divHere is one of the pics from the Calendar shoot. Not sure if it is the one they are going to use. This young man is named Travis and he loves car racing. I took him for a buzz in an a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaWoo82zNUA"Ariel Atom/a. If you've never seen one in action, click on the link to watch what these things can do. We had a blast out at a href="http://www.drivewayaustin.com/"Driveway Austin./a/diva onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dHmav2z1o1o/SjpWBJwD2NI/AAAAAAAAG0k/8goL1eGMK-k/s1600-h/JB04.jpg"img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_dHmav2z1o1o/SjpWBJwD2NI/AAAAAAAAG0k/8goL1eGMK-k/s200/JB04.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348682085253241042" //abr /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dHmav2z1o1o/SjpWAzUe-HI/AAAAAAAAG0c/AjdVhXaR-Z8/s1600-h/JB03.jpg"img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_dHmav2z1o1o/SjpWAzUe-HI/AAAAAAAAG0c/AjdVhXaR-Z8/s200/JB03.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348682079231998066" //abr /a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dHmav2z1o1o/SjpWAjr0NNI/AAAAAAAAG0U/ugdBMLrLfcs/s1600-h/JB02.jpg"img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_dHmav2z1o1o/SjpWAjr0NNI/AAAAAAAAG0U/ugdBMLrLfcs/s200/JB02.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348682075034891474" //abr /divbr //divdivbr //diva onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dHmav2z1o1o/SjoVw0h9otI/AAAAAAAAG0M/69DicVoGs4E/s1600-h/5090_1159278388059_1410763092_435291_3212835_n.jpg"img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_dHmav2z1o1o/SjoVw0h9otI/AAAAAAAAG0M/69DicVoGs4E/s200/5090_1159278388059_1410763092_435291_3212835_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348611435934884562" //adivbr //div
Here is one of the pics from the Calendar shoot. Not sure if it is the one they are going to use. This young man is named Travis and he loves car racing. I took him for a buzz in an Ariel Atom. If you've never seen one in action, click on the link to watch what these things can do. We had a blast out at Driveway Austin.
I was once on over the top, organized, anal-retentive freak. You know, to the point where it was quite annoying. I was pressed, waxed and sporting a handheld label maker with pride. My apartment was always ready for guests on a moments notice. I could have it visitor ready during their elevator ride up to my place. I recall a time when April 15th would roll around and I could pull my files out of my desk, run a report on quicken and my taxes where done. If I needed a receipt for the purchase of a battery from three years ago, I could find it in a heartbeat. My wife remembers that guy and wonders where he went. I donât know where the old JB is, but I can tell you when he left. He departed on November 26th, 2001. This was the day that I became a father and my mind warped and my priorities changed. Parents, you know what Iâm talking about. Those of you who have not yet had children or are expecting, I am about to give you a glimpse into your future.br /br /Let me take you on a little visual tour of my house. Just to be clear and avoid us coming across as slobs, my house is always clean. You could eat off the floor. It just has the distinct markings that a child lives there. Next to our front door youâll always find my daughters backpack, jacket and shoes. Our daughter can slip them off in one fluid motion when she walks in the door. Our living room is filled with extreme toys. Next to our lounge chair is an electric scooter that is charging. Next to the sofa is an electric car that is also charging. On the kitchen table is an remote control helicopter this is, you guessed it, charging. It seems every outlet is filled with a charger of some sort for portable dvd, ipods, DS Nitinendo or something. Whenever we sit on the sofa something needs to be moved, a pogo stick, hulk gloves or possibly and critter from outdoors, being held against itâs will. br /br /I always envisioned a quite office where I could find solitude. Itâs become the most chaotic room in the house. My office has become the office/playroom/family room/exercise room. The shelves meant to organize my work, taxes, books are filled with dinosaurs, board games, and puzzles. Itâs not uncommon to be working in the wee hours of the morning, the only time I am alone, only to have Squeeky the hamster cruise across my keyboard. The exercise equipment that âfolds for easy storageâ has lost its motivation to fold and store. At least itâs being used. On our tour, I can take you quickly from the family room to the bathroom because we have our choice of transportation available anywhere you look; skateboards, bikes, stilts. The bathroom is filled with gimmicks to entertain. When you pull back the shower curtain you literally canât see the bottom of the tub. Itâs a porcelain toy box of squirt guns, dolphins, mermaids and animal shaped bath gels. When I was growing up I donât recall needing scuba gear.br /br /Outside our home isnât much different. We have a small yard filled with nerfs, balls, bats, kites and inflatableâs. Not being much of a judge of size while