Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Friday, December 26, 2014

Naomi's Art

One of Naomi's hobbies is art.  She likes to draw animals but has branched off into on-line art and photography as well.  here's a sample called "Play the Wind."



To see more, follow her at: http://loneecho.deviantart.com/

No Soup for You!


...because it's a meat pie!!!

2014 Christmas Feast

We had another successful Christmas evening feast at Chuck and Yuki's house.

The menu included the following:
Turkey
Roast Chicken
Lasagna
Mac and Cheese
Sachiyo's Popular Chow Mein
Obaachan's Popular Scallop Casserole
Beef Stew
Sweet Potatoes
Stuffing
Mash Potatoes
Rice
Garlic Green Beans
Green Salad
Corn Casserole
Garlic Bread
Cranberry Sauce
Mango Sticky Rice
Sachiyo's Popular Egg Rolls
Homemade Gravy

And for dessert we had apple and cherry pie with spumoni, peanut butter and chocolate and/or strawberry ice cream.

And before the meal, our intrepid bakers came bearing several types of cookies.

And before that there were countless bags and plates of chocolates.

Here is collage with proof of the food carnage. Okay, so there wasn't much carnage.  Mostly just happy eaters.  We are still eating left overs today.



But alas, our hosts opted to stick to just sweet potatoes...



After dinner and dessert, all manner of card games and a viewing of everyone's all time Christmas favorite "Pacific Rim" ( a story of robots doing battle with monsters) was had by some.

Thursday, December 25, 2014

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the California Emotos

Okay, so we didn't get our cards out in time for them to arrive before the big day for many of you. So in its place, we'd like to electronically send you this greeting.



Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

from,

Casey, Dorothy, Naomi, Ethan and Ryan

Science Experiment Video

In high school, not only do you get to do science experiments, but you also get opportunities to make videos of your experiment. Here's Naomi's latest.

Ryan's Surprise

Sometimes when Ryan uses the bathroom it takes a while. Maybe this is too much information, but let's continue the story. On one recent occasion, we decided to surprise him by turning out the lights and hiding to see what he would do. This video shows what happened. The room was fairly dark. The image has been lightened so you can see his reaction.

Chili Pepper - Ethan Plays a Trumpet Solo

Here's a recent jazz band concert where Ethan had a trumpet solo.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Beast Mode Strikes Again!

Marshawn Lynch does it again. In tonight's Seahawks-Cardinals game, he ran through and over the Cardinals defense to his longest TD run of his career. Here's the radio call of the run by the Seahawks radio broadcast team:
 
Here's the video clip:


Another incredible run by the former Cal Bears running back!

Saturday, December 06, 2014

Wednesday, November 05, 2014

Life in a Walk

Last year, a new show ran on the Pac-12 network called "The Drive." In the show, two Pac-12 football teams were followed for the entire season and the Cal Bears was one of those teams. Unfortunately for Cal, they were featured in a season where they only won a single game and had a historically poor season by anyone's definition. The person responsible for the show was a former assistant coach with USC from back in the Pete Carroll days, Yogi Roth.

His latest creation is a film called "Life in a Walk" based on a trip that he took with his father, the premise being that life is too short to not spend more time with the people that mean the most to you. From this has sprouted a movement based on this same theme. Check it out.

 

Friday, September 05, 2014

Forever Young by Alphaville

Here is one of the songs in the previous Seahawks video.

Time to Defend...

Listen to what they were saying about the Seahawks before their Super Bowl win.  Wonder what the pundits have to say this year?

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Photos of People Taking Photos!

Check out these photos.  It's a picture of Yuki taking a selfie with kids, but in the background you can see a picture of me taking a photo of them taking their selfie.  In the second photo you can see the photo that was taken by me!


Saturday, July 05, 2014

Off to Camp Chawanakee

Ethan off to his third boy scout summer camp at Camp Chawanakee.  His troop shoved off at about 1pm today leaving their scout shack, 15 or so boys with three adult chaperones in three vehicles.

Having attended with Ethan his first year, the mystery that might exist with many of the parents regarding boy scout summer camp does not exist for us.  The complications of summer vacation means that not everyone will be traveling to camp together and returning together, making travel logistics somewhat challenging.  Almost every seat in each of the three vehicles was completely filled today by a person or gear as they headed out.



After autographing the trailer, they were soon off for a week of adventure, learning and making memories.  Ethan's classes this year are Cooking and First Aid.  The week will go by too fast and they will be home for the rest of the summer.



Fireworks in Concord!

This year we didn't have very far to go for fireworks once again as the City of Concord owing to  funding from several private partners put on a terrific show.  On a last minute decision after finishing eating we drove towards downtown and ended up on the top of a parking structure.  Turns out that we were not the only ones with the same idea.

The following is a video of the finale of the firework show shot by another YouTube user.  The best part was that the show had two finales.  It was a great show!

Friday, July 04, 2014

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July!  Enjoying a quiet BBQ at home with family!



Also here's a salute to the Fourth with some of the lighter moments from our recent trip to Disney World!

Thursday, July 03, 2014

Good Times in Orlando: Days One and Two

It was more than a family vacation.  It was an extended family vacation with 12 of us on the trip.  The Seid family graciously arranged for all of us to stay at their time share near Disney World.  And although the time share had a pool fully decked out with water cannons, oversized inner tubes and a river-like loop through the pool, the kids were only able to enjoy the pool twice because of the late nights that we spent at the theme parks.  This was even though the pool was open until midnight.

We flew into Orlando on different flights.  The Seids and our family flew in on US Airways from Oakland via Phoenix.  The flight was uneventful, but the baggage claim process was like a Disney ride with an hour long wait.  This "ride" was followed by another hour long wait at the Budget rental counter.  In this time, both the Tam and So families who were on two separate flights were able to catch up to meet us at the rental car counter.

That night at the time share, we ordered out for pizza and kids were able to go swimming at the pool. The evening sky was a reddish, purplish hue which could've meant that good weather was in store for us based no the fisherman's adage: red sky at night is a sailor's delight, but it was not meant to be.


The next day started out fine. We made our way to Disney World by car, tram and ferry, stopping along the way to pick up our tickets. That's Alden at the window picking up our tickets.

If you've never been to Disney World, you will be surprised to learn that it has four parts: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom that are interconnected by road, tram and ferries in some manner. Anyway, we made our way to Magic Kingdom and decided to stand in line to get on the new Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride. It turned out to be one of the longer lines of our entire trip. There still was no rain and it was quite warm.



But by later that day the weather had changed and rain ponchos and umbrellas were in order for most of the rest of the day.


The plan was to make it over to Hollywood Studios so we could see the Symphony in the Stars fireworks show.  At Hollywood Studios, we checked out The Great Movie Ride, Star Tours, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, and The Tower of Terror.  Must have to say that the fireworks show was terrific with the fireworks exploding almost directly over where we stood.



Sunday, June 29, 2014

There Were Rides at the End of Those Lines!

We made it on a few rides. Ethan and Ryan even rode on a few roller coasters. There were some rides that were the same as in Southern California. Others were new for some of us. Represented in these photos starting in the upper left corner and going clockwise are:
  • The Incredible Hulk Coaster (in Universal's Islands of Adventure) 
  • Primeval Whirl (in Disney's Animal Kingdom) 
  • The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (in Disney's Hollywood Studios)
  • Jurassic Park River Adventure (in Islands of Adventure - Ryan promised not to duck so we wouldn't get wet, but...)
  • Test Track (in Epcot - family photo after the ride in one of the interactive stations)
  • Test Track (in Epcot - the actual ride)
  • The Incredible Hulk Coaster
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (in Disney's Magic Kingdom - Susan and Bill on the ride after a two-hour wait; Ryan didn't think it was worth the wait)
  • Expedition Everest (in Animal Kingdom - this was a better version of the Matterhorn)
  • Test Track (in Epcot)
  • Spaceship Earth (in Epcot - Dorothy and Ryan in the future?)
  • Dinosaur (in Animal Kingdom - yes, there were some loud dinos as you can see from Ethan)
  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (Ethan and Dorothy enjoying the ride - it was too short)
  • Expedition Everest (Ryan and Dorothy)

Women Only

Here's compilation of photos that have a particular theme. You can probably figure out the theme.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Disney World Photographers

The count is in! Between our two cameras, we took over 1700 photos while in Disney World for a week. That averages out to over 240 photos per day. There were some instances when we had seven or eight cameras shooting at the same subject at the same time from our party of 12. Here is the proof that we had a lot of photo taking that took place during our trip. Okay, some were of the "selfie" variety, but still photo taking.

Saturday, May 31, 2014

2014 Sequoia Middle School Jazz Band - "Carry On Wayward Son"

2014 Sequoia Middle School Jazz Band - "Blue Train" by John Coltrane

Ethan continues to enjoy being in the band playing trumpet. He's finishing up playing in the 7th grade concert band.

