/ambitions and analyze what you need to do before you do it. You recognize what projects are more important than others. Then you get realistic with your time, money, and energy. Next you spread out your projects over a realistic time frame. Then you get to work.

It’s a straight forward process, really.

Now that I am married, it’s absolutely critical that we make priorities together–because we’re both trying to get things done. If we don’t work together, our home is filled with tension and frustration. We see one another as an obstacle to accomplishing our goals.

So Candyce and I sat down at the dinner table in early January and wrote down everything that was on our mind: dentist appointments, finally mailing Christmas cards, fixing the hot water heater, childproofing the house, taking down the Christmas tree, etc. These are the obvious chores that scream at you as you walk through your day.

Some couples will make the list and then make priorities. But I strongly encourage you to write down all the things that aren’t chores or projects, but things that steal our joy: fear of high cell phone bills, or the fear that the tree in the backyard was dying and might blow over, etc.  It takes humility to be honest with yourself (and your spouse) about what is causing you anxiety in your life. Most of us have been so battered by inconsiderate people in our lives that it’s hard to be vulnerable and explain the things that frighten us, so the thought of sharing those things with someone else seems like a bad idea. But the way I see it, there are a million things out there that can steal your joy or make you an anxious person. Anxiety is a useless state of being; you feel horrible and you are paralyzed from getting things done, which creates more anxiety. It’s a vicious cycle.

So we talked through each of the joy-stealers. Candyce assured me that our cell phone plan had free picture messaging so it’s okay to send photos to her parents. I told Candyce that the tree was dying and would need to be cut down, but it’s not going to fall over this unless we get a hurricane in Arizona. After talking through the other joy-stealers, we both felt better.

Now that we had calm hearts, we looked at our list of stuff to do. (For the record, this was a big list, filling up both sides of a sheet of paper.) It was time to prioritize. Which things need to get done today? This week? What can be postponed till next month? Later in the year? We weren’t procrastinating, but we were being realistic how long projects take. This is why a newly-elected U.S. President doesn’t try to get everything done in his first 100 days. He spreads his work over a 4-year term.

After we prioritized and scheduled our chores we were new people. We looked at that long list with a sense of pride. The anxiety, fear, frustration–all gone! Sure, there was plenty of work to do, but we knew what and when and why.

Changing Priorities as Time Passes

We start each week by reviewing the list and then communicating what both of us will be working on. This list sits on our dining room table so that it’s convenient and visible for both of us. If we had a free hour or two and felt energetic, we’d look at the list and pick out out a project to work on.  And of course, we took great pride in crossing things off the list.

Over the past three months, we’ve added things to this list because life gives you more work to do.  Sometimes random things happen and you have to change your priorities. But don’t slide back into your old ways and impulsively jumping into a new project;  first add it to our list and seeing if the project is more important than the things we said we wanted to do at the beginning of the year.

So What Did I Accomplish?

If you are feeling voyeuristic, here’s a look back at the things on my half of the list.

1. Run. Run. Run. Candyce, Norah, and I have run at least three miles 3-4 times a week. Last month we ran in a 5k race and did well. This Saturday we’ll run in the Pat Tilman Run here in Tempe.
2. Made a wooden block set for my nephew Jack.
3. Got ticketed in Scottsdale for having an expired license plate. Although it was humiliating to be lit up on my way to a Bible study, the officer was a cool guy. He didn’t ticket me for speeding, just for the expired plate. I got some insider info on Charles Barkley’s arrest from a couple weeks earlier. To set my life in order, I got the car tested for emissions. Then renewed my plates. Through January and February, I went to court twice: the first to get my ticket reduced (which happened) the second to get the moving violation expunged from my record (which didn’t happened.) This was not on our list, but stuff happens and your list changes.
4. Made sense of Norah’s big fast stack hospital bills. This was HUGE. Dozens of letters had to be opened, deciphered, organized, and fact checked. And some had to be disputed.
5. Inbox Zero. The guys at the office are having fun finding creative ways to be more productive (see 42folders.com), and my favorite new technique is to purposefully check your email with the end goal being an empty inbox. From their site,
   

   “Clearly, the problem of email overload is taking a toll on all our time, productivity, and sanity, mainly because most of us lack a cohesive system for processing our messages and converting them into appropriate actions as quickly as possible.”

6. Prepared for and delivered eight talks in eight different cities–in less than three months. That’s about 15,000 miles of flying.
7. Had Candyce’s pearl earrings fixed–not the biggest chore, but what man likes to plan a trip to the jewelry store?
8. Condensed our two remote controls into one. You cannot imagine how much easier this makes my life. Fixed our Tivo (with the help of a guy on the phone) so we can record one show while watching another. Don’t accuse me of being a couch potato because you don’t know me.
9. In the kitchen crown molding, I recessed the nails with a nail set, filled in with wood filler, caulked the joints, and finished with two coats of paint.
10. Hiked Picacho Peak, Elephant Butte, and South Mountain (twice)
11. Sanded and finished my kitchen bar stools
12. Switched car insurance
13. Switched dentists
14. Banking matters
15. Hired landscape guys to maintain the yard
16. Started twittering: http://twitter.com/supaflycom
17. Kept this blog updated
18. Made major progress on a freelance web project
19. Cheered for the Phoenix Suns.
20. Cleaned my garage
21. Celebrated spring by attending about 15 picnic lunches hosted by Candyce and Norah.
22. Hosted Candyce’s family in town for Holy Week
23. Got my 1954 Chevy fired up gain, drove it around the block
24. Filed my 2008 taxes

The end result? We’re a happier couple and more satisfied with where we are in our lives. This style of planning and prioritizing will be a big part of our life together. Now it’s time to plan for the 2nd quarter.

