I Google

I am transforming my life into Google.

Cal-Maryland - Post Mortem

Well, Friday night started out great.  We went down to UCDC (an awesome building) for a gathering of Cal Alumni.  We were treated to inspired talks by Sandy Barbour and Joe Kapp and got into the spirit for the game.  Anybody go on the pub crawl later that night?

Saturday morning we attended the official pregame tailgate and heard more from Sandy and Joe as well as the Straw Hat Band.  They went through the entire Sproul Plaza pre-game show.  It was almost like being there!  Over 500 in attendance.  Now I have to say I usually don't eat hamburgers and hot dogs for breakfast but, you do what you have to do.

We hiked over to the stadium, found our seats and settled in for what we hoped would be a great game.  Now, I will elaborate on my observations later but, suffice to say, before we knew it, it was 14-0 and 21-6 at halftime.  The Bears were still hibernating but were starting to show some sign of life.  The missed field goal before the half was a killer.  In fact, each of those field goals in the first half should have been touchdowns (shouldda, woudda).

By the time the Bears woke up in the 4th quarter, it was too late.  We had a shot at an onside kick with under 2:00 remaining but we didn't get it and Maryland ran out the clock.  I noticed that we started to dominate the game right around 3:00.  That's 12:00 West Coast time - the normal starting time for a Cal football game.  Yes, I AM searching for excuses. Cross country flight, jet lag, let down from previous week, overconfidence?  I don't know...  but Maryland came out ready to play hard in the first quarter and we did not.  I give them props for that.  They were embarrassed last week and had something to prove against a top 25 opponent.  They played hard, we had some unfortunate penalties, some missed opportunities on their turnovers and that's that.  

OK, now your turn.  Thoughts?  Observations about the game?

I just hope this is a home and home series because it will be fun to welcome them to Bear Territory!

Go Bears!

Cal Game Week Begins!

A great weekend for Cal fans everywhere! Although I couldn't watch the game live, I was able to keep track on my cell phone and thereby annoy everyone I was eating dinner with. As the score ran up, my excitement grew and by the end, I was in an incredulous frenzy. Being the lone Cal fan in attendance, I had no one with whom to share my joy. Luckily, since I had DVR'ed the game, I was able to fast forward to all (9!) of the touchdown plays when I got home at midnight. The next day, I savored the game at a more leisurely pace.

I hope the group down at Fox & Hound made some noise Saturday night! Thanks to Shaun for organizing.

Then yesterday, Desean makes his debut for the Eagles and shows Philadelphia what we all knew already - that he is THE MAN!!! It will be great to have him (and Gibson) in town this year and hopeful for many seasons to come.

Well, now we begin what is arguable the biggest week in East Coast Cal sports fandom in a long time! I had the great fortune of attending the Cal-Boston College game in 1986. Since then, the football team played Temple in Philly in 1993 (I was living in the Bay Area) and Rutgers in 2001 (was there to see our only win of the year - and Tom Holmoe's last game).

The Maryland Game is going to be an awesome event. Cal has SOLD OUT its allotment of tickets and the tailgate has several hundred registrations. Check out www.calphilly.org for more details. So this week, I will attempt to report on the building crescendo of activity and excitement as game time approaches. As Flounder said so many years ago, " This is going to be great!"

Go Bears!

Here we go!

Well, its been a while since my last post but now the excitement is drawing to a crescendo as the college football season begins and we await our beloved Golden Bears' visit to Maryland in just about two weeks!

The inaugural game of the season on Saturday has me a bit frustrated. According to ABC, 76% of the country is getting the Alabama/Clemson game while the remainder get Cal/MSU. For some inexplicable reason, Philadelphia falls in the former group. Seems a bit odd since MSU is Big-10 school and Eagles fans would love to the the alma mater of Desean Jackson. Am I right?

Well, I guess I could pay $19.95 to watch on PPV and/or listen to Starkey on the internet (would do that anyway). Guess I'll have to bide my time until I can see them live!

For the Maryland game, we got a room at the Marriott Conference Center on campus. All the Cal dignitaries will be staying there. Joe Kapp is featured prominently in the lineup as is Sandy Barbour and others (incl. the Cal Band!). Go to http://www.calphilly.org if you want more info about all the events of the weekend.

Fun fact, the President of the University of Maryland is a Cal alum. Dan Mote has deep ties to Cal. Read his bio here.

