And then I'm all, "ooooohhhhh"

So, interesting day thus far (as I have low standards for entertainment). Had a nice ferry ride in chatting with Michelle C (see link to her blog at right) and The Dohmer (former coworker). I was feeling a tad hungry after my workout this morning (20 mins of invervallic training on the bike followed by some core strength training (and a nice quick steam). So, I don't have any cash on me, but I'm not worried - everybody takes debit. I belly up to the counter at Golden Gate Meat Co for some yummy goodness. Well, they've got a sign for a new thing - steak and egg sandwich for $7. Steak and eggs sounds good, but I already feel like I'm getting fiscally cornholed spending five bucks on a breakfast sammich. So, I ask for the "regular" breakfast sandwich.
I swipe my card, put in my PIN, etc, and I notice she's charging me $.25 for using the debit card. Normally, I resent being charged a fee for these kind of things, but I'm in a good mood (and I'm really hungry) so I just leave it be. I pay my $5.25, get the sammich, and start walking. So, I'm still in the Ferry Building, I've got my sunglasses on, so I can't see really well. I open up the wrapper on the sammich and take a bite and the bacon doesn't taste right. It's NOT smoky, it's NOT salty, it's just kinda wrong. I stop and look at the sandwich (now with a huge chunk out of it) and figure out IT'S STEAK - once I recalibrated and expected to taste steak, the sammich was really good.
So, that's it - no real point, but, that's life.

Sea Ranch Photos

Vacation was great. I have photos to prove it. Michelle and I both enjoy taking photos and our pics alternate between snapshots and more esoteric compositions. Here's a mix of both. We headed out on Sunday morning, making a quick stopover for breakfast burritos at Whole Foods in Petaluma. From there, we headed out to Highway 1 and cruised up the coast. Here's a shot of the coast road just north of Bodega Bay.



Once we got checked in at the rental house, we took the puppies to the dog park for some ball time. They love the dog park at Sea Ranch - it's huge and they can run full out, sniff, dig, play ball. Here they're waiting for me to throw the ball. Notice the intense focus!

Here's a shot of Michelle at the park


We weren't really sure what to expect of the weather for the week. On our previous trips, it's been cool and foggy with an almost persistent mist. This time, it was gorgeous! Clear, blue skies, mid sixties to low seventies, moderate wind (one day had high winds in the afternoon), clear skies at night for star gazing. It was amazing.
We secured provisions for the week at the Surf Market in Gualala (our favorite local market) and headed back to the house. Here's my idea of relaxing at the coast - beer, chair, ocean view, warm sun, cool breeze... Marz has similar views on vacation - although he doesn't drink beer.

Most days, I was up before dawn and I spent a couple of mornings watching the colors of the landscape change with the rising sun. We took a sunset walk along the bluff one night and got some interesting photos.

Sunset along the bluff. This is just down the trail from the rental house near Shell Beach.










A driftwood sculpture sat out on the bluff, overlooking the meadow.

Awash in the rich evening light, it's difficult to find a more beautiful part of the country.

Michelle surveys the incoming surf.

Remnants of aquatic flora washed up on the shore, some of which appeared entirely alien.

Ultimately, the sun sat in dramatic fashion, casting a warm blanket of orange light over the cool shore.

















Michelle created an anniversary tableau on the beach.

This was, after all, our anniversary trip. We had dinner at the house that night - I made pan roasted frenched veal chops, asparagus, and a green salad. We had an excellent bottle of Ponzi Reserve Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley. Overall, we ate well all week. We went to Pangea in Gualala for dinner one night and had an outstanding meal with a bottle of Wolf Blass reserve Shiraz (an amazing wine).

We had lunch a couple of times at Bones' Roadhouse, the local BBQ/Biker hang - I recommend the Texas Brisket sandwich with house made potato chips!

The dogs had a great time. They finally destroyed their rope toy. Michelle got this shot - I love it. One of the great things about the house we rented was that it had an atrium where we could let the dogs run around. They could go out and sniff, explore, hang out, or whatever. They also had a great view of the deer and jackrabbits that came through the meadow. They made a significant fuss the first time a group of deer came by the house - you would have thought we were in imminent danger of a deer uprising.

I like this shot. This was the end of a delicious gin and tonic after a tough round at the Sea Ranch course. I took this by setting the camera down on the armrest of the chair and letting it fly. I think it turned out pretty well.






We had some camera fun in downtown Gualala on Friday.

This one was fun (note the reflection).




There was a Pirate Faire in Gualala on Friday. So, there was a Pirate Festival in Vallejo recently - it was big and pretty cool, actually.

