Halloween Self Defense

If you are home alone and watching scary movies all night long in the dark and are now totally frightened, go sleep in the guest bedroom on the floor behind the bed.

The monster, serial killer or evil spirit will not find you there as they expect you to be sleeping in the master bedroom in your regular bed.

Not that I have ever done it, somebody just told me about someone else doing it.

Found and Lost

-Found-
$6 on my trail run this morning
one of my 2 heart rate monitor watches

-Lost-
my blue sunglasses
one of my 2 heart rate monitor watches

Muffy and Peter and ??

Muffy was the name of some gray cat that I basically adopted as a 5 year old. When we moved from Oregon to Montana I never saw him again.

Peter was the name of an orange tabby I bought from someone at school in 2nd grade. He ran away to live with the nuns at the church across the street. Strangely his name made sense after that. (Though it was an homage to the Pete in the Pete's Dragon movie)

?? is the name I can't remember of some kitten I found. Walking home from Cub Scouts, probably 9 years old, I heard a noise in the ditch and it was a plastic trash bag full of kittens. I picked the best looking one and took him home hoping to save at least one creature. It did not make it. I could still show you where I buried him near the wood pile at our Kennewick house.

How sentimental I know. Brings a tear to your eye, don't it. Later of course I would detest cats and never have a desire for a pet beyond a Beta fish. None of these cats were really ever my pet anyways.

Why the odd history of my semi cat ownership? Well reading Get Fuzzy, constantly visiting www.icanhascheezburger.com and www.lolcats.com has made me want to have a cat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, you did feel the earth stop turning for a moment. Please don't tell anyone.

I'm strong to the finish, 'cause I eat my __________ I'm Rowdy the __________

I think I have THE very worst diet of any athlete I know. I do sports more than I work, so I am an athlete. Deal.

Breakfast- 3 bowls Super Sugar Crisp (or Golden Crisp as they call it now)

Lunch- carne asada burrito, Fanta

Snack- half small bag Fritos, Squirt

Dinner- 1/2 pound Hot Tamales, water

Did you know:Genetics

Roughly 8% of all Asian males are descendants of Ghengis Khan.

Less than 3% of the worlds population has red hair.

I can trace my ancestry to the union of John Rolfe and Pocahontas.

my german hairstylist

When my hair was cut short, my Chinese stylist Pi Lo did all the work. Normally styling my hair all through the night.

The day shift has been taken over by my German stylist Helmut. He likes to touch it up before and after work with his special imprint.

With a soft global market for international hair styling I get them at a pretty good rate as well.

blogolympics

Checking my google analytics today there were three days in october where i had over 90 visitors in a day. I am almost past the 100 visits in a day barrier. Sadly, I need about 1,000 visitors a day to make any money from google ad sense.

You can all thank me now for having a commercial free blog. I couldn't do it without you.

A Rowdy by any other name, would rowdy still the same.

When you have a unique name you really have no need for a nickname. Through the years people have mostly called me variations of my name if anything.

Rowdy Nicknames Through History
Ace
Rowder Matt (i wish it were 'matte' though, like the shade or sheen of something)
The Rowdster
Slick
Rowdy the redheaded reindeer
Rowdy rooster-then shortened to Rooster
Red
Rowdyroo
Rowdstar
Rowdy rowdy rowdy

I have occasionally tried going by my middle name, Matt, but once anyone finds out my first name they go straight to that and it's back to 'Rowdy'.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday!! See you this weekend!!

favorite photos i took

Front Yard
Rome, Italy
Marrakech, Morocco
Plya Guinones, Costa Rica
Green Zone, Iraq

muse de rowdee

you got chocolate in my peanut butter

No, I actually found something MUCH MUCH better than that! I found a cotton candy flavored salt water taffy!

"It's like cotton candy on viagra! The flavor has staying power!"

Soooooo very delicious. Cotton candy + salt water taffy = satisfaction.

argh!! more $$ i dont want to spend

First it was drainage around the house then it was the side yard and retaining wall then it was the gophers then re sodding part of the front yard. Then it was the gophers again and an exterminator and then it was the rock filled barrier ditch.

And now it is what I think is a broken sprinkler line somewhere in the front yard. The water bill has been super high for two months now and part of the front lawn is constantly muddy and wet. I think there is a broken sprinkler line somewhere!?!?!?!?

