Monday

My Monday is going to be busy!! But for the most part I will be doing things I want to do, so it is a good busy. =) Now I just got to figure out what order to get it all done in so I still also have some free time and don't waste any time.

-picking up a custom made black powder cannon
-my awesome housekeeper will be cleaning the place
-taking clothes to get dry cleaned, maybe getting a fruit bowl since I'll be nearby
-finishing the transaction for the .30 carbine
-picking up my purple belt with my name "ROWDY" and my motto "KOBK" newly embroidered on it
-finishing fixing CW's mountain bike
-prepping my new gi for its patches
-training with RS and CW at my house on the new mats for the first time
-beginning my Ginastica Natural preparation

As a side note, my Sunday was busy as well. I prepared and delivered a talk about listening to the Holy Ghost and how its voice speaks to us in a different way than Satan's or 'the world's'. Then I went to church. Then I ate lunch. Then I went to Russian class for 90 minutes. I gave KRB a ride on my motorcycle and did a nice wheelie with him on the back. Then I went to visit 3 different friend's houses. I also had to hang a painting I'd knocked down that was 13' feet off the ground due to me hanging it at THE absolute highest possible part of my house. It was a little tense being that high off the ground not tied in. Blame it on years of rock climbing. Finishing it off with some homemade rice krispy treats and it was a full day!

Rowdy's random photo recap

Me at the top of Bronco Peak in Corral Canyon, getting ready for a rocky descent!
I like that the same cup holder in the P-car can carry carrot juice
as well as a Slurpee. Crafty Germans!
My mats showed up!! The garage really is complete now. I just 38 hours in a day...
My first shot of wheat grass ever. It's good, not bad at all.
The Weapon
My very first time riding a mountain bike or doing any sporty thing with an mp3 player. It was alright.
Artful early morning ride self-portrait
Actually I think this blonde is twice as smart as the rest of us!!
GSXR 600, the return! Gotta fix a few tiny things but it is worth it! And have magically a 3 car garage...
Trust me, there is a nice bruise growing under the rash and swelling. When jumping a mountain bike, land on the tires not on your hip, FYI.
Room temperature pudding that is Cotton Candy flavored?? Who knew? Jeweled Malicious Barbie did! When I texted her a pic she said she'd already tried it!!
Look like a runner, train like a runner, soon you will be a runner. Oh, and discus also.
Unless the school floods, then your meet gets cancelled. Sad.

ugh

this not being able to sleep business is getting out of hand......

i need to more carefully choose the 4 hours i am asleep. 10pm to 2am i think is not the most productive choice.....

1am till 5am i think is better.

medical professionals have told me i am 'sensitive' in my needs for anesthetic and such, much more beyond the adjustment made for red heads.

for instance, if i really really wanted to sleep all night i would have to of course continue my level of exercise, have it be totally dark and quiet, take one melatonin, two ativan, one swig of codeine and phenergan cough syrup, soak in hot epsom salts and be lucky.

that is not right, and that is too much. i am tired of being a freak show and doing my chores around the house in the odd AM hours....

UGH

Training, School, Class, Academy and so on...

As you well know, I train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (bjj) and am a purple belt under Fabio Santos here in San Diego.

In just how we talk about jiu jitsu, terms like these are used frequently: class tuition school training academy learning technique conditioning student.

All of these are very strong words that key into the fact this is something deep, complex and mental. When I realized this my approach to bjj changed. I needed to stop treating it like a hobby or an activity.

I now treat it like I would a college course. As a purple I am almost done with my undergrad in bjj. Brown belt will by my MS and black belt will be my PHD. Which is what I am goal driven to earn.

So now if I am going to pay hundreds of dollars a month, spend at least 24 hours a month in the academy, have my physical conditioning 70% geared to my bjj competition performance and have a goal of becoming a black belt I can not do what most people do.

Most students, and that really is what we are, show up twice a week and leave. Half measures only get you half way.

I do to class twice a day. I study the details. After class I write a full page of notes for that class in a binder I bring with me. I condition my body outside of class so that the stress of training is lessened, allowing me greater mental focus while rolling. I have acquired books and DVDs to increase the knowledge base I draw from. I have added mats to my garage and a small TV to aid in training at home (homework). I have a written goal about my bjj development.

