And it's a given you don't do your own yard work. But, really?
When you can afford a few dozen goats to come in and eat the weeds you've neglected all year, yeah...fair to say you've earned your spot up there around the corner from Billionaires Row.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
How to know when you have too much money...
First, you probably live in a house like this:
And it's a given you don't do your own yard work. But, really?
When you can afford a few dozen goats to come in and eat the weeds you've neglected all year, yeah...fair to say you've earned your spot up there around the corner from Billionaires Row.
And it's a given you don't do your own yard work. But, really?
When you can afford a few dozen goats to come in and eat the weeds you've neglected all year, yeah...fair to say you've earned your spot up there around the corner from Billionaires Row.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
You will never get today back.
A friend tipped me to this a couple weeks back. Highly inspirational. I suggest everyone watch it and forward it on to friends as well.
What's your excuse for not being amazing?
What's your excuse for not being amazing?
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Wait...WHAT?
I suppose I should weigh in on this whole ‘Osama is Dead’ thing too, because, why the hell not?
September 11th 2001 was exactly 8 days before I started my freshman year of college. I woke up to a phone call from a friend telling me to turn on the television. “What channel?” I asked. “Any channel.”Uh oh. I knew from the tone of his voice that this couldn’t be good. “I’ll be over in a few,” he said.
Begrudgingly, I got out of bed and headed downstairs in my boxers, grabbed a bowl of cereal and plopped down in front of the television. The flurry of news and anchors and panic that came spewing out of the television for the next several days was a literal blur. So, I’ll try to describe what I felt and what I can remember.
A lot of people will say they’ll always remember when they first saw the planes crash into the World Trade Center – but I honestly can’t remember the feelings I initially had. I think I was mostly confused since my Hayward Public Education failed to teach me what the “World Trade Center” even was (let alone, nouns, verbs, pronouns, and adverbs - thanks to MadLibs for that). Or perhaps I wasn’t paying attention that day in class. Either way. When I asked my friend (the one who initially alerted me to the news), he summed it up simply by saying, “It’s the WORLD Trade Center.” OH. Got it.
I remember people thinking it was initially an accident...and then the second plane crashing into the towers. I remember talk of someone named Osama Bin Laden. I remember people vowing revenge and retaliation. What I don’t remember is when I stopped remembering. I suppose it happened in college.
I was fortunate enough to go to school in sunny Santa Barbara, CA – a wealthy beach town that almost seemed insulated from the entire thing. Granted, I was a declared Sociology major entering school, and one of my professors (Mark Juergensmeyer) had just finished writing “Terror in the Mind of God” (making him an instant celebrity for practically predicting what happened), so I was inundated with theories on the rise of religious activism/terrorism and even presented with the “logic” behind terrorist acts and organizations. Unfortunately, like most college classes, after my final I proceeded to destroy any insight or knowledge gleaned through the course with a healthy (read: unhealthy) amount of booze.
Though I briefly entertained pursuing a military career after college, I certainly wasn’t thinking about Osama Bin Laden when I graduated a quarter early in 2005 - less than 4 years after the attack on the World Trade Center. I don’t think it was even mentioned at my commencement ceremony – or any of the other dozen or so I attended while working at the Campus Police Department. Somewhere in there, it wasn’t being remembered.
This of course isn’t to say that the attacks of September 11th, 2001 didn’t have lasting residual effects on thousands and thousands of Americans (and non-Americans) who lost family and loved ones on that day - as I’m sure they still do. Personally, I didn’t know anyone who perished in the attacks. Hell, as an 18 year old I barely knew anyone outside of my high school graduating class…Which is why I was confused to see college students celebrating like they had each just won the Showcase Showdown on The Price is Right (back when it was Barker, not Carey). I mean, these kids were 8-12 when the attacks happened. Aside from those who had immediate familial loss, how many of these kids even remember it happening? I mean, if I was there I suppose I would have gotten my celebration on, too. Kind of rhetorical, kind of not, I guess. Again, I was 18 at the time and didn’t even know what the World Trade Center was, so perhaps my view is invalid anyway.
Did I celebrate? Nah.
