A Little Holiday Style

V Style Layering has to be complimentary on all accounts

I was toying with a few articles in my wardrobe one morning, it was chilled outside, but nothing worth a leather or wool jacket/coat but certainly worthy of a sweater. I'd been having this 120's wool full zip sweater in my possession for a while but had not yet merited an outing worthy of it's accompaniment. After buttoning the grey Jos. A. Bank Executive shirt and swiftly tying a turquoise tie with white and brown polka dots compliments of Salvatore Ferragamo, I began looking for the missing link. It came with a cashmere maroon/burgundy sweater vest by Pronto Uomo and here was my opportunity for this wool Jos. A Bank Zip Sweater to bring it together for me. When wearing a sweater vest, it is imperative to pair any outer wear according to that sweater vests' drape/silhouette. Given the V style from collar to vest, it was only fitting I do a full zip (although a 3/4 zip would've sufficed) for the necklines denouemont.

The Perfect Fall

It's important not to over-think slacks in this situation or ever for that matter (traditional navy blue Canali), but your shoes... that's where creativity is at it's most assertive. There were a few options I had at my leisure, the first was a pair of brown chelsea style boots by Donald Pliner, a python boot I've owned for years, always a great look; I had also a pair of antique calf amber Romano Martegani, a hard to come by shoe, but if it's in you, I strongly recommend them. But for the final choice I went with a very classic cap toe Donald Pliner Radley-61 antique calf. These shoes are 8 years old, but thanks to shoes trees and a little OCD, I can keep them looking great all the time. The color is what sold me on these, as it extended the simplicity of the vest through the entire outfit with a design as classic as they are stylish.

An ideal Crescendo for Time...

Playing with colours

I was given this beautiful sweater as a Christmas gift from my mom, I am still to this moment impressed by its color. You can imagine my surprise to learn it's a Merona from Target, so I pair it with a Pink and White Ghilardi dress shirt.

For all your shopping needs in the Greater Lafayette area, please visit F Camalo Men's Wear in the Oil Center. Frank (owner) is the best dressed man I know, and if I aspire to be dressed the best, I must address the best.

P.S. Just picked up a new Ralph Lauren Suit, photos to come, no it's not a Purple Label, but one day....

Dayton Marze Signs with Blue Jays

Dayton Marze

Approximately one month ago we hired a young man here at Seatrax Marine Cranes by the name of Dayton Marze. Dayton is a wonderfully intelligent and athletically sound individual with quite the story behind him. Dayton is/was the closing Pitcher for University of Louisiana at Lafayette for the past two years, with an amazing record to boot. Upon my interaction with Dayton I found out he was signing a contract to play baseball with the Toronto Blue Jays and was leaving for training camp in March. Taken back by his poise and nonchalance in this statement, I found this staggering 21 year old was more mature than his youthful exuberance lead on. Drafted by the Blue Jays in the 14th round, 426th overall, Dayton was the #39 best prospect for the Jays in the Jays Journal top prospects and picks. He signed his contract with a guaranteed paid education and a cost of $112,500. You can read his entire article here. All of his stats and accolades are listed there. A very well written article complimenting and accentuating the greatness Dayton has brought to the forefront of ULL's success and his own personal success. Although my words in this article and meant to promote the talents and support we here in Lafayette should have for a local going Pro, don't be mislead, Dayton is quite the character. He's a thrill junkie, no other ways to describe him, I will spare the details of some the stories he's shared with me suffice it to say, he would find himself in comfortable company with the likes of Steve-O and Johnny Knoxville in an episode of Jack Ass.

Ever Wanted a Yeti Cooler...

Ever wanted a Yeti Cooler but couldn't justify the price? Yeti is the only cooler in the world to be Grizzly Bear Approved.

Conversation

Me: Eden, baby let me wipe your face please!?
Eden: Wait daddy, you gonna wipe off my lipsticks!
Me: Oh I'm sorry, we can redo it, I promise.
Eden: (now crying) But daddy I just did it and you're gonna wipe it off, please don't wipe it off daddy!!!!
Me: But baby your face is crusty, let's go redo your make-up princess...
Eden: (sniffling) O-o-o-o-o.....ok.

