#58 - Become a Red Cross Disaster Services Volunteer

Ever since I was forced to watch that dang Fundamentals of Instructor Training video in 2001 to become a Water Safety Instructor for the American Red Cross (which I was forced to do through my undergraduate major), a piece of me has wanted to volunteer through Disaster Services.  Each subsequent time I watched the video (for my Lifeguarding Instructor certification; for my Water Safety Instructor training observation, practice co-teach, and practice teach; for my Lifeguarding Instructor Trainer practice teach; and then probably a thousand more times each time I taught an instructor course... This list now sounds like a brag list of my certifications, but really it's just leftover frustration that Fundamentals of Instructor Training was ever a course and my jealousy that now instructors do some online thing that seems way better), my interest and desire grew a little more, because each time, I felt mentally, emotionally, and physically more capable of responding to an emergency.

My first two American Red Cross certifications are laughable to anyone who knew me pre-physical-education major.  I was not a strong swimmer growing up.  I could swim, but my strokes all needed some major work.  My parents still need some convincing sometimes that I can even swim.  I think it was 2010 when they oversaw me playing water polo, and said, "We didn't realize you were such a strong swimmer!  At the time I had worked full-time in aquatics for 5 years and had both my swim instructor and lifeguarding certifications for 9 years.

However, aquatic certifications are desirable in the world of recreation.  When I applied to be a day camp counselor in the summer of 2001, they told me they'd love to hire me... as a swim instructor.  When I explained that I had never actually taught swimming, they told me the certification was good enough.  So I taught swimming.  And lifeguarded.  For the next 15 years.  Every summer.  And, for 7 years, also as part of my full-time job working in aquatics.

I still cannot believe I worked in aquatics for 7 years.

In that time, I not only became a very strong swimmer, I taught others to be very strong swimmers.  I also responded to a lot of first aid emergencies and non-emergencies.

I splinted bones and joints.  I controlled bleeding.  I managed seizures.

I don't believe I ever responded to something truly life threatening (except pulling people out of the water prior to their situation becoming life threatening), but I saw some things that scared me.

The scariest emergency I've ever witnessed involved a lot of blood, and I won't go into any more detail for the privacy of the victim.  I found the victim with a friend, both of whom I knew but not well.  I helped them to a safe, private room and alerted someone to call 911.  I sent someone else to gather towels.  I told her help was on the way, and while we were waiting, we'd do some paperwork.  I then pulled out an accident report form and calmly asked the two what had happened as well as some personal information required on the form.

The next day, the friend saw me in passing and said s/he was so glad they'd found me because s/he had been freaking out and asked something like, "How'd you know my friend was going to be okay?"  And I responded with an emphatic, "Oh, I didn't.  I was really scared.  Have you heard from your friend?  Is s/he going to be okay?"  The friend couldn't believe that I had been scared and told me how calming I had been.

What I've learned through teaching and real-life experience is that I am really, really good at recognizing my own panic, packing it up into a little ball, setting it aside for later, taking action to help victims, managing all aspects of situations, and appearing very calm and relaxed on the outside.

ID card official

While Disaster Services is quite different than responding directly to emergencies and/or being a professional rescuer, I believe that my ability to be still amidst chaos would translate well.  I like being the personification of reassurance.  Everyone is more level headed and makes better decisions when someone can confidently reassure them that everything will work out for the best if we can all take the actions we can right now.  Disasters are inevitable, but good decisions and comfort
can save lives, physically and emotionally.

This summer, I convinced myself that since I am done with classes and "only" working on my research and working part-time, I would have time to volunteer.  I finally signed up for a Disaster Services orientation and it was surprisingly informative and painless.  '

I still have a long way to go before I work my first gig, but having a name badge and next steps certainly crosses this one of the list for now.

I'll be sure to update this blog post (or post new ones) as this item progresses through the year.

#53 - Stand Up Paddle Board

Corry & me loving our jobs

I cannot believe it has taken me so long to try out this very pleasant outdoor activity.  While I do not have direct access to the necessary equipment, it is incredibly easy to rent in San Diego, I have a
friend who owns a board, and I've lived here three years.  Silly.

I finally had the opportunity shoved in my face when my job forced me to spend a Sunday afternoon on the bay, hanging with athletic college students, with free access to a variety of aquatic sport equipment.  That's right.  I had another opportunity to hang at the fantastic Mission Bay Aquatic Center (earlier this summer I took Advanced Sailing), and this time I was paid to do it.

Most of they day was filled with lectures, workshops, and round tables with the SDSU Sport Club presidents, but at the end of the day, the gang had two hours to play on or near the bay: grass volleyball, sailing, kayaking, and yes, stand up paddle boarding (also known as paddle boarding or SUP).

The water-loving students rushed out and grabbed all of the boards and stayed out on the water FOREVER.  I later learned they were doing fun studenty things like cramming everyone onto one board, lining the boards up and attempting to run across them, and mid-water trading equipment with the kayakers.  I love my job.

