Dave and Heather's Blog

My father used to love to tell me that the two things in life that no one can get away with are death and taxes.  The taxes part I can understand, the death part I'm still working on changing. :-)  Maybe I can use my taxes to cheat death? ehhh.

Anyways, I found out I'm getting a phat refund this year upwards between $3-4K. Then I found out that I didn't file my taxes correctly for the 2005 tax year. So now as I redid the 2005 taxes, I'm getting back $1400 from 2005 taxes. I don't know exactly what I plan to do with this added income although I do have a few things in mind....which I don't plan to state here becasue some may be a bit more personal that I want to discuss publically. :-)  

Ken tells me "be thankful you don't have to deal with AMT, it's biting my ***".  I think he wrote about it on his blog.  Yeah, I have a fealing that one day I may encounter that but for now, I bypass that and get to reap the benifits of owning a home in a place that has hirendous property taxes. LOL.

Oh and one other thing, Heather is back! :-)   Happy days are ahead.  We're planning a few things in the next couple months that should be exciting. (Click on the photo to get the full size image)

Posted by Dave at 03:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Has anyone here used Kiehl's products?  A year ago I would only use something like Gillete shaving cream that I could pick up from the local drug store. Then over time I started to get more interested in other kinds of products, soap, lotions, etc.  Then my beloved Heather tells me about Kiehl's and we make a trip to the Kiehl's store in san Francisco.

So now my shaving routine consists of three different steps.

• prewash with a Kiehl's product which is a Foaming Non-Detergent Washable Cleanser.
• 
  
• Rinse
• Lather with Kiehl's Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream - Blue Eagle. When I do this you barely see it. It's not a foam and you only need a little.
•  
• Shave. and rinse
• Use Kiehl's Ultimate Men's After Shave Balm & Moisturizer
• 

Overall I have MUCH less (if any) skin irritation anymore. I'm not sure if this is the best for my face but it certaintly working.  It's just htese products are not cheap.  The cream is $18 a bottle and the pre wash is $11.  I can't remember what the balm costs but overall you're spending a lot. But the products really last you a month or so , so it's not all that bad I guess. I would recommend thier products to any men who get irritated skin. They're been around for quite a while now and you get thier products online or at thier stores.

Here's thier site:

http://www.kiehls.com/_us/_en/home/index.aspx 

Posted by Dave at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I beefed up my training this week while the love of my life is out of town.  Weight training every other day and a combination of spinning at the Y and riding at home on my trainer (during the weekdays) on top of the weigh training. Interestingly, this is leading to a much more balanced sleep cycle which is quite nice.

Ken pointed out what he felt were grammaticaly errors with my last post. Sure there are some errors (especially spelling) but really I just write these on a whim. So ehh, I don't think I'll go back and change any of my prior posts. K, live with it! calm down man!  LOL.  When I'm writing something professionally for work or for school, I proof it multiple times but this medium is barely one step up from an completly impersonal casual email. :-)

Ok back to training.  I like to do the bench press:

It works your Pectoralis Major, Deltoid, Trcipes and some of the Latissimus Dorsi (back near the shoulder).  I have a tendancy to do a combination of isotonic and compound training mixed into circuit that I pair in threes. This means for example I do the bench (above photo) then quickly jump over to the leg press:

and then I will do something like bilateral leg lifts to work my abs.

With almost no break between each excersize. I break for 45 seconds after I do all three and repeat 3 times.  This works three distinct muscle group areas AND gets my heart rate up which in turn will help burn fat. I will then usually break after all sets are completed for a few minutes and get on a bike for 10 minutes. Then it's off to another circuit that may consist of isolated biceps curls, back and legs (or shoulder) all within a circuit, three times, 12 sets each. Really it varies day to day on what I'm working on and how I approach it.

Oh, I'm benching 195 now. BUT I can say I can't hold 195 for 12 reps, for three sets within a circuit. By the third pass, I'm down to around 8 if I maintain the weight. I personaly don't care what the number is as long as I'm doing it. I try to level it off to a weight I can make through all the sets without inflicting injury.

Posted by Dave at 01:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Seems like it's time for some people to get new cars. First and formost, my father finally purchaces the car he's wanted for some time now. The Lexus LS 430. It's the flagship Lexus sedan. He said he didn't get it with all the frils like GPS but irregardless it's still a awsome car. Honestly, I have little knowledge of the car other than knowing that the Lexus name is synonymous with luxery.

