Remembering Ken 1968-2021

The world lost a beautiful, creative soul yesterday. Our lives will never be the same but they are infinitely better for having known and loved Ken. He fought brain cancer valiantly for 21 months and taught us to cherish the time we have together and to find joy in the moment. We will love you always and hold you forever in our hearts. ♥

Tribute to Ken

Surgery Anniversary

Today marks exactly a year since Ken's brain tumor surgery. It's one of those moments that cleaves our life distinctly: Before. After. 

9/6/2019

Weeks later, we began to work the chemo & radiation 'program,' it was like we were living a life adjacent. The rest of the world kept going but we were on another path that moved differently, like those conveyors you stand on in long airport hallways. People bustled by us unburdened and able to plan months or years ahead, while we thought in only 6-week spans between MRI appointments.

 

Even though you know logically there are no guarantees for how long you and your loved ones will walk the Earth, the great delusion is that there will be enough time for everything as soon as you get "this" or "that" done. Caring for someone with a brain cancer diagnosis has taught me how my assumptions about what I thought would always exist and how time would progress were ridiculous. 

Most of our community of family and friends, rose up to meet us in a way I could never have dreamed. People really show you who they are in times like this and to feel held & supported so that we could feel all our feelings, be vulnerable, rely on ready-made-meals, childcare, transport--it was a welcome relief. The people who show up and the gestures of kindness are so appreciated, even though it’s a weird time and I know it’s hard to always know what to say. 

But through the winter we stayed on our conveyor, still separate from the rest of the world. Needles of dread, anxiety, isolation and helplessness randomly pierced our fragile stability. I would then scramble to patch it and reset our life again. In February, the confluence of a panic-induced clinical trial search and a meticulously-planned Disneyland trip nearly broke me. We thought we’d find a wondrous solution in a clinical trial but we actually came to see these were all science experiments, which indeed moved the study of cancer forward, but weren’t really viable treatments to count on. It was tough to accept. However, the trip--laden with what-if-this-is-our-last-trip poignance--turned out more AMAZING than I imagined and gave us a big win. 

Then something really weird happened: a global pandemic struck. Suddenly all those feelings that I had felt since September, weren't just mine alone anymore. In a way, we all were/are on the conveyor belt together with this new scary disease. Homeschooling worked out okay and Ken helped teach the math parts which I was ever grateful for. Gliding into summer, we had hoped for some relaxation but it was not to be. In July, a new chemotherapy treatment unexpectedly sparked a severe pancreatic reaction and sent Ken to the ER/hospital for 10 days over a course of two weeks. It transported me back to the bleary days after his surgery, struggling to grasp new medical information. But at 7 weeks on now, things are stable--even, dare I say, positive as we got a slice of good news this last week.   

So here’s two things I have come to realize on this significant anniversary:

1. People walk amongst us with experiences and conditions we have no idea about. To be aware and sympathetic to this is to honor people showing up in what ways they can. I never had any realistic conception of what a cancer diagnosis meant, even though I knew friends, neighbors and relatives who had been diagnosed with cancer. Being in it every day with Ken though, seeing how it impacts your loved one and family, keeping track of so many meds/appointments/procedures, learning everything about the disease but still not knowing enough, feeling like you’re looking over your shoulder waiting for the other shoe to drop at any second is completely humbling and it changed the lens that I look at life through. 

2. So that leads me to the second thing, what we do with the time we have defines us. Despite his very serious condition and the pass people would grant him to pull into his shell to focus only on himself for the rest of his days, Ken has not done that. Within a month of his surgery, he ran a 5K and raised money benefiting pediatric brain tumor research for Seattle Children’s (which he’s doing again this month too!), earlier this year he volunteered with Doctors Without Borders to redesign their clinic signage about COVID-19 precautions and worked with translators to make those signs into several different languages and working part-time now at Google he is focused on a project with Morehouse College in Atlanta to help design a data platform to measure the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color. I also see him doing the work to be a helpful ally to LGBT+ folks by advocating at work for inclusivity and software designs that consider gender spectrum and non-binary individuals. I see him open himself up to learn how to deconstruct deeply embedded racism in our systems, habits and perspectives and to use his position to push for changes. He is spending his time making the world better than when he found it and I couldn’t be more proud. 

But one thing we talk about A LOT is our concern for this country and its future. The civic awareness and participation erupting over the last 4 years in Seattle and around the country is inspiring and we hope people never forget that we all have a role to play in influencing and making our communities safer, inclusive and more just. Voting in this year’s election for sane, scientific and compassionate leadership at the federal/state/local level is key to get us on that path.

