Going to California

Appropriate song to be playing on Pandora.  As I begin to reflect upon the sunset of my #RadicalSabbatical, it dawned on me.  I have remained inside the great state of California.  And that is entirely awesome!  No grandiose trips around the world or anything like that, but I am very happy with how the sabbatical has gone.  It was intended to be a journey of self discovery and growth.

It has been that...and more.

I am ready to hit the ground running on March 5, my return day to work.  In the mean time, I still have great tricks up the sleeve.  More on that tomorrow (or Tuesday).

This weekend:
Fantastic weekend with the fam.  Moms and the bro came up with the kiddos.  Saturday was our day of anthropological observation better known as the Light Rail train between Folsom and Downtown.  The train ride was for the kids.  I mean, riding the train to go to the train museum?  Who is the coolest uncle and dad to make that happen?  Thank you, yes, I thought it was pretty damn cool.  Great people watching, in case you had any doubt.

Came home after our expedition to Old Sac, and I had one of the best 45-minute naps ever!  Thanks, Mom, for the time!  Then it was off to celebrate Mom's belated b-day.  Damn!  Rudy's in Rancho.  I forget how good the food is there.  Good times.

We get home and get the kids wrangled and in bed.  Moms is ready to hold the fort down, so the bro and I can go out to have a drink together (and a chance for him to meet Buttercup).  After about 10 min waiting for the bro to come out of the bedroom with his son, I get up to see what's going on...dude is OUT.  My mom and I get a chuckle out of if and shut down for the night. (Next time he'll get to meet Buttercup)

After a good night's sleep, I hit the road on a 3.5 mile run with the fat dog this morning.  It was a great way to start the day on such a brisk 34 degree morning.  I haven't cross checked my mileage, but my gps app tagged me at a sub-9 min/mile pace.  I was impressed, none the less.  Heck, even fat dog impressed me.  I usually give him a 3-mile limit because I have to start dragging him for the last 5 minutes.  Today, only had to goose him twice.  Evidently, we are both getting into good shape.

After a great breakfast at the Purp with the fam, Squirt and I had to bid them farewell.  Not to waste the beautiful day, I took Squirt to the school down the street to play some horse and 1-on-1.  I totally took him on the horse game.  But he got the best of me on the 1-on-1.  Had a great time playing with him tho.  Gotta send some props to his mom and step-dad for seeding the hoops bug.

Thanks to leftovers and Spongebob, I got to have a nice relaxing couple of hours at home after hoops.  But we weren't done yet...

After dad's quiet time, Squirt and I rolled to the skate park so he could get some time on his scooter.  Last time we went; Squirt had an unpleasant meeting with a bike and the concrete.  I knew he was going to be a cautious this time.  When we get there, the park is pretty full with skateboarders--most of them upper teens and early twenties.  Squirt was definitely no ready to go out in the busy park, so we waited.  He was getting upset at one point because he wanted less people.  I had to give him the speech about how this is a public park and it's here for everyone to use, yada yada yada.  To the 6-year-old, he just wanted to push a button and clear out the people.  Finally the park starts to die down, but Squirt is still apprehensive.  My advice to him was, "Dude, it's not gonna ever be this empty unless you come at six in the morning," (yeah he actually considered that as an option) "Come on dude, buck up!"  After my stellar pep talk, he did buck up.  And he had a blast!  He was all over the skate park.  Weaving around other skaters and scooter riders.  Shooting down the tallest ramp.  Riding around the rounded walls.  It was fantastic!  Put the cap on one of the best dad weekends ever.

Damn.Fine.Weekend!

I am now looking forward to a fantastic week ahead.  Fun things are on order.  I will be heading on another road trip with Buttercup.  It will be another road trip filled with fun activities and great times.

More on that later.

Until then,
Have a holly jolly President's day.

An existential view of one's bio.

Preface:

It's scarily ironic I began with this title. Minutes after I typed it, I found out a good college friend just passed away. Those of you who knew Ashar knew what a great person he was; and we will all miss him. Cheers, Brother!