Before he had a chance to take it out for a spin for a week or so, he's already made the arrangments to have it shipped directly from the dealer's showroom floor to Walnut Creek.  I'm exxcited to get a chance to drive this car, even only for a little bit. I'm not car enthusiast so I'm a little curious why this particular car is the flagship car of the Lexus line.  I have heard it is one of hte quietest cars on the market.

Then my cousin Gustav got himself a snazzy Nissan Z.

I took a nice bike ride this weekend and stopped by to take a look at this sweet ride. Of course he was a sleep but his father showed me tha car. Don't worry G, I didn't touch it...much. LOL.  Really it's a sweet two seater car. I told my uncle that it seems that we all have to go through this phase of getting a fun car. For me it was the BMW Z3 Roadster. I still miss that car but as always, a new car is great for a while but eventually... well you know...

Cycling News 

Didn't race this weekend but did ride a lot on Sunday. Not with Duro since I woke up with the worst headache I've had in months. So I couldn't meet the group at 8:45 AM and ended up riding around 9:30 on a simular route they took.  Felt great after my headache was gone. Man I can't wait until I can ride more regularly again.  Heather is gone all week and I'm going to try to use this time to train as much as possible this week and maybe race this next weekend. We'll see, not trying to put a lot of pressure on myself about this but I do need to add a little pressure of I won't get out there to race. It is I have to admit a little intimidating becasue I haven't been training nearly as much as I was last summer. I want this winter season to be over and done with so I can get back on the road again.

Posted by Dave at 09:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

 Heather and I came back from Redding. Rather than posting various photos here, I decided to try Flickr.

Here are the photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36599348@N00/sets/72157594483300868

Had a great time up in Shasta area and look forward to visiting again.  Heather also had the opportunity to visit one of her best friends in Redding as well.  Not much else has changed so far although some things are in the works. Will update more as things progress.

Cycling wise, I don't think I will participate in the early bird criterium this weekend but rather ride with Duro for the first time to get a feal for riding with a group again. I haven't done that since last year summer and my time riding in a group was limited. Picked up a membership with the YMCA in San Fran, I'm picking up my training routine via weights and spinning while in the city. My weight went up during the holidays and I'm not pleased with that so it's back to my original diet and training. Albiet I can't ride 2 hours a day, I can get a decent workout in everyday to get back to the weight I was prior to the holidays. It wasn't a HUGE weight gain but it was enough to be alarmed.  So back at it, I need to be back down to the 187 mark prior to the real cycling season which will officially start for me in a couple more months.

Posted by Dave at 08:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Heather and I ventured to Napa yesterday and had lunch at

Auberge de Soleil

The view is of course, magnificent.  We also hit up Paraduxx and Duckhorn Winery for tastings. 

Duckhorn's estate Cab blend is excellent and probably our favorite tasting. Of course thier 2004 Merlot was excellent as well.  Decided not to buy a bottle this time but perhaps next time we're up. 

In Redding now, more later. I think we're heading up on a hke today.  Forgot my CF card for my camera so it looks like we're venturing out to a store so I can pick up a new card. Oh well, I needed a backup memory card anyways.

Posted by Dave at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Took a personal day today. It's a big important day that could leed to a change in my career which I'm excited about. Trying to scramble to get prepped for today. Heather has been out of town since yesterday morning with no contact (she left me a message on my cell from a pay phone late last night while up in Occidental CA). Missing her lots but she'll be back late tonight after seeing Cathy Griffith up in Santa Rosa tonight with a co-worker/friend.  Then we're off to Napa tomorrow and then Redding (from what I understand this is the extent of the plans).

 Speaking of phones, have you seen the iPhone. Hawt.  I admit, 6 or 7 months ago I could care less about phones just as long as I could make a call (or recieve calls) when needed.  But a year ago I made a comment that when broadband hits phones and they really start amalgamating a lot of specific internet functions into a phone, it certaintly will get interesting. 

Watch Job's keynote speach last night and wowza, that phone is awsome. I just wish it wasn't ONLY for cingular but it almost makes me want to switch to them. But with Heather and my part of my family on Verizon and the other half of my family on Sprint, I doubt I will move to cingular. We'll see, I forsee that other carriers will pick it up. Perhaps I will just wait, it's not hitting the cingular shelves until June anyways so it may not release for other carriers until 2008....ugh.

Posted by Dave at 09:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ok this is a little techie but neat.

A multi core chip is a microprocessor that combines two or more independent processors into a single package, often a single integrated circuit (IC).

