Hangin around

Finally found the best way to upload from my phone to my blog. Here are some recently updated photos from everyday life--family, friends, parties, etc.

An afternoon in Lima, Peru

My dad came along on a work trip to Lima, Peru, and we had an afternoon to bum around the city. It was a fun adventure, particularly trying to see the sights while knowing little of the language.

I blogged about the atmosphere in Lima over at HotelNewsNow.com.

what winter was like

There’s something about travel that puts life in a whole other perspective. For me, returning home from a trip almost always becomes a time of self-reflection—stirring thoughts on what’s most important: family, career and friends.

I’m writing this blog from over the Atlantic aboard a flight from Berlin. I spent five hectic days on the road and, although I had the incredible opportunity to see and experience a new part of the world (pics to come), it’s great to get back to the family. Saying goodbye to Melissa and Trevor and heading off to the airport has become too routine for all of us.

So--as we eagerly await a new season to bring sunshine and Cleveland thaws--here’s look back on how the Freed family spent the winter.

We put some work into the basement/family room in early December, carpeting most of the floor but installing wood laminate in what has become Trevor’s playroom. The plan—which seems more long term than I had initially inspired—is to eventually install a bar. Here’s a photo as well as some new artwork we just hung.

Melissa turned 30 in December and we celebrated by touring wine country in Geneva, dining at Horizons at the Lodge at Geneva State Park and staying overnight. It was a really nice day. Later, in early January, we got friends together for dinner at tre belle in Bath.

Christmas was most exciting for Trevor; his infatuation with Thomas the Tank Engine hasn’t wavered. We had immediate family over for dinner in the late morning and early afternoon—Melissa and I cooked mini spinach calzone appetizers and Italian wedding soup. Uncle Andrew helped install a new track set on Christmas Day and it hasn’t come down since. Andrew and Brandie brought Aiden, the newest addition to the family.

On a day off in January, Trevor and I tackled a sled-riding hill for the first time. He was frightened initially but ended up having a blast. Ironically, his favorite part of the day was swinging on the swingset in the snowy weather. Here's a movie from the day:

On the weekend of February 26, Melissa and I traveled to Houston for the Stefanick-Kirkham wedding. We had a blast--it was great to catch up with friends from both Columbiana and Mercyhurst that I hadn't seen in a while. Congrats to Carrie and Jason; their wedding was pretty amazing, the locations could have been out of a wedding magazine. They're both great people and we're lucky to know them. More pics to come from that soon as well.

It’s been a while since I’ve updated Digital Scratch, but I’m rededicated to making it a priority. Major renovation plans for the site are in the works, so stay tuned. Thanks for reading.

Steelers fan in enemy territory

Here it is Super Bowl Sunday and, in three hours, my die-hard favorite team will be battling for its seventh Lombardi Trophy--the most coveted trophy in all of sports. So why am I stuck thinking about Cleveland?

Melissa and I were both working two jobs in Youngstown and struggling to get by when we decided there would be more job opportunities in Cleveland ... and the job boards proved us right. It was a tough pill to swallow. For some odd reason, the local Cleveland channels don't carry Pirates games. I might be the only guy in the office wearing Black and Gold. And God forbid, my kid might grow up to be a Browns fan. I was distraught, and never fully bought into the concept that I would like living near Cleveland.

Not only did we jump closer to Lake Erie, we ended up buying a house in Cleveland city limits. And not only have we settled in, I've fallen in love with the city. I'm proud to live in Cleveland, excited to raise a family here and anxious to be a part of it's revitalization. In Cleveland, there are opportunities, there is plenty of entertainment and the people are blue collar--down to earth and unpretentious.

In fact, Pittsburgh and Cleveland are eerily similar cities. I won't hark on their foundations--how they both were built as shipping imports on great bodies of water, forged in the mills by hardworking laborers--but both cities are in the middle of a transformation from polluted and rusty to clean and unique. Neither will ever be Chicago, New York or L.A., but they'd hate to be. Rather, they'll embrace their size and build on their connectivity.

