Snapshots from a Vacation

Flowers in our backyard, July 14th.



Drakes' Beach, July 21st.




P chasing the waves, July 21st.




The guys on a deserted Drakes' Beach, July 21st.




Flowers for my Mama on her birthday, July 27th.

A Vacation at Home

My vacation is almost over. My parents leave tomorrow to go and visit my brother and his family. It's back to work on Monday. The kids go back to summer day camp and day care. Back to our old routines. Aside from our three day trip to Pt. Reyes, we've stayed home and had a grand old time of it. I finally got to do some of the things that have been bugging me for months, if not years. Cleaning out the garage, sorting through the boys' old toys, getting rid of or donating baby stuff, and alphabetizing the books in the bookshelves (KIDDING!). But seriously, it felt good to just be home, not having to worry about any agenda or driving or sitting in traffic, a chance to hang out with the folks and share our daily lives together - kiddie tantrums and all. Sure I exercised less and ate more than usual, but that is definitely part of the holiday spirit.

I like to dream of a Hawaiian vacation or a ski trip or a journey to some place I haven't yet seen, but this time, the comforts of home were just the thing. There's something to be said for enjoying what you have.

And, yes, I have finished the book. Thursday morning, 12:22 am.

Gone Reading

I was tempted to title this 'Gone Potty' but I figure that those types of headings are a dime a dozen this week. I just picked up the last Harry Potter book this afternoon and have gotten stuck into it. I want to blog about our great weekend in Pt. Reyes, I want to blog about the time with my parents, even about the latest run and swim and my obsession with finding the perfect road bike for me but all this pales next to my desire to read.

So, till then, much less web surfing, much less blogging, more reading.

You Know You're Living in the Bay Area When

...you think a 45 minute commute is not that bad.

...your house has gained more value in the last three years than your combined family income AND you'd never be able to afford buying it now so you're eternally grateful that you were able to buy back then.

...you start feeling chilly when the temperature drops to 50 degrees F.

...you start up your laptop to connect to your wireless network and there are at least 10 to choose from AND none of them are unsecured.

...you know at least one person who is (or are yourself) training for a half-marathon/marathon/triathlon.

...your seven year old has a favorite kind of sushi and chooses a sushi place as a restaurant instead of McDonald's.

Kaeshi-Waza

Today's class was all about reversals, switching roles from attacker to defender and then back to attacker. Pretty neat. Usually, we have the two distinct roles of uke and nage, the one who attacks and the one who applies the technique. In this set-up, nage always 'wins.' In kaeshi-waza, uke comes out on top. It's a bit confusing because the result is so out of the ordinary. What stuck with me was this (paraphrased) cue from Doran Sensei:

The key to a successful reversal is to offer no resistance to the initial defensive move. Accept it completely, give in to the technique, create a false sense of success and then reverse direction and apply the lock.

Very cool. Also, very hard. But since these techniques are not required material till sandan (third degree black belt), I'm not too worried about not getting it all the first time.

Another Trip Around the Sun

'Twas a fine day indeed, made more memorable by the following:

1. Celebrating with my parents for the first time in I can't remember when.

2. Three, count 'em, three cakes. A chocolate marble cake with chocolate frosting, a banana cream pie and a fruit tart. Next year, no more candles - too much of a fire hazard!

3. Spending the afternoon with my cousin Todd and his lovely wife Elaine, in addition to my immediate family. That included walking to the park and playing with the kids there.

4. Getting phone calls, cards and text messages from friends and family near and far.

5. Cool new running gadget: a heart rate watch! Programmable and everything.

6. Homemade birthday cards from the boys.

7. Sushi dinner!

8. 2.5 miles in 23 minutes. I've finally broken that dreaded 10 min mile barrier. My heart rate was through the roof when I was done but it was worth it!

I am one happy (and tired) camper.

Just A Bike

I've owned a mountain bike for the past 12 years. Perfectly happy. Then I signed up for my first triathlon. Suddenly, the temptation to get a road bike has hit. 'Cause of course I've got the money to spare (yeah, right). But who knew that there were so many options: there are race bikes (fairly clear), pilot bikes (for flying??), triathlon bikes (also clear, I think, something about fancy handlebars), touring bikes (for Italy?), commuting bikes (with room for FastPass), cyclocross bikes (??), and track bikes (I'm assuming not for a running track). Then there are all the different materials: carbon, titanium, aluminum, steel, gold, silver (OK, I'm kidding about the last two). Did I mention the price range on these guys? Perhaps it's best that I just not go there.

Jeepers, what happened to the days when choices were simple? Now I feel like I need to navigate my way through reviews and test rides and side-by-side comparisons and shop visits. It's just about enough to make me say "Fuggedaboutit!"

Oh Mountain Bike, all is forgiven.