2006

Monday, 1 January, 2007, 11:54 - Philosophy, Random Thoughts

2006 was a year in which life actually sort of began to make sense. At least for a while I thought it had. But waking up this morning was like starting things over again. I can only hope that the new year brings new things and greater and better experiences.

There are three things that I will not miss from the previous year...

1. Commuting to Santa Cruz (I really can't see how I did that for a week, let alone three months). Along with that is the joy in not having to wake up at 5:20 every morning. From now on, my alarm will be set for 6:30.

2. Letting other people get under my skin. I just have to learn how to let things go; and not dwell on the failures of others or of my own.

3. Okay I lied, there were only two things...

Three things that I will miss from the previous year...

1. The people that I worked with at Calypso were some of the best you could ask for. That was probably the only thing that kept me with the company for so long. But at some point, I figured out that there was more to a job than just your co-workers.

2. Stopping for coffee at Los Gatos Coffee Roasters on my way in to work in the mornings. If there was one bright spot to that commute, it had to be the friendly people at the cafe.

3. It's yet another year under the bridge. I recall that when I was a kid, I always used to wonder what the world would be like in 2000. That year seemed so far away; and yet here we are now in 2007, and I still wonder what the world is really like.

Now, a few things to look forward to this year...

1. Riding my bike to work! I've been bike commuting for years now, but these last few months of driving have made me value more the idea of riding to work. I'll probably start again on Wednesday or Thursday. And I really look forward to it.

2. Taking more pictures. Now that I no longer work in a photo lab; I should be more psyched to experiment with my photography. Also, I have a new camera arriving in a couple of days, so I should be able to get better results from my digital photography.

3. Climbing more. I recently joined Planet Granite again after not climbing in the gym for about six months. I look forward to getting back into the sort of climbing fitness that I was in about six years ago.

So happy New Year everyone, and just remember: put your hand inside the puppet head...

A Walk In Bishop

Wednesday, 27 December, 2006, 15:55 - Photography, Travel

I went for a nice walk this afternoon through Bishop and a bit north along Highway 6. The link below will take you to some of the pictures. I enjoyed talking to Kevin and Justin at the Mountain Light Gallery, as well as the gal who was running Vern Clevenger's gallery. They are all contributing to me getting psyched to take pictures again...

Also, many thanks to the fine folks at Black Sheep Espresso Bar and Looney Bean Coffee Roasters for keeping me caffeinated today! My leg is feeling a bit better today, so hopefully it was a relatively minor injury.

My PhotoBucket site!



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A Few Pictures...

Wednesday, 27 December, 2006, 10:49 - Travel

A few random pictures, taken along Buttermilk Road west of Bishop, CA. This is what happens on days that I am too sore to climb; I just take pictures from -and of- my car...

A crash and a hot spring...

Tuesday, 26 December, 2006, 09:08 - Beer, Travel, Skiing

Saturday night, I stayed the home of my friends Doug and Allyn. We had some of Doug's homebrewed beer, and watched a ski video. Such good times! The Marsh's Neighborhood Pub: Warm Friends, Cold Beer! Quite the motto, eh?

Sunday morning, I drove from Folsom up to Northstar for some skiing. I met my friend Vince up there and rode most of the day with him. That was fun, except for trying to ski Burnout with too little snow cover. I got a great workout trying to make it down that one. Sunday night, I crashed in my normal parking lot, and managed to get enough sleep. In the morning though, I had to settle for Starbucks as every other coffee shop was closed for Christmas. At least it was one of the better locations I've found (this one was in the Village at Northstar).

I was actually doing very well in the morning, until some gumby snowboarder cut me off. When he did so, it forced me to almost crash into someone else. I ran over the other guy's skis and crashed hard. I was just coming into the steepest part of the West Ridge, and crashed head first. My body slammed the ground, and I felt my helmet hit hard on the snow. Yeah, helmets are ALWAYS a good thing! The force of the impact twisted my boots out of the bindings (not easy to do with telemark bindings). Fortunately, I seem to be just a bit bruised up. But my left knee is a little sore; so I'm just hoping it's not too serious... I managed a few more runs after the crash, but my heart wasn't in it any more. So I headed off out of town.