ordering online, I apparently purchased the largest trampoline known to mankind. You open the door, walk to the end of the deck and all you see is my Ringling Brothers approved larger than life trampoline, leaving no yard whatsoever. Oh well, less mowing. Iâm not sure if our garage is organized or not. Itâs more of a magical David Copperfield sort of trick. Itâs really a mess but itâs all on the ceiling. Using every imaginable hook, shelf and pulley known available at Home Depot, Iâve managed to hang upside down every outdoor sports mechanism you can imagine; a Canoe, tent, surfboard, or fishing gear. What I basically have is an upside down REI. If you can find the right rope you are welcome to borrow anything you like. If you grab the wrong rope, they all come tumbling down.br /br /As crazy and chaotic as this all sounds, itâs also comforting. To walk into our home and find everything perfectly stowed away wouldnât feel right. I fully expect to walk up to the front door with the dog scratching at the glass, as if I hadnât been home in years, even though I just went to the mailbox. I expect the place to look as if a seven year old is loving every minute of being seven in this home, just as they did at six, five, and so on. Dinner wouldnât be the same if there werenât rubber frogs in the chair and fake poo on the table. I wouldnât know what to think if a dvd was actually in the correct case, or in a case at all. br /br /Priorities change when kids start taking those first steps. Itâs almost sad when we box up a years worth of her favorite toys and take it to our storage building, something I said I would NEVER have. We pull out a jumbo marker and write âRaleigh age oneâ and so on accordingly each year. She only gets to be a kid once and I hope she remembers how fun this house was. We always wanted it to be a creative, inspiring place to learn even if it meant mommy and daddy would have army men and jacks permanently embedded in their feet. There will always be plenty of time later in life to return to the old JB, but I donât miss him for now.br /br /I would like to make one last stop on our tour. I would like to show you my car but unfortunately melted crayons have jammed the doorlocks. But if you look inside and to the left youâll see a lovely design made of crushed goldfishâ¦
I was once on over the top, organized, anal-retentive freak. You know, to the point where it was quite annoying. I was pressed, waxed and sporting a handheld label maker with pride. My apartment was always ready for guests on a moments notice. I could have it visitor ready during their elevator ride up to my place. I recall a time when April 15th would roll around and I could pull my files out of my desk, run a report on quicken and my taxes where done. If I needed a receipt for the purchase of a battery from three years ago, I could find it in a heartbeat. My wife remembers that guy and wonders where he went. I donât know where the old JB is, but I can tell you when he left. He departed on November 26th, 2001. This was the day that I became a father and my mind warped and my priorities changed. Parents, you know what Iâm talking about. Those of you who have not yet had children or are expecting, I am about to give you a glimpse into your future.
Let me take you on a little visual tour of my house. Just to be clear and avoid us coming across as slobs, my house is always clean. You could eat off the floor. It just has the distinct markings that a child lives there. Next to our front door youâll always find my daughters backpack, jacket and shoes. Our daughter can slip them off in one fluid motion when she walks in the door. Our living room is filled with extreme toys. Next to our lounge chair is an electric scooter that is charging. Next to the sofa is an electric car that is also charging. On the kitchen table is an remote control helicopter this is, you guessed it, charging. It seems every outlet is filled with a charger of some sort for portable dvd, ipods, DS Nitinendo or something. Whenever we sit on the sofa something needs to be moved, a pogo stick, hulk gloves or possibly and critter from outdoors, being held against itâs will.
I always envisioned a quite office where I could find solitude. Itâs become the most chaotic room in the house. My office has become the office/playroom/family room/exercise room. The shelves meant to organize my work, taxes, books are filled with dinosaurs, board games, and puzzles. Itâs not uncommon to be working in the wee hours of the morning, the only time I am alone, only to have Squeeky the hamster cruise across my keyboard. The exercise equipment that âfolds for easy storageâ has lost its motivation to fold and store. At least itâs being used. On our tour, I can take you quickly from the family room to the bathroom because we have our choice of transportation available anywhere you look; skateboards, bikes, stilts. The bathroom is filled with gimmicks to entertain. When you pull back the shower curtain you literally canât see the bottom of the tub. Itâs a porcelain toy box of squirt guns, dolphins, mermaids and animal shaped bath gels. When I was growing up I donât recall needing scuba gear.
