The Brothers Moran

A day in the snow

2012-01-18T14:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Mark, We don't get much snow, but today was the exception. Much more to report than I have time to do so. Here's a quick one of Jack and me ripping up the 2% driveway decline! Jeff

Biking Infographic

2011-12-20T09:25:00.000-08:00

Dear Mark, This link was a lot of fun to read through: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665634/infographic-of-the-day-how-bikes-can-solve-our-biggest-problems I think that 2012 will see me riding more and more, and not just with Jack. I'm signed up for RAMROD (Ride Around Mt. Rainier in One Day). This will be my 3rd time riding this most excellent and epic ride. Cheers Jeff

Kindle Fire

2011-12-19T18:19:00.001-08:00

Dear MarkLavi and I upgraded our Kindles recently. She had a first gen and I had the 2nd gen Kindles this past year. I would easily say that it was our most used gadget of 2011. I think that we used our iphones a bit more but I rule out the time as a phone and go to use. Amazon certainly made some money from us in comparison to Apple. After the hardware cost I would say that we spent very little

Social Media Hurts My Blog

2011-12-13T18:03:00.001-08:00

Dear MarkI have to admit, social media is killing my blog time. Sure I could and have blamed lots of other things, but really it is social media. Whether it is Facebook or Twitter, I just don't seem to have the creative time to get to it. Another thing getting in the way is work (I know, the audacity!), which is a good problem to have in our economy. Funny thing is, that our team is starting an

Halloween 2011

2011-11-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Mark Halloween was a fun event this year for our house. Lavinia and I enjoy decorating the house. Each year we add more and more to our exterior decorations. At first I was never too excited about decorating. Its a lot of work, its crummy weather, but then after a few years it became more and more fun. This year Jack helped me drag all the boxes out of the shed and set things up. Another

Jack raises money

2011-10-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Mark, You know that I have been a supporter of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington for a long time. They are Washington State's only state-wide bicycling advocacy group. They affect change in our state capital and that makes every city, not just Seattle, a better place to bicycle. We recently attended the Bike Alliance auction. This is their big fundraiser for the year. I got my start on

4 Year Old Birthday Crowns

2011-10-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Mark, Jack just had his 4 year birthday (9/25). We had a super good time. The family went to La Push, WA to hang at the beach. Jack now refers to it as "His Cabin" and I'm glad to see my son will have La Push as a fond memory like you and I do. Like his father he managed to stretch a single day of self-centered attention into a week long celebration and create a Birthday week. Jack had

Jack Rides!

2011-09-13T22:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Mark I can hardly contain my excitement. OMG!!! My son can ride a two-wheel bicycle! He just learned this evening, or more precisely just put it all together. I'm so stoked and excited that I can't stop hugging him. He's been asleep for a few hours tonight and I'm still tempted to go in his room to mini high-five him on his accomplishment. I mean... my son can ride a bicycle! My son can

Lack of posts, blame Apple

2011-09-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

Dear Mark, There have been a lack of posts from me recently, and by recent I dare say a lot this past year. Compared to past years that saw me writing to you more frequently, the year 2011 has seen a drop off. Normally I like to blame the economy, politics, training, or even el nino for such activity. However, this year I think I must place the blame squarely on the shoulders of who is

Perfect Child Born!

2011-08-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Editor's note - this post is a bit overdue, but we've been a little bit busy :) The following must be read in the voice of an old time-y news reporter Extra Extra - Perfect Child Born in Northampton - Need for future human breeding questioned as world's most perfect baby arrives Dateline Northampton Massachusetts, August 15th, 2011 The birds were still dormant when Siobhan Moran awoke to

Daily Fiona

2011-08-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkIt has been a lot of fun to receive daily pictures of Fiona. I think what is even more fun are the text messages that come with them. Mark Text: Top O' the morning to ya. the ligh sure hurts my eyes and I don't llike to be woken. Just like my DadMark Text: Time for a power napJeff Text Back: Takes after her old man. The napping that is, not the cute part. Gets that from her Mom. Here's a

Fiona Margaret Moran

2011-08-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Mark Fiona Margaret Moran is beautiful. I wanted to write a letter that went on and on about how happy I am and how blessed we all are to welcome Fiona to the family. About how well Siobhan did (as we all knew she would) and even more impressed by how well you did (because frankly some of us were concerned, never me of course.. no... well a smidge, but I knew Siobhan would be there). About

