I'm Driving a Homer!

/

I like The Simpsons. Ok, I really like The Simpsons. I've watched the show since the very beginning, I own a couple of seasons on DVD and, of course, I own The Simpsons Movie. I also drive a Ford Five Hundred. I like my car. Ok, I really like my car. It has been perfectly dependable during its first 100,000 miles. I like the name Five Hundred and even like the fact that they re-named the car to Taurus- which is all a bit confusing if you ask me. fordfivehundred

So what do the Simpsons have to do with my car? Well, during a recent speech, Ford's head of global product development Derrick Kuzak likened the Five Hundred to Homer Simpson. Not Homer's car, but Homer himself. The Five Hundred was called a failure and an updated model was promised for the future.

A failure? Homer Simpson a failure? I don't think so! I'm proud to drive a Homer Simpson.

homer simpson2

The Word of the Year...

/

Drum roll, please. Merriam-Webster gave the honor to 'w00t'. American Dialect Societygave it to 'subprime'. Locavore earned the dubious honor fromOxford.

Not one to shy away from popular fads on the internet, I wanted to play along. After careful consideration and some deliberation with Dawn, I have chosen the mattbeckwith.com word of the year:podcast.

podcastpodcast

Ok, so some of you might catch me on the technicality here. Oxford named 'podcast' their word of the year in 2005. I started listening to podcasts in 2005 and in the time since I have all but given up terrestial radio. Driving nearly three hours a day, I used to be an NPR junky. Nowadays, I might just need to pull out the owner's manual for my car stereo to figure out how to turn on the radio.

I subscribe, and listen, to 67 podcasts. Most are weekly, some are daily, some are between monthly and weekly. I listen to shows on technology, news, management and couple-casts, among others. So, is 'podcast' the word of the year because I spend so much time listening? There must be more to it than that, right?

Of course. 2007 brought so many great podcast moments. Some highlights:

September - Podcast and New Media Expo May - Pizza Go Here is born April - Beckwith Family Podcast is launched April - Manager Tools conference April - My Mostly Trivial "appearance" February - Tour of California January - Macworld / Mac podcast meet-up January - I started writing for Typical Mac User

Through podcasting, we have met some great people, in the real-world and in the podosphere. I've had the chance to spend some time with some of the brightest, most interesting people I have ever met, way too many to list. We are grateful for the amazing people all over the world that have allowed us into their amazing lives.

Podcast.

If you have a computer and a pulse, there is a podcast for you. You don't need an iPod. Download iTunes, go to the podcast directory and take a look. While you're there, check out our show, Pizza Go Here.

mattandtheboss Me and Victor Cajiao, one of the kings of podcasting.

Podcast.

Happy Thanksgiving

/

Happy Thanksgiving! This year, we hosted the annual festivities and had a great turnout. Most of us ate a lot more than we should have, but given the cornucopia of good stuff (c'mon, it's the only time of year I can use that word) we had no choice. 2074158725_0e19c82ac7

Another Thanksgiving means another Annual Field Goal challenge. This year, we played two rounds. The first was won by Joe (of course) and the second was taken by Ken! I have got to practice more during the year.

2074946194_432ba575db

Check out the pics here.

Roller Derby!

/

That's right, folks... Roller Derby is alive and kicking! We joined the F&F family and went to root on Nicole and the San Joaquin Valley Vixens Roller Derby team in a bout at the Civic Auditorium. This was the first time the kids had ever seen Roller Derby and the first time any of us had seen it live. It took a while for Dawn and I to understand the logistics of the sport but once we did, we had a blast yelling at the players. These women are tough and took a lot of hard falls!

During one of the intermissions, I was selected to join the corn-on-the-cob eating contest. I took second place but could have won if the judges gave me full credit for that last cob!

2055564676_6790671897

Check out the pics here.

Thunder Goes Pink II

/

Dawn, Makenzy, Emily and a friend went to the Stockton Thundergame tonight, a ladies night out, for the second annual Thunder Goes Pink night. This is such a great way to raise awareness and money for breast cancer. The ice was painted pink and the Thunder players wore special pink jerseys. The Thunder were victorious and the girls had a great night out! 2054735123_40209a6ef4

Check out the pics here.

Happy Halloween

/

Well, another Halloween has come and gone. Next is Thanksgiving, Christmas and then New Years... it'll be here before you know it. This year, I was Jack, as in Jack in the Box. I had a great time playing the part at work and then at the school for the annual trick-or-treat festivities. Thankfully, Mike was there to help me pass out candy to the kids because I had a hard time seeing most of them.

Here I am resting at the end of a long night. Yes, believe it or not, that's Hannah Montana on the far right! happyhalloween07withjack

One of the coolest part of the night was on my way. I went through the drive through at In-n-Out and they noticed my Jack head in the back seat. I simply said, "Sometimes, even I need a real burger!"

Next year's plan? Well, I've got some ideas....

Check out today's pics here.