I Think Everyone Should Try 'Threes'

I've been playing Threes for just under a week and it's addicting! Plain and simple, it's rather genius if you ask me. The object of the game is to combine similar numbers e.g. 3+3 = 6 then follow that new number block of 6 with another to make 12 and so forth. The game ends when the board fills up and there are no more pairs left next to each other to combine. For a game that took over a year to build, it's worth supporting these developers at a cheap $1.99. Do it and I guarantee you'll love it! If you don't, then the challenge must have been too hard for ya. My highest block so far is 192. What's yours?

Update it's actually Number 1 on the App Store as of this morning! Congratulations to Sirvo and the gang!

100 Best Breweries…San Diego Representing!

The list of top brewers in the World recently debuted for 2014 at ratebeer.com and there are 16 alone in California. Even better, five are right in my very own backyard including the #1 rated brewer which I have yet to try! Three specifically are listed in San Diego while the other two are listed as Alpine and Escondido which I also consider San Diego County. I've taken the liberty to list them along with their most popular brews, in alphabetical order, down below. Did you brewer or beer make the list?

• AleSmith Brewing *Rated #1 Overall out of 100 / Speedway Stout
• Alpine Beer Company / Pure Hoppiness
• Ballast Point / Sculpin IPA
• Green Flash Brewing Company / West Coast IPA
• Stone Brewing Company / Arrogant Bastard Ale

If you haven't done so yourself, check out the Stone Brewing Company pictures that I posted a while back at their new flagship restaurant in Pt. Loma, San Diego. It's over 11,000 square feet and is definitely a gorgeous location for any event.

I'll admit that I'm not a big fan of overly hoppy but that's just me. If you haven't read it yet, there's a great article from a few months back that talks about the west coast polarization towards more and more hops. You can read that here. What are your favorites beers? I'm still a Chimay Blue Grand Reserve kind of guy.

Dads Who Really Do Nothing

Big City Mom recently wrote on being a mother who does nothing.

There is no greater task than the nothing you did yesterday, the nothing you are doing today, and the nothing you will do tomorrow. Caring for a baby is all about the immediate experience, yet the first two years are all about investment. It’s give, give, give, and give some more. These are hard-fought, rough-and-tumble years that can cut us down to our core and take us soaring high above the clouds, all in the space of 5 minutes. And yes, as you do the hardest work of your life, it will seem like you’re not getting anything done at all. Crazy, huh?

Our daughter was born 18 months ago and I've loved every minute of being a father. I was fortunate to take one week off prior to her birth and followed it with another 4 months. Both my wife and I were home for those crucial months and I wish everyone this opportunity. Furthermore, I wish that our society put these initial months of nurturing as a number one priority - but that's another topic. Leaving for the first time was difficult but each time after that has been equally just as hard, if not harder.

I'm blessed that my occupation enables me to dedicate 100% of my time off with our daughter. I couldn't have asked for it any other way. There are times where I would rather enjoy a stress free shower without the worry of her crying, a little gaming here and there, but singing along with her during the intro to Sofia the First, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood or even Dr. McStuffins, brings me joys that I can't even speak of. Watching her feet wiggle with happiness when I feed her or teaching her baby sign language trumps mashing buttons, reading technology news and yes, even flying.

My day usually entails changing her nighttime diaper, changing her into "outdoor" clothes, playing with her, feeding her, changing her diaper, playing some more, followed by a delicious 1.5 hour (or more!) nap, then doing the same that afternoon until my wife comes home.

I'm able to get a few things done around the house, but it's even more amazing how much my wife is able to accomplish. She cooks, cleans, does laundry and washes the dishes. She even plans big parties including writing and mailing her mother's invitations for her upcoming 60th birthday party. All this with our daughter still nursing and sometimes throwing small temper tantrums. Not to mention, the previous month where our daughter was sick almost the entire time proved to the hardest yet, but we got through it together. Compared to me, I'm beat from hanging out and literally doing nothing. I like to call it playing hard.

At the end of the day, I sometimes find myself still in pajamas! After we lay her to bed, my wife and I cuddle on the couch and reflect on the past months. Sometimes we think that we haven't done anything barely remembering the first couple of months, but we come to the realization how amazing life truly is. There's no need or want to do anything else but hold her, hang out with her and play. Sometimes I have to resist the urge to wake her up and play more!

Yes, my wife and I joyfully co-sleep with our daughter on the floor of her room. I really don't understand the need to ever sleep in separate beds, or rooms for that matter, especially during these first two years. Maybe it's me being away for days at a time that I rather be with my entire family. I have friends, some with and others without kids, that look at us like we must be in a living hell, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Our setup makes it rather lonely when I leave and stay in the bed of a hotel in a distant city. I love my family so much and the happiness from being together is truly wonderful.

Sometimes we're able to get things together and venture outside the house. When we do, the beach is usually our go to. There are a few times that I look back and really have to think about what I've done, but then my daughter gives the biggest smile and I know exactly, right there, that what I'm doing is all I need to do. Did I mention, I love my family!

