Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Well the big X-mas fro '06 has come and passed here in the Emerald City. I had a great couple of days and will remember this holiday for years to come. We started out with a fun-filled trip to the Seahawks game as they took on the league-leading San Diego Chargers and fought to the bitter end. They fell slightly short with a tough 17-20 loss in the closing seconds but fought pretty hard for the entire game in my opinion. A much increased effort over the last several weeks, hopefully a good sign as playoffs near. It was great to hang out with my brother and Amy again and we had a good time no matter the outcome. A great way to start the big holiday. The one silver lining is with the 49er loss to Arizona the same day the Hawks clinch the division and will at least make the '06 playoffs and host a first round playoff game as a division winner. Nice for the city and I am sure to be there losing my voice once again in this unique opportunity with a regional team in the hunt for the super bowl once again. That of course was on Christmas Eve. After the game I braved the slick roads and headed north as as I spent some time that night with Janelle's extended family at aunt Carolyne and uncle John's house as they hosted the Parker gathering. Low-key and fun this time around with nice talks with the grandparents and family. Then down south as we headed to Port Orchard and the lovely self-built home of Bruce and Lisa Parker. They spoiled me rotten as I received a full stocking and many presents. My best will have to be the leather coat from my girl Janelle, fits great and I am loathe to take it off!!! They made me feel like one of the family for sure and it made for a really memorable Christmas morning. After a lazy breakfast and present session we headed north once again to hook up with the extended Paulson crowd with John, Amy, Jesse, and Steph all in attendance. Good times again and more presents!! I really feel spoiled this year for sure. We finished off the night after a superb dinner and pies with a trip to the theater for our holiday showing of "Night at the Museum". I had low expectations as with all Ben Stiller movies in my mind but was pleasantly surprised and laughed quite frequently at the show and would recommend it to others. Then it was off to the apartment as we cuddled in with the cat to go over all of our holiday loot and rest up for my parents visit for the New Year!! Hope the holiday were kind to all of you out there.

Friday, December 15, 2006


Thanks to my brother Johnny I was able to get tickets to see the recent Thursday night game between the Seahawks and the 49ers in QWest field. The Hawks had a chance to clinch the division and stay in the running for a good playoff seed but failed on both tasks with a very poor performance. You can clearly see the distress if the situation on the face of my game buddy Mike Walton. Luckily there were a few beers to be had, as evidenced by the slightly goofy look on the face of one Stacey Terry and good times were still had by all. There was a HUGE storm that night as we all ran through the monsoon to see the game, nice for us that most of the really crazy stuff held off during the game. It has however placed a slight wrinkle in the local Seattle environment with lots of black-outs and the like with the associated school closures and such. I am getting ready to make finish up final holiday shopping and such this weekend and get the last items on my list. I have not done too badly this year and look forward to some holiday time with the Weaver parents as well as Janelle's parents in Porch Orchard, WA. I leave you with this landscape picture showing off the great seats we always get through John as the Sea Gals show off their holiday routine with some really silly giant, foam candy canes as props. Does anyone else groan when they hear "Santa-baby" during the holidays? Good times none-the-less and more to come as we gear up for the main event. Bring on the Bearded Fat Elf in the crazy red suit!!!!

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Tis the season my friends. The X-mas season is in full swing here in the Northwest and what better way to kick it off then hitting a few holiday parties with friends and maybe play a little volleyball if I can squeeze it in...(when has this ever been a problem for me huh?) So just this last Saturday Janelle got all dolled up and we hit the town, first stop was as friend Loch's place where he hosts his swanky X-mas party. Full bar, HUGE house, all the ladies in cocktail outfits and ~%50 the guys in tuxes, you get the picture. I did not go in a monkey suit but Janelle looked stunning in her new black/white dress and had fun hitting the catered buffet table and sipping on the free drinks with me!! It was a little cold to say the least but we managed to circle the fireplaces most of the night to stay warm. From there we headed out to Sally's annual white elephant gift exchange party and saw a host of others including the Paulsons, John/Amy, and even Todd still in town after the Denver adventure!! We had a great time with a few more beverages, food, and some great gift exchanges. People liked the silly snowman hat and gloves that Janelle decided to bring while my metal detector (which I thought was a GREAT idea) had only mixed reviews. We however made a killing as I came home with the mini-keg of our favorite Coors Light...that's right the Silver Bullet is in the house!! Janelle also scored big with a gorgeous dinosaur lamp. I cannot wait to celebrate the holiday season under the soft glow of the pterodactyl. In addition I have spent the last several nights decorating my new synthetic tree that I purchased for quite a small sum at the nearby Target store. It might not be all that impressive but I am very happy with the finale tree and glad to have all of my childhood ornaments out on display for all to see, sure makes it feel more like the holiday around my place as well which is sure nice. I would like to thank Janelle for pushing me to get the tree and do some decorations as well. I think it adds a lot to the room and has made it feel like a the start of the holiday season for both of us. On Sunday I think played in a men's 4's v-ball event with my brother John, Jesse Paulson, and Mike Walton, all members of the Madman Volleyball Team. We had a great time as we battled at Highline Community College and ended up the day with a stellar 10-1 record and the championship!! Everyone played great and we beat a pretty tough AA/A level regional team in the fun 3-game finale (our only loss came in there by the way). Nice to be able to win some regional events with buddies and having such a fun time doing it. Amy McKenna and Todd Moore also dropped by during the day on the way to drop Todd at the airport and joined in the fun. A great weekend and I look to carry the momentum through the holiday season!!

