aim high, willis. aim high!

wildwood canyon hike

2012-02-14T22:37:00.000-08:00

since heidi is a big fan of bakeries, i decided to surprise her on sunday with a stop at porto's in burbank. it's a cuban, family-owned bakery that serves up out-of-this-world treats, like their potato ball (one of my top 25 things to eat in LA) and their guava & cheese strudel.

since we were way out in BFE, i was able to tie-in a nearby hiking trail (wildwood canyon) to try out for the first time, and it was a winner. the trail from the parking lot was just over 4 miles total, but it was a steep ascent that definitely got the lungs burning.

not only that, but we encountered an 11-year-old girl named mariam that appeared to be by herself, making the impressive trek up with considerable pace. after she passed us more than once, i introduced myself to her and had to give her props... turns out she's been hiking since she was 2!

a look back at where we came

reclining chair at the top

view of downtown LA

heidi chasing mariam

since we got off to a late start, we didn't quite get to our original destination (verdugo peak), but we still were able to climb over 2,000 feet in no time flat. all in all, a great hike and definitely one to revisit...

happy valentine's day!

2012-02-14T07:12:00.000-08:00

2012 warrior dash - socal

2012-02-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

FYI my buddy martin clued me in that LA weekly's current deal is for 1/2 off registration at this year's warrior dash (march 31 in lake elsinore, CA). it's a great deal at $37 - normally $75 - and may prove to be the impetus for us signing up for a 3rd time!

here's the link:

http://www.voicedailydeals.com/los-angeles/deals/warrior-dash-socal/

looks like it's valid for another 63+ hours, so get it this weekend!

2012 stone winter storm

2012-02-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

after our race on sunday, we took advantage of our surroundings and headed to nearby stone in escondido to celebrate at their 6th annual winter storm. it was my first trip there and was it ever a doozy. so glad i made lunch reservations ahead of time because it was packed!

multiple bars open

main dining area

i wasn't able to take full advantage of the tap list - i ended up driving us down - but i still did damage by way of the 4oz taster. a brief rundown on what i imbibed:

2005 stonewall ale (previously unavail)
2008 12th anniversary bitter chocolate oatmeal stout (aged in bourbon barrels)
2006 double bastard (aged in brandy barrels)
2012 the alchemist/stone/ninkasi more brown than black IPA collabo
2012 crime (2011 lukcy basartd as the base, brewed w/multiple peppers)

oh and by the way i had a bomb prime rib sandwich on ciabatta to boot. definitely will be making a return trip for future winter storms!

2012 xterra 15k mission gorge - results

2012-02-05T23:38:00.000-08:00

sunday marked the 3rd xterra trail run i've entered this season, and mission trails regional park was the site of the most difficult challenge thus far. not only did we have to contend with two peaks (the second included the thousand steps), but the race organizers decided to tack on an extra 1.5 miles to the course since one of the original trails was washed out.

a brisk 37 degrees in san diego on sunday morning, we arrived at mission trails at 7:10am to register and pick up our tees (green, black and now yellow!). a quick recap of my armor going into the start:

top: nike race day singlet
bottom: nike tempo 2-in-1 7" shorts
shoes: salomon XR crossmax neutral

and we're off!

we shoved off a little past 8am to accommodate the late arriving crowd, and the pace was quick right off the bat. the first mile was predominantly flat, as the first major ascent up north fortuna took place around mile 2. i ran up nearly the entire hill, save for the last bit at the top which was so steep you could literally slide back down.

miles 3 and 4 were great for recovery, as flats were sprinkled in with descents and rolling hills. mile 4.5 started the punishing ascent up south fortuna. quite fortunate for me, i was drafting behind this blonde girl in a black tank top who relentlessly attacked the incline, so i said to-hell-with-it and tried to keep pace. she carried me all the way to the top of the peak before we made our mad descent down.

miles 8-10 were a blur; i just kept my head down and found myself attached to a small group of 5 that stayed in the same order without any change. this was welcome, as my mind had been reduced to blubber at this point and i wouldn't have been able to process much more. the finish line couldn't have come any sooner, as i left nothing in the tank as i limped across. my unofficial time for the 10.8 miles was 1:38:58 - a pace of about 9:16/mile, or 57 seconds faster than my pace at crystal cove on a much tougher course.

all in all, i was very encouraged by my pace and stamina over a brutal course. all the training i put in definitely carried me thru and it's neat to see the direct correlation of effort, hard work and sacrifice validated in the form of greater speed and endurance.

the question is, what's next?

stone winter storm ahead...

2012-02-04T16:14:00.000-08:00

my training took an unexpected hiccup this week when i woke up with a sore throat on wednesday... so much so that i called in sick to work. it sapped a bit of strength out of me, as i felt sluggish and weak during my run on thursday night. i wasn't planning on running today (the race is sunday at 8am), but i felt like i needed to get one more in to play catch-up with my body. better than thursday but not quite where i was last week, which is frustrating, as i felt like i was in prime condition to attack this course. nevertheless, i hope to get in a good meal and sleep tonight and am hoping for the best tomorrow.

that being said, i'm excited about hitting up stone winter storm tomorrow at stone brewing world bistro & gardens.

stone clears out all 32 taps and will be pouring nothing but the brewery's special releases, vintage ales, collaborations, one-offs, barrel-aged goodness and much more. some of the highlights include: the ultra limited stonewall ale, 12th anniversary bitter chocolate oatmeal stout (aged in bourbon barrels) and the 2006 double bastard (aged in brandy barrels).

can't wait!

http://www.stoneworldbistro.com/sws/

pre-race recap

2012-01-30T22:58:00.000-08:00

with the xterra mission gorge less than six days away, i feel fairly confident that my training has prepared me well for the relentless uphill and single track that await.

there's not one but TWO peaks to ascend - both at over 1,000 ft. - so the trick will be to have enough in the tank to make it up the more difficult south fortuna hill at around mile 4.5.

the goal this weekend is to finish in under 1:30:00, which means i somehow have to shave almost 5 minutes off my previous time... on a tougher course layout. i have my work cut out for me, but hopefully i'll be able to establish a new PR (personal record)!

sunday escapades

2012-01-29T22:17:00.000-08:00

sunday was spent recuperating from a marathon karaoke session in little tokyo on saturday night, so we hit up our favorite standby huckleberry for brunch. i had the delectable persimmon endive salad w/blue cheese, smoked applewood bacon and candied walnuts.

shortly after, we proceeded to the santa monica stairs, where heidi ran up/down san vicente blvd. and i hit the hills - from the bottom of west channel road up ocean, then up adelaide - for interval training in advance of next sunday's trail race.

persimmon/endive salad

atop the SM stairs

since we had some time to kill, we hit up main st. for some browsing and people watching (bumped into "true blood" star stephen moyer), and getting the chance to scope out kicks at undefeated.

undefeated SM

tom & tom, jr.

finally headed back for dinner at pitfire pizza, where we sat next to chef roy choi - of kogi, chego, A-frame and now sunny spot fame - of all places...

NOLA visit

2012-01-23T19:40:00.000-08:00

got our tickets and the b&b booked for my first ever trip to new orleans, so i'm excited! i've long been a fan of cajun & creole cuisine, so you better believe i'm gonna get my grub on in the bayou city.

we'll be staying on famed bourbon street just off the french quarter, so everything will be well within walking distance.

open to any and all suggestions for places to hit up from those who have been!

stone brewing world bistro & gardens

2012-01-19T07:53:00.000-08:00

had the day off on tuesday, so we took a road trip down to san diego for some running/hiking at mission trails, followed by a trip to stone's world bistro & gardens. in addition to the plethora of taps and an incredible bottle selection, their food is outstanding and atypical of what you'd think a brewery would serve up. love that place!

choices, choices

chicken tikka masala

open interior

it's a stone!

returned home just in time for dinner, where we've been on a ramen kick lately. my top two had previously been daikokuya (little tokyo) and asahi (sawtelle), but this past weekend we tried yamadaya and santouka, both of which are adjacent to culver city.

thought yamadaya was a bit too pork-laced, so i preferred santouka instead. also, you can order your bowl size in small, medium or large, which is a nice touch. still, daikokuya and asahi remain in the top two spots...

review - 800 degrees

2012-01-10T08:31:00.000-08:00

sunday evening brought about my first trip to 800 degrees, the new westside pizza joint by the umami restaurant group that opened its doors just last week. 800 degrees refers to the temps of their dual wood-fired ovens, which can crank out personalized neopolitan pizzas in 60-90 seconds, and at an AMAZING price point - we're talking an unheard of $6 for a traditional 12-inch margherita.

approaching the location at 6:30pm, the storefront was obvious by the line of 8 going out the door. within minutes, there were 20 people behind us, so we got there at the right time.

the menu is set up as so: there are three classics - which they can add any fresh topping to for a buck - along with a small list of specialities (i got the spicy meatball). as soon as you give them your order, they go to work making your pizza in front of you. by the time you pay for a salad or any drinks, your pizza should be done!

their process is similar to say a chipotle, in that they have simple, fresh ingredients that they're able to spin into your meal while you make your way thru the line.

taste-wise, the pies are quite good. the crust is thin and achieves that light char around the edges. the toppings, while not plentiful, actually fit well ratio-wise with its thin crust. the margherita had chunks of fresh mozzarella and basil peppered throughout. but most of all, it's a pizza that you'd be getting at other italian restaurants for $15 easy, but here they can be had for literally one-third the price.

i really don't know how long 800 degrees can keep this up - if the lines are any indication - but kudos to them for figuring out an intelligent business plan and carrying it out. now if someone wants to give me any stock in their company...

800 degrees

www.facebook.com/800DegreesPizza

10889 lindbrook ave.

los angeles, CA 90024

top 25 things to eat in LA

2012-01-07T16:01:00.000-08:00

inspired by pal nicole iizuka (http://www.cakeandheels.com), i decided to come up with my own list of favorite 25 things to eat here in los angeles. once i got started, i thought it would be difficult to actually reach 25, but as i accumulated my list and started to pare it down, it pained me to have to remove the last three or four. the list also had to include places still open for business, so the BTO ("better than oreo") at kris morningstar's mercantile sadly was not eligible.

that being said, here's my inaugural list in alphabetical order, which i will update throughout the year should anything else become deserving of the honor:

amandine café - croissant
http://www.amandinecafe.com/

animal - bbq pork belly sandwiches, slaw
http://animalrestaurant.com/

asahi ramen - kimchee ramen
http://www.asahiramen.com/

aurélie the cookie guru - chocolate chip cookie
http://thecookieguru.com/

bay cities italian deli - godmother, the works
http://www.baycitiesitaliandeli.com/

best fish taco in ensenada - shrimp taco
http://www.bestfishtacoinensenada.com/

café dulcé - green tea donut
http://cafedulce.co/

chego - ooey gooey fries
http://eatchego.com/

cora's coffee shoppe - eggs benedict w/smoked salmon, creamy spinach, lemon pepper
http://www.corascoffee.com/

father's office - FO burger
http://www.fathersoffice.com/

gjelina - butterscotch pot de crème, salted caramel, crème fraiche
http://www.gjelina.com/

huckleberry - BLTA
http://www.huckleberrycafe.com/

ink. - apple, crème caramel, burnt wood sabayon, walnut
http://mvink.com/

jin patisserie - macarons
http://www.jinpatisserie.com/

kaiten-sushi daichan - white tuna nigiri
http://kaitensushidaichan.com/

lazy ox canteen - slow cooked pork shoulder, turnips, quinoa, walnut chile tarator sauce
http://lazyoxcanteen.com/

lukshon - spicy chicken pops
http://www.lukshon.com/

milo + olive - roasted pumpkin, brown butter, sage, buckwheat honey, black pepper
http://www.miloandolive.com/

phillips bar-B-que II - beef ribs
http://www.yelp.com/biz/phillips-barbecue-inglewood

piccolo venice - acquerello rice, black winter truffle, parmesan
http://www.piccolovenice.com/

pizzeria mozza - fennel sausage, panna, red onion, scallions
http://www.pizzeriamozza.com/

porto's bakery & café - potato balls
http://www.portosbakery.com/

son of a gun - fried chicken sandwich
http://sonofagunrestaurant.com/

sweet rose creamery - old rasputin stout ice cream, handmade chocolate cone
http://www.sweetrosecreamery.com/

versailles - lechon asado (cuban style roast pork)
http://www.versaillescuban.com/

next race is...

2012-01-06T08:53:00.000-08:00

the 15k xterra mission gorge trail run on sunday, february 5!

it's located at mission trails regional park in san diego county, so it'll be another first to visit there. the course has something called "the thousand steps" - which occurs near the halfway point - leading up to south fortuna peak, so i can already tell that's NOT going to be fun.

um yeah...

our same crew from crystal cove will be running mission gorge, so we all have a month to go.

time to hit the trails!

santa barbara county courthouse

2012-01-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

happy new year!

hope everybody enjoyed their holiday season and was safe and sound celebrating new year's eve. this year, as usual, was low key, so NYE was spent at AMC century 15 watching david fincher's "the girl with the dragon tattoo." the US remake boasted a career-defining turn by rooney mara (sister of kate) as lisbeth salander, the fierce goth hacker/protagonist of the stieg larsson trilogy.

sunday, january 1 brought about a much happier tune, so heidi, ernie and i jumped in our ride and made the 90 mile jaunt northwest to beautiful santa barbara for the day. a number of sights and eateries we had hoped to hit up (andersen's danish restaurant & bakery damn you! no marzipan to bring back...) were closed in observance of the new year, but we were able to visit the historic santa barbara county courthouse, dubbed "the most beautiful government building in america."

neat compass atop the tower

view of the mountains

view of the pacific ocean

view of anacapa st.

commencing construction in 1927, the spanish style building was completed in 1929 and boasts gorgeous, manicured gardens & lawns amongst its square block-long radius. there's also an elevator one can ride to the top of the clock tower, where panoramic views of the city, the ocean and the mountains await.

and a few snaps inside the grounds:

main foyer

mural room

down a long hallway

underneath a spiral staircase

one last parting shot of the clock tower from outside the grounds:

2011 holiday bowl - cal vs. texas

2011-12-29T09:36:00.000-08:00

this was a big one, as i looked at this game as revenge for coach mack brown whining his way into the rose bowl in 2004, pushing cal into the lower tier holiday bowl, where an disappointed group of bears got blasted against texas tech. when this year's matchup was announced - in san diego, no less - i was all in.

since i was meeting my friend albert & crew at 1pm in la jolla, i decided to drive down early to scout mission trails regional park, the site of february's xterra 15k mission gorge. but because of a car accident on the 405S, my extra time buffer was challenged, so i arrived at the start of the trailhead at 10am. after trying to decipher a dizzying network of poorly marked trails, i was losing time quick, so i broke off my original plan of doing the entire course and instead opted to run up the south fortuna summit at 1,094 ft. all told, i totalled about 6-7 tough, rocky miles and my feet are still a bit tender from running in my near barefoot new balance minimus trails.

made it to la jolla safely and we all set out for qualcomm stadium (formerly jack murphy), where we set up shop in bear territory at 1:30pm to tailgate in 75 degree weather. short ribs, chicken and pork belly were all consumed, in addition to the free flowing ketel one, jack daniels and beer (racer 5 IPA, anderson valley winter solstice, and berkeley's own trumer pils).

setting up shop

doug e. fresh

go bears!

have to be equitable

my cousin jason (cal grad and formerly of the marching band) was also tailgating, so i was able to catch up with him for a few minutes. the food and company were excellent, so it was sweet sorrow to pack up and head into the game. however, we were able to cal bomb the toyota sequoia belonging to the texas fan above, so she had a nice surprise waiting for her after the game haha.

goodyear blimp

lyle on drink #7

as for the game, what a downer. outside of a lone TD run by RB isi sofele, the bears were under siege all night and couldn't maintain any sort of offensive attack. a disapponting game for sure, but brighter days are ahead for tedford and crew...

las vegas (xmas) - red rock canyon

2011-12-27T08:38:00.000-08:00

sunday morning we headed downtown to the california hotel & casino for some grub at aloha specialties, the OG hawaiian joint that seemingly hasn't changed for 20 years. nowhere else in sin city can you get a heaping plate of kalua pig & cabbage for under 8 bucks. sufficiently fueled, we exited las vegas and drove 17 miles west to red rock canyon to get away from all the hullabaloo. it was a gorgeous and crisp day... perfect for hiking!

spam musubi!

start of trailhead

turtlehead peak is rated the most difficult of the hiking trails (rating is "strenuous") along red rock canyon scenic drive, so naturally it's the one we took on. it's only 5 miles round trip, but it's a 2,000 feet ascent highlighted by a lot of bouldering and loose rock. after about a mile, the trail is hardly discernible; it's a jumbled mess where you basically create your own path. the easy thing is, there's no right or wrong way - it's just straight up.

there's the peak

making our way up

ice/snow on the backside

made it!

journal at the peak

obligatory pose

view of the canyon

view of the vegas strip

after reaching the saddle, it's another half mile up thru patchy ice/snow to the top of turtlehead peak. we reached the summit around 2:30pm, read some journal entries from previous hikers, paused to scarf down some toblerone & clif bars, then began the slippery slope down.

careful!

sunset at red rock canyon

got back to our car at 4:30pm with just enough sunlight left, to temps in the low 40s. it was a challenging and rewarding hike, which did wonders for the soul in leaving the nicotine-charged sensory overload behind...

one last look

las vegas (xmas) - mesa grill + jaleo

2011-12-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

we slept in on saturday before heading to caesars palace for lunch at mesa grill - my 2nd time - and to check out the forum shops. quite possibly the greatest sneaker of all time, the air jordan XI, was released by nike to a mad frenzy at midnight on the 23rd, but at $180 i just couldn't pull the trigger.

concord colorway

undaunted, our meal at bobby flay's southwestern eatery consisted of:

cactus pear margarita

tiger shrimp + garlic corn tamale

blue corn buttermilk waffle

spicy chicken + sweet potato hash

we headed back to luxor to get ready for dinner as well as to see mystère, my first foray into the world of cirque du soleil.

dinner was at 6:45pm at jaleo, the spanish tapas joint by josé andrés, at the newish cosmopolitan hotel. i actually tried to get reservations at his exclusive joint é - reservations are only via e-mail - but they had a special holiday menu thru the 31st which came in at a hefty $350 PER PERSON.

nevertheless, i was excited for jaleo, as they spent a reported $1 million for their paella pit - individual wood-burning grills to make the catalanan specialty. plus, i've been itchin to try their spherical olives, where by science they are able to extract the essence in liquid form and create this unique explosion of taste in your mouth.

whimsical menu

spherical olives

warm brussels sprout salad

croquetas de jamon iberico

lobster paella

their famed "paella pit"

their warm brussels sprout salad was unlike any preparation i've had of the finicky vegetable. each leaf/bud is separated and prepared in such a delicate manner it's like a new version of the same ingredient.

christmas eve was topped off by the 9:30pm performance of mystère at treasure island. though i can't say there's much of a storyline, the incredible display of acrobatics, humor, set design and theatrical production were a visual feast. i'm quite curious to see how 'o' stacks up in comparison...

las vegas (xmas) - day 1

2011-12-27T07:33:00.000-08:00

and... i'm off until tuesday, january 3!

but because heidi has to work this week, it cut down on the list of potential getaway spots over the holidays, so we decided to spend a few days in las vegas. made the drive on friday evening and rolled into luxor at 9:30pm. we tried to make dinner at todd english P.U.B. at citycenter, but they closed just as we arrived, so we hoofed it to grand lux café at the venetian, where i had a bomb @$$ burger.

fountain at bellagio

lots of luck needed

and some snaps on the way back to the hotel:

holiday tree outside venetian

atrium at bellagio

penguins at bellagio

polar bear at bellagio

holiday treats

2011-12-21T21:34:00.000-08:00

today we were treated to holiday-themed cupcakes from none other than sprinkles, along with an incredibly beautiful gingerbread house, complete with a detailed front door, chimney, and santa himself!

molasses

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

went for a run last night for the first time since the trail race and whew, was it rough sledding. day after day of food overload have definitely slowed down this train, but it was good to get out there for a brisk run. didn't bring my nike + sportband... just a stress-free return to get the juices flowing.

we're eyeing the 15k xterra mission gorge in san diego (the one with the "thousand steps") on february 5, since the 1/2 marathon on january 8 seems a bit ambitious given the holidays. the good news is, i now know i can complete a 1/2...

eats - piccolo venice

2011-12-14T08:07:00.000-08:00

last night, our company as a whole celebrated the onset of the holidays with a six-course feast at piccolo venice. reserving the back room, the intimate affair was highlighted by free flowing drinks (the nero d'avola was exceptionally terrific) and our secret santa gift exchange ($10 limit, so one had to be creative).

our specially-chosen menu consisted of six courses, where for four of the courses we had a choice between a selection of three. it was quite difficult strategizing on what to order, but thankfully erica and i agreed beforehand to section off parts of our plates as an even exchange. thus, my meal broke down as follows:

* cantaloupe, port wine, black caviar (free amuse bouche!)
* homemade duck prosciutto, fresh watercress drizzle
* seared yellowtail, thyme-sicilian oil, mozzarella di bufala, italian ponzu
* acquerello rice, black winter truffle, parmesan
* roasted japanese pumpkin ravioli, delicate anchovies fondue, sage pesto
* natural australian kobe NY steak, lemon-thyme pesto, maldon salt
* profiterole, pineapple, panna cotta (chef's selection dessert)

duck prosciutto

seared yellowtail

black truffle risotto

pumpkin ravioli

kobe steak

dessert selection

and... after dessert the secret santa was in full effect. i was picked by marie and scored a set of beer glasses plus a cupcake lollipop.