Back to the scheduled thought:

I started today's post thinking about my bio as it will be presented on our site, www.sacoutdoors.com. I want it to be fun, quirky, thorough, and illustrative. And as I began to think about it, I started getting all kinds of thoughts and feelings about the wider picture of a bio. Ahhhhhh, the "Who am I?" question which I dwelled on as a child. Along with structure, length, ... (all the technical details of the bio), my thoughts started to spin out of control. Goosfraba!

It's not just who I am and where I have been. It's who I want to be. Where I want to be. And...it's how much do I REALLY want to tell everyone. I know it'll be awesome when it comes together.

So who and what am I? 
I affectionately refer to myself as a son of a bastard Irish orphan--true story.  I will have to draw from previous descriptions--AKA my as-succinct-as-can-be online dating profile summary--to go more in depth.

I am adventurous, open, sensual, passionate, smart, laid back, friendly, funny, honest, geeky, sexy, strong, deep, sensitive, empathetic, and a little crazy.   --  I will have to defer to Buttercup to vouch if said attributes are living up to the advertised value. Maybe I undersold the crazy part...but that's one which can be very subjective.

I am a fantastic dad.  I am a great friend. I am an optimist--usually. I love to learn and grow. I am a music geek. I am an explorer. I am renewed. I am an individual.  I have great family.  I have the best friends.  I am very fortunate to have as many good friends as I do.  I work for a fantastic company that has changed the world.  I am a Tough Mudder!!!  

Where have I been?
I am very fortunate to have traveled to the many places I have so far in my life--with many more destinations left to cross off the list.  Heck, I could have never left the state of California and been absolutely content.  We live in one of the world's most enchanted places.  From the beaches, to the cities, to vast open valleys and deserts.  The Sierra, Tahoe, Redwoods, Sequoia.  The Sacramento, American, Feather, Merced, San Juaquin, Kings rivers...to name just a few.  Yosemite anyone?  Can't forget about all the great wine, either!

I have road tripped to most of the western US (Mexico and Canada, too) on one trip or another.  LOTS and LOTS of great stories from those.  So many great memories.  I have cruised the Caribbean, flown to Cancun, Cabo, Hawaii.  I traveled to some great places in Europe.  London (and Southend and Sea), Oslo,   Amsterdam, Paris.  (layovers in Frankfurt dont count)  I have been fortunate to travel to Israel for work--so far, three times.  I am an Israelophile.  I have some very close friends who opened their lives to professional colleagues from across the ocean.  There is such a fascinating and magical history, there is amazing, natural beauty there--the beaches, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, the desert floor transformed into beautiful, lush farmland, and so much more.  Oh yeah--They have fantastic wine, too!  All in all, I'd go to Israel damn near anytime.

I have a question:  Do you ever find yourself having a Forrest Gump reflection of the beautiful places and situations you have experienced?  I do.  Frequently.  Love them!

***Editors Note:  I completely left out all the places I have been on the East Coast.  Cities like Boston (my adopted east-coast city), New York, Philly (holler FastPaleo.com), Baltimore, DC, Miami.  I have stayed in and visited places in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Florida.

What and Where do I want to be?
I certainly want to continue all the good things which enrich my life: being a great father, friend, partner.  Exercise and healthy lifestyle are very important--and probably self-evident in my hard work and dedication to be healthy and happy.  Here is my #IEatPaleo plug:  I will definitely continue the paleo/primal lifestyle.  I wish to be outdoors as much as possible.  The Godfather verbalized something perfectly.  So much so, I have adopted it as well.  Being outdoors is my church.  I want to hike, bike, raft, experience her beauty.  I have such a great feeling when I am in--and a part of--nature.  Buttercup's dad said it well, too.  He said being out in nature really is being as close to God as you can get.  I concur, sir!