Tournament Champs

We had a great weekend here at STM Kawanis Tournament. We out scored
our challengers 19-2 this weekend. Both goals against were in the
finals against Vanderbilt. Puttin more hardware in the case at LHS, I
think I'm spoiled with these freshman classes I've been having. After
taking a year off I feel honored to be rewarded with such an amazing
squad upon my return.

Typical Morning at Seatrax

I've had a weight problem since I've started here at Seatrax. This is
a pretty good indication as to why. Boudin, cracklin', boudin balls,
cake, kolaches (not pictured bc they're all gone), and icing cookies
all make for a wonderful breakfast. I do my best to avoid indulging
every morning (I failed epically today) but I'd be rude to not
acquiesce to my reps' offererings. So every now and again I partake in
the morning ambrosia in an effort to pass some early morning time.

YMCA Bans Santa in California

A YMCA in California says that Santa is a member of the Christian Community and is not inclusive enough for all of the kids because of his Christian heritage. They want to be more inclusive and non-offensive so they are banning Santa and bringing in Frosty the Snowman to appeal to all the kids. Here is my qualm, YMCA stands for "Young Men's Christian Association" . I'm an atheist and I find this preposterous. How pathetic and cowardice to deny the very foundation of your organization, which has been around since 1809, for the sake of a bunch of pufters who refuse to assimilate or just ignore the basis of certain rituals and/or traditions. My daughter goes to a Christian School, my wife is a devout Christian, just because my beliefs don't necessarily adapt to theirs doesn't mean the world is over. I feel, as of late, that we are slowly becoming a country not of our own origins. America was founded and built to escape the tyranny of Totalitarian and Dictatorship style governments. Socialism was not in the foundation of America, but it has most certainly become more and more prevalent in our society today. We, at one time, were a county of Neo-Judaic philosophy, of Christian Theology. There was a time when kids were allowed to practice their religions without the fear of persecution, such is the foundation of our country. Now our freedoms are snuffed by overzealous right and left wing douche bags for the sake of fairness. Fairness for whom? Is it not the speakers of Islam and Christianity that are offending the patrons of Islam and Christianity. Islam, is an Arabic word meaning, "to be submissive" but it seems that our country, our traditions, our theories, our philosophies are the ones being sacrificed in the name of submissiveness. If you live in America and choose to practice the Muslim faith, you are most entitled to that lifestyle choice, if you are a Christian, you too are permitted the freedom of religion, and the Atheists have their place to be who they want to be, but to come out against another person for what they believe or don't believe is absurd. If you don't like Joel Olsteen on your television, then don't watch that channel. I don't want my daughter watching certain cartoons, do I call and protest the television stations and the creators of the show, no, I just don't let her watch those stations. It is absolutely perplexing how freedoms can go one direction for one group of people, but not for another, it begs the question, what is freedom? Miriam-Webster defines freedom as: the quality of state of being free, a political right. Very vague and ambiguous. But nonetheless we as people once possessed a freedom that was indeed free, and everyday our politicians are taking it away from us one day at a time. It will only be a matter of time until we are warned about our Prayers before our soccer games at Lafayette High School, or the prayers we have on my club team with CSC. I allow my kids this freedom, this Divine Right, for it is the way in which they were brought up, who am I to take that away from them? If I move to Palestine, and my family is a Christian family, I will most assuredly not attempt to remove Muhammad from the curriculum they teach. Public schools can teach you about Darwinism and Confucius (two men whom I study diligently) but mention the name Jesus Christ or speak a mere ounce of his work and there will be an uproar from some enraged moronic parent. They justify this by stating the offensive nature of the material to non-Christians, then there is the argument of separation between church and state. Allow me to clarify the concept of separation of church and state. It signifies the distant between organized religions and the nation state, by in which, no state shall name themselves as a specific religion. Louisiana cannot, under "constitution" (remember this phrase), claim to be a Christian, Muslim, Nihilistic, or any religion State. The term has been misconstrued and distorted for years. It was first written by Thomas Jefferson to the Dansbury Baptist's Association in 1802. The original text reads, "...I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State." The phrase was quoted by the Supreme Court in 1878 and then again in a series of cases starting in 1947, but this phrase is not and cannot be found in the U.S. Constitution. Now, the First Amendment does state, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." 