2011 xterra crystal cove - results

2011-12-12T22:41:00.000-08:00

sunday marked the second xterra trail run that vim and i have entered - this was a 17k turned 15k (due to the introduction of a new course) at crystal cove state park. heidi & tara decided to do the 5k turned 6k as well, so we shoved off at 8am while their start time was an hour later.

since i packed most of my gear the night before, i woke up at 5am on sunday to take a shower and make a smoothie for breakfast. we were on the 405 south just before 6am and arrived at the closer of the two parking lots at 6:45am. the weather was actually chilly (it had been clear & sunny the entire week), so we picked up our bibs and timing chips bundled up in our jackets and long pants.

gearin up

freezing at 6:45am

since there were patches of blue sky trying to peek out, i opted to go with a singlet and shorts and prayed that i would stay warm enough. looking back, it was the right decision because there was a lot of uphill on the course and the sun eventually showed up.

at the gun, the first mile was only slightly uphill, so the pace was quick, as the serious contenders tried to get a jump on the rest of the pack before hitting the single track. miles 2-4 were a tough slog uphill 1,000 feet in elevation; i never stopped running but it was definitely slow in spots. i realized then that i forgot to bring my water bottle, so i had to keep extra careful tabs on the water/gel stations sprinkled throughout.

at the 4-mile mark, the elevation drops and we go careening downhill, which was a welcome sight. it was short-lived, however, as a sharp hairpin turn at around mile 5 introduced us to the "elevator" - a gnarly, hellish ascent that almost required one to get on their hands and knees just to keep moving forward. i didn't see a single soul attempt to run this portion, so i took comfort in the fact that i was doing good by fast-walking past a small group of people.

miles 6-10 were the most forgiving, as the trail gave way to plenty of rolling hills. there wasn't as much downhill as i had been hoping or expecting, so this was the unfortunate downside of not knowing the course. at point mugu, i literally passed close to 100 people on the steep single-track final descent, but i wasn't able to do the same damage here. boo.

i crossed the tape in 1:35:56 - in the front half of finishers and good enough for a 10:16 pace - almost a minute faster than my 11:12 average at the shorter 11k point mugu. before the race, i was hoping to go a sub-10min pace, so i fell just short there. vim came in at 1:54:42, so we shared a celebratory hug at the finish line and a much-needed post-recovery drink.

all in all, i had a blast and the results were encouraging, but i know i left a few minutes on the board. but i have to remind myself that not only was it just our second trail race ever, it was the longest distance either of us have ever run... period. so improvement is to come in increments...

the four of us grabbed brunch at the crow bar and kitchen in nearby corona del mar, then toasted to our achievement with a cold, refreshing glass (or in this case, dixie cup) of prosecco at santa monica beach. 'til our next adventure!

must. open. bottle.

cheers to finishing!

off to crystal cove...

2011-12-11T05:37:00.001-08:00

for the xterra crystal cove! more later...

update - finished in a total time of 1:35:56, which is faster than i thought i would finish, but not as fast as i could have finished. without having run the trails in advance, it was difficult to strategize, so i feel like i left a few minutes up there on the board. nevertheless, i'm proud of the fact that i finished and finished strong.

photos to follow...

UCLA visit

2011-12-10T17:23:00.001-08:00

hit up the ol' alma mater today to exchange a gift at the student store, but ended up roaming the campus for a bit.

leconte blvd.

royce hall

drake stadium

epic fail

2011-12-07T23:14:00.001-08:00

i've been preparing for sunday's 17k xterra trail race, mentally going back to my training run at crystal cove a few weeks back, when lo and behold i get an e-mail from the event organizer notifying that they've approved a new course for the upcoming race! WTF.

not only does the new course not traverse the same roads (based on the last 4 years) we ran, but it doesn't even go in the same direction! oh well, so much for advance planning. now it will be tough to figure out when to attack, not knowing the trails and the degree of the inclines as such.

but we will have fun regardless!

eats - milo and olive

2011-12-07T07:31:00.001-08:00

from the husband/wife team of josh loeb & zoe nathan - owners of rustic canyon, huckleberry and sweet rose creamery - comes their latest creation: milo & olive. dubbed a neighborhood bakery and pizzeria, this intimate (seats 24 max) and bustling spot serves up fresh baked bread, pastries, wood-fired pizzas, salads and small plates and is highlighted by the mugnaini wood burning oven in a beautiful turquoise.

since i had tix to an advance screening of "tinker tailor soldier spy" at 7pm, we dipped in to milo and olive at 5pm for an early dinner. here's what we ordered:

* roasted pumpkin (mcgrath farms) - brown butter, sage, buckwheat honey, black pepper
* acqua pazza - PEI mussels, manila clams, sweet shrimp, white wine, garlic, fresh herbs
* pizza - homemade pork belly sausage, braised greens, tomato, fresh mozzarelly
* sweet cream brioche - took this bad boy home!

the pumpkin was out of this world - warm and sweet goodness that had me recommending the dish to people sitting on both sides of us. the acqua pazza was chock full of delectable seafood with a broth that had me practically bathing in it. and the pizza was pipin' hot perfection; this disappeared in literally minutes.

remnants of the pumpkin

milo and olive
2723 wilshire blvd.
santa monica, CA 90403

www.miloandolive.com/

eats - jin patisserie

2011-12-05T22:28:00.001-08:00

sunday afternoon brought about another pit stop at jin for their tea and oh-so-delicate macarons. this time we went with a five-pack of chocolate mint, rose, espresso, pistachio and sea salt caramel. i've had macarons everywhere a place has them for sale and jin - for my money - is still at the top of the list.

tiramisu

cherry tree in the patio

cherry tree in the spoon

leisurely sunday read

gotta work

2011-12-03T17:57:00.001-08:00

cr-A-zee workout this morning at the santa monica stairs in preparation for next week's trail run. about 7 miles plus 12 loops at the stairs in about 2 hours.

tomorrow's menu has hills, hills and more hills up the paseo miramar trail. as kool moe dee would say, "i go to work."

eats - short order

2011-12-02T07:40:00.001-08:00

despite car trouble on sunday, it didn't stop me from enjoying at least part of the day, so heidi & i took a spin in her car for lunch at the grove. it was quite the crowd over the extended break, so it was definitely a harbinger of what's to come this holiday season. nevertheless, we were undeterred in our quest to try short order - nancy silverton's (mozza) new burger joint.

our order consisted of:

* short order burger - grass-fed beef, morbier (french milk cheese), griddled mushrooms, bibb (butterhead lettuce) & mustardy mayo
* short order spuds w/dipping sauce - basically a baked potato ripped apart by hand, then flash fried and served with typical baked potato accoutrements (sour cream, chives & bacon)
* coffee malt milk shake - scrumptious
* bear republic mach 10 - very difficult to find on tap anywhere, let alone socal

the first thing that jumps out at you is the quality of the grass-fed beef here. if you don't ask, they serve it medium-rare, which is just how i like it. ranking-wise, i'd have to put it at either #2 or #3 in LA behind father's office and next to the golden state on fairfax. and besides the short order, there's another burger w/beef (nancy's backyard), along with turkey, pork and tuna for variety.

the short order spuds were a revelation! it's a different experience than typical fries and seeing as i love baked potatoes, this couldn't have been any better. plus, they offer off up ketchup to go along with the dipping sauce...

short order
6333 w. 3rd st.
los angeles, CA 90036

http://www.shortorderla.com/

random SF stuff

2011-11-29T08:57:00.001-08:00

on friday, we hit up the AMC van ness 14 to watch "hugo" in 3-D, which was really sweet. in short it's scorsese's love letter to cinema, and the 3-D (kudos to DP bob richardson and production designer dante ferretti) was the best use of the format since "avatar."

alcatraz in the background

transamerica building

afterwards, we ventured out to the north beach area and grabbed lunch at a tiny local italian spot called l'osteria del forno, where we had a fantastic pizza with pancetta and red onions. the stop was not complete without grabbing a beer sampler at rogue public house...

cute chow chow

rogue X 4

sunset on union st.

rice pudding @ loving cup

car trouble

2011-11-29T08:01:00.001-08:00

more updates to come, but a scary moment returning to LA on sunday. while driving down the 405, i found myself unable to put my car in gear - any gear - at the top of the hill at sherman oaks. fortunately we were able to coast down the hill the entire way to my freeway exit while in neutral, and was able to glide into a random parking spot near best buy.

ended up calling AAA to have it towed to my honda dealer and was hit with the bad news yesterday... a worn out clutch. it's a significant repair to replace the entire clutch kit, as most of the work has to do with labor costs in removing the transmission to get to the clutch. not the best time what with the holidays coming up, so it was quite the blow. hopefully i can find somewhere to sell my body and make up for it that way.

nevertheless, i'm thankful that we were able to make it down safely and in one piece...

happy thanksgiving!

