Noggin Thought

I went hiking with Ooh and some of her friends in the Santa Monica Mountains this past weekend. It was something I’ve never done in Southern California before. I don’t know why they’re called the Santa Monica Mountains, they’re no where near Santa Monica. We weren’t even in LA county. We drove past Malibu all the way to Ventura County before we even ventured up the road to the trailhead. It seems a little arrogant for Santa Monica to claim mountains that aren’t near it’s location. I might have to have a talk with Santa Monica. When we got there it was a still a nice day with moderate temperatures (in the sun) and a slight breeze. So we began our 6 mile adventure.

Our path started from the Sandstone Peak Trailhead. From there we headed to a fork and it was decision time. To the left was Sandstone Peak to the right Mishe Mokwa Trail. We wanted to see the peak but we came for the trail, the peak would have to wait.

Mishe Mokwa Trail was outstanding. Maybe it was the time of year, I don’t know. Obviously I’m not the seasoned hiker. There were many different colorful flowers, cool rock formations like Balanced Rock at the Echo Cliffs, and miles of mountains. The trail varied from cliffside to forest, and hard packed dirt to loose and rocky. Loose and rocky didn’t work to well for me because I chose to wear my Vibram KSOs that day. They are great for barefoot-like trekking but small rocks don’t agree with the bottoms of my feet. It’s okay, I’ll be fine. After about 3 miles Mishe Mokwa Trail connected to Backbone Trail.

Backbone Trail was not as enjoyable as Mishe Mokwa Trail for a few reasons none of which are the trail’s fault. It was starting to get cold and windy and time was ticking away. And 6 city folk on a mountain trail with no cellphone reception is how horror movies start. Now I wasn’t concerned with some mountain beast playing a cat and mouse game with us but I was looking forward to the warmth of the car that we were still miles away from. And the damn small rocks were no picnic when trying to walk downhill in Vibrams. Backbone Trail was closer to the peaks so there was more open space. Still had great views, including a few of the ocean. And it took us to Sandstone Peak, the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains (more like Ventura County Mountains).

Well all 6 of us made it back to the car…even though 8 of us started the hike. The other 2 had to leave early…or did they?

My feet were only slightly angry the next day. I would recommend that hike if you have an entire day. We started a little late so it didn’t allow us to enjoy the second half. So I’m telling you to take a hike!…in the Santa…I mean Ventura County Mountains.

I’ve been playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for the last couple of weeks. This is how late hours of my nights are spent. At about 2230 (sometimes earlier) I move my comfortable chair in front of the TV, fill up my water bottle, make sure my snacks are close by, strap on the headset, and power up the 360. Ooh used to laugh at this setup, now she’ll occasionally watch for a few minutes and ask questions about the game. It’s a slow process but she’s getting cooler day by day. Eventually she may play a game. I’ll keep you posted but don’t hold your breath.

Bad Company 2 multi-player is great. It’s so enjoyable that I haven’t even touched the single player campaign yet. I used to play Modern Warfare 2 multi-player almost every night. Even though there were numerous frustrating things to deal with. There were the little bitches that would use the Lightweight Marathon Commando setup; which means you can move faster, sprint forever, and knife enemies from farther away. One would think, well if it’s part of the game then you just have to get better to defend against it. No. I don’t care if you are a Commando you can’t run through bullets and kill me with one knife thrust; which would be the last option in war. Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t do it so neither can you. Then there were the whores that would use dual shotguns. Again, one might think, it’s part of the game, deal with it! But in this case the shotgun was accurate and lethal at large distances while being wielded with one hand. It was bullshit! I got tired of signing on to play and hoping to not run into people using the bitch setup. Now, I don’t deal with that. Occasionally I’ll have teammates that are a little lost or do stupid things but it’s been much more bearable.

