Road Tripping Around Phoenix

I'm on a break from Facebook, but not from blogging :-)

Anthony and I took a little road trip today toward the southeast of us, first taking a trip to Casa Grande (the ruins of a large 4-story Hohokam pueblo house) and then to Biosphere 2 (former "failed" self-sustaining biodome experiment, now a research center of the Univ of Arizona)

In Reverse Order: Leaving California, Yosemite Adventure, and Leaping out of a Flying Airplane

After 1.5 years, it's time to move on for greener pastures! Actually, the pastures will be quite a bit *less* green. I've been offered a job transfer to the Phoenix, Arizona area. As one of my mentors explained to me when I spoke with him regarding making the decision to leave: "When you see the leaves coming down from the trees, get ready for the fall." In other words, make like a tree and get out of here!

I love working for my company, they're helping with the move, and the new location has many more opportunities for a burgeoning mechanical engineer - so, here I go! Unlike when I left Ohio, however, I'm taking somebody with me this time. Anthony's coming too.

Two weeks ago, we picked out our new apartment and aside from planning yet another Awesome Roadtrip to commemorate the move, we're good to go.

You have to admit, this doesn't look like a bad place to live (at least in November):



One of the things I've wanted to do for a while was visit Yosemite and had never gotten around to it. Last weekend, my good friend Kathleen journeyed with me to Yosemite National Park. She's an experienced Yosemiter, and was able to show me around most of the big sights in the span of a day, as I needed. We did the whirlwind tour - Kathleen has been many times so she knew how to fit in the most in a day. Bridalviel falls, Happy Isles, Vernal Falls, Curry Village, Ahwahnee Hotel, Yosemite Village, Lower Yosemite Falls and driving to the big vista points where we could see Half Dome and the rest of Yosemite Falls. It was probably only about 4 miles of hiking but was still so exhausting!



Also, on Halloween I did this in Monterey:

Scooby-dooby-doo!

The Scooby Doo live action prequel was delightful. Yay!

Lack of Sleep

It is difficult to do important things like eating and sleeping during Comic Con. Matt joined our group on Friday and last night, after he supplied the room with an ample amount of beer, we stayed up telling stories and being silly.

I succeeded in meeting Randy, Jeph and Aeire (pronounced Eye-ree I learned) just a few moments ago, though my mind has reached a critical loss of functionality. Difficult to type. Difficult to remember questions I wanted to ask them, forgot to take Jeph's picture but I got Randy trying to eat Aeire's brains and I got signed drawings or purchased something from everyone. Kit bought me coffee. Delicious coffee.

We went to dinner last night at a place called "Cafe Diem" which was really a small Hard Rock cafe in the Gaslamp district that they covered all the walls with Syfy (HATE THAT NEW NAME) swag. It was pretty neat, and I had the best ham & swiss sandwich of my life.



Now it's time to watch Scooby Doo!

Webcomicsing at Comic Con!

After the Meet the Guild Panel yesterday, I did my rounds at Webcomics Alley. I met Jennie Breeden - Devil's Panties, Lar DeSouza - the artist for Least I Could Do and Looking for Group, and my favorite: Richard Stevens of Diesel Sweeties. He was every bit as funny and smart as his comic makes him seem (plus he's a cat person!). We chatted for a while about Ohio, Amtrak and traveling the country and he was kind enough to sign my book and draw me a picture.



The other artists I wanted to see (Jeph of Questionable Content, Randy of Something Positive and Aeire of Punch n' Pie) were not at the booths (like they have to eat or use the restrooms? *please*)

Kit and I sat in on the Syfy panel in the evening and saw the next episodes of Warehouse 13 and Eureka as well as some promos for Ghost Hunters and I don't remember what else. Eureka seems like a fun show, I may have to watch it. Maybe it's on Hulu?

This morning, I met Ryan Sohmer, the writer for LICD/LFG, who was also pretty awesome.



The panels have all been pretty packed and we've not had a lot of luck. We couldn't get into the Futurama Panel, but we lucked out on the Ray Bradbury panel, for which I am waiting right now (inside the room). Apparently the Green Lantern panel before it wasn't very popular, and there were a lot of seats open.

Now I'm going to eat my granola bars. I'm hungry, and I'm glad Kit advised me to bring snacks to the con.

