Sailor Dad

About two+ weeks ago I purchased a new BlackBerry Pearl, upgrading from my previous phone via Cingular / AT&T.  As soon as I got it setup, I was sure to download Google Maps and play with it. It uses a combination of GPS and cell tower signals to triangulate where you are in the world. I say world, but it may just be the United States; I haven’t any experience with my phone and Google Maps outside the US. It’s very useful and has all the features of Google Maps at home, but in a handy format. The best part is that it is free, except for whatever you pay to have your phone (airtime + data plans).

So the other day, I was on the way home from work and had the great idea to get some Arby’s. So I grabbed my phone, turned on Google Maps and ran a search for the closest one. I got the directions, but as I was driving down the road at the time, Google Maps tends to start the directions at an odd point, and I ended up getting off the freeway early and jammed up the directions. While I was trying to re-route myself onto the freeway, I was delayed by an accident that happened on the on-ramp to the 94 east, exactly the point I needed to continue on my journey. Since I was nearly in the middle of the accident I decided to take some pictures and post them on Twitter.

http://twitpic.com/9bw6 – It isn’t the greatest shot, but it’s my first ‘action shot’ with my new phone and I had it zoomed in in order to get a better shot at it. In case you can’t figure it out, that car is upside down.

The next day I was on my way to a MeetUp for folks that use Twitter in San Diego, dubbed SD Tweetup. I again used Google Maps to get me directions towards downtown to get some parking. Unfortunately, I had to go out of my way to hit an ATM and foolishly reacquired the directions which took me down a side street for some time to get onto the I-8 and then onto the 163 into downtown. Originally I had directions to take the 94 all the way into downtown. I wish I hadn’t changed the directions. While I did learn a new way around my neighborhood, it took me into traffic and the drive took longer than it should have.

In closing, I would recommend Google Maps if you have a phone that it supports. At the same time I would caution as to not overestimate the capabilities of the program, even though it is really great. And if you aren’t using Twitter yet, check it out and give it a try. You may follow me (@SailorDad) if you want, but introduce yourself or you might end up getting blocked.

Part of being a sailor is knowing one’s libations, everything from hard alcohol to beer and wine. Lately, I’ve been enjoying more selections from the beer family than others, partially due to the exploration of the species. With the advent of micro-breweries becoming more prevalent in today’s society, we are no longer forced to choose from the bland and boring brews from America’s large breweries.

Now in the past, beer has been the vehicle that allowed someone to “get drunk” off of, and didn’t necessarily mean it tasted good. It was the easy and cheap way of partying, a staple among those in college. Now with beer made in smaller batches, beer has achieved a state close to wine with differing flavors and ingredients than previously used. You can actually enjoy a beer for it’s flavor, rather than a quick guzzling in order to get drunk.

If you’re a regular beer drinker, and you typically enjoy a mass produced beer, stop by your local store and check out the micro or craft brew section. And if you happen to live in California, you can stop by a local BevMo, since that’s where I go for most of my craft beer needs. And if you’re lucky enough to live in Northern California, you’ll be likely to find my favorite beer in the world currently, Great White, by Lost Coast Brewery.

Lastly, a bit of wisdom regarding beer:
“Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” – Benjamin Franklin

As part of the bedtime ritual we have in our house for my daughter, my wife and I take turns reading to our daughter before she goes to sleep. Typically, my wife will read from one of the numerous books on her bookshelf. I used to follow in suit, until I became bored with the same books over and over again. At the same time I didn’t want to start buying books by the bushel and go broke for new reading material, so I began to look for something a bit more interesting.

I started out with some research on books for 5 year olds, which didn’t pan out as well as I hoped. Most of the books for kids that young are not much more advanced than the board books we have already lining the shelves. Not wanting to get way over her head, I found some titles in the 8-12 year old range that I felt would be easy for her to comprehend. So far we’ve had good success. The first book I attempted was:

Marley: A Dog Like No Other by John Grogan
It’s a good book and I think she followed along well. A story about a family and their dog, it is a edited version for the younger ages. There is an adult version and it is also being released as a movie this Christmas. Even more of an incentive to follow along in the book for my daughter.

The beauty of reading books that might be a little ahead of her comprehension is that she gets the benefit of listening to a story that isn’t over the top with maturity, but enough of a glimpse of “big kid” books. She also has the option in a year or so to read the book on her own, and use it to hone her own reading skills.

But the best reason for doing any of this at all is the time I get to spend with my daughter and catch a glimpse of her growing up a little bit every night. The frightening part is how much more she is able to read on her own each day as well.