With Sails Unfurled

The journey of a lifetime.
Chronicled on the web.

http://withsailsunfurled.com

Halloween

So Halloween is coming up. This is a tough holiday for me. For one… I don’t find it to be much of a holiday… more like a state approved day for acting strangely.

Namely, children get dressed up in costume and are sent out into the world as beggars. And grown women use the day as a chance to slut it up as much as they can and turn every grown man around them into beggars. It’s a little bizarre really.

But on top of that, the first real experience with a death of someone close to me happened around this holiday in 1995. Sure my Grandfather had passed away the year before but, after spending 3 of his last 4 weeks with him talking, I bailed out a week before he actually passed. So I didn’t really experience losing him.

But that Halloween in 1995 what I went through was horrific. It was intimate and it was life changing.

Many of you know the story about my mother’s fiance Rusty dying in a car accident in Texas. Many of you know he was on that ill-fated trip in my place so that he could encourage me to actually live up to my obligations and go to work that night.

It’s a long story. One full of regrets, sadness and pain. Honestly there isn’t really anything good that came of it.

I guess the only thing I can say that might be good from it all is that my dedication to working… to growing into my potential really came into being at that point. That experience has fueled so much of my drive and my ambition in the years since. It stands, to this day, as one of the single most defining moments of my adult life.

I’d have to say the passing of my father in 2007 had as much impact on me, and in much the same way it has pushed me to further dedicate myself to pushing my limits and growing beyond what I comfortably am and instead moving into the unknown. I’ve found through both of these experiences that I am able to be so much more than I think I am if I just allow myself to do the things I am afraid of. To try the new… to explore the unknown and to not sit by and watch my life go by.

So hello Halloween. I still don’t know how to “celebrate” you, but I know that every year your return pushes me to reflect on my life and continue to choose to be something more than I am today.

A Wonderful Weekend

So I spent the weekend in Vegas with Teesa, Bryan, Jesse, Jessica, Samantha and Missy. No, we weren’t here to gamble. We were here for a wedding.

And not just any wedding, but a Gay Wedding! Missy’s older sister Jackie married her partner Andrea on Sunday. It was a beautiful, intimate experience and I had the high honor of taking their wedding photos.

As a general rule, I try to avoid working weddings. They are high stress affairs, and I just don’t like to take that on anymore. But Missy asked me to please do her this favor. I have to admit that I was reluctant to say yes when she asked. It just didn’t appeal to me.

Thankfully, I said yes. And I’m very glad I did. It is such a great honor to be included in what is one of the most intimate and loving occasions that any family experiences.

Both Bride and Broom wore white. Andrea’s dress was gorgeous, and Jackie was very smart in her tuxedo with a vibrant blue tie. They were both beaming during the ceremony and the joy that was felt was amazing.

Thank you Jackie and Andrea for letting my family join yours on this incredibly special day. May your life together be one of joys, happiness, success and LOVE.

Sean Murphy William Davis

Hello world. Say hello to my newest nephew, Sean Murphy William Davis.

He was born on Feb. 24, 2010 at 3:49 AM. He was 7lb 10oz, and was 19 inches long.

He’s cute as a bug and his parents did a wonderful job bringing him into this world. I’m sure they are going to be a wonderful family!

It’s coming…

Apadapa Labs

Oh yeah.

iPad: Apple’s New Lust Gadget?

So Apple unveiled the iPad today.

Some people are already calling it a big failure. That it’s underwhelming. That it’s too pricey. That it just doesn’t make any sense.

Well… those are all the same criticisms we heard for the iPod, and the iPhone and iPod Touch. Yet, here we are. Apple is a $50 Billion a year business, and I’m pretty sure they are onto something here.

Now, the iPad is not a netbook, or a “traditional windows style tablet” or a replacement for a notebook.

No, the iPad is truly something new. It’s a device that is geared for those of us who are truly mobile internet users for whom the iPhone screen is too small for hours of use, and for whom a notebook is still just too much computer to lug around.

I think there’s a lot more of us out there for this than a lot of people realize.

Sure, right now the application capabilities of the iPad are not much greater than that of an iPod Touch or an iPhone. They do share the same core OS, but as a developer I know already that the iPad has greater functionality built into it’s interface than the smaller siblings it complements. In time developers are going to make killer apps for this product. Apple themselves have already shown us some of that power in the new iWork for iPad apps. Sleek desktop level apps, in a clean iPhone OS form factor. Nice.