So if it's an outdoor adventure, chances are I will be interested.  I still want to take the courses and become a certified raft guide.  I have de-prioritized that several times.  I want to SCUBA dive again, it's been too long.  I should get my advanced open water--good way to get refreshed.  I am definitely going to continue my Mountain biking (but getting elbow pads)--Such a good thing to have a voice of reason near.  I am going to get some street tires for the bike too, (dont want to spend big dollars for a street bike) so I can train for and participate in Eppies.  I am going to backpack with Buttercup this year.  Catalina this April!  I've got two more mudders loaded (one locked, the next isn't too far from being locked).  I am looking forward to this Year's NorCal.  I definitely want Squirt to see me finish this year.  Oh yeah, I put myself of the hook to get the #1 Deadlift at the Gym...

Where seems to be relatively easy.  But with respect to the next house which I will buy, I'm leaning towards two locations--Cameron Park or Placerville.  I do know that I love the Sacramento/Gold Country area (Hello SacramentoOutdoors.com?).  I want a good neighborhood with fun places kids can ride their bikes, goof off, you know--be kids.  More to report on that later as the search narrows and lands.

Bottom line.  I want to live the life which brings as many good feelings as possible.  I want health and abundance!  I want to have the most loving and awesome friends one could ever have.  I want to continue to make this world a better one. I want the satisfaction of accomplishing things.  I want to be the best example for Squirt and any future posterity.  I want to be and have the best partner to navigate this fun jungle.

So far...I like where I am.

Peace, Love, and Humptiness!

Ink and Falling in love with rocks and such

Full disclosure: this post may be a bit disjointed. I will do my best to make it sound and read like it has a slice of continuity.

So I have started writing stuff into a comp book...I write my thoughts and such down when the fancy strikes me. I sometimes doodle, have ADD side bars, note observations, so on and so forth. I even wrote a very important letter in this...which the addressed person shall read some time (probably in the form a proper, addressed letter).

I am pleasantly and crazily shocked at my intentions and thoughts of the past. So many of these strong and clear intentions have now become reality. So there really is something to putting pen to paper. (more on these revelations in future post)

I had 2 great conversations with my friend essentially about not forgetting the fundamentals of old school ways of communicating--like talking to the people we are with in stead of getting over involved in the high tech bits in our hands. I am guilty of this at times AND it's a pet peeve of mine. Yes, I know. It's a bit of a hypocritical. I am dedicated to set more of a positive example in this--meaning the phone stays out of the hands when I am with you in person. I have been quite successful--with plenty room for improvement. We both agree that it is OK to use the phone to google things relevant to the conversation. Bottom line, don't loose sight of what is in front of you. I might even follow her example and begin hand writing notes and letters to my friends. It's an old-school revival with some new-tech tricks.

So what am I writing down now? (side bar: I have realized I have been neglecting my book...but for good reason. I have been busy out doing things and experiencing life)

I just wrote 2 fitness goals the first half of 2012(I am positive there will be more) First, to be the gym's #1 dead lift! And second, 10+ unassisted chin ups/pull ups. Both these are well within my reach. I may choose to increase or refine these goals along with hopefully adding more.

I am already amazed at my physical accomplishments. My workouts are feeling fantastic even as they completely beat my ass. My mountain bike skill and stamina is starting to amaze me. This also has greatly affected my riding confidence. I recently took my bike out to Granite Bay with the Godfather. We came upon a set of rocks which I have never been able to ride up. I am sure on the scale of technical difficulty, this is maybe a 5; but nonetheless its a new one for me. Jay shows me the line, gives me the instructions on approach, and tells me to get some.

First attempt: follow the line and hit the rocks too far inside. Crash! My right leg and knee kiss some granite. But it was kinda cool--and Jay immediately tells me, "Do it again!"

Second attempt: Get some refining points and some encouraging "Do it! You *****!" Follow the line, same result. This time, I got my knee really well. (Really, I am not a masochist; but I do enjoy displaying my "learning marks.")

The third and fourth attempts yielded the same approximate results, but I was improving. Yes I got me some more of that granite.

