Lost my first disc

This is the 3rd hole basket at the Moraga course. Don't know why I took this picture, except to give everyone a chance to sort of see the condition of the 9 hole course.

Today I lost my first disc, my favorite one (a 149 gram Val). I am hoping that I can find it tomorrow morning, when it is more light out. I was playing fairly late and lost it in the trees. I hate the idea of just leaving a disc behind, but I had no choice. I don't think anyone else will find it before me... or at least I hope not. :D

First Birdie

Well I got my first birdie playing disc golf today. I had a great drive on #9 at the Moraga course and only about 8 feet for my second shot which landed in the basket. I have been playing a few weeks now and have never really had a birdie chance until today. I was playing with Scotty, G, and JB and it was great to have them celebrate it with me. I did not have my camera, but is was a great drive and I was happy to feel like I am making progress and playing better. I can't wait until that kind of shot is routine.

Cat Walk...

I was so amazed to see this in Santa cruz, I had to stop and take a few pictures. You just don't see a cat out for a walk very often, and yet there she was... an orange tabby leading her mother down the street. This was near the Java Junction coffee shop I go to check my email on River Street. It was a nice day and I was there to get a mocha Oreo cookie milkshake (yes, they are as good as they sound!).

Geese are coming and going...

I swear that either the geese that are here now, are not the same... or they go went someplace on vacation for 24 hours. I really have no explanation for why I am worried about the geese, except I am struck by how BIG they are and that there are SO MANY of them. I have never noticed them staying at the Moraga Golf Course before, and so I find their visit interesting.

I thought for sure they had all left, as I heard them (which is unusual) yesterday morning early and so figured they had flown overhead and were once again traveling south. When I went by course that morning, sure enough they had all gone and the course was "goose-free". But then this morning as I drove by on my way to coffee, I noticed a (new?) smaller group of geese again by the pond. I would have to guess that these are new arrivals, or that at least some of them have gone - since there seems to be half as many as before.

Otherwise, I am doing well and looking forward to a job interview tomorrow. This will be my 5th interview with this consulting company and first in person. I am keeping my fingers crossed, as so far it seems like a good match for all involved. If hired, it would probably mean a 90-120 day trial project to gauge the fit (kind of like a probationary period) and then I would be offered a full-time consulting position.

Mischief Managed T-Shirt

I got this t-shirt from WB Store and love it!! I have received a few comments on it already (while in Starbucks) and people usually want to know where I got it. It is a little big for me, as I mistakenly ordered a 2XL instead of XL, but I think it will probably shrink some when I wash it. I always say "Mischief Managed" on HPANA so this shirt seems appropriate.

Geese still here

I had thought the geese were gone, but no they are still here and in fact there seems to be more of them. It has been great to see these birds here, as I don't remember seeing them before.

I have not just been watching geese, but have also been interviewing for a new consulting position... and had another one this morning, which I think went pretty well. I hope to know more by the end of the week, or early next.

Into the city... and hoops.

I went and had lunch in the city today, got my nails done and then headed to play basketball. It was a nice day in the city, although it was very foggy on the way there. I went to the Apple store and checked out some of the new gear they have - very cool new iPods and computers.

I also headed to Santa Cruz and played some basketball. There were tons of guys (like 18) but we had a good team and only lost once. I seemed to play well, despite my little aches and pains and my mind being elsewhere. Sometimes, thinking about things helps me when I play because I find that everything else in my life is pushed out of my mind and I only think of what I need to do play hoops. Other times my mood tends to effect my playing in a negative way, as I just don't find the same amount of satisfaction and enjoyment as usual. But today, it was fun to just run and play.

You have to love Santa Cruz, as I was leaving and stopped at a convenience store to get a bottle of water for the drive home, and there was a half a row of Disc Golf Discs... unfortunately they were heavier weight than I wanted, but the store had a huge selection with many discs I had never even seen before.

Golf game improving

My Disc Golf game is improving, as I have been playing almost every evening from 5-7PM (which is usually enough time to get in at least 18 holes). I added a couple of driving discs last week, bringing me up to a total of 5, and those new ones have added some distance off the tee (although my throwing motion has also improved). Tonight was my 9 hole score yet (5 over), which is not too bad considering I have yet to have a birdie on any hole. Unfortunately I kind of tweaked my back from trying to throw too hard, just like in regular golf the secret is to have a smooth motion and not to over-do it, which I need to remember. Still I am happy to see the progress and it is a lot of fun.

CBT Class and Hoops

I did not do much today beyond looking for work, and working on Kristin's computer. I went to the second CBT (or Cognitive Behavior Theory) class at Kaiser and then headed to hoops (at 7pm). I Managed to play and not injure my left wrist anymore than it already is... I hurt it a few weeks ago and it continues to be sore, but I am not going to stop playing to rest it. The CBT Class was interesting and I keep learning more about myself and how my thoughts and experiences effect my mood.

Gooses - Geeses

I have been noticing more and more Geese flying in and landing by the Moraga Country Club golf course pond. Today I saw so many, I had to take a picture of them. There must have been 50 of them, although I was not able to coral them so I could get them all in one picture... darn geese.

An interesting quiz...

How You Are In Love

You fall in love quickly and easily. And very often. You give and take equally in relationships. You tend to get very attached when you're with someone. You want to see your love all the time. You love your partner unconditionally and don't try to make them change. You stay in love for a long time, even if you aren't loved back. When you fall, you fall hard.

How Are You In Love?