In fact, when I first heard the news, I actually thought my roommate told me that they killed OBAMA. Yup. Smack dab in the middle of a Ninja Warrior Marathon on G4, I paused the TV looked at him and said, “What!?”. “Yeah, Obama’s gonna make a statement in a minute.” Again, “What!?” “Yeah, they killed Osama Bin Laden somewhere in Pakistan.” “OH!!! OSAMA.”
For what seemed like 5 minutes, but was really only seconds - time slowed down and I began to tell myself that this was our JFK. Growing up, kids in my high school complained that we never had anything significant happen in our lives (until 9/11). No President assassinations, no MLKs. But now??? Here, it was. Obama was killed. And all I could think was, "Great. When my nephew asks me where I was when Obama was killed, I'm not gonna have anything cool to say. Instead I'm gonna be like, 'Well, I was eating gummy bears on my couch watching Ninja Warrior.' Then he's gonna be all like, 'What's ninja Warrior'? Then I'm gonna be like, "OH MAN, you don't know what NINJA WARRIOR IS!??!" And then he's gonna ask me something ridiculous like whether it was like Power Rangers, and it's all gonna go down from there..."
Oh wait, Obama wasn’t killed. OSAMA was killed.
So what did I do? Set my TiVo to record the Daily Show the following night, knowing I would get only the finest news. And then put the Ninja Warrior Marathon back on.
What a world.
September 11th 2001 was exactly 8 days before I started my freshman year of college. I woke up to a phone call from a friend telling me to turn on the television. “What channel?” I asked. “Any channel.”Uh oh. I knew from the tone of his voice that this couldn’t be good. “I’ll be over in a few,” he said.
Begrudgingly, I got out of bed and headed downstairs in my boxers, grabbed a bowl of cereal and plopped down in front of the television. The flurry of news and anchors and panic that came spewing out of the television for the next several days was a literal blur. So, I’ll try to describe what I felt and what I can remember.
A lot of people will say they’ll always remember when they first saw the planes crash into the World Trade Center – but I honestly can’t remember the feelings I initially had. I think I was mostly confused since my Hayward Public Education failed to teach me what the “World Trade Center” even was (let alone, nouns, verbs, pronouns, and adverbs - thanks to MadLibs for that). Or perhaps I wasn’t paying attention that day in class. Either way. When I asked my friend (the one who initially alerted me to the news), he summed it up simply by saying, “It’s the WORLD Trade Center.” OH. Got it.
I remember people thinking it was initially an accident...and then the second plane crashing into the towers. I remember talk of someone named Osama Bin Laden. I remember people vowing revenge and retaliation. What I don’t remember is when I stopped remembering. I suppose it happened in college.
I was fortunate enough to go to school in sunny Santa Barbara, CA – a wealthy beach town that almost seemed insulated from the entire thing. Granted, I was a declared Sociology major entering school, and one of my professors (Mark Juergensmeyer) had just finished writing “Terror in the Mind of God” (making him an instant celebrity for practically predicting what happened), so I was inundated with theories on the rise of religious activism/terrorism and even presented with the “logic” behind terrorist acts and organizations. Unfortunately, like most college classes, after my final I proceeded to destroy any insight or knowledge gleaned through the course with a healthy (read: unhealthy) amount of booze.
Though I briefly entertained pursuing a military career after college, I certainly wasn’t thinking about Osama Bin Laden when I graduated a quarter early in 2005 - less than 4 years after the attack on the World Trade Center. I don’t think it was even mentioned at my commencement ceremony – or any of the other dozen or so I attended while working at the Campus Police Department. Somewhere in there, it wasn’t being remembered.
This of course isn’t to say that the attacks of September 11th, 2001 didn’t have lasting residual effects on thousands and thousands of Americans (and non-Americans) who lost family and loved ones on that day - as I’m sure they still do. Personally, I didn’t know anyone who perished in the attacks. Hell, as an 18 year old I barely knew anyone outside of my high school graduating class…Which is why I was confused to see college students celebrating like they had each just won the Showcase Showdown on The Price is Right (back when it was Barker, not Carey). I mean, these kids were 8-12 when the attacks happened. Aside from those who had immediate familial loss, how many of these kids even remember it happening? I mean, if I was there I suppose I would have gotten my celebration on, too. Kind of rhetorical, kind of not, I guess. Again, I was 18 at the time and didn’t even know what the World Trade Center was, so perhaps my view is invalid anyway.