So let's get ready for a great season. Go Bears!

CAA Visits Philly

Today, 18 Cal Alums devoted the better part of a Sunday morning (and some of the afternoon) to reading applications from prospective Cal students for the prestigious Alumni Scholarship Award. Our guests from the Scholarship Office were making their East Coast swing and we were their second stop after New York - tomorrow in D.C.

A few facts that I learned today:

1. This scholarship has been in existence since 1934
2. This year over 6400 applications were received
3. Only 250 scholarships ranging from $1500 to $2500 will be awarded.

I personally read through about 70 of these applications and was impressed with the quality and thoughtfulness demonstrated by these students. Sometimes it was hard to remember that I was reading the words of high school seniors. Some of the stories were impressive, others were moving and others made me laugh - for a variety of reasons ;)

It was great to have some new faces in the crowd of local alums! A great event all around.

So the next step will be to interview the local applicants once the first wave of applications have been scored and the acceptances have gone out (March 27). See the website www.calphilly.org if you are interested in being an interviewer.

It's days like today that make me so proud to support the work of Cal in bringing in the best and the brightest!

Random moment of the day: We had lunch brought in and who shows up to deliver but my wife's cousin Paul! He is the owner of Pikkles Plus (18th & Market) in Center City. He serves up a great meal so if you go, make sure you mention you know me.

State of the Club Address

Since this is the time of year where presidents seem to give speeches about the condition of this or that country, I thought I'd try my hand at doing the same for our Cal Alumni Club in Philadelphia.

I have been a proud member of this group since I arrive in town in 1999 and in that time we have been able to modernize our communications, expand our membership and establish a calendar of recurring annual events to which all members can look forward.

So here's the year in review:

• In March, we host the Cal Men's Octet as part of their East Coast tour. It was two fun filled days of hijinx and song as we visited several Philadelphia landmarks and even got a plug on TV (Thanks Aditi!)
• April brought us our annual New Student Reception where nearly 30 people braved extreme weather conditions to gather and talk about student life at Cal. We also awarded our Club's Alumni Scholarship to Megan Beale from Avon Grove High School.
• In May, we participated in the annual Main Line College Fair at Villanova University where Cal is always a big draw. Long lines at our table and lots of interested prospective students and parents.
• Over the summer, we listened to a carillon concert at Princeton University by own of our own, Laurel MacKenzie.
• In the Fall, we watch a few football games together. Some great (Tennessee) and some not so great (The Big Game) and some downright dangerous (Oregon State, not the game but the bar!),
• We ended the year by hosting the Cal Women's Basketball team in their visits to Princeton and Rutgers.

A lot to look forward to for 2008!

• Our own web domain http://calphilly.org !
• On February 16, Cal co-sponsoring a banquet event with the Organization of Chinese Americans featuring two Cal Alums (Aditi Roy and Joan Pfaelzer) - see the website to sign up!
• The annual student reception on Sunday 4/13 2-4PM
• The Main Line College Fair on Tuesday 4/29 6:30-9PM @ Villanova
• IRA Rowing Championships 6/5 - 6/7 @ Cooper River Park, Camden, NJ
• Cal vs. Maryland football on Saturday, 9/13 @ College Park, MD
• The Big Game 11/22, viewing location TBD

Keep an eye on our website for these and other great events in 2008.

2008 will also be a year in which we get our house in order membership-wise. We plan to initiate a database cleanup project that will merge information from multiple sources and allow us to more efficiently stay in sync with the CAA in Berkeley. We would also like to do a better job at maintaining the ties with local students who go away to Cal (and come home, eventually).

The Cal Alumni Club of Philadelphia Alumni Scholarship Endowment Report

As of June 30, 2007, I am proud to report that our club's endowment stands at $29,545.46. In the year preceding, we added over $5,000 to our account. 90% of this was due to investment gains. We also transferred $500 from the club's checking account to the endowment as a result of money collected at various events and direct contributions from members (Thank you!).

I would like to set an ambitious goal over the next five years to increase our endowment to $50,000. This will allow us to offer either an additional scholarship or to increase the amount of the existing one. In order to do this, we will be asking members, where fiscally possible, to contribute $15 per household per year. Although we have had our own membership fee in place for many years, it has fallen off most folks' radar! If each of the 140 or so members of the Yahoo group contributes $15/year, that gets us nearly half way to our goal! See the website for the membership form.

