Self Employed

NCAA Men’s B-Ball Tourney

2011-03-29T10:15:00.001-07:00

OK, I went ahead and filled out a tournament bracket for the first time this year. I’ve been jealous of all the fun President Obama has appeared to have with his brackets each year, so I figured I better join in! March Madness got the better of me a couple of times as I repeatedly spilled salsa on myself and refused to shave until the Badgers made it to the Final Four. Don’t worry, I’ll shave before 2012. Stupid Butler.

As it currently stands, my bracket is in the 94.9th percentile on ESPN.com. Not bad for a rookie! Coincidentally, I am tied with President Obama: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/entry?entryID=4267886 Maybe it’s a sign that we’re both going to have a great remainder of the year… with things other than sports! One can only hope.

Here’s my bracket:

Travel Time Budget

2011-03-19T12:22:00.001-07:00

Here’s an interesting blog post at Freakonomics: http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/03/16/the-travel-time-budget/

Is it weird that these type of articles are genuine entertainment for me? I’d take the Freakonomics blog over Jersey Shore any day!

Blue Patrick

2011-03-17T12:45:00.001-07:00

Here’s a fun fact that I just learned: Saint Patrick’s Day was originally associated with the color blue! According to Wikipedia, shamrocks and green ribbons eventually replaced the symbolic blue and gave us our current association of green with Saint Patrick’s Day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick's_Day

On that note, Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! I’ve got to get back to work!

Neurological Nonsense

2011-03-14T21:58:00.001-07:00

What’s next? Is somebody going to come out with a study justifying permanent unemployment? http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/03/14/unemployment.health/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

"Moving from unemployment to a poor-quality job offered no mental health benefit, and in fact was more detrimental to mental health than remaining unemployed."

Sure, I can understand that there are terrible jobs out there. There are always extremes! However, given that there are other external factors that were NOT present in Australia over the seven year period of the study, such as horrific unemployment rates, I don’t think that the study accounts for even worse mental health conditions that the unemployed are currently facing in the U.S. (OK, this is somewhat of an assumption – I don’t know the history of unemployment rates in Oz). Getting a job and being productive in this present economy is such a blessing, I would not think the negatives in the article hold as much weight as the article suggests.

My advice to current job seekers is this: GET A JOB AND KEEP IT! The mental health problems you face without income generally increase as you lose more and more. Also if you can hold a job, couldn’t it be argued you have a duty to avoid being a unnecessary drain on our suffering unemployment benefits programs across the country? Just imagine the psychological detriment you’re going to suffer if you’re unemployed WITHOUT collecting unemployment benefits!

Checking In (haha) @ Coffeetopia

2011-03-08T19:34:00.000-08:00

How do you feel about sites like foresquare.com or facebook's places feature? I'm not really sure if I'm pro- or anti-checking in. As a fan of semi-anonymous browsing/posting, I'm not going to post online where I currently am. I'm not enough of an exhibitionist to advertise my current activities to the minute. Each time I see somebody checking in somewhere, I wonder if they are imagining a horde of paparazzi-esque followers watching their every move online. Is that what people want?

On the other hand, I'm all about sharing where I've been in the past! For example, I recently spent a day hanging out in a bank vault at Capitola's Coffeetopia. I'm going to take a wild guess and say the building used to be a bank! It's a pretty good place to lock yourself away, forget about the beckoning beaches, enjoy free internet, and GET WORK DONE! They even have whole-leaf tea too, which is a definite bonus for me! If you're ever in the area or are just curious, check them out: coffeetopia.com

To all of my stalkers, you're going to have to camp out and wait for me to show up to different places. I'm not about to make it easy for you!

My legs feel like Jell-O!

2011-03-06T13:20:00.001-08:00

Going on a three-hour bike ride has some foreseeable consequences for somebody like me (that is, somebody who isn’t in good enough shape to be going on on really long bike rides). One of those consequences is the ensuing wobbly legs! Oh well, it was worth it… I just need to work on properly pacing myself! Any tips from you experienced road bikers?

Here’s a shot from the ride yesterday… the Monterey Bay is just over that hill!

Snooki Goes To Wonderland

2011-03-05T11:55:00.001-08:00

I’d like to proudly say that I know the author of a new book that’s hitting e-shelves at present. PE has released an instant classic (or as the title implies, “The Improved Classic”) in Amazon’s Kindle store. Check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/Snooki-Wonderland-Improved-Classic-ebook/dp/B004OL2LF8

… and read Time’s article about it here: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/02/24/snooki-goes-to-wonderland-in-illustrated-take-on-alice/

Way to go, PE!!

Live the Sheen Dream

2011-03-04T22:07:00.001-08:00

I usually try to keep away from this sort of entertainment, but this was too odd to pass up! Somebody actually dedicated a site to posting recent quotes from Charlie Sheen. If you’re in need of entertainment for a couple of minutes, check it out: http://www.livethesheendream.com/

2011’s First Visitor!

2011-02-14T12:23:00.001-08:00

January brought more than rain and a new year my way; my dad was able to get out to the west coast for work and we got to hang out on the weekends during his stay! We went all around the Bay Area, everywhere from Mt. Diablo, to SF, Mt. Tamalpais, New Brighton State Beach, Monterey, and even Pebble Beach! Not bad!

Side note: Most of the shots below were taken my the geezer, himself. I was impressed! I never knew he had such an eye for those great shots! Good job, Dad!

Sunset looking over Bonita Cove into the Pacific:

A shot from inside the Palace of Fine Arts in SF at night:

We had lunch at Pebble Beach looking over their putting green:

The weather in Walnut Creek was sort of nasty this day, but we escaped it by going to the top of Mount Diablo… where it was really really sunny!

I Like Charts!

2011-02-13T20:18:00.001-08:00

And so should you!

Here’s a really cool chart that’ll give you an idea of what sort of trading the U.S. is doing with other nations: http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/02/11/where-and-what-is-us-trading-overseas/ I thought it was pretty cool; I wish more simple illustrations like this would find their way into daily news! Is it just me or is this a very simple and useful way that could help lots of people understand the distribution of our trade arrangements???

Badger Athletics

2011-02-12T22:32:00.001-08:00

What would you say the theme is for UW – Madison’s 2010-2011 school year? Well, if you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of Badger sports fans out there, it’d probably be something like “Badgers eat Buckeyes for dinner!”

Not once, but twice this school year a Badger team has unseated the Ohio State University Buckeyes from their undefeated status. In October, 2010, the Badgers Football Team handed OSU the only defeat it would endure the entire season! If anybody wants to reminisce, here’s an article recounting the occasion: http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=302890275

Then, just today, the Badger Basketball Team spanked the undefeated Buckeye Basketball Team… check it here: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=310430275

While I’m not venturing far enough to say that Ohio State’s Sports Program sucks, I am venturing to say that this is a great year for the Badgers! I’m looking forward to the last game in the regular season when UW and OSU meet again at the Schott Arena in Ohio. Good luck Bucky!

Belated 2010 in Pictures (Part 2)

2011-02-07T09:42:00.001-08:00

I can’t believe I forgot to post a few pics from when JB, AB, and BE came out to CA on a book tour! It seemed like the NYC crew had lost a bit of their East Coast gloominess and bought in to the CA splendor for their NorCal phase of the tour. Check out their blog here: http://stuffhipstershate.tumblr.com/

We hit the touristy spots in SF and went hunting for Banana Slugs in Muir Woods! Thanks to JB, AB, and BE for a great time! And thanks for letting me steal these pics from your fb accounts!!!

JB and I in Sausalito!!!!

The two stars of the tour finishing up a Reading/Q&A session at Borders in SF. Cool Stuff! I felt like a groupie.

Their book on display in the front window of Borders on Union Square!

The only thing possibly more comical than this picture would have been the group’s reaction to it in the calm and peaceful Muir Woods. We probably scared all of the Banana Slugs within two miles into hiding.

Guess Who’s Gonna Take Salsa Classes!?!

2011-02-07T09:08:00.001-08:00

This guy right here!

This disappointed me…

2011-02-02T21:45:00.001-08:00

People, you should be ashamed of yourselves! How is it that Ms. Berry’s personal life trumps any of the following four articles, let alone all of them put together??? Ugh. Just to brag a bit, I was on CNN’s webpage yesterday in order to read the third article when I noticed this depressing widget. I promptly clicked on the WikiLeaks article.

Belated 2010 in Pictures

2011-01-30T22:08:00.000-08:00

I suck, I know. I didn’t post anything for over two months! If it makes you feel any better, I was sort of busy. Not really busy, just sort of. But you can understand, right?

In November, I was lucky enough to get to visit the old guy, a.k.a. my dad, in Las Vegas and tote around the area for my first trip there. We went to Red Rock Canyon, saw an air show at Nellis Air Force Base, and even went to a cirque du soleil show! Here’s a shot from Red Rock Canyon:

We had to stop and see the fountains at the Bellagio:

OK, back home now… Here’s a typical December afternoon pic for ya (taken from the pier on the New Brighton State Beach looking south towards Rio Del Mar):

This shot was sent to family members to remind them why I’m living on the left coast and not near them shoveling snow:

Wilder Ranch State Park in October

2010-11-21T19:26:00.001-08:00

I went for a short hike in Wilder Ranch State Park a little while ago. It’s a pretty cool park that has a lot of coastal trails and good mountain biking trails (or so I hear). Thanks to AA for tagging along for a nice little hike!

