930 Club

This week I got to the 930 club in Washington DC to see Alice Merton.  Shout out to my friend who gave me a ticket! Probably just because Thanksgiving is around the corner; however, I am so thankful for her.

Her open was a band called Raffaella.  She had a song called NASA's Fake.  I thought the lyrics were hilarious and clever. 
For a three person crew - vocals by Raffaela,  keys by Jeff and Drums by Charlie.

I took a few pictures.  It was a great venue. 

Alice did not disappoint.  The lights during her show were fanastic. She played several of her well know songs.  I thought that her PCH song did a great job of capturing what it is like to drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. 

What she claims is her only love song. 

Her song Lasso and Easy are fairly well known. I highly recommend checking her out! Thank you for the great show. 

Birthday Reflections

Last year I spent my birthday alone.  I really do not recommend that.  It was not bad.  I did have to fly home on an airplane which was disappointed.  It was something that I did not want to share that day with work.  

Since this year my birthday landed on a Sunday, a month out I realized there was an open water swim on that day! Lucky me.  The only catch was they wanted all swimmers to do a 'check-out' swim.  Due to my schedule I was not able to make it.  The event organizer emailed me back after I told him my swimming history.  

My birthday involved -

Getting up at 5pm,

Driving over an hour,

Getting sharpie numbers on my hands,

Getting my cool yellow cap

Squeezing into my wet suit,

Jumping in cold water,

Swimming 2 miles, (apparently there were bat rays underneath us.. I missed them.)

-I met my goal time and placed second in my age group (29 and under)

Yes I'm bragging here is my bling! 

Wandering around the beach area with my wetsuit and a t-shirt on,

Watching the awards ceremony, 

Getting my medal!

Meeting a good friend from college

Walking 2 miles back to my car,

Changing into real clothes,

Eating a delicious lunch,

Enjoying good conversation,

Starting the drive home,

Stopping for Pinkberry, (no birthday cake because I had a work trip)

Driving home,

Napping, 

Skyping with my family, 

Opening up their presents!

It may seem weird that I didn't have a party.  I really liked the way I celebrated.  I could not have asked for a better birthday. I feel really fortunate that I got to do something I love. 

I HEART Japan

Except for Japan is really cold in the first few months of the year. 

I got to go back to Japan! Lucky me. 

Last time I went to Kyoto and it was September. Saying it was hot was an understatement.

This time I went to Yokohama. It was freezing. I almost fell on black ice. 

I got to see a completely different side of land of the rising sun. It is also crazy to think that where I live now shares that same ocean. It is also the same ocean shared by Hawaii.

Ferris Wheel near my hotel in Yokohama. I liked that it told the time.

I learned how to navigate the train system. I really miss it. I wish that the United States would invest in more reliable public transportation. However, it really makes me wonder what would happen to Japan if they lost power? 

It seemed like everyone road the train from their house, to do much of anything- shop, eat, go to work, go to school. One of the things I really like is that little- kindergarteners can ride the train alone! I can never envision that happening here.

Rather than writing a huge post on Japan. I will split up my trip into the highlights. When I have time I will fill in the blanks, with food, one weekend involved a Buddhist temple, another involved Disney, Tokyo, Shibuya to name a few places. 

 One of my authentic dinners. I had to figure out how to order this in Japanese. I'm glad I didn't end up with something unrecognizable!

Japan is a really interesting country. I after staying there longer this time. I have a greater understanding of the Japanese tourist in Waikiki. I also can appreciate the differences between the USA and Japan. Japan has a rich past and rich traditions. I hope that I am able to visit again maybe I will time in for the cherry blossoms!

Celestial Seasonings Tea

Well since it is getting colder and I am getting a little tired of coffee I have started to experiment with tea.

While I was away from work and spending time with family we toured the Celestial Seasonings' Tea factory.  It was really cool to see the product line and here about all their various types of herbal tea. It turns out there are only three true kinds of tea- black, green and white. They each have varying amounts of caffeine. The tour also gives you the chance to taste their teas. I liked the Green Tea Peppermint holiday blend. 

It turns out they have a room to house the peppermint because it is bully in the seasoning world. It can over power just about any other scent. Which brings me to my last lesson learned, if you have different flavors of tea do not store them right next to each other because they flavors are likely to blend. 

I know I learned a lot on the tour and I would go again.

Their website is here. If you are ever in the mood for tea check them out!

  Check out their dress made out of their tea boxes and bags.

 Each one of their teas has a unique painting on the box. I liked this one.