What's amazing is there's a rumor that Intel has designed a 80 core prototype.  That's like sticking 80 Intel 3.0 Ghz processors into one machine but rather all on one chip.  Can you imagine how fast you're MS word would work?!?  Seriously, we all know what drives the hardware market to make newer faster and more powerful chips and lets face it, it isn't to drive your Outlook, Word or even photoshop. It's...

and this too

all of which is rendered real time which means, mechanically drawn from a series of billions of mathematically geometic calculations done each second and displayed at what should be at least 24 times per second. Which means the computer has to (this is really simple way to explain it):

1. Grab a chunk of data into memory
2. run the data through lots of geometric calculations, many have to do with triangles and a series of rules and complex linear algebra and calculas (most of the time involving real world physics)
   
3. Interact with various hardware components on the machine.
   
4. Draw the triangles on your screen to create a wire mesh which is turn are called Polygons. Image may look something like this:
   
5. 
   
6. Fill in the gaps with textures (color, images, etc) that are single dimensional drawings to create what ulatimtly looks like a 3 dimensional object.
   
7. Do this for every object in the viewable area. 
   

This is all done cleared and redone at least 24 times each second (the human eye can't typically notice something rendered beyond 24 times a second (frames per second...most movies are recorded at this rate). This is where high powered processors come into play.

The graphics/gaming industry is one of the most profitable software industries in the world and drive hardware, period.

Chip manufactures like Intel, AMD, and IBM have run into a limitation with increasing clock speeds because of a physical limitation between the connections of  the specific parts of the chips (buses). Think if it as the roads are getting too close together and there's just no more space to build roads since they're too close together. So why not just make a chip that acts like two! four!  80!

Posted by Dave at 09:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm really not a fighter. Granted if I was in a fight I would go right for the sore spot.

I'm also one that typically doesn't care for watching fights on a regular basis but there's something odd about witnessing it in unplanned events that gets every guy all roiled up. It's like there's a part of every guy, a basic instinct if you will, that secretly has this fascination with confrontation that leads to a brawl. Hockey for instance bears little to no real interest to me but when a brawl breaks out, all the sudden it seems somewhat interesting. Boxing I have little interest in either because it's planned. UFC champions (the recent "thing") is a little interesting and I do find myself watching it on Thursdays at times with Sean but even that is planned. Sometimes the battles are neat but the long drawn out ones when one guy pins another guy in all kind of...ahem..inappropriate positions for minutes at a time certaintly don't make it appealing, for me at least.

I'd like to think I'd know how to handle myself in a real fight; it's been years since I've been in one. Typically I'm one to avoid them when all possible unless I have no other choice.

Posted by Dave at 08:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I have a favorite restaurant in the Sunset called Pluto's.  Apparently (I don't remember this well) but this place was also in Davis when I was there. I can't remember.

http://www.plutosfreshfood.com/menu.html

They have wonderful salads and sandwiches although I just like the salads. You get a garden salad with 7 different "fixings" and can add chicken or steak to it with a choice of dressings.  Heather and I can split one and be content, it's great especially after a workout.  

I have to admit; I did cheat a bit and picked up a tiny "mini" mint chip gelato last night. wow that was good. Anyone here a fan of gelato over ice cream? Some say it's made with egg that gives it its creamy texture. I'm really not sure but I just love it.

Spinning at the 'Y' last night. 

It was a great workout and I plan to continue during the winter season since it's still to dark to get a ride in after work (or raining). Passed out early last night! Body is trying to get reacquainted with the daily workouts again, it's been a little while (a month).

**Updated** Ken made a stink about the spelling in the comment. Tsch.  Fixed so there!  

Posted by Dave at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

"It's such a racket..." as Heather so eloquently likes to call my "Bally's Total Fitness!" memebership. For those of you that don't know, I work in the city and have worked into my schedule, lunch workouts where I would walk over to the near by Pinnacle Fitness (was Pinnacle, the name is no longer) and get a workout in before heading back and picking up a quick salad to eat at my desk. This would work great and I would head over there (2 blocks from the office) around 3 times a week for weight training (sometimes 4 during the winter season for a number of reasons the kept me from training after or before work).

The Pinnacle fitness near my office became "Crunch" and little did I realize that Bally's sold the SF locations to Crunch in a multi million dollar deal.  This meant I had until the end of the year to use the gym before I was obligated to join as a new member to Crunch as they are not affiliated to the membership I have. I didn't say much since I was able to still use the gym but now the turn of the year has come, I'm stuck without a gym in the city. In the east bay it's alright but since I spend most of my weekdays in the city working and then seeing Heather, this puts me in a difficult perdicament.