Outside our home isnât much different. We have a small yard filled with nerfs, balls, bats, kites and inflatableâs. Not being much of a judge of size while ordering online, I apparently purchased the largest trampoline known to mankind. You open the door, walk to the end of the deck and all you see is my Ringling Brothers approved larger than life trampoline, leaving no yard whatsoever. Oh well, less mowing. Iâm not sure if our garage is organized or not. Itâs more of a magical David Copperfield sort of trick. Itâs really a mess but itâs all on the ceiling. Using every imaginable hook, shelf and pulley known available at Home Depot, Iâve managed to hang upside down every outdoor sports mechanism you can imagine; a Canoe, tent, surfboard, or fishing gear. What I basically have is an upside down REI. If you can find the right rope you are welcome to borrow anything you like. If you grab the wrong rope, they all come tumbling down.
As crazy and chaotic as this all sounds, itâs also comforting. To walk into our home and find everything perfectly stowed away wouldnât feel right. I fully expect to walk up to the front door with the dog scratching at the glass, as if I hadnât been home in years, even though I just went to the mailbox. I expect the place to look as if a seven year old is loving every minute of being seven in this home, just as they did at six, five, and so on. Dinner wouldnât be the same if there werenât rubber frogs in the chair and fake poo on the table. I wouldnât know what to think if a dvd was actually in the correct case, or in a case at all.
Priorities change when kids start taking those first steps. Itâs almost sad when we box up a years worth of her favorite toys and take it to our storage building, something I said I would NEVER have. We pull out a jumbo marker and write âRaleigh age oneâ and so on accordingly each year. She only gets to be a kid once and I hope she remembers how fun this house was. We always wanted it to be a creative, inspiring place to learn even if it meant mommy and daddy would have army men and jacks permanently embedded in their feet. There will always be plenty of time later in life to return to the old JB, but I donât miss him for now.
I would like to make one last stop on our tour. I would like to show you my car but unfortunately melted crayons have jammed the doorlocks. But if you look inside and to the left youâll see a lovely design made of crushed goldfishâ¦
Just in case you missed it. :)br /br /br /âIâm sorry honey, I completely underestimated the purpose of your closet and I will do everything within my power to respect your space, your things and the overall sacredness that is YOUR closet.âbr /br /My wife would be thrilled if I wrote that statement 100 times on a giant chalkboard, but the problem is⦠itâs not going to happen. I hate to further perpetuate the obvious differences between men and women, but the way we think of our closets is a big one. Itâs hard for me to get our brains around how women feel about their closets. The key word is âfeelâ. Itâs complicatedbr /br /To men, there is no attachment to a closet. Itâs a space where we shove our stuff. I literally mean, shove our stuff in there. It starts when we are kids. Mom says to clean up your room or you canât watch Monday Night Football. So, we scoop everything up into our arms and shove it into the closet. As soon as you open it, baseballs, basketballs, skateboards and race car sets come tumbling down. We never really outgrow this. Our closet is eternally a hidden space to hide things for a surprise inspection. br /br /I have talked to several adult women about their relationships with their closets. They were all very passionate about the things they love and hate. I found them all very interesting.br /br /I was shocked at the number of married couples that donât share a closet. Some because they are well off and have the his/hers setup, just off the master bedroom. More often they have the setup that means she got the master closet and he gets dressed somewhere else. I donât think she really cares where. The men that are not in the master closet are typically newlyweds that are so fresh, excited and willing to please their new bride they make this move right off the bat. Bad idea guys. You will spend years trying to fight your way back into the master, especially when you find yourself sharing space with your toddler. It doesnât really make a man feel like a power executive when he accidentally tries on his three year olds Spiderman undies. I was in the guest room as a newlywed, didnât want to wake up my new bride with my early hours. I still love her, donât get me wrong, but sheâs the first person Iâm waking up if I canât find my keys.br /br /Women love to be able to see every single pair of shoes they own at a glance. This takes a lot of space. This problem has arisen from the shoe boutiques that display their items in what I call âshoe condoâsâ. Little private residences for your footwear. Women want this same sort of glam treatment for their shoes at home. For most, this is not very realistic, so we go to The Container Store on mission to organize our closets. I have a theory on those shelving systems they sell. The only oneâs that have ever been built and actually exist as a complete setup are the ones on display in the store. When you attempt to replicate this in your home closet, the boxes you buy that are supposed to mimick these systems are just misc spare parts that are not intended to go together whatsoever. How