2011-11-28T07:56:00.000-08:00

even tho my cousin carolyn and her entire brood from seattle weren't able to make the trip down, our family still had a wonderful thanksgiving dinner - complete with a 20 pound turkey, baked ham, homemade ice cream (thanks caroline!), and a hodgepodge of other goodies.

highlights included a drunk, impromptu yoga session between uncles and a group face time session with carolyn's family. good times!

crystal cove - trial run

2011-11-21T10:57:00.001-08:00

on saturday, vim and i decided to head down to crystal cove state park to do a trial run of our upcoming trail race. parking our car at 10:45am, we set out for the trail - myself armed with a 20oz bottle of gatorade and two clif gel shots for the journey.

gearin up

the course is going to be tough; the second hill (elevation profile below) is a long, arduous one with seemingly no end in sight. we actually had to walk a chunk of this portion and even got passed by a hiker, of all things. and about halfway thru the 10.5 miles - and as far from our car as possible - it started raining!

the second half pretty much had us on fumes, and i was starving all the way back to the car. i have to remember to eat a bit more the morning of race day in order to sustain the length of the run. but all in all, it was a very informative run and gave me a lot of things to work on with still three weeks to go. namely, hills!

ok, fine

formerly the hangover burger

gjelina - impeccable customer service

2011-11-16T23:51:00.001-08:00

sunday night had us enjoying another amazing dinner at gjelina - the place seriously never ceases to fail - but i went home singing the praises not of chef travis lett, but rather of the waitstaff.

just sips into a hoppy stone ruination IPA, the lady next to me got up to leave, but her purse hit our water bottle and it came crashing down on our table. broken glass, water and sadly some beer spilled everywhere (even my jeans), but within seconds they had it wiped down and glass removed, with crispy new menus and a new ruination atop our table.

the manager offered to have my jeans laundered or dry cleaned on the house, but i didn't want to take advantage, as a regular wash would have done the trick. not only that, when it came to dessert - as i was in excitement mode anticipating their butterscotch pot de crème - our server gifted us that and their apple crisp w/cinnamon gelato, remarking that i "still had wet pants."

i thought they did a standup job in going to great lengths to take care of their customer, turning an unfortunate incident into a warm and welcoming one. thank you gjelina and i will be back soon!

gjelina

1429 abbot kinney

venice, CA 90291

http://www.gjelina.com/

eats - mendocino farms

2011-11-14T11:11:00.001-08:00

on sunday i got to stop by mendocino farms in marina del rey for lunch. my buddy darek couldn't stop raving about their steak BLT, so i've had the jones to try it for months now.

it's basically a sandwich and salad joint at the corner of admiralty way and mindanao way but they have four microbrews on tap (including anderson valley's imperial IPA!). i, of course, went with the steak BLT and heidi got the ham & gruyere panini, which was bomb as well.

as good as it looks

even drew the attention of this fella

mendocino farms
4724 admiralty way
marina del rey, CA 90292
http://mendocinofarms.com/

jerry sandusky: "touched"

2011-11-11T11:54:00.001-08:00

OMG can you believe the name of former penn state defensive coordinator jerry sandusky's autobiography?

"touched"

http://www.amazon.com/Touched-Jerry-Sandusky-Story/dp/1582613575

11:11:11 on 11/11/11

2011-11-11T11:50:00.001-08:00

xterra crystal cove trail run

2011-11-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

as if i'm pursuing free punishment - i take that back, i'm actually paying for it - we signed up to do the xterra 17k trail race at crystal cove. since we had so much fun at point mugu, we decided to step it up and enter, once again, the longest race we've ever done to date. crystal cove is the 3rd race in the xterra trail run series, but we're both bypassing the topanga turkey trot on thanksgiving day.

the most i've ever ran in one stint is 10 miles, but that was along the flat strand at santa monica and venice beach. this one will be an 11 mile barnburner over grueling, uphill, single track terrain at the state park between newport and laguna beach in the OC.

there's also a 5k run taking place immediately after, which i 'coerced' heidi into signing up for. we're planning to do a trial run next saturday, november 19, so we'll see just how much trouble we're in for. a longer race means more fuel during the run, so it looks like i'll be bringing this tasty treat:

holiday flavor!

nike free 3.0 - v1 vs. v2

2011-11-05T08:12:00.000-07:00

with the advent of barefoot or minimalist running finally starting to catch on, it seemed like a good idea to do a quick comparison between two versions of the same minimalist shoe - the nike free 3.0. i was able to track down two pairs of version 2 on clearance (no longer in stores, as version 3 is currently on the market) before they went extinct, so i laid them out side by side with the original - easily the best training & running shoe i've ever owned, and i've owned many - and my savior these past few years.

o.g. on bottom

v2 on top

v2 adopts many of the same stylistic cues as the original and most importantly has the exact same bendy, flexible sole. it does introduce a new padded tongue which is nice in theory, but it protrudes a shade higher up on the ankle as the original did. i'm actually tempted to cut off the extension just to keep it more comfortable and rounded at the top of my foot. v2 also has a reinforced toe for added protection. otherwise, it's the same feathery and whisper quiet shoe that weighs in at 7.2 ounces (the original came in at i think 6.9) for my size 10s.

there's that tongue

exact same pattern

the goal of the 3.0 is to promote a better (or mid-foot) heel strike in order to prevent the leg from taking a pounding of the joints. nike originally doled out three separate entries for the free - the 7.0 (closest to a shoe), the 5.0 (middle of the road) and the 3.0 (closest to barefoot) for an easy to use progression towards the end goal. back in 2005, i bypassed the 7.0 and went straight for the 5.0, which gave me a good re-introduction on how to run. i picked up the 3.0s in 2007 and have never looked back.

i still prefer the aesthetic of the first - it's a cleaner look, smaller swoosh, muted colors - but since it's nowhere to be found, and i found v2 for such a deal, i had to pull the trigger before they became obsolete. i can't fathom the thought of running in anything else!

happy halloween!

2011-11-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

much to my chagrin, i didn't end up doing anything special for halloween this year. since ernie recently joined my stable, i was hoping to do a bang up job as bert, but his ugly, vertical-striped v-neck proved to be too elusive for the likes of money B. i hit up goodwill, salvation army, ross & TJ maxx and still couldn't find a similar sweater ugly enough for sale. bummer dude.

in any case, i brought ernie to work, so both of us send our best wishes to everyone out there. as a bonus, sebastian - our french bulldog at the office - decided to dress up as a turtle, of all things...

LAX - planespotting

2011-10-31T09:52:00.000-07:00

i was in the mood to take some photos on sunday morning, so i hopped in my car and drove down to the in-N-out near LAX for some planespotting. i had heard that the parking lot and the small park immediately adjacent is a prime spot to capture planes landing, so it was definitely time. and the great thing is, it's free parking on sunday, so that made it easy to get "in and out" (pun intended haha)...

upon arrival, a 747 was just coming in, so i got to observe its flight path and the loud rumbling associated with its landing. in fact, here's a neat 4-second video:

and a few snaps from street-side:

coming in for a landing

so not stopping...

incoming!

planes are hungry too...

i didn't quite get what i wanted, but it took me a bit to get oriented. the planes are coming in hot and it takes a beat to focus, so it's quite the challenge to keep it in the desired frame. plus, you only get a few chances, so i'll need to sharpen the skills for next time...

hiking - parker mesa overlook

2011-10-25T23:15:00.000-07:00

went for a hike on sunday to really interesting weather. where we parked our car at the base of paseo miramar, it was totally socked in and about 62 degrees. about a half mile into our ascent? try 80 degrees and balmy.

deep in meditation

half & half

finally, a view from the parker mesa overlook, which kind of reminds me of the view from atop mount haleakala in maui...

pagani huayra - first look

2011-10-25T00:41:00.000-07:00

while in vegas a few months back, we spotted a sports car atop the wynn hotel parking structure that not only had i not seen before, but i couldn't even make out what the make & model was. alas, no more.

thumbing thru a car magazine today, voila! there it was - the pagani huayra (pronounced wire-uh). quite an attractive option for anybody wishing to spend $1.4 MILLION on an automobile...

holy hell batman!

http://www.pagani.com/huayra/default.aspx

eats - ink.

2011-10-23T21:34:00.000-07:00

managed to snag a highly coveted reservation at michael voltaggio's ink. on saturday night due to a last minute cancellation. i've been checking for the past few weeks to no avail (i.e. i'm not considering wed 5:30pm as a legitimate option) before hitting the bounty.

i've been a fan of the younger voltaggio's style since he took home the top prize over brother bryan on top chef, but never had the chance to visit the langham huntington hotel in pasadena the year he was there. after departing in june 2010, voltaggio scoured the town for an ideal location before settling on melrose in west hollywood, where he opened its doors just last month.

upon arrival, we were told by the maitre d' upon check-in that they were running a tad behind schedule, so our 9:15pm reservation actually became 9:30pm. but not to worry, they planted us directly in front of the open kitchen, where i got to get a bird's eye of voltaggio at work on the pass.

full house inside

voltaggio at the pass

our server mentioned that it's typical to order 3-4 dishes per person (think beautifully composed as opposed to large portions), so we loaded up with seven total, including dessert. not wanting to distract from the dining experience, i opted not to take snaps of each course. our selections played out like so:

* spaghetti - giant squid, squash, hazelnut-ink pesto, piment d'espelette (highlighted by the wide swaths of ribbon-like squid resembling fettucine)
* charred avocado - hen of the woods, fish sauce vinaigrette, mushroom chicharron (the potent vinaigrette in the form of foam injecting a burst of flavor combined with the neutral avocado)
* bay scallops - lamb neck, chickpea poutine (resembling baby carrots!), yogurt curds (my favorite dish of the night)
* butternut squash risotto - langoustine, brussels sprouts, toasted rice (generous chunks of the shellfish)
* sea bass - cream of dehydrated potato, black olive oil, lemon, caper (the least adventurous of the group, yet the crispy skin was a fantastic touch)
* veal cheek - red curry, nante carrots baked in salt, fried sticky rice (nudge-with-a-fork tender with the dollops of curry sauce providing vibrant color)
* apple - crème caramel, burnt wood sabayon, walnut (absolutely unforgettable - they smoke wood chips out back, pour cream, then blast it with liquid nitrogen to create the sabayon)

underside of serving plate

throughout each of the dishes, voltaggio delicates straddles the line between refined and playful, leaving his interpretation of what he calls modern los angeles cuisine, a delicious one.

ink.

8360 melrose ave.

los angeles, CA 90069

http://mvink.com/

xylo myloto artwork

2011-10-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

in honor of coldplay's "xylo myloto"
arriving in stores october 24...

http://coldplay.com/mx.html

go fly a kite

2011-10-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

after sunday's race, driving back along the PCH brought back memories of our recent adventures trying to fly a kite, so we whipped out our kite "cheese" and headed to santa monica to let him loose.

though we had some difficulty getting cheese airborne in encinitas (relative lack of wind), there was no such issues in santa monica. one gentle toss in the air and cheese was never grounded after that...