8/22/2020

9/2/2020

Fig Time 2017

Another August, another fig season! Members of our household (some more enthusiastically then others) wait and prepare all year for the epic two week window of fig harvest. And every year Ken ups his game. Because each year, a new challenge meets him.

(As a refresher: Find the evolution of defending the tree from interlopers and how it became the stuff of myth and legend HERE. Last year's season introduced the world to the likes of 'Quadropus.')

You know that thing when you solve your problem only to find another one in its place? What we've noticed is that the method of defending the tree evolves and the *kind* of interlopers changes over time as well. First, it was the terrible European Starlings that seized on the figs, then we noticed some bad-ass crows claimed our yard as their territory so we've seen very few Starlings this year. But very recently, we've spotted a bold squirrel who doesn't take no for an answer. A few days ago I went out to water some flowers in the garden and the squirrel scampered away with a ripe fig in it's mouth. It could barely carry it but it managed to escape up into the tree. So yesterday when I was again outside picking up all the forgotten plastic toys strewn about the yard, I saw a/the squirrel near the fig tree again. I shouted for it to get moving. But it just sat there twitching it's fuzzy tail, daring me to do something about it. I yelled again and it moved a few feet but not with any urgency. I then announced, "It gets the hose!" and I clicked the sprayer over to "jet" and gave a squirrel an unwanted shower it would not soon forget. But I digress...

Our fig harvest's success owes a lot to technology. This year Ken was able to find an application that accomplished 90% of what he wanted to do with monitoring, detection and triggering the Quad. Two Raspberry Pi computers with cameras attached kept watch over the tree and kicked off a modified Quadropus with shorter limbs for better flailing and less tree entanglement. More tech and cabling seemed to entered the garden this year but Ken continued to tweak and refine his device. Unfortunately, the crop wasn't as voluminous as last year, in fact he thinks it's half of what last year yielded. I'm not sure if we should attribute the very wet spring or the 52 days of straight sun we just had but even the berries were not as great this year. Still, a good number of eating figs and roughly 27 jars of jam should come from it. Hopefully that should be enough. 

             

It works!

And sometimes you get a surprise.

Save the Figs, Save the World 2016: Quadropus Bird Deterrent

For those of you who know Ken, you know how much he loves the fig tree in our backyard and covets every single fig that makes it through to harvest time. Since we moved here in 2010, he has tenaciously defended the tree from interloping birds who seek to rob him of the precious figs. It all started off so simply with common, static deterrents but graduated into what can only be described as an obsession. The motto around here is: when in doubt, add technology. So friends, for your viewing pleasure, I give you "The Quadropus." And yes, this means fig harvest is officially on.







To read about previous fig defending efforts and a little more history on our fig tree, check out this 2013 post.