I drove down the east side of Tahoe, and over 50 out to Carson City. Then I headed south on 395. It's just beautiful out there this time of year! I made it to Mammoth right at sunset, and then headed out to the hot springs to soak for a while. That felt heavenly, especially with some ibuprofen and good beer coursing through my body!

After enjoying that for a while, I headed down to Bishop and slept at the Pit (the climbers' campground). And now, fueled by The Looney Bean, I'm nearly ready to start off my day...

A crash and a hot spring...

Tuesday, 26 December, 2006, 09:08 - Beer, Travel, Skiing

Saturday night, I stayed the home of my friends Doug and Allyn. We had some of Doug's homebrewed beer, and watched a ski video. Such good times! The Marsh's Neighborhood Pub: Warm Friends, Cold Beer! Quite the motto, eh?

Sunday morning, I drove from Folsom up to Northstar for some skiing. I met my friend Vince up there and rode most of the day with him. That was fun, except for trying to ski Burnout with too little snow cover. I got a great workout trying to make it down that one. Sunday night, I crashed in my normal parking lot, and managed to get enough sleep. In the morning though, I had to settle for Starbucks as every other coffee shop was closed for Christmas. At least it was one of the better locations I've found (this one was in the Village at Northstar).

I was actually doing very well in the morning, until some gumby snowboarder cut me off. When he did so, it forced me to almost crash into someone else. I ran over the other guy's skis and crashed hard. I was just coming into the steepest part of the West Ridge, and crashed head first. My body slammed the ground, and I felt my helmet hit hard on the snow. Yeah, helmets are ALWAYS a good thing! The force of the impact twisted my boots out of the bindings (not easy to do with telemark bindings). Fortunately, I seem to be just a bit bruised up. But my left knee is a little sore; so I'm just hoping it's not too serious... I managed a few more runs after the crash, but my heart wasn't in it any more. So I headed off out of town.

I drove down the east side of Tahoe, and over 50 out to Carson City. Then I headed south on 395. It's just beautiful out there this time of year! I made it to Mammoth right at sunset, and then headed out to the hot springs to soak for a while. That felt heavenly, especially with some ibuprofen and good beer coursing through my body!

After enjoying that for a while, I headed down to Bishop and slept at the Pit (the climbers' campground). And now, fueled by The Looney Bean, I'm nearly ready to start off my day...

Happy Days Are Here Again...

Saturday, 23 December, 2006, 10:05 - Photography, Travel

Today is the first day of ten days off from work; and I feel pretty good about that. I haven't had a full week off from work in well over a year. So I'm taking my time getting up to Tahoe, but I will be skiing tomorrow at Northstar; and most likely on Christmas Day as well.

Then I'm off to the Eastside for some climbing out in the 'Milks and the Happies. It should be nice, and I'm really looking forward to sitting in the hot springs some time in there.

The only other news is that I ordered a new camera last night. So relatively soon, I will be joining to mass exodus to digital SLR cameras. Yeah, they've finally come down enough in price to make the jump feasible. I'll post pics as soon as I can...

Merry Christmas!

Random Occurrences

Saturday, 16 December, 2006, 18:48 - Cycling, Random Thoughts, Climbing

After leaving work on Friday at about 2:20, I drove back over 17, and stopped in Campbell for a nice run. For the most part, I was doing okay despite being a bit sore. Around the half-way point I thought I saw a friend riding his bike, but thought it must just have been someone who looked like him. But then, when I got to about a mile to go; he passed me and stopped when he recognized me. So Francis and I talked while I ran my last mile, which really slowed me down. But it was nice to actually talk to someone else.

Then I went off downtown to hang out with some friends and watch Eragon. It could have been the Winterbock coursing through my system, but the movie seemed a bit scattered; and did not really follow the book very well. But I do think that if you had never read the book, the movie would be fun. But definitely read the book...

Today, I rode over to Planet Granite, and got a membership there. It has been close to four years since I last had a membership there, but the new gym is certainly worthwhile. Now I have to get psyched to climb again, and hopefully will get strong again. I felt a bit weak climbing today, but it did feel good to actually do it.

