Dudes Rafting the South & North Fork River

I finally got around to developing these pics of my rafting trip back in May. In other words, these were non-digital photos and I just didn't have a lot of opportunities to use up the old school film.

In looking at these photos, I hope you can ascertain that we had A LOT of fun. These dudes/bros go way back. Brian and Dobbs (half naked Jack Black looking character) are good friends from Encinitas. The three of us manned our high school football team's defense; leading our team to a stellar 1-9 record our senior year. It wasn't just about football, clearly.

We had our typical high school fun: the parties when parents were out of town, bonfires at the beach, the water weeny fiascoes, the toilet papering, et al. I digress.

The other dudes are Cam and Casey. Great guys who now have kids of their own (unbelievable!) and with whom, I shared some amazing years post college in Chicago and the best part here, my association with them led me to meet my wife Heather.

All of these guys mean a lot to me and I can say that all of their wives are very lucky women.

ACL, Week 6

Major jump this week.... hit 148 degrees of flexion.

I can now start going to physical therapy once a week since I can do all my exercises at the gym. It consists mostly of leg presses, leg curls on the machine and ball, step ups, lateral side-to-side with rubber band, bike, and elliptical.

Since I'm only 2 degrees from my other leg, I'm feeling confident I'll be back on the court and field way ahead of schedule.

By end of 2006?

MBAs at Microsoft

Gotta' love em. I like to poke fun because I can... (I did make eternal vows to one.)

Check out these overachievers and Microsoft's tailoring of the profiles. Microsoft MBAs.

For those of you part of the inner circle, look for two specifically that may catch your eye.

The NFL and Monday Night Football are Back ...

I am very excited that the 2006 NFL season has begun and we are well on our way towards another action-packed season filled with enough drama fit for several seasons of 90210 and Melrose Place combined. I'm talking about the quarterback controversies, the injuries, the trades, the fall of perennial All-Pros, the emergence of rookie stars, et al.

Couple the NFL season with a fantasy team and your downtime is completely accounted for. I think I spent literally 5 hours on the couch on Sunday watching football with my laptop acting as a heater for my thighs.

A few things that come to mind after Week 1:

• Reggie Bush is the real deal; sorry, Mario Williams, you should not have been #1
• Two aspirin ain't gonna' cut it for Trent Green after that vicious hit
• Kellen Winslow looks to be following in dad's footsteps; looks like he's back from his motorcycle accident
• LT is the best back in the NFL, period; even though I have last year's MVP on my fantasy team, LT does it all (running, catching, throwing)
• Shawn Merriman is the new Freak
• Chad Pennington is proving the naysayers wrong; his arm looks pretty strong to me
• As annoying as he is off the field, T.O. is a playmaker and backs up his game week in and week out. He physically dominates the secondary he faces.
• Fav-ruh, it's time to hang up the cleats
• And lastly.... I think Martin Lawrence is the new QB for the Oakland Raiders.

Air Guitar World Champ of 2006

Check out this guy rocking it out!!!

On my shopping list asap, Tiger knit sweater.

Click HERE.

ACL Rehab, Week 4, #7 and #8

This week, some big gains were made:

• Increased flexion from 136 - 142; 150 is max on healthy knee
• Started doing the elliptical machine
• Can walk up and down stairs with no issue
• Increased muscle mass in quad

In two weeks, I'll start going to physical therapy only 1x week. A lot of the exercises I can now do on my own at my gym.

Next week, I see Dr. Green for my one month check up. Will want to get the news on when I can start jogging/running again.

Cannon Beach, Labor Day Weekend

This Labor Day weekend, we decided to head south for the Oregon coast, where unbeknownst to many, there are beautiful stretches of sandy beaches. Heather and I took our beloved third family member, whom we call affectionately Lizzie Lou (Lizzie is her given name). We managed to find a pet friendly resort, called the Hallmark Inns and Resorts.

The 3-day weekend was a nice escape from the doldrums of the Seattle summer weather - sunny, clear and 70's. Yah, not a lot to complain about during the summer months.

We needed an excursion away from home and Oregon answered. We did a short hike at Ecola Point, walked the beaches with Lizzie, over ate (as usual) at two very good restaurants (Gower St. Bistro - French and Wayfarer - Seafood), and strolled the quaint town of Cannon Beach.

I also managed to pop my head in the Nike Factory store but to my dismay, did not find any shoes to fill my already robust athletic shoe collection.

Here are a few pics of the weekend: