Live from Saint Andrews, Scotland...

Such a beautiful place! Too bad I only get 9 days to explore it...

My flight in went fairly well, except for that small security issue they were having at Heathrow whilst my plane was getting ready to leave for Manchester. Apparently, an international flight came into the domestic terminal and disembarked its passengers into said terminal. This of course resulted in us departing an hour or so late. And me missing my connecting flight to Edinburgh! But it wasn't all bad. I still got to Edinburgh that night, and was still able to get my rental car. Didn't mention that to anyone, did I? I figured that I might as well try driving on the wrong side of the road for a while... So far that's going just fine. My car is a tiny little Renault (about the size of our old Daihatsu).

I spent the first night in the town of Queensferry, a bit west of the city. In the morning, I headed back through town and explored bits of Leith and around Easter Road. It was cool to see the original golf course (conveniently located next to the kirk in Leith). Watching a Hibernian match live on the tele at the local pub was pretty darn cool as well. Even though they lost... The on-tap beer here is far better than anything you can get back home! A bit of sadness though, I won't get to see the Hibees play, as the next game has been postponed. The captain of the Motherwell side collapsed and died during their game yesterday. I may still get to see a different game though. I need to check on the fixtures to find out where else to catch a match on Wednesday.

This morning (Sunday), I headed out to Saint Andrews. This has to be amongst the most beautiful places that I have ever been. Climbing to the top of Saint Gile's Tower (part of the cathedral), walking the Old and New Courses at Saint Andrews Links, checking out a 15th century castle (and an even older cathedral), and walking the ancient streets. What more can you ask? I'll have to wait to upload most of the pictures, as I just don't have time right now. But there are some good ones. The view looking back over town from the top of the tower is better than any city view I have seen in America. In fact, nothing comes close except some of the viewpoints in Bangkok and Kathmandu. Simply breathtaking!

And the temperature is a balmy 35 or so right now... =)

So now, I'm sitting in an internet cafe in town. Tomorrow, it's over to Stirling for the big Hogmanay celebration at the castle. That should be an amazing experience as well!

The following two pictures are: the 17th Hole of the Old Course at Saint Andrews Links; and at Saint Andrews Cathedral.

The Best Things In Life Are Free...

Here I shall share a few random thoughts on the subject of peak-bagging and living life to its fullest. Some writer from the 19th century said to "suck the marrow out of life" (I'm pretty sure it was Thoreau). But did he ever enjoy the view looking down from the top of Mount Conness? Did he ever see the lights of the city spread out before him at night from the summit of Mission Peak? Did he ever hurl himself down the slopes of Mount Pluto on skis?

Here's what I wrote in my journal whilst sitting on top of Mount Conness (along the Sierra crest just north of Tioga Pass) in September of 2003: I am happy to be here. This mountain -any mountain- is worthy. The view is spectacular and the effort to attain it was great. Eating Triscuits and deviled ham at a summit is the key to happiness in life.

This evening, I went for a nice walk up Mission Peak (that's the one above Fremont, and just north of the peak (Mount Allison) that has all the radio antennae). The trail is a fire road, and goes up fairly steeply to the top. And the view is always worth the hour or so that the ascent takes. The best part of the hike is that the area is open until 10 PM. Of course, this means that night hiking is the thing to do. Not many other people share the motivation to enjoy the trails at night. But those who do, understand that walking above city lights is amongst the finer things in life. Throw in some chilly winter air and a bit of wind, and you have the perfect time to go for a walk.

So anyway, enough rambling... I started from the trailhead at 3:56, and got to the top in time to take a picture as the sun was setting. Beautiful stuff! I would much rather be part of the scenery being photographed than the one taking the picture. And sometimes you can do both...

CSOTW

This one is sure to get you in that Christmas spirit...

Song Of The Week

This one is just a different version of an old classic. The original version was Bohemian Rhapsody, which was done by the group Queen. This version is a bit different -it has no lyrics and different instrumentation.

So check this one out, it's rather nice... Hibernian Rhapsody by De Dannan. =)

Can't Resist This One...

Thursday, 6 December, 2007, 08:03 - Comic Strip Of The Week

Sorry, I can't resist passing this one along to my friends... =)

Happy 3 December...

Monday, 3 December, 2007, 21:51 - Random Thoughts

It might just be another day, but I thought I would ramble a little bit about a few things that caught my attention today.

1. What the heck is wrong with the Baltimore Ravens? How could they lose that game given where they had the Patriots? But hey, that's why New England is still undefeated.

2. I'm listening to what is just about the best Christmas album I have ever heard. An Irish Christmas by Moya Brennan. So good! I especially like her take on What Child Is This?.

3. I learned where the term redneck came from... Scottish Presbyterians who wore a red scarf on their neck to show their rejection of the Anglican Church. Many of those people emigrated to Ulster (in northern Ireland) and/or on to America (where many settled in the Appalachians). Go figure...

Anyway, that's about it. Only 23 days to go! =)

10,000

Thursday, 29 November, 2007, 16:37 - Cycling

Yes, that's my bicycling mileage for the year as of 12:45 this afternoon (well, actually 10,003...).

My car still only has about 6500 for the year. =)

Have you ever felt this way?

Thursday, 29 November, 2007, 06:54 - Comic Strip Of The Week

Why it's not a good idea to leave work early...

CSOTW and iTunes...

Saturday, 24 November, 2007, 08:48 - Random Thoughts, Comic Strip Of The Week

After all these years, I've finally downloaded an album from iTunes... Can you believe it took me that long to get there? The download of choice was Life With You by The Proclaimers. I finally gave up on finding the album around here. Of course, you know that means that next I go to the record shop they will have a bunch of copies of it. =)

The album is excellent so far, though I'm only on the fourth song.