Finally the fifth time, perfect line, perfect entry, right entry speed. Nailed it--almost. This time, no rock-kissing. I was astonished I actually did it and did not pedal through the rocks as I should have. Next time, I will blast through it like nothin'.

Tada gan iarracht.

There is more...

Later

Breaking the seal...and steppin' out!

Has it really been 2ish years since I mentioned anything more than 300-500 characters at a time?

Yeah, yeah...

I am going to dedicate a couple days and evenings to assembling something fun, interesting, compelling, and probably partially revealing. We'll see how many of the thoughts, feelings, and experiences will string together eloquently enough to keep you reading and interested.

I most always use nickname references--unless expressly ok'ed by said person so I can protect the innocent and less innocent. You're welcome, friends.

Ok! Most of my friends already know this, but I am currently on sabbatical from work. Its been a marvelous time so far. I still have about 5 weeks left (took a total of 11 weeks off). I know... most of my non-coworker friends usually shoot playful daggers at me and tell me I suck.

I am going to do my best to give you some kind of narrative of events in my life. And to catch up to present moment, I am going to have to go Tarrantino on you--minus corpses in cars and such. What I mean is I am not going to maintain a chronological timeline type of a story. I am going to select times and elaborate on them. I will promise to mostly tag a date to such stories.

So let's at least give a quick update on what's happened so far on my sabbatical. I will start with Day 0 and go from there in montage style (background music pending). I will have more sabbatical detail (maybe) in a subsequent post.

Here is the montage:

• Day 0: Indoor Kart Racing and Beers with great coworkers
• Week 1: SoCal with Squirt. Went to Legoland and stayed with my Fav fam! Also got to Disneyland, Newport/Balboa, and some other stuff. 1000 miles logged on the Suby!
• Week 2: Christmas. (AND NO SNOW) Holiday with the fam in the No and my fam in Roseville. Spent an amazing week at home recovering from the road trip. New Years! Happy New Year!
• Week 3: Starting things with a bang and a twist. Had to do a New Years Redo! Thanks! Home on dad duty. Exercise like crazy. Crossfit, Riding, but NO SNOW. Okay Mother Nature, I am going to where you are snowing. Plans for Week 4--Oregon, Washington, and maybe BC.
• Week 4: UHM......mother nature shut the tap off up north. Flummoxed! The wind takes me where? My best friend, J, says to me, "I'm going to Pismo for some business, wanna go?" Hell yes! Roll to Pismo by way of Santa Cruz to see my boy Skip. (good times, bro!) Pismo was fantastic. Climbed a mountain, surfed, did Crossfit, met some interesting new people, hung with J's fam, and even got some wine tasting in.
  
• Week 4a: I am not done with week 4. It continued past the Pismo road trip. We rolled home on Friday. I proceeded to turn back around after Squirt's first basketball game (what fun experience that was...more later) and drove all the way to San Diego to see a friend from high school. 4a can summed up with 2 words: SUNDAY FUNDAY! **JP, damn fine host you are! Can't wait til the next trip.** Week 4 total Miles -- 1900 miles!
• Week 5: Home with Squirt. Poor guy is sick. We can both use this time to rest and recover. We had an amazing dad/son week. MOTHER NATURE FINALLY DECIDES TO SNOW!!!
• Week 6: Best dad, ever! To reward Squirt for doing well in school and having great behavior, I take him out of school to go boarding. Epic! Exhausting! More to come. Snowboarded Tuesday, Snowshoed and Wine Tasted Wednesday, Ran Thursday, Rode Friday, Wine Tasted Sat and Sun. Every single moment from this week was fantastic and significant. I can't wait to elaborate more.
• Week 7: TBD--already got a great ride in.

So how is my life right now?

Short answer: Blessed.

This has been one fun, but challenging journey. Some great ups. Some difficult lows. I do feel fortunate to have harnessed a lot of love and good energy from all the experiences I have had in the past couple years (and several prior to those).