I want to progress, I want to excel. This is my plan. This is what will separate me from the herd. I am working it, and I am going to do it.

"Plan to work, work the plan."

I start the certification process for my new job endeavor on March 10th. It is going to be physically and mentally a challenging week.

A quick run through of my business plan shows me returning a profit on my investment at 10 to 14 months out. Worst case scenario is 24 months.

When I am finished training I will let you know what I am doing and then when I am done with that I will let you know how my possible partnership is progressing.

The only hint I will give is that I am staying in the sports and recreation field.

Do you see the look in my eyes? This look comes from riding home a brand new motorcycle.

As you can see it is quite the powerful sensation!! If all goes to plan, you'll be seeing a similar look on Saturday!!

it's a Rowdy world, and I've been to much of it

I just renewed my subscriptions to Foreign Policy magazine and The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.

The 'red' countries are ones I have visited or have tickets already for this year.

My Visited Countries

Get your own Visited Countries Map from Travel Blog

the man cave!!

I love having a garage. There is nothing more manly, rowdy, Rowdy and fun than having the garage set up how you want it to be.

Garage version 1.0 had the Lexus 400H, the Acura RSX and a DRZ supermoto. And a couple of mountain bikes.

Garage version 2.0 had a rock climbing wall in one corner, same cars and a ZX636R Ninja. Same mountain bikes.

Garage version 2.5 was an ever changing parade of motorcycles and me moving the storage shelving from one side to the other in preparation to build a tiny work bench.

Garage version 3.0 has gymnastics rings for working out and a punching bag where the rock climbing wall used to be. A Porsche Cayman S, a Tacoma 4x4, a Yamaha C3 scooter and a WR250X supermoto for motorized stuff and 3 different mountain bikes. And a small work bench was added.

Garage version 4.0 which I completed today (!!!!!!!!!!!) is by far the best Rowdy Style man cave ever!! Take v3.0 and add a flat screen TV with jiu jitsu videos on one wall, 12' x 12' of folding mats, all my motorcycle posters up, a new tool bench I got for free from off the curb, a railing system to hang all my big tools,and peg board over the first work bench to hang all my hand tools.

Throw in possibly adding a 20th anniversary GSXR 600 this weekend and it will be such a freaking garage overload it would blow a lesser dude's mind!

100% Rowdy Style!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You want pictures? You couldn't handle it!! (ok, maybe I'll take some tomorrow. =))

Russian lesson...

Man, learning Russian is tough. I even dreamed in Russian last night, the 3 hours I slept that is. (I am not skipping my sleeping pill tonight!)

Learning the Cyrillic alphabet is soo hard and I just haven't made it the priority I should. I may not learn any spoken Russian at the end of the 8 week class but I will be able to read it and sound out words, that is for sure!!

I hope those little orphans appreciate it, 'cause I know they sure aren't learning English for me.

So I go to church for hours and then have just enough time to go home, eat, change clothes and then head to Russian each Sunday. Truly a brain frying time for me....I even fell asleep in class this weekend, and with only 3 of us in the class it was pretty obvious.

Normally I rock at foreign languages so it is funny to be the horrible one. Oh well, I still get to go to Russia no matter what my language ability is. I'll just have to get really good at pantomime! hahahahaha.

Recap

Let me just give you a quick written report of where I've been...

Thursday I was up early cleaning house. Then I went on the first dirt ride of my new bike! I took STM home straight from there and then I went straight to work. I clocked my 8 there and then came home.

Once at home it was time to build a new bike rack and such for the new bike and my dreams of riding and racing it even more! So it was fun to think and plan my rack all the way home and then actually build it and have it turn out perfect. My best one yet!

My sleeping pill prescription had not arrived yet so took a soak in my new bit of Undurasoak and it felt great. A sip of cough syrup, a Reglan and two melatonin helped me to sleep a bit.

Friday I again woke up super early and started cleaning and doing laundry. Then I went for a short 35 minute bike ride as the trail I picked was too muddy. From that I came home and decided to do an upper body workout in the garage. 35 minutes later from that I was shaky and torched. Guess what? Time to go to work!