From the trail on the west end of the park:

Down on one of the beaches in the park:

The tide was coming in:

Sunday Bike Ride

2010-09-05T14:32:00.001-07:00

I'd rather be sailing ;-)

Tuesday Morning Bike Ride

2010-08-31T11:15:00.001-07:00

Not a bad view, huh? This is Pleasure Point... a popular place for surfers, but not today!

Eat Real Festival

2010-08-29T21:06:00.001-07:00

After a very long year, I was able to return to the Eat Real Fest in Oakland, CA, for a second round of delicious locally grown and cooked eats! The fest even has a pretty good goal (taken from www.eatrealfest.com):

Eat Real’s mission is to make real food as accessible and as affordable as fast food at events held in strategic communities across the United States. . . Eat Real’s vision is of an America where food’s crucial importance to the health of our bodies, communities and economy is universally recognized, and where access to healthy and affordable real foods is a right, not a privilege. Also, in our ideal America, food tastes a whole lot better.

I was even honored with the presence of OC, who just moved out here from Maryland! Welcome to Cali bro! We enjoyed the cuisine stylings of at least five different continents, heard some good tunes, and got to explore a little bit of Oakland on our bikes.

Here are a few shots from the day:

Watermelon + Knife = Flower

OC with Jack London, himself!

Yours truly and our bronze friend.

Solar Powered Airplanes!

2010-08-20T09:23:00.001-07:00

How cool is this? I was (and still am) thoroughly impressed when I heard about QinetiQ using solar energy to fly. The new world record for longest continuous flight is now 14 days set by QinetiQ’s Zephyr, and the drone could have gone longer! Awesome!

Here are a few articles about the record-breaking drone:
http://www.qinetiq.com/home/newsroom/news_releases_homepage/2010/3rd_quarter/zephyr_-_14_days.html
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/19/solar-drone-aims-for-a-record/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7577493.stm

Here’s an interesting link that has a bunch of different solar airplane projects from the past and present (NASA crashed one of their prototypes… go figure) : http://www.blazingwings.org/entry/top-12-solar-powered-aircrafts/

Mt. Diablo, View 4

2010-08-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

You’ve probably heard about the “golden hills” of California, right? I mean, come on, there’s even a town named “Golden Hills” in the state! So anyways, what people usually don’t mention is that the hills are golden because all of the grass is dead. Typical.

Here’s a view of some golden hills on the north side of Mt. Diablo. This pic was taken on the northeast side of Concord, CA, looking south over some sort of government owned property. Bonus points if you can tell me what’s in those bunkers/storage facilities scattered throughout the field!!!

Why am I posting pics of Mount Diablo? Check out my original 36 Views of Mt. Fuji post. Like I said before, this is going to be a long term project!

Homework!

2010-08-12T21:56:00.001-07:00

This is what happens when you volunteer to take work home with you at my job! Lesson learned...

The Pacific Coastal Highway

2010-08-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

Yeah yeah, it’s been busy here on the left-coast. Better than the alternative, huh? What I’m learning is that work will be busiest during the summer!

I had the privilege of hosting EH back in June and we were able to get a lot of good sightseeing in! One highlight was driving down the PCH for a day. We made it all to the way to the southern end of Big Sur before turning back… and had beautiful weather for most of the day! Living just off of Highway 1 tends to spoil a person; I hope that I don’t start taking it for granted!

Here’s a few shots from our southbound excursion:

Not bad for being on the side of the road:

I’ve always wanted to see Bixby Bridge!

These cows have a better view at the office than most people do!

You get extra points if you can identify this type of bird (Hint: it’s the largest North American land bird). We were driving along the cliffs in Big Sur when this fella swooped up and flew alongside the passenger side of the car for a few seconds. I’m glad that EH had the camera and I didn’t need to drive and shoot at the same time :)

Graduations!!!

2010-06-04T17:35:00.001-07:00

I’ve had a busy May to say the least! If you noticed, there aren’t any posts here for May because I was either slaving away at work or travelling to the Eastern Seaboard for graduations! It was a good month!

Congratulations to all of the 2010 graduates, especially to KP and EH! I’m a proud big bro…

Way to go EH! I guess PSU isn’t so bad after all… :) Next stop, grad school in CA?

Congrats KP! Are you ready to be on your own now? Get ready TN, here comes my not-so-little-anymore sister!

Here’s a good pic of AW, KP, and yours truly to prove that I was actually there!

Sailboats!

2010-04-25T22:06:00.001-07:00

I went for a nice bike ride on Saturday… about 25 miles worth of pavement for me. The sun was out, the temperature was perfect, and the only thing that could have made my day better was if I were on a sailboat. As I rode along the coast, I watched enviously as dozens of sailboats meandered around the Monterey Bay. “Someday,” I promised myself, “that will be me!”

I was so enchanted I took a few pics during my ride:

Just south of Santa Cruz

Capitola Boat Party

West Santa Cruz

Cliffs in West Santa Cruz

Goldman Sachs says, “Uh Oh!”

2010-04-16T11:26:00.001-07:00

You know how I just blogged about the litigious US citizens? Well, here’s a case that I am going to love to watch: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/17/business/17goldman.html. The S.E.C. is suing Goldman Sachs in civil court for fraud committed in 2007 with… you guessed it… mortgage investments!

It’s time to stick it to the man! I think America is still looking for entities to blame for the housing bubble collapse, and anybody who profited from that event is a bad guy in the popular opinion. I’ll leave it up to the courts to figure out if GS is guilty or not, but they’re already paying with their stock prices.

Seeing is Believing

2010-04-12T22:01:00.001-07:00

If you ever wonder what I usually do with my Saturday nights… it would definitely NOT be spending time scouring YouTube for funny videos. However, yesterday proved to be the exception b/c MC and AR decided to end the night with YouTube hilarity.

I’m sharing the following clip not because it’s extremely entertaining, not because there are half naked people being pranked, and not because I want to show you my twisted sense of humor. I’m sharing this because I’m happy for Japan; their citizens seemingly have not lost their sense of humor. Americans are such sore sports, we would most definitely be filing lawsuits for this type of embarrassment. If you are able to successfully record and broadcast this sort of jokester type material, my hat is off to you Japan!

Don’t stop watching it half-way through, it gets funnier and funnier as it goes on. Caution: this video is not clean humor by any means! Watch with discretion.

New Brighton State Beach

2010-04-11T17:11:00.001-07:00

The weather was gorgeous here all week long, but the weekend brought some rain. I was able to get out for some bike rides, hikes, and meandering walks during the nice days… here are some pics from around New Brighton State Beach (less than a mile from my place).

Looking West Along the Monterey Bay Shoreline
Looking South Into the Monterey Bay

You can see the Capitola Village Pier in the distance

My walk home took me along some railroad tracks… not too many trains travel this line!

News From The Supreme Court

2010-04-09T15:39:00.001-07:00

The most tenured Supreme Court Justice, John Paul Stevens, has just announced that he plans on resigning from his duties fairly soon. While I don’t think it will be the end of an era, I do believe that his absence will be noticed…

The New York Times did a good piece on this news: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/10/us/politics/10stevens.html

This will be the fourth Justice appointed since 2005, making nearly most of the Supreme Court rookies. While I don’t doubt the newer Justices, I simply ask that we watch them closely; they’re the ones that are supposed to be promoting stability in our laws.

Point Bonita

2010-03-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

Here’s a couple of cool shots from the recent trip I made to San Francisco with AC. I’ve been working a ton ever since then, so haven’t had enough time to go on any weekend trips. I’m hoping to get to somewhere cool this weekend, if for nothing more than to be able to post new pics on here… haha. Any ideas from anybody?

Point Bonita Lighthouse:

Looking over Bonita Cove into the wide open Pacific:

TED on Health Care

2010-03-20T20:18:00.001-07:00

Have you ever checked out the website www.ted.com? If not, you should! It’s a much better timewaster than YouTube or reading my little corner of the internet. The people who are featured on this site are generally the people who you might see on the news in a few years.

I like Eric Dishman’s take on our healthcare. Just because we’ve been going to enormous hospitals (that treat each of our body parts individually in different departments) for hundreds of years does not mean that it is the best method for healthcare to treat us. Why hasn’t meta-healthcare used the technological revolutions of the past twenty years to revolutionize itself?

Check out his talk on the topic:

Barack-etology 2010

2010-03-17T19:35:00.001-07:00

The President turned a lot of heads in March of 2008 and 2009 for reasons other than politics. Nothing is different this year as he has revealed his NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket. He has even gained a corner on ESPN’s website dedicated to revealing his bracket.

Check out the video here: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5002940&categoryid=2459792

The extended version: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5003282&categoryid=2459792

He has Wisconsin losing in the Sweet 16 to Kentucky, which I can understand, but he was not so kind to the Badgers last year when he picked them as losing in the first round! Thankfully we pushed ourselves through one game… this year will be better!

A Shift in the Debate?

2010-03-17T00:40:00.001-07:00

I’ve been saying it for years, but as soon as some Governor from South Dakota speaks up, people listen! It’s as if Gov. Mike Rounds has connections or something… and I’m not talking about firearms regulations.