In Bad Company 2 there is a Squad Deathmatch gametype. It’s simple, there are 4 squads and you kill members of the other squads to reach 50 kills the fastest. Used to play something similar in MW2 but I rarely play Deathmatch now, and I definitely don’t play MW2. Now I play the Rush gametype which is attacking/defending bases and the Conquest gametype which is securing bases. It’s so much more rewarding to play a game where teamwork matters. I can revive and heal teammates when I’m a Medic; I can provide ammo when I’m an assault trooper; I can spot the enemy and call in mortar strikes when I’m Recon; and I can repair vehicles when I’m an Engineer. All in all very good, balanced gameplay.

I recommend it but only if you like working with a team to reach a common goal. Bitches need not apply.

I don’t like having to learn a lesson more than once, but today I re-learned a simple one the hard way: Don’t eat a crappy lunch when you have a tough CrossFit met-con (metabolic conditioning) workout. My performance was shitty, after the workout I felt shitty, and I probably need to go have a shitty. While Jody Maroni’s Sausage Kingdom can be tasty (if you like sausage), it’s just not worth it. The #1 is the Jody’s Sausage Special. It comes with any sausage sandwich, regular fries, & regular soda. Why did I do that?…You know, even while I was eating the #1 I was saying to myself, I probably shouldn’t be doing this, it’s gonna cause #2.

I still got a decent time (all met-con workouts are timed), but I think I could’ve done better. It’s not enough for me to do well by overcoming my stupidly created obstacle. But I understand that sometimes we have to be smacked upside the head cause we lose focus. That’s what today was, but it wasn’t my head that got smacked because everything else hurts…It’s fine. It’s over, and I won’t make this mistake again.

Jody Maroni’s: 0
CrossFit: 1

Tomorrow may be a nice salad with grilled chicken or some simple tacos.

I was in Mammoth this weekend (2/26-2/28). The forecast showed a storm for Friday night. Not sure when it was supposed to happen on Friday night, but we hoped we could make it into town before the storm…we didn’t. Except for one other trip which, sadly, ended before it started due to snow just north of Mojave, CA and me not having the right sized chains, I hadn’t seen this kind of snow on the road before. It was coming down in large, almost centimeter in diameter, flakes. I wasn’t the one driving, so I couldn’t really feel the car sliding that much, but being from sunny southern California it’s not something I’m used to. But the good thing was that we knew the next day would be a great snow day.

Saturday on chair 22 was one of the best snowboarding days I’ve had at Mammoth. Plenty of areas of untouched powder. Lots of good tree runs. And it wasn’t outrageously cold…in the morning. The group decided to eat lunch at Mill Cafe because it “has the best food”. I protested lightly because, while the food is good, you usually have to sit outside to eat. It was snowing at this point. So what happens? We go. We get the food. We sit outside to eat. It was damn cold! Just as I said it would be. After that I decided I didn’t need to continue when I couldn’t feel my fingers anymore. So I headed back to the condo. I can’t complain cause I had great riding and no injuries while another member of our group wasn’t so lucky. He had a good riding day up until the point where he collided with a skier and broke his arm. That’s all of the story that I know. Couldn’t tell you who’s fault it was, but a broken arm is a broken arm and it sucks. He’s okay now but the next 2 months are going to be rough.

Sunday wasn’t nearly as good as Saturday, but the top of the mountain was open. Occasionally when the clouds would clear we had beautiful views of the town of Mammoth Lakes, CA and the eastern sierra mountains. I didn’t take my camera this time so no pictures, but I have one more trip so maybe then. I enjoyed a few runs on the steeps and then watched the second half of the Laker game. The Winter Olympics gold medal hockey game was also on but we didn’t win that so it doesn’t matter. I only acknowledge closers and the Lakers are closers.

One thing that this trip made me remember is shit happens. I’m a fairly cautious snowboarder but at any time some asshole skier could come out of nowhere and try to take me out. So for you new up and coming snowboarders, watch out for skiers. They’re kind of wild and some of them are assholes. Just kidding…about the wild part.

