Skydivin'

I got a video of my skydive jump with Melba in Belize. She's got video of her own, so check her blog soon for her video.

Belize trip recap, part two of two.

Sorry for the delay. Part Two.

Day 4.5: Placencia

After skydiving in the early afternoon in San Pedro, we hoofed it quick over to the airport, conveniently located across the street from the skydivers hotel. We just barely caught the 1pm Maya Island Air flight to Placencia, and caught a taxi at the Placencia airport at about 5pm. The flight was only about an hour of actual flying time but we had to stop twice in Belize City, once in Dangriga, and the Placencia airport was closed for a fresh layer of blacktop. So we had to land in Savannah, take a bus to another small town, and then a water taxi to the Placencia airport where we caught our taxi. We checked into the Westwinds, our spiffy little hotel and home for the next 4 days. After checking in, we headed straight for The Barefoot Beach Bar to meet back up with Cari and Chung, our most excellent travel companions. We timed it perfectly and arrived just in time for happy hour. After a few drinks, we walked to The Pickled Parrot for more drinks and apps (awesome lobster fritters!). After the apps, we walked to the Cozy Corner for dinner and more drinks. The rest of that evening was a bit of a blur. Probably because of the drinks.

Day 5: The next morning, Chung and I got up early to go fishing off the beach on the south end of the peninsula. After wandering around the south end of town for about an hour looking for a place to buy live bait, we finally found a guy named Fred who sold us a nice bag of frozen sardines and dispensed a lot of good advice on how to catch the local fare. Not that it helped much... Chung caught a couple of small fish, I caught nothing but a small crab. After fishing, we met back up with Melba and Cari in time for lunch at The Purple Space Monkey. The afternoon was spent relaxing on the beach in front of the Westwinds. The hotel had a palapo with four nice big hammocks set up on the beach, along with the usual beach chairs. Chung and I did a little snorkeling in the sandy-bottomed water, where we managed to photograph a few decent sized fish and a small stingray. Relaxing left us hungry and thirsty, so we headed back to the Barefoot Beach Bar again for happy hour apps and beverages. After happy hour, we headed back to the hotel for Chung's Valentines day gift to Cari, a cool handmade necklace he bought for her on the sly in San Pedro. Of course we had to follow this activity up with more apps and beverages, so we went back to the Pickled Parrot. For dinner, we made our way to Wendy's restaurant, which features "creole & spanish cuisine". Good grub, reasonably priced.

Day 6: I woke up early to see the sunrise, and was not disappointed - it was beautiful. We then headed off for a day of fishing guided by Tuca, our expert fishing guide from Joy Tours. I made the mistake of waiting until we were out at our first fishing destination before applying sunscreen, and by then I was pretty burnt. But the trolling fishing was awesome - Melba caught a large grouper, Cari caught a nice sized barracuda, I caught a good sized barracuda, and Chung caught a whole pile of various fish before we stopped for a home cooked chicken lunch on a small island out by the reef. Tuca's wife whipped up a great little meal, and we rested on the island for a little while before heading back out for some bottom fishing. The bottom fishing was great - we were pulling in fish almost constantly, but the fish were smaller than the ones we were getting by trolling. After fishing, I crashed out in the hotel and napped for a few hours, worn out by the fishing and sunburn. The rest of the crew went out for the evning, but I don't remember what they did.

Day 7: Breakfast at Omar's. Or if you listen to Melba, "Oscar's". After breakfast, we visited a nearby market to load up on Marie Sharp's hot sauce and souvenirs. Chung bought about 38 bottles of hot sauce for himself, and 2 or 3 to give out to others. But he may keep those as well. After shopping, more relaxing on the palapo hammocks, then back to the Purple Space Monkey for lunch, drinks, and some badass shrimp nachos that weren't even on the menu. In the afternoon, the clouds rolled in - until then, the weather since we arrived had been severely clear and sunny. We then relaxed a bit more back at the hotel in preparation for our stellar dinner. George and Lisa are the owners of the Westwinds Hotel, and George graciously offered to prep and cook our previous day's catch. We bribed him with the barracuda that Cari caught, and he cooked up the grouper that Melissa snagged. Dinner was spectacular. I singlehandedly finished a third of a bottle of Gray Goose vodka, which soon led to me and my sunburn staggering upstairs to pass out.