Cuz I'm Freeeee--Free Falling

Lest you think this blog has become a catalog of my husband's eccentric exploits because my own life is comparably lame, well you've never simultaneously planned a baby shower and a 4-year-old's birthday party.  Now that's EXTREME.

~~~~~~~~~

When I first met my husband Ken in 2003, he admitted he was somewhat of a thrill-seeker.  In fact at the time, he had been looking into switching jobs and moving down to California just so he could take regular hang-gliding lessons.  But then we started dating--and he did not move to California as we all well know. 

As married life and family life emerged, he shelved plans for high-risk pursuits.  But I knew this was part of his essence and it's also one of the things I admire most: his fearlessness.  But as a risk-assessing, contingency-planning, skeptic, I was very leery about tempting fate.  And yet, just leaving the house everyday is a risk too.  

So earlier this summer, Ken learned of a place down in Shelton, WA that teaches accelerated free-fall/skydiving.  They have you jump out at first with 2 instructors hanging on then as you jump again and again they don't hang on to you but stay very close, then there is only one instructor jumping, then it's just you.  Ken felt very strongly and wanted to do this program but I was initially very resistant given our life at this point in time.   However, I looked into this organization with some extensive internet searches and review reading.  I came to feel somewhat better about the prospect.  

On Saturday, Ken spent all day down in Shelton taking the 5-hour class to learn to jump and then doing his first jump at 7:30 pm.  He loved it but had hoped to do more than one for all that trouble.   So with the weather set to be clear and favorable today, Ken said planned to take today off, go back down there and get a few more jumps in.  Well, he actually did five.  He called me about 1:30 PM after doing his 4th jump and said he could come home right then but he also could do one more jump that would allow him to do some acrobatic stunts.  And I was all, "Really?  Well you better get video of that because you'll want something to show for it.  Consider that a (belated) birthday present from me."

So here it is....

Ken's 6th Accelerated Free-fall Jump from Kali Sakai on Vimeo.

There are also still photos from the jump.  My favorites:

Ken's instructor (Shane), Ken and a guy named Shrik

Long way down.

Back flip tuck

Nice view.

Yay for parachutes!

So he tells me this is it and he's gotten it out of his system...for now.  But all this talking about skydiving has intrigued Sidney who wants to go with her dad when she's 18.  Fantastic (sigh).

Save the Figs, Save the World

A man and his figs shall not be separated

We moved into our house three years ago and the centerpiece of the backyard is a 60-year-old fig tree that fruits green Adriatic figs every August.  My husband, Ken, loves those figs and has passed on his affinity to our children.  I, on the other hand, am not so enamored.  Nevertheless, over the past few years, European Starlings (the bastard scourge of the avian kind) flock in the fig tree, peck the ripe fruit and deprive Ken of the bounty that is rightfully his.  

Crime scene #1

Crime scene #2

Never mind that even with the birds, harvests have been plentiful.  
Never mind that we give away a good amount of fruit.  
Never mind that a pound of figs is about $6 at the store.  
Oh no--Something must be done to thwart the interlopers!

In our initial two summers here, Ken's made admirable attempts to quell the siege and keep the birds from claiming the precious fruit.  He's used reflective tape, full-size stuffed scarecrows, blow up dolls, a bobble head owl and a bird trap baited with suet.   But all of these eventually failed because the birds got used to them.  It got to the point that he resorted to the "running-outside-to-scare-the-crap-out-of-the-birds" maneuver which also inspired disapproving looks from our neighbors.  But this method only worked when someone was watching---and of course no one has time to watch the fig tree all day long.  

Operation Fig Shield 
So Ken was determined that this year would be different.  Clearly he had just not used enough technology in his earlier attempts.  He spent the majority of his two weeks off this summer trying to design and prototype a functional solution.  He aspired to build a "thing" that would vigilantly watch the tree and detect when these loathsome bandits appeared.  Then it would trigger something that would scare the living daylights out of unsuspecting birdies.  This posed a complex challenge since he wanted (and I demanded) something that would be more than just a motion sensor.  

Ruining a perfectly good Tupperware

Ultimate Garden Ornament

Ken decided to build his program on the small, cheap and powerful platform of the Raspberry Pi.  There is a lot of "magic" that goes into getting all the parts to work together but simply put, the system identifies and knows the difference between an enemy bird, an errant branch waving in the breeze and a 3-year-old child (or exasperated wife) passing through the garden. The program knows what the "normal state" of the tree looks like and then triggers the deterrent only for an avian interloper and nothing else.  The deterrent is a small leaf-blower with a "wacky wavy inflatable arm-flailing tube man" duct-taped to the nozzle which fires off for 10 seconds as the birds scatter with fright.  

 

