Air New Zealand has done a great job thinking outside the box. They've been very willing to be creative in rethinking what an international airline should be and it's paying off. The carrier just reported a full-year profit. It's a well-managed carrier but one that doesn't take itself too seriously. This has been demonstrated in their marketing and in particular, their safety demonstration videos. The latest one is a riot:
Using the team theme and the All Blacks was a stroke of genius! It's also a very funny demo. Will it get more people to pay attention? Absolutely! Will it save lives? Probably not. But it sure beats this (bear in mind that I can't even count how many times I've seen this now):
U.S. carriers should take a lesson from Air New Zealand and have a little fun with the safety demo. Again, well done, NZ!
It's the end of a very, very long week. Kids are back in school. CAL is a senior (!) and the Boy entered high school. And Our Lady of BYU has just three semesters left before she graduates university. I think I aged ten years this week, realizing all this. No wonder the week has been so long. I'm really glad it's Friday.
27 August 2010
23 August 2010
The Madison Mini-Marathon Recap
This past Saturday, August 21, I ran my second half-marathon. I was a part of the Madison Mini-Marathon in Madison, Wisconsin. What a great event!
I can't say enough about it. It was a very well-organized race, with lots of volunteers and excellent community support. The race was run through the heart of Madison and it was like taking a tour of the city. What a beautiful place! My previous experience in Madison had been limited to using the can in a gas station right of I39 - admittedly, not the best way to get to know a city. It's great place. Any place that offers Nepali and Tibetan restaurants can't be bad. Unfortunately, I was only a mile into the race when I discovered those dining gems, so we'll have to go back and give them a try.
I loved that this race started smack on time at 7:00AM. We started in groups by estimated finish times. My only complaint is that the pace groups did not have pace leaders, so as soon as we were on the course, the pace groups scattered like there was no tomorrow. Oh well...while I missed the comfort of my running group, running the race solo wasn't bad. When we started, it seemed like Mother Nature might behave. It was about 71 degrees at race time, but humidity was sitting at 95%. There was plenty of cloud cover to make it seem cooler. It would quickly prove that it was not cooler. The humidity was insane. Within minutes, my technical shirt was a sponge, constantly needing to be rung out. My shorts looked as if I'd been in the deep end of the swimming pool. So while I was already looking like a drowned rat, I was also facing hills. Note to self - the next time you are racing in a new place, check out a topographical map. It would really pay to know about the hills. Yowsa!
All that being said, the oppressive humidity, the hills, and the heat (yeah, the race organizers threw up the "yellow" caution flag about an hour into the race), this was a great experience. Incredible course and cool people running it. I was so glad to see my family at the end of the race. They were right there as I crossed the finish line. I pretty much have the best fans ever.
So now if you read the last post, you saw a picture of my shirt from this race, with what looks to be blood on it. Oh it so was blood! During this race, I reached another milestone as a runner. The ubiquitous bloody nipple. About eight miles in, I noticed the stream of blood. I have to tell you, I was thrilled. I'd hit that milestone! Um, I was not so thrilled once I got back to the hotel and extricated myself from said shirt. That nip hurt worse than my tired, tired legs. And p.s. - it still does!
Just after hitting the finish line and getting my medal
With the BEST.FANS.EVER. Note - no one will touch me. Wonder why...
Gallons of sweat and one bloody nipple later, I did it!
I'm really liking the 13.1 mile distance. Not feeling any burning (well, except for the burning nipple) to run 26.2. At least not yet.
I can't say enough about it. It was a very well-organized race, with lots of volunteers and excellent community support. The race was run through the heart of Madison and it was like taking a tour of the city. What a beautiful place! My previous experience in Madison had been limited to using the can in a gas station right of I39 - admittedly, not the best way to get to know a city. It's great place. Any place that offers Nepali and Tibetan restaurants can't be bad. Unfortunately, I was only a mile into the race when I discovered those dining gems, so we'll have to go back and give them a try.
I loved that this race started smack on time at 7:00AM. We started in groups by estimated finish times. My only complaint is that the pace groups did not have pace leaders, so as soon as we were on the course, the pace groups scattered like there was no tomorrow. Oh well...while I missed the comfort of my running group, running the race solo wasn't bad. When we started, it seemed like Mother Nature might behave. It was about 71 degrees at race time, but humidity was sitting at 95%. There was plenty of cloud cover to make it seem cooler. It would quickly prove that it was not cooler. The humidity was insane. Within minutes, my technical shirt was a sponge, constantly needing to be rung out. My shorts looked as if I'd been in the deep end of the swimming pool. So while I was already looking like a drowned rat, I was also facing hills. Note to self - the next time you are racing in a new place, check out a topographical map. It would really pay to know about the hills. Yowsa!
