Enough with the Rain

I generally like the rain. But enough is enough.

After the debacle at Daley on Saturday, all I wanted was a chance to do another ride to redeem myself. But steady rains on Sunday killed any chances of that happening.

So I turned my hopes to tonight's hockey game, excited that I could get back on the rink after three weeks of because of holidays and bye weeks. But the rain again intervened.

I think I need to pick up some more indoor hobbies...

Adam, Daley, and Pibbs

Adam came down this weekend for a visit from the CHP Academy. It was the first time I had seen him since he left, and I was surprised to see that he had buzzed his hair! Apparently they make you do that at the Academy.

I had a MTB ride planned for today, and he said he could use the cross-training, so we gave it a shot. Details of the ride can be found at my other blog here. I'll let you check out the gory details over there.

Since we cut the bike ride short, we had a little extra time to do a little local Jeeping on a dirt utility access road near the house. I drive by the thing every day, and have wanted to explore up there for a while, so it was neat to see where it went. As I suspected, it did connect with South Lake Hodges. But after driving it, my dreams of biking to Hodges from home (at least by that route) were killed. It dirt access road was incredibly steep and rutted, and virtually impossible to do by bike. I was impressed at Adam's driving, the tight turns and steep dropoffs didn't even seem to faze him. My enthusiasm for Jeeping was somewhat dimmed, however, because I'm not sure I have his driving ability or confidence, and getting stuck out in one of those remote trails sounds like a nightmare to me.

Adam also brought me two cases of my beloved Pibb down from Sac. He actually had to check the bag they were carried in because of the new liquid restrictions on planes, but they made it safely and his efforts were greatly appreciated. I may even drink some of these ones, rather than merely hoarding them...

All in all it was a great visit with Adam. I'm proud of how he's doing at the Academy, which sounds absolutely brutal. And in a few months he'll be patrolling the highways somewhere in California, ready and willing to get me out of my speeding tickets...

AFC Championship Game

We hosted our HG and a bonus couple for the Chargers/Patriots AFC Championship game this afternoon. The Walkers, Nelsons, Moores, and Skeens all made the trek up to 4S to join us, and Rach and I had a great time watching the Patriots beat the Chargers (sorry!) and enjoying everyone's company.

Since the Broncos generally own the Patriots, I don't hate them as much as I do other AFC teams. Add the fact that the Chargers smoked the Broncos in both games this season, along with Rachel's geographic ties to the Pats, and my rooting interests were sealed. I didn't rub the result in any of the Charger fan's faces though...

Michelle made cookies, which we barely made a dent in, but the people at my work managed to kill off in two days. They were delicious, as are all of Michelle's desserts.

I really enjoy having people over, and wish that we lived closer to our friends so that we could do it more often. It means a lot to me when people are willing to make the drive up, because I know how much of a hassle it is for us to keep going to EC all the time.

With the hike yesterday, and good times with friends today, I'd say it was a good weekend.

Black Mountain Hike

This morning we went on a hike at nearby Black Mountain with the girls. The total distance according to my Garmin was 3.2 miles, and portions were pretty tough, but we had a great time overall.

We had some great views, and were even able to let the girls off leash for a little while when there were no other hikers around and the trail was narrow singletrack. At one point, when she was still on leash, Tia really wanted to chase some birds, so I don't know how that would have gone had she been unrestrained.



Every time we go hiking with them, we always resolve to do it more but somehow we never do. Hopefully that will change this time.

During the whole hike I kept trying to evaluate whether I could bike the trails we were walking. Many of them were extremely steep, and there were hills on both directions of the Miner's Loop. I'd like to try it, but I have a feeling there would be a ton of HAB.

Pibb Update

As I've resurrected the blog (who knows how long it will last this time,) I decided to go back and re-read some of my old posts. It didn't take long to get through all five of them.

However, for those who read Sacramento Trip Recap Part II (Pibb Run) from April of 2005, and are curious about the status of the Pibb, rest assured that Adam has finished all of his, and I have hoarded all of mine. My Pibb has survived two subsequent home moves, and with the exception of a well-meaning home group member snagging a can in March, remained untouched until Christmas Eve 2007. Then I gave Adam a Pibb for Christmas. Now I have 6 and 10/12fths cases left. GOD bless us every one.