You've undoubtedly seen these at your local Jiffy Lube.  Ken had this one made at 1/3 of the scale.  Initially this was placed on the garden path attached to a dolly but to really increase its effectiveness, it's been recently strung up in the tree with some bungee cords.

Scaring birds all day long

There's also a manual trigger (that we've been mostly using because the system is still learning) that we can access via a URL and just push a button on our phones or laptops to set it off.  I won't lie, seeing those little vermin with wings bolt out of the tree makes me smile with delight--and I don't even like figs.  An added bonus is that our small berry patch located at the foot of the tree receives protection from the birds by proxy.

Is it about the figs or is it about vengeance?

Success disaster: now we have a lot of figs that we didn't plan on.  (Sidney can only eat so many.)  One of Ken's co-workers has volunteered to make some jam.  And yet we still have a lot left over so Ken has been giving some to the neighbors after regaling them with this story at the Block Party last week.   I think we should have arranged this supply chain part better.  Farmers Market?  Foodie Friends?  Restaurants?  He says there are still 50 on the tree--so if anyone wants some this week, please let it be known.

Ken quoted in Financial Times Article

Mr. Ken, who wishes he had more time in a day or could clone himself to pursue all of his musical interests, hang out with the family, do his work and run marathons, will just have to settle for our measly 24 hour days.  But he does find time to tinker with technology.

Do you know the adage, "When you're a hammer everything looks like a nail"?  When you are Ken Moore, everything looks like a Theremin.  Case in point: the Wii Theremin & the Kinect Theremin.

Well someone at the Financial Times in London took notice and spoke to him.  Here Ken is quoted in the article, "Sonic Boom." It's about how new technology is influencing musical instruments.  Yay, Ken!

-------------------------------------------------
Update: I forgot to mention that a music man's work is never done.  When we were in Ohio/Virginia earlier this year, Ken was inspired to build his own web drum machine software.  You can make beats yourself and you don't even have to be musical (like me.)  It's great fun to play around with.  Click the image to see it.

[Note: You have to have the latest version of the Chrome Browser to run this app. So make sure you do--link for latest update is HERE.]

Surprise Date Night

Ken surprised me last night by requesting dinner be ready at 5pm (which is really early for us). Then at 6p our sitter shows up and I'm all "What's going on?" Ken said to get my boots on, we're going on the motorcycle. He wouldn't tell me where we were going and as we sped toward our destination, I'm trying to figure out where we're going. Was it a movie in Ballard--no, Fremont for drinks---no, Intiman/Seattle Rep theater--no, going on a ferry--no, Pike Place Market---no, Moore Theater---no, Paramont Theater---no. Then we parked across from Pacific Place and went up to the cinema level. There was a preview showing of a new movie "The Last Airbender" that Ken had gotten passes for. Unfortunately they give out way more passes than seats and despite getting there 1/2 hour early, we couldn't get in. Instead we saw Toy Story 3, which is what I secretly wanted to see anyway. It was a lovely, spontaneous, surprising date night on the motorcycle just like we used to do in the old days. Fun times.

Scenes from a Marriage

Today I just found out we won a Father's Day Contest for best sleeping daddy and baby picture from Goodnite Lite. This is so cool. It's a very early picture of Sidney when she looked like "mini-Euge" which was mostly the first month of her life or so. Anyway the prize for this contest is a gift certificate from Home Depot (and some sleep consultation with an expert--though we are ok for now---knock on wood).

Below is an IM exchange between Ken and myself trying to figure out what we'll get at Home Depot...we're on different floors but both in the house.


Ken: I think our [patio] umbrella can last a while longer.
Not sure what we need yet, except maybe a robot that cuts grass

me: Outdoor Roomba Or a goat

Ken: yeah, a robotic goat!
it eats grass and pushes the lawnmower

me: It wouldn't need to push the lawnmower. It would BE the lawnmower.

Ken: That's why what I said was ironic and funny.
Like a robot that pushes keys on a typewriter.
That's pretty hilarious if I may say so myself.

me: I hear you laughing at your own joke.

Ken: Like one does

me: Do you hear my eyes rolling?

The Wood Anniversary

Today we celebrate 5 years together as husband and wife. (Our first as parents) And what does a crazy, high-flying, enviable couple like us have planned for such a milestone? We're going to stay in, watch our wedding video, eat take out sushi and then watch "When Harry Met Sally." And maybe--just maybe--we'll play some Mad Libs. Ooo it's out of control!

To the best thereminist and accomplice in love I know.

Happy Father's Day

(Also on Sidney's Page)

We were down in Portland to celebrate Father's Day with Dad and Ken. Here is a shot from our lazy Sunday reading the paper.

Best Date Night Ever

For Mother's Day, all I wanted was to see Iron Man 2 on opening weekend. The now infamous comment from Amy that my "movie tastes are that of a 12-year-old boy" hold true. A night out to see my favorite actor Robert Downey Jr. with my favorite & main man Ken was my wish. But oh what an even better night we had.

