Rain, radio, and rallying from homesickness

The Biblical rains have continued in California this week. I don't hate rain, as a matter of fact I think the California's "golden hills" appear as if they need a serious drink towards the end of summer/beginning of fall. especially when you compare it to the lush greenery you see back east that time of year. I am however really annoyed by the fact that I have to carry around an umbrella with me where ever I go. When rain threatens around here it can pretty much happen at any time. The fancy weather predicting machines and their seasoned meteorologist masters stand no chance against the micro-climates of the Bay Area. A flash storm can give you a clothed shower and make your khaki pants appear see through if you are into that sort of thing or not. Also since I've never had to be perpetually linked with an umbrella, I find that I am not very adult about carrying one. Today I caught myself walking down the street wielding it like a sword wishing I had taken up fencing or watched more Ninja Turtles as a child so I learned more cool sword moves from Leonardo. Maybe I should watch other umbrella carrying adults a little more closely so I don't hurt myself or put some body's eye out with that thing sometime in the near future.

Work has been going well this month. The store has calmed down considerably and I'm slowly taking on more responsibility at KALW. I've started writing the morning digest Thursday mornings which consists of scanning news sources and writing a summary e-mail to help brainstorm story ideas. The station also debuted its brand new news website and I'm also learning to become a web editor. I really hope I can find the time and energy to get out in the field and put my special stamp on a story in the near future. I miss the excitement of being out in the field covering a story. I love hearing what other people have to say and having a job where the unexpected can be expected virtually everyday.

I think that's part of the reason why I've been a touch homesick lately. I miss my former job, my friends, and my family in Maine. While I did enjoy skipping the holiday travel season and staying in the relative warmth of California, there is certainly something to be said for being surrounded by familiarity that time of year. I am very excited for my first full year out west. Tahoe next month and true friends visiting in March, April, May, and June! I love being a tour guide so at least the first 6 months look like a sweet start.

Tahoe, Yosemite here we come!

A lot has happened in the past week as bright sunshine and moderate temperatures have been replaced by rain, clouds, wind, and chill. The good news is my basement is flooded which makes taking out the trash and laundry nearly impossible. Aside from putting chores off for a couple of days, my hope is that all this rain in San Francisco will translate into white fluffy snow for the Tahoe area. About one month from now Candace and I head to the hilly trails of Tahoe for skiing, snowshoeing, and other discoveries. My only snowshoe experience comes from high school gym class back in Maine, but Chris and Ben have had some great experiences out on the trails this winter and we figure if those jugheads can do it so can we! Besides it promises to be at least 40 degrees warmer with a little more daylight and a significant less chance for frostbite than the western Maine hills. I'm really going to enjoy visiting the snow for a weekend, then returning to the snow-free city!

The Yosemite trip is coming together as well. Friday we obtained campsite reservations and wilderness camping permits. Now all we have to do is make like The New Kids on the Block and make sure we've got the "Right Stuff" for and overnight hike and camp plus a death defying ascent up a 45 degree rock face. Should be fun!

On a side note, I can't believe that its Martin Luther King Jr. Day already! One year ago today Gordo, Byrne, and I were on the Mall in Washington listening to Bruce Springsteen, U2, Cheryl Crowe, Garth Brooks, Usher and more! It was cold and windy and out 2009 Inauguration adventure was just getting underway!

Walking the winter doldrums away

My only regret is that I have not written more in the past month, otherwise my holiday season was a productive one. I worked like crazy for the first time in many retail high seasons. It is funny how Christmas seems to find a way to zap your bank account no matter how much you work though. Christmas was nice and relaxing I'm glad we decided to stay in California rather than pay twice as much to fight through the extra giant airport crowds o our way back to Maine or Bermuda.

20-10 is shaping up to be the year of the hike. I'm already making plans for several major hikes this year. The first of which will likely be Mt. Diablo (3,849') over in the East Bay this winter. This May Chris and Ben are rolling in for a visit and we plan to storm Half Dome in Yosemite (8,880'). That will be a 2 day adventure as we'll probably set up camp half way in little Yosemite Valley. Then this summer when I return to Maine, we'll tackle Mt. Katahdin (5,268'). I'm really looking forward to these hikes and am determined to keep myself in the best physical shape possible so I won't be sucking wind in the thin air. Today I set out to conquer Mt Davidson (925', most of it driven) and San Francisco's famous Cliff Walk from Cliff House down to the Golden Gate Bridge. After hours of running, climbing, walking, stumbling, and sight seeing (I even saw a naked man at Baker Beach) I figured a blog and a picture would be a fitting end to my day of exploration.