The animosity between the two cities' sport fans couldn't be greater, yet the cities' franchises couldn't be more similar. Each have their share of winners and losers. Although they never hoisted a championship trophy, the Indians were consistent winners through the 1990s and the Cavs dominated through the LeBron era; the Browns have been embarrassingly bad. In Pittsburgh, the Steelers have enjoyed a run of success lately and the Penguins have hoisted two Stanley Cups in recent years, but the Pirates have been absolutely dismal.

Here's a quote from David Morehouse, the Penguins' president: "If you go back to when all this started, when I was growing up (in Pittsburgh) as a kid in the '70s, the sports were the only good thing happening. You picked up the paper, and it was all bad news. Your neighbors were getting laid off. Steel mills were closing. You couldn't get a job. But these guys were winning championships, and they were doing it by working hard. They were validation that working hard would pay off."

Sound familiar, Cleveland?

Today, it's harder to be a Steelers fan in Cleveland than one might think. I cant wear a jersey to work without feeling somewhat uncomfortable at some point throughout the day. I cant fly my Steelers flag in front of my house without the fear of a drunken Browns fan throwing a rock through my living room window. But these things are to be expected and I respect Browns fans for their loyalty. Having a D-bag for a quarterback in Pittsburgh hasn't made it any easier, but Cleveland shouldn't forget they've rooted for a sleazy Jim Brown, a prima donna Manny Ramirez and the biggest D-bag ever in "The Chosen One." I've come to conclusion that most athletes are egotistical douches and we've just got to deal with it.

As far as championships are concerned, Pittsburgh has been blessed to celebrate a handful in recent years. It's been fun, and as we get closer to kickoff tonight, my stomach is in knots over the prospect of another one. But I would be lying if I said I wasn't rooting for Cleveland to get a trophy soon. Certainly there are bigger things in life than sports, but life would get a lot easier, and this region could all breathe a collective sigh of relief, if Cleveland could bring one home.

It will happen eventually. Once it does, I hope the hatred between the cities' sport fans dies down a bit. After all, it's just sports. Until that day, Here We Go Steelers.

some east coast love

Often times experiences in life can be fantastic reminders of how blessed we are.

I’m writing this blog entry aboard a bus traveling Interstate 195 West from Cape Cod, Mass., to Providence, R.I. It’s a long day of travel; I hit the road at 10:30 a.m. and have already been in a cab, aboard a boat, on a bus and will still fly from Providence through Baltimore to Cleveland before arriving home around 8 tonight. But I’m certainly not complaining.

It’s because of phenomenal friends and family, and a flexible employer, that I was able to witness some of the most beautiful destinations in the United States the past few days. Without Melissa’s support and trust, five days away from home clearly wouldn’t have been possible. Without great friends like Schwab, Emily, Erin and Dan (among others), the opportunity to crash on Nantucket Island for two nights wouldn’t have existed.

My trip started out business-related on Tuesday, when I landed in Boston and checked into the Fairmont Copley Plaza to moderate two discussions on the changing entertainment environment in the hotel guestroom. It was a successful business trip; I met a handful of important IT executives that I can call on as sources down the road, moderated two lively panels and wrote two stories for my new outlet, HotelNewsNow.com.

When I wrapped up with my responsibilities Thursday, I proceeded to conduct some thorough research on the possibility and affordability of extending the trip to join friends in Nantucket. Emily (Schwab’s daughter) lives on the island and Melissa and I were invited to her wedding on Friday night, but for financial reasons we regretfully declined. The fact that I was already in Boston and could change my flight for a minimal fee presented a new opportunity. After a bus from Boston to Hyannis and a ferry to Nantucket, I arrived at one of coolest places on the East Coast.



I usually reserve the word “beautiful” for my wife (or for PNC Park on a sunny Sunday afternoon). But there really isn’t a better adjective to describe the compilation of scenery and events over the past two days in Nantucket. The seafood was as fresh as you’d expect; the rental home was enormous and immaculate; downtown Nantucket was quaint and friendly; Emily’s wedding in the back yard of a giant home perched above the Atlantic Ocean was incredibly scenic and elegant.

