Sunday, March 18, 2007
two mountains and four cities in one week
i was in california this past week for a team summit. just like before, i managed to mix work with pleasure. i flew in to san jose on saturday night and my long time friend, aloba, and his girlfriend picked me up just before midnight and then took me for some longsilog and sinigang prior to getting some zzz's. a few hours later, we were up and on our way to Sugarbowl in Lake Tahoe to hit the slopes.

gearing up for the slopes with aloba and darlene. when we got to Sugarbowl, it was about 50 degrees. so, we started the day with layers of clothes. that didn't last long, as you'll see soon.

it's been two years for all of us since we've strapped our feet on our boards. we couldn't help but feel scared and excited at the same time as we took our first lift up the mountain.

with aloba, who i've been friends with since gradeschool.
we had the usual mountain fare for lunch - burgers (grease) and fries (and more grease). but we enjoyed it as we sat outside in the sunshine.

and, yes, it was so hot that we ended up in our tanktops.

i can't say i've been outdoors without sleeves on while there's snow in the ground - atleast until i went boarding in Lake Tahoe! (Sugarbowl in Lake Tahoe - Mar `07)

i was very tempted to hit the super pipe at Sugarbowl. but, i didn't have my helmet with me and i was too chicken shit to break anything.

when aloba found out i was going to be in the bay area, and that i have not put on my snowboarding gear in awhile, he went ahead and planned a trip to Lake Tahoe just so we can hit the slopes.

i had such a great time snowboarding in Sugar bowl in Lake Tahoe, I don't know if I can ever bring myself to snowboarding in the east coast again. (Sugarbowl in Lake Tahoe - Mar `07)

after lunch, i put my underarmour shirt back on only to remove it after one run. it was so friggin hot i was left with just my tanktop on. how can i go back to snowboarding in the east coast when i can snowboard in the west coast, in 70 degree weather, without all the layers and the bulky jacket?

after boarding, we stopped by claim jumper where we ordered the biggest ribs i've ever seen. the food was awesome but i felt like getting sick after eating all that meat!

i went to work on monday and tuesday and then back on the mountain again on wednesday. my company sponsors a yearly ski trip for our CT and CA offices. since i was going to be in CA for meetings, i decided to join the CA trip to Tahoe to Sugarbowl where the weather was nice but not as warm as sunday.

Northstar had a half pipe and a super pipe and their terrain park is pretty famous because of the variety of jumps, pipes, boxes, etc... i was ready to try it out, atleast one of the mailboxes, but it was so crowded with teenagers that i bowed out.

i was so sore when i woke up on thursday but i had to suck it up since i still had to go to work. at the end of the day, after having dinner with my team, i headed to the airport and caught a late flight to san diego where my cousins and niece were waiting for my arrival.

i worked from my cousin's house on friday. i really didn't have much time in san diego but i made sure i had time to meet aud's baby girl, little lucia. she's such a beautiful little girl! can't wait til aud takes her to visit new york in a few weeks!

my niece's 2nd birthday celebration was on saturday which was one of the reasons i went to san diego. i figure, i was already on that side of the country, i might as well hang out with my cousins and maddie since i don't get to see them often. i'm glad i did, even though it was a quick trip.

beauty is my cousin's dog. she's adorable and can sing (or howl) happy birthday! having her around made me miss my doggies a lot.

peope love going to san diego because of the climate, the environment, the neighborhood. all of that is good but the reason why i love going to san diego is because of my cousin sheryl. she and i are a day and a half apart on age and grew up together. Also in the picture is Erwin, the eldest of the cousins, who sheryl and i are pretty close to. he flew in as well to hang out and celebrate maddie's birthday. while i was there, the three of us stayed up late, laughing and reminiscin' about old times.

i wish i could have stayed longer to hang out with them more but the shuttle showed up right on time to take me to the airport. it's ok... i'm sure i'll be back in san diego again before the end of the year