Today's gonna be a long one, I can feel it already. After work yesterday, Michelle stopped by to play a little Dance Dance Revolution. She's actually become quite proficient at it. I, on the other hand, still have a long way to go. I met up with Dana and Bill for dinner a little later. Bill took Dana and I out to Mortons for a fabulous meal. Instead of a menu, the waiters wheel around a cart that has the various raw cuts of meat, so you can see what you'll be eating before ordering. The food was amazing. I felt like we were eating steak flavored butter, it was so tender and succulent. After dinner, we went back to their place for a bit to recoup from dinner.
Today I hope to meet up with my mother for lunch (she's in town for a few days). Later tonight, I have yet another hockey game; I can only hope that this one goes a little better than Monday's game.

Yesterday, I received a helpdesk request from one of the women upstairs in the rehab department saying that she was having trouble sending a couple of important e-mail messages to someone on campus. So Brian (my boss) and I went up to check it out. Turns out the problem wasn’t on our end, but rather the other mail server on campus that she was trying to send to. Anyway, we get up there and she is absolutely livid. I should also mention that she’s Scottish and evidently has the temper to match. So, she’s ranting and raving, spewing curse words that would make a sailor blush. Now mind you, none of this is directed towards us, but just towards the situation in general. Eventually we get the problem resolved and I figure that’s the end of it. Well, today, this woman came down to talk to Brian and I. She also brought us a thank-you note and some cookies to make amends. Needless to say, the two of us were blown away as we were merely doing our job(s). It was a really nice and unnecessary gesture on her part, but at the same time it served as a reminder of how much we’re appreciated and needed.
Also of amusement was the following e-mail that I received:

To: travis@ucsd.edu
Subject: Car horn question

Mr Emmel,

I came across your "freeway Blaster" horn idea which i'm willing to try.
Not into electronics though, what do i need if i want to put a horn on
my house. I'd rather not give the reason why i want it on my house, but
i have a new car horn and i connected it to a 12volt power converter.
The converter keeps blowing out! Do i need a relay between the two?

Thanks, Dave.

What this guy is responding to is an old article that I wrote up on how to install louder horns in an MR2. I haven’t responded yet; not sure if I should.

Last night’s game can be summed up in two words: F##king awful! Evidently I forgot to pick up my legs after the game on Sunday because I was totally flat all night. Final score was 10-0. Enough about that.
On a lighter note, I did see something really funny at lunch yesterday. Some moron (and yes, the label was truly earned in this case) put The Club across their steering wheel and managed to wedge it against the horn. Thus, the wail of their horn was blanketing the parking lot for hours (or at least as long as I was at lunch). But, I think the best part was that two rows away some poor sap was working on his car, trying to get it started, and had to work while being serenaded by this earsore. If it had been me, I think I would have tried to slam the hood on my head to put me out of my misery.
I can’t believe it, but I’ve been living at Kevin’s for three years now. It’s amazing how fast that time has passed! Right now, I’m planning on staying there until I can buy a place of my own. I haven’t been actively looking, but I have been keeping my eyes open just in case anything pops up. I did notice that the place down the street, which is significantly smaller than Kevin’s, is up for sale. The price? $485,000! It’s unreal how much property is going for now, especially considering that that place was probably around $2XX,000 5 years ago.

