I Need A (Tech) Refresh

Over the past couple of days, it was my schedule to pick up the boys at Bell. I stuck to my original schedule and that seemed to work pretty well. On Tuesday, I got there just after 4:30pm, but was caught off guard when one of the boys was at a freshman basketball conditioning session than ran till 5pm. So, I patiently waited till all 3 boys hopped in the car for the ride home. Other than that, it was an uneventful 2 days.

Yesterday, I finally got a response that I had been waiting for. Let me explain. I think my laptop is 3 years old or so, and it was time to change it. It's called Tech Refresh, and, today, the folks in IT had the unenviable task of transferring all my files from one laptop to another. For this process, they've sort of reduced the downtime of employees, like me, by performing the data transfers remotely. This meant I didn't have to go off lline and physically hand over my laptop before they can make any transfer. Well, that's good news for me because, in the past, down times normally go as long as 4-5 hours, and that's something I could not afford. About 95% of my work is on the computer. With a 4-5 hour downtime, I might as well go home.

The IT guy called on schedule, and asked me to send him a screenshot of my network drives, as well as printer network connections. Based on the schedule given to me, the transfer would be completed within a few hours, and that I would have a brand new laptop installed by 4pm. That didn't happen.

When I logged off for the day, I have not heard back from the IT guy. Since I was off the next day, I didn't know how my tech refresh would be completed. My guess is that the exchange will take place when I get back on Monday. I just hope the transfer went flawlessly, and that I wouldn't have any downtime or issues.

We shall see.....

See What We're Made Of

Jake had been waiting for this weekend to come since it was his practice weekend with his new volleyball club, Bay to Bay. And so was I. Since his practice wasn't till 5:30pm, there were a few things we needed to do. It was a Saturday after all.

First on the list was our hair appointment with our favorite lady haircutter, Wendy. After lunch, we drove to Milpitas to see Wendy. With enough time on our hands, we then headed back to Fremont to have my car washed, before going back home to prepare for practice. At 4:30pm, we left for San Jose.

Being his first practice with the 16-white team, Jake was excited. It would be the first time we would see who's in the team and their level of play. Being the third 16s team, it's probably not as good as the first two, but I was confident that it's better than his former club's 16s team this year.

As part of the club's regulation, parents would be allowed to watch the team practices for the first 2 weekends. They would be allowed to come into the gym and sit by the bleachers. After that, they could only watch from outside the door. Well, it's one way of saying, "just drop off your son and come back from them after 2 hours."

While we had the chance, the wife and I watched. From what I saw, the team was raw, but had potential. Some work would be required to make them competitive. From the 13 players, about 7-8 boys know what they were doing and have the skill. They just have to be refined. For the rest, more work was needed. And I don't know if 4 practices would be enough.

On the first practice day, the entire session was devoted to skills practice -- the basics. I think this was good on the coaches part to do so. From our experience last year (from a different club), I thought they lacked in the doing the basic stuff, and assumed that the players new what they were doing. Well, some didn't. And it showed during the 2-day league qualifiers in San Mateo.

Today's second practice day was not any different from yesterday's. There were more drills, and each focused on developing certain aspects of the game. Since the club's philosophy is in alignment with top collegiate programs, the approach and level of plays are much different from our experience from the previous club. And with experienced coaches, I am confident my son, and the rest of the team, will learn a lot and improve on their game.

Personally, I am excited about this year's team and the season, in general. I know that my son's level of play will be elevated and his skills will improve. And he knows that he needs to work hard and do his part to make that happen.

Here's to a promising club volleyball season.

(Bay on three. 1-2-3)...BAY !!!

My Turn To Pick Up

On this first week of September, my first couple of official carpool pick-ups have begun. I took yesterday off, so I was able to pick up the boys at Bell at 3pm. I actually had more time to kill than I had anticipated. I took a fairly late lunch, hoping that, once I was done, I would have just enough time to get to San Jose. I ended up leaving Fremont about 2:25pm.

Traffic was unexpectedly light on 880, and I arrived at Bell in less than 20 minutes. My driving was steady at the limit, at times doing 70. But there was hardly any traffic and I got there sooner than I had wanted to. It was all good. Better early than late, right?

The boys were quite surprised, too. They were expecting me to arrive past 3, so when I texted Jake that I was at the parking lot, he had to rush and inform the other boys it was time to go.

Going home was a breeze as well. Having more passengers allowed me to take the carpool lane, which, at times, wasn't really necessary. Cars were just moving along. Once we passed the 237 interchange, traffic slowed down a bit, and the carpool lane became very helpful. Being a Tuesday, I dropped off Nick at Club Sport, where he would be met by his parents later in the day. Then, I dropped off Coby. Jake and I proceeded to do a little grocery shopping, which we failed to do over the weekend.

Today was my second pick up day for the week. Since it was a work day and I was coming from Oakland, my pick up schedule was 5pm, plus minus. I didn't know how the traffic was so, I gave myself ample time to get to Bell. I left the office at 3, and was on the 3:15 BART train back to Fremont. By 4pm, I was rolling out of the station.

Now, I had a couple of options to get to the 880 freeway. It's either I took Mowry Avenue straight from BART till I hit 880, or I could snake my way locally up to Warm Springs via Mission Blvd, then on to 880. I chose the former. And it took me almost 15 minutes to get on the freeway.

Once on 880, traffic was surprisingly light and moving pretty fast, until I got past the Montague exit, as we neared the 101 interchange. I wasn't surprised that this interchange was causing the slow down. Since I was alone, I couldn't hop on the carpool lane, as cars zipped by with ease. I crawled for a while, but no more than 10 minutes (maybe less). As I neared 101, things just moved alone much faster.

