Hotel Vintage

Staying in downtown Portland tonight, and more than likely tomorrow night.  Chose Hotel Vintage a week or so ago and I must say that so far it hasn't disappointed.  Very very cool room.  Very nice folks at the front desk.  Almost makes me wonder if they studied hospitality at Ole Miss.  Ok you got me. Michelle did. 

Huddle in the Books

Folks....I'm a graduate of the Stronger Team Huddle and I have the pain to prove it.  What a great experience.  Thanks to Alan, Henry, Jeremy, Nick, Chad, Kyle and everyone for making it a very memorable and extremely beneficial experience.  I was able to learn high level information that will help our guys maximize their potential.  More than that it was a reminder of the importance of lifelong learning and daily beating on my craft. I am leaving the Huddle energized and exhausted at the same time!  Thanks to everyone that came from all over the world to come to Portland for the Huddle.  I learned a ton from all of you as well   

Nike

The Nike Employee Store.  Awesome place. Tons of stuff that I have never seen before.  

Full Day

Wow, what a day at the Stronger Team Huddle. The highlights for me were the two different "participant participation" sessions in which I had to learn at least 52 exercises give or take 24.  Lots of information and yes I did participate and yes I am sore.  Lots of great stuff from Alan, Henry and the crew of Stronger Team!

Here is the reserved parking spot for SC's own, Lucas Glover!

Portland City Bus

So yeah, it wouldn't be a Rosefield Tripapalooza without me missing a stop and getting lost.  It took around 15 hours for it to happen this time!  New record.  You are witnessing history.  

Anyway, I think I'm going the right way now and am riding the Portland city bus which truly has very friendly people on it.  

Uber

Pretty doggone impressed with Uber this morning.  Right on time, easy, seemless and pretty fair price.  Oh and I rode in a Lexus SUV which was cool

Portland Day 1

So I ended up waking up at 6am wide awake.  Made me feel pretty good that I could wake up that early and then I realized it was really 9am for me.  Anyway, ended up taking my first Uber ride into Portland and hung out downtown.  Really interesting city.  Beautiful waterfront.  Ended up having breakfast in the base of an office building and am now riding the light rail(MAX train) to get back to the hotel.  Meeting the guys at 12 to head over to the Nike employee store!  

Here are some of the scenes so far:

And yes, that says "rappel this building!"

Portland Day 1

So I ended up waking up at 6am wide awake.  Made me feel pretty good that I could wake up that early and then I realized it was really 9am for me.  Anyway, ended up taking my first Uber ride into Portland and hung out downtown.  Really interesting city.  Beautiful waterfront.  Ended up having breakfast in the base of an office building and am now riding the light rail(MAX train) to get back to the hotel.  Meeting the guys at 12 to head over to the Nike employee store!  

Here are some of the scenes so far:

And yes, that says "rappel this building!"

Pulitzer

Nothing like a shameless plug for a blog no one reads sent from 32,000 feet.  Seriously, though, how cool is it to be able to hop on the net in an airplane?  

No answer?  That's cool.  I still think it's cool.  

And yes, the ✈️ in the upper left is a 1/1789 scale of this beautiful A321 aircraft I'm sitting in at the moment. 

I just read and wrote for a good two solid hours.  It's been a long time since I've worked that long and, of course, I thought I filled up the entire flight time from CLT to PDX but alas 2.5 hours to go. 

Thanks Steve

I must say, I've been resistant to using Passbook on iPhone.  However I have enjoyed the constant reminder from Steve all day on my lock screen.  Look at me sounding like I'm tech savvy. Oh and one more thing, I had NO clue how to spell savvy.  My first stab looked like this: saavy.  Again, thanks Steve for the autocorrection.  I can't tell you how many times I want to key in a word that may be a little beyond my vocabulary and I just instead key in sowmthjng lieke thiss and just want for Steve to autodccrect me.  That's just me though 

ATTENTION

This must be new.  Me being the responsible and well-seasoned travel blogger that I am, I feel like I owe it you, the reader, to inform you of items such as this.  

On a side note, how you ever started we writing a sentence and get to a point that you feel like a comma is needed and you don't know whether or not you should throw it in so you go ahead and throw it it in, and it feels out of place?

OTRA

I'm on the road again.  

The definites:  Portland.....Stronger Team Huddle.  Indy....The Final Four and the NABC Convention

The maybes:  Seattle.  Oregon coast. Vancouver.  

See you out there 

About Time

So I figured it was time to start posting again for all my raving fans that have been waiting on the edge of their seats for me to start posting again.  Sigh.  A boy can dream.  

Anyway tonight's travels take me to NoDa in Charlotte for the Peter Bradley Adams show at the Evening Muse.  NoDa seems quite awesome filled with bars and restaurants and a cool feel to it.  

