SkyPark Adventures!

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  • How to win friends & influence people

    5 out of 5 stars.  The seminal book on understanding how to get along with people.  Written in 1936 and still every bit as applicable today.  Here are the key points:

    1. Don’t criticize or condemn other people.  Try to understand the other person and have empathy, no matter the situation.  Agree with them, recognize their feelings and statements, then move to what you want.
    2. Give honest and sincere appreciation.  The desire to be great is as powerful as that for food, sex, and sleep.  Give people that feeling.
    3. Arouse want in others.  Got a brilliant idea – let other team members think it’s their own.  Think about what other people want when trying to get them to do something.
    4. Be genuinely interested in other people.  Let people talk about themselves and they’ll be interested in you.  Ask questions.
    5. Talk in terms of other peoples interests.  Makes them interested in the conversation when you do talk.
    6. Remember and say peoples names.  The sweetest word in anyone’s language is their own name.
    7. Smile. Duh!
    8. Make other people feel important – admire something about them or that they have done sincerely.
    9. You can’t win an argument. Arguing only entrenches peoples existing beliefs.
    10. Never say “you’re wrong”.  Understand the other sides position.  Disarm them by agreeing with them.  Listen to why they are upset.  Ask questions.
    11. If you are wrong, admit it quickly. Self criticize and admit your mistake.
    12. Have a problem – begin in a friendly way.  Tell the other side how great they are and what is pleasure it has been to do business.  You’d hate for x to be tarnished and thought they should know…
    13. Get the other person saying yes immediately.  Start small and work up to bigger issues.
    14. Handling complaints: let the other side do most of the talking.
    15. Get cooperation: Let other people think the idea is theirs.
    16. Collect past dues: People want to be honest.  If they are paying it’s usually b/c they are upset about something.  Listen to them, appeal to their nobleness, let them name their price, and collect what they will give.
    17. How to criticize:
      • Begin with praise when criticism must be given.
      • Call attention to peoples mistakes indirectly.
      • Talk about your own mistakes first.
      • Don’t give orders, ask questions.
    18. How to encourage:
      • Praise the slightest improvement and every improvement.
      • Give a dog a good name.  Give the other person a good reputation to live up to.
      • Use encouragement – make the fault seem easy to correct.

  • Skylars first visitors

    All the grandparents came by while we were in the hospital.  The second day was very busy as lots of people were coming and going.  Plus nurses and doctors come by every hour or two to check / probe / update you.  I think half the reason why they do it is to encourage you to leave 🙂

    Here are some shots of Skylar and her visitors.  Apparently she thinks grandpa’s face is funny – so do we, nice pose dad!

  • Skylar’s do

    We are officially 48 hours into being parents and Susan is doing great.  Breast feeding is not as natural an experience as one may think – there isn’t much that we as humans do instinctively, but Susan has got the flow – now we need Skylar to catch on.

    After Skylar was born she didn’t get a bath until about 4:00am.  Prior to her bath I twisted the muck in her hair in beautiful little spikes.  This was my first attempt at doing her hair 🙂  I think I can handle this whole girl thing…

  • Taco’s new sister

    Susan birthed us a new 7 pound furry ball of joy.  This time is wasn’t a chihuahua / Pomeranian but a new baby girl.

    Skylar Sumi Harris was born at 8:06 weighing 7 lbs 11 ounces (7’11) and 20.5 inches long.

    Funny thing was that Susan had been in the hospital earlier that day trying to convince a doctor (any doctor) to spin the baby in what’s called an external version because it was butt down instead of head down.

    She left at 2:30 and three hours later at home her water broke.  So at 5:30 in rush hour traffic on a Monday we went to the hospital.  Less than 3 hours later and out came a baby!

  • Denver Colorado trip

    Shot from the clog wheel train going up Pike's Peak.
    Shot from the clog wheel train going up Pike's Peak.

    This past weekend we visited Denver Colorado for an ABA conference that Susan was attending.  For the first time I stayed in a Ritz Carllton hotel.  The room was large, but not overly impressive and the decorum was nice but again nothing that shocked and awed me.  However, the gym was 3 stories of the hotel, included a rock climbing wall, full court basketball court, whirlpool, and state of the art everything.