I’ve watched the Keynote twice. And I’m sold. This is my next computing device. I don’t need a full fledged notebook to check email and surf the web and type up word processing docs while I’m sitting at the soccer fields. I just don’t. But I also don’t want to do those things on a tiny iPhone screen either. This is going to be perfect.

I’m looking forward to getting my hands on one as soon as I can! And at $499 to start, the price point is pretty sweet. It’s Apple’s cheapest entry into the computing line. I’m willing to bet they’ll sell a ton of these.

My Mom Sang on the Cruise – Crazy

My Mom sang Crazy on our cruise. It was the first time I’d seen her perform publicly since the 1990′s. She was amazing. Such a natural performer.

I love you Mom!

Weight Loss Progress

Hey folks! Just a quick update on my weight loss…

As of today I am down to 269 lbs. That’s a whopping 36 lbs. lost since I started losing weight on June 17. I am just 3 days shy of 2 months since I started! Doing good, looking good and just 1.5 lbs. away from the halfway mark to my goal of 230!

YouTube – Aidy Boothroyd

I produced this video for Surf Soccer Club. It was an honor getting to meet Aidy Boothroyd.

YouTube – Aidy Boothroyd.

U.S. Victory Over Spain Celebrated With Espy Award – Goal Blog – NYTimes.com

U.S. Victory Over Spain Celebrated With Espy Award – Goal Blog – NYTimes.com.

An ESPY award for “Best Upset” for their game against Spain in the Confederations Cup?

Go on boys.

Spain Defeated 2-0 by USA in Confederations Cup Semi-Final

Good luck to our boys! Way to go beating Spain! Now you move on to the finals. Don’t embarass us!

20 years later…

June 5, 1989.

China. A world away. My own awakening to global events had only just begun.

Suddenly with the protests in Tiananmen Square I found myself glued to the news for the first time in my life. I was touched by the protesters and as an American (always proud of being from the “land of the free”) I found their desires for more freedom and change in the communist country moving. I found myself cheering them on, as I know many others did as well. But things turned ugly. The protesters were suddenly faced with aggressive military actions and things as history recalls got out of hand.

20 years on and China is still stifling the freedoms of its people. Today the media was locked down, the internet was blocked for many there and families of the protesters were harassed and forced to stay home all day.

And for some of those families… the big questions still remain. What happened to their child? The Chinese government has not made a full accounting of their actions from that day. Kudos to Hillary Clinton for making some bold statements to the Chinese government about that. It’s high time we start focussing our attentions on the Chinese government and revealing more and more of what is going on behind their veil of secrecy.

In the meantime, say a prayer, spare a moment to reflect and remember the students and the victims of that day in Tiananmen Square.

Playing For Change

This was one of the coolest things that Bryan and I saw at the FCPUG Supermeet at NAB. Supposedly, they are releasing an album of this music at Starbucks this week.

Do yourself a HUGE favor and check this video out and then go to the website at playingforchange.com

Want More Susan Boyle?

So, apparently, 10 years ago Ms. Susan Boyle recorded the old standard “Cry Me A River” for some Charity CD.

Her voice definitely sounds a bit younger here. But it is still impressive.

Someone get this lady a killer part in some stage production – STAT!

I’ve been GOBSMACKED!

Susan Boyle – Amazing

People ask me sometimes, “Why are you so into these talent shows, like American Idol and America’s Got Talent?”

Well people, my answer is often this, “Because I enjoy seeing people get their shot at the limelight. Especially when it’s someone who probably never had that opportunity before that show.”

Now, almost to prove my point is Susan Boyle. Never in a million years would I have expected this middle-aged, unemployed, frumpy looking little woman to possess so magical a voice. Oh how wonderful is the Universe that it can continue to surprise us all?

Check her out in the video on YouTube (embedding forbidden), you won’t be disappointed.

TV’s First Interracial Kiss

Shatner and Uhura boldy go where no one has gone before…

In this video clip from “The SHATNER Project.com” the man himself talks about how it’s all much to do about nothing…

AlmsWear – Show that you give a damn!

Get out there and show that you give a damn!

AlmsWear.

Most gigantic model railroad in the world

This model railroad is simply amazing. Check out the video below!

DVICE: Astonishing video: Most gigantic model railroad in the world.

SDFTI 30 Second Spot on Vimeo

SDFTI 30 Second Spot on Vimeo

Here’s a commercial Bryan and I shot for San Diego Flight Training International. We got to fly up in a pair of Cessna’s and shoot each other’s planes flying all over the San Diego skies at Sunset. How cool is that?

The Bubba Film Logo Reel…

This is the logo reel that launched my dreams… So here it is… a bit of nostalgia for you on a Wednesday afternoon:

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