Are You Ready for Some Football?

No. But I am ready for basketball. NBA? I tried, but sadly, not yet. Maybe once the playoffs start. Maybe once the Hornets migrate to the Great Northwest. Maybe once Kevin Durant walks out on the city of Oklahoma and says he won't shoot another basketball until he can do so in a Seattle Supersonics Green and Gold Jersey. No football, no NBA, that leaves college basketball. Now that's something I can get behind. And I did. Last week. A nice little game of basketball played between the University of Washington Husky pups and the Nevada something or other not very good team. UW rolled. Good times had by all. This is the Home Court advantage, Hec Edmundson Pavilion. Home of Romarville and UW Hoops.

It's That Time of Year.

This .jpeg you see below was originally a Christmas Card I made back for the 2007 Yuletide season. This was the second in a yearly series that was becoming rather popular amongst the masses. Then ... my creativity died. A sad, slow, lonely death. Ever since college ended, I've made as many christmas cards as the Seattle Supersonics have played NBA basketball games. It's a sad state of affairs and it continues on. Maybe next year the old magic will strike again. Until then, you get a nice, recycled Christmas greeting that instead of printing and sending to everyone I just posted on the internet. Yay!

Merry Christmas, From everyone here at the Blog!

That's When it hit me, Love is a Verb.

South Lake Union Park

Seattle, WA

She's not the one that got away. Lets not forget, I was the one that left her. However, she is the one that, when I hang out with her, I wonder, did I make a mistake? You're looking good Seattle, stop making me fall in love all over again.

Pick Your View

"I never trashed a hotel room or did drugs" - Sean Connery

As it turns out, Sean and I have a lot more in common than the average man gave us credit for.

Over the past two months I have gone to three different athletic events to sell and promote product for my company. I could sit here and describe what each location was like, but that would be very taxing on me. A lot of writing. I don't need the added stress in my life. Instead of describing, I will let you see. As the old saying goes, tis better to show a view from a hotel room than explain what that view may be. (unless of course the hotel in question is located off of Aurora in Seattle. In that case, no description, whether verbal or visible, is appropriate) Therefore, I present the views from my hotel room in each unique location. The Three locations and hotels are The Westin: Seattle, WA, The Holiday Inn: Clearwater, FL and The Hilton: Long Beach, CA. Take your pick. The City? The Beach? The Industrial power plant looking harbor smog factory?

We are the Champions

Ironman Championships 70.3

Clearwater, FL

As i've said in previous posts, this was the reason I went to Clearwater. I went to sell and promote product for Erin Bakers (as seen in our race course advertisement above) at the Ironman 70.3 championships expo. On the day I left, I got to watch the race and see all six of our competing Erin Bakers athletes (second photo from last) compete and complete the race. A 70.3 Ironman consists of a 1.2 mile swim, a 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run, or basically a half Ironman. Since it was the world championships, there were athletes from all over the world. I don't know who the guy was, but the winner was the German fellow in the third picture down. And as you can see from the first photo, it would be hard to find a more picturesque location than they have in Clearwater.

The rest of Clearwater

I put up the sunset reflection pool picture a week ago. Now it's time for a few more from my trip to Clearwater. This is the Clearwater beach that gives Clearwater Beach, FL it's name. The Ironman expo and event, the reason why I was in Clearwater, was held on this beach. It had some of the softest sand I had ever walked on. It was almost like walking on warm powdered snow that wasn't wet... if that makes sense. Clearwater was great, but maybe not great enough to warrant a trip back. Other than the beach and the less than interesting touristy stuff, not a lot going on.

My oh My and Fly Fly Away

Dave Niehaus

(1935 - 2010)

"Get out the rye bread and mustard this time Grandma, it is Grand Salami time"

Clearwater Beach

Clearwater, Fl

Where the Water is Anything But (official 1997 City Slogan")*

My work sent me to Clearwater, Florida for the Ironman World Championships 70.3. Clearwater is on the gulf side of the sunshine state and is a quick 20 minute drive out of Tampa Bay. They told me the reason they shipped me down to the 2nd farthest state from beautiful Washington (as the boeing flies) was to hand out free samples of Granola and sell breakfast cookies. I did that. However, I'm sure the real reason they sent me down here was to take a picture of a sunset reflection in a pool. I did that as well. For those who enjoy Space and the great unknown world beyond our own, note the little celestial body in the upper left hand corner.

