This afternoon, I went to a free outdoor opera downtown. The show consisted of 1-2 acts from several well known operas. This was a part of a summer series, in which concerts and operas are provided free to the public. And likely, this program gives those folks (like myself), who could not afford or would otherwise not attend, a chance to do so. My friend Laura is an amazing violinist (and a triathlete!!) and plays in the orchestra for the SF Opera. She always clues me into which operas I should attend (mostly based on popularity, I think) and when the shows are outdoors/free.
A few weeks back, my roommate and I went to the Giants Stadium (baseball) where a live stream of the opera--La Tosca--was being played on the Jumbotron screen. Laura and her colleagues were playing downtown at the Opera House while we got to sit in the stadium under the full moon and eat ballpark food! So, I still know next to nothing about operas, except it seems, every story consists of a love story (perhaps two men fighting over one woman or forbidden love) and in the end, either one or both of the men and the woman are killed...
Saturday morning, my roommate Tracy and I went to the farmer's market at the Ferry Building. A trip to the farmer's market is like an instant mood-booster for me! If I ever ask myself what would make me happy on any given day, a trip to the farmer's market would likely be included on the list!
I love to see all of the amazing produce, beautiful flowers, and musicians. This particular Market is huge and occurs every Saturday morning; I try to get there as often as possible. The produce is fresh (you get lots of samples!) and local, there are always unique products like jalapeno infused olive oil, and fresh kimchi, cheese, and bread.
So, again it has been a while! The longer I go without writing, the more overwhelming writing (and catching up) seems. So, here goes.
I started the summer with a triathlon at Lake San Antonio. It was my first Olympic tri--1.5K swim, 56K bike, and 10k run. Like many things in life, actually doing the race proved to be the best way to understand the distance. I had read numerous articles, scoured over training plans, gone to Q&A sessions about the race, but race day was the best education! This is one of the largest triathlons in the state of California (and perhaps the country), and most of the competitors, friends, and fans camp for the weekend. All kinds of people do this race--are pros (Andy Potts the Olympian won his race), serious competitors, and normal athletes like me. Some teams create elaborate camps with tents, campers, grills, music. And some folks bring (or rent) their "pimped out" campers, which likely have better appliances and mattresses then the ones I own! Each to their own, right! Like I said this tri is huge, with around 7,000+ competitors taking part in one of three races--Olympic, long (1/2 Ironman), and sprint mountain bike. The atmosphere of the weekend was upbeat, competitive, and friendly. The volunteers stood out in the sun all weekend--amazing--handing out water, food, gels, etc. and even offered a "naked water stop," where they passed out water....yes, naked. It is a tradition, I guess, and maybe there is some beer involved too!!
Andrea, Laura, Areil, Rebecca, Adam after the race!
Start of the race on the left side; exit the water & run up the ramp on the right side.
Transition area...so...many...bikes!!
I had a good race; and since this was my first at this distance, I did not have a way to gauge. I did learn a lot about my training and what I need to improve upon for the next one. The weather the entire weekend was amazing (a tiny bit of rain on the ride down & during camp set-up). The group I went with was incredibly funny and chill and totally a blast to hang out with! All of the mouthfuls of water (salty, fresh, & chlorinated), the minor spills on my bike (don't ask!), the spin classes where I swore my instructor was crazy, the runs through the fog/mist in the months leading up to the race were totally worth it!
So, while I have been diligently training for my upcoming triathlon--running, biking, swimming. The only swimming I have only been doing has been in a pool, despite repeated "warnings" that I needed to get into open water! I really like the safety of the pool--being able to see the bottom, the lane markers, the other swimmers, and of course, the lifeguard! But, last Saturday, I finally squished myself into a wetsuit--it is a workout in itself to get into it--and swam at Aquatic Park in the Bay. It was so, so cold--but the suit, 2 swim caps, and ear plugs did help!
It was all I could do to concentrate on my breathing, staying warm, and the next buoy and not think about the fact there might be sharks or jellyfish in the water! My tri is the first weekend of May about 4 hours from here, and the swim is in a lake. I won't have to worry about Jaws attacking me during the race (only a freshwater shark, I guess!:) ), I only have to worry about getting kicked in the face or being swum over by one of the other racers....I don't know what is worse...!
Yes, so it has been a while...no excuses, no reasons (not to mention here anyway!)...
Already 2009. I have a new roommate, Tracey. She moved in the beginning of February when Jene, my former roommate, moved to NYC. The whole business of finding a roommate can be quite exhausting, and it was not, to be honest, something I wanted to put any energy toward! Jene and I got a long really well and I genuinely liked her, but now I have someone to visit when I go to NYC! In SF, and I am sure, many other cities in the US, the only way to find housing / roommates is on craigslist! It is quite a strange concept--posting your apartment or room and then picking the best "fit" from a sea of strangers. Actually, there were phone and in-person "interviews" inbetween. I once went to a apartment open-house where I had to fill out a questionnaire. I did not think it was strange at the time...but now I kind of do...
Anyway, Tracey works as a general manager at Baby Gap. She makes me laugh and likes to drink wine... I try to help her figure out the bus schedule, but she sometimes has to take a cab to work... and she says I can have red wiggly worm compost in the kitchen! I totally scored on this one! :)
Work has been crazy busy. I drove to Seattle with a coworker last week. Yeah, it was a long way, but very beautiful! We drove through the State of Jeffereson...did you know we almost had a 51st state? Yes, it's true. And the folks who live there still believe they will become it! Apparently (by the power of google / iPhones while driving!), the State of Jefferson was going to become a state back when CA and OR were becoming states, but was somehow overlooked in the shuffle of presidents and wars. And, put this in your back pocket for bar trivia, the State of Jefferson was the only part of the mainland US to be bombed by the Japanese during WWII. Yup! The capitol is Yreka--which is a city in northern California.
The opera orchestra (center, back)