    We visited Josh and Sharon, lawyer friends from D.C. who recently moved to Denver.  Thursday night we met them for dinner along with some of their other friends who happened to be in town visiting.  It drizzled Thursday, snowed and rained Friday, and was partially overcast on Saturday.  So much for the second sunniest city in America.

    Susan sharing an empty coffee on Pike's Peak
    Susan sharing an empty coffee on Pike's Peak

    Friday I worked while Susan attended meetings and then we went out for Sushi that night.  Saturday we met up with Sharon (Josh was at his law firms weekend retreat in Sante Fe).  We took a clog wheel train up Pike’s Peak.  Unfortunately we couldn’t make it to the peak because snow had drifted onto the track, but we did make to about 12,000 feet above sea level.

    The most interesting part of the trip was Saturday night when we visited Colorado’s oldest restaurant, the Buckhorn Exchange.  Live animals, 1,700 of them to be exact, peer at you from the walls.  Susan and Sharon were a little spooked out.  Susan feared the hairs from the antelope above our table might fall into her food 🙂

    Cowboys playing music and yodeling at Buckhorn Exchange
    Cowboys playing music and yodeling at Buckhorn Exchange

    While waiting to be seated we listened to cowboys sing songs about cats, the West, and heard some yodeling.  At dinner we ate alligator tail, elk, buffalo, and home made ranch dressing.  Yumm, yumm delicious.  Definitely a man’s man’s restaurant and a must visit for any meat lover.

     

     

     

     

  • Cargadores de Taco

    I don’t know where we get these outfits – honestly, I don’t ask.  Pink sports shoes and matching outfit.  I was laughing so hard that 2/3 of the footage had to be cut because I couldn’t keep the camera still.  Hope you enjoy as much as we did!

  • Taco y nieve

    Taco’s first snow happened to be a big one. It was the snowiest year that I can remember. In December we got 18 inches and about a month later we would get another 26 inches! Plus a few snowfalls inbetween.

    Susan got this outfit from her sister – snowsuit with snow hat included.  Taco thus far has been a fearless doggie, tackling snow, sand, water and whatever comes her way with a large curiosity and complete lack of fear.

    I guess when you only weight 7 pounds you don’t have much to lose 🙂

  • Taco graduates!

    Taco el doggies graduates doggie school magna cum doggie.
    Taco el doggies graduates doggie school magna cum doggie.

    Taco graduated from Doggie training class with all A’s. We would expect nothing less. Happy graduation doggie!

    Taco graduates from doggie training
    Taco graduates from doggie training

  • First Day in Oahu

    Susan and Mason on our first day in Oahu
    Susan and Mason on our first day in Oahu

    Sumi and Keith recently moved from their beach front property to Ford Island.  For you history buffs that’s where the airfield was located that was bombed in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

    The road leading to their house circles the airfield, to the left dilapidated hangers declared as historic monuments sit in the Hawaiian sun, windows shatters and rusting away.

    I woke up early a couple mornings to take pictures of the old air tower.  According to Keith it’s the most haunted building on the island.

    Historic air tower from Pearl Harbor
    Historic air tower from Pearl Harbor

    Ford Island has these brand new and shiny Levitt Townesque homes within 200 yards of the decaying infrastructure of historical pearl harbor .   Definitely a weird dichotomy and a reminder of the fast pace of life and death, Darwinism on a rapidly changing island state.

  • Big Waves

    Surfers on big waves at Sunset Beach Oahua
    Surfers at Sunset Beach Oahu

    This past week I saw in the news that 50 foot waves hit North Shore Oahu (where the world’s biggest surfing competitions are held).  Sumi texted me to let us know she and Keith were heading up there to try and get a first hand look at the insanity.  I’m so jealous!

    Surfers on 20 foot wave at the North Shore.
    Dropping in on the wave

    Our first full day in Oahu, Sumi, Susan, Mason and I drove to the North Shore and got lunch at one of the famous shimp shacks.  On the way we parked on the side of the road for a minute to snap some pics of surfers at sunset beach.

    These are shots I took showing seasoned pro’s surfing 17-20 foot waves.  Can you imaging 50 feet!  That’s like surfing from the top of my office 🙂

    Riding a 20 foot wave at Oahu's North Shore
    Riding a 20 foot wave at Oahu's North Shore