2011 xterra point mugu - results

2011-10-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

well, my first trail run is over and done with and it was even more fun than i had hoped. both vim and i can take great pride in the fact that we acquitted ourselves quite nicely - i finished 60th overall and he 107th - despite again not getting to train a whole lot beforehand.

the 18k pushed off at 8am, whereas the 11k started an hour later at 9am. we arrived about an hour early to register, put on our bib and time chips, and plan out our "hydration strategy" (as the race DJ called it) for the race. the one surprise about the distance is that the 11k wasn't exactly 6.83 miles, but rather 7+ altogether.

i stopped drinking fluids about an hour out, but i did have a gatorade pre-game fuel exactly 15 minutes before the start. and because the first water station was a full 3 miles in, i decided to race with a small water bottle (20oz) in hand and a clif gel shot in my pocket.

at the start line, there was a mad dash to get out in front in the first half mile, because single track takes over for the next couple of miles as the trail narrows and gets increasingly steep with boulder climbing, steps, etc. vim & i decided to stay in the middle of the pack, so we could steer clear of those trying to win, but ahead of those who were a bit slower.

the ascent covered just over 4.5 miles in all, deceiving many who thought that the fire road at the halfway point was the peak. luckily, we were armed with that knowledge from our scout last week, so conserving energy while making the climb was vital. once the elevation flattened out and we started making our way down the ray miller trail, i kicked it into another gear. i literally flew down the mountainside, passing people one by one by barely sneaking off to the side. the view of the pacific ocean while roaring down the switchbacks was sublime and awe-inspiring.

i crossed the finish line at around 1:16, placing me 60th overall in an athletic and competitive field. felt surprisingly spry too, as if a couple of more miles or two wouldn't have been a reach. i supposed we could have went out a tad faster on the hills, but i liked our strategy of conserving for the end. vim crossed the tape a few minutes later, so we were able to celebrate amongst all the other racers.

too quick for the camera

in all my sweaty glory

had to be the socks

showing off our medals!

i felt at home during the race, feeling like the trails could be a strong suit. compared to a regular street race, there is so much varied terrain and scenery - every step is different and you have to focus - so it definitely ramps up the excitement level. plus, there's no better feeling that feeling speed thundering down a hill with the finish line as your goal...

iPhone 4S launch

2011-10-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

drove into work today and passed both a verizon and an AT&T shop, complete with lines in advance of the iPhone 4S launch today.

xterra point mugu trail run

2011-10-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

so vim & i are signed up to do the 11k xterra point mugu trail run this sunday, which is my first ever trail race. the race starts at 9am at la jolla canyon - malibu, not san diego - and involves a cumulative ascent of about 1,200 feet in elevation.

since we did the 10k camp pendleton mud run with aplomb, we figured we'd take it up a notch by doing an 11k without too much more effort. but unlike the mud run and even warrior dash, there won't be many people focused on their costumes in this race, as this track is not for those in OK or even in decent shape.

in some field on the wrong trail

we did a test run this afternoon and got our @$$es handed to us, as the relentless uphill and single track forced us to go in to jog/walk mode for a significant portion. it's pretty clear that we won't be finishing in the upper tier, but here's to hoping we don't embarrass ourselves...

http://www.trailrace.com/ptmugu.html

LA beer week - naja's place

2011-10-11T00:55:00.001-07:00

day 1 of LA beer week kicked off in grand style at naja's place in redondo beach, where stone brewing took over the taps to the tune of 40+ exclusive and rare beers to be found. not only that, but the co-founder and owner of stone, greg koch, was on hand to get the party started right.

because i was on the VIP list for the event, my $40 entrance fee was waived (thanks martin!). each admission granted you a special commemorative LA beer week glass along with ten 6-ounce tasters of any beer of your choosing. there were a ton of rarities on draft, so i opted for the following:

1. double bastard w/chipotle peppers
2. 15th anniversary w/espresso beans
3. cherry chocolate stout (collaboration)
4. special holiday ale (collaboration)
5. smoked porter w/vanilla bean
6. arrogant bastard w/coconut flakes

i wasn't able to take full advantage since i was driving, but the above six still allowed me to do some damage. the double bastard w/chipotle was my fave of the night - its sweet and spicy overtones balanced perfectly with the double digit ABV. and i was thrilled to have tried the cherry chocolate stout, as it was tapped a few weeks ago when i visited the brewery in escondido.

and a final parting shot w/the stone head honcho, who delivered an impassioned plea against yellow fizzy beer, before crowd surfing a la pearl jam circa 1994:

me & greg koch (stone co-founder, owner)

encinitas - day 2

2011-10-10T23:52:00.000-07:00

sunday was a relaxing day, in that we enjoyed brunch on the patio at 10am. liz was sweet enough to provide for the birthday gifts that i had wrapped, so it was quite the bonus at breakfast.

we jetted off to nearby carlsbad for a yoga class at haute yoga (warm climate controlled rooms), where i proceeded to sweat my @$$ off like never before. as reward, we made a trip to the famed juanitas taco shop, where between the both of us we ordered the beef, carnitas, carne asada & al pastor tacos.

best taco shop in CA?

satisfactorily satiated, we finally packed up our ride at around 4pm and made the drive back to los angeles. another weekend in paradise, where we will definitely be back and at kate stanton inn...

heidi's birthday - encinitas

2011-10-10T23:39:00.000-07:00

spent this past weekend in encinitas celebrating heidi's 30th birthday - definitely a milestone to remember. we stayed at the kate stanton inn, an exquisite b&b we previously visited one year ago for my birthday. innkeepers liz and carol are two of the sweetest people you will ever meet, so they took care of every single one of our needs for the weekend.

we had lunch at the healthy lotus café before taking a stroll to the self-realization fellowship & gardens for some meditation at the tranquil locale. afterwards, we hit up union kitchen & tap for a pint of sculpin IPA, before heading back to kate stanton for a birthday toast.

j street viewpoint

entrance to self-realization gardens

nature at work

union kitchen & tap

at about 6pm, we returned to kate stanton, where liz & carol surprised heidi with birthday balloons and the bottle of moscato d'asti i previously picked up for her for christmas - one of the very few alcoholic beverages she likes and can actually drink. from there, we drove to kaito sushi, where we both went omakase for the first time under head chef kazuo morita. the couple next to us were in the same boat, so it was great fun anticipating just what was coming next. a quick rundown of what we had to eat:

* amuse bouche w/salad & tuna
* freshly sliced conch
* japanese snapper sashimi
* amberjack sashimi w/yuzu kosho (a spicy green paste made from zest of a japanese citrus fruit)
* anago (saltwater eel) tempura
* saba (japanese mackerel) sashimi
* fresh salmon roe sushi
* toro (fatty tuna) done two ways

not only was the meal memorable in many ways, but the company and conversation we carried on with chef kazuo created a fantastic dining experience. he told us a lot about his childhood growing up in chiba, japan and how he is only as good as the fish he has to work with on any given day.

kaito sushi
130-A north el camino real
encinitas, CA 92024
http://sushikaito.com

visit - hollywood magic castle

2011-10-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

last thursday was the first time i paid a visit to the world famous magic castle hotel! finally getting a chance to say "open sesame" after all these years - one can only visit if they've received an invite from a magician or a club member - it was quite the fun and mystifying experience.

built in 1908, the castle is basically a mansion, with different sized magic shows going thru the night. in addition to the larger shows, there are nooks and crannies on each floor where other magicians show off their wares with card tricks and whatnot. most of the invitees build their evening around dinner there, but we were able to partake in the festivities without having to do so (entrees are around $30-40, so they don't come cheap).

we took in the 10pm show in the main performing area - where illusionist jonathan pendragon sawed a girl in half - then saw an 11:15pm show based on memory and math tricks. i couldn't crack anything i saw that night and walked away shaking my head in amazement. because it was a school night, we couldn't stick around for longer, but i definitely hope to make a return trip!

R.I.P. - steve jobs

2011-10-05T21:37:00.000-07:00

as a faithful apple/mac user since grade school, a salute to the creative genius who has affected our lives for the better multiple times over...

1955-2011

10/6 update: spotted on my lunch break at third street promenade, santa monica, CA

apple store - third street promenade

hike - echo mountain + inspiration point

2011-10-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

sunday morning we decided to do the 5-mile roundtrip hike to echo mountain in altadena, which i've done several times prior. we arrived at the start of the trailhead at 10am and quickly made our way to the intersection of the lower sam merrill trail and castle canyon trail about 2.5 miles up at 11:15am.

since we were still good with water & supplies, we opted to make the climb to inspiration point (an additional 4 miles round-trip) instead. heidi started to drag for the last mile or so, but once we saw visual indication of our goal, we made it to the top in no time at all.

push-ups (not planking)

reward at roscoe's

here's one last look at the POV from inspiration point:

huntington library & botanical gardens

2011-10-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

scratch yet another socal landmark off my list, as i got the chance to visit the beautiful huntington library & gardens on saturday afternoon. despite temps in the high 80s, we were able to find just enough shade throughout to enjoy its expansive grounds (120 acres!).

the gardens are broken up into various themes - chinese garden, rose garden, etc. - and the provided map outlines where everything is located. sadly the japanese garden is currently under construction, as they're gearing up for their 100th anniversary with a 2012 extravaganza.

main entrance

desert garden

lily ponds

up close

at the australian garden, kids by the boatload were scrounging up supplies to make their own whimsical constructs, whether it be a tribal face, a tent, or a pillow of feathers:

and a few snaps at the chinese garden:

mother & newborn

food pavilion

enjoying the tranquility

jade ribbon bridge


taunting the koi


at the entrance

the huntington library, art collections & botanical gardens

1151 oxford road

san marino, CA 91108

http://www.huntington.org/

eats - din tai fung

2011-10-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

spent this past weekend in west covina, so friday night's first order of business was to finally try the xiao long bao (soup dumplings) at din tai fung. i've been a big fan since my friends took me to a bomb @$$ spot in NY's chinatown a few years back and have been trying to find an equivalent out here.

we ordered the standard pork dumplings and the first thing that jumps out at you is the size - these were almost half in size as the ones i had, so there was less soupy goodness in each bite. nevertheless, the order of 10 were delicious and hit the spot. i'm still trying to figure out just how they make these darn things...

xiao long bao mascot!

din tai fung

1108 s baldwin ave

arcadia, CA 91007

2011 bootcamp challenge - results

2011-09-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

not sure how this happened, but i did quite a bit better than i thought. even though i flew thru the obstacles, i really thought my lack of run training hindered my overall time, but apparently it didn't!