Music for the Wedding Mass

1. John Michael Talbot - Holy is His Name
2. Bach - Jesu, Joy of a Man’s Desiring
3. Chris Tomlin - Take My Life
4. Chris Tomlin - Indescribable
5. Chris Tomlin - How Great is Our God
6. Delirious - Our God Reigns
7. Tim Hughes - Beautiful One

Music for Wedding Reception

1. Elton John - Tiny Dancer
2. The Killers - When We Were Young
3. The Format - The Compromise
4. The Troggs - Love is All Around
5. Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars
6. John Mayer - The Heart of Life
7. The Beach Boys - Surfer Girl
8. The Format - Inches and Falling
9. The Shins - New Slang
10. John Mayer - Daughters
11. U2 - Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own
12. Fleming and John - Love Song
13. Howie Day - Collide
14. Howie Day - Brace Yourself
15. Mat Kearny - Nothing Left to Lose
16. Coldplay - Fix You
17. Jimmy Eat World - Hear You Me
18. Weezer - Perfect Situation
19. Justin Timberlake - My Love
20. U2 - Beautiful Day

Friday evening we traveled down to Picacho Peak in near Tucson to spend some time with Candyce’s grandparents. Our crowning achievement was climbing to the top of the mountain on Saturday morning. The wildflowers were in fool bloom. We loved it. Take a look at the photos below.

Candyce, Norah, and Matt Smith

On Saturday the Smith family ran the Faith and Family 5k at Tumbleweed Park in Chandler. It was a sunny and cool spring morning, perfect for a run. Hot air balloons lowered into the park while we were running. Norah was so overwhelmed by the action she saw from her little running stroller. Eventually she just fell asleep.

I can’t believe Norah is already six months old. Here are some photos from random places from the weekend.

1. I just got back from a two-night trip to Dover, Delaware. Although I was painfully unprepared for the cold weather, it was a great trip. One of the priests I met, Fr. Gabage, is a serious art collector. He gave me an hour-and-a-half tour of his collection. I felt like I stepped into the final scene of National Treasure. The collection made most of the stuff I saw last week at the Phoenix Art Museum look like garbage. I could write forever about my concern over modern art, but I’ll try to keep this quick… It is a grave problem when the finest art from a generation doesn’t show any talent. When you strip away the intellectual bullsh!t that artists and their collectors say about the work, you are left with something that is entirely unimpressive.
2. My new favorite thing to eat at the airport is oatmeal. It’s simple, wholesome, and comforting. Starbucks and Cereality serve it up just right.
3. I don’t know how much more news I can handle about the “Financial Crisis.” I’m an avid reader of the Wall Street Journal, especially over the last six months when every day held a new story. But it’s getting me discouraged and I think it’s time to find something else to do with my time…
4. …like saving money. Candyce and I worked together to cut costs–including a different cell phone plan, car insurance, canceling subscriptions–and came up with $96 a month.  That’s adds up to more than $1160 in savings over twelve months.
5. It’s worth noting that when the economy is red hot, it’s cool to be seen living “the good life.” You know, vacations, car accessories, home upgrades, piling up investments. But when the economy is ice cold, everyone decides it’s cool to be seen saving money. Most of the people I know like to keep one foot in poverty and another in wealth. They lean in either direction when they need to, but in the end we’re all in pretty good shape, doing our best to responsibly manage our money as the years of our life pass by.
6. Rumor has it that one of my favorite restaurants is now a victim of a sluggish economy. What will downtown be without Palatte? I am grieving.
7. My six month old daughter has two bottom teeth now. This brings the grand total of teeth up to two. But make no mistake–when she bites you, you are in for some pain.
8. Trends are trends–if you ignore them, you’ll look like you’re just a leftover scrub from a decade past. I’m too old and sensible to wear the super-tight jeans like the trendy boys do, but my jeans are more snug now than they’ve ever been. I’ve been on a lot of business trips in 2009, and I’ve counted myself as one of the more stylish dudes in the airplane. But I’m also one of the least comfortable. I got a flicker of hope at 20,000 feet when I read the January issue of Esquire Magazine. Richard Dorment hinted that 2009 is ready for relaxed clothes:

For the past few years, a man could be forgiven for thinking that some fashion designers really had to be joking. The rib-crushing fit of certain suits, the tourniquetlike taper of so many skinny jeans, all those wacky school-boy proportions: While many in the fashion world were embracing these extreme views of silhouette and fit — the shorter and tighter, the better — those of us who wore their clothes were left sucking in our guts and praying to God that our pants didn’t split. Fashion being fashion, though, the collective mood seems to be shifting — think of it as a market correction — as designers from Bottega Veneta’s Tomas Maier and Burberry’s Christopher Bailey to the duo at Dolce & Gabbana are embracing more sensible, relaxed fits in their spring collections. Not baggy or saggy or overly loose-fitting. No: relaxed, with clothes maintaining a close, easy, and, above all, comfortable relationship to the body.