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

I hope to make this the first of several posts about the recent trip I took with a group of Seattle buddies to visit my folks in the "Mile High City" of Denver, CO. They were incredibly gracious to offer up their home to all 8 of us to crash in their various rooms for the extended stay!! Friday night they prepared a delicious turkey buffet for us all that we crashed through, leaving nothing but some small scraps of the huge offering. We followed this with a fun night of cards playing "Mean-spirited Matey" to go along with our pirate themed weekend!! (See attached photos for proof of branding!!) On Saturday we started off right at The Delectable Egg, great food and a good way to start the day. With coffee in tow we headed to the nearby hills to check out Golden, CO and most importantly take the awesome tour at the Coors Brewery!! Pics include the crew as we hit the half-way point of the tour to sample some fresh beer to be ready for the rest of the day. After the tour we ran through downtown Golden to eat lunch at Woody's for their great pizza buffet and gather about the earliest known Colorado pirate, none other then Adolph Coors, who started the brewery. Imagine our surprise and excitement!! From Golden we headed up nearby Lookout Mountain to see the grave of Buffalo Bill and some native wildlife on the way including deer and elk marching through the snow. After some pics at the grave site (Brrrrr, it was cold!!) we headed down the mountains back to Denver to rendezvous with Jess and head back home. Following some quick downtime we headed out for the night on the town with dinner at Lime followed by drinks at the Funky Buddha and dancing for some on the split levels of Club Vinyl. We followed up the night with a slow start with coffee graciously procured by the ladies and some football on the tune. We headed out the to get some more good pizza at Old Chicago and from their on to the Sunday night football clash between the Denver Broncos and the visiting Seattle Seahawks. Exciting, if not a little sloppy, game which the seahawks pulled out with a last minute field goal 23-20. Bummer was that all-pro, and all around good guy, Al Wilson was hurt for the Broncos in the game, definitely took some air out of the proceedings. Next morning it was off to the airport where we altered some flight so that Amy, John, Todd Moore, and myself left late on Monday night, getting to spend another full day with the Weaver Parents in sunny Colorado hitting the Northfield and Cherrycreek malls before finishing off right with Chipotle burritos and some free tix from the airlines!! A great trip and one of my favorite in recent memory, a memory that is getting shorter now that I am 33 as of last Wednesday!! Hope all is well out there.

Thursday, November 30, 2006



Here is some of the picture evidence of all the great times we had over the parent's visit from Denver. They include a great group shot of all of us at "Sport" in Seattle for my early B-day celebration, another nice group shot as we hit Aldwerwood Mall in all of it's holiday glory to kick off the shopping season, and one of me and my mother (notice the resemblance?) as we prepped for one of the meals at my apartment. What a great visit this was. In addition I get to look forward to heading to the Mile High city with a group of friends to see the Seahawks/Broncos game on this coming Sunday, what a treat!!
I had a great celebration spread out over the week for my 33rd B-day and got some great old-school Nintendo games and a movie (V for Vendetta) from Janelle, some great cards from John/Amy, and a video camera form the units!! I am pumped as I have wanted a new one for years having finally run down my old one. I love to videotape the v-ball and play around with the editing, another hobby I get to indulge in now!! I am sure you will be getting some examples of this once I have a chance to put something together to post on the blog....should be fun. Hope all is well out there and more to come after we get back from the snow in Denver!!

