The Hup and Steph Rashup

Last weekend Stephanie and I headed out the Mavericks Surf Contest in Half Moon Bay with some of our friends and had an awesome time. Little did we know, however, that we were going to be paying one heck of a price for that awesome time. We were going to get a rash.

At some point during the day we (or Frank) walked through something that we weren’t supposed to and by Saturday night I was already seeing a rash starting to move it’s way up my arm. The rash on Stephanie’s neck wasn’t too far behind mine and once our rashes started, they just seemed to take over more and more of our bodies. It wasn’t pretty and it’s taken us two trips to the doctor, three types of cream and oral steroids to get our itchy situation taken care of.

Although we have both been pretty miserable this past week due to our crazy rash attacks, we also somehow found some a lot of  humor in the situation. As we were moving into some more serious treatment, we both decided that we should document this hopefully rare moment in our relationship, so we did what we always do– we made a video about it. :)

I call the video the world’s first ‘rashup’, which is a play on words for a mashup, which have become very popular in the online video space these days. Take a look at the video and some pics that I took of our out-of-control rashes below and be sure to be careful the next time that you’re walking through a bunch of weeds. Believe me when I say that you definitely don’t want to get what we got, even if it was pretty funny.


This whole rash thing really freaked me out. And it itched…BAD.

It was looking bad and it was only spreading more and more. Not good.

A close-up of the nastiness.

I had to add like 15 minutes to my prep time just to put on Cortizone cream.

Another spot that magically appeared on my hip. Awesome.


Stephanie’s crazy neck-rash-thing. She wanted to scratch her neck off.

February 21, 2010 | Filed Under new/random experience, video

1 Comment 

Checking out the best surfers in the world at the 2010 Mavericks Surf Contest in Half Moon Bay

There are some really amazing things that can only be found out here in Northern California and one of them has to be the Mavericks Surf Contest. It’s one of the world’s most respected big wave competitions and is held every year that weather permits about 20 miles south of San Fransisco in Half Moon Bay. More specifically, the contest is held in an area that’s known as Mavericks that’s practically built to create massive size waves due to it’s unique ocean floor. Jeff Clark, a local born and raised in Half Moon Bay, was the first surfer to ever take on the once thought to-be-too-dangerous-to-surf waves that can sometimes top out at over 50 feet high.

Jeff Clark, having grown up near Half Moon Bay, learned about Maverick’s at an early age. At that time the location was deemed too dangerous to surf. He spent time watching the break, and conceived the possibility of riding Hawaii-sized waves in Northern California. One day in 1975, with the waves topping out at 10 to 12 feet (3.7 m), Clark paddled out alone to face Maverick’s. He was successful, catching a number of left-breaking waves, thereby becoming the first person to tackle Maverick’s head-on.

Well, today was the day that Mavericks came back to Half Moon Bay (due to lack of optimal weather conditions it was canceled last year) and Stephanie, our roomie Nic, Frank and myself (along with some other friends) all went to see what it was really all about. Although we weren’t able to get super-close views of the actual surfing the day was unbelievably beautiful and just being there to experience it was more than enough to guarantee that we’ll all be back there again the next time it comes around.

Here are a few pics and a video that I snapped at the event. They should give you a good idea of the popularity of Mavericks and just how beautiful Half Moon Bay is during this time of year.

A video and a pic of people who got caught in the aftermath of the 30+ foot waves that were swelling up at Mavericks this morning. Some of the people were actually swept out into the water and had to be rescued by medical staff. Some suffered broken bones and minor cuts, but most only had to suffer through being soaked for the rest of the day. We were literally just about to head into this area when the waves hit.

Can’t say that the people weren’t warned. These signs were posted everywhere on the beach.

What was left on the beach after the waves hit and cleared out a stage and several tents.

A view from a top the cliffs at the Mavericks in Half Moon Bay.

