thanks

at this time of year, of course we think of what we're thankful for.  i mean, it was thanksgiving yesterday.  so, i started thinking about what i am thankful for, from trivial to actually important.

1. family - here and abroad. i'm thankful for heather and all that she has to put up on a daily basis with me as her husband.  my mom has been enduring some change in life that i don't know i would go through as gracefully.  although it's at a distance, it's great watching my brother and sister raise their kids via facebook.  and, up close we get to see heather's brother & sister in law raise their twins.  good stuff.

2. friends - again, near and afar, it's good to see you all growing and changing as a part of our lives.  some settle down, others don't, and it's all good because it allows us to be different things at different times. and, we're excited to meet an addition or two to the friend group family.

3. pub quiz - dang right. every wednesday i have a blast as a part of the team doing pub quiz. some weeks it's stressful, or we get annoyed with people, and some weeks we really bone it on a question or three, but it's still a good time.  i would have never imagined when we started that we would average 100 people a week.

4. soccer on the television - the US men's and women's teams gave us plenty of good watching in the last calendar year.  arenal gives me fits, but i love tuning in, and the galaxy had the best record this season and won the mls cup.  good stuff.  and, it was great watching all these games with friends.

5. home - as i type this, i watch leaves falling from our tree onto the lawn i raked this morning. dang it! but, others don't have this luxury.  we enjoy our place, and are actually trying to get stuff done around the house.

6. work - i choose to work a few different jobs because the one or two i would really like aren't full time options.  but i'm glad to have freedom to teach subjects i really enjoy, and to coach students.  like any teacher, i have my share of complaints, but it's generally good, and steady, work.

7. art - dang it, i am such a rare painter that i wouldn't call myself an artist right now.  but, i still have a mural looming off in the distance, and when that gets going it'll really push me to do more and to make a bigger impact.

so, there are some things that i'm thankful for off of the top of my head.  what are one or two (or more) things that you're thankful for?

super badass thanksgiving concerts

looking for something to do over the thanksgiving holidays? why not check out some great local, live music @ tokyo garden. all shows are scheduled for 9:30 & $5.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25th

Primer Skyline
Abigail Nolte
Circles + Circles

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27th

Badlands
The Quiet Americans
Rademacher

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28th

Blake Jones
It'll Grow Back
Racelegs
Trumpet Solo
Wheels of Fortune (solo)

for more info check out a great podcast episode featuring malcolm sosa, who put this all together.

happy thanksgiving

happy thanksgiving

i hope yours has been well. ours was nice. 1 down, 2 to go.

today, we went up to beautiful vallejo, ca. really, it was purdy up there. i took photos from my aunts back porch. her 2 bedroom apt up there costs the same as some stuff fresno. craziness.



anyhow, i wanted to mention the route we took there and back. in all actuality, i went this route a few weeks back when i went to the raiders game, but since i wasn't driving i didn't actually pay attention to how long it took. it seemed fast, but i didn't know how fast. it took under 3 hours. and really, it should because it's only 188 miles.

the route: 99n to 120w (manteca)
120w to 5s, although you're only on 5 for like a mile
5s to 205w
205w to 580w
580w to 680n to 780w

and you're there.

i liked this route because it avoids the slowness of los banos. and it was hecka fast. if you're going to, say, oakland, you just stay on 580w.

happy thanksgiving