A change of summer plans

2011-08-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

Dear Mark This weekend I decided I was not going to run the full marathon in Portland. I am now aiming for a half marathon. My reasoning is that summer has finally arrived in Seattle and I did not want to spend every weekend so tired from training. I had a great time this last weekend with the family. This week Jack and I have bike commuted every day (something I had not been doing because the

Due Date Conversations

2011-08-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Mark Well it's August 8th and your son/daughter's due date has come and not even a knock at the door. I wanted to share our text conversation so that he/she can see how sensitive her/his Father and Uncle were on this day. Jeff: I am suppose to be an uncle today. Wassup? :) Mark: Patience. Soon you will join the exclusive Uncle club. there are tshirts and meetings. You will be assigned an

Le Tour Results

2011-08-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkJust a follow up now that the Tour is over. My predictions were 66.6% right. Voeckler didn't make the podium but Andy's brother Frank did. So Cadel finished on top of a Schleck sandwich. Not a bad end to the Tour. I would rank this as one the best I've watched. I'm still bummed so many contenders crashed out. It did really change the race a lot. At home Jack insisted that Thor Hushovd (

The Tour!

2011-07-12T09:00:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkJuly is a month filled with fun times. It marks the start of real summer weather in Seattle (the day after the 4th is always very nice). Our mother's birthday is the 7th. Lavi's birthday is the 17th. People start taking vacation and work seems to slow a bit at times as a result. But all of this is just truly fodder to the true reason that July is so special because it marks the start of

Jack and Calvin drop the Peloton!

2011-07-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Mark As you know, Calvin and Jack have known each other since they were 6 weeks old. Bridie (Calvin's Mom) and I have been mocking up photos of the two for a few years now. Bridie has really out done herself with the latest one though. This is the Team to look out for in 2035 when Jack claims the Yellow jersey. I suspect Calvin will be wearing the Polka dot jersey as he is shaping himself

A New Challenge

2011-07-08T10:03:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkWell I did it. I signed up for the Portland Marathon on October 9th. I'm not sure if my sanity has completely left me but it seems that is has. Regardless, I'm up for the challenge. I figured I'm already trained up from the first marathon and I can "bank the gains" as my friend Lisa says. I'm looking forward to it.Some have suggested (our father) that I might be well beyond the point of

Happy Birthday Mom

2011-07-08T09:53:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkThis past week was our Mother's birthday as you well know. We traveled to Larry & Cathy's house for a fun dinner and a delicious birthday cake. I took a few pictures to share. Your Mother had a good time. She kept lamenting that she is much too young to be this old. We all scoffed at the idea of course and when that didn't work we fell back to simply teasing her about her age, which

Jack in the Pool

2011-07-08T09:46:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkSummer decided to land here in Seattle, finally. It has been a long and cold winder, even by NW standards. Although not nearly as bad as your season, but more outside of the normal for sure. For once we even had a good day of weather on the Fourth of July. For those who are not from the NW you will have to understand that summer starts for Seattle on the 5th of July. If we don't have a

The Marathon

2011-07-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkI have run a Marathon. So far I'm not tired of saying that over and over. Last weekend I was able to finish the Seattle Rock n' Roll Marathon in 4:36:27. I met my goals of finishing and a 4:30 finish time (yes I was off by 6 minutes, but close enough). The Morning & The StartThe race started in Tukwila. The race organizers were busing people from Qwest Field down to Tukwila, but I

Running

2011-06-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkNext weekend, on June 25th, I'll be running my first marathon. After years of shunning runners, making fun of them as I rode by with my shaved legs and color coordinated advertising cycling kit, believing that 180+ mile rides were the epic thing, I must admit to finally deciding to give this a thing a try. The hours to get on the bike and ride have not been readily available to me, as I

Dancing on the Pedals!

2011-05-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Mark Last night Jason and I got to meet Phil Ligget. I know you probably don't know who he is, but he is to cycling commentary that Howard Cosell was to ABC sports, or how Christian Schnobein is to fuel cell engineering. Cascade Bicycle Club sent me tickets and I shared the night with Jason, much to the jealousy of many of my cycling buddies and wife. I'll write more soon. You should check

Bike To Work Day 2011

2011-05-20T10:51:00.001-07:00

Dear Mark My Holy Day has arrived, yes today is Bike To Work Day. Jack and I cruised in among a throng of cyclists. It was as if a peloton engulfed our fair city. On top of that temperatures will reach 70 today. A fine day to celebrate on 2 wheels. Doesn't he look cool and relaxed back there? Jack and I stopped by a few of the bike to work day stations and enjoyed the time with our fellow