Did I celebrate? Nah.
In fact, when I first heard the news, I actually thought my roommate told me that they killed OBAMA. Yup. Smack dab in the middle of a Ninja Warrior Marathon on G4, I paused the TV looked at him and said, “What!?”. “Yeah, Obama’s gonna make a statement in a minute.” Again, “What!?” “Yeah, they killed Osama Bin Laden somewhere in Pakistan.” “OH!!! OSAMA.”
For what seemed like 5 minutes, but was really only seconds - time slowed down and I began to tell myself that this was our JFK. Growing up, kids in my high school complained that we never had anything significant happen in our lives (until 9/11). No President assassinations, no MLKs. But now??? Here, it was. Obama was killed. And all I could think was, "Great. When my nephew asks me where I was when Obama was killed, I'm not gonna have anything cool to say. Instead I'm gonna be like, 'Well, I was eating gummy bears on my couch watching Ninja Warrior.' Then he's gonna be all like, 'What's ninja Warrior'? Then I'm gonna be like, "OH MAN, you don't know what NINJA WARRIOR IS!??!" And then he's gonna ask me something ridiculous like whether it was like Power Rangers, and it's all gonna go down from there..."
Oh wait, Obama wasn’t killed. OSAMA was killed.
So what did I do? Set my TiVo to record the Daily Show the following night, knowing I would get only the finest news. And then put the Ninja Warrior Marathon back on.
What a world.
Monday, April 25, 2011
This is what 20 lbs looks like
REI 60 Pak, full 100oz Camelbak, bike chain and lock, two 2lb ankle weights, towel, bike pump, 30 ft extension cord, jump rope, spare bike tubes, two golf balls, wallet, phone, keys, masterlock, body glide, and spare gloves.
And if you're looking for a nice little workout, try a "brick". It's essentially a bike workout followed immediately by a running workout. Most people will do 3-5 miles on a bike and 1-2 miles on a run for starters (repeating as able). Though no real bricks are involved [yet], I decided to head out Easter Sunday carrying all this shit on my back. Did about 17 miles on the bike, hopped off and ran 8 miles.
Total time was about 2hrs and 30mins, but the workout felt much longer. While it didn't quite match up to the 50 mile race I completed a month ago, it was a much faster pace, and a much harder (read: concrete) path to travel. With the weight, my knees were really feeling it. Fortunately, I was able to get right into a cold bath immediately following my workout to try and eliminate most of the aches I'd feel today.
And if you're looking for a nice little workout, try a "brick". It's essentially a bike workout followed immediately by a running workout. Most people will do 3-5 miles on a bike and 1-2 miles on a run for starters (repeating as able). Though no real bricks are involved [yet], I decided to head out Easter Sunday carrying all this shit on my back. Did about 17 miles on the bike, hopped off and ran 8 miles.Total time was about 2hrs and 30mins, but the workout felt much longer. While it didn't quite match up to the 50 mile race I completed a month ago, it was a much faster pace, and a much harder (read: concrete) path to travel. With the weight, my knees were really feeling it. Fortunately, I was able to get right into a cold bath immediately following my workout to try and eliminate most of the aches I'd feel today.
Why am I running around with 20 pounds of unnecessary crap on my back? Good question. With all the training for the 50 mile Moab race I was actually preparing for a much shorter, but much more ridiculous endurance event. [*Note: Scott and I finished the AXS Race in just under 8 hours: (Team Bangorang! in the 2 Open division), despite some initial mechanical troubles on the first mountain bike section and some nasty cramping from Scott on the run].
The event I've signed up for is less than a month away and things are really taking a turn for the ridiculous. So far in preparation for this, I've done a number of workouts that have sidelined me for a day if not more with lactic acid buildup that would put a donkey on it's ass. I've done a 5 mile run that included a section of lunges for 2/3 mile straight. I've run repeats of all 288 of the Lyon Street steps more times than I'd like to recall (yeah, I counted). I've run with 20 lbs on my back for 4 miles, stopped at home to drench myself with a hose and run another 4 miles cold and soaked. I've run a 13.5 mile loop with a lightened load of about 12lbs on my back. And most recently, the "brick" described above. And things are only going to get crazier.