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

What a great visit from the parents for the Turkey-week festivities!! We started off right on Tuesday night by meeting at Red Robin for some goodies before they were off to bed for the night. The next day they picked me up after work and we went to my place and made a great chicken dinner for the whole crew including John, Amy, and Janelle. Always nice to have at least a few meals at home on vacation to hang out and talk in a very relaxed environment. We finished the night with a rousing game of Tribond which the parents one in a close battle!! The next day was Turkey-day for all as Amy, John, Janelle, and I gathered at the home of Kris and John Paulson for our usual feast...great food as always, thanks Kris!! We then headed out to catch the new James Bond film Casino Royale, kind of a prequel to the rest of the series and I thought very well done. A little more graphic then the usual 007 action but still very fun and fast paced. The parents had a great time for their turkey-day in Leavenworth visiting their close friends Dan and Mary Nelson and from all reports had a nice time. The next day we had another nice day as we picked up John at after work and proceeded from the to a nice lunch at McMenamin's Pub in the Queen Anne area which is always a favorite near Seattle Center. We then tried to hit the new exhibit with the Dead Sea Scrolls at Seattle Center but found it to be too popular for the holiday weekend and decided on another plan of attack. We ended up going downtown instead and hit another movie, this time the quirky Stranger then Fiction with Will Ferrell. I really liked this offbeat film, and thought Ferrell did a great job in a much more serious role for him, a lot like Jim Carrey in The Truman Show in my mind in terms of a performance. From there it was off to the house sitting locale of John and Amy as we had pizza and some beers to finish the night. Great times for all. Saturday was a slower pace and the Units (Mom and Dad) started us off right with breakfast at my place with mom's awesome pull-aparts and some hobo hash topped off with some sparkling cider, great way to start the weekend. From there we went to the Alderwood Mall to cruise around in all of the Holiday glory. We picked up a few choice items and then it was back to the house for a quick change and on to the next event. This was a great one as we had a suite arrange for dinner and a show at a really fun downtown nightspot, the Triple Door. While we were there we dined on some awesome Pad Thai and duck (Amy's favorite) before enjoying a slightly mellow set with one of our regional favorites The Paperboys. They finished their performance with a funky twist as all the lights were out they had on suits with glow sticks, all appearing at stick figures for their final 2 songs, very fun. Many of our friends were able to join us for the evening and we had a great group of 12-15 people for most of the night in our suite. Huge props go out to Dave Hoadley (And his friend Kim from the venue) for helping set up the room for the evening. Sunday was more fun as we hit Sport in downtown Seattle for my early B-day celebration and went from there to the Music of Disney exhibit at the EMP in Seattle Center. Fun way to spend the day with those I love about me. We finished the night meeting our good friends the Nickols at Best Wok in Bellevue, one of my parents all-time favorite Chinese food locales. Nice to catch up with them after having played v-ball at my turkey tournament with their sons Eric and Ryan. I finished up my parent's visit yesterday as we had lunch at one of my favorites Zeena's before they met John and Amy for Monday Night Football to watch the Seahawks beat the Packers on the frozen tundra of Qwest Field!?! A great adventure and some memorable moments as always when the Weaver's gather. I am looking forward to heading in just a few short days to the Denver area to see the Hawks play the Bronco's in the Mile High City and stay at the parent's house this time. Man I love this season!!