Jack kept riding while Dadna was away

2011-05-13T14:28:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkI literally just landed in Seattle after being gone for a week in San Jose. This put a dent in my bike commuting this week. In fact while I did walk every where this week, which was green, the only thing I worked out was my brain at the Adobe Tech Summit. Well that and my liver most likely. Jack did not let the fact that his Dadna was gone deter him from daily riding. Here's a snap of

Bike To Work Month - Day 3 Sunshine & Gravity

2011-05-04T23:17:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkToday was a stellar day for cycling in the NW. A sunny day was a pure treat. Jack and I were back on the Xtracycle today. I find it very amusing that Jack will request that I go faster more when we are traveling uphill than downhill. I wish he was older so that I could teach him about this thing we call gravity and its affect on me as I climb hills. Granted I would also have to teach him

Bike To Work Month - Day 2 the Burley

2011-05-03T20:55:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkAnother day and another bike ride to work. Jack and I took the Burley trailer today because the Xtracycle bike needed some brake tuning that I did not have time for. I think it is down right awesome that I have multiple options for commuting with my 3.5 year old son. Awesome and quite unsurprising I would guess.Every ride it seems I discover something new in my thoughts. Riding is a

Bike to work month

2011-05-02T21:03:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkMay has now become Bike To Work Month for many of us cycling individuals. Not simply content with a day in May, we have now take over the entire month. That is right "Month of May we are in you!"At work we have a few teams that are competing for the most daily trips. I have vowed to ride as many days as I can. I'm going to do this every work day (with the exception of next week as I

Shark1 is in the Tank

2011-04-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

Hey Jeff, [warning this blog post has been a work in progress for quite a while so some references may be dated] So there’s big news out of the East Coast. No it’s not another snow storm [see, right there, dated reference], no Tom Brady hasn’t got a new hairstyle, no Northampton has not been voted “coolest place for ex-NW-pats to reside” (although it should). No, none of that nonsense,

A sleeping boy

2011-04-24T15:54:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkI asked Lavi if she thought out parents still enjoy seeing us asleep. I tell ya I never feel more like a Dad then when I see Jack sleeping at night. He is so adorable. I snapped this pic during his nap today. Happy Easter!

Bicycling in the Seattle Sun!

2011-04-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkWe had a very unusual thing happen today, the sun came out. All of Seattle was quit shocked. The Weatherman predicted it, but we all took a "we'll believe it when we see it approached" as that individual has little to no credibility in this city. Still, he/she was right and the sun came out. It has been the coldest April on record for some time. This is evidenced by the facts that it

Rum and coke

2011-03-31T16:00:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkYou may recall that I've been attempting to "master" a new drink/cocktail each month. January was the Sidecar. I am hoping to be able to serve a drink to guests that doesn't have tequila in it. Partly to hoard the good stuff to myself and also I make my margaritas a bit strong.February was dedicated to the gin and tonic. A classic drink that is quick and easy. The challenge was in the

Mom & the Dictionary

2011-03-25T12:48:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkI saw this today in the news and I figured I should tell you I'm worried about how Mom will take the news. "Internet slang like LOL and OMG are commonplace on sites like Twitter and Facebook or in GChat and AIM, but do they belong in the dictionary? The Oxford English Dictionary says yes; LOL, OMG, and FYI were added to the March 2011 release of the OED Online dictionary."Now remember,

Panama - Chorerra Track by cyclojeff at Garmin Connect - Details

2011-03-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkHere's a little proof that I did run while I was in Panama. I used my Garmin 410 which has GPS. I like running with it because it helps me track my pace and distance. Panama - Chorerra Track by cyclojeff at Garmin Connect - DetailsCheersJeff

Panama - Carnival

2011-03-20T16:09:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkDuring our stay in Chica Carnival was occurring in Panama. Carnival is a big deal. It comes down to about 4 days of celebration culminating on Fat Tuesday. I found a web site that tries to sum up the reasons why and what occurs. Here is what they say:"Although most people identify Panama with the canal, it is the colorful interior of the country that defines Panamanian roots and where

Panama - The stay in Chica

2011-03-10T18:39:00.001-08:00

Dear MarkWe've been in Chica now for about 4 days and we plan to be here another 4. I like being here quite a bit. Now this will not come as a surprise to anybody who knows me, but I just don't hold still very well. Yeah, I know. Shocking surprise alert! Not! I think that is why I like Chica. There really is not a lot to do here. You can't go shopping, there are no museums or historic sites or