Apple Pie

Today my parents and I made an apple pie. I have come to really love baking. It is nice to carefully work the ingredients put them in the oven and wait for something delicious to come out in an hour. I think I also really enjoy learning from my parents. It turns out I am horrible at pealing apples. 

One thing my family always does is reduce the amount of sugar and butter in recipes. I cannot speak for everyone but I can never tell it's is missing. Perhaps all it does is make me feel less guilty about eating dessert! 

I have to say I thought it would be more difficult to make but it was quite simple. I foresee more apple pie making in my future.

Merry Christmas

I had a very Merry Christmas. 

After the past year I feel so lucky that I get to spend the day with my family. I realize not everyone has the opportunity or even likes spending time with their family. We also have a tradition of making home made egg rolls for Christmas dinner. I leave you with a picture of our tree and wonderful dinner.

To anyone reading out there no matter what holiday you celebrate I hope you were able to enjoy it!

RAGBRAI

RAGBRAI - Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa

Possibly the coolest and strangest vacation I have ever taken. It all started about a year ago when my co-workers found out that I like to ride my road bike. So February 2010 came around this year and I signed up for RAGBRAI. While I felt like I may have made a hug mistake. I went for it. We did several training rides. It also helped me train for my triathlons. 

The actual week was hotter than I don't know what. I road my first century (100 miles) in 107 degree heat!

My biggest regret is not eating more not so good for you food. 

Some of the highlights included fresh squeezed lemonaid, touring a farm, eating ice cream slow churned. I also saw the 6 year old Jake and Jake's Mom. They had signs on but he biked 57 miles in one day! It definitely showed me it doesn't matter who you are or what you do. Get out and ride your bike!!

 I hope I can do it again!

  Me on the first day

What every town looked like

Bike buses. There were several of these. Each one had their unique traits.

Olympic Triathlon #3

Something braggy

After countless hours of training my goal was to get under 3 hours on my Olympic distance triathlon. Lucky me I had home turf advantage because the swim was in Ventura harbor, the bike was on my way to work and so was the run. Granted I never actually road the bike or ran the run course. It was a pretty sweet course though because there is no way I would have been able to run the run course with out getting in the way of traffic. It was really an beautiful course. AND I got under 3 hours! By quite a bit.. now I have expectations to live up to. I got a snazzy beer glass for placing 3rd in my age group! :)

Clock Time	2:43:41
Gender Place	38 / 121
Division Place	3 / 6
All Place	191
Swim Lap 1	9:36
Swim Lap 2	9:51
T1	3:21
Bike	1:24:44
T2	2:41
Run	53:31

The Addiction

Well Surfing Magazine didn't take it so I'm posting it. This was my short story for the mag. The winners got a surf trip!

The alarm buzzes. It’s five thirty in the morning. She stumbles into the bathroom, turns on the light splashes water on face; turns to the black string thing hanging on the towel bar and slowly puts it on. Even though there is effort in every movement from what looks like sore muscles, it doesn’t matter. Silently grabbing the huge fuzzy thing used for drying, throw on an over-sized t-shirt, flip flops, grab a smelly substance that looks like soap and takes it out to the car. Oh, and then there is that black and grey item when put on it looks skin tight, it smells like the sea even after rinsing in the shower.  It’s not however the smells that motivates for one more fix. Walking back in the house she grabs a large white board. It has sticky stuff on top of it- carrying that same weird odor as the ‘soap’ and a single pointy thing on the back, along with what looks like a tail. It’s handled gently and slowly placed in the car with a fuzzy thing around it. The car starts and the drive begins. Any observer can tell the need for a fix is getting stronger. The internet thing had shown something good. She had smiled really big last night after looking at it. The anticipation was starting to fill the car the closer the freeway exit got. Peering out the window the internet was right. The big blue had beautiful curls according to her and I quote, “They look priceless and perfect.”  Speeding to park, the towel and the gray black thing emerge. She had gracefully force on the suit.  Finally, the suit is on and the huge white thing is out of the car after some of that smelly white substance is rubbed all over it. Looking like a penguin with a big white fish, she runs across the street and has to hop down over the rocks to meet the water that churns. Then she waits a minute stretching and the white things tail latches to one ankle. All this is very Weird if you ask me! I would rather have slept-in but she asked/begged me to come with a camera.  All of a sudden the white board is under the black and grey suit and her arms are paddling. She gets so close to the curling water and disappears for a minute. She is the only one out but there will be more soon. From the beach she does a 180 degree turn and all of a sudden she is stuck in a curl of water moving faster and in the end it looks like it eats her. I later ask her what that feels like. I can’t see it but she’s told me the feeling with every ride is the fix. I can see it her ride but I don’t understand. She says when she is inside there is finally relief. The world feels right. There is no pain. There is no suffering. There is just this moment, moving on the water, feeling totally out of control but totally at peace. There will never be another love quite like the one she has with this.  She pops back up looking almost drowned on the outside starts paddling and does it again. There are many more times like this. I snap a few pictures every time she stands. It’s hard to get photos. The water keeps moving and she keeps moving. Eventually, more blue, black and grey bodies join her. They all sit and wait with eyes transfixed on the horizon.  There is almost no verbal communication but they all can tell when a good one is coming. They all start to rotate and some make it and some don’t.  It’s almost like a dance only this dance is an addiction.  What seems like hours later, the water starts to have less curls.  She slowly stands on the white thing again until she reaches shore. She pulls the white board’s tail off.  You can see the huge smile on her face. She has found her fix for today.  I look at her and I can see she is as happy as she will ever be.  When it gets down to the basics it’s pretty amazing that is what makes her happy and I don’t even know how to swim. She sees that I don’t understand and I doubt that I ever will.  She simply smiles and says, “You are either jealous or confused. You should be neither. I hope you find something that makes you this happy. If you don’t perhaps you can see why a little foam, fiber glass, some plastic, rubber, fabric, and water with mother nature’s help can be all I need in life to make me happy. Next time you are going to go surfing with me.” That sentence sounds like she is offering me a gateway drug. I want to kindly decline her right now but I just decide to pray that mother nature won’t make pretty curls in the water when she tries to share her addiction. The craziest part in all this is she is right. I haven’t found what makes me happy but I don’t want to become another ‘surfing’ addict.  