many of us have fallen for the Elf system, only to be left on our closet floor in the fetal position wimpering?br /br /Women like to break down their closet into specific sections, casual, dresses, t-shirts, jeans, etcâ¦br /They are way off base with their labeling. If they were being honest their sections would be more like this; fat clothes, skinny clothes, out of style, too fancy, not fancy enough, not mine, shows too much cleavage, donât know why I still have this, all of my friends have seen me in the recently, and letâs not forget the stained/ripped/torn needs attention section.br /br /All women love the concept of having something new in their closet that they have NEVER worn, preferably still with the tag on it. It makes them feel special. Iâve found an easy, affordable remedy for this situation. I make the rounds to all the finer boutiques in town with some fresh cupcakes. I offer the cakes in exchange for some high priced tags which I take home and attach to my wifeâs old clothing. Women will either fall for this or think they are going crazy. Either way, itâs entertaining.br /br /Iâve always been fascinated with the number of purses women will keep. They typically take up all the upper shelf space in their closets. They hang on to them forever knowing full well that they are never going to go back to an older purse. Why wonât they part with these things? Have you ever given any thought to the amount of money women will drop on designer purses? Iâve always been perplexed by the fact that women will spend far more on a container for their money than the amount of money they posses. Thatâs completely illogical and unreasonable. Of course, if I wanted logic and reason, I could just marry my computer. The day they design a computer with breasts, women are in trouble. br /br /I know there are a lot of other things my wife would like for our closet, besides me moving outside into a Rubbermaid shed. Just to name a few, I think she would like twice the size, a full length mirror with rotating stage, a balance bar on the wall, matching hangers throughout (a chick thing and completely ridiculous), a lock on the door to keep me and the kid out, a tv, a pedicurist, a chocolate fountain, a hot tub, a young shirtless towel boy for when she steps out of the hot tub, and live performances from latin boy bands on the weekend and/or Oprah. Other than that, I think she loves our closet.
âIâm sorry honey, I completely underestimated the purpose of your closet and I will do everything within my power to respect your space, your things and the overall sacredness that is YOUR closet.â
My wife would be thrilled if I wrote that statement 100 times on a giant chalkboard, but the problem is⦠itâs not going to happen. I hate to further perpetuate the obvious differences between men and women, but the way we think of our closets is a big one. Itâs hard for me to get our brains around how women feel about their closets. The key word is âfeelâ. Itâs complicated
To men, there is no attachment to a closet. Itâs a space where we shove our stuff. I literally mean, shove our stuff in there. It starts when we are kids. Mom says to clean up your room or you canât watch Monday Night Football. So, we scoop everything up into our arms and shove it into the closet. As soon as you open it, baseballs, basketballs, skateboards and race car sets come tumbling down. We never really outgrow this. Our closet is eternally a hidden space to hide things for a surprise inspection.
I have talked to several adult women about their relationships with their closets. They were all very passionate about the things they love and hate. I found them all very interesting.
I was shocked at the number of married couples that donât share a closet. Some because they are well off and have the his/hers setup, just off the master bedroom. More often they have the setup that means she got the master closet and he gets dressed somewhere else. I donât think she really cares where. The men that are not in the master closet are typically newlyweds that are so fresh, excited and willing to please their new bride they make this move right off the bat. Bad idea guys. You will spend years trying to fight your way back into the master, especially when you find yourself sharing space with your toddler. It doesnât really make a man feel like a power executive when he accidentally tries on his three year olds Spiderman undies. I was in the guest room as a newlywed, didnât want to wake up my new bride with my early hours. I still love her, donât get me wrong, but sheâs the first person Iâm waking up if I canât find my keys.
Women love to be able to see every single pair of shoes they own at a glance. This takes a lot of space. This problem has arisen from the shoe boutiques that display their items in what I call âshoe condoâsâ. Little private residences for your footwear. Women want this same sort of glam treatment for their shoes at home. For most, this is not very realistic, so we go to The Container Store on mission to organize our closets. I have a theory on those shelving systems they sell. The only oneâs that have ever been built and actually exist as a complete setup are the ones on display in the store. When you attempt to replicate this in your home closet, the boxes you buy that are supposed to mimick these systems are just misc spare parts that are not intended to go together whatsoever. How many of us have fallen for the Elf system, only to be left on our closet floor in the fetal position wimpering?