Killin' it

I played some grass volleyball with the remaining students, stupidly turned down a ride on the Hobie Cat, and impatiently watched the cluster in the middle of the bay, hoping they'd come back in time for me to take a ride.  (I kept my complaints to myself as much as possible because this event was for them, not me.  Playing on the bay is just a perk of my job.)

Once they came back, I took a board out and was surprised at how easy and pleasant paddle boarding is.  It felt like taking the most calming walk in a breathtakingly beautiful place.  I paddled into the bay, admired the beauty of Mission Bay and its shores, and paddled back.

I cannot wait to go again.





UPDATE


My next SUP session was in Hawaii!  One morning we headed over to the Marriott to take advantage of a deal one of the rental companies has: $35 for 4 hours of any of their water activities.  Chris, Casey, and my mom quickly formed the Snorkel Squad: "Snorkel Squad looks out for each other."  I told them Dad and I would be the SUP Squad.  I turned around and Dad was already heading to the boards.  "SUP Squad: Every man for himself."  We paddled.  It was pleasant.  The water was a little rougher than when I first paddled in San Diego Bay but still fun.  At one point a sea turtle swam right under me.  Casey soon joined the SUP Squad though the rental folks gave her a really skinny board, so she had a rougher transition.  I eventually tried her board out and quickly fell in.  It was a lovely morning.

A few days later, my buddy Nicole Green had arrived.  We tried to go SUPing on her second day there but the rentals were expensive and the weather was not cooperating.  We managed to squeeze in about an hour before she had to head to the airport the next day though.  The entry and exit were a little rough, but the paddling was nice.

If I were planning to stay in San Diego, I'd definitely be investing in a board.  It's just so dang pleasant.

#68 - Go to a Book Signing

This was another item that I did, and then, while I was there, thought, "Oh yeah, this is on my list this year."  I guess I'm now living the life I want to live and doing fun things without truly keeping track anymore.  I love that.  But I also love this blog, so I plan to keep documenting and listing.

I wrote this item, "Go to a Book Signing" with the attention of going to a book store, hearing a reading, and standing in line to get my book signed like I've seen in movies and on TV.  While I realize now that this isn't a totally "new" experience for me, I'll likely include this item every year with a different author because I now recall 3 authors I've heard speak, and all 3 were incredibly memorable experiences, though none were the scene I had pictured in my head.

The first author I recall hearing speak is Rick Moody, whose most famous work is The Ice Storm, a book I was assigned in my freshman English course at the University of Michigan.  I am an avid reader and took literature and creative writing courses all through college even though I planned to pursue my career in physical education.  (That's right, I was to be a PE teacher, but that's another story.)  My favorite creative writing instructor always gave us extra credit for attending the Hopwood Awards for writing.  In 2003, Rick Moody read his short story "Boys," which I came across again in The Best American Short Stories series.  Which year, I cannot recall and am having a bit of difficulty locating via the internet, though I do recommend the entire series as they are filled with beautiful examples of the undervalued medium of the short story.  The story "Boys" is brief and has a strange narrative style, but I remember a few lines to this day from that initial reading, and the emotions it stirred flow back even as I type these few sentences.  

I must have seen either Heather McHugh or Nancy Willard at the Hopwood Awards as well.  I had the same professor twice (Professor Tish O'Dowd, one of my favorite teachers of all time -- again, another story) and remember attending two award readings, but I guess I just don't have as good of a memory for poetry.

The second author I recall hearing is seeing Temple Grandin last year at an event at my university, the University of San Diego.  Tonight, I realized that one probably counts as a book signing.  I didn't think of it because it was more of a lecture followed by the opportunity to have a book signed.  I probably did not consider it a book signing also because Grandin did not talk about her writing nor any particular book as she was there to lecture about working with students with autism.  Regardless, she was incredible.  The way she so honestly answered questions at the end of the lecture was particularly moving.  I had brought a book with me: Animals in Translation, which my dad recommended and loaned to me -- maybe I'll actually remember to give it back to him one of these days as I had it signed for him.

Book nerding out here

Tonight, I attended a similar book signing, and since this was a little more like what I had in mind, I'm counting it.  I had the incredible opportunity to attend a conversation with Salman Rushdie at the University of San Diego.  This summer I read The Satanic Verses for the second time, before I knew he would be visiting my campus, and much like the first reading, I was confused a lot of the time and yet still very moved by his prose.  His depth and whimsy draws me into the story enough that the 500+ pages somehow fly by and probe my curiosity about the content and its author.

The event certainly qualified as a "book signing" as it was an event on Rushdie's tour for his new book Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights.  While there was no reading, the event included a copy of the book, an hour-long conversation facilitated by USD professor Avi Spiegel (author of Young Islam), half an hour of question and answer, and a signing.  

The new book

Spiegel did a fantastic job facilitating an intriguing conversation about the book, knowing full well that most of the audience, sitting with the book in their laps, had not read it.  We were there to see Rushdie, not necessarily to dwell in the specifics of a book we had yet to read.  Spiegel's questions were so thoughtful that Rushdie was able to both delve deeply into the book and to transcend the book, discussing the larger themes, including time, love, education, religion (of course), and the process of writing.  The conversation revealed such fascinating details that I cannot wait to dive into the book (which I will once I finish at least one of the 5 books I am partway through.  I read a lot but I like reading a few chapters from different books each day.)