Day 8: The weather was again cloudy and windy for our day of departure, and we headed to De' Tatch for breakfast (stuffed fryjacks!). We loaded up our gear and bid Placencia a fond adieu. Back on the Maya Island puddlejumpers, and many bottles of 1 Barrel purchased at the Duty Free in Belize City before our flight back home. We arrived in Minneapolis about 11 hours later to 20 degree weather.

A little snow.

For my California friends who are unfamiliar with driving in snow, I shot a little video Saturday night on the freeways around Minneapolis during the height of The Storm Of The Century!!!!11!1!!(tm)

Conditions weren't bad, considering the amount of snow that fell. We ended up with 12" total.

Belize trip recap, part one of two.

To me, an excellent measure of a good vacation is my state of mind when I return. If I have thoughts questioning my lot in life, my future, my state of being, then I've had a good vacation. If I get back and slip into the old routine in a day, not thinking about why I am where I am in life, then I didn't truly get away.

Ok, enough philosophical bullshit. The trip details. For far too many pictures (1,307!) of what I'm writing about below, see the link to the right labeled "Flickr Photos" and look for the "Belize '07" album.

Day 0: Melba and I catch a 4am flight with our good friends Chung and Cari. After 10 hours of airports and flying and taxis and even a water taxi, we made it to the kickass house we called home for 4 days in San Pedro. Did I mention that the house was fucking sweet? It was. We went out to Elvi's Kitchen for our first of many nights of Belikin and Lighthouse beer and conch ceviche.

Day 1: Breakfast at Papi's Diner. Frozen rum punches at Fido's. Rented a badass golf cart with ATV tires, the preferred mode of transportation in San Pedro. Pre-dinner drinks at the Palapa Bar, and an expensive but very good dinner at a restaurant whose name escapes me. I'm sure Chung remembers the name.

Day 2: I woke up with the sunrise, and was not disappointed. Took the golf cart out for a spin in the mud while Cari and Chung went scuba diving. Got the cart really muddy. Lunch and Belikins at Cholo's. Melba and Cari got an hour-long massage at Asian Garden. Chung and I were re-united with Buddy the dog. Then he left us again just as quickly. Another expensive dinner, this time at Capricorn. After dinner beverages up the beach at a hotel whose name I can't recall. I'm sure Chung remembers the name.

Day 3: Breakfast of fryjacks at Beach'n Kitchen. The first of many fryjacks. Fryjacks are GOOD. Spotted a big 'ol stingray off the end of the house's dock. Bid the golf cart a fond adieu, then went snorkeling. The best of the two snorkeling stops was at Shark Alley where I got to pet a nurse shark and a few stingrays. Pre-pre-dinner drinks at a hotel bar whose name I can't remember (I'm sure Chung remembers the name), featuring swim-up barstools. And a guy named Andy who was not celebrating his birthday. Pre-dinner drinks at Da Box. Dinner at BC's bar consisted of the best microwave nachos I've ever had in my life, and a charismatic bald dude named Joe Pete who convinced Melba to go skydiving the next day. Took a water taxi home.

Day 4: After a few trials and tribulations with water taxis, we dragged our luggage to town in time to go skydiving and catch the next puddlejumper flight after the dive. Melba loved skydiving, after being a little nervous on the way up. It was my 2nd time, so I knew what to expect and really dug the stellar views of the reef from 12,000 feet. We made it back just in time to catch our flight to Placencia.

Tune in tomorrow for part two...

Back.

I finally managed to get caught up on my 365 blog, so I should have a trip report posted here in the next day or two.

I wish I could say I'm happy to be back, but damn... Belize was so much fun and the weather could not have been more perfect.

Vacation... almost over.

After 8 days of sunshine and 80 degree weather, Melba and I are heading home tomorrow. I'm pulling the trip pics off the camera now, and since the "hotel" has wifi, I figured a post is in order.

I'll be posting a not-too-long but complete trip recap when I return. It is currently 71 here, and 18 in Minneapolis. I don't look forward to starting my car after letting it sit for 9 days in the cold.

See you all soon.

And I am outta here...

In the off chance anyone wants to reach me, I will be gone until the
18th. Melba and I are heading to Belize where it is currently 70 degrees warmer than
it is here.

4 days in San Pedro, then 4 more in Placencia. One of those days will
be fishing, one will be snorkeling, the other 6 will be glorious
NOTHING.

Have fun without me.

A nifty little secret.

Not many people know this about me, but I'm quite prone to emotional ups and downs. I'm nowhere near manic depressive, but I'm also a lot more variable than the even-keel public persona that I try to maintain.

