Pete's number one country song

My pal Pete Stringfellow recently released his latest single 'Santa Rosa' exclusively* to KFGY in the S.F. Bay area. Dude has a knack for knowing what sounds good, what feels good, and what people want to hear. As a result he's scored the number one most requested country song in Bay radio.

I don't listen to commercial radio much anymore, but dig: at a conference earlier this year, Billboard editor Tamara Coniff said she was amazed because country music appears to be the last genre that (in her words) "lives and dies" by what's heard on the radio.

Pete's doing it right.


* The track is no longer exclusive to KFGY

"What's a vector?" is the new "Where did I come from?"

My kids are harnessing technology in amazing ways. This week I've discovered I have a future email spoofer and future game developer in my house.

First my seventh grader. He is in a heap of trouble at school for figuring out another kid's password and sending an email to the entire class as the other kid. Bad.

On to my fourth grader. For months Harry's been hinting at wanting to learn Flash because most of the games he plays online are built in Flash. I've been telling him it's a really complicated program and maybe he should start with something easier. Harry ended up putting Flash on his Christmas wish list; my wife asked me "what is Flash?" I told Harry he didn't need to ask for the software for Christmas. I have Flash on my laptop and immediately he started working through some online tutorials and quickly built his first simple animations.

A couple of nights later he was rummaging through the craft closet/recording booth and found a Flash 8 tutorial I had borrowed from work. He said "Dad, why didn't you tell me you had this?" as if I'd been holding back a great record collection or had been hiding a motorcycle in the basement. After flipping through the book he asked me "what's the difference between a vector and a bitmap?" Great moments in parenthood.

Last night he showed me his first shape tween. Proud papa I am.

My beloved Food City Foodland is now Apple Market?

The face of West End is changing once again. My beloved Food City Foodland has morphed into an Apple Market? Wha' happened, FC FL? You were one of the only places who would cash my girlfriend's checks during college (yes kids, this was before widespread, nationally linked ATMs).

Food City Foodland was the Grocery Store that Time Forgot. A couple years ago after a dinner at Ted's across the street, I ran in and grabbed something vital that couldn't wait for Kroger in the morning. As I left the parking lot I said to my kids in the low, gravelly Homer voice, "that place is freaky." Did I personally scare you into changing into the modern Apple Market? I didn't mean it like that. Honest.

(Note, thanks to Brittney for setting me straight on the former name.)