I’m talking about the long reach of the federal government! According to the New York Times, there seems to be a collective reach by state governments for states’ rights. Check out the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/us/17states.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&src=igw

While I’m not always on the same page as Thomas Jefferson, I’ve always appreciated his thoughts on State & Federal government relations. Here’s one quote that shows his foresight on the topic:

"I do not think it for the interest of the General Government itself, and still less of the Union at large, that the State governments should be so little respected as they have been. However, I dare say that in time all these as well as their central government, like the planets revolving round their common sun, acting and acted upon according to their respective weights and distances, will produce that beautiful equilibrium on which our Constitution is founded, and which I believe it will exhibit to the world in a degree of perfection, unexampled but in the planetary system itself. The enlightened statesman, therefore, will endeavor to preserve the weight and influence of every part, as too much given any member of it would destroy the general equilibrium."

--Thomas Jefferson to Peregrine Fitzhugh, 1798.

In my humble opinion, I believe that the equilibrium has been off for too long, and that it’s time for States to regain some power and influence. Maybe I’m just used to rooting for the underdog, but I really hope this debate comes to the forefront of what’s gong on in politics… Go States’ Rights!

Big Basin Redwoods State Park

2010-03-13T13:11:00.001-08:00

Last weekend, I had a visitor fly all the way out from Wisconsin, AC, who hadn’t been to a redwood forest before, so I took it as an opportunity to check out a new park. I was pleasantly surprised, but I think that AC was a bit more impressed. We had a great time spending half of the day running around like a couple of first-graders on a field trip when the teacher isn’t looking.

Here’s a few pics from our day hike:

Mt. Diablo, View 3

2010-03-10T21:05:00.001-08:00

So this last weekend took me exploring the San Francisco Bay Area with a friend, AC. One extremely cool place that I’ve never turned off of the highway for was the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in Marin County. In just a few short miles, you get a great view of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, Bonita Cove, Rodeo Cove and Lagoon, Point Bonita Lighthouse, and you guessed it, Mount Diablo!!!

The view of Mount Diablo may strain some folks vision, and it sure did strain my camera b/c the weather wasn’t very clear, but below you will find a shot with Mt. Diablo in the background behind the hills of Berkeley, CA.

Why am I doing this? Check out the original 36 Views of Mt. Fuji post. Like I said before, this is going to be a long term project . . . .

Science Humor

2010-02-18T21:06:00.001-08:00

This picture had me laughing this morning:

It was brought to my attention by a friend who’s going to a conference in San Diego this weekend in hopes of interviewing ppl that get this type of humor. Apparently this sign is understood on many levels in certain sciency-groups. Did anybody else notice “Into” being capitalized for no Apparent reason?

Olympic Opening Ceremonies

2010-02-13T11:54:00.000-08:00

Don’t ask me why they’re compiled on WSJ’s website, just watch the videos. You’ll like them: http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/02/12/winter-olympics-2010-opening-ceremonies-over-the-years/?blog_id=120&post_id=23687

Interesting Economics

2010-02-12T23:40:00.001-08:00

Now HERE’S an article about international economics that I enjoyed. I’m easily bored by folks talking about interest rates, monthly retail aggregates, and blah blah blah. The article speaks my language; I enjoy the most vague and vast implications of macroeconomic theory.

We’re still figuring out how the dynamic between Eastern goods exporters and Western spenders is going to play out in the future. Economic insecurity arising in historically stable nations (recent history, that is) may upset many tables. I’ve heard over and over that this will shift power to those countries with the most natural resources and the largest industrial output. Maybe, but the article highlights how China, Vietnam, Singapore, and most Eastern countries depend on exporting to the EU, North America, and elsewhere for their strength. It is in their interest not to allow our table to be turned. We fall, they follow. The world is a tangled web of interdependencies. I doubt that we’ll see any clear winners arise from our economic setback.

My favorite word of the week: Schadenfreude. It means “pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others,” according to Wikipedia. I found it in an article reviewing Dubai’s recent woes and the lessons it’s learning whilst the world is watching. We can easily find pleasure as we watch other parts of the world struggle, but we won’t be so happy when the ripple in their economy affects those connected to it and eventually turns into a wave heading for our back yard. Just a thought.

The article: http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2010/02/12/asias-exposure-to-europes-woes/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wsj%2Feconomics%2Ffeed+%28WSJ.com%3A+Real+Time+Economics+Blog%29

Sunset at the Pier

2010-02-03T20:26:00.001-08:00

A cool part about living by the Pacific would be the sunsets! I’ve been impressed with the regularity of great weather during the evenings… somehow most of these storms you’ve been hearing/reading about seem to be willing to clear up by the afternoon, allowing me to walk off a long day sitting in an office!

Music-Map

2010-02-01T23:17:00.001-08:00

Here’s a little website that does something really cool! Music-Map will find artists similar to the artist that you type in the box. The way it does this is the cool part: the creators polled a bunch of people to see what is in their music libraries and figured out what artists were housed in certain collections. They linked artists based on their quantifiable commonplace amongst other artists in the the polled libraries.

Check it out and find somebody new to listen to: http://www.music-map.com/

Where’d the Beach Go?

2010-01-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

We’ve been getting some “serious” storms here in Capitola the past few days (think 1/100th the size of a hurricane). I’m hoping we hit our pinnacle last night because I had to get ready for work today in the dark… no electricity! I used my headlamp in the shower and my bagel was cold, but otherwise it wasn’t a big deal. I just thought of the folks in Haiti and was quick to realize my fortunate plot in life.

What I find really amazing is the effect the storm had on the Capitola Beach. Check out the before and after shots below! My Dad took the first shot when he visited last weekend (To the old guy: you should consider yourself lucky for getting those little rain showers! You missed some serious rain!) and the second shot was taken yesterday after I got off of work. Interesting contrast, huh? I wasn’t trying to make the after-shot look too gloomy, it was just a bit later in the day and the clouds were still rollin’ in!

Before:

After (that pipe wasn’t showing before!):

1906 Earthquake

2010-01-18T20:30:00.000-08:00

Earthquakes have been in the news quite a bit lately! Being a newer resident of California, I haven’t experienced one yet. I don’t think that’s going on my list of things-to-do in the Golden State.

I’ve heard about earthquakes from plenty of people, but my curiosity is rarely satisfied by mere words. How many words is a picture worth, again? Oh yeah… a lot of ‘em. After a search for Northern California earthquake pictures, I found a terrifying gem. One Man’s Blog has a gigapixel photo of the 1906 earthquake aftermath in San Francisco.

Here’s a piece of history for ya:

I just uploaded a smaller copy of the originals listed at: http://onemansblog.com/2008/04/04/gigapixel-photo-of-1906-san-francisco-earthquake-aftermath/

Related website w/ Before/After Arial Views of 12 Cities.

Economics + Comedy = ?

2010-01-17T16:33:00.001-08:00

Real The Wall Street Journal’s Real Time Economics blog had a humorous post yesterday, taken from the AARP Bulletin. It’s titled: I’ll Know the Recession Is Really Over When…

Here are some of the answers:

“When my patients go back to talking about how much they hate their mother, rather than how much they hate the government for getting them into this financial mess.” —Carole Lieberman, psychiatrist, Beverly Hills, Calif.

“When there’s an increase in sales of men’s underwear, which is an interesting indicator. Since those sales are usually flat, a dip is a bad sign for the economy.” —Bill Patterson, market analyst, Chicago.

“When I no longer count mail-in rebates as income.” —Nancy Lombardo, comedian, New York

“When the car ads on television replace those for depression meds.”—Tom Pryor, director, Small Business Development Center for Enterprise Excellence, Fort Worth, Texas

“When I become first in line at the stroke of noon at our local thrift shop and the pickin’s are more like they were two years ago. Ohhhh, we used to get some gooood stuff.” —Joy Cadden, handbag designer, Millville, Del.

“When I stop bringing my own drink and candy to the movies.”—Barry Moltz, author, motivational speaker, Chicago.

The AARP Site: http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourmoney/personalfinance/articles/is_the_recession_over_.1.html

The WSJ Site: http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2010/01/16/ill-know-the-recession-is-really-over-when/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wsj%2Feconomics%2Ffeed+(WSJ.com%3A+Real+Time+Economics+Blog)

Mt. Diablo, View 2

2010-01-08T19:46:00.001-08:00

To continue my long term project of capturing 36 images of Mt. Diablo, I give you a second view from Alma Park, Walnut Creek, CA. The shot was taken in early January, please take note of the very green grass… no trace of snow! Why do you think I’m still living in Cali?

Why am I doing this? Check out the original 36 Views of Mt. Fuji post.

Fortune Cookie Irony

2010-01-01T18:14:00.000-08:00

My New Year's Eve dinner was chinese food (trying to carb-up for the big night... haha), which was delicious... but what I will remember most of all is my fortune cookie's prediction.

Read at 8pm, December 31, 2009:

Merry Christmas from the Beach!

2009-12-24T10:42:00.000-08:00

What you see below is not only a California sunset in December, it’s in the town of Capitola, where I’ll be taking up residence in the new year. Not bad, huh?

I hope the new year brings me many sunny days on the sand and in the water! New Year’s Resolutions? None yet, but I’ll let you know if I come up with anything good.

Stupidity in the Senate

2009-12-22T01:00:00.001-08:00

I usually don’t care about the stupidity of our elected officials, I was raised to expect it. This time, I’m a little taken aback.

If you’ve read some of my rants on it in the past, you’d know that I’m a big fan of solar energy. Solar power plants are no longer a thing of the future, huge plants powered by the sun have been popping up all over the place… especially in the Southwest. They utilize the greatest renewable energy source, they have an extremely small carbon footprint over their lifespan, and they feed our power grids the most during our peak hours (daytime)! What a great step for us to be taking towards sustainability and preserving our environment (in the private sector nonetheless)!

