Life can be sweet

The Madness is upon us

2010-03-17T22:52:00.001-07:00

This is one of the best times of the year. My personal favorite Thursday - Sunday long weekend, pseudo holiday. Historically, I should be thawing my bones by a roaring fireplace in the mountains somewhere, easing the pain of muscles used of the first time in 11 months, drinking spirits with friends and loved ones, and of course, examining up to three 8 1/2 x 11 quarter folded photocopies that have been in & out of my pocket a dozen times since the beginning of the week of St. Patty's Day. There is definitely something special about enjoying this time of year in a cozy chalet or cabin at the foot of a snowy mountain. Engulfed by an oversized armchair in damp clothes that are slowly crusting over from a blistering fire with a beer/cocktail in one hand, and a bag of chips in the other while a gentle mix of the aroma of pine, cedar, smoke & fresh mountain air circulates about. Sounds like heaven... if such a thing exists. Unfortunately, we all can't be that lucky, and setting the bar that high is tough to live up to year after year. Regardless, annually, I'll make a point of taking off work the 1st Thursday and/or Friday of the NCAA basketball tournament to fully enjoy the spectacle of college basketball in it's finest hour, home alone on my sofa if those are the cards that are dealt. Exhilarating basketball games from 9 am to 9 pm, 4 doses of 4 games simultaneously, 16 games/day for 2 days, and another 16 games on the weekend... unbelievable baby! It's a minor travesty that CBS's coverage of the tournament is interrupted in the afternoon to air Oprah to appease... appease who exactly? Housewives, that are missing there normally scheduled soaps that are mindlessly absorbed between loads of laundry? Thank you TiVo & ReplayTV for DVR. I'll start the madness at least an hour in progress, and with a break for lunch (Board & Brew maybe?), FF through an onslaught of commercials and Oprah too, if I'm lucky and my timing is precise. Who will I pull for? It's a long 2 1/2 week roller-coaster that can derail a loyal fan hopes at any moment. My loyalties this year are firmly in place, and my $$ is actually in line with my heart (probably a bad idea, & why hedge funds make too much money). If the Devils can pull off a somewhat improbable run and cement Coach K into NCAA basketball immortality, Life will be sweet... and a round of beers on me.

Addendum: I didn't make it to Board and Brew... too lazy. Also, I previously thanked Tivo. I want to thank NCAA.com as well. Break in coverage? what break in coverage when you can stream ANY game all day. Sweet!

My god... time flies, I'm back?!

2010-03-10T23:55:00.000-08:00

Yes, I can see it's been well over a year since posting last. A lot has changed in that time. A new job, my dad's fight with cancer, a kitchen remodel, my mother's ankle surgery, my daughter's latest obsessions with star wars and E.T. ... and wasting time watching television. Dexter is the best show on T.V. and is most definitely not a waste of time. I was dismissive of this series for a long time despite critical acclaim. Can a show about a serial killer be good T.V.? YES!!! I inexplicably felt an urge to post, because this is what I'm passionate about at the moment. I do wonder what it says about me, liking this show so fanatically... I don't care, because it is so good.

I was surfing the web a bit and came across my buddy Dave's blog. Seeing he was relatively current with posts stoked my competitive juices... what spurred this post, in part. In reflection of his post Irony?, I have to say that I save a similar urge to write about my life and opinions of life as I see it. I'd like to think it's because I like to write and is therapeutic. I do & it is. It shouldn't matter if anyone will read any of this... It shouldn't, but it does. I'd like the validation. I think I'm back? This doesn't seem too laborious... for now. There are plenty of issues to vent about. After a somewhat crazy 12 months, things are settling down, and right now, i feel I can commit to this (new macbook pro facilitating this greatly... sofa posting is key). At this moment, Life is sweet.

We are the Champions, my friend... (Take 2)

2008-08-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

Against all odds, coming into our league tourney as the #3 seed, we emerged victorious! It wasn't quite the upset that occured in Season 1. Yes we were the #3 seed again, taking on our nemesis LPL, the #1 seed. During the regular season we won our first meeting, and lost in overtime in the rematch. With both squads at full strength, on paper they should have a slight edge, BUT.... "Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion!" (Rudy Tomjanovich). Wise words. The game started auspiciously. We were playing well, but the basketball gods were not smiling upon us. Lay-ups were rimming out, rebounds were just out of reach, loose balls were.... well, staying loose, and by half time, after a last second bank shot 3 pointer by our rival, we were down 9 pts. Their star player, #7, was torching us. Of their 30 1 half pts, he had probably drained around 22 of them. It was tough to stay positive. It seemed as though LPL had our number this season, and we were going to have to settle for the silver medal... which is nothing! We came out firing in the 2nd half. We went back to man to man defense, after finishing the 1st half in zone. their lead had quickly ballooned to 13 pts., but after a couple of turn overs leading to transition lay-ups, and a pinballesque, contested 3 pointer by yours truly, we had trimmed the margin to 5 pts. They were visibly frustrated. We were locking down their all-star, and because the roll players hadn't got involved offensively in the 1st half, they fell into a sinkhole. They couldn't score, and we were getting good shots in the paint, & getting to the free throw line racking up fouls which allowed us to get into the bonus, early in the second half. We wore them out, and with about 2 minutes to go, after a pivotal hustle play by our point guard Krish, sacrificing his body to tip a loose ball to our Pau Gasol clone Jadon (really a SF, not a center) who dove to the floor himself to tip the ball to our young stud Joe for an easy lay-up, we had padded our lead to 8 points. Of course, we had a late game scare. With our seemingly insurmountable lead in place, and LPL needing desperation 3's to open a door that was virtually slammed shut, a phantom foul was called on a 3 point shot by who else... their stud, #7. In the ensuing moment of disbelief, the reaction by our defender spawned a Technical foul, and #7 went to the line for 5 free throws, potentially cutting our lead to 3 with about a minute to go. Unbelievable, right? The dude goes 1 for 5, and we hold on to Win the 4th championship in 5 seasons with the currently constructed "Just one at lucy's" squad. My 2nd JCC Championship, now 2 for 2. I was slightly bummed that the JCC rolled out identical trophy jersey's from the prior season. I guess I'll have to live with twin baby blues (pictured above). The customary brews were enjoyed at Trophy's in La Jolla, again swapping the season's war stories amidst the glow of a really good victory. Life can be sweet!

Addendum: I was blown away to discover that the team, Just one at Lucy's, was born nearly 26 years ago by a group of lawyers one of which, Mike K., is still on the current evolution of the roster. amazing!

The Update

2008-08-07T23:35:00.000-07:00

Things are good in SD. The Family is great. Aisley is 3 1/2 and getting bigger every day it seems. It's been a good summer. Busy. A couple of trips to SF & Vegas. Aisley is turning into a fish. Lots of swimming this year. There is a new link to a web album with more recent photos this year. With things in perspective, Life IS sweet.

The Solarez Incident

2008-08-07T15:55:00.000-07:00

It all started about 2 weeks ago. My longboard got wrecked... severely, and I had to take it in to Moura's Board Repair. They do great work, & are highly regarded. In the meantime, I used one of my other boards. Specifically, my 8'0" Pato, Pseudo-shortboard. I had picked this one up off of Craigslist a couple of month's ago for 2 bills. A great board. I really love it, but when I bought it, there were a few breaches in its armor that I knew would need professional attention sooner than later. Sure enough, I took it out last Friday and had a great session on it. Only problem is, that when I got out of the water, the board seem a bit more squishy than when I had got into the water. Big problem. I seriously felt lucky to get out of the water with it in one piece... 2 boards down. My third option, at this point, is Ted's old Ellington shortboard. I had scooped it up from him during my search for the perfect shortboard for another 2 bills, but unbeknownst to me, had a significant breach of its own... A gapping ding in the tail bead, straight to the foam, but it's really the only flaw it has. Otherwise, it's virtually in mint condition. Another job for Moura? and I'm almost out of boards. (I do have a 4th, but that's another story, and it's the least ridable of the quartet). After some chats with my neighbor Scott, an avid surfer himself, he convinced me that in this instance for board 3, Solarez could do the job. With $85 in the hole for the LB repair, and looking at at least another bill (or 2) to rehab my new love, The Pato, an $11 tube of Solarez was looking pretty attractive. Yes I was hesitant, but I did my research, and wasn't going to screw this DIY adventure up! I hit the Solarez webite tutorial. I even went to Youtube (I love Youtube btw, you can find anything for visual learners like myself), and watched a six minute video... and with all that, "The Solarez Incident" begins...

Day 1 (Monday at lunch): with all the advice in hand, I thoroughly examined the tail breach, prodding & poking, and assessed whether I was going to really be able to pull this off without F-ing it up. That evening, an Ace hardware run is made to purchase sand paper 50/200 grit.

Day 2 (Tuesday at lunch): Nerves are taking over. It is unclear whether I should walk down this road and not be able to turn back, my lunch time evaporates into an hour of standing and staring. Maybe tomorrow I'll have the cajones.