Women like to break down their closet into specific sections, casual, dresses, t-shirts, jeans, etc⦠They are way off base with their labeling. If they were being honest their sections would be more like this; fat clothes, skinny clothes, out of style, too fancy, not fancy enough, not mine, shows too much cleavage, donât know why I still have this, all of my friends have seen me in the recently, and letâs not forget the stained/ripped/torn needs attention section.
All women love the concept of having something new in their closet that they have NEVER worn, preferably still with the tag on it. It makes them feel special. Iâve found an easy, affordable remedy for this situation. I make the rounds to all the finer boutiques in town with some fresh cupcakes. I offer the cakes in exchange for some high priced tags which I take home and attach to my wifeâs old clothing. Women will either fall for this or think they are going crazy. Either way, itâs entertaining.
Iâve always been fascinated with the number of purses women will keep. They typically take up all the upper shelf space in their closets. They hang on to them forever knowing full well that they are never going to go back to an older purse. Why wonât they part with these things? Have you ever given any thought to the amount of money women will drop on designer purses? Iâve always been perplexed by the fact that women will spend far more on a container for their money than the amount of money they posses. Thatâs completely illogical and unreasonable. Of course, if I wanted logic and reason, I could just marry my computer. The day they design a computer with breasts, women are in trouble.
I know there are a lot of other things my wife would like for our closet, besides me moving outside into a Rubbermaid shed. Just to name a few, I think she would like twice the size, a full length mirror with rotating stage, a balance bar on the wall, matching hangers throughout (a chick thing and completely ridiculous), a lock on the door to keep me and the kid out, a tv, a pedicurist, a chocolate fountain, a hot tub, a young shirtless towel boy for when she steps out of the hot tub, and live performances from latin boy bands on the weekend and/or Oprah. Other than that, I think she loves our closet.
Hanging out at Driveway Austin on Sunday and my friend Bill taught me to do a reverse 180 in the car. This is the cool hollywood move where you haul ass in reverse, spin your car 180 degrees and then punch it forward. Check it out. Â divbr //divobject width="320" height="266" class="BLOG_video_class" id="BLOG_video-fd4f981e07018198" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"param name="movie" value="http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fv4.nonxt2.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3Dfd4f981e07018198%26itag%3D5%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26app%3Dblogger%26et%3Dplay%26el%3DEMBEDDED%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1276325523%26sparams%3Did%252Citag%252Cip%252Cipbits%252Cexpire%26signature%3D6D6592F88B0ABB84724C03B807F6CFDB68CE7C66.EAB060DB14AE962E4630D308836B5B81A52BBCD%26key%3Dck1amp;thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Dfd4f981e07018198%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3DTJtWGtdKd9ONYkrYNRJ-yBxGc9oamp;messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Denamp;nogvlm=1"param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.blogger.com/img/videoplayer.swf?videoUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fv4.nonxt2.googlevideo.com%2Fvideoplayback%3Fid%3Dfd4f981e07018198%26itag%3D5%26begin%3D0%26len%3D86400000%26app%3Dblogger%26et%3Dplay%26el%3DEMBEDDED%26ip%3D0.0.0.0%26ipbits%3D0%26expire%3D1276325523%26sparams%3Did%252Citag%252Cip%252Cipbits%252Cexpire%26signature%3D6D6592F88B0ABB84724C03B807F6CFDB68CE7C66.EAB060DB14AE962E4630D308836B5B81A52BBCD%26key%3Dck1amp;thumbnailUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo.google.com%2FThumbnailServer2%3Fapp%3Dblogger%26contentid%3Dfd4f981e07018198%26offsetms%3D5000%26itag%3Dw320%26sigh%3DTJtWGtdKd9ONYkrYNRJ-yBxGc9oamp;messagesUrl=video.google.com%2FFlashUiStrings.xlb%3Fframe%3Dflashstrings%26hl%3Denamp;nogvlm=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"/embed/object
Hanging out at Driveway Austin on Sunday and my friend Bill taught me to do a reverse 180 in the car. This is the cool hollywood move where you haul ass in reverse, spin your car 180 degrees and then punch it forward. Check it out. Â