I've gotten better over the last few years, and I can think back to one day in particular that was a landmark turning point for me. It was a sunny, warm, glorious summer afternoon about 4 years ago, and I was driving home from work at UCLA. I had all the car windows down, the sunroof open, and I was stuck in some especially bad traffic on the 405.

I was pissed. Frustrated, angry, mad at the traffic, annoyed that I couldn't make progress, couldn't get home.

Then, something clicked in my hamster-wheel brain and I tilted my head back to look at the sky through the open sunroof. I felt the warmth of the sun on my face and a wave of something like a tickle of energy flow through me, all the way down to my feet. The beautiful blue sky, the toasty sun, and not a cloud in sight. Right then, I remember thinking one thought, clear as a bell:

"I choose to be happy."

And that was it. Just like that. The change in my mood was so sudden, I even felt a bit giddy. Like I'd discovered a nifty little secret. The best part about this little secret is that even now, years later, I can think back on that day whenever I feel down or pissy about something that shouldn't be getting me down or pissy and that memory will snap me out of whatever funk I'm in. Just like that.

This moment is one of my fondest memories of California.

SuperCold.

While it was cold out today, it was also sunny for almost the entire day so I didn't mind the cold too much. Melba and I joined a group of friends to watch the Super Bowl, and had a damn good time. Keith won the pool:
(see my 365 blog for another picture).

For my friends in California who have never experienced cold weather, I made a little video yesterday that highlights some of the fun you can have in the cold.
My Minnesota friends might call shenanigans on this, since most cars have no trouble starting until it gets down to -20 or so. I should have mentioned in the video that I take the bus to work so my car hadn't been started in 9 days, and the battery is getting pretty old.

TTW: Gorillapod Mini Tripod

As part of my continuing series of Things That Work, I offer... the Gorillapod.I picked up this little gem this afternoon. It's a tabletop tripod, but with legs that are more flexible than Gumby. It holds my Canon SD800:
And it even holds my Nikon D50.I bought the smallest model meant for point-and-shoot cameras, but the Gorillapod also comes in two larger sizes - one for SLR cameras, and one for video cameras or SLRs with large lenses.

The best feature of the Gorillapod is the legs that flex and can be wrapped around an object like a tree branch, sign post, or whatever else happens to be lounging around nearby.

Slacking / resolutions.

Ever since I started the 365 project, my post count on this blog has gone waaay down. I want to fix that, and will do better this month.

As for my list of 2007 resolutions:

1. Lose 2 pounds per month: Started at 200.5 on the 1st, weighed in at 197.5 on the 8th, and am at an even 198 this morning. Doing well so far, shooting for 196 by 3/1.

2. Get on a budget: I've got two things I'm trying; MoodIndigo reminded me of a handy Excel spreadsheet on Crazy Aunt Purl's site that I have filled out and will use in conjunction with a pirated copy of Quicken 2007 that I snagged.

3. Take a standup or improv comedy class: Still planning to take the "Improv I" course on Feb. 20, but may have to bump that back depending on my finances post Belize trip.

4. Get the show online by March 1st: I've decided to ditch the show idea until after we move to LA. No point in starting it up now, just to pack it in after a few months. I may explore some other ideas I have for short projects; I don't want the studio to go to waste.

Adventures in tech support, vol. 39

As some of you know, my job at Machinery, Inc. is tech support. Here's a typical call I received today:

me: "Machinery support, this is Steve"
Smart User: "Hi, I'm having trouble with Adobe Illustrator. It keeps crashing when I scale a drawing."
me: "That's no good. Does it give you an error message when it crashes?"
SU: "No, it just crashes."
me: "Is it crashing when you're working with one particular file, or every file?"
SU: "Just one file."
me: "I would be willing to bet that the file you're working on is corrupt. Try copying the file's contents and paste everything into a new file."
SU: "That can't be it. This file isn't very old."
me: "Okay... can I connect to your machine and check some settings?"
SU: "Sure."
[I connect, user opens the file and demonstrates the crash while I watch using our remote control software]
me: "Hmm... this file doesn't look right."
[I copy the contents of the file and paste it into a new file]
me: "Try scaling the drawing again in this new file."
SU: "Wow. It didn't crash."
me: "Yup."
SU: "So that other file is corrupt?"
me: "Yup."
SU: "Ok, thanks." *click*

I always wonder why people bother to call if they aren't going to believe what I say anyway.