All that being said, the oppressive humidity, the hills, and the heat (yeah, the race organizers threw up the "yellow" caution flag about an hour into the race), this was a great experience. Incredible course and cool people running it. I was so glad to see my family at the end of the race. They were right there as I crossed the finish line. I pretty much have the best fans ever.
So now if you read the last post, you saw a picture of my shirt from this race, with what looks to be blood on it. Oh it so was blood! During this race, I reached another milestone as a runner. The ubiquitous bloody nipple. About eight miles in, I noticed the stream of blood. I have to tell you, I was thrilled. I'd hit that milestone! Um, I was not so thrilled once I got back to the hotel and extricated myself from said shirt. That nip hurt worse than my tired, tired legs. And p.s. - it still does!
Just after hitting the finish line and getting my medal
With the BEST.FANS.EVER. Note - no one will touch me. Wonder why...
Gallons of sweat and one bloody nipple later, I did it!I'm really liking the 13.1 mile distance. Not feeling any burning (well, except for the burning nipple) to run 26.2. At least not yet.
22 August 2010
Some More Summer Photos
Sometimes photos tell a better story than words and right now, I'm a bit pressed for time. Our Lady of BYU flies back to Utah this afternoon and still have a few things to get done. So I give you some more pictures from some of our summer activities:
At Wrigley with good friends from San Diego. They joined us for the first game of a four game sweep by the Padres of the Cubbies. It's been an unpleasant season for the Cubbies.
The kids were able to spend some time together along the Riverwalk.
Spent some time on the trains into the city. It's a good thing my girls take after their mother.
Being on the Lake (yep, Lake Michigan) has been fantastic.
It's been a good summer. CAL and The Boy head to school on Wednesday. Both will be in high school. Time marches on. I'm trying to keep up. I'll try and post later tonight about yesterday's running of the Madison Mini-Marathon, my second half-marathon of the year. For now, I'll leave you with this photo teaser:
At Wrigley with good friends from San Diego. They joined us for the first game of a four game sweep by the Padres of the Cubbies. It's been an unpleasant season for the Cubbies.
The kids were able to spend some time together along the Riverwalk.
Spent some time on the trains into the city. It's a good thing my girls take after their mother.
Being on the Lake (yep, Lake Michigan) has been fantastic. It's been a good summer. CAL and The Boy head to school on Wednesday. Both will be in high school. Time marches on. I'm trying to keep up. I'll try and post later tonight about yesterday's running of the Madison Mini-Marathon, my second half-marathon of the year. For now, I'll leave you with this photo teaser:
18 August 2010
Some Random Photos
It's been a crazy week. It's only Wednesday. I've got my second half marathon this Saturday and I'm beginning to feel woefully unprepared. Yikes.
Anyway, here's some random photos. This past Monday, we met some friends, who were in from San Diego, at Wrigley to watch the San Diego Padres begin their sweep of the Cubs in the first of a three game series. Fun for the San Diegans, more pain for us. It's been a rough season for Cubbies fans. Really rough.
It was a gorgeous summer night! Our friends got a taste of Wrigley's finest too - a massively drunk father and son. Never such creative use of the "F" word have I heard in my life. I did not know it could be used as a noun, verb, adverb, and an adjective all in one sentence. Epic.
It was great to be there with the kids too. The aforementioned drunks had left at this point. Otherwise I would have had them take the picture.
And here's a few pictures from my Sally Field "You like me. You really like me!" moment last week at the NBTA Conference in Houston.
One of the banners announcing the award. (Note to self - update the bio photo. Fatty is so fat anymore!)
Making the walk across the stage
Accepting the award with NBTA President Craig Banikowksi (another note to self - make sure your mic is off before saying 'OK let's get off the stage' - turns out 5,000 of your friends can hear that).
So there you have it.
Anyway, here's some random photos. This past Monday, we met some friends, who were in from San Diego, at Wrigley to watch the San Diego Padres begin their sweep of the Cubs in the first of a three game series. Fun for the San Diegans, more pain for us. It's been a rough season for Cubbies fans. Really rough.
It was a gorgeous summer night! Our friends got a taste of Wrigley's finest too - a massively drunk father and son. Never such creative use of the "F" word have I heard in my life. I did not know it could be used as a noun, verb, adverb, and an adjective all in one sentence. Epic.
It was great to be there with the kids too. The aforementioned drunks had left at this point. Otherwise I would have had them take the picture.And here's a few pictures from my Sally Field "You like me. You really like me!" moment last week at the NBTA Conference in Houston.
One of the banners announcing the award. (Note to self - update the bio photo. Fatty is so fat anymore!)
Making the walk across the stage
Accepting the award with NBTA President Craig Banikowksi (another note to self - make sure your mic is off before saying 'OK let's get off the stage' - turns out 5,000 of your friends can hear that).So there you have it.
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