Many the Miles...

Thank you so SO much, Sara Bareilles, for putting on an amazing, blithe show at the House of Blues! Listening to her music puts me in a bucolic state of mind -- like I could just drive through rural country to nowhere taking in the beauty and thinking about the complexities of life...

So, the concert was awesome but the events before and after slightly made my heart stop. First, I FORGOT the tickets to the concert (they were mailed to me) so I had to go to will call and deal with this porcine woman with a snappy 'tude. "You have to call Ticket Master.".....Uh... and THEN What?? Like, next step, please! Luckily, I was able to get my tickets printed out.

After the concert, we made our way back to my car...or... no car??? We both knew I parked on the 3rd floor, but when we got there --- no car! Ok...maybe up higher? No... down a floor...no...down a floor...NO (heart majorly pounding at this point). Lina and I were both thinking of how to broach the subject...if it came to that! LUCKILY.. found the car 4 floors down (wtf) and it only took one floor to get off the exit! Swear to Buddah we went up 3 floors to park! I have an alibi!

On the 15N going home last night, traffic was burgeoning as road construction forced lanes to merge, which was in my mind completely unnecessary! The lanes were empty with no trucks or anything... home at midnight..whew...

Had some delightful sushi at Happy's Sushi in Mira Mesa tonight. Rainbow Roll, Fantasy Roll, and Pizza Roll --- YUM!!! I recommend you go!

Acumen of Wisdom

After going to the dentist today, it is clear I am beset by fear. Doc is adamant about my wisdom teeth coming out...but I really think it's a malevolent act to rip open my gums and leave holes behind... I REALLY shouldn't have watched that blatant YouTube video... uuugggggg...

Well if i don't come out alive, I bequeath this blog to some soul that can carry on my legacy... legacy of....... yea, just kidding.

Let's hope I don't have bad dreams tonight, oof!

Irritable Vowel Syndrome...

While I actually looked forward to studying today, on this hot, semi-banal day I might add, I'm drawing blanks as to what I should write. I've belabored 140 words this morning and the newest words have nothing to do with what I want to write about --- words like bane (poison), belligerent (combative), malefactor (evildoer) and the likes...

I've mused myself into bemusement as to how to write this entry..... ah lazy Sunday...

It may be a lazy day but I did beget some AMAZING French Toast this morning: Apple Bread topped with a hot mixture of whipped cream cheese, brown sugar, blueberries, bananas, and syrup. Holy Yummness!

So it's 100 degrees today and I was thinking of yoga instead of a run. I truly don't understand how people can run in adverse conditions..... The air conditioned house remains my bastion but I still think about the calories I could be sweating off... decisions, decisions...

One thing's for sure, it's certainly a great day for the beach --- if only the sun wasn't a malignant element to me still... my skin is still pretty sun sensitive because of my antibiotics...

Happy Sunday, folks! And remember to take it easy at least one day a week to reflect, chill, smile, relax, sweat, do something new, and do something that makes you happy :)

The Battle of the Bay

Today was a glorious day on the Battlefield of Mission Bay Park. There was no time to act autonomously as the Battle was an aggregate of Aqua Cycling, Egg Toss, Tug of War, Potato Sack Racing, and Pie Eating.

My teammate and I were in the last leg of the Aqua Cycling and I desperately assimilated the winning moves. It looked auspicious as our first two teammates soared through the first round. Even though I was the first out of the gate and to the giant bicycle, things went awry when my teammate fell not once, but a couple times. My personal defeat was assuaged when our Team came in 3rd overall. Watching our teammate Tyler doing the Potato Sack Race was probably the funniest Sack Race I've ever seen!

My thighs were on fire from peddling AND I have soccer tonight. I'm still wearing my bright orange socks and war paint beneath my eyes. Maybe I'll have the audacity to score a goal tonight, would that be great?

F.I.O Figure It Out

Last Saturday my friend accompanied me to Lestat's Coffee House in North Park. I'm convinced they have one of the best iced mochas in San Diego. They've also expanded their quarters since I've been. Way to go, Lestat's.

We sat on a couch that was next to a plastic coated white chair with ruffles -- In addition to the chair's unfavorable aesthetics, this chair looked completely uncomfortable, which was probably why it wasn't occupied.

My assumption was confirmed when a guy in a baggy sweater and black, ripped skinny jeans proceeded to desperately get comfortable in the squeaky chair. An arduous task it seemed, he finally settled with hit feet up on the table, toes and socks protruding from his busted up slippers (which by the way said Faded Glory -- Wal-Mart brand). He grumbled, "The only chair in the room not occupied. Ugly AND you can never get comfy in it".

My friend and I continued our conversation as this guy pulled out his mini laptop that had a Meat is Murder sticker on the back of the monitor.

This guy actually turned out to be quite amicable as he asked if his feet were bothering us...or his computer cord was bothering us...or if his constant shifting was bothering us... no guy...