Panama - The Smell of Salt

2011-03-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

Dear MarkA quick post here about something I think you will find interesting. LaLa (Jack's abuela) was cooking Soupa de Pollo after we arrived in Chica today. I was thinking of you and Mom because the smell of this soup you would love. The reason is that the soup smelled of salt, in a good way. Knowing that you are both addicted to this element of the periodic table I just know you would have

Panama - Arriving in Chica

2011-03-10T18:25:00.000-08:00

Dear MarkAfter a few days we left La Chorrera and headed to LaLa's second home in Chica. Chica is just less than a one hour drive up in the mountains. Locals would say the town is in the "interior" of the country. Chica is where LaLa was born and raised and Lavi still has a lot of family here, including one of our favorite aunts, Tia Tina. The first time I visited Chica the road was not paved. It

Panama - Backyard Jungle (La Chorrera)

2011-03-10T18:13:00.000-08:00

Dear MarkLavi's Mom's house in La Chorrera has a modest sized garden in her backyard. You and I would call it a borderline jungle zoo exhibit, seeing that is the only way you and I have ever seen such fauna. I can hear the birds chirping away from there in the morning and throughout the day. The first day here I ate 2 bananas from her tree. They were delicious. Fresh beyond anything we get in the

Panama - The change in my wife

2011-03-10T17:57:00.000-08:00

Dear MarkI failed to write about one thing that always happens as we travel to Panama. It's a change in Lavi that I notice over and over. I think I've finally nailed down what happens and what the triggers are.In the past, we would get to Panama and Lavi would just relax in a way I had never seen before. I just figured it was her being home that did it. It is kind of what you are like when you

Panama - The Flight

2011-03-10T17:42:00.000-08:00

Dear MarkI've been going on and on about how much I was looking forward to our Panama trip. I really needed the sun and relaxation. I have a few reports that I want to give you. So I'll break them into a series of posts for you to read.The flight to Panama is always one that I sort of dread. We seem to always settle on the early bird, which means an even earlier wake up time. I mean at 3:30am you

Panama Bound! CYA in 3 weeks

2011-02-27T18:57:00.000-08:00

Dear MarkThe family and I are headed out on vacation to Panama. I can't wait. Tomorrow will be a long day of travel, but the pay off will be that warm wet feeling I get when 85 degrees and 90% humidity slaps me in the face when I step off the air plane. I'm so sick of being cold. Sunshine and warmth is what I'm looking forward to.Last year in May we took a family trip to Hawaii. I was so excited

Karma Reflections

2011-02-24T10:51:00.000-08:00

Dear MarkIt is pretty amazing when you encounter an individual in life that makes an impact on you. Parents, family, and friends aside, I'm talking about those who you have brief interactions with but still leave their impression upon you. Individuals that you find yourself telling stories about and using as a role model. Individuals that you might not really think would leave a lasting

Cyclocross Vid. Awesome

2011-02-23T16:06:00.000-08:00

Dear MarkIf you hate Hipster Fixie Bike Riders as much as I do, then you'll love this.Jeff

The Year 4500

2011-02-22T09:31:00.001-08:00

Yo Bro,Just an item of insanity courtesy of our friends (in some cases literally) over at Microsoft. While setting up a TASK in OUTLOOK I saw the option for recurrence of tasks and clicked it. I can have weekly reviews until the year 4500!!!*sigh*

Problem: Cold. Solution: Panama

2011-02-19T22:58:00.001-08:00

Dear MarkI've just about had it. I mean I'm getting really fed up and need a change. I'm not talking about the amount of tattoos in the NBA (although that pisses me off too), or how rude cars can be to bicycles, or your lack of posts. No I'm talking about winter. I mean when do we get a rest? When will it warm up? When will I stop rusting and start sunburning?Now, I'm sure our "wimpy NW winter"

A Rider's Evolution or de-evolution?