We have come to quite a crossroads as Americans. The world is laughing at us. We have organizations to protest other organizations. I'll be honest, it's embarrassing. When I read a story of a 6th grade boy in California who put an American Flag on his bicycle on Veterans Day in support of his fallen Grandfather and then gets threatened with suspension if he does it again because it offends the Muslims, and Jews in the school, it breaks my heart. 

Saints Oust the Rams 31-13

I had the pleasure of attending the saints game last night with my boss, his buddy Tim and a good client and friend Mike. We sat in section 134 at the field entrance/exit for the saints. At one point I was able to reach down and touch the helmets of the players as they entered the field. It was amazing. The atmosphere was tremendous. It's easy to see how people can get addicted to this lifestyle of game going. I had a wonderfully exciting experience, to top it off, the Saints won pretty handily. Another cool point is, for the New Orleans Rock & Roll Half Marathon, if I use the coupon code "saints" I will get a discount of however many points the Saints won by. So if I register now, I will get $18 discount off of my registration. Pretty cool. I researched this for other cities that host a Rock & Roll event, and Dallas only gives a max of $9 credit. HAHAHAHA!!!!

Classic Dilbert

It's Official, Eden has a Sibling on the Way

My wife and I are proud to announce the coming of our second child. The unofficial due date is July 20, 2011. That's 3 weeks after Eden's birthday and 2 days after my Ashley's birthday, and 19 days before my birthday. So it'll make for some fun summers in the future.

The Orange Tree

Eden learning to twist off the "Onjarange"

The animals don't waste.

We have a beautiful Orange Tree in our yard, that has produced amazingly sweet oranges over the past 3 years for us. As we returned from our morning activities Eden asked, "can we go pick some Onjaranges daddy?" Although cold, it was a beautiful morning so there was no hesitation to say yes. Furthermore, across the street was a burning Sugar Cane field, a smell both my wife and I love. So with a bit of warmth behind us we picked to our hearts content. I lost count somewhere around 125, but that's the number of oranges I counted whilst walking around the tree. I guess there is around 175 in total. I can't seem to pick them all, but the squirrel's and Racoon's absolutely love them. Thusly, I will comply to sharing.

Sunday Morning Track Workout

 This morning I decided I would give in to my crave to go at a few track workouts at St. Martinville Senior High School's track which is open to the public. I haven't run from a sprint position in a while, but felt pretty good on all my starts. I ran 4x400's, 5x100's, and 5x200's. I tried to keep my pace consistent. After my San Antonio Half Marathon I am really interested in increasing my times. I think/hope this is the answer.

Really Big French Fry

Me and Fam went to see "Tangled" tonight and post haste Eden was wanting to go eat Waffle House. Well on  our way in she thought she would show me, "a huge french fry". She was in awe over how big this French Fry was. It was hilarious to watch her gleam over this phenomena.

Bridges

I have been a big fan of a website called thechive.com. Most of their website is NSFW but this most recent post was amazing. They had users take pics of their daily drives over bridges to work, very nice. View more here.

FIFA Announces WC Bid Winners

2018 - Russia (not going)
2022 - Qatar (not going)

Another Danny Macaskill Video (aptly named cyclist)

Danny went home for this video, this is the journey from Edinburgh to the Isle Of Skye where he is from. Enjoy this eight minutes of brilliance.

Breesus, Sportsman of the Year 2010

Indeed a well deserved titled for a most deserved individual. I can't say that I am surprised at this accolade awarded to such a leader and inspirational figure. Although I am not a huge American Football fan, I do respect the athleticism of the industry and furthermore the accomplishments of a team such as the Saints, especially in lieu of their most recent troubles i.e. Hurricane Katrina. The full article is here.

Congrats to Drew Brees and the Saints for a great post Super Bowl season and a clear road to another Championship.

Rush Limbaugh Lashes Out Against Motor Trend Magazine

In a recent radio blast, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh questioned, better yet, removed all credibility from Motor Trend magazine when they gave the Chevy Volt the "Car of the Year" award. Rush had this to say, "Of all the cars in the world, the Chevrolet Volt is the Car of the Year?" scoffed Limbaugh on his show last week. "Motor Trend magazine, that’s the end of them. How in the world do they have any credibility? Not one has been sold."

