~:[CH2 - Day 273]:~ Mapping My Way

~:[CH2 - Day 273]:~ Mapping My Way

My life is full of maps. Each race we go to, we need to learn a new map, this race being no exception. While some may say it's a home course advantage, truly it is not. My team has had to learn FOUR new "home" courses including the Great Cow Run, the District Course, the League Course, and the Non-League Construction Course. It's crazy, but that is the life of a cross country athlete. Not all my athletes grow up to be great navigators, but why shouldn't they be? They're exposed to enough maps in their career, don't you think?  PS ... thanks to all those who showed up to the fundraiser today!

POEM: Drawing a Blank (Just a Thought)

thanks for believing that i could soar

~:[CH2 - Day 272]:~ Feast

~:[CH2 - Day 272]:~ Feast

This weekend was a Chinese food feast. With all different kinds of variations, I ended up trying as much as I could. As seen here, the dishes in front of me, were all mine, except I did share with others :) ... I kept eating and sleeping this weekend, which made for an amazing one. While I caught up on some work, in the end, it was simply a great feast for the eyes and the stomach. Let's work it off this week!

~:[CH2 - Day 271]:~ Rising Up

~:[CH2 - Day 271]:~ Rising Up

When waking up at 6am is a gift to you, you know it's cross country season. We got to wake up later than normal and not rush to school, as we got a late starting time for our cross country races. The good thing was more sleep, the bad meant we got some of the heat. On a dusty course, this was not ideal, however, our athletes dealt with it well. We rested a number of athletes on the day, however, still managed to medal about 1/4 of our team. We placed 4th in most of our divisions, just short of a trophy, but closed the day with an individual win and team runner up. Afterwards, we feasted and because of that, I KOed. Here's to good performances, great food, and the best sleep ever.

~:[CH2 - Day 270]:~ Those Delicious Days

~:[CH2 - Day 270]:~ Those Delicious Days

It was packed at the Towne Center and it was only half past three. My little boba-loving trainee was enjoying his boba as usual. It was the end to a very long week, as we washed the week down with a nice cold drink. The day itself was a little hectic but fairly normal. I wish I could say the end of the day was the same. Before hitting the Towne Center, our team jumped into a school-wide scene of a music video our school is working on. After practice, we hit up 88 King, New Peking and Ralph's before our potluck. The rest of the night was spent at the potluck or getting ready for today's race. Regardless, it ended up being a pretty busy, but good day. Doing 15 hours of school/team related stuff is exhausting, but at the end of the day, when it turns out like this, it becomes all worth it!

~:[CH2 - Day 269]:~ Rally the Troops

~:[CH2 - Day 269]:~ Rally the Troops

The day was a blur. With getting ready for the rally, to setting up for the race, I could not believe how quickly the time passed by. It passed by so fast, I wasn't even able to eat until 6pm after the race. However, I made it. The rally was a success and I think it was good to have it the day of our first league race, as our teams ran well later that day. Our girls JV was missing a few of our top athletes and thus, fell short of their goal, taking second. The boys JV dominated and took eight of the top 10 spots. Our girls varsity, missing a top girl, was able to pull out a tight victory. Then the varsity boys ran the way we had hoped while also missing a scorer with a solid victory and seven in the top 11! It was a good day, but there is so much season left. No time to be satisfied, not yet anyway.

~:[CH2 - Day 268]:~ Leap into It

~:[CH2 - Day 268]:~ Leap into It

It's amazing how time flies by. It's already time for us to leap into our first league meet and while we will have a few varsity athletes missing and a few key lower level athletes, I think that we are ready. It's always crazy the day before a meet and I just hope that this change in the weather is a good sign and not a bad one. It was so cold that not even my avocado boba was satisfying. Regardless, I'm excited for league. Let's go!

~:[CH2 - Day 267]:~ Rows and Rows

~:[CH2 - Day 267]:~ Rows and Rows

Anyone at our school would recognize this row of athletes stretching near this silver minivan. Each day it's our routine. Arrive, check-in, stash your stuff in the van, take your laps, then line up. We're so condensed in such a small area, but maybe that is better for the team, so they are forced to talk to one another. So that they can chatter amongst themselves and allow the stress of the day vanish. It's our daily routine and my opportunity to talk the long line to say hello to everyone. Even after a long difficult day, it still make me realize just how lucky I am. With ice baths and back to school night and more, these rows will keep me energized and going, day after day.