I just read the article, Desert Vistas vs. Solar Power, in the NYT and was appalled with Senator Dianne Feinstein’s drive at “scuttling some 13 big solar plants and wind farms planned” for the Mojave Desert. She’s pushing a bill to create national monuments in approximately 1 million acres of Mojave Desert land. Land that was supposed go to those 13 plants.

California has been a leader in renewable energy, currently vowing to reach a 30% benchmark of energy production coming from renewable resources by 2020. Those 13 plants were a big part of reaching this goal. While I hope that they will all be able to relocate and eventually be built, the legislation has pushed back progress. Several plans have already been tossed because of her actions.

I can’t get past her reasoning: the immediate preservation of recreational and pretty landscape is more important than halting humankind’s persistent destruction of the globe. I, for one, think that solar power plants are beautiful in many ways.

A quote from Senator Feinstein’s Website:

During my time in the Senate, I have worked to preserve these and other natural resources in California and across the country for the enjoyment of future generations.

And today, global warming is my number one environmental priority. That is why I am working on a comprehensive package of legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors of the economy.

I am also working hard to promote a balanced energy policy that will meet the needs of California , while ensuring that our Nation’s natural treasures are protected.

Thank you Mrs. Feinstein. I guess preserving your pretty desert is more important than preserving my beautiful country (both fiscally and environmentally). I hope you got some campaign funds out of this one; why else would you disregard your number one environmental priority?

The Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/22/business/energy-environment/22solar.html?pagewanted=1&ref=business&adxnnlx=1261468870-aFvCesLERqzHfxCCKiEQEQ

Wow to the Woes of Unemployment

2009-12-21T17:35:00.001-08:00

Out of all the states I could choose to move to in this economy, California was a risky bet. Thankfully, I’ve been able to scrape along and beat the odds thus far. Folks down in El Centro, however, aren’t fairing so well. 30% unemployment! That’s just nuts!

CNN sent out a photographer to check out the town and give the rest of us a visualization on the state of the town. An interesting little piece: http://us.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2009/12/21/natpkg.el.centro.jobless.cnn

And you thought your town was doing bad, huh?

Rapping Economists

2009-12-17T18:07:00.000-08:00

I have to share this gem. PBS did a special on John Maynard Keynes and his lasting influence on our economic theory, policy, and now our musicians. There is coverage on the merits of economic stimulation vs. its demerits, but I paid more attention to the young economic rappers.

Check out the video at: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec09/keynes_12-16.html#

What’s the scale of my curiosity?

2009-12-10T22:10:00.000-08:00

It is hard to put a perspective on the size of an atom, let alone a molecule or the H1N1 virus going around these days. If you want to check out a cool site that gives you a cool way to visualize small things put next to each other, click on the link below. Thanks to my Grandfather for forwarding this site to me!

Link: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/cells/scale/

Mt. Diablo, View 1

2009-12-02T17:59:00.000-08:00

Well, It’s been a hectic few weeks here and I haven’t been good about keeping up my posts. Sorry. But, after my Thanksgiving vacation, I was able to shoot a picture of Mt. Diablo from the Walnut Creek BART station. I don’t think this will be a quick project, but I plan on getting several shots up here before the project completely falls off into the background.

If you’re wondering what this is about, see my previous post: 36 Views of Mt. Fuji

What Does “Building Green” Mean?

2009-12-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

I’ve always been curious about folks that live off the grid and have super efficient homes. This isn’t something that’s had a lot of publicity in the past, but things have changed. I stumbled across a cool TV Program that follows a contractor that decided to build his home in as green of a manner as possible.

The series: http://www.hulu.com/building-green

I’ve never really been into those home improvement shows, but this really fascinated me. It’s worth a watch especially if you’re thinking about building in the future. Ever.

Ever Lost your Luggage in Phoenix, AZ?

2009-11-07T14:18:00.000-08:00

I can’t believe somebody could succeed for so long, yet seem so dumb. Criminals never cease to amaze me.

Read this one: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/11/03/phoenix.stolen.bags/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn

36 Views of Mt. Fuji

2009-10-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today wasn't a boring day... in fact, quite the opposite. Despite that, I succeeded at stumbling across something online that's completely cool. Katsushika Hokusai's Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Japan) is a collection of woodblock prints done over 150 years ago.

This collection gave me a great idea! "Uh oh," I know... I am going to attempt to make a collection of views of Mount Diablo. I live at the base of the tallest mountain in the San Francisco Bay area, I like mountains, I need something to do with myself sometimes, so why not go for it?

The set displayed at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty-six_Views_of_Mount_Fuji

More artwork from Hokusai: http://visipix.dynalias.com/search/search.php?u=2&userid=1240926867&searchmethod=tree&startsearch1=go

My favorite three prints:

Lake Suwa in the Shinano Province

Umegawa in Sagami Province

Inume Pass in the Kai Province

Where the Smarty Pants Are

2009-10-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across two articles today that are centered on intelligence/smart people. I just don't see how this could be a popular topic: smart people are just so boring! I kid, because I did find the articles interesting enough to share. It does, however, make me wonder why there is a readership/demand for statistical analysis as in the first article... I think it feeds a collective narcissistic tendency of the smart-folk. I'm just sayin'.

First Article: "America's Smartest Cities-From First to Worst," is exactly what it sounds like. It's a list of the 55 largest cities in the U.S. and which ones are the smart kids in class. I was pleasantly surprised by the high marks for Baltimore. http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-10-04/americas-smartest-cities---from-first-to-worst/?cid=bs:archive9#

Second Article: "Religion and Learning: what we know," puts an argument about atheism/theism into question. If you've heard the remark, "As a group, atheists are more educated than theists," this article shows such remarks to be a bit rash. The analysis does have shortcomings and doesn't disprove said comments, it merely shows the comparison to be more complex than most people have realized. And please don't tell me that theists are the smart ones either, because being smart isn't an excuse or proof of anything. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2009/oct/05/atheist-religion-education-demographics-class

The China Channel

2009-10-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

The NYT ran an article yesterday claiming that China is planning on opening up its media/entertainment companies to public investors. I'm a fan. Despite the whole authoritarianism thing, I've liked our biggest trade partner across the Pacific (second only to Canada) for many years now. I mean, come on! They're the ones that made most of my toys growing up! It is cool to see a country making good choices, cautiously going to an open market system step by step. They have seemed to be making progress my whole life.

The best way to gain foreign investors would be to ease up on the media control, and they seem to be leaning that way. If nothing else, I predict that the influx of money will result in some awesome action movies.

The Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/05/business/global/05yuan.html?em

On An Iron Horse I Ride

2009-09-25T19:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not always humming Bon Jovi lyrics while I'm riding my bike these days, but I do appreciate a good pun, even when it's not all that funny. In Contra Costa County, where I now reside, there's a multi-use trail that goes right through Walnut Creek.

It's the Iron Horse Regional Trail, and I've started biking on it a bit. What used to be a Southern Pacific Railroad line, now serves the people of Concord, Walnut Creek, down to the folks of Pleasanton. While it isn't a great replacement for the American River Trail back in Sacramento, it does a good job satisfying my needs. I'm hoping to bike the whole thing one of these next few weekends!

Here's where I'll be exploring on my wheels for the next year. Jessica, if I'm missing along with my bike for a day or two, please tell the police to search these paths.
North End:

Central Section:

South End:

Fall Football

2009-09-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

Well, the season has begun for both NCAA Football and the NFL League... and my girlfriend is in two pools/leagues. Where does this leave me? On the sidelines. Do I care? Not really, although my sense of masculinity seems to be in question when I contemplate this. Fortunately, I have found other ways to validate my sense of manhood. Like, with, umm... eating a lot.

Haha, I’ve never considered myself a football junkie, but ever since dating Jessica, I’ve been doing a lot more Sunday Sit-ups (Sitting on the couch all Sunday, watching games, and getting up solely for food and commercials). Perhaps this makes me more American rather than more of a man.

It does mean that I need to do more biking during the football seasons. Doggone nachos!

Righty Tighty, Lefty...

2009-09-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

I can't say that I fully understand why this is happening NOW, but Samoa has decided to start driving on the left hand side of the road. This hasn't been done by any other country in the past 40 years... what gives? Apparently, they're trying to get on board with Australia and New Zealand (their nearby neighbors). Supposedly, most of their tourists are used to driving on the left. Talk about a bow to tourism... what will happen to all the discarded road signs?

The Articles: Associated Press, New York Times

Out of curiosity, I wanted to know what the worldwide status is for left/right side driving. Wikipedia delivered again:
Red, Orange, & Green countries drive on the right
Blue & Purple countries drive on the left

"How Did Economists Get It So Wrong?"

2009-09-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

That's the title of a very informative article published this week in the NYT Magazine. The article talks about the gap between academic economics and real time/world economics and how the unraveling of the market these days has them scratching their heads. While I can't say that I saw this economy coming, I can say that I viewed some of my old professors as a bit too... well, let's just say that they were in their own world.

Thus, I really enjoyed the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/06/magazine/06Economic-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

Mr. Krugman also does a good job highlighting two schools of thought, saltwater and freshwater economics, which I'd never heard of before. The reason behind that is because I apparently went to a freshwater college in the geographic middle of the country, away from oceans and the New Kenesians of the field. My professors did a thorough job pounding in the freshwater economist's perspective. Unfortunately for their creed, I never quite bit it 100%... perhaps I'm too much of a saltwater economist (which I never knew of until today)!

