My biking moment

Normally, my bike commute isn't terribly eventful. While I've had a few brushes with vehicles, the more amusing situations involve other bikers, especially those who like to ask me about my bike. This morning, I had one of those moments...

So, I was approaching a red light on my bike, slowing down gradually. The car at the front of the line wanted to turn right, and when the light turned green, he waited courteously (as most drivers do) for me to clear the intersection. As I passed him, I heard a voice from behind yelling: "Does he see us? DOES HE SEE US?" Not wanting to take my eyes off the road, I waited until I cleared the intersection before turning around to find a fellow biker, who explained to me that "if he doesn't see me, he's going to hear me." I chuckled to myself, since it was me that he nearly frightened into doing something dangerous. That's when the fun started:

Him (in that happy-go-lucky, too-peppy-for-7am, patronizing voice that bikers love): SO...where are you headed this morning?
Me (in my best grouchy voice): Just headed to work.
Him: That's great! Where's that at?
Me: Pacific Highway (literally, about a hundred yards away at this point)
Him: Cool! I'm headed to the post office!

As he passed me, I got a full glimpse of his wardrobe, and he was dressed something like this guy (side note: who puts pictures of themselves like this on Flickr?):



Did he expect to get some sort of discount at his destination for wearing team colors? Is the post office even open before 8am? Did this guy know that being in a post office is one of the most depressing things in the world to? Fortunately, by the time I had formulated these thoughts, he and I had parted ways. Oh, the fun!

To the summit of Half Dome and back

This weekend's adventure took me up to Yosemite for a date with Half Dome, perhaps the most iconic part of one of the most iconic national parks in our country. The hike itself is perhaps the most challenging and rewarding day hike I've ever done: more than 16 miles round-trip with a 4800' vertical gain, ending with a 300' ascent up a steep rock race with aid of cables. I drove up Friday afternoon with the intent on getting an early start Saturday morning in order to get back by sunset (the hike could take from 10-12 hours). The forecast was for the coldest weather of the season, with lows dipping below freezing and a 20% chance of snow showers in the valley.

Yosemite is unique among the national parks I've been to in that they severely limit accessibility, especially to people without advance reservations (like me). There's thousands of acres of open space, but the only place you're allowed to camp is in one of the handful of campgrounds or, if you're lucky to arrive during business hours, get a backcountry permit. Since there was no way possible for me to get there in time for the permit, and since I didn't plan this trip 6 months ago, I ended up getting shut out of the park on Friday night and ended up sleeping in my car(!) on a Forest Service road just outside the park boundary. By the time I parked in the eerie darkness, temperatures had already plummeted to 28 degrees. It wasn't my best night of sleep, but at least I was able to catch the end of the Red Sox game on the radio before turning in for the night.

Saturday morning started pre-dawn, at 5:30am, when I started my car en route for the trailhead, about an hour up the road in Yosemite Valley. It was still bitterly cold, and I brought with me practically all the heavy clothing I had with me from San Diego. It barely sufficed. In the parking lot, I threw together a few PB&J sandwiches for lunch, to go with various other assorted snacks and water, and began the long trek. I don't recall having ever having hiked 16 miles in a day before, but I figured lots of people do this, why couldn't I?

As I ascended the trail, the sun came out and I quickly peeled layers off, switching over to shorts and a long sleeved pullover. Shortly into the hike, I came across the first evidence of snow (just a dusting), and became nervous that Half Dome would be too icy to climb at the end. The waterfalls that Yosemite is famous for came into view, first Vernal Falls and then Nevada. Before I knew it, I was at the top of Nevada falls with a great overlook facing straight down. So gorgeous! Along the way, I met numerous other day hikers, a few of whom were nice enough to take pictures of me. I've said it before and I'll say it again -- the people you meet on the trail are among the nicest you'll meet anywhere.

The middle part of the trail was relatively flat, and featured the first views of majestic Half Dome, a rocky precipice 8800' up, looking out over the entire valley and beyond. Seeing how far I still had to go, I could barely believe I would actually make it. My goal was to reach the summit by 12:30, and I was right on pace. Gradually the the trail began get steeper.

After abut 7.5 miles of strenuous hiking, the climax was in front of me, and I had never seen anything quite like it. I was standing on a rocky mound of granite, looking up at an even taller mound that had cables mounted into the rock and hikers climbing up the 20-degree incline. I was already sore and tired, and worried about my ability to continue at the most dangerous point in the trek, especially with nobody there to push me. Briefly, I thought about not doing it, but I quickly changed my mind, realizing that I couldn't come all this way for nothing. I got in line and began the slow crawl up to the top. This being the peak time of day for this point in the trail, there was substantial traffic in both directions, creating delays. Balancing on a steep rock face in a stiff, cold wind is hardly the kind of place you want to be spending extra time, but you have little choice in the matter. The only alternative -- which some people chose -- was to take the risk of going outside the cables. Not for me.

Finally! I reached the top and roamed around a bit, getting nowhere near the edge. I marveled at how several other hikers had no such fears of the void, with some actually dangling their feet over the 4000' dropoff into the valley. The 360-degree views were incredible, and photography would never do them justice. It wasn't long before I noticed storm clouds blowing in, and with it the chance of more snow, and so I decided to descend after about 15 minutes on the summit.

The hike down was very painful. The minor tendinitis in both my knees began to flare about halfway down, making every downhill step incredibly painful (and made my worry about doing permanent damage). As expected, clouds moved in and snow flurries started to fly, ushering in the end of the Half Dome hiking season. In my haste to get down, I took the steeper option, which only served to make it more miserable on my knees. The last mile, which was a gradual descent down a paved path, ended up taking more than half an hour, since I was able to take only very small steps. Some friendly hikers noticed my obvious pain and offered me some Alleve, which I happily downed. Finally, at about 5:30, I reached the trailhead again, sore and completely exhausted.

I spent about half an hour driving around in an attempt to find a camping spot in Yosemite Valley, but again I was turned away, back to my Forest Service road from the night before. On my way out of the valley, I captured some amazing sunset pictures over El Capitan (the other Yosemite icon). Going in, I was not optimistic about any noteworthy shots, but looking back now I am extremely happy with how they turned out. The lighting and colors of autumn in a national park could make anyone's photography look good, I think.

