These Dirty Flats Never Looked So Good

Aww yeah.

I just dug up my old racing flats from the garage last night, and I am planning to use them for the 5K race I am running on Sunday. It’s been 12 years since I ran a race.

I’m excited and nervous at the same time. I’ve been running for the past month or so, and while I have been getting better I’m nowhere near the shape I was when I ran cross country in college. Back then I ran anywhere from four to eight miles a day, and I remember being physically exhausted most days. But I also remember fun times – cross country season was like one long field trip. Most days we would run on trails around the college, and some days we would take the college vans or the bus (which we called the “people mover”) out to different places, just because we were feeling bored that day. We raced all over southern California, traveling as far north as Santa Maria and as far south as San Diego. Back then I cared more about the camaraderie and the new places we visited, and my race times got lower as the season progressed, which was an added bonus.

Now I am in competition with my younger self, and am hoping that I can finish the race less than 24 minutes. That’s an average of 8 minutes a mile, which is roughly the same time I finished my first race of the season 12 years ago. I'll be wearing these old racing flats to help me remember the good ol' days and to bring me a little luck on race day.

Tribute to Princess

Dear Princess,

It’s been almost a year since you’ve passed away and not a single day goes by that I don’t think of you in some small way. Had you lived, today would have been your 10^th birthday.

You were my first real pet, the first pet that I’ve been solely responsible for. I tried my best to keep you fed, walked, and entertained. If I fell short during your lifetime, forgive me. I was trying to focus on some things that turned out not to be very important when I could’ve been spending that time with you.

We never knew what caused your sudden illness. You were so patient, even during the difficult last days when we visited vet after vet, who could never diagnose or understand what was wrong with you. You gave me great joy during the nine years that we were together and you passed away way too soon. It’s become clear to me that that’s the way life is – it’s always the good ones that die too young.

I hope that you are having fun in doggie heaven, going for long walks and sleeping in enormous feather beds like you loved to do here on earth. Most of all, I hope you get to eat as much chicken as you want without getting an upset stomach.

I love you, I miss you, and will never forget you.

XOXO

Mom

So Proud

Today my sister passed the NCLEX exam. For those of you who have no clue what that means, it is an entry-level competence exam for licensure as a registered nurse and/or a vocational nurse. My sister Genevieve has been studying for the exam since January of this year, and all that hard work has finally paid off! Congrats to my smart and lovely sister!

Wherever the Day Takes You

It was HOT last weekend in SoCal! Temperatures soared to a whopping 95 degrees in my 'hood on Saturday and Sunday, making for very lazy afternoons where we napped and watched the NBA playoffs. Rene and I thought about visiting some beaches in San Diego on Sunday, but this happened last week. Supposedly the Great White Shark that attacked a triathlete is still in the area, so authorities closed San Diego beaches as far north as Carlsbad for the weekend.

We ended up running six miles on Saturday (followed by push-ups and tricep exercises whose impact I still feel today – ouch!), and on Sunday we got up extra early (6:30 am) to tackle five miles before the heat came. Where I live, the heat feels like a dozen lasers pointed at you whenever you come in contact with sunlight – on really hot days it is that intense. I usually make it a point to run in the morning or late afternoon to avoid getting burned alive.

Our run on Sunday was tough. We ran a trail called Towsley Canyon, and the first half of the run (roughly 2.5 miles) was a never-ending climb with an elevation of, oh, HALF A MILE. It wasn’t too bad in the beginning, during the first mile or so, but there were some sections that kicked our butts and we ended up walking some parts of the trail. I normally hate stopping during my workouts but it was too much – the hills were killing my calves so I decided to take it easy and walk long strides. I also had to stop during the downhill portion due to really bad side cramps, which has plagued me for the past week. I’ve been trying to make adjustments to my diet and workouts to get rid of them but I can’t seem to shake them. Rene thinks it’s because I bounce too much when I run, and consequently irritate or shake up my insides, resulting in side cramps. Have you ever had side cramps like this? If so, how did you get rid of them?