A little quick googling has revealed that NoDa is the arts district of Charlotte and for the young, hip folks.   So naturally I'm here.  Ahem.  

Looking forward to this show.  The Evening Muse is a small, intimate setting with a stage(pictured), a bar and about 50-60 chairs.   Really tight and it's cool.   People are really friendly and seem like a fun crowd.  

Taste the Memories

As I remember, the first time I had the Dole Whip it was merely an obscure dessert in a deep corner of Disney's Magic Kingdom.  However, now the Dole Whip enjoys close to a Mickey Mouse following.  Lines are around the corner so far that passers by can be heard asking, "Who's autograph are they waiting on?"  No autograph seekers here, oh you ill-informed Disney patron, just a bunch of bandwagoners(yes that's a word, look it up) and yours truly, one of the original fans of the Orange and Vanilla swirl with Pineapple juice in the bottom, otherwise known at Disney as the Dole Whip waiting in line for one of Walt's greatest creations.   Longest.  Sentence.  Ever.  

Hard Traveling

Times They Are A-Changing

Well they've already changed.  Interesting picture here.  The blued out space is actually covering the word Telephone.  This picture was taken at a rest stop in Georgia.  Or as the locals pronounce it, Jahjuh. Wonder when they decided to eliminate pay telephones at rest areas in Georgia.  Did that come up for a vote in the Jahjuh House and Senate?  Interesting sign of the times.  Onward to Ormond!

He's Back

Yep.  The traveling job coach is back at it.  Doesn't it seem like traveling would have two L's in it?  Even when I type travelling, doesn't that look right to you?  Oh really?  That's rude of to say.  

Anyway, I'm taking the Ridge View Cross Country program to Disney for a race on Saturday.  We are on the road now and will be staying at the beachfront Howard Johnson in Ormond Beach, FL tonight, then getting up early tomorrow to go to the parks all day, race Saturday then parks after that and then return on Sunday.  Looking forward to a good trip.  

I just moved the blogger app to my "desktop" and you all know what that means, Rosefield will be a-blogging.....or at least that's the plan.  Yes, I referred to myself in the third person.  Get over it. 

Flight View

Special thanks to Mike at Flight View for creating such a cool app.  Not sure if Mike was responsible, but you were Mike, then thanks.   My apologies to the correct person responsible for the app. 

Now that we got that out of the way let me tell you how nice this app is.  Very easy way to Cheka(iOS just autocorrected to this instead of "check" but I'm going to leave it because I think it's cool) on yor flight status and also see where your plane is in the air.   Pretty best stuff.   Thanks Internet.   You're awesome.  

Testing 1, 2, Dallas

Yes.   I'm back along with the lame jokes.   Ok ok.  I don't care if you don't think they're funny, I will still call them jokes.   

Whatever, you're not listening anyway.   

I'm back on the travel horse blazing a trail to the Big D for the 2014 Final Four.   Definitely excited to be heading to a city that I haven't spent much time in and one that features so much neon.  

Stay tuned for an update or several.  Or none at all.   I may just be messing with you.   How dare I?

Clean

Pups all cleaned and groomed.

Nice Reminder

Ran across this photo the other day taken in Doolin, Ireland. Not sure if this is considered an actual part of the Cliffs of Moher, but it's close and I'd like to think it is. Seeing this picture brings back a flood of, not only great memories, but great feelings. It's more than that, but I can't describe any other way. Ireland is beautiful and simple and seeing a picture like this takes the stress of life away

Desert Basketball

Buena High School.....home of the first annual Safeway Classic

Duke Chapel

Awkward

awk·ward  (ôkwrd) adj. 1. Not graceful; ungainly. 2. a. Not dexterous; clumsy. b. Clumsily or unskillfully performed: The opera was marred by an awkward aria. 3. a. Difficult to handle or manage: an awkward bundle to carry. b. Difficult to effect; uncomfortable: an awkward pose. 4. a. Marked by or causing embarrassment or discomfort: an awkward remark; an awkward silence. b. Requiring great tact, ingenuity, skill, and discretion: An awkward situation arose during the peace talks. [Middle English awkeward, in the wrong way : awke, wrong (from Old Norse öfugr, backward; seeapo- in Indo-European roots) + -ward, -ward.] awkward·ly adv. awkward·ness n.

So, yeah, listed above are several definitions of AWKWARD.  However, for a visual representation, see the picture below. 

"Steve, you're a great guy."

"thanks"

"you've been a real inspiration in our community.  I mean the 8th graders performance of the Nutcracker was both visually stimulating and moving, but let me put it to you straight.  I'm straight.  As Darrel would say, be gay with whoever you want, just be straight with me."

Kentucky will play on Sunday

....this time around. But ahhhhh those were good times in Nashville.