Traveling, making new acquaintances and experiencing lifestyles from different pockets of the country can be very educational and fulfilling. More importantly, it can remind us to truly value what we have at home.

a summer Saturday in Pittsburgh with a camera

This blog has been on the back burner for a long while now. Took the fam to Pittsburgh on a Saturday in early August and had a kick-ass time. Some great photos came from the day and I'm just now getting around to uploading them.

I had some media passes from Visit Pittsburgh (thanks, Kristin) so we hit up a lot of fun spots. Some touristy, some not-so-much. First, we took Trevor on his first ride up the Duquesne Incline and he loved it. It was "a train car that went up hills," he said. Got some good shots of the city from atop Mount Washington.

Next we checked out the Children's Museum, which--besides the best Pirates game ever played at PNC Park--was the best part of the day. There was so much stuff for Trevor to do; to play with, not just look at. There was some real creative stuff in there and I recommend it to anyone, even Clevelanders looking for a day trip.

The Science Center was fun and there was a good amount of activities there as well. Certainly the highlight of the Science Center for children is the model train exhibit that fills an enormous room. Great reaction from Trevor when he saw Thomas on the tracks.

Finally we headed to PNC Park, where the Pirates were entertaining the Rockies on fireworks night. The Bucs provided some fireworks of their own: They took a lead late into the game, gave it up in ninth, and allowed 2 runs in the top of the 10th before rookie Pedro Alvarez sent a 3-run walk-off shot into the right field bleachers in the bottom of the 10th for a Pirates win.

Here's a slideshow from the day:

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.

back on the patio with the trains

Here's a second installment of Trevor and his train collection on the patio. You'll notice a few misspellings in the video. For some reason Windows Movie Maker doesn't work well with certain fonts and has lopped off the last letter of a few of the trains' names.



This is one of the best tracks we've built. The video features most of the trains in Trevor's collection. We're able to leave the track out and just bring the trains in at night. It runs along the sidewalk and we've got some great comments from the neighbors and others walking by.

Of all the things Trevor could be infatuated with, we're glad he picked something pretty cool.

ben on the slide strings

Awesome Ben Harper guitar solo I came across. If this doesn't give you chills, you don't have a soul.



This is Paris Sunrise #7 > something else > Paris Sunrise #7. Anyone recognize the interlude?

blow off some steam along Ohio and Erie Canal

Man, it was a rough week at work last week.

I needed to do something sporadic; something to get my mind off my place of work. Noting the recurring trend of layoffs and overhauls in the office, it needed to be something cheap. We kicked around the idea of driving up to Kelleys Island and camping overnight, hitting up a winery, the beach and a mini-golf course. Melissa wasn't really up for it.

Instead, I strapped on a backpack, hopped on my mountain bike and headed for the towpath along the Ohio and Erie Canalway that runs through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. I rode about 15 miles to the town of Boston Mills and reserved a campsite behind the Stanford Hostel, just a short trek from the towpath.

Funny aside: I own only a six-person, family-size tent, and it wasn't fitting in my backpack. I thought about hitting up WalMart for a cheap two-person setup, but instead I decided to suck up my pride and put up Trevor's fish/monster play tent. Don't regret it one bit. It was a bit cramped, but it kept me dry and out of the elements.


From around 6 p.m. to around midnight I sat on a picnic table, drank gin from a flask and read an entire book cover to cover (Peep Show by Joshua Braff. I give it 4 1/2 stars; thanks, Carlo). Didn't think about work once. Trip=success.

Sunday morning I packed up and rode over to the Boston Mills train depot along the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and was able to hop aboard the northbound train for $2. (The train operators offer bikers a one-way ticket for $2 as part of the Bike Aboard! program.)

Was home in time to make lunch for Melissa and Trevor, let them know how much I missed them and refrain from taking my work stress out on the family.