Olypmic Triathlon # 2

Perhaps I am a bit crazy but I signed up for the same triathlon I did last year again. This year, race day's weather was awesome. Compared to the sprint triathlon I did two weeks ago, the lake water was warm. My swim felt awesome. 

I ended up with a best time but I know my weakness is the run. I wonder how long it will take me as a non-runner to feel confident about the run. 

I have to say it is always great to go back close to San Luis Obispo. I miss it and it is probably one of my favorite places. The volunteers make this triathlon possible and a lot of them are Cal Poly students. Thanks again Cal Poly! I highly recommend this triathlon to any newbies to triathlons. It was my first triathlon and I'm hooked.

 I hope this summer I will find the time to do another Olympic distance triathlon. 

I find it is much easier to keep training than to stop and start all over.. Keep the progress going!

Progress

Today I ran six and a half miles up and down the PHC. It is in preparation for a triathlon next weekend so it didn't just spontaneously decide to run that far. Talk about wow. Sometimes, I need to step back and take a look at how amazing my life is. I was running right by the ocean. I have dreamed about doing that since I was 19! 

I also recall back at Thanksgiving. I had not worked out in a while. I had gone up to the same location in hopes of surfing after running. I think I ran about one mile before I had to stop and take a breather. Having been a competitive athlete most of my life, I was pretty frustrated I had gotten to that point. 

Now a not even six months later, I got 6.5 miles in and I felt like I could have ran more. Minus the fact that my feet were feeling tingly. I'm going to have to do some research on it. Since I am not nor never see myself being a natural born runner.  

One final note, since I was near the surf, I looked at I wished I could have gone out but I knew I wouldn't catch anything. I can now recognize the tides and what is "rideable." Perhaps this is more reflection but it feels good to know I have achieved something.

Tsunami

Tsunami - is a word of Japanese origin. It is defined as a very large ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption. After watching the footage from Japan recently it serves as a strong reminder how powerful the ocean and the forces of nature are. We are all at the mercy of it.

With this being said it is hard to believe I was in Japan this fall. I have no idea what condition all the buildings I saw are in. My heart goes out to all of those impacted by the earthquakes and the Tsunami. Japan is a beautiful country and I hope I can visit it, again. As I sit here comfortably,  I feel helpless in making an impact to the relief efforts. 

I leave you with a couple pictures from my trip to Japan. In the spirit of donating if you like the pictures please consider finding a way to contribute to the Tsunami relief efforts.

The Golden Pagoda

  Ryōan-ji

Karesansui (Dry Garden) 

 Buddha Statue on same property as Ryōan-ji

RICE Thai Cuisine

First a thanks is do to my friend Brian. He pulled me out of my apartment for the night and we tried RICE Thai Cuisine. It was delicious. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the food. We had flavored tea, Pad Thai and spicy orange curry.  I am always debating whether Thai food or Indian food is better. I have to say this place is swaying my vote to Thai. The restaurant had neat sky lights painted blue and fans. Fans like the one below.