Day 3 (Wednesday at lunch): It's go time. I bite the bullet, and with trepidation and a razor blade in hand, I begin some sanding, afterwards making incisions around the wound. I'm surprised. This is pretty easy. The 50 grit works quite well, turning the glass resin into dust (goggles and a face mask would be handy, even with limited sanding)... an amazing amount of dust. After the dust settled, the wound was clean, I thought so anyway. It really looked pretty good. the cracked resin had been sanded away with the foam openly exposed. A little Goo-gone to anesthetize the area, and the prep is complete. Now all in, I made the trip to the local surf shop to buy the Solarez. This was going to have to work. With confidence that tomorrow was the day, I opened up to Crystal, and revealed my lunch goings earlier in the week, and my plan for a successful DIY repair the following day. She says, "Just don't get that Sh*t everywhere and make a mess."... an omen for sure, but I didn't see it.

Day 4 (Thursday at lunch): On the drive from TSRI to my mom's place, I attempt to re-visualize the Youtube lesson, as well as any other applicable skills I had downloaded in the last 3-4 days. I was going to work quickly, not letting doubt set in for a second, if it arose. If something went wrong... I'd fix it. Simple. In the garage, with all my supplies laid out on the work bench, I begin to "knead" the tube of Solarez (as per the YT video...right?). The tube felt warm. It had been in my car all morning, and it was a pretty sunny day from the get go at the coast. I should have been leery. There just didn't seem to be enough resistance from the tube. Something wasn'.....dooohhh! SH***T! And I'm not wearing gloves!

The Fire drill: The tube just opened right up at the bottom. A huge glob of resin flew out. Most went right by me and on to the garage floor. Some on the work bench. Some on my hand, both hands! (how do you get this crap off skin?!) I sort of began to panic a bit. This stuff cures hard in the sun in ~ 3 min. Is that all the time I have to get this stuff off me... and it stinks to high heaven. I holding my breath intermittently, I run inside, past our housekeeper who was there finishing up. "Oh... uhh, hi Josepha... you good? uhh... gotta run, take care." Soap and water just doesn't get it done. Keep in mind, I didn't have a ton of this stuff on me. Just little spews here and there, mainly on one hand. But... I'm hairy. My arms are hairy, trust me when I say... It was a mess. This stuff isn't coming off (how nasty is this stuff?). To the computer, Solarez.com, contact info, call #. No answer, right to Vmail, of course. Any other #'s? emergency hotline? It's like the only other #. F it, call. The guy answers. He almost seems confused, super laid back. "Is this the # for Solarez?" The guy says back, "Uhh... Oh yeah, I work with the stuff." I proceed to inquire how might one remove a small amount from one's skin, trying not to reveal my hand completely. Acetone works, ie. nail polish remover,... ok, makes sense. I'm sure mom has some upstairs. "But oh, by the way, acetone can disolve the stuff into your pores, if your not careful.... or. You can stick the affected areas in the sun for,... 30-54 secs., and partially cure the resin, then peal it off. But don't cure it completely, or you might take some skin with that resin... haha hehe. Wonderful. Plan B it was, the partial cure & peal. It sorta worked.

I'm now sweating like a F-ing pig. Agitated, with only 30 mins. left of my lunch. Unbelievable. The DIY was supposed to be a quick surgical strike, say 15 min... now I'm going to be late getting back to work for sure... but I'll be damned if I'm not gonna finish this thing, especially now.

The Repair: Using my Vespa as board horse, I laid the ellington on the seat, balanced, and laid a SH*Tload of newspaper under the potential drip zone. Ahh... I'm learning. I put on some larex gloves... key, and were needed. FYI for the next repair. I cordoned off the resin zone with masking tape, and with a putty knife, scooped some solarez out of the back! of the tube, and proceeded to fill & cover the wound I had so meticulously prepared the day before. It's going well. Not to hard to work with the solarez. The tricky part, laying a piece of saran wrap over the affected area. If your piece is too big, it sort of flops everywhere, and if you get any rogue rez on your fingers, the saran wrap becomes even harder to work with. Really though, you just sort of flatten it out by pulling at the edges, removing wrinkes, and smooth out bubbles if any... there were a couple. Take the board outside the garage in the sun, and literally 3 mins. later... resins hard. peel off the saran, easy. Don't remove the masking tape just yet, for sanding. The tail is a bit tricky, and a glob of resin had settled towards the bottom, but the masking tape stopped it and kept the integrity of the flat bottom of the board. A razor easily removed the unsightly glob, and the 50 grit sanded the excess right down to the tape. After removing the masking tape, the fine grit sanding sponge that comes with the solarez worked like a charm for polishing up the repaired area.

DONE! Wow! After all that hoopla, the stuff worked like a charm. I did use the whole lunch hour, and my shirt would have gave you the impression that I had just finished a 5 setter against Nadal. But,... there's a silver lining.

Bonus: I took the Vespa to go back to the origin of purchase, and successfully exchanged the bunk tube with a new one... and, aired out my wet shirt on the Vespa in the process. Life can be sweet! (especially when your boss is out of town and a 1hr 30min lunch goes unnoticed)

We are the Champions, my friend...

2008-05-09T00:10:00.000-07:00

A quick recap. I was approached by some friends to play league ball. I was apprehensive at first, only because the last time I played any basketball had been close to a year ago. Recently, I have been playing tennis consistently, in an attempt to stay in shape. FYI, tennis shape doesn't carry over what so ever to basketball shape. I'll admit, my play was ugly the first several weeks. My cardio conditioning was absolutely dreadful, and saying that the physical skills basketball requires were rusty, would be kind. Mentally, the basketball IQ was still there. It's funny how your brain never forgets how you used to perform, while your body has the short term memory of... say, Bob Marley. Amazingly, all it takes is a few months of inactivity of sports specific skills, to reset your ability in that arena to an astonishing ZERO. Patience is required, not all hope is lost, the skills do come back... for the most part.

We had a solid team. balanced. Every teammate could fill a role you would need for success in hoops. After the cardio came back (~week 5-ish), there were some growing pains in learning to play with new teammates. Some weeks, we were missing a player or 2, and had to adjust, which wasn't always easy. In a six team league, we finished the regular season 3rd. Playing each team twice, the 2 top teams beat us both times, and we finished 6-4. All 6 teams make the playoffs. Top 2 with a bye, 3 v. 6 & 4 v. 5 etc. With the goal of getting 3 wins for the title, we summarily dispatched the Defeated (0-10) 6th seed in round 1. Our next foe was the 2 seed, who in the regular season beat us twice with buzzer beaters. We won, but the victory was bittersweet. There star player, a 6'8" Mehmet Okur wanna be, jumped ship & took a job back east the week before... it made a difference. We were feeling a bit empty sneaking into the finals, beating one of our 2 nemeses at less than full strength. To win it all though, we were to face a NY Giants v. NE Pats situation, and have to defeat the 11-0, 1 seed. This team had destroyed us by ~ 30 pts. in our first meeting, when we were at far less than full strength. In our 2nd encounter, we were still short a critical player in our rotation, but fared much better. We were able to hold there star player (6'4" , 220 Deron Williams prototype) in check. And... we now felt we had a recipe for success, if there was to be a 3rd match up in "The Finals". Our date with destiny materialized, and this time, our gun was fully loaded. We had no excuses to fall back on. We got off to a quick start, matching them point for point, while keeping their D-Will stud quiet. I'll take a bow for hitting several big shots early, keeping the margin close and team confidence high. A miracle bank 3 pointer at the half buzzer by our 5 man, put us up 5 pts. I think they were stunned, and their frustration level was approaching a red line. They came out of the 2nd half gates quickly, and managed to tie the game, but our defensive intensity was stifling. Our lead quickly grew to 10 pts. and held them off for most of the second half. Some shaky freethrow shooting late (I'll bow here too), let them creep back in and get a sniff of a possible OT, but like Shaq says (not this year), we made the one's we needed to and held on for the victory. And victory was sweet. We kept with team tradition and had a beer at Trophy's after the game, trading a few war stories. I'm glad I got the chance to revive the sleeping baller in me, and look forward to keeping the train rolling into the next season.

Walking the walk...

2008-04-30T22:46:00.001-07:00

And not a minute too soon. $4.19? Really? No joke. About 3 weeks ago, with the pressure of rising gas prices, and smelling the impending doom of my aging Ford Explorer, I bit the bullet and bought a Hybrid. I went with the Ford Escape. I have nothing against the Japanese, or the Germans, but I am somewhat pleased that I was able to get what I wanted and still support American manufacturing, which these days is increasingly hard to do. Take a look at the "made in" for the next 10 things you buy (other than food). 8 will be made in China & 2 will be from Mexico. Depressing, especially when things economically, seem to be headed in the wrong direction. Save the political & social deterioration of America for another post.

