Two Dogs Behaving Badly

Morgan and Lilo are good time Charlies. Two dogs behaving badly. At Elings Park, the two raid unsuspecting picnickers with reckless abandon, proudly carrying off their booty of foot long subs and chicken wings. They steal candy from children. Morgan and Lilo have mastered the "Who Me??" expression. They bark, just because it feels good. The other morning, Morgan and Lilo stumbled upon a homeless encampment off  Leadbetter beach. Jackpot. Half eaten cans of chili, plenty of stinky things to roll in. As the dogs ransacked their camp, a dreary eyed homeless fella raised his head and shouted to me, "Hey buddy can I give you some advice?" "What" I answered, a bit embarrassed as I attempted to round up my furry hooligans. "Next time, get a cat.", he muttered. Morgan and Lilo barked all the way home. Smelly with chili breath. It was a good day to be a dog.

The Cult of Apple

The line wrapped around the block. And this was the special "reserved" line. I had one day to pick up my new iPhone  I reserved at the Santa Barbara Apple store. Along with hundreds of others. The line moved slowly. Post Office slow. DMV slow. 1 1/2 hours and still waiting and I felt abused. The crowd cheered enthusiastically when security allowed another pathetic soul into the store. We all took one step closer.  This is ridiculous. Apple Store employee Mimi cheerfully greeted me  when I finally entered. But my niceness had long since evaporated.
"I'm in a bit of a hurry, Mimi, I would just like to purchase my phone and get back to work."
"No problem" says Mimi, " but first can I interest you in Mobile Me?"
"No thank you"
"...Apple Care?"
"No"
"... more text messages?"
"No, please..."
"... perhaps a nice case?"
"No"
"... Do you want fries with that?"
"NO!" My God, get me out of here!

I rushed out of the store, phone in hand. I voluntarily signed up for this abuse, but let me tell you, I don't have to like it.

Counter Cruising

I set up a few video cameras to see what exactly my lab does when I'm away.

Just add water

A few weeks after  the Jesusita Fire

It is amazing what a little rain will do.

Hardware gone

One piece of hardware I was glad to get rid of was this plate I had placed when I obliterated my clavicle as a result of a bike accident a few years ago. It will be nice to pass airport security without constantly triggering the metal detector.

Merry Christmas!

Is there anything better than topping off a Four Seasons Xmas brunch with a strip of chocolate covered bacon? I think not.

Under the Knife

If you ever wondered what a torn rotator cuff looks like, here it is. I've been spending my Christmas vacation recovering from last weeks surgery. Still a little sore and stiff, but not too bad. Looking forward to the road to recovery. All this sitting around is getting a bit boring!

Santa Barbara Int'l Marathon

My 4 hour marathon condensed into 6 minutes. What a fantastic day!

Stillerstrong

The Giant Sequoia

The Holidays. Food, family, friends, the Giant Sequoia. My father in law, Vince, is the undisputed Giant Sequoia. The Giant Sequoia is a family tradition. My wife's crazy family's tradition. He who consumes the most food and drink during a holiday celebration will henceforth be known as the Giant Sequoia. A holiday dinner with Ellen's family is a day of loud talking, arguments, and confusion followed by voracious feeding. The actual meal lasts a brief 10 or so minutes. Chairs lean back as contented bellies are patted. A few deep knee bends to aid digestion, and it begins once again. Round two, and so it goes. Vince honed his iron stomach eating kielbasa and stale rye bread while growing up in the Polish ghetto of Lackawanna, New York. We are mere saplings in Vince's presence. He is truly the General Sherman among the redwoods. I love this time of the year. There is nothing better than watching a happy man attack a plate of food.

Lizard's Mouth

Great Fall Day

Ran 20 with my friends Fred, Troy, and Betsy, then it was off to see my Trojans play Oregon St. A great day.


-- Post From My iPhone

Foster Botanical Garden

Foster Botanical Garden is one of my favorite botanical gardens. It is a gem, hidden in downtown Honolulu.

Running in Waikiki

One of my favorite run workouts while staying in Waikiki.

Guilt Free Pleasure

I'm kicking back at the MaiTai Bar at the Royal Hawaiian not feeling a bit guilty about missing tomorrow's dreaded Rusty Snow run workout.


-- Post From My iPhone

Some work, mostly play

I've been off to Honolulu for the past few days attending my annual national meeting. It's a bummer they had to pick such a hell hole.

North Pole Swim

I am always amazed what the human body is capable of doing. Here is a video of Lewis Pugh swimming the sub freezing waters of the north pole. Pugh's talk is taken from this year's TED conference. TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an invitation-only event where the world's leading thinkers and doers gather to find inspiration. You can watch more thought provoking stuff HERE.

No Luck

Well, I didn't win my millions in the Lotto, so I'm back at work, slightly disgruntled.

Lotto Fever

For my birthday on September 9th, one of my hygienists bought me 9 lotto tickets at 9 am on 9/09/09. I'll know Saturday whether or not I start early retirement. Stay tuned...

Hurricane Harbor

Some of my office staff and I spent a day of fun at Hurricane Harbor.