Saturday night, I decided to pitch a tent instead of sleeping in the car again. This allowed me to stretch out more, since Mitsubishi Eclipses aren't that big. Again, the temperatures dipped well below freezing, so that when I went to cook breakfast Sunday morning, my water was partially frozen. No matter, the rest of the day would get gradually warmer, and by 6:30 that night, I was back in San Diego.

Going in, I didn't know what to expect from this trip. It is certainly a long way to go for a non-3-day weekend (about 7.5 hours), and the crowds of Yosemite that scared me away during the summer were there in full force this early October weekend. Even so, the hike lived up to the hype as much as any I've ever done, and I recommend it to anybody who has the slightest interest in trying it -- you will not be disappointed!

Here is a link to all the photos from the trip.

Exploring the OC

This past weekend, Devin was able to score us some tickets to Game 2 of the ALDS between the Red Sox and Angels up in Anaheim, so I decided to head up there. I had been thinking for a few weeks of doing a one-way bike ride between his house and San Diego, and the stars seemed aligned, since Tracy was unable to come, there was a favorable train schedule, and of course, the weather forecast was perfect.

The game on Friday night was awesome. Due to traffic, we had to listen to the first inning on the radio, but the Sox were up 4-1 by the time we got to our seats. They spent the rest of the game letting the Angels creep back into it, before delivering the knockout blow in the 9th inning, leaving with a 7-5 victory. It was the second playoff game I had been to in my life (I went to a Sox/Yankees ALCS game back in 1999), and I was amazed at how loud the Angels fans get...with an assist from the ThunderStix that they all seemed to have. They really do get into it.

After a pretty mellow Saturday, I had set up to leave on my bike ride early Sunday morning. To cut some distance from the trip, I had parked my car at Solana Beach, about 20 miles up the road from San Diego. My goal was to cover about 75 miles in about 5 hours, leaving at dawn and getting back to Solana Beach around noon. Silly me decided to stay up till after 1am on Saturday night, though, meaning I got scarcely 4 good hours of sleep before the alarm went off.

The ride itself was a mixture of beauty, relaxation, pain, delirium, and a little of everything in between. The first half went wonderfully. I stopped in Dana Point, 34 miles in, to refill my Gatorade. Laguna Beach was more hilly than I was bargaining for, but it was certainly nice riding by all the beaches and businesses. It kept my eyes off the GPS and made the miles go by faster.

San Clemente is the last town in Orange County before you hit Camp Pendleton (a Marine base) and San Onofre State Beach. I made a brief wrong turn before finding the path again (there seemed to be signs for the bike route everywhere I didn't need them, but there was none here where I did need it). At this point my ride change. No longer were there any towns or businesses, and it was all just biking along a road paralleling I-5 for about 10 miles. Then I actually entered Camp Pendleton and headed more inland, taking away the distraction of the beach. It was a struggle, as I began to ache in places other than my legs, and hunger started to set in. Unfamiliar with the roads, I didn't know how long it would be before I emerged back into civilization. I decided at this point that I would end my ride a bit early in Oceanside, the first town outside of the camp.

The first business I ran across was a much-needed grocery store, which was actually a military exchange. All I craved was another Gatorade and a Snickers. I walked through the store like a zombie, went to check out, and was asked for my military ID. Oops. I contemplated pleading with the checkout lady, but decided against it, eventually heading to the other end of the parking lot to get the same treats.

Soon thereafter, I arrived at the Oceanside train depot, extremely sore in my upper body and covered in a thick layer of salt. I managed to cover about 61 miles in about 4.5 hours, and while I didn't hit my goal, this was easily my longest ride ever. Here is a link to my route. It was a very educational experience, and now that I know the route, I may just try it again with a little more preparedness and a few more hours of sleep the night before.

On tap for this weekend: Hiking Half Dome at Yosemite. Stay tuned.

It's been a quiet few weeks...

Not a whole lot new to write about recently, but the next several weekends are bound to be a bit more exciting. Here's what's on tap:

- Tomorrow, I am taking the train up to the OC to take in tomorrow night's Red Sox-Angels game (game 2 of the Division Series) with Devin. We're even tossing around the idea of going to Saturday's Game 3 of the Dodgers-Cubs series, too. Then, on Sunday, I will be biking back from Devin's house to Solana Beach (where I am leaving my car), marking my first extended bike ride (approximately 75 miles). I can't wait!

- Next weekend, I am planning on driving up to Yosemite to hike Half Dome. Unfortunately, I was unable to rope anyone into going with me (except for my boss, who is driving with me to Fresno), so it'll be another solo effort. I haven't done so much as a day hike since February, so I'm very much looking forward to the fresh air and trees.

- The weekend after that, I will be traveling up to Seattle to take care of some work around the house, and of course, to go sailing. Given the buyer's market that exists in most of the country, I'm going to give some thought into investing in another property up there for when Tracy and I move back, provided that a bank will actually loan us the money! It's amazing how much prices have fallen, and besides, I've got at least two really good tenants at my current house.

- The following weekend, my friend Kevin will be in town from Seattle. It's always a fun time when we get together, and rumor has it he's intending for us to take kiteboarding lessons when he's here. We'll have to see...

That's all for now!

The next frontier?

Now that the whole wedding thing has come and gone, I am primed for my next adventure. After spending an afternoon at the San Diego Air and Space Museum, I once again got that itch to get my pilot's license. The practical side of me thought that I should probably wait until all the wedding bills are paid off before embarking on another expensive endeavor, and besides, don't I already have enough expensive habits? The fun side of me thought that I'm living in a city with beautiful weather, easy access to airports, numerous pilots and flying clubs, and I've got more free time on my hands than I probably will once Tracy finishes up her residency.

Naturally, the fun side is starting to win out. This afternoon, I went down to one of the local flight schools and picked the brain of the owner with all the questions I could possibly come up with. One of the most important, for me, is how much money I'll be out when it's all said and done. Flying ain't cheap. Each person I ask this to replies the same way: it depends on how fast you pick it up. The bare minimum (which nobody hits) to get your private pilot's license is 40 hours of flying. National average is about 70 hours. And, like most people, I like to think I'm better than average ;). So unfortunately, that huge variability makes it nearly impossible to budget for. The other day, I had convinced myself that it is unfeasible. Today, I have decided to try saving for a few months and seeing what happens. At the very least, I know that I have Tracy's blessing in all of this, and that is worth so very much. Apparently, girls like that don't come around very often. How'd I get so lucky?