Word is in a few years the towpath will be extended north all the way to the Flats. Then I could potentially bike to work. I won't. But the fact that I could get downtown in less than an hour without using a drop of gas is pretty cool.

Point is: If you're looking for a cheap getaway, don't forget Cleveland has a treasured landmark in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park right in our own backyard. Whether you hike, bike, fish, hunt, jog, antique, bird watch, enjoy trains or just need to blow off some steam, you can't beat the price of an afternoon along the towpath.

Trevor turns three

Rounding out one of the busiest weeks ever, Trevor's third birthday party was a success yesterday. We rented the Elton Beard Cabin behind Kids' Town in Boardman Park and had, at one point, about 50 people. Thankfully, the cabin was air conditioned because it was a scorcher outside.

Beyond the obvious Thomas the Tank Engine theme, I stole from Happy Dog on Detroit Ave. the idea for a hot dog bar. I chopped up 26 toppings, including the standard stadium mustard, relish and caramelized onion and included some randoms for the kids, like peanut butter, sprinkles and fruit loops.

Trevor got an insane amount of gifts and hasn't stopped playing with toys since yesterday. Thanks to everyone who came, and a big thanks to everyone who helped out. We're lucky to have such a close family and group of friends.

Here are a few pics from the event:




A bunch more pics can be viewed here: http://tqfreed.shutterfly.com/362

Of course I was able to get a little creative with the hot dog bar. Here are some graphics I put together to illustrate the theme:


Again, more pics from the party can be seen here: http://tqfreed.shutterfly.com/362

LeBron deserves the backlash

LeBron James is lucky the only things burning after “The Decision” were a few jerseys.

Cavaliers fans and Cleveland residents deserve to be fuming over the terms in which James left this city high and dry.

Yes, LeBron put Cleveland back on the map. He played his heart out, left it all on the court, for seven long years. But isn’t that what he was paid to do? His “blood, sweat and tears” were rewarded rather handsomely with devotion, dollars, billboards, parties, sold-out seasons and any perk imaginable. He was handed the keys to this city immediately after being drafted by the Cavaliers in 2003. His high school friends were given roles within the team and the front office surrounded him with everything he wanted, including high-dollar players who placed ownership in the luxury-tax bracket.

Speaking of, let’s remember that LeBron James never chose to resurrect Cleveland; the Cavaliers chose him. He was signed by the Cavs in 2003 and was a restricted free agent in 2007. He couldn’t leave Cleveland in 2007, but what he could do is sign a deal for the minimum amount of years (three), which he did, knowing he’d want to explore his options as soon as possible.

Moreover, are we really sure James “went hard for seven years,” as Dwight Howard defended on Twitter? He certainly went soft in numerous playoff games, most notably Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Boston Celtics, after which the entire country was questioning his motivation. After all the talk about winning, after every move the Cavaliers organization made to put the winning pieces in place, he shot a free throw left-handed with a playoff game on the line.

But the bitterness and anger boiling over in the city of Cleveland today isn’t so much about what LeBron James did on the court. It’s about a homegrown player who has become more concerned with his celebrity status than his fans and the game of basketball. It’s about this game of charades James played over the past two months leading up to The Decision.

James didn’t need to parade celebrities downtown Cleveland for weeks while adoring fans held signs begging him to stay. He knew he was ultimately going to break their hearts. He could have easily announced his decision to play in Miami on his new Twitter account when all the other free agents were making verbal commitments. Instead he chose to make his announcement the most narcissistic way possible, keeping every team and every fan hostage in a made-for-ratings reality TV show, building drama until he became the last noteworthy free agent to commit.

He intentionally took casual fans—everyday Cleveland residents who otherwise could care less where another uneducated-yet-overpaid athlete calls home—and got them deeply involved, only to break their hearts on national TV.

All the lights were shining on James Thursday night during his one-hour special on national TV. After his decision to join friends over family, the spotlight on Cleveland faded a little bit. For that, we deserve to be bitter. If it takes a few burning jerseys to restore that light, then so be it.