Semi-rant begins [

Ever have one of those days that you can't get right. Today was one of those days. I screwed up the plumbing under the kitchen sink because I put too much stuff in the garbage disposal at one time. What's bad is that while I was doing it I was quietly asking myself should I be doing this?...I shouldn't have. In case you were wondering, too much melon in the disposal at once makes a melon slushy that probably won't drain correctly. So, that was a great start. Called the plumber. He showed up in less than an hour and took care of it without a problem. The actual clog was in the main line, he said about 15' to 20' down (I live on the top floor in my complex). Usually when that happens the HOA covers the cost, but in this case I knew it was my fault. I don't want other people to pay for my mistakes. And I'm sure I won't make this $90 mistake again.

I needed to send a package today and almost screwed that up. I guess in a way I still did because I ended up paying double what I could have paid if I wouldn't have been so honest. When you want to ship something Media Mail (for books, CDs, DVDs, etc.) through USPS you can't include a packing slip (or any extra papers). This seems like a very silly practice. But because I showed the person at the post office what was in the package before I sealed it, and she saw the packing slip (which is one piece of paper, that's all), I had to send it Parcel Post. Whatever, it's done now.

So, Ooh read my recent blog post about my single weekend. For some reason she didn't like it. I know, weird huh?. She asked me, was is so hard to say I missed her. It's not hard to say, that's just not what I wanted to say. I did say it felt weird not having her around...that's something. Now, what if I said it was great when she was gone, and I can't wait for her to leave again? 1) that wouldn't be true, and 2) that really wouldn't be good. That would be a cause for concern. So I guess the fact that I was affected by her absence wasn't enough...I'm not surprised. I just won't win this one...No, dammit I will win! It took something for me to write that! So what if I take small steps; that's just how I do things! I like small steps.

Also, I've noticed that the women that have read my post on respecting women, can't seem to get past the part about me hitting a woman that hit me first (some of the guys were shocked too). I did talk with Ooh about it, and one thing that wasn't in there was an explanation on the type of person I am and why I feel this way. I think I'll address that in a future post; it should explain some things. Also, If the people with feedback would use the feedback tool (comments), or if you have a blog, write a post referencing my post then we can actually start a dialog. Don't just be mad. Say something!

Yes, I'm annoyed today. Not at Ooh or any other women, or any other person for that matter. It's just this day. And I'm realizing, as I'm writing this, that my writing is not where I want it to be. I'm trying to practice writing so that I am understood. Not for you to agree or disagree, but for you to understand what I'm saying so that if you do agree or disagree, it's with my actual point. Disagreeing with something I didn't even say doesn't help anybody. So it's still a work in progress. But...if this shit keeps happenin', I can bet it's because people just don't like the truth. And I'm gonna tell you the truth. The truth ain't all good, and it ain't all bad, but it is what it is and it ain't nothin' else. (Yeah, I just said that. Again, it's one of those days)

Well, what else happened today?...nothing! That's the problem, after a fucked up morning that I caused, I just couldn't get on track. This day just doesn't count. That's it, I've decided today did not exist in my week.

] Semi-rant ends

Ooh was out of town this past weekend. She left on Wednesday evening (2/17) and came back on Sunday evening (2/21). Her friends flew her out of state. I bet half of you (the guys half) are thinking, great, 4 days to yourself and you didn’t have to pay for the plane ticket. And the other half (girls) are thinking, aww that’s sucks, you’re gonna be alone for 4 days; you’re probably gonna miss her. Well, neither one is exactly true.

Dropping her off at the airport is neutral because nothing changes yet. That’s something I don’t do often. For some this is where their joy or sadness begins. My experience starts when I get home from work. I’m used to her being home when I get home. Or knowing she’ll be home later. So, at first it’s, hey there’s no Ooh today. I can play my game early, or watch a movie, or be on my computer, or do nothing and it doesn’t matter; no one else is affected. Then it’s, huh, there’s no Ooh today. I can only talk to her on the phone. I can’t see her. So it was weird, but I managed.