My favorite bit was when Spiegel bravely asked Rushdie about how he was able to carry on with his work when he had faced such hardships and even personal danger in doing so.  Rushdie responded quickly, explaining that it was nothing to be admired as it was the only thing to do.  After some poetic explanations, he told us, 'Bad writing is a matter of talent. Self censorship is a matter of choice.' (I'm reluctant to completely quote that as I may have mis-remembered the exact words, but it was close to that.)  It was a beautiful moment and his words resonate with me deeply.  I often hold my true feelings and opinions in to avoid conflict or tension.  Rushdie puts his words down and shares them with the world, knowing they will cause conflict and tension.  I plan to meditate on this idea.

Rushdie was incredibly receptive and engaging.

Rushdie signed my copy of 2828 and The Satanic Verses

I am so honored to have met such a globally influential person who speaks so boldly and poetically.  I look forward to reading 2828, and I even ordered Midnight's Children as I have yet to read that one either.  I have a feeling Rushdie may official become one of my favorite authors as I delve deeper into his work.

#19 - Spend a Day in LA.

I've been to LA many times before, but all of my trips have been as an uber-tourist, passing through, for professional events, and once for birthday trip that included a night out in Hollywood, which I hated.

Hated is a bit strong, so to clarify, I had a great time catching up with the friends who took me out for my birthday and included me in their plans, but that section of Hollywood was not my scene.  We couldn't decide where to eat and needed a reservation to go literally anywhere, which, having lived in the third biggest city in this country already, was completely bizarre to me.  Since it took so long to get from my friend's place to Hollywood, we just stopped and got Subway instead.  Then, my friends' had family and friends at a birthday party at Hemingway's, which was a visually cool place, but made no sense to me whatsoever.  There was no line outside, just a crowd of people, and a woman in a large, fur hat (in 60-degree, slightly rainy weather) pointed at who she wanted to let in every now and then.  Eventually someone convinced her that we were part of the party already inside, but then she didn't want to let me in because the party was mostly people of Persian descent, and she didn't seem to believe that they'd brought me along.  It was obnoxious.  Inside, it was decorated like someone's personal library.  A really tall ceiling, walls lined with bookshelves, and chairs spaced around for lounging.  But then there was a DJ.  A really awesome DJ named DJ So Super Sam.  We kept trying to dance, but there wasn't really a dance floor.  And everyone sitting in chairs seemed super annoyed if you bumped into them, even though it was really just terrible chair placement, and they were so low it was hard to see them in the crowd.  At one point my friend got bumped and spilled a little water on someone sitting in a chair.  She apologized profusely and explained that it was only water, and the girl was like, "SO?!" and was super pissed and rude.  Oh, and the drinks...  Once we got in, my friend took me straight to the bar to buy me a birthday drink and to apologize for picking a place that made us wait so long.  I asked for a Jameson on the rocks.  She ordered a double because she felt bad we'd waited so long to get in.  The bartender looks at us, leans forward, and says, "You know that's $24, right?"  TWENTY-FOUR DOLLARS.  My friend looks at me and says, "Is that normal?" And I said, "No.  That is not normal."  And she said, "Well, it is for LA.  Yeah, that's fine."  I didn't order another drink the entire time.  Then her cousin whose party it was had a table and bottle service.  She kept telling us to help ourselves but then this other guy with them got super weird about it, like just picked up the bottles, held them, and wouldn't speak to us except to explain that they'd ordered that vodka to drink.  Like we were some kind of party crashers just there for the free booze.  Eventually we did make some space to dance and have fun, but all of the work it took to get there was so unnecessary.  Why would going out ever be so serious?  It's supposed to be fun.

Each visit I've had to LA has allowed me a little taste of real LA life, some of which I liked, but I still always left with an overwhelming dislike of LA: the traffic, the hurry, the rudeness, the traffic, the sprawl, the shallowness, the pretentiousness, the seriousness, the traffic...  I know so many lovey people who like LA though, so I put it on the list this year to take a day trip and really do some exploring of the cool stuff that I know is there.  Plus, I really love LA radio stations.

I found myself up in LA for FYF Fest, and on Sunday, there weren't any artists I really wanted to see until 6:30pm.  So my fest-mates Sarah Molitoris and Shaun Spalding and I did a little exploring, enough that it would certainly qualify as a day in LA.

Just as I was arriving in LA for the fest, I thought to myself how "See the Hollywood sign" should be on my list next year because it seems silly that I never had.  Within 30 minutes, I was arriving in Hollywood where Shaun's friend Andrew Kamphey graciously hosted me so that I could afford to make it to the two-day fest at the very end of summer when my student funds were at quite a low.  As I walked to my parked car to head to the fest, the Hollywood sign beamed down at me, perfectly visible from Andrew's street.  Well, check that one off the life list but no points awarded here.