Megan and Norah at LGO

Megan and Brad, the two happiest people in Phoenix.

Mr. Monkey, Norah's new best friend. She chews on his head.

Later in the afternoon, I went to the Chandler Car show and snapped some photos of my favorite rides. After you click on each photo, you’ll see my thoughts about the car beneath.

Many of the people in the community came to the church to pray for the president and for our nation. We are such a politicized society that it is hard for anyone to believe there was no agenda behind the prayer service. Well you know what, we prayed for George W. Bush through an 8-year administration. Why would we not pray for Barack Obama? Do you know who else we pray for? World leaders. Local leaders. And for the people that they lead. That’s what Christians do–we pray for peace and justice.

I snapped some photos from the morning, including a few shots of the new grass they put in around Dobson High School to impress the president…

Here are some photos from over the weekend. Don’t miss the commentary beneath the photos after the click.

My driver from Providence to Cape Cod told me about the time twenty years ago when picked up Franklin Delano Roosevelt III, the grandson of the U.S. president Franklin Dealano Roosevelt, at the port where the ferry arrives on the Massachusetts shore from island of Martha’s Vineyard. There wasn’t much to his story besides the fact that FDR the Third thought he was too good to speak to him on the two hour drive to the airport. My driver explained: “He was an asshole.”

Although I felt like I had to stick up for the grandson of a US President, I couldn’t argue on his behalf because I honestly didn’t know there was an FDR3. Instead, I changed the subject to talk about cars. That lasted for another hour until we arrived in Cape Cod.

Since I’ve been back, I did a little research and learned that FDR3 is a respected economics professor at Sarah Lawrence College in New York state–an honorable position within our society. You can see his faculty page on the university’s website.  When I reconsider my driver’s experience with the man, I imagine that both of the guys in that taxi on that random day in the 1980s were unsatisfied with where they were in life. What boy wants to grow up to be a cab driver? And how can even the most accomplished economist not feel like an underachiever when he was expected to grow up to be nothing less than the President of the United States?

I imagine this scene plays out every day in each corner of our society. The characters and circumstances are different, but the consistent theme is reconciling the dreams and aspirations from youth with the tough realities of life.

Several years ago I heard a great story on This American Life a man who played in a 1970s British punk rock band called The Automatics. They had little commercial success, so he moved on to other things in life, eventually became a successful mortgage broker in Beverly Hills. One afternoon while at his office, he went on eBay to find if any of his band’s old records were being sold online.

That moment of curiosity began a story that ended with the discovery that his band’s old records had garnered much attention in Japan, enough fans to warrant a reunion tour through Japan, although he would be the only original member of the band on the tour. So he took a break from his high-dollar job in Beverly Hills and traveled to Japan with his wife to play the songs he wrote in high school. Except this time, he was in his late 40s, and he would play in front of hordes of fans. One venue was so packed with fans that his only way out of the building after the show was to be passed over the crowd.

Host Ira Glass asked what it was like to experience a postponed fame:  “We don’t get what we deserve. We get what we get, and you have to be okay with that.”

However, after ten years of heavy traveling, the United States is starting to seem like a smaller place. This afternoon I will travel to Rhode Island and finish in Massachusetts, a region of the country I’ve traveled to at least a dozen times. I’ve made at least twenty trips to the New York / Long Island, and just as many to Southern California. These places are no longer foreign to me; they are more like suburbs of my life separated only by a flight.

Earlier this month I made a quick trip to Denver to speak at a couple events. My most vivid memory of Denver comes from 2003 when I went on tour with Third Day through five cities in the West. By the time was made it to Denver, I was tired of living in arenas and the tour bus. I stumbled out of the bus early that morning and–barely awake–I walked away from the Pepsi Center with hopes of finding adventure in the city. On my way out of the parking lot I peeked through the windows of a cool bar inside of a historic brick building. In the five or so years since that trip, I’ve recalled the site of that building and wondered what has become of it. I was hoping on this trip into town we would maybe drive by. The crazy thing is that one of the events I spoke at was in the basement of that bar. How awesome is that?

It is satisfying to reconnect with a place that once new. The shimmer is gone, but in it’s place is something that is better–familiarity. I am at a point in my life where traveling for the sake of traveling is not as rewarding as it used to be. If I do travel, I want to bring Candyce and Norah with me. And if that’s not possible, the next best thing is to travel to an area that is familiar.

Depending on who you ask, Barack Obama is more than a president, he is a celebrity, an icon, a super hero, a civil rights leader, or a savior. How can this type of adoration be anything but a speculative bubble, a big disappointment waiting to happen? One man cannot undo the adversity that our nation faces. One man cannot solve every man’s problems. These words may seem negative or even unpatriotic today, but I can guarantee that you will hear this same sentiment grow as each day passes in the Obama administration.

I sincerely hope I am wrong here. I recognize that each president has gifts, talents, and wisdom apart from his predecessors, but each president faces adversity more daunting than anything he encountered in his fight to win the White House.  To campaign as a solution to our problems is one thing, to solve those problems is another.

I will close with this. In all of the news coverage on Obama’s inauguration day, the most balanced perspective came from a twenty-second comment from Ted Koppel on NPR’s Talk of the Nation with Neil Connan:

He is not a foolish man, Barack Obama. He understand that the challenges that confront him now are going to make some of these high flown speeches seem almost quaint in a few months.  He still faces all of the same problems that George Bush faced. Will there be a difference in tone? You bet. They’re already is. Will there be a difference in terms of tactics? Very likely. Is the ultimate strategy going to change? I would be surprised.

