Well I have been kicking it around for a while now.  I had two posts dissolve into cyber-dust today with weebly.  Now I'm SO DONE with this site.  My blog is going to move.  I am taking the site in a different direction anyway so the time is now.  I'll be changing the name from scootergeek to something else.  I haven't blogged about scooters in so long anyway.

In the meantime I'll be posting any content to the Live.com side here:

http://scootergeek.spaces.live.com/blog/

See you there...

It's a short week and we get another one next week too!  No plans for the Labor Day Weekend, except hanging out.  It's my Birthday on Monday too.  44 if you can believe it!  Going to have a nice dinner out.  No gifts, unless they are cash money, thanks.

I'm back at work after Part 2 of Summer Vacation.  I spent 3 days basking in the sun and fun of Lake Roosevelt.  We boated in and camped on the shore.  It was really a great time.  I'm posting the details on the other blog, so you can read about them there: http://scootergeek.spaces.live.com/blog/.

(Short qualifier; since we planned the trip on Live.com, we posted pics, discussions and blogs there as well for the trip)

Today is kind of quiet so far.  I am waiting on three parts of a project that are due to hit by the end of the day.  Vito is chilling at my feet, I need to make another espresso but I can tell you that -- Autumn is in the Air!

After the sun and heat in Eastern WA, it feels quite 'crisp' this morning.  I'm wearing a fleece because it's just not that warm in the house.  You can feel that Fall is upon us, in other ways too:

   I was at Staples buying ink last night and kids were hard work with mom, shopping for back to school. 

  I thought I saw some trees starting to change on Sunday night on Snoqualmie Pass.

  The resorts and Marinas on the Lake this weekend were totally gearing down, even though they have the last blast coming this weekend.

  Going to the new Westfield Southcenter Mall last weekend, of course the Fall Fashions are out and the Spring/Summer stuff is all on Sale.

  It's cooling off in general.  We still get some warm weather but I need to have the shell of my scooting jacket zipped on for the mornings.

It has been a really good Summer so far.  I didn't get out on the water as much as I would have liked, there are still many good boating days ahead.

I had some time to reflect and recharge out there.  One of the things I am finally coming to grips with is;  I'm trying too hard to do too many things at one time, and not doing any one of them really well.  Except for the job.  Work, copywriting class, quality gym time, Internet Marketing Laboratory - [it's Lab, because I'm not generating any $$, yet], I want to take up Tai Chi again, Play Bocce, Take Vito to the Park, Toss some horseshoes.  Not to mention the nice guitar that's gathering dust in the corner :-(  I have to work in a little gaming now and then too.

My 44th Birthday is coming up.  I'm going to work on re-prioritizing some things in my life.  Go back to basics.  Take care of ME, Work the basics of my new career, (writing now, marketing later) do my best at the office while I'm there, have fun and enjoy life.  It's getting shorter all the time.

Thinking seriously about moving the garage over to wordpress and hosting it on my server.  Weebly has been okay but I continue to experience performance and lag issues with this platform.  I may be stepping from the frying pan into the fire.

I will also have to update all my affiliate links - which is not a huge issue because I'm not getting any $ from them.

One thing Weebly does make it is EASY, when it works.

PortlandTrip!

I just got back from a weekend in Portland Oregon.  It was the first road-trip I have gone on with my son in about 5 or so years.

We used to go up to Port Townsend every year, sometimes twice a year since he was about nine or ten.  It was our place.  Unfortunately there were "no rooms at the inn" this time.  Peak season I think.  I thought "I've never been to Portland" and L had concurred. "Only driven through it". So it was an easy choice.  Plenty to see and do there but we both agreed to keep it easy and no pre-planning.  Just go with the flow.