From that point, it was just another 6-7 minutes to Bell. As I got off the Almaden Expressway exit, I texted Jake and informed him that I was less than 5 minutes away. As I neared, I got no reply. I called Coby and I learned they were out getting Jamba Juice.

I arrived at Bell a little past 4:30pm, which I thought was a respectable time. But since the boys were out getting some refreshments, I waited. They got back and were in the car by 5pm. Well, so much for getting there early.

From Bell, I dropped off Coby at Santa Clara University for his tennis lessons. On 880, the carpool lane helped us get through from San Jose till things slow downed as we passed 237 (again). Even the carpool lane moved slowly, but wasn't crawling as everyone else was. I decided to take the Dixon Landing exit and went local. It was faster than I thought, except for the occasional traffic lights. Next was Nick at his house off Mission. Then, it was home for Jake and I.

If today's drive was any indication, leaving the office at that time would just be perfect. If I leave 15 minutes later, traffic conditions might be different. And I don't want to take my chances. I'll just have to see how the rest of the month goes.

A Quiet Labor Day Weekend

The last official holiday of summer is Labor Day, and this holiday weekend was quiet. Compared to past years, we didn't get any invite for any barbeque or end-of-summer get-together. I guess everyone has moved on from the days of kumbaya.

Catfish in Sweet Sour Broth

Weekends are always fun, to a certain degree, because it's an excuse to try out new eating places and to pig out. This past holiday weekend, it wasn't about exploring anything new, but merely to indulge in local favorites. And that's basically what we did.

Fried Shrimp Cupcakes

We visited our favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Newark, Vung Tau 3,
and satisfied out craving for a catfish dish cooked in sweet sour broth. Don't ask me what it's called because every time we order it, we either describe it or point to the menu. The usual fried spring roll or salt 'n pepper squid are good compliments to this fish dish. But this time we had fried shrimp cupcakes.

Morning-after Burger

The Vine, in the Niles district of Fremont, was another new-found favorite. I would describe this place as eclectic funk, popular for its Sunday brunch. There is always a line and the wait can be long. If you don't get there when they open, you'll have to be patient. We had to wait for almost an hour before we got seated. They don't take reservations nor take calls to have your name put on the list even if you are driving and minutes away. And the ladies manning the front aren't efficient either. Food is really not out-of-this-world fantastic, but it's quite different. I had their morning-after burger, with bacon over an english muffin (I think), and it was quite good. The corned beef is also popular, and so is the fried chicken and waffles. And the coffee? Don't bother. But they do have a Bloody Mary with bacon (yes, BACON!!!).

Aniki's OMG Sushi Roll

Over the past few months, we've been regular fixtures at Aniki's on Mowry Avenue in Fremont. This sushi and sake bar was introduced to us my a former St. Joe dad, Louie. They have a large selection of original sushi rolls, and their sashimi is super fresh. It's probably one of the freshest I've ever had. And their prices are quite reasonable, too. We used to drive all the way to Hayward for our sushi & sashimi fix, but not anymore. As in all good places, this one is always packed, and the wait is anywhere from 30-45 minutes. If you're undecided on what roll to get, ask restaurant manager, Carlos, and he'll guide you.

Dohatsuten Signature Ramen

For a quick, hot meal, there's always this ramen place we go to along Mission Blvd, across Ohlone College. It's called Dohatsuten. I've had ramen served many different ways, but I still find this one probably the best, or at least, my favorite. It's a small, simple ramen house, with enough variety to choose from. I always get their signature ramen (Dohatsuten) in miso broth. I can't describe what's in it, but it's good and filling. I suggest you check it out. They also have some appetizers and other dishes to choose from if ramen is not your fancy.

Gong Cha in Fremont

Adding to the already crowded milk tea beverage market is a new place caleld, Gong Cha, located in the commercial complex, comprised mostly of Asian stores and stalls, along Warm Springs Blvd (and Mission). Another former St. Joe parent, Jenny, introduced us to this place. This Taiwanese franchise is new, and is the only one in the US, for now. And for us Fremont residents, we're lucky to have its presence in our neck of the woods. The line was long when we tried it. I don't think the line was long because of the volume of people, but I think it was more about how fast (or slow) they can make the product and have the customer out the door.  For tea lovers in cold form, this is something you may want to try. Since I am not a tea aficionado, I opted for the non-caffeine lemon winter melon drink, mixed with some seeds and tapioca "pearls".. What's quite unique is that you can customize the sweetness of your drink (not my drink though) and how much ice you want in it.

42

The Butler

Aside from eating, we also watched a couple of movies. First, in the comfort of our family room, we watched "42". This Jackie Robinson story was quite entertaining. It gave us a glimpse of the racial issues of the past, and how that divide was overcome in sports, particularly in baseball. As a follow up to that, we also watched "The Butler" on the big screen. Similarly, it was a snapshot in the life of an African-American father, during the racially-filled years in American history, who managed to find work in the White House as a butler, and served 8 presidents over 34 years. As in a most Hollywood bio flicks, not everything in the movie was true. Check online and you'll find a number of articles that call out the inaccuracies. But then again, movies are there to entertain, and this one was quite alright.

It wasn't the Labor Day holiday I had in mind, but it wasn't bad. But what is an ideal Labor Day holiday anyway?

Note: Author wishes to acknowledge Yelp and IMDb for the photographs and illustrations used in the post.