Eric and Loi were so kind as to set up a fantastic ski trip at the Heavenly Ski Resort in South Lake Tahoe. Either they are incredibly good planners or we were extremely lucky, as the whole event was filled with serendipity around every corner.

We left absurdly late on Friday evening -- I seem to recall it being after 10pm when we finally got on the road -- and arrived around 1am on Saturday morning. Traffic was a bit heavy on the 680/80 interchange as holiday travelers were getting out of town, but other than that there were no problems. Though at first I figured we were leaving *too* late, it turns out that leaving any earlier would have just ensnared us in more traffic.

Upon arriving we got a taste of just how perfectly located our cabin was: the entire view out of the cabin's back window was filled with the gleaming snow and purring snow machines of Gunbarrel, an imposing black-diamond slope. All that stood between ... [more]

The "Blue Rock Shoot" gets its enigmatic name from its previous use in old-town Saratoga as the hip place to skeet shoot. The back deck (shown in the picture) was used to launch the blue "skeets" (aka rocks) out over the tree, where merrigoers would shoot them with big guns. Presumably it happened well before the parking lot (from which the picture was taken) was built, as well as the very nice park behind me, or the multi-million dollar houses which surround the site.

As many know, I meet many people at coffeeshops. However, I must say that this coffeeshop is particularly well suited for meeting others. Of all the places at which I hang out -- and that's a lot of places -- I've met more friends and had more dates with people from this place than all others combined. Not that I have a whole lot of friends, or that I go on too many dates, but still. It's something.

The first person I met at the Blue Rock was Amir: though at the time he was dressed like some heavy-metal drummer, now... [more]

My most natural and comfortable schedule is rather nocturnal. Recently I've been trying to get back onto a more normal cycle, though the effort is just killing me. Anyway, while walking around San Francisco, I snapped a few shots. It's a very pretty town, and I fully intend to move there when I get back. Indeed, I've been meaning to move there for some time, and was at one point right on the verge, but for a number of reasons haven't yet made the leap. When I get back, it may be time.