Livin’ the High Life

U2 at the Rose Bowl

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:38:30 -0700

Originally, I wanted to see U2 at the Rose Bowl because it was the only show in California. It ended up being the biggest concert in history. The stage setup was phenomenal, the sound was good, the view was good, the lights were good, but it was a lot of people and it did seem a bit far away from the rock of the show. I’ll make up for it at the Oakland show next year where I have floor tickets. John had floor tickets and stood in line to stand in the Inner Circle, a test of endurance to be sure, but he’s one of the few to get so close, eh.

Trip to LA - Griffith Park Travel Town

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:32:57 -0700

We went down to LA to visit with the Chrises and John and see U2 at the Rose Bowl. We snuck in a trip to Travel Town at Griffith Park on the side. Lilly looooved it as she to to ride a horse and a train on the same day!

50th Marathon

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:16:16 -0700

I ran my 50th marathon in the east bay from Tilden Park in Berkeley to Lake Chabot in Castro Valley. The race director is Ann Trason, 14 time winner of the Western State 100 mile race, so you can imagine it was not an easy race with almost 6000 feet of climbing and almost no flat sections. It surprised me to find out (not sure why) but of the 200 starters, 100 finished. I ran slower than last year but felt much better afterwards and even got out for beers at Lucky 13 in celebration later that night (thanks to all who came out). Pics are from me at the start and finish.

Dan, Jen, and Dash Visit

Sun, 4 Oct 2009 21:11:38 -0700

Dan, Jen, and Dash visited from New Hampshire during the Castro Street Fair.

Rackhams Visit

Sat, 3 Oct 2009 20:56:28 -0700

Roger and Joan came to visit for two weeks. It was their first visit to the city where we just hung out in the city (and environs). It was a lovely time much helped by fantastic weather.

Lilly’s First Critical Mass

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:11:38 -0700

We took Lilly down to her first Critical Mass ride. We went around Fisherman’s Wharf and environs. Everyone down there thought it was some sort of parade - which it really is these days it so tame.

Camping in Big Basin

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:01:14 -0700

Looking to get our camping game back in gear, we went down to Big Basin State Park, 90 minutes south, to stay over one night. It was actually a nice little trip. We did the little .75 mile nature trail, which Lilly loved. The trees on that thing are huge. Our camp site was a walk-in - the farthest back, waaaaay up at the top of a little wooded valley. It was nice.

Goodbye Crib!

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 21:58:02 -0700

Our friend Denise, who’s always been very generous in donating hand-me-downs for Lilly, gave us a bed for Lilly. We felt she might be ready for it and Denise was getting rid of it anyway. From that night on, Lilly slept in the bed and not the crib. She loved it. So we finally broke the crib down. It was kind of liberating for all of us.

Matt’s 40th at Stinson Beach

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:54:38 -0700

Matt’s one of the two people I know with birthdays on September 11th, interestingly. He turned forty this year and Nicole hosted a party at a rental up at Stinson Beach. It was a great party. Really perfect. Lots of food, beer, sun, friends. I ran up there from the city to see what it was like. It was pretty hard to do but, as you would expect, quite beautiful. I didn’t really get any pictures the whole day, though. Kind of a shame...

The 6 Parnassus

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:52:17 -0700

I found this great way to cut my commute on the mornings I have to drop off Lilly but it involves a nasty climb to get to the start of the 6 Parnassus bus.

Labor Day Trip to Tahoe

Fri, 4 Sep 2009 21:44:40 -0700

So they were closing the Bay Bridge for the entirety of Labor Day weekend so they could slide one of the new sections in. Traffic was sure to be a nightmare. But Tracy and I were determined to get up to Tahoe for the weekend. We left on Thursday night and came back on Sunday afternoon. Amazingly, amazingly, there was almost no traffic. We whizzed right through to Tahoe. I spent the next day in Mike Comer’s Tahoe insurance office working. It was perfect. While there we got in a nice sunset boat ride. I got in a nice run in the Sierras, although I did get lost on fire trails again, damn them! While up there, I ran into a pack of ultrarunners looking for arrowheads in a field, two men and a woman sitting on a log drinking beer and smoking cigarettes with no car or camp in sight (?!), and a couple driving their 4x4 pickup looking for a road access back to route 89. It was like I was in Oz. I finally connected with the Tahoe Rim Trail and got solid directions from a hiker and his sons but it was a much longer run than I’d been planning for.

August DC Business Trip

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:39:42 -0700

Stayed at my favorite inn in Adams Morgan (that’s the front porch above). Caught up with Ben. Caught up with Ryan. Ed took me to a houka bar (it was surprisingly mild). A good visit overall but it never seems I get enough rest.

North Carolina in August

Sat, 8 Aug 2009 21:32:55 -0700

We had a nice visit to NC while I was on a business trip to DC. It’s nice to visit in the summer. We even managed to stop off in Asheville.

“15th on 15th” Anniversary Party

Sat, 1 Aug 2009 21:19:19 -0700

We threw a big bash for our 15th anniversary. Quite a do. Thanks to Angie and Mike for hosting. Thanks to Mac and Smith for catering and support. Thanks to John for bar-tending. Thanks to everyone for coming.

Jarvis Cocker at the Fillmore

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:15:25 -0700

I was a little bit of a Pulp fan. They had a few good tunes. I always considered Jarvis Cocker a curious and interesting figure. So I was sitting around at Di’s house and I see she’s got tickets to the Jarvis Cocker show at the Fillmore. “Oh cool - look at that! You’re going to see JC, eh?” She had two tickets, “Who you going with,” I asked. “Nobody yet,” she said, “I figured someone would go with me.” Go, indeed! Thanks Di! It was a solid show. The man is like a Mick Jagger from the 80’s disguised as a geek with a better voice. A real entertainer.

San Francisco Marathon

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 21:11:47 -0700

I would have loved to have been in shape for this race. I would have loved to set a PR. But in the end, I really wasn’t up to a record setting performance and settled in for an easy race. I biked to the 5:00AM start and, due to circumstances, biked home from the finish, too. Above is the gear you’ll need to run a marathon. If you have to self support, you’ll need a water bottle, too. Just don’t forget the band aids.