Ultimately, the days go by too fast. She's growing up too quickly but I always cherish every day and every minute I get with her.

Giveaways, Instagram and OOTD #1

I don't usually win anything when I enter various online giveaways but maybe that's about to change! Last night, I threw my name in the hat because I thought, there's really nothing to lose and low and behold, I won! Easy as regram'ming @cityofgentlemen's post showing off the Microtouch Classic ONE Razor and following him (which I have been now for a while), I was notified early last night that I won. The reviews of the Microtouch are mixed on Amazon and it's the one that you see being marketed by Pawn Stars' Rick Harrison.

I'll post a review with my first experience with using a double edge safety razor here as soon as I get the chance to shave with it! Good thing I have my full Art of Shaving Kit to lather me up.

Since our correspondence last night, I told @cityofgentlemen that I've been wanting to post some pictures from time to time of my "looks" / OOTD but I've been hesitating since I'm not that relevant in my opinion. He said just do it so here's the first:

shirt: Gustin Blue-Hunter Gingham
glasses: Warby Parker Roosevelt Striped Chestnut
belt: Gustin Classic Belt
jeans: Gustin Heavy American
shoes: Allen Edmonds McAllister Wingtip Oxfords

and my staples of my Citizen Eco Drive Blue Angels and Tiffany Atlas Bracelt. If you like any of my Gustin clothing and are into raw denim, please use my referral link and get $5 off too!

Celebrating 30 Years Mac via iPhone by Apple

Apple at its best and smartest saving their ad money for a Super Bowl + 1 day commercial. Shot entirely with iPhones all over the world, check out their later commercial. Brilliant. http://youtu.be/zJahlKPCL9g

You can also read more and see the behind the scenes on Apples website. Just follow this link!

On January 24, 1984, Apple introduced the Macintosh. And with it a promise that the power of technology, put in the hands of everyone, could change the world. On January 24, 2014, we sent 15 camera crews all over the world to show how that promise has become a reality.

100 iPhones providing 70+ hours of footage and add the son of iconic Hollywood Director Ridley Scott… awesome commercial!

Make Sure You Read AT&T's Fine Print

Announcing a new family plan on the Saturday before the Superbowl, AT&T is trying to lure new and old customers to their service by offering $130 for two smartphones, unlimited talk and text + 10GB shared data. Don't fall for it and make sure to read the fine print. They are still forcing you to pay a lot more money and if you haven't been following, I've been throttled on my unlimited data plan for almost two weeks at speeds at or below .50Mbps.

But then there’s the fine print with the new family plan. Customers who are brand-new to AT&T either have to sign up for AT&T’s Next program, which allows the customer to spread payments of the device over up to 26 months; bring their own device; or pay for the full price of the phone. For example, for the cheapest iPhone 5S, a customer can pay the full $650 for the phone, or pay $25 a month for 26 months on top of the cost of the new family plan, or bring his or her own iPhone 5S (assuming it is compatible with AT&T’s network).

I Love that My Wife Breast Feeds (and am very proud too)

I wish that our society was more pro breast feeding and more family oriented. I dread leaving my family for work. I dislike that we all are not given maternity and paternity leave or much less afford the luxury. Fortunately, for the first three months of our daughter's life, my wife and I were there for her. It was amazing! It was perfect. Now our little Norah is approaching 18 months and we are contemplating a full weaning (ultimately of course my wife's choice but I love that she talks to me about it). I've always been all about and can't imagine any reason of how or why people are offended by the act of feeding your kid wherever or whenever.

I'm writing this post because earlier this evening my wife sent me an article and it home. For the full awesome post, follow the link.

For example, the nursing mother’s immune system works in tandem with her child’s, detecting pathogens to which the child has been exposed and producing antibodies that are passed through breast milk (if you’ve ever wondered why mothers have a strange compulsion to kiss their newborns’ hands, one theory is that it’s related to this immune support).

We’re not alone in that opinion. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding alongside appropriate solid foods “up to two years of age or beyond” (WHO). Here in the States, there’s something of a movement afoot toward extended breastfeeding, going hand-in-hand with the movement toward what has been dubbed “attachment parenting.” In a nutshell, attachment parenting is built around the notion that humans are naturally an offspring-carrying species (à la higher primates), not a nesting species like dogs or cats or birds. As such, the argument goes, we are more within our natural element carrying our babies, or wearing them, or co-sleeping with them at night, than we are to plop them in a stroller or a bouncy seat or a playpen or a crib (as were most of us as children). Far from spoiling the child (as the old-schoolers would say we were doing), the theory is that keeping our children physically close to us—carrying them on our chests or backs when we’re out and about, engaging them with direct attention, allowing them to sleep close to us or even with us—helps the child grow into a secure, empathetic, and nurturing adult.

So how public is too public? If you ask me, there is no such thing. Riding a bus, sitting in a restaurant, in uniform, in Parliament, in front of the Pope—you name it. A nursing baby is so much more pleasant than a cranky, hungry baby. Don’t want to see it? That’s simple: Don’t look.