Ahh, back in the office, ready to face another Monday. The weekend was a good one, albeit a little too short as always. Friday night I really wanted to play some floor hockey, but some cheerleading group overtook the gym and we were unable to play. Instead, I ended up hanging around the house, cleaned up a bit and did some laundry. Wow, have I hit middle age already?
Saturday, I got up and went to the gym to play personal trainer to Diem. I also did a killer ab workout that I’m still really sore from (I’ll be sure to do that one again). After the gym I went home and took care of some more stuff around the house while waiting for Chris to arrive from LA. He rolled in close to 3 and the first thing he wanted to do was go to the gym. So, I went back to the gym with him and held another personal training session. After the gym, we stopped by VONS to pick up food for the BBQ that evening. Everyone came over around 6:30 for the reunion, including my mother who was in town. We spent the next few hours sitting around the table, rehashing old memories and bringing each other up to speed on our lives. After dinner, we were all planning on going out to do a little bar-hopping. However, when the time came to leave everyone, with the exception of Chris and myself, was too tired to go out. Instead, he and I went to see Road to Perdition.
By no means was this a feel good movie, but it was good none-the-less. If you’re looking for a flick in which a bunch of people get capped, this is the film for you. Hanks and Newman both gave quality performances, but I think I liked Newman better in Slapshot and it’s hard to top Tom in BIG. Regardless, I left with the impression that much of it was a biblical allusion.
After the movie, Chris and I went back to my place and stayed up talking until all hours like a couple of junior high girls. Sunday, he and I went out to breakfast at Le Peep. As I mentioned previously, my car has been obviously neglected lately, so much so that Chris insisted that we wash it. Being the lazy bastard that I am, I wasn’t really up for it but he kept insisting. Finally, I let him have at it and for the first time since I’ve owned the car it was bathed by someone other than myself. Fortunately, Chris is as meticulous as I am and the car came out superbly (thanks again Chris!).
After the car washing ceremonies, the two of us went to see the new Austin Powers movie. Neither Chris nor Michelle liked the movie, but I thought it was a least somewhat entertaining. As sequels go, it was on par with Major League 2. The story line was somewhat thin and jumbled but there were some clever jokes. The ending seemed to provide the opportunity for a sequel; let’s hope that doesn’t happen. Another thing I appreciated was that a lot of the surprises in the movie weren’t spoiled by the previews.
Michelle came back on Sunday evening and we went out to get some sushi. I was a little apprehensive about eating because I had a game 2 hours later and you don’t make a lot of friends refunding sushi in the middle of a hockey game. Although, for those who never thought to wonder, both vomit and blood bounce when they make contact with the ice.
Fortunately, the sushi didn’t seem to slow me down. Within the first ten seconds of being on the ice I had a breakaway and scored the first point of the game. My next shift on the ice was a repeat of the first and I dented the twine a second time. All in all, it was a good, clean game. We ended up winning 5-4 in the last minute on a somewhat controversial goal.
It looks like today (and probably the rest of the week) are going to be busy, so I won’t be able to get into my rant on unhealthy people like I was hoping. Maybe tomorrow…

Last night's concert was great! I saw Ziggy Marley, Train and Sheryl Crow with my friend Angela from work. The show was running a little late, so they didn't let Ziggy play for too long. Train was better than I expected (I'd only heard the songs that have been given air time). Sheryl Crow was really good too. She played all of the songs that I wanted to hear (mostly old stuff). She didn't look as good as she used to though, looks like she's had some sort of plastic surgery. Towards the end of her set, these two drunk British women behind us started to harass Angela and I. Next thing I know, some guy that's with them pulls me up into their section. The less attractive of the two (not that that's saying much), starts trying to get me to dance with her. Is it just me or is the UK totally incapable of producing attractive people? Fortunately, the girls left for a minute and we were able slip back into our seats. Not five minutes later, I feel someone touching my back. Naturally, I'm completely disgusted, but I try my best to ignore it. So, I shoot her a bit of a look, hoping she gets the picture. Clearly not, as she starts touching me again a couple minutes later. Lucky for us, the show ended shortly thereafter and we got the hell out of there.

Still working on my options for breakfast. Today, I had a glass of milk, slice of toast with peanut butter and jelly and 3 turkey sausage links. Not cooking eggs every morning has certainly helped me to get into work on time. I'm trying to avoid going back to cereal (it seems to do bad things for my abs).

I'm not sure what I'm doing tonight. I'd like to go play some pick up floor hockey over at UCSD. My knee is virtually 100% today and my calf doesn't seem to be bothering me. Tomorrow, Christopher is coming into town and tomorrow night, he's hosting a reunion of sorts at my place. The attendees will be old friends from one of our childhood playgroups. The weather should be absolutely perfect (as it has been lately) for a BBQ.

There aren't many things more annoying than those stupid stickers they put on fruit! First off, they're a pain in the ass to remove, and once they finally come off, they usually end up ripping half the skin along with it. And while I'm on the subject of fruit, can someone please explain to me how to get a piece of fruit from the store to my house without incurring any additional damage?! Every time I buy fruit such as pears or peaches, I spent a good deal of time making sure that I'm buying ripe, unblemished fruit. I carefully put it in the cart, making sure that nothing is resting on it, cautiously load it on to the conveyor belt at the checkstand, and gently place it in my trunk. The mile from my house to the store is probably the slowest my car is ever driven. Yet, when I get home and remove the fruit, it's still bruised or the skin is punctured. I mean, really, how the F does that happen?! One for the ages, I guess...

I went to the gym at lunch yesterday, but I just couldn't get into my workout. I think my body needs some down time, so I'm going to skip my workout today (which is just as well, as I feel pretty exhausted). My knee is back to about 85% today, but now it's my calf that's really bothering me when I walk.

I hope it's no big surprise that I didn't do any work on the car last night. In fact, I was too lazy to even make dinner, so I stopped off for some sushi on the way home from work.