As always, we could not do this without your support which reflects your dedication to Cal and the work of this club. If you would like to get more involved, please do not hesitate to contact me or any other board members.

Thanks and Go Bears!

A New Year in Boston

Hey, it's only 5 hours away! Why not load up the family and head north to Boston. A great opportunity to visit my cousins and my aunt.

Before we headed out for the festivities, my son and I watched the first half of the Armed Forces Bowl. Not too encouraging until the end of the first half. At that point, we had to go but I kept track of the Bears' inspiring comeback on my BlackBerry.

So Boston has this celebration each year called First Night. It is a day long event filled with ice sculptures, music, art, museums, fireworks, performances of all kinds and a parade. After 8:00 PM, all the public transportation is free.

But, damn, it was cold! We took the Red Line in from Alewife and exited the Park Street station right into Boston Commons. Hey, I said, lets walk over to the Old South Church to hear the organ concert! Not the best walking weather, but on the way I did come across this:



Go Bears! Of course.












The Old South Church and the organ contained therein are magnificent. Check it out: http://www.oldsouth.org/ The concert (in between checking the Cal score) was great. We were invited up to try out the organ and I was tempted to play "Hail to California" but I couldn't get close enough. Would that have been cool or what!

Here are a couple of pictures I took:
















After a tasty dinner at Uno's, we watched the parade, some fireworks and then headed over to the Hynes Center for some entertainment. By far, one of the most bizarre performances I have ever witnessed was that of the group "Uncle Monsterface". Very odd, by most standards, terrible, but strangely compelling. Check out the my video. Note the sock puppet in the back.
Here is their MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/unclemonsterface

After that, we were ready to call it a night - but it was only 9:30! So we headed off to Harvard Square and a tasty little place called "Finale". Check out the menu: http://www.finaledesserts.com/

We pulled into the hotel in Waltham just as the clock struck 12. All in all, a fine way to ring in the New Year. 2008 is going to be awesome!

A New York Adventure

As has become tradition in my family, for our wedding anniversary each year, we take the kids and go to New York City. Celebrating an event such as an anniversary at this time of the year is a bit challenging given the other festivities going on and the fact that the kids are off from (and home from) school. So we just decided to make it family affair.

The plan this year was to stay over (using hotel points accumulated from my years of travelling as a consultant) and see Avenue Q. So we got into town about 11:00, checked our bags with the bellhop and headed over to the Stardust Diner. Food was average, entertainment was exceptional. All the servers are Broadway hopefuls and they put on quite a show taking turns singing/performing (karaoke style) for the patrons. Made the $$$$ food a bit more palatable.

So after checking into our room, we set out to see some sights and kill some time until the 8:00 show. The city was packed. In all the years I have worked and spent time in New York, I have never seen it this crowded. This would be a theme that would repeat itself over the next two days. Ughh! NBC Studio Tour, forget it. Empire State Building, no way, Jose. The sidewalks, the stores and all the attractions and even Central Park were crammed with people. I did happen to get the above shot of the me and tree in Rockefeller Center.

So, we ended up at the AMC Theaters on 42nd Ave. and decided to see Walk Hard. Great movie, lots 'o laughs. There is even a section where the main character (Dewey Cox) is living in Berkeley circa 1966. There you go, my Cal reference!

Avenue Q was great. Funny, clever, great performances, puppets and more. Just a notch below Spamalot, IMHO.

This morning, my son and I headed over to the Today Show to mingle amongst the throngs vying for airtime in the background of Ann Curry and Matt Lauer. Well, we almost got it! We may have actually been behind Willard Scott as he was dong the weather. The world may never know... I took the shot above during that momentous moment.

We went to breakfast this morning at the world famous Lindy's. My advice, stay away from this tourist trap. $85 for lukewarm eggs, oil soaked potato chips and watered down OJ. We spent the next hour walking off the fat in Central Park.

We left the hotel and began our oddysey back to Penn Station. Via Grand Central - to meet one of daughter's friends and the Empire State Building (see above). When we boarded our train to Trenton at 2:01pm, I think we were all relieved the adventure had finally come to a close.

All in all, though, a great but suprisingly exhausting trip - even for experienced NYC-hounds such as me and my wife. Family togetherness - no better way to spend our 21st anniversary!