As a postscript, Adam is currently at the CHP Academy in West Sacramento, training to be, well, a CHP Officer. He now has access to all of the Pibb he can drink, and I hope he brings me some home on his next visit.

No Time Like the Present

I'm blogging again. I'll be starting with the mundane, just to get back in rhythm. Hopefully once I'm in the habit of posting, what I write will be of some significance.

Rach and I had an amazingly productive weekend, and knocked out a bunch of stuff that had been lingering for a really long time. Here's my partial list:

• Cut the lawn and other yardwork;
• Bought tires for the Acura (finally!);
• Cleaned/organized the garage;
• Cooked lasagna rolls (all Rach);
• Cleaned carpet in living room/stairs;
• Cleaned and organized office.

Most or all of those things had been haunting me for a while, so it felt great to get them crossed off the list. What a relief.

We're hosting the monthly chapter of the Christian Legal Society at our place this Tuesday, which prompted the long-overdue carpet cleaning. I'm excited for the meeting, less because of the meeting itself and more because hosting events like this is one of the reasons we wanted for so long to have a "real house." So it makes me reflect on how fortunate we are to live where we do and have what we have.

Jack Bauer FYI

So Rachel and I have made our way through 4 seasons of 24 and are almost caught up on the 7 hours so far of Season 5 that have been taunting me for the last 6 weeks from my TiVo.

Below are some little-know facts about Jack Bauer that Adam unearthed and sent to me.

30 Random Jack Bauer Facts: All True

1) If you wake up in the morning, it's because Jack Bauer spared your life.

2)Upon hearing that he was played by Kiefer Sutherland, Jack Bauer killed Sutherland. Jack Bauer gets played by no man.

3)If Jack Bauer was in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Nina Meyers, and he had a gun with 2 bullets, he'd shoot Nina twice.

4) Jack Bauer got Hellen Keller to talk.

5) Jack Bauer killed 93 people in just 4 days time. Wait, that is a real fact.

6) Jack Bauer was never addicted to heroin. Heroin was addicted to Jack Bauer.

7) 1.6 billion Chinese are angry with Jack Bauer. Sounds like a fair fight.

8) Jack Bauer once forgot where he put his keys. He then spent the next half-hour torturing himself until he gave up the location of the keys.

9) Jack Bauer's favorite color is severe terror alert red. His second favorite color is violet, but just because it sounds like violent.

10) Superman wears Jack Bauer pajamas.

11) Jack Bauer doesn't miss. If he didn't hit you it's because he was shooting at another terrorist twelve miles away.

12) If Jack says "I just want to talk to him/her" and that him/her is you... well amigo, you're screwed

13) Lets get one thing straight, the only reason you are conscious right now is because Jack Bauer does not feel like carrying you.

15) Jack Bauer does not sleep. The only rest he needs is what he gets when he's knocked out or temporarily killed.

16) Killing Jack Bauer doesn't make him dead. It just makes him angry.

17) If you are still conscious, it is because Jack Bauer doesn't want to carry you.

18) If you get 7 stars on your wanted level on Grand Theft Auto, Jack Bauer comes after you. You don't want to get 7 stars.

19) When life gave Jack Bauer lemons, he used them to kill terrorists. Jack Bauer hates lemonade.
20) Jack Bauer's family threw him a surprise birthday party when he was a child. Once.

21) As a child, Jack Bauer's first words were "There's no time!"

22) Jack Bauer literally died for his country, and lived to tell about it.

23) In kindergarten, Jack Bauer killed a terrorist for Show and Tell.

25) Jack Bauer played Russian Roulette with a fully loaded gun and won.

26) Jack Bauer has no problem following orders, unless you tell him to do something he doesn't want to.

27) When terrorists go to hell, if they say Jack Bauer sent them, they'll get a group discount.

28) Everytime Jack Bauer yells "NOW!" at the end of a sentence, a terrorist dies.

29) When you come face to face with Jack Bauer, you can do things the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is ingesting your cyanide pill.

30) Guns dont kill people, Jack Bauer kills people.

Olivia

This is my niece, baby Olivia, the miracle baby. Born at just 24 weeks, weighing 1 lb. 12 oz, she has been an amazing story and serves as an awesome testimony to the power of prayer and God's faithfulness. There were times early on where we were unsure if she would make it, but she's getting stronger every day, and may even get to go home in the next few weeks (which would be close to her original due date.

