All Things Rowdy

Run up. Walk down. 10 push-ups. 5 sit-ups. Repeat 10 times!!

Dearest Funnist, I think I am like super fun and all of my gfs do to. As a matter of fact-ism, I think I am more of a funnist than you! So if you think your(sic) soooo fun, prove it. A lot of people are unemployed and would love to have your job!!!! YOLO-girl Dear Miss You Only Live Once, A fun girl like you has to be a "Miss", amiright? And since you spoke of it, around here I like to call it 'funemployment', not unemployment. 'Cause it is always about fun. Rock climbing, for instance. Grab rock, pull. Simple right? Well until you can do stuff like this, don't even think of challenging me to a "fun" contest. Yeah, once you can climb all over the place, use your own camera and just generally out rowdy Rowdy, you have no chance as a career Funnist.

MXK and I had our first swimming lesson today. I last took real swimming lessons over 3 years ago. I must of had a really good teacher in Hillary as today's teacher started right away with just refining my stroke. No need for the basics. MXK did more today in one hour in the water than he has ever before in his life. Started with just trying to get his head into the water and progressing all the way to a basic stroke!! I can't wait to see what 6 or 7 more lessons do for the both of us!

1-My 1st smart phone. A Samsung Galaxy S. The total anti-iphone, so I'm very happy with using all the Google and Android apps. Normally I am an early adopter of things but I really really resisted smart phones. Until now. 2-For lunch today I ate 2 french dip sandwiches that I made at home. One a traditional beef and the other turkey. Not sure if I really need dinner now so I should probably just eat dessert instead. 3-Of the 3 different community colleges in San Diego, but the time I was allowed to register there was not a single microbiology class open. Three colleges, zero classes. And it's not like I don't pay enough taxes in California.... Now I have to 'crash' as many of these classes I can in the first week hoping to get an add code. So I am not even bothering to take fencing, tennis or photography as I want to just totally focus on getting this class. 4-I have now only been to 4 funerals in my life. My grandparent's funerals on my dad's side and...

Out and about a while ago I saw a shirt that totally described me. Sadly, it was a cutsey girls shirt so I was in no way going to buy it. Plus it was rediculously expensive. Anyways, lots of reasons why I wasn't going to purchase it. I've been described as a "weapon of mass distraction", "the minister of fun", "an attractive nuisance" and now as the embodiment of "never ending fun". One could say that I am an expert in "fun". The New York Times Magazine has an article entitled "The Ethicist" where people write in asking questions of ethical nature. He, now she, being an expert on ethics and thus an ethicist and myself being an expert on fun and thus a funnist, should provide the same service to my blog readers. Here is the first letter to me as The Funnist. Dear Funnist, My girlfriend really really likes amusement park rides. For her birthday she really wants to go to Magic Mountain and ride as many rides as po...

Ground bison. Kobe beef. Ground Turkey. 50-50 ground beef/bacon. 4 times the good food when it comes to burgers! No stinking stack of costco "burgers" here! Prime time or no time. (thanks for that saying MW) Kevin +1, Josh +1, Herb +2, Rowdy +2. Ten people multiplied by 4 kinds of burgers equals tons of great fun! Throw in some delicious lemon cake, sunshine and it was a great evening! It was cool to see a bunch of my friends who only had me in common and had never previously met each other all get together. A mountain bike friend, a church friend, a doctor friend. Everyone talking and having fun. And of course eating a pile of home made, bbq-ed gourmet hamburgers always makes the evening nice. And I already have my invite list for the next one in my mind! You shoulda been here.....

Maxi-pad aka Juice Box aka Snacks-a-million will be visiting me for the next three weeks starting today. As the dude has gone off and pre-enlisted in the US Marine Corp he has learned that he is a little behind the curve in his fitness. And body weight. So this guy is gonna need some Hans and Franz treatment to get "pumped up" as much as he can within his genetic ability. Hard to be buff when your dad is skinny. Curse you Gregor Mendel! What this means is that I too have then be on this type of program while he is here. So I should have a very tiring three weeks as well. But will hopefully also come out the other end of it a little fitter than I am now. But I'm hoping to not gain any weight. I've beefed up the amount of protein supplements I have around and other meal replacement choices. I have signed us up for swimming twice a week for the three weeks. I also plan to do running 4 days a week and weights with him 3 days a week. All this on top of the just regu...

Random/Rowdy Blog of the Day. A part of the fun I have in blogging is reading random blogs I find from the San Diego area. This blog is one I visit to see a kind of darker, creative side. Something I don't possess but still find interesting. If you wanna check it out, go HERE . I think the author can even create something "creepy" just for you. For the next couple weeks I will be sharing some more of the random blogs I have stumbled across here in San Diego.

Things you probably didn't know about me: 1. I want to learn how to play the xylophone. I have a metal and wooden childs version, but I'd really like a full size one. Or marimba. Either way. I love how it sounds, I love the idea of playing one. I can think back to being in music class as a 4th grader and getting to pick from any instrument in the class and always going to the xylophone. Plus you get mallets! 2. I listen to the Radio Classics channel for hours on end when in the truck. Maybe it's tied to my love of classic monster movies. Maybe it's the long hours spent with my paternal grandmother on Saturdays watching movies with her. I don't know... All I know is these radio shows from before TV are super enjoyable to me. I like the stories, the voices, the personalities, the effects and everything. It makes me nostalgic for an era long before I was even born. Suspense, Nero Wolf, Great Gildersleeves, Abbott and Costello, X -1, Johnny Dollar and so on. Sate...