The movie was really good and we watched it at our local theater here in Ballard. After it got out, the night was warmish so we strolled through Old Ballard where Art Walk was happening so all the stores were open late. Folks were out having fun on a Saturday night (I had forgotten what that is like) but we also spotted our favorite local ice cream truck Parfait and had a scoop. It was so liberating to just be together and walking around at night. I know my pre-baby self would have been mortified by how simple and boring that sounds but these times are precious.

We were entertaining the thought of getting drinks but finding the right venue was proving a little difficult. We aren't hipsters or beautiful people (on the prowl) and wanted a welcoming joint to walk into. Sorta tough. But we sauntered over to Ocho where I had heard they have good tapas and drinks. We looked at their menu outside and were waffling about going in when all of a sudden we heard a familiar voice.

Coming up the sidewalk in a dapper hat was our good friend and soon-to-be father Sumeer. His lovely wife and also good friend Suzanne (who is looking fabulous at 34 weeks pregnant) and friends of theirs approached us. What a small world! I could not get over how delightful that was to run into them. When we were supposed to go down to Portland last weekend, among other things I had been planning to attend a baby shower for Suzanne. It was disappointing not to see her then. But man, I just love how there are happy accidents like that in this town. And when we got home, our little one had been well-tended by the sitter and asleep for the night. That's the best Mother's Day gift I could receive.

Happy Anniversary!

To my husband who always keeps me laughing...

Photo by Brett Jungbluth

Week in Review

This week was especially notable but I did a poor job of capturing it as it was happening. So just pretend this is an issue of Time or Newsweek and we'll look back on all the major stories with a wee bit of commentary. Last Saturday/Sunday--Mother's Day weekend: Austin surprised Mom by showing up here in Seattle during the Mother's Day weekend when she and Cindy came up to visit. It was a fun-filled 2 days that included a BBQ with the delightful Testas & Amy, plus a pre-funk visit with Sumeer. Mother got to drink a lot of wine and we had a raucous evening of celebrity true-stories told by Amy. I also broke out a tin of Cougar Gold. Here's some advice: if the pack date on the can predates Bush taking office, it's probably not good anymore. And it wasn't. After a home-cooked breakfast the next morning by Mom and Cindy (they offered), we made a prerequisite visit to the Farmers Market especially to see the folks of Empire Ice Cream who are back for the season. Catch their Strawberry ice cream later this summer. It rocks.

Looking at earrings for Mother.

Even though I am not officially a momma yet, I received cards and presents(!) for Mother's Day which was an unexpected and wonderful thing. It's still pretty amazing to realize I will be in that category soon. Monday--nursery prep, part one: Austin stayed with us for a few days and helped us transform our fully packed office into an empty room for the nursery conversion. He did some major moving of items, Ethernet and speaker cable rewiring and made a pot of chili that is so spicy that Ken must eat the rest of it by himself. Next week the Wall Doctor comes here to repair the cracks in the lath & plaster walls and to secure a drywall ceiling. We are looking forward to the upgrade and it's amazing how much stuff had to be moved out. But where is the office relocating in our ever shrinking house, you ask? Why, downstairs right outside the guest room, atop the newly cleaned carpets. Which by the way, looked incredible once they were cleaned. I wondered why we hadn't done it sooner since it wasn't that expensive. Tuesday--Flight of the Conchords: Austin's big birthday present from Mom and us this year was tickets to the Flight of the Conchords concert at the Paramount. First let me tell you that Amy sat with him since he got 2 tickets and pairing those two up harkens me back to our wedding day. There could not be two more opposite souls but they are fun to see interact. When first meeting her years ago, Austin suggested that she smelled like cabbage and needed a helmet. How many first impressions get off to that good a start?

The venue took pains to vex the scalpers from the primo seats (first 12 rows). If you were keen enough to get those seats during the internet presale (which I was for both pairs), you could only pick-up the tickets via will call an hour and half prior to the show, your entire group had to be present and once you entered the theater, there was no in/out privileges. So effectively you could not resell your tickets. Quite extreme but it was cool to know that we were sitting amongst fans who were savvy to get tickets and paid the same amount we did for them. It does get a bit crazy to get tickets to shows these days. You either have to jump on internet presales or be a fan and get notices months prior to the show date. Thursday--Kick it: Aside from being the season finale of Grey's Anatomy that was rather shocking and a bit of a tear-jerker, Ken got to feel the baby kick for the first time! As I was waking up, I could feel The Wetus kicking but then I realized I could feel it with my hands so I grabbed his hand and (POW!) there it was. One of our favorite things to do now is play The Wetus some music before we go to bed via Ken's MP3 player and headphones. The Wetus will usually kick at the headphones (where the sound is coming from). Ken endeavors to introduce a range of music, including but not limited to the Bach Cello Suites, Finnish folk songs, Brazilian jazz and Beethoven's Greatest Hits. I guess we'll be reserving Depeche Mode, Radiohead, David Byrne, Genesis and The Killers for after it's born. Friday--Baby 101: Our neighbors, The Stewarts, who had Miss Emmy over 7 weeks ago, were kind enough to help educate us in the ways of real babies. Ken and I have many books on the subject, are signed up for several classes and have watched a few DVDs now. But nothing is quite like having a real live baby with real live situations. Some of the major things we learned about:

