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Travel Tips: Tahoe

Went to Tahoe last weekend for Labor Dayzz. Been busy, so I'm just getting around to posting. 15 of us rented two houses off Pioneer Street in South Shore (South Lake Tahoe). Hot tubs and home cooked meals after a hard day of playing outside sums up the experience:

Friday night:
Arrive in Reno and drive to Tahoe. Groceries, alchohol then off to the residence. Hot tub was turned on immediately. Drinking soon followed.

Saturday:
Hangovers all around. Aaron makes a killer breakfast consisting of bacon, eggs, warm tortillas and salsa. Off to hike Mt. Tallac (9,750 feet). Not for the faint of exercise, this hike proved to be quite challenging but everyone made it to the top and back down - this is a good link to check out the experience:

Mt. Tallac

More pics at my site:

Tahoe Pics

Later, completely exhausted, Rich and I get steaks from Albertson's and grill 'em up Florentine style. Yeah baby!!

Sunday:
Kayaking on Lake Tahoe. Evening was spent at Caesar's Resort and Casino eating at their suprisingly good Italian restaurant 'Primavera'. I had basil sea bass with red pepper mashed potatoes. AnalogJen and Rich were there as well. Later we played Pai Gow and single deck, $15 min. Blackjack.

Monday:
Checked out of the house at 11am. Went into town to the North Face store and had an awful lunch (mine as well as several others). The drive back to Reno via Route 28 was awesome!!! Same link has pics of the drive:

Tahoe Pics

Late flight back to Phx and everyone's exhausted. Can't wait for the next trip...

Life Sucks: Then You Live

Ok. Some background on this rant - I'm getting a divorce ( for all our readers (2) who don't know (1) ).

My coworker, who was married when he was younger and is on his second, tells me I'm in for two years of alcoholism and 'debauchery' (cleaned up a bit for the kids...). Well, looks like the former has started. Can't wait for the latter. I averaged about 2 nights of drinking (2 or more) per month for the last 4 or 5 years up until about April. Now I think I'm at 2 a week if not more. My friend has a boat and we've been going out a lot this summer. It's like spring break every weekend which, I have to say, is pretty fun. More drinking. People from my old job have been doing happy hours every other week. Also lots of fun since we were a real close knit group. Drinking.

I think I'm too smart to become an alcoholic - also too into working out and outdoor activities to really let my health decay. But, you never know. Have to watch it.

On a lighter note - I'd like to give George and Shaling their own blog. I know the cat blog thing has been done but I want to spin it somehow (ha - blogger spell check flags the word 'blog').

Lady Shaling:


Sir George:


off to record some trackzz...

Travel Tips: San Francisco - the City that Keeps on Living

marooned1984: QA re SF
afreshproduction: wha?
marooned1984: oh i was going to ask your advice on a hotel
marooned1984: but i already got one
afreshproduction: yes
afreshproduction: oh
afreshproduction: ok
afreshproduction: which one
marooned1984: called the mosser hotel
marooned1984: 54 fourth street
afreshproduction: whoa
afreshproduction: and?
afreshproduction: 54th and what
marooned1984: 54 fourth street
marooned1984: not 54th street
marooned1984: but now i'm wondering if we should have done a youth hostel
marooned1984: those are super cheap
afreshproduction: ok
afreshproduction: cuz 54th is like way the fuck out there
marooned1984: http://www.themosser.com/
afreshproduction: yeah - so you are right htere
afreshproduction: by Union SQuare
afreshproduction: cool
marooned1984: good
afreshproduction: u have been there before right
marooned1984: my first time to SF
afreshproduction: to SF
afreshproduction: oh really
afreshproduction: how about Fu?
marooned1984: yup
marooned1984: her's too i think
afreshproduction: oh shit
afreshproduction: i'll give you some tips
afreshproduction: you are right by Yerba Buena
afreshproduction: which is cool
afreshproduction: public park area surrounded by Moscone Center, MOMA
afreshproduction: which is cool
afreshproduction: and Market street
marooned1984: ok
afreshproduction: try to go to this Vietnamese restaurant
afreshproduction: 'Slanted Door'
afreshproduction: over on Embarcadero
marooned1984: otay
afreshproduction: you'll need reservations
afreshproduction: make them today
afreshproduction: excellent restaurant
marooned1984: alrite
afreshproduction: one of the best in SF
marooned1984: Slanted Door
afreshproduction: yes sir
marooned1984: i wanna go to chinatown
afreshproduction: http://www.slanteddoor.com/
afreshproduction: yeah chinatown is right by where you're staying
afreshproduction: it's all there
afreshproduction: perfect location
afreshproduction: if the weather's nice
afreshproduction: check out the Embarcadero and Marina
afreshproduction: during the day
afreshproduction: http://www.foodtourist.com/FTGuide/Content/I82.htm
afreshproduction: oh shit - and, a great pizza place
afreshproduction: 'Thomasso's'
marooned1984: hey
marooned1984: perfect
afreshproduction: i think
afreshproduction: near Little Italy
afreshproduction: which is an awesome nightlife spot
marooned1984: ok
afreshproduction: and...my favorite restaurant there
afreshproduction: Italian
afreshproduction: Sodini's
afreshproduction: corner of Grant/Green
afreshproduction: also North Beach area
afreshproduction: i.e. Little Italy
marooned1984: i'll tell 'em Tony sent me
afreshproduction: yeah
afreshproduction: so Tomassos, Sodini's and SLanted Door
afreshproduction: and the Asian food in SF is ridiculous
afreshproduction: best anywhere
afreshproduction: what is your itinerary
afreshproduction: arriving/leaving
marooned1984: saturday 9:30 am
marooned1984: out monday at 5
afreshproduction: arrive sat 9:30 at SFO?
marooned1984: yeah
afreshproduction: kewl
afreshproduction: if you meet a girl named Marcie White
afreshproduction: tell her i said hi
marooned1984: lost love?
afreshproduction: no - old girlfriend
afreshproduction: haven't seen her since K and I live in the Bay Area
afreshproduction: 2001
afreshproduction: you gonna bring your 'gat'
afreshproduction: your Glock and your 9
marooned1984: not me
marooned1984: we've got to let love rule
afreshproduction: yeah
End of marooned1984 buffer: Wed May 19 13:13:25 2004