The DIY audio slideshow

The audio slideshow from our wedding got me wondering just how hard it is to put one of these things together. Incidentally, while reading the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, I ran across an article about some fellow alums who do just this sort of thing, at a company they started called Animoto. So, I decided to take a stab at making my own movie from our honeymoon pictures and here's what came out. If nothing else, it ought to give you a good laugh!

(Note to readers: I wanted to post this on the blog that Tracy and I share, but it was vetoed by her. Any guesses as to why that might be?)

The Honeymoon

Tracy and I have decided to open a new blog for our shared adventures, since there's no need for each of us to blog about the same one, right? Devin thinks this is what marriage has become in the 21st century. He may be on to something. So, without further ado, I unveil...


THE ADVENTURES OF TRACY AND ADAM!!!!

(Click on the link to go there)

The Big Weekend

For 12 months, I had been assuring people that it doesn't rain in Seattle in August. While I knew that it certainly could rain, part of me doing this was trying to convince the weather gods to be on my side. I should've known better. Sandwiched right between two heat waves was one cool and stormy day: August 9, 2008.

The weekend started off well enough. On Friday afternoon, I took out a bunch of people on my sailboat, and conditions couldn't have been better -- ideal winds and gradually clearing skies. By the time of the rehearsal (at Gasworks Park) and rehearsal dinner (a wonderful event at Ponti's), the sun was shining brightly and all looked good, even though the forecast for the next day was a mixed bag. Overnight it rained, and by the time we woke up Saturday morning, the skies were getting sunnier with each hour. I was optimistic.

I took the groomsmen to a restaurant called Atlas (in U-Village) for breakfast prior to heading over to Vashon Island. It was a beautiful fall-ish day, with cool temps and a brisk wind. By the time we reached the ferry dock, though, trouble was brewing on the horizon. The whole island was encased in storm clouds. To make matters worse, the ferry we were intending to catch never arrived, creating a long backlog of cars. I needed to get to the island ASAP to set up, and decided to grab Devin and walk-on in hopes of snagging a ride to the farm with Kendell.

My plan worked perfectly, except it began to rain as soon as we got on the island. At the farm, though, all was dry and we hurriedly began setting up tables and chairs while the caterers prepped, the band arrived and set up, the photographers photographed, the shuttle bus driver arrived, and the ladies did whatever it is they do. The other groomsmen, left to my rental car, played a cruel practical joke on me by telling me they got off the ferry at Southworth, rather than Vashon. I fell for it instantly, and began complaining about them to the bus driver before realizing that they were actually on the property already. I guess I was a little stressed? By the time guests started arriving (so early!) I was still not in uniform, nor were my groomsmen. As we hastily put on our suits in the garden house, I received word that the skies had opened up and now everything was soaked. I stepped outside to confirm that it was, indeed, raining, and had no idea what to do next. We had seven 10x10 pop-up tents at our disposal, and there were three 20x20 tents on the property that I opted not to set up (required lots of time, and again, I was tempting the weather gods). The rain refused to stop, and the next thing I know, the decision had been made to try to set up the big tents in haste. Then, to my amazement, I see Tracy's dad (not in his suit yet!) driving a tractor around with some tents on it, being assisted by our caterer. I could barely believe my eyes. What had been a carefully choreographed day had now devolved into this! The ceremony was supposed to start in about 15 minutes, and I had no idea how it was all going to come together. Tracy had sent a message from inside that she wasn't interested in making any more decisions either. I felt completely powerless.

But then, almost by miracle, the rain stopped and the skies cleared. We had ditched the idea of a seated ceremony in favor of umbrellas and tents (I can't thank enough all the people who moved tents, umbrellas, and chairs around to make it all happen), and suddenly, it was GO time! The trumpeter from the band played solo as the wedding party made it's way down the aisle. Everything went wonderfully, and there was even a receiving line of sorts after the ceremony. Then, during hors d'oeuvres hour, the photographers took pictures of Tracy and me, as well as the requisite family shots before dinner was served around 5pm. So far so good, until...

The rain began again in earnest right before the food was ready. This particular downpour was the hardest of the day, and showed no signs of letting up anytime soon. Numerous people tried to tell me it was good luck to have rain on your wedding day, but all I wanted was bad luck. Resigned to eating standing up under a tent, I decided to lead the charge to the buffet line with Tracy and start the process. The food, as expected, was unbelievable, but I only wish the hot stuff stayed hotter longer. Covered by a mix of odd-colored umbrellas, Tracy and I attempted to eat dinner at our table, which looked so pretty earlier in the day before it got drenched. Unfortunately, the customary visit to all the other tables never really happened, and I didn't get to introduce ourselves as a couple to everyone I had hoped. No matter, though, our guests made the best out of a tough situation. Huddled under random tents and umbrellas, people got acquainted with people they otherwise might not have, and lots of new friendships were born. People genuinely seemed to be having a lot of fun, and it all made for probably one of their most memorable weddings.

The rest of the evening was a blur to me. Mini cheesecakes were served for desserts (which were also a big hit!), and around that time, the sun came out for good. Devin and Kate gave very nice speeches, and additional toasts were done by Emily and Tracy's dad. By the time our first dance came, it was getting pretty late in the evening. The females all seemed cold, and many had shed their fancy shoes for flip-flops or bare feat. Tracy's dress was rather muddy from being around all day as we danced to "Unforgettable", played by our band (by all accounts, the band was very impressive, although I could only recall that song and the ceremony music). We laughed as we danced, as neither of us had expected anything like what our special day had become. But perhaps because of this, it was especially special, because like most everything else we do, there was nothing conventional about this wedding. Appropriately, the event ended with a double rainbow over Puget Sound as we all cleaned up.

After the wedding, we stopped briefly at the Pan Pacific hotel (where we stayed that night) before continuing on to Kate and Ben's house for the after-party. True to form, our friends and family didn't disappoint and turned out in large numbers. Tracy and I stayed until all the guests were gone, content on letting the busiest and most amazing day of our lives come to a quiet end.

