Sometimes it's fun to be lame

I guess I am officially an adult now, because instead of having a "let's wear slutty costumes and get hammered" Halloween party, I had a pumpkin-carving party at my house this year. And I have to say, it was pretty damn fun. 

I made some kick-ass (if I do say so myself) chili, and we spiked the apple cider with bourbon, because we're not totally lame yet. A couple of my friends displayed some surprisingly good pumpkin-carving skillz. 

Everyone was all proud of their creation, so we took some pics:

Pretty fancy, huh? 

Oh, and if you weren't yet convinced that I am really embracing my inner lameness, I even made my dog wear a costume, and am posting on my blog for all to see. Plus I know how much the guys who created Blogger LOVE how so many people use their blogs to post pictures of their pets.

Lola loves her dinosaur costume so much, that she tried to eat the caveman sitting on top. 

Happy Autumn!

Election Excitement

Nevada went democratic - I feel like I made a difference! 

Last night after the Presidency was called, the streets of San Francisco seemed to erupt in celebration. Cars were driving down the main streets, honking their horns, and pedestrians were cheering on the sidewalks. I have never seen people so excited about an election. 

I hope the momentum carries on through the next few years and people are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to actually achieve long-term change. 

Getting political - in Reno

I have pretty strong political beliefs, but I haven't gotten involved in a political campaign since I ran for student body president in Junior High. However, I have been so fed up with the situation that we (the US) have gotten ourselves in, that I decided it might be time to do something. 

So, that is how I found myself on a roadtrip with my coworkers last weekend, heading to Reno. Luckily, the drive is not too long (4 hours) and there are some excellent places to stop along the way (In-n-out & Ikeda's Tasty Burgers). I can't quite speak as highly of the hotel that we stayed at in Reno (they gave me a room that was already occupied, so a woman screamed as I started to open the door). 

Anyway, the number of volunteers who showed up to canvass for Obama was very impressive - the line went to the back of and I spent a day and a half going door to door in Sun Valley, talking to people about voting early. I missed my dog a bit, since everyone in Sun Valley seems to have several Pit Bulls in their front yard. Some of which were friendly, some of which...not so much.

I never got yelled at or spit on or anything else that I was afraid of, so I am going to consider the effort a success. I guess every little bit helps.

And hey, we went out for dinner at the Oceano restaurant at the Peppermill Casino, which was decorated in an under-the-sea motif. It was so over-the-top, that it was awesome! And the food was pretty good too. 

Overall, I'd say the trip was a success. I tried something new, I hopefully made a tiny difference in the election, ate some tasty burgers on the road, and got home early enough on Sunday that I had some time to relax a bit. Not too shabby. 

My super-secret startup is no longer a secret

nextstop.com is live!

Check it out. 

I made this guide to my neighborhood:

There's plenty more where that came from. 

Every time, it feels a little less like I am going to die

Or, "Ascent of Mt. Tam #2". 

Two weeks ago, I climbed Mt. Tam on my bike for the first time. I went with my local cycling club, Mission Cycling. If they hadn't organized the ride, I doubt I would ever have done it on my own. But for some reason, I decided to give it a shot and go with them. And I actually made it to the top. But once I was there, I was not sure if I would be able to make it home. I was pretty spent. In the end, I did make it back to SF, but I was pretty worthless for the rest of the weekend. 

So this weekend, I thought I would try it again, and see if I could make it to the top with a bit more energy left over than last time. I'm happy to say that I made it to the top, and back home, feeling good the whole way. Woohoo! I'm still really slow, but just doing it at all kinda makes me feel like a badass. And this time, I took photos to document the ride. 

Riding along the bike trail just north of Sausalito. I am at sea level. Mt. Tam looms in the distance at around 2,400 feet high. Can I really do this?

Beautiful weather...

View back down to SF - I started my ride back there somewhere. 

Almost there! This last stretch is pretty brutal - a long steep climb at the very end, when you are already really tired. 

Made it to the top! It's peanut butter jelly time. 

Riding back into the city. 

The Perfect Sunday

Ok, so I didn't do my laundry, get my tires changed or go to the grocery store (all things I need to do). Instead, I had the Perfect Sunday. It went like this:

Woke up at 9. 

Got coffee at Mission Pie at 9:30 (yum)

Went to Fort Funston with Lola and played until 11:30. No fog today! See:

Big brunch with friends at my house at noon. My brother (I call him "uncle Bob" to Lola) stopped by for a bit too. 

Biking in the Oakland Hills in the afternoon. 

Capped off with one of my favorite dinners: Pho and fresh coconut juice. Mmmmm.

Jealous? 

My dog is weird.

I looked down the other night while watching tv and found my dog
staring at me like this.