------------------------------------------------
Start of marooned1984 buffer: Wed May 19 14:28:14 2004
afreshproduction: dude!
afreshproduction: what a coincidence
marooned1984: what
afreshproduction: i just got an email
marooned1984: from the pope?
afreshproduction: from my friend's in SF
marooned1984: oh yeah?
afreshproduction: they are performing this weekend
marooned1984: wow
afreshproduction: good funk band
marooned1984: maybe i should go see them
afreshproduction: shit - it's Friday night
marooned1984: oh - too bad
marooned1984: maybe they can give a private performance
marooned1984: in my hotel room
afreshproduction: yeah sure
marooned1984: that's too bad they are playing on friday
marooned1984: AF pick out a good music show for us to see
marooned1984: this is your mission
marooned1984: should u choose to accept it
afreshproduction: http://www.brunoslive.com/
marooned1984: for Saturday night
afreshproduction: http://www.brunoslive.com/music.htm
afreshproduction: calendar
afreshproduction: Afro Beat
afreshproduction: might be good
afreshproduction: i've seen these guys:
afreshproduction:
http://www.wireonfire.com/brounfellinis/brounfellinishome.html
afreshproduction: if they are playing it's worth checking out
afreshproduction: jaxx
afreshproduction: jazz
End of marooned1984 buffer: Wed May 19 14:28:14 2004

Rant: Home Improvement??!!?!

Hello Fellow Consumers. I've had it up to here with Home 'Improvement'. Every freakin time I try to do a project it comes out half-assed or just downright wrong. Most recently, i.e. yesterday, I thought my brand new pool crawler, which I installed myself was defective. It was leeching to the floor, not moving half the time, and i found some plastic parts in my filter basket(s). So I take it to Leslie's to have it repaired under warranty. Turns out I f***'d up the install and forgot a plastic slip cover on the bottom which I thought was a protective covering for shipment (dumb ass). So, the money I saved by buying this thing on the inter-web where I had thought I'd found a great deal - gone. Time saved by buying on the inter-web-super-shopping-place - gone. My happiness - gone.

Am I not a man?? Do I not bleed from the repairs?? Here's a fairly thorough list of my most recent failings:

Condo, 2002
Added new faucet to tub. Failed to seal O ring properly. Flooded neighbor's ceiling. Tub faucet cost. $4.75. Repairs to neighbor's celing. $250. Nice.

Condo, 2003
After putting in a new concrete quick dry kitchen floor base, the Home Despot ass clown tells me the new tiles I bought don't need additional adhesive. Wrong!

House, 2004
Start to desire front yard curb appeal by upgrading my desert landscaping. I'll do it myself! A few days later - no, I'll hire someone. A few days later I'm looking at tools at Home Despot. The next week I decide to just hire someone. I get an estimate. I approve it and wait for them to come out and take a last look. They never show. They never call. Bastards.

House, 2004
Above pool cleaner fiasco.

Lessons learned, kids? Do you really save money? Do you in fact, save time? Or either? Would you be better off renting? The question is can you really do the DIY thing? My brother, YouTalkinToMe?, seems to have it down but then he has at least 8 years of home ownership on me. He also has a PHd. I only have an MA. I'm smart. He's smarter.

Ask yourself this - can you hack it or is it better to just pony up the cash?

UPDATE: I fixed my pool lamp! Yes!! I was tinkering around with the test button fuse thingy on my electrical section of the pool pump. I was trying to do it before and it wouldn't never stay in. Guess it just worked.

There's hope after all...

Funny: Funny

Spamusement

Travel Tips: Maybe I'll do this in Tokyo next month...

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