Warrior Dash -----------> Week in Review, Day 303-309

~ Competed in the Warrior Dash in Hollister, CA. My favorite part of the obstacle course? Hands down, jumping through fire! There also was a slip-n-slide, mud pit, rope climb, and running over/through old cars. We're still cleaning mud out of our clothes.

~ Walked barefoot for about a mile to get the car. The mud had claimed my sneakers and I had no other footwear. Duh.

~ Spent October 30 night in Hollister, CA. First of all, Hollister is not on the beach, nor nowhere near the beach. Secondly, people really take Halloween seriously, at least at this one bar we were at. We were costume-less, and it was very obvious. Another observation - they do not go as crazy about "Dead of Alive" by Bon Jovi during karaoke as they do in San Francisco.

~ Spent a night at Casa de Fruta in Hollister. A farm with a kid's area, market, restaurant, etc. Saw a couple of peacocks, and watched my friend Diana get followed by a llama.

Not quite sure how it all happened ------> Week in Review, Day 282-288

~ rode my bike to an appointment, through the streets of San Francisco. At one point around Fisherman's Wharf, I was stuck between a duck boat and the F-line above-ground train. Eek!

~ put Nevada license plates on my car. It's official.

~ sold my old car, a 1996 Honda Civic. It was the very first car I bought out of college, one that has taken me across the country, one that has taken such good care of me. It's funny to have such strong feeling for an inanimate object. Yes, I did cry a little bit, out of emotion for all the good memories and the mourning for the end of an era.


~ used Skype for a long business phone call

~ witnessed the beginning of Fleet Week


~ witnessed two cows humping (at a very different time and place than the witnessing in the photo above)

~ hiked part of the Mount Rose Summit trail



~ watched a hang glider take off from the side of a steep cliff. It involved about three long strides down the cliff, then jumping with his hopes into the wind. The courage and the faith was breathtaking.




~ ate a Qdoba, a chain similar to my favorite Chipotle. Unlike Chipotle, they have delicious nachos with meat. Yum.

~ took a business call in the car. Yes, while driving. I usually cannot do two things at once.

~ realized how important it was to solicit feedback about your business. You need objective third parties to tell you the good and the bad, so you can get even better.

Yosemite --> Week in Review, Day 231-237

Mr. Sound and I joined our friends John and Diana for a weekend in Yosemite. It was a two-night backpacking trip with the goal of climbing Half Dome. We succeeded. It was a phenomenal experience.

It was my first time backpack camping, and my first time hiking in Yosemite. Actually, lots of firsts:

* saw a rattlesnake in the wild
* saw a bear in the wild
* pitched a tent in the dark
* hiked in the dark
* deposited "waste" in a hole in the ground
* used a bear canister
* learned how to scare a bear away
* used trekking poles
* ate dehydrated food
* hiked about 18 miles
* thought for a split second that I may die
* saw three waterfalls in one day
* jumped into a cold mountain lake

The many sports of Tahoe ---> Week in Review, Day 181-187

Lots of work, blah, blah, blah. All good stuff, but this blog is dedicated to things outside of work. So past a busy work week, I enjoyed four days in Tahoe. It was warm and super-relaxing. We hiked, snowboarded, biked and barbecued.

~ not the first time we've enjoyed snowboarding on July 4th weekend, but it was the first time at Kirkwood. Two weeks ago, there was pretty solid snow all over, but by now, it was in patches. That meant hiking from the chair lift to snow, and the hike was definitely worth it. Not because the snow was so great, but for the adventure. It was my first time hiking for snow.



~ Four of us hiked along the ridge to on of the steepest runs at Kirkwood. Our little crew was not alone - about 10 other people hiking with us. We would board down as far as we could, unstrap, walk 10 feet to the next patch of snow, then repeat. We got pretty far down the mountain that way. We even jumped a river!



~ barbecued three nights in a row. Steak one night, hamburgers and sausages the next, and a combo the last night. Wish we had a grill at our San Francisco apartment. Anyways, Mr. Sound tried out a coal chimney for the first time and it worked amazingly well.

~ one night, our usual grill spot was taken so we created a makeshift one.


~ Mr. Sound and I made up a new game. We found a tennis ball but what can you do with it when you don't have tennis rackets? Introducing frennis or you can call it disc tennis. Tennis played with frisbees, since that's all we had. Man, we're GOOD at it.