This was view from the opposite side of the beach where we were when the waves got the people wet. There were a ton of people watching the competition from over here. It was amazing to see how many people came out for the event considering that it was only announced a couple days before it happened. Also, most people weren’t at all scared of climbing all over the cliffs as long as it gave them a better view. I guess that they’re all used to hiking and aren’t too worried about falling hundreds of feet to their death, but for some reason it still worries me and Stephanie. Maybe we need to suck it up.

The sun was out in full force, which made for a beautiful day in Half Moon Bay. That weird looking tower with a ball on it in the upper right corner of this pic is part of the Pillar Point Air Force Base (which no one except press was allowed to enter today).

Frank loved hanging out at the beach, but we probably walked over 5 miles altogether, which is like running a marathon for a Pug. Here you can see him getting some much needed rest while we were checking out the surfers. He had no trouble getting up and down the cliffs and got to meet several other dogs that were also hanging out at Mavericks (including a few Pugs). People really love their dogs in the bay area, which makes is completely normal to bring them with you to outdoor events like this.

Here’s another view from the other side of the cliffs. The surfers were grabbing their waves right around the area to the right of cliff in this pic. Unless you had some binoculars or a serious camera lens (which several people had), you pretty much had to rely on people’s reactions to know whether or not someone had actually caught a wave.

This is a shot of the rest of the coastline, which I thought almost looked too beautiful to be real. If you look in the bottom right corner of this pic I snuck in a guy who was chilling on the side of the cliff. He was pretty high up there, but didn’t seem to be too worried about it. Like I said, it’s something that they’re used to.

After walking a couple of miles back to the car (part of which I carried Frank after he started panting like he was going to die) it didn’t take Frank too long to crash. He was so tired that he fell asleep on Stephanie’s 7-up bottle which was in our cup holder. I thought that this was way too funny (and cute) to pass up taking a picture of it. Frank’s just like us — he’ll go and go until he practically passes out, which he obviously did today.

February 13, 2010 | Filed Under Frank, events, great friends, new/random experience, roomie Nic, video

1 Comment 

Taking Frank to Fort Funston in San Francisco

One of the most obvious benefits of living in the Bay Area is the beautiful beaches. Duh, that’s pretty much a no-brainer and although Stephanie and I probably don’t take advantage of this fact as much as we should, we have definitely spent our fair share of time in the sand.

But, this past weekend was the first time that we’ve ever been to Fort Funston, which is one of San Francisco’s only dog beaches. I call it a ‘dog beach’ because unlike most beaches where you can walk around your 4-legged friend only if they’re on a leash, this beach allows them to run around as free as the day they were born. This, paired with the fact that beach is ridiculously beautiful, results in a beach that is literally covered up with dogs and the humans that happen to bring them there.

We had a lot of fun taking Frank there and even though he got stuck in the sand after the tide caught him (and myself) off guard (which really freaked out Stephanie), I’m sure he’d be more than happy to make another trip back there anytime we’re willing to take him.

Check out the video of our day at Fort Funston below or over here on YouTube and also be sure to take a look at the shots of Frank that I snapped at the beach. Just when you thought that the little sausage link couldn’t get any cuter….geez.

January 13, 2010 | Filed Under Frank, san francisco, video

1 Comment 

My CEO at isocket arm wrestles our new intern (and of course I got it on video)

If you didn’t know by now, I started a new job at isocket about a month ago and one of my new responsibilities is to make all of the awesome, new people we’re hiring feel as comfortable as possible once they make their way into our office.

Well, for some reason I thought that a good way to do that for our new intern Vinoth was to make him arm wrestle our CEO. I know it sounds a little odd, but I swear that for some reason it all made sense at the time.

Check out the video of the arm wrestling intern below or over here on YouTube.