San Diego Comic Con! Day 1

After a somewhat-comedy-of-errors experience, I am finally inside the vast halls of the San Diego Convention Center!

I arrived at the San Jose airport yesterday afternoon to the devastating news that the flight had been overbooked and that I did not have a seat. Luckily, somebody that had checked in online never actually showed up, so I ended up with a seat after all! Plus, it was in the front row.

Due to my lack of being able to understand the concept of time and directions, I ended up getting in line for registration just moments too late. I'm not ashamed to admit that I cried. Okay, I am ashamed to admit it. Now the internets know.

After complaining to my mom and the boyfriend, I discovered a friendly-looking wine bar across the street from the convention center - The San Diego Wine & Culinary Center. For $7, you could taste 3 local wines, and the portions seemed generous enough to me. Shortly, I was joined by my friends (Kit & Chris) and we entertained ourselves by reading through Kingdom of Loathing's Choose Your Own Adventure novel.

Now, I am in line for the Meet the Guild Panel so that I may meet my favorite actress, the very lovely, smart and funny Felicia Day.

Chrysler Cirrus!

This is a the story of my car, but it is also a love story.

I take you now back to the summer of 2005. Young Emily is a sophomore at the University of Toledo and is working at her first mechanical engineering internship at an automotive insulation manufacturing plant.

The sun beats down mercilessly as Emily climbed into the Chevy Lumina. Bright cherry red. 1991. Bought off one of her boyfriend's old friend at a reasonable price several months prior. This was the second year in a row that her income tax returns went to buying another old car. (The story of the Mazdmacrapmobile was still fresh in her mind, but that's a story for another time) Shortly thereafter, the exhaust would split open completely, causing the car to roar frightfully at each ignition. It was perfect for scaring small children.

Unforgiving Toledo winters and a neverending cycle of rain and salt and grime had let a spattering of rust claim the car's body, frame and undercarraige. It was expected that any time work needed to be done on the car, it was because rust had choked out and shattered some vital component.

Today, the front windows didn't want to work. The odomoter didn't want to work. The speedometer didn't want to work. Emily flipped the switch for the rear windows. Success. Time to hit traffic. Three miles past the manufacturing plant, she ran over a set of railroad tracks.

CLUNK!

Smoke began pouring from under the hood. Cussing. Emily pulled over to the side of the road and grabbed her cell phone. "Well, it finally happened. It's dead," she spoke into the reciever.

It really was dead this time. With a week of pay and borrowed money, she headed to the car dealerships. Briefly tempted by a brand sparkling new Mitsubishi Eclipse, Emily thought she'd go for a more practical car and headed to the local BAD CREDIT? No CREDIT? NO PROBLEM?! lot where the nice folks at J. D. Byrider promised her she'd drive home with a shiny pretty car that very same day.

It was pretty shiny. It was white with a black leather interior. It even SMELLED shiny. Her engineering senses perked up at the ergonomic flourishes. Every button, gear, switch all within a flick of her fingertips. She test drove it, steering it over the bumps and ruts in the road. There was no violent rocking or clanking; this car floated.

Gave them the money, signed papers. They put it all on film in a little room in the back of the building.

For one whole month, Emily and her car floated along the highways to and from the manufacturing plant, to and from downtown, to and from college, to and from parties. At night, the seats were a cold shock, and by day, they burned with fire of a thousand suns... but that car sure could float over those bumps.

The next week, some mysterious anonymous miscreant tried to pry open the hood and smacked the front of the hood with what must have been a crowbar. It was sad and frustrating on such a shiny pretty new car, but not worth the cost of repairing.

One night a month later, she shared beers with her boyfriend at one of their friends' apartments downtown. When it was time to leave, boyfriend begrudgingly agreed to take the keys. Emily drowsily curled up in the passenger's seat. The cold seats felt comforting. As they pulled out of the parking garage, they were met with what appeared to be a wall of water. The rain was so thick, it was as if being underwater. No matter, they drove on and reached the highway.

Traffic was sparse, but the puddles were plenty. "If I drive fast enough, I can get through this one," boyfriend announced as he approached what will heretofore be referred to as Lake Toledo.

The engine revved, the car sprung forward and a tremendous and muddy tsunami-like splash enveloped them. Suddenly and silently, the car glided to a stop. It just floated.

They got out of the car, the water up to their knees. Emily walked around to the drivers side, and boyfriend pushed the car as she steered out of Lake Toledo. She turned the key in the ingnition. Click. Again. Click. They both sat in the car in silent frustration, the only sound the merciless roar of pouring ran.

"Hydrolocked," said the man at the repair shop. She'd paid for the extra warranty. J. D. Byrider charged her $20 to replace the whole engine. With an increased vocabulary and a fear of puddles, Emily and Chrysler were reunited one month later and were ready to engage in a long string of adventures.

Road Trips! Cincinnati, Ohio. Madison, Wisconsin. Chicago, Illionois. Killington, Vermont. Orlando, Florida. Some locations several times.

Emily moved from the suburbs to a big house close to the university with her fraternity brothers. The morning of Martin Luther King Day 2006, Emily woke up at 5am to get into work at her internship early. She'd left her purse downstairs, and when she went to retrieve it, found it spilled open on the floor. All the computers were missing. The house had been robbed while they slept upstairs.

The police arrived and had them make a list of everything that was lost.

"Did they steal any of your keys?" the officer asked.
"Let me check."

The keys were gone. Emily looked outside and finally noticed her parking spot was empty. The robbers had apparently made off with the car as well. She dropped to her knees dramatically.

"NOOOO!"

Then there was the elation. No more car payments if the car is never returned! No more 22% APR we-screw-you-in-the-you-know-what loan!

It turned up seven days later. Toledo's finest had the car impounded before Emily could retrieve it from the street. Of course, the CD player was stolen. That was to be expected. Even though the robbers had had the keys, they still felt it necessary to bust out the front driver's side window. Against the cold black leather seats, the broken glass looked like handfuls of sparkling grains of rice. That wasn't the fun part.

In a bout of cruel irony, the police had parked the car in the impound lot in a puddle of water which was knee deep. Just like Lake Toledo. Emily didn't want her Chrysler to float again. They pushed it out of Lake Toledo, icy January water and mud seeping into tennis shoes. Feeling even more violated, she paid the nice Toledo police $150 to get her stolen car back from impound. The robbers probably only got $30 for the stolen stereo. The bill for fixing the damaged window and door topped $500, and Emily fought with her insurance company for months to get the repair done.

She got her insurance agent fired, but she'll never get insurance from Unitrin ever again.

For years later, Emily would vacuum little glass grains of rice from inside the Chrysler. They're still there, tucked in the seats and cracks of all of the doors. In three separate Toledo locations, the Chrysler would be broken into once more. One of these times, her TI-89 calculator was stolen (engineering nerdery ++) but the other times all the thieves made out with was spare change.

Three times there were attempts to pop her locks, but only once were they successful in more than just damaging the door. That time, Emily just gave up and left the popped lock to rust and fester. For less money, she bought a car alarm with a combination of remote key entry and remote start. There were no break-in attempts since.

The good times returned. More road trips. Cincinnati, Ohio. Madison, Wisconsin. Chicago, Illionois. Killington, Vermont. Orlando, Florida. Some locations several times.

One day, the air conditioner caught on fire. Emily lived without it for over a year, until eventually it was college graduation time and she decided to move to California.

She looked at other cars but couldn't bear the thought of abandoning Chrysler (and of having car payments again). Emily had the air conditioning fixed and prepped the car for the 4-day, 3,000 mile journey from Toledo to the Silicon Valley(with looping down through Amarillo, Roswell, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas of course).

Finally, they arrived. In the bay area of California, there were new sights to see: San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Berkeley. Unfortunately for poor Chrysler Cirrus, it will not live to see more.

My baby is dying.

She's leaking transmission fluid and oil heavily. Her Ohio origin shocks and bewilders the mechanics here. How is the underside so rusty? When people here are in the snow, they hose off their cars afterwards in fear of The Rust.

There wasn't much point to hosing off your undercarriage if one is constantly needing to park one's vehicle in a pile of slushy, salty snow-grime. That's Toledo! That's the midwest!

She was a good car for Ohio, and a great car to get me through innumerable adventures throughout my college career. She's in her last few days now before I sadly trade her in (because rust scares Californians - nobody would buy this car) for a newer, shinier, prettier car.