2011-02-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

@font-face { font-family: "ＭＳ明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "ＭＳ明朝"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Cambria; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }.MsoChpDefault {

New Year's Resolutions 2011

2011-01-31T21:49:00.001-08:00

Dear MarkI wrote you about a new resolution that I made which was to master some classic cocktail recipes. Not all of my 2011 resolutions were based in bad ideas though. Lavinia and I made several this year that are proving to be quite fun. We took an approach based on the goal of building good habits. Habits are said to form after 3 weeks of consistent routine. I think it helps when you don't

Sidecar

2011-01-31T21:36:00.001-08:00

Dear MarkThis year I made a few resolutions. While many times resolutions are used to improve a person's morality or lot in life, I've added one that could fall into things that many people try to resolve against. I have decided each month to set out as a goal to master the making of a particular cocktail.Long ago I perfected the Margarita. While many state my margarita's are a bit strong, I

A Jack-ed Time Line

2011-01-22T16:46:00.001-08:00

Dear MarkLavi and I take a lot of photos of Jack. I'm sure when he's 18 he'll join a group of generation kids who have had almost every step of their life documented. I got my iphone right about the time he was born. As I result I have about 3 years worth of photos on my iphone. Jack has recently really dug looking at them. He sits and flips through them more easily than your parents can operate

Flapjacked

2011-01-19T10:14:00.000-08:00

Dear Jeff,Don’t be alarmed, but you and I just had a FLAPJACK situation. Do you need to be alarmed? Is it more dangerous than breakfast food? Should you be under your desk? Should you short sale your long term investments? Is there a special dress code required? Are you thinking you already had a Flapjack situation that one time in college? No worries it’s just a Team Shark code word.Now,

Holiday Bowl: A game, a family rivalry and the posts

2010-12-30T21:18:00.001-08:00

Dear MarkThe Holiday Bowl was tonight. You may not have known that the UW was playing Nebraska, but it still occurred. One person who knew (well all of Nebraska knew, but that was a given) was our cousin Katie. She started the trash talking a little early on Facebook. Since you are technology challenged, despite being an Engineer, I wanted to share the posts and trash talking with you.Katie

2010 resolution report card part 2

2010-12-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

Dear MarkA second resolution I had in 2010 was to read more. Lavi has been reading a lot and set a good example for me. I wanted to in turn set an example for Jack. Early in the year I made sure my library membership was up to date. I loaded the app for Seattle Library on my iphone. I was able to find books and have them held for me at the library 2 blocks from work for easy pick up.Having the

2010 resolution report card part 1

2010-12-30T20:05:00.000-08:00

Dear MarkThis year I had a few resolutions at the beginning of the year. Maybe it's because I have an MBA or work in technology but I like to measure and report on progress so that I can most effectively reset and plan for the coming year. It's probably more that I needed a good topic to write about, but either way here is a little report on how I did with one resolution this year.One resolution

Acrobat X and work

2010-12-18T19:18:00.000-08:00

Dear Mark,I've been working pretty hard this year at Adobe Systems. Being a manager and working at a tech company means that I can't often discuss work. There is one time though that I can scream about what I do to the hills, and there are quite a few in the northwest, and that is when my team releases a product. This year I've been working on the release of Adobe Acrobat X and Reader X. These

Feeling Seattle

2010-11-14T16:26:00.001-08:00

Dear MarkWe had a play day with one of Jack's buddies from daycare. We went to the zoo indoor playground and then went for lunch. The post is really just to show you this picture. How cool is that. Fleece jacket and eating a Dick's hamburger on the back of the car. Awesome. -Posted via mobile

Refresh Time

2010-11-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

Dear MarkIt's Blog Refresh Time. Its a time when I play with the new settings, try out new gadgets and generally organize our Blog. It's a way that we keep this fresh even when we only post items that we feel are worth reading. Remember out goal is "audience of each other" and every other reader is just a bonus.I added a new Twitter feed on the right hand side. I recently set up a new account

Screaming Trees & Musical Habits

2010-10-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

Yo,Just sitting here at work with all my music on shuffle (seems that 90% of my blog posts start this way – is it the music that makes me want to blog or is indicative that I’m sitting in front of computer and my mind is wandering? Hmmmmm…..)Most of the time I have the music on shuffle and I can span a great variety of music with a few CTRL+F taps. However, I have an internal rule that whenever

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkHalloween is upon us. Lavi and I have been introducing Jack to it more and more. Two weekends ago Jack "helped" me put up decorations outside the house. By help I mean he walked around wearing work gloves and carrying tools while I did the work, with Lavi's help too of course. The decorations are pretty random, but they show that we support the holiday. If you come a knocking at our door