Monday, November 20, 2006

A quick update after a whirlwind weekend for me. Friday night I was at friend's Steve Weinrich and Rachel's house for a really fun party they threw. Everyone was supposed to dress in old formal wear from prom or bridesmaid fashion-style. Janelle went in a stunning green number complete with fake rhinestone at the waist on a large bow. I had a green jacket, plaid pants, suspenders and a very nice brown tie. Good times with good people as we were able to see Jesse Paulson, Mark Kadlec, Tim Hamman, Kiera Bholes, and many others. Saturday was spent getting final details ready for my turkey event for Sunday. I also managed to watch the disappointing Cougar game at a friends house (Thanks for hosting Jason Nap!!) with many sympathetic cougar faithful. Good times despite the loss to the hated Dawgs!! That's what you get for playing so sloppy I guess. Sunday was my 1st annual coed 6's Turkey-ball tournament at Sammamish High school in Bellevue. We packed 15 eager teams into the 3 courts and had a blast. I surprised my team with a set of personalized jerseys for everyone and had a really nice time with all the faces, new and old. A ton of people came out of the woodwork that I have not seen in ages or ever before, which was one of the main objectives for the event and something I am really proud of. For the most part it ran just right on time with some great competition by the end for all with really close games all the way around. All but one of the 15 teams won at least one game!! Pretty rare when that happens and it goes to show you how close things were across the board. I was a little bummed as my team did not fair quite as well. We did finish 4-4 on the day which was nice and were probably right in the middle play-wise. I continue to struggle running and playing in the same tournaments, I overwhelm myself which leads to a pretty short fuse on my end of things and some outbursts that I am always trying to limit. In any case, I managed to raise ~$1000 for the volleyball program at my Alma mater and get 5 packed boxes worth of non-perishable food items as donation for the local food bank charity Northwest Harvest for the holiday season. Not to shabby for a days worth of work I guess. I can use ALL the karma I can get these days it seems like. All for now, I will try and post some pictures from the events when I have the chance.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Well we are now in the throes of my favorite season!!! Why you ask? Hard to say if it is the gorgeous turning of colors, the fact that my B-day (#33) is this month (29th), the turkey and goodies on the horizen, or just the middle of the football season. In any case I love it all. My walks to work in the morning are some of the best with that crisp feel in the air. The Madman/Moxie Turkey-tournament is just around the corner. We have had a HUGE response, forcing us to expand the field with still almost a month left. Now with it being only a week away plans are in full gear. I am also wrapping up all of my league play for this round in the Seattle area. I had a dissappointing finish in the reverse 4's league as we finished the season #1 and then managed to drop our first playoff match in a 1-2 heartbreaker. Oh well. I can take solice in the fact that with 2 weeks remaining my men's league has us in the lead and looking like we will repeat as champions. In addition my coed 6's squad came out on top last night for a big league championship. We went all out for this one with headbands and gear abounding. I of course would not allow myself to be topped and appeared with special facial tatoos for one night only!! Amy McKenna was unable to play due to some eye work that day but showed up and supported the team and managed to get in the picture as "Pirate Amy". Check it out, yeeaaaarrrggg!!! I also had a chance to see the Seahawks take on the dreaded Raiders on Monday Night Football at Qwest Field. Here is a picture from the kickoff after the final score in the 4th quarter by the Seachickens. I had a blast and have my bro to thank for all of the tix. On that note we plan to head to the all-important divisional game versus the Rams on Sunday, go Hawks!!! I also recently attended the B-day/housewarming party for good friend Stacey Dozono, she is on the coed 6's team with me. Her apartment looked great and many familiar faces were there, I even got to hold Chantelle and Mark's new baby Landon!! Good times abound and I am sure they will continue as we hit stride in what is my favorite time of the year!!

Tuesday, October 31, 2006


Well the holiday season is officially arrived as it is now Halloween. I must admit this is one of my favorite times of the year with the Fall season, football on TV, grown women wearing sexy schoolgirl outfits...what can be better for a 30 something male? Janelle and I carved some sweet pumpkins on the weekend with a cat from Janelle and a glasses-wearing dude from me. Not sure how the lit-picture will come across but I thought we did a good job nonetheless. I played in a reverse coed 4's volleyball event as well this last weekend and had a blast with Stacey Terry, Christina Hengtgen, and my baby bro. We placed 4th and played tough to the very end. We were dressed as the "Service Industry" with the TGI Friday's waitress (Christina), the Pizza Delivery Guy (Myself), the Starbucks Barista (Stacey) and the all-important Hooter's Girl (John). Great time was had by all. Perhaps the best moment was realizing that one of the teams was dressed up as myself!! That is right, they were the official "Matt Weaver Tribute Team". Great shirts, shorts, socks, sweatbands, headbands, and tattoos adorned them all. Great laughs for all and I felt really honored to have made such a mark on the Northwest Volleyball Community with my goofiness and antics on and off the court. Who knows what really the future might bring but I do know that we will be having good times with those we love and care about with planned trips to Seattle, Denver, and beyond. Hope you and yours enjoy a great holiday season!!