~ nighttime activities: great fireworks on the 4th, beers by the firepit, and stargazing. With the naked eye and the help if the StarFinder iPhone App, we identified Mars, Venus and Saturn.

~ such a fun, memorable weekend. It was XXTREME!
Extreme Kayak from Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle

Parting shot...

Day 136 - Hiked Ring Mountain

In Marin. Gorgeous views. We even saw a baby deer up close.

Day 122 - Supported the Escape

Today was the Escape from Alcatraz triathalon. A 1.5 mile swim, an 18-mile bike trek, and an 8-mile run. The water is freezing and the roads are hilly. These people are amazing.

We were able to see the bike and running parts. The elite athletes make it look easy. But it's the every day people, like you and me, that are truly inspiring. People of all sizes and shapes, finishing in the top of their group, or at the very bottom, but finishing all the same. Disabled athletes, older athletes, survivors and first-timers. We stood as long as we could, cheering for everyone.

If you every have the opportunity to watch a race, be sure to cheer the athletes on - it makes a huge difference when you're the one struggling on the course.

Day 121 - Parked in a Park

There's a few weeks of depression once the snowboarding season ends. What do we do with our time on the weekends? What could be as fun? Of course, there are a huge amount of things to do in San Francisco - it's just the change that's shocking.

As I mentioned, the weather has been spectacular, almost like a real summer. So Mr. Sound packed us a picnic lunch and we sat for many hours in the park by Fort Mason. Big groups were having full-blown parties, small groups were enjoying beers, individuals were reading. It was fun, relaxing, and reminded us what a beautiful city this is. I was enjoying myself so much, I forgot to take pictures.

Happy May!

Day 115 - Visited Kirby Cove

Right on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge is the Marin Headlands, a national park known for biking and beauty. I have been there before, sure, but not like this.

Mr. Sound and I walked across the Golden Gate, which is something I have never done. I have run across it, during a race and in practice, but never meandered like a tourist over it.




Cross under the bridge and follow the footpath up the hill to the vista. Then follow the winding dirt road down to the beach. There is Kirby Cove. We enjoyed our picnic lunch by the ocean, enjoying this view.




We even took a short nap in the warm sun, right there on the grass. It was heaven. The walk back was uphill but after such a great afternoon, totally worth it. The walk across the bridge was windy and noisy but it was nothing compared to how good it felt to be outdoors on such a gorgeous day. We celebrated with burgers and milk shakes.

Day 110 - Snapped a rainbow over Golden Gate

The sky morphed from blue to gray to scary to blue to fluffy back to gray, and then it rained. The result of that was this gorgeous rainbow. Nature like this takes your breath away.

Day 108 - Walked a dog

Read yesterday’s post and equate that to dogs. I have played with dogs, sure, but never taken one for an official walk. Mom, Dara, our friend Nicole and I took Dara’s adorable dog for a nice walk. We had a ball thrower and the three-year old pup never tired. I wanted to bring her home in my suitcase. I want one!

Day 98 - Had a European lunch

Today I found myself on an outdoor patio on a beautiful day. I had been in the same spot for about an hour earlier, chatting with a friend. Unfortunately for her, she had to run off for another appointment, leaving me alone with the sunshine and a growling stomach. My plan to kill time before my next meeting was sidetracked by this luck. I had lunch here, which was actually not the unusual thing.

No, the strange part was that it felt strangely like sitting in a different country. The man across from me was reading the newspaper with reckless disregard for time. The business meeting next to him lasted for four hours. The tourists fresh from the conference center were excited and speaking French. I was eating quiche.

We were surrounded by beautiful flowers and fragrance. The courtyard seemed to fend off the tall buildings around us and the serious business they held. The sun seemed to be shining only here, the blue skies floating only over our heads.

These things never seem to happen and here they were, all happening at one time. It was a vacation in downtown San Francisco, and one I will not soon forget.

Day 94 - Strolled in the snow

As a follow-up to yesterday's post, the non-spring Spring Jamming weekend continued with a snow storm. Great for skiing, bad for spring. I was not riding due to an aggravated calf so to battle cabin fever, I went for a walk in the snow. Rarely do I voluntarily venture into the cold when snowboarding or beer is not involved. It was beautiful, chilly and refreshing. Makes me wish for a longer winter season...