So now I have to $pay$ for a landscaping company to come fix it as the HOA won't do it and it is above my gardener's skill level. Then I will have to re sod the yard again almost in its entirety!!!!!

a r g h

giving you the finger

so, after my urgent care visit today i am not having surgery on my finger but am going to occupational therapy instead. over time i have regained some of the motion in my finger just not much of the strength. i have a few very very tiny fractures but they are not enough to worry about.

so no surgery, just time, rest (yeah right!!), anti-inflammatories and rehab.

not a still life

Playing the spinning game earns you a few precious trust points

Mi amigos!!

4 riders, 1 bike

What did I say this time??????

Monterey Madness

We visited The Weatherman, The Sinophile, Porter Pan and Tinkerbell. We went on a bike ride, ate mexican food, looked at the ocean, looked at seals, had a delicious breakfast, hiked all over Point Lobos and generally had a G R E A T time.

Pics up soon.

sf photo recap

ALL RIGHT!! I ADMIT IT!!!

There has been nothing save reading my "Get Fuzzy" books that makes me laugh to tears and breathlessness like this website.

I feel the guiltiest of pleasures from something soo simply cute, stupid, original, repetitive and funny as silly pictures of felines with chatroom-esque written tags.

The horror, the horror.

www.icanhascheezburger.com

el CiNcO dE TRiPo De FrISco

stop someone from entering the room, by their drunken mistake
sleep poorly
eat at Sears, famous for little pancakes (though i prefer waffles)
pack up, check out, get out
drive to Monterey
pizza with more friends!! hooray!!
"to sleep"

SF Day IV

breakfast from liquor store/deli
buy some clothes
visit hospital friends in east bay
buy some more nallys chilli for home
dinner at Panda in p-town with old friends

i soz laffed at dis

more animals

sf day trois

walk around union square area
pizza at Blondies
Legion of Honor art museum
walking on the Golden Gate Bridge
John Miur woods and Mt Tam.
clam chowder bread bowl at fisherman's warf

I can laugh at this because

I had been divorced twice by age 26. So sayings like this are funny to me. From P. today: This economy is worse than a divorce. You loose half your net worth and still have your wife!

hehe haha hoho

sf day 2

exercising lots
local and organic lunch w/S in Davis (free range bacon? who knew?)
oakland temple
Chabot Space and Science center (closed!!)
Presidio
Thanh Long garlic noodles and crab (and crab puffs)

SF Day 1

seared tuna anf mixed green salad
walking around union square
thai noodle house
movies

I like California, I hate New Jersey

No, I mean I hate my 'jersey finger'. That is the name for the type of injury to my left ring finger. After checking out medical textbooks online, I need to make an appointment ASAP when I get back with a hand surgeon and have surgery to correct it. ARGGH

In Soviet Russia we no dance!

But in La Jolla California Russia we dance and feast!!

Facebook/Myspace/Blogger typical couple picture


Yes Virginia, this meal will take 3 hours to finish.


Enough vodka (I don't drink) and I think this is what every Russian dance feels like.

you didn't!?!??!? i didn't!!!!

My "I can't believe I am not racing" face.

So, I didn't buy a new gi yesterday. I sold one of my old nasty sweaty blood stained ones on Craigslist but I didn't sell my nicer one, so I didn't really feel like buying a new one to replace them yet.

I also didn't run the XC race this morning. They changed the schedule and distance. So instead of a 5k at 0800 the men's race was now a 8k at 0845. There was no way I could have run that race distance at that time and made it back from CSUSM in time to go with B to jiu jitsu.

I wonder what else I can not accomplish this weekend...???

weekend

Friday
run 2.5 miles 0645
do errands 0900
lift weights in garage 1100
go buy a new gi 1430
go to Russian dinner w/ hospital friends 1900

Saturday
my 2nd Dirt Dogs cross country race 0800
jiu jitsu with Brndn for his first time 1000
site inspection at the house for the gopher exterminator 1200
prepare for trip 1400
watch UFC at friend's house 1830

Sunday
church 1000
drive to SF 1330

Avulsion Fracture

My pediatrician neighbor says this will require surgery to correct!!!!
My complete lack of football skill + my competitive drive =an avulsion fracture on my left ring finger.

