I've heard that Colorado gets around 300 days of sun every year.

And that's nice.

Today it's supposedly 60° out there, but the breeze was cool while we ate at the picnic tables. Still, that's a lot warmer than it's been recently. And it was nice to eat outside again. The solar energy felt great on my pasty white flesh. Vitamin D is a very nice thing.

While we ate, refueling after a morning's work, something else was soaking up the rays:

Sonlight's Solar Power Array

It's been going since noon, so the data is a little sparse right now. I'll definitely give you a better link when we've had a chance to get all the monitoring stuff working properly.

I'm not a huge fan of the political side of "Going Green," but I am a major proponent of caring for what we've been entrusted with. That's why I'm so pleased with how much Sonlight recycles, and this latest solar initiative is another great opportunity to be a good steward of what we have been given.

Sonlight: now partially powered by sunlight.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

I once wore t-shirts all the time. But now my wife has me wearing polos. And, I'll admit: I look better in a polo.

But given the right opportunity--like a a Saturday, or every evening when I get home, or the perfect outing to sport a Myst t-shirt--and I'm wearing one again.

Old habits die hard.

Are you looking for a great reason to wear a t-shirt again?

I thought so! That's why I'm giving you the perfect opportunity to wear a t-shirt: Sonlight's 2010 T-Shirt Design Contest. After we get some entries, pick a winner, get the shirts made, you purchase one, it arrives at your house... well... then, then will be the perfect time to wear a t-shirt again. You could wear this t-shirt with pride to:

• a homeschool convention
• your school reunion
• a rock concert
• the Sonlight picnic
• your book club meetings
• to bed
• while cleaning the bathroom
• the possibilities are only limited to the number of outfits you will wear in your life...

T-shirts are very versatile.

But here's the deal: We need some submissions.

Do you need to be an awesome artist?

No.

Here's proof:

Luke's Submission to the 2010 Sonlight T-Shirt Design Contest

And that sweet-awesome logo that I used? Yep--you can download it on the t-shirt design contest page. Don't have an incredible graphic design program? No problem! We point you to a couple really cool--and free--options on the contest page. We give you templates and encouragement, links and specifications, not to mention information about what we're planning on doing whenever someone buys a shirt. So, come on: Check it out!

Update: Winners

The R. Family
Barb, Joe, Joe Jr, Matt
Sherrie, Sarah, Amanda

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

P.S. I almost put "t-shirt contest" in the title, but added the word design to hopefully stave off google searches that would prove to be less than fruitful for those looking for something more... er... umm... non-Sonlight related.

I just got my tablet hooked up, so I felt I needed to draw/sketch/write something.

But what?

How about a little blog recognition of my readers?

Thanks for Reading Sonlight's Blog

As I looked at my scribbled message, I realized something: When my penmanship is legible, I like it. The slanted scrawl has personality. That, or it's just mere exposure effect.

But my handwriting hasn't always been very legible. In fact, it got so bad in high school and college that I had to resort to drastic measures.

I started taking notes in my own cipher.^*

A Luke Cipher Sample

Writing this way slowed me down enough that I had to be more precise than my perpetually slurred cursive. Slowing down allowed me to produce very legible results... if only I could remember the cipher and figure out what I was trying to spell later on. Misspelled words didn't look wrong in cipher, so mistakes were harder to catch.

This adaptation was unique to me among my classmates. I'd like to think that my confidence in adopting a new method of note taking had something to do with my homeschool background. I didn't feel the need to conform to the way you were "supposed" to take notes. I found a method that worked for me and ran with it.

May your children do the same!

So... did you figure out my secret message?

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

^*This was before I started typing my notes on a 42lb extremely portable laptop with a one half of ten minute battery life.

Tractable: easily managed; amenable

Brought to you by Ken Chapman

Today was a big day for me:

1. I decided to really start using Twitter.

Sure, I've had the tool for a while now. Twitter's been "all the rage" in the social media world for quite some time. And since I'm the media relations guy here at Sonlight, well, I had to at least have an account. But I'm too busy blogging to be tweeting.

But today, here near the start of 2010, I've made a change. I've long been providing Other Posts of Note for my blog visitors to peruse. But my fellow bloggers weren't getting enough link love from me. So Twitter will now tweet my Other Posts of Note under the #OPoN tag.

Which is sweet.

If you're following me on Twitter you'll also get an update when my latest post goes live. Which is redundant for all of you subscribed to my blog via RSS or email. I realize this. So to make sure you felt like you were in the loop...

2. I updated my FeedBurner feed.

You don't need to resubscribe or anything... but you certainly may. I've updated my email welcome message so it's a little more personal. I've adjusted a few settings so it better reflects this blog. Nothing major. But to the 72 subscribed through FeedBurner... this is a shout-out for you.

3. I've started work on cleaning up the FAQ section of Sonlight.com.

This is proving to be much harder than I initially thought. But I'm working diligently to make that section of the site clearer and more helpful. Unfortunately, it's rather like running through peanut butter.

Chat with Bo

Bear with me...

Not too shabby a start for the new year. What other exciting things will happen in 2010?

Follow along--via Twitter, RSS, Facebook, email or otherwise--as we find out!

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

Download Sonlight samples here.

That's right: You can see sample pages from Sonlight's Instructor's Guides as well as many other products. Get a feel for how Sonlight handles schedules and notes. Discover the incredible amount of information included in every one of Sonlight's teacher's manuals (what we fondly call "IGs"). Simply download a free sample from one of Sonlight's many programs.

Just posting this in the off chance you were not aware that Sonlight has .pdf samples available for download.

And thanks everyone: I'm feeling better today. Hope to be 100% tomorrow.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father

Retching.

[NB: This post doesn't improve much from that first word. You have been warned.]

I look at the clock: 12:23am. It must be my wife. I go to investigate. Yep, Brittany is poised over the toilet heaving. This continues all night. I wake to take my shower at 6am and find her curled in the bathtub... the only place she's been able to sleep all night.

I stay home and catch up on my RSS feeds. I don't feel like I have the energy to respond to many posts. There were even some really interesting ones. But I just couldn't do it. You'll find a couple of them in my Other Posts of Note.

By lunch I'm not feeling so well. But Brittany needs some electrolyte juice, so I'm off to the store with the two girls in tow. I have to take a break every few minutes to sit. Right before heading out. In the parking lot. I'm really not feeling hot.

I do not remember the last time I threw up. In fact, I'm pretty sure I never have. But standing in line to purchase some important fluids, I started to really question my stomach's next move.

"Thank you, Mr. Holzmann," the cashier says as she hands me my receipt. I force a smile and head for the door, trying to limit my movement while moving to where I can sit down and let my stomach settle.

I have the girls by either hand. The plastic bag hangs from my wrist. My stomach tightens.

'Oh no.' I turn around to keep the girls behind me as a few pieces of orange and a gallon of water spew forth. The older girl is fascinated.

"You just made orange come out of your mouth."

"Yes," I reply, between heaves. "This is what Brittany was doing all last night. It's what happens when you're sick."

Three more contractions. I'm trying not to bring attention to myself, and the other shoppers seem to be doing their best to ignore me.

I straighten up. I feel markedly better. I get home and take a nap while the girls do the same.

I awake at 5:30. The evening stretches before us. We need to find the strength to feed the girls and get them to bed. Thankfully they don't appear to have the bug yet.

That was my first working day of the year. How was yours?

Ever thrown up in the middle of a parking lot?

I hadn't. Until today.

 ~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father