Read and enjoy!

Eat Real Festival

2009-09-01T12:20:00.000-07:00

Oakland, CA, is known for many things… many not-so-good things. But there are many good things that make Oaktown a place worth going to. One great part is Jack London Square and the events that it hosts. My first experience there was the annual Eat Real Festival.

We went to the fest last weekend to feast on the goods of local vendors. There was everything from ice-cream carts wheeling around, to grills representing most corners of the world, and there was even a crème brûlée cart! Delicious stuff! There was even a farmers market going on at the same time inside an adjacent building for everybody who may have been inspired to try some new discoveries at home!

The event’s website with some streaming videos: http://www.eatrealfest.com/

Everybody started with some amazing corn on the cob and tomato/mozzarella plates from Jon’s Street Eats, then we sort of branched out and explored many other stands. I can speak for El Porteno’s empanadas, which were delicious, and Kara’s Cupcakes: mighty small but mighty rich. One last stand to mention, the Crème Brûlée Cart pleased everybody who tried it.

There was live entertainment and a little lawn to relax on.

Did I mention the lines? There were a lot of people there!

Guess who!

Nooooooo!

2009-08-28T19:19:00.000-07:00

Just read the article, and you'll see what I mean. Thanks to a friend, Kenneth, who brought this to my attention.

The link: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2009/08/did_education_dept_help_kill_r.html?hpid=artslot

Need My Placebo Fix!

2009-08-27T23:37:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across an interesting article on an economics site (of all places!). It's about pharmeceuticals and the placebo effect in studies over the years. Freakonomics says that "we’ve become so convinced of the power of modern medicine, it works even when we’re off the pill." That made me smile.

Check the article out: http://www.wired.com/medtech/drugs/magazine/17-09/ff_placebo_effect?currentPage=all

My Pale-Green Thumb

2009-08-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

Last winter, I bought a couple of plants for our apartment and have been learning how to keep them alive ever since. I've won some battles, but unfortunately seem to have lost one against mealy bugs on the tillandsia I've so dearly tried to save.

The tillandsia flowered and produced a couple of pups, so as the mealy bugs seemed to be impervious to my water/soap water/alcohol attacks, I decided to focus my attention to the pups. I got them into a new bed, rubbed them down good, and will hopefully be able to see them reach maturity and flower, mealy bug free! If anybody has any green thumb secrets, I'd be very interested to hear them!

The newly transplanted pups actually had little roots of their own tangled up, so I'll grow them together unless anybody knows if this is a bad thing. You can see some of the damage the mealy bugs have accomplished below:

Here's a view from the porch of our new apartment! Pretty nice to walk straight out onto the park:

Moving Sucks!

2009-08-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

Why is it that people love to hang on to all their junk? Why can't we survive with whatever we can carry on our backs (60lbs or less)? We are such hoarders! I used to be able to wheel all of my possessions around Madison in a couple of pickup truck loads! Now, it's a multi-day ordeal that requires help, a moving truck over 15ft in length, and steriods (I must admit that we were moving 3 people's things). We began our exodus of Sacramento on Tuesday, and seem to be comfortable 3 days later! Whew!

As I tried to figure out if there's something wrong with me, I learned of a possible disorder called compulsive hoarding. Are you diagnosable pack rat? Thankfully, I think I'm in the clear. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compulsive_hoarding

The good news is that the move is over! I now live in Walnut Creek, CA, with my two great roomies, Jessica and Becky. The location is a great improvement over the last spot, as great as it was. Now we're closer to downtown amenities, within range of the SF BART System, and are much closer to an international airport (something essential when most of your family is a plane ride away). I'm pumped! It's time to begin the exploration of my new stomping grounds as soon as I fix the flat on my bike...

PCH Rambling and Visitors

2009-08-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

"It's so nice to be able to go from the beach to a ski resort in three hours!" You'll hear these words from a Californian sometime in your life, I guarantee it. Growing up on the Eastern Seaboard, seasons brought those climates to us, so I'm never impressed when I hear that sentence. What now West Coast? Although, who else gets to choose their climate year round? Let the debate ensue as I sidestep into another topic, the PCH.

While there are tons of new things I'm discovering out here on the other side, one of my favorite American pastimes is driving on the Pacific Coastal Highway. The drive reminds me of two things: trips to Ocean City, MD, and drives through Shenandoah National Park (replacing the foliage with palm trees). If you want the full effect, make the trip yourself or turn to a better writer. I will say, however, that the smell of the ocean, a steady breeze, and the crashing waves is enough to put me in a good mood regardless of my prior state. My first Cali sunburn was from a PCH drive with the sunroof open, I scorched my right temple (poor me, huh?).

Link 1: http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/drives/pacific-coast-highway
Link 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_1

My parents were out here last week and drove a good section of it. I got 4 thumbs up from them when they arrived at the end of their drive. They did Monterey, San Fran, Sausalito, and farther North to check out some good redwoods and wine country. While we couldn't partake in the drive, Jessica and I were able to make it to a SF Giants baseball game with them. The Giants unfortunately lost, but we all had a good time!

A note to those buying tickets ahead of time: REMEMBER YOUR TICKETS! For a few minutes, I thought this would be the best view we would get b/c I left our tickets at home... luckily Ticket Services reprinted them w/o a hassle.

A view overlooking the outfield and the Frisco Bay:

Yosemite Hike (Pt. 3)

2009-08-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

Our third day took us from Glen Aulin back to the car before 1pm. It was a cool, breezy day and we even got a little bit of hail dumped on us (very small sized hail, but worth mentioning). The hike was flat and easy, so we had enough energy to take on an extra 2 hours worth of driving to check out the Yosemite Valley and see some of the more famous scenes.

All in all, it was a great trip! Many thanks go out to BB for planning the trip, inviting me, and above all: putting up with me! I had a blast and am planning on returning to Yosemite many many many more times! I highly recommend YOU go there sometime in your life no matter what you think of grizzlies, skunks, or smelly hikers!

Me at the beginning of the day:

Glen Aulin is nestled somewhere at the base of those hills:

The Tuolomne River:

Cool view, notice the ominous clouds:

A look at Half Dome from the North:

El Capitan (it's hard to see how big this rockface actually is from the picture... just think BIG!):

Yosemite Falls (a very wimpy waterfall at the moment, it is very late in the season for this monster):

Yosemite Hike (Pt. 2)

2009-08-12T21:26:00.000-07:00

Our second day of hiking was a grueling 16.something miles, but I survived. We went from Ten Lakes to Glen Aulin, and I somehow survived with a mere blister that was only a small nuisance. We got close to 10,000 feet midway through the hike as we went around Tuolomne Peak, which is a new personal best for me. 14,000, here I come!

At the end of the day, however, I was a bit grumpy before eating dinner... so I must apologize to BB for my brief period of frowning. After returning to my nourished state of mind, we headed to a group campfire where there were about ten others enjoying smores and stories. It was then that we learned of an interesting forecast: snow.

It was supposed to snow in the afternoon/evening on our third day of hiking, so we decided to head out early in the day instead of exploring the waterfalls around Glen Aulin as our original Plan B had entailed. I couldn't help but acknowledge how odd it is to have snow and a forest fire in the same spot. Perhaps I'm just naive as to the ways of Yosemite.

We didn't see too many deer on the trip, but here's one we caught on camera:

Looking back at the lake we stayed at the night prior and the descent we made to get there:

Another great view looking to the North. You can still see a bit of smoke towards the left side of the pic:

A cool lake at around 9,000 feet:

Postcard image:

Yosemite Hike (Pt. 1)

2009-08-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard the phrase, "It's better to be lucky than to be good?" Well, that's how I felt about my first trip to Yosemite National Park. A friend, BB, planned out an awesome hike in the northern parts of the park and I was lucky enough to be able to tag along without any planning required. He even picked me up and drove there!

The original plan was to hike through the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne River beginning at White Wolf Mountain and ending at the Tuolumne Meadows Visitor Center. Unfortunately, we couldn't hike that trail b/c of a forest fire in that section (fortunately, it was being controlled/watched by many o' firefighters, ensuring the safety of the rest of the park).

So our Plan B became a hike from the road near Yosemite Creek going to Ten Lakes, around Tuolumne Peak, to Glen Aulin, and on to Tuolomne Meadows Visitor Center (a little under 30 miles). In short, we went from West to East just south of the Canyon where we had originally planned to hike. While we were doubtful of the sudden change in plans, we were pleasantly surprised with the great views the trail afforded us!

Our first hill to climb shortly after embarking:

I think this is Half Moon Meadow:

Our view from the ridge above Ten Lakes was awesome! The shot is looking to the North/Northeast and you can see smoke just over that first ridge from the fire that changed our hike:

We camped on the near side of this lake:

Hiking for Food

2009-08-01T15:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't think that I could carry a sign while hiking that reads, "Will Hike For Food," and possibly keep up with my caloric output. It just doesn't seem possible b/c a full day of hiking for me will burn somewhere in the ballpark of 5,000-6,000 calories (and people don't take spare change/food on hikes).

Right now, I'm planning out my diet for the approaching week! I'll be hiking in Yosemite National Park for 4 days, spanning 29 miles from White Wolf to Tuolumne Meadows. Thanks to a friend, Brad, the trip was all planned out and reserved except for my eats. Of course, I waited until the weekend before to figure out the specifics.

