2011: A Brief History of My Time

Well, here we are in April… So much has already happened this year that it almost feels silly to look back at 2011. Well, heck. It is silly. So the best thing I can think to do is just bury this post under another post. And come on- who really cares what I did in 2011? Still if your’e reading this (I expect my family to, but anyone else who has ventured in here gets my “You So Crazy Brave” salute) you need to know that I did write most of this last year. I just never got around to finishing it. So with much regret and embarrassment here are some 2011 highlights and… uh… stuff:

Family

I’d say that 2011 was  a banner year for the Hughes family. All the kids are doing well, Fran is doing great, I’m feeling good. Work and home life have stabilized and, for the most part, life is running smoothly.

Fran is my rock (a soft sexy rock). She runs our household with enthusiasm, unparallelled organization and a somewhat manic passion. She’s still working at BHQ part time as well (she likes it- don’t let her tell you otherwise). I don’t like to gush but I feel very blessed to have Fran as my wife. Last year we added a fourth child to the brood (yeah “added” – like buying another plant). Chole is like an angel. She wakes up smiling, she bubbles all day and her smile melts any heart. Gabe has become a moody, picky, life of the party four year old socialite. Claire is a mess-prone, sweet-natured, selfless six year old and she’s a ravenous reader. Michael is a manipulative, scheming, logic-loving  eight year old with an irrepressible passion to win. I know every Dad thinks it, but I have the best kids in the world (they do seem to be slightly skewed toward the evil side though… in a twisted way it almost makes me proud).

Work

Growth at BHQ has just been incredible. I’m floored by how well things have gone, how much progress we’ve made and how far we’ve come. I really feel like we’re hitting our stride now and our momentum is going to take us further than we ever dreamed.

I believe we owe a large portion of our success to the BHQ team. We have incredible people who are dedicated,  responsible, innovative and who have exceptional attitudes and directed focus. I wish I knew them all better- it’s gotten to the point where I simply don’t have the deeper one-on-one relationships I used to have with all of my employees. But I am grateful to all of them. Go Team!

In late 2011 we acquired the unit next to us giving us some much needed space for products and supplies.

We changed the upstairs layout to accommodate more people (Mr. Ping Pong table was replaced with additional desks). We added a sound stage as where we film videos for our YouTube channel (KnifeHQ).

The storefront is a thing of beauty. In store customer traffic increased a good deal in 2011. We have really high hopes for 2012 (read: we want our store to break even!).

The packing & customer service centers continue to grow as does the warehouse. They said we’d never fill it. They said we were crazy. Now they say “Can we work for you?”

Personal

On a personal level things are good. Sometimes I feel like there’s too much going on, but on the whole I think things are pretty balanced. I have fallen off the health bandwagon a bit, but I’m sure I’ll muster up the strength to climb back on. Having a new baby has made exercise very challenging. I can’t pinpoint exactly why, but I assume it’s because child rearing occupies an additional portion of my wife’s time and, in turn, my time.

At this point I really only have two hobbies  left. Blogging and my car (UtahCorvette.com). I could actually see myself as a full-time blogger one day. Cam’s blogging service. And speaking of cars… it’s almost time to go car shopping!

Fun Holiday Stuff

Halloween: The kids always love to go out on Halloween. I feel like our neighborhood is pretty safe and so we let the two oldest go out and about with their friends. Fran took out the littlest  two this year. I stay home, watch some TV and hand out candy (and eat some of it… a lot of it…).

Christmas is always a little stressful since I work in retail. But we always find time to get the tree ready, drink hot chocolate and make gingerbread houses. Well, this year we opted for graham cracker houses. They were easy to build, just the right size and each kid got their own house to decorate.

And I think there was a New Year’s Party in there somewhere. With a new baby I don’t remember a whole lot. I think we played ImagineIf and ate ice cream. It’s all a blur. If you were at the party (was there a party?) thank you for coming!

Home

One nice thing about staying in the same house for a long time is you can really settle in. Rooms get organized in just the right way (after much trial and error), you have time to paint accent walls, decorate and really figure out how to live in your house.

