LA is enormous

Obama slept here.  That's what they told Karen when she was checking in at the RSA conference here in LA.  

It's been about a decade since we've gone anywhere by ourselves for more than a night.  It's been a great trip so far, and this is the first time Karen's been to Cali, other than an overnight at LAX many years ago.  

We rented a car and headed north up the PCH.  Stopped in Ventura for lunch, bought some strawberries and oranges in Oxnard at a roadside stand.  I began my quest for the perfect fish taco in Ventura, where, while not perfect, it was outstanding.  Tried to get back to west LA via Mulholland Drive, but were turned around at the top as a big yellow gate after a few miles on the unimproved road told us we weren't going any further.  Beautiful views, though.

Spent yesterday at the Getty and driving around LA (Hollywood, the Sunset Strip, etc) and hit Long Beach to meet my cousin and her boyfriend.  Dinner and drinks at Shoreline Drive, catching up with family news--always a great time with great people.

So now I've got a free day as Karen presents her paper and sits on the panel.   Now I'll continue where we left off, explore a bunch of places that I've always wanted to see but are off the beaten path.  The thing I most love about cities is not the cultural landmarks as much as the way the city's grid (or lack thereof) is affected by the topography and demographics.  And fish taco stands.

Chronic Tacos here I come.

Getting back to regular

It's been a weird winter, and my significant level of inactivity, coupled with the turbulence that determines whether or not we will all be gainfully employed in the near future has created a Twilight Zone effect not felt since...I'm not quite sure.

Since 2003, I "got regular" again by getting back on my bike consistently, shedding close to 40 lbs (I really let go and ventured into tub of goo-hood for about a decade), and letting those endorphins course their way through. Since I'm "all or nothing" in my approach to living, the intensities of riding, training, and sometimes racing burned brightly for a few years and fizzled out in the late fall of last year. I haven't ridden much at all since late November, not even on this hampster wheel machine or that one.

One wonders why these things happen, but it's pretty easy to see how this motivation waned. A kitchen renovation, busy Christmas season, a bathroom renovation, crappy weather, and oh yeah the current global financial situation which is threatening many a livelihood like the sword of Damocles tends to put an exercise and lifestyle activity on the backburner. Certainly the opposite would have a beneficial effect, but it's an inertia that I haven't been able to (wanted to?) overcome lately.

To put it in perspective, a recent issue of Bicycling mag reviewed the latest Eddy, a real beauty that was all tricked out with Campy Super Record and and and. After getting through all the flowery bike review language (which can easily, with few changes, be substituted with restaurant review prose and no one would be the wiser), the price of the machine is revealed. A staggering $12,500. I don't often guffaw loudly, but this was an exception. I love me my bikes, especially my own Eddy, but not 12.5K worth. I could buy a small team's worth for that price. Not gonna happen.

Anywho, I'm getting the itch to ride again, and it's no coincidence that the days are getting warmer and the sun is staying out longer, especially after daylight savings kicks in this weekend. So maybe I can actually reverse the trend of muscular atrophy and pear-shapedness and get back out on the road with my friends, comrades, and countrymen. Spring is right around the corner.