Me, Backwards

… till our mini-vacation in Eloy.  We’re heading down Christmas Eve (late in the day) and coming back early on the 29th (the dates are timed so that we could use free Southwest tickets without running afoul of blackout dates).  We’ve rented a team room at the dropzone for the 24th-27th, and a hotel near the Phoenix airport for the 28th since our flight leaves very early in the morning.  It’ll also save us a day on the rental car.  The team rooms are a modest step up from the bunkhouse (where we’ve both stayed before).  The one we’ve rented has four bunks and a mini-fridge (but since we’re renting the whole thing out we’ll have all the space to ourselves).  We’ll still use the communal showers, but it should offer much more privacy and quiet than the bunkhouse, which tends to be full this time of year.  The fridge will allow us to pick up some food for breakfast, lunch, and snacks to save having to eat every meal out.

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Last night I had the good fortune to be invited along to a Los Angeles Kings hockey game with three coworkers.  I’d only gone to one hockey game before (a minor league game in Seattle) and was looking forward to experiencing the skill level (not to mention the hype) of an NHL game.  As you can see from the photo, we had fabulous seats (purchased at half price!) about 10 rows back from the ice.

I wasn’t disappointed.  I’ve never gotten into hockey, but friends who are big fans have said that if I go to a game, I’ll understand the appeal more.  I can definitely understand that - like basketball (a longtime favorite), I enjoyed the pace and the skill demonstrated by the players.  I’d definitely enjoy going to more games, for sure.

Even though I had four days last weekend and two this one, I still feel like my weekends are way too short.  But that’s not news - I’m sure most people do. Read the rest of this entry »

So I sit here on Black Friday, having said that I wasn’t going to buy anything but … I got sucked in by a new toy on Amazon.com, a Garmin Forerunner.  They had a fantastic deal on the 305, which isn’t the latest and greatest, but which gets solid reviews and is still good technology.  For something I’m not sure how much I’ll use, and which is a good piece of equipment in itself, one generation old works for me.  Plus, I had a $100 gift card that I got for helping a friend out with some market research, so it didn’t wind up costing me that much. Read the rest of this entry »

As I’m getting into running 3 days a week, I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting with what to wear.  Burbank mornings are in the high 40s; here in Oakland it’s been down closer to 40.  I think I got it right in Burbank last week, with a sleeveless compression top with built-in bra, and a long-sleeved shirt (wicking, of course) over the top.  I’m chilly when I first start but comfortable-to-warm towards the end.  Last couple weeks in Oakland I’d tried a fleece hat, and that proved to be too much, so today I pulled out my fleece head/earband and that seemed to be just right.  I wear two full long-sleeve layers here, though both are fairly lightweight.  I think I had just about the right balance this morning.  There may be colder mornings, but I don’t recall it getting a lot chillier than this down here.

Edited 11/27 to add that I found a pair of running “tights” that I actually like … they’re a good weight for this climate and not too, and they have pockets - nice to have a place to stash a key.  I found ‘em at Sports Authority and was hoping to find them online for a better price, but they don’t seem to be sold anywhere else - must be a Sports Authority house brand or something.  The brand is “Aspire” and they’re called the Quest Run Pants.

About five months ago I blogged about changes I was seeing; noticing more and more lately, so maybe it’s time to check in again. Read the rest of this entry »

… was actually pretty successful.  I need to do a few things differently (like remember to bring my Netflix so I have something to watch in the evenings!), and remember the most efficient ways of packing, but all in all, it was good.  I especially feel good about how I was able to keep up good eating and exercise habits.  I worked out Monday afternoon, and Tuesday-Thursday mornings.  Monday and Wednesday were gym workouts (thanks to Noah for the ideas) and Tuesday/Thursday was running - with this morning’s workout I managed to complete Week 3 of Couch-to-5K; now it’s on to Week 4, which I must admit looks a bit daunting.  Then again, I thought Week 3 looked daunting … and I managed to do it. Read the rest of this entry »

By next Thursday I will have made three round trips to Southern California in just over a week.  Our trip to Elsinore has been planned for a while (Sean’s going for the entire week for the wingsuit bigway event, I’m popping down just for the weekend).  The work trips to Burbank (two days this week, four next week) came up afterward.  I thought briefly about combining the trips, but since the flight is so short and I don’t have a car in Burbank, the idea of not dragging all of my skydiving gear along on the business trips is more appealing. Read the rest of this entry »

Starting this week, it looks like I’m going to be getting back into semi-regular business travel.  I was reminded immediately today how tough it can be to stay focused and vigilant while on the road, with schedules disrupted, and fatigue being a bigger factor. Read the rest of this entry »

I decided early in the week that what my body needed was a mostly-lazy weekend wherein I didn’t try to skydive, and I didn’t try to do anything too taxing to my body. Since I got my cold about a week and a half ago, I’ve only done my workouts with Noah - none on my own.  Yesterday morning I stopped taking cold meds, and I seem to be doing just fine, so I think other than a bit of lingering snot, I may have finally bid sayonara to the cold. Read the rest of this entry »