2009 started off with a bang with the Penguin Plunge and then three nights up in Pismo Beach enjoying the central coast.  But I’m back at work now, alternating some briefing with some de-Christmasing of the Casa and a bit of gym strategizing that became necessary after seeing the Penguin Plunge pictures.   Going to have to look at coordinated plungewear next year, like these gentlemen on the Central Coast [gallery] .  The Chippendale look might give the New Years event just the formality it deserves.  Laundry and dishes and accounts receivable are rounding out the agenda here at the end of the extended holiday.  Then I can try and post the weekend’s photos.

Ready to put this miserable excuse for a week behind me and take a little weekend roadtrip. Time to test out the new wetsuit somewhere between here and Ventura. Disgusted with myself that I’ve had it for a week now and it hasn’t even been near the water. There’s been something seriously wrong with my priorities.

Win or draw next Tuesday (no loss because I still get to spend the rest of my life with the man I love), we’re planning a short roadtrip for the following weekend. A couple of days with Diego running in the sand and Chuck field testing the new wetsuit should do wonders for morale. This has been one of those elections where you learn who your real friends are, and who just nods and smiles. I’ll be glad to put it behind me. That also means I’m near the end of my run with KPBS too. Been fun, and a learning experience writing for a much broader audience, but I’m ready to put some of that time and energy back into Howling Point and Beachlaw. There’s a dog here that needs to be idolized.

Marketing is an amazing thing.  Rather than slap a $50 cleaning fee on our bill to allow Diego to stay with us last week, The Cliffs allowed us to purchase the Laps of Luxury package.  For $50 we got a dog bed, a water bowl, a souvenir dog tag and a room service menu specially tailored for Diego’s needs.   They even had a vegetarian option for our canine companions.  My favorite?  The Chow Hound Chicken.

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast, Basmati Rice, Scrambled Eggs

• Small Dog 4 oz – 11.
• Big Dog 8 oz – 18.

I was tempted to order it for myself one morning, but no, we did not order it for Diego.  We love him, but not that much.

This is the third day in a row for triple-digit temperatures here, topping out at 108 yesterday according to the desktop widget.  Nice way to start the summer.  Too hot to do much of anything, including all the stuff I was going to get too as soon as I got back from vacation.  Feels like the vacation got extended, but without the handy walkway to the beach.

As I pack up vacation toys and sync the documents I’ll need for tomorrow’s hearing, I’m wondering why I never made a series of roadtrip banners for the site.  Oh well, maybe making the place look like someone’s still here will deter thieves and spammers.  There may be posts from the road, or maybe not.

In the interim, here are some thoughts on the upcoming election via The Bradlands.

 

Yes, I should be finishing up this template and doing lots of work-type things.  Instead I’m shutting down the office and heading up to San Francisco for a few days.  Time for some me time. 

It all keeps coming back to the sinuses.  While emerging from the food coma Thursday I felt a bit sinusy and did meds to get me through a late client meeting.  Then after walking in the coastal night air and sitting in a Starbucks for an hour going over documents I felt worse so I did more sinus meds.  While my sinuses felt great, my eyeballs and throat dried out, and some of the sinus meds got lost and thumped on the nuked prostate, as cold and sinus meds tend to do.  That wiped out my Friday.  So I was off meds for a while and force-feeding healthy foods to my sinuses.  Now I’m trying that moderation nonsense, but after napping most of the afternoon I suspect I won’t sleep tonight, which will just make me cranky. 

 I’ve got to get them  (and the rest of me) healthy enough to work Monday, survive the Penguin Plunge Tuesday*, and head out on a little surf trip the rest of the week.  Of course a couple days bobbing up and down in the ocean will probably just give me a head cold and get my sinuses all uppity again, but you’ve got to enjoy these things when they come up. 

On a related note, what do the sinuses do for me anyways?  Why can’t I just jettison them like tonsils or sobriety?  (more…)

It must be the first of the month – the neighbors have a new Pay Rent or Quit notice on their front door.

Busy in the cube, busy in the courthouse, making a bit of an effort to get busy at home, and in the rare times I’m here in the virtual retreat I’ve been tweaking the backend rather than posting for y’all. No apologies, just ‘splaining.

Snuck away for my first swim in over a week this afternoon, and starting to make plans an October roadtrip. Both are helping with the attitude. That, plus the fact that tomorrow morning at dawn the cube-people’s electronic leash passes to another minion. My one week out of four is almost at an end. The weekend is one day away and looking beautiful. Maybe with a happier Chuck and the slightly more tolerable weather we’ve had the last few days, Pongo will even come out and play.

It’s official now. I’m 41 years old. The little roadtrip went well, despite some bad weather.

Long Beach was a blast and started out with a late breakfast at at Chuck’s Coffee Shop, across the street from the swim complex. Great food and great service with an overflow crowd of swimmers and others there for the meet. The name of the place didn’t hurt matters either – it was a nice way to start off my birthday.

I saw the prelims from Day 3 of the four day Pac 10 Men’s Swimming Championships. Many pictures were taken and many ‘Go Bears’ were yelled. I put some of the pics up at the Vista gallery; I was happy with the results but still have some work to do on getting comfortable with the timing and autofocus on the new Canon. I read this morning that Cal ended up coming in second place. Oh well, still had a great time, better luck next year.

Pongo and I were in Palm Springs Saturday and Sunday. Rain on Saturday, but Sunday was beautiful and I got some pool time in before heading out to meet the parents for a great lunch on the way back to San Diego.

Had a good time in Palm Springs (good people, food, drinks, etc.), but the Pongo-friendly motel I’ve stayed at this visit, and my last few visits as well, definitely seems to be in decline. Time to start looking around for a new place where he can watch his puppy pornAnimal Planet while I enjoy the desert community.

I’m still going through the pics from Saturday and Sunday and will probably not finish until tomorrow.