I had mentioned to my friend that I recently went to Father's Office in LA and had an amazing burger. Mr. Eavesdropper blurts out "I LOVE THAT PLACE! Great Burgers!"

My friend glanced at the sticker on his computer and says, "You eat burgers but you're a vegetarian. 'Splain." Oh, so you lead an ascetic diet because veggie sandwiches were the cheapest thing at Subway.

This guy, his name was Peter, actually turned out to be a delight that night. He was very artless, yet ardent in his words during our topics of conversation...a nice guy.

He was a student studying music.

Reflecting back, I can't help but think how I miss school and being assiduous and making my brain crunch regularly. It's easy to fall out of that pattern, but hard to get back...seemingly. Like I have mentioned, this blog is just an artifice to help me get back into the habit.

I feel like it's working. I heard the word "aberration" on the news tonight and blurted out "A DEVIATION!" My dad just rolled his eyes and chuckled in my face. Awesome.

I'll Be The Arbiter

For the time being, I have appropriated this Blog, particularly for writing entries with "educated vocabulary". I'm also going to make a conscious effort not to use this blog to vent or belittle things/people.. I briefly viewed some earlier entries and thought to myself this is the antithesis of myself, my normal attitude... and I wouldn't go out of my way to read something like that voluntarily so why would I write it...

In other news, I finally got Sara Bareilles' CD in the mail and have been listening to it non-stop since I got it. While I hands-down love her and don't hesitate to give her approbation, I like her previous album just a smidgen better. I'm SO excited to see her in concert Sept 29th!!! My favorite songs off the new album are (in no particular order): Gonna Get Over You, Basket Case, Blue Bird, Breathe Again, King of Anything, Uncharted. Her voice appeases me...

My friend Laura took the GRE this weekend and did fairly well. Listening to her experience gave me more confidence in my aptitude to prepare for this test. I still think it's archaic to not be allowed to use a calculator for certain problems, but that's just me...someone that doesn't like math and isn't super great at it.

What else is becoming less arcane to you people about me?

I'll Be The Arbiter.

Odd Dream I Dare Say

So I had a slightly weird dream last night in which I had major antipathy for my parent's friends and vandalized their house....in hopes of depreciating the value of the house. Uh...yep.

I got caught a couple times vandalizing the house; my apathy and lack of apprehension was apotheosis to anarchy. My parents asked me to stop and I appeased them only with an apocryphal statement of, "Yea...I won't do it anymore." They knew though.

I couldn't pin point my animosity, only that it was there. It was definitely an anomaly but I never felt sorry for the anguish I caused anyone.

I'm not joking. I really had that stupid dream.

Switching gears, I saw some AWESOME woody's today in Encinitas --- I guess there was over 300 woody's there. I was in heaven, basically.

Now I'm looking forward to some BBQ and margaritas tonight. woooo hoooO! Happy Saturday, folks!

Friday Night and the Calves are Tight

Getting up for work this morning was a little rough. My strut was analogous to an old man with bowed legs, which makes me feel ambivalent about this whole 22 mile hike thing and whether it was worth it... yea... I know... And I don't think soccer tonight ameliorated my toe blisters because they're definitely feeling more tender as I lay here and write this entry.

I was telling my Dad about trekking Whitney and told him about how a lot of people hike to Trail Camp and take 2 days to summit versus doing it in one day. I said I don't like the idea of shitting in a bag and having to carry it 6 miles down a mountain. He was confused why people can't just dig holes. I told him about contamination of the land and maybe it was ambiguous, but I told him, "You don't farm with human waste, you farm with horse and cow crap. Our crap ruins things." He amenably stated, "Yea, I guess so..." Yea, dude.

We're doing Battle of the Bay for our Company Event this year --- I'm competing in Aqua Cycling next Friday. I'm ready to tear up the water!... or be an amorphous blob of cycling awfulness. Nah, I should be fully recovered by then.

Ni-nIte All!

Day 5 or Day 8? Ah Hell, This is About Mounting Whitney

Do you remembuh?? The 15th night of Septembuh?? Because I do. Burned in my brain...while not dancing down the mountain, I was certainly pushing myself with great alacrity and only thinking, "This is awful! This is JUST awful!"

Mt. Whitney: Highest Peak in the lower 48 states at 14,497 feet and a 22 mile round trip feat.

8 friends. One mission. 3:15am-9:00pm hike. You do the math. I'll cry.

I can say the things that alleviate my pain and utter abhorrence for me actually WANTING to do this are hanging out with good friends and getting to the summit.

I considered the first 8 miles (not including hiking in darkness from 3am-sunrise) to be quite scenic and beautiful; the last 3 miles to the summit made me feel so abject and irritated. Every time someone coming down the trail would say, "you're almost there! Only a LITTLE further!", Johanna and I would acrimoniously grumble, "Shove it up your shove hole!"