The next morning, we all gathered at the Tylee household for brunch, and opened the wedding gifts that had been sent there. It was a nice and relaxing way to recover from the previous day's adventures, and prepare us for the next adventure the following morning.

I don't know that I had the chance to formally thank all the people that made it all possible. Our families came through like champs: my family traveled from all corners of the country, sometimes with kids, and were right there by my side when I needed them most. My mom threw a wonderful party for us at Ponti's the night before the wedding, which was even more challenging considering she did it from 3000 miles away. Tracy's family was equally amazing, helping out with all the pre-wedding arrangements, picking up and delivering many of the items needed for the event, and hosting a lovely brunch the morning after. My groomsmen were there in the clutch when I needed them most, always a step ahead of me and making my life somewhat easier on the day of the wedding. And a big thank you to Ben, who was basically an honorary groomsmen in going above and beyond the call of duty to facilitate it all. And last but not least, all of our friends deserve our thanks for sticking it out and making the best of a rough situation. There were too many individual efforts to point out, but I don't think it would've gone as well as it did without them.

Pre-Wedding

The last four weeks have been a wild ride, and I've got lots of catching up to do in this space. When I last wrote, I had just been let go from my job, and was beginning a four-week stretch of not working, touring San Diego with my family, getting married, and going to Peru on my honeymoon. I will start with what I did prior to leaving San Diego...

My mom arrived in town on her birthday, a day ahead of my sister and her family. To celebrate, she and I drove up to the OC to visit Devin and go out for a nice dinner over the water in Long Beach. The next morning, my sister's family arrived and the madness began. With three jet-lagged kids under the age of 7, there was never a dull moment. Fortunately, their vacation rental wasn't too far from my apartment, which allowed for some flexibility.

The big highlight of the week was Legoland. My nephew is a huge Lego fan, and there had been an incredible build up for our visit. Even Uncle Devin and his friend Aly were coming down from Huntington Beach. We aimed for Monday, hoping to avoid any additional weekend crowds, but suffice it to say the park was still quite crowded. We waited in line 45 minutes for our first ride. The park itself was probably pretty neat for a kid. Personally, I enjoyed the elaborate Lego structures situated throughout the park, including replicas of several U.S. cities. After a tiring day at the park, we came back to my apartment for a BBQ with Tracy.

The other major highlight of the week was going to the zoo, which we did on Wednesday. As always, it didn't disappoint, and I actually sat down for a few of the shows this time, which were a nice treat.

On Thursday, we all decided to switch our flights to fly out a few hours earlier to Seattle, which seemed to help a lot since there was a lot of coordination that needed to happen once we got there. Fortunately, all the out of town Silberfeins arrived about the same time, and I was able to direct them to where they needed to go for the big weekend.

July Updates

I've been terrible about keeping this blog up to date lately, but since I think I've talked to most of my readers personally, the motivation is waning. Anyway, here's a recap of what I've been up to since my last post:

- Two weekends ago, Tracy and I joined Devin and a friend to see the VH1 Tribute to The Who in L.A. It was an odd mix of Pearl Jam fans and baby boomers, and the results were mixed. Several bands took the stage in addition to Pearl Jam and The Who (each cover band getting two or three songs), and I must say I wouldn't have minded seeing more of The Flaming Lips. However, being staged for TV as it was, everything had to fit neatly into a two hour time slot,and there were some re-takes mixed in. A little weird, but certainly worth the trip.

- Last weekend, Tracy and I went back to Seattle for a friend's wedding. It's always nice to go back, especially in the summer, and the weather did not disappoint (let's hope for a repeat performance for our wedding!). We spent some time with our caterer on a site visit, and wrapped up many of the remaining details for the wedding planning. I can't wait!

- The other big news that occurred in my life is that I resigned from my job on Thursday (and was let go on Friday). I've decided to take a new, similar position at a much different kind of company, with very different hours (was: 9:30-6:30, will be: 7:30-4:00). I'm looking forward to being able to match Tracy's hours better, as well as being able to take our new dog to the dog park after work year-round. They've even left open the possibility of working remotely after our next move. So far, so good. I start after our honeymoon.

Now, I have lots of time to myself all of a sudden. It's weird not being at work on a weekday, but it will be nice to have time to spend with my family when they come out to visit next week. Maybe I'll even cook Tracy dinner for a change!

A weekend of wine and Reagan

This past weekend (over July 4th), Tracy had the rarest of rare: a 3-day weekend! This was reason enough to put together a spontaneous road trip. We narrowed our options to San Felipe, Baja or Santa Barbara (both about equidistant from San Diego), before eventually settling on a domestic trip. Tracy really wanted to follow the Sideways script and go to wine country, while I wasn't too thrilled by the idea, but was interested in stopping by the Reagan library and museum in Simi Valley, which is on the way. We compromised by doing both of them, and really had a fabulous time.

We reserved Saturday morning for two hours with Reagan. Tracy was silly enough to think that we'd be the only ones there when the museum opened, but we had plenty of company (it's July 4th weekend!). The museum didn't disappoint, and I actually liked it a bit more than the Nixon museum we went to last year. Even the food was tasty. They had a completely reconstructed Air Force One plane inside the museum that we got to tour -- neat stuff!

That afternoon we spent wandering the streets and pier of Santa Barbara, a small city teeming with tourists. I can't really say there was anything particularly noteworthy about the city -- it reminded me of a much large version of Hanover, NH. We also toured the Santa Barbara Mission, and I was reminded of a visit I made almost 15 years ago to a monastary in Assisi. Not surprisingly, I learned, they are both Franciscan.

We spent Sunday in wine country, beginning with a brief stop in Solvang -- a Danish-themed town that resembles Leavenworth, WA. It was as quaint and picturesque as you might expect, complete with a museum dedicated to Hans Christian Andersen. Afterward, we headed on to the wineries -- four total -- where Tracy went to town tasting various wines. I tasted at the first stop but came away unimpressed (I'm not a big fan of wine), and continued on as the designated driver. We also stopped at a berry farm to pick a pint of raspberries, which is always a treat for me.

