A Christmas Story

Other than it being the title of the best Christmas movie ever I thought I'd drop a little Christmas story today as I reminisce on my favorite Christmas's growing up. I was telling my wife a story last night and realized I couldn't remember exactly what year it related to. Exactly what age I was when I had my Christmas experience isn't all-important but it's sad to realize I can't remember the specific years of each Christmas.

It first started last night talking to Rachel about the year I wanted a Nintendo game system. I had a Commodore 64 computer that had lots of games on it and my dad kept threatening that if Santa brought me a Nintendo I'd have to give up my computer. He also emphasized that I would only have the Nintendo with the 1 free game (Mario Bros. & Duck Hunt) or I could keep my computer and it's many games. From the perspective of an adult now I realize he was just trying to stave off the inevitable purchase of a Nintendo and the expense of the games that come with it. Shrewd move of him trying to threaten my computer games, which I loved dearly as well. I held strong in the end and kept requesting the Nintendo, hopeful that I would someday be able to secure another game or two. I honestly did have doubt waking up that morning as to whether or not a Nintendo would be waiting for me, but there it was sitting on the couch as I came out to the tree. I had already played Mario Bros. at friend's houses so many times that I pretty much immediately wanted another game. :)

Now here's where it gets fuzzy for me. I'll have to go back and check my scrapbooks because I can't remember if some of these gifts fell on the same Christmas or each were individual years, but if I rank the top Christmas's in the annals of my history, the top gifts include the Nintendo, the Sega Genesis (obviously a progression on the Nintendo, I even remember I must've been 12 on that one since it was the last Christmas in the Sandy house), the electronic racetrack, and the grand-daddy of them all, the basketball hoop. I believe I got the Nintendo or the racetrack the same Christmas as the basketball hoop, and here's why:

I had been asking for a basketball hoop for a long time but felt resigned to the fact that it was not meant to be. How could Santa even fit a huge backboard down the chimney? (Which we had at the Sandy house). I came out and opened my presents and was pretty satisfied with the haul. I had expected if a hoop had indeed been delivered from Santa's sleight it would be in a giant box with the backboard and rim. Since no box was present, it was obviously for naught. Oh well, maybe next year. As we were cleaning up the boxes and wrapping paper my dad asked me to head outside and shovel the driveway. Usually I would probably be prone to complain about such an assignment, but since I had just received a boatload of presents from Santa for being good i figured I better respond in kind. I peaked out the window to see how much snow had fallen the night before. . . sitting in the driveway, all setup in the concrete ready to play with a bow on the rim, was my brand new basketball hoop. Now that was Christmas magic!

Anybody that lived on Borg drive during those few years will remember the games on that hoop. Pretty much daily in the summertime we would play at least for a while. I don't think I have ever used a Christmas present more before or since. Cannon and Brooklyn are still too young for this year to be in the running for "Best Christmas Ever" but it's just a couple years away before Cannon enters that window where Santa will have to step up and provide a gift that will become his all-time favorite. I hope he likes basketball :)

Steve Jobs

So I'm here in Arkansas on a business trip, riding in a car after work, checking my iPhone to see what Twitter has to offer. CNN tweets that Steve Jobs has passed away. "No way that's real" I think, even if it did come from CNN's twitter feed. Then I see it is indeed legit as every news source feed I follow confirms it. Truly a passing of an icon.

Back in my Comcast days I applied for a promotion of Call Center Supervisor. My boss at the time Steve Finch encouraged me to apply. When we discussed interview strategy he told me I had to find someone who was a good example of leadership. Finch's person was Walt Disney. He was always raving about Disney, Disneyland, the service, the magic, the whole experience. He told me that once in an interview he heard a guy use Hitler as a great example of a leader because he got so many people to follow him (Kind of makes sense, but i definitely wasn't going that route).

I chose Steve Jobs. I knew he was the leader of Apple and he was responsible for the ipod, one of the coolest inventions ever. I tried to do some research on him before my interview but looking back I know I butchered him in my interview. I kept referring to him but didn't really have any substance to back it up. Even today I don't have a ton of substance other than when you say his name you know his leadership is what has made Apple what it is. iEverything.