He's also in the jazz band that is composed of both 7th and 8th graders. Here's their rendition of "Blue Train" by John Coltrane.

Friday, March 07, 2014

Okay, So It's Not New Years or Graduation....

This is the Emoto Family Duet. If Uncle Chuck were here we could've made this a trio!

Ethan and Obaachan just started playing around with this song this evening. Not bad for the first time through, huh?

Obaachan is singing the song in Japanese (Hotaru no Hikari) although it's a little difficult to hear. In Japan, this song is played at graduations and the Japanese title can be translated to "The Glow of Fireflies":

By the glow of fireflies, and the moonlit snow by the window, Days and months spent reading, Years have even passed, through the cedar door, This morning, we leave.

Whether staying, or leaving, Remember each other, in the Depths of our hearts, in a word, Sing, "Good luck,"

蛍の光 (Hotaru no Hikari) The Glow of Fireflies

蛍の光、窓の雪、
書読む月日、重ねつゝ、
何時しか年も、すぎの戸を、
開けてぞ今朝は、別れ行く。 

止まるも行くも、限りとて、
互に思ふ、千萬の、
心の端を、一言に、
幸くと許り、歌うなり。

 

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Bay Bridge (Old and New)

This is a video clip of our last drive across the old eastern span of the Bay Bridge.  Dorothy is the videographer.  This was also taken the previous time that Obaachan visited us.  She and the kids were all fast asleep on this drive.



Here are photos of the new eastern span from September after it opened as well as other photos from the same trip to SF.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Seahawks in a Romp?

Here's a Super Bowl prediction based on an outcome from the Madden video game that was made on December 12. This is the closest to the real outcome that we've seen.

All Seahawks TDs

Saturday, February 08, 2014

Super Bowl XLVIII Sights and Sounds

Do you want to see and hear what the Super Bowl sounded like at field level? Check out this link. And here's yet another link.

Thursday, February 06, 2014

2012 Seattle Seahawks Draft Rating

Here's what a few national columnists said about Seattle's 2012 NFL draft class: 

2012 NFL Draft Grades: Full Draft Results Report Card 
By Matt Miller , NFL Draft Lead Writer 
Apr 28, 2012 

 Draft Picks Round 1: DE/OLB Bruce Irvin (West Virginia) 
 Round 2: ILB Bobby Wagner (Utah State) 
 Round 3: QB Russell Wilson (Wisconsin) 
 Round 4: RB Robert Turbin (Utah State), DT Jaye Howard (Florida) 
 Round 5: ILB Korey Toomer (Idaho) Round 
6: CB Jeremy Lane (Northwestern State), DB Winston Guy (Kentucky) Round 
7: DE J.R. Sweezy (North Carolina State), DE Greg Scruggs (Louisville) 

Grade: D Summary 
The Seahawks received our lowest Round 1 grade for their reach to grab Bruce Irvin at No. 15 overall. They messed up again in Round 3 with Russell Wilson after having signed Matt Flynn this offseason. Neither pick makes much sense to us. Bobby Wagner and Robert Turbin saved the Seattle draft, but two of its first three picks were just bad. 

And here's another....


Ranking NFL teams' 2012 drafts 1-32


26. Seattle Seahawks: GM John Schneider has made an early living mining gold in the mid-to-late rounds and free agency, and his choice of RB Robert Turbin in Round 4 looks like a score. Yet Schneider's first three picks — Round 1 DE Bruce Irvin, Round 2 LB Bobby Wagner and Round QB Russell Wilson — have exposed him to immediate criticism .

And yet another...

2012 NFC draft grades: Defensive-minded Eagles, Packers earn high marks

Jason Cole 
Yahoo Sports


Seattle Seahawks
Picks: OLB Bruce Irvin, ILB Bobby Wagner, QB Russell Wilson, RB Robert Turbin, DT Jaye Howard, LB Korey Toomer, CB Jeremy Lane, SS Winston Guy Jr., DT J.R. Sweezy, DE Greg Scruggs
Grade: D-
Analysis: I have a great deal of respect for the work of John Schneider, but I don't understand this draft. Of eight teams (five of which drafted after the Seahawks) that were surveyed, none graded Irvin as a first-round pick. Yes, he has talent, and he could become great. He also might be a guy who burns out in two years because there are plenty of people who question his dedication. After that, the Seahawks spent a third-round pick on Wilson even though the history of QBs under 6-foot is poor, to say the least. You don't spend a third-round pick on a guy who'll be lucky to be Seneca Wallace. You also don't do that after signing Matt Flynn as a free agent. The Seahawks are no closer to solving the QB situation now than they were before 2011.