Cal Songs for the Ages

I just treated myself to the latest product direct from the Cal Alumni Association. "Songs of California" contains the piano (and ocassionally voice parts) for your favorite Cal songs. The book is well annotated with the history of each song (plus other fascinating tidbits) plus a bevy of great photos, both new and old. A must have for any Old Blue, especially those such as myself, who are musically inclined.

The book can be purchased directly from the CAA at: ShopCAA.com. Right now, it looks like the site is down until January 7. But I encourage you to check it out at that point!

Wear Your Colors!

I have this superstition about wearing my Cal colors on game days. So today, I am decked out in an outfit reminiscent of the yell leaders on Fridays on Lower Sproul. Tan khaki Dockers, light blue button down shirt, blue and gold tie.

My work colleagues, for obvious reasons, don't take notice. There's more orange and black in these parts than blue and gold. In fact, my staff just gave me a lovely Princeton scarf which I will proudly wear to football and hockey games. An interesting tidbit of info is that both Cal and Princeton have roots at Yale. More on that in a future post.

So, a busy weekend for Cal Basketball. Glad to see that the men easily handled Delaware St. last night 74-57. Maybe we'll get a home and home series with them? Keep dreaming. The women are in action tonight against Kansas and the men take on Utah tomorrow. You can watch all the games on-line on the Cal All-Access Broadband network! The women's games are free and there is a monthly or annual subscription for the men's games. Go to http://www.calbears.com and check it out.

Go Bears!

Living in a Virtual Bay Area

I'm a pretty adaptive person. Wherever I live or travel, I have always been able to find something fun to do and I try to experience life like one of the locals. Still, to some degree, I am always a bit reminiscent of my former life in Northern California.

The first time I lived in Philadelphia was right after I graduated from Cal as a newly minted MBA in 1986. I had two unsatisfying and unsuccessful interviews for jobs in the Bay Area and figured I would try my fortunes on the East Coast with my then fiancee (and now wife of almost 21 years) who is a Philly native. I remember desperately clamoring for sports scores and feeling so disconnected from everything California. I had a CompuServe account but the technology was slow and the content was pretty thin. Three years later, via Northern Virginia for a year, we were back in good old El Cerrito. Complete with a new baby.

After 10 years, we made the move back to Philadelphia into a much improved situation. Thank goodness for the Internet, satellite radio and cable TV. I can still listen to KFOG, hear Joe Starkey call the Cal games, view the webcams of Sproul Plaza. My computer screen background is a great shot of the Golden Gate my uncle took when my son and I went out to visit last August (see above).

I know I am deluding myself. Nothing beats the fog, Zachary's pizza, a ride on BART, my family and my friends or a Cal home game (any sport) but I have to take what I can get.

It is a bit extreme when even a trip to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's reminds you of home. But that's how we expatriates survive! We all know what it is like when we see that random Cal hat or shirt around town. 95% of the time, when I dare to ask (and I usually do), they have no direct connection to Cal. My son makes fun of me for that.

I'd be interested to hear what others do to bring the flavor of Berkeley or the Bay Area home to Philly. Please comment!

Cal Men's Octet - Impromptu Serenade

From back in March 2007:

I was taking the guys out to dinner that night and while I was waiting for them to come down to the lobby of the Courtyard in Center City, I suggested to the wedding party that they might like to have some fine young men seranade the bride-to-be. I think it had its intended effect!

Dave Ross - A Tribute

You may or may not have known Dave Ross but he is a legend in the annuls of Cal fandom. The "guy in the ref's shirt" at Cal Basketball games in the early and mid-80's. He graduated in 1984 and when I returned to Cal for grad school in the fall of that year, he was still there. It was a time of resurgence of Cal Basketball. Kevin Johnson, Chris Washington, Eddie Javius, Dave Butler and others. There was a new sense of enthusiasm in Harmon Gym and a sense that we could finally beat UCLA after 25+ years.


So, my friends Joe and Chard and I began arriving an hour before each basketball game. We sat in the front row of the student section and dubbed ourselves the "Front Row Fanatics." We got to know the cheerleaders (ah, Claire...) In those days, you were literally inches from the court. That's when I got to know Dave. His passion and his humor were on full display at each game. He know all the refs by name and they knew him! He also knew the players for the opposing team and held a begrudging respect for many of them. More that that, he was simply a great guy. Always ready with a big smile and a Go Bears! We shared many great moments (including that streak breaking win over UCLA in 1986) and persevered through our share of disappointments.