When I was hiking on the Appalachian Trail, I ate a big breakfast, snacked all day, and ate a big dinner. The routine worked well, and I never went hungry. Don't ask me how much planning I did before that trip!

So here's what I've been thinking for my 4-day trip:

Breakfast: 2 servings of Oatmeal, Dried Fruit, 1 serving of Dried Milk & Carnation Instant Breakfast Mix

Snacking/Lunch: Granola Bars, Cliff bars, Trail Mix, Crackers, Dried Fruit

Dinner: 2 servings of Noodles (Ramen, Rice Noodles, or Instant Pasta Mixes), Cheddar Cheese, Dried Fruit, Hot Cocoa Mix

For the dried fruit, I use dried bananas, apricot, mango, and dates. Dried milk isn't very good by itself, but when you mix it with those Carnation packets, you really can't tell the difference and you get a super healthy start to your day! Surprisingly, blocks of cheddar cheese stay for a couple of weeks at outdoor temperatures and they're packed with fat and protein (hooray!), which is tough for a vegetarian like me to find!

Me eating a half gallon of Moose Tracks ice cream halfway along the Appalachian Trail (you can do that sort of stuff when your metabolism skyrockets on a prolonged hike):

Utah's 3-Day Weekend

2009-07-30T21:50:00.000-07:00

Back in July of 2008, Utah changed the schedules of about 17,000 government employees to a 4-day work week for a year long trial. They were hoping to cut some costs, lower their carbon footprint, and improve customer service. I can see how a 4-day work week achieves the first two, but the last goal doesn't seem to compute with fewer days in the office. Oh well, that's not important:-/

Here's one of the 2008 articles: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-06-30-four-day_N.htm
Halfway Marker: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29393522/

One year later, the results are in! The state saved $1.8 billion, CO2 emissions were decreased by 6,000 metric tons, and 82% of the employees want to keep the schedule. I'd call that a success. One of the drawbacks of a 10 hour day, however, is a larger propensity of people eating fast food.

Present Day Article: http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/environmentandenergy/archive/2009/07/27/the-case-for-a-four-day-workweek.aspx

I think it’s a great idea! Other states claim to be considering the same route to help out in their own budget issues. My prediction: the next study they will conduct will be on the difference in productivity b/t 8hr and 10hr days. Then we’ll see if it’ll become a nationwide trend.

Maybe we should invest in vending machines and fast food chains.

Visitors... (Pt. 2)

2009-07-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

My last post highlighted the touristy stuff I've done with guests in Sacramento. Now it's time for downtown San Francisco!

Here's my immediate short-list of things to do in San Francisco followed of some pics:

The Palace of Fine Arts
Golden Gate Bridge, Baker Beach, and Lands End (Views Galore)
Golden Gate Park (LOTS of cool stuff to do in there)
AT&T Park, where the San Francisco Giants play
Fisherman's Wharf is the 2nd most visited spot in CA, next to Disneyland, according to a tourguide we had last year. Feel free to debunk this fun fact. My favorite spot here: Ghirardelli Square
Alcatraz Island - The self-guided tour using headphones is great! I suggest watching Escape from Alcatraz (1979), with Clint Eastwood, before doing the tour.
Chinatown (The biggest one outside of China... take that NYC!)
Cable Cars
Union Square, if you fancy fancy things
Twin Peaks, good for photos and sunsets
Alamo Square, where the Full House house is located! Better known by some as one of the Seven Sisters.
Haight Ashbury Neighborhood, not many hippies remain in their traditional garb, but much culture remains.
Touch the Pacific Ocean

OK, I'm stopping now before this turns into some sort of comprehensive list... these places are what come to mind when I think of visiting SanFran. All fun stuff, but there's much more out there for us all!

Now for some of my favorite pics from the city:

The Golden Gate Bridge!

Kari on the bridge:

Thinking of what this is called... at the Legion of Honor:

A guardian at the Legion of Honor:

The Palace of Fine Arts:

Me!

Looking up inside of the Palace of Fine Arts:

Your favorite couple at Alamo Square:

Chinatown:

Chinatown Lantern:

Now my lunch break is over... back to work!

Visitors... (Pt. 1)

2009-07-26T14:30:00.001-07:00

...and I'm not talking about little green guys. People actually want to visit me, no tricks involved!

Last weekend, my dad flew in early for some meetings and spent the weekend toting around with me, and this weekend, my little sister arrived and dealt with my ramblings as we rambled around Nor Cal. Despite being me, I think I did a good job playing host and chauffeur for my guests and was able to show off my new native land pretty well.

So if you're ever thinking of visiting us out the West Coast, here's a quick list of things to do in Sacramento (other cities will follow in later posts):

California State Capitol & Lawn
Old Sacramento
Raley Field: River Cats Minor League Baseball Team
Sutter's Fort
The California Museum
Midtown Sacramento
American River Pkwy
Sacramento Zoo
K Street "Mall"
California State Railroad Museum

My little sister was kind enough to share her photos before she left, so I've got those and a few other shots from my time here in the City of Trees. Enjoy!

My sister in front of the capitol. It was about 100 degrees that day:

In the State Capitol Park:

California Firefighters Memorial in the Capitol Park:

Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the Capitol Park:

Sutter's Fort:

The self guided tour of the fort involved looking through open doors/windows around the whole complex. This is what you typically see:

This is in Old Sacramento, looking towards the riverfront. The Delta King is a boat with a restaurant and theater in it. I've never seen it leave the dock, but it doesn't seem to need to. Behind it is Sacramento's own Ziggurat. Gods don't dwell in this one, as it is an office building. Looks good, though!

A shot in Old Sacramento:

Raley Field, where the River Cats play. My recommendation is to always get tickets on the third base/left field side. You get a great view of the Sacramento Skyline and the sun is behind you for evening games:

Another Angle:

The Pilgrim's Progress of the 21st Century

2009-07-23T23:53:00.000-07:00

As some would call it, The American's Progress From Our Current State Of Affairs To That Which Is To Come. I read an article today about a lady from near Sacramento who's chosen to use a horse and buggy for her grocery runs.

Whether it be a choice to make a statement, to branch off and do her own thing, or simply to make the best of a tough situation(from the economy, and of caring for a rescue-horse), Ms. Nylander has the folks of Northern California talking. Well, writing at least. Folks have said she's doing the world an ecological service, others rant about her being a bit nutty, but I just enjoy the concept and this picture:

The article: http://www.sacbee.com/roseville/story/2048612.html

You don't see this too often when so far from Lancaster, PA. Hopefully it isn't a serious measure of the economy's state. If it is, you should read up on John Bunyan's allegory and try to apply it to today's politics. Then enjoy the irony... unless I'm reaching too far.

Info on the book: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pilgrim%27s_Progress

Supersized TV

2009-07-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

For the month of July, my girlfriend is back in WI visiting friends and family, living it up on a hard-earned vacation. That has left me 'bachin' it, trying to entertain myself. Work, work, and little-to-no play makes cBenigni desperate for things to do with myself.

Fortunately, the internet is full of free options! One of which is hulu.com. It's packed full of TV Shows and movies that could eat up months of my life, kind of like TiVo but online and they decide the content. I just need to kill my evenings for the next couple of weeks before I have company once again.

Last night, I ended up watching Super Size Me b/c somebody told me that I was the last person on earth that hadn't seen it. Typical. Behind the times again, but I make up for it in other ways. Right? The movie is interesting; notably biased, but still full of valuable stuff. I was surprised by footage of a gastric bypass surgery and there was actually a commercial for Chili's Bar & Grill. Too funny! Check it out for free if you haven't seen it yet!

When I was working in the field, visiting customers in their homes, I would stop by a fast food joint at least twice a week for a snack. On top of that, I had a slight addiction to Snickers and Mountain Dew. Throughout that year-and-a-half out in the field, I gained over 10 pounds. That's nothing compared to what the guy in Super Size Me did to himself. Luckily, the effects are reversible and I'm back to where I started!

I'm hungry.

The California Dollar

2009-07-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

It’s an interesting time to be changing my residency to the Golden State. California is now known worldwide as a budgetary nightmare. I know it, you know it, the TVs know it. So my question is this: are we going to learn from Cali’s mistakes? (this post is more of an inquisition than a statement)

So far, state workers are getting furloughed along with their benefits cut back, social programs are being slashed, taxes will be increased even more, and the govt. is handing out friggin IOUs! Haven’t heard of the so called crisis? Check out these stories:
http://www.mercurynews.com/topstories/ci_12837694
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE56E49D20090715
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/us/16calif.html?_r=1&hp

If a state’s bonds can be rated as worth ‘next to nothing’ who is to say that our country’s won’t follow shortly? The solutions that are being implemented aren't bad, they seem to be common sense. Buy why are they all reactive instead of showing we had been proactive with the budget in the past? Perhaps I've been looking in the wrong area for change, but when the nation’s spending continues to increase so much, I can't smile too much. Who are we kidding?

On a lighter note, Californians are trying really hard to fix things:

American River Bike Trail

2009-07-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

It seems like I only hear about habits when folks are trying to break them. Anything from nail-biting to smoking, I always hear the grumbles of friends saying that habits are bad... but what about good habits?

Ever since I started to work @ home, I have focused more and more on forming habits (mostly the good kind). Daily routines are a must, and my hardest one so far has been waking up early. On the other hand, my favorite one has been exercising on a regular basis. Time has been preventing this for the past year-and-a-half. Now, as the Rolling Stones say, "time is on my side," and my lunch break is spent in a fitness center or on the American River Bike Trail.