~:[CH2 - Day 266]:~ Let's Play Ball

~:[CH2 - Day 266]:~ Let's Play Ball

Coming back to work on a Monday after flying in late is definitely rough, but it was nice to see my students and team again after a short layoff. It's always disorienting, but ultimately, I was able to make my way through the day. The run was a little tough with the temperatures spiking and not everyone running or doing what they needed too during their four day stretch of "two days on your own" workout time. Regardless, I feel that we should be ready for what is ahead of us. After practice, I darted to Angels Stadium (not forgetting to pickup a quick treat at Tapioca Express) to watch the Angels vs the A's. Unfortunately, we lost, but the seats, the temperatures, the food, and the company were all amazing! Despite the loss, the game was fairly entertaining with a high score that was nothing like the last game I went to. Plus, the seats were super close! In the end, I survived the day, but it wasn't long after I got home that I found the last letter of the alphabet, the ZZZZZZZs.

~:[CH2 - Day 265]:~ Sweet Treat

~:[CH2 - Day 265]:~ Sweet Treat

An early morning allowed us to beat the crowds at Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland. The lines piled up after we got in and we left with a load of pink boxes that brought attention to us throughout the city. The drizzle came down and limited our plans to the immediate area for the day. We headed to Powell books and found all the amazing things they have within the walls of the store. Bookstores are amazing as there is so much brain power in a single room. Afterward, we hit up the Nike Factory store before heading to the Portland Saturday Market on Sunday just as it began to pour. The struggle of carrying all our stuff to the airport was difficult, however, in the end, we got here and had time to relax at SFO for dinner before our final leg to LAX. Our athletes were great this weekend with the exception of a few minutes of tardiness which led to a good number of pushups. Regardless, it was definitely a weekend well spent ,... it's just too bad that tomorrow is Monday.

~:[CH2 - Day 264]:~ Rising Up

~:[CH2 - Day 264]:~ Rising Up

An early rise allowed us to see the overcasted skies in Warrenton, OR, as we prepared to do battle. With a quick breakfast, we walked the three courses that the athletes would run on an all-terrain course including soft sand, mud, gravel, tall grass, and more. The races were packed with runners with over 400 in almost every race, which led for a tough time for athletes. In the end, our athletes pushed forward and finished well against a number of ranked teams in OR and WA, some of which were returning from a season in which they qualified for their state championship. The girls finished in eight in the large fields, while the boys finished third, just behind two teams who ran in their state championship in 2012 and in front of others who had as well! The athletes enjoyed the course and enjoyed ice skating back in Portland even more. A little more touring and soon it will be back to the home life. However, during this trip, these athletes have shown growth and look prepared to rise up.

~:[CH2 - Day 263]:~ Explorers Exploring

:[CH2 - Day 263]:~ Explorers Exploring

We had an early rise and spent the day at Nike campus. Annie did a great job touring us around as we got to see all the wonderful parts of the campus. After we headed to downtown and shopped and ate before heading back to our hotel to go to Seaside. We got some rain on the way and it cleared just in time for us to see the cove. We gpt our shirts, ate our dinner, drew for courses, and spent some time lounging around before getting ready. The mattresses are nicer than last time and the course will be much muddier. The athletes seem excited and I can't wait until tomorrow.

~:[CH2 - Day 262]:~ Landing

~:[CH2 - Day 262]:~ Landing

I had a day off bit it was all work prepping for the trip and doing odds and ends for cross country. Before I knew it, we boarded a bus to LAX. We had a few hours to burn so the kids studied before we hit the skies. Virgin America was awesome with its hip interior and cool vibe. We were able to chat from our seats based on seat number. A cool feature! We took the MAX to our hotel and turned in late with an early wake up. I'm exhausted but excited for tomorrow.