The Gualala version was much smaller; just five booths, all of which were run by the organizers. We popped by for six minutes and took in the sights.



The Sea Ranch Chapel is probably the most interesting structure on the Mendonoma coast, at least to me. We stopped by on Friday afternoon for some snappies - there were lots of interesting things around the chapel.

The unique architecture of the building makes it seem organic and naturally occurring; I find it difficult to picture people actually building it.

The roof line almost looks like a spine - interesting how it curves and twists and how the shingles are layered like feathers or scales.





There's a fountain outside the chapel entrance. It was difficult to get the water in focus - I ended up having to trick the camera to get this shot.

































Michelle got the shot below - I really like how this one turned out.We're back home now and we're already planning our next trip to the coast. Maybe Labor Day weekend?

All I want for summer vacation is a dead cell phone

Seriously, what the Hell is the deal with these damn things? We leave for the coast in, oh, about 46 hours or so. That means in 49 hours, I will have no signal, no Internet access, no Skype, no connection to the outside world but good old fashioned person to person communication. Not that I really want to talk to anyone when we're out there (except Michelle, of course), but it's nice to unplug from time to time.
The weather next week is supposed to be really nice - should be in the sixties to low seventies. Maybe we'll get some sun! I'm really looking forward to some hiking in the redwoods and on the beach, some golf, sitting in the hot tub, blah blah... Oh, and GOLF! How could I forget! I love that course! I proposed three rounds to Michelle and she didn't flinch. Will might even come up for a day to play.
Now, I just need to wrap up all the loose ends at work and home so I can actually go away on Sunday....

Okay, so...

Okay, so, golf's getting better. And worse. And better. Here's the perfect example: 18th hole at Wente - 412 yard par 4. I crushed my drive, high, soft draw, 325 yards - right down to the cart sign. The second shot was a 75 yarder (my nemesis range lately) and I airmailed the green. This keeps happening over and over.... I take a half swing with my lob wedge and hit it 100 yards. What the hell? It's frustrating too because my bestest golf buddy moved away and I'm having a hard time finding people to play with who are fun to be around, play at my level or better, don't flake, don't just drink their way through the golf course, and who are interested in helping each other get better at the game. I signed up on a site called mygolfbuddy.com - maybe that'll yield some results. I'm going to throw a posting up on craigslist also - who knows, maybe that'll pay off? Seems pretty desperate, but I guess I am at this point. Sigh...

Golf game... improving... sucking less...

Well, good news from the world of my golf game. I'm sucking a whole lot less than before and golf has become so much fun. Amazing what hitting the ball straight and the right distance can do for you!! I've been working really hard on tempo and smoothing my swing out. I played a lot during my recent So Cal trip and I was just killing it off the tee and my approach shots were like guided missiles. So, while I'm on this golfing high, I'm taking full advantage. Michelle' out of town this weekend, so I'm playing Roddy Ranch in Antioch on Saturday (finally starting to use the 12 free rounds I got with my Mare Island membership) and Mare Island on Sunday afternoon. Yaay!!

Musings from the Road

I'm traveling again, this time to Southern California for some face time (did I just say that?) with one of the company's primary vendors and to check out all the cool new stuff HP is releasing for this year. I came down to Long Beach on Sunday and am staying at the Queen Mary. It's been a good time thus far - some laughs, some tears, some cheers... Here's a brief glimpse into what's been happening.

Okay, I'm a cynic and a skeptic. The ship is haunted. Period. The first night, I couldn't sleep and I had the feeling that someone was in the room with me. When I did fall asleep, I had the scariest nightmare of my life. What really made it scary was that it was so real - I didn't really realize I was dreaming until after it was over, and even then, it took hours and repeated mental reinvestigation to convince myself it wasn't real. I love the song "Mad World" (especially the version from the Donnie Darko soundtrack), but I can now honestly debate the validity of the lyric, "the dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had."

Yesterday was all about relationship building (vendor golf). I was on fire, nailing drives, lasering irons at the pins, just killing it. I had several drives over 280 yards and hit most of my irons within 10-12 feet - three of which were within 3 feet and I nearly holed out from the fairway twice. Our group shot 64 (scramble format) but we left three or four birdies out on the course. After lunch, some of us decided to go back out and play another 18 (I think it was my idea - I am a glutton, after all). The second 18 was more challenging - the wind was up, we were all sunburned and tired, and we played straight up. I played like crap the first couple holes and blew my chances at scoring well - ended up with 47 on the front and two balls in the water on #9. Turned it around on the back and shot 42 with three 3 putts. We made it in right at sunset.