I think I will get a convertible. Chrysler will understand. It's the Californian thing to do.

The Aftermath of California's Prop 8

I'm really struggling with the response to the passage of California's Prop 8. I'm a big supporter of same-sex marriage. If the state wants to call it something different than "marriage," that's fine, as long as it carries the same legal benefits and definitions... I think it's all very silly, for lack of a better word.

While the result for Prop 8 hasn't been "officially" declared (won't be until Dec 9th) it's currently passing by around half a million votes. I don't imagine that that gap is going to be bridged.

There are myriad theories being thrown around as to why, in California, the "Left Coast," could such a measure have passed?
1. The text of the law was confusing. People thought a "Yes" vote was a vote in FAVOR of Same-Sex marriage.
2. Minority voters, the vast majority of whom were Barack Obama supporters, are by vast majority against same-sex marriage.
3. The Mormon LDS Church out of Utah organized a massive effort to pass Prop 8 in California.

Theory #1:
From my personal standpoint, the text of this law was made very clear. In California, they do a fantastic job at (attempting) to educate voters. Every registered voter gets sent a big packet in which the full text and approximate cost to taxpayers of each proposition is detailed. Additionally, an analysis by supporters on each side of the issue is provided. The ballot measure of Prop 8 clearly read, "Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry." Below that, if that wasn't clear enough, were the words: "A yes vote on this measure is a vote to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry."
When I went for early voting, there was a 2.5-hr wait. Somebody had been thoughtful enough to lay out additional voter information guides, and I had plenty of time to read up on issues on which I was still rough.
Now, if somebody had moved and didn't update their address and if they didn't watch television or read the newspaper for the last six months, I could see them being confused by a potential campaign of misinformation. It's possible. However, if you look at the map of California counties and how they voted, there is a very clear pattern in the image to the left - the red counties (who voted No) are primarily on both the coast and bordering Reno, Nevada, and the green counties (who voted Yes) are in the more rural, mountainous and desert regions.

Theory #2:
The image beside this paragraph is CNN's map of votes for president in the 2008 election. Barack Obama passed by a large margin in the state, and some people were hoping that this meant that Prop 8 would fail by a large margin as well. There is a large problem with that hope, however. Barack Obama does NOT support gay marriage; he supports civil unions and is against a federal definition of marriage.
From CNN:

Barack Obama Opposes same-sex marriage, but also opposes a constitutional ban. Says he would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment. As stated on the Obama campaign Web site, he supports full civil unions that "give same-sex couples equal legal rights and privileges as married couples, including the right to assist their loved ones in times of emergency as well as equal health insurance, employment benefits, and property and adoption rights."

California already has domestic partnerships. Perhaps the majority of Obama supporters believed that DPs are "enough."
To my confusion, shortly before the election, Obama shifted his position on same-sex marriage and asked California voters to vote NO on Prop 8. Did he mean a state constitutional ban or a federal constitutional ban, or is he just trying to have his cake and eat it too?
Side note: What good is a cake you can't eat?
I've heard a few of my colleagues mention that (some) minorities see Prop 8 as an issue for "rich white folks." The stereotype is a gay white man with disposable income, who has to worry about passing on health insurance, life insurance and inheritance. The theory goes that a lot of minorities don't have these luxuries to pass on, so they do not sympathize with this person. There isn't much to back up that theory, however, as, just from a quick look, the most diverse areas of the state were the ones with the least support for Prop 8.

Theory #3
According to some sources members of the Mormon LDS church (both inside and outside of California) contributed $20million to the "Yes on Prop 8" campaign. With over $70million (Whoa!) being "thrown" at this issue on either side, that's a pretty hefty chunk. Some, because of this effort, want to challenge the tax exempt status of the Mormon Church. Far be it for me to further interpret the law, but I imagine that a congregation willing to part with over $20million of life savings, college funds, etc., is not going to be stopped by having to pay taxes. Furthermore, this effort will only further alienate the LDS from the LGBTQ community, if that is even possible.

There is a lot of hurt and anger right now from many on the "No on Prop 8" side. Some fight back with litigation against the constitutionality of the proposition (again). Some fight back with questioning the tax exempt status of the Mormon Church. Some fight back with threatening to stop paying state taxes (i.e., Melissa Etheridge).

