41

Thanks for all the birthday love, friends. 

Here's to 41 more!!

love, -j.


The best birthday card ever. 

Kids and telephone manners

Is it me or are we not equipping our kids when it comes to the art of conversation?

At the expense of sounding like a curmudgeon, I'm afraid modern technology is contributing to our children's lack of real time conversation skills. Our babies are products of the Digital Age where "talking" is limited to email, texting, instant messaging, blogging, hashtagging, Snapchatting, Instagramming or sharing/ranting/pontificating in the comments section.

But what happens when they have to talk to a human on the telephone?

Teaching a child how to use the phone isn't easy. Like anything, it takes practice. I recently read this article and gleaned some helpful tips (we grown-ups should take note, too):

Making a call

• Always say "Hello," speak your name and request. For example: "Hi Mrs. Jones, this is Caden. May I speak with Bobby, please?"

• If you need to leave a voicemail message, leave your name, the person you are trying to reach, and your telephone number. For example: "Hi, this is Caden. I'm leaving a message for Bobby. Could you please ask him to call me back? My phone number is [or "my mom's phone number is" -- if your child does not have his own phone].

• Don't mumble or leave a long, rambling message.

Answering the phone

• A simple "Hello" is all that's needed when answering a call.

• If a caller asks for a family member, a polite response is, "One moment please, may I tell her who's calling?"

• Don't scream out, "Hey Mom! You've got a call!" Say, "One moment please," put the phone down (or mute the volume) and let the family member know he or she has a call.

• If a child is home alone and a caller asks for a parent or family member, simply say, "She can't come to the phone right now, may I have her call you back?"

• Write down the name of the person calling, the time of the call and a return telephone number.

Other telephone courtesies

• Don't call too early in the morning or too late at night. To be safe, never before 9am and never after 9pm.

• If your call goes to voicemail, don't hang up. Leave a short message.

• Always end a telephone conversation by saying, "I have to go now. It was so nice talking to you."

Photo by Getty Images.
Teaching your kids about money.

The beast (#ProjectCaden)

I know this guy who is working on the coolest project on the planet. Yes, I happen to be married to him and no, I'm not in the least bit biased but I think you'd still agree with me. This is one badass beast.

To say it's been an exciting journey so far is the greatest understatement of the decade. But I'll let Carlos explain with his own words. He recently wrote about #ProjectCaden on his blog.

Here's to the open road! 

***

Holistic and Transparent
By Carlos Salaff
Originally posted on Kinja; 9/29/15

I held a great position as a Senior Designer at Mazda, and worked with some wonderful people. Why would I leave? Lots of reasons -- but one of them was the desire to create holistic design. The word "holistic" is often tied to a medicinal philosophy, but I am talking about designing a car as a total object -- from the ground up. As a designer at a major car company, tasks are generally confined to exterior and interior design. The guts and inner workings of a car are developed by the engineering group, with minimal interaction along the way between the two. This division of disciplines leads to obvious difficulties. A look at a modern car shows a division between the function and the looks of a car. There is a skin of rubber, plastic and foam, hiding the mechanical inner workings. I believe that as a result, we are a society becoming increasingly out of touch with our machines. I believe there are others like me, who crave to be more deeply connected to our cars' mechanical beauty, and view such things as art.

One goal of #ProjectCaden was to design the car as a whole, without these divisions. It is an approach where each functional element is also aesthetically considered -- similar to industrial architecture. I wish for Caden's drivers to see and feel the mechanical workings of the car, to be deeply connected to the machine through transparency. 

In the image below, the wishbones and rear tires will be visible through the "tunnel" gap.

The rear tires and wishbones will be most dramatically visible from the rear. Very Porsche 917-inspired, there will be no traditional cover at the back, exposing the beauty of the elements. Chassis structure and mechanical working will be on display through the rear glass. 

I designed Caden from the ground up in the computer. I started with some rough exterior sketches, then began a constant cycle of zooming in and out through the car, adding detail with each design pass. A satisfying right/left brain volley. As a designer, I felt a new level of freedom, as the car was the way I envisioned through and through. On the journey, I have learned a good deal about automotive engineering, and it has allowed me to minimize the types of compromises that can frustrate a designer who wants to go more than skin deep.

A project like this also requires engineering expertise. After establishing as much detail as possible with the chassis, I handed the blueprints over to Robert Metcalf of Metcalf Racing. The chassis is inspired by classic Group C, Formula 1 and GTP cars. Metcalf's experience restoring and racing these very cars came into play as he did an expert design pass on the suspension geometry and a refinement pass on the structure of the aluminum monocoque tub. Metcalf will also be fabricating Caden's entire chassis. 

I designed the tub with a central driving position. The inboard-mounted coilovers (black tubes) will be mounted in plain sight in front of the instrument panel. I want the driver to see the car working, the suspension moving. After sending Metcalf my blueprints he designed in a steel bulkhead at the front of the tub, for reinforcement. In this way, the chassis development has been a back-and-forth process. On the right is the nickel-plated steel bulkhead. 

The tub parts -- the floor, sidepods and front box are being shaped and positioned at Metcalf Racing. Steel suspension pickups will be built into the front box for safety (anti-intrusion) and strength. The floor will be an aluminum-honeycomb sandwich for increased rigidity. The tub is a thing of beauty and will be on display as much as possible, while creating "warm" areas of trim for the passengers. 

The concept of transparency entails an honesty of materials. The aluminum skin of the car will be -- for the most part -- left bare, to celebrate the inherent beauty of the raw material. 

After all, naked is beautiful.


Follow #ProjectCaden's entire journey here. 

Crashing waves

Cleveland-based photographer Jeffrey Goodman took this stunning photo over the weekend. He endured cold, miserable, soggy conditions to capture this magnificent crashing wave at the 55th Street Marina at Lake Erie.

"Twenty mile-per-hour winds were creating some huge waves, I got too close and got completely drenched!" says Jeff, who took the photo on his brand new iPhone 6s (which got soaked, but survived). "The sound of the waves hitting the break wall sounded like thunder."

It wasn't good for his sore throat, but was totally worth the shot. The North Coast, he says, you gotta be tough!

p.s. they occasionally find bodies in the water at this marina. Yikes!    


Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Goodman.

This week's obsession: parkas

Autumn is in full swing here in Cleveland and with the crisp air and turning leaves comes my hankering for beautiful coats. I spied this gorgeous faux fur-trimmed number from J.Crew and am currently obsessed with it.

One of the perks of cold weather!


Overalls, three ways.