"y'all lost to USC? Do they even have a basketball team?"

Nash Out

Apparently Steve Nash is out for tonight's game versus the Mavs. But
at least he's in section 111 row 27 in uniform should the Suns need
him.

Jamba juice!!!!

Flight

I always wondered when flying would lose it's nostalgia. Well I wonder
no more. This flight has been rough, bumpy and boring. But at least
I've got some good reading done(maybe if I read more, sentences like
that won't occur anymore)

Hopefully the video works. This is the ceiling as we fly into DFW.

Samsung Marketing Meeting Transcript

A. What do you have Steve?
S. Well Alan, I have thought long and hard about what direction we
need to go with this new campaign. My inspiration comes from several
factors but I owe a lot to the creativeness of Hollywood.
A. I like what I'm hearing so far.
S. After watching Stargate, which all of you know about my obsession
with that movie, I decided to creating a Samsung gate like the one
below.
A. You can't be serious.
S. Yes I can be. Oh and did I mention that they will be placed in airports.
A. (saying as if coughing) MORON
S. Travelers will pass through SamsunGate to be surrounded by lights
and our products. It will give the illusion of entering another world
and being able to use Samsung products while they're in it.
A. So they will get our products?
S. No. They will simply walk through it and look at them.
A. (coughing again) WHY DID I HIRE THIS GUY?

It's all good...

The Next KG

Kenny Gabriel Class: Sophomore Hometown: Charlotte, N.C. High School: United Faith Christian Last College: Paris CC (Texas) Height / Weight: 6-8 / 200 Position: Forward

2009-10 (Sophomore): Can shoot the basketball with range ... has the ability to play multiple positions.

JUNIOR COLLEGE, HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA:Averaged 13.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks as a freshman at Paris (Texas) Junior College as a freshman in 2008-09 under coach Ross Hodge ... shot 50 percent from the field, 24 percent from 3-point range and 69 percent from the foul line ... Region XIV Tournament runner-up, losing to Navarro 74-71 in double overtime ... team finished with a 25-6 overall record, a No. 6 national ranking in defensive points allowed and ranked in the top 10 for the third straight year ... was a first-team All-Conference and a first-team All-Region selection ... a Region XIV All-Tournament team member ... will have four years to play three at Auburn ... signed with Auburn out of United Faith Christian Academy in Charlotte, N.C., as a senior in 2007-08 ... averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks as a senior at United Faith Christian for coach Shaun Wiseman, leading the team to a runner-up finish in the high school state championship game ... averaged 17 points and 8 rebounds as a junior at United Faith Christian ... first-team All-State selection as a junior and senior ... three-year varsity letterman in basketball ... was a wide receiver and quarterback on the football team as a sophomore and junior ... full name is Kenneth Benard Gabriel ... born July 3, 1989, in Charlotte, N.C. ... undecided on major ... son of Sharon Jones and Kevin Gabriel ... signed national letter of intent on Nov. 12, 2008.

Why post stats and info for a random Auburn basketball player?  No reason other than I met him in the Charlotte airport this afternoon.  Nice guy.  Face lit up when I told him I knew KP

Seems like a kid to pull for. 

Sent from my iPhone

A Real Life Michael Scott

Welcome to Master's Inn....

...The Masters of Value

Value is a funny thing.  Maybe this cock roach feels valuable.  Maybe he grew up here.  Maybe he comes from a long line of Master's Inn roaches.  He's probably a proud roach roaming the walls of the 2nd floor rooms here at the MI.....that's probably where he tells his friends he lives.  "He Paul," they say, "Where you stay at bro?"  "The MI," Paul replies.  "That's what's up man."

So here he is patrolling his property making sure I stay in my corner.  "Keep your orange shirt wearing, deep voice talking, cock roach hating tail right there, dude," he thinks.  

Paul, no problem man.  I have nothing against you as long as you don't crawl in my mouth while I'm sleeping.  And I doubt you'll do that because you know what?  You seem like one cool roach man.  Really.  I'm not just saying that.  

Lanny

Can't help but thinking of Texas when you're next to Lanny Watkins in an airport.  Oh and it helps that I'm in Dallas too.....

Fathead.com

OK, so I'm a little down on the plastic new years hats makers that they can't produce a hat that fits the size of my head

Same Shirt as Always?

Maybe......

But this is a shot of the guys in the group before heading to downtown Charleston for New Year's Eve.

Day 3 at the Circular Ball

The Blazers completed a 2-1 run at the 2009 Roundball with a nice win
over Our Savior New American this afternoon. The guys competed very
well and made some of the most unselfish plays I've seen all year.

My Bus

.....and Damian(but call him Sean)

The Band

Promo shot as we entered the Tanger Outlet. It'll be on the cover of
our new album called "Bad As I Wanna Be and Bad Hats"