I didn't get the job that time around but I still remember thinking of Steve Jobs as my top example of leadership, something I would still think of today. Apple is a company that has taken risks, been creative, and hasn't been afraid to be the lead dog in many technological areas. I'm pretty much the antithesis of all those things since I'm so risk averse but I can appreciate how hard it is to stick your neck out there and hope it flies. In so many cases the products Jobs was responsible for bringing to market flew well and were copied the world over.

I may have written something similar to this before but all the time I think about how if I could go back to 1992 just before my dad died and visit him, I'd want to show him all the technological advances of today. When I have that vision in my head of what I would show him to represent all the advances from 1992 to now, I basically have in my hand an iPhone and an iPad and that pretty much covers everything I would want to show (the internet, the incredible advances in cell phones, computers, HD cameras, mp3's, touch screens, video phone/face time, apps, the works). So basically all the advances in the past 20 years that I would want to take back in time with me can be directly linked to products of Steve Jobs' mind. I felt like that was worth writing about. RIP

Jerry Sloan

It is 19 years ago this month that my dad passed away (on the 6th). He definitely wasn't as in to sports as I am now, but he would occasionally watch a Jazz game with me when I was young. The game I remember most was the Jazz vs. Bulls triple-overtime game. By the end of the third overtime Pippen had fouled out and Jordan got ejected. It was a thriller.

The game was on February 3rd, 1992. My dad died 3 days later. I always have this memory in my mind of him coming home from work and coming in the door at 6:30. I would be on the couch usually watching "Cheers" reruns when he walked in. My memory is that I would always half-heartedly glance over with a "hey dad" and turn back to my show. Why put any importance on his arrival? He comes home every day. . .

Last night I had setup a recording of the Jazz-Bulls game (ironic it's the Bulls again) because I wanted to see how Carlos Boozer played in his return to Salt Lake City. I saw the first quarter or so and thought, "I don't need to record the rest I probably won't come back and watch it anyway. Just another game." And I left to go play basketball with my friends like I always do on Wednesday nights.

It's funny to think back how you would react differently if you knew something big was going to happen. If I had known it was going to be Jerry Sloan's last game, I would have bailed on ball with my friends and watched every last second. I'm sure most of Utah feels the same. Maybe it's better to have just a quick, cut-it-off ending instead of some type of retirement tour.

I can't pinpoint the time when I became so emotionally invested in the Jazz, but I know it's been a long time. Watching a game, I still feel like I'm 11 years old watching it on Channel 13 KSTU, before even the days of KJZZ or FSN. I loved hearing Hot Rod call the games and of course watching Stockton and Malone. Through it all, Jerry Sloan has been the coach. I was seven years old when he started coaching. I remember at the end of '88 when Reagan's term was ending and my dad commented to me how he was the only President I had ever known. Well, here I am much later in life and Jerry Sloan is the only coach I've ever known, at least as far as my basketball memory takes me.

The first game I ever went to was against the 76ers at the Salt Palace. I don't remember the year but it had to be after Sloan was already the coach. I do remember seeing Barkley and his bald head. The Jazz won, and for some reason I remember the 76ers coach got ejected in the second half. That was just another game in the books then, but I still remember it today.

I've actually had the Jazz season of my life so far as far as attending games is concerned. I've been to seven games already this year with an 8th scheduled (so far), including both the Rockets and Thunder games last week (both losses, unfortunately). But somehow I got to see 2 of Sloan's final 3 games at home. Interesting that they were all losses, but that's just been the trend this season; losing at home for whatever reason.

I wish it could have gone on forever; just one of those things that is a big part of your life, but not something that is consciously on your mind because it's so routine.