Our workout room got a much needed makeover. We rearranged the treadmill & rowing machine in a much more efficient layout. We also got a larger TV (built in wireless is an amazing feature which I’d recommend to anyone) – possibly justified since we spend so much time in this room.

Speaking of efficient layouts… We had a room in our basement that was kind of a disaster. In the center was a pool table and then there were two couches on either side of the room. Some bookcases in the corner rounded out the debacle. Stacy to the rescue again (she did our bedroom).

Sometimes it just takes a different perspective to figure out the best way to allocate space. With the pool table shifted over we were able to create a nice sitting area. We also added an electric piano for the kids to practice on.

The book shelves fit perfectly along the side wall and aren’t visible as you enter the room anymore.  Stacy painted the room with a very light grey color and hung a large world map & mirror (both from Ikea) for decoration.  We have dubbed our newly reorganized room “The Study” (where, oddly enough, Uncle Plum was murdered with a candlestick).

And there’s tons of other stuff that I simply don’t have time to blog about (robot revolution, my trip to Venus, the time the sun went nova and killed us, etc). Looking back 2011 was a pretty darn good year. No regrets. Hopefully 2012 will be even better.


Posted by Cam Hughes

Alotta Regatta

On the evening of March 22nd (yes, my birthday) my son had a Regatta race for Scouts. When I was in Scouts we had one Pinewood Derby (and  lately I’ve had the overpowering desire to watch Down and Derby again). I did the work on my car mostly by myself and when my Dad and I showed up at the Derby it was clear that my car didn’t have a chance (my father recently lamented to me “As soon as we showed up I realized I was supposed to build your car, not you”). I did, however, win the “Most Massive” award- probably because my car was basically a black and yellow painted block with wheels. But I had fun and I wanted my son to have fun too.

The Regatta is a small boat kit that you have to sand, seal, paint, assemble and then decorate. Then, two by two, the boys then race the boats down a filled rain gutter. I suspect the overarching goal of the Regatta race is to determine which dads are deadbeats and which are actually involved in their son’s life. At any rate, Mike and I worked on the Regatta off and on the week prior to the race and I tried to let him so as much of it himself as possible (why do kids love spray paint so much?)

Overall I was pleased with our Regatta. When race time came the boat stayed perfectly upright, didn’t veer to port or starboard and was fairly swift. My son was as good as his boat- he never cheated (get your hands off the boat other kids!!), he tried his best and even though he didn’t win he was a good sport.  His regatta was awarded the “See You Later Alligator” certificate of participation. He had a good time and, more importantly, he knew he had a dad that cared about him. Personally I’m really looking forward to that Pinewood Derby…


Posted By Cam, April 2nd, 2012

Epic 34th Birthday

Well, it finally happened. I got another year older. I recall my 30th birthday really bothering me but the other 30’s have all been just fine. My family made me this delightful peanut butter cup cake tree and we opened presents together after I got home from work. Even though there’s not much I need, I really enjoyed the thoughtful gifts that my families and close friends gave me.

I would call this year’s celebrations “low key” and that’s fine by me (we had other activities that prevented us from doing additional partying). As I’ve gotten older I do a lot more reflecting and I think that I’m at a good point in my life. And I think my 34th year has some good things in store!


Cam Hughes, April 2, 2012

Mega Millions Anyone?

UPDATE (April 1, 2012): Well, it looks like I saved $12!  My odds of winning were  about 1 in 170,000,000  for each number I picked. Well, a little worse since I didn’t actually have a ticket. I really wanted to delve into some of the lottery math, mechanics and philosophy but I just don’t have the energy or time these days. Anyway, I’m going to take my savings (or is that winnings!) and invest in a meal (bad bad long term ROI, by the way)!


I have a “real” blog post coming soon. But I thought I’d post something quick & fun.