January 7, 2010 | Filed Under video, workin' for the man

Leave a Comment 

Ice skating at Pan Am Plaza in Indianapolis, IN

It’s been about 10 years since I had been ice skating, so we felt like it was about time to give it shot. The video was taken at Pan Am Plaza in Indianapolis, IN and man, did it end being a lot of fun. Some of our friends and family came along with us, too which made it even more entertaining (as you’ll see).

Check out the video below or over here on YouTube when you get a chance and here’s to the beginning of an amazing 2010! Stephanie and I (and Frank as long as he can still fit on the plane) head back to San Francisco tomorrow, but it’s been so great to see all of our friends and family the past month while we’ve been home. We’re extremely blessed to have all of the amazing people that we have in our lives and we can’t wait to see you all again!

January 3, 2010 | Filed Under great friends, hangin' with the fam, local to indy, new/random experience, video

1 Comment 

Getting our hair did at Style Salon in Broad Ripple, IN

When Stephanie and I got back to Indiana one of the first things that we did was make an appointment to get our hair did with our friend Jamie at Style Salon in Broad Ripple. I was WAY overdue (I hadn’t got mine cut since before our wedding) and Stephanie was looking for a little bit of a change (as you’ll see in the video below). I also needed to get mine chopped off due to the fact that I was going to be in my man Tony’s wedding down in Seymour, IN and I didn’t want to look like Shaggy from Scooby Doo while I was standing up there in my tux.

As with most things that Stephanie and I do, we had a lot of fun getting our hair cut and it was really great to hang out and catch up with Jamie while she did her thing. Also, we caught some of the highlights on video, which you can see below or over here on YouTube (it feels good to do some video again!).

December 29, 2009 | Filed Under great friends, local to indy, people you should know, video

Leave a Comment 

Remember, you’re rarely ever NOT on camera anymore (so please put away your gun)

I just saw the video below on Mashable.com and it just really gets me thinking about how you’re never not on camera anymore. Especially if you’re a cop that pulls out your gun on a bunch of kids who organized the snowball fight on Twitter. Whoops.


Hey, that’s not a snowball….no fair!

It also gets me thinking about how much of this crazy stuff went on and who got away with it before we could get it on camera and post it for the entire world to see (similar to my thoughts on the crazy chick fight on an bus in SF that was caught on an iPhone a while back). Remember, we’re always watching so be ready to face the consequences of your actions even when you think you’ll never have to.

[image via CityPaper]

December 21, 2009 | Filed Under quickies, travel, video

Leave a Comment 

The new Robin Hood movie looks awesome — Russell Crowe’s coolest role since Gladiator?

I just saw the trailer for the upcoming movie for Robin Hood, which will be opening up next year in 2010. It’s directed by Ridley Scott and stars Russell Crowe, which are exactly the same roles they both had in the amazingly awesome and still best-ever Russell Crowe movie, Gladiator (which, incredibly enough opened up nearly 10 years ago in 2000).

This version of Robin Hood looks like it’s going to put a much more realistic (and gruesome) spin on the age old ’steal from the rich and give to the poor’ story, which means that there may not be many sightings of the Merry Men that we’re all so used to. The movie aims to be more of a prequel to the common Robin Hood story, which has seemed to become pretty popular these days in the entertainment industry. It’s also going to center a lot of it’s plot around Robin Hood’s love for the always beautiful Maid Marian, who is played by Cate Blanchett.

Check out the trailer below, along with some more trailers of well-known Robin Hood movies that we’ve all probably seen at one time or another.


Robin Hood (2010)


Robin Hood: Men In Tights (1993)


Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)


Trailer for Disney’s Robin Hood (1972 and on projector)

December 17, 2009 | Filed Under quickies, video

Leave a Comment 

Checking out the amazing sign spinners from Aarrow Ads

jumpropecokeOne of the great things about working up here in San Francisco is that I get to walk into the office, which means that I pretty much get to see something that’s interesting, odd, weird, cool, crazy or just down right gross every single day. For some of you out there that might seem like a bad thing, but for me it’s one of the things that makes it awesome to live here in the Bay Area. Pretty much anything goes and just when you think that you’ve seen something that couldn’t possible be topped, it always does — and that’s pretty much the essence of living in SF. After a living here for a while it’s funny how pretty much nothing ever really makes you do a double-take anymore.