Sunday morning I got up, prepped for the fest, ran some errands because I'd broken our washing machine at home the day before, and then took a driving tour of Hollywood, including a drive up the hills to the observatory, which has a great view of the Hollywood sign.  I took a lot of inadequate selfies before deciding I was satisfied.

I then met Andrew, Sarah, and Shaun for brunch at Andrew's brilliant suggestion of Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles.  I thought I took a picture of my food, but I guess I was too hungry and didn't actually push the button.  It was quite delicious and provided just the stomach full of protein, fat, and waffle that we needed for a long afternoon/evening of rocking out.

Whenever you are
we're already then.

#spacecave

As we were leaving, I mentioned how I wanted to stop at 826LA: The Time Travel Mart because ever since I started volunteering at 826Chi, I have wanted to visit all of the 826 locations.  I was introduced to 826 at 826 Valencia: The Pirate Store.  I then learned there was an 826 in Ann Arbor.  It drove me nuts trying to think about what store's existence had always driven me crazy only to look it up and say to myself, "Duh.  The Liberty Street Robot Supply and Repair store."  For years I'd wondered if there were truly enough robots in Ann Arbor to necessitate a whole store for supplies and repairs.  I then started volunteering at 826Chi: The Boring Store (which is DEFINITELY not a super secret agent store).  Sarah & Shaun were down, so we headed to the Echo Park location and were magically transported through time.  My favorite part was when I introduced myself to the store volunteer, explained I'd volunteered at 826Chi, asked him how long he'd been volunteering with 826, and he very seriously responded, "Since the beginning of time."  Visiting additional 826 locations will definitely be on my list for next year.  Sarah and I both registered for orientation at 826LA.  I'm not sure it'll work out for me living in San Diego, but I love 826 so much, I'm willing to give it a shot.  I highly recommend volunteering for this organization!  It's just so fun, creative, and full of fun, creative people.

Since it was around 3:30pm, we decided to head to the fest.  I parked near USC's campus, and walked the long way around to the fest entrance, passing the back entrance to the National History Museum.  There was a huge aquatic skeleton hanging in the back vestibule, so I doubled back and asked the volunteer standing on the path to the museum how much a day pass for a student was.  She said usually it was $9 but since they closed in an hour, it was half off.  I was like, um... $4.50 to go see some dinosaurs?  YES.  I did a quick tour and missed the special exhibit because of my dinosaur fascination that may fight or feed my dinosaur fear, but it was a pretty impressive collection and well worth a visit.

Listening to Battles

When I had texted Sarah about my unplanned stop, she said they'd wound up wandering through the Rose Garden.  We all wound up heading to the fest around 5pm.  Over the 2 days I saw Run the Jewels, Kanye West, Bad Bad Not Good, Battles, Belle & Sebastian, Flume, a wee little bit of D'Angelo. and a few others.  It was a decent fest, but I still can't figure out why they started so late on Sunday, only a couple bands playing in the afternoon, and then some heavy hitters not going on until after 10pm.  I had to make the drive back to San Diego, which is why I only caught a little bit of D'Angelo.  The highlight was probably running into my old Chitown buddy Gabby Merrihue during Flume and having a bit of time to catch up with her, which we should totally do again soon.

Overall, it was a great 36 hours or so in LA.  The city finally impressed me.  I will definitely try to take another couple day trips before I move away from San Diego.  Suggestions about places to go are welcome :)

Some DJ

#87 - Visit 3 New Museums

Museum #1: Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA)

When I wrote this list item, I intended to make some visits to Balboa Park, which is just a mile from where I live.  I can even bike, or walk, there.  I probably would more often if my neighborhood didn't rest on a steep hill, Balboa Park didn't rest on a gradual hill, or there were some sort of bridge in between.

Instead of strolling the mile away, I flew across the country to Boston.  Well, really, I flew across the country to Boston to celebrate Patriot's Day and to watch the Boston marathon.  But since the list founder Alan Fortunate resides in Boston, we had to cross a couple additional things off my list.

Sadly, we stayed out too late the first night in town, and I had trouble rallying the next day.  However, the day after that, Al took me to the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA).  We both are apparently fans of contemporary art because of its ability to incite one of two reactions: 1) "Wow, this is really innovative, beautiful, and thought provoking," and 2) "What."  We saw both on our Sunday afternoon, just-before-closing visit.

Sonic Arboretum

My favorite "Wow, this is really innovative, beautiful and thought provoking" piece was titled Sonic Arboretum.  It is a collaboration between sculptor Ian Schneller and violinist Andrew Bird who plays an original composition.  The room is filled with colorful phonographs, large and small, some spinning, playing "Echolocations: Canyon."  Just walking into the installation I felt a warm, vibrating energy.  I woke up and smiled.

Vegan Arm

My favorite "What." piece was titled "Housewife."  It was made of a stripped manikin frame and pieces of an old timey vaccuum cleaner.  It made me done one of those close-lipped, through the nose kind of breath giggle.

