~:[CH3 - Day 273]:~ The Trouble with Technology

~:[CH3 - Day 273]:~ The Trouble with Technology

It's interesting how technology can be such a great thing but also such a pain. My computer has given me trouble and something that was a simple task is taking me quite some time now. Hopefully, I will be able to resolve all of these issues, but it is quite the challenge. While I just returned last night from a quick stop over in New York, I actually wasn't too exhausted. I had to overcome the double days of hives, but it was made much easier by some good speeches on the first day of Cerritos speeches. Hopefully there are many more of these to come!

~:[CH3 - Day 272]:~ Case of the Mondays

~:[CH3 - Day 272]:~ Case of the Mondays

It seemed as if everyone was suffering from a case of the Mondays today as it was a strangely interesting day. It was difficult to wake up and the plan for an early wake up turned into a nice comfortable sleep. My hives from the night before disappeared and it looked to be a good day. After packing up, we headed over to grab a bit to eat at the delicious Bouchon Bakery. We ventured north to grab some delicious Levain cookies before heading across Central Park to grab some pickles at Pickles & Olives, a great find!  We then headed down to Grand Central Station to eat the oyster bar. As I had to say farewell already to NYC, I couldn't do it without a quick stop at the halal cart, my second time in just over 12 hours. I took it to go with me to eat at the airport. From there, it was a bit crazy as my driver did not seem in the best of moods, the check in people at the airport had to deal with a number of people upset for their own mistakes (missing flight, overweight baggage, etc) making the check in people upset. After that I came across a number of other incidents from late passengers to bags too large to people in the wrong seats to a medical emergency on the plane. What an interesting adventure. However, in the end, my bag came out first in the terminal and I floated home to finish off a few things before heading to bed, my own bed - what a dream!

~:[CH3 - Day 271]:~ SurHIVEing the Big Apple

~:[CH3 - Day 271]:~ SurHIVEing the Big Apple

The early morning wakeup was difficult after arriving late and sleeping at 3am, however, I did it somehow. I was able to meet Anne for brunch which was great catching up. Sarabeth's was a good stop and it filled up pretty quickly. With my batteries running out on my phone due to a problem charging my phone (outlet's fault), I tried to change batteries, but that battery also had issues charging. With low power on my phone, I struggled to get around with detours and delays throughout the Queens area, as I tried to meet Sandy at church. I guess I missed the announcement to switch trains, but listening to my phone, I tried to stay on and ended up missing my stop. Lost in a place I had never been, I caught an Uber to the church and got some time to enjoy a very good sermon about singleness and couples. I found it quite interesting and am taking a few things back that have nothing to do with the topic but can be helpful with my teaching and my team. Heading home, I caught up with Jamie as we walked around Chinatown. We had a great birthday celebration dinner before walking all around Manhattan. However, I increasingly became more uncomfortable on the walk. After getting halal and pizza, I headed up to the room. I realized I was covered in hives and realized I had some sort of allergic reaction. I now sit here hoping that the hives go away ... it slowly has. Regardless, it was a full but fun day and now I am exhausted. I survived the day. Hopefully, I will survive tonight with all these hives.

~:[CH3 - Day 270]:~ King of the Hill

~:[CH3 - Day 270]:~ King of the Hill

It was quite the early wakeup as we headed down to Riverside at 5am. It was our first time at this small meet hosted by Cal Baptist. It was nice to have a smaller meet to go to and while we were missing a good number of athletes on the day, we had a number of great performances on the day including the 10th fastest time in school history. It was even more impressive that it was done on a hill course. After the meet, I headed to the airport to catch my flight to NYC. I downed a burger as my stop at Northern Cafe failed due to a power outage. While eating my burger, I was asked to moved due to a "situation." Some guy on the plane had been sick and they had to check him out. After a quick delay, we boarded. I had priority access so I boarded early, I got an exit row and no one sat next to me. It allowed me to pass out for the entire flight, leaving my late arrive at 2am to not be too big of an issue. I'm exhauted, but it was good to start an adventure on a great note.

~:[CH3 - Day 269]:~ Getting Together

~:[CH3 - Day 269]:~ Getting Together

It's always nice to see your team grow, but nicer to see them grow together. While we still have some athletes to get worked into the system and in line, today was one of the largest potlucks we have had in some time or at least it seemed that way. The athletes filled the house and enjoyed the Xbox, the movie or just time to listen to music and eat before our race tomorrow. With our first potluck out of the way, I am hoping that the fun of this night leads to a number of other great potlucks adding those who may have missed out on this first one.