Back to the car. I discovered that Crystal and I qualified for the Hybrid car tax credit based on our income, which for the Escape H, is $3000. That basically sealed the deal for me. I built my car online, got a competitive price, and literally the next day went and traded my 14 mpg bucket of bolts for my new metallic ice blue beauty. I spared no expense, and loaded this pony up with all the trimmings: leather, moon roof, 6CD-SIRIUS satrad, because after all, happiness is all about the little things. I'm getting about 28 mpg... and loving it. I do have mixed emotions about the purchase. I probably didn't need a "new" car just yet, & if I wanted to be more sound economically, I should have looked harder at used vehicles. In a time where Americans as a whole should probably be more responsible with their money, I sort of hate buying into the Republican economic stimulus philosophy of consumer spending . I does feel pretty good though. I will be using our government stimulus check to pay down the new car debt... That's admirable, right? Save your $$, but if you have to, Go GREEN! Enjoy the pics.

As a side note: Get involved in activism, even if it is just taking a stand against something in your daily life. Shit has to change, and it won't unless we start revolting against corporate control. It's hard to break out of routines, but I'm trying, and it really isn't that hard.

Suggestion: Don't buy disposable plastic water bottles. Don't do it, & pass it on to someone else. You'll be fine. Just buy a reusable bottle (BPA free) that you can refill. Surfrider quotes estimates that only 20% of them get recycled... which leaves 80%, either floating somewhere in the ocean, or NOT bio-degrading in a land fill.

Addendum: Jae Lee is responsible for discovering the 411 on the Hybrid tax credit, which was critical to the purchase of this car. Thanks Jae!

A Jaw Dropper, and...

2008-03-11T13:56:00.000-07:00

Again, a sad story of how everything good comes under fire. Those of us who seek to enjoy life in the precious moments available, with the option of doing so while enjoying our favorite spirits, are being attacked without representation. Come April 1st, 2008, Torrey Pines State Beach is going dry (No joke, & no April fools... hah, that date is kinda ironic). Why? Because of the animals that live in both Mission & Pacific Beaches, and the debauchery that takes place at the local beaches there on a regular basis. San Diego officials, in fear that this behavior may spread north to the quieter communities in North County, primarily comprised of families and business professionals, are initiating a year long trial, banning alcohol at TPSB. I'm sort of speechless, and don't really know what to say. Playing the devil's advocate for a minute, I somewhat understand the ban in the 2 communities of MB & PB, earlier referenced. In my opinion, as an alternative to beach drinking, there are plenty of beach front bars & restaurants to get your drink on, for those who wish to go that route, without potentially disturbing those who wish to enjoy natures gift soberly. At Torrey Pines however, it just doesn't make sense. I DO plan to voice my opposition, when I have uncovered the best way to do so, and will be happy to forward that info on after doing so. I could go into so much detail, pointing out the glaring differences between the already banned beaches and TPSB, & why this pending ban is a ridiculous overreaction to of all things... Bloggers? But I won't, Read for yourself.

And now... the JAW Dropper. My dad and I were
chatting at lunch last week. He was watching the History Channel and was made aware that an average Boeing 747 carries a mind boggling 50,000 gallons of fuel. Its range on that amount of fuel is approximately 6000 miles which is roughly the equivalent of a 12 hour trans-atlantic flight from Houston, TX. to Paris, France. After doing some quick math with rounded #'s, let's put this into perspective. Say the average car has a 20 gallon tank, and say that car fills up on average, 1 tank/week = 50 tanks/year. In 1 year, that average car will use ~ 1,000 gallons of gas. So... 1 transatlantic flight traveling a distance of 6000 miles in 12 hours, using 50,000 gallons of gas, could fuel the average car for... 50 YEARS!!! ONE FLIGHT. Think about how many of these planes fly every day. To add some more "fuel" to the fire, The smaller Boeing 737 as a fuel capacity roughly 10X less than its big brother the 747. So say one 737 flight at maximum distance = 5 years of gas for the average car. Since 1967, over 5,000 737's have been delivered and currently, it is estimated that there are as many as 1,250 airborne at any given moment. On average, a 737 departs or lands somewhere every five seconds. Obviously, all 1250 planes aren't exhausting there fuel on a given flight, but that size jet my make several flights in a day that may exhaust all of its fuel, so... Without considering the 747's use of fuel, if 1250 737's exhaust there fuel supply/day, that would fuel ~ 6250 average cars for 1 year. In case you were unaware, there are roughly 250 million cars in the U.S. (maybe even more).

More math: 250 M cars x avg car gas/yr (1000 gal.) = 250 B gal/yr
250 B total car gal/yr / 50 K gal/747 flt = 5 M flights = 13,500 747 flights/day
1250 737 tanks/day x 5000 gal = 6.25 M gal/day = 2.25 B 737 gal/yr

Math is funny,... and #'s don't lie. Initially, I was headed down a path that might reveal the apparent gluttony of airline travel, but in reality, the shear volume of cars in this country and the volume of gas that is consumed IS what is truly mind boggling. Even if you subtract the 2 B gallons, that my estimate of 737 travel consumes from 250 B, 747 sized planes would still need to log nearly 5 Million flights to catch up to annual car consumption. F! Wow!

I'm buying a hybrid.

I'm smiling on the inside...

2008-02-26T23:25:00.000-08:00

Because as much trouble as your toddler may give you, and trust me, they do give you trouble, raising them and watching them absorb all you have to offer is special. My Aisley knows the words to "Hey Jude", and asks for Pink Floyd on the way to day care in the morning... she's 3! All she talks about is Guitar hero. The mere fact that she knows what Mississippi Queen, Sunshine of your Love & Paint it Black are is astonishing to me. It won't be long before we're surfing together.

The whole thing blows my mind. But why should I be surprised. You think when you have a child, the way they will develop is some sort of crap shoot. The things they will like, and the way they will act will just materialize from... somewhere, and they will become this completely unique person. The reality is, that while a unique mix of 2 people, they watch you, what YOU say, what YOU do, how YOU act. They like things you like... at least for the most part. You really do get what you pay for, and if you put in the work, you seem to get the reward. It's not all hollywood, and there is definitely rebellion at times. Selfishly however, I have enjoyed the recent fruits of 3 years of hard work by Crystal and I. I'm proud to say we've got a good girl. The work is by no means over, but at this point my life is sweet, and I'm tickled by it.

Enjoy the recent photos, AA 2008.

Doing something about it...

2008-02-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

I know it's been awhile. As much as I like to vent, and get things off my chest, I find it difficult to find the time to gift wrap my infrequent pontifications on various subjects, using this forum. Projects at work, that I have invested months of blood & sweat, are actually working these days, and for the moment, I have stumbled upon some time to put my thoughts down on "e-paper".

I re-open Life can be sweet with a quick take on activism. In light of the pending election, I have used the recently induced political shot of adrenaline, to take part in the political process, and attempt to make a difference at the local level.

Not too long ago, The Surfrider Foundation sent me an email that invited me to attend an CCC (CA Coastal Commission) meeting and voice opposition of a proposed project to build a toll road that could potentially ruin Trestles, a world renown surf spot. My friend at work, Diana and I went down to the Del Mar Fairgrounds at 9 am to attend the CCC meeting to show our support. About 3000 people showed up to the meeting. I would estimate that the toll road opposition outnumbered the supporters around 2 - 3 to 1. We were there about 3 hours, and at that time, they were nowhere near reaching a decision. After all the proceedings and deliberation by the commitee, a decision was reached just before midnight. Amazingly there were still people there. Thanks to Surfrider, people's inner activist was tapped to put together a well organized picketing event. I believe it is important to protect our environment at the expense of convenience. Nobody likes traffic, but if places like San Onofre State Beach can't be preserved, than all hope is lost. Whether or not the strength of the opposition embolden the commission's decision to reject the toll road is debatable, but it did feel good to be on the ethically responsible side of things.... and win!

The moral of the story? It is important to fight for what is important to you. As cliche and idealistic as it sounds, we can make a difference. We as people really need to loosen the grip that corporate America has around our necks. Life can be sweet! Vote! picket! protect something. Viva la writers!

For more pictures at the actual event, check out my friends web album.

He must have made a deal...

2007-10-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

with THE DEVIL! Or, is the devil himself. I'm ranting about this because last weekend, my NFL Fantasy team was single handedly dismantled by the golden boy, scoring 41.64 pts (A LOT). I get 2 TD's from Antonio Gates, 2 TD's from Hines Ward, and a usual solid performance from Peyton Manning and still lose... to my buddy Dave K. no less. Needless to say, I'm distraught and bitter. I find myself actually wishing ill on Tom Brady, who at the moment, seems to be the face of the "Evil Empire" that is the Patriots, of the NFL. Am I insane? I think I can now finally appreciate the hatred Red Sox fan has towards the Yankees. When will it end, or will it? For me, it's a moot point unless somehow by the grace of god, I manage to sneak in the back door of my leagues 4 man playoff.