During a news clip today they showed highlights from the early '90s. We've had some great teams over the years. Some of the highlights were showing Stockton making some absolutely ridiculous passes to Malone. Just watching the 30-seconds of highlights was a reminder as to how great those players were. The 2007 series over the Rockets, Game 7 in Houston, was also an incredible run. I'll never forget Andrei Kirilenko's ill-advised 3 pointer to tie the game 88-all. My friends and I are all screaming, "No, no, no!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It's funny how things work out. I've discussed future coaching candidates with friends for the past two years at least, always with the assumption that Sloan's departure was so far off that anybody we discussed wouldn't even be an option by the time the real decision came down. My favorite candidate was always Tyrone Corbin. Knows the Jazz: played for us, coached with us, part of the family so to speak. I can't help but wonder if part of Sloan's move was to help ensure Corbin was named the new head coach. While the details of why he really left today so suddenly are cloudy, if part of it was to segway Corbin into the new job, it was just one last sly coaching move from Sloan.

Thanks for 23 years. I love the Jazz!

2010 Year in Review

2010 was truly an integral year in the life of Brandon Ball; looking back, I can’t believe I’m sitting where I am today and would have never believed at the start of the year that I would go through so much in one year. Here it is, the balltrain’s super-awesome 2010 year in review.

January- You know how every kid hates the first few days back at school, but then after a couple weeks you’re in the routine of school and you’re used to it so it’s not really that bad? I’ve decided that is the perfect analogy for busy season in public accounting. The first few nights of working til 8-9-10 ish are quite the grind, but after a week or so you get into the routine of it and suddenly you find yourself saying in your head, “It’s not so bad. I can deal with working late into the night every day for the foreseeable future.” I also indirectly experienced a key moment in January and I even posted on it earlier this year. I was working on the BMW audit and one of the accountants there had told me about how in late 2009 he had run a marathon in Greece. I thought that was one of the coolest things I had ever heard. A big accomplishment that he would remember forever and in Greece to boot. Pretty cool if you ask me and it turned out to be an inspiration for me just a short time later.

February/March- Really late January I get onto my main audit IHC. I had previously agreed with a coworker that we were going to lose weight starting January 1^st, but I had done nothing up to that point in any effort to lose any weight. We decide as a team that during the audit we are going to have a weight loss competition. Everybody joins in, records their personal goals, and we decide to eat healthy (read: Subway every day) as much as possible. At the time I weigh in at 260, my all-time high.

So one night I’m sitting at home (it must have been a Saturday or Sunday) and my sister Jackie is over visiting. I tell her about my supposed weight loss goal but how I’m not sure how to start. She picks up my laptop and immediately goes to the signup page for the Salt Lake City Half Marathon in April. For some reason I decide to sign up, and my fate of 2010 being the year of the run is sealed. I start running a few times a week, usually around midnight in the freezing February cold, just a few miles each time around my neighborhood. I also start spending Saturday mornings on “long” runs, which on the first Saturday meant a healthy 3 miles, which felt like forever at the time.

I hurt my foot a couple weeks before the big half marathon and wanted to just bail completely, but I’m convinced by Jackie and my sweet wife to just go for it anyway. I finish if I remember correctly at 2:48. Not a great time but I was at mile 11 when the full marathon winner passed me by so I thought that was pretty good for me.

May- So after the marathon I tell Jackie, “You know, if I kept running for a couple more years I might be ready to run a marathon in a couple years”. So since the St. George Marathon has a 3^rd year guaranteed entry in the lottery, I tell her to sign us up for it, assuming of course this is year one of getting rejected from the lottery. So when the email came titled “Good News from St. George Marathon” I knew I was in trouble! Problem was, Jackie did something wrong on the registration so somehow she was rejected while I got in alone! But I set off to start running and basically every Saturday the entire summer I was out running a “long” run in preparation.

June- We were positive that our daughter would come the same way as Cannon, so we scheduled an inducement a few days after the due date. Thursday June 17^th was the due date, but we went to bed as usual. Next thing I know I’m waking up just after midnight and Rachel is packing a bag. “What are you doing?” “I think my water just broke we need to go to the hospital.” I was totally shocked that she was coming on her own! We had to wake up Cannon and drop him off at my mom’s on the way to the hospital. He was NOT pleased and we could hear his screaming even outside. Lesson: try to not wake your kids up at 1 am and drop them off while they are still not fully awake and disoriented.