The American River goes right through Sacramento and the locals have done a pretty good job keeping it maintained. The American River Parkway starts at Folsom Lake (NW of downtown) and goes 23 miles to Old Sac, creating a stage for a system of small parks the whole way through. Fortunately, bike trails keep on going all the way through the Greenhaven/Pocket neighborhood.

Right now, I've been doing 15 miles/day for lunch but I hope to get that to 20-30 miles in the near future. My butt needs time to adjust to frequent bike mileage... woe is me. The tunes for today's ride: Tonight: Franz Ferdinand.

Sacramento County's page: http://www.msa2.saccounty.net/parks/Pages/RegionalParksDetails.aspx?pn=American%20River%20Parkway
Yelp's page: http://www.yelp.com/biz/american-river-bike-trail-sacramento

Pics from today's ride:

Codex Sinaiticus

2009-07-10T01:12:00.000-07:00

This just in! A really old book has just been published on the internet. Not cool enough for you? OK, well the book is actually the oldest known copy of the Christian Bible, the Codex Sinaiticus. 1600 years old.

Why is this cool? Well, it just might have serious implications in the Christian realms. In the past, Christian theologians, scholars, and religious leaders were only as good as the materials they had available. They fed the masses what was agreed upon as the definitive works, a collection of books selected at the Council of Nicaea long ago (subject to debate).

The Codex Sinaiticus includes those books and a few more. So what is in the new books being introduced to EVERYBODY? Will the information bring age old teachings into question? Will religious leaders accept the data now available to their followers? What of the general understanding of the Christian Bible, could men have cut out entire books throughout history in order to fit their own credence? How does one go about changing a religion, even if it is a very small change?

Besides the modern day debates that may ensue, the history of the actual manuscript is fairly interesting as well. Check out the articles:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/24/online.bible/
http://www.thestar.com/living/religion/article/661728

And the website: http://www.codex-sinaiticus.net/en/ (english translations coming soon...)

On a lighter note, people in California like to moon passenger trains: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124718939724920855.html

Matt & Kim - Grand

2009-07-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across a sweet little album this week and feel the need to share. Yes, I listen to music while I work. So what? I don't have to deal with Milton in the next cubicle. The bliss of working at home is still fresh in my mind.

Oh yeah, the album... Grand by Matt & Kim. I heard the song, Daylight, in a Bacardi commercial. Super catchy, but unfortunately (for Bacardi) I didn't succumb to buying any alchie. Sorry guys, my ears were more stimulated by your commercial than anything else.

As I’m sure all of my friends have known about them for years, I simply pride myself on finding this album all by myself. I take what credit I can. Matt & Kim is apparently an indie rock group that seems to be on the verge of hitting it big-time. If you like simple, upbeat tunes and keyboards, check 'em out! My fav tracks are I'll Take Us Home and Daylight.

Their website: http://www.mattandkimmusic.com/

YouTube Video of Daylight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgBeu3FVi60

Old School Cryptography

2009-07-02T22:17:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal ran an article this week about a letter written to President Thomas Jefferson from Robert Patterson. The letter contained a cipher that hasn't been cracked in over 200 years! Pretty dang impressive if you ask me! (Yes, I know that we probably could have cracked it years ago if we stuck the intelligence agencies on it, but we didn't so it remains cool)

Check out the article: http://online.wsj.com/wsjgate?subURI=%2Farticle%2FSB124648494429082661-email.html&nonsubURI=%2Farticle_email%2FSB124648494429082661-lMyQjAxMDI5NDA2MjQwODI0Wj.html

What I really found humorous was imagining the look on the poor guy's face when he figured out what it said. He probably had weeks of sheer excitement leading up to one climactic moment, all the while thinking of the movie National Treasure, dreaming of the riches that were on the other side of those pages... only to find a joke. Sorry dude.

Here's one of the pages:

My first step to decode this would be relearning how to read "proper" cursive. That must have taken hours to write!

It's Electric!

2009-07-01T17:22:00.000-07:00

When I was in the fifth grade, or so, I did a report on photovoltaic cells. I was and am still fascinated with them. How cool is it that we can harness the energy of sunlight!?! Back when I did the report, the going industry standard was that 10% of sunlight's energy could be converted into electricity; the current standard varies from 10% to 31%.

The reason I'm writing would be the latter figure, 31%!!! I just read an article about the use of solar thermal energy, mirrors, and sterling engines to achieve that impressive statistic. Sterling engines were originally built in the 1800's and SES has just brought them to the next level by focusing sunlight on them to provide the needed heat run the thing. Awesome! Each one has 82 mirrors, 1 stirling engine, and produces 25-kilowatts.

The article: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/research/4288743.html?page=1
SES's site: http://www.stirlingenergy.com/about-us.htm
A couple pictures of the beast:
On a sidenote, there' s a pretty cool idea that IST Energy has been marketing to large business locations. The idea: melt your trash and use it as fuel to power a generator. Long term savings seem astronomical! Bonus to boot: it reduces pollution caused by garbage removal/disposal. I'm a fan.
The company's site: http://www.istenergy.com/
An article: http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10140500-54.html

10 Stupid Mistakes Made by the Newly Self-Employed

2009-06-30T10:31:00.001-07:00

I stumbled upon a cool article written by Steve Pavlina, 10 Stupid Mistakes Made by the Newly Self-Employed, and was happy to relate to several of his opinions. I even learned a thing or two... or three. Seeing an article like this one lifts my spirits b/c it gave me a figurative slap to the back of the head and it gives me a sense of camaraderie with the thousands of other folks out there on their own trying to be their own bosses. With a little common sense, we can get a lot further!

Tinkering w/ Technology

2009-06-29T01:38:00.000-07:00

After a few switchovers, I finally settled on a template for the blog (you're looking at it now). There is soooo much content on the web these days feeding the blogging masses! I had to sift through dozens of websites claiming to have great templates and widgets, only to discover it's a lot like finding a good "work at home" solution that wastes gigabytes of traffic every hour! I spent way too much time pursuing this.

Fortunately, a few sites did deliver:
http://buzz.blogger.com/2009/06/spruce-up-your-blog.html
http://www.deluxetemplates.net/
http://www.bloganol.com/

For whatever reason, I couldn't settle for an easily provided design from blogger.com. I had to get something more complex and refresh my xml skills. I will say that the nice thing about my obsessions is that they all seem to be fairly short lived. To all of those blogging sites: Veni, vidi, vici.

No more templates. No more processing rebates at home.

Captive vs. Independant Agency

2009-06-25T23:56:00.000-07:00

When it comes to insurance agencies, there are many different forms/sizes/types... but I’d love to rant about one distinction: captive and independent insurance agencies. When an insurance company has captive agents, they work strictly with that company and its products. An independent agent works with multiple companies and does not have any allegiances.

So, is one better than another? Nope. I say this confidently b/c there are many different situations that afford each type the advantage.

For instance, captive agencies naturally have more interest in their agents' individual success. This may be the best way to get into the insurance industry as fresh meat (over 90% of ppl fail in their 1st year… you better find somebody who’s willing to hold your hand through the beginning). I began as a captive agent and was given free training, coaching, office materials, and best of all… free leads! As a captive agent, however, you have a limited line of products to meet clients’ needs and may not beat out the competition.

Insurance companies working with independent agents have an interest in the success of their product b/c their producers are actively shopping around. Because of this, an independent agent won’t always be afforded a huge support system/free training/free resources/free leads. You must come up with these things yourself as a producer, but you gain a competitive edge when dealing with customers. You are an expert in the industry who can find the best deal for your clients… take that you competitors! (err, yeah, something like that)

So, if you can see the general trend of my logic, I started off as a captive agent, grew, and have now “graduated” to being independent. Let’s see if I’m up to the task.

Here’s a better article that expands on my little rant: http://www.agentssalesjournal.com/content/view/670/108/

Pyramid Peak

2009-06-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

This weekend brought me to the highest peak in the Desolation Wilderness of Northern California, Pyramid Peak. We hiked approx. 10 miles to get to/back from the west side of the Peak. This included an easy and slow ascent to Lake Sylvia followed by a rapid climb to the west saddle going up to the peak. We didn't attempt to summit the Pyramid b/c of time constraints and it was my first time hiking above 6000 feet (Our highest elevation was about 9000 feet). All in all, it was a great hike that allowed me to use an ice ax for the first time and hike in semi-high altitudes for another first. Thanks go out to BB for an excellent Saturday hike!

Here are some camera-phone pics:

Looking NNW from 1/2 way to Pyramid Peak.

Lake Sylvia where we stopped for lunch. The climb seemed to be straight up directly from the lake below.

Another cool view. We hiked from the top-left portion of the picture.

Recruiting

2009-06-19T11:57:00.000-07:00

The great thing about starting your own business is the independence. It provides a great feeling to create one's own horizons! I've been working on a business growth model for the past two weeks (what licenses are needed for each step, how much needs to be made to maintain profitability while bringing on new expenses, different markets to attack in the future, etc.). I am in the early stages of Phase-I at the moment and have put initial recruiting in Phase-II, which begs the question, "why the heck is the topic about recruiting?"

Well, I've had three people call me up this week to ask how it was going and asking about the logistics of the job. They want to come on board sooner than I had anticipated! Awesome, Right? Well, I’ll call it a good problem only because it poses a couple of challenges. Do I go for it and bring folks on board when I am still learning the processes and don’t have total security? I’m not one to take much risk, especially with other people’s lives. I’m in insurance for crying out loud! On one hand, growth is good. On the other, I am not able to train new people as well as I will be able to six months from now.

After some contemplation, I decided to settle for a middle ground: ask the recruits to wait a month while I change my priorities to enable myself to train and lead these folks in our new endeavor. Total security can be overrated. Adaptability is key. Growth is necessary. Let’s get to Phase-II!

Looks like I don't have to create my horizons completely alone.

Habit Hiccups

2009-06-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

Picture a young man working out of his office at home. Look at him diligently work all morning long. Man, he's done a great job so far! Oh so productive, right? Absolutely! See him sit back and smile to himself as he is running ahead of schedule for the day. He deserves a reward... Watch him as he writes a few personal emails. Now he's calling a couple of family members! What? A 1-hr phone call with the 'rents followed by a couple of calls to buddies? What happened?!?! Where did the rest of the day go?

That was me today.

Being completely independent of supervision/quotas/requirements does have a flipside. You better be prepared to answer to your better-half on a regular basis if you plan on getting anywhere. This may be my kryptonite.

I will be punishing myself with an eight hour day tomorrow. No excuses. Only music playing tonight: Elliott Smith.

Weekends Are Great!

2009-06-15T18:09:00.001-07:00

If you are ever considering life working for an insurance agency, say goodbye to your weekends. You will need to and be forced to work on a six-day workweek. I did it for a year and a half. You will have to. The thing about any kind of retail/financial/service business is that they are the suppliers to a demand created by individuals who are working (in most cases). You do the math: if a person works a lot, the best time to meet with that person is on a weekend or very late/very early in the weekdays. When that person has a significant other that works an opposite shift, you WILL see them during the weekend. Same goes with shopping malls, they have more customers on the weekends.

So, what's the solution? Maximize your weekdays and NEVER schedule a weekend appointment unless it is necessary. Work 1/2 day every other weekend. It isn't perfect, but Americans seem to be hardwired to spend their hard-earned money on the weekends. Who am I to fight that? Another solution would be to make your weekends on Mondays/Tuesdays. The nice thing about being self employed is that you don't have anybody telling you that you're wrong.

So, what did I do with myself last weekend? I relaxed & went shopping with my gf on Saturday, and went for an awesome hike on Sunday. Mt. Diablo of Northern California boasts some awesome views. It is hard to find a mountain that sticks so far above any other hill around itself so that your view is fairly unobstructed the entire 360 degrees around itself.

A couple of pics for ya:

A view from the summit looking southeast.

Looking west towards the end of our hike as the sun began to set.

First Week

2009-06-14T00:33:00.001-07:00

It takes several steps to even begin to work in the insurance industry. First, you have to get licensed in your own state which can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months (depending on your determination). Second, you have to land a job, if you already haven't, and learn how to do whatever you are pursuing (Underwriting, Claims, Sales, Actuarial, Management, etc.). Third, you have to do it well because it is a dog-eat-dog world out there, and even your customers are out to have a bite or two of you. Fourth, you have to keep on doing step three and figure out how to keep ahead and motivated.

So, my first week on my own, I had to redo step one in four different states and am now licensed in CA, WI, MD, PA, and soon will add VA and IL to the list. Check. Step two has been a bit daunting, but I will be working with about 14 different accident/life/health insurance companies to start off with. Not quite "Check" yet... but I am well on my way to mastering their product lines. Lots of boring reading about HIPPA/MIB laws, application details, underwriting qualifications, and $$$ for each individual company. Fun stuff. Step three cannot be accomplished by slacking on step two, so I'll keep you posted.

On a side note, I'm loving the whole self employed new business deal because I do my own thing. I've started working out again, and have the energy at the end of the day to pollute the internet with yet another blog! Woohoo!

First Post

2009-06-10T23:25:00.001-07:00

I am beginning a new chapter in my life and therefore feel the need to document and share it with those out there who care to listen. I have learned a lot since my emergence from college into the real world. I have done the captive insurance agent bit, recruited to fill insurance sales positions, and managed those I have recruited. I am now leaving that all behind to begin an insurance brokerage. Let's see how it turns out!

The purpose of this blog will be to share experiences in, vent frustrations of, preach up, and hopefully give a bit of insight about the insurance industry.

2009-06-10T00:51:00.000-07:00

Final Remarks and Favorite Pictures (Part 1)

2007-12-01T22:16:00.000-08:00

A view from the Bear's Den.

I met a very nice gentleman who was on his way south to meet up with other Civil War living reenactors. When I first spotted him on the trail, there was a very long moment of me questioning my sanity and my quantum portability. Fortunately, I know I'm not crazy and I'm pretty sure I'm still in the same universe...

To some: a nice little creek. To me: a nice little watersource.

With a net gain of 0ft in elevation, the morning was spent climbing and descending well over 5,000 feet worth of hills. Stupid hills.

Final Remarks and Favorite Pictures (Part 2)

2007-11-30T22:30:00.000-08:00

One of the less glamorous parts of hiking areas where nobody has been for a week or two: spider webs. I'm pretty sure I got caught in several hundred webs throughout the entire hike. Pretty, but also pretty hard to get out of a beard.

Creepy walking through mist... but kind of fun in a sick sorta way.

Literally and figuratively walking in the clouds at that point :-)

Welcome to Shenandoah National Park! Perfect timing, as the whole hike was designed to arrive at the peak of fall colors in the one spot so famous for it!

Final Remarks and Favorite Pictures (Part 3)

2007-11-29T22:55:00.000-08:00

One very nice thing about the Shenandoah National Park is the excellent trail markers. Not very often do you find stone/metal markers... it signaled the beginning of my return to society.

Leaves. Lots of em.

Another gorgeous view in the SNP.

One of my last overlooks before being picked up!

Today brought me 15.3 miles

2007-10-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

Today brought me 15.3 miles down to the Rock Spring Hut where I am literally chillin out! It is cold and windy!

Pass Mountain VA

2007-10-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday brought my third day of rain in a row as I hiked 13.4 miles and climbed 3000 feet in altitude. It as a very difficult day to say the least! Today brought me sunshine as I have been hiking 13.1 miles to the Pass Mtn. Shelter. Hopefully I can get my things dry soon! While the fall foliage is nice, I won't be able to enjoy it properly until I'm dry!

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Front Royal VA

2007-10-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

Today was an interesting day. First, it hasn't stopped raining since yesterday, which has grown old pretty quickly. Second, I was greeted by a crazy local as I was leaving camp, who decided to walk with me for a mile or so and tell me everything about bears that I didn't want to hear. Later on the trail, I ran across an AT volunteer, Sharon, who was looking for an injured hiker, Seeker. I offered to watch out for him and got her cell number and continued my hike. Believe it or not, I found Seeker about two miles down the trail, where he had been stuck for two days, and ended up helping him carry his stuff out to the nearest road where Sharon took him to a free hiker loft where he could heal up. During the whole process, Sharon offered to shuttle me to the loft after I was done for the day and I readily accepted the offer. So I am sitting inside a house with a load of clothes in the
laundry, enjoying the sound of rain from behind a window pane!

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Manassas Gap Shelter VA

2007-10-24T13:59:00.000-07:00

I'm back on the trail! And it's raining! I did my first major hike in the rain, totalling 9.2 very wet miles. Fortunately, my new boots held up nicely and my rain gear did what it's supposed to. Despite the rain, I am still happy to be back in nature (being in a shelter helps a lot). Hopefully the next few days won't be the same!

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VA, MD, WI, and TN in a week!!

2007-10-21T17:52:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody! As I am sure some of you have noticed, I have been negligent in updating my travelogue lately. For that I am sorry, but I haven't exactly been hiking... which may excuse me, right? Well, maybe not.

I headed to Belleville, WI, on Thursday, the 11th to see Jessica for a long weekend. Simply put, it was great! She had a full agenda planned out for us, so we kept busy the entire weekend doing everything from navigating a corn maze, seeing a play, hanging out with her family, to shaving off my beard! Yes it is true, she made me shave! Actually, I owe her a thanks for doing me such a service. Thank You Jessica!

As after any good weekend, I was left feeling miserable! I had caught a cold somehow, and was left feeling sorry for myself without the ability to get back on the trail. Then, my mom made a brilliant suggestion: that we should head to Tennessee, to see family for a long weekend! I thought that this was perfect, so we packed up our stuff, tied up my little sister, loaded everything/everybody in the car, and headed south!

We had a great weekend, at least I did! I got to catch up with my grandparents (on my mom's side) and my Aunt Barb & Uncle Scott (who are pretty cool except the whole NASCAR thing). We watched the new Elizabeth movie, walked around SAU's campus, and stayed up way past our bedtimes! Also, I must say that one of the best parts of the weekend was the food... I ate like a king! Cheers to the wonderful chefs in our family! It was very nice to be able to see them in the middle of my trek...

Now, I am ready to hit the trail again!

Bears Den Rocks VA

2007-10-09T12:13:00.000-07:00

I'm on my way to the Sam Moore Shelter, where I'll be spending the night. Today is the third day in a row that I'm hiking over 15 miles; I am pleased to say that I am finally getting into good shape and am not exhausted at the end of every day! Although, I still won't do lunges at the gym with Ereck! The "hills" you see in the background are exactly where I'm heading, known as the Blue Ridge Mountains. Next stop, Shenandoah National Park!