Bulls bring All-Star lineup

The Chicago Bulls entourage just arrived at Hopkins Airport; I just saw the fleet exit 480 and head North on 77 toward downtown Cleveland and a meeting with LeBron James.

A number of dark-windowed cars made up the cavalry, and rumors are the Bulls brought three celebrities with them for today's pitch to LeBron. The presentation will go as follows:

• Breakout session 1: "How to break 1 million hearts," moderated by Justin Beiber

• Breakout session 2: "How to get your valuables out of your house before it burns down," moderated by Andre Rison
  

• Breakout session 3: "How to escape Cleveland in the middle of the night," moderated by Art Modell

Trevor's Day Out with Thomas

A collage of photos, video and audio clips from Trevor's Day Out with Thomas on May 29. Pretty entertaining stuff.

The Quarry

Trevor and I stopped by The Quarry (aka the CSX loading dock near Steelyard Commons) today to take an up-close look at the freight cars.

I took some random shots with my cell phone. This is the best of the bunch.


Here are a few more.

More from the satellite office

My job has its perks--I'm not gonna lie. Here's a shot I took on the final day of the Choice Hotels conference last week. To prove that I actually do work, here's my coverage from the event.

easter pictures

Trevor Freed #1

Full name: Trevor Quentin Freed
Birth Date: July 28, 2007
Birth Place: Cleveland, OH
Age: 2
Weight: 34 lbs.
Height: 3-1
Bats: Not sure
Throws: Not sure
Experience: Rookie

2010 Easter stats
Eggs collected: 23
Money collected: $1.17
Candy consumed: 1.82 lbs.
Avg. search time: 97 seconds

2011 Fantasy Egg Hunt projected draft ranking: 3rd overall

Click here for more pics of Trevor gathering eggs and what not.

eternal sunshine of the baseball mind

There's something genuinely beautiful about baseball.

Of course there are the obvious reasons: its history, its summer seasonality, its mental strategy, pennants, hot dogs, autographs, the stitched seams on your fingertips, the the smell of broken tanned leather and fresh cut grass.

And baseball fanaticism transcends all other sports. For 200 grueling days of the year, loyal baseball fans patiently await pitches, discuss strategies, pour over box scores, monitor minor leagues and live and die by percentage points.

For 17 long years the Pittsburgh Pirates have tormented fans. Optimism abounds in April, May is borderline fun, reality sets in around June and by July we're watching the family we grew to love say goodbye. August brews hatred and September embarrassment.

But the true beauty of baseball is that, by next April, every loyal fan of every team has washed away any feelings of pessimism and is again primed with potential.

There are few reasons to be excited about the 2010 Pirates. The team is too young to compete. After repeated management do-overs, the organization is still stuck in the early stages of rebuilding. "Inconsistent" only scratches the surface in describing the starting rotation. Fans know--as many times we are promised otherwise--come July any talent on the field will be dismantled and sent packing.

Still my excitement can't be denied. Certainly the goals have been lowered; playoffs are far out of the picture, a .500 season seems nearly unattainable. But the talented youth in Pittsburgh lends itself to a promising future. As I look down the batting order, I see young potential at nearly every spot. A string of singles can turn into a few extra base hits into a few wins into a little streak and all of a sudden the city of Pittsburgh is all abuzz.

Minor league movement in 2010 will make a major splash in Pittsburgh. By the end of the year we expect to see three incredibly talented prospects join the big league ranks, and how fast they hit the ground running could have a catalytic effect on the success of the team.

Pedro Alvarez, 3B, whom MLB.com ranked as baseball's eighth-best prospect heading into the season, is the premier piece in the prospect puzzle. Alvarez was drafted as the No. 2 pick overall in 2008. He agreed to a $6-million minor league contract minutes before the deadline. In June 2009, he was assigned to AA, where he performed extremely well, leading the Pirates organization in home runs and RBIs with 27 and 95 respectively. He batted .288 with an .917 OPS.