A very moving editorial was passed on to me that I'd like to share.

Even outside of Prop 8, I think we should all be careful not to propagate bigotry and hate with more bigotry and hate. After all, this is an issue about love.

Business Tripping

I had the opportunity to visit the Phoenix area one week for training, and then come back for a work group face-to-face the next week and so got a little taste of what it's like to travel a lot. I still don't mind it, but I'm happy to be able to "relax" a little at home. For one thing, I *always* forget something important at home.

Highlights of the trip were a visit at the Pueblo Grande Museum and a hike on Camelback Mountain (which is actually closer to Paradise City, aptly named).

Pueblo Grande Museum had only a $5 admission. The centerpiece was the Hohokam Platform Mound, which the museum has attempted to preserve. They also had replicas of adobe houses and a desert garden all along a 2/3 mile trail.

On Camelback Mountain, I took the easy Bobby's Rock Trail, mostly because the trails were really not well-marked and it was really difficult getting back down the mountain in my tennis shoes. I am not a seasoned hiker.

Below is a slideshow of my pictures:

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In McCainland for Election Day - OR IS IT?

I was in Chandler, Arizona for business last week, and again this week and was bothered by the highway signs. On closer, inspection, I made a harrowing discovery.

Your favorite engineer-in-training has discovered what may be the world's scariest conspiracy: the city of Chandler, which is in Arizona, home of Senator McCain, is the victim of theft by the Obama campaign. See for yourself!

Official Seal of the City of Chandler, Arizona:


Symbol of Hopey Changey Stuff:


I rest my case.

Halloweenie

Your favorite engineer-in-training celebrated her favorite holiday this past weekend! What a great way to wrap up the stressful month of October.

My company had a huge Halloween party, but I thought it inappropriate to dress up as my Main Costume: Sarah Palin. Instead, since I'm from Ohio, I already had all of the accessories to be a Cowgirl.

Much to my surprise, there were no other cowgirls or cowboys; it's such a popular costume in Ohio; what's the deal? Perhaps your small office party might be a tad awkward, but mingling with hundreds of costumed engineers you've never met certainly takes things to a new level. We had a fortune teller, a haunted "house" (read: haunted lean-to), caricature artists, and a raffle for not one, but FIVE MP3 players. I didn't get an MP3 player, but I got the next best thing - a $5 gift card to Peet's Coffee (Starbucks equivalent).

After work, it was Sarah Palin's time to shine. It's a lot of work to tease hair. I didn't quite get Palin's modest beehive, but it was effective. We started out the night at an Upscale Bowling Alley (300 San Jose), attempted to get into the Agenda Lounge (it was full), and then moved on to my favorite "dive" bar.

The picture with John McCain was a random fellow who approached me on the street. I also encountered many "constituents" who wanted to be photographed with me. Nobody asked for my autograph, however.

As a future note, it is both a bad and a good idea to dress up as a Republican in California. Bad because people were booing me everywhere I went, and good because I didn't have to pay for a single drink all night (except for at the bowling alley).

Donating Blood: ENTER IF YOU DARE!

I was 40 minutes late to my appointment to donate blood yesterday, and hadn't been to this location before, at the Cupertino Center.

"ENTER IF YOU DARE!" read yellow plastic tape stuck to the window. Immediately, I knew that this was where I needed to go to donate my blood. Whoever decorated the Cupertino office of Blood Centers of the Pacific for Halloween had some kind of a sense of humor.

I was disappointed to see no vampiric images splattered on the wall, but the irony of the Dia De Los Muertos theme was clear. Well played, Blood Centers of the Pacific.

I am taking the FE Exam tomorrow in hopes of someday becoming a "real" engineer. I hope that donating blood gives me the good karma I need to pass it :-)

Halloween is my Favorite Holiday

True story. I love the opportunity to dress up in costumes. I'd do it every day, but even though my company does not have a dress code, I'm not sure that that would give a very good impression.

The Joe came to town this past weekend for his fall break, and I was sure to give him the California treatment. This time, we went to see the Golden Gate and it was NOT ridiculously covered in fog. I took him to a few fancy restaurants, we visited Great America with my buddy Andrew, and we went up to Berkeley to visit with the members and pledges of one of our fraternity's newest colonies. Here's my review of some of the weekend's highlights.