Made it back to the hotel around 9 and really needed some food and sunburn treatment. I put some lotion on - there was no aloe to be found. I figured the next best thing was juniper, so I had some G&Ts with the HP guys in the bar after dinner. Hanging with geeks is really odd. We're sitting around, cackling our asses off, making jokes with punchlines like "oh, you must be a Novell Administrator!!" and "yeah, that's what you get for not properly configuring traverse permissions under NTFS!!" Completely surreal...

Off to the HP show now. I'm sure I'll have more tidbits of errata later.

Vegas Trip - NAB 2007

I feel like it's coming out my pores. Vegas, that is. I'm sweating, shaking, and nauseous and I can't regulate my temperature. I'll say first, no, I did not drink that much while in Vegas. I was very responsible. I had a good time, but I was reserved and controlled. I didn't gamble either (it's never really done anything for me - I can think of much more stimulating ways to piss away my hard earned money).

So what is it that's caused this reaction? Did I simply pick up some sort of a cold or flu? Am I processing out all the toxins that saturate the Casino air, or, was it a result of my long daily walks around the strip and beyond, breathing in aspirated shame, money, and ill fate? Whatever it is, it doesn't feel good.

The trip itself was very interesting. It was my first time going to the National Association of Broadcasters convention. I heard an unconfirmed rumor that they estimated 200,000 attendees. From the size of the crowds, I can believe it. It was spread out over several halls, filling the interior and exterior spaces of the the Las Vegas Convention Center and driving the cost of hotel rooms through the proverbial ceiling. I was fortunate to stay close to the Convention Center (.8 miles according to Google Maps). I was also fortunate to NOT stay at Circus Circus. I've never actually been there, but I've seen it on TV and I really don't like clowns, so, I think I'm good.

The hotel (Frontier) was interesting. It was a blend of old west kitsch, vintage Vegas cheese, and toothless red state flannel wearers, tearing through penny slots and packs of Winstons with abandon. Maybe I'm just a coastal elitist liberal, but I really expected to see the Clampetts roll up in the Valet area with Granny in her rocking chair, covered in bug guts from the 45 mph ride up I-15. The primary restaurant (Gilley's) is a barbecue and beer place with sawdust on the floor and two kinds of music - Country and Western.
A mechanical bull is a prominent feature of the decor and inebriated patrons shriek with delight as they are ritually thrown to the blue naugahide mat that surrounds the beast. I am not sure, but it appeared as though the operator (and therefore the Bull) took offense when a rider was particularly cocky or took an overly muscular hold of the device, as though to signal his intent to last the required eight seconds. As though it were his charge from God himself, the bull operator rewarded their vainglory with a swift and decisive trip to the mat. To add insult to injury, after downing its victim, the beast threw it's head defiantly as if to say "Mechanical Bull rules, drunken patrons drool." It should be noted, with obvious sadness, that I missed the highlight of the establishment - bikini bull riding. I'm not exactly kicking myself for this, but I'm not that happy about it either. Moving on now...

I ordered a half rack of ribs with a salad, chef's vegetables, and macaroni and cheese. I didn't really intend to eat much of the mac and cheese, but it sounded really good. The waitress (quite attractive in her hat, chaps, and bikini) cautioned me that the vegetables weren't really all that healthy; that they were green beans sauteed with bacon and onion. I was not surprised to learn that they didn't have any steamed mixed vegetables to substitute. Soon, a small oval plate, laden with limp iceberg lettuce, surely exposed to the rigors of time and heat lamps, was delivered to my table. I had no way of knowing at the time, but tomato, cucumber, and mixed cheese (jack and cheddar, I believe) were buried under what must have been nearly a cup of blue cheese dressing. I ate around the dressing as much as possible, but finally gave up on the salad. The main course came swiftly on an oversized platter with a wooden handle and heated metal plate, similar to a fajita plate. The mac and cheese was, of course, to die for. Unfortunately, I mean this literally. Presumably in the spirit of openness and full disclosure, you could actually see all the fat and oil separating from the food - no plausible deniability here. I had a few bites of it just to say I did, then pushed it away. The green beans were better than I had thought - they were cooked, but still snappy and had a mild flavor. They were clearly cooked with bacon, but not fried in rendered fat. The ribs were okay, but the sauce lacked punch (I had to request some hot sauce to get the flavor just right). The beer selection was pretty bad, so I ordered a Woodford Reserve on the rocks and sipped on that through the meal.