It is in just such times that we should make an effort to remember in our prayers how much we have to be thankful for.  Above all, we should never allow ourselves to be consumed by the present moment, but should foster that calmness that comes from noble thoughts, and measure everything by them.  The fact that most people cannot do this is what makes it so difficult to bear with them.  It is weakness rather than wickedness that perverts people and drags us down, and it needs profound sympathy to put up with that.  But all the time God still reigns in heaven. 

I looked online to find some more information, and I was happy to find stunning photography of the home. What I like about the house is the freshened interior with thoughtful details that make the home both modern and livable. Don’t get me wrong, a glass and steel structure with minimal furniture looks great in a magazine, but it’s torture to live in. That’s why mod homes like this one are so desirable.

By the way, if you’re interested in buying the house, it can be yours for $849,000.

I snapped this photo from the switchback on the wooden staircase from the bluff to the beach. The setting sun gave a beautiful glow.

Thirty minutes later, I captured this scene while standing on the beach. The sun was setting behind the Pacific, casting a cooler, bluer light.  Notice the lifeguard’s tire tracks on the left and right.

]]> http://supafly.com/panoramic-photos-of-a-sunset-at-carlsbad-state-beach/feed/ http://supafly.com/welcoming-2009-from-big-bear-california/ http://supafly.com/welcoming-2009-from-big-bear-california/#comments Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:13:57 +0000 Matt http://supafly.com/?p=1423 Here are some photos from our trip from Carlsbad to Big Bear.

Here are some snapshots from the time we had together. Don’t miss the commentary beneath each photo.

The new towers have a unique look and I haven’t decided if I like them yet. The color is as obnoxious as a blue port-a-potty that I can only hope will fade under the California sun. What can I say about that shape? With the towers closed for the winter, it looks slightly menacing with those weird angles.  I’m curious to see how the towers change when they’re in full bloom this summer.

(You’ll have to wait some time for the photos to load because they’re big photos…perfect for a desktop wallpaper.)

Here are some photos from the weekend, including many from when we played outside…

For those who are interested, I snapped those photos with my week-old camera, the Canon PowerShot SD 880 IS. This is the pocket digital camera I’ve been waiting for:  small but still takes excellent photos. Plus, it has a wide angle lens, which allows me to capture more engaging scenes.

Shouldn’t They Have Closed This Road?

The drive home turned out to be difficult and frightening. The 50 mile stretch between Show Low and Payson is wilderness, so even in the best weather it’s a little unnerving to drive. There are no gas stations, no restaurants, no nothing. It was all about steep inclines and declines, snow and ice. Had I known the danger we’d encounter, I would have never have left Show Low.

In normal conditions, you can make that stretch of the trip in less than an hour. But it took us two-and-a-half hours, and every minute was horrible. We saw two wrecks, one of which was a semi truck that had spun out of control, tore through guard rail, and then flipped upside down in the snow-covered median. We crawled past the thrashed truck illuminated by the spinning lights of a police car. It was a terrible thing to see.

And how do you deal with these semi trucks? At first I was happy to follow a pack of  trucks because they carved a good path for my own wheels. But having a big truck behind me was claustrophobic. Twice I crawled down the mountain side to see the headlights in my rear-view mirror growing stronger brighter and closer. Was he sliding? Has he lost control of his truck? For a full hour I tried to maintain a healthy space between the semi in front of me and the semi behind me. It’s not enough to keep your own car on the road–you have anticipate everyone else on the road.

I believe that was the most persistently scary thing I’ve encountered as an adult. In between Payson and Phoenix the snow turned to rain and all Candyce and I could do was to gush about how relieved we were to be alive. It was surreal to eat pizza and watch the end of the Suns’ game in the comfort of our own home. Because just two hours before, we didn’t know if we’d be alive.

We got up early the next morning to go to Mass to thank God for taking care of us. It’s crazy how an experience like that can weld a close relationship even tighter. We hug each other more than we did last week.

Shortly after Candyce and I got back into Phoenix, my mom, dad, and grandmother arrived in town. They enjoyed meeting their new grand daughter. We had a great time hanging out over the long weekend. (As usual, Dad helped me finish some odd jobs around the house: repaired tiles on the step, finished wiring hallway light switch, and patched a drywall hole in the wall.)

Now I am in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona for my “official” 30th birthday celebration. I feel like joining a new decade of life warrants a reflection on the previous decade. It would take too long to write something profound and life-changing for a reader, but I have too much going on to do something that noble. So instead I’ll just record the random thoughts spinning in my head in the two weeks since I turned 30:

1. I refuse to complain about aging because it is in poor taste.
There’s nothing more pathetic than claiming that 30 is the new 20. It sounds absurd and foolish, because trying to live in someone else’s decade is just that—absurd and foolish. It smells of insecurity. Act your own age.

Don’t misunderstand me: if you are 50 and you feel as optimistic, energetic, and passionate as when you were 20, that’s fine. Good for you. I hope to be just like you some day! But I’m not going to assemble a lifestyle so that a stranger would assume I am younger than I actually am. I’m 30 and proud of it. Afterall, someone around here have to act like a grown up.