During our long ride home, we hit some traffic in Santa Barbara, but after that it was pretty clear sailing. We took the beautiful coastal route home as much as possible, including a stop in Malibu for dinner. It's amazing how isolated that area feels even though it's only a short drive from L.A.!

More Karma

Ever since I wrote my last post, Karma has been an absolute angel. She's perhaps the easiest dog I've ever cared for. Unlike most other dogs that get distracted by just about anything, she can go on a walk for half an hour, not pull at all, and ignore virtually every moving thing around her (cars, people, birds, and even other dogs!). She enjoys going to the dog park and occupying herself by intruding into other dogs' playtime, and has even been known to come once in a while when you call her. She's also very excited every day when I get home from work, and that's always nice. She's only with us for 4 more days, unfortunately, but it won't be long before we have a dog of our own!

The Dog Who Cried Wolf

Tracy and I are in the middle of a 3-week dogsitting gig for some friends of ours from Orange County. We're almost to the point of having a dog of our own, but in the meantime, we've had to rely on other people letting us care for their dogs while they are out of town. Between dogsitting and fostering, we've seen all sorts of personalities come and go (Tutu, our last one, wouldn't let me go anywhere near her). Our current dog, Karma, has an incurable case of the whines. Here she is, acting like an angel (which is the case much of the time):


Unfortunately, though, each morning around...oh...an hour before I want to get up, she interprets each movement I make as a sign that I want to go take her on a long walk or run, and lets me know this by whining. Normally, when a dog whines like this, I assume he/she has to go out, but with Karma, I got over this notion pretty quickly. I'm hoping that I don't misinterpret her that one time where she actually does have to go out, but in the meantime, I am nicknaming her the "Dog who cried wolf".

Lots of Travel!

It's been a while since I posted anything new in this space, and most of the reason is that I just haven't had a whole lot of stuff going on. But in early June, all that changed as I had two consecutive weekends out of town.

The first weekend was actually a 4-day weekend, where I joined my friend Kevin and several of his friends on a sailing trip to the San Juan Islands (in Washington). There were ten of us total, divided between two very luxurious sailboats (a 46' and a 49'), which meant very comfortable sailing, eating, sleeping, and of course, partying. Even better, the winds were favorable the whole time, and the rain not only held off for the first few days, it was actually quite sunny and pleasant. Here's a link to some photos that one of my fellow crewmembers took.

This past weekend, I went to Houston for my brother's "graduation" from his general surgery residency. Amazingly, my whole immediate family and even some a niece and some nephews were there too. It was predictably warm and humid the whole weekend, but I didn't mind it too much. The highlight was definitely the awards dinner at the Four Seasons on Saturday night, where my brother took home more individual awards than I've ever seen someone get. Apparently, he's quite the surgeon and has an extremely bright future ahead of him. We're all so proud!

In other news and notes, Tracy and I will officially be returning to Seattle a year from now when she starts her endocrinology fellowship. That's very good news, since it was the first choice for both of us. Also, in October, if everything goes according to plan, we'll be welcoming a new puppy into our household. Personally, I've been wanting one for years, and now that I am pretty "settled down", I think the timing is right. Plus, no more trips in the immediate future after our honeymoon, so that should ease things a bit I'm hoping.

FINALLY...Tijuana

After living about 20 miles away for more than a year, I finally ventured into Baja yesterday with Tracy and my friend Lauren. We drove down to the border, parked our cars in a lot on the American side, and walked across a bridge into lovely Tijuana. I had heard many stories about this fabled place, but thankfully none of the scary ones came true. I had a great time for the few hours that I was there, and hope to return sometime soon.

The part of Tijuana we saw was much safer and cleaner than I was expecting. There were vendors everywhere, with $0.99 beers, cheap glassware and plates, sunglasses, drugstores, and t-shirts galore. It was a shopping Mecca. Each store had a guy standing outside trying to reel in shoppers by trying to convince them they needed the stuff inside. I got quite few comments on how I was a "lucky guy" for walking around with two women, and I stayed away from my infamous "No way, Jose" line while negotiating for items. I ended up with a pair of cheap sunglasses, Tracy got a new margarita pitcher, and Lauren was bold enough to buy some prescription drugs. Toward the end, we stopped for some horrible (but authentic Mexican!) margaritas at the of the sidewalk cafes, before return on foot back to U.S. soil.

Everyone was friendly, prices were cheap, and it really did feel like entering a foreign country. It brought back memories to all my other Latin American travels. What a day!

Bird Update

After seeing the culprit, I have concluded that the annoying bird that keeps me up at night is indeed a mockingbird. Fortunately, there seems to be a self-help book out there on how to get rid of these public nuisances -- To Kill a Mockingbird. I've begun reading it and am about halfway through, but so far, I haven't gotten any helpful advice. I wonder if they save it for the end? :-)

Bachelor Party in Vegas!

This past weekend, ten of my friends and my two brothers joined me in Las Vegas for a seriously wild and crazy bachelor party. A fun time was had by all, although I'm not supposed to disclose any details. Much thanks to Devin for organizing it all!

Road Rage

One of the biggest negatives for me about living in San Diego is the way people drive. It's kind of a double-edged sword, since the drive-60-in-the-passing-lane drivers in Seattle were the opposite problem, but the drivers here consistently show little patience. It's almost as if they drive around with their hand half an inch from the horn, prepared to honk as soon as anyone slows them down or offends them in any way. I hear it each and every day from my desk at the intersection near my workplace, and if I ever act remotely courteous to a pedestrian or bicyclist in a cross-walk, I am guaranteed to get the horn myself.

This evening, I decided to tempt fate on my way home from work. Getting one the entrance ramp to the freeway, there is a crosswalk where a bicyclist was waiting to cross. The five cars in front of my zoomed past as though he wasn't even there. I chose to stop and let him cross, causing an immediate backup of five cars behind me, one of which thought it necessary to lay on his horn. Naturally, as soon as we all entered the freeway, he felt it his civic duty to race up to me and pass me, flashing the inevitable hand gesture at me on his way by. Why? I wish just once I was able to ask such people why they are in such a hurry, or why what I did was wrong (even though it is technically following the law). Of course, I'll never know, but it makes for uneasy driving experiences everywhere I go. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there, but there's absolutely no need for driving to be covered by this rule.