Not much new to report...Actually, today's entry will probably be pretty short as I'm working away diligently on my web page. I didn't do anything last night except stick around the house and relax. My knee is still bothering me today, but it feels like it's getting better. For a while there I was worried that I reaggravated my old cycling injury from a couple of years ago (felt very similar). I was going to work out legs this week, but I think they'll get a rest instead. Tomorrow night I'm going to see Sheryl Crow, Train, and Ziggy Marley with a friend from work; should be a good show.

My car is in definite need of some upkeep. I'm just overdue for an oil change and it could certainly use a wash (I have to roll my windows down to see out the sides). Hopefully I'll get off my ass tonight and take care of it.

Back to the web page...

Last night was certainly a great night for hockey! By the numbers:
Games played: 2
Games won: 1
Goals scored: 4
Time spent in the sin bin: 2:00
Injuries: 2
Aspirin taken for said injuries: 8 (and counting)

I left from work a little early to get home so I could eat my traditional pregame meal (2 bowls of cereal) and take a short nap. First game was at 8:00 at UCSD (floor hockey). Four of our team members couldn't make it, so we were left with only one sub. By my estimation, this meant I ran for all but 5 minutes of the game. It also meant I had more time on the floor to score. Fortunately, the hockey gods were with me last night and I ended up putting 3 balls in the back of the net. The 2nd one was a true beauty. I was parked out in front of the net and the left wing lobbed a pass from down low. When the ball got to me, it was still about a foot and a half in the air. I wound up on my backhand and took a shot at it, sent it through my legs and into the net. Later in the third period, someone on the opposing team took a hard slap shot that went straight into the side of my right knee. This morning, it's still giving me a lot of pain (hence the need for aspirin). Stats and game details can be found here: http://home.san.rr.com/floorhockey/

The next game was at 11:00 at UTC (ice). At this point, my knee was bothering me so much I wasn't sure if I'd be able to play. But, I sucked it up and just tried to keep things loose. About two-thirds of the way through the first period I managed to get free on a breakaway. As I was flying down the ice, the puck was rolling on its side and refused to lie flat on the ice. With about 15 feet to go, I forgot about the puck for a second and began sizing up the goalie, trying to decide where to try to put the puck. He was showing daylight over his right shoulder and that was all the invitation I needed. At the last second, I knocked the puck of it's side, took one last look at the corner to make sure it was still open and lifted the puck up over the goalie's shoulder. Unfortunately, that and one other goal late in the third period were all that we were able to muster. We ended up losing that game 8-2. During the course of the game, I ended up stopping another slapshot with my right leg, this time with the back of my calf (also still sore, but not as bad as my knee).

Here's a website worth a look: http://eighty.six-something.org/ It contains old commercials from the 80's and will probably bring back some old memories.

I'm thinking about getting another personalized license plate for my car. This time I hope to get something a little less abstract. As many will recall, the first time around I had R U MRS2. The most common question I received was "what does rumors 2 mean?" I guess it required putting too many pieces together to figure out. The meaning was simply, Are You Mrs. 2, referring to the fact that the car (an MR-2) is often called Mister Two, and I was therefore in search of a Mrs. 2. Incidentally, if you're considering getting personalized plates, you can check if whatever clever ditty you come up with is available here (for California, anyway): http://plates.ca.gov.

I definitely have a case of the Mondays today. The weekends go by way too fast these days. Friday night, Michelle and I went to a restaurant/dive bar just south of downtown called the Turf Supper Club (http://sandiego.citysearch.com/profile/91329). The place definitely had a lot of character, but the main draw was the communal grill in the middle of the restaurant where everyone cooks his or her own food. Since the only lighting in the place was a porno-esque red, I couldn't really tell if my food was cooked fully so I was a little worried I was going to end up with salmonella, but I seem to have made it out ok. I also ran into some old family friends from Hemet there. It was their first time at the restaurant as well. Once again, can't seem to go anywhere without running into a Hemetite. I also managed to lose my cel phone during the course of dinner. Fortunately, someone turned it in and I was able to go back later and get it.

LA Dave came down for the weekend. On Saturday, he, Kevin, Michelle and I went to the gym and then had some sandwiches from Board 'N Brew in Del Mar. My pops came down in the afternoon and he, Alexis and myself went out to dinner. We went to a place called Mixx in Hillcrest. It was a place that served fusion cuisine that knew no ethnic boundaries. We were there so early that we were the only people in the place. The food was really good, though; I'd certainly go back. Later that night, I had the pleasure of enjoying the hot tub at our complex for the first time since I moved in.