We arrived somewhat later in the afternoon that I hoped. Checked into the Portland Hilton  (The Original, not the newer tower) and stayed on the 12th floor. We got freshened up and headed out for dinner and drinks.  We found the Lotus Cafe whilst walking around downtown.  It looked like my kind of dive bar and L agreed.  We sat in the bar and had a good time.  I had the Pork Loin but it was very dry.  He had the home-made mac and cheese with chicken on it.  I should have ordered the same.  The bartender made me Arnold Palmers and was up to making an Edmundo for L. (Shot of Bombay Sapphire, served up with a lemon wedge covered in sugar and coffee grounds)  You drink it like a tequila shot.  I would have tried one if I still drank.  After a few more it was time to go.

We walked around downtown some more and ended up in the Old Town/upper downtown area.  Just walking around people watching and site seeing.  We stopped at a smoke shop and got smokes.  I found a Romeo Y Julietta that smoked beautifully.  Then we headed back to the Hotel for some movies and snacks.

Saturday started at Stumptown coffee roasters and was spent doing more sightseeing and a little bit of shopping.  The highlight was the Japanese Garden at Washington Park.  We spent the whole afternoon there.  My favorite place in it, was the Zen Garden.  Most of the pictures I took are from there.  That night we stayed in and ordered pizza from Rocco's Pizza.  A large Meat Combo - Pepperoni, Salami and Italian Sausage. It was much more than we could eat, but one of the best pizzas I have ever (tried to) eat.  I recommend it highly, along with the Lotus if you get there.

Sunday, we tried to hit Voodoo Donuts but the line was stupid long.  Maybe next time when tourist season is slower.  That was about it.  The trip home was uneventful.  Overall it was a good time and it was great to get together with L.  Since our schedules are now both so busy, it means much more to start some new traditions.

As I promised I have a Hilton Hotel Review:
The Room was really small for two men, or even one man I think.  The bed was very comfortable and there were plenty of pillows.  Our 12th floor window looked out over the Public Administration Building, home of Niketown.  The shower was nice and hot with Crabtree & Evelyn bath supplies. I will mention that the sliding door to it, took quite a bit of getting used to. 

The in-room coffee (Lavazza) was pretty standard, really.  I didn't sleep too well either night so it was some appreciated caffeine at any rate.  The front-desk and concierge were great!  Everyone else seemed professional and friendly enough that I didn't really notice.  I guess I would expect as much, being the Hilton. 

The other amenities were nice.  I signed us up for the fitness center and pool facility ($15 for 2 ppl, 2 days).  It's the first hotel I've stayed at that had more than a just a room, with a treadmill and a Weider deLuxe weight machine.  It was as well setup as a small executive health club facility with Precor equipment with the cardio studio overlooking the street, a full sized pool and wet spa, both at the perfect temperature.  Full showers with changing stalls, a luxurious locker room, and swim suit spinner. w00t!

The towels throughout were ample, of high quality and soft to the touch! (Room towels as well!)  There was also a co-ed sauna and steam room, which we made heavy use of.  The staff was friendly and knowledgeable.  I made exclusive use of the Pilates/bodyweight/Yoga room which I very much appreciated.  It made my sticking to fitness, sans weight machines, easy. Unfortunately, I didn't order room service or experience the dining onsite.  I like the hotel enough that I plan to return one day, so we chose to try it out next time.

Scootergeek's summary rating?

4 out of 5 stars for this 3 star hotel.  

It is Recommended for business and pleasure travel.

I'm finally taking some much needed time-off from work this week.  I am going to call it my Staycation.  I think that's a buzz-word for the Summer, with gas prices being high and all, but I digress.

I'm planning on just relaxing:
-Watch some movies
-Hit the gym harder
-Walk with Vito
-Play bocce with the Sons of Italy
-Do nothing

This weekend, I'm going down to Portland with my son, the Art Student. We are staying at The Hilton downtown.  I rented a comfortable car to tool around in.  Our plan is 'no plan' and to take lots of pictures.  Should be really fun.

This time will be split with later in the month where we will travel to Lake Roosevelt in E. Washington for boating and camping.  There will be fire and bacon, bocce on the beach, tubing, sun and fun.  More on this later.

I'll post a Hotel review next week.