2. Humor is a gift.
Like most gifts, humor can be misused. Don’t use your humor to tear other people down. Negative humor like sarcasm causes distrust which will make you lose friends. If you can be funny and positive at the same time, you’ll be a happier person and you’ll make more friends.

3. Fame was very good to me.
I was able to travel the world and help people. If you find yourself famous some day, I encourage you to do the same. Fame, like most things in life, is temporary. (Very few people will live and die famous.) You will have every chance to use your fame to delight in the pleasures of the world, but you soon the spotlight will pass and you’ll be left to reconcile who you were when the world was watching.

4. Diversify your investment portfolio.
No really. Do it. If you are afraid to pull your money out of market because the returns are so dazzling, then you are probably in a bubble.

5. Everyone needs compassion.
Here’s the deal: we all have flaws. That’s right, all of us. And which one of us doesn’t need more compassion? Try not to judge others. It is impossible to judge someone one and love them at the same time. I’ve tried, and believe me, it doesn’t work that way. If someone is being aggressive or spiteful towards me, I learned to first greet them with compassion. Compassion has a unique ability to disarm hostility.

6. I have no tolerance for arrogant people.
Arrogance is a tool for an insecure person to become the center of attention, surrounded by other insecure people who need their approval. There is nothing fun or life-giving in those circles of friends. What is ironic about arrogance is that anyone can be arrogant. Anyone! There are no requirements for success, charm, intelligence, or life experience. You just have to wake up one day and decide that you are better than everyone else and start to treat others poorly. If you choose to be arrogant, we won’t be hanging out together.

7. It’s good to be a fan.
Following a sports team adds richness to you life. It connects you to your city and to other people. Becoming a fan of the Phoenix Suns has given me countless good parties with good people watching a good team. What more could you want? Just be sure to “diversify” your sports portfolio so you aren’t disheartened when your one-and-only team doesn’t win the championship. Cheer for several teams and you’re guaranteed an occasion to celebrate each year.

8. Tattoos last forever.
Your taste will change over the years, and you want to have a tattoo that you can be proud of in each decade of your life. I have found little evidence that your interests in high school and college are worth commemorating in a tattoo. There’s no shame in waiting till later in life to get a tattoo. If after much thought you’re positive that you want to get a tattoo, save up a lot of money so you can hire a talented tattoo artist. This is a piece of artwork that you will keep for a lifetime, so it’s worth getting the best.

9. Very few people today seek truth.
People are very proud of their opinions and they will share them often, even if they don’t know what they are talking about. You get a high when you share an opinion. You feel important, smart, and powerful all at once. I have not met many people who have enough fortitude to slow down and learn about an issue before they form an opinion.

What makes things worse is that people often adopt opinions for no other reason than because it’s a popular opinion. Now you’re not just one person who feels important, smart, and powerful, but a member of a crowd that is important, smart, and powerful. We are a gregarious species. I can’t imagine we’re going to progress as a society if our discourse is a popularity contest and not a means by which we uncover truth.

10. I love Candyce.
I didn’t think I would wait so long before I got married, but I am glad that I was patient and waiting for the right one. Candyce is beautiful friend that I am very happy to spend my life with. What could be better than going on a date everyday? I cannot understand why people complain about their spouses. I mean, aren’t you the one that chose to marry that person?

11. I love being a father.
A guy cannot understand himself fully until he becomes a father. Males have traits that are not appreciated in the life of a single 20-something. But as you hold your newborn baby, those traits rise to the surface, and you become twice the man you were the day before. It’s an exhilarating transition.

I don’t have an attic to remodel, but if I did, I’d take some design cues from two projects that I’ve discovered from Desert Living Magazine and This Old House Magazine. Click on the thumbnails below…and don’t miss the comments at the bottom.

Tips

If you are eager to get started on your own attic project, take some time to consider how to make the space functional. It’s easy to clean boxes of Christmas ornaments out of the attic and then hang some drywall to make the space look like a room. But to re-purpose your attic as a comfortable living space requires smart planning.

1. Plan for Climate Control. Consult an HVAC technician to see if your existing heating and cool system can properly handle the extra space. You’ll need a strong system to keep the attic from getting too hot in the summers and too cold in the winters. Next, make a strategy for insulating the space. Are you on a tight budget? Consider rolls of fiberglass insulation. But if you want to do it right, it’s hard to beat sprayed-in foam. In the summer months, good insulation will keep the heat absorbed into your shingles from the sun from passing into your living space. And don’t forget to use inexpensive can of spray foam to insulate around the windows or an exterior door. If properly insulated, your upstairs room will stay comfortable year round.
2. Lighting. Attics are often dark spaces, so you will want big windows. (If you are using the attic space as a bedroom, you may be required to install a special window to allow for an easy exit in case of a fire.) If it’s in your budget, consider adding dormers to pull in plenty of sunshine all the while adding curb appeal to your home. A less expensive option is to install a skylight, but just make sure you know what you’re doing. A poorly installed skylight will leak in heavy rains. If adding natural light is not an option, then plan to have plenty of recessed lights or a track lighting. Don’t think that a couple table lamps will make an attic room feel right.
3. Plumbing. Do you plan on adding a bathroom upstairs? Consult a plumber to create a smart strategy for configuring your piping. I’ve heard horror stories of people who built too far into the project and lost time and money to rework the attic for proper piping.