Afterwards, I went over to Peets and sat there reading for a while. Then Sean walked in and sat next to me. He was on his lunchbreak from work, and just happened to see me sitting there. So we chatted for a while, and then I went back to my book. Then a bit later, a couple other friends (Leslie and Dianne) started making faces outside the window. There is something about that Peets...

Then I went off to In-n-Out for a hamburger before heading home. While in there (naturally), the rain and hail started coming down outside. So I got the pleasure of freezing my ass off for the last 1.3 miles of my ride...

Ah well, good times anyway; and now I'm curled up under blankets drinking a nice cold beer. And listening to Björk on iTunes.

Now That It's Official...

Tuesday, 12 December, 2006, 07:50 - Running, Legends

Now that it is official, I suppose I can blog it. I will be leaving Calypso Imaging at Christmas, and will be starting a new job at Professional Exhibits and Graphics in Sunnyvale. Since I will have the four days off after Christmas I will be travelling a bit. Hopefully I can get somewhere new and exciting for a few days, and help recharge the batteries before starting with my new company.

Any feedback on places to go would be appreciated. I'm sort of leaning towards Utah at the moment; and possibly Idaho and Wyoming if the weather looks reasonable. I'll probably want to do some skiing, so give me beta on cool places in those states!

Otherwise, my leg is finally getting better after pulling that muscle in my left calf last weekend. I ran over six miles yesterday afer work, and it only bugged me a little bit, and mostly in the last mile or so. I guess I need to pay more attention when running in cold weather, eh?

Day Two

Sunday, 10 December, 2006, 16:34 - Skiing

Well, day two turned out to have better snow; but as it turned out, I was too sore to do much of anything. After leaving South Lake Tahoe yesterday, I went for a nice run along the bike path that parrallels Highway 89 up to Emerald Bay. My legs felt fine during my ~5 mile run, and even afterwards as I drove up to Truckee. I ate a lovely meal at the Panda Express, then parked my car for the night.

I woke up around 4:30 AM to discover that my car was covered by about six inches of snow. So then I was off for some fun once I got underway around 6:00. I discovered the hard way that Joe Coffee wasn't where it has always been; so I went back to Charbux and got some burnt, nasty coffee. But it kept me alive...

The roads were covered with snow, and I am happy to say that my Forester sticks to that nearly as well as it does to dry roads. I noticed bits of slipage here and there, but no problems (though I did not drive much over 30, so chalk one up to sane driving habits).

I parked in the closest lot to the lifts at Northstar, and made my way over. As soon as I started down one the first run, I knew this wouldn't be a highly motivated ski day. My legs and feet were sore, so I just took it easy. I stopped twice in the lodge to recover, but I couldn't take much. I did a couple of runs with Sean and Vince, but then had to head out. So, one last run from the summit to about 100 yards from my car, and I was off again.

My late lunch at Colfax Max's was good as always (their mushroom burger is awesome). And now I'm sitting in a cafe in Sacramento. I have to get home so I can get some sleep before work tomorrow. Yeah, there's no motivation there...

Day One

Saturday, 9 December, 2006, 13:24 - Skiing

Today was the first ski day of the season. I knew that the snow cover would be pathetically thin, but I had to go. Really, I just wanted an excuse to drive in the snow, and I should get plenty of that this weekend; thought at the moment it is sunny in South Lake Tahoe (I will be running out there shortly if my leg muscles can take the punishment).

I made a mistake on the way up, learn from this one...

Don't take Highway 4 between Concord and Stockton. It's a miserable road, especially in the wind and driving rain. And all the damned drawbridges make it even worse. Past that, the drive was fine. I slept in a parking lot in Pollock Pines, though fitfully. I hope I sleep better tonight.

And I'm certain that the lack of sleep in why I never ski as well on Saturday as on Sunday. So perhaps it's not just that I like Northstar that much better than Sierra. Either way, there were only two runs open; and I squeezed in sixteen runs before I left after about three hours. Fun stuff, and I look forward to many more turns before the season has passed.