And the comic strip for this week (must be something to do with lead-based coloring in the feathers?):

Thanksgiving Day -A Time To Ride

Thursday, 22 November, 2007, 19:30 - Cycling

Today's route evolved from an idea I had a while back. The original goal was to combine Highway 9 and Empire Grade Road into a nice round trip journey to Santa Cruz. And what better day to do this than Thanksgiving?

Backing up a bit... It was 37 degrees outside when I left home at 7:30 this morning. That may not seem cold to those of you who don't live in California, but this was the first time this season that the low temperature has been below 40. For the first few miles I was wearing a windbreaker and a fleece hat.

But back to the ride: I made my way across town to Saratoga, and started up Highway 9 at 8:20. The climb itself was pretty mellow. I was just taking it easy so I would have energy for the remaining climbs. For the climb, my time was 46:40 (five minutes slower than my fastest time). After stopping briefly at the top, I bombed down the west side of Highway 9 and down into Boulder Creek.

After making my way over to Jamison Creek Road (about 2.5 miles up Highway 236 from Boulder Creek), I began the toughest climb of the day. Fortunately, the road is only 3.1 miles long before reaching Empire Grade Road. This one took me 31 minutes, so you can tell that it is significantly tougher than Highway 9. In a few places, there is writing on the road. And at the beginning of the steepest part, the writing reads "The pain is about to begin". Gee thanks, guys! After reaching the top, I stopped for a few minutes to eat a 'trail mix bar', and started off on the long ride down Empire Grade into Santa Cruz.

Empire Grade is a fairly nice road (only a few spots have rough roads), and mostly downhill. The uphill sections seem rather annoying, given that I was expecting it to be all downhill. But I made it down in pretty good time, and thoroughly enjoyed the views of the ocean from the UCSC campus. Turning onto Bay Street and then Mission (Highway 1), I made my way north out of town almost to Davenport.

And this is where the bonus climb comes in. I have actually climbed Bonny Doon Road before. It is quite a nice 26 mile loop from Santa Cruz. But starting up it after 65+ miles is another story altogether. By this point, I was feeling a little tired, but I've never been one to throw in the towel on a decent challenge. =) I pulled it together, and made it up into Bonny Doon, and then onto Pine Flat and then Ice Cream Grade Roads. After crossing Empire Grade, I descended down Felton Empire Road (this section kind of feels like the speeder bike chase scene in Return Of The Jedi) and into Felton. From there, I turned onto Highway 9 and made my way up to Boulder Creek.

After Boulder Creek, the ascent of Highway 9 turns into a bit of drudgery.It ascends about 1900, but it takes 15 miles to get there... At the top, I celebrated a little and put the windbreaker back on for the descent down into Saratoga. Once I hit town, I had only 14 miles to go... And they went by with no problems. =)

Totals for the day: 119 miles and about 9000 feet of climbing.

Climbs:
Highway 9 (East) -6.5 miles, 2090 feet
Jamison Creek Road -3.1 miles, 1470 feet
Bonny Doon/Ice Cream Grade -7.4 miles, 2110 feet
Highway 9 (West) -7.4 miles, 1990 feet

Cheers! And Happy Thanksgiving...

Thank God It's A Four-Day Weekend...

Wednesday, 21 November, 2007, 22:01 - Cycling, Philosophy

It's a four-day weekend, and I've just been handed enough motivation to ride 300 miles... What to do, what to do... =)

CSOTW...

Thursday, 15 November, 2007, 08:08 - Comic Strip Of The Week

So, this one is specifically for Becky. =)

El Toro and Hicks Road

Monday, 29 October, 2007, 22:28 - Cycling

What better way to celebrate the last Saturday of October than with good beer and tough hills?

The last time I visited the El Toro Brewing Company was during a ride in February. The weather was beautiful: you just could not ask for better weather to ride in.

This time, I waited until mile 55 to stop at the ETBC. I turned around near Highway 25 south of Gilroy. By the time I got back into Morgan Hill, I was ready for the beer and pizza... I had their BBQ (beerbeque!) chicken pizza. Amazing! And the Extra Hoppy Poppy Jasper and the IPA were both really good!

After procrastinating there for way too long, I made my way up into the hills west of town. After riding up past the reservoirs (I hadn't ridden through this area since 1996), I headed onto Almaden Road, and then up and over the south side of Hicks Road. What a tough climb! There aren't many climbs in this area that can compare with Hicks. It seemed pretty hard at least... It may have just been that I was topping out the climb at mile 80. =)

After bombing down the hill, I headed through Los Gatos and back through town. I stopped a Peets for a while to keep the caffeine intake up.

All in all, a great ride for a total of 105 miles and perhaps 4000 feet of climbing.

Movies About India...

Saturday, 27 October, 2007, 08:59 - Movie Reviews

I've gone to see two different movies in the last couple of days. On Thursday, I went to see the second to last showing of Outsourced at Camera 12. And on Friday night I went to see The Darjeeling Limited at Camera 7. These are two completely opposite movies in just about every regard.

Outsourced is a tale about a guy from Seattle who has to go to India to help train his replacement. His job is to teach the people to sound America on the phone so that the customers buying kitschy americana won't suspect that the jobs have been outsourced. It's a fitting commentary on the state of business now. And of course, why it has to be the way it is. It's a touching love story, and all about Todd Anderson connecting with the people in his corner of India. Since it is no longer playing in this area, you're going to have to wait until it comes out on video...



On the other hand, we have The Darjeeling Limited. This is a completely vapid tail about three brothers who seem to think that they are on a spiritual journey. But the film jumps around a lot, and what little story there is is nearly impossible to follow. When they almost find what they are looking for, even that disappears and they are left with nothing still. If you need to see this one (perhaps you are a fan of Owen Wilson or Adrian Brody...), do yourself and wait until it comes out on DVD. Then you can have your own barf bag next you, and not feel bad screaming obscenities and the screen...