As an analysis of all this insanity, it is clear that the strangle hold that fantasy games now have on the sporting world has reached a frighteningly irreversible trend. In addition to the unrelenting statistical tickers that crawl below our TV's updating sports enthusiasts fantasy portfolios, I am now aware that satellite TV will now allow you to input your teams roster and live update you on their performance as they compile relevant statistics. Personally, I have become a "Box score whore" of a sorts, glued to my Yahoo Stattracker and satellite radio on Sundays, pining for statistical explosions from my starting line up. I find I'm constantly crunching numbers of C list players, in an attempt to squeeze the last drop of "fantasy juice" out of a handful of dry lemons. Is all this seemingly trivial? Just a hobby that adds to the enjoyment of already enthralling television that feeds the competitive fires of millions of Monday morning quarterbacks. Maybe for some, but I think this runs much deeper, and at some level has changed the presentation of all sports for good (& not necessarily for the better). My wife, subjected to watching sports on TV by default, is disgusted by the whole fantasy aspect of sports, and can't fathom how one could root for player over team, regardless of the teams that your fantasy players may play for. I have a love-hate relationship with fantasy sports. I love it, but hate to lose, and because sports is so intrinsically tied to chaos theory, one is made to ride an emotional roller coaster week in and week out, caused by inexplicable variations and volatility of real time statistics. If there is a silver lining, I believe that the emergence fantasy sports has created an air of excitement and possibly filled a void in many fans who watch televised sporting events, that only gambling could fill. Less gambling is probably a good thing. Life can be sweet... when your fantasy team is doing well

Cracking the code to Alzheimer's - Part 2

2007-10-12T15:17:00.001-07:00

So when I last spoke about my work endeavors, I was trying to produce some images of amyloid deposition in mouse brain tissue, using a variety of biochemical techniques. Again, the significance of all this is to attempt to understand what may lead to a variety of diseases (including Alzheimer's Disease) caused by Amyloidosis. Pictured to the left is a perfect example of a 2 yr. old mouse brain tissue section that has tested positive for amyloid deposits, and below, a brain tissue section of a healthy mouse. The technique used here is called... immunostaining. All the brown spots in the tissue identify where the unwanted amyloid protein has accumulated. It's amazing this mouse could remember how to eat & breath. This is the most amyloid I've ever seen in any published journal images. In this case, an antibody specific to amyloid protein was generated in a host rabbit (to limit cross-reactivity with the mouse tissue producing a false positive result), and tagged with a chemical marker that creates a brown color when exposed to the appropriate solution. Worked like a charm... after months of trying several different staining methods, a few different amyloid binding antibodies, & hours of troubleshooting. With this proven protocol, we can now attempt to analyze the many mice that are involved in our various ongoing studies. The work is painstakingly slow. The process to acheive images like this, involves many steps that span days, even weeks. A typical study may require 12-30 animals... which = a lot of tissue to process, and can be hard to keep track of. Pictured to the right & below is my little nook in the Wentworth Lab downstairs, where I make notes, process, analyze and image all the tissue used in our research. Most of the staining is carried out in the Lerner Lab upstairs, where I spend most of my time... the view upstairs is nicer too.

Lost in Translation...

2007-09-20T22:11:00.000-07:00

Good ideas, often don't make it beyond quality control. It befuddles me that the marriage of these wonderful libations doesn't work... at all, and trust me... it is awful. The genesis of this grand scheme to trail blaze the already infinite inventory of "the cocktail", spawned at a Padres game. Already, with a couple of screwdrivers circulating through my veins, and much more chatty, I was attempting to explain to Crystal, my buddy Jae Lee, & a mutual friend, a recent realization. Thanks to the wonderful effects of aging, I could no longer handle the devastating consequences of drinking beer to excess, and had vowed to confine my binge drinking to the wonderful world of cocktails. My new drink of choice: The Screwdriver. I'm not sure when, nor why beer had suddenly become an arch enemy. Maybe one to many evenings at The Rock Bottom that resulted in me asleep on my couch at 8pm? Severe dehydration? Intestinal unrest. I had my reasons. The discussion weaved its way through a veritable "tioga pass", ending in "the valley" that is apple juice. A nice metaphor, because I do love apple juice, and insist that it must always have a place in our fridge at all times. Why couldn't you mix such a magnificently refreshing juice with any spirit... especially vodka. Why haven't we seen this before? How could this sure thing have been overlooked? Is it patentable? We were all sure we had a gem in the making, and would shortly be printing off Absolut Apple T's and rolling in cash somehow from this sudden blast of genius.

After coming down from the excitement of our newfound discovery, the 4 of us enjoyed the bottom of the 9th inning of a great game. 2 outs, 2 on, 2 strikes, home team down 1... walk off HR. Nice. An outpouring of high 5's amongst perfect strangers persisted for an eternity of minutes. Pure joy, however fleeting, shared with strangers exposes a slice of humanity that is so positive and good, and in that moment Life can be sweet.

A relatively traffic free drive home was a nice bonus. But before I lay me down to sleep, a nightcap was in order. After leaving cloud 9, and still on sort of a high, the cocktail (2 parts apple juice, 1 part Vodka) with unrealistically high expectations was utterly disappointing. Sweet & Vodka don't mix. There has to be that yang of tart to make the thing work, I guess. We hadn't stumbled on to the next big thing. We had simply stumbled down an old road littered with the remains of those who most certainly perished, trying to finish a highball of this wickedly evil concoction. Let Vodka happily mingle with its friends OJ, the crans, tonic, & rocks of course. And leave apple juice alone.

Addendum: Adding another part of AJ, diluting out the vodka doesn't help. Adding another juice to the mix barely helps.

Dark Side wins

2007-09-12T15:32:00.000-07:00

The poll is officially closed. Dark Side of the Moon won with an overwhelming majority, 62%. Yes, 8 votes wasn't the data pool I was hoping for to give a statistically significant result, but I feel the winner is legit, and would have held up even in a larger voting pool. There wasn't a clear choice for 2nd place. The poll shows, that after a consensus for 1st, true subjectivity of the individual is revealed speaking to the quality of most of Pink Floyd's albums (I should have asked: favorite PF album after DSoTM). Wish You Were Here, The Wall, & Animals finished in a tie for 2nd with 12% each, while The Division Bell went voteless. The poll only allowed for 5 choices, and with PF's large album catalog, there were honorable mentions that didn't make the list: Meddle & A Momentary Lapse of Reason, both valid choices, in my opinion (Obscured by Clouds is held in high esteem, personally). Thank you to all that voted, and be assured, a new poll will follow shortly.

Yosemite

2007-09-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

It was a great trip, not without some drama. So. Where to begin... the beginning of course. This adventure was done without Aisley. We dropped her off at grammie's house the night before we left. Monday morning we got an early start, leaving San Diego at around 5 am. We headed north, past Mammoth mountain, and arrived at the last place to stop before entering the North-East entrance to Yosemite... The Mobil Restaurant. The drive to this point was super easy, with no traffic. We made great time. We were on the road about 6.5 hours, and on pace to reach our campsite at Tuolumne Meadows around noon, which conveniently is when the reserved campsites for the day become available. We bought some sandwiches to go, and picked up some ice to cool down my beverage of choice... Tecate, for the quick drive into the park to our campsite. In the parking lot, I filled up the cooler with ice, repacked the puzzle of equipment jammed in the trunk of the Honda, and in my haste & stupor from the long drive, closed the trunk... with the keys inside... doh. Oh, and the car was locked too. 2 sandwiches, 2 locksmith's, and about 2 hours later, we were granted entry back into the car. Let's just say simply, new cars are too smart for their own good, and leave it at that. The frustration of the earlier situation was difficult to let go. With many deep breaths and some help from the grand beauty of the surrounding park, ire was diffused to calm. We arrived at the entrance of the campgrounds at Tuolumne Meadows in good time... considering. Nervous because of the time we had lost, we feared we might be sent to a campsite next to the latrines. Luckily, camping midweek saved us. We were actually given a choice of location at the gate, and looking back, we chose wisely. There are 2 camping areas at the meadows: 1) by the Tuolumne River 2) away from the river in the woods with more privacy. We chose to be by the river. The neighbors are close, but the terrain here isn't flat, which helps create the perception of more space. We set up camp amazingly quick and after enjoying an ice cold beer, (which had been cooling for about 2 hours now) comfort set in with the realization that our delay hadn't significantly affected our trip. There was still plenty of day to enjoy around camp, and we decided to head down to the river (50 yards from camp), to explore a bit. It now felt like we were really on a vacation. A place like this has the extraordinary ability to clear your mind and induce a calm that everyone should experience on a regular basis. There were some great swimming holes amidst the gentle rapids of the boulder laden Tuolumne River. The water was so refreshing. Cool but not cold, and because the meadows is situated at a relatively high altitude, the air was warm but not hot in the mid day sun. A real highlight of the trip. In the early evening, we had a suprisingly good dinner at a local lodge, and after, proceeded to get a fire started before the sun disappeared. The fire from hell... the sun did vanish, and in almost TOTAL darkness fiddled for 2 hours trying to get a fire to burn on its own. A lot of newspaper and cardboard went up in smoke in the process. I have never had so much trouble with a fire... ever! We were convinced the wood was cursed. Almost at the point of giving up, a small fire was beginning to hold its own. We were "all in" at this point with our cards face up on the table. We left our fire in the hands of Prometheus and took a much needed break. If it took, we would have fire for a bit... if not, to bed, demoralized. We walked down to the river, in pitch black with a five dollar pen flashlight we bought at the general store on the way into camp (we forgot our flashlight at home... doh). Carefully navigating though the forest, we reached the river's edge and what did we find... absolutely the most stars I have ever seen in the sky ever. Another highlight of the trip. It truly was unbelievable, and is almost impossible to put into words and do it justice. It's something you just have to see for yourself. Upon our return to camp, and much to our astonishment, the fire was blazing. We enjoyed the fire for a bit, but debilitated by the 2 hour struggle, couldn't find the energy to enjoy a feast of s'mores. It got cold that night, and luckily we had brought enough blankets, but the cold has a funny way of eliciting the urge to relieve oneself, making it difficult to sleep... and it was cold. We found out the next morning from our neighbors, a black bear, which Crystal heard during the night, raided their camp (only ~ 15 yards from us) for some food that had been accidentally left out... eerie. When we finally emerged from hibernation after sleeping in a bit & hearing the news of our late night visitor, we enjoyed a nice hike following the tuolumne river upstream. The weather was perfect to spend a couple morning hours winding through the forest at the river's edge. When we got got back, we reluctantly packed up camp and headed off into the heart of the park through winding roads in a quest to reach Yosemite Valley. In hindsight, we would have like to stay in the meadows longer, but this, my first journey to Yosemite, was more of a reconnaissance mission. We really wanted to see as much of the park as possible, in an attempt to narrow in on ideal locations for subsequent trips.