In the case of Rowdy B versus the city of Las Vegas for the crime of Total Ridiculousness the facts are as follows: Exhibit A. It normally only takes me 4.5 hours to drive from SD to LV. The whole reason I drove was that by the time you figure in shuttles, security and the flight I would spend easily 3.5 hours in flying there, so why not just add an hour more and drive. Thus being in total control of my environment for only an additional hour of "cost" to me. Ridiculous in that it took me 8.5 hours to get there and 7.5 hours to return due to weekend traffic. No wrecks, no nothing. Just a crap load of people driving. Exhibit B. The juxtaposition of holding a serious, learning based work activity within a casino. Ridiculous in at one minute you could be holding a discussion on patient care and you go out for a break and you're enveloped in loud music, gambling, drunks and cigarette smoke. Highly confusing and contradictory. Exhibit C.I. Bridesmaids. If you had asked ...

To keep the 3 Nuclear Medicine licenses I have it is required that I get a certain amount of continuing education each year. 12 credit hours per year to be exact. Since I do not work in a hospital or setting where I receive educational training on the job or a budget to pursue it, the responsibility lies solely on me. Pretty much this means I go to a big hotel and sit in a conference room for a weekend listening to lectures and presentations for 8 hours or so per day. This weekend I am going to Las Vegas for one such event. I am not a "Vegas" kind of person. I don't drink at all or gamble. Not much left for me to do then once I am done each day at 5pm. It is far too hot to go to Bootleg and downhill afterwards each day. I don't know anyone there so I have no one to just hang out with. I think pretty much all I've got is maybe some indoor rock climbing and sitting by the pool. Or going out to dinner by myself. Anyways, here's to a weekend of sitting in ...

Yesterday was a day long, mega day of doing it myself. My downhill bike had a blown fork seal from before my Utah trip and made worse while being there. $20 in parts and $20 in tools plus an hour of my time and it was done. Fortunately I used to work as a bike mechanic, so this was pretty easy for me, though it was my first time doing it at home rather than in a shop. It would have been at least $60 if I dropped it off at a shop, so I saved a little money and got to put the kind of detailed attention into the job that really only comes from having a personal stake in the outcome. And as I want to sell this bike and get a different one, it felt good to give it some quality maintenance. Next I modded my gun. I went to REI and bought webbing and buckles and made myself my own tactical sling. Six dollars in parts for me versus $20 for buying a new one. Then I bought a Magpul grip and a different mounting point for my sling. Just a quick scan of Youtube for some video advice and these ...

My doctor died suddenly yesterday. Dr Rich Brower has seen me through more Crohns disease issues and surgeries than anyone ever in my entire life! Six years he has cared for me. Fought for special out of net work treatment for me. Flirted with any woman in my room visiting me. Jokingly told me to start medical mj. (I haven't) Showed real concern for me and was one of the best doctors I've ever had. I miss him and of course will be going to the memorial service. If I get to be a PA, he is definitely going to be one of my inspirations.

More than casual readers will know I am applying to graduate school for a Masters degree to become a Physician Assistant(PA). Basically doctor lite. I did this once before, in 2009 but only for a single school. One ranked in the top 5 of schools in the US for PA school. All the schools tell you they get over 1,000 applicants, interview about 80 to 100 and then extend offers to about 40. More than one admissions counselor told me that of the original thousand about half can be immediately discarded. Even still, of those who apply and make it past the first cut less than 10% are accepted and end up attending the school. I made it to position number 43. Meaning I was wait-listed. If three people changed their minds, I would have been in! So close.......It just takes one for this to work...... Well this application cycle I decided to apply to more schools. Lots more. Like 13, a lucky 13. I even spent 8 hours making an excel spread sheet so that I could figure out my best choices fo...

Vehicle Madness! I ran my motorcycle out of gas in OB. In PB a guy in a Merc nudged me pretty good with his car after I legally lane split to the front. Oh, and monster trucks at the fair! Food Madness! Some of the better, but yet simple, meals that I had while in Israel last month. More Food Madness! I'm friends with this cow. Why? Because the burgers I buy are only half cow. The other half is bacon! (aka piggy meat) And where does all this food madness get you? To a squat toilet I had to use in Israel. For real! I hadn't seen or used one of these since I was in SE Asia.

King Julien, King of the Lemurs. He is like, totally my idol. And I sometimes do a pretty good impression of him too. He wants to be a professional whistler. Well in my sense of betterment and preparation for PA school I am taking some classes at Mesa, a local community college. I have to take microbiology but after that I can take fun classes. I mean, isn't that what community college is all about? (and yes, I already have a BS, now community college and then graduate school. i often don't live in the normal order of chronology) Looks like Monday and Wednesday for 5 hours will be microbiology. Then Tuesday and Thursday will be Photographic Composition and Fencing. Yeah. I already have a DSLR camera. The fencing foil, mask and jacket I inherited from Killer when he left for S. Korea.