Friday night I went out with friends to a restaurant (& lounge) in Santa Monica, CA called Ma’Kai. Decent place, with good atmosphere but started to approach sardine can status and that’s annoying. You know, when you have nice area to stand in, drink your drink, talk to your buddies, and then people start movin’ in on your space. And, they wonder why you don’t move to make room for them. That’s not cool. Go somewhere else, cause I ain’t movin’!

We were there for my man Arr’s friend Bee. It was Bee’s going away party for her promotion. She’s not really going away, more like upstairs in the same building. She seemed like a really nice good woman given the limited time I got to know her in a loud, crowded bar. Except for her trying to get me to do shots with her and her group (must be a young person thing, she’s 25). I could see Arr being happy with her. I don’t really know their history, but I think he should try it. So, while we’re there my buddy Cee was jokingly trying to get a woman to hit me to see what I would do. He wanted to know if my thoughts on respecting women were true. I’m glad he was joking, cause I didn’t feel like getting thrown out of a bar that night.

It was cool, we’ll have to do that again soon. Maybe 2 weeks from now. This week is Mammoth. Should be good times.

Went to a friends house on Sunday (2/7) to watch the Superbowl and I was pleased with the game. I’m not a big Saints fan…probably a moderately sized one. I got to see some old aquaintances that I haven’t seen in about a year. And I met some new people that I’m not interested an seeing again.

When it comes to the Superbowl I want to see the game. I don’t care about the commercials or the halftime show. I wanna see gameplay. Some of the people there (women) just wanted to drink and be loud. And when you have an annoying voice (I know she didn’t think her voice was annoying, but it was!) it’s better to just be quiet. Just stop talking. I grew tired of hearing “Let’s do shots!!” over and over. She wanted to drink and have the attention on her, but she just couldn’t compete with the game…not even drunk. She must have known that deep down because she wanted everyone else to drink with her too. I wanted to tell her ’stop trying to get me to do something so that you can feel better about yourself’. But I didn’t. I don’t think it was my place. It was almost sad. Her boyfriend was there but he was busy watching the game. And having just typed that I see why he was always downstairs watching the game away from her…hmm, it all makes perfect sense now.

Is it because I’m getting older that I don’t think that’s attractive? Some would say that but I don’t think so. When I was younger I was around drunk girls more often. Probably could have ‘hooked up’ with some of them. Actually I know I could’ve but even then it seemed pointless. I don’t like sloppy or trashy.

Either way, it was a good game. I’m happy for the Saints; they deserved that win. Now I can start watching basketball again.

Went to Mammoth again this past weekend (1/29 – 1/31; I know the weekend is only two days, but sometimes mine starts on Friday, so there!). It was a good trip with a different crowd. The first group was younger, maybe a little wilder. They needed alcohol while they were riding. Supposedly it made them more relaxed and less apprehensive about trying difficult maneuvers. The relaxed part I could possible see, because alcohol is a depressant. But the “liquid courage” part I don’t agree with. The only effective way to be more confident about difficult terrain is by starting small and practicing until it’s no longer difficult. Maybe that’s to simple for people to understand. Plus alcohol dehydrates us; something I don’t want at 10000 feet and 30° with very low humidity. This week’s group was mostly veteran riders. They approached any difficult terrain with caution, made the adjustment, and continued on. And as for the newcomers (we had 2), they took their time and made it down the mountain at a decent pace. We had a lot of fun, as expected.

This time we chose to cook on Saturday night which would normally save money. But then the downside of veterans is they still drink alcohol, just not so much on the slopes…these are the ones I know. Veterans do their drinking back in the condo after riding. So the food (and drink) total was upwards of $160 for 7 people. It easily could’ve (should’ve) been half of that. Out of the 7 people only 3 drank the alcohol, so the other 4 contributed for nothing. I thought about this when the email went out with the totals. I could have been an ass and mentioned that I didn’t drink any of the alcohol, but I didn’t, it’s just money. Maybe next time I’ll state up front that I’m not drinking so that I’m excluded from that bill. We’ll see.