After dinner, I needed a walk, so I set out and headed North, up the strip. I did a big loop up the strip, over to Industrial, and back down to the hotel. It took about an hour and a half, so I estimate I walked somewhere between 4-6 miles. It was late when I got back to the hotel and I went straight to the room, ignoring the flannel and polyester clad nicotine disposal units who had by this time grafted themselves to the slot machines. After about an hour lying in bed, it occurred to me that the food probably had MSG in it because, try as I might, I couldn't sleep. I lamented my decision to eat at the Casino. As the night passed, my anxiety increased. I had a lot of ground to cover Monday and I wasn't going to perform well on no sleep. I finally fell asleep around 5 a.m. and slept soundly until 6:30.

NAB was HUGE. Got there early, got in the long, long lines for registration. Waited, waited, felt my feet swell from lack of sleep, bad food, and too much standing. Finally got checked in and started cruising the show. It quickly became apparent that the size and scope of this show was so large that there was no way I'd get to see the things I wanted to unless I came up with a plan. I decided to focus on two areas: digital asset management and file transport/replication. I thumbed through the book and found some likely vendors, made a note of their locations, and set off. I attended a few panel sessions on Digital Asset Management - a very interesting aspect of video production technology. I took the opportunity to review some specifics of our situation with the panel and got some good advice and product leads. I spent the remainder of the day perusing the booths, pressing the flesh, and checking out the cool stuff.

So, I needed to go to the ATM. I didn't take out enough cash before flying down and my dinner from the previous night coupled with coffee, breakfast, lunch, etc had all but wiped me out. I pulled up google maps and did a search for an ATM from my bank. I found one that looked reasonably close, made a note of the path I should take to get there, and struck out. By this point, it was early evening and still hot from the day. It was too hot to wear my sportcoat, so I took it off and packed it in my already bulging backpack. So, I'm walking along, in a city I don't know and I realize that I am going further and further from the relative safety and security of the Strip. Hotels, restaurants, and business parks gave way to motels (weekly rates available), bars, porno shops, and corner markets. Shady apartment complexes and dilapidated houses rose out of the dusty ground; the speeding, thumping cars and staring locals reduced my comfort level significantly. So, here I am, walking along, and I want to doublecheck the address. I couldn't remember if it was in the 100 or 1000 block. I had just passed 100, and there was nothing. Earlier in the day, on the way to the convention center, Google Maps had led me to believe there would be a branch at 101 Convention Center drive. Yeah, that didn't work out so well - no branch.

So now, I'm thinking, maybe it's wrong again - maybe I'm going too far into this bad area with a $3000 laptop strapped to my back and a "beat the fuck out of my and steal all my crap" sign pinned to my back. I can't check the bank's website because it doesn't work with the browser on my phone, and I can't very well pull out the laptop on the side of road and check it - I may as well just beat myself to a pulp, leave the laptop on the curb, and walk back to the hotel. So, what could I do? I'd gone this far (at least a mile by now); I kept going. I stood a little taller, got a cold, badass look on my face, pushed my chest out, and pressed on. Eventually, after a couple more sketchy looks, swerving cars that I thought would jump the curb, and other assorted acts of mischief, I arrived at a Von's grocery store with a small branch inside. I went in, got my cash, purchased two 22 oz bottles of Arrogant Bastard, and called for a taxi to take me back to the hotel. I checked later - the walk from the convention center was about two miles.
Got back to the hotel, held my breath, waved hello to the toothless flannel clad hicks, and went upstairs to enjoy my beer and some well earned TV time. I was happy to discover that the room had a mini fridge. The second beer would stay nice and cold. Flipped around for a little while until finding a show on VH1 about top 10 tv pranks, or something. Seems like VH1 is making its living off of clip shows these days. Comedians, D-Listers, and ex-hipsters making snarky comments between clips with the narrator prattling on about something. This show, I actually enjoyed because it featured two of my favorite reality shows (there aren't many I like) The Joe Schmo Show and Film Fakers.
I watched a few other things (clearly not memorable) and finished my other beer. Now that the sun had set (I saw it myself - through my window, no less), I freshened up and struck out for dinner. No way in Hell was I going to eat in the casino again, so I headed out onto the strip. I walked across to TI, originally with the intent of passing through and finding something else, but somehow I ended up at Isla, the upscale Mexican place inside. Michelle and I really enjoyed it the last time we were here, so I got a table, ordered a nice tequila and surf & turf, fancy Mexican style. The meal was excellent and the tequila was outstanding. Definitely made up for the night before's abysmal cuisine. After dinner, I felt like walking again - seems like the best way to stay out of trouble in Vegas is to keep moving. I walked all the way down the strip to the MGM Grand, then caught the Monorail back to Bally's and walked back to the Frontier.

Next day, I wrapped up the few loose ends I had left and got myself the Hell outta Dodge. I was feeling really run down and crappy (still am) so I hit the couch and rested as soon as I got home. Still managed to keep up on email and put some coherent thoughts together, but not much more.