1st column is standing in age group, 2nd column is standing overall (out of 2005 competitors):

1	4	885	NORIMASA TATEISHI	0:18:17
2	8	954	DWIGHT WILSON	0:18:49
3	11	1501	BEN WILDE	0:19:16
4	12	1131	MILOS KAPICKA	0:19:25
5	15	1048	MORGAN CUBETE	0:19:34
6	43	583	BERNARD LLAVE	0:21:00
7	49	560	STEPHEN LANE	0:21:03
8	58	1242	JASON RYAN	0:21:20
9	61	661	SHAWN MONTPETIT	0:21:20
10	67	531	SCOTT JOINER	0:21:37
11	76	1177	MICHAEL MENG	0:22:06
12	78	2309	GENE CALANTOC	0:22:08
13	86	1711	ORLANDO SANCHEZ	0:22:19
14	125	1140	HARRY KIM	0:23:18
15	131	771	RICKY RAMIREZ	0:23:23
16	148	577	BRIAN LHEE	0:23:46
17	168	380	DARREN DUNCAN	0:24:13

money B + friends

2011-09-29T22:52:00.000-07:00

chillin w/ernie

taking care of ron

point loma + stone brewing world bistro & gardens

2011-09-29T00:37:00.000-07:00

after the boot camp challenge, i managed to sneak in one photo before getting shooed away by commanding officers.

got guns?

after a quick bite to refuel at con pane rustic breads & café, we made the drive up to cabrillo national monument to check out the view from point loma. fortunately for us, it was fee free saturday, so the $5 entrance fee was waived.

and here's the view of downtown SD:


POV from point loma

since we were in SD, it would be such a waste not to take advantage of the proximity to stone, so we made a side trip to the brewery specifically to visit the bistro & world gardens for the first time. i've been to the brewery numerous times for their yearly festival in august, but never had the chance to dine here.

and what a surprise it is! not your typical pub fare, but rather organic, artisanal produce & ingredients to mirror the care and love they use to treat their beer. plus, it's a gorgeous, open dining area with a bright and airy outdoor patio.

beer lineup was like so:

* great divide old ruffian barleywine
* russian river pliny the elder
* stone double dry hopped 15th anniversary black IPA

food lineup was such:

* mushroom pillows
* thai beef salad
* BBQ sandwich
* blueberry blue cheese jalapeno cheesecake

hitching a ride w/the stone gargoyle

2011 boot camp challenge

2011-09-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

this past saturday i made the trek down to marine corps recruit depot in san diego to participate in the boot camp challenge. originally vim & i were going to do this together, but as of a few weeks ago it wasn't in the cards schedule-wise. we decided to skip it and do the xterra point mugu trail run on october 16 instead. much to my surprise, our race numbers for the boot camp challenge arrived in the mail on the wednesday prior to the race, so i was like WTF. i guess he forgot that he signed us up! haha

after some hemming and hawing, i said what the hell and decided to go for it despite not training for it one iota. it's a 3-mile race with 45 obstacles - including hay bales, logs to jump over/under, cargo nets, push up stations, etc. - so stamina was going to be crucial. i wasn't so concerned with the obstacle portion, but keeping a steady running pace would be difficult to maintain without doing some ACTUAL RUNNING.

liftoff for the male individuals was at 9:05am and we were off. the first mile included maybe 3-4 obstacles, so the rest of them were backloaded and left many participants gasping for air - me included. i finished somewhere north of 23 minutes, which wasn't great considering the first person crossed in 18. but it definitely showed me where my deficiencies are and can only serve as impetus to get my @$$ in gear.

needless to say, sunday morning i was right back at it... running up paseo miramar to parker mesa overlook and back down in 57 minutes, which is a personal best. hopefully i can keep it up over the next few weeks so as not to embarrass myself on october 16.

seattle - day 3

2011-09-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

sunday morning brought about a pit stop at top pot doughnuts, as it was a short walk from where we were staying at the mayflower park hotel.

dining w/hello kitty

we then spent the morning visiting and feeding the koi at the serene japanese garden, before doing a drive-by of former nirvana frontman kurt cobain's house on lake washington.

we headed over to safeco field for the mariners' day game vs. the texas rangers, which was my first time taking in a game at the jewel of a ballpark. it's conveniently located next to centurylink field (f.k.a. qwest, home of the seahawks) and armed with a nifty retractable roof for rainy days, but it was closed for some reason despite sunday's despite nice weather.

our tix were seated in right field behind the venerable ichiro suzuki, but i had planned a bit of a scoreboard surprise for heidi that was to play after the 6th inning. because we had no vantage point of the center field scoreboard, we started walking around during the 6th to find better seats (she had no idea what was in store). thankfully, the crowds were quite sparse due to the play of the underwhelming mariners this year, so we walked around the concourse before settling in behind home plate. it was also kids appreciation day, so jordan (and us!) had great fun taking pics with various mascots - including a mexican standoff with a clam - we came upon.

and before you know it, there it is! got a lotta chuckles from those seated near us, as i was pointing to the culprit:

surprise!

i don't remember a whole lot from that point on, but we did manage to grab a nice photo after the last pitch...

jamey in king's court

1-2-3 safeco!

after the game, we said our goodbyes to carolyn, jamey, jordan & lauren and returned to the mayflower to pick up our car. our last meal consisted of pizza at serious pie and ice cream at molly moon's before heading to the airport. a great trip indeed!

seattle - day 2

2011-09-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

saturday morning we made a visit to mighty-o's for some breakfast. i hadn't heard of mighty-o's but boy was i in for a surprise. specializing in organic cake donuts, their french toast and grasshopper (chocolate mint) were off the hook. not weighed down by any preservatives or unnecessary ingredients, the airy and almost fluffy texture of the cake was perfect for a morning snack...

happy day!

we returned to the downtown area for lunch at pike place chowder, then i was off to kerry park for groomsmen pictures.

the wedding went off without a hitch, so it was really cute to see both becky and joseph - especially joseph - get emotional when reading their vows.

heidi made no effort to snatch the bouquet, but take a wild guess as to who caught the garter toss...

seattle - day 1

2011-09-22T21:29:00.001-07:00

my dear friends becky and joseph tied the knot over the weekend, and as i was invited to be one of the lucky groomsmen, this was the perfect opportunity to get reacquainted with the pacific northwest. the last memory i had of seattle was checking out the space needle with my family when i was 13, so i had no recollection of the people, the weather and the culture that makes up the emerald city.

i flew in on virgin america, arriving promptly at noon in advance of the 2pm wedding rehearsal. after a short delay at national car rental - which i bypassed a 30-minute line completely by using the electronic kiosk - i took my free upgrade to a toyota camry and jumped on the I-5 north to downtown. since i had about an hour to burn, this was a perfect time to steal away a visit to pike place market for a quick bite to eat.

i settled for a seat at the counter at steelhead diner for their chicken & sausage gumbo and a pint of pike's kilt lifter before scrambling back to palace ballroom... where i finally met joseph's mom! for the uninformed, ms. yam is the modern day equivalent of sesame street's famed snuffleupagus, a woolly friend of big bird's who nobody believed existed. not saying ms. yam is woolly, but you get the drift...

heidi arrived via light rail at westlake center around 4pm, so i walked over to pick her up and bring her bags to the car. we had a few hours before rehearsal dinner at wild ginger, so we took that opportunity to explore the public library, which - designed by renowned dutch architect rem koolhaas - is one of the coolest buildings i've ever been in. from the outside, it looks like a bizarre rhombus construct, but inside it's clean lines, gorgeous lighting and even a floor that's completely red in color. and i mean completely.

dinner was at wild ginger, a feast of southeast asian treats consisting of spicy salads, seafood, skewers and curries. mostly, it was a great chance to unwind with good friends and good food before the ever-stressful wedding day. sadly, heidi and i had to skip out on after-dinner drinks at a local irish bar, as we made the trek to my cousin's place in nearby mercer island...

seattle... pics to come!

2011-09-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

apologies for the delay...
been quite busy!

updates to follow...

eats - wurstküche venice

2011-09-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

looks like the outdoor signage is up while construction is still ongoing in advance of their september 19 opening. can't wait!

wurstküche venice

623 lincoln blvd.

venice, CA 90291

don cheadle is captain planet

2011-09-01T07:42:00.001-07:00

Don Cheadle is Captain Planet from Don Cheadle

sesame street - ernie full body puppet

2011-08-30T20:36:00.001-07:00

am currently in talks to bring this baby home to papa. i mean, who doesn't love ernie?

the cat likes to hang out with his best friend bert and play with rubber duckies in the bath.

so cute!

photo op - santa monica

2011-08-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

spotted this house on my lunch break and was struck by the vibrant red contrasted against the white fence...

fantasy football 2011

2011-08-29T22:15:00.000-07:00

got dragged into yet another year of fantasy football, as i received not one, but TWO invites last week to take part. this past weekend was the 1st draft (the 2nd is coming in a week's time) and minutes prior i learned i was picking #1.

as it's a snake draft and being that there's 10 teams, i picked #1 in the first round, then #10 in the second (or #20 overall), so a lot of times you're forced into taking players ahead of where they project, because it's a long wait (19 picks) before i choose again.

that being said, i had 3 minutes to choose my #1 overall pick, so i narrowed it down to: QB michael vick, RB arian foster or RB adrian peterson. since vick would be hard-pressed to repeat last year's performance, and seeing how the vikes still don't have a QB (the corpse otherwise known as donovan mcnabb), i went with foster. here's how my squad ended up in order of round taken:

1. RB arian foster
2. WR hakeem nicks
3. WR greg jennings
4. TE antonio gates
5. QB matt schaub
6. RB knowshon moreno
7. WR stevie johnson
8. QB matthew stafford
9. RB daniel thomas (seeing as how i'm a dolfan)
10. RB joseph addai
11. D/ST chicago
12. WR pierre garcon
13. K neil rackers
14. RB jacquizz rodgers
15. WR eric decker

wish me luck!

signage - sur la table

2011-08-19T08:36:00.000-07:00

SF trip

2011-08-17T00:27:00.000-07:00

a random collection of photos while pounding the city's pavement:

stay - hotel des arts

2011-08-16T23:55:00.000-07:00

this past weekend heidi sprung for a trip up to SF to surprise my parents in conjunction with my birthday. we flew up on friday night, stayed at the doubletree near the SFO airport, then barged in saturday at noon with the good news. luckily they were home; otherwise, it could have been one long afternoon...

since outside lands was going on all weekend at golden gate park, hotel rooms in the city came at a premium. fortunately, a room opened up at the hotel des arts, a boutique hotel unique in that each room is painted by a different emerging artist. i've had my eye on this place for a few years and was excited to finally check it out.

when you book a room there, one can list their top artist choices and they do their best to accommodate each request. i went with damon soule, eric orr and kate durkin in that order - the shepard fairey suite was taken - and they came thru with room 206 (damon soule). a brief look inside our room:

and a few snaps of the hotel, including the colorful courtyard directly outside our window, accessible by simply stepping out:

i loved the fact that there's art everywhere you look (lobby, staircase, hallways, etc.), and most if not all is up for sale. plus, the hotel is centrally located - mere steps away from union square, chinatown and the financial district.