People from the East Coast just think this is par for the course. But having just spent five years in The City That Was Afraid To Beep, I've learned to appreciate the lack of noise pollution that is such a constant here.

Trip to Catalina

This past weekend, Tracy and I took advantage of our free overnight to Catalina Island, courtesy of a timeshare company from last summer who gave us the sales pitch. It turned out to be a really worthwhile investment of our time, since I think we both enjoyed the island immensely. The deal included round trip transportation from Newport Beach to the island, a night at a hotel, and a glass-bottom boat tour. We also used the trip as an excuse to go geocaching, and were two-for-two in our searches.

Catalina Island is quite breathtaking, covered almost completely by hills and mountains aside from the small town where most of the locals live, Avalon. Golf carts are the preferred mode of transportation, and -- maybe it was just the time of year -- it seemed a whole lot less crowded than the rest of Southern California. Though we never saw the herd of buffalo that is reputed to live on the island, we did find lots of open spaces in the hills above Avalon.

Here are the pictures we took. As always, you could click on the slideshow to see larger versions with captions.

Food for Your Conscience

Last night, Tracy and I went to dinner at a local restaurant called The Linkery, a restaurant that serves only local food and makes it abundantly clear that they think that local food is better. Actually, just about everything they do is better. During our two-hour wait for a table (reservations not accepted), I read their primer for first-time visitors, which reads like an entry out of one of my favorite blogs. In fact, I'm strongly considering submitting the primer to the blog to share with the rest of their impressive fan base. This was my favorite part: "We charge an 18% fee for table service (i.e., dining-in). We don’t accept tips. We find this appropriate for professionals in any industry including hospitality." They would also like you to know that money left on the table will be donated to charity, and they are extremely generous in their support of charities around the country. I forget what the charity of the week was, but it was certainly on the menu.

Oh, and the food was pretty good but not great. Not worth a two-hour wait, but certainly worthy of a weeknight visit with fewer people.

Those Crazy Birds

Last year, right around this time of year while living in our former house, I came across a most unusual phenomenon: birds chirping in the night. It's the kind of thing you never really notice until they start doing it, and I'm beginning to think that it's the most notable difference about this city from other places I've lived.

This year, they are back in full force. Is it a spring thing? Is it only because the windows are now open every night? Did it happen last summer and I just didn't notice it? Either way, it's annoying as *hell*. I've never been a big bird-lover (even that Big Bird), but this is too much. I've had trouble sleeping for the past week or so, and much of that is attributed to the bird who apparently served as a the model for my alarm clock (which Tracy has referred to as "the evil bird" for some time now). Don't birds sleep at night like the rest of us?

I need a dog

This weekend, Tracy and I were out of a bar and a guy had his dog there -- a very cute dog of a breed that looked very familiar to me but I couldn't place it. Turns out it was a Vizsla. Anyone who knows me knows that I love dogs, and I've been saying for a while that we could get a dog as soon as we get back from our honeymoon and stop traveling so darned much. Vizslas seem to be everything I'm looking for in a dog (aside from an easy spelling!): active, intelligent, short-haired, big-but-not-too-big, friendly, and downright adorable. I even went so far as to find a Vizsla breeder near us, and coincidentally, they are expecting their next litter in late summer of this year. What are the chances? If either of my readers has any first-hand experience with this breed, I'd love to hear a story or two...

In the O.C.

This past weekend, I went out to Orange County to spend some time with my brother. For my birthday, he had gotten me tickets to see an exhibition game between the Red Sox and Dodgers at the L.A. Coliseum. I didn't know it at the time, but this turned out to be a pretty big event -- the largest crowd ever assembled to watch a baseball game (115,300 was the announced attendance). Needless to say, the Coliseum is huge, and our seats were in the very top row in the far depths of center field. The game was interesting at a number of levels, aside from the sheer number of people:

- It was only 201 feet down the left field line, with a 60-foot screen above the wall. This caused the Dodgers to use five infielders and two outfielders for the entire game.
- I've never felt so much in the minority as a Red Sox fan. I'd say that probably 90-95% of the fans there were Dodgers fans, wearing their Dodger Blue. Most were also Hispanic, which is an entirely different way to feel like a minority at a baseball game. It reminded me more of a big soccer crowd at Rio than what I'm used to at ballparks here in this country.
- They operated a free shuttle lot from Dodger Stadium, about 6 miles away, but by the time we got there an hour before game time, there were so many people already waiting for a ride that the expected wait time was two hours. This led to a wild ride across town, where eventually, we got a ride to the game from one of my generous friends.
- The Red Sox won 7-4, and even though most fans had left by the 9th inning, it was still plenty loud as the Dodgers mounted a late comeback. I came away very impressed.

Aside from the game, we tried (in vain) to find outfits for me and the groomsmen for the wedding. Men's Wearhouse doesn't rent suits, apparently, and I cannot bear the thought of wearing a tuxedo at my wedding so we're going to have to find a Plan B.

The weekend ended with me returning the favor to my brother, and taking him to an Anaheim Ducks game with Tracy and her friend. I hadn't been to an NHL game in a few years, but although it was a sellout, the crowd was much more tame than the night before. The Ducks won in a shootout in overtime, and everyone went home happy. What a weekend!

Something I really hate

I haven't been up to too much exciting stuff lately, so I'm left to write about something that annoyed me not once but twice today -- there is a car parked outside my apartment that has an over-sensitive alarm. Even worse, it always tends to go off super-late at night or super-early in the morning, right when you're trying to get in those sleep cycles. I hate it. Tonight I decided to leave a note on the person's car, and ironically, I didn't set the alarm off when I lifted the car's wiper blade. What a stupid, stupid invention and public nuisance. It's bad enough that nary a day goes by where I don't hear an alarm from my office (frequently I hear 5-10 per day). Does anyone even care that these things don't have a very high correlation to break-ins? Can't we come up with a better invention to deter thieves? Grrr....

Exit skiing, enter snowboarding

This weekend I think I made a rather significant transformation. For the last 20+ years of my life, I have been exclusively a skier. Now, after finally dipping my feet in the snowboarding stream, I proclaim myself ready to jump in with both feet (attached to a board).

