Exodus

So, did I miss the memo telling people the summer of 2008 was the time to move out of the Bay Area?

A bunch of friends have already moved out of the area, or are close to doing so. Friends from swimming (7 people), work (2), and causal friends (2), are else-where bound. Cost of living, grad school, and job transfers are the stated reasons for their departures.

It feels like the end of an era, but what era? Is it 10 years and out of the Bay Area? Not sure.

But man, all these people all at once? I am bummed out.

The Mai Tai

Ok, so, Tahoe isn't all about swimming. In keeping with our team theme, we did some drinkin'.

I made batches of Mai Tais. Not exactly the best cocktail for such a large group, but because it is more potent than your average drink, it works with a big enough shaker.

There is a lot of history already written about the Mai Tai, and you can read all about it. I used Trader Vic's recipe (more or less), with some modifications.

The key to the drink is fresh lime juice and the orgeat. Good luck finding the orgeat, I had to look pretty hard. I found some Trader Vic's Orgeat and a local divey liquor store, but Torani also makes some (which is what my local tiki bar uses).

For Tahoe, this is what I did:

1 part silver (white) rum (infused with pineapple) (Bacardi)
1 part gold rum (Mount Gay)
1 part dark rum (Whalers)
1 part fresh lime juice
¾ to 1 part orgeat
¾ part orange curaçao

The evening before, I sliced half a pineapple and threw the wedges in a pitcher, and filled the pitcher with the silver rum. Makes for a pineappley rum. mmm.

Put all in the shaker, shake and pour into ice filled tumblers.

If you've got the time, a nice addition is to squeeze lime into your glass, add mint and muddle. Then add the rums, curaçao and orgeat after shaking, and stir in the glass. It's a nice touch.

If you have straws, save the dark rum for a floater after you pour. Cut the straws down short, so your nose is right above the drink, so you can enjoy all the nuanced aromas.

Trans Tahoe Photos

Here's a couple of photos of the race. I have uploaded a bunch to my picasa page. Email me if you'd like the link.

I just can't say enough about the beauty of the Lake. Set inside a ring of mountains, the water is so clear and clean, and has such an amazing array of shades of blue.


Leaving the west shore, headed to the starting line.
















The starting line is off under the vertical stripes in the mountain side

















Yours truly, nearly sinking, breathing at every stroke due to 1) my outta-shaped-ness and 2) the 6,200 ft elevation.
















The finish line

Trans Tahoe Results

Couldn't ask for a better weekend. Great weather, great water temperatures, great race, great time with the teams. Temescal Aquatic Masters fielded 5 teams, and we all finish in good time. The official results for all the teams will be posted shortly by the Olympic Club.

My team (The Seatards!) set a Temescal record for the race at 4:23.59. I'll post a photo or two here once I get some.

Going into the weekend, I was a bit concerned about the smoke from the wildfires. You could definitely see the smoke when looking toward the horizon, and you could smell it at times. However, down at lake level the air was relatively clear.

All in all, a fun weekend.

Trans Tahoe This Weekend

I am taking Friday off to drive up to Tahoe for the Trans Tahoe Relay, sponsored by the Olympic Club.

Here's a map showing the approximate course. 6 members of each team swim west to east across the deep blue lake, each taking shifts. It should take us 4 and a half to 5 hours, depending on the weather.

Wetsuits not allowed, but I am guessing the water should be in the high 60s, a perfect temperature for me.

Oakland is Efficient

So, as I reported before, I got some tickets. The tickets clearly said to have them taken care of by July 9. So, on July 2 I left work and went down to the Courthouse and waited in line for the next available deputy to process my citation and take my non-deductible tax payment.

After waiting (a short time, I must admit), I brought all I needed to the window. To the deputy, I slipped my tickets under the tiny slot through the very thick, presumably bullet proof glass. This barrier also had the convenient feature of making a normal conversation rather difficult, as there was only a small slot through which sound could travel. To further enhance the customer service experience, the deputy, a female, clearly made no effort to speak audibly as we had a conversation.

After taking my tickets some fumbling around on the keyboard, she drew a couple of pieces of paper scribbled something on them, and handed me my tickets back with little explanation.

She then signaled for the next person in the queue. I said, "Wait...aren't I supposed to pay a fine, or something?"

I managed to make out her next words, "The tickets aren't in the system yet."

"Well, I am here now. Can I just pay the fine and take care of this?

"No, we don't know what the fine would be because the tickets aren't in the system yet."

"Well, the tickets clearly say that I have to take care of this before July 9."

"The officer hasn't put the tickets in the system yet."

"But if I don't take care of this now, I don't think I can before July 9, as the citation CLEARLY SAYS."

"The tickets aren't in the system yet."

And this went on, for a good few minutes. We may have well been speaking different languages. Through bullet proof glass.

Apparently, the forms she gave me was to prove I had attempted to take care of the tickets in the event I get in trouble for not having done so prior to the prescribed July 9th date.

On July 12, I received a piece of mail from the court saying I could pay my fine via mail. Nice and timely. Super efficient. Thanks for having me waste a couple of hours trying to take care of it on time.