I also really liked Vegan Arm, which was part of a collection with a whole morality myth story.  I don't know which category I'd put it in, which made me like it even more.  Even the description couldn't decide: "For Hancock, Vegan Arm possesses a ritualisitic -- almost miraculous -- quality.  The arm can be interpreted as holding the bucking in front of viewers as if fishing for souls, or offering the liquid to viewers, like holy water at an altar."  Awesome.

If I lived in Boston, I'd probably be a member of the ICA.  What a quirky place full of beautiful things.

Museum #2: San Diego Firehouse Museum

My second museum visit did happen in San Diego but it happened by surprise.  I was half-way through working an event for my second job when I thought, "Oh, this event is in an museum!"  I mean, I knew I was working an event in a museum, but I forgot that I had a list item called "visit 3 new museums."  I'm counting it as a visit because it was so tiny that I managed to hit every room.

The event was a wedding full of happy, friendly people at the San Diego Firehouse Museum.  It was a sweet, unique venue full of interesting firehouse artifacts, including old timey engines.

"Have an escape plan."

We never take photos of the event as that would violate the privacy of the guests' celebration, but I did snap a few in the back room, where no one was, just to document the visit for my blog.

I also captured the creepy children's room, where children can practice escaping from a fire from a very deconstructed house.

Museum #3: San Diego Museum of Art

I've been hearing for awhile now about this great event at the San Diego Museum of Art called "Culture and Cocktails" that happens every few months at museum in the aforementioned Balboa Park I had planned to visit when I originally added this list item.

While out at Mother's (again) after another day of Vavi beach volleyball, we were talking about upcoming San Diego events.  I mentioned wanting to go to Culture and Cocktails but that I never bothered to look up the dates.  My teammate Mark Mora then told me that it was that week and they were going.  Since tickets were $20 and membership starts at $45, which includes entry to all events. I just joined as a member in hopes that it was actually a decent museum and I'd want to go there more often.  I suppose that was a silly spontaneous decision, but at the very least, there were a lot worse places to throw my money at.

The bummer is that we had championships that night at work, and I'd promised to work them.  The good thing is that I was now a member, so even if I showed up late, I didn't feel like I'd wasted money on a $20 ticket when I could only go to half of the event.  I changed at work and headed to the park.

The event was quite a scene.  People were done up and drinking heavily.  I thought a few of my lady friends were going to the event, but none of them ended up going for various reasons.  Luckily, Mark Mora and Mitch Barnes let me tag along with them and their friends.

The theme for this event was "Coney Island" because of the current special exhibit, which was all kinds of art focused around Coney Island.  There were circus-type performers, Coney Island decorations, a Coney Island-themed drink with cotton candy melted into each one that was made to order, and Coney-Island themed photo booths, where this happened.

#nevergiveup

That was the highlight of the night for me and probably for everyone else who saw it projected on the wall in the main room.

A few of us actually did explore the exhibit until we were ushered out for closing.  It was really captivating, and I may go back to have more time with it.

I will definitely go back to see the other exhibits.  When I entered, the museum seemed tiny and the collection small, but as I wandered later in the evening, I realized there were much larger galleries tucked away through hallways that were choked with drunk people who were not interested in art.

Despite the crowds, it was a fun event, and I look forward to the next Culture and Cocktails on November 5!

BONUS!  Museum #4: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles

I was in Los Angeles for FYF Fest, and on Sunday, there wasn't a ton going on during the day.  My buddies and I did brunch at Roscoe's, hit up the Time Travel Mart (826LA), and then made plans to meet at the fest.  But as I was walking to the fest from my car, I longingly glanced at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles and the giant skeleton hanging in the lobby of the back entrance.  I asked the gate monitor how much entry for a student was, and she told me that since they closed in the hour it was half off, so it was $4.50.  $4.50!  Sold!

 I wandered the museum for the hour, mostly hanging with the dinosaur bones.  Even though I have often had dinosaur-themed nightmares, I find them fascinating.  It was quite a collection, possibly the largest I had ever seen.

Bummer that the butterfly pavilion was closed because of the festival.

I couldn't tell you if the museum as a whole is "worth it," but if you're a student, it's half off, or you're way into dinosaurs, I highly recommend it.

BONUS #2!  San Diego Air and Space Museum

Thanks to Yelp! I got to visit a fifth new museum this year.  Each year, Yelp San Diego hosts a big Halloween party for Yelp Eliters, and this year they brought it back to the San Diego Air and Space Museum.  While we didn't do a ton of learning, we did wander through the exhibits and saw a lot of things that used to fly.  It was a really cool space for an event, especially an event with a ton of free, really great food and drinks and tons of creative people in costumes.  (Friend me on Yelp! http://captainfun.yelp.com)

#2 - Sail on the Ocean

Sunfishing on Brant Lake

I grew up sailing Sunfish on Brant Lake, NY, at my beloved Camp Michigania East.  Every year, upon arrival at camp, we change into our swim suits, head down to the water front to take our swim tests, and then walk over to the sail beach to take our skipper tests.  Upon completion, we immediately sail directly to the "castle house" until some poor, new counselor hops into the speed boat, chases us down, and says in a British accent, "You've gone too far!  It's time to come back now!"  And we play dumb and agree.  It's a tradition I treasure.  We also have a song we sing, but I'll keep that between my camp friends and me.  I say this in the present tense because even when I was back a couple years ago, we did a version of this very thing, even as very much full-grown adults.