Summary: Do you homework! An attic remodel might seem less intimidating than building an addition to your home, but that doesn’t mean a homeowner should hurry into the project. With smart decisions and good planning, you can save time and money. Plus you’ll gain usable space that will be fun for your whole family.

The Suns acquired dynamic shooting guard Jason Richardson today in a trade with the Charlotte Bobcats that will also bring second-year forward Jared Dudley and a 2010 second-round draft choice to the Suns in exchange for shooting guard Raja Bell, forward Boris Diaw and rookie point guard Sean Singletary.

Raja Bell will be missed. He’s a hard working and down-to-earth player who is very good with the fans. Everyone I know who likes the Suns thinks that given the opportunity, they would become good friends with Raja and his family. Some would say this is the delusion that all sports fans share, but they’re missing the fact that fans rarely connect with the players on the court. Does anyone remember who went with Shawn Marion to Miami in the big trade for Shaq a mere 10 months ago?

Exactly.

As for Boris Diaw… He had a great year in Phoenix shortly after he was acquired from Atlanta–the same year he was awarded the Most Improved Player in the league. Since then his impact on the team is unclear. Commentators love to gush praises about his versatility, but it’s hard for a fan to connect with a player if he’s terrified of shooting the ball. I like a good passer as much as anyone else, but after a few years of watching Boris in a Suns jersey, he starts too look like an overpaid coward. In contrast, Raja Bell was an underpaid warrior. You could see his passion for the game and his desire to win everytime he stepped onto the court. He wanted the victory as much as the fans.

That is why I wasn’t surprised to see the results of the Arizona Republic poll this afternoon that 34% will miss Raja, and only 3% will miss Boris Diaw.

It’s too early to know how Richardson and Dudley will fit into Steve Kerr and Terry Porter’s blueprint for a championship. But it’s clear that today the city of Phoenix has lost one of it’s hometown favorites. So Raja if you are reading, know that the city will welcome you back when you’re ready to retire from basketball get involved in the community. My wife told me that she would like to have your family over for dinner.

*Answer: Marcus Banks, the $4,000,000/yr bench warmer

When I first moved to Phoenix in 2001, I was disappointed that Central Avenue was so boring and undeveloped. What good is a city if it doesn’t have a lively central corridor? Apparently city planners knew this was a problem too, and they cooked up the idea to build a Light Rail to connect Mesa, Tempe, and Phoenix. After four years of construction, the Rail is ready for passengers.

In the big picture, the Light Rail will do more for Phoenix than any of the three cities because it imports a young population of college students to an area of town desperate for residents. This solves the big problem every city faces when trying to revitalize it’s forgotten inner core–convincing people to move there when there’s nothing to do. Nobody wants to live in a place if there are no places to go out to eat or go shopping. Unfortunately, entrepreneurs won’t open up those cool spots if there are not enough residents.  How do you solve the stand-off? Pipe in the pretty, young, and smart from ASU’s Tempe campus. Brilliant!

You don’t have to look far to know that the Light Rail has is making a big difference, even a month before it’s first run. There are countless restaurants, bars, and boutiques that have cropped up along its path, especially along Central Avenue. We had to drive slow just to take it all in.

I never knew Central Phoenix had so many beautiful neighborhoods. You find a lot of the same charm and style of Arcadia. That is, the Arcadia of five years ago. Investors should take note. Not convinced? Postino is opening a second wine bar in the area.

The Roof is On Fire

I love it when a building I hate burns to the ground. Take for instance, 105. E. Roosevelt St. at the corner of 2nd Street in Downtown Phoenix. Before I explain my distaste for the building, take a look at an image from Google street view before the blaze…

A moronic structure that deserved to burn

Why do I despise this building? For one, it’s sitting on a prime corner lot on Roosevelt Row, a fun part of town where you can enjoy concerts, art galleries, and coffee with friends. The building has absolutely no connection to people who stroll through the neighborhood. There is no welcoming landscape, no door, no shade from the desert sun. It’s anti-human.

On the practical side, it is really stupid to have a roof/wall facing south. Those dark brown asphalt shingle tiles absorb every minute of the sun’s heat. My guess is that they have to run the Air Conditioning 10 months out of the year.

The good news is that the building has a habit of catching on fire this year.  Either a vigilante is determined to burn it down, or a disgruntled owner has been dropping matches on his way out of the office with hopes of cashing in on insurance. That’s up to the police to decide. I’m just happy it’s gone.

I’d be even more happy if Macayo’s restaurant on Central burned as well. I know the designer wanted to make it look like a Mayan temple or something, but what we got was a bizarre stairnstep concrete structure that looks like bleachers for a football field. Believe it or not, this image from Google maps actually makes it look better than it does in real life.

Even with dorky buildings from past generations here and there along Central Avenue, Phoenix is still looking good. It’s more livable and lively than its ever been.

One week after Obama won the US Presidential Election, and the world anticipates great things. But is greatness possible?

First things first. This is a non-partisan blog entry. None of what you’ll read below is recycled fodder from political blogs. Nor is it an emotional response to the election results. This more of a personal reflection of an American citizen offering insight as our country as Obama prepares to back up his U-haul to the back door of the White House. If you need proof of how detached I was from this election, read on. If you take my word for it and want to read what I came here to write about, skip down to Reality Bites.

….

