Mr Al Young Dot Com

The start of school is a sign that summer is over. No more vacations and leisurely days at the pool. Last week I took my son to school as he started first grade. First grade is not as significant an event as the start of Kindergarten but it is still a change. There are still some anxious moments as you have to adjust to a new classroom, friends, and teacher. You also have to eat lunch at school and go for a full day. A week into the new year the adjustment has been smooth and we are now in the swing of things. Here are some pictures from the first day of school.

I have been behind on my blogging because I have been working at a new job. A regular job. Not blogging from a cafe. A regular 8-5 job in a office and with a commute. I am working on a 2+ month contract position with my old employer BART. I’m back in the same office but not at my old desk. With the real estate market tanking I decided to take the job to get some income while my real estate projects are still ongoing. After nearly 2 years away not much has changed. It is still the same people in pretty much the same place. I am now back to eating at the same restaurants and coffee spot like I never left. When I was a full time employee it seemed like groundhog’s day every day with the same routine and people. However time away has given me a new perspective.

I now enjoy the familiarity of being in familiar surroundings and renewing old relationships. The job is new so that is a change. There are also many benefits of being a contract worker that I enjoy.

Temporary Status: Being a “temp” has its advantages.  It also has its drawbacks such as lack of job security and benefits but there are advantages to being a temp.  First any job is more bearable knowing that it is only temporary.  You know that there is an end to it.  Even though I enjoy it so far,  having a temporary job still gives me flexibility later on.

Hired help: Being a temp means you are hired to do a specific job in a certain way.  Basically you do as you are told.  You don’t have to go to staff meetings or worry about office politics.  Just do your job and go home.  If someone questions why you do things a certain way you just say “Hey I’m just a temp.  I did it the way you told me to do it”.

So for now it is enjoyable being a “temp” and being among old friends again.  I’m starting to get back into the old routine and hope to have time to blog more soon.

Wow time flies, summer is over and school has started this week.  Also as many of you as pointed out to me it has been some time since I posted anything on my blog.  Over a month and for a blogger that’s inexcusable.  I just have had not the time or energy lately.  I started a contract job at my old employer BART last month as I try to ride out this real estate slump.  Working at a regular 8-5 job has been a little tough getting used to again.  I am exhausted without my daily nap.  Like my kids I don’t really need a nap but I do better with one and I enjoy it.  For the past few weeks I have been working all day and falling asleep each night watching the Olympics.

Now with the Olympics over, school started and getting used to my work routine, I hope to have more time to post.   Even though I have not posted anything in awhile I have several posts that I have started that need to be finished and many more in my head that needs to come out when I have the time and energy.  I may be posting shorter, more random posts but more frequently.

Thanks to all my faithful readers who continue to check in to hear what I have to say.  Just a reminder that you can subscribe to this blog on this page either by RSS reader or by email.  By subscribing you will be notified whenever the blog is updated and you won’t have to keep checking in and be disappointed.

My post on the escalating price of airline travel got linked to a similar news story published on CNN online. You can see the article here. At the end of the article my article is featured in the section titled “From The Blogs”.

In the early days of air travel, airplane travel was a luxury reserved for the very rich.  Over the years airline travel was made available to the common people with air fares becoming more affordable.  Bargain airlines sprung up and it was cheaper to fly than drive.  Now with the gas prices skyrocketing airline travel may once again become a luxury item.

I was watching a news report on the struggles of the airline industry last week.  Fuel now accounts for more than half of an airline’s expense and they are losing money on each flight.  The loss ranges from a few hundred dollars per short flights to several thousand on longer cross country flights.  Obviously an airline cannot stay in business for long if is losing money on every flight.  They need to either increase revenue or reduce expenses or both.  Expenses are already being curbed.  On a recent flight I was not even given a bag of peanuts.  Everything cost money including a meal, pillow or blanket and checking in an extra bag.  Some airlines have eliminated the in flight movie system in order to save fuel.  Fares are also being raised in order for the airlines to squeeze out a profit on each flight.