hotel des arts
447 bush st.
san francisco, CA 94108
http://www.sfhoteldesarts.com/

premiere - glee: the 3D concert movie

2011-08-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

apparently everybody and their mother is headed to westwood for tonight's premiere, as this was the scene at 11:30am. bottom right is the corner of westwood and le conte this morning:

and here's the action on westwood blvd. at 4:45pm:

be safe kiddies!

lykke li - greek theatre

2011-08-04T22:30:00.000-07:00

received a nice surprise from heidi on wednesday, as she took me to the lykke li concert at the greek theatre! i had seen the sultry swede twice in concert prior to wednesday night - introduced first at the hollywood forever cemetery (thanks becky!) and the second at the wiltern - but this was her largest socal venue yet.

her set lasted about 80 minutes and li performed a handful of hits from her debut album "youth novels," along with every track from her follow-up album "wounded rhymes." some highlights included the mystical "i follow rivers," the crowd pleaser "little bit," a tender cover of burt bacharach's "please stay," and a soulful, touching rendition of "silent my song."

li commands the stage using no theatrics, elaborate dance numbers or multiple wardrobe changes - but rather with a feral, feline movement to go along with a mesmerizing grip on her audience. a two song encore consisted of "possibility" and "unrequited love."

new wheels

2011-08-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

i've been throwin around the possibility of getting a two-wheeler these past few years, but never quite got serious enough. but with the advent of gas costing four bucks a gallon - not to mention the weather, the proximity to work and the relative flatness of socal - i finally decided to pull the trigger.

enter the globe roll 2, engineered by specialized. first spotted in a mag, the visual appeal was undeniable, but the pricetag was a bit high for my liking. plus, it's a single gear bike - with a flip flop hub to turn fixie - so i wasn't entirely sold on the concept. but after a bit of tubthumping, i came around on the refreshing simplicity of it all (who needs 27 speeds in LA?) and fell in love with its clean, classic frame.

so initially i set out to get the roll 1 - same body frame but with lesser parts (crank, rims, pedals & bearings). long story short, i found a brand new 2 for less than the sale price of a 1, so i rolled the dice - in fjord blue no less - sight unseen. i picked it up on saturday morning and it's flat out gorgeous. only problem will be keeping it clean...

eats - mesa grill caesars palace

2011-07-28T23:59:00.000-07:00

we chose to descend upon bobby flay's mesa grill for lunch on monday for two reasons: 1. the menu is much more affordable, and 2. saturday and sunday have separate brunch menus. now i've been a pretty big fan of flay's food since his time on the food network as well as his stints on the original 'iron chef' (who can forget about his taunting of morimoto by jumping atop the cutting board), but i haven't always been a big fan of his personality.

early on he came off as kind of a smug, smart-alecky know-it-all, but over time i've relaxed my views and came to appreciate where he's coming from. it takes a bigger man to take on a show like "throwdown with bobby flay," where basically he's stepping out of his comfort zone and into a boxing ring where he's the overwhelming underdog.

part of my attraction to his food is his bold take on southwestern cuisine, using a bevy of spices, chilies and peppers to go along with a colorful palette of greens, oranges and yellows in his food. which brings us to mesa grill, where i flubbed my opportunity to try in NYC a few years back. redemption came calling at its caesars palace location...

our lunch order consisted of the following:

* blue corn pancake w/barbecued duck, habanero chile & star anise sauce (out of this world)
* tuna nachos w/mango habanero hot sauce & avocado crema (could have eaten for days)
* new mexican spiced pork tenderloin sandwich w/grilled red onion, arugula, ancho chile mayo & southwestern fries (both cold & hot)
* grilled swordfish club w/bacon, avocado, tomato, arugula, chipotle aioli & southwestern fries (never seen swordfish so thin & delicate)

turns out we saved the best meal of the trip for last, so we all left as happy campers...

mesa grill las vegas
caesars palace
3570 las vegas blvd.
las vegas, NV 89109
http://www.mesagrill.com/las-vegas-restaurant/index.php

eats - todd english p.u.b.

2011-07-27T23:17:00.000-07:00

friday night had us dining at todd english P.U.B., located on the first floor of city center and a stone's throw from aria. english is a renowned chef and four-time james beard award winner - not to mention 'top chef' guest - so we were eager to try his contemporary take on the traditional pub.

with over 36 beers on tap (including two on cask), a lively bar and dining room area, and a menu deriving from the grill, carvery and raw bar, there is plenty to keep one entertained. i opted for the squatters hop rising (9% abv) and the west coast burger - a moist yet meaty turkey burger w/turkey bacon, sunflower sprouts, honey mustard, slaw, avocado & scrumptious fatty fries to go with it.

todd english P.U.B.
3720 las vegas blvd. S
las vegas, NV 89158
http://www.toddenglishpub.com/

vegas trip - part ii

2011-07-26T00:57:00.000-07:00

some snaps/notes from city center:

* it's home to aria resort & casino, mandarin oriental (bottom right above), vdara hotel & spa, veer towers and crystals retail & entertainment center (top two above)

some snaps/notes from luxor:

* despite temps in the 100s, we somehow never made it to the pool
* no frig in the room, so we resorted to cheap leaky coolers to store drinks (#failure)
* hit the cable TV jackpot with 'the shawshank redemption' and 'hoop dreams' on at the same time

some snaps/notes from the MGM grand:

* home to joel robuchon, dubbed 'the chef of the century'
* also home to the lion habitat (here's to leos everywhere!)

vegas trip - part i

2011-07-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

kyle, nestor and i chose to descend upon las vegas, NV as a sort of mini-UCLA reunion, so we were all able to sneak away from our better halves and enjoy a trip down memory lane in the stifling desert heat. since temps hovered between 102-106, we spent a bulk of our time perusing the different hotel/casinos during our trip:

some snaps/notes from caesars palace:

* bears great LB dick butkus happened to be signing autographs
* finally tried the frozen hot chocolate at serendipity, as i missed out in NYC
* nike town was under construction and re-opens this wednesday

some snaps/notes from bellagio:

* jean philippe patisserie boasts the largest chocolate fountain in the world (above right)
* the glass flower structure in the lobby might be my favorite thing to see in vegas

southwest airlines - update

2011-07-25T23:44:00.001-07:00

it's been a while since i've flown southwest, as virgin america has since replaced the former standout low cost airline as my preferred carrier of choice. i somehow forgot about their open seating policy, so checking in as close to 24 hours in advance of your flight is not only recommended, it's the only option.

otherwise, you'll be left boarding in group C (A is first), sitting in a middle seat and aisles away from your carry-on. here's how exciting my flight was:

las vegas - adidas super 64

2011-07-24T23:23:00.000-07:00

while in sin city, we dropped in on the adidas 64 - one of the few elite high school basketball tournaments taking place during the NCAA open evaluation period.

because of this, we saw many hoop luminaries during the five day event, some of which included bill self (kansas), bob huggins (west virginia) and steve robinson (asst coach at UNC), alongside former dukies and now NBA pros nolan smith (supporting his squad DC assault) and kyrie irving (#1 overall pick of the 2011 draft).

most of the focus were on players SF shabazz muhammad and C andre drummond, but i actually came away quite impressed with PG kris dunn on drummond's CBC squad. good size, very athletic, sees the floor extremely well and is always looking for his teammates. keep an eye out for dunn...

las vegas

2011-07-22T00:57:00.000-07:00

headed to las vegas bright and early friday morning. will update as i go...

hollywood bowl - sarah mclachlan

2011-07-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

went to the sarah mclachlan concert at the hollywood bowl on saturday - her first time at the venue - and joined the rest of the audience in swooning to the tune of her gorgeous, soothing vocals. despite taking place during LA's "carmageddon," the streets were welcomingly empty as we got there in no time to picnic early on white wine, food from lemonade and lette macarons.

mclachlan sang quite a few tracks off her recent "laws of illusion" album, including: "u want me 2," "loving you is easy," "rivers of love," "forgiveness" and "love come," along with a few choice selections from her previous records. encores were "angel" (sans sad pet commercial) and "ice cream."

lette - macarons!

2011-07-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

i can't get enough of macarons. something about this delectable parisian specialty - whether the crunch of biting into the domed sides, the melt-in-your-mouth ganache, or the kaleidoscope of flavors/colors never ceases to bring a smile to my face. sadly, heidi is also a fan, so it always halves my enjoyment. sometimes one has to take matters into their own hands - today is that day.

two of my faves in socal belong to jin patisserie in venice and lette (formerly paulette) in beverly hills, so i made a visit to the latter. it's a small but vibrant shop, with all of their daily flavors - i counted 14 - laid out in front of you. and notice the cute macaron notches on their bench outside.

i picked up a sixer of their sicilian pistachio, colombian coffee, lychee (seasonal), sweet wedding almond, violet cassis and earl grey tea to accompany me to the hollywood bowl tonight. that is, if they can make it these last few hours without somehow disappearing...

lette macarons
9466 charleville blvd.
beverly hills, CA 90212
http://www.lettemacarons.com/index.html

the dark knight rises - teaser poster

2011-07-12T08:19:00.001-07:00

christian bale
tom hardy
joseph gordon-levitt
anne hathaway
morgan freeman
marion cotillard
michael caine

summer 2012!

2011 zenshuji obon carnival

2011-07-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

this past weekend, the zenshuji temple held their 53rd annual obon carnival in little tokyo, replete with cultural activities, good eats and entertainment for all. and authentic tea ceremony - which heidi took part in - was available both days from 12:30 - 5pm for just $5...

since we still had the capacity to eat, we sashayed down a few blocks to wurstkuche, where i indulged in some kolsch to go along with my rattlesnake/jalapeno and smoked apple sage sausages. also happened to be there for a big birthday party, so we lucked out with some free cake too!

yosemite - half dome hike

2011-07-10T15:55:00.001-07:00

woke at 4:15am on tuesday to take a quick shower, finalize packing our hiking gear (for ease of convenience, i took my digital camera instead) and clean out the cabin for departure. even at 5am it's light out in yosemite, so we made the drive to the valley floor and parked just outside curry village at 6:15am. from there, it's about a 3/4 mile walk (past happy isles) to the trailhead:

we opted to take the shorter but slightly steeper mist trail - the other option is the john muir trail - and began our 8.2 mile ascent to the top of half dome. it's called the mist trail, but in reality it's "full-blown downpour assault trail," as you snake your way thru and ultimately over vernal falls. luckily i had packed a waterproof jacket, which more than a few peeps offered me good money for. the last pic (bottom right) is humorous in that the water was roaring at speeds close to 60mph...

we pass nevada falls about halfway up, which thus far isn't too bad. in contrast to mt. baldy and mt. whitney, there are some level sections on the way up, so one doesn't need to be in incredible shape to do this hike. that being said, we take a few more breaks than usual so tara can get a breather for her aching knees and feet.

we finally make it to the base of sub dome, where one displays their cable permits to the ranger in order to advance. tara opts to sit out the rest of the way, so vim, heidi and i surge forward...