~:[CH2 - Day 261]:~ Saying Adieu

~:[CH2 - Day 261]:~ Saying Adieu

Today was a strange day. It was Wednesday, hump day, however, it was my Friday. Does that mean Tuesday was my hump day? Regardless, I said my farewells knowing I would be back before they even knew it! As I spent the day preparing everything for my absence, it was hard to imagine that it was already time to go to Oregon. We made practice into our final chance to get a hard workout in, then we held our post-practice meeting with the sophomores today to help them with a few things for the season. Afterward, I lounged around before heading to Gatten Sushi. We chowed down as we were also saying our farewells (our see you soons), as soon enough we'll see each other again.

~:[CH2 - Day 260]:~ On the Side

~:[CH2 - Day 260]:~ On the Side

Today, I think that class was a success. The students seemed to grasp the position paper concepts a little quicker than normal. However, we will see tomorrow if it's all of just some of them. Our practice today was a little crazy with a split group on the grass and running out. However, I was able to meet with my freshman today and just give them a few tips. I wanted to make sure they knew how great they have been and hopefully they continue this progress. I enjoyed the evening with a wonderful avocado boba to wash down all of the day. Wonderful!

~:[CH2 - Day 259]:~ Fountain of Youth

~:[CH2 - Day 259]:~ Fountain of Youth

It's been great working with this year's team. While my boys are guided by seniors, we have a large amount of underclassmen with about 35-40% of our team being freshman and over half of them in their first year. I'm not sure what to expect from this season, but if the beginning is any sign, it will be exciting. Today we ran on our third course at regional this year. Forgetting and learning courses here has been tough on everyone, but at least this is the last course we'll need to learn. Mondays can be exhausting and this one was no exception, so much so that I passed out early and am not posting this late. Fountain of Youth? I need some of that.

~:[CH2 - Day 258]:~ Festival ... Ramen

~:[CH2 - Day 258]:~ Festival ... Ramen

It didn't quite work out as planned, but maybe it was better that way. After reading up about the festival, it seemed as if it would be a lost cause, as the lines seemed long and the event a difficult one. When arriving on site, the lines were long and I knew it wasn't going to be worth it. The overflow took its toll on Mistuwa as well as the food court was jammed packed. So we headed to Shisen to enjoy some delicious ramen. It was delicious. The black shinsen ramen was great and the noodles, while a little thin, were actual ramen style noodles. The gyoza was light and fluffy and the fried rice was also delicious. It was definitely a great replacement (if not better) than what we missed. I also was able to get boba loca and tapioca express in the same day before settling down at home to cook dinner and catch the last of the football games. Sometimes things happen for a reason. I think I'm glad it worked out this way.

~:[CH2 - Day 257]:~ A Beautiful Feast

~:[CH2 - Day 257]:~ A Beautiful Feast

It was great spending the day with my team at our first "away" meet, as our first two were at Cerritos Regional Park on two different courses. The invitational was huge with over 60 teams and the temperatures heated up, but the athletes did a great job dealing with it all. We had some pretty solid times and placed pretty well including a second place senior boys finish. Afterward, I quickly got my stuff together and prepped for our department dinner. It was great to spend some time with everyone and while I was exhausted, it ended up being a great night and a beautiful feast.

~:[CH2 - Day 256]:~ Friday the 13th Night Lights

~:[CH2 - Day 256]:~ Friday the 13th Night Lights

It was great to go out to a football game once again and catch our team battle it out. While we may not have been victorious, it was great to see the crowds, the team, and the school spirit alive. We have some work to do with the spirit, but we are getting back into that groove. For our team, it was such a crazy day with new athletes coming out left and right and my roster reaching the top end of where it is going to be. With a small roster towards the end of summer, I was confident that my roster would hit a certain mark but was surprised to see it surpass that mark with some athletes not returning. The new athletes have great spirit and have been great additions to the team! I also had new adds in every MUN class. It's difficult to join this late, but I know, with the right amount of work, they will survive.

~:[CH2 - Day 255]:~ No Words ...

~:[CH2 - Day 255]:~ No Words ...

No words can describe the joy of finding something important lost, avoid losing something more, and being able to give something in return.  I owe so many people thanks for their time, they encouragement, their help, etc. and I realized even more how wonderful the people around me truly are. It felt so terrible wasting the time of so many people, but even in these bad situations, I learned to keep a positive outlook and smile. Even if things didn't work out, I would have learned a lot about myself, about others, and a lifelong lesson. While I do not deserve to celebrate, to enjoy this awesome feeling, as I still did make that mistake, I truly can breathe a sigh of relief. Thank you to everyone who made the end of this day much better than the start and help me avoid inconveniencing more people than I already had. One day, I'll have the chance to repay you all as well as pay this favor forward.