Friends will tell you that I am a man of conviction. So they’ve been surprised that I’ve been intellectually curious yet emotionally disconnected in the months leading up to the election. This is how I explain the contradiction:

1. Life Got Busy. When candidates made their first stops on the campaign trail two years ago, I was preparing to be married. Soon after I tied the knot, I began a massive 12-month house remodel that I completed one week before the birth of Norah. As Senators McCain and Obama were lapping the country over the past month and a half, Candyce I were making trips to the pediatrician with our newborn. Through the ordeals of life I tried to stayed educated on the presidential race, but there wasn’t enough energy at the end of the day to become emotionally engaged.
2. I’m tired of meaningless brawls about political issues. One of best things to hit TV this decade is Discover Channel’s epic documentary series Planet Earth. One thing I’ve found from watching the series is that male mammals have an instinctual desire for battling other males. This is not a death match, but a routine show of aggression that wins the attention of females. It’s an exercise that also prepares the male to eventually defend his offspring.

   When young men debate politics, all I hear the bucking of heads, the hollow clank of locking of horns. More often than not, young political debaters have no end goal other than to be admired as an academic athlete in a public debate. I was once one of these young bucks, but I don’t have time to lock horns with someone who isn’t interested in a serious and open-minded discussion about public policy.

The election is over and so are the debates. Now we are given a couple months where every citizen can take a deep breathe and figure out what our nation will look like under the leadership of a new man. Some are hopeful, others are skeptical. Let me explain why I am somewhere in between.

Reality Bites

When a newly elected politician arrives in office, voters should expect a symbolic action to mark that “change has arrived.”

Take for instance two years ago when Democrats grabbed the Senate and promised 100 bills in 100 days. Or was it 40 bills in 40 days? Does anyone remember? Seriously, when was the last time you heard someone talking about those glory days?

What I do know is that it’s been almost two years since that remarkable Democratic takeover in Washington, and the blue Senate has lower approval ratings than Republican President George W. Bush. How is this possible? Did the Democrats forget what their heroic debut on Washington and abandon their promises to voters?

Perhaps, but more likely they’re time is occupied with new and difficult problems they must solve on behalf of their constituency. The real work of a politician rarely wins applause from the public.

Barack Obama will arrive in office as in icon/celebrity/hero, and will quickly be needed to manage the epic banking crisis that’s rocked the planet over the past two months.This financial meltdown and subsequent government bailout happened so fast that none of us have had time to step back and see what this colossus actually looks like.

Emotions will run high as voters see its split personality: friendly giant and reckless monster. It doesn’t matter if the source of the problem is complex and many are to blame, it will always be the current leaders who are held accountable. As our chief executive, Obama will have a lot of explaining to do.

Let’s not forget that the War on Terror must continue. In the months after 9/11, a political commenter on NPR explained that President Bush would probably be an unpopular president because of the fickle nature of the American people. If the United States were attacked a second time by terrorists, then Bush would go down as a coward who was unable to muster the aggression and certitude needed to defeat the enemy.

However, if President Bush were successful and prevented acts of terror on our soil during his administration, the voters would become comfortable and indifferent towards terror in the same way we were back in the 1990s. Any act of the president in the name of the War on Terror would seem overzealous and uncalled for.

How’s that for prophecy?

President Obama will assume his role as the commander-in-chief. Like it or not, he will inherit complex foreign policy problems that can not be easily remedied. If you withdraw from Iraq too early, then you will leave the nation in chaos and vulnerable to the aggression of terrorists or neighboring Iran. Although keeping troops in Iraq may be unpopular with voters who bleed blue, it may be President Obama’s only option.

Tag, You’re It

During the Clinton administration during the 1990s, Republican voters blamed problems on Democratic Party. For the last eight years under the Bush administration, Democrats blamed our nation’s problems on the Republican party. Now that the Democrats have control of Washington, it’s the Republican voters’ turn to blame problems on Democrats.

Do you see how this game works? For the young Democrats who’ve graduated college during the Bush administration, you better get tough real fast because blame is coming your way.

The hope and exhilaration that precedes Obama’s administration will soon be deflated by the messy game of politics.

On a side note, the blame game can make some men into powerful icons of reason. When your party is out of office, complaining and playing know-it-all through the media can be a very good for your career.

This is why conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh thrived in during the Clinton administration, and characters like Michael Moore and Jon Stewart thrived during the Bush administration.

Good for times for ideological foes:
President Bill Clinton and right-wing pundit Rush Limbaugh

Good for times for ideological foes:
President George W. Bush and left-wing film maker Michael Moore

Good for times for ideological foes:
President George W. Bush and comedian critic Jon Stewart

If I were a betting man, I’d bet that Jon Stewart’s Daily Show will lose viewers steadily until Republicans gain control of the House or the Senate.

Summary: Wait and See

Some people will argue that this game of tag is over because Obama is a revolutionary figure that can re-invent Washington.

Unfortunately, precedent won’t give much reason for optimism. In my lifetime, every new president has arrived in office under the banner of “it’s time for a change”, and soon they’re just another president slowed by the inefficiencies of our trademark checks and balances system. More often than not, the once-heroic candidate becomes synonymous with bureaucratic Washington.

Time will tell.

President Obama will have my prayers and support.

