Attention bloggers!

I found this survey from the MIT Media Lab to be interesting. Check it out!
(Thanks, Ash)

Too many broken things

In the last month I’ve broken my prescription glasses and sunglasses and now my PSP is dead too. Unlike with the glasses, the PSP will be replaced for free.
Today I started weight training at the gym. Some of the upper body work really aggravated my shoulder problem (whatever it is). While I hope that goes away as I get stronger, one thing’s for sure: I’m going to be sore as #(@% tomorrow.
Next Tuesday I’m off to El Paso, Texas to visit my grandparents. I may take a side trip or two if possible. All I know is that it’ll be hot!

Tuesday randomness

1) I’m in love with chai. I had some for the first time last month and now I’m hooked. While the Starbucks version is good, at home I make it using concentrate from Oregon Chai.
2) Last month I broke my glasses and today my prescription sunglasses broke. I hope this isn’t becoming a trend — it’s expensive to keep replacing them. Off to LensCrafters tomorrow!
3) So far the gym thing is going well. Monday was the first day and the personal trainer got me going on cardio exercises, goals, etc. Thursday he’ll get some weight training going as well. I’m hoping to go four days a week — we’ll see if that happens — but so far I’m optimistic.
4) One thing I like about blogging is that people get to see the “real me” faster than they would if I met them in person. Since it’s no-holds-barred here (more of less) my blog readers learn things about me that the average acquaintance does not. Then again, some people might not want to know all the details… but they’re all true, I swear!
5) I couldn’t stop laughing at the grocery store tonight when I spied this week’s issue of TV Guide while in line at the checkout. This particular issue was the “summer diet issue”. I kid you not.

Another side of Yosemite: Hetch Hetchy

As a sort of father’s day trip, my dad and I went to Yosemite on Saturday. Yeah, I know that I was just there, but we spent most of our time at Hetch Hetchy instead of in the valley. Hetch Hetchy is where San Francisco gets its drinking water from. It’s pumped all the way over the hills, across the central valley, around the bottom of the bay, and into a reservoir near San Mateo.

Hetch Hetchy itself is kind of like Yosemite Valley full of water. It’s not as impressive but it’s still pretty nice. You can hike along one side of it, reaching several waterfalls. The hike was more difficult than advertised, but it was worth the pain in my opinion. The trail was the worst one we’ve ever encountered in Yosemite. We wanted to go there since there’s talk of taking down the damn and restoring the valley to its former self, so who knows how long it’ll be like this.

After that we headed into the valley. Yosemite sucks this time of year — way too many people. Who wants to sit in traffic in a national park? Not us — we’ll stick to the offseason instead.

Anyhow, click the link to see some pictures taken with the Nikon D50.

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Sometimes you have to do what you don’t want to

Today I finally gave in and joined a gym here in Brentwood. I’ve been thinking about it for a while and finally decided on Wednesday that I’d go today and sign up. And so I did. Today I took the tour, figured out the pricing, and signed up. The place (being a ClubOne) is pretty fancy, with TVs on all the machines, plasma screens on the wall, all new equipment, free classes, a couple of swimming pools, and more. My first day is on Monday, when a personal trainer will set me up with some things to do while I’m there. I don’t particularly like going to the gym (it’s been 5-6 years since I last belonged to one), but it’s one of those necessary evils that you just need to turn into a habit. You know, like flossing your teeth. Okay I’m still working on that one.
This year is all about self-improvement for me. Whether it’s seeing a therapist every few weeks, trying new things like tai chi and golf, or going to the gym, I’m trying to broaden my horizons, stay healthy, and burn off some stress while I’m at it. We’ll see how it goes!
Thanks to my buddy Mark for the inspiration. Now I can bug him about putting fattening dressing on his salads again

Just to torture you

For those in need of inspiration

I found Steve Jobs’ Stanford commencement speech to be worth reading. Lots of “words to live by” buried in his three stories.

Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch?

This weekend my favorite low grade Chinese food chain opened up a restaurant in Brentwood. Perhaps foolishly, I went after my golf lessons to get some food. The place was packed. And while the line was short it took forever to get my food. When I picked it up the girl read back my order and it was right so I went home. When I got home I realized that they left out my main dish (those who know me well know exactly what it was, too). So back I went where I immediately went for the manager. He got me a fresh bucket of food and a coupon for free lunch on him. Now that’s good customer service. That said, I think I’ll give them a week or two to get their sea legs… right now it’s a little choatic back there.