*not true

City of Subdued Excitement

Cities have slogans. Some work. Some don't. Bellingham's works. Almost too well. It's got to be all the retired folk. Retired people seem excited... but in a very subdued way.

Some people say that this mural was the first place this "official" city "slogan" was first publicized. Not sure if this is fact or not. I may have just made that up.

You Think You Know

Big Rock Garden

Oct 24.2010

Just when you think you know a place, it goes and drops a little surprise on you. In this case, I thought I knew Bellingham. I thought I'd seen it all. Turns out there was a hidden little sculpture park that I had no idea existed. Tucked away on top of Alabama hill there sits a small little park. Inside this park are over 30 sculptures planted in a very well thought out maze of paths, bushes, shrubs, trees and a bathroom. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most passionate fan of sculpture art. In fact, a lot of it confuses me. A lot of it seems pointless and simple. Especially that stuff they planted all over WWU's campus. But this park was interesting. Well worth a visit. Well worth a second visit when the lighting is better.

The Bully

Boulevard Park Boardwalk

October 19, 2010

If you're sitting there thinking, "i've seen a picture like this before" you're probably right. I've taken a picture like this before. A lot of them. Some would say too many of them. It's hard not to go to the Bully (Boulevard) at sunset on a nice evening. But here's the deal, I bought a new lens recently and I wanted to use it. So I did. Now you may be thinking, "well that story wasn't very interesting". Well, you're right.

Hello Dawg Fans

UW vs ASU

Husky Stadium - 10.9.2010

The score wont be mentioned here. Neither will the weather report from the evening. Instead, all that will be featured is the beautiful Husky Stadium. Greatest College Football venue in North America.

Aloha Means Goodbye

Maui, Hawaii

Kapalua

Final Thoughts from Hawaii:

1) Locals can make up anything they want to impress travelers knowing full well travelers will take everything they say as 100% truth. Take this made up conversation for proof;

Traveler 1: "Did you know Hawaii is home to the second most variety of native breeds of elephants in the world”

Traveler 2: “That’s ridiculous. I haven’t seen a single Elephant on this island. Prove it!”

Traveler 1: "Don't have to. A native hawaiian told me."

Traveler 2: "Oh I see, well that’s cool then. I like Elephants... Want a Mai Tai?”

The minute Hawaii gets Internet, and thus Google, Native Hawaiian’s will instantly seem 40% less knowledgeable. (Based on my feeling that native Hawaiian’s make up about 40% of the “facts” they throw out while leading tours, spouting off in bar’s and engaging in friendly conversation at the local surf shop.)

2) If the beaches weren’t so beautiful, refreshing, relaxing and entertaining, no one would go there. The water is nasty salty and sand can often be rather annoying.

3) Bringing a child under the age of 5 on a trip to Hawaii seems to be a solid way to make sure the trip will suck more than it should.

4) The true Definition of Snorkeling: Watching beautiful and rare fish use the ocean as their expansive and limitless restroom.

Aloha Means Hiking the Ridge

Kapalua Resort:

Mahana Ridge Trail and Arboretum

We took a quick day hike through the west Maui Mahana Ridge hiking trail and adjacent Arboretum. You've got quite the flora and fauna Hawaii, quite the flora and fauna. And those views aren't too bad either.

Aloha Means Si Suns

"Si Suns" is Greek For Sick Sunsets

Special thanks to: Char Beck for his creative word play and extensive knowledge of foreign language

& Tyler Gorsline for introducing me to and teaching me the ways of Charspeak

3 Separate Days. 3 Separate Sunsets. Yet all strikingly similar. That's the nature of the beast here in Maui. The weather is the same everyday. The sunsets are the same everyday. The pool and beaches are filled with newlyweds everyday.

You may ask, does it get boring? Go ahead a take another look at those sunsets for me. The answer is no. That can never be boring.