~:[CH3 - Day 268]:~ Printing Barrage

~:[CH3 - Day 268]:~ Printing Barrage

It's that time of year when thousands of sheets of paper make their way through my printer in a matter of days. While I am prepping and coaching for cross country with our coaches' meeting tonight, intervals, and collecting paperwork as normal, I had to come home to start printing credentials and placards for our home conference next weekend. It's always quite the task, but I am up for it. I found a new system to do it, so I am hoping that it will pull through and I will have everything done by the morning. If not, at least I will make progress towards that goal. Every time I feel as if I have reach the end, it's always time to start a new project. I can do this! Let's go!

~:[CH3 - Day 267]:~ All Kinds of Deliciousness

~:[CH3 - Day 267]:~ All Kinds of Deliciousness

We didn't have a meeting in the morning due to Back to School Night and it ended up being a much needed morning to catch up on work. I was able to get most of the things I needed done by this day before I headed to work. It always feels good when you are able to do that. I was able to get most of what I needed done today and even got a little ahead. After our practice, I was able to take in some delicious food at a new place called Northern Cafe. While it says "grand opening," it has been open for a little while and is not quite new. However, I was able to get soup dumplings, bacon wrapped scallops, fried rice and diced chicken for lunch tomorrow plus free green onion pancake which came with checking in on Yelp! Wow, I was in heaven. After running some errands, I was able to catch up on most everything else and with all that work done and all that food down, it was definitely a great day.

~:[CH3 - Day 266]:~ The Richness of Colors

~:[CH3 - Day 266]:~ The Richness of Colors

Returning from the islands, you would think things would look bland. However, with a little treasure from the islands and m trusted Vitamin Water, I enjoyed the beautiful colors of the world around. As tired as I was, I tried to keep the skip in my step and things upbeat. It was a little tough to do with Back to School night on the same day that we returned, however, I made it through and survived into the evening. In the end, I could smile because I knew that the week would only get easier.

~:[CH3 - Day 265]:~ Saying Farewell

~:[CH3 - Day 265]:~ Saying Farewell

It's always tough to say farewell when we leave. It's always a different place when you go with your team because there are always people around and you tend to do more than just tours and eating. After an extended weekend, I am glad to be coming home but will definitely miss the good times we had while we were in Hawaii. It's easy to take for granted the opportunities you have but I guess it's moments like these that help you realize just how lucky we are. Thanks for another great trip and here is to sleeping in my own bed tonight!

~:[CH3 - Day 264]:~ Into the Deep

~:[CH3 - Day 264]:~ Into the Deep

Sunday we normally head to the swapmeet in the morning, however with the changed shceduled, we ended up stopping at Hanauma Bay for some snorkeling. Not knowing about the group permits and with the snorkel rental stand being closed, it made for an interesting trip, however, they let us in and we were able to buy snorkels for most of the group. Afterward, we headed up the coast and stopped at the blowhole before hitting up Giovanni's for lunch. The scampi was delicious and while the line was long, it actually went by fairly quickly. After a failed trip to Turtle Bay and Matsumoto's, we ended up at Dole Plantation just before closing. We had some time to walk around Waikiki to seek out what they had around and about.

~:[CH3 - Day 263]:~ Flying Through the Rain

~:[CH3 - Day 263]:~ Flying Through the Rain

It may look sunny in our picture, however, not too long after this, a storm rolled in to drop some rain on us at our invitational, which made conditions pretty tough. Earlier in the day, we ventured through the Aloha Stadium Swapmeet and enjoyed all that it had to offer. After a quick lunch, we headed to the meet to take our pre-race photo shoot. After getting in our snaps, we prepped for the race. The course was grueling as usual with the humid conditions, but our team stayed the course. We had a pretty good showing overall. The reward? We headed to Rainbow Drive-In and Leonard's to celebrate the day as we headed to bed soon thereafter as we were exhausted!

~:[CH3 - Day 262]:~ Shaka

~:[CH3 - Day 262]:~ Shaka

It rained on us as we were finishing up our morning run and I thought we would be hit by rain the rest of the morning. However, it cleared up and we were able to get out on the water. The bumper tube, banana boat and everyone's one additional activity led to a great day out on the water. I ended up on the wakeboard for the first time in four years. I ended up staying relaxed and led to me getting back up on my feet so I could enjoy the experience. We got locked out of our room for a bit since the door on the coaches' room ran out of batteries and our keys were not working. We sat in the hallway as everyone got dressed which made us late to our dinner. However, we didn't miss too much and were able to enjoy that and the evening show before heading back to our hotel. It was quite the long day but an enjoyable one.