~:[CH2 - Day 254]:~ Patriots & Battle

~:[CH2 - Day 254]:~ Patriots & Battle

Today, most of the day was spent prepping for this race. While I taught in the middle, everything else focused on prepping for this. Since district is the beginning of the season, it is a little difficult to focus everyone on prepping for this one race. We are sort of forced to train through it and if that was the case, our times from the race show this will be a great season. On a course that is normally hot and slow, one of my runners was able to move up in the all-time lists, another set a record, and another destroyed the freshman boys record. We came out with a few titles and individual titles and ultimately, satisfied. However, while the battle on the course was important, it was not as important as remember those who lost their lives on this day, Patriots Day. From those innocent who were working, to those who tried to fight off the terrorist, to those who gave their lives as heroes, we remember you all and know that today and years from now, we will always remember.

~:[CH2 - Day 253]:~ Hot Stuff

~:[CH2 - Day 253]:~ Hot Stuff

It was nice to have a cooler day today, but the stress level was still high. My search yielded no results and ultimately, I will have to face the fact that they may be gone and lost. Regardless, the day must go on and my day consisted of analyzing blue prints of our new track, catching up with a friend, pre-meet practice, more searching, packing medals to ship, and finally, a delicious dinner at Yojie's. Strangely enough, today was the coldest day in quite some time and the hot food was perfect for this day. While many things may have seemed wrong, I feel that progress is being made elsewhere and I guess, ultimately, the bright side can lighten up even the darkest of situations. I'm praying for a miracle, but if not, at least I had all of this.

~:[CH2 - Day 252]:~ A Puzzle

~:[CH2 - Day 252]:~ A Puzzle

Sometimes life is truly a puzzle. Just when you think you got it figured out, something changes and you got a lot more work to do. You wonder how the universe works and try to command it, but in the end, it always commands you. You lose things, you gain things, you win, you lose, you're happy, you're sad and when you really thing about it, you might just think ... I don't care, oh well. Life is going to throw puzzles at you, sometimes ones that you can't solve. You can try all you want, but in the end, you can't fret over it. You just need to keep moving on. Eventually you'll uncover that something that is very rare, that is the diamond in the rough ... for that something or someone you've been looking for all of your life.

~:[CH2 - Day 251]:~ Life in Paradise

~:[CH2 - Day 251]:~ Life in Paradise

The day after a big event always feels like paradise. Today, was no exception. I woke up earlier than I was planning after a late night finishing up results. I drove down to LA, walked around in Hollywood and hit up a farmers' market there. It was great to grab some fresh fruits and veggies, some good food, a nice orchid plant for my mom. I lounged around watching television, did a little work, then caught up on a few things I've neglected. I also had time to cook dinner and made tropical pork chops! They were wrapped with applewood bacon and cooked with a special pineapple mango sauce and topped with pineapple and mango salsa! Accompanied with veggies, it ended up being a great way to tend the night!

~:[CH2 - Day 250]:~ Murphy's Law

~:[CH2 - Day 250]:~ Murphy's Law

Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Don't get me wrong, the day ended up being wonderful, however, we experienced a lot more issues than normal resulting in a few more headaches along the way. The day opened with a smooth setup, but then I found out the lot at Artesia HS was locked. The buses had to be diverted. Then I discovered the awards company sent only 2/3 of the medals. The toilet paper ran out, I got my normal complaints, I had to restart a race but the front of the pack didn't stop right away, we had a number of medical issues because of the weather, and we almost had to stop the race early among a few things. However, in the end, because of all the wonderful people who help make this event possible, we survived. We lived to see another day and provided people with a great experience and this year, fairly accurate results. There are still things to correct, but I guess you can fight Murphy's Law if you have good people around you.

