Photos of the Day: Fun in the Snow

Since it's been a while since we've had any good snow (today is supposed to be near 50 degrees and raining) I dug out a few photos from last month.  The kids really love getting out in the backyard for some good snow time.  Enjoy!

NETA in Nashville

A few months ago I was asked to help with UEN's social media presentation at the NETA (National Educational Telecommunication Association - think public TV stations from around the country) conference. Now, I'm always excited to present at a national conference. It's great to show some of the great things we do to a larger audience. Plus, we've worked with the NETA folks for a few years now and they're wonderful. It worked out that Tara could come along, so we were set to head South for a few days.

When you think of the South, you think of warm weather, good food, and great people. We got 2 of the 3 on our recent trip to Nashville. When we touched down in TN on Tuesday there was light snow and it was 20 degrees outside. You would have thought there was a blizzard in town. Schools were shut down for a couple of days and the roads were pretty empty. I guess they're not used to a little powder in the air.

I wish I could tell you that my trip was full of all the sights and sounds of Nashville. In truth, it was mostly full of the sites and sounds of NETA and the Loews Hotel near Vanderbilt. The conference was great. I think our presentation went well, as people said some nice things afterwards. Even though I don't have much to do with the TV side of UEN, it was interesting to learn of the incredible things stations were doing across the country.

A few of highlights surrounding the trip:

1) Jammin' at Hippie Jack's: On Wednesday night NETA put together a fun reception at the Tennessee State Museum. Lots of great food, a chance to tour the museum (they have a mummy from 1300 BC in there - unreal), and a taping of Jammin at Hippie Jack's. This is a local TV show that's going national through all the PBS affiliates (KUEN Channel 9 shows Jammin' at Hippie Jack's on Saturdays at 10:30 pm FYI). After the show we saw, it should. Todd Snider was the act for the night. He's kind of a folksy Americana singer (think Bob Dylan without the mumble). Anyway, he played a collection of songs ranging from Beer Run (my favorite - B double E double R UN) to Tillamook County Jail. I think he mostly spoke while playing guitar, but it was fun and he's a great live act. Definitely one of my favorite parts of the trip.

2) The Parthenon: So Nashville has an exact replica of the Parthenon from Greece. I can't really explain why at the turn of the 20th Century folks from Tennessee decided to built a 5-story replica of an ancient greece monument, but they did. It was massive. There were two levels to the building. The first was mostly historic photos of Nashville and the park where the Parthenon was built. We got to learn a bit of the history surrounding the building.

Then you go to the second floor. As you turn from the stairwell you enter a large open room. Lagre columns stand on either side of you and then you see it. A gigantic 40 foot statue of Athena.

It was creepy!

Think of the scope of the Lincoln Monument, but now put a gold dress and lipstick on it. With a 12 foot snake on her side and the face of Medusa as a breast plate. This was one of the wildest things I've ever seen. Crazy thing is - you can't stop looking at it!


3) The Food: We found a nice mix of food around campus. Even though most of my meals were at the conference, each night Tara and I tried to eat local fare. I think the best meal we ate was at the Pancake Pantry south of Vandy campus. It has been on Travel Channel and Food Network before and now I know why. Famous for - you guessed it - pancakes. The house specialty was a pancake made from sweet potatoes. It was awesome!

Well, that about wraps up my trip. We arrived home earlier tonight and it was time to get back to the routine. I'm glad Tara was able to come with me. Even if we didn't spend a ton of time together during the day, it was fun to hang out and see some of town together at night. NETA was a great conference and it was neat to enjoy a little Southern hospitality.

Freezing

It was so cold on my walk to the bus this morning that my beard froze, literally. I stood at the bus stop and broke icicles from my facial hair. I think I learned two things from this:

1) My beard needs to be trimmed if it's long enough that it retains water from the shower.
2) It is FREEZING in January in Utah before 7 am.

Back to Work

It finally arrived.

The holidays ended.

It was time to go back to work.

Each year I end up taking the final two weeks of December off so I can spend time with the kids and use up the rest of my vacation days.  It's kind of fun to hang out, with no real schedule and enjoy the holidays.  This year I tried to work on various things while I was home.

 I got a few things done.

I should have done a lot more.

Still, I guess I accomplished what I was after.  I spent a ton of time playing with Kennedy, Alex, and Dylan.  We saw our families a ton the past two weeks.  I ate a ton of good, holiday food.

And yes, now I've got a ton of work to do.

Happy New Year

Twenty Eleven, doesn't have the same ring to it, right?

Last night we partied like it was still 2010, and I guess it was, for a while at least. We took the kids over to Alicia's house for a night of food, games, and Ryan Seacrest (talk about something that doesn't have the same ring to it - less Seacrest and more Dick Clark). In spite of the Rockin' Eve changes, we managed to make it to midnight.

I was really surprised but even Dylan was going strong as the new year was born. The kid got his second wind around ten and never let up. Trust me, after chasing him around for a couple hours, I was ready to go to bed.

To celebrate 2011 Alex and I headed outside for sound fireworks and noise makers with some of the other kids. Most everyone stayed inside because it was about 3 degrees when we checked the thermometer! After a few minutes of celebration it was time to pack up the kids and settle in for the night.

Welcome Twenty Eleven, or is it Two Thousand Eleven? Let's just stick with 2011.