An avulsion fracture is the tendon's attachment point breaking from the bone. When I go to close my left hand my ring finger just points outward, unable to close into a fist. It is quite funny to see, here is a picture of me making "a fist."

Healthcare Reform-Rowdystyle

So I had my Remicade infusion today. The cost of the drug alone is over $2,200 bucks. I am there for 3 hours and change with about 2 or 3 people involved in my care, so let's say the total cost is about $2,600.

My HMO should just give me the option of not having the treatment in exchange for half their costs. Rather than my 'costing' the HMO today $2,600 they could have just given me $1,300 and I would skip the infusion.

Think how much money they would save?!?!?!?!

you say disgusting, i say delicious, you say tomatoe, i say...

For lunch today I dined on manchago cheese, whole wheat table crackers and sardines. YUMMY!

the highlander was a documentary....

Here is footage from me at at jj today

the road

The journey of learning brazilian jiu jitsu is mapped in the scars, cuts and bruises on my body.

Prop 8

I am voting "Yes" on Prop 8. There is a natural order to things and marriage is between a man and a woman. Domestic partnerships were created for a reason as was marriage. So to preserve what is natural, I am voting yes on Prop 8. Simple as that.

If I ever......

If I were to ever have plastic surgery I would like to have my last rib removed for a leaner looking midsection.

(I don't consider getting the second toe shortened plastic surgery. Morton's toe is a real disease. I would be getting 'cured' and not just cosmetically corrected)

Sunny Saturday Quiz

The Southern California Martial Arts Expo is in your town and you go to visit. Your friend's fight is now 3 hours later than originally scheduled. In this free time you...?

A. Actually take the shot offered to you buy the skanky trade show girls they promise is, "like drinking two and a half Red Bulls in one shot!"
B. Go make out in the back seat of your car.
C. Order fish and chips, discover the fish is half cooked and eat it entirely anyways.
D. Make fun of the capoeira 'artists', knowing the real Brazilian martial art is Jiu Jitsu!!
E. Almost pause for just half a second at the booth offering "Real Ninja Training" to see just what they are about.
F. Answers B,C and D only.
G. All of the above.
H. None of the above.

Fire Friday Quiz

You and your friends are having a bonfire in Ocean Beach (OB, where the ghetto meets the sea). At the end of the evening you will have...?

A. A new cell phone entry under the name "Pookie" who is now your fireworks connection in Parumph Nevada.
B. Been asked to buy beer for local teens.
C. Heard someone say, "I saw this on Man versus Wild. Can I borrow your knife?"
D. Sold a surfboard.
E. All of the above.
F. None of the above.

Freaking Freak Freakerson!

mood-freaking mad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday I could barely walk, no stairs without help. This morning I barely jogged 15 meters before I had to stop.

The knee and ankle pain I am experiencing is making me sooooo mad, sad, depressed, angry, frustrated and confused.

I feel like my body hates me and is fighting against me and taking away something else I enjoy. Why? I hate this!!

I have an appointment request in to my PCP, but that will take weeks....

groove

some music guilty pleasures that bring a smile to my face and get me moving

Stonewall Peak in the Cuyamacas

The approach. I thought it was faily easy, my book called it moderately difficult...??

Not quite like the stairs on Half Dome.

Those 10 second auto timers let you do a lot if you are creative!

Race Pics

Running Dr. Doom in, helping her finish strong.

Hot, Sweaty, Tired but Finished. Average heart rate 181bpm!! Average mile pace 7:14

A technical t-shirt from the race, only $5!!

let's hope not/running running running

I'm worried I might have rheumatoid arthritis. I am in the right age group to develop it, I have an auto immune disease (Crohn's Disease) my fingers and wrists and elbows are painful, swollen and difficult to move in the morning. I had my blood drawn on Monday morning to check for the RF to see what is up. Wouldn't that just be the suckiest thing!!!???!!!

D, G-ride and myself ran 3 miles this morning. For training, I like the more supportive sole of my Salomans versus my racing Adidas shoes. Especially since I really only run off road.