If you’re alive then you probably know about the $640 million dollar jackpot from Mega Millions. I’m not going to go into any details about how you play, odds, or anything like that right now. I’m simply going to announce that I will never buy a lotto ticket. It’s a sucker’s bet. That being said, you can’t help but feel some of the excitement in the air about the drawing tonight. It’s interesting enough that I thought I’d pretend to play. Here are my Mega Millions selections assuming I had played twelve times:

3-10-41-27-15 & 7
28-38-11-3-7 & 36
12-34-1-2-3 & 4
1-2-3-4-12 & 34
9-10-38-47-37 & 33
7-9-23-54-49 & 40
22-18-3-20-21 & 6
10-19-27-32-48 & 7
1-15-38-46-52 & 18
10-24-28-40-52 & 35
3-14-29-30-51 & 16
17-18-34-38-53 & 21

After the drawing tonight we’ll see if I’m $12 richer or out hundreds of millions. Sure-  it would be upsetting to be the guy who picked the winning numbers and then didn’t buy a ticket but I doubt that will be the case.

After the drawing I’ll update this post and I may elaborate more on the game, explain some of the math behind the odds, share some insights explaining why some numbers really are better than other numbers (some of my picks are not actually good choices) and discuss the pros versus cons about luck based games like these.


Posted by Cam, March 30, 2012, 5:55pm

A Totally Random Blog Update

Where have I been, right? Nowhere in particular…The last few months have been super busy at work. Any extra time I’ve had I have willingly given to my family and appropriated for my hobby. I am working on a recap of 2011 which I hope to post by the end of this month.

I have noticed a lot of these “What other people think I do” collages lately. This one was recently forwarded to me and I thought it was applicable to my life (while not perfect, it’s funny) :

I have been a lot of  blogging over at UtahCorvette.com (yeah, your favorite!). Sometimes people ask me why I blog about car stuff but not my family. Four reasons. 1) Fran is supposed to blog about it (ha!) 2) These days there’s simply too much family stuff to blog about. 3) Sometimes there are privacy or safety issues. 4) If I ever choose to sell my Vette then my car blog is going to be a great resource; it’s in my interest to document projects (no plans to sell the family right now).

In any event, the other day I pulled out my old radiator fan and the geek in me was forced to do this:

Tomorrow I start my marathon training. I have been having tendon issues in my left leg, but at this point they seem mostly resolved. I have really missed running (but somehow this has been a great excuse to eat whatever I want and I have really enjoyed that). A toast to health in 2012!


Posted by Cam Hughes, Feb 19, 2012

Movies Watched in 2011

My goal this year was to watch 50 movies (from 2011) and I managed to watch 47. So close! I’m going to keep my goal the same this coming year shoot for 50 movies again. Here’s my list in all it’s amazing glory (yes, this is documented evidence of what I did with nearly 78 hours of my life in 2011).

Kung Fu Panda 2, 6.5/10 (DVD) – Although I felt like the sequel wasn’t as strong as the first movie, I think this is still a perfect entertaining way to pass an hour and a half. Although I found the message (despite a painful past you can find inner peace) uplifting there was something annoying about the presentation. Po is a difficult character to connect with (possibly because he’s slightly annoying..). The comical moments in Panda 2 were alright, but I wish there had been more. Overall, not bad.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, 8/10 (Theater) – Another really good movie. You can’t help but like Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock. Shadow’s plot was very engaging and I love the reveal that comes near the end. Plus the whole movie is just very fulfilling on  action, intellectual and even emotional levels. Additionally I enjoy the slow motion moments in the film (although that may be, in part, because we’re experimenting with slow motion video at work). I can easily recommend this movie and would say that I enjoyed it even more than the first.

Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol, 8/10 (Theater) – I was pretty excited about his Movie for two reasons. First, it was Brad Bird’s (The Incredibles)live action debut. Second the prop guys for this movie actually called up my company earlier this year and bought some Microtech knives for the movie. Brad did a great job on the movie- very watchable, incredible (and almost believable) action, and an excellent story line. Tom Cruise is starting to show his age, but I think he’s still a great action star. Super fun movie!

Smurfs, 6.5/10 (DVD) – This was a lot more entertaining than I thought it was going to be. If you watch it, rest assured, it won’t assault your childhood memories. I wish the Smurfs had spent more time in their village, but I suppose the New York plot-line was necessary to capture the interest of today’s ADD generation. Just fine for kids and adults will enjoy it too.