~:[CH3 - Day 261]:~ Up, Up and Away

~:[CH3 - Day 261]:~ Up, Up and Away

Most of today was spent prepping for the trip. As we headed out, I was rushing around and after all that rushing, we had to wait for the bus. Regardless, we made it on time and everything seemed to work out. The athletes did a pretty good job of studying on boarding so they wouldn't have too much to do when they got to Hawaii. We stopped off at Zippy's before calling it a night. Travel days are always the most challenging, but we arrived and now it's time to enjoy.

~:[CH3 - Day 260]:~ Putting Things in Order

~:[CH3 - Day 260]:~ Putting Things in Order

It was my last day before I had to get packing and heading out as I organized my packets, directions, and all my stuff for the trip. Getting clothes, paperwork, medical supplies, and electronics ready for the trip is quite the daunting task. I ended up with a huge pile of papers to keep myself organized and am proud that I am prepared for the trip ahead. I also made bag tags and plotted everything out. Hopefully, everything else will fall into place. Today, I also had our MUN parent night. It was a quiet night with other activities going on, but we made it through safely and in the end, it was great to get out of the way. I am exhausted now, so I think it's best that I head to bed, to bed I said.

~:[CH3 - Day 259]:~ Missed Fortunes

~:[CH3 - Day 259]:~ Missed Fortunes

I always am excited to open up a fortune cookie and get the fortune. However, more often than not, the "fortune" has become a shot in the dark of describing you. After chowing down my cookie, I opened up my fortune to see, "YOU ARE A CHARMER." What fortune are you telling? I guess maybe I'm missing the whole point of the fortune cookie, but I am always excited to get something that at least encourages me to do something. I guess I could try and charm people? In any case, the fortune cookie was a hot topic today as we were discussing how to make them and how to work with a cookie to make it as if it were a real fortune with your own custom fortune inside. Interesting, yes? The day itself was a hot one. It ended up cooling down by the time practice came around so we were able to get a run in. With a large group of new people on our last day of adds, we took it slow with them and our A boys looked pretty jazzed to run after two days off. The rest of the night was pretty relaxed even though I had a lot to do. We'll see what I have left, but I know what my fortune tomorrow should be, "You will have a stressful day because you procrastinated." I guess I have a wonderful day to look forward to.

~:[CH3 - Day 258]:~ The Mercury's Rising

~:[CH3 - Day 258]:~ The Mercury's Rising

It was probably the worst of days in terms of temperatures with my phone telling me it was over 100 degrees on the day just as practice was about to begin, however, we still managed. The team got a much needed rest day, we had our meeting we needed and even got into the weight room and didn't have to rush to get out of there. After practice, I headed to Chick-Fil-A for a fundraiser and got to spend time with these two little ones - sooooooo cute! :) ... while I still have a lot to work on, my body told me to sleep and so I listened for today. However, I guess that means tomorrow, will be a long day. 

~:[CH3 - Day 257]:~ Something's Fishy

~:[CH3 - Day 257]:~ Something's Fishy

I had this strange feeling. After watching the success of the Angels, I thought - afternoon game, Houston, and too many runs as of late. The Angels have scored 55 runs in six games and before I went to the game, I told my dad, it would be my luck that I went to a game where they scored almost no runs. It almost happened. Sweating most of the game, I watched the Angels get clobbered by the Astros 6-1. Sadly enough, Houston carried a no hitter into the 7th, which tells you what kind of game it was while the Angels couldn't find the strike zone early. While the game was not the best, it was great to have amazing seats and not to have a soul in front of you. I only wish that they were able to pull out the victory. Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait until next time.

~:[CH3 - Day 256]:~ Into the Night

~:[CH3 - Day 256]:~ Into the Night

It's races like these that can make cross country memorable. We left at 2pm and the weather was awful. Sadly, it would get worse as we drove from Cerritos to Rosemead. It was hot, but the team managed and did a great job working to setup the best camp at the meet. We got there early so they could relax and prepare and it must have helped despite the warmer temperatures. It cooled down as it went into the night, however, that did not stop some of my youngest athletes from performing well while it was still warm. The team set 64 season PRs on the day, most of which were also career PRs and that's even after we converted the times since we measured the course under three miles. At the end of the night, I was exhausted, as I ran back and forth during the race, but after seeing the smiles on the faces of the athletes, it was all worth it. Even the results back that up.