My classmates on the last day of class

Cold, wet, and sore after the capsize test

Several years back, one of my former staff hooked me and a couple friends with a cheap beginner sailing class through the Northwestern Sailing Center on Lake Michigan in Chicago.  There I finally learned the hows and whats of rigging a boat, including the variety of knots needed for 420's.  It was a bit intimidating sailing a boat with 2 sails into Lake Michigan, but once we did a capsize test, I realized the worst that would happen is a freezing cold dip into the gross lake.  (We wore wetsuits for the capsize test so that we didn't need to get treated for hypothermia after swimming in Lake Michigan in May.)

A friend and I then made friends with some Match Race sailors one evening, who told us to come out and sail with them.  So we biked down to the Chicago Match Race Center for a pleasant afternoon on a boat... or so we thought.  Match Race sailing is... something.  The first time the 2 boats raced full speed towards each other only to do a 90 degree turn at the very last second, so close to the other boat that we could have reached out and touched the other crew, I questioned my judgement for jumping onto a boat with some sailors we met at a dive bar.  However, it turns out they were great sailors and it gave me a much higher tolerance for speed, proximity to other boats, and heeling (when the boat is angled laterally, sometimes more than 45 degrees, for less resistance, maximum wind, and more speed).  

Skippering

Despite having a few different sailing experiences, I was not feeling confident in my sailing abilities, so when I looked at classes at the Mission Bay Aquatic Center, I wasn't sure what to take.  Their courses go from beginner to advanced and then offer specific courses for specific types of vessels.  I e-mailed the sailing coordinator and he responded quickly, advising the Advanced Sailing class.  I was a little hesitant because I certainly don't feel "advanced," and I was positive that sailing on the ocean would be infinitely more difficult than any lake, even Lake Michigan.  He seemed sure though, so...

On my first day of class, I was sure I was in the wrong one.  Our awesome instructor Nick reviewed all kinds of terminology that I was sure I had heard at least once before but couldn't iterate any of it.  However, when we each shared our sailing experience levels, I found out that the other 4 students had only ever sailed in their beginning class, so a total of 2-4 days ever.  Then I felt better.

Beautiful Mission Bay

Our first day was a lot of review, which was great.  Since there was an odd number of us, I wound up in a boat with 2 sisters, who were very sweet but got nervous each time we heeled a bit.  The second day we learned a little more technique.  The third class we learned what to do if a crew member fell off the boat and then did our capsize drills.  Righting a holder is WAY more difficult than the Sunfishes and 420 I had righted before.  I ended up bruised and sore but pleased that I knew what to do if we somehow tipped.  The fourth class we sailed right up the channel from the nearly to the open ocean.  It was so pleasant.  Then we sailed back and had a nice little cook out by the bay with the class and Nick.

Yes, you read correctly that I never made it to the open ocean, but since I actually learned to sail a larger boat on the bay, I am counting it for the intention of this item.  (I would have also counted sitting on a sailboat in the ocean.)  

I'm so pumped that I'm all checked off and can rent a boat from the fantastic MBAC whenever I want.  Let's go sailing!

Nick grilling us some burgers to celebrate the end of class.

#57 - Drive to San Francisco... or Further North

I set an intention for this trip before I even started planning: savor the journey.  I had to remind myself a few times.  There are so many places along the coast I'd love to visit, to spend some time, to really explore.  But this trip wasn't about any of the destinations.  It was about the journey.

I could have started the Pacific Coast Highway here in San Diego, but I had to make it all the way to Grover Beach the first night, and I got started a little late...  intentionally.  I managed to fit in the first week of my new Sunday beach volleyball league with Vavi before heading north.  I was happy to meet my new team, and two hours in the sun in perfect San Diego beach weather was a lovely way to start my vacation.  

I drove up the 5 to the 73 (I think I'm a real Californian now) to drop by Newport Beach for a little happy hour with Amelia, Carlos, Grandma Gomez, and baby Alex.  I've known Amelia for 20+ years, and though we go many years sometimes without seeing each other, it's always comforting to see her.  I guess camp friends are just like that.  Last time I saw her, I was able to meet the man who would become her husband.  This time, I got to meet her son for the first time.  We were able to do a little catching up over happy hour snacks.  I hope to pop up to Newport again soon for a longer visit!

I then headed up the 405 to the 1 and managed to catch Santa Barbara just before sunset.  I was so excited to stop in this beautiful town and to take some pictures for my imagined instagram tag #weekofsunsets.  I then realized that the coast curves a bit there, and Santa Barbara mostly faces south.  So I couldn't really see the sunset.  I did have a great dinner and wrote about my short pit stop here because visiting Santa Barbara was a list item in itself.