Jose Tabata, OF, was acquired in 2008 in a multi-player deal with the Yankees for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. Prior, he had led the Yankees farm system in batting average for three consecutive years, highlighted by a .314 average in 2005 while playing for the Gulf Coast Yankees. Sport Analysts compare him to the next Manny Ramirez at the plate.

Brad Lincoln, RHP, could be brought up sooner rather than later if the Pirates' rotation shows the holes expected. Scouts regarded Lincoln as one of the best players eligible for the 2006 draft and the Pirates chose him with the fourth overall selection. He almost immediately encountered injury problems; an oblique strain limited him to 24 innings in 2006 and he had Tommy John surgery on his right arm in April 2007. He ended last season in AAA, going 6-2 with a 4.70 ERA, walking 10 and striking out 42.

state of the lodging industry

Here's a presentation I put together for an industry event called HOTEC Operations, which is partially owned by my parent company, Questex Media. The event was held at the Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas. They asked me to present a "State of the Industry."

It was 20 minutes in length and about 100 hoteliers and vendors were in attendance.

Stubs: A Digital Scrapbook

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I'm really excited about this project. For a number of reasons.

Last week Melissa surprised me with a scrapbook to house all the concert stubs I've saved throughout the years. It was a thoughtful gift; live music has always been one of my great passions and the old stubs represent, to me, treasured memories shared with great friends.

The hard copy book sparked an idea: how can i get this music memory book online to share with the same friends who attended these shows with me? I wasted little time scanning, cropping, designing and researching.

Building the book was a blast. I had forgotten plenty of details from many of the shows (shocking) and in several cases I had to find the show on the Web to see who the opening act was. Not only did I realize how many good bands I've seen live, but memories from the shows proved to be a narration of my life journeys over the past 15 years.

An equally important discovery during this project was the free digital publishing platform Issuu. I hadn't used the site/application before, and I truly think it could play a part in revolutionizing the magazine and newspaper industries. Nearly every published media has a digital edition, but Issuu provides the least complicated, least cluttered, most seamless application I've seen. Best part--it's free. All you do is take PDF versions of the pages you've built, combine them into one document and hit "upload." The rest of the work is done for you.

From there, you can embed the book into any website just like you would upload a YouTube video. Viewers can flip through the pages without downloading any files or viewers; and one click enlarges the book to full screen. Once you publish more than one title, you can embed an electronic bookshelf onto your site that houses a number of books. Readers can browse the titles and pick the books they want to read from your shelf. No more downloading PDFs or PowerPoint presentations--no more paying for services like NxtBook--all the information can be presented on clean, intuitive, free digital pages.

Take a moment to browse my first digital book, "Stubs," at full screen and let me know if you are as stoked about the new medium for digital presentation as I am ... or if you and I were at any of the same shows!

Ben Harper essential mix

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Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals had been my favorite band for about 10 years; I've seen them live nine times. The first time I saw them in 2001 changed my life. I happened to catch the debut of Relentless 7 (Ben's new band) in Youngstown during the Get Out and Vote tour. Relentless 7's debut album didn't wow me at first, but it grew on me.

Now I'm trying to introduce Ben's music to a friend who doesn't know much about either band. I've put together what I call Ben's "essential mix," or a greatest hits, if you will. I leaned more toward the rock and less toward the folk because that's the mood I'm in. Also I stuck with studio recordings and stayed away from live tracks. I combined work from the Innocent Criminals and Relentless 7; it took nearly a week to whittle the length down to one CD.

For the Ben fans, what do you think? What tracks did I leave out that you would've included? What album is under-represented? How would you have ordered the tracks? I look forward to your feedback below.

1. The Three of Us
2. Oppression
3. Ground on Down
4. Faded
5. Keep it Together
6. Forgiven
7. Shimmer and Shine
8. Black Rain
9. Number with No Name
10. Please Bleed
11. Brown-Eyed Blues
12. With My Own Two Hands
13. Better Way
14. When it's Good
15. Show Me a Little Shame
16. Lay There and Hate Me
17. The Woman in You
18. Paris Sunrise #7
19. Lifeline