East Coast Hum & Whistle

2010-10-22T11:40:00.000-07:00

Jeff,I think the Lowenbrau commercial is before my time. I was watching that for the first time I think.Now me, yeah, I hum and whistle too. Mostly I stick to two main songsSanford and Son theme. I’ve never watched the show, but a guy in my technical drawing class back at Blanchet was humming it one day and it stuck.The other is the Old Spice theme. Not sure what that says about me. I know I

Alice In Chains and Memories

2010-10-10T12:47:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkThis past Friday it was a trip down memory lane as my friend Jamie and I went to the Alice In Chains concert. It was the Black Diamond Sky tour. Deftones and Mastodon. I had not seen Alice In Chains since the Lolapalooza III tour in 1993. I began thinking that I had seen Alice In Chains four times and it all occurred between January 1992 and that tour in 1993. As you know I really love

Whistle & Hum

2010-10-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkAs you know, I'm not that musically inclined despite our Mother's best efforts to culture and instruct us. I like the music I like. I tried to play piano, my chariots of fire is purely definitive and I failed at trumpet because having my lips vibrate all day as a result was off putting. I never had the desire to learn guitar, drums seemed interesting until I saw that all the greats

A day with Dadna

2010-10-03T14:35:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkYesterday Jack and I had a day together. It was a lot of fun. We had the day to ourselves as Lavi was hosting a baby shower for Jackie. Jack and I started by taking the bus to Fremont in the morning. It was not his first bus ride and he was very good. I think he secretly wanted to ride it all day long. Once we got to Fremont I took him up to see the troll under the Aurora Bridge. He was

We are loved in Belgium & Italy!

2010-09-28T22:09:00.001-07:00

Dear Mark, Since you only send me your posts via email to upload I know that you have not taken any time to go through the Blogger dashboard. Blogger is the host site for our blog. They recently (as of July 2010) started provided an analytics area for blogging authors to use. These analytics track number of unique vistors, location of visitor, web browser use and other stats. It is really quite

Bad Eggs

2010-09-27T14:58:00.001-07:00

I’m having very strange egg issues lately. A few months ago we cracked one open and it was some weird afterbirth thing going on and it was red. Really off putting. I settled for just toast that morning and I think we may have pitched the whole carton. We asked a lady we met that is in culinary school and she said “that’s why they teach us to crack them into something separate first.”Just the

Guest Blogger: Mom Shames the Brothers

2010-09-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

It’s been quite a while since anyone posted,I decided it’s time that somebody ghosted.You’re both really busy, I know that is trueSo maybe I can be of help to you two. I have a few things you might like to use,Some various posts, if you’ll just excuseThe posts that I offer – they’re really mundaneYou’ll probably think that your mom’s just insane.Emily Post was very refinedPost it Notes® can be

Cruel Summer, Seattle Weather Comments

2010-08-18T09:40:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkSeattle Summer weather is treating me like a high school girl. Some days it loves us and shines a simple radiance that makes us smile, but just as quickly the mood changes and the gray skies loom overhead and threaten to hurt us. The summer has been tough. I think it is a well established fact that summer does not start until July 5th each year. Our July 4th fireworks show is often

If Team Shark was a band

2010-07-26T10:33:00.000-07:00

Hey Bro,We got this great photo the other day at the Northampton Pride Parade. Siobhan and I joked that this would be the CD liner photo if Team Shark was a band.Team Shark with their Debut Album – What’s this Noise?Vocals and bassoon - Siobhan MoranLead Guitar and triangle – Mark MoranDrums – Hanna CahillaneIncludes “Why is the rain solid and cold?”, “North of Hampton”, “LUGS Make the Rocking

Blogging Speedbump

2010-07-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

Hey MarkSeems like at this time every year I hit a blogging speed bump. It is most likely due to July 22nd being the anniversary of when Tim passed away. I keep thinking I'm past it, that the day will not make me sad, but in the end I find myself in a down mood. I think I fail to blog because he's on my mind and I've posted about it before.He's on my mind a lot this year because we just had our

Missing Home

2010-07-21T08:19:00.001-07:00

Hey Jeff,We had a great visit with you and the rest of the family last week. Wish we could do it more often. As you know I’m never more homesick then I am immediately after visiting. Something about being reminded of what I’m missing out on really puts me down in the dumps. The incredibly nice weather in Seattle didn’t help either. Especially when it’s been in the 90’s and sicken-ly humid