Tour Of The Forgotten Corner Of California!

Sunday, 21 October, 2007, 22:29 - Cycling, Random Thoughts

Solvang Autumn Double Century

Okay, so it's not really forgotten. It's actually quite a lovely place to ride a bike. Except for the wind, a flat tire, and a yellow jacket sting I had a very lovely bike ride yesterday!

And even the wind wasn't all that bad. It's just a little obnoxious when you are trying to ride relatively fast. The flat tire was a fluke as well; just a piece of glass along Highway 1 just south of Pismo Beach. And quite frankly, I am a bit surprised that I don't get stung by more wasps, hornets and yellow jackets. It seems that they are always falling from the sky and bouncing off of me. This one just got under my jersey.

the roads were excellent for the most part. I could have done without the gravel section on See Canyon Road, but the climb was excellent so I can give the organizers a pass for this one! Santa Rosa Road also wasn't very fun; but I think that might have only been because I was riding it after dark. During the day I think the rough road would not be so bad.

After that, I was tired enough to sleep like a rock in my car in a well-lit parking lot...

For a detailed map of the route:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=1405418

Scrabble play of the day...

Friday, 12 October, 2007, 23:51

This one goes to Jen for opening the game with drizzle for 96 points, and then proceeding to kick my butt... The final score was 364-340.

300 Second Movie Review/Rant

Wednesday, 10 October, 2007, 23:38 - Random Thoughts, Movie Reviews

Today's subject: Into The Wild.

Going into this movie, I expected to love it. Jon Krakauer has been one of my favorite authors for years, and this is his best book. So despite the film being directed by Sean Penn, I simply had to see the film. And I tried not to judge the film solely on the politics of its director.

First off, the film is, as it should be, rated R. However, much of what gives it that rating was entirely unnecessary. The gratuitous nudity and graphic sex were entirely inappropriate and took away from the message of the film.

That message? Apparently that by living alone in the wilderness, Christopher McCandless discovered that happiness can only be truly enjoyed when it is shared. Duh! I could have told him that, and saved him getting his butt kicked by a railroad security guard and dying at the age of 23...

A kid Chris's age should have been out trying to save the world. And instead he is out trying to find himself. What a waste. And what a waste of film to glorify the selfish end to an incomplete life. Chris figured out the first part of a complete life as he lies dying from eating a poisonous plant.

Step one: realize that life/happiness is only complete if shared. Step two: find someone to share your happiness with. Step three: carry on sharing that happiness with that person forever. Yeah, it's that simple...

So, much like Sean Penn's politics; this film is incomplete. It will leave you wishing for more. It lacks what makes for a great film, which is the optimism of an ending where the main character(s) can go on leading their life completely (see: Good Will Hunting, Stardust, Mallrats, Amelie and even Shrek)...

Pics from Yosemite...

Monday, 8 October, 2007, 19:46 - Photography, Climbing

Some random goodness from this weekend's trip to The Valley...

Conservative vs. Liberal

Tuesday, 2 October, 2007, 12:50 - Random Thoughts, Politics

The difference between a Conservative and being a Liberal is quite simple.

A Conservative believes that it is up to the individual to change the world. A Liberal believes that it is up to the government to change the world.

Yes, Bush is a Liberal. We have no Conservatives in power in this nation any more. Watch out Roman Empire, the USA is coming your way...

CSOTW

Tuesday, 2 October, 2007, 11:59 - Comic Strip Of The Week

Crazy Rides, Crazy Times...

Saturday, 29 September, 2007, 13:57 - Cycling

So this ride really wasn't all that crazy. I was only out on my bike for a bit over four hours; and only went 60 miles. The crazy part comes from today's ascent of Old La Honda Road.

I haven't been doing much climbing on my bike because I was having problems getting the brakes adjusted properly. Essentially, I was afraid of the descents. I have no desire to lose control coming down any sort of extended hill.

But my good friend Ryan helped me out with that problem. Thanks dude! So now I can head into the hills again, which is good because the weather has become ideal for such rides.

So despite putting in a lot of miles over the past few months, I am a bit out of shape for climbing hills. But I do have a lighter bike now, and I have lost a little bit of weight. So the climbing wasn't all that bad. When I started up the climb, I could really feel that my legs didn't like the idea. But I kept going. Coming around the third corner, I spotted another cyclist about 150 yards ahead of me, so I made it my goal just to catch him. I did that far sooner than I would have thought, passing him right at the steepest part of the hill. That's my first benchmark for the climb, and I was about 30 seconds off of my fastest pace up to that point. So I just tried to keep a steady pace. The other dude was keeping up with me, and he passed me with about a mile left in the climb. SO i just tried to keep up with him. Right at the end, where the road gets really rough, I put the hammer down (as the saying goes); and sprinted to the top. I ended up missing my best time by only six seconds, which is not bad at all..

The rest of the ride was super casual, including the descent down Highway 84. I was actually keeping up with the cars there, so no real need to go any faster... =)

CSOTW

Wednesday, 26 September, 2007, 22:51 - Comic Strip Of The Week

The beginning of a Revolution...

Wednesday, 26 September, 2007, 09:32 - Politics

You might say that living in an Orwellian police-state is not all that fun. Rising up against it is even worse. But I'll cheer the people of Burma on...

I really would love to travel to Burma, but I won't support an evil government...

Check out the story and the slideshows:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070926/ap_ ... p55LsE1vAI

Random Thought For Today #1

Saturday, 22 September, 2007, 23:27 - Random Thought For Today

We wait for drunks to stumble by. Do they wait for reality to stumble by?

14,000

Saturday, 22 September, 2007, 15:04 - Random Thoughts

It has been one year and five days since I bought my Forester. Things have done nothing but look up since then.