Ciao

This blog is a waste of time.  It get hits but no comments.  I'm still doing something wrong I guess.   I'm not giving up though.  An old business associate told me once: "Throw enough mud at the wall, some if it will stick"  What I think is the key is knowing which kind of mud to be slinging out there.

Segue from last post (dark and dreary) I have been trying to lay low and find some balance and harmony.  Focusing on the fitness and taking care of myself is helping.  I'm not as "Driven" to make the $$ online as I was.  I think part of the problem, if not the *whole* problem is I'm really spread too thin in my CHI, QI, MoJo, what have you.  I go in too many directions at once.

My 'JOB' takes much energy and focus.  So does staying on track with the fitness thing.  I'm changing my focus and realizing that I am not going to "Pick up a few quick bucks" online without some serious work promoting my sites out there on the message boards, and other places.

That's time I need for other things especially the Copywriting homework which is also neglected most of the time.  That's a skill that I need to get good at, if I ever expect to make the Internet Marketing thing work.  I'm going to pull back on the Marketing for the time being, work on the CR homework, play some Bocce, Laugh, and take a trip next month.  Things are much better than I think they are.

J and I have made some very good momentum on our fitness so far and I don't want to lose that.   I'm toning up and have not touched a weight machine or barbell.  It amazes me that  people  abandoned  some of the old skool fitness practices and left them for the physical therapy / rehab crowd.  These exercises have so much to offer. It's really awesome to see them making a comeback.

It is back to basics time..

It's amazing to me.  Even after the 3 day weekend, I'm only two days into work and it's driving me nuts.  I want to ease my stress.  I'm also frustrated because I have not been able to keep my 3x a week @ the gym.  The whole reason I joined was to ease the stress.  Not much help if I cannot get my ass in there because I'm working too much.

I haven't heard on my Bump at work yet.  My products are not selling.  I'm drowning in information overload and all the IM gurus want to sell me moremoremore.  I need a break to figure out what the hell I'm really supposed to be doing with my life.  I'm clearly not doing something right.  LOA practice says I have some "blocks" or negative feelings or something.  I thought I flushed them.  Now they are back.  I feel like something bad is going to happen.

It's not what I signed up for.  The fact is nobody really cares anyway.

My whine is done now.  Fuck it.

Last weekend, after several weeks of crappy weather, we finally put out our junque for a garage sale.  I listed the highlighted items and the sale itself on craigslist.  Well it was not only good weather it was the hottest two days of the year.  Needless to say it was too hot for a garage sale, and the first nice days in a while.  People were out at the beach, river or hanging out in air conditioning most likely.

That was Saturday.

Sunday, J and I decided to do something different.  Garage Sale – without the “sale”.  Everything was F R E E.  We talked and decided that what we were really trying to do was get rid of stuff first.  Making money (although not that much) was second. 

Let stuff go.  Clearing, Simplify.  These are the things we are trying to do today.  Needless to say – we had a great turnout.  Down to a carload that went to Goodwill and two things went to the dump.

I was very proud of J.  After growing up with a father that clings to “things” and operated from a perspective paradigm of “Lack” we did the same for most of our marriage.  After all that, she was able to let the stuff go. Easily.  She remarked a couple of times, how liberating it was to see people that could use the stuff take it away.  The genuine gratitude on their faces was the biggest return either one of us could have asked for.  It was great.  The people were polite and very nice.  We got to clear and felt better than if we had made a couple of c-notes.  

I have been trying to practice the Law of Attraction principals in my life.  One of them is to operate from a mindset of abundance, as this will attract more of the same.  When you have enough, wherever you are in life, are satisfied.  It’s easier to say “I Want More” and be detached from the outcome.  This way  “More” will come to you much more easily.  The other principal is to “clear” negative beliefs.  For me personally, I have had some emotional connections to ‘Stuff’.  Not to mention the clutter in my office.  Getting rid of the stuff and the clutter was very clearing for me.  J thought so too.

I highly recommend you try this sometime.