Well, almost nothing.

On my way into work each morning I walk past the Moscone Center, which is the HUGE convention center here in San Francisco and every few days there is a new event coming into town that attracts literally tens of thousands of people. Last week the big event to hit Moscone was DreamForce, which is SalesForce.com’s yearly, global conference. Well, if you’re not into the events and conference scene (which, I’m guessing most of you aren’t), basically what happens is a bunch of people pay a lot of money (or their company does) to go meet, mingle and ‘network’ with others who are also in their same line of business so that relationships can be built and some big deals can go down in an old-fashioned, face-to-face sort of way.

Along with the thousands of people who attend these conferences, several businesses also buy up really expensive booths (usually several thousand dollars a piece) as a way to promote their businesses in hopes of working some serious deals as well. It’s a very interesting sort of business eco-system that has gone on for years and years.

Anyways, these businesses that invest their money into getting some booth space are always trying to find new ways to get more and more foot traffic. Some rent semis that pull billboards with their booth number prominently displayed, some hire booth babes to promote their goods and some have even gone as far as attaching tiny banner ads to real, live flies and letting them fly around the convention center (for real).

As with anything else in San Francisco, just when I thought that I had heard or seen all of the crazy ways for these businesses to promote their booths, I ran in to a couple of out-of-this-world sign spinners who were hired from Aarrow Ads, a company that specializes in taking ‘holding a sign’ to a whole new level. After seeing them do their thing for a few minutes, I couldn’t help but stop and get some videos of the guys who were literally causing a scene on the sidewalks outside of Moscone Center. Check out these videos and you’ll see what I mean.

p.s. if you couldn’t tell, the company that was promoting themselves was Jigsaw (who were apparently in booth #1112). I thought that I should at least give them a mention since they paid for the entertainment. :)

November 21, 2009 | Filed Under Frank, san francisco, travel, video

2 Comments 

Showing our Indiana heritage on Halloween with some hillbilly love (kissin’ cousinz)

img_0886Considering that we didn’t end up doing anything last year on Halloween (yeah, we were super lame, but still OK with it), Stephanie and I were both looking to kick it up a notch this year in the costume department. After thinking about different options that we could potentially pull off together as a couple, we came up with an idea that we felt would not only pay homage to our Indiana roots, but would also be able to stand out here in San Francisco (which, as you can probably imagine, isn’t very easy). The costume that we decided to go with was a good, old-fashioned hillbilly theme, which we modified to be ‘kissin’ cousinz’, since Stephanie and I are now officially husband and wife (doesn’t that sound awesome?).

When becoming a believable hillbilly there are a few things that you need to make sure are part of your outfit as they are practically critical to your overall redneck transformation. These things include:

  1. Billy Bob teeth
  2. Bad hair (mullet for the guys, overly dyed blonde for the ladies)
  3. Lots of cut-offs (jeans, shirts, etc.)
  4. Real-world props (6-pack of Budweiser tallboys, Marlboro Reds, paper bags for you beers, bad makeup)
  5. A redneck swagger and accent (this is hard to perfect if you have never been or been  around a hillbilly)
  6. Wife-beaters, camouflage anything and bandannas (anything with the American flag on it is a plus)

halloweendiagramofahillbilly

So, after we got all of these various things together and got into the mindset of being a true redneck, we were ready to go show San Francisco a little bit of our hillbilly side. Check out the video below or over here on YouTube to see us in action and yes, of course we stayed in character for the entire night. You’re not really a true hillbilly if you only look like one! Yeee haw!

November 1, 2009 | Filed Under san francisco, video

5 Comments 

Next Page →