So I blast out of the house fast as can, dirty and disheveled, making it to work on time. From there I proceed to go crazy and spend like $400 bucks on things for my new bike. That I've ridden twice.... Most of it though is legit and things I have been rocking too long or aren't appropriate for this bike. But I can't wait for like two weeks to pass and it all to come in!!

Hurried home to two Oggi's pizzas in candaian bacon and tomato on one and Oggi's special on the other. HMMMmmmmmmm...... Yummy.

Saturday I spent all morning trying to redo the new rear end for my supermoto. Like in this picture, but with the whole lower half gone and the plate now up at the tail light. Then I took Killer to a jiu jitsu tournament up in LA and had to deal with the crappy organization of it. Killer stepped up and fought and fought a tough kid and didn't get submitted. So he is learning how hard it is and if you wanna win at anything worth while it takes EFFORT!

Then I came home and tore into the garage basically gutting half of it and starting over. Totally cleaning arranging and building new stuff.




Fed Ex says my mats are currently in Ohio and should be at my place Tuesday!! Sweet.

Sunday is church, Russian lessons and making my business plan. And hopefully rest in front of the TV for a bit or something...

The UPS and Fed Ex guys have been earning their money at my house lately.

12' x 12' mat for BJJ training in the garage.
2 different bjj instructional dvd sets
t-shirt
4lbs of special epsom salt/essential oil blend to athletic recovery soaking in the bath tub.
metal license plate bracket and tail light frame to replace the plastic one I broke last time I really rode my supermoto.... =(

Now I have to totally re-do my garage. Which is kinda fun. And will help with other stuff later.

I also went a little crazy at work and ordered a ton of stuff for my new bike also. Well, not a ton but some stuff yes. Hahahaha. So they will be earning their money visiting at work too.

curse!

I know it's a truck. I know I drive it off road and go on many adventures. Truck is supposed to equal tough.

But why does a surprise scrape this big drive me insane? Both of my cars have had some sort of cosmetic damage to them that was not my fault in the past year.

Cursed! Or cursed?

The one time I scraped someones car in a parking lot it turned into a huge thing, and while I did the right thing and it eventually all worked out at about $2,000 from my own pocket, I learned a lesson. Leave a fake number and run! HAHAHA. I jest.

A new fender flare is about $320. I can install it myself. Ugh............. I think I am just going to leave it, as is.

I have a new business idea for self employment in a way I would love. Start up costs are about $5,000 and would take about a month of my time in ground work and preparation. But in the end I could work less than I do now and make more. And still do something I really enjoy and am good at......

Do I make the jump and commit a month of my life and 5 grand to it....??

And I got and built my freaking new awesome super cool carbon fiber mountain bike tonight!!!! A 2010 Trek Remedy 9.8 and boy is it going to be a weapon!! This is perfect for my Super D racing. I am stoked!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah, and the sun was shining today with it 80F. =)

Gimmie dat boid! Multiple updates!!

Tooth Fairy. Easter Bunny. Father Time. The Great Pumpkin. Thom Turkey. All lesser known holiday or event representations but with one very popular holiday missing, Valentine's Day. But this is not so at my house and it has been great!

Just as the Easter Bunny brings you treats and a little toy or something as a child when I was growing up you would get a basket of candy and a gift brought to you by the Valentine's Bird. I like to picture him as a very vibrantly colored robin. Or maybe a cardinal? While I have never seen him I do know his work.

Yep, that is right, a bird has brought me a little basket of candy and some sort of present every February 14th that I can remember. This year he/she brought me some cherry, and cinnamon gummy hearts to eat and a very nice Banana Republic argyle sweater. (that makes me feel like a straight Clinton on 'What not to wear'. don't ask...)


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As you read, I went to the birthplace of the french dip sandwich (PO) in LA over the weekend. So to get a direct comparison I went to Yelp and found what people here rank as our best french dip in SD. According to the site it is to be found at The Gathering (TG) at the end of Washington St, just a few blocks east of the UCSD medical center area.