The Golden Gate Bridge
The best spot to get an awesome view of the bridge and the San Francisco skyline is from the Battery Spencer at Fort Baker on the northwest point of the bridge. To get to it, you have to go Northbound on the bridge, then go to the next exit, take a U-turn and go toward the bridge, and you'll have to pay a $6 toll to get back to San Francisco, but it's worth it, and much better than parking on the south side of the bridge at that little park where you have to pay $5 to park unless you get one of the 10 or so spots right at the park.. but I digress. Battery Spencer was abandoned in 1943 and not much else has been done to it since then, except for some graffiti covered up by paint covered up by more graffiti, and the parks system put in some "latrines". The nice part about the fact that it's been ignored is that you are free to walk all around and inside the old ammunition storage rooms and barracks. Plus, as I mentioned, you get an awesome view from the top of the hill.

Great America's "Halloween Haunt"
At $39.99 for standard admission and $29.99 for students, that's a pretty good deal for a haunted house. Cedar Point back home in Ohio is owned by the same company, and this was Great America's first year trying the haunted weekend (except, it's called "Halloweekends" at Cedar Point). The decorations were great, and the character costumes were fantastic. The actors used loud noises to effectively startle people - no chainsaws in this park!
There were 5 "mazes" (they weren't really mazes.. there was only one path to go through). The most creative was "Club Blood," which was meant to be a vampire club, complete with sexy vampire "go-go" dancers (read: strippers, but they don't actually take off any clothes... they're just wearing corsets and such). I just know that this was somebody's fantasy, and that's why this was here. "CarnEvil" was awesome because we paid $1 for the paper 3D glasses and it was TRIPPY. We went through it twice because it was so good.
One of the water rides, Logger's Run, which is probably pretty boring otherwise, was turned into a haunted ride called "Camp Gonnagetcha". It was a lot of fun, but poor Andrew took the front of our log and got drenched. Not the best idea for a ride on an October night, even in Cali! Not everybody who got off the ride was as unlucky, however. This isn't a ride that's meant to get you soaking wet... sometimes, it just happens.
There were also 4 "fright zones" but these were basically just walkways that they had actors stand around and jump out at you from the fog.
The lines were ridiculously short on a lot of the rides, and we even caught one several times in a row. We were able to do everything in 4 hours, and it was a great time!

The Pyramid Brewery
This is where we met the Berkeley folks, who were all very cool, by the way. Try the Apricot Weizen!!! The Oregon Honey Beer is a close second.

Nerd Metal, Microbrews, and the New Apartment

Thanks to the networking benefits of Theta Tau, I've made some more friends in the area via the Theta Tau California Alumni Club. The weekend prior to this last, I met up with a few of the NorCalifornians and then proceeded on Adventures this last weekend.

Before I get ahead of myself however, I am now mostly settled into my new place. Yes, I know I was only in the previous room for 4 months, but... among other things, the commute was wearing me down. The 13 mile drive could take 90 minutes. Now, I live only about a mile and half away, and can (and do) walk to work. My next endeavor will be to speed up the trip by purchasing a bike.

Friday night, I attended a very fun concert at the gorgeous historic Fillmore in The City (that's what us locals call San Francisco) with Kit & Andrew: Sonic Arctica and Nightwish. Kit's sister calls it "Nerd Metal" because it's heavy metal that is, well, nerdy. It was my first concert since the fated Taste of Chaos Concert of 2007 in Detroit (knocked down by a crowd surfer, I lost my glasses and phone to the crowd - talk about Chaos! - but the Civic Center staff found my still-functioning phone and mailed it back to me). Anyway, this crowd was much less violent, but still very enthusiastic.



I do not understand Mosh Pits.

Sunday, I went with Andrew and his friend Matt went back up to The City for the San Francisco Brewer's Guild "Brews on the Bay" Event. The event was held upon the historic WWII Liberty ship, the Jeremiah O'Brien at Pier 45 with live music by the Raveups (*great* band). I rode Caltrain for the first time to get there and back since beer tastings + driving are not conducive to safety.