Monday, October 23, 2006

Has it really been over a month since my last post?!? Man I am bad at this message thing. Oh well. Life has been the usual hectic fun here in the lovely Northwest. Volleyball continues to be the usual big part of my life. Currently between my 4's league (2nd place at 14-4), Coed 6's league (1st place at 18-3), and 6's men's league (1st place at 21-3) and 6 reverse 4's tournaments in the last 8 weeks or so (2nd, 3rdx2, 5thx3). I have pictured here one of the fun tournaments I played in, I am the goofy one with all of the temporary tattoos, wristbands, and the team all got funky socks from me as a little present for the event, they were all well received. I have been on the court a lot as you can tell and with pretty good success I would say all things considered. Janelle has had some good news as well as she is moving to a new job that is closer, pays more, and has better benefits. She gets a nice week break before the start of the new event in her life. We are busy getting ready to attend some sort of Halloween party and coming up with some fun costume ideas. I have a costume tournament scheduled for the 28th with my brother that should also be a a fun one. I plan to do pumpkins and fun as usual, pics to come of all the costumes and fun!! I am also in the process of planning a "turkey-tournament" for the holiday season and currently have 7 slots filled of the 12 we were hoping for with almost a month left to plan....that is a huge success so far based on the northwest scene and how late teams seem to like to sign up, should be a fun one and we plan to raise some money for a local highschool program and food for a local foodbank. Work has been hectic as I aim to finish up the loose ends here at the lab before my next career move, your guess is as good as mine!! ;-) In the meantime I am working on no less then 3 separate manuscripts as we speak to round out my time as a postdoc at BRI. I have had what I felt was a great run here and look forward to some new challenges. Hope all is well with you out there.

Monday, September 18, 2006

Indoor volleyball season is staring to heat up as I have now 3 leagues running. I am 11-2 so far between the 3 of them after a week and a half so not too shabby. I forgot how much I like to play with brother John and good friend Mike Repka for the indoor 6's. I also get a chance to play in some much more intense games on Tuesday's for reverse 4' s with buddy Mike Walton and some new ladies Anna Dudek (Old friend of John's from UPS college days) and Nicole Cauble. We went 2-1 to start versus a tough squad and look like we will be very tough for the league play. On Sunday nights is my men's 6's in Bellevue with Jesse Paulson and the rest of the boys. We are 4-0 to start off and have only added to last season when we finished 40-0 for a true sweep!! Looks like some additional competitive teams for this round which will increase the fun level a lot for our guys to be pushed a little. Last weekend I had a very nice time going to the WSU Cougar game at QWest field with the help of my friends in the ticket office there. Janelle and I were able to see the Cougs pull off one of their patented cardiac wins with a final play field goal. We had great seats, great weather, and great fun, laughing with all of the cougs sitting around us. I think I ran into something like 8-12 people I knew from WSU there as well, fun to catch up. On Sunday it was a little more lazy with laundry, watching the Seachickens on TV and a BBQ later with Moses and Laura Lundquist to kick off our favorite reality TV show, the amazing race!! We played their DVD game version with them, John, Amy, and Steph Paulson (Jesse's wife) and had a great time. Overall a fun weekend. Missy, the new feline addition to my life, is getting along well as an urban apartment cat and keeps me smiling all the time. I have added a catnip-filled "slug" to her toys to give her the Northwest feel. She loves it all right....A true Seattle cat!!

Friday, September 08, 2006

Crazy last weekend and a short week after the 3-day weekend. Saturday I went with Janelle to the local Humane Society and found a cat to adopt!! I went home very happy having chosen a 9 year old grey tabby to join the fray at my apartment. She goes by the name "Missy" and seems to answer it so we might or might not change it for her new life with us. Janelle was able to pick her up the following day and she was sitting in our laps by the end of the day, she looks to be a great fit. Litterbox, food, and her first vet visit are all sorted out so it looks like a go to me. Sunday I played in a reverse coed tournament with Steph Hinkle. She is a long-time NW player and is leaving mid-week for grad school back in the Midwest, she will be missed. It was a great opportunity to play with her before she left. We had the usual slow start but also had the usual pick-up in the old losers bracket top win 3 in a row to finish 3rd on the day in AA. Not to shabby. The usual issue with NW Volleyball company for the tournament with grumbling all around. I still think this might be their last summer. The next day (Labor Day) I ran a reverse 4's grass event for a local charity (Hope Worldwide) and had a great time. I played with Alan Wittren, Vikki Vandyne, and Bri Haight. We played great until Bri had a serious leg injury on a slightly exposed stake and had to be taken to the ER by the local EMTs. Never something you like to see at a tournament and a real reminder of how lucky you can be just to walk off the field, win or lose. We finished in 3rd for the day with some very strong teams in attendance. Report back from Bri was just stitches and a 2-week break before playing again, just what we had hoped for when we all feared the worst. Later in the week I was able to see my godparents the Allens at the new home of their daughter Trisha and husband Craig in Issaquah for dinner. A great time was had by all and we talked well into the night with silly stories of days gone by. This coming weekend includes a scavenger hunt party in Seattle, helping a good v-ball friend move, and a BBQ with the Paulsons. Job hunt, volleyball, manuscript writing, and good times all lie in the weeks to come....Stay tuned!!!