Little known Rowdy facts, I have no tattoos. Just a lot of scars. But at one time I did have one of my nipples pierced. HA! No pictures of that, sorry. My left ring finger, my right elbow and right collarbone are all permanently disfigured from injury. But hidden within me are the results of 10 surgeries on my intestines. Where my body has had the most "modification" as it were... And now it seems I am going to have to make some modification to what goes into my body due to it. I am going to have to pretty much quit soda. And Gatorade. Looks like Pedialyte will have to be my sports drink. And I am going to have to no longer eat and drink together during my meals. And a very large percentage of my diet is going to have to come from bread, rice, noodles and such kinds of carbohydrates. And as little fat of any kind as absolutely possible. For the past week my body has been acting very 'short bowel' in its behavior. So if it is going to act like it, I need to sta...

Let me describe to you the magic of my final day of vacation. Picture in your mind.... Free breakfast at a cheap hotel. But you know what, it did the job. Then my two buddies from SD and LA meet me and off we go to ride! My original buddy for this trip had to bail, so meeting other friends on their own downhill road trip was great! Boom, hit the resort with 50% off the lift tickets, trails to ourselves and cool temps. We hit every feature, trail and then some. Sessioned stuff, got great video and rode for 4 hours before the rain came down. Yes, a freaking crazy rainstorm in July! The mud was soo thick and sticky we had to wash it off with a pressure washer after a few runs just so the bikes could work. Mud would get soo jammed into the bikes that the wheels would not even turn. Tons of fun! Or I guess what normal people call "skecthy". Totally soaked we come into town and just gorge ourselves on bbq. Sweet, spicy, smokey barbeque. Food baby. Then we decide we still ...

Places to go, people to see and things to do. Normally all my 'action' leads to blog posts, but this time I just didn't spare the time. So you are getting a week long mega catch-up post. Spending lots of time at the rock climbing gym. For every hour I volunteer to help belay at a party, I get a free day pass. Goofing off in the ocean. Snorkeling, kayaking, chasing sharks. I haven't really been in a surfing mood. Where is the sun San Diego, huh?!?!?!?! Going on a ride with the SD Cafe Racer club. A bunch of guys with modded British bikes. A fun time. And I seemed to be one of the faster riders, which made me feel good. Buying a new gun. Road trip! I've been in Utah for a week riding my downhill bike. Canyons, Deer Valley and Brian Head. It feels like it has been a long time from home, so I'm super ready to be back Super D. I took my brother in law out today for his first dh style bike ride and he did great! It was awesome to see. Filling out grad scho...

Going to the La Jolla Playhouse tonight for a play I am sure to enjoy, Blood and Gifts. Other than opera, I like my theater to have no music. So this will be great! And I get to dress up nice!

A hot redhead equals "redhead", an ugly redhead equals "ginger".

So my grad school applications are all mailed off. Now it is a 6 month waiting game to see who wants me. I really just want to get in, to almost anywhere I applied. Truth be told I do have my preferences. Should I get an offer from every school I applied to, this is the order in which I rank my desire to attend them. #1. Loma Linda University. I can handle the Seventh Day Adventist stuff easily. I like the medical school's reputation and I like how close it is to home. It would make the next two years easier on that front. #2. Stanford. I'm still in California and I'm attending a school with real value in its name. There is something to be said for the name on your diploma if it comes from a top tier school. #3. University of Utah. Their PA program is one I'm familiar with and was ranked in the top 10 in the US for multiple years. I have family near there and I like the recreation potential for when I need to decompress. #4. Yale. Not so sure about living arou...

Hilton at Mission Bay for the 4th. Looks good at night. As well as the day. All I need for an overnight. Two swimsuits, toothbrush and spare shirt. I wish I knew how to take good pictures. There is no automatic "fire" or "fireworks" setting on my camera. Entry level camera, less than entry level skill.

Today, my 4th is spent exercising my freedom to have fun! There is a lot of sadness, dreariness and oppression of human joy in the world. I try to overcome it by having fun, frequently. So to share in my joy at freedom, freedom to have fun how I wish, here is what I am doing today, the 4th of July. Breakfast in bed of a western style omelet I made. Matinee movie of the new Spider Man, I reccommend it completely. Pizza!! (sorry, didn't feel like doing the typical hamburgers) SUP (stand up paddle boarding in the bay) Hotel room at the Hilton on Mission Bay. Fire pit, hot tub. Relax! Fireworks at the ocean. And bring my bad azz camera to try and get some good shots. Freedom can mean fun. So love it, exercise it and do it. btw-Happy Birthday America!!

I know it is not polite to admit this in today's society, but I enjoy beating other people. I like proving that I am better than them. It is part of my competitive nature. I want to win. And I want to beat you. I enjoy it, I can't lie. So it was with great pleasure that I took 2nd place in a downhill race today. Yes! I know I normally complain when I finish second, but I haven't raced in a while and this was very hard fought for me. The risk and effort earned me a reward! Video to some soon.