Breaking Dawn (Part 1), 6.5/10 (Theater) – I confess to liking this much that I should have (as a manly man). The honeymoon scenes were a little too much for me, but other than that I didn’t really have any issues. There’s a lot of teen angst, but if you just go with it the story is engaging. I’m looking forward to the last movie!

In Time, 7/10 (Theater) – I actually saw this twice. Not because I especially loved, it just worked out that way. However, I found it just as enjoyable the second time. There are certain elements from other movies woven throughout this film which almost makes it comfortable. The acting, effects and such are all passable, but it’s the furturistic Robin Hood story which worked for me.

Cars 2, 7/10 (DVD) – This was a fun movie. I don’t think it was as good as the first, but I liked the mystery/spy elements and it was visually gorgeous. Making Mater the main character probably wasn’t the best move, but overall the it was good. There are some moments in the movie where cars are damaged and I thought that warranted a PG rating (I’m not sure if I’m kidding).

November 8, 2011 Update: Well, my movie watching plans have been uprooted by the arrival of my beautiful daughter. Further complicating my movie watching efforts is the upcoming holiday season (I’m in retail). I don’t know if I’ll make it. It brings me a great deal of sorrow that the last movie I watched was Zookeeper. Pray for me.

Zookeeper, 5.5/10 (DVD)– I like Kevin James, but this film fell flat for me. I didn’t think the animal dialogue was particularly funny and the overall premise of the movie, while sweet, wasn’t very engaging. I think my kids enjoyed it alright, but it’s not one of those movies they will want to see over and over. Overall, there are a few funny moments (thanks to James) and the movie is tolerable.

Real Steel, 8/10 (theater) – Rocky with Robots. While totally formulaic and predictable I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I thought Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo and Evangeline Lilly were all fantastic. The special effects and cinematography were spot on too. Even though it’s clear throughout the movie what’s going to happen (before it happens) I still found it satisfying and engaging. No regrets here!

Hannah, 6.5/10 (DVD) – More info coming soon (yeah… kind of looking live never at this point). 

Contagion, 6.5/10 (theater) – This was a drama, not an action movie (I was caught off guard). Don’t bother seeing it in IMAX- that was a waste! The cast was good and the story was interesting enough (though a little monotonous).

Rio, 6/10 (DVD) – More info coming soon (or possibly never…)

Priest, 6/10 (DVD) – I had no idea what to expect going into this. I think Paul Bettany is a great actor, but I wasn’t sure he was the right choice for the lead here. The plot is interesting (with some twists you can see from a mile away), but somehow I felt uninvolved. Part of me actually hopes there’s a Priest 2, but most of me is sure there won’t be.

Just Go With It, 7/10 (DVD) – This was a fun movie. The plot is a little ridiculous, but it allows for some great moments and exchanges. Great date movie!

Season of the Witch, 5/10 (DVD) – Nicholas Cage what have they done to you!? This movie might actually be one you could skip. It’s almost hard to watch… and *spoiler alert* is should really be called “Season of the Demon,” since it’s not actually about witches. And bad endings? This is the worst- almost everyone dies (and anyone you care about even a little definitely dies). And yet, there are some good action scenes and a few mysteries to keep you guessing should you decide to have a peek.

Sucker Punch, 6.5/10 (DVD) – Visually I thought the movie stunning. I liked the action and mini missions, but the plot didn’t quite do it for me and the ending was certainly disturbing. I’m sure I sound like a broken record, but it’s worth a watch.

The Help, 8/10 (theater) – I thought this was well balanced, insightful, charming and well written and acted. It deals with a sensitive topic in a delicate way. I read a harsh review that said the movie is designed to make white people happy they aren’t “that racist.” While I can see that angle I think the overall “The Help” is well intentioned.

Cowboys & Aliens, 7/10 (theater) – I really liked the mix of western & sci-fi and thought the movie was a lot of fun. It’s not epic, by any means but it’s satisfying.

The Green Hornet, 6.5/10 (DVD) – This movie was watchable, but unfulfilling Seth Rogen is awful, as usual (I don’t get him). I thought the plot was light, but the movie was well filmed and the special effects were good. Kato was the highlight.