We were hungry. We were fatigued. The altitude was kicking in and Mt.Whitney was turning us all into cranky 5 year olds.

And everything seemed NEVER ENDING. It felt like it took YEARS to hike the last 3 miles to the top. And the switch backs in the dark to get back to the car???? Don't get me started!

Overall, I'm very proud of all us for accomplishing something so great. I'm still very bitter about seemingly never ending switchbacks that will forever haunt me. Seriously, watching my headlamp spotlight only a few feet in front of me was totally Blair Witch feel.

The other major highlight from the trip was seeing a Bear 5 feet away from me at 3AM and everyone chipping in to scare him off! Good MORNING?!

Alright, I'm tired and my calves are killing me. Some spaghetti and New Castle helped ease some blah-ness...I'm going to review some photos from this amazing trip.

I'll try and paraphrase Tim's conclusion that, really, 3 days later we'll all be like, "you know, I'm really glad I did this." But Yesterday and Today --- everyone is just thinking, "Why the HELL did I put myself through this???"

Day 4: The Affinity for the Agenda

As the weekend wraps up, I am more and more nervous about Mt. Whitney. Am I in shape enough? Will the weather be adverse? Will I have to shit on the mountain like Tim did last year????

I am all packed and ready for the most part... just missing my camel pack if I can find it... gotta figure out a way to get 3 liters up the mountain without my bag swishing around.

I'm really excited to take some photos up the mountain too. Debating on bringing my film camera or not...hoping the long hike doesn't drain too much of my aesthetic sense...

When we summit on Wednesday, I'm going to have such unadulterated joy, I'll probably be more affable than usual with the hikers at the top...if I hug someone I don't know, I'll let you know how the story goes. :)

So I know I said I'd write in this everyday (or try to) but I'll be in Lone Pine Monday - Thursday... I'll still be studying, of course....maybe...hopefully...for the most part...

Day 3: Busy Bee

My Saturday has started off generally good so far.

Had to get an oil change before my trip to Mt. Whitney. BTW, highly recommend signing up for Groupons. I got this deal of 3 oil changes for $30 and it's good for a year. Pretty excited about the deal since I have a car payment now.

While the oil change took an hour and a half, the service guy made my morning with his adulation for my Rabbit. He kept saying, "Conejo! Conejo! Ja?!" (Rabbit in Spanish in case you are unaware)

Even on a Saturday, I'm still trying to adhere to a study regime. I plan on studying some algebra after this entry and I'm pretty adamant about going for a run later to de-stresssify (sure...we'll call that a word).

Now, time to address the subject of Algeeeebrrraaaa... Oh Boy!

Day 2: I like it in abstract

When I think about my goals life, I have to consider being abstinent with things that hinder my progress. But just like any dieter, it doesn't work if you deprive yourself. So I'll admit it, I was on Facebook earlier. SUckas.

I start a new season of soccer tonight. I feel like I'm getting better acumen for the sport but I also think we got a great team this season. One of the things I like about about Team Sports is that no matter how you get accosted during the game or acrimonious the other Team may seem during the game, there tends to be good sportsmanship at the end overall.

Wish me luck!

p.s. I'm hiking Mt. Whitney next week. Hopefully it won't be as abysmal as last year. I have all the faith that we'll summit! Really looking forward to it!

Day 1: Abnegation Aggravation

While I'd rather be pissing around the Internet or enjoying some good ol' tele right now, I am studying today...and the hopefully the next day...and the next day...

After my first vocab sesh (just checking out about 10 words a day), I'm pretty abashed at my memory (or lack there of) --- the words sound so familiar...just not on the tip of my tongue or in my everyday vocab.

Reading new words everyday is surely an aberration, but I'll feel glad once this becomes more of a "look forward to" habit.

Hoping to go for a run soon before the sun abates and the moon comes up...and long ago somebody left with the cup...Cake?? Anyone??

And So It Begins...

The countdown starts now! Ok, tomorrow.

While the thought sometimes aggravates my senses and puts a sour mug on my face, I've finally draggggggeeeedddd my feet long enough and set a date to take the GRE.

I've got 8 weeks to study my toochis off in hopes of an alright test score.

My problem with standardized tests is that, simply, I'm not very good at them. Crack under pressure? Mayhaps. Blowing through a seeming breeze? Possibly. Eff it, I'm just not good at them and never have been. And...it bugs me that people may think I'm not very smart because of this.

I don't think I'm the Village Idiot by any means; I consider myself to be decently educated in fact (graduated college with a 3.1 GPA which ISN'T bad)...but this is the Achilles Heel in my world...

That being said, to help myself study for the verbal, I'm going to bore you saucy readers everyday with a new vocab word or two and use it in a sentence. I will also update you on my math skrillz if I find anything to enlighten you with.

Consider Tomorrow Day 1 through the fiery pits of GREatness.