I think I would like to have at least a couple in a place of my own. One more thing I ate the leftovers. For me that is a pretty big deal. Sometimes I let leftovers go bad. I hope to visit RICE again soon. If you are in the area I will take you.

One Great Weekend

Like the title says I just wanted to share how great my weekend was. The surf was fantastic! The experts say surfing has a steep learning curve. I agree that my first few sessions didn't go spectacular and much fewer waves were caught than I wanted. 

Finally, this weekend it all started to click! I will never be a Kelly Slater but I think I will have more fun than he does. Part of my struggle may be due to the size of my board. My one requirement for my board is it fits in my compact car so that limits its length. I could bore you with details on the science of surf but I will move on. The waves were finally big enough to turn my board into a wave catching machine! 

To top it all of there was an amazing sunset tonight. I can not do the scene justice with words. But there is nothing quite like being one of about a dozen people surfing while the sun sets. The beautiful colors of the sky reflect off the glassy water. It seems like everything lights up. It is better than any Christmas morning. When I'm out there on the water, I think about nothing else but the moment I am in. I feel so incredibly lucky to have been surfing today. It's so cliche but so true sometimes the greatest beauty and escape is right in your backyard.

Sand Castle

Today a friend and I built a sand castle!

I have to admit I never really built one. Usually my dad and I focused on making a really cool wall and moat. I am always more interested in spending time in the ocean.  I think it turned out really cool but he had what seemed like a billion more really creative ideas to make it cooler. Pretty advanced architecture to have an outer wall and archways.

It reminded me that sometimes we spend so much time building something but it can easily come crashing down. We didn't stay to watch it disappear in the waves.  

Nothing in this life is permanent so I have to enjoy it!

Snorkeling with a Sea Turtle

It was Sunday North Shore on Oahu, Hawaii. This spot called Shark's Cove. I captured this footage.  It doesn't do actually swimming with sea turtles justice but it's great to see the memory.

Happy BIrthday To Me

Yet another year has come and passed. I was lucky enough to spend the weekend with my parents. Look at the awesome homemade birthday cake my mom made for me. Really it's the little things in life- like a birthday cake that remind me it's okay to get old just never grow up!

 Yes it is appropriately themed sand and surf.

Check out this other awesome shot from home. Sometimes I wonder why I left. 

One final note no one wished me happy birthday on my birthday in person. I am very thankful the cards, notes, and messages but it did teach me to go out of my way to say "Happy Birthday" to anyone on their birthday. 

Published ?!?!

I wrote an article for someone else's blog discussing triathlon training. He decided to publish it. I should also mention if you are interested in surfing reviews check out his blog. (I like it, but I might be bias)  I hope you enjoy reading.

To the article (Triathlon 101)

I copy and pasted it below..

Triathlon 101 – Guest Post

July 28, 2010 by The Surfboard Man · Comments Off
Filed under: General 

What is a triathlon?
It is a distance event which consists of three legs- swim, bike, run.  The distances of each leg vary.  Typically, a sprint triathlon is 400 yd, (1/4 of a mile), 12 mile bike, and 5k (3.2 mile) run.
An Olympic distance triathlon is .93 mile swim, 24.5 mile bike and 10k (6.4 mile) run.
First you have to think about how far you think you can go then pick an event. For sprint be sure you can swim 1600, bike 24 miles, and run a 5k. For Olympic be sure you can swim close to two miles, bike 40 miles, and run at least 8 miles.
What are your goals?-
To finish, to have a personal best time on the swim, bike, or run? Personally, I have always been a swimmer. I always try to start the swim out on a great note. My secondary goal is to improve my run time. Running is my weakest leg.
To train for a triathlon I would suggest swimming three times a week, and the three other days running and biking.  One day a week after working out hard always give your body a rest. It is common mistake to over train but you will be able to train harder with the break.
The distance and time spent training should exceed the time you predict it will take you to race. I compare it to surfing. You do not expect become Laird Hamilton at Teahupoo, if you don’t know how to ride 4ft waves.

Essential Equipment:
All of these pieces should go to the transition area.  The transition area is where you as an athlete store your triathlon equipment. Only athletes are allowed in the area but make sure you keep track of your valuables. You will come back to this location to grab your bike and other equipment.
Photo ID
Race registration confirmation
USTA $10 one-day pass or your membership card
Know the triathlon’s rules
A tri-suit
Googles
Spare swim cap
Bike
Bike helmet with approved safety rating
Spare bike tube
Tube repair kit
Small bike pump that will fit on your bike frame
Broken-in pair of running shoes
Sunglasses- for the bike and run
Sunscreen
Food
Water
Recovery drink
Clean set of clothes
First-aid kit
Big towel
A hand towel
If the water is cold
A wet suit
Body-glide or Vaseline
NEVER use brand new equipment at a race – stick to what has worked for you during training. I have seen some pretty nasty blisters from new running shoes during a triathlon just as one example.

