It’s been a pretty uneventful week. Just a hodgepodge of random stuff. In my continuing effort to minimize the amount of  redundant gear I own I got rid of two stoves, so I’m down to one. I cooked more manicotti, this time with alfredo sauce. Good, but not quite as delicious as the red sauce I previously used and plan on using again. I rode a half century, that’s fifty miles for those of you that don’t cycle, on some of the most scenic back roads in El Dorado county. The highlight of my week though was getting to catch up with the Commander. She is one of my best friends, and I don’t get to see her nearly as often as I’d like. Various hijinks are guaranteed when we’re about. If you see us together on the street, watch out son!

     Someone recently made me aware of a cartoon called Regular Show. It’s on it’s sixth season and I can’t believe I had never heard of it before. It’s about a raccoon and a bird that work at a park and the sticky situations they always seem to get themselves into. Even when I’m watching it alone (okay, let’s face it, that’s the only time I’m watching it), I frequently get a few laugh out loud moments. It's one of those Cartoon Network shows where each episode is a bite sized chunk of about eleven minutes. Just like a fun sized candy bar it's surprisingly packed with comforting goodness.

      Oh, and then there's this:

     Seriously, how can something that looks so simple be so, ummm....whatever it is!?

     That’s pretty much it for this week, a small pile of sundry mediocrity. So until next time my valued readers

     December 21 was Yule, the Winter Solstice, the much awaited first day of Winter. That day of the year when the night is the longest, meaning that every day after this one will bring a little more light. As a pagan, I contemplated the metaphor that this celestial event can be. It is a time of rebirth and renewal. It is the fact that though there are dark periods in life, if you endure, then there will be light as well. It is the promise of better things. All these thoughts and more I pondered.

   

     In celebration I ventured out to Echo Lakes to revel in the snow. I trekked to the head of Lower Echo Lake and had lunch as I basked in the sights of the nearby snow capped peaks surrounding the not yet frozen lake. The view from the vista point that overlooks Lake Tahoe and the neighboring mountains was stunning as always. The highlight of my revelry was repeatedly sledding down a short hill. As I made my way back my mind began to wander, thinking of all the things I would have to take care of when I got home, and things I would have to deal with over the next few months. I began to get a little a little stressed out, then I quieted my noisy brain and reminded myself to be here, present in this moment, that what I was experiencing would never happen again. Appropriately, I am sure this will be echoing in my mind for at least the next few days.

     I do have an entertainment recommendation this week, a podcast. It’s called Serial. It’s a true story about a young woman who was murdered in 1999 and her ex-boyfriend who was convicted for the crime. As usual, I won’t give any spoilers, but the first season just wrapped up so you can binge listen to all twelve episodes. Even if you’re not into true crime it’s fascinating enough that you’ll still like it.

     Until next time, remember, sometimes you have to make your own luck.

   

     Continuing with the theme of the homemade half, I ran around Lake Natoma and then some this week. The temperature was just right, not hot at all and not so cool that I was chilly. There weren’t too many people out and the lake itself was fairly placid as I took in the pleasant scenes of nature in an urban area. Folsom really does have an amazing network of trails, great for people such as myself who enjoy the outdoors and love local adventures. What made this run all the more sweeter  was achieving a new personal record, 13.1 miles in 2:03:23.

     As most of you know I say some pretty offensive shit, so oftentimes people will wonder, “is there anything that offends the Captain?” The answer is, YES.  This offends me:

Because vandalizing a world heritage site makes people want to use renewable energy

     This is not a photoshopped image. greenpeace vandalized the Nazca lines in Peru to ‘help save the planet.’ This 1500 year old piece of Peruvian culture is a UNESCO world heritage site where no one is allowed to set foot on, even heads of state, due to the fragile nature of the area. Somehow though greenpeace thought it was okay to desecrate this area. Honestly, I find this one of the most vile and disgusting things that I have ever seen. They issued an apology to Peru for the fact that they offended that nation, but didn’t apologize for the actual damage that was done. So next time you see them begging for money ask them why they have lost non-profit status in all but two countries they have a scam running in, ask them how much of the money they collect is used to bail out their ‘activists’ and ask them why they want the world to be ignorant when it comes to research that could stop millions from starving.

     I made it out to Kanaka Valley this week. Since I discovered there are public trails in this area I have been wanting to explore it, hoping there would be something worth discovering. I was not disappointed. The valley is surrounded by uncanny peaks and engulfed in a surreal silence. I summited one of the peaks before finding a trail that led me to Hospital Bar on the South Fork.  I sat beside the water for awhile and had lunch and then explored the bank for a bit. I noticed a pile of some debris and spotted a rafting paddle! Being the pirate that I am, I managed to rig it onto my pack and begin the journey back. The entire trip I didn’t encounter another person. Even though I wasn’t far from any roads I felt as though I was isolated in the middle of nowhere. It was a terrific feeling. I traveled on only a portion of the trails and am eager to go back and explore this place some more.

