Browse Author: beakatude

Later, skis. Hello, tennies.

Did you all remember to set your clocks foward an hour? It’s Daylight Saving Time!

With one less hour of sleep, we got up at 5:30 am and drove to Snow Summit today. The weather was a balmy 40 degrees at the bottom of the lift but got a little chillier at the top. The snow was hard packed powder that got a little softer as the day went on. These conditions don’t come close to what my brother was getting in Whister this weekend but what else can you expect from Southern California in April? I couldn’t help feeling a little sad on my last ride down the mountain but I was happy that we had a good season. Perhaps if the snow keeps falling in Mammoth, we might be taking one last trip up. We’ll just have to wait and see. Until we decide, it’s officially running season and I have some miles to log.

a not-so-dull-after-all day

I woke up this morning thinking it would be a rather dull, laundry-filled day. Well, instead, I had a semi-eventful day.

Woke up this morning and had a nice 3-mile jog with the husband and doggie. There was a mist of light sprinkles throughout the run and lots of ducks and birds in the river to keep me occupied. Then we went to the mall and actually found the Garmin Forerunner 205. It just came out and Garmin has been having some production issues so it’s been really hard to find. But we were the lucky consumers who happened to go to Sport Chalet on the day they get a shipment of ONE 205. Awesome. It’s a nifty little thing with improvements from the older version I’ve had for a while. I’m thinking of taking it with me to Summit tomorrow. I always wondered how far and how fast I can go down the mountain on skis. Haha. Don’t worry, Mommy, I’ll be careful.

This afternoon, Jes and I went to Supercuts and I finally did what I’ve been contemplating all month. I cut my hair. It’s not your average trim though! I cut 10 inches off. Whew! I also donated it to Locks of Love, which is a non-profit that makes wigs for children going through cancer treatments. For my donation, Supercuts gave me the haircut for FREE! Great program…a little kid gets a new hairdo and I save 15 bucks. Woo hoo!

By the way, UCLA made it to the NCAA Championships. I’m SO winning my tourney. It’s too bad there’s no money in play.

Veggies are cool but…

there’s nothing like a good steak. Jes and I had dinner at Mastro’s Steakhouse last night and it was so yummy. We had Mastro’s in Beverly Hills a few years ago and they’ve recently opened one right next to Jes office. The atmosphere is very lively with a live singer and pianist in the middle of the bar where people sit around the baby grand having drinks and often eat their dinner on the piano. The dining room is cozy and their servers are very attentive but not too attentive. The server we had was, in fact, very enthusiastic but not in an annoying way.

Anyway, let’s get back to the food. We started with oysters on a half shell, which were the freshest ones I’ve ever had. I normally don’t like oysters but these made me a fan. I thought I’d only want one or two but I ended up eating my share of three. Next was a warm spinach salad with lots of bacon and I didn’t mind the blue cheese much either. Maybe my taste buds are maturing. The main entree was the rib eye, which they split for the two of us. The smallest cut was 22 ounces, which was way more than enough for us. I think I had about 6 and Jes ate the rest. Their medium rare was actually medium rare and sooo good…buttery, meaty, not too salty, and not too fatty. Dessert was the creme brulee that came with berries on the side. It was your classic creme brulee…simple but a perfect way to end a greedy meal.

Going for a helicopter ride!

Huy just sent me a few photos from his helicopter flights. Apparently that’s it for him for now…it’s back to the classroom for a while.

Work still sucks right now but I’m starting to get over all the sh*t that’s still hanging around. Everyday is a new day and I’m going to keep doing my job. Besides, Jesse made me some chicken soup tonight and that makes everything better.

Hi, Family!

No trips to the mountains this past weekend so we got to hang out with family. On Saturday night, Jes and I had dinner at the Suminos. Marie and Kenji prepared teppan with beef, chicken, and LOTS of yummy vegetables. Cole was a little grumpy with a runny nose but he perked up by the end of the evening.
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On Sunday, Jes and I had got an unexpected phone call from my mom to have dinner with her, my dad, Pish, and my uncle from San Jose. We went to a Thai place in Mission Viejo and had lots to eat. We also got to catch up a bit but not as much as I would have if I didn’t have this blog. My initial intention for this blog was to keep my family updated and it’s working! It’s neat that my parents and relatives are actually reading my blogs regularly to stay informed of my whereabouts. It’s good to see that this isn’t a complete waste of time. 🙂
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In other news, my running shoes are back in action. I’ve been casually running in the afternoons 1-2 times per week for the past couple months but this past week I ran four times for at least 30-45 minutes each time. Koa’s getting quite a workout too considering he’s been on every run with me. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find a half marathon to train for. They’re either too soon, too far away, or scheduled on the same day as one of the four weddings I will be attending this year. This may be the year of 5Ks and 10Ks. It would be nice to set personal bests in both.

old friends

I went out to dinner with my UCLA girls sans Linda last night. We met up in La Palma (sorta half-way) and had dinner at Panda Inn and then went across the street for pie at Marie Callender’s. It was nice to catch up with some old friends again. It’s been almost 8 years since we all graduated and it’s funny how our lives look so different yet we are all the same people with the same quirks and habits. Sandy’s going back to grad school and so is Mary. Mich just went to Spain last December and Linda’s moving the family to Long Island for her ER residency. Alas, I am here in Irvine with a dog and retarded job. Good times…