We were in no rush. The weather was gorgeous, and made many stops to soak up the scenery on the way to the valley. One highlight in particular was Tenaya Lake... "mini Tahoe" we called it. A really nice spot about 10 miles west of the meadows. A perfect spot for a day excursion, with a variety of different things to do. After a few other stops along the way, we reached the valley in just over 2 hours (~ 60 miles), where the temperature was significantly warmer... hot actually. Driving all the way into Yosemite Village, trying to conjure up Crystal's childhood memories, to our surprise, the actual village itself was much smaller than we had expected. There's really not a whole lot there. It's more of a staging ground for an assortment of trailheads, all of which afford glimpses of the park's many scenic wonders. The Pines (Upper, Lower, & North) are probably the best camping spots in the valley, always full in the summer, and we found the most difficult to reserve. It's important to note that in the summer, the valley can get surprisingly void of water. The Merced River was really low, and it as well as many of its tributary's were completely dry at the higher elavations along some of the more popular hiking trails. Almost all of the falls were dry. Bridalveil Falls normally a deluge of water, was reduced to a drizzle. We scoped out most of the village, and drained from the drive, found sanctuary in the visitor center. We ended up watching a 20 minute movie about the "spirit of Yosemite" in a small, air conditioned theater. Refreshed a bit, we decided to save energy for the next day in the valley, and go check into our hotel The Yosemite View Lodge, just a couple of miles outside the South-West entrance to the park, ~ 20 minutes drive from the village center. For $ 150 a night, we had a pretty nice room with a view of the Merced, a TV (usa network-tennis US Open coverage), and A/C. It also had a really good pizzeria, which we ended up having for dinner 2 nights in a row. Jacuzzi. Then lights out.

The bed was pretty stiff, but we both slept much better than the previous night. We got an early start hoping to make our last day in Yosemite a full one, packed up our gear for the day and drove into the valley. Again, we surveyed "The Pines" campgrounds on our way to the trailhead for a morning hike to Mirror Lake. We weren't overly impressed with "The Pines". It's flat ground, woodsy camping in close quarters. They are all conviently located to several renowned hiking trails, and there is a good bus system that can get you to anywhere in the valley in 20 minutes or less. We followed the trail north to Mirror Lake on the southern bank of Tenaya Creek which was much more remote and less populated than its counterpart on the opposite bank. I was able to scratch my itch for rock climbing at a couple of places along the trail which was fun for me. As I mentioned before, the valley was particularly dry this summer, and the creek and the small "lake" which we would eventually come upon, were dry as evidenced by the photo (left). The trail to mirror lake was also nice because it followed along the base of Half Dome, which was impressive from that vantage point. The hike took about 2 hours round trip. We made our way back to the village for lunch, and after, decided to abandon the valley to see yet another part of the park in the south, the Mariposa Grove, home to the giant sequoia trees. On our way to the groves, we passed El Capitan, and much to our amazement spotted various sets of climbers making their ascent up the vertical face of the mountain. Seeing the mountain with the reference of humanity, really allows you to fully absorb the true size of these natural wonders. After our quick stop, the drive south was picturesque. On the way up, out of the valley, there is a road stop called "Inspiration point", and true to its name, the view is awesome. You have a birds eye view of the valley with all the major granite attractions set perfectly on a grand stage. From the valley, the drive takes about 1 hour, and it's well worth the time. The size of the giant trees, like almost everything in the park, is hard to appreciate unless you're actually there. Hopefully, the pictures we took can attempt to convey the enormity of this rare occurrence in nature. The California tree is pictured right. Making our way back to Yosemite Valley, we made another stop at Inspiration point in the waning light of dusk to snap few more photos, and then on to our hotel. We soaked our aching bones in the hot tub right outside our room, had our pizza to go this time on our patio overlooking the Merced, and watched R. Federer demoralize A. Roddick in an entertaining US Open quarterfinal match-up. Thanks to my swiss army knife and some ingenuity, we were able to enjoy the few s'mores we missed out on our 1st night, in our room for a late night dessert over "campfire"? We had an early Thursday morning ahead of us. We needed to get back before 4 pm, so we could get Aisley out of day care. Again, we made great time ( Home in under 7 hrs. w/ a stop at In 'n Out for lunch). Planning the trip post Labor Day, and midweek was key.

Being my first trip to Yosemite sort of late in life, and with a wealth of traveling experience under my belt, I had high expectations for what the park had to offer. For the most part, I think the park lived up to them. There might have been a few things that didn't live up to the hype, but the many highlights of our trip were memorable. The Meadows, Tenaya Lake, the stars... oh, the stars, on their own, reason enough to go back. I can say say for sure that with a trial run in the books, it won't be too long before we get back to Yosemite and share some of these experiences with friends and family. This trip is more proof that Life can be sweet.

Post script: See the link to our Yosemite web album to see all the pictures from our trip.

Addendum: We discovered after the fact... Someone who has access to your spare keys can help you in a pinch. They can call your cell phone and use your spare remote entry clicker into the mouthpiece of their phone while you hold your cell phone aimed at your locked car from a close distance. Bingo! Your door unlocks. We tested this on Crystal's 2007 Honda. It may not work with all cars, and aiming of your cell phone at your car takes a little trouble shooting, but it does work. Maybe this knowledge will save you in the future.

The Geek Squad is taking over.

2007-08-29T08:46:00.000-07:00

I was easing into my morning, enjoying my daily cup of vanilla nut blend, when I stumbled upon this gem and I had to laugh. Who knew the pressure was on to crack the iphone of its ATT shackles. I love the photo, and it just seems to validate the stereotype. It's interesting though. While in my mind, I would have pictured a hacker like THIS..., this new breed of hacker, thanks to the emergence of Apple and all its i-this&that, hip new technology, is sort of a romanticized version of geek & rock star. A hybrid of Bill Gates crossed with Vinny Chase if you will. If I'm having tech trouble with the latest Best Buy gadget, and I give The Geek Squad a jingle, this kid is pulling up to your house in the black & white beetle... right? It sort of says something about what's become cool in America these days.

Score one for Root.

2007-08-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

As I have said previously, a good weekend should start on Friday at the beach. I felt obliged to confirm my credo. With the prospect of family showing up for my mom's 60th birthday weekend, I sensed it necessary to bounce out of work after a late lunch, and meet up with my sister Jennifer at Torrey Pines S.B. for a Root rematch. As luck would have it, Friday, August 17th was a gorgeous day here in San Diego. With all the crucial supplies for an extended beach outing: beer... cold beer and maybe a beach chair, umbrella, music, towels, & spf 30, we headed down to the beach at about 1 pm with plenty of time to soak up some afternoon sun. In our haste to get to the sand, food/snacks were forgotten... oops. I did have a few small packs of Nabisco trail mix in my beach tote reserved for emergencies, courtesy of Mike W. from our Baggo @ the beach day a few weeks before. In the right state of mind, they're delicious, but generally... not so good. The last time I played root happened to be after an epic day of Baggo, and seemed overwhelmingly inadequate as a recreational staple. A huge let down. I had actually gone online earlier in the week, and ordered my own Baggo kit, but because I wasn't willing to part with an extra 20$, I was still waiting on UPS to "bring home the Baggo". With Root as the only available option, with significant apprehension, it was going to have to do. To be at the beach was so nice and after base camp had been established, a couple of beers had been consumed, & before we got down to the business end of our mission, we both took advantage of the 70 + degrees ocean water for a refreshing dip. Taking advantage of all the beach has to offer on a day like that makes San Diego well worth the price of admission. Now, in the right state of mind, we were ready to compete. Since my last Root post on LCBS, I had found a site that clarified the scoring system of Root. This was key. Previous attempts at remembering the finer points of Root, had been desperate stabs at piecing together LA roadtrip memories clouded by purple haze. The first game got off to a rocky start. Figuring out the right tossing distance takes a little troubleshooting. Jenn was distracted by a work situation, & I had a spontaneous distraction of my own. I will elaborate...