Captain America, 6.5/10 (theater) – I found this movie a bit disappointing. Captain America is one of my favorite super heroes so maybe I had my expectations set too high. I liked Chris Evans as CA- no real issues with the cast in general. Many of the action scenes looked off to me (something off in CGI or something) and I didn’t feel like the plot went anywhere (maybe it wasn’t supposed to). Not silly, but not quite right for me. Still worth a watch though!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, 7.5/10 (theater) – Much better than it’s predecessor (which was booooring). Lots of good action, nice flow, cinematography and effects. The characters seemed a little stiff sometimes, but maybe war does that to you. Definitely a good way to cap the series off. My one beef: The ending (epilogue) is a little silly. Everyone is supposed to be in their late 30’s, but they just have some grey painted into their hair. I felt like the aging could have been done much more realistically. Call me picky.

Rango, 6.5/10 (DVD) – I thought the animation was first rate. I also thought Johnny Depp did a great job. The story was fun, but somehow flimsy. The movie’s biggest weakness was that it tried to be funny, but a lot of the humor fell flat for me.

Beastly, 6/10 (DVD) – Basically a “real life” version of the Disney movie. It has a good message, but I feel like ultimately the movie is a bit shallow.

Lincoln Lawyer, 7.5/10 (DVD) – It’s great to see Matthew McConaughy as a lawyer again. Good pace & nice twists. I like a movie that can create a nice mixture of tension and mystery without doing anything too over the top.

Horrible Bosses, 7/10 (theater)- A fun idea, but I wasn’t happy with the overall resolution. Fun strong performances all around.

Skyline, 6.5/10 (DVD)- Visually impressive, given its budget. No A-list stars here but mostly solid performances. The plot is a little simplistic (one random day aliens attack) and the ending is weird.

Sanctum, 5/10 (DVD) – Soulless, for the most part. I didn’t really connect with any of the characters. Ultimately that may have been a good thing (warning: spoiler) since almost everyone dies. It’s watchable, but quite forgettable.

Bad Teacher, 6/10 (theater) – Some very funny parts, but nothing particularly memorable. It’s kind of fun to see the “bad guy” win sometimes.

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon, 8/10 (theater) – I actually went and saw this twice. I enjoyed it much more the second time (Bay’s frantic pacing makes it hard to follow everything the first time around). I have a few issues with the plot, but the action & special effects are second to none. I didn’t like how they wrote out Megan, but Rosie worked okay for me. Much better than the second.

Super 8, 7.5/10 (theater) – This was a really fun throwback! It was ET meets Goonies meets Close Encounters.

Green Lantern, 5/10 – (theater) I feel like this movie had a lot of potential, but I didn’t feel like Ryan Reynolds was a good choice for Hal Jordan (I like Reynolds in other movies). Overall weak (and sometimes just weird) acting made the movie very hard to take seriously. I also felt like the CGI wasn’t up to par. Didn’t work for me.

I Am Number Four, 7/10 (DVD) – I thought overall this movie was pretty cool (I haven’t read the book). Lots of action, a little confusing a times, and an ending that leaves you a little empty.

The Tourist, 6.5/10 (DVD) – I’m not sure if I like the Depp & Jolie chemistry and Depp isn’t really an action star, but overall the movie isn’t bad. You can see the plot twist coming mid movie, but it’s still satisfying.

X-Men: First Class, 7.5/10 (theater) – Excellent overall production and very good character development. Doesn’t follow the continuity of the other movies and that’s a little annoying, but it’s still a very good movie.

Thor, 7.5/10 (theater ) – the Marvel movies are generally really well done and this is no exception. I never cared for the Comic version of Thor and even in the movie I found him a little dull. Still, the acting was good, the special effects were top notch and I really enjoyed myself.

The Mechanic, 5/10 (DVD) – I don’t know why, but I like Jason Statham. This movie is kind of a hashed together version of other movies I’ve seen- very unoriginal. I didn’t find the action of plot to be very satisfying, but it’s mindlessly entertaining overall.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, 7/10 (theater) – This is sort of a re-boot. I like that Disney took the movie back to its adventure roots. This is a fun installment with plenty of action, a fun plot and plenty of over the top acting.