Detailed descriptions of equipment:
Tri-Suit – they are basically bike shorts, and a spandex top. If you want to you can wear a swim suit and put on bike shorts for the bike and a t-shirt for the run. If you buy a tri-sui TRY it on before you buy. You will be in this the entire race if it’s not comfortable it will make the race no fun.
Swim cap – In your race packet you should have the swim cap you are supposed to wear.
Bike helmet – It has to be CPCS approved. Replace a bike helmet at least every three years. If you don’t take good care of your helmet you will have to replace it more often.

During the race you HAVE to have your helmet buckled in the transition area, if not you will receive a time penalty.

A small bike tire air pump which fits on your bike frame. Unfortunately sometimes no matter what you do you will end up with a flat tire. Come prepared and know how to change your bike tire and regular bike maintenance.
Food-
I always tape some power gels to my bike handle bars because I never know when I’ll need it. Although solid food might sound like a good idea on race day with extra nerves eating gels or drinking liquids is a lot easier on your body.  Avoid white starchy food. Know what fuel works for your body; I compare it to putting the wrong kind of fuel in your car.
Water – figure out how much you need. Everyone tends to sweat a different amount.
Recovery drink – After about an hour of the race you need to start thinking about replenishing your fuel source. I have two bottles on my bike. One with water and one with recovery drink.
Clean set of clothes – Lots of people will just chill out in their spandex but I think it’s a lot more comfortable to change into lose fitting clothing.
Body-glide – looks like deodorant but it’s so that your wetsuit doesn’t leave your skin rubbed raw.  Apply it liberally to your neck, lower legs, lower arms, and your lats. From personal experience I received a very nasty looking wetsuit hicky on my neck because I didn’t apply enough Vaseline.  It can also help you get your wetsuit off.  You do not want to have to wear it the whole race.
Wish list items:
You do not have to have these but they are very nice to have.
A bib band clip – you will be given a number which you have to wear on the bike and run portions of the triathlon.  This bib band makes it easy to put on your number so you don’t run the risk of stabbing yourself with safety pins after finishing the swim.
A road bike with clip in shoes – they will help to increase your efficiency but they definitely are more challenging than a regular bike
A water proof watch – it is nice to know how long it has been during the bike and run. If you are aiming for a particular time then at least you will have a rough idea.
Now good luck training, and go out there and TRI!

About the Author:

h2o_gage was a competitive swimmer growing up with over 10 years of competitive swimming experience she decided to try out triathlons. She is currently training for her second Olympic distance triathlon. When she’s not training for a triathlon, she can usually be found near the ocean, hiking or spending time with her family & friends. By day she is a mechanical engineer.

Follow H20_Gage on Twitter

Triathlon #2

I finished my second triathlon.

 This one seems like less of an accomplishment than the last one. It was sprint distance -- 1/2 mile swim, 12 mile bike and 10K run. Swim and bike went well but my run and transitions were slow. It looks like I need to go train on the track more, even though I don't like it.

Before the swim

I saw dolphins before the swim which always makes me happy.

  On the bike

The results- 1:13:12 (hr:min:sec)

 I finished 3th in my age group!

I hope I get to do this triathlon, again. It is exciting that I got to do another triathlon close to where I live.  The best part was my parents came to watch. Now I have plenty of sudo embarrassing pictures of me racing.

Bottom line triathlons are addicting and it's great to hear your parents cheer you on.

Week One-Post Grad

Well post college was filled with a lot of driving and traveling. I cannot complain! I got to visit the heart of Los Angeles for a bit. I was on the 18th floor of one the sky scrapers for a bit!

I am obsessed with the movie 500 Days of Summer. I often have a hard time rewatching movies unless I find them spectacular. I have watch 500 Days of Summer four times! It was a really cool treat to see the same skyline that Tom and Summer sat at. I did not know that there is a trolley up and down Angels point. I took the stairs :) Bottom line watch 500 Days of Summer and walk around historic downtown LA afterward is totally worth it.

To the Right

To the Left



 The following day I spent some time in San Deigo. It was so beautiful. Since I did not grow up near the ocean I am still in awe of it. I wonder if I grew up near it if I would still appreciate it. The water looks much more inviting than it does on the Central Coast of California. It has this great blue green hue.

San Diego