A couple of month's ago, my 9'0" G&S gem of a board got ripped from my mom's garage. I got a new board, and for the most part... I'm over it. I have to say though, when around my mom's neck of the woods, I do find my wandering eye focus in on every ~ 9 ft. ish longboard I see. Is that it?... no. It's a curse. I know it's long gone, but some part of me thinks I'll see some jerkoff walking to Torrey Pines with my board under his arm. Which brings us to the present distraction. I am facing north on the beach, lining up my toss of the root, when some "jerkoff" covered in tattoos appears past the trestle at tower 7 carrying a ~ 9 ft. ish longboard under his arm. The difference this time? From about 80 yards away, I could see the hallmark G&S logo on an all white canvas, with a single large blue fin. Disclosure: I am about 3 - 4 beers deep. I really thought that this was my board. The windmills of my mind were whirling, playing out all sorts of weird scenarios that didn't end well. All of a sudden my root ability went to hell, and it was obvious to Jenn something besides the game was commanding my attention. I hadn't at this point revealed to Jenn why I was distracted. I really didn't know what I was going to do, and wasn't 100% sure it was my board. Was I going to walk over and say "Hey bro nice board, where did ya get it?", and then cold cock him? You could cut the tension with a... well, with a surfboard it was so thick. Tattoo boy fiddled with the board for it seemed an eternity, waxing it or something which obscured the view, allowing even more time for me to stew. When he finally picked it up to head for the surf, I was able to see the top of the deck. It had a pretty healthy coating of wax, but... It had 2 long, thin, barely visible pinstripes on either side of the stringer. My "baby" was a clear canvas, void of any extra top or bottom deck graphics. And, as my head began to clear as the windmills slowed down, I remembered that my single fin was yellow, not blue. I had given my blue skeg to Ted to use on his longboard. At this realization, it was like the Red Sea had parted in front of me. For about 10 minutes, I had might as well of been blindfolded tossing the root and ball. Helen Keller could have given me a run for my money. At this point, I disclosed to Jenn what was causing my obvious diversion. We laughed. And decided, another swim in the ocean was needed to clear our heads before we could even attempt resuming our match.
After chilling out a bit, the next games were good. We both seemed to have a radar for the stick w/ the root & the root w/ the ball. Jenn scored the most possible points in one turn without being a game winner: leaner with the root, ball through the root, ball hits the stick, 5 pts. very well done (pictured left). Root this time was much better, and honestly, gave Baggo some real competition. Getting out early that day was huge, and got the weekend off on the right note. Another good day at the beach with Jenn Jenn. Something tells me this will have to be a more regular occasion. Good times, LCBS.

Post script: The photos were not staged!

Dawn Patrol

2007-08-14T15:58:00.000-07:00

The start of any good weekend should include a hunt for quality surf... maybe not this early though. However, anything truly worth while rarely comes without a heavy price. So my buddy Joel and I woke up at the crack of dawn, and met up at the trestles parking lot, a couple miles from San Onofre State Beach. In the dark, we loaded up into my car, and headed off for the beach. We arrived at the entrance just before 5:30 am, and still on a day with small surf in the forecast, had to wait in a line of cars about 10-15 long. The line proceeded to lengthen with every passing 5 minutes, and at opening time (6:00 am), disappeared behind us into the darkness. 10 $ to get in... /2, no biggie. Through the gate, winding down the bluff, past the entrance, you come around a corner that exposes a view of the beach. At this point (if you're not a regular), you're stomach sinks a bit. You have to drive south, down the beach quite a ways to get to the area where the best waves break. When the surf is small, that's the only place the waves break, which was the case that morning. The beauty of Old man's at San Onofre is that it's a sweet little stretch of coast that has a primary peak situated perfectly to receive the brunt of any good (or not so good) S-SW swell that might be passing through. Waves break pretty far outside (far from the shore) at this spot, in front of the "Old Man's" life guard tower, allowing for some wonderfully long rides. Because we were (in a way) "rookies" at the whole dawn patrol situation, we didn't rush to get right in the water...which we now know is KEY! We were some of the first people in the water @ about 6:15, but that didn't last long. By 6:45 am the water went from looking like the face of a 15 year old, sprinkled with a few zits, to a canvas peppered with humanity like a Jackson Pollock painting. For about 30 mins., I caught some surprisingly nice waves... without "old men" in front or behind me: KEY! Bonus: I felt like I had finally tapped the true potential of my new CON long board, which had kind of been a sore spot of mine since the theft of my G & S about a month ago. Hint: you need a long board, especially when the surf is small. Joel found this out the hard way, sitting on his 7'6" SR egg... sitting, literally. The waves are slow, especially outside at the primary break, which demands the extra couple feet of foam an LB provides. More importantly, you really need the big stick to compete with the baker's dozen of surfers paddling for every wave that roles through. As many people as there were, I still had a blast. The waves at Old Man's were probably of the best form I've surfed all summer. The water was warm (70 ish), which helped cut the chill of the air on a pretty overcast morning. We were in the water about 2 hours... the longest I'd been in the water all summer. All in all, It was a pretty successful trial run. We definitely learned few things, that will make the next DP better. It was good to hang with Joel too. It had been awhile. Good times. LCBS... and was.

Post Script: I had the best burrito at Pipes Cafe in Cardiff, on the way home.

Addendum: I forgot to add... you can NOT have alcohol at San Onofre. Wow! I would never have guessed. Beach & beer go hand in hand in my book. Times they are a changin'. Just thought that should be pointed out as critical info for serious beach goers.

Baggo!

2007-08-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

So... another good day, proving that Life can be sweet! The beach on a sunny weekend, summer day with good friends & ice cold beers spells good times. The ocean water temp. was 70 degrees... at least. Jae Lee, Mike W., and I headed down to Torrey Pines after lunch to set up camp in front of tower 7 away from the madness at the mouth of the lagoon. Unfortunately, the mighty Pacific took a day off and was more or less flat, making the decision to lug our 40 lb. longboards ~ a mile seem vain. I didn't matter. Once base camp had been established and we had been "rehydrated" by cold beverages, the good times that is BAGGO began (TY MW). I hadn't seen or heard of this game before. Apparently, it's really popular in the Midwest. Jae Lee brought a little experience to the table, having played some Baggo before, when he lived in Chicago. It's a really simple game, but loads of fun. We spent about 6 hours on the beach playing Baggo non stop. As hard as it is to admit... Jae Lee dominated. It was only until we wore him down late in the day, that I dethroned him. I have to say, I think it might blow "Root" out of the water. Jenn, we might have to get one of these.

Addendum: if there was any debate as to the quality of day it really was...
Fallen soldiers: 11 Tecates, 12 Bud Lites, & 10 Coors Lites. Ted is to thank for the reinforcements & food at a desperate hour.

Quick thoughts...

2007-07-23T16:15:00.001-07:00

Why is it so much fun to disfigure publicly displayed photos. I admit, I do enjoy taking part in this inane activity on occasion. I didn't take part in these particular instances. For me, being at work somehow keeps the inner 12 year old at bay. If a photo is displayed long enough, you can bet this will happen. These probably stayed clean about 2-3 weeks.

post script: I personally prefer the pirate look over the cliche Satan portrayal.

Termites...who knew?

2007-07-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

Did you realize that pound for pound termites pack more protein than meat or fish? They do, and if put into a survival situation, they could possibly keep you alive. An added benefit... there waste can be burned on a fire to repel mosquitoes. This would really come in handy if you were lost in a Costa Rican rain forest. Thanks Bear.

I'm telling you, I am so addicted to Man vs. Wild on the discovery channel. You just learn so much cool (& utterly impractical) information. I am dying to get dropped somewhere with a flint, knife, and a canteen, left to find civilization... maybe. I'll start with Yosemite in September.

