I failed to post about Cinderella. It opened (and closed) way back in October, complete with a family visit, singing and dancing The magic came to life in Lyric Theatre’s presentation of the old classic, and we sold out several performances. I also wrote a few posts on TheCreativeCap, and I need to get the pictures from my mom. I enjoyed this show a lot more than “Yeomen” because it was more upbeat, and I made some friends. I’m currently in the middle of “The Christmas Mouse”, an original play based on the music of Linda Arnold. I am basically playing the same role that I played in “Fisherman and His Wife”, the Storyteller for this children’s show. I also auditioned for Lyric’s “Kismet”, which opens in March. I will hopefully have positive results to share in the next few weeks

We made a fast and furious trip home for Thanksgiving, and we managed to see a lot of friends. I really enjoyed spending this holiday with my family, and we had a great time stuffing our faces. We went down to my Uncle Alan’s house on Thursday to celebrate with my mom’s side of the family, and headed down to my Aunt Beth’s house on Saturday to celebrate with my dad’s side of the family. My family is huge on both sides, so it’s always fun to catch up with all my relatives. We’ll be spending Christmas in Wisconsin with Matt’s family this year, so I am sure I’ll have some fun stories from that.

Ok, so quickest and wimpiest recap ever, but that’s what you get when you’ve been negligent in posting. I’m in Christmas decoration mode, so I should have some fun pictures up soon!

I’m loving my bicycle.  I have gotten in the habit of riding to/from work several days (if not all days) a week.  The weather is getting cooler, but most days are >55, so it makes a brisk ride strenous enough to keep me warm.  I don’t know that I’ve seen a huge health benefit yet, but I’ve only been diligent about riding it the past week or so.  I really need to keep it up to keep in shape for our big Half Dome hike next summer.

One reason I have been biking more is that I started taking a class at Stanford, through their Center for Professional Development.  I have embarked on a “graduate certificate” program that will grant me a certificate in databases after taking 4 classes.  One way to describe this certificate is like “1/5 of a Master’s”.  The four classes count towards a Master’s degree, so after I complete them this time next year, I can re-evaluate going down that path depending on everything else going on in my life.  I really enjoy doing academia and industry computer science simultaneously - it’s a nice balance of “pure science” in academia, and “engineering” in industry.  Anyway, the bike is helpful around campus because Stanford is so huge, it would take forever to walk around.  I am mainly taking the class online, but I go to campus to study and work on programming projects due to the increased intra-network connectivity.  It’s challenging, but I am really enjoying it.

Oh yeah, I was Travis Bickle from The Taxi Driver (with Rober Deniro) for Halloween, so my hair is currently cut into a mohawk.

Instead, I decided to embark on a no-impact sport, cycling! I found a nice used Giant OCR3 road bike on Craigslist and am excited to get into the sport. I’ve only had it for a few days and I’ve already ridden several times. I really enjoy it, and it is much less painful than running! I am trying to work up to commuting to and from my office a few days a week… about 11 miles each way. If I can do that, I’m sure I’ll see great results both on my body and on my wallet from the gas savings.

The main thing Ashley and I are trying to get ready for now is doing the Half Dome hike in Yosemite next summer.  This hike is known as the most strenous charted day-hike in the nation!  It is about 8 miles of trail that climbs almost 5000 feet in elevation… one way!

We took a leisurely drive down to Big Sur, and stopped to take pictures on the INCREDIBLE view on Highway 1. Highway 1 runs along the coast, so you can see mountains on one side and the ocean on the other. We are always astounded by the beauty of the scenery, and it makes for much more enjoyable driving conditions

We picked out the perfect campsite online, and were pleasantly surprised to find that it was large and mostly secluded. Unlike Yosemite, where the campsites are literally on top of each, Big Sur had quite a bit of separation and trees between each site. We decided to be really high-maintenance and bring our blow-up mattress to sleep on… and I have to say, why haven’t we been doing this for all of our camping trips? It’s AMAZING, and it’s not like we’re having to carry our gear on our backs, so why not? Matt also cooked wonderful steaks, chicken and potatoes for dinner. We used most of the chicken to make sandwiches to take on our hike the next day.