We will be taking 2 long drives by car this summer instead of flying.  Even with the high price of gas it is still much cheaper than flying especially with a family.  Not only are fares rising, there will be less flights as airlines are going out of business and existing airlines reducing their schedule to stop the losses.  All these factors means you will soon be paying a lot for the privilege of being packed into a plane like sardines without any snacks.  That is if you are the few who can afford the luxury of air travel

Last month my son Marcus finished his first season of T-Ball and I finished my first year being an assistant coach. It was a good experience for both of us. For Marcus it was his first season of organized baseball and he did very well as one the top players on the team. The team consisted of 4-5 year olds but there is a big difference between barely 4 and in preschool and 5 and a half and in kindergarten. Its only 1 year but the difference in attention span, maturity, and skills is huge. Marcus went through his first year still enjoying baseball and is now ready for the next level. Some observations from my first season:

• Coaching: Coaching T-ball is not really about teaching the fundamentals of baseball although we tried. I think I spent most of my time trying to get the kids to pay attention and to look in the right direction while on defense. Many times they would be wrestling with one another or making “dirt angels” on the infield.
• Outfield: There is really no need for outfielders in T-ball. I think only a few balls went into the outfield all season. We just played a deep infield and still the ball sometimes went through because no one was paying attention
• Kids: At the T-ball level none of the kids really like baseball. They like being with their friends and maybe like wearing the uniforms but they don’t really understand or enjoy the game itself. Baseball is still too boring form them. Unlike soccer where there is constant motion baseball has a lot of down time just waiting for a ball to come to you or to bat. The kids get distracted easily and its a chore to get them to focus. Hopefully they will develop more of an interest in the game itself next year as they mature. The exception to this is Marcus who actually enjoys the game. Part of it is that he is a little older than the other kids and can pay attention longer. Also Marcus has been going to spring training and baseball games since he was 3. He even likes watching it on TV and listening on the radio. He also checks the score of the A’s game on the Internet first thing in the morning because the games end after his bed time. He may be the only kid on the team who actually enjoys the game.

I think it was a positive experience for everyone and I enjoyed working with the other coaches. Now its onto soccer. Here are some pictures of the season. For some kids raking the infield dirt was a highlight of the season.

It is the middle of the July and much of the country is experiencing a heat wave.  So naturally I would be spending a week vacationing in one of the hottest spots in the country….Palm Springs.  It reached a high of 114 degrees last week and on most days around 108-110 degrees.  I’m not a fan of the heat but when you are trying to find an available timeshare spot during the summer only the hottest places are readily available.  Mainly because no one wants to go there when it is so hot.  That can be a plus if you can handle the heat.

Last year we went to Scottsdale/Phoenix where it was equally hot so we are no stranger to extreme summer heat.  Palms Springs is very much like Scottsdale.  Like Scottsdale it is an upscale area with lots of nice homes and resorts.  Also there is a lot of shopping and golf courses.  And it is very HOT.  I think its dry heat but it does not matter, its still not comfortable.  Most days it reaches 100 degrees by 10 in the morning and it does not get below 100 degrees until about 9 in the evening.   There are only 2 places that you are really comfortable at, indoors under air conditioning and in the pool.  We spent a lot of time at the pool.

Still you do eventually get used to the heat or at least adapt better.  When the temperature dropped by 10 degrees due to some thunderstorms it almost felt pleasant…. almost.  Despite the extreme heat we did get in a lot of activities and had a good time.  If you can handle the heat going to a hot weather destination during the dead of summer has its advantages.  First the rates at hotels and restaurants are much lower than during the winter when everyone is going.  If you want to experience a nice 4 or 5 star resort but did not want to pay the high prices go in the summer.  You can get room rates at 1/2 off or more from the high season rate.   The same goes with restaurants. So if you want to pamper yourself at a nice resort at a  bargain price summer is the time to go.

If you want to hang around a nice pool, get a spa treatment and eat well all at a reasonable rate, this is the vacation for you.  However if you want a more active vacation, than it may not work for you.  The good news is that many attractions like golf are deeply discounted during the summer season.  The bad news is that you can only do anything active comfortably very early or very late in the day.  I would have loved to golf on one the many golf courses in Palm Springs but I don’t think I could have lasted 2-3 hours in this heat.