The event I've signed up for (with Scott again) is The GORUCK Challenge. Something I found through the Tough Mudder site (though they are no longer affiliated), and something I've been pretty pumped about doing since I signed up back in February. A better understanding can come from the description of the inaugural class which took place in San Francisco back in September of last year - though it looks like the Challenge has only taken on more insane parameters since its inception as the captions indicate it was 11 miles, not the 18-20 referenced in the flyer previously linked. Oh yeah, also, our challenge STARTS at 6pm and is listed as being anywhere from 8-10 HOURS. Quick math indicates, we'll be finishing at 2am at the earliest. It also means we'll be drenched and exhausted through the worst temperature/wind times in San Francisco - good livin', right?
Anyhow, keep an eye out for updates on what stupid things I'm doing to punish myself in order to get into the best shape possible for this event. I can only imagine what our instructor will get us into, so I'll be trying my best to match wits on some rather dumb things to do to myself. Run down to/full immersion at Ocean Beach at 1am in the morning? Count on it.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
"Only in SF"
It's been a bit since I shot out a post on things that piss me off. I mean, only like 4 out of my last 5 posts have been PSAs, and even then, it's been 2 weeks.
Anyway, I was trolling SFist a couple days ago and they had a great article about people not truly understanding how to dispense the overly-used phrase: "Only in SF".
Read the article. Understand it. Just because you haven't been to another large metropolitan city, doesn't mean that everything you see "out of the ordinary" of your suburban bubble happens "Only in SF".
Maybe this (be warned) is something that only truly happens in SF.
I warned you.
Anyway, I was trolling SFist a couple days ago and they had a great article about people not truly understanding how to dispense the overly-used phrase: "Only in SF".
Read the article. Understand it. Just because you haven't been to another large metropolitan city, doesn't mean that everything you see "out of the ordinary" of your suburban bubble happens "Only in SF".
Maybe this (be warned) is something that only truly happens in SF.
I warned you.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
99 Problems
And you're a bitch if one of your's sounds like anything from whitewhine.com.
Quoted as a site for a "Collection of First World Problems," I'm hoping people are able to see that it's a little insensitive to "feel" for the people of Haiti/Japan, and then complain about how "people who can't roll crescent rolls correctly, shouldn't be allowed in kitchens" or how too many people have offered to clean your hotel room while on vacation. Must be tough...
Though this one simply takes the cake:
Quoted as a site for a "Collection of First World Problems," I'm hoping people are able to see that it's a little insensitive to "feel" for the people of Haiti/Japan, and then complain about how "people who can't roll crescent rolls correctly, shouldn't be allowed in kitchens" or how too many people have offered to clean your hotel room while on vacation. Must be tough...
Though this one simply takes the cake:
Wah.
Before you hit "share" on your Facebook, think about what you're really saying. For all of us.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Stay tuned.
A few days ago while out with an old friend, we got into a conversation about my blog and I mentioned the fact that I didn't really know where it was going, what it was really trying to be, or why I was even doing it. Do people really care about poop references and pictures/links from other sites? The answer is: I don't know.
As a result I've decided to take a foray into a 'side project" which will more than likely become the main gig for me. I've decided to branch out to another, much more focused blog with an actual theme. You can find it here. It's definitely just getting started, but if you like it, "follow it". Feel free to share with others who might like it as well.
As a result I've decided to take a foray into a 'side project" which will more than likely become the main gig for me. I've decided to branch out to another, much more focused blog with an actual theme. You can find it here. It's definitely just getting started, but if you like it, "follow it". Feel free to share with others who might like it as well.
I'll still post bits of "wisdom" here, but I'm thinking I need something a little more original, rather than simple regurgitation of shit I find on the internet. Besides, I somewhat pigeon-holed myself into a finite time period for this blog anyway - seeing as how I'm technically in my (gasp) late 20s.
Awe, hell.
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