Disruption by Laughter

I'd love to be a venture capitalist. Too bad it takes millions these days. Anyone have an idea that I can laugh at for $10,000?

The problem is, this sort of ignorance and misunderstanding is often how we get true disruption - people are so ignorant that they don't know something can't be done and won't work, so they go and do it, and it works. Dropbox and Paypal are particularly good examples of this, while Bessemer's 'anti-portfolio' is a fun look at the sensible reasons why some amazing companies would never work. The challenge of venture investing is that the model depends on investing in things that are laughable, because those are the only things that can make billions of dollars from zero in a few years. So you kind of want people to laugh at you and think you don’t understand the sector. You just have to be sure that you understand why they’re laughing.

via Ben-Evans.com

An Ode to this Years' Outgoing NFL Season

In memory of this year's past NFL season, here's another round of bad lip reading. My favorite is Jim Harbaugh.

http://youtu.be/rRqKYXcL-2U

Baby Falls and Keeps Trying to Fall!

My buddy Channing Work filmed his awesome son doing his thing. Looks like he loves the rush of falling backwards! http://youtu.be/rNvt9NvGPdQ

For Love of Boxing

“Floyd, if you’re a real man, fight me," Pacquiao closed. "Let’s do it for the love of boxing and for the fans. Let’s do it not for the sake of money. Let’s make the boxing fans happy.”

Now that's an athlete giving back to his fans.

Stop Mouthing Against Sherman

There are plenty of articles and news media coverage concerning Seattle Seahawks' Cornerback Richard Sherman emotional outburst while being interviewed by Erin Andrews immediately *after they clinched the NFC spot in the 2014 Superbowl. There is a glimpse of the post game interview after he's had the chance to collect his thoughts but I just wanted to point out a few things. Yes, he could have approached the question better but it's a sport, it's the adrenaline, it was *RIGHT after. Let him celebrate that he contributed to the final play of the game that helped elevate his team to one of the most popular games on television. If anything, read the following articles then make your judgement. If you're still not somewhat brought back to earth, then stop watching sports. It's a competition and if your team won, you wouldn't have really cared either way. Yes, I always support celebrations because hell, if I made a touchdown, I should be able to do what the hell I want.

From Richard Sherman himself on Monday Morning Quarterback not to mention that he has been writing a column for the last six months:

It was loud, it was in the moment, and it was just a small part of the person I am. I don’t want to be a villain, because I’m not a villainous person. When I say I’m the best cornerback in football, it’s with a caveat: There isn’t a great defensive backfield in the NFL that doesn’t have a great front seven. Everything begins with pressure up front, and that’s what we get from our pass rushers every Sunday. To those who would call me a thug or worse because I show passion on a football field—don’t judge a person’s character by what they do between the lines. Judge a man by what he does off the field, what he does for his community, what he does for his family.

Taken from The Nation:

There will also be less discussion of who Richard Sherman actually is, and the genius of both his preparation and style of play. In fact, when it comes to smarts, skills and psychological gamesmanship, Sherman, is in many respects the cornerback version of Peyton Manning. Just as Manning treats every trip to the line of scrimmage like he’s Hannibal Lecter trying to get into the head of Clarice Starling—OMAHA!—Sherman has a deeply cerebral method to his perceived madness. Read Lee Jenkins’ profile of the Stanford graduate in the July 2013 issue of Sports Illustrated, titled Warning: Don’t Take The Bait. As Jenkins writes, “Whether you think cornerback Richard Sherman of the (NFC champion?) Seahawks is a smacktalk poet laureate or just another loudmouth doesn’t matter. He’s a shrewd, dedicated lockdown defender who doesn’t mind getting on his opponents’ nerves—in fact, he prefers it that way.”

He has also apologized from taking away from his team's accomplishments since all the focus has been on him but main take away from the ProFootballTalk article was what Coach Pete Carroll had to say:

“When you really love somebody and care for them, you do everything you can help them be everything they can be,” Carroll said on the radio. “At times they are going to make mistakes and break your heart, but if you love them, you stay with them. You give [them] the best chance to be all they can be. Richard is a wonderful spirit. He’s got an amazing heart, and he has great sensitivity. He goes all the way to the end of the spectrum when it comes to expressing himself.”

NFL Films Presents also presented an amazing background piece about his background which I found pretty intriguing. Watch it here. And of course, here he is mic'd up including where he gets punched in the face. He did ask for it, but that's a different matter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBy7HVcsUK8

BBC's Sherlock is Back!

Last night marked the premiere of the BBC's Sherlock Series 3 staring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman here in the US. If you're like me and find yourself stuck at the airport waiting for an assignment or have the time for some awesome television, make sure to catch the first two series which are only 3 episodes each. Granted each episode is 90 minutes but it some of the best television out there!

You can catch up on either Netflix on if you are an Amazon Prime Member, have at it! If you need more convincing, BBC America posted the '10 Reasons Why Steven Moffat's 'Sherlock' is the Best' which you need to read. Just to mention, I think that the US version, Elementary isn't too bad either only because of Jonny Lee Miller.