I then jumped on some curvy hill highway that took me 2 hours into the night to Grover beach, where I stayed at this lovely little beach cottage that I found through airbnb.  My host Juliet made everything so easy and even left me a bottle of wine and Netflix.  

In the morning, I realized that in my excitement to be in a sweet little cottage with Netflix, I had forgotten that it was Sunday and I should have watched Game of Thrones.  I had to really talk myself out of staying an extra hour to watch it.  I promised myself GoT could wait a few days but I only had so much time to be in Big Sur.  Thank you, past Megan, for your strength.  It was worth it.  

Grover Beach runs right along the 1, so I popped back to the coast and drove north.  I knew it would be pretty.  I had no idea it would be as pretty as it was.

I absolutely love road trips: the opportunity to see pieces of the world I might not otherwise have ever seen, and there so many surprises along the way.  My favorite always is the drive from Syracuse to Brant Lake, New York.  That's partly because I love driving those curvy mountain roads, but it's mostly because everytime I make that drive, I'm heading to Camp Michigania, where I will see dozens of people I consider family.  It feels like going home.  My second favorite drive of all time is I-80 through western Colorado.  I mean, wow.  I've done it twice now, and both times, I was in awe.  

The 1 trumps both of these drives.  The area around Big Sur and Los Padres National Forrest is the most beautiful strip of road I have ever seen.  It's in the top 3 for most beautiful places I've ever seen period.  (The Swiss Alps and German Alps being the other two.)  The route even has places to pull off all throughout because the awe the views inspire is inevitable, and without those spaces to stop, reflect, and snap pictures, there would be a LOT of accidents along the 1.  It is hundreds of miles of all of the blues an ocean can be -- deep and dark, turquoise, sea green -- filled with craggy dark rocks, surrounded by beaches, wildflowers, rolling hills which turn into mountains and cliffs.  Every stop I told myself, you need to pull over here and take this in.  It won't get prettier than this.  But then it did.

Elephant seals

I shouldn't have been, but I was shocked about the sheer amount of wildlife I saw along my drive: elephant seals, wild turkeys, deer, maybe elk, rabbits, and California condors.  I say "maybe elk" because at one point, there was a sign that said "elk viewing."  I decided to keep going because I wasn't sure how far out of my way I'd have to go, and when I glanced left, I saw cars lined up and some dark spaces standing in a field.  Maybe they were elk.

The most incredible wildlife spotting was during a stretch where I thought the ocean views were the most impressive thing around.  Then, I saw these huge birds circling, and there was a turn off where people had pulled over to watch, so I pulled over too.  As I watched, I realized the birds of prey, just ten or so meters above me, were huge, with wing spaces of 4-6 feet.  Then I realized they had white heads.  Then I realized they were condors, our state bird, the California Condor, which is also endangered.  They were magnificent.  This guy nearby gestured in wonder to me, and then he muttered something about his girlfriend not wanting to get out of the car... again.  It was really incredible to see them soaring over the ocean cliffs.

Once I was nearing Big Sur, I noticed the marine layer was hanging heavy over the coast.  Sometmies it obstructed the views, and sometimes it added to them.  At one point, I was so high up on the mountain roads that I was driving above the marine layer.  When I stopped for a view, it looked like the view from an airplane, just a sea of white, fluffy clouds around the rolling mountain tops.  

I had a hard time enjoying the last few miles into Big Sur because I kept worrying that I'd missed it.  There's no reception in that area with the mountains and very, very few people, so I couldn't GPS it.  I had my map and kept reassuring myself that I had not missed my turn, but, since I had stopped a million times, my time estimate of my arrival was completely off.  Eventually I saw some gigantic signs that led me easily to my campsite.

As visiting a new National Park was also on my list, my time in Big Sur is documented here.

On the way to the bay area, I decided to fit in the 17 mile drive.  I've done it before and remembered it being simply amazing.  I guess my standards of beauty have changed a little.  Don't get me wrong, it's still an incredible bit of coastline, but this time, I was surprised by the charnge and just couldn't get over how much of it had been torn down for golf courses.  This bit of Monterey is the home of Pebble Beach Golf Course.  It's a beautiful course... that was probably more beautiful before it was a golf course.  It was surrounded by these gigantic homes.  There was so much private property that the only views are marked viewpoints with landmarks... surrounded by warning signs about not tresspassing on the golf course.  I haven't quite made peace with this part of my journey.  The rest of the drive was such free, open access to beauty, but this bit is owned and private.




After another beautiful drive, I arrived in the bay area around 6:30pm.  I probably should have thought through the hiking, creek-wading, no showering because I was hungry and so were my generous hosts for the night, Sharon & Justin.  They took me to a lively BBQ place in Pleasanton.  I consider Sharon a friend, but the easiest way to describe our relationship is that she is my childhood best friend's little sister.  It was really nice to catch up and to have some easy conversation after so many hours by myself.  They took good care of me, and I really appreciate it.

I tried to wait until slightly after rush hour to head to Oregon.  I failed.  Instead of repeating my lovely day in Eugene, here's a link to that post, since it was a list item on its own.