It took three months to get out of the crappy job (the people were cool though!) that I was commuting to Santa Cruz for. I might even be more sane now, if that's possible. =)

I've put a little over 14,000 miles on my car since I bought it, only 6,000 of which are this year. As a comparison, I have ridden my bike about 7,800 miles this year. It's so nice to have a car that I don't have to drive every day...

If you want the original story:
http://www.mikedeitchman.com/index.php? ... 917-213751

Beer Friday #17

Friday, 21 September, 2007, 20:46 - Beer, Beer Friday

Since it is now officially Oktoberfest, I have to go with a traditional Oktoberfest-Märzen beer. This one comes from the town of Aying, Germany (a bit southeast of München).

Ayinger brewery is not actually one of the official breweries associated with Oktoberfest, but they certainly know their stuff. The true test was giving a glass of it to one of my co-workers who is from München. He absolutely loves the stuff. And so do I. It's a classic Märzen. And perhaps one of the best you will ever find. If you want the scoop on what makes a Märzen a Märzen and for more on Oktoberfest, check out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A4rzen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberfest

So here's a hearty prost in celebration of everyone's favorite excuse to drink good German beer... Pick up some Ayinger Oktoberfest-Märzen at your local BevMo.

Song Lyrics For The Week

Friday, 14 September, 2007, 22:49

This is one of the most amazing, deeply spiritual songs you will ever hear. The voice of Maire Brennan is also the voice of Clannad; absolutely my favorite tradition Irish band. Her sister, Enya, is much more well-known. But I find that Maire's voice much better.

She breathes life into the lyrics. And she sings to God as if she has spoken to Him face to face. Beautiful stuff, but those of you who need over-powering bass will need to look elsewhere...

Perfect Time
Believe me
I'm not afraid
Teach me
To learn your ways
Carry me
Under your wings
In your perfect time

Only you
Can dreams come true
Only you
Can make me shine
Only you
Can days be right
In your perfect time

I know You told me that I'm not alone
You know I couldn't do it on my own
See my eyes are older now
Broken dreams behind
Fill my heart with precious love
I know it's there to find

Believe me
I'm not afraid
Teach me
To learn your ways
Carry me
Under your wings
In your perfect time

Only you
Can dreams come true
Only you
Can make me shine
Only you
Can days be right
In your perfect time

precious love
You gave me
precious love
I know forgivness is the key not pride
I want to heal this pain I hide inside
Free my fears and promise me
That you won't let me go
You're the one to comforrt me
The past my God You know

Believe me
I'm not afraid
Teach me
To learn your ways
Carry me
Under your wings
In your perfect time

Only you
Can dreams come true
Only you
Can make me shine
Only you
Can days be right
In your perfect time

Word Of The Week

Friday, 14 September, 2007, 22:39 - Philosophy

I'm not going to go into too much detail. I just had a realization about something while I was riding my bike at around 25 MPH down Central Expressway this afternoon. Then I ran into an old friend at REI(the same one who I ran into at the Death Ride). I heard a remarkable story about how the greeter at REI broke her foot (Mount Everest and yetis were involved!). I had my second McDonald's sandwich of the year this morning. I had better BBQ in Mountain View at lunchtime than anything I had in Texas. Random? Perhaps. But what if they aren't? And is that a hand that I feel pushing me through my life?


e·piph·a·ny
Pronunciation[i-pif-uh-nee]
–noun, plural -nies.

1. (initial capital letter) a Christian festival, observed on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi; Twelfth-day.
2. an appearance or manifestation, esp. of a deity.
3. a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
4. a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight.

Black And Blue

Wednesday, 12 September, 2007, 21:47 - Philosophy, Random Thoughts, Random Song Lyrics

No, this is not about getting bruised up and bloodied... Sorry to disappoint you! The title is the name of one of my newest favorite songs. I just thought that I would write a review of it, and a scathing review of everything that comes out of commercial radio.

Most of the songs coming out these days (and I'm only referring to the ones that get lots of airplay) are empty shells of songs. They say things without actually saying anything. They are the equivalent of a man who goes through the motions of loving his wife even though he hates her with all of his heart. That's not to say that marriage should be like that; that's just the way most people write their songs about love.

On the other end of the spectrum is a man like my good friend Kenny Schick... If there is anyone qualified to write a love song it has to be him. He more than went through the motions. He actually traveled half-way around the world to meet the woman of his dreams. And his newest album Under tells the story in near-chronological order. The long-distance calls, the verbose emails, the trauma incurred sitting in an airplane for 18 hours with only his thoughts for company, the confusion of stepping into a vastly different culture, the joy at finding another soul in the world he relates to: it's all there.

The song Black and Blue finds Kenny just-returned from his 8 month adventure. He's longing to be with the one he loves. And his world is as topsy-turvy as it was when he left for Australia.

I think that I relate to the song because of what it reminds me of: the wondering if there actually is someone out there for me, if I have met her yet, the searching the eyes of complete strangers on the street, and perhaps just the confused state of life in general. Happiness is not something you find, it's something you live. Every day...

So check out the song. Download the MP3 or buy the album. It will be worth your while. And if you live in the San Jose area, check out his show on the 22nd at the Blue Rock Shoot in Saratoga.

http://www.basement3.com/

Random Song Lyrics For A Friday Night

Saturday, 8 September, 2007, 00:30 - Random Song Lyrics

Many apologies for the random nature of this new topic. This will just be the occasional glimpse into what pops up on iTunes when I hit forward while in shuffle mode...

The first one comes from one of the greatest voices in country music (or from any music for that matter). He does sing a lot of sappy love songs, but this is certainly amongst the best of them.


I Won't Need You Anymore -Randy Travis

You're my always and forever.
You're the one that hung the moon.
After all these nights together
I still get lost in your perfume.
And if I could write a love song,
Every line would tell the truth.
It would be a warm and soft one
And my heart would say to you

When you see me walk on water,
When the sea don't reach the shore
When the fires of hell freeze over,
I won't need you anymore

Oh, the feelings lay so easy,
Lyin' here the way we are.
No one else could ever hold me
Like the heavens hold the stars.

When you see me walk on water,
When the sea don't reach the shore
When the fires of hell freeze over,

I won't need you anymore
I won't need you anymore

If Only

Friday, 7 September, 2007, 13:08 - Coffee, Random Thoughts

Now, if only Starbucks could get the whole 'making their coffee taste good' thing down right...


http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/i-like-coffe ... 297630.php

Honestly, is this just a side effect of the laziness of modern society?

A Day Of Living The LA Dream...

Wednesday, 5 September, 2007, 20:50 - Random Thoughts

Today I was reminded why I never want to live in the Los Angeles Basin. I cannot see how people can live with that sort of air pollution on a daily basis. Just riding my bike after work this afternoon, my eyes were stinging and I could feel the shortness of breath. And the air quality was only posted as moderate! Can you magine those days when the air pollution is over 100? Today was 65...

I also fail to see why anyone would want to surround themselves with that sort of pollution while living their daily lives. Whether you get the smoke via smog or by inhaling cigarette smoke it is just as unhealthy.

Those people who choose to live in Los Angeles can keep it. I want nothing to do with the place...

The reason for all the pollution today is a fire in the hills south of Mount Hamilton. The plume of smoke was rather impressive for the last couple of days. But then a damned inversion had to come in and trap all the smoke in the valley. Come on wind, we need you!

Check out this video:

Lick Fire

Song Of The Week

Monday, 3 September, 2007, 20:05 - Random Thoughts

Here's another song that has been bouncing around in my head for the last few days. It's the reference to catching a fallen star that reminded me of this one after watching Stardust on Saturday. This song was the theme song from a TV show called The Heights that was on Fox during the 1992-93 season. The show was pretty good as I recall. But the soundtrack is even better... The show was about a music group called The Heights.


How Do You Talk To An Angel?- The Heights

I hear her voice in my mind
I know her face by heart
Heaven and earth are moving in my soul
I don't know where to start
Tell me tell me the words to define
The way I feel about someone so fine


How do you talk to an angel
How do you hold her close to where you are
How do you talk to an angel
It's like trying to catch a falling star


At night I dream that she is there
And I can feel her in the air
Tell me tell me the words to define
The way I feel about someone so fine


How do you talk to an angel
How do you hold her close to where you are
How do you talk to an angel
It's like trying to catch a falling star


How do you talk to an angel
How do you hold her close to where you are
How do you talk to an angel
It's like trying to catch a falling star


How do you talk to an angel
How do you hold her close to where you are
How do you talk to an angel
It's like trying to catch a falling star

The Best Movie Of The Year

Sunday, 2 September, 2007, 09:53 - Movie Reviews

If you go to the theater to be entertained (or at least sucked into another world for a couple of hours), do yourself a favor and go watch Stardust. This movies is very well-made and actually follows a coherent plot (something that the big movies have been lacking lately). The choices of actors and actresses were spot on for their roles.

Robert DeNiro shows up as a "quirky" Captain Shakespear (a lightning capturing sky pirate). Michelle Pfeiffer does a great job as the wicked witch. And Claire Danes has done a wonderful job of bringing a fallen star to life. And plenty of good acting rounds out the rest of the cast.

The basic premise seems a bit bizarre at first, but this is a fantasy movie after all! Tristan is a boy who lives in a town called Wall, in 19th century England. There is a wall next to the town that separates England from a parallel universe. No one is allowed to go there. But when Tristan sees a falling star, he sets out to get a piece of it so he "can show his love for Victoria". His adventures along the way are the things that dreams are made of. To see them so adroitly brought to the silver screen is almost enough to restore the idea that Hollywood has not completely lost its marbles...

All in all, I came out of the theater better off for having watched this film. And if there are no Oscar nods to this film; perhaps Hollywood has lost its marbles.


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486655/

Beer Friday #16

Saturday, 1 September, 2007, 00:28 - Beer, Random Thoughts, Beer Friday

I've been slacking off on the beer Fridays lately,and I must apologize. I haven't been trying all that many new beers lately. But here's one that can potentially bring out the beer snob in all of us.

In the past, I often wondered why there was such a variance in the quality of beers produced by the same brewery. As it turns out, it was probably just the caps on the bottles! Apparently, screw caps let air into the bottle. So beer that has been sitting around for a while won't be all that fresh tasting. Thanks to the folks at Sierra Nevada for noticing this, and correcting the problem...



How this affects all of us: we can now go back to enjoying beers from the Sierra Nevada Brewery without worrying about getting a stale bottle (though I haven't yet seen the bigger bottles with pop tops.

So my choice for this week is Sierra Nevada's Anniversary Ale. This year marks 27 years of good beer coming out of Chico, CA. And this IPA is a worthy way to celebrate. And don't forget that it's a pop top. Twisting them off is rather painful according to my friend Jeff. He's a long time drinker of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and actually sent an email complaining about how hard their bottles had become to open...

Picture Of The Day #3

Saturday, 1 September, 2007, 00:20 - Photography, Picture Of The Day

Yeah, I know that it is a bit lame to start a topic called Picture of The Day and only post pictures sporadically... Get over it! Ha!

Anyway, I was transferring the image files from my old computer into my new one, and came across some old good ones that I had forgotten. So I will keep trying to add some to my Photobucket site, and posting some of them here...

This one was apparently taken on October 30, 2004; which would mean that it was taken with my old Sony Cybershot (4.1 mp) camera. That camera was destroyed when I got hit by that car while riding my bike to work in March of 2005... At least I wasn't!

Another useless trivia post...

Sunday, 26 August, 2007, 22:42 - Cycling

Just for fun, here's a map of California counties that I have ridden my bike in... The darker blue denotes counties in which I have ridden to the highest paved road.

Song Lyrics

Wednesday, 22 August, 2007, 21:55 - Random Thoughts

Every once in a while there is a song that moves you every time you hear it. In this case, I'm not even sure why. Perhaps I've purposely forgotten who this song is supposed to remind me of. The song came out around the same time I started high school, which is always a very impressionable time in a person's life. I can remember listening to the radio (either Hot 97.7 or X100) during Drafting class. Mr. Geraci would only let us listen to pop music on Fridays. The rest of the time we listened to his music (generally classical). For some weird reason, this song always connected with me. Even though it took me quite a while to figure out who sang it, and to finally track down a copy of the album; I always loved the song.

Even now, nearly 18 years later I can still listen to the song feel that same connection. Perhaps it's just a reminder of how sad life is when you are only clinging to a hope of something that will never be. Hell, perhaps back then it was a subconscious warning about things to come.

The song debuted on the Billboard chard on July 8, 1989; and reached number 1 on August 12. After 3 weeks it was dislodged by Paul Abdul's Cold Hearted. Which reminds me of what I did that summer... That was my first trip out of the country, helping to build a house for a poor family down in San Felipe, Baja California Norte with the youth group from my grandpa's church.

Anyway, Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx has been one of my favorite songs (for a long time it WAS my favorite) for all these years. And surely it will be amongst my favorites through the rest of my life.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_Here_Waiting

Oceans apart day after day
And I slowly go insane
I hear your voice on the line
But it doesn't stop the pain

If I see you next to never
How can we say forever

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

I took for granted, all the times
That I thought would last somehow
I hear the laughter, I taste the tears
But I can't get near you now

Oh, can't you see it baby
You've got me goin' crazy

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

I wonder how we can survive
This romance
But in the end if I'm with you
I'll take the chance

Oh, can't you see it baby
You've got me goin' crazy

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

Mount Tam Double

Sunday, 19 August, 2007, 12:31 - Cycling

This is old news (from August 4).

Good times at my most recent double century. This one is a true suffer fest if there is such a thing. I spent 16.5 hours on my bike, doing what has to be my toughest ride ever. There were many moments where I did not think I could finish, but I did finish. And my life is better for having completed this challenge! Mechanical problems and lack of sleep were the primary reasons I was so slow. But the course itself is rather tough. It reminded me a lot of the Death Ride (except that the weather was much cooler for this one) in that it had a lot of climbing (as much climbing as the DR, mostly in the the first 150 miles).

The highlight had to be descending Lucas Valley Road, which felt a lot like that scene in Return Of The Jedi where they are on the speeder bikes in the forests of Endor (this is the same area where those scenes were filmed).

So 201 miles with about 15000 feet of climbing...

Picture Of The Day #2

Sunday, 19 August, 2007, 10:52 - Photography, Random Thoughts, Travel, Picture Of The Day

Yesterday I transfered a bunch of pictures from my laptop to my desktop computer, so I've been going through them... I will try to upload a picture or two just about every day; just to keep my Photoshop skills fresh. =)

This is from a trip to Usall Beach with some of my co-workers on Memorial Day Weekend of 2006. I went out there with Steve, Melissa, Fred, Doug and Patrice. A worthy trip... Usall is also a very cool place, though it was kind of hard to get to in my old Geo Metro. On this trip was when I hit a deer on Highway 20 east of Fort Bragg. Since that was my motivation for getting a new car, I guess I should be thankful.

Picture Of The Day

Saturday, 18 August, 2007, 22:50 - Cycling, Photography, Picture Of The Day

Yeah, like this is going to happen every day...

This is from the prologue of the Tour Of California. I believe that it is Pavel Padrnos, but feel free to correct me.

25 Years Ago Today

Friday, 17 August, 2007, 09:35 - Music

25 years ago today (August 17, 1982), the first CD was released. That was ABBA's Visitors. With only a few hiccups, they've gotten better since then (I mean really; who needs rap, hip hop, reggae and techno?)...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Visitors

What I'm Listening To... #1

Wednesday, 15 August, 2007, 23:58 - Music

Yeah, so another pointless topic to take up space here. This is from one of my favorite bands. Not only can they sing, but they are all really cool people. I had the opportunity to meet them years ago, not long after their success with the song Flood. They seemed not to have let their fame get into their heads...

Good Monster is the latest offering from Jars Of Clay, and it stands amongst their best albums. I'd rank them like this: 1- If I Left The Zoo, 2- Jars Of Clay, 3- Good Monsters, 4- Much Afraid. But all of the others are very good as well...

Which Horseman is This?

Wednesday, 15 August, 2007, 21:45 - Philosophy

Why not just say God doesn't exist in order to appease the Atheists and Democrats?

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/staticarti ... 57178.html

Good Music

Tuesday, 14 August, 2007, 10:21 - Music

Check out this video of my friend Kenny doing his song Black and Blue. This is what music should be, not that vapid s@*t they play on the radio...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRYqCw2u3lU

Fixed Ride

Saturday, 11 August, 2007, 21:50 - Cycling, Photography

Well, I was going to post a great story about my first road fixed gear ride ever, but my computer decided to make it vanish into the nether regions of the universe...

So instead, you just get a link to some pictures from the Hellyer Park Velodrome...
http://s55.photobucket.com/albums/g160/ ... Velodrome/

Look Before You Bite

Saturday, 11 August, 2007, 17:34 - Random Thoughts

So some moron has sued McDonald's because he failed to notice that there was cheese in his Quarter Pounder before eating it. Most people with allergies are a little more cautious about what they are eating. Perhaps this guy just needs to get a clue...

http://www.dailymail.com/story/News/200 ... 0-million/

Reasons we like coffee...

Thursday, 9 August, 2007, 08:26 - Coffee

An interesting interview with the owner of my favorite coffee shop...

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articl ... leID=33570

The Definition Of Irony

Tuesday, 7 August, 2007, 09:40 - Politics

"We live in a world where what used to be called propaganda now has a major role to play in shaping public opinion." -Al Gore

Yeah, no kidding chump...



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070807/ap_ ... U5PzkE1vAI

The Socialist Love-Fest Continues...

Thursday, 2 August, 2007, 09:52 - Philosophy, Random Thoughts, Politics

Is this really going to be good for Sean Penn's credibility? Or for Chavez's for that matter? The proof of right and wrong comes in the character of those who are on the right side...


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070802/ap_ ... uQUZYE1vAI

Beer Friday #15

Friday, 20 July, 2007, 06:55 - Beer, Beer Friday

This week's selection comes from the brewery that brought the legendary Moose Drool Brown Ale; Big Sky Brewing Company of Missoula, Montana. So I know that this brewery is perfectly capable of producing a worthy beer.

Why then did they unleash their Summer Honey Seasonal Ale on the world? This stuff is almost the blandest tasting beer I have ever tried. Perhaps they should have called this one Moose Drool. It tastes about like what you'd expect moose drool to taste like if seasoned with honey and some light spices.

So stick to their brown ale and the Powderhound Winter Ale; those are both worthy beers.

Death Ride!

Sunday, 15 July, 2007, 07:19 - Cycling, Legends

Ever since the first time I heard of the Death Ride, I have thought that it would be a worthy accomplishment to finish the five passes. And I have to say that it did not disappoint me.

I'll go back to Friday morning to begin the story. I had ordered a new wheelset for my bike on Saturday, and the FedEx tracking system was saying that the package was on the truck ready for delivery at 6:50AM. So I figured that I would wait for that to show up. No sense riding on a heavier wheel if I can avoid it!

After waiting for hours, the delivery guy showed up around 1:30 or so; and I hurriedly put the tires and tubes on. Then the back wheel would not fit in the dropouts. After filing the paint off the inside of the dropouts, I was good to go. Now I had about six hours to get up to Markleeville for the check in.

Mental note: don't take Highway 4 to get to Markleeville! The road is way to slow... Highway 89 is a much better route to get there! Avoid Highway 4 except for the part between Highways 5 and 99... Okay, back to the show.

After far too much time in my car, I got the Turtle Rock Park at around 8:15PM, and checked in. After buying the souvenir pint glass, I went off to sleep.

At 5:00AM, I woke up and got into my cycling clothes and headed over to the official start. My starting cue was given by the radio that one of the volunteers had set up. Phil Collins' 'In The Air Tonight' was playing, so I waited until that classic drum solo started and took off.

The rest of the day seems almost like a blur now. So I will present it that way.

Hand shaking cold for the first few miles, and then getting warmed up with the climb up the west side of Monitor Pass. Passing people, and getting passed by some damned good riders. So many nice bikes on the road as well. I think the coolest one was the old-school lugged steel Colnago that one dude was riding. A very enjoyable climb! After breezing down the descent over to Highway 395, it was time to turn around and head back up the east side of Monitor. This side is nowhere near as steep as the west side, but it was in full sunlight, so it seemed a bit harder. But still the miles keep pouring on, and in no time I am back up on the top of the pass, and ready to get on to the rest of the climbs. The west descent was a lot of fun, and was over way too soon. Then I headed south onto Highway 4, and back up towards Ebbetts Pass.

The road to Ebbetts is quite narrow, so it was a very good thing that it was closed to auto traffic (Monitor was as well). But the climbing is very steady; even steep in places. I think that the east side of Ebbetts is tougher than the other passes. But hey, that's just an opinion! Everyone else seems to think that west Monitor is toughest... When I got up to the top I enjoyed some fine food at the rest stop; and then headed down into Hermit Valley. By now the temperature was getting hot, so I knew I would be in for some real suffering on the rest of the ride. The only disconcerting moment of the ride came about half way down the west side of Ebbetts when I came to a place where a rider had crashed. I had to pass left of the ambulance that was stopped in the road, and saw that the rider was being loaded in. The bad part was riding across blood spilled on the road. It didn't look too bad, but I hope that he was okay.

Once I got down into Hermit Valley, I had to turn around and go back up for 5 miles to get back to Ebbetts Pass. I had to stop once or twice to cool myself off in the shade, but I did eventually make the summit. And then I was able to enjoy the fast descent down to the lunch stop. After a great lunch of a turkey sandwich and various chip, cookies and fruit; I headed back north for the final climb of the day. By the time I got down into Woodfords, the temperature had to be up in the low 90s so the suffering for the first bit of climbing was immense. For a while, I was stopping every mile or so in the shade, and even dunked my head in the river at one point (man, that felt good!).

After getting up into the upper parts of Hope Valley, the temperature cooled down to a reasonable amount of hot, and I was able to make better progress. But still, the last few miles seemed interminable, and when Finally got to the 1/2 mile to go mark, I got my second (or 12th?) wind and was able to sprint for the summit. At the rest stop at the top, I laid down for about ten minutes in the shade and had some ice water and a fudgesicle (man that was good!). And I got my five summits pin, which was even better! Now I just had to make it back to the start!

The descent from Carson Pass is actually (I think) the best one of the ride. There are lots of longer straightaways and it is a constant descent. I was able to hit 51 MPH near the bottom of it without pushing at all. After getting back into Woodfords, there were only a series of rolling hills before my destination. When I topped the last rise, I shifted up and sprinted all out for the finish line.

This ride is supposed to be 129 miles, though I only recorded 123 on my odometer. And the total climbing is listed as 15,000+. Not bad for a day's work! My riding time was 10:35 (which is very slow if you consider that I have done 200 miles in 12:09).