• Elimination Training: getting an infant accustomed to using a toilet. Did you know most of the world's children don't use diapers? It can be done if you can pick up on the baby's cues and start associating a sound with going to the bathroom.
• White noise: Did you know a hairdryer can double as a white noise generator when baby needs to be soothed? Facing the dryer away, turn it on and set it next to their head for 30 secs or so. Works.
• Vowel time: This could just be an Emmy thing but she is picking up on vowel sounds. If you catch her in an attentive mood, she will make sounds just like vowels so you just repeat them back to her. She seemed to be repeating them. What is truly amazing is realizing how much they comprehend even at that young an age.
• Burping: Arms up and place baby's chest sort of over your shoulder whilst patting up and down the back. Gets big burps.
• Butt Paste: Moisture barrier to avoid diaper rash. Use liberally.

So Friday was our training session. Next time we'll be in-charge but The Stewarts will still be onsite. One thing I have to overcome is that feeling of anxiety when the baby cries and despite what you do, nothing "fixes it." I notice they (and the cats) have a sense of patience and calm even when there is prolonged crying.

We are eternally grateful to have this level of interaction with an infant so close to the arrival of our own. Both of us have commented that the experience and awareness that we're getting will help us feel better prepared and confident. And not to be left out, the Tomassi-Nunnelly family, the Rich family & the Grimsrud family have also been very instructive to us specifically for the amount of time we've spent with those children at various developmental stages.

Quite a whirlwind of a week.

UPDATE: Wii-mote Hacking--More fun than you know

Going Viral over the weekend! Since this has never happened to us before, I thought I'd put as many links as I could find today. Ken's Star Trek theme video has over 50,000 views since it's unveiling 10 days ago. A co-worker of mine found his way to one of the links with no prior knowledge of the project. This is really cool. I'm just glad Ken is going viral for something creative and geekishly cool. (Because we've seen so many things on the internet go viral that are regrettable.)

• Visions of the Future (Dutch)
• Cubed3
• TED Blog (NEW & noteworthy!)
• Boing Boing
• Engadget
• Destructoid.com
• Joystiq.com (NEW & funny!)
• Gameblips.com
• Kotaku.com
• Geek Dad on Wired.com
• Gamespark (Japan)
• Offworld Blog
• 20minutos (Espana)
• Wired.com Blog
• Gonintento.com
• Arstechnica.com
• NeoTeo (en espanol)
• Gratis Juegos (en espanol)
• Blog of Interaction Guru, Johnny Chung Lee (scroll to the bottom)
• Make Magazine Blog

Yah Ken! -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I eluded to it before, but it bears a little more explanation. My inventive and quite-handy-with-a-soldering-gun husband embarked on a personal journey to create something that the world was sorely missing. Something that would inspire and delight. Something that would capture the imagination of those who saw it. That something is a Wii Theremin. I think it's quite clever what's he's accomplished. He's designed an interface that works with the Wii-mote and created a musical instrument that you don't touch. You can see, read and watch more about his Wii-mote Theremin on his blog. But what also happened today is that 2 major innovator blogs picked up on what he was doing and featured his videos and linked to his blog too. That's what you call "viral" on the internet. Here's some behind the scenes pics of the video shoot. As you can see, we improvised.

Portland Marathon Video -- Redux

As many of you know, I went to school for television production but this was before the days of non-linear editing. My colleages and I had to do it the "old school way" but now anyone with a computer & the right software can create a high powered editing suite--add YouTube and you have perfect distribution. I just got Ken's hand me down laptop which has Adobe's Premiere Pro on it and, can I tell you, I am in heaven.

This is the "vision" I had all along for Ken's Portland Marathon video--all of it in one package. There's new video, new photos and some "fancy" titling at the end.

Check it out!

Pineapple Classic

Today Ken, Sean, Sarah, Mika, Wilson & Briahna participated in the Winter Pineapple Classic a 5K team run benefiting blood cancer research with obsticles and the unique element of having to transport a pineapple from start to finish. Most participants dressed up and really got into the "aloha spirit". Sean & Ken ran as a 2-man team and the Wallers & Atteberrys ran as a 4-person team. Fun was had by all! Here's a video of the festivities edited with Adobe Premiere...I finally have decent editing software. Enjoy!