After our run we ate breakfast at Way Station Cafe in Newhall. It’s a nice local place with a small-town atmosphere, where the waitresses called you “Hon” (even though ours was not a day over 18, making it a little awkward for me to be called “Hon” by someone ten years younger) and is decorated with old license plates, framed newspaper articles from the 1970s, and other vintage signs. It was nice seeing license plates from states like West Virginia (Wild, Wonderful), Montana (Big Sky), and New Hampshire (Live Free or Die) while eating breakfast.

On our way home we came across the William S. Hart Ranch and Museum, which piqued our interest. We stopped to see if there was anything interesting to see when a friendly old man came up to us and told us that further up the hill were bison (bison! In SoCal!) and a historic house that gave free tours every half hour. Since I love tours, and free ones at that, we climbed the path to the house, where we came across these babies:


Don't they look a little like my dog Chuy? They were given to the property by Walt Disney back in 1962 and have been residing there ever since. It's really quite a sight to behold, bison in the heart of suburbia. I was really happy to see them, considering that bison don't run around SoCal, and the only ones I've seen live in Catalina Island (they were left there after filming wrapped for The Vanishing American).

So who is William S. Hart, and why is his estate open to the public? William S. Hart was an actor in the silent film era famous for playing cowboys. He was famous for carrying two six-shooter pistols (rumored to be from Billy the Kid) and was nicknamed Two-Gun Bill. Mr. Hart was the inspiration behind characters played by Gary Cooper and Clint Eastwood. He had a horse named Fritz, who had his own fan club, and owned many dogs. The Spanish Colonial Revival home, called La Loma de los Vientos, was designed by Arthur R. Kelly during the 1920s. Arthur R. Kelly also designed many other homes in SoCal during that time, including the Playboy Mansion. I was very impressed with the house, especially with the quality of the materials used to build it. According to our tour guide, all the doors are made from a single piece of wood, and the structure sustained no damage from the Northridge Earthquake in 1994. After William S. Hart's death in 1946 he willed the entire estate to the LA County Museum of Art, and it has been open to the public ever since. I recommend stopping by if you are in the Valencia area.

We spent the rest of the day getting ready for the week and relaxing at home. It was nice discovering a place I didn't even know existed, another gem in the crown of LA.

More pictures here.

A Vera Lovely Spring

I love spring and all that it represents: awakening, renewal, and growth. I love seeing trees sprouting brand-new leaves, like a bald man whose hair has started growing again. I love seeing flowers bloom from the ground, displaying their colorful petals and shiny leaves. This time of year everything is so gorgeous, especially here in Southern California, that simply being outside is like being in a garden.

My allergies, however, are telling nature to suck it. Every morning this week I’ve woken up to a stuffed (and sometimes leaky) nose. Euhhh! During the day I sneeze about 1,523 times and I constantly scratching my itchy nose and eyes. (No wonder people don't want to shake my hand at work.) I’ve had to start taking my allergy medication this week, which I normally don’t do unless my allergies are superbad (and they are). The thing is, my medication has a teeny, tiny bit of steroids in it to help shrink my sinuses but nowhere near the amount that would, say, cause me to turn into the Ultimate Warrior anything. But still, a part of me thinks that all the tiny steroid amounts I’ve ingested are being stored somewhere in my body and will someday get together and form a revolution. I fear that they will turn me into Vera De Milo from In Living Color (dude, remember that show?!):



It’s just a thought, one of the million random ones I have throughout the day. If you use Flonase or Nasonex, don't you think about it too?

Olympic Hoopla

For weeks now I’m been mulling over whether or not to write a post about the hoopla surrounding the upcoming Olympic Games. I LOVE watching the Olympic Games: the thrill of seeing athletes from around the world represent their countries in the opening ceremonies, the elation of watching track & field events not broadcast in the networks, and best of all, learning about the journey of the athletes to the games: the struggles they overcame to compete, and their inspiration to keep going. In my opinion hearing stories about the athletes is the best part of the Olympics. Some of them have had to overcome so much just for a chance to compete at such an elite level that it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. I heart the Olympics and cannot wait until its broadcast on 8.8.08 (have I mentioned that 8 is my favorite number?!) from Beijing.