Tracy and I went to Colorado for a few days; she for an interview, and I to figure out if this is some place I might want to move to. We stayed with one of my good friends from Brazil, Rafael, who moved there last year. On Saturday, the three of us participated in a group lesson for beginner snowboarders at Copper Mountain. Although it was a bit too slow-paced for my tastes, I did end up with about an hour at the end of the afternoon to see what I was really made of. After a few successful runs down the bunny hill, I ended my afternoon by (unintentionally) plowing into a woman at the bottom of the hill as I tried to keep my momentum going as long as possible. Reminded me of an early downhill skiing memory.

I have decided that, wherever I am two winters from now (which will surely be closer to a ski area than San Diego is), I will rent snowboarding equipment for the season and quite possibly get a season pass to a nearby area, in hopes of teaching myself to snowboard as well as I ski. There. It's in writing.

An unsuccessful basketball campaign

Tonight was the last game of the season for our rec league basketball team, and we finished a perfectly horrible 0-8. The team is primarily made up of the guys I work with -- an affable if not athletic bunch -- and it was the first time I played in an organized league with guys I knew since college. I had a great time, despite the fact that we came away winless, and I was constantly reminded of how much my skills have diminished over the years -- what a shame! I'm hoping to participate in this league again in the future...

A few days back in Seattle

This past weekend, I decided to make a last-minute trip to Seattle to take a sailing course and become certified to charter a sailboat anywhere in the world. One of the nicest perks of owning a boat is that I am able to take courses at cost of materials on a space-available basis. So, rather than paying the $580 member rate (or $1100 non-member rate), I was able get in the class for basically nothing. What a deal!

After some pre-trip planning on Friday night, we set sail on Saturday morning -- three other students and an instructor. After not having sailed for about four months, it was so very nice to be back on the water. I even had the pleasure of sailing on a new boat -- a 38-foot Dufour. Owning a boat pretty much means that I don't get to sail on other people's boats too often.

The trip was an overnight trip that stressed the skills needed to successfully charter an unfamiliar boat in an unfamiliar location. We ended up circumnavigating Bainbridge Island and anchoring for the night in picturesque Manzanita Bay, before returning to Shilshole on Sunday afternoon in time for my flight back. Aside from about 20 minutes of light rain mixed with hail, it was a pretty dry (albeit cold) weekend with a mix of clouds and sun, and reminded me just how much I enjoy sailing in Puget Sound. Admittedly, I missed the San Diego warmth, but the wonderful scenery and bountiful wildlife (we actually witnessed a bald eagle chasing a seagull a few hundred yards offshore) made it all very worth it.

Here is a link to some pictures one of the other students took during the trip.

It finally happened

After almost 2000 miles of biking on the roads of this city, I finally had my first car-bike collision. Oh, don't worry, the car definitely got the worst of it. And the woman who was driving it will probably take a long break from talking on her cell phone while driving. At least I hope so.

It happened during my ride home on a fairly traffic-free four-lane road. I spotted a car pulled over to the side of the road, still with its engine on. One of the things that happens when you bike is that you develop a super-keen sense of awareness of any possible threats to your existence. You can anticipate drivers' moves several seconds before they actually make them, and in doing so, avoid any possible confrontations. This vehicle pulled to the side of the road set off a red flag for me. Since traffic was light, I decided to pull to my left, just in case the car decide to re-enter the driving lane without looking. Sure enough, I had reason to be nervous.

About 40 or 50 feet before I passed the vehicle, it began pulling out in an arc, as though to make a U-turn. Since I was right in the middle of the arc, I really had nowhere to go -- turn left and she runs right into me, stay straight and I run into her, turn right and I hit her back half. So I tried to yell at her to get her attention. Unfortunately, she was on her cell phone looking the other way. I skidded to a stop just as she turned into me, and my right handlebar scraped against her driver's side door, leaving a long black streak on her white paint.

She continued to turn and pulled back to where she started, and I began to let her have it -- after all, I was pretty upset that she would pull an illegal move while talking on her cell phone and facing the opposite direction of oncoming traffic. She seemed genuinely sorry, apologizing profusely and asking me several times if I was OK (my body never made contact with anything), and explaining that she was "lost", "from Utah", and was trying to "find Hotel Circle" or "the Marine base". Eventually, I ended my tirade by telling her that drivers like her made life very dangerous for bikers like me, and encouraged her to pull into a parking lot the next time she needed to make a call while she was lost. Then I politely directed her to her destination and went on my way, setting a personal time record on the way home in process. What a ride!

Finding winter...kind of

This morning, Tracy and I decided to take Toutou for a hike up in the mountains. After an unusually rainy January (particularly on weekends), I wanted to take advantage of a gourgeous weekend to spend some time on the trail, because I do miss it quite dearly and the hikable months are drawing to a close very soon.

We set out for Mount Laguna, about an hour away and, at about 6000 feet, one of the highest points in the county. After a freak cold rainstorm on Thursday, we were not surprised to find some residual snow up there, although after sunny and mild days on Friday and Saturday, it was very patchy and certainly not a hinderance.

Our hike was a relatively flat 7-mile jaunt through the pine forests and open meadows of Cleveland National Forest, and it was quite lovely. Temperatures were warm but not hot, and although it got wet and muddy after a while, it was refreshing to breathe the clean mountain air. As an added bonus, there were several geocaches along the trail, and we went 3-for-3 on the ones we went after, despite the occasionally deep snow. I was also hoping to use the opportunity to get on better terms with Toutou, but unfortunately, made no strides in that department. Here are some pictures from our day (click the slideshow to see bigger images and captions):

She hate me

This past weekend, Tracy and I began a one-month stint as dogsitters for one of her colleague's dogs. Honestly, I have never met a dog that has disliked me so much. Every time I come within about eight feet for her, she begins a soft, low-pitched growl. Even when I'm not even near her, she looks at me and growls. She won't take food out of my hand anymore (initially she would), and in order for me to take her for a walk, Tracy (who is now her friend) has to do the honors of putting the leash on, since she'll avoid me like the plague. She is a humane society dog, and my only guess is that she was abused by a man sometime in her past. I wish I could help out more, but unfortunately, it looks like she's going to be Tracy's responsbility for the foreseeable future!