Beer Friday #14

Friday, 13 July, 2007, 11:31 - Beer Friday

This one comes from Marina, CA; and is a great English-style IPA. Dragonslayer IPA... Get yourself one at Trials Pub in downtown San Jose...

Let time good times roll!

Saturday, 7 July, 2007, 20:36 - Cycling, Legends

I'm drinking the celebratory Red Branch Hard Black Cherry Cider after pretty much finishing my new bike. I still need to put grip tape on the bars and then it's ready to ride... I also ordered some new wheels, so then it will look (and ride) even better.

The total weight comes in at around 18 pounds, and of course it will ride like a dream!

CSOTW...

Friday, 6 July, 2007, 12:39 - Humor, Comic Strip Of The Week

It's getting there...

Saturday, 30 June, 2007, 18:22 - Cycling

This is the end of my first day of building my new bike. I've already discovered one part that I forgot to get; hopefully that's the only one...

Beer Friday #13

Friday, 29 June, 2007, 22:38 - Beer, Beer Friday

Lucky number 13 comes from the Seabright Brewery in Santa Cruz. This has been one of my favorite local pubs since I first went there after a mountain bike ride at UCSC a few years ago. Not surprisingly, this was the first beer that I had there; and it remains my favorite selection there.

The Seabright has some great food, so it's not just the beer. So head on over to the corner of Seabright and Murray next time you're in Santa Cruz. And try their Oatmeal Stout...

Picture of me golfing...

Thursday, 28 June, 2007, 13:08 - Photography

This is from a couple of weeks ago. Enjoy...

My Favorite Comic Strip...

Monday, 25 June, 2007, 14:47 - Random Thoughts

Is one that I just discovered today...

Brevity



http://www.comics.com/comics/brevity/index.html

Comic Strip of the week...

Saturday, 23 June, 2007, 15:59 - Comic Strip Of The Week

Beer Friday #12

Friday, 22 June, 2007, 14:39 - Beer Friday

The lucky winner this week is Old No. 38 Stout from the North Coast Brewing Company. This is an outstanding stout, and certainly among my favorites...

Just Another Crazy Ride...

Sunday, 17 June, 2007, 11:51 - Cycling

My plan was simple: climb Kings Mountain Road, Old La Honda Road, Montebello Road, Mount Eden/Pierce Road, and Highway 9. All of these in one day would surely be a worthy challenge; and a worthy warmup for the Death Ride next month.

I intended on a 6:00 AM start, but just couldn't drag myself out of bed early enough, so I ended up not starting until nearly 7:30. The memory of last night's workout was still in my muscles, but I figured that I could work through it. And for the most part I was right. The ride up into Woodside was uneventful, and soon enough I was starting up Kings Mountain (the clock starts at the old Woodside Store). The climb is rather enjoyable and a consistent 7.1% grade for all 4.2 miles. Not bad! My dad saw me climbing the hill as he was going back down, and we talked for a couple of minutes before going off our own ways (he climbed Kings twice yesterday). My total time ended up being 31:30, which I suppose isn't bad for my first go on the hill. At the top, I headed south on Skyline through the fog drip falling like rain. I was actually pretty cold up there, and the descent down Highway 84 was a relief after that.

From there I made my way over to Old La Honda and started up that. I'm sure that I have never suffered so much on a hill! I guess I used all my energy sprinting up Kings Mountain... After everyone and their sister passed me, I made the top in 32 minutes (7:30 off of my best time, and my slowest time by 5 minutes!). Then I headed back down 84 and back down Foothill and off to attempt Montebello Road, which I had never been on riding a road bike. But first I stopped for lunch at Trader Joe's...

After climbing the short hill to Steven's Creek Reservoir, the weather turned a bit to the hot side, and I was soon suffering even more. I started up Montebello but only made it a mile before realizing that it was just too hot and exposed to the sun. Another day I will go back and do the whole thing!

From there, I headed up to Mount Eden Road and the short climb up over to Pierce. Then I struggled up that hill as well (it is actually one of the steeper hills in the area (but fortunately it is only a half of a mile)). Then I descended the lower part of Highway 9, and on to Peets with a side trip around West Valley College (what are they doing to the swimming pool?!). At Peets I ran into one of my co-workers (Christian), and after chatting for a while and resting my feet I headed off for the remaining 11 miles...

After all that, I went off to Jean's birthday celebration and bowled a couple of games at AMF Milpitas and then headed over to Banana Leaf for a great dinner of Malaysian food.

All in all, just about 94 miles on the bike; and about 6000 feet of climbing. Good times!

Beer Friday #11

Friday, 15 June, 2007, 23:18 - Beer, Beer Friday

This is one for the ages... I've been meaning for a while to get my hands on some of the products of Rabbit's Foot Meadery. They are a local company (Sunnyvale) who make some of the finest meads in the country. But no one seems to carry their stuff, and I haven't gotten around to ordering it direct yet. One of these days...

But anyway, I found a couple of their beers on the shelf at Beverages and More, and just had to pick some up. I've only tried one of them, but it turned out to be one of the best beers I've ever had; and certainly the best Kölsch that I've tried.

So anyway, go out and get a bottle of the Bier de Miele. You will not be let down...

http://www.rabbitsfootmeadery.com/

CSOTW...

Monday, 11 June, 2007, 12:55 - Random Thoughts, Comic Strip Of The Week

Do you like this one better? I have nothing better to add right now... I'm still a little sun-fried from playing my first round of golf ever yesterday, and a little tired from not enough sleep. I'm sure that pictures and more stories will soon follow.

Comic Strip Of The Week

Wednesday, 6 June, 2007, 13:09 - Random Thoughts, Comic Strip Of The Week

The first pictures...

Monday, 4 June, 2007, 22:09 - Cycling

Thanks to Paul Sadoff at Rock Lobster for the pictures. My new frame should be ready early next week. Then I can really tear up the roads. =)