...as we ascend a terrifyingly steep set of 529 steps that lead to the base of the cables.

we arrive at the cables for one last breather, where we take out our gloves (rubberized palms are the bee's knees here) and i refuel with a clif gel shot. and away we go!

grip and traction are the two most important factors making your way up, since you're not attached to anything. i'd put the angle of the rock face at close to 60 degrees, so there's a certain leap of faith that you have to take in order to advance. there's a thin wooden slab maybe every 10 feet, so it's best to rest at each plank. i prefer using both cables to hoist yourself upwards, but that's not always possible as there are peeps using the other side to come down. one thing i don't anticipate is your arms getting tired, because you're putting so much stress on them just to hang on.

about halfway up, the mouthpiece on my camelbak gets caught on the cable and decides to detach, so it helplessly falls nearly 8,800 feet to its death. i make a half-hearted attempt to catch it in mid-air, but quickly realize that my life was more important that a few sips of water at this stage. about a half hour later, the steep grade finally flattens out and we make it to the top!

we bust out our ham & cheese sandwiches, pop open some gatorade for a quick cheers, then pose for some last minute photos on the half dome "diving board."

at about 1pm, we make our way down, almost rappelling down the cables - BTW much more fun than going up...

after another pass thru the mist trail, we drudgingly arrive back at our car at 6pm, putting our hike at 11:45 in length - not great, but not bad considering we took our time to take in every sight and sound for our successful inaugural trip. here's one last look at the other side of half dome from the POV of glacier point:

yosemite - day 2

2011-07-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

monday we met up with my cousin and friends for brunch at the posh ahwahnee hotel, which has a gorgeous dining room that allows for giant swaths of light to illuminate the space. plus, they have their own beer - ahwahnee amber - by the mammoth brewing company!

caroline and friends headed back to los angeles, so we soldiered on to check out lower yosemite falls, which is an easy 0.5 mile jaunt to the base of the falls. at this time of year, the water is so powerful that everybody within a stone's throw got wet.

from the falls, we jumped back into our car and headed south to wawona to check out the mariposa grove of giant sequoias. we only had just over an hour because the shuttles stop running at 6pm, so we raced thru the grove to check out as much as we could. two of the main attractions are the grizzly giant (the oldest tree at approximately 1900-2400 years old) and the tunnel tree - the only living tree with a tunnel in it.

we headed back to our cabin to make dinner, consume the last of our alcohol/groceries and get a good night's sleep, as we planned to depart the next morning at 5am for our ascent of half dome...

yosemite - day 1

2011-07-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

cruised up to yosemite from los angeles for the first time on sunday, july 3 by way of the 5N, 99N and 41N. stopped for breakfast in none other than jeb's in sonora, CA (see left) and even drove thru selma, CA, the raisin capital of the world and home of sun-maid. who knew?

outside of a tour bus breaking down on the 41N, the drive was thankfully uneventful. we stopped in oakhurst - the last city before entering the park - to fill up on gas and groceries before hitting the south entrance of the park. my cousin arrived the day before (saturday) and it took her 30 minutes just to enter, and 2 full hours to get to the valley floor. our spacious 3-bedroom, 2 bathroom cabin was located at yosemite west, just north of wawona and in a secluded enclave about 15 miles from the valley floor. we arrived just before 4pm to unload the car, then headed up to glacier point to sneak in a hike and to catch sunset:

just south of glacier point, we did a 1.1 mile jaunt to sentinel dome to check out the amazing view, then proceeded to glacier point for the real stunner: a 360 degree live, panoramic postcard of yosemite - including half dome, el capitan, yosemite falls, etc. - in all its beauty.

we rushed back to the cabin to celebrate independence day weekend with none other than sausages, potato salad, baked beans, vodka and beer (anderson valley summer solstice and lost coast tangerine wheat, mind you). FYI cell service and wifi were non-existent at yosemite west, so it made plans to arrange brunch the next morning with my cousin quite difficult. ended up having to use my credit card with the landline just to leave a message, but all was good...

new outfit

2011-07-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

cropped pants today.

recognize.

monday musings

2011-06-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

finally got back into some parkour training this past weekend after having slightly adjusted our training regimen to prepare for the mud run. i forgot just how sore one can be, so you'll have to forgive my scuffling around these next few days, yowzers. though i temporarily lost some of my strength and timing, i made up for it on the running end of things, as i never dreamed i could average a 7-minute per mile pace over 4+ miles. i never considered myself to be a runner, but finishing the mud run strong definitely gave me hope. i think my next challenge needs to be of the half marathon variety...

i was invited to the world premiere of tom hanks' LARRY CROWNE at the mann chinese tonight, but sadly had to pass up the opportunity because i can barely move haha...

lastly, getting ready for our first attempt at half dome, so i've been busy helping heidi piece together the right things to bring - being her first time at such a strenuous day hike. sadly nobody in our group has a water purifier, so it looks like i'll be forced to lug a few extra water bottles, since my camelbak only holds 3 liters. weather will be of chief concern, since temps are threatening to be in the 90s...

manhattan beach - pics

2011-06-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

so i've been testing out the new camera, learning how to take better photos in a variety of conditions. it's still going to be an ongoing learning process, but it's fun figuring it out along the way. this past weekend found ourselves at uncle bill's pancake house in manhattan beach, so i brought along the camera for some snaps.

below left is a shot of a youngster learning to surf with his dad on father's day. next to it is a sculpture of fire goddess pele, located in the civic center complex:

ASYMCA mud run - aftermath

2011-06-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

and... saturday's race was a success! even though vim and i were the last to start in the individual race category (more on that later), we made up enough time to finish in the neighborhood of an hour and 20 minutes. not bad for our first time out and definitely a benchmark to surpass in the future...

the race was at 9am and though instructions advised us to arrive at 6am, we left LA around 5:45am and arrived at the camp pendleton exit at 7:10am - only to see a stonewall procession of cars doing the same. it took us nearly 35 minutes to get off the freeway, then it was another 8 miles to the parking lot.

from there, we hoofed it to the starting area, figured out we were at the starting gate for teams only, then made a mad dash to the start line for individuals where we were the last to shove off. about a 1/2 mile in, we were greeted by marines blasting water with a fire hose, so our indoctrination was underway...

the first few miles were spent maneuvering around fellow contestants, all the while going uphill. here's where our training up paseo miramar came in handy - we practiced on inclines leading up to the race - only ours were much steeper in practice. at about the halfway mark, the course snaked its way downhill and we got to play in river crossings, mud walls and a reservoir crossing totalling about 5 feet high.

at about the 5.5 mile marker is where slippery hill is located - a long, treacherous hill with lousy footing and marines up top spraying the ground and you silly. i sprinted up this with whatever juice i had left, then made a mad dash into the long 30-foot mud pit, before finally crossing the finish line on fumes. celebratory margaritas were consumed minutes later, followed by a trip to pizza port carlsbad to revel in our craziness...

camp pendleton mud run

2011-06-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

got my race number in yesterday's mail, so apparently it's official! promising a 10k with hills, tire obstacles, low sand crawl, river crossings, two 5-foot walls w/mud on both sides, a 4.5 feet deep reservoir crossing, tunnel crawl, slippery hill climb and a final 30-foot mud pit, it sounds like a piece of cake...

half dome - countdown

2011-06-09T21:12:00.000-07:00

just locked up our accommodations for yosemite,
so we'll be making our first attempt up
half dome in just under a month.

curious to find out just how imposing the
cables are, but if this is any indication...

EYBL - Tony Parker interview

2011-06-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

looks like our interview with georgia stars PF tony parker (ESPN's #25 overall prospect, class of 2012) is up on the devil's den. at the moment, duke and ohio state are his top two, with memphis trying to make up ground:

http://duke.scout.com/a.z?s=167&p=2&c=1076775&ssf=1&RequestedURL=http%3a%2f%2fduke.scout.com%2f2%2f1076775.html

unfortunately, it's part of their pay-based content, so unless you have a subscription with scout.com, you won't be able to access the full article. nevertheless here's a screenshot memorializing the event.

eagerly awaiting our other interviews with G rodney purvis, SG rasheed sulaimon, SF theo pinson, SF alex poythress and PF jarnell stokes to go up...

2011 EYBL session #3 - los angeles

2011-05-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

saturday marked the start of session #3 of nike's EYBL (elite youth basketball league) regular season, and this time around kyle and i went in armed. having received media credentials from scout.com's the devil's den, we went to work covering the event on behalf of the duke blue devils, ranging from player evaluation to interviews with some of duke's recent commits (rasheed sulaimon) and top targets (alex poythress). head here for all the inside scoop:

http://duke.scout.com/

in the meantime, some captures from yesterday's action. bottom right is UNC commit PG marcus paige:

new camera!

2011-05-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

been keepin the nose to the grindstone, so i didn't realize it had been that long between blog entries! apologies.

moving on - and thanks to my man obama for giving us taxpayers a break - my refund check, which was originally supposed to be $71, arrived to the tune of $471.

booyah!

instead of being practical and setting it aside to pay bills, i made the executive decision to pick up a new camera. so voila! here's the olympus PEN E-PL1, which is a 12.3 megapixel interchangeable lens camera in the micro four-thirds format. it's a step up from the point & shoots but without the bulk of a DSLR, so call it the best of both worlds...

and here are the first photos i took in my backyard earlier today:

2011 hollywood beer pong tournament

2011-05-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

this past weekend my co-workers and i took our wares to capitol city sports bar & grill for the 2011 hollywood beer pong tourney. it was my first time taking part - only my 2nd time playing beer pong for that matter - and it was a doozy, as 128 teams in eight different brackets duked it out to see who would be the crème de la crème of the entertainment industry.

we entered two teams of two - darek/erica and maura/i - and we managed to acquit ourselves quite nicely. darek/erica advanced to the 2nd round before bowing out, whereas maura & i took down paradigm and CAA before meeting our maker in the 3rd round.

http://www.hollywoodbeerpong.com/