cold

It is for sure winter here. Ive had to get new boots and a fuury hat. Stuff that works here in europe but no so much in so cal.
Remind me never to fly american airlines again. Hate them.
Frankfurt was easy. A few hours on three different trains and im in france for part one of vacation.
Strasbourg is beautiful. Even my cell phone pics look great. It is snowy and cold, but in a snuggly romantic way. Not a too painful way.
Tomorrow is gonna be packed with shopping, viewing, pictures, food and such. It really is very close to how i imagined it amd that is soo nice. Only thin gis i dress like a slob compared to my euro peer group.
oh, and the hobbit opens a week earlier here than the usa so ill be seeing that here as well!

My 12 Days of Christmas Starts Now

Today, #1- pack everything up and make the house ready for departure.(ps-i just bought concert tickets online using a sight with German only, no English translation. I was successful!)
Monday, #2- leave at 4am for JFK
#3- arrive Frankfurt Germany

#4,5,6-After traveling by rail from Germany arrive in Strasbourg France and spend a few days shopping and experiencing the oldest extant Christmas market, having been in continuance since the 15th century.

#7,8,9- Another day on Eurorail brings us to Vienna Austria for urban cafes, music and opera. Specifically a night at the Wiener Konzerthaus for a symphonic performance. Oh yeah, and in row 2. Prime time or no time!

#10,11,12- A final scenic train ride takes me to Budapest Hungary. Sights, history, museums and ballet. From here it's just a short 14 hour first class flight back to provincial Sandy Lame-o. I mean, "Hey we got nice weather", San Diego.

Merry Christmas my awesome blog readers!

A flickr photo set of the last ride. Starting Monday at 4am my Euro Winter Metropolitan vacation begins.

2013 Honda CRF250L ride vid

ccdsgp from rowdy matt on Vimeo.

2/3 of my life.... Think about it for a week. Donate Today.

The week set aside for remembering those with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases is almost over. While others maybe think about it for a week, I've lived it for over 2/3 of my life.

So hopefully some other kid doesn't have to suffer how I have, please donate to the Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America. I promise you'll touch a life and your heart will be softened. Do something good.

You can do so here.

Fitness Number Crunching aka I'm a 3/4 scale BAMF

I'll let you draw your own conclusions from these body/health/fitness statistics I've recently measured.

Height 5' 7"
Weight 144 lbs
BMI 22
Body Fat 15%
Resting Heart Rate 66 bpm
Blood Pressure 116/68 (i have my own cuff at home!)

Chest 34"
Waist 29"
Hips 33.75"
Arm 9.75"
Thigh 17"

Heck, feed all that info into a 3D printer and you could make a model of me for your own personal use. At home. Behind closed doors.

Yesterday I did boot camp style circuit training for 2 hours 10 minutes. My average heart rate was 138 bpm with a maximum of 182 bpm.

My sister better watch out come February and we're running the Tough Mudder together, 'cause I'm not gonna carry her. I'm gonna bury her. How's that for sibling rivalry?!?!