Officially autumn

Oh, it's that time of the year again: crisp air, crunchy leaves and fantasy football.

I love playing fantasy football. The drafts, the smack talk, the problem of coming up with a good name for one's team...

The ubiquitous nature of the Internet has changed the face of fantasy sports. No more manual labor with calculating points. Drafts are done in real time. You have choices about which type of league you want to be in, how the scoring is set up and what website to use. Add in countless commentators giving you weekly predictions and the sum equals a game that could be played by my 4-year-old niece, who would likely have as much--if not more--success than I do. I am a rational person and I know this to be true. And yet, I am sucked in by the pseudo-competition.

Lest you think I have completely lost my marbles, I lobby for responsible fantasy team ownership. Is there such a thing as "too much of a good thing?" I say yes. After more than two leagues, I think they start to cancel each other out. You can't remember who you have on your teams or if you do, it's because you have a massive notebook with the team rosters and too much time on your hands. :)

This is the day

Last weekend, my brother got married. Aren't they beautiful?



The bride and groom with their nieces and nephews.



Autumn made a surprise appearance for the day (it snowed the night before) and brought along the sun. My father preached on Psalm 118:24 for the ceremony. The afternoon was filled with photographs, cake and lots of smiles and a few tears. The evening brought a lovely video of the new couple, an informal home-cooked meal, a fabulous speech by the best man, lots of visiting with family and friends and more smiles and tears.

"This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24

Chippewa Valley Code Camp

I'm preparing a presentation on usability for the upcoming Chippewa Valley Code Camp. CVCC is a free, one day conference with three different learning tracks. The conference is geared towards software programmers and developers. If this is something you are interested in, I encourage you to check it out. Maybe I'll see you there!

Twilight confession

If you haven't heard of the Twilight book series by Stephenie Meyer, you might be accused of living under a rock! Meyer's series of four books is targeted at the young adult market. It's really only existed peripherally for me until very recently. I'd see references to it on magazine covers and in newspaper articles and in Facebook flair. I just had to shake my head at the passionate debates the books inspired in fans. Edward vs. Jacob? Really? I was in Borders the other day and they had the most ostentatious display of Twilight merchandise. I wish I'd had my camera with me. Books, CDs, lunch boxes, pins, posters, chocolates, it was so funny.

I began to pick up hints that people over the age of 14 also liked the books, so last week I checked Twilight out of the library. I was skeptical despite the recommendation of my friends. I was amazed at how much I enjoyed the story. I couldn't put it down. Yes, I've gone over to the dark side. Oh wait, that's Star Wars. :)

Superpowers

I love superhero movies. When X-men came out, my friend Leah and I had a debate. If you could have a superpower, what would it be? Leah chose shape-shifting. I decided on telekinesis. (We both agreed that controlling the weather wouldn't be that great.)

In real life, my talent isn't as flashy as telekinesis. I'm a good speller. I subconsciously proofread everything I read. At a park a few weeks ago, I saw this sign and captured it for posterity. Do you see why? :)

Free speech

I was blown away by this succinct quote in the preface of Jeffery Deaver's latest fiction novel:

"What the Internet and its cult of anonymity do is to provide a blanket sort of immunity for anybody who wants to say anything about anybody else, and it would be difficult in this sense to think of a more morally deformed exploitation of the concept of free speech." -Richard Bernstein in The New York Times

I completely agree.

New use for business cards

I had lunch with two of my sisters last week. As I was giving them the update on my business, I showed them my new business cards. The conversation stopped abruptly when we happened to glance at my niece Sophia. She was eating a business card. I'll admit I didn't have this particular use in mind when I designed them. :)