In January I visited Shanghai and found that people were really excited about showcasing their country and having people learn about their culture. For me, China is a country shrouded in mystery, and having them open up just a small part of their country and culture to the world is so exciting for me. I’m disappointed that instead of having the Olympics focus on the athletes and the good aspects of the host country it’s turned into a big political statement instead. For someone so excited at the thought of the Olympics I am disappointed in how events are unfolding.

Let me start by saying that I appalled by the treatment of Tibetans (and for that matter other ethnic minorities in China) by the Chinese government. It is inexcusable to deprive people of their basic rights and treat them as less than human. In my eyes there is no greater evil out there than the pain we inflict on our fellow man. I highly respect the right of people all over the world to call attention China’s abuses towards its own citizens. The Chinese government should be held accountable for these abuses. I believe that sanctions, particularly economic ones, if executed properly, could be useful weapons in letting China know that the world will not tolerate these abuses. Money talks and withholding it will certainly get China’s attention.

That being said, I do not agree with the tactics used by some protestors during this year’s torch relays. Assaulting torch bearers or threatening to disrupt the relay doesn’t undermine the Chinese government – it undermines the individuals who were selected to carry the torch (which is an honor) and more importantly, it diminishes the spirit of the Games. The focus of the Olympics should be on the athletes and their struggles to make it to the world stage. The Olympics should transcend borders and political agendas and provide us with inspiration. The Olympics is a time when we get together as a planet and celebrate each other’s talents. The best part of the Games is seeing the expression on the athlete’s face when they take their place on the medal stand and their national anthem is played – don’t your eyes get misty just thinking about it? I know mine do.

Feeling Touristy

One of the things I wanted to be when I grew up, circa 1991, was to be a tour guide – seriously. I got the idea after riding the studio tram at Universal Studios, where visitors get a chance to see movie sets and visual effects. Some highlights include the Bates Motel from Psycho, King Kong (but only from the waist up), a re-enactment of a San Francisco earthquake (complete with BART replica), the Jaws shark, and a flash flood effect. Back then all this was magical to me because they’d made these rather fake-looking effects look good in the movies. My tour guide’s name was Lisa and she was terrific – she made the tour informative and fun, even though she probably gave at least a half dozen tours a day. Going on that tour made the world of movies exciting to me, which is probably why I work in the entertainment industry (on the periphery).

Sometimes Rene and I pretend we are tourists here in LA, even though we’ve lived here for most of our lives. The thing about LA is that it’s so big and many people who’ve lived here for years haven’t seen everything. There’s a lot to see – just the other week we drove up to the Antelope Valley to see California poppies bloom, and a few weeks before that we visited the Getty museum. In the coming weeks I’ll be visiting Olvera Street, a historic landmark here in LA. It's fun exploring this city and finding ways to fall in love with it all over again.

A few weeks ago we also visited Citywalk, which houses several restaurants, retail stores & a movie theatre, and is sandwiched between Universal Studios theme park and Gibson Amphitheatre. This was THE place to hang out back when I was in high school a decade ago; now it's probably been replaced by The Grove, where they sometimes film scenes for shows like The Hills.

We visited Citywalk on a Sunday afternoon and found that the majority of people fell into two categories: (1) tourists or (2) people who came to watch a movie. We were in the minority – locals visiting just because – and found it interesting how the place had changed. Gone are the old places we used to visit, like Wizardz (a bar-slash-magic theatre) and Gladstone's (now replaced by the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.). Back then the most popular attraction was people-watching, especially on weekends when teenagers and college kids would show up with their friends and try to meet new people. Now the most popular attraction is iFly, where skydiving is simulated inside a giant plastic tube using a badass fan. Lessons were being held when we stopped by, and we glimpsed a few brave souls getting blasted to the top of the tube. The instructors seemed pretty blasé about the whole thing – they're probably used to having people like me gawk all day long.

The second most popular attraction was a street show – a couple of guys performing breakdancing moves and stunts. They had attracted a pretty sizable crowd by the time we got there so we didn’t get to see them performing their act. We did, however, get a solid half hour of people watching before we called it a day. Check out these kids celebrating a Quincenera:

And of course I took a picture of Rene "riding" a motorcycle because it was there:

More pictures here.