Of course it took me a while to warm up this morning, I ran the whole 3 miles but at a much slower pace than normal. Troubling. Maybe I am just tired... On the positive side, running 3 miles at a 10 minute mile pace is very easy for me. I think I want to up the mileage to 4 or 5 miles now. Joints withstanding.

Jack Rowdy

I tried to make a shark sand sculpture today. A wave ruined it. So I went and ate a sandwich.

Cartel Violence

Gulf, Arellano, Sinaloa, the Zetas.... In 6 days almost 50 bodies have been found in Tijuana due to drug violence. And we are not even touching upon all the 'sequestros' and 'sequestros express'.

I'd be safer back in Iraq than in TJ right now!!

Balboa Park 5k Race

I ran in the Ursula Rains Balboa Boogie 5k this morning. The start was at 8am and the predicted rain never showed! Of course the long sleeve shirt I was wearing was of no help now....

This was a cross country race, dirt, grass, sand, mulch and a few bits of sidewalk. Not hilly at all if you ask me but there were a few up and down hills. My driveway has inured me to running hills as it is pretty steep and long. I have never been a runner. I have only ran 5 miles TWICE in my life and I have only been doing 2.5 mile trail runs for twice a week for about a month now. Preparation what?

Mile 1 came by at 6:40
Mile 2 came by at 14:20
Mile 3.2 came by at 22:20 for a 7:14 minute mile pace. The second mile was the hardest for me. I will have to work on that.

I was 151st place out of almost 300 racers. I do not know where I finished in my class but I am sure I am pretty far down. A serious crowd runs in this series. College and high school teams were there, track clubs were there. Most of the field was in real running tanks and singlet style things. Yeah... Not really the recreational running crowd.

But I did it. G-ride came with his family and took pics, so I will have those up later. And I wanted to finish in under 24:00, so I made my goal!!

The next race in this series is in two weeks. I'll be in it!!

UPDATE: From the San Diego Track Club's website, my official results are:151 ROWDY BRICCO 170 36 10/12 M SAN DIEGO 22:26 7:14
So I was 10th out of 12 people in my division. The guy who was 9/12 in our division was 78th overall and ran it in 18:56!! My time now totally sounds sucky, but the top 3 dudes in my division ran this race in 16 minutes!!! I need to run my miles a full minute faster just to move up a place!!

"The City"

I am going to be back in one of the best places I have ever lived, the Bay Area, San Francisco, The City. I will be up there Sunday the 19th leaving Saturday the 25th. SOOOOOOO, if you are from that time of my life, let's reunite!!

Me on top of Mt Diablo. One of my fav outside places in the East Bay.

Inside my old Dublin apartment.

I love cereal

And now I know one of the reasons why!! Consumer reports found that two cereals are greater than 50% sugar by weight, Super Golden Crisp and Honey Smacks. Guess what? Honey Smacks is one of my favorite cereals!! I knew there was a reason why I am naturally drawn like a moth to a flame when it came to this cereal.

Gophers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are destroying my yard!!!! I live on a hill, near an open wild space so I think I am doomed. Buttttttt, I never had a single one the first two years in this house, so I don't know why the change now??!!??

I have used 3 different poisons, 1 repellent, water hose down the main burrow, smoke bombs down the holes 3 times and physical traps. None have worked for more than 2 days.

DOES ANYONE KNOW A SUREFIRE WAY TO RID MY YARD OF GOPHERS??????

Where I live I can't just shoot them or I would have got out the .22 and did that loooong ago. Maybe a pellet gun?

My next two ideas are to get those plastic owls or hawks and put them up at the edge of my yard. Also to dig a trench in the area between my yard and the wild hillside, line it with heavy wire mesh, fill it with big rocks and then cover it with dirt so the little devils can't burrow through.

Thoughts, ideas or hints??

I'm still alive

Really, that is all the news I have. I know it is shocking, but I haven't done much in the past few days. Monday I had a swimming lesson where I learned I have a pretty natural breast stroke. That evening I helped some people from church move a HUGE TV. It took 6 people to lift it! Then I ran a little over 5 miles that night.

Tuesday was an afternoon of brazilian jiu jitsu, meeting with the accountant, laundry and the temple. Not for Rosh Shoshana. =)

Wednesday and Thursday are just working days. I am trying to fit in as much of a work out as I can too. Friday is up in the air...

See, I live a regular life just like you do.