Lazy Sunday

I did the usual routine of playing hoops in the morning. It was good as we had a few new people and had enough guys to play 5 on 5 with a sub even. That is the first time in months that we had that many guys show up. My wrist continues to bug me, but I was able to play without hurting it too much. After that I went over and tried to get my new bank account straightened out and set up the online bill-pay, and quicken. Unfortunately I was not able to do make it work as the bank I chose continues to be nothing but a pain!! It is amazing to me that this company can not get its' act together.

Otherwise, I had a lazy day and went to watch the Tim Burton movie - The Corpse Bride. It was not as good as his previous movie, A Nightmare Before Christmas, but it was good to see, plus I got to see a trailer for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (which was great). In fact, I have already bought tickets for the midnight showing when it opens! I can hardly wait.

Watched football...

I was lazy today and did not do too much. I ran a few errands and then watched the USC / ND game. It was amazing and close the entire way. It had been built up as this great game and it did not disappoint anyone. Here is a recap of the game for anyone who unfortunate enough to miss this "instant classic".

Doing the usual

I have been working on getting a job mostly this week, with out much success. But the more you do, the luckier you are - and so I need to just keep at it. I have also been working and reading about disc golf, although I still am having trouble driving (which I guess is common for beginners). Otherwise, I am staying busy and working on other projects and trying to take some time each day to have some fun.

Football Season

My dad sent me this picture and I have seen it before, but how cute is the cat with a helmet on?? I did not do much besides look for work today - and what fun is that? I am hoping that something comes along soon, and the more I look, the more likely that is to happen. In the mean time, I can smile at the poor cat in the hat.

My career type.. hmmm?

Your Career Type: Conventional

You are orderly and good at following a set plan. Your talents lie in working with written records and numbers in a systematic, orderly way. You would make an excellent: Bank Teller - Bookkeeper - Court Clerk Mail Carrier - Post Office Clerk - Secretary Timekeeper - Title Examiner - Typist The worst career options for your are artistic careers, like comedian or dancer.

What's Your Ideal Career?

Disc Golf

I did a bunch of things today, and one thing I found time to do was get in a few more holes of frisbee (or disc) golf. I am getting better with each time I play. The other day I played with a few local guys who were really good and they showed me a few different techniques and throws - which are really starting to help my game. My drives are still far too short and inconsistent, but my scoring is not too bad. I tend to get a few pars and an occasional birdie.

The picture above is how close I got on my first throw on #8. I was still some 20 feet away, but the camera makes it seem like I was much closer. :D

Went to see Tiger

I went the the World Golf Championships in San Francisco and saw Tiger Woods and many other top golfers (like John Daly, Vijay Singh, David Love III, etc.). I was invited by my friend Ruben and we rode BART over and then took a shuttle. I got the bobble head doll of Tiger as the event is sponsored by American Express (as is Tiger).

The galleries following Tiger were huge, and much larger than for any other player. Ruben and I followed the threesome of Colin Montgomery "Monty" (who was leading the tournament), Sergio Garcia, and Fred Couples for most of the day. We then waited on the 15th hole and watched the other groups go by, including Tiger's and John Daly's. Daly hit a huge drive that landed some 50-75 yards past where Tiger put it... it was LONG!!!

I had a great time and it was good to get out of my routine and do something fun!

Working away...

Today was spent researching jobs and projects for HPANA. I have gotten the names of a few headhunting firms and sent them all emails with my resume and information. I hope to hear back from them soon.

In addition, I had a HOA meeting (which are always fun) and the members wanted to remove the board (for inaction). The only problem with that is WHO would take over if they did? No one! So guess what - unfortunately the rest of the board and I are still in place. It is funny how petty people can get, and how they would rather blame someone else for something rather than taking responsibility and fixing the issue themselves.

Into the city...

I went into the San Francisco today to have lunch and catch up with a friend (Karen) and find out how my old project is doing. It was nice to get back into the city and feel the energy again. I went into the Apple store to get a stand for Kristin's new laptop and also to see if I could get some more information about podcasting - I was specifically looking to see about recording people in different locations. Unfortunately they did not have a lot of experience in that area - but Joseph at the studio counter was going to see if he couldn't find additional details and email me - so we'll see if he uncovers anything.


The sculpture above is outside the Moscone Center - and I use to look down on it from my office (as it was right across the street).

Good day for golf

Today was a great day as it was sunny and warm. It is amazing for October and very unlike last year when it was rainy and wet already. I got out and played a little frisbee golf. It was fun and I did ok, I think. The course was not all that clearly marked and some of the baskets were VERY far away. But I got the hang of it and would like to check out a few books to get some pointers on the right way to throw the disk. I seemed to have a good throw and then a few bad throws.. and threw it a different way each time.

Lazy day

Today I did not do to much, played basketball and then decided I would like to try frisbee golf. I did some research on the web and found out that you need at least 3 disks as a "starter" set (All purpose, Putter, and Driver). The picture above are the disks that I got (Shark, Putter, Eagle) and I look forward to playing with them soon. There is a course in Moraga that I see people using all the time and so figured it was a good way to get some walking in...

Today's image & friends...

I did not do too much today besides talk to friends and a little shopping. I took this picture at sunset as I was coming out of the Best Buy in Walnut Creek. It was even redder than the picture shows, but you get the idea. It looked like something out of Fantasia... and I was lucky to get this picture before it faded away.

I am very lucky to have as many friends as I have. Many of them I have not met in person, but that makes them no less meaningful or important. I have no idea how I would have made it through the last 3-4 months without all of your love and support!! Thank you.