Scorecard - 4/3/09

So, I didn't shoot horrible. I bogeyed every hole at one point, and pared the 3rd in the second rouund.

Check out Mason puttin on the practice course.

Mason walking the course.

Golfing...Sand Clinic

So yesterday, Zane, Mark, Mason and I went golfing. There is a nice little 4 hole course that you can play multiple balls and as many times as you want for $5. That is my kind of 102 degree golf.

I actually shot pretty well, I single bogeyed about everything, but I did shoot one par for the day. I'll post my score card on the next post.

We played out of the sand a lot, which is good practice. I am getting better with my new sticks. I got a set of Callaway Big Bertha Irons and 2 new Nike woods for graduation. I probably ned a couple of more wedges and one more wood, but that is for later discussion.

We walked the course, and I was shocked that Mason held up so well. Since he took his driver and tried to drive it 300 yards against a stone column, needless to say the shaft and

unattached head did not come with us to the course, so all Mason got to do was putt, which he seemed to enjoy.

Flash Back - The Red Diaper Bag

So this was a bag I did this past summer for Stephanie. Unfortunately, she did not like the size of the bag, it was way to big (even though she can't close her new bag because stuff is constantly flowing out of the top.)

So what do you do with a big diaper bag? You sell it. I sold this bag to a colleague at Cisco who gave it to her best friend that was having a baby. I gave her a good deal on this, even though it is a one of a kind (the fabric was discontinued)

The outer on this bag is a heavy canvas. The pattern on this canvas was hard to work with. A very precise geometric pattern looks good on the flat fabric, but when you put a pattern piece on it to cut, you find out that the lines are not all that straight, and it is frustrating to straighten the fabric before you cut.

The inside was a 200d Cordura Nylon (not waterproof). Looking back I wish that I had doubled up each of the pieces, just to add a little bit more structure to the inside of the bag. But the color was awesome and really worked for this bag.

The inside has pockets for all of the essentials including bottles, diapers and a wipes case. The large size of this bag ensures that it never looks stuffed, it always looks clean and sleek.

For additional detail, I used seat belt webbing for the strap, and then added the highlight stitching in red. I also added two outer pockets, but they are mostly for decoration, as using them distorts the shape... and image is everything. Just ask Katie and Suri. (who do not have one of these bags.)

Color Pallete

So here are the final color choices. I am still looking at some cool interior fabrics, especially since I've talked Stephanie into a possible fur lined board compartment.

This is going to look sweet. I am going to get the fabric ordered this work and get working on this early next week. Although I joke about it, I will start posting pattern pieces here soon.

Brig on Board... Habitat for Humanity

So, in other Marriott School news. The Marriott on Board program is another program that I am excited to be a part of. I was asked to be a Board Fellow for Habitat for Humanity. You can read the article on the Marriott School web site here:

http://marriottschool.byu.edu/news/release.cfm?article=429

Or the article here:

Students Jump On Boards

January 16, 2009

MARRIOTT SCHOOL STUDENTS SERVE WITH LOCAL NONPROFITS

PROVO, Utah – Jan 16, 2009 – A new program at Brigham Young University is giving graduate students the chance to become board members of nonprofits in Utah Valley.

"Marriott On-Board was started by the BYU chapter of Net Impact as a way to give Marriott School graduate students a chance to give back to the community by using their business skills, education and expertise in a nonprofit setting," says Jeff Stevens, a second-year MBA student from Centerville, Utah, and BYU Net Impact vice president of marketing. "Student participants, called board fellows, can gain experience while applying the concepts they are learning in the classroom."

Marriott On-Board offers a rare opportunity for students to get involved in an organization's board of directors and gives students involvement in the strategic planning process of nonprofits. While the students are non-voting members of the boards, they will sit in on board meetings, participate in discussions and assist with projects.

"The Marriott On-Board program is a dream come true for me," says Craig Anderson, a first-year MBA student from Austin, Texas, who was selected to work with United Way of Utah County. "My personal and career plans have always included participation on boards of community organizations; I just assumed it would have to come after a successful professional career."

To participate, students are required to submit applications and interview with Net Impact student leaders.

"One thing we look at is their passion and intrinsic motivation," says A-Young Kim, a second-year MBA student from Seoul, Korea, and Marriott On-Board program director. "They must be committed to furthering this kind of initiative and likely to continue to further these types of initiatives throughout their lives."

This year nine nonprofits have arranged to participate in the program, including: United Way, Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Project Read, Community Action Services, Centro Hispano, Reagan Academy, Family Support Center and Merit Academy.

Jonathan Kau, a member of the board of directors at United Way of Utah County and the BYU associate dean of students, is a board mentor for the program and says he has enjoyed seeing the students get involved in their community.

"I have been both pleased and impressed with the students' enthusiasm to learn and their interest in community affairs." Kau says. "Their contributions will prepare them for future service opportunities and further develop their sense of social responsibility."

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.

Contact: Joseph Ogden (801) 422-8938
Writer: Cindy Badger

Toot My Own Horn... U. of Maryland M&A Competition

So here is the press release on the Marriott School of Management website about my 3rd place win at the Univeristy of Maryland M&A Competition...

http://marriottschool.byu.edu/news/release.cfm?article=430

And here is the article...

BYU Team Places at Mergers and Acquisitions Challenge

January 26, 2009

PROVO, Utah – Jan 26, 2009 – Mergers and acquisitions can be lucrative, as a team of MBA students from Brigham Young University learned when they won third place and $1,000 at the Second Annual Smith Mergers and Acquisitions Competition in Maryland.

The case competition, hosted by the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, gives teams one day to create a persuasive argument in favor of a merger and acquisition proposal — this year for Dell.

"There was something incredibly valuable in working under a compressed time frame and diving into the case that helped me understand how financial information is used to make business decisions," says Allison Clements, a first-year MBA student from Salt Lake City. "Having that perspective has helped me in my MBA classes as I study how management teams approach decisions."

The BYU team put together a proposal for Dell to acquire Computer Science Corporation and prepared a presentation to support their reasoning. This type of experience helps set students apart, especially as they prepare to enter a workforce filled with economic uncertainty.

"While economic events sweeping through Wall Street have altered the landscape for mergers and acquisitions, they have not changed the need for skilled graduates," says G. "Anand" Anandalingam, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business. "This competition gives business students the opportunity to hone valuable and needed experience under tight deadline pressure that mirrors the conditions of the real world."

BYU's team included second-year MBA students Bryson Lord from Salt Lake City and Brigham Cochran from Houston; and first-year MBA students Spiro Savov from Bulgaria and Clements.

"Our team had complementary skill sets," says Grant McQueen, professor of finance and the team's faculty adviser. "Bryce and Brigham have excellent finance and quantitative skills, Spiro has a strong strategy and consulting background, and Allison has good marketing skills. The team also had good chemistry, which comes from shared values."

Stephen Gaines, managing director of KPMG Corporate Finance and a final-round judge, says it's that type of collaboration and unity that sets the winning teams apart.

"The teams that came out on top were those that came together, had complementary skills and could show passion about what they believed, even if the judges were questioning it," Gaines says.

The University of Chicago placed first and won $5,000, and Purdue University was awarded $2,500 for placing second.

The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally recognized programs in accounting, business management, public management, information systems and entrepreneurship. The school's mission is to prepare men and women of faith, character and professional ability for positions of leadership throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.

Contact: Joseph Ogden (801) 422-8938
Writer: Cindy Badger

Snowbaord Bag... Part 3... The Pattern

Riiiiiiiiiiight.

Anybody looking here for a pattern obviously doesn't know me very well. The fabric is my pattern.

Snowboard Bag... Part 2... The Design

So I decided to go with a smooth clean design for this bag. Stephanie is still deciding on the colors, but I think she is going to do the celery on charcoal, but we would like to hear your preferences in this weeks poll question. I am a huge fan of those colors. I can get both in a PVC backed 1000d Cordura Nylon.

I had hoped to use a lighter PVC backed 340d Polyester, but my color choices are more limited there. I am going to still use a framesheet, but I need to decide if I want to do both the top and bottom with a framesheet, or just the bottom and sides and let the top float. I will probably just do a framesheet all the way around, just to make sure that the shape is nice and clean.

My other big choice here is whether to use tarp in the snowboard compartment (I am going to do this is in the boot box because it worked really nice in the bag I just finished.) or if I am going to try to find some really nice mildew resistant synthetic fur. I think the fur would be really nice, and it would defray any side damage like the tarp, but add a luxurious touch. It might take some research to find the fur, but it would probably be worth it. As long as it holds up to some water which always ends up in the bag as the excess snow from the board melts, I think it is a go. Let me know what you think.

Some other details that I am going to add include a hideaway removable backpack strap attachment for an Arc'teryx pack harness, a fully reinforced side handle for easy transport when not in backpack mode, as well as a shoulder strap set up. I think that the boot box section of the bag is going to be zipper enclosed to keep it separate from the rest of the bag, but have drain hole grommets to keep air flowing and let water escape (which reminds me, I need to add the grommets to my gear bag).

Anyway, if you have any questions about this project, just leave a comment in the comment section or email me for more details. Just remember, I am not making bags because they are cheaper, they most certainly are not. If you want to make bags like this you will invest a lot in time and materials, but you get exactly what you want. My gear bag cost about $75 in materials, and aobut 20 hours in total design and production time. I could have bought the Dakine bag for $44. Stephanie was a fan of the purchase option, I get cranky when I am in production mode (mostly because I hate putting these things together, I need an intern that works for free).

Also, if any of my mom's out there have a serger that they want to donate to the cause, feel free to FedEx it to me, I also accept hand delivered sergers, or snail mail US postal service shipments. I prefer Bernina, but would be willing to accept Juki or Consew. I also accept cash. I also accept embroidery machines. Thanks.

Snowboard Bag... Part 1... The Idea

So, the results are in. In my "Design Your Own Outdoor Gear Series" The Masses (creative license says 7 votes = Masses) have voted and YOU, The 4 readers of this blog (3 of which likely voted twice) decided that my next project is going to be a new snowboard bag.

So here is how this is going to work. I am going to post my thoughts and initial designs here, and you, the readers are going to critique them and make suggest changes that I will promptly disregard because let's face it, if you were a good designer coming up with semi-innovative designs, I would be reading your blog. However, I will give your suggestions due consideration.

I have decided however to combine 2 of the choices and do a snowboard bag for Stephanie. Since I already have the fabric, I think that I am going to do an all in 1 bag.

Now there are a couple of different basic designs here. The first is a center opening, single zipper bag that you can dump your board in, and then just pile the rest of your crap on top of the board with no separation. That is too easy, and I already have 2 of those (albeit they are single layer shells that are getting cut up by the board edges). So I am thinking double side zipper, when lying flat, bottom opens to snowboard compartment, and top opens to 3 compartments, Jacket/, Pants, Boots, and Gloves-Hat-Goggles.

I will post prelim-drawings later.