In later years, I would see Dave at football games and in and around Berkeley. While I wouldn't consider myself a close friend of his, when we did meet, it was always as if I was meeting my old best buddy.


I write this tribute over a year since Dave passed away from cancer. A guy almost exactly my age... He chronicled his experiences in a blog entitled "Oh Crap, I Have Cancer" http://ohcrapcancer.wordpress.com/ . The blog has been supplemented by many tributes and interesting links following Dave's life and antics. I strongly encourage you to check it out and see what kind of guy he was. I just saw it for the first time yesterday and it blew me away.


May we all live life with Dave's optimism and humanity. That's what I think is special about him.

Up the Road to Rutgers

What an amazing couple of days! It was my distinct privilege to attend the two Cal Women's Basketball games at Princeton and Rutgers. The game last night was special not just because we were playing the #6 team in the country but because it reinforced for me the feeling that the women's game is a completely different experience from the men's game.

Being fortunate enough to work at Princeton U., I headed out of work and up Route 1 about 30 minutes to New Brunswick. There I met my personal lifeline to Cal Sports, Judi where we had a lovely and authentically greasy pizza dinner. Judi had helped to arrange for complementary ticket to both games, because of her major Bear Backer status. Tonight we sat right behind the Cal bench in the second row. A new experience for me being able to hear the words and see the emotion of the players and the coaches up close. Brought a whole new dimension to the game for me.

The game itself was amazing. Cal went up quickly 6-0 then was down just as quickly 30-17. At 15:00 to go in the 2nd half we were up by 1 and it was close from there on out. Final score Rutgers 56, Cal 51. We had our opportunities but Rutgers in an extremely physical team that will capitalize on your mistakes. A lot of pushing, shoving, holding, grabbing, no-calls by the refs, lame calls on us. Home court advantage, I guess. They also had about 3,000 fans in attendance vs our 50 or so. Not like Saturday at Princeton!

After the game, we met the team and hung out for about an hour. While this was an emotional loss, it really prepares them for the level of competition in the Pac-10 and hopefully beyond. I was so impressed by every player and coach I spoke with. Sincere and engaging, great ambassadors for Cal and women's sports. Coach Boyle mentioned that six of their games will be broadcast on Comcast and/or Fox this season. Channel 264 in Philly, if you have digital cable with the Sports Package. Well worth it!

Well, now less than three weeks until the Armed Forces Bowl. Hey, it ain't roses, but I am happy to be watching Cal playing anywhere on December 31! Let me know if you want to come over to my place and watch in HD.

Go Bears!

Cal Comes to Princeton

So here we go...

The Cal Bears came East! Yes, the Women's Basketball team is on a swing through Princeton and Rutgers over the next three days. Tonight, it was the Princeton Tigers who made a game of it in the first half but ultimately were blown away by the bigger, taller and more talented Bears. This was my first live view of this Bears team and they were quite impressive. Aside from the first half turnovers and poor foul shooting, they had game! Final score 68-42.

Tonight's game was a surreal, but good, experience on several levels. First, as an employee of Princeton University and second cheering for a live, not televised Cal team. Cal fans seemed to outnumber and definitely out root the home team fans. I actually like this Princeton team. They play hard, have a few skilled players (Meg Cowher being the first and foremost) and are a very likable group. I had been to one previous game and saw their first win of the season. The typical turnout to these games is sad given the level of competition. The women seem to play a truly ego-less game. In some ways, purer than the male version. Just an observation...

So, in attendance tonight were several dignitaries: Sandy Barbour, Cal's Athletic Director was sitting just in front of us. Had a nice conversation with her about future East coast Cal sporting events and the stadium project. Adam Duritz of Counting Crows, a frequent sight at many Cal sporting events. Had a nice conversation with him about the future of the recording industry and their upcoming album and tour. Bill Cowher watching his daughter. Didn't talk to him.

After the game, about 50-60 of us Cal fans (including friends and family of team members and the coaching staff) hung around to meet the players and the coaches. It was great to hear how much our presence was appreciated. The feeling was certainly mutual!

Anyway, a very special evening indeed. Can't wait until Monday at Rutgers. Should be an awesome event.