She's not completely out of the woods yet, and there are some lingering concerns about her eyesight, but the fact that she has made it this far is amazing, and I have no doubt that she has great things in store for this world.

A special thanks also to all of you who prayed for Olivia and supported Rachel while she tried to be there for her sister from 3,000 miles away through this difficult time. We appreciate you.

William Turns 1

William's Birthday

So Saturday was my nephew William's first birthday party.

He clearly enjoyed himself.

Sacramento Trip Recap Part III: Homeward Bound

So after the successful Pibb acquisition, we headed for home. Our departure time was about 6 PM, and based on how long it took us to get to SAC, and factoring in a now fully loaded trailer, I was not looking forward to the drive.

The drive home was even more uneventful than the drive up, with the exception that from about Valencia south, it was a battle to stay awake. This is because I had been awake since 3:45 AM and it was now after midnight. However, there was one aspect of the drive home that merits mentioning.

I have made the SAC to SAN (and vise versa) drive at least 6 times now, and each time I am extremely curious about a particular facility located off the 5 freeway on the Crows Landing exit. The exit is in the middle of nowhere, and can be placed in context by looking at this map.

Guarded by 40 foot fencing tipped with barbed wire, the multi-story facility is set a few miles off the freeway and is clearly visible in the distance. It is large, and has smoke stacks on top with white smoke coming out at times. I tried to take a picture, but the camera phone did not do it justice. I may post it anyway at a later date.

I need to know what this facility is. It looks like it could be a prison, but conspicuously absent are the hilarious "XXX Prison 2 Miles, Do Not Pick Up hitchhikers" signs. But what other kind of facility needs 40 foot razor wire fencing to protect it?

I am hereby offering a bounty for anyone who can provide me with evidence of what this facility is. Your prizes are: one can of Pibb, or $5. Your choice. I have tried google, I have searched high and low, and no leads. I need answers people.

Anyway, we got home around 2:30 AM, with a final tally of more than 1100 miles traveled in one 22 hour period. This surpasses my previous one-day driving distance record, set in 1997 when Jason and I drove from San Diego to El Paso TX in one shot, which was a mere 700+ miles.

I'm sure more stories and memories from the trip will emerge after I have more time to think about it, and I'll post addendums here when I remember. All in all, it was a fun time and I am greatly appreciative to Adam for his help, I could not have done it without him.

Now I just need to find someone to buy this spa...

Sacramento Trip Recap Part II (Pibb Run)

Adam with the Pibbs

So lets just say that the Rancho Cordova Food Source is now out of Mr. Pibb.

On the way out of town, we hit the Food Source for some Mr. Pibb in cans. Those who know me at all know of my deep-rooted affection for this tastiest of all soda concoctions, which to my great chagrin is unavailable in cans in San Diego. In fact, I have only been able to find it in Sacramento.

Now, if I was honest about the role having Pibb in cans played in my decision to relocate to SAC a year ago, all of you would immediately disclaim any knowledge of my existence and would likely never visit this blog again. So instead, I'll say this: there are only three things I now miss having re-located back to SoCal after my year in exile in SAC;

1) the few close friends I made while there,

2) CBS television shows being on an hour earlier than everywhere else on the West Coast (fewer TiVo conflicts, for example I could TiVo both ER and Without a Trace), and finally

3) having Pibb in cans.

So needless to say, I needed to stock up on Pibbs in cans, because this would be my last chance to get them. Also, there was a bit of serendipity to our last-minute Pibb-stop on the way out of town. You see, on my first trip to SAC for my interview with PJI, I stopped at that very same Food Source after my interview on the way back to the airport and bought 2 twelve packs of Pibb to bring home with me, just in case I didn't get the job and did not go back to SAC.

Well, I did get the job, and for the entire year-in-exile, had all the Pibb I wanted. So Saturday, as I left SAC for the last time (EVER), it was somehow fitting that I grab some Pibbs to go.

Final note on the Pibbs--Adam has promised to post a running count of his remaining Pibbs in the comment section of this entry as he drinks them. I will not be doing this because I will be hoarding my Pibbs indefinately, but this way I'll know when he gets low so I can hide mine.

Sacramento Trip Recap Part I

Clearly the real-time running diary was a bust. I have a myriad of excuses, from "it was hard to post while driving" to "I couldn't get a data signal on my PDA phone, so I couldn't email posts from the road."