Side story: Some of you out there have heard this story already, but for those who haven't... here it is. A few weeks ago, my sister had dinner with Bear... no, not alone. (I wish. What a cool brother in law. He's already spoken for anyway.) At a dinner party. She calls me and leaves me a voice mail, "guess who I'm having drinks with... Bear Grylls". Being a huge fan, only very recently, I almost dropped my Treo. I have to quickly thank Crystal's sister Daisy for turning us on to this show, which I was hesitant to watch at first. I text messaged her back, and asked her to send my best wishes to Bear, and was curious if he would divulge a key component to the success of all of his televised survival situations: the brand of knife he uses. Apparently this is a popular question posed to him primarily by his American fans. Fitting... I suppose. Personally, If I'm going to drop $$ on a nice knife, I want the best knife to chop down trees for raft and shelter making, as well as starting fires with flint. I actually think peoples' obsessions about these kinds of details is more a reflection of our culture's obsession with bandwagoning to the best... in any arena. Whether it's buying Nike because Tiger wears/uses it, or buying Gatorade because Michael drinks it, we Americans are hopelessly bewitched by this kind of materialism. All of his other survival supplies are here (case & point). The skinny: he told my sister that because of the beating he would put his knife through in each survival situation, he would by a new knife prior to each Man vs. Wild episode in the airport of where ever they might have been shooting the show. The truth: It doesn't really matter what kind of knife you have so long as you have one. But if you have to have his brand of knife, click the link. Be warned they are custom, military quality knives, and aren't cheap. I think I will just go to Sport Chalet.

Side note: Apparently, Bear is also very charming and the life of a party. Surprise, surprise. It's that British accent I think... that's what my wife says anyway.

Addendum: So... this just came to my attention. I had heard whispers of foul play here and there, but I guess this is sort of damning. read the link and make your own opinion. It doesn't really bother me. The hotel thing kinda sucks if that's true. The show is still really entertaining regardless. I hope the show doesn't get ruined as a result of this pseudo scandal. I am still a fan.

Cracking the code to Alzheimer's

2007-07-18T09:52:00.000-07:00

So. This is part of what has been keeping me busy at The Scripps Research Institute. One of the areas of research my lab is exploring, is how inflammation caused by a few key molecules may contribute to amyloidosis. Amyloidosis is the process that leads to the pathology associated with Alzheimer's Disease. Pictured left are the type of images I am trying to produce in the lab. The top is a healthy brain free of amyloid deposits. The bottom is a diseased brain riddled with amyloid. There are various ways to detect amyloid deposits in brain tissue using histology, which I have become very familiar with over the last several months. This is one method using a fluorescent compound that binds to the unwanted proteins that accumulate in the brain and begin to cause the various symptoms associated with the disease.

This is just one of the few projects that's keeping me busy at the moment. People always ask me what I do, and rarely can I articulate in an interesting way some of the day to day work that goes on in the lab. Here's an attempt. Enjoy.

Post Script: This filled my day today and just a small step in grand scheme of this project. (making sure you have the right mice before you start the proposed study...ty kujo, PCR was a breeze.)

I'm Back

2007-07-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

Geeze... It's been awhile. I was on a roll there for a good couple of months last year, but work destroyed me. I am still at Scripps, but I work in a new lab, doing new things that required all my available brain power and energy... and overwhelmingly busy to boot.

Things have since settled down a bit. So much & nothing has happened since. Life does move on, whether you're truly in control or not. The 4th fell on a Wednesday this year, and on the heals of finally getting some closure with a few projects at work, I took the rest of the week off... GOOD Decision.

I went surfing in the morning, and after helping out at my daughter Aisley's swim lesson before lunch, spent all Friday afternoon at the beach in Del Mar. I had Board & Brew for lunch, washed down with ice cold Tecate's, all the while listening to Stern. Eventually, Jenn showed up and we played Root. A real blast from the past. I have a lot of good memories playing root in LA @ Hoover's place.

The point of all this? Make the time to have a good day. It's worth it. Work can wait another day. Life can be sweet if you make the effort.

Let the world be on notice... My sister is a cool cat!

2006-09-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

are you happy now?

The Aftermath: Part 3

2006-09-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

It truly is humbling to have the security of a good job dissipate unexpectedly. You begin to question your drive and abilities. Insecurities run rampant, sending a mind that was previously efficient and productive into a dense forrest, where clarity is obscured, and time simply slips away. At this point, there is denial. The small sanctuary in your mind where rationality exists accepts the reality of the situation, but all your other senses fight back. This can't really be happening? This just doesn't make sense. Scenarios, rumor, and speculation twist and turn until enough straws have been grabbed to make a cozy little nest where false hope can lay an egg or two. I'm being a little melodramatic, but... it was difficult.

"When it rains, it pours". I had forgotten, but it was brought to my attention that on the next day, a friday 7.21.06, 3 friends from work and I went to lunch to have a beer and blow off some steam. I believe we were on our way to Pizza Port, but got bamboozled. It was ridiculously busy, so we ate next door at the Tidewater? On our way back to the car, walking just past PP, a Ford Explorer driving... ~ 40+ mph wizzes by us on the 101 and pulls into a drive way without braking at all, less than 50 ft. in front of us. The SUV disappeared around the facade of a boutique. Seconds later... CrASHWhAMSMACKKAplooEY! The 4 of us hustle up the sidewalk to see the aftermath, and discover a black Jetta totally T-boned by the Explorer. The kicker: The guy in the Explorer gets out of his truck in a haze, only to reveal... HE HAS NO LEGS!! He was driving like a bat out of hell, in traffic, with a pair of titanium kangaroo legs! Unbelievable. And we were literally 10 secs from being in the wrong place at the right time.

Happy Birthday

The weekend came, gratefully. Any distraction was a welcome one. I might have hoped my 33rd would have come and gone under less onerous circumstances. I happened to have family visiting which was nice. My Aunt Liz and Uncle Anthony are fun people. I always enjoy there company. It was great to see Marie as well. She has really grown up. The weather was A+ San Diego style. We all got some good beach time in. My mom made my classic cake (yellow w/ special white frosting). We barbecued and drank margeritas. All in all, a pretty good weekend. Of course, it came and went much to fast, and the burden of pulling together a resume after almost ten years of work was a daunting task.

Addendum: To clarify, the link to the car wreck isn't the actual wreck. The surfer is me.

The Omen: Part 2

2006-09-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

As I remember, things seemed almost too good to be true... for everyone. We had just recruited a familiar face, that had previously worked a year or two in the Lerner Lab. The fate of the lab seemed positive, despite the usual tensions that many of its senior members (present company included) had become almost callous to. I had been busy at work, with more than a plate full, but in control. The kind of busy that keeps the days moving quickly, without the added stress of working late or falling too far behind on projects.

The first sign

It's hard to remember back ~ 2 months. At this point, I might have just known for sure that my good friend and colleague Dave Kujawa, was committed to Law school at LMU and leaving the lab in August. This really isn't that ominous alone, but looking back a couple of months later makes it seem so.

Then this

My 33rd birthday, 7.22.06 was on a saturday this year. This photo was taken in the parking lot in front of the Beckman center for chemical science (my building) on the wednesday before my birthday. I can't be completely positive, but I think someone nearly T-boned me about a 1/4 of a mile from my mom's condo on my way to lunch, minutes after taking this photo. I'm sure I had said something to Crystal about it... she would remember. Something was in the air. If my math is right, and it usually is, later that afternoon a friend in the lab delivered the news to myself and a couple of others that the Lerner Lab had run out of funding and everyone had until October 1st to find employment elsewhere... harsh. The rumor had come from the top, and was assumed to be credible. It's the news that you just never want to hear. You're fired! (maybe if it's coming from Trump... maybe) It hits you like a brick, and trust me, I believe you go through all or most of the 12 steps in finally coming to grips with the reality of the situation. The rumor was confirmed the next day by my boss in her usual dramatic and unprofessional way... par for the course. Keep in mind, this is like 2 days before my birthday. What could possibly come next? Tune in and find out.

Note: The link to 12 steps is interesting. I thought that they were much more straight forward in explanation and not religious, ie. shock, denial, anger, acceptance, etc. That was kind of a suprise.

Addendum: Thanks to the comments of a valued source, the 12 steps reference should be replaced by The Kubler-Ross model. TY DR.

The Resurrection: Part 1

2006-09-16T23:29:00.000-07:00

The Preface

A lot has happened in the roughly 2 months since my last post. Enough that surely, almost anyone would agree, could suck the life out of a seemingly trivial indulgence... Blogging. Much of the change in my life at the moment, is centered around my job. While change is often a good thing, it can be both physically and mentally fatiguing. After having enough time to pass, I feel somewhat recharged. I'm ready to update, comment, vent and opine on a variety of topics that I will address in a series of posts in an attempt to lure in and recapture "my audience", as opposed to boring everyone to death with an exhaustive catch up post with too many pictures and not really saying anything. My goal in keeping this blog alive is to actually... SAY something (most of the time). To start this new "jihad", I had to give the vehicle a face lift. Hours of HTML tinkering and previewing spawned my blog's new look... I'm happy with it. At this point, I will let all this marinate and create some suspense for part 2 of my quest to get this blog off of life support. Life is sweet again.

Re: Loadass Woodstock

2006-07-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

This is what the aftermath looks like. We are f-ing animals. It's pretty digusting. Thank goodness there are groups of people that take one for the team. See the Loadass blog for a couple of pre-devastation photos.

I'm putting the call out. absorb the full tradgedy of this picture, and try to make a difference... no matter how small. Recycle some extra stuff, take part in a beach clean up. I promiss, I won't throw out this guilt trip, and not take action myself. I will make an effort, and post details when I do. Life can be sweet... although after seeing this, I wonder how sometimes.