Travel Bug

Sunday, 3 December, 2006, 21:23 - Travel

Yeah, so I have this itching desire to travel someplace different; and far away. I'm thinking of something for next summer, perhaps for two weeks if I can swing that much vacation at once.

My top 4 places at the moment are Finland, Iceland, New Zealand/Australia and southern Thailand (that would have to be earlier than June, or not until November to avoid the monsoon).

Feedback is appreciated! Other suggestions will be ridiculed... =)

Four Day Weekends...

Monday, 27 November, 2006, 17:54 - Philosophy, Random Thoughts, Travel

Four Day Weekends... Are the greatest thing ever...

I drove up to Yosemite on Thursday morning and spent the ensuing three days throroughly relaxed. Which, given the craziness at work lately, was a good thing.

I may post pictures, but the words tell the story better.

Miles Walked -22
Miles Ran -16
Bouldering Days -1 (but I slightly injured my foot so I was avoiding climbing after that)
Books Read -3 (Spy, Eragon, and Harry Potter 3)
Beers consumed -Enough!
People talked to -less than 12; and that's a good thing...

And I drove in the snow for the first time this season. Now we just need more of it so I can go skiing...

Tales From The Commute

Tuesday, 21 November, 2006, 17:12 - Random Thoughts

I followed a fairly nice car on Highway 17 this afternoon, a Lamborghini Murciélago. This surely has to be one of the top 15 most expensive cars available in America (somewhere around $300,000). I caught up with the yellow sportscar in Scotts Valley (hey, there was a bit of traffic), and got behind it. Apparently it was a test-drive, since the car still had dealer tags and was only being driven at 60 MPH.

Once we got down around Lexington, I passed them; but the driver was holding back. He was obviously trying to get the road ahead a bit clearer. After passing the Black Road overpass, he gunned the engine and took off at what must have been over 100 MPH. That must have been a little fun for the driver; and perhaps frustrating for the cop on the southbound side of 17 who could do nothing about it. =) I suppose the cop could have called it in for the next cop down the road, but they (like me) pulled off into Los Gatos. Them to the dealer, and me to the coffee shop...

Here is a picture from Edmunds.com.

Wild Turkey Blues

Saturday, 18 November, 2006, 10:53 - Running, Legends

Yeah, so this entry has nothing to do with Wild Turkey, or having the blues. it just seemed like a good idea at the time.

After sleeping in my car along a residential street near UC Santa Cruz, I woke up at 6:00 AM and headed over the coffee shop for a morning pick-me-up. After consuming a cup of fine coffee and a cookie, I headed out to the westside of Santa Cruz for the annual Turkey Trot 10K Run.

I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I was aiming for a decent time; possibly pushing my personal record (which I set when I was 12). My time back then of 45:45 has stood as my best time for 18 years, by far my longest standing PR.

I arrived at my parking spot at around 7:00, and parked as close as I could to the start line. Then I sat in my car for 45 minutes reading Harry Potter and drinking plenty of water, coffee and protein drink (Banilla Soy from Trader Joe's). At 7:45, I walked over to registration and got my tshirt and number. Then I went back to my car and put everything I didn't need in there. Then I plugged into my iPod and went for a warmup run around the block. I was generally trying to stay loose, since I had also run about 3 1/2 miles last night after dark.

In the last few minutes I made sure that I was entirely ready (using the 'restroom', drinking a little bit of water, and loosening up as much as I could); but I still felt a little stiff. Well, I thought, there's not much I can do about that now.

When the race started, I was in the back of the pack; though the field was pretty small so that's not saying too much. I began picking my way through the crowd, but keeping my pace down; trying to avoid my mistake from the Mercury News 10K of going out too fast. My first mile was 6:57 (pretty much what I was aiming for), and I was beginning to feel better. I began finding people to pace off of near the second mile mark, now it was just down to a strategy. At the second mile, my time was 14:05; still right on my target pace.

I began to feel a little tired coming into the third mile; but that's pretty normal for me. It often takes me a couple of miles before I begin to really feel good. And sure enough, that was exactly what was happening. My time at 3 miles was 21:30, and at the turnaround (5K) was 22:30. At the 4 mile mark, I was actually beginning to feel that I had a shot at my record (29:05), and the guy just in front of me was keeping a decent pace; so I just made it my goal to keep up with him.