The following response was found on Motor Trends website from editor Todd Lassa: (spoiler, the last line makes the read all worth it)

"Assuming you’ve been anywhere near the biggest automotive technological breakthrough since … I don’t know, maybe the self-starter, could you even find your way to the front seat? Or are you happy attacking a car that you’ve never even seen in person?

Last time you ranted about the Volt, you got confused about the “range,” and said on the air that the car could be driven no more than 40 miles at a time, period. At least you stayed away from that issue this time, but you continue to attack it as the car only a tree hugging, Obama-supporting Government Motors customer would want. As radio loudmouths like you would note, none of those potential customers were to be found after November 2.

Back to us for a moment, our credibility, Mr. Limbaugh, comes from actually driving and testing the car, and understanding its advanced technology. It comes from driving and testing virtually every new car sold, and from doing this once a year with all the all-new or significantly improved models all at the same time. We test, make judgments and write about things we understand.
....
If you can stop shilling for your favorite political party long enough to go for a drive, you might really enjoy the Chevy Volt. I’m sure GM would be happy to lend you one for the weekend. Just remember: driving and Oxycontin don’t mix."

Conversation

Eden has not been feeling well and is very temperamental, she is looking for every excuse to have her way or a temper tantrum will ensue. We had the following conversation this evening. In an effort to console as best I can without being a push over parent:
Eden: Daddy (cheerfully)? Can I have some milk please?
Daddy: Of course baby, let's go get some, thank you for having good manners.
Eden: Can I pour the milk please daddy?
Daddy: Sure thing angel face.
(milk is poured)
Daddy: Ok baby, let's go to bed...
Eden: I don't want to go to bed (smiling cheerfully as though a victory has been had)
Daddy: Well Eden, you know very well that when we have milk it's night night time, so either we go to bed, or the milk goes back in the fridge.
Eden: (crying hysterically) I don't want my milk daddy!!!! I don't want my milk anymore daddy!!!!!

Ahhhh the pleasures of parenthood, although I was quite impressed that she was able to make the relationship between not having the milk and going to bed.

Happy 2nd Anniversary

Happy Anniversary Ashley. We have successfully completed 2 years of bliss, or something like it. I love you and wish you all the best. Thanks for a wonderful marriage and being a wonderful wife and mother.

Science of Sunglasses Oakley's Rolling O Lab

This is some pretty genius stuff, I can finally justify my $250.00 Jawbone's. If you have 5 minutes, please watch this.

Achiote Cafe/CVS On The River

Jeremy and I had lunch on Saturday at Achiote Cafe, an exquisite Spanish Restaurant in the basement floor of the Grand Hyatt on the River. There were Gondola rides going through the river, it was beautiful. This was the view from our table, a little off from our exact table location, but you get the general idea of how picturesque it may have been. The birds were clearly no stranger to this establishment as we dinned near there habitat, the photo of the chair is of a bird eating bread crumbs off of the chair not 5 feet away from our table. It was hilarious. The birds would just hang out waiting for customers to leave, an impromptu bus boy.





With very little introduction needed, this is the CVS...on the river...

This is the entrance/exit to the CVS River Walk. I must have gone 4 times on Saturday just to take in the view. We walked everywhere because everything you need is close, and it's all worth the view.

The Trip To San Antonio

If you've never been, I strongly recommend a vacation there. It is absolutely beautiful.



Jeremy and I stayed here at the Menger Hotel, also known as the "Haunted Hotel" which was built in 1859. These photos do nothing for the beauty that this hotel represents. The rooms are all very old and operate as you would expect an old room to operate.




These photos are from the 1st floor of the hotel, all original very old artifacts that are indicative of the history this town has.


This is the entrance to The Alamo from my room window. I didn't get a chance to go. Photos as of why to come in a bit.

Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon San Antonio

This past Sunday I found myself in a pretty interesting situation. I was scheduled to run a 1/2 Marathon in San Antonio with my good friend Jeremy Zenon. We had been discussing this race for a while and been training just as long. I have been training for a sub 2 hr, specifically 1:59:59 which meant I had to find a 9:09 pace per mile. I trained within those perimeters yet failed to take into account the hills that San Antonio had to offer. The whistle went off and Jeremy and I took off. I felt great, first mile was a 7:59, I scaled back to a 8:54 for mile 2. I felt really good running a sub 9 minute split for the first 8 miles. Then the hills really picked up, and after mile 11 I started charlie horsing, badly. I had to stop twice. My pace suffered, I was psychologically spent, my feet felt smashed to bits from the up hill running. One hill was over 500 feet with an 8% grade (guessing with possible embellishment). There was no end in sight for me, I gave myself 1,000 reasons why I should stop. Then a woman ran along side me, put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Son, you made it this far, I saw your speed back there, this is your race." She smiled and jogged away, I committed to myself that I was going to finish and finish strong. With 1 mile to go I was approached by an older woman named Patty, she asked if she could pace my heels for the finish because she felt like quiting, I smiled in agreement because an audible answer was outside of my human capabilities at this point. We worked, for the next 1.2 miles we worked. I crossed the line at a clock time of 2:19:45, my watch said 2:11:36. All was good in the end, until I drove home and later discovered my chip time is officially a 2:03:17. I AM FREAKIN PUMPED. I never imagined that I could pull off such a time in such a hilly terrain with minimal training. I am in quite a lot of pain, but I am expecting a quick recovery and I look forward to the Houston 1/2 Marathon in January, thinking of setting a new PR.

Special thanks to Jeremy for his lodging assistance and race knowledge on Friday night. The ride to San Antonio Saturday was brilliant, weather was ideal. Had some great food and scenery on day 1, photos to come. Also, race pics to come as well. The pics above are of me in recovery mode...I'm sleepy, I'll post to you guys later. Cheers. Thanks to everyone for your support.

Lap Times:
Mile 1 7:59
Mile 2 8:53
Mile 3 8:56
Mile 4 8:39
Mile 5 8:54
Mile 6 8:40
Mile 7 8:37
Mile 8 8:59
Mile 9 8:59
Mile 10 9:51 (tried to rest here...)
Mile 11 10:49 (first big climb)
Mile 12 11:29 (second half of first big climb + Cramps)
Mile 13.1 9:54

Right at the end, there was a huge climb for about 150 feet, not a very long climb if you haven't just completed 13 miles of running, good weekend.

Ferrofluids, Rare Neodymium Earth Magnetics...What?

Is it a robo-hedgehog? A Lady Gaga headpiece? Or merely a new way to juice lemons? No. In fact, it's not even a solid object: it's a ferrofluid.
Ferrofluids are colloidal mixtures - where one substance is microscopically dispersed evenly throughout a carrier fluid - containing magnetic nanoparticles. When placed in a magnetic field, the suspended particles cause the entire fluid to become strongly magnetised.
In this image a small drop of ferrofluid is placed within a magnetic field created by a neodymium iron-boron rare-earth magnet. The peaks and troughs result as the magnet tries to pull the liquid along its field lines.
Ferrofluids are being used in experimental cancer treatments called magnetic hyperthermia, and are the basis for a new breed of shape-shifting telescope lenses.

Artice credited to: http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2010/11/ferrofluids-the-spiky-side-of.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news

Officially Official

I was recently involved in a licensing course here in Lafayette at CSC with administrator Colin Gilmartin, in an effort to receive my Level 1 & Level 2 Goalkeeper licenses. I was able to learn a great deal in those two days. I have been a goalkeeper for a very long time and truth be told, I have never had any formal, or informal training. So this course was insightful and informative. I have the books we used for the course, I am scheduled to get one to Wilablog pretty soon, if anyone else needs a copy let me know. It's a pretty extensive binder, so it will take some time to copy, but it's a great tool to have for any coach.

They Grow So Quickly

Getting ready for the ride to school...


Her book sack is almost bigger than she is...



My little princess started school last week, and its seems that she is enjoying it very much, in fact, when I get home int he evenings that's really all I hear about. Her new friends and her new found social life.

I Want to be a Cheerleader, no wait, a doctor, no wait...Shit

Please watch till the end. Not at all what you expect from these interviews. I love science. Hurray for intelligence.