However, the trip was essentially a success, and as promised, here is a basic recap:

We left at around 5 AM on Saturday morning, and made it to SAC a little before 2 PM. It was a fairly uneventful drive up, with the exception of the aforementioned tragic Spongebob sighting and Adam projectile sneezing an M&M miraculously on to his own cell phone rather than my car's upholstery. I may post a pic of this later, but this is a family Blog, and its not a pretty picture.

In any event, we made it to Sacramento, wrangled with the leviathan that is the freaking jacuzzi, and after about an hour and a half of hassle, were strapped down and ready to go.

At that point, it was decision time. It was about 4 PM, and we still were uncertain whether we were going to try to cannonball run back home Saturday afternoon, or stay the night in SAC at the home of one of my dearest friends and former PJI co-workers, Kathi.

Before officially deciding our fate, we met Kathi and her daughter Kimberly at Chili's for an early dinner. We had a wonderful time catching up; Kathi is getting married this June, and it was neat to hear how the plans are coming. I am honored to be an usher in the wedding, and will be posting pictures and recaps from the festivities after it happens. Suffice to say, however, you will want to tune in to this site on June 27th for a review of the the interesting pre-wedding entertainment she and her fiancee Roger have planned, involving a mix CD and "Behind the Music-style" interviews. Awesome.

Anyway, Adam and I decided that we had the energy to pull off the round-trip-in-a-day scenario, and elected to make a run for home Saturday afternoon. However, a final stop was in order...

6:06 AM, IRVINE

So we're off, not much to report, other than the discovery of the coolest radio station ever: 93.5 FM KDAY, where they play "hip hop hits of today and back in the day." I can't say enough about this, and considering the vast wasteland that is SD radio, we need a little KDAY down south ASAP.

Otherwise not much going on, got a bit of a late...wait, there has been a development. We have a Spongebob down, a Spongebob is down. Right here on the 5, in the carpool lane, an 8 foot Spongebob has been abandoned, probaby by someone who stole him from a Burger King.

A rescue mission was briefly contemplated, but ultimately we decided against it. Poor Spongebob...

Hitting the Road

So my brother and I are makng a quick trip up to SAC this weekend to pick up the last vestige of my and Rach's life in NoCal; our spa. Perhaps our worst purchase decision in a marriage marked by several major purchases (mostly good, some bad), the spa has been in "storage" in a friend's backyard up there since we moved. The $6k monstrosity is beautiful, worked flawlessly, and now is totally worthless to us since we live in a condo. Nonetheless, we are determined to recoup at least some of our investment one way or another, so Adam and I are off to retrieve it.

My goal for the weekend is to provide a running diary of our adventures...we'll see whether it works or not. We leave at 4 AM Saturday, and I am working on figuring out how to post both pictures and text from the road. If a real-time running diary does not work, a summary should be posted sometime Monday.

EDIT: Posting from the road should not be a problem, but you'll have to wait for pics until I come back and am able to upload.

William!

So this is little William, my nephew, who is will be a year old this May. The picture was taken at the model yacht basin near Mission Bay, while Adam was racing his model boats.

I took the picture with my new phone/pda/camera, and it actually came out pretty well.

Entry Two: Lets Give This Another Try

So I attempted to start this blog last August, and then the world intervened. Right after my very first post, I decided to leave my job in Sacramento. Then I got an offer to come back home to SD that was too good to pass up.

Then the holidays struck, followed immediately by a move. Then the settling in process, and the post-move hangover, then the job acclimation period, then...you have the idea.

So I am trying again. Since blogging is the really "in" thing to do (at least for about another month or two) I am compelled by my inner-ego to contribute my thoughts, ramblings, recaps, and perspectives on pretty much anythings that strikes me.

Ideally, I would love to get feedback, participation, exchange of ideas, and intelligent debate about the intellectual nuggets I deem worthy of discussing here. But that will require 1) that someone actually read this, and 2) that the same someone be interested/stimulated enough to inspire them to participate in the discussion. We'll see.

In any event, stay tuned.

Welcome

I have finally joined the nation of bloggers. For those who have heard me complain incessantly about how busy I am, please ignore the fact that I have found time to put this site together, yet not to call you regularly. I figure I can reach more people more efficiently through this site, so really this is a time saving endeavor. We'll see.

So welcome, thanks for checking in, and check back as often as you have a chance, I hope to be posting on a pretty regular basis.