This last month has been one of great reflection, great connection, and amazing doors opening. On my way back and forth to/from San Diego, I had all this time to think through so many threads dangling in my mind. Thanks to great driving conditions and some fantastic music courtesy of Pandora and Amazon, I came home feeling wonderful. Many questions answered. Many feelings resolved. I had a great walkabout; this is how I can best put it.

So, what did I learn? I will let you know that in my next post or ten, I suppose.

I can say this--what I have learned, and what new doors have opened since that trip have been nothing short of amazing and significant. I am full of joy. I am full of love and surrounded by good people.

This whole thing is just getting better and better.

Until next time, kiddies!

Insert Motivation --HERE--

Its been a long time coming from the depths of denial and apathy. How many times did I half-heartedly attempt to change my ways? I don't have enough fingers and toes to count. Things were fine, I would convince myself. I'm enjoying myself. I can still hang. I did it before. I know what to do. Deflection, excuses, denial: all ways to keep me from facing the truth. That truth: that I was unhealthy, overweight, losing touch with the inner fire, out of balance, and deep inside--UNHAPPY.

Yes, you read that right. I have done this before. 14 years ago I embarked on a similar journey. Ever since I was about 10, I have been big in varying degrees; and after I began college--with all the fun temptations, lack of interscholastic sports, and general chicanary--I found myself 21 years old, 300+ pounds, and wanting to change. It is hard to put it into words, but there I was in hotel room on a business trip in New Hampshire--and I finally had enough. It was a light switch that suddenly flipped. My motivation--while difficult to describe to you--was clear and present in my mind. Upon return home, I immediately got down to business. I reached out to friends who I knew could help. One in particular, who was a personal trainer, helped me put my plan in place. And 2 years later I was 211 pounds, loving life, and making the best of it all. It was easy to change my habits--I just needed motivation. Sounds too easy, right? It is. Because its not just motivation. It's the acceptance of reality and wanting to do something to change.

So what happened between then and now? Short answer: Life. When I first moved to Folsom, there were several factors which contributed to gradual decline in fitness. My focus was on 1) career, 2) fun, and 3) whatever could be squeezed in from there. I lost my way, and I didnt care that I did.

As my health and fitness gradually declined. I did not want to face the truth. I didnt think it was that big of deal. I would try something to get back on track and would give up. I would think about motivating factors--feeling better, looking better, enjoying life--but I would fall back to my apathetic habits. I would deflect offers of help by sanctimoniously saying "Don't tell me what I need to do. I've done it before." Like I said above, I was deflecting away from the reality that I KNEW that my habits were unhealthy and unsustainable. I didnt want to face that reality. I was "happy" in my ignorance.

Fast forward to 2010. All those years of apathy were starting to take their toll. I found myself at my heaviest recorded weight. My "happiness" had deminished and now was not so happy. And it was affecting everything in my life: my health, my work, and my relationships. I started to peel away the curtains of denial and apathy, and I realized that this can not be sustained. My mind jumped to the words of Morgan Freeman's character, Red, from the "Shawshank Redemption." He said, "Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'." I knew that it was time to change. Time to get back to taking care of of this earthly vehicle that has been leased to me. The lightswitch. I found it. It was right here all along.

For sake of brevity, that last paragraph was a distilation of several weeks/months of reflection, turmoil, and rediscovery. But the key message is I faced these things and I no longer judged myself for being a failure in this area of my life. I accepted that I was where I was and was finally ready to start on that trek back up that hill.

In the 3 weeks since the start of the largest loser, I have enjoyed every minute of it. It hasn't been a sacrifice. It feels natural and habitual. I love feeling the progress and change occur in my body and mind. I love feeling this way--period! The other folks in the contest are great, and its great to help inspire others to find their mojo as well as to be inspired by them. I may get wrapped up in the contest some times, but all in all I am focused on making good choices and enjoying the time that has been given to me on this planet. I look forward to making more progress. And I look forward to sharing more.

Peace, Love, Joy

Cheers!