Monday, August 28, 2006

Kind of a mixed bag this weekend to be honest. I ran my last planned 2's volleyball tournament of the season on Saturday with a really nice turnout of 28 teams for the day. It was a little hard to get all of the brackets set up but we managed to run 3 full elimination sets by the end. I had a tough day personally, just could not get the motor running at ALL!!! I would say it was my worst emotional meltdown of the summer by far, not the way I wanted to end the summer at all. It's frustrating as I feel like I battle against myself emotionally all day long, something I have been pretty good about this summer and made significant strides at in the last few years. I just seem incapable some days of bringing down my competitiveness a notch while still playing the way I would like, not sure if there is an answer to be honest. The one good note was that my partner and I finished better playing 4 straight string games at the end to finish 3rd in the middle bracket, losing 19-21 to another team that could easily have been in the upper bracket and ended up winning the middle one. My brother played in this event as well and it was great to see him as usual, having Janelle, Amy and John there certainly helped me keep somewhat of a lid on things for most of the day. Sunday I played in the D&D event and was able to manage MUCH better. I think not having to worry about the organizing side of things does wonders for my psyche as I am also trying to pla. I finished 4th out of 16 guys and managed to beat both Dave Dickman and Jesse Paulson (True top-flight AA men in the area) in my pool to win it. I then lost 2 1-1 splits by points in my next matches. Oh well.....at least my string of 5 straight top 4 finishes is intact for the D&D tournaments over the last 2 summers. Not too shabby I guess. I am in the planning stages for my final hosted event of the summer, that being a reverse coed 4's grass event on Labor Day for charity. Looks like we might have a nice turnout for the event and I am excited to see who might show up. I am really ready to get back indoors for some indoor play, my first love of volleyball, and getting back together with my men's team. Most of the leagues and play for this format start within a month or so. Other then that work and the usual life stuff keeps me out of trouble for the most part.

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Another gorgeous weekend of weather here in Seattle. Man have we been spoiled rotten this summer. I played in a VERY competitive volleyball tournament on Sunday with a good friend Billie Hwang. She is one of the more outgoing/competitive players in the region and we made quite a duo with our high energy and loud natures on the court. I did not feel all that well and she cramped at the end of the day but we were right there in all of the matches and were able to beat several of the teams I really wanted to by the end of the day. Saturday was a great day as we celebrated the nuptials of my friend Mike Repka. Included here are a few images of him with Chantelle & Mark and also with John and Amy right before the ceremony. Mike was a dancing machine at this event!! Really fun to see him having such a great time on his big day. Tashana looked great in her dress and things seemed to go really smoothly for the most part. I wish them all the best as they start off on their new adventure in life as a married couple. Busy week here at lab as my tech is gone on vacation and I have double-duty for the next 2 weeks of that stretch. Should be good though as I finish experiments and work out some manuscripts before my time here is up. I host my last 2's event of the summer this Saturday and it looks like by initial numbers that it will be a nice sized one as well. I know my brother John plans to play which always makes for a fun time for me with him in the mix. I have had a great v-ball summer overall. Maybe not the best results all the time but competitive at least, a lot of new partners to share the fun, and a success with my running events once again. I think the JWI was one of the v-ball highlights of the summer for the region. That is all for now as I grind out the week and get ready for the next weekend full of activities!!

Friday, August 18, 2006

Nice week on the science side so far I must admit. A little success with my sub-cloning and some transfection of mammalian cells does one's heart good!! I have also been better this week watching what I eat and getting some exercise every day. A walk around Greenlake, 2 trips to the gym, and a soccer match. Not too shabby for me. I hope to be in much better shape with my weight as I head into the indoor season here in the Northwest. This weekend holds a wedding of one Mike Repka (pictured above with good friend Todd Moore). Reception and event are to take place at the Seattle center, cool venue for sure!! I also am scheduled to play a reverse coed tournament on Sunday with friend Billie Huang. We might have as much potential to blow up as any team in Northwest V-ball history, I am sure we will have fun though. We will see if that happens as The Northwest Volleyball event have a habit of not happening these last few seasons. I am also getting excited already for possible indoor fun this season as out Bellevue league is starting a few weeks into September. A really great group of guys, we have won this league the last few seasons (4 out of 5) and look to continue the run. We will have to see what kind of competition there might be out there this year. I am looking forward also to possibly making an indoor team to field with my good friend Jesse Paulson as we make a more competitive season and look towards another nationals run?!? Only time will tell I guess. I will report back after the weekend to fill in the adventures.