At the five mile mark, my time was 36:35; and I could actually feel my pace slowing down. This was going to take some serious determination on my part. Fortunately, when I made the turn onto Swanton Avenue, I felt a lot better at the thought of being nearly done. Turning onto to Delaware, the home straight, I hit the 6 mile mark at 44:05; and poured on the speed (or as much as I could after 6 miles). And I knew it was within my grasp. When I finished (at 45:37) I was as happy as I could have been. I thanked the guy who had been in front of me for pacing me; and he replied that he had made it his goal to stay in front of me. So we both benifitted from the pacing.

So yeah, 18 years later I kicked 12-year-old-me's ass in the 10K... =)

And to top it off; I got third place in my age group and actually got a medal in a running event for the first time in about 17 years...

All in all, a good experience; and now I'm off to the party at Twisters Bouldering Gym. And my next running goals will be 43:24 for the 10K (7:00 mile pace), and 20:30 for the 5K...

When I Come Around

Thursday, 16 November, 2006, 22:29 - Philosophy, Random Thoughts

Sorry, that's the song that's playing in iTunes at the moment...

Ever have one of those days where things almost seemed to be controlled chaos? Like someone was pulling the strings, with you being the marionette?

I especially love when things go haywire at the periphery of your vision, and when you turn to look things are normal again. Go figure. You just try your best and things will hopefully be better soon.

So I just continue to work on my Photoshop and Illustrator skills; and hope that something will come of that.

The Worst Day Since Yesterday

Saturday, 11 November, 2006, 00:08 - Philosophy, Humor, Legends

And yes, the song-title theme continues for yet another posting. This one comes from Flogging Molly...

Sometimes things just happen that make you wonder if the world truly has gone mad. Tonight was definitely one of those nights.

After leaving work, I went for a nice bike ride down the coast to New Brighton State Beach. The ride was just fine, despite the fact that Mr. Toot's was too busy to get a cup of coffee. Instead, I headed back into Santa Cruz and grabbed a cup at Santa Cruz Coffee Roasters. After that, I went over to Planet Fresh Burritos. I almost locked my bike to a tree, but decided to lock it to the stop sign instead. And then I went in and got one of their excellent Surf and Turf Burritos (steak and prawn), and sat down for a while to read. About an hour later, I went outside to get on my bike and head back to work to grab my stuff and go home.

Then I realized that someone else had locked their bike to mine. Just brilliant! Now I get to stand around and wait for them to come back so I can leave. Now, I've never been the most patient person in the world, but I gave them plenty of time to come back. If they were just out for dinner, an hour and a half would be plenty of time. At 7:30, I called the Santa Cruz Police to see what they could do for me.

The dispatcher wasn't sure that they would be able to do anything, but she called the sergeant to see what he could do. He said that if I could prove the bike was mine, he could cut the lock off the other bike. Naturally, I don't go around carrying the receipt from my bike; and I've never registered a bike. But I explained to him about clipless pedals, and how mine were fairly unique (Crank Brothers isn't exactly the biggest manufacturer of pedals out there, and they aren't even compatible with Shimano pedals). Anyway, he was convinced; and so he went to get his bolt cutters. But then he realized that he didn't have them with him.

So after tracking down the bolt cutters, the officer tried to cut the cable, but this bolt cutter was too small. So he had to go off on a quest for a larger set of cutters. When he finally came back with the new set of cutters, he was able to easily cut through the cable.

The funniest part was the drunk guy that walked past during this last bit. He crossed the street, and walked up to the policeman and said," I'm just walking home."

The cop responded with, "Okay."

Drunk, "Have a nice evening."

Cop, "You too."

Cop, to me and the kid doing the ride-along with him, "Alcohol is a wonderful thing, eh?"

Ride-along kid, "Did you see his pants?"

Me, looking over to see that the guy had quite obviously pissed himself; "Oh, that's just wrong..."

Yeah, alcohol is a wonderthing. And the mushrooms that the dumbass who locked his bike to mine must have been high on are a "wonderful thing" as well...