Reunion Video, kinda

2010-07-16T15:36:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkI had a great time seeing you and Siobhan this past week at the reunion. It was awesome. I will have to post a longer letter on all we did. For now though I've created a short animation of our conversation. I think I got this word-for-word. Enjoy it!Jeff

Moran Family Reunion Begins

2010-07-09T15:36:00.001-07:00

Brothers Moran are excited to kick off the Moran Family reunion this weekend. Updates soon. You know it is in Seattle when you have this view from your hotel room. - Posted via mobile

Laufenberg Pride

2010-07-03T07:28:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkWatching Worl Cup this morning and it was a tough one. Argentina vs Germany. I love my Hispanic teams and South America has been showing very well. But we got the German blood. What to do what to do?Even getting dressed was a dilema. Finally I was able to make a choice. Go Germany!Jeff

Butterfly

2010-07-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkJack's daycare class took a recent trip to the Butterfly exhibit at that Pacific Science Center. Brought me back to the days we use to go there. Lavi volunteered and she said the kids had a great time. She took some pictures that you can view below.Can't wait to see you two soon!CheersJeff

Moran Reunion Logo

2010-06-14T15:17:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkLavinia's brother Ben worked up a Moran Family Reunion T-Shirt design for us. Based on an idea that Lavinia had, Ben took the idea and added some great elements. We have a really nifty design. Check it out below. Cant wait to see you two in July along with the rest of the family.The image is pretty cool. It takes the Pike Place Market sign and famous neon clock, combines in the Space

Fixing up Jack's bike

2010-06-13T19:51:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkI spent some time getting Jack's scoot bike ready today. He already had a light on it. So we put on his WA license plate! Lucky I have a bike workshop. - Posted via mobile

A day at Discovery

2010-06-13T15:38:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkThe sun finally came out in Seattle. I brought it back from California with me. I got out yesterday with Jack on the bike. We visited some playgrounds and ran into his friends Elaine and Marin.Here's Jack in the sandbox. Then Gram and Grandpa came over for a BBQ. They had fun kicking the soccer ball in the backyard. Been watching world cup? I have. Lots of fun with that. Today Jack and

Jack on his bike

2010-06-11T10:42:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkHere us a fun short vid of Jack at Daycare. He's riding his bike and having a good time. YouTube Video- Posted via mobile

World Cup

2010-06-05T07:33:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkHere in Seattle I'm getting ready for some World Cup Soccer. I've been talking to Jack about it and he's eager to see some games too. Although he makes me smile more when he says "but maybe we watch bike race instead Dadna?!" Yes, I've been raising him well. I'm always excited to watch the World Cup. It amazes me what good players can do. Plus, playing for your country is just about the

I was on my left

2010-05-31T07:58:00.001-07:00

Dear MarkI hope that all is well these days. I know that Siobhan had a birthday and I trust you two celebrated the day well. I've already sent her notes on how to stretch the birthday into a week-long celebration. I've been doing this for years. I found that it helps to take that much tequila over several days rather than one night, so all the best. Recently it was Bike To Work Day in Seattle. I

Woodworking

2010-05-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkRecently I fancied myself the idea that I could build a table in my office. I wanted to build a nice long and tall table that would be a good work surface for Lavinia and myself. I wanted shelves underneath to hold my many comic book boxes as well as they needed a new home. I got to work on a design in my head and eventually put it to paper to calculate it out. I had the basic idea by

State of cycling

2010-05-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

Dear MarkToday Floyd Landis dropped a confession to doping during his entire racing career. Even worse, he implicated many other cyclists including Lance Armstrong. Lance responded that it was untrue. The implications even land on Jonathon Vaughters who is the leader of the Garmin-Transitions team and the annoitted poster child for clean cycling.This news saddens me for a lot of reasons. First,

Jale

2010-05-17T10:17:00.001-07:00

Hey Bro,So I’m working out calculations for cell voltages and I have the music on shuffle. With my library collection this means I’m shifting from Goodness to Bob Dylan, from Rob Zombie to Enya, from Gaelic Storm to Barry White, basically it’s musical whiplash, but I’ve developed a strong tolerance. So I’m listening and trying to remember Ohm’s law and Jale’s – River comes on. For those of you

Cycling on Oahu

2010-05-10T00:12:00.001-07:00

This guy was my favorite cycling pic from Hawaii this week. Mid morning commute. Surf board and a cup of coffee in hand. The only issue was no helmet, but I give him a pass on that. Aloha,Jeff- Posted via mobile

Jumpin Jupiter it's the Dragon Men (an ode to my Mom)

2010-05-08T07:06:00.000-07:00

Hey All,Mark here, (insert your shocked face here) hoping to lay out some words for the best mom ever. It was a few weeks ago that I was working 2nd shift and this means driving my 50 min commute without anything good on NPR. For Xmas my Mom gave us some CDs that were recordings of old records we used to listen to as kids. Spider-man and Batman adventures, along with Return of the Jedi. We used

Sleepy Jack

2010-04-25T16:53:00.001-07:00

A full day got him down for his nap late. Still conked out even with some music playing in the other room.