Monday, August 14, 2006

What a great weekend with the Weaver Parental Units in town for a chunk of fun in the Emerald City. We had gorgeous weather almost the entire time. It is always a fun time with my parents as we laugh almost the entire duration of the visit, no matter the general circumstances. Ever wonder where I get my stunning good looks? Just look at my mother and there is nor disguising the source of my genetic make-up.
Starbucks did us right on a few mornings as we got fueled up for the adventures to come including the zoo, the Seahawks first pre-season game and other times to sit and chat. The Seahawks looked a little sloppy in their first time on the field this season but one can expect that with a lot of expectations for their season after last year's amazing run into the playoffs and all the way to Detroit for Superbowl XL!!! Thanks again my bro John for being the awesome Seahawk hook-up for tickets and gear, it has been great to have someone we know on the inside of this great organization. Ask to see his NFC Championship ring sometime...Impressive to say the least!

The zoo was a real highlight for me. I have loved going to see the animals since I was a small kid and my enthusiasm never seems to dim no matter how old I get. These monkey put on a great show for us with much swinging, sliding down poles, and sunbathing. They then had a grooming session that was hilarious as their facial expressions of "strained patience" was recognizable to a male of any species!! Great stuff, great trip, great family time. Looking forward to the next trip to see some additional Weaver-type faces!!

Thursday, August 10, 2006

I had a great midweek visit with my uncle Tony (my dad's younger brother) and his lovely bride Sally. It sounded like they had a great trip through Alaska enjoying the gorgeous scenery and ruggedness of the Northwest get-away. They also were able to indulge in the favorite pastime of my uncle, that of fly fishing. We heard some of the "whopper" tales and had a grand old time catching up. I must say it is a little eerie how similar Tony and my father, and for that matter the older brother Walt, all look more alike in my mind as they age. Not a bad way to go I guess, I have been accused of looking like my brother once or twice as well in my time. We had a great meal, thanks for the treat Sally and Tony!! It is great to be able to stay in at least some touch with the relative spread out all over this great country of ours. I will have to get in a visit with uncle Walt, aunt Gwen, and aunt Julie and I will have seen all of my dad's family within the year!! Quite an accomplishment for me with how spread out we all are. Nice to have a night to hang out with family and catch up with good friend Dave Hoadley afterwards for a few beers at the Lava Lounge close to my brother's condo. Great way to get ready for the Weaver parent's arrival in the Seattle area tonight to have fun all weekend with the boys!! I am looking forward to some good family time with lots of laughs, pictures, silliness, football, and non-stop fun that almost all of our visits seem to produce. More to come as the craziness ensues!!

Monday, August 07, 2006


What a fabulous weekend or relaxation, fun, and adventure. Janelle and I drove up to the always lovely Leavenworth (very cute Bavarian-style town in the North Cascades) and were able to spend a relaxing weekend enjoying one more glorious weekend here in the Northwest. We were able to stay in a cabin belonging to Janelle's aunt and uncle, thank you so much Carolyn and John for the kind use of the lovely facility!! We played a few hands of cards, some trivial pursuit and spent many a moment on a very complex puzzle we found while staying there. In between we found time to hit the nearby trails for a quick, if not steep, hike into the woods and got some additional Northwest wildlife photos which I seem to be really stocking up on this summer. I know dad would be proud!! We were also able to hit the local Starbuck's with the glorious backdrop of the Cascades, sure is a nice way to enjoy an iced Chai in my mind!! We were then off to a childhood passion of Janelle's in the form of one Slidewaters water park!! We had a great time hitting all of the attractions in the park, had some yummy park burgers and chicken nuggets and cruised back to the cabin for another relaxing night without phones, TV, or even radio. Just some time to cook some pasta, hit the puzzle once again, and take it easy. 10 hours of sleep later I felt rejuvenated for sure!!! I am looking forward this week to get in a meal with visiting aunt and uncle Tony, the parents arrive on Thursday and then some Seahawk action!! Full weeks ahead as usual. This sure was a nice time to re-charge the batteries for all of the fun left in the month!! A few planned volleyball tournaments, parents visit, friend's (Mike Repka) wedding at the Seattle Center, and who knows what else I might cook up on short notice. It has been a great summer so far and I expect nothing less in the remaining weekends and warm days as we send this one out with a bang!!