Birthday Wishes

Today is my birthday. Regardless of how far I travel from family and friends, it seems that each year, an increasing number of people recognize my special, and most of that has to do with the magic of the internet and other modern forms of communication. With personalized birthday reminders, there's never really a good reason to forget anyone's birthday anymore. Additionally, between email, instant messaging, and text messages, the need to actually talk to someone on their birthday is very much reduced. While it is certainly prefer to get that phone call, realistically, I won't have time to talk to everyone, and so these other forms of communication are an easy way to say that someone was thinking of me. After all, I was in about 8 hours straight of meetings today, so anyone who did try to call likely got my voicemail. And with that whole timezone thing, it's mighty difficult to call most people back.

So, for everyone who wished me a happy birthday today through whatever means, thank you very much -- it really means a lot to me. Unfortunately, Tracy is in the midst of working a complete opposite schedule as me, so I haven't seen her for a few days. My bosses picked up the slack, though, and following those long meetings today, they took me out to a very nice restaurant in Pacific Beach for tapas and drinks, along with a few of our clients. It was a happy birthday indeed.

You can only get so wet

It doesn't often rain in San Diego, so most days are perfect for bike-commuting. When it does rain, there is usually enough of a stir in the local media that I catch wind of it, and start paying attention to weather forecasts. This week, for instance, I heard that the end of the week was going to be wet, and the rain might start at midnight tonight. I rolled the dice and biked in this morning, under perfectly sunny skies. What a tease!

By noon, the storm clouds were blowing in alongside gusty winds. Shortly after dark, while I was still at work, the storm began in earnest. Wind whistled through the office windows, and I dreaded my ride home. Maybe it would stop? No such luck. By 7:15, I gave in and prepared for the wet, 10-mile ride back.

Riding a bike in the rain after dark presents many challenges, especially in San Diego. Hydroplaning is always a concern, and standing water and rivers of runoff are quite common throughout the city. The glare is horrible from the cars, and you can't see potholes or road seams. And with no eye protection, it felt as though someone was throwing sand in my face for close to an hour.

I survived, though, despite biking against the 20 mph winds for most of the ride in a driving rain. I reached maximum soakage within five minutes of starting my ride, and wearing only bike shorts and a tshirt, minimized the amount of clothing I had to dry out. Since I was nervous about going too fast and hydroplaning, the ride was somewhat more relaxing, albeit about 3 minutes longer than usual. It was my first wet ride since I moved to San Diego, and thankfully, it wasn't nearly as bad as I was fearing!

Weekend in Portland

Last weekend, I accompanied Tracy on a trip to Portland, where she interviewed for a fellowship position in endocrinology at the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU). I've been to Portland probably 4 or 5 times already for very short trips, and by and large, the city reminds me a whole lot of a smaller and funkier Seattle ("what Seattle used to be like", so they say). True to form, it was cold and drizzly the whole weekend, but we more than made up for that with good food and good friends -- three of Tracy's friends live in the city right now. We took a ride along the Columbia River out to the town of Hood River, and I was reminded of how much I miss the dramatic scenery of the Pacific Northwest. On Sunday, we took a driving tour of many of Portland's neighborhoods, and I realized it wouldn't be much of a culture shock to live in any of them. Oh, and Portland's mighty bike-friendly, which can only help!

I like Portland, and figure it would place second to Seattle on both my list and Tracy's list. One of the things I'm starting to value more is having friends in a city that aren't related to where you're working (or where your significant other is working). Over five years in Seattle, I managed to make enough such friends that it made leaving the city pretty hard. Sadly, I haven't been as fortunate in San Diego, but that's mostly due to my own doing. I steadfastly refuse to go out and join a bike club, or something of that sort. Moving to Seattle or Portland next June would provide an immediate social circle to soften the blow of having a new job and possibly a new home.

Catching up

I'm sure my loyal readers have been wondering where I've disappeared to, but frankly, I just haven't had much exciting news to report. So here are some random musings on the details of my life:

Since I moved to San Diego, I've been methodically logging all of my bike rides to and from work. For anyone who has never partaken in the bike commute, I highly recommend it as a way to ensure your day gets off on the right foot and also as a way to ensure you get your exercise in. I usually do so once or twice a week, and have managed to amass 1200 miles between April and the end of the year (average speed for the year: 14.55 mph). Adding in a few hundred additional pleasure miles, I'm happy to say that I've biked about one mile for every five miles I've driven. Hopefully 2008 will be even better...

My job continues to go very well. Admittedly, after a few weeks, I started looking for alternative jobs, figuring this one was not a good fit. But since then, I've been working hard and receiving regular praise, and getting much satisfaction from it all. I've also gotten to experience the most job responsibility I've ever had, as management skills are playing as much, if not more, of a role as technical skills. Lots of people wonder what it is that I actually do. Basically, I spend most of my time working on a web application that helps the U.S. Navy manage and plan the modernization of their fleet of subs, ships, and shore sites. After all, the rise of internet and communications technologies are just as important there as they are in civilian life...

I am frequently asked about wedding planning and how all that is going. As many of you know, save-the-dates were sent out last week, and we've moved on to filling out a registry and trying to find hotels for our guests. Nothing really big will probably happen before Tracy's trip to Seattle in April, where she will presumably meet with our caterers, band, and photographer to hash out some details. We've also been working on the invitations on the side, as well as the details of our honeymoon, which will be in Peru...

The other thing I am frequently asked about is Tracy. She's doing very well, enjoying wedding planning and about to enter interview season for her fellowship (which starts in July, 2009 but which has a match day of June, 2008). She is in Portland for an interview as I write this, in fact (where I will be joining her tomorrow evening). At this point, it looks like our top three choices for destination will be Seattle, Portland, and Denver. Unfortunately for me, it looks very likely that San Diego will be low on her list, since the fellowship program is currently going through hard times. After a rough start to my stay here, in which I was literally counting the months till I moved somewhere else, the place has really grown on me, primarily due to the perfect storm of amazing fall and winter weather and increasing happiness in my job. Admittedly, I'm still kind of dreading another hot summer...

That's about all from here. As always, our home is always open to visitors if you want to get away from the winter blues. It really is nice here this time of year.