I do think it is the best french dip sandwich in SD after having eaten one and been able to compare, but is it better than the original? I'm not sure.... As I see it it breaks down like this:
Price per sandwich: PO $6 TG $10
Fries: TG for the win.
Au Jus: PO you need it double dipped. TG you dip your own, they have enough but it is a mild flavor jus. Good, just different, as it is not just some super satly beef broth from a can.
Roll: PO for the win.
Roast Beef: Oh wow, this is tough. The meat at PO tasted better but the meat at TG was of higher quality I felt. So hard to tell.



So if you love the french dip sandwich here is the order of awesomeness in my opinion. 1. Philipe's Original in LA. 2. The Gathering in SD. 3. My homemade one. 4. BJ's bar and grill.

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For all you readers experiencing a real winter and the ravages of holiday food on the body, let me inspire you a bit.

I ran 4 miles at La Jolla Shores today. Running at the beach, shirtless and shoeless on a 78F day in February. Don't be jealous, just be motivated.

As I am "training" I wore my heart rate monitor and this seemed to get much more attention that my blindingly white skinny torso. I heard more than once as I ran past people, "is that somebody?"


******************************************
Still 128lbs in the morning. Still on a low residue diet. Bowels still taking their sweet time working totally right. Suffering from night sweats. Sleeping very little (typing this a 4:13am). Still very weak and in poor conditioning over all.

But I am able to eat, not in any real pain and not getting worse.

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Urban Solace in North Park on 30th is delicious!! I had the bacon wrapped trout and tasted the duckaroni. Oh my goodness........ Yummy!! If you like "food" then you need to go there!! Check it out at www.urbansolace.net

See ya soon!

13 heures sur Samdi en la vie de Rowdy

Burn and Crash
BURN
As you all know, I got out of a week in the hospital on Thursday evening and went to jiu jitsu for a few hours. Friday I basically did easy stuff at home and went to the movies in the evening. Saturday was going to be a different story!

The IV started in the emergency department was the same one left in the whole week so it was no surprise I noticed a large section of plebitis and/or thrombis in that vein. To help "dissolve" it I took a dishtowel and soaked it in hot water and wrapped it around my arm. Then I took a millet bag/bed buddy and microwaved it for 2 minutes and place that on top of the warm wet towel. This was all held in place with an ace bandage. It felt great! My vein went from feeling like a stick in my arm to merely ropey.

In typical rowdy style my treatment gave me a second degree burn on my arm. Red, dry, partial thickness, blisters.

CRASH
Oh and did I tell you I was on my way to a mountain bike race. Racing, not watching. On the PBOD (pink bicycle of death). When I hadn't been on my bike but twice in two months. Recipie for success? I'll let you cook it up and see what you think.

My crew. Killer and Tenacious D, plotting my strategy or playing video games?


Rowdy style pre-race preparation.


I had sold my personal race bike on Friday so Tenacious let me ride her aptly named PBOD. As I ride motorcycles more than bicycles I always switch my brakes on the bike to right for the front, left for the rear. Tenacious' bike did not have that set up.

:How To Crash A Mountain Bike recipe by Rowdy Style:
1 bike you have never ridden, with a very worn front tire and brakes opposite your normal set up.
2 months of not riding a bike
4.5 hours of sleep pre-race evening
6 days hospital bed rest due to illness immediately preceding race day
12 pounds should be lost in this time
1 never seen to you before race course
0 protective gear beyond helmet and gloves

Combine and mix all these ingredients into a course containing 3 sandy, downhill, off camber corners. Add stop watch, increase competition and wait. Soon your crash will be coming along spectacularly!!

And it did. I got thrown down on the ground hard twice. Huge endo over the bars into a forward roll. Hitting my head hard, filling my new burn with dirt and very mildly tweaking a wrist and knee.

So what did all this get me come race time? Second place, men's Sport in Super D in the Racers and Chasers race held at Cahuilla Creek MX Park!



I was quite off the winning time, but I have run times close to him before, so when I get my own bike again and can train, IT IS ON! Now in your best Penguins of Madagascar Skipper voice say, "Burn and crash boys. Burn and crash."