Thursday, August 03, 2006



Hey look at this...2 posts in one week, a new record!! I have had the great opportunity these last 2 seasons to play with a coed soccer team composed of mainly people from my work at Benaroya Research institute (BRI). Pictured here is the majority of our team under out anniversary banner with Jack (CFO) who helped us get some money for the snazzy uniforms you see pictured here. ;-) It has been a TON of fun and has reminded me of how much I like to play other sports besides volleyball, at least now and then anyway. I think my mother would be proud that I am getting some exercise in the fresh air at least once per week as well. I was brought up right!! I helped to organize some pick-up volleyball last night as well, a good time to be had for all. People also seemed very appreciative which is nice to hear of course. I also have been in contact with a new group in the area that might be running a fundraising 4's volleyball tournament during Labor Day weekend that I would help organize/run. More to come if that turns into something real or not. I think I caught a cold just the other day and the lack of sleep in recent weeks has finally caught up to me. Hope to get some good rest tonight and get back on the mend for the rest of the plans for the month, I cannot afford to be sick with the parents in town (Mom would not like that)!! More to come.......

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

I am recovering at this point from a weekend of v-ball fun....still. On Saturday was the 9th annual JWI event I run in honor of my bro. It was a great success with 56 players in total and over $1000 raised for a local charity, tough to beat that. The next day I did something I rarely do, play volleyball in the sand. I had a great group to play with and by some stoke of pure luck made it all the way to the loser finals to finish 3rd in a group of 30 teams, what a day!! I had a blast but am exhausted and have been for the whole week. The special wristbands that my good friends Jesse Paulson and Todd Moore gave me carried me through the day I think (nothing like a little Penguin Power!!). I am just really glad both events went off without much of a hitch, people had a good time, and money was raised for some great local organizations. How can you not have fun when looking like this at a v-ball event? I think I won the costume section of the day hands down!! I know at least I was able to put a few smiles on people's faces for the day, that certainly counts for something. I am now gearing up for a visit from my folks out of Denver, a trip to the east side of the state with my girlfiend and my final events of the summer later this month. No rest for the weary I guess. Until then...

Monday, July 03, 2006

I had a lot of fun this last holiday weekend. Saturday just hanging out and taking walks at the parks up by Capitol Hill and in West Seattle (Lincon Park). Gorgeous day and nice to be out and and about in the Northwest on such a weekend (they can be few and far between). Sunday was spent playing in the local Duke & Duchess grass volleyball tournament. I had a blast and finished in the top 4 of the 32 men there, not too shabby for a broken down player like myself. I thought I might go a little farther but really hit a wall in my last 3 games and had nothing left to go on...oh well, not to shabby in my own mind at least. I am looking forward to a fairly mellow holiday on the 4th and hope to have a few burgers, beers, and laughs with my friends and family in the Seatle area, should be fun no matter the final destination I would imagine. I might play in the local grass tournament on that date if I can find a partner on short notice. Many of my friends plan to play and it would be nice to join them on the field if I am able to do so. Only time will tell I guess. I have recently gotten into a war of words with some of the sand volleyball community as to the relative strength of players in the region. I hate getting involved in these fights, and do so less often as I try to be conscious but have a VERY tough time holding my tongue....as long as it stays as just words I guess. It is so easy to get involved with these conflicts online as they seem very impersonal and you never have to look anyone in the eye while it happens or oftentimes afterwards as well. I think it just comes down to feeling like I have had to fight hard to legitimize my participation in a sport that I live for the last 16 years, I have become extremely defensive and find it remains one of my primary hot buttons these days. Man I am long-winded!!! All for now.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Hey out there. Just trying my hand at this thing and seeing how it goes. We have had some great weather in the Northwest this last week (high 80's-90's!!) which is always a surprise this early in the summer. I hope this means we will continue to have great weather with lots of opportunities for me to camp, BBQ, play v-ball, and walk the local parks in the glorious sun. I just hosted my first v-ball events of the summer this last weekend and felt like they were a huge success. I find that I do not do as well playing in my own events, I think I get too scatterbrained but still love doing it. The praise that I receive from running the events is really unexpected and completly appreciated. I hope the rest of my planned events go this well. Only time will tell!!!