I find now that I don’t have the same need to ride all day that I did before. It’s easier to ride all day now because of CrossFit, but I find myself stopping a little early and relaxing. I think before I wanted to get the most of my purchase, now I want the best of my purchase. I guess I’m getting older.

I learned (maybe realized) some things today. But let’s start with last night.

Trying to write a blog post in a room full of people is not a good idea. I’ll set the scene: Role Models is showing on the TV, quite loudly. One person is watching cricket on his computer (without headphones) and commenting on it. And everyone else is having disjointed conversations that occasionally refer to cricket or the movie, but are mostly about nothing. I was barely able to collect the thoughts that I did have and compose an entry. So I’m proud of myself for overcoming the obstacles that were around me, but annoyed at myself for being in the presence of the obstacles at all. Net result: 0. I could have (should have) written the entry upstairs away from all of the social activity.

On to today. I had forgotten the little things that are necessary to make snowboarding ultimately enjoyable. Probably because it’s been about 10 months since I last strapped in. These little things are why yesterday was just a cold day and today was a good day, and it reminded me of why I look forward to these “somewhat draining weekends…whenever I get the opportunity.”

Yesterday was cold. I think it was colder than today. That’s interesting because my friends felt that today was the colder of the two. Let’s examine this. Day 1, my fingers and toes were numb too many times on the mountain. Day 2, I wore an extra layer (for some reason I chose not to on Day 1; why would I do that?) and made sure not to lace my boots up too tight. Result: very few instances of numb fingers and toes which allowed me to take a picture here and there. Yesterday my technique was “a little off on the steep runs”. This, I’m sure now, was an equipment problem. Day 1, my bindings were set at -12° and 12°. Day 2, I changed them to -18° and 18°. I didn’t even realize that a 12° total change would make such a difference. Result: riding was almost effortless. I could do whatever I tried without a struggle. I even did a few jumps today. Last and most important: breakfast. Day 1, “granola and other empty carbs”, not a good way to fuel my system for a day of activity. Day 2, leftovers from dinner on Day 1. This wasn’t the best of meals (chicken fried steak with gravy, vegetables, and potatoes) but it was still more balanced (and tastier) than the Day 1 breakfast. Result: energy for every run and a clear mind to focus on my riding and listen to my music.

Compared to last night this entry was written under much better conditions. I’m sitting in my comfortable chair. I have my studio headphones on, listening to the sounds of Om Radio (available on the Om Records website). Very nice music to kick back to. Ooh is here. I can’t really hear her with these headphones on but I can see her. I look over at her every now and then. She’s fun to watch…all this contributes to better thought composition.

Last night I was only optimistic about today because all I could focus on was what I wanted to change. Today I was able to enjoy it. And now that I have the little things under control again I think it will remain that way.

I told you I took one:

Bonus: I’m trying this out so here are these.

I’m in Mammoth Lakes, CA right now. It’s the end of a very cold day of snowboarding, and I’m tired. We had a 6 hour drive up last night. I got maybe 6 hours of sleep. Definitely not a good breakfast (granola and other empty carbs). Then 5-6 hours of snowboarding. I did have a nice lunch somewhere in there which helped. So I guess it’s been a long 2 days. I have one more day of boarding tomorrow before we do the second 6 hour drive back to LA. It’s a long, somewhat draining weekend and I look forward to it whenever I get the opportunity. Every 2 or 3 weekends would be just fine.

This is the first time I’ve snowboarded since starting CrossFit in June of 2009. I don’t think I got winded at all today, but my technique was a little off on the steep runs…easily correctable. I think I just need to adjust my bindings. Tomorrow I may do a few runs from the top; maybe take a picture or two, we’ll see. Now a little reading, and then sleep time.

For now I have this: