Hot Summer Nights

Why are concessions at the movies so expensive?  It seems absurd.  I went to the movies the other night and asked for a small Pepsi.  The guy hands me a cup the size of a thimble, and then asks for $5.25.  For fifty cents more I could forsake the thimble and trade it in for something that looked a little more normal; about the size of a medium drink from McDonald’s.  $5.75 for a thimblefull of sugar water?  Don’t get me started on the $7.00 miniature popcorn.  Get real!  This only drives people to smuggle in their own food.  It also drives them away from the movies altogether.  The main culprit here is the Ultrastar cinema chain here in San Diego.  They have the highest prices and the worst quality.  The theaters are run down, and like I said the concession sizes are for midgets.  The Regal theaters are still outrageously priced but at least they don’t insult you with thimbles.  And they have the rewards program, which rocks.  Every other time I go I get a coupon for a free drink, small popcorn, and the much coveted free movie ticket.

I’m looking to purchase a new computer.  First I was looking to get a new laptop, but since the one I wanted to get would take over 2 months to get from Lenovo (which is absurd), I am looking into just getting a souped up desktop instead, and either sticking with my current laptop a little longer or just getting a much cheaper laptop.

I can’t just go to the store and buy a computer; I’m extremely picky and I need to know the specs of every component and whether or not its the best for my needs.  I want to make sure I’m getting the best bang for my buck, and in the world of computers it can take some time to research everything if you haven’t been keeping up with it.  The last time I felt like I kind of knew what was going on with computers was about 5 years ago.  That might as well be 5 million years in computer terms.  Technology has been increasing at an exponential rate since then.

The main gripe I have right now is deciding on a resolution and a monitor.   I don’t understand why there are so many 16:9 monitors.  That means the monitor is like a widescreen high def TV.  That’s a ratio for watching MOVIES, not for doing work on a computer.  If you’re looking for a higher resolution it’s hard to find a 16:10 monitor, which is much more reasonable.  My dad says that widescreens are like looking at “band aids,” which is true.  I love widescreens for movies and TV, but for the computer it’s complete garbage and unnecessary.  Does the average consumer milling around in Best Buy think he or she is getting a high end advanced monitor just because it’s 16:9 and looks like a strip?  Strips are for steaks, not monitors.  I guess some people like it, but from what I’m reading most people looking for a computer monitor would rather have a 16:10 ratio.

Well, I’m at an impasse and I just need to pull the trigger and get something.  I just want to make sure it’s the right choice.

Last night my friend Megan and I went to the Belly Up to see the Platinum Rock Stars, a classic rock revival/tribute band.  It was a pretty fun show!  We got there midway through the performance, but for $12 it was kind of cool to hear some very loud rock guitar and see some crazy middle aged people reliving their glory days.  It was very involved too; they had costume changes for each band and were introduced by a booming voice over giving each band’s history.  We were only in there for about an hour and a half, but that was enough to turn my ears to mush.  I have pretty sensitive ears, and today they’re still ringing and things sound very tinny.  I really have to remember to bring my ear plugs the next time I go there since it can get rather loud.

Platinum Rock Stars @ Belly Up

Today I had brunch with the San Diego Surf Ladies and got to hang out with some people who I don’t get to see all that often.  We went to Naked Cafe (named for their use of “naked” or unprocessed food, not because everyone is actually naked) in Solana Beach.  They have amazing food; I got the coconut french toast.  I felt like I was eating dessert!

The SDSL Crew After Brunch

This afternoon I finally caved in and purchased my very own……vacuum.  Yes, I’m quite excited about this turn of events.  I spent an hour vacuuming my apartment which had sprouted cobwebs in every corner.  My apartment has a vacuum but it’s awful and doesn’t work well at all.

Example. Not me.

I then mopped the hard floors with my Swiffer Wet Jet, which is a stunning achievement in the field of home appliance engineering.  It’s like a little mop, but on the handle is a little trigger that causes the thing to squirt cleaning solution in front of the mop.  The mop heads are also disposable, so you always have a clean mop.  Probably not very environmental but heck if it’s not convenient.  Such is the downfall of our society.

Anyway, my apartment is completely spick and span now!  Very happy.

I also found this amusing cartoon:

I was just talking about my blog with my friend this morning and it made me want to write an entry.  I feel like my writing style has deteriorated a little bit recently, and I think there are a few reasons for that.  First of all, I’m not spending enough time reading.  Secondly, what I do read is junk on the internet like forum posts on discussion boards.  The internet is like the black hole of quality writing.  Sure you can find some good nuggets of writing here and there, but the predominant writing style on the internet goes sort of like this:

OMG, so I just wanted 2 post about my latest shopping trip.  My friends n I went to Charlotte Ruse and got some AMAZING jeans.  They were sriously like only 20 bucks and fit me so good.  After we went shopping we met up with the boyzzz and even though I really wanted Jimmy 2 ask me out he was just kinda like whatevers.  There all so full of themselves and my friend agreed.   so I am just trying to keep my mind off him for now.  Later were gona go see a movie!!1  I cant wait!!

That’s what I’m up against.  Actually, I really think that if I start reading books again it will help quite a bit.  I am reading a little but it’s not enough.  I’m happiest when I’m spending about an hour a day just reading for pleasure, and I definitely notice that my writing style cleans up when I do that.  Since I write a lot for my marketing business I suppose reading should be part of my job.  I have to get my flow back – it’s gone missing somewhere.

I think writing more on this blog will definitely help – but to be honest I don’t usually proofread these posts or pay all that much attention to the grammar.  I think from now on I will make an effort to fully concentrate on my writing style here.  I still want to have fun with it though, so conversational style is still going to be the norm.

I didn’t know what to write about here at first, but as soon as I went to go get my coffee here at Panera I got my inspiration.  It’s the Law of the Coffee Station.

I go to Panera most mornings to get some work done – it’s a way to get out of my apartment and gives me an incentive to get rolling in the morning.  They have free wireless internet and it’s generally not too crowded (unless it’s raining outside – then the San Diegans don’t know what to do with themselves and tend to huddle in coffee shops reading the paper and talking about the economy).

Anyway, back to the main topic:  at Panera when you order coffee you have to go to a self serve coffee bar where the coffee is kept in warming dispensers.  It’s nice since I can mix and match; usually I fill my cup two thirds of the way with decaf and then top it off with some regular coffee.  That gives me just enough of a caffeine boost without giving me palpitations.

The coffee station is generally empty — until I want to go get some.  It seems like whenever I go up there there are 5 people crowding it and standing there forever mixing in Sweet N’Lows and pouring cream while having a conversation about their boss.  I can pretty much count on the fact that even if there’s only 3 or 4 customers in the store they are ALL going to mysteriously appear at the coffee bar when I go there.  That is the Law of the Coffee Station.  I’m so positive, right?  I blame my pessimistic streak on my dad, since my mom apparently doesn’t know what pessimism is   Hi mom!

Related to this is the Law Of La Costa.   La Costa Ave is the exit that I take to get to my apartment from Interstate 5.  This only happens when I’m coming from the south.  I’ll be cruising up the 5 and traffic will usually be relatively clear, but as soon as I get withing 1-2 miles of the La Costa Ave exit there will always be like 3 semi trucks going 45 miles an hour.  I’ll be too close to the exit to go around them and they’re so BIG that you can’t cut over, so I have to slam on the brakes and get behind them.  45 miles an hour is torture when you’ve been driving 70.  It basically feels like you’re going backwards.

As far as reliability, you can put the Laws of The Coffee Bar and La Costa right up there with Gravity, Thermodynamics, the Strong and Weak Forces, and Time.

No, not Jew.  Yew!  This is the new word to express exuberance amongst surfers.  I like it.  It’s more of a whoop than a word.  So sometimes it’s more like YEWWWWWWWW!

Anyway, the weather and waves in San Diego have been magnificent.  Today it seriously felt like summer outside.  It was great for the people who had Presidents day off.  Yesterday I went surfing with Beth at a break called Terramar (or Terra Mar, not sure if it’s one word or two).  We were trying to find a spot that was a bit sheltered from the brunt of the sizable WNW-NW swell that’s hitting the coast.  If you went to a spot that was facing the swell the waves were hitting double overhead.  At Terramar the waves were only about a foot overhead – 6′ or so.  I think maybe one or two 7′ waves might have rolled through as well.  It was fun to push my limits, and it felt good to have a friend out there with me.  I caught a bunch of waves, and my last wave was just perfect — except that I had to drop in on a longboarder to get it.  For you non-surfers, dropping in is not very nice.  It goes against surfing etiquette.  Basically dropping in means that someone else is already riding the wave and you take off in front of them, effectively cutting them off.  Well, I don’t think I exactly cut off this longboarder.  All I remember is looking over my shoulder and seeing him there, and I thought to myself, “well he’s just standing there cruising, so I’m just gonna go and ride in front of him.”  I don’t usually do this, but this particular wave was just so perfect and I was in the absolute perfect spot to catch it.  I couldn’t let it pass.  Somtimes you just have to break a rule now and then…

For more details on this situation and more surfing etiquette rules, check out my article on the subject at my website:

http://www.surfinghandbook.com/knowledge/surfing-etiquette/

Today was another beautiful day, and in between doing some work and going to a chiropractor (more on that in a second), I had just enough time for a mini session.  I knew Grandview was going to be big, but I only had time to go there since it’s the closest spot.  I saw that there were some pretty sizable sets coming through, but it was SO clean and organized I just had to paddle out.  I can definitely handle the conditions, it’s just a bit of a mental challenge against the fear of bigger waves.

I paddled out and had no trouble, but once I was out there I was a bit nervous.  I had to concentrate on just staying calm and reminding myself that I could handle it.  The average sets were running about a foot overhead, which doesn’t really sound like much, but it’s BIG when you’re out there.  The only fear I have of big waves is getting caught inside – this means being in front of them when they break.  Sometimes you really get caught and you end up right in the impact zone where the lip comes down.  That’s the worst place to be, and in cases like that I tend to jump off my board and dive.  Otherwise you risk getting a broken nose or a board to the face.

Anyway, I told myself I’d just catch one wave and ride it in to shore, especially since I had to go to this chiropractor appointment.  Well, I got lucky and after about 15 minutes a really nice one came to me and I caught it perfectly.  Even though the session was really short it was a great confidence builder.  I’m slowly working my way up and able to handle myself confidently in larger waves.  Larger waves are definitely more fun if you can handle them – you go faster and it’s just an awesome feeling when you’re flying down the line with the lip feathering above your head.

After my session I went to a chiropractor in San Diego because I’ve been having a very annoying neck issue for the past year and a half.  It started as a crick in my neck one morning when I woke up and lifted my head off the pillow, and it just keeps coming back.  Eventually it became a chronic low grade pain that flares up every once in a while.  I can’t really turn my head to the right without a sharp pain, and looking over my shoulder in the car is kind of hard.  I was just ignoring it for a while, but my friend Lori works at this chiropractors office as a massage therapist and she recommended him.  He actually works with a lot of professional and olympic athletes, and his prices are extremely reasonable for those without insurance.

Anyway he took X-Rays just to make sure my neck wasn’t messed up, and they came out fine.  My spine is actually in great condition, and I actually DON”T have minor scoliosis like the school nurse told me in high school.  I just lean for some reason, so one shoulder is slightly higher than the other.  It just has to do with certain muscles shortening.  Anyway, he gave my neck a minor adjustment and used ultrasound to stimulate the particular muscles in my neck that were shortened as a result of whatever problem or injury first caused my neck to cramp up.

Then the doctor put this tape across my shoulders in the back to help slightly adjust my posture.  I have to wear this tape for 4 days!!  It’s not that uncomfortable, but it’s kind of weird.  My shoulders are so rounded forward from surfing that it’s causing my whole body alignment to go out of whack.  Anyway, it was a good visit and I just want to nip this in the bud before it becomes a chronic or worse problem.

Well, that’s the update!

I didn’t have any pictures from this week to update, so I’ll just post this one.  I just found out that President Obama is going to give the commencement address this spring at the University of Michigan, which is pretty cool.  So, here’s a picture of my friends and I from graduation:

This past weekend I went up to Mammoth Mountain, CA with Suzanne and Val.  It was an amazing trip – we got an insane amount of good snow to play around in.

Basically Mammoth is a bit of a drive…it takes about 7 hours to get there.  Since Suzanne had class until around 6:45 we couldn’t leave until later in the evening.  By the time everyone was at my apartment and we had the car packed it was 8:00pm.  That is a bit late to start.  On the way there we missed the turnoff to 395 and ended up staying on the 15 towards Las Vegas.  Luckily we caught ourselves in time and were able to cut back on the 58, but it still cost us almost 40 minutes!  It was kind of a bummer.  We were joking that we might have kept driving till we saw the lights of Las Vegas.  That would have been interesting.

Towards the end of the drive we hit some snow and the road was completely covered.  Add that to the fact that it was pitch black and the light reflecting off the falling snowflakes reduced visibility to about 30 ft.  We were exhausted, and I drove the last leg since it was my car and I was most familiar with driving it in bad conditions.  We had to put chains on the tires so we stopped in front of a few other cars and used the light from their headlights to help us see.  We finally rolled into the driveway of the Sierra Lodge at 5 in the morning.  Yes.  5:00 am.  It was pretty brutal.

We woke up at around 11am and snowboarded for half a day.  By then it had snowed almost a foot of fresh snow, and the conditions were amazing.  Even though we were really, really tired we were invigorated by the sheer joy of sliding down pillowy runs of fresh powder.