I mixed up my schedule a bit that day.  I thought I'd catch lunch with my camp friend Chris, head up to Portland to grab dinner with the Schummers and meet their little one, and then head to the coast to stay for the night.  However, I didn't realize that the track meet I had tickets for didn't really start until 4pm, so dinner didn't work.  I would really like to make it to Portland soon and would be thrilled to actually spend some quality time with my old Chicago friends the Schummers.

"Shhhh... Dreaming of Adventures"

Since Portland didn't work out, I drove directly the to the coast to stay at the Sylvia Beach Hotel.  I went on the recommendation of my parents, who are two of the coolest people I'll ever meet.  And by cool, I mean authentically cool, in that they, like me, are into what they are into, like books, which is actually what the Sylvia Beach Hotel is all about.  While the hotel is on the beach, it's actually in Newport, Oregon.  It's named after Sylvia Beach, a woman who once owned a famous bookstore in Paris.

Notice the tentacle pen.

The rooms each have an author theme.  I'm a grad student, so I knew I couln't get my heart set on the JK Rowling room, which has an ocean view and was thus a bit more expensive, so I requested the Tolkein room, which was also booked.  I settled for the Jules Verne room.  Now that I've stayed there, I would have chosen that room first.  It was hella cool.  The bed has a frame modeled after an old timey submarine, like in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  There is a giangantic tenticle reaching out of the wall through a porthole and another porthole shows the sea monter's bulging eye.  The writing desk sits next to an old, gigantic compass.  The bathroom was huge and had this incredible mural covering the walls and ceiling, all reminiscent of Around the World in 80 Days...  with the sea monster obviously making an appearance.


Since it's been since high school since I've read any Verne, I listened to most of Journey to the Center of the Earth on my Oregon drive.  At first, I was just going through the motions and wasn't very interested.  I'm still not finished, and I'm geeked to hear what happens next on this tale of adventure.

When I booked the room, I had completely forgotten that Jules Verne is all about adventure.  Specifically, he writes about adventures into the unknown.  It was the perfect room for my journey, which was all about the journey and not the destination.

The phone-and-clock-free room gave me the best sleep of my life.  I woke up, went to breakfast at the hotel restaurant: Tables of Content.  It was a great little meal with a ton of choices and I only learned after that it was included in my meal.  It made me wish I had been there for the very affordably priced prix fix dinner the night before.  I wandered into the open rooms that had been occupied the night before.  I just loved that place.

I then got back on the road and headed to Sacramento where I was trying to meet my former supervisor Andrew for a beer.  However, there were a combination of issues that arose: Andrew had to go pick up his nephews, so he needed to leave by 7, but I had miscalculated the time, there were several accidents, and I had somehow set my GPS to "walk," so my GPS kindy kept me off the highways, where walking is not permitted, for the first hour or so.  I knew I should have relied on my maps, but I wanted to get the quickest route.  Since I thought it was a 7 hour drive, I didn't notice when instead it said, "7 days."  I only noticed when it wasn't changing.  Shoot.

So I got to my hotel in the suburbs of Sacramento, just a Hampton Inn, which was definitely in my budget.  It was surprisingly nice and very comfortable.  The only thing that was obnoxious was that there really wasn't anything nearby where I could sit at a bar, maybe get a bartender to chat with me for some socialization after 9+ hours alone, and have some dinner and a glass of wine.  I finally found a lively Italian place, but it was so lively with an older crowd that it wasn't possible to make conversation with the bartender.  The couple next to me said a couple things to me but was also very handsy and not looking for casual chit chat.  Dinner was great as was the wine though.  I then headed back to my hotel and FINALLY watched Game of Thrones.  I can't believe I waited that long.  Then I was dying to talk to someone about it but was unsuccessful.  Oh, Pacific Coast time...

Mt Shasta seemed visible for hours.

In the morning I set off for San Diego.  It's funny.

I know that it is much warmer inland than on the coast, but I somehow don't ever believe it.  It was a comfortable 70-some degrees during my whole trip.  I guess I had just missed the heat in Eugene.  But then inland, it stayed around 105.  It was sweltering.  And there were all these signs about the drought.  I had mixed feelings because the area is obviously a desert, so it seems strange to be angry about a drought that's hurting the farming industry that is really out of place, water-wise, in central California, but it's also hard to see so many areas hurting so hard becasue of the drought.  The weirdest thing was when I noticed that the signs were blaming politicians, specifically Barbara Boxer and Nancy Pelosci.  I'm curious about how they're responsible for the drought but not curious enough to actually look it up.

Traffic was miserable all through and then south of LA all the way to San Diego.  The last 2 hours of my drive was brutal.  I was ready to be home.  I did get to hear a bit more of my books on tape, but I was ready.

I made it home on Saturday afternoon, just in time to relax, have some homemade dinner, and chill before bed and then getting up in the morning for another Sunday morning on the beach volleyball courts.  It was a perfect vacation, and I'm happy I jumped at the opportunity when I had the time to make it happen.