So we get to the hospital, and a few short hours later Brooklyn Ball is born! It actually worked out perfectly, just Rachel and I alone for a few hours waiting for our baby, and she’s born before the world wakes up and even knew what was happening. It was a fun experience and went way smoother than the inducement so we were happy all around.

So I took two weeks off after Brooklyn was born. It was supposed to be to relax with my children, but in reality it was to finish our basement. I painted our entire basement in those two weeks and I basically hated the basement by the time I was done. I still feel a little bitterness everytime I walk down there. Lesson- if you are finishing your basement, just pay somebody to paint when you’re that close to the end. We did do some fun things like head to Lagoon and the pool a few times.

On the last day of my time off I got a call that would change my life so to speak. My old friend Simon called me and offered me a job at Backcountry.com. He had worked with me at KPMG and needed somebody to fill a new position opening up. We discussed it a bit and I agreed to meet with him to discuss it more, but I really didn’t feel like I’d end up taking it as I had my mind set on making the big “Manager” level at KPMG. I had even fielded a few other offers previously but had always stayed loyal to KPMG and my original goal out of college. But I did feel good about this job after hearing more so I went down the path of applying and seeing what happened.

July- Once back to the grind, I had this offer in the back of my mind, but it was a slow-developing process and plus, if it didn’t work out, I wasn’t looking to leave KPMG so I wanted to keep doing a good job. Up to Washington I went just like the previous two years. I actually grew to love the Tri-Cities area and even could live there. Beautiful Columbia River, all the stuff you need, good people. The weeks up there were the same as always; eating out at the same restaurants on the same routine every week and working all day. I even snuck in a couple drives up there which I always enjoyed. It’s nice once in a while to pop in some books on tape and go on a long drive. Oregon was the most scenic by far, but I always loved finally seeing the lights of Tremonton on the way back, meaning I was coming back into my familiar territory.

August- I spend a week in Orlando in training and even run into a couple old friends down there that worked in other offices. On the last night there, I get the call with an official offer from Backcountry. I talk it over with Rachel, it feels right, and I accept the next day. What a whirlwind and one of the biggest paradigm shifts I’ve ever experienced. Where coming out of college I was locked in to public accounting for life, suddenly I’m off to work for an outdoor gear company in Park City of all places.

September- I turn 29. I have always loved the movie “City Slickers” and especially the scene where he tells the school kids about growing old “Your 20’s are a blur. You get to your 30’s and you think, ‘What happened to my 20’s?’” Well I’m just about finished with the blur.

October- Marathon day. Truly one of the highlight achievements of the year and my life. Reaching that goal opened my eyes that even things you think you couldn’t do you really can do if you just try and dedicate yourself. I’m hoping I can hone in that dedication on other goals I have for 2011.

November- BYU loses to Utah 17-16 in the final November Holy War for the foreseeable future. Jake Heaps played like a stud and I was pissed the coaches played to settle for a 40+ yard field goal. Weird year for BYU football. Lots of coaching blunders all over the place. Here’s hoping Bronco puts his head on straight and makes better decisions going into Independence.

December- My favorite thing this year was that we went to the Christmas Sing Along downtown at the Energy Solutions Arena. They had an orchestra play the music for everyone to sing along to and Jon Schmidt came out and performed a few songs as well. Really a fun event that I hope we keep going to from here on out.

“Santa” got Cannon a “motor” as he likes to call it. It’s a power-wheels Jeep! I know both Rachel and I ALWAYS had wanted one when we were young. It’s probably more of a summertime gift but he’s rode it a few times so far and loved it, and on the plus side Brooklyn loves going for rides with him too!

So here I am a year later with a new job, a big accomplishment under my belt, and a second kid. Lots of changes, but all good. Instead of toiling away working until past 10 pm every night these next few months, I’ll spend a couple hours in the evening with the kids and on good nights have both them and myself in bed by 10.