Oh yes, he's got some cornhusker in him

2010-04-25T12:50:00.001-07:00

Watching Jack attack a bowl of corn makes me sure the Nebraska genes are good an alive in him. The only thing missing is a Go Big Red T-Shirt!- Posted via mobile

My latest love

2010-04-24T13:45:00.001-07:00

I have been having an immense affair with my coffee lately. It should come as absolutely no surprise that this love also comes from Panama. Lavinia recently brought me about 10 pounds of it and I was so giddy. The cofffee is called Kotowa and is from the famed MacIntyre farm that won all the awards in 2006 SCAA World Competition. The coffe has great taste and brews well. I'd offer you some but I

An Old Friend Gets Married

2010-04-12T19:40:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I saw one of my oldest and bestest friends get married. I was really excited to be included at this small event. Tim and Jocelyn made some great choices, both the venue and the meal was excellent.I met Tim when I was in second grade and we've been friends ever since. He is a year older than me, but we spent a lot of time together. I collected comics with Tim, learned how play

Sunny Seattle

2010-04-11T12:03:00.001-07:00

Lavi has been enjoying the beach in Panama this week and we are jealous. Well today Jack and I headed for passes as a beach in Seattle. A fun day. We saw lots of boats. Threw rocks in the water. Said hello to doggies out for a walk. Watched people play some serious beach volleyball and Syed on the playground. In the pictures below you can see that although at the beach we were still dressed like

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T08:05:00.001-07:00

Jack found his Easter Basket!- Posted via mobile

Happy Birthday to me

2010-04-03T18:49:00.001-07:00

A very special Don Julio 1942 Margarita to celebrate. Thanks Luisa's and thanks Family, especially Lavinia.

The LIMERICKER Strikes Yet Again!

2010-03-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

It just wouldn't be St. Patrick's Day if we didn't wear some thing green, talk about what percentage of our heritage is Irish, all of a sudden profess to drink Guiness beer every day if we could, and convince our selves that actually cooking cabbage was what God intended. However, for me it would also include a strike from the LIMERICKER.I've blogged about this creature's before and her weird way

Brilliant Commute

2010-03-15T15:22:00.000-07:00

Very much loved this video. I've had these bicycle race commentators in my head more often then my own guardian angel on rides in the past.

I am Mary and I want my hour back

2010-03-15T10:13:00.001-07:00

There are times when I do things and I quickly stop and say "Oh my gawd! That was so much like my father" and then I apologize or something. Usually it happens when I get up on my soapbox and start preaching about something. Then it makes me laugh because I realize I'm more like my Dad then I often notice. Well this past weekend, and this morning especially, I want my hour back and that makes

Renaming Comic Book Titles

2010-03-11T09:42:00.001-08:00

My friend Bridie sent me this link today about Renaming Comic Book Titles.

Sorority Kitchen

2010-03-10T10:34:00.000-08:00

Many of you know that one of my jobs while in college was working in a Sorority Kitchen. The job was good and it paid me a pittance of a fee, but provide room and board in the sorority house. I lived in one of the downstairs rooms. It was a decent job. Lived near campus, food was okay and the work was not that hard. A good way to be on my own but not the full thing.My good buddy from High School

A sunny day at the beach

2010-03-06T17:28:00.000-08:00

Jack, Lavi and I enjoyed a walk to Carkeek Park today. It was sunny in Seattle.

Stickers

2010-03-06T17:27:00.000-08:00

Plantain stickers were a big hit. He's looking forward to some patacones

Ode to the Futon

2010-02-20T07:02:00.000-08:00

It is a sad day at Chateau Shark. Alas the Futon is going on its way. Years, and years, of valuable service have brought it to its dismissal. Despite our love for it (at least mine, Siobhan has always been lukewarm to the futon) our home has no room and our back and asses are too damn old to sit on it any more. The futon was born, it is believed, at Pier One, although some