The next day we headed over to Chair 25 where there were lots of intermediate difficulty tree runs.  Snowboarding through the trees when there is fresh snow is such an amazing experience.  The trees force you to pick a path and dodge branches and trunks, which adds an exhilarating challenge.  The fresh powder adds a feeling of weightlessness, and you dodge and swerve the trees, sometimes ducking through a narrow keyhole of branches.

It snowed all day, and by the end there was even more snow.  Val’s friend lent her a tiny handheld video camera device.  We took some first person video of ourselves riding around, and I had a super fun time following Val and Suzanne through the trees with it.  I’ll post video when we get it all edited.

Overall this was probably the best snowboarding trip I’ve been on in terms of quality snow.  Also, we had a pretty awesome time together too – lots of funny one liners and silly moments causing uncontrollable laughter.  Looking forward to doing this again soon!

So I said I’d post photos from last weekend, and I’m finally getting around to it.  I wrote  a few new posts below, so be sure to check them out too!

Val and I In A Blizzard Of Epic Proportions - Mt. Baldy, CA. This is 30 minutes outside LA. Seriously.

So last weekend Val and I went up to Mt. Baldy.  It is just north of Los Angeles, and when we got up there it was a WHITEOUT.  I mean, we couldn’t see where we were snowboarding!  Having never been there before it was even scarier because we had no idea what the surroundings were like, where the trails led, what obstacles there were, etc.  We could have snowboarded off a cliff and nobody would have known.  Actually, that’s pretty unlikely because we stayed on the marked trails, but it was still a bit sketchy.  We didn’t end up boarding for very long because I felt pretty uneasy about the situation…I think Val did too.  Plus the chair lifts kept breaking down and it was almost closing time anyway by the time we made our way up to the mountain.

Amazing Sunset Leaving Mt. Baldy

When we were leaving Mt. Baldy we witnessed the MOST beautiful sunset I’ve EVER seen.  This photo does not do it justice at all. There were so many layers of color, and the depth to the different folds of clouds is just not transmitted through this digital picture.  We rounded the corner coming down the mountain and I pretty much started screaming unintelligible words while pointing at the sky.  It was incredible.

In Line - Mt. High.

On Sunday we went to Mt. High…along with everyone else in the entire Southern California area.  Basically it took us 2 hours to drive 130 miles there…and then 4 hours to drive the remaining 5 miles because, well, it was the first good snowfall for this season and the best snow the local mountains have seen in a long time.  So, everyone had the same idea.  But we persevered, and after 6 hours in the car we arrived.  We had a blast actually.

View from Mt. High Looking West

Mt. High Sunset - Lights Came On For Night Skiing

We had another amazing sunset that night, and left after it got dark.

This weekend we’re going up north to Mammoth Mountain here in CA, which is  about a 7 hour drive.  They have the biggest snow base in the nation, and it’s forecast to snow about 30″ while we’re there.  I’m very excited!

I had bought supplies to make quesadillas a while ago, and after getting sick with the flu I never got around to making them.  Well, that was a while ago and some of the stuff went bad.  But the date on the shredded cheese said that it didn’t expire till March something, and I recently got new tortillas.  I had frozen shrimp too, and that doesn’t go back because it’s frozen.  So I made shrimp quesadillas.

When I make quesadillas I dip then in salsa and sour cream, but the sour cream had a sell by date of January 25.  That was about a week ago.  So I looked online to see if it was still edible, and it said that sour cream is already sour, and it’s ok to eat at least 2 weeks beyond the sell by date (which is just the date the store should probably remove it from the shelf so as not to inadvertently startle someone when they open it to find green mold or other interesting organisms).

Well, the sour cream looked like it was separating a little bit….I mean it smelled OK, but I’d rather throw out a $1.49 thing of sour cream than get sick.  Dairy products worry me if they get old.  Along with dinner I had a Michelob Ultra that I bought when I first got to CA.  It has been in the fridge for over 3 months, so I guess it was a little stale.  Beer does kind of go bad after a while.  I don’t think it will hurt you but it’s not top quality.

Needless to say now I feel slightly queasy.  Maybe it was all the salsa I had with the quesadilla.  Maybe it was the stale beer.  Maybe it was the Perrier I drank after the beer.  All I know is that I’m probably going to chuck all the questionable food.  This always happens!  I hate wasting food so sometimes I’ll try to eat it but then I regret it.  Maybe it’s just all in my head and it’s a placebo effect…I only THINK I have a stomach ache.  I can be quite the hypochondriac (just ask my parents) so I know about the power of psychosomatic illness.

So now I’m sipping on a coke to see if it will settle my stomach a bit.