We had a lazy breakfast of bacon, eggs, and coffee, and then headed out the see the falls. BIG disappointment! After you’ve seen the falls at Yosemite, a little 20 ft. drizzle of water is not impressive. However, the weather was nice, and it was a good warm up for the day We decided to hike up to Buzzard’s Roost after lunch, and enjoyed a great view at the top. You could see the moutains all around, and there was no one at the top. Both trails were pretty empty during the day, so it was really fun to spend some alone time together. We put our feet in the stream on the way back, and the cold water was so refreshing on our tired feet Matt made pork for dinner, and we roasted marshmallows by the fire.

We debated going on an 8 mile hike during our fireside conversation, but made the final decision on the way to the park down the road. The hike began with a 1 mile route to the beach, which was surrounded by huge hills… that we realized we would be climbing on the next leg of the hike. We started up the hill at a strong pace, and made it to the half-way point in about 2 hours. Make no mistake, this “hill” was at a pretty steep angle, with plenty of wind and sun to beat us up However, the scenery was well worth it, and the view from the top was all the gratification we needed We thought it would be easier to head down, but we found out that the other side of the trail was only about 1 foot wide, with brush and grass on either side. We each slipped a few times, but managed to make it down in one piece We realized that we are a bit out of shape for our spring Half-Dome trip, but hiking is such a fun past-time. We topped off our strenuous exercise with the utterly healthy Round Table pizza. Bad choice, to say the least!

Big Sur was a great weekend, wait ’til you see the top of the hikes…. you’ll be jealous!

I just finished opening weekend for “The Fisherman and His Wife” with the Santa Clara Players. I am playing the Storyteller in this children’s show. I am narrating and facilitating audience participation, so it’s been interesting trying to get the kids (and adults) to interact. I’ve enjoyed the role, as it’s different than other roles I’ve had in the past. If you’re in the Bay area, come check it out! I’ve also started rehearsals for “Cinderella” with Lyric Theater. I know, I know, double shows is a little crazy, but it’s fun! I’m in the chorus for “Cinderella”, and we will open in October. Check back for more details on that one!

I’ve started two new blog projects, one for Marketing and one for creativity. Musing Marketing is a blog about Marketing, with my thoughts on my profession. The Creative Cap is a blog about creativity, with scrapbooking ideas and updates about my adventures in the performing arts. Please take a look and make comments… it makes me happy to share things with you!

Well, quick update, but we’re havin’ fun!

We were able to setup camp rather quickly, and then walked down to swim and lounge around in the stream at the campgrounds. We cooked up some filet mignon and ribeyes with loaded baked potatoes for dinner and had a great time hanging out by the campfire. We were lucky to have a campfire at all, it took us quite some time (and money) to find someone who would sell us firewood!

The next morning, I used my fancy 3-burner camp stove to cook up some bacon and scrambled eggs to fuel our big day. Driving through Yosemite was incredible! The scenery there is unlike any I have ever seen, and the park is so big - there is so much to do! There are 5-6 campgrounds within the park and even a 4-star hotel. It’s really commercialized, but it does not detract from the beauty of the surroundings. We also found out that the weekend we were there was free entry to the park! It was a nice surprise when we got there, but it also meant that it was incredibly crowded. It took us nearly 15 minutes to find a parking spot so that we could get out and begin our hike. We set out on the John Muir Trail, which happens to extend for over 212 miles! We only made it about 2 miles up the mountain, and it was one of the most strenous hikes we have ever been on! It was pretty much 2 miles of huge stairs up a steep cliffside. We grew very tired and had to take several breaks, but the views were well worth it.

When we got up to the top of the falls, my friend and I decided to go for a swim in Emerald Pool. The snowmelt was pretty cold, but it was a hot enough day that it felt great! Yosemite valley was carved by glacier movement, so I have swam around in a glacial pool at the top of a waterfall! Refreshed by the cool waters, we started our trek down the mountain. It was MUCH easier going downhill, and we were able to get down in about 45 minutes. We walked around a little more in the park, and then started the 4 hour drive home (it took 45 minutes just to get out of the park and on the road)!

On Sunday, my friends borrowed our car to do the Alcatraz tour, and then Ashley and I took CalTrain to meet up with them later that afternoon.  We had lunch on Pier 39, walked around there, to Ghiradelli Square, and Lombard Street.  Then, we got back in the car to drive across the Golden Gate Bridge and take some pics from the other side.  We also explored a little around a beach near the bridge and found a great place for a picnic next time we visit!

All in all, it was an outstanding weekend and it was really cool to catch up with old friends around the city!