~:[CH2 - Day 249]:~ Busy Busy Busy

~:[CH2 - Day 249]:~ Busy Busy Busy

Today was so busy, I'm posting this a few days late, however, I made it through the day. I thought I would be finished early with everything, as I was ahead of where I normally was. As usual, I started to fall behind, mainly because I thought I had time to do more things. With bib sorting, button making, packet packing, printer setting, electronics charging, car changing and packing, course setting, and finally, the check off, I ended up with just about three hours to sleep before the big day. Here we go!

~:[CH2 - Day 248]:~ Building Bridges

~:[CH2 - Day 248]:~ Building Bridges

My art class had an in-class project where we built a paper bridge five feet across the room to try to hold as much weight as possible. I carried that project over to my classroom to see what the students could come up with using some paper and a few strips of tape. Two of the bridges held fifteen of these text books and could have held more, but I set that as the cap to avoid any accidents due to falling books. It was great to see how the students found a way to communicate (since you couldn't talk) and work together.  In the end, the project was a success and the student discovered that there are many routes to achieving success, even when the odds are stacked against you!

~:[CH2 - Day 247]:~ What a Bibby

~:[CH2 - Day 247]:~ What a Bibby

You know it's almost time when the bibs come out. It's just a few days from the race and the stress level is slowly mounting. Today I was able to finish the open bibs for the race and had to put in 720 pins into these bibs, as I had to try to combo our personalized bibs with the Road IDs one so we can use the pull strip. I also had to track down a clock for the race (successfully), get some course marking supplies, and go back to school shopping. All in all, things are headed in the right direction and I hope that I can get ahead so that Friday is not as stressful as usual. I could use a good nights sleep tomorrow. Let's go for it :)

~:[CH2 - Day 246]:~ Start of Something

~:[CH2 - Day 246]:~ Start of Something

The start of a new year is always the start to something. Whether or not it will be great or not, will be determined by a number of factors. I'm hoping that this is one that is great. The first day got off to a good start with quiet freshmen, progress with the Cow Run, and I left with a clean desk. However, temperatures began to rise and I knew that practice would not be so nice. The athletes hung in with the temperatures rising and what could have been a medium interval workout turned into a rough one. We celebrated the first day of school with a team night at John's Incredible Pizza and while many of the games were not doing so well, in the end, it was a great night during which we sang to my mother for her birthday! There will be many stories to tell during this school year, for today, I leave you with this ... Nintendo bow ties make you quite noticeable :)

~:[CH2 - Day 245]:~ I Don't Care

~:[CH2 - Day 245]:~ I Don't Care
It doesn't really match, but I don't care (I'm probably going with a different shirt anyway). Today is the last day of summer, but I don't care. Tomorrow, I begin school and while I have just done what is necessary to be prepared, I feel ready for the year to start. Having a summer is great, but most people aren't off of work anyway, so even with a summer, while I have more to do, I tend to do the same, if not more, when school is in session. With our final summer practice, a trip to eat pho, a little time watching TV, prepping for Cow Run, cleaning, caught the Angels on the tube grabbing another win (a little too late?), eating a delicious dinner with my family made better with a side of blue fin caught by Adam (thanks for the gift), and a late night outing, I think I am ready for the year to start in high gear. The school year begins tomorrow, but I don't mind because it also means that racing season is upon us.

~:[CH2 - Day 244]:~ Fresh Starts

~:[CH2 - Day 244]:~ Fresh Starts

I slept late and thus, I woke up lateR than I had planned. No that R is not a typo. I wanted to wake up to do some work before my breakfast, but alas, the snooze button doomed me again and I hit it until just before I had to jet out to meet the Boppells. It was great catching up and also running into another friend from high school, Philip. I was able to finish up some work before heading over to Andrew's BBQ. I brought the usual chow mein, but two other people had the same idea, so we had chow mein for day! Boy was it a hot day. Hot enough that they were standing indoors grilling with the grill outdoors. Adam had caught some blue fin, so I ended up making poke out of it with what I had around in Andrew's house. It didn't come out too bad! I then had to get back to sorting through the boxes and getting everything for the Cow Run in order. It ended up that I cleaned a fourth of the garage and so it looks a little less messy. After burning some time, I finished up the buttons for Saturday and now, it's a matter of just piecing things together, one by one. I hope I don't forget anything. Knowing me, I will. Hopefully, I see a lot of you there :)