What I didn't understand about a Bally's Membership is it's considered a FINANCE, not just a monthly due that you can cancel.  Think of it like financing a car, you can't just return the car. There are only a couple ways to get out of this contract. 

1. Move outside 25 miles from a Bally's fitness cetner. Must proove this via a statement or bill of some kind.

2. Have a medical reason why you can no longer use the gym. Must be backed up by a Doctor (letter).  

I thought of changing a PG&E bill of Heather's to my name but there is actually ONE Bally's in SF. Completly inconvenient as it's near South San Francisco BUT within the 25 mile radius so that wouldn't work.  

My "buyout" of the membership is $365 if I pay by the end of the month. This would allow me to continue to use the gym for a few months, not get billed everymonth and then tell them to cancel after the time is up. Or just keep paying monthly for a few more months and really pay something like $430 at $60 a month incriments.

The whole thing is a racket as Heather said.

I have decided to join the 'Y' which is a month to month deal, REALLY close to the office, has  a dedicated spinning (cycling) room with classes, a pool, weights, etc. It will clost me roughly $60 a month but it's month to month while Heather is still living in the city. All in all, it's quite nice since I need to spend some time swimming for the tri season. The 'Y' actually caters to all my needs. Once Heather moves in with me, I can stop and just use a gym near my home. Personally I would like to have Heather and I join this place:

http://www.clubsports.com/renaissance/ 

but it is a bit pricy. It's one of the most upscale gyms in the area with a pool, TONS of classes (which heather likes), weights, courts, spinning, cycling, state of the art equipment, and even a tri workshops that happens through the year. But the price tag is kind of steep so we'll see. She only pays $14 a month for 24 hour fitness, can't beat that...seriously. If I could jump on her membership I would do it. I just need a place to workout, it would be great to do this with her too.

Posted by Dave at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So it's a new year and time to figure out what the plan is for the year, if there really is one? The other day I sent Heather an email with the list of goals I have for the year. She claimed that she although she is a planner; she hasn't been able to plan that far ahead with goals. Really, this is the first time I've sat down and thought about plans and goals that I was try to achieve this year. I feel that as long as I have a set of goals to reach, I can wake up each day with the notion that anything and everything I productively do has a reason. I say productively because I don't plan to spend every waking moment driving towards a set of goals which may exclude me from some of the spontaneous and or laid back enjoyments of life.

Many of us get up each day, go to work or school (or both like Ashley) and even though there are tentative goals that stick in the back of our minds, I really feel that I needed to lay them all out. This productive exercise is not simply a set of New Years resolutions. Here are some of the items I have listed out as goals for the year.

• Participate in a couple centuries this summer with Heather.
• Participate in a few cycling racing events
• Participate in at least one Olympic or sprint triathlon
• Have a solid foundation setup for my music and have composed AT LEAST a few songs this year. By saying a few, this will make me setup and more than likely, I will do MUCH more than a few.
  
• Have Heather move in with me and build a home with her. This is HUGE. I fully expect, plan and expect the house to change. I'm extremely excitied for what it's store for us.
  
• Grow my relationship with Heather
  
• Pass the PMP (Project Management Professional) and CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) exams.
• Take some more Microsoft Certification exams. I already passed some, just want to pass a couple more but will look and see if there’s another route that is more architecture driven (higher level)
• Refinance the home
• Take the LSAT and see how I do. Pending on how I do, I may apply for law school.
• Further the idea Ashley and  I have for our entrepreneurial venture. Need to work this part out with Ashley on how much should be done by this year.
  

Of could this means I need to spend a day scheduling my plan for these goals. I think they are all reasonable.

The holidays were a blast but a little chaotic. Here are some random photos from different events spanning from Christmas Eve, christmas and New Years. 

My dad, me and Robert.

Ashley and I
 

Ashley and Heather.

Heather and sister Harmony.

CYCLING NEWS

On the cycling front, I plan to race in Early bird Criterium races this month and the first weekend (Sunday) of next month. I'm extremely excited to announce that I will be joining the Strada Sempre Duro cycling / racing team in the hopes I can learn some new techniques and up my training.

http://www.duro.org

Ken has informed me of the Cherry Pie criterium in the Napa area but Heather and Ken have advised me that it's best I get some other races under my belt before i take that on. Speaking of Ken, he has been a great help, aid, pseudo cycling mentor and coach up to now. Although he doesn't race anymore, his experience and past knowledge of many races has been integral in helping me train.  Here's his site (a small plug for him).

http://www.kenpapai.com

That's it for now, I don't want to write up everything and then slack off again on updating this blog. More soon with more pictures.

Posted by Dave at 09:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)