Last week Stan organized a evening at the movies for many of us with young children. Several families got together to see Kung Fu Panda for only $4. We all enjoyed the movie and had a good time. Today I was surprised to learn that one of my Facebook friends was watching Kung Fu Panda online. I was also surprised to get some possibly useful information from Facebook.

So I checked it out at www.restofthemovie.com. Sure enough I was able to see the movie online. There were also many other first run movies you could see. After taking a look around here are some thoughts on the site:

• Because of the size of movies, most are broken into parts. Kung Fu Panda is split into 4 parts. Once you finish one section, just click on the next section. Nothing to download and its a small inconvenience.
• The movie quality and sound is certainly not high definition but its okay. Certainly watchable. It goes without saying that you need a high speed internet connection but the feed of each movie varies. Some are better than others, its a matter of trial and error. Two movies that seem good are Kung Fu Panda and Don’t Mess With The Zohan.
• Some movies are are only available for a short period of time and its gone. Some have foreign subtitles
• if you want to download the entire movie you are directed to a movie download site where you pay a monthly fee and have to download software to view the movies.

It is always nice to get a check in the mail. Instead of the normal bills and junk mail you get money. Its not often that this happen. Most of the time money is deposited into your account electronically and you don’t get to actually receive the check. It is more convenient but you don’t get the same thrill as opening an envelope with money inside. Lately I have been getting money in the mail……email that is.

A couple of times a day I get an email that I have an e-book sale. That means money in my inbox. Its not really because they send me a check twice a month. So in this case I get to experience money in the mail twice. Once when I am notified by email of a book sale and when the actual check arrives.

A couple of times a week I also get an email from PayPal that there has been a deposit into my account. This is from the earnings from my freelance writing jobs with Ehow. They process the PayPal deposits 2-3 times a week. Money is deposited into my PayPal account and I eventually transfer it to my checking account without ever seeing a physical check or cash. Still it is still exciting to see money in my email inbox. Sometimes I wake up with several emails of book sales. Money in my sleep….sort of. At least the emails represents real money unlike the many emails in my spam folder offering to wire me millions of dollars from Africa. That’s why I check my email so often….I’m looking for money.

I have been on Facebook for awhile but not as an active participant.  Only recently have I logged onto Facebook more often since Stan got me more involved with Facebook.  After spending some time on Facebook, I think its a fun and sometimes useful networking tool.  Its different from My Space which is for kids and Linkedin which is for business networking.  My Space is popular with the under 18 crowd and pedophiles.  Linkedin is like a rolodex online.  It is great for making business contacts and networking but not as much fun as Facebok.  So Facebook is the appropriate social networking tool for my age group.  After spending some time on Facebook I found some cool things it can do and things I still don’t understand.

What Is Cool About Facebook:

• Connecting with old friends: I have reconnected with old friends from college and high school which I likely would not have been able to do without Facebook.  That is the best thing about Facebook.
• Photos:  I enjoy seeing photos of friends and their families particularly those I have lost contact with

What I Still Don’t Get About Facebook:

• Virtual Gifts: Every few days someone gives me a gift on Facebook.  Not a real gift but a virtual gift.  Something like so and so sent you a flower and its a picture of a flower.  Okay.  I got “poked” by someone once. Another time someone threw a virtual snowball at me. What???
• Status:  There are people who are always on Facebook and updating us with their status.  That means telling everyone what they are now doing.  Like I just took a nap or I’m watching TV.  Maybe other people care what you are doing, but I don’t really need to know.
• Friend Request:  The whole idea with Facebook is to connect or to reconnect with your friends and that is fine.  I get friend requests and I am glad to accept, but sometimes I get requests from people I barely know.  I may have met them once or twice through a mutual friend and now they are asking me to be their Facebook friend.  I always accept to be polite but I would not really consider them friends.  It is kind of like high school when you try to get everyone in school to sign your yearbook despite the fact you only have about 10 close friends and the rest are just acquaintances.   All these friend request seem just like filling up your yearbook.  I would rather have a smaller group of friends than hundreds of Facebook friends that I barely know.

Facebook is a fun entertaining social networking tool.  I can see how it can be useful and fun to some people. It seems the people who enjoy Facebook the most are the most social and outgoing.  I guess I ‘m just not that sociable in person or even online, so I don’t fully “get” Facebook.