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Showing posts from July, 2010

Hang Up and Drive/The Great Hang Up with News10

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Since my blue-tooth went missing (I know where it is, but I cannot figure out how to get it), I decided to take part in News10's obstacle course that proved you cannot text and drive at the same time. I already knew this, but it was fun to take my car through a narrow set of cones while dodging small children, basketballs and random stop signs.  Although I did not knock over any cones or hit any kids I did prove that I cannot type accurately on my BlackBerry while driving (which means I probably should not be trying to type on it in the first place).  The best part (for me at least) I got a free blue tooth courtesy of Yakety Yak in Rocklin, a few News10 key-chains and some other goodies.  So make the pledge , use a blue-tooth while driving (please not when you are walking down the street, that kind of freaks me out) and do not text while driving. Basically when you drive make paying attention to the road your first priority - Hang Up & Drive . To top off the day I headed

Twitter

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A lot of people have a difficult time defining Twitter , which I think is appropriate since it (and social media in general) is still evolving into what it will become.  It started out as a way to quickly update your friends (followers) on what you were doing (similar to a Facebook status update ), now has moved to include elements of that, but also includes people sharing news, event information, product information, sales information, quotes and other information that their followers might find useful.  For me, Twitter includes elements of all of the above, plus an element of fun.  I have been able to meet tons of great people at " Tweetups " (where people from Twitter get together and meet face to face, basically a networking mixer), learn about sales or discount offers at stores and restaurants, learn about social media, get in contact with media and other people that I would have never otherwise met, develop friendships outside of my "normal" circles, u

Sacramento Capitals and the #SacTweetup

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It was a busy day and evening, but for your sake, I will focus on the evening.  First, I attended the SacTweetup at 3 Fires Lounge , part of the Marriott Residence Inn Downtown . I had the opportunity to meet new people and see many of the people that I have developed friendships with through these events, Twitter and other social gatherings, like last week's " Chick-Fil-A Meetup."  In an interesting twist on the standard event, Matt Barnes (basketball player) came to the event and announced in person (before he posted it on Twitter ) that he had signed with the Los Angeles Lakers . You would think that would be the top story from the event, but no, after a long campaign led by a few individuals (whom I call my friends ) Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was unable to make it, saying he was stuck in meetings via Twitter .  He then posted that he would punish legislators if they did not pass a budget by making them watch " Jingle All the Way ," that story was

Another Success

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After speaking with a few people at Sacramento's News10 (KXTV) , Angel Cardenas went out to Specialized Parts Planet in Rancho Cordova on Monday and the story aired today . The story hit both of our key points, saving money and a green alternative to buying new auto parts.

Helping and Giving Back

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Photo Credit | Dennis McCoy - Sacramento Business Journal Sometimes you never know what could happen if you are willing to help someone, especially during a job search.  Almost immediately after being laid-off I knew I would not only have to proactively network, but also give back to the community and my industry by helping friends, helping reporters and doing whatever I could to keep my skills sharp while looking for paying work. I have helped Citizen Voice and Safely Out with a variety of projects including the Swim for Life and set up mini-debates for the June 2010 election.  I helped do media outreach for " Jamba Jump Day ." I have helped reporters by volunteering myself as a source .  I have helped friends move and this week I helped two reporters find sources for articles that ran in today's Sacramento Business Journal and Sacramento Bee .  One reporter needed to find people that had been unemployed for more than a year and another that had kept their jo

A Visit to the Sacramento Zoo

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After mentioning the Sacramento Zoo's Twitter account in a blog post about two weeks ago I decided that it had been a really long time since I had last visited the zoo and with my nephews in town it was a perfect opportunity for me to get reacquainted. Saturday morning we loaded up the mini-van and my sister-in-law, mom, my two nephews (Luke and Levi) and I headed off to William Land Park and Sacramento's zoo .  We walked past Fairytale Town and in the front gate to find flamingo's, the reptile house, birds from around the world, an awesome new giraffe exhibit , a tiger mom and her cub , zebras and so much more.  Luke's favorite part? The train that he got to ride around in and thanks to my Foursquare check-in he got to go on his first carousel ride , he chose to sit on " Nemo ." He had so much fun that he even played with his new toy (a truck that carried an elephant and tiger) the entire ride home and once he got back.  Another cool thing, you can now u

Getting Lost and Finding an Oasis

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After our successful hike to Bull Run Lake we ventured to the pool and had dinner with friends at the Lodge .  It was great to have some time to relax and good conversations, however after a successful hike our adventurous spirits had been let loose and we had to go out for more.  Our thought process, start at Sourgrass campground , walk along the river and in about three hours we should end up in Big Trees State Park where my mom and grandma would meet us with lunch.  First problem, the hike was not in our hiking book , but we went anyway.  The first 2+ miles went well, we were on a trail and following the river, then we hit some interesting "Keep Out" signs (see slide show below), followed some fire roads, found a compound , reminiscent of Waco/Branch Davidion Stand-Off , where one person kind of thought we were crazy, but said our best bet was to cross the raging river (about four feet deep and 40 degrees), then we should make it to the park after about five more miles

Shane Dwight, Fireworks and a Trek into the Woods

After a busy Friday of picking up my aunt and her daughters at BART in Walnut Creek (they live in Texas and flew into SFO ), taking my sister in law to the Sacramento Airport so she could go to Portland and Seattle with my two nephews, and then heading down to Lodi with everyone to pick up my grandma, eat at In-N-Out and head the Lodge , we had a relaxing Saturday morning with a run around the block and hung out at the pool for a few hours.  Later it was time to head to Ironstone to see the Shane Dwight Band , have some wine and of course watch 3rd of July fireworks . After a late night, it was time to wake up early on the 4th of July to explore the wilderness and experience freedom at its best in California's wilderness.  The trail head was just past Lake Alpine and knowing that our friends snowshoed up the same trail just a few weeks ago, we were expecting mud and snow along the way. After about four miles (2.5 hours) of hiking, crossing streams and rushing rivers,