My two favorite beers were from the same brewery: Magnolia Brewery's "Cole Porter" and their "Weekapaug Gruit" (I'd never heard of a gruit before - it's a hop-less beer, and they seasoned it with sage and rosemary - very delicious). Magnolia has a very BIZARRE website.
The worst beer sounded like it was going be a bad beer: The 21st Amendment Brewery's "Hell or High Watermelon Wheat". I'm normally a big fan of "fruity" beers, but this one was, for lack of a better description, gross.

Oh, and if you haven't seen this website yet, you totally should.

Who Hits a Bear?

Not me, of course! I'll get to that story momentarily.

This past weekend, for Labor Day & the nearby birthdays of two of my three younger sisters, I flew home to Ohio to visit my family & friends. It was my first visit home since moving out here, and it was not without its always exciting challenges.

The San Jose Airport has free wifi! Other airports - take note.

I flew in to the Detroit Airport early Saturday morning. My dad, who usually transports me to and from these airport adventures, was in Connecticut visiting a sick relative, so instead, I was greeted by my mom & big brother Corey. We drove home to Toledo and no sooner did we open the car door, my dad called my mom's cell phone.

"I hit a bear. I can't believe I hit a bear!"

He was driving through Pennsylvania on his way back home when a black bear ran out in front of him. With a semi-truck right behind him, he could not exactly slam on the breaks, so he slowed down and braced for impact - which there was.


The beautiful 2-yr-old Chevy Cobalt could not stand the test of a 250-lb Pennsylvania Black Bear. Car is totaled! Bear, unfortunately had to be euthanized as he was badly injured, but not killed by the crash.

It did give us a chance to spend more time with sister Erin's fiance, however, as he volunteered to drive me, my mom, and Erin out to pick up my stranded dad. The poor guy!

That night, I relived my college days with my college friends. The next day, Joe and I drove out to Cleveland to visit his family and watch the Cleveland Air Show from the comfort of the Goodtime Cruise ship.

I also got the chance over the weekend to spend time with my ever-growing baby niece. At nearly 11 months, she is developed enough to be a danger to herself and small furry animals. The cats and ferrets, however, don't seem to mind the attention.

The only other adventure of the trip which I'll mention was a late plane causing a tight transfer between flights causing my lost luggage; however, United graciously had my luggage delivered the very next day to my house without incident.

It was a great weekend; one that reminded me both of why I wanted and wanted not to leave Ohio. If only I could take with me some of my beloved Ohioans :-)

Farewell, Interns

I feel as if I myself have gone through a transformation as my interns have. At the beginning of the summer, we were young, naive and shining with bright shiny optimism. I don't think any of that actually changed, but we sure had a heck of a time and made some fantastic memories together. There were problems with bizarro roommates, lessons on "creepiness factors," movie marathons, vibrant outings on whitewater and baywater and poolwater, and lots and lots of episodes of the British sitcom "Coupling" (and of course the hot new action-drama "Burn Notice").

Thanks for a great summer, folks! I hope our paths can cross once more; maybe twice. But that's it - then I'm done.

<3 the token white girl

My Second Visitor

Mr. Joe made the journey out to visit me during his summer vacation. Notable trips:

-Mountain Grandview Restaurant - San Jose - I took Joe here the night he flew in. I got lost in the mountains, so we didn't get to dinner at sunset for the "romantic" meal I planned, but it was still pretty neat. This was my first of many personal experiences this week with mountain driving in the bay area. This restaurant is tucked up in the middle of a remote affluent middle-of-nowhere mansion area up in the Mount Hamilton area. It looked very much like a ski lodge, but the food was quite delicious. Apparently there are a lot of regulars there because the chef herself came out to say hello to them. I noticed a bizarre man standing outside the window on the hill taking photographs of all of us inside. He then came inside and was talking to some of the restaurant patrons and the chef. When he left, the chef came over to me, put her hand on my shoulder and said, "That guy is a real weirdo."

-Monte Bello Open Space Preserve - we hiked the Stevens Creek Nature Trail. There were lots of little lizards, though the Wildcat trail in Rancho San Antonio (which I went on earlier this summer) had a lot more wildlife. The neatest part was walking along parts of the San Andreas fault where the earth had cracked open and let groundwater seep up and create marshes in the middle of this very dry park. The drive to Monte Bello from San Jose is not for the feint of heart. Curvy one-lane roads for two-way traffic along hundred feet dropoffs - something that will haunt my nightmares for years to come. I took a more roundabout, but much less frightening way back.