Aloha means Free Golf

The Petersen's hit the (affordable) Links

- Kapalua Resort Putting Course -

Aloha Means Hello

Kapalua, Maui

September 2. 2010

A few thoughts so far...

- You know your mom doesn't like flying when she discusses her will at length during the drive to the airport. She also calls my lawyer uncle to let him know where it's kept in our house. I'm not a therapist, but I would think that's not necessarily the healthiest of pre flight jitter habits.

- Humidity is overrated. Not unbearable, i'm fine with it. It's just overrated.

- Eating a handful of Dry Roasted Macadamia nuts w/ a hint of sea salt from the islands is the equivalent of hitting the game winning three in a hotly contested 3 on 3 game of pickup basketball at Lake Padden court. In other words, it's good, smooth as butter good.

- When my mother says "this (hiking) trail is a real taste of Hawaii" I assume the taste she is referring to is that of a Hawaiian Slurpee.

- There are all sorts of things I have wanted to take cell phone pictures of and send to friends back home, but then I don't because I feel like I would just be showing off and reminding them that I am in Hawaii and they are not. I don't want to be that guy.

more to come...

Goin to the Parish

Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Established: 1905

"Love consumes us only in the measure of our self-surrender." -- St. Therese of Lisieux

A General Statement of Thanks to Louise and Clark

I went to the Oregon Coast this past week with the extended family on my mom's side. Gearhart to be exact, about half a mile north of Seaside. In case you've never been to either non-tropical beach location, here's a little rundown. Seaside is like your uncle who dropped out of middle school so he could become a traveling carnival attendant along with his girlfriend at the time, a 19 year old former aspiring musician whose only actual recording was a YouTube video cover of R Kelly's "I Believe I can fly". He spent many years wearing stained tank tops and rocking his slightly askew NRA trucker hat all the while sporting a filthy mustache that the ladies down at the local dive bar couldn't resist. Now he's trying to pull his life together; get a nicer job, move into a better house, eat healthier. The problem is, his old carny friends keep trying to drag him back down. You can hang out with him for a bit, and you have a relatively good time, but when it's all said and done, you wonder, would my life have been better spent had I not partook in an afternoon with Uncle Seaside? Gearhart on the other hand is your successful, good looking uncle who has a beautiful trophy wife, two wise, athletic, and very healthy children and uses copious amounts of extra hold hair product to get that front tuft just right. He made his money while he was young by starting a very prominent accounting firm and investing wisely in alternative energy startup companies. It's always great to see Uncle Gearhart because he lets you play rousing games of croquet and boche ball, eat pizza that a normal family would have to put a down payment on, take a long ride in his 50 miles to the gallon Toyota Prius and sometimes even lets you have a sip of wine, even though you're only 14. Things aren't all great with Uncle Gearhart though. It's not very entertaining to listen to him talk endlessly about the governments refusal to adequately address and combat ocean acidification, the sweaters your mom makes you wear around his family are hot and scratchy, and he won't allow you to bring your dog because he might "mess up" all over the couch. But you genuinely enjoy his company and are very appreciative of the time you get to be around him, even though sometimes you wish he would just give you the $10 bills he wastes using as toilet paper.

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Family Coastal Trip 2010: The weather was bum/marginal. The gathering of Love's was great though. We stay in a large but very old house. It barely holds our family. We make it work. This is the house framed by the grass reeds trail that we walk through to get to the beach.

And this is a common beach sunset

Name Recognition

You know you've made it in life when even though you just met a couple the day of their wedding, you can show up to that wedding and have a name placard made out in your honor. Regardless of the fact that I'm a Petersen (not an "on") and I've never been to Edmonton, Alberta, it's still nice to be recognized.

Bump. Set. Spike.

"I am a Warrior. I Tame the Cobra of Fear"

- An actual quote, by an actual person. An actual person who was serious when they said this.

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I ran across this the other day. A triathlete who is trying to get sponsored by the company I work for shared her blog with me. This was part of the inspiration section. I thought it was funny. Who is this cobra of fear and how can I tame it? Why just the cobra of fear? Why not the black bear of destruction and harm? Or the water dragon of death?