The video is cheesy, but really interesting. You may hate me for asking you to watch this. For Pele1410, this is the equivalent to when I read those damn Twilight books and then told you I enjoyed them.

Next time you watch an American Football game, perhaps we will have a different perspective on the cheerleaders...then again maybe not.

Rooney Comes To America for Rehab

I am sure this is an article that is not lost to anyone who views my blog, but I thought for the theoretical people who read here, this is interesting stuff.

Injured Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will spend a week in the United States undergoing intensive conditioning work on an ankle problem.
The 25-year-old will miss Wednesday's Manchester derby, and is not expected to play for another three weeks.
Rooney is to train at the Nike Town centre in Oregon.
"He can go there without the attention he'd get here," said United assistant manager Mike Phelan. "He needs the conditioning. We all agree with that."
The England international caused controversy recently when he signed a new five-year contract only two days after stating that he wanted to leave Old Trafford.
Rooney said that concerns over the club's squad strength were behind his decision to seek an exit, but then made the shock U-turn after speaking to manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the club's owners who he stressed "convinced me this is where I belong".

Full article

Here's a Reason to Leave Your Modem at Home When Travelling Overseas

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- A Philadelphia man said he received a $17,505 Verizon Wireless bill after using his wireless USB modem overseas.

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2010/11/01/Man-gets-17505-wireless-bill/UPI-43391288633646/

Brilliant Reffing, Brilliant Attention by Nani (no sarcasm needed)

Not quite sure how this panned out, but well played to Nani for not giving up. Should have been a PK to start with. Manchester United deserved the goal. If Gomes would've punted the ball away this would've never happened.

Conversation

Tony: Tim, you gotta suck on that thing before you just put it in your mouth and bite!
Me: Wait, what? I did, I sucked for like 10 seconds.
Tony: Oh, ok.
James: What the hell are ya'll doing in there?


I was eating a life savers candy.

Dooley Thinks His Vols are Like Germans in WWII

Tennessee coach Derek Dooley on Monday compared his young, inexperienced team's struggles to that of the German forces during the Allies' invasion of Normandy during World War II.

"Right now we're like the Germans in World War II," Dooley said. "Here comes the boats, they're coming. You have the binoculars, and it's like, 'Oh, my God, the invasion is coming."

I'm gonna go with... no, not quite like the invasion of Normandy Dooley, not quite at all.

Read more http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/ncaa/10/25/dooley.vols.ap/index.html?eref=sihp

Reggae Icon Gregory Isaac Dies at 59

Reggae mogul Gregory Isaac died this morning from lung cancer at the young age of 59. I grew up listening to this guy. My dad lived for this music and I have come to love everything about the genre of this art. From the well known Bob Marley to the talented but under the radar Steel Pulse. Gregory Isaac was most famous for this song Night Nurse. Here it is. Enjoy.

Conversation

Eden: Daddy?
Me: Yes ma'am?
Eden: I like your yellow sweater! You're cute daddy (laughing sheepishly)
Me: Thank you baby, you're adorable too.
Eden: Daddy, let me wear your sweater please daddy, I wanna be cute too!

2004 Impala LS

3 weeks ago my 2001 Chevy Impala left me on the side of the road with a blown transmission. I called a local shop that I have done business with in the past, they instructed me to bring it in. After about 4 days I get a call saying, "Timmy, hey it's Ronnie, are you sitting down?" I knew it was bad. Turns out my pump had failed inside my tranny. It snapped the drive shaft off, bent the torque converter, stripped my clutch, damaged gears 2-4, gear 1 was gone completely, and smashed the internal computer to bits. The total repair would cost 2989.54 and he wasn't charging me for the labor to reinstall the transmission back on the car, which was about 600 more dollars. I immediately went to eBay in search of a transmission, instead I found this 2004 Impala LS for the same price. It's fully loaded w/ sunroof, xm radio and on star, as well as leather interior and an integrated on board computer with MP3 connections. The buy it now was 3495.00. The gentlemen and I went back and forth for a few days and settled at 2900.00. I am flying to Fort Myers, FL this Friday to pick it up. I am juxtaposed by nervousness and excitement. Above all, I am happy to have another vehicle, having a kid with one car is tough, thanks to my parents for being so supportive and orchestrating a driving arrangement with us.