-Hakone Gardens - Japanese garden in Saratoga. Pretty, but didn't take very much time to get through the whole thing.

-Winchester Mystery House - The historic San Jose home of the eccentric hier to the Winchester Rifle "throne." Rumor has it, a psychic convinced her that the death of her husband and child were caused by the furious spirits of those killed by the Winchester rifles. The only way to make the spirits happy was to continuously build her home. The front 30 rooms were damaged by a 1906 earthquake; she took that as a sign that she had spent too much time on the front part of the house and boarded it up, but kept building backward. We took the grand estate tour - it was awesome.

-San Francisco - I had to book a tour of Alcatraz well in advance, and it was well worth it. We rode with Alcatraz Cruises which is apparently the only way you can actually get ON the island. Then I took Joe on the obligatory SanFran sights tour - Ghiradelli Square, trolley cars, Union Square, China Town, Lombard Street & Russian Hill. We drove over the Golden Gate bridge, but it was too foggy to see much. The drive through the intense fog and blasting winds was an unforgettable experience all of its own.

-Big Basin Redwoods Park - Boulder Creek - The drive to Boulder Creek from San Jose is ALSO not for the feint of heart. Curvy one-lane roads for two-way traffic along hundred feet dropoffs - something that will haunt my nightmares for years to come. This was on the way to our next trip, however, and it was a cool little stop. We took the 45-minute walk on the Redwood Loop Trail, which took us by some of the park's coolest trees: Mother, Father & Chimney tree. Chimney tree was my favorite. It was completely burnt out on the inside from forest fires so much that it actually supposedly expelled smoke through the top, but redwoods are so resilient, it continues to grow without its heartwood.

-Santa Cruz - The end of Joe's stay was also the last full weekend in town for my intern friends, so we made a nice go of it. We rented out a little beach house in Santa Cruz. While the oceanside house was not really a beach house so much as a right-by-a-rocky-cliff house, we could get sufficiently close to the water just the same. The waves were incredible. We were "within" "walking distance" to the boardwalk, and took the trek. Most of our time was spent at the arcade on the boardwalk. I used my tickets to buy a beach ball, and a "plug pal" (whatever that is - it was shaped like a turtle).

206 picture-slide show is below. I recommend you check out the actual album for the Full Effect.

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The Intel LollerCoaster

I couldn't make this up if I tried.

"The Intel Sean Kingston Music Video program won three awards at the 29th annual Telly Awards, taking honors in the Non-Broadcast Production-Entertainment, Internet/Online Program-Entertainment, and Internet/Online Program - Music Video/Concert categories.
The video program included a song and music video titled Gotta Move Faster that highlights how the benefits of a PC powered by Intel® Centrino® processor technology fits a busy “hip-hop” lifestyle."

It also has the Best Lyrics Ever:

"Everytime I hit the net
Get a thousand friend requests
Stay up all night
Showing all my fans respect
Ain’t what u look like girl, it’s more about what u got inside
And if you rock the Intel baby, then holla at me online"

Gotta Move Faster

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Great Times at Great America

Mike, Wendy & I enjoyed a day reliving our childhoods at Great America. It's literally blocks from our office, but I hadn't been yet. They had season passes, which end up paying off themselves if you visit just even just twice. Well played, Great America.

We spent the majority of the time in Boomerang Bay, the water park. The water slides & wave pool were fit for many hours of entertainment, and early in the day, the crowds weren't bad at all.

Two Months In - West Coast Living

Now that I'm done with college, I have time for something I'd always heard so much about: Hobbies.

1.) Hiking
I'm sure that you could tell I like doing this, because you saw my pictures from Rancho San Antonio earlier this summer

2.) Trying to Do One Hundred Pushups
Inspired by some coworkers, I'm in week 2 of the 6-week program at HundredPushups.com which trains you to get up to - you guessed it - 100 good-form pushups.

3.) World of Warcraft
On the less physical side of the spectrum - I play the popular MMORPG known as World of Warcraft. I am a level 60 Blood Elf Paladin named Sheepia.

4.) One very special project near and dear to my heart that will be ready for viewing within the next week or so.