Instead, let’s talk about *the new hotness* that is the intersection of Central Avenue and Camelback Road. I haven’t been to that part of town months, but it seems like anything new and cool that I read about is within a stone’s throw of those cross streets. There are several clothing boutiques, Lola Tapas & Coffee Bar, Red Hot Robot, Stinkweeds Record Exchange, and the aformentioned RED Modern Furniture. Each of those spots are interesting for scrappy scenesters, but there’s not enough gloss to encourage the Y.U.P.s to come out after dark.

But that could soon change. The old Katz Deli (never heard of it till yesterday) was purchased by LGO and will open as Postino Central in January. That’s good news for uptown Phoenicians who tired of migrating to the Biltmore for a classy night out.

Celebrate Good Times, Come On! (Read it again, but sing it.)

Yesterday Candyce and I went to Los Toquitos in Phoenix for lunch and The Food Network recorded me eating a burrito and describing it to the camera. Having been on two MTV reality shows, I understand that very little of what is recorded actually makes it on the show. I’ll have to wait till this spring to see if my description was good enough.

If you liked the Lumberg Look (think Office Space), read what I found in the Wall Street Journal this morning…

Modern takes on these and other iconic looks of the 1980s — think suspenders and paisley power ties — have popped up in a wide range of collections for this fall and next spring.

Read the article: An Ironic Look for Lean Times: Extreme Banker

Twenty minutes later, I was visiting with the Sunday morning hot rod club from my neighborhood. They sat beneath the patio umbrellas sipping coffee and admiring their fleet of cool cars  had filled the parking lot: several ‘32 Fords, a sedan delivery, and a vintage Vette. We debated the merits of the rumor that Chrysler might merge with General Motors and the wily ways of Cerberus Capital Management.

Once inside, I sipped espresso and visited with neighbors while Norah snored. I flipped through the pages of the Wall Street Journal in between compliments from strangers: Your baby is so beautiful! She’s so little! She’s so precious! I have not received this much attention since I was as B-list celebrity in the year 2000.

By the time we walked back through the front door of our home, Norah and I had been gone for an hour-and-a-half. I never knew you could have so much fun doing something as simple as spending a Sunday morning with your daughter.

*Norah also slept through all presidential debates.

I spent a lot of time reading and researching as each chapter of the story unfolded each day. I could hardly keep up with the buzzwords: credit markets, commercial paper, mortgage-backed securities, etc. I was happy when one week into the news coverage a brainy NPR host flatly stated in the middle of a panel discussion that he didn’t understand any of it. His candor was refreshing. I wasn’t the only one who was intellectually dizzy.

While searching for hope online, I found the Planet Money podcast and blog from the same team who assembled the episode of This American Life early in the summer called Giant Pool of Money. Using the famous TAL raw story-telling style, the team tried to crack open a subject that had absolutely flooded the news media, but hadn’t been explained to ordinary people: the housing crisis. Even though the episode is a few months old, it helps you understand the domino that set this thing in motion. (Mark my words, that episode will win awards!)

Once you’re done with Giant Pool of Money, listen in on the Planet Money podcast to find an informative (although less refined) coverage of the day-to-day fallout on Wall Street over the past few weeks. Finally, listen in on This American Life’s newest story, aptly named Another Frightening Show About the Economy

The entries either promoted a single facet of utopia or a dramatic shift in the principles of city planning. What was noticeably missing was the space in between where responsible Real Estate developers can take notes on how to clean up the multitude of forgotten intersections within cities built around the automobile.

Here’s some photos from over the weekend, a couple taken at SMoCA:

1. Nissan Cube

It’s official debut is at the LA Auto Show in a couple months, but some photos of the Cube leaked yesterday (thank you, Autoblog) that prove Nissan has the courage to put asymmetry into production:

Don’t hate me because I’m different.

The Nissan Cube stares down the incumbent Scion xB. Photo from Edmunds

If you are interested in a battle of the boxes, head over to Edmunds.com to find out what they thought of a Japanese-spec Cube they played around with earlier this year. My favorite line from the article:

Nissan is finally convinced there are enough of you to buy its Cube, a boxy car so far out on the funk continuum that the Element and xB might as well be Corollas.

The more I look at the Cube, the more I think of the neo-80’s crew Fanny Pack from America’s Best Dance Crew. They occupy a charming space in pop culture that is both odd and cool. …okay, maybe more odd than cool, but they had enough style to earn a poem from Lil Mama.

2. Suzuki Wagon-R / Mazda AZ-Wagon

There is not a lot of buzz online about the Suzuki Wagon-R / Mazda AZ-Wagon, but it’s worth noting that the look of half box/ half compact car (think Scion-xD) is sticking around.

3. 2009/2010 Honda Element

I saved the best for last. It looks like late next year Honda will give a clean new look to my beloved Element…

Source: Autoblog.com

You get a letter in the mail that your license plates are expiring. But before you renew your plates, you have to drive to an emissions testing station to have your car’s exhaust measured for pollution. The station is an open air garage that can service five cars at one time. Behind each service bay is usually 10 cars waiting for their turn. Imagine parallel lines of people waiting to pick up their food at the drive-thru at McDonalds. The end goal is to keep dirty cars off the streets, but the emissions testing station is one of the dirtiest spots in the city.

But the Arizona Department of Air Quality (ADAQ) is trying to solve the problem. They’ve set up webcams that update every couple of minutes that show everyone how long the lines are at each station around the city. Now you can gauge where and when you make the trip to the station. It’s a simple solution and everyone wins.

See it in action