~:[CH3 - Day 255]:~ Letting Down Your Gahr'd

~:[CH3 - Day 255]:~ Letting Down Your Gahr'd

Today was our annual rivalry game with Gahr. As usual, we were dressed up in our Gahrbage clothing on campus and some with our CHS spirit clothes and I did a little bit of both with my cross country polo and my specially made bag with random things I could pick up through the day such as my toilet paper headband. Our team headed over to the game as our night event before our race. The game drew a fairly large crowd, as it always does. My athletes sat in the ASB cheer section since some of my cross country athletes are part of the ASB. I pressured a few of my athletes to start some cheers when others were not and it worked. With some good spirit, a quick "defense" or "let's go Dons" chant echoed through the crowd. I was definitely proud of my athletes and our school. At halftime, the "let's go Dons" chant once again echoed, as we were down 18-0. However, the cheers never died down and our team did not let up. We inched back to 18-6 with Gahr striking back 24-6. However, we got it down to 24-20 and almost converted on the two-point conversion. When kicking off, the onside kick looked like Gahr would easily recover, but the guy fumbled the ball a bit and it was on the floor. While it looked like it was our ball, it ended up being called Gahr's ball and with less than a minute left and only one time out, the game ended. However, the spirit showed by our school was amazing and it was good to leave on a positive note - a good battle back and a demonstration of the spirit that is re-emerging on our campus.

~:[CH3 - Day 254]:~ The Habanero

~:[CH3 - Day 254]:~ The Habanero

I don't think the mango habanero is that hot. I chowed down a few of them thinking, it would be fine. However, today, because of yesterday's decision, I felt sick most of the day. At least it's not the actual sick feeling, but this is pretty bad in itself. Combined with the temperature heat, this was definitely a tough day to survive. However, the lessons through the day went well, and while I had a few things to deal with through the day, I survived and that's all I could ask for. Did I mention, I got through correcting all the results from the weekend? Yahoo! In any case, it's time to sleep and recover from this crazy day! I would say never again to you, mango habanero, but you are just too good :)

On another note, it has been 13 years since the 9/11 attacks and it's amazing how teaching about it has changed. From a group of students who lived it to a group that was just starting to live, it makes it difficult to connect with them on the topic. However, I know that they realize how big of an event it was and how much attention needs to be paid to it. To all those who lost their lives, today we remember you whether in the building, plane, on the ground or one of the many brave heroes who were made on this day in history.

~:[CH3 - Day 253]:~ Holding Up the Weight

~:[CH3 - Day 253]:~ Holding Up the Weight

It's a day where I had a lot on my plate. After loading my car complete, it was off to school where I was able to go through one of the more challenging of lessons. There are definitely some confused students, but we're getting there. At the race, the biggest battle of the day was BFS, as it was a three-team race. We ended up falling back and taking third. However, we bounced back, as our varsity girls won with a score of 19! Very awesome. The varsity boys knew the day would be tough and I am proud of their effort in keeping it close. On the JV level, our athletes pulled away late for the crown, while the girls looked solid! It's exciting to finally be in season, now we just got to see where we can go from today. After the meet, it was Buffalo Wild Wings, but in the future, who knows where we will end up. Thank you to all those that came out and supported.

~:[CH3 - Day 252]:~ Unexpected

~:[CH3 - Day 252]:~ Unexpected

I always love it when students can surprise themselves. We always do this assignment in MUN where we go about building paper bridges to hold text books. I had to limit the testing weight to 12 text books so that it was safe enough and also because it was about what I could safely carry around the room. This year, five groups successfully did it! They're not allowed to talk and have very strict rules on where they can tape which makes it even tougher. Regardless, they found success even with a shorter period because of text book check out. Something about practice felt good. There was a good vibe in the air for our team and I love it when it feels like that. I don't have too many headaches from this group, as they do a pretty good job. I ran errands pretty late today and got home after picking up the new MUN delegates guide! After finishing up paperwork, I was able to relax a bit but have a new task at hand! Surprises coming soon!

~:[CH3 - Day 251]:~ Glimmer of Hope

~:[CH3 - Day 251]:~ Glimmer of Hope

In the morning the storm rolled in as it poured for a short while. It was unexpected to most people but the humidity reminded everyone that today was going to be quite the strange day. I was light on my feet today and I had an extra skip in my step, getting a lot of things accomplished and moving through a pile of "to dos." After unloading and loading, I got the ice baths ready, finished up practice and waited around until they were finished just before 7pm. As I went to drop off the coolers, I saw the glimmer of home in the darkness of the sky. It reminded me that you always know that there will be something to look towards, even when it feels like it did today. In any situation, there is that glimmer of hope and hopefully that can keep you pushing through knowing that there is no "hopeless" situation. A night of catching up, I feel so accomplished as I sit here, just staring at the beautiful sight I saw earlier today. 

~:[CH3 - Day 250]:~ Recovery

~:[CH3 - Day 250]:~ Recovery

Today is one of those days you need after a big event. Of course, normally most of the time is spent going over results, I had some time