Beautiful Kanaka Valley

Until next time my loyal readers, remember

     The colors of autumn have begun to fade and the winter weather is moving in. The temperature has started to drop and days of rain have arrived, including the biggest storm I recall in the last few years. A storm which I rode in. In the dark. The day of the storm I knew there was going to be some rain and wind but not the severity, so I decided to ride to work figuring I could handle a drizzle and a few gusts of wind. I should have known what was in store for later in the day, as the wind in the morning buffeted me and even smacked me in the side of the head with what I think was a large wet leaf. Tumble weeds blew past me going the opposite direction as the wind tried to halt my progress. I finally arrived I work, where at one point in the day I would meet a parrot named Frodo.

     I left just as the sun started setting and the worst of the storm began. The rain poured down and someone offered me a ride home, which I declined and would later question the sanity of saying no to the offer. As I walked out the door to begin my ride I loudly declared, “Valhalla, I am coming!” The streets were literally flooding and then the lightening and thunder began. Every one to two minutes a blazing flash could be seen through the sheets of water followed shortly by a roaring, clamorous rage of thunder. I rode on. After a few miles the storm began to finally subside a bit but I still had very wet streets to contend with. At one point I had to ride in the middle of the road to go through the shallowest part of a small lake that had formed, which still came up past the bottom of my panniers. As I neared home the rain was almost gone but the wind picked back up. I struggled the last few miles home, glad that I had the experience but also happy it was over. There can be only one explanation for such a tempest:

     California really does need more storms like the epic one this week. My beautiful home state has been going through a severe drought. Scheduled releases on the south fork of the American River have been reduced to Saturdays only, and after a two and a half month somewhat forced hiatus two friends and I took the Bold Venture through the Gorge. We were fortunate enough to have the water come up to a flow that was typical during this summer, 1300 CFS, and had an amazing time. We witnessed the mist slowly burning off the surface of the river, small pumpkins someone had put in random places and spectacular scenery. We saw no other rafters and only a handful of kayakers. It was an awesome experience, one that I hopefully won’t have to wait another two months for.

     Again not letting the threat of rain deter me I ran what I am calling a homemade half marathon. Over half this distance was on Deer Valley road, an area I’ve spent a bit of time in this week, and plan on spending more time in, in the future, especially since I discovered there is BLM land in nearby Kanaka Valley. Among the things I encountered during my three excursions this week were does, fawns, a sign declaring "dachshund crossing", with another sign under it warning "be afraid, be very afraid", sweeping vistas, quietly surreal landscapes, a swelling Weber Creek and more than a dozen turkey vultures sunning themselves on a large gate.

     This week, instead of a motion picture recommendation, I’m going to change it up and recommend a book instead. The Martian by Andy Weir. If you like science fiction, or survival tales, READ THIS BOOK. I can’t express enough what a great read this is. It’s also set to be a major motion picture in 2015, so get ahead of the crowd and see what you’ve been missing!

     Another high light this week was getting to spend time with two of my best friends on the same day. They are both rays of healing light that are more frequently and seriously needed of late. Until next time my treasured readers, no matter the nature of the storms the world throws at us, remember

     Turkey day has come and gone, and I had a pretty good one. A short mountain bike ride in the morning on some of the local trails, including a go through the infamous puddle known as Sloppy Jalopy. Sloppy isn't filled quite yet but does have some water in it, thanks to the much needed recent rain. In the afternoon I began to prepare the Thanksgiving meal: Stuffaronis. For those of you who have never heard of this dish, it's manicotti shells stuffed with a mix of ground beef (or in this case turkey), spinach, eggs, breadcrumbs, and onions. They're pretty good and they are my most recent foray in my exploration of cooking. While they baked I went for a 5K run. Shortly after I got back from my run the food was done. The sauce I chose, a mushroom red sauce, added to the deliciousness. One of the best things about this years Thanksgiving was that the only person in my family I had to see was my grandmother. The rest of my family I don't care for and, honestly, if I never saw them again I would be okay. Throughout the day I asked myself what I am thankful for. The top of my list continues to be my best friends, who know more about me than they probably want to, but still accept me for who I am. They have been with me on some of my best and craziest adventures.

      I have been contemplating my life at home a lot lately. Now that my grandmother has come back to my apartment I have realized that while she was gone I was a lot happier. I was more confident as well, and less stressed. Now that she is back it's almost like I can't get a break. It seems I am always responsible for helping someone. At least at I work I get paid to take care of peoples needs. At home it seems I have to do five other things first before I can do the one thing I really want to do. I do care about my grandmother a lot, but I need to have my own life. It seems she is determined though that I am the one that has to take care of her. My no good aunt and cousin have finally started to help more, and even offered to let my grandmother move in with them, but she doesn't want to. And she doesn't want to go back to a nursing home either. It seems she has apron strings that have become a noose. I keep telling myself she probably only has a few months left, but what if it's longer? And besides, haven't I done enough? Of course if I express this feeling to anyone they attempt to guilt trip me. I want to have my own life though, to actually be able to date someone and bring them back to my place and not have to explain why my grandmother is at my house, or stop the date because my grandmother is choking on food again. And she also has a difficult time getting rid of things, the house gets cluttered with shit she thinks she needs, including bills and bank statements dating back as far as twenty years ago. I've been stressed enough lately that I've had a couple Tourettes episodes. Then there's my family thinking I have money to help them out. I have determined they are either high or out of their minds.

      Running and cycling has helped to keep me sane. I've had to don the rain gear lately, but I've got to keep getting out there.

Until next time readers,