Fast Five, 8/10 (theater) – How can you not love Vin Diesel and The Rock pounding on each other? They traded in the underground racing angle and gave this movie more of an “Italian Job” heist film. Over the top action makes for a great adrenaline rush.

Source Code, 7/10 (theater) – The “science” in stuff like this is always a bit of a head-scratcher, but this is a fun movie with a nice mixture of mystery & thrills.

Limitless, 7/10 (theater)- The everyman’s fantasy brought to life- a pill that makes you awesome. Fun action movie, not deep but engrossing enough.

Adjustment Bureau, 7/10 (theater) – special place in my heart, since it’s just like a story I wrote when I was younger. There are a few plot holes that might bug sci-fi geeks.

Battle: Los Angeles, 6.5/10 (theater) – Gritty, edge of your seat action. Aaron Eckert is great. The shaky (intentional) camera work at the beginning of the movie was unwelcome. Kind of like Independence Day without the hokiness.

Unknown, 7.5/10 (theater) – Fast paced, with a great plot twist. I really enjoy Liam Neeson. It’s not as cool as “Taken” but it’s still worth a watch.

The Way Back, 6/10 – (theater) – Visually appealing and well acted but ultimately sort of soulless. It didn’t evoke the emotion I expected. Very slow paced.

The King’s Speech , 8/10 (theater) – Excellent in all respects. Rush really stole the show! Deserves it’s Oscar nomination.

The Dilemma, 6/10 (theater) – I was expecting more from Ron Howard. Had it’s moments, but came across as a little shallow. Naturally I loved the idea of creating “real” engine sounds for electric cars.

Black Swan, 7/10 (theater) – A disturbing psychological thriller / drama. Well acted, passionate and worth a watch. [Yes, technically from 2010, but I saw it 2011].

Utah Valley Marathon Anyone?

I decided to register  for the Utah Valley Marathon on Saturday, June 9, 2012.  I’m hoping that having an actual event to train for (as opposed to an abstract goal) will be a more effective way to continue my fitness quest.

I decided to benchmark myself yesterday (November 7, 2011) to get an idea of where I’m starting from with regard to my training. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to run a half marathon on my treadmill without too much difficulty (I will confess that mile 13 was a little grueling). I put the treadmill  incline on “1” and ran the entire way at a little over 6mph with a finishing time of 2:10:02. Not an incredible time, but not bad for a 216 pound guy who has only casually jogged for the last six weeks (we had a baby- life got hard- there were donuts… I can’t talk about it).

My goal for the Utah Valley Marathon is to finish in under 4 hours (aim high, right?).  Anyone else up for this? It would be great to have some training partners!


Posted by Cam, Novemeber 8, 2011

Announcing Princess Chloe

Three kids didn’t feel quite right. We were pretty sure there was a fourth one just hanging out in heaven, waiting for us to decide we were ready. But three was already a handful and I confess we spent awhile on the fence while deciding what to do.  In the end there was only one real choice…

Yesterday (October 6th) at 7:31pm we welcomed little Chloe into the world. From the first moment we met it was obvious that she was always meant to be part of our family. I heard someone say once that you can’t really love a baby- you don’t know them, they don’t know you, you can’t have a relationship with them. That’s wrong. I am her father and she is my child. It has always been love at first sight for all of my children. I am ecstatic that my family is finally complete.

Baby and mom are both doing great! Chole was a little different from Fran’s other pregnancies in that she was about a seven days overdue (although once she was born it was clear that developmentally speaking she was right on time). Chloe also decided to come out face up (posterior position) which makes delivery a bit more complicated. But Fran came through unscathed. We have had our last three kids at home, which – for us-  has made the birthing process more relaxing and less stressful.

For me a new  life is inspiring.  I don’t understand how anyone who sees a birth have any doubt that the process of life is underscored by intelligent design.  And I can’t fathom how anyone could ever think it’s okay to extinguish these tiny lives or harm these innocent children in any way.  Children are precious gifts and they are to be loved, adored and protected. My family is the single most important thing to me. Marrying my wife,  helping to create my children and providing for my family will always be my greatest accomplishments.


Posted October 07, 2011