This is a test...

2006-06-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in France, my sister is having too much fun. Wining and dining at a chateaux.

I really wanted to see if I could keep up with the techno, and get some video on my blog to spice things up.

Hats off to Wade et al... and a big F u to LAL

2006-06-20T23:46:00.000-07:00

Hats off to Wade
Originally uploaded by your pal Matt.

I'm happy. For Riles, Shaq, GP, Zo, and or course... D Wade. What a baller. Flash is the real deal... and thank god the Mavs choked it. I Hate Dallas. I'm a Dirk guy, but the rest of that team is a bunch of whining, flopping chumps... including the owner. I do have to say however, to any haters out there, the NBA is back! There were some phenominal games this post season. NBA 2006... good times, and a good ending. Now it's time to pork up and find a hollowed tree to nap in until November. I'm glad this series ended in 6, I'm exhausted. I need the rest.

How does Jason Kapono have a ring?

Memoirs of a disgruntled busboy

2006-06-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

I took a leisurely stroll to the mail box a few days ago, and what did I find? I found a coupon. Coupon? Yes, a coupon with a large photo of an audacious angler named Duckett, with his machine in one hand, and his prize in the other. How glorious, triumphant, and dare I say mythological on some level.
It's that time of year, the genesis of another summer. The 6 week circus (T.D.M.F.) has started, and everyone and there mother has absconded from there banal existence out east for greener pastures, "where the turf meets the surf". The ponies will soon follow, and the climax of summer debauchery will commence. Who cares any way... right? Just stay away, or embrace the gluttony with a mouthful of fried whatever and a face spattered ala Pollack, with powdered sugar. What you don't know, is that this is no ordinary coupon. Yes, it's a run of the mill restaurant snare, spend 50$ and get 10$ off, but there is added significance for me. It is an ad for the Fish Market.
In case you weren't aware of this, I spent nearly 2 years of my life bussing tables at this "fine" dining establishment. If you've spent any significant stretch of time working in a restaurant, you will undoubtedly appreciate the anxiety that this seemingly harmless solicitation might induce. While the extra money I made was often euphoric, the withdrawal from the nightly restaurant circus was unfailingly exhausting and caustic. After a night of both physically and mentally depleting labor, I would be forced to beleaguer my gratuity from a disgruntled server staff, and emerge from the Fish Market smelling like a mélange of wet garbage and B.O. that was spawned from an expired can of Bumble Bee "chicken of the sea". Stepping into a moonlit night with a wad full of ones in my wet malodorous pockets, it was hard not to feel like a five dollar crack whore standing under a red neon beacon, waiting for the next wave of "johns" drawn into this black hole, perpetuating the viscous cycle and fueling my opiate-like addiction. Just one more night... then I'll quit. That was my mantra. What an F-ing nightmare.
It has now been years since I donned the navy blue apron, dark blue jeans, completely white shoes, and the Eddie Baueresque fish monogrammed polo. I will say that The Fish Market is a quality eatery. The food is good. I will go back occasionally... and reluctantly, to eat. Most of my battle wounds have healed. Every summer these coupons get circulated, and I am compelled to dredge up the memories that have scarred me like a bad tattoo. The moral of this story is to appreciate those that serve you, and especially those that serve you well. A little love goes a long way. And finally, money only assuages one's dignity for so long.

Do you remember your 1st haircut?

2006-06-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

AA 1st haircut
Originally uploaded by lalto19.

I don't remember mine. That might be a good thing. Hopefully Aisley won't remember hers. It didn't go this bad the whole time... thankfully. She really did do pretty good. Just a funny pic.

On a lighter note...

2006-06-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

S6
Originally uploaded by lalto19.

Holy shit... I thought Crystal put a shirt I wore today in the wash this evening. It had my headphones in the pocket... I almost shit a brick! Luckily it was a lighter color and got left out... phew! headphone tradgedy averted. Riley and Stern show still on schedule for tommorow.

A pen and tuesday's NYtimes CW was washed... no ink catastrophe. Win some, lose some.

Top of the Mountain

2006-06-06T21:43:00.000-07:00

Top of the Mountain
Originally uploaded by lalto19.

After riding the high of a great friday afternoon on the high seas last week, I thought I'd reconnect with nature by basking in the memory of past triumph. enjoy the moments you have, where nothing else matters and the day to day seems small and trivial... seriously. Life can be sweet.

This post is the essence of this Blog

2006-06-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

What a great way to spend a friday afternoon. Life can be sweet. I decided to take friday afternoon off from the lab to spend the time with my dad. We rented a Cat 270 for a few hours and sailed around San Diego Bay. Sandwich's and beers on the boat... good times. It's really easy to get all rapped up in the importance of your work. Life is short, so go out and enjoy it. Work can wait.

Who do you know?

2006-05-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

It just isn't fair. You can't get the good job, the good deal, the good place to stay, or the good seats at a game without knowing someone. I hate having to mooch. It would be nice to have that premium experience, once in a blue moon, without having to drop a grand for a few hours of entertainment. Who are these people? I guess I am glad that I am less that 6 deg r e es from a few of them.

What is this?

2006-05-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

I was relaxing at my mom's place, eating lunch, and watching some TIVO'd JRIB. With a little time left to kill, I surfed over to the Deuce (espn2), only to find this gem. I suspected things were bad, but I had no idea that the world was this deep in the porcelain bowl. I'm slaving away in the lab, and a handful of tractor drivers in golf shoes, wielding putters are making cash money at the local Family Fun Center. F! Me! These photos just paint a picture I can't describe in enough words. Click here.

Cyclone Larry

2006-05-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

Cyclone Larry as seen via Earthbrowser
Originally uploaded by davesag.

It's stupid. I know. I accept that I must really be narcissistic, but wouldn't you like some unstoppable force of nature named after you?

Who can you believe?

2006-05-11T15:24:00.000-07:00

When did news become entertainment? Who decided that I should care what a panel of Monday morning QB's and fortunetellers think, and dish it out as "news"? The fact that groups of made up, wanna be celebs can speculate on topics as important as the War, Financial info, and national crises, and pass it off as news is scary. What is more frightening?.... there are droves of people numb from the overwhelming mass of it all, accepting opine as fact from shear attrition. This IS how neck fisherman get elected to high office, and run the country into the ground. All the while the media ignores the important, to air their version of "news".

ESPN
Originally uploaded by redperm
Sir Winston Churchill: Quotes about Truth
Truth is incontrovertible, malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it, but, in the end, there it is.

Here's hoping more of us have our eyes wide open, and persevere to rise above it all.

St. Patricks Day Reset...

2006-05-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

Why is it so fun to be Irish on March 17 th?...

It just is.

A pint... or 5, just tastes a little bit better with family and friends in March.

It has been something of a tradition for a part of my family, that this time of year around my sisters birthday, always seems better spent in the mountains. Guinness just tastes better at ~ 7000 ft. March Madness is simply more dramatic when enjoyed in the comfort of a rustic chalet, by a roaring fire in damp ski clothes. Oh... and the French Onion Soup!

Beware of lurking Irish car BOMBS!

St. Pat's '06 in Whistler, Canada was definitely one for the books.

Quick thoughts...

2006-04-25T22:03:00.000-07:00

After a nice long hot shower... is there anything better than warm clean clothes, just out of the dryer, or... maybe a bed with clean sheets tucked tight that hasn't been slept in yet? After some thought, while both are nice, I would take the bed over the warm clothes... that's me. Crystal would take the clothes. What would you take?

Sirius Work

2006-04-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

Siriusly! What I've had to go through is ridiculous...

Sometimes in life, one is required to go above and beyond the call of duty for that which is held so dearly. I love/need/can't function in the moring w/o the Stern Show.

I've ran out to my car every night for 2 months. Replaced my car battery. Dropped over 5 C's on equipment. Climbed 20 ft. extension ladders at my own peril. Drilled a hole through my condo.
Gone through Freezes, "hard resets", loss of recorded content, and the like. All for the Final product...

And it is my Zen... finally

Keeping up with the Jones'

2006-03-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

After viewing my buddies blog I feel I have to keep up...

I got some recent credit too!

Other than that, I have completely bent my life's schedule around listening to Stern and Rome.

You have to have priorities. Honestly, entertainment really does come first.

Eating can be fun!

2005-12-21T00:29:00.000-08:00

Get into my Belly...

2005-10-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

My Joy... AA

2005-10-28T21:01:00.003-07:00

A Legend

2005-10-28T21:01:00.002-07:00

Good Times

2005-10-28T21:01:00.001-07:00

Rose

2005-10-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

Vegas baby

2005-10-28T21:00:00.001-07:00

Pure

2005-10-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

Chillin in tahoe

Work can suck...

2005-10-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

Make it better. Go out and do something. I played basketball today after work. Yes, I am a bit washed up @ 32, but I can still hang with the young kids. It's rejuvanating. I came home to my 10 month old daughter Aisley and Life seems good.