Shall I continue to pile on?????

NFL draft grades: Bengals, Cowboys immediate winners

PUBLISHED Saturday, Apr 28, 2012 at 10:52 pm EDT
Seattle Seahawks (D)
Key picks: DE Bruce Irvin, ILB Bobby Wagner.
They went for defensive head-scratchers when more reliable prospects were on the board.
I especially like this next one because it refers to "hardly mindboggling as Mel Kiper's (ESPN's self professed draft expert) hair has claimed."

EVAN SILVA

NFL DRAFT GRADES

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Draft 2012: NFC Grades

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Grade: C+


Seattle Seahawks

15. Bruce Irvin, defensive end, West Virginia.
47. Bobby Wagner, linebacker, Utah State.
75. Russell Wilson, quarterback, Wisconsin.
106. Robert Turbin, running back, Utah State.
114. Jaye Howard, defensive tackle, Florida.
154. Korey Toomer, linebacker, Idaho.
172. Jeremy Lane, cornerback, Northwestern State.
181. Winston Guy, safety, Kentucky.
225. J.R. Sweezy, guard, N.C. State.
232. Greg Scruggs, defensive end, Louisville.

Overview: It's popular to pan the Seahawks' draft. While we're not giving them an "A," the 2012 Seattle picks are largely understandable and hardly "mindboggling" as Mel Kiper's hair has claimed. No. 15 is early for a situational pass rusher, but no defender in this class has a quicker first step than Irvin. Wagner is a thumper and addresses a need. Wilson is going to make Tarvaris Jackson expendable. Turbin adds physicality to a backfield lacking it behind Marshawn Lynch. Howard, Toomer, and Guy can be year-one role players. Lane, Sweezy, and Scruggs are under-the-radar picks. Realistically, the Seahawks didn't overdraft anyone on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, and they consistently kept in mind need. It's a better group than people are saying. 


Now we know why these Seahawks continue to play with a chip on their shoulders...

The following is an article summarizing grades from a wide variety of pundits.  Out of 32 teams, the Seahawks got the 30th ranked grading when looking at all the grades.  I'm guessing that many of these experts would be asking for a "re-do" now.


02 May 2012

2012 NFL Draft Report Card Report

Guest column by Mike Ridley
Is there anything more enjoyable than assessing the folly of kneejerk reactions? The NFL draft concluded less than a week ago, yet the internet is already filled with draft report cards. As per tradition atFootball Outsiders, we’ve gathered data from the most prestigious of those who dare to judge so quickly (Previous NFL Draft Report Card Reports may be viewed by clicking here: 2011201020092008,200720062005, and 2004.). We’ve compiled and analyzed this data to find out who passed (and failed) the eye test of those analysts, who will undoubtedly issue re-writes of their draft grades in the spring of 2015.
For those looking for what Football Outsiders has to say about the draft, check back sometime in March, 2018. We believe that to accurately judge a draft class, six years of data needs to be in to assess things properly. To paraphrase Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, issuing verdicts this early would be like handing out grades on the first day of class.
This year, we pulled the grades from nine NFL writers and draft analysts:
Note that for Nate Davis’ "report card," he actually ranked the teams 1-32 rather than assigning letter grades (A, B, C, etc). To turn these rankings into letter grades for our exercise, I found the average of the eight other analysts total grades (approximately a "B-"), then found out what grades would make this average (10 of every grade "A+" through "D+" and two "D" grades), then assigned them to Davis’ rankings. Is this an imperfect science? Yes, but it should work for what we’re trying to accomplish.

30. Seattle Seahawks
GPA: 1.89
Highest Grade: B (Czarnecki)
Lowest Grade: D- (Cole)
Comments: Although referring to the picks as shockers, Czarnecki didn’t have a problem with the Bruce Irvin/Bobby Wagner/Russell Wilson trifecta, as he sees talent in all of them. Cole was much less optimistic about Irvin and Wilson. He thinks Irvin, although having vast potential, is too much of a risk and was reached for too high in the draft, noting that several GMs didn’t have a first-round grade on him. As for Wilson, he essentially said he’ll be lucky to be Seneca Wallace. Enough said.