Manger et Rier Avec Moi
As the title alludes to, if you can read basic French, I am going to take you into 13 hours on Saturday in the life of Rowdy. Driving from San Diego to Anza for a mountain bike race doesn't take that long.

MANGER
From there you have to then drive to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles and go eat at the birth place of my favorite sandwich, THE FRENCH DIP!
So that means a trip to Philipe's Original. Oh my freaking goodness! Is there something wrong with me I would drive hours and hours again tomorrow for such a delicious, perfect, original French Dipped sandwich?




Get the turkey, the beef or the pork. No cheese, double dipped or even better drenched. Don't believe me?Man VS Food does!

RIER
The funniest, frantic, frenetic, Gallic stop motion movie you've never even heard of, Panique au Village!

I'm not even going to try to explain this to you. If you first don't like foreign film, if you don't like random funny and if you would never drive to Orange County just to watch a movie you'll never get it anyways!

But if you do, or are curious...... enjoy the Youtube goodness below.


And there you have it, 13 hours on a Saturday in the life of Rowdy.

Race, Identity and the Movies.

Or I could have titled this post Rage, Rowdy and Oh-So-Not Cinema. But let me just tell it to you in chronological order and you will figure it out.

Earlier in the day I had bought tickets for the new Wolfman movie to make sure that I could get us in on an opening night/holiday weekend. I really enjoy movies and I like to see them soon after they come out.

I stroll up to the employee to give my tickets to, at which he stops and just stares at me. So I start to stare at him and notice he is a younger black kid whose name tag says "Rage". This doesn't phase me at all, after all look at my name....

So after giving me the up and down he says, "you look like someone...." OK, you're right, I do. Go on, elucidate me. He is struggling to find the connection and I am waiting for the classic 'race' line of "all you red heads look alike to me." HA! That would have been a funny switcheroo.

With a little prompting he gets to Conan O'brian. Not Conan the Barbarian, which I am albeit in 3/4 scale and with a better command of English inflection. Though I do strike a mean Terminator pose as well!

I've gotten similar things in the past. Occasionally even asked if I am "famous" or "somebody". It is a short list as I am hardly the classic example of male attractiveness or stardom, but here is who I get most often:
Rick Schroder
Conan O'brian
Seth Green
Sean W. Scott (especially when I am scruffy)
David Caruso

I don't know... do you see my famous twin in any of these? (This is soooooo last week Facebook!)

As it is a busy weekend we end up in the second to front row at the edge. Not my first choice. Another couple comes up and we move over a spot to make room as the girl was whiny about sitting in the front row.

Ahhh, the front row. Here is where I thought I was in trouble. When I go to the movies I like to...... watch the freaking movie. Not listen to you. At all. So, now it being my turn to fall into a race trap the whole front row is black. (A simplification and not PC, I know) I was sure at a monster movie with that row in front of me..... Well let's just say it could have played out like the Ralphie May skit about Open Water and 'cuba diving. Norkeling. (all trace of this act seem to be removed from the webz.... sad)

Instead it was the early 20's goth couple next to me who I had to actually turn to and tell them to shut up. There is a social contract people! I made room for you to sit where you thought was a better seat. You provide me with a reasonable amount of privacy, but when your girl is sitting facing you rather than the screen and is talking about how she doesn't know to tell the difference between clergies; who is a friar, a father, a pastor, a priest and so on she needs to STFU right now!

The boyfriends reply was a slightly indignant raise of his voice, "Oh, am I talking? Too loud?" And I made the small pinching hand gesture of 'a little' and said please. A few glowering looks and she was a little better the rest of the show. Which of course then got my all riled up and all I could think about was fighting this guy. My maturity level may not be any higher, but I can at least keep it under wraps better than most. (I would have taken him I'm sure of it)

Ah, the movie. I can see why it received C grades lots of places and RT and MC reviews in the 40's. As a lover of the original Universal monster movies I feel I am an educated, ok let's just say it I am a fan-boy of these types of movies. I can just tell this movie was made by committee. It needed to be stronger, more artistic and some of the pacing corrected. His howl was totally wrong too. But the CGI was seamless and well done. I wont give any plot or spoilers, you'll just have to watch for yourself.

And be careful where you sit.