Sunday was a lazy day. Got up late, had some sushi for lunch and then milled around for most of the afternoon. Had a game in the evening. We won a very hard fought game (2-1). No new injuries to speak of, but I think I have a piece of bone that chipped off floating around in my elbow. After the game, I helped Bill move things from his old place to Dana's place. We took care of all of the big items in one trip, which mandated strapping his mattress and box spring to the top of Dana's car. I think Bill was pretty nervous about it, but there were no incidences to speak of.

Today, Bill, Alexis and I are supposed to grab some lunch. Later tonight I have two hockey games; one each, floor and ice. The ice hockey game starts at 11:00, so tomorrow should be truly miserable.

I've been keeping myself busy (and thoroughly annoying others) playing with my new camera. It's nice and small, so I've been tossing it in my pocket wherever I go. If I ever get around to actually writing up a web page, I'll be throwing a ton of pics up on it.

I don't know if the stars were totally misaligned or if they were ice skating in hell, but we actually won our game last night. As such, I'm a little tired today, especially since I had to come in early so my boss could get some sleep this morning (we're on the same team). In return, I think I may come in a little late tomorrow. For breakfast this morning, I decided to go with peanut butter and jelly and a tall glass of milk. I was a little disappointed when I went to pull out the bread, only to discover that the only remaining pieces were the butt slices. I really don't care for them, but it was better than nothing.

I started eating Met-Rx bars after my workouts about 6 months ago. I really like the peanut butter cookie dough flavor, so much so that I actually crave it after a workout. Sadly, not everyone shares my enthusiasm for them and have even likened them to peanut butter flavored cement. Well, about 2 months ago they changed up the formulation and even I found it not quite as palatable. Recently I've found a couple of sources that still have the old version of the bar, so I've been buying them up in bulk. So far, I've gathered up about 2 mos. worth.

Man, I wish 4:30 would hurry the hell up and get here!

Not much new to report. My new digital camera should come today (Canon S330); now I can develop inappropriate pictures in the privacy of my own home. I have another game tonight at 10:30. Why the hell they schedule these things so late, I have no idea. What they should do is schedule the games at 4:30 in the morning so I can just go straight into work afterward.

On the dietary front, after about 8-10 months of eating eggs for breakfast approx 5 mornings a week, I'm finally sick of them. By my guess, I'd say I went through about 1800 eggs in that time. Damn, I kept a bunch of chickens on the payroll. Now I have no idea what I'm going to eat as a protein source for breakfast. Maybe a couple glasses of milk? I don't really feel like drinking protein shakes again (trying to avoid aspartame, which was present in the only protein powder I liked).

Off to sleep...

Too late to write anything today (I'd rather go home)...

*sigh*, Back in the office. Fortunately, today seems to be moving pretty quickly. Last weekend was pretty relaxing. Michelle and I went out to dinner on Friday night at Azul in La Jolla. The food, wine and company were superb. As we were sitting at the table, a very familiar looking waitress walked by. It took me a second to place her, but I realized it was an old childhood friend from elementary school. I don't know what it is about people from Hemet, but we always seem to have a way of finding each other.

On Saturday, Michelle and I went down to Seaport Village to be tourists in our own city. I spent the majority of Sunday cleaning up around the house. Michelle entertained herself by playing Dance Dance Revolution in my living room. I had a hockey game Sunday night. No goals, but I did have an assist on the game winning goal. I have another game tonight and yet another on Wednesday. The summer season of floor hockey will be starting next week, so I should be playing at least 3 games per week for the remainder of the summer.

I think that's it for today. Time to get out of here and take a nap before tonight's game.

The obvious lack of postings this week is due to the fact that I've been in class all week learning what I already know.

Today's thought: Why do we have nutritional information on a bottle of water, but nothing on alcoholic beverages?

The length of one's blog is inversely proportional to the amount of work one actually does at work. Unfortunately, yesterday I was running all over the office, so I didn't have a chance to make an entry. The next 4 days will be without entries as well, as I'm heading out of town for the Fourth of July holiday. I'm still working on my fitness writeup (again, haven't had much time lately). When I really have some free time, I'm going to write up a new webpage and put everything on it (journal, pics, History of Travis, etc).

Thought for the day (let's see if I can make this somewhat coherent): If you don't know how to count...i.e. you have no concept of the values one, two, three, etc. would it be possible to perform a task involving a repeated motion, say pulling a lever 6 times, repeatedly, successfully, (bearing in mind that you have no way of keeping track of the number of times the lever has already been pulled)?

I think my current plan is going to be to create an entirely new webpage with everything on it instead of just doing a daily journal. I spent Friday morning writing up the History of Travis chapter on fitness. I was going to post it here, but it became pretty long and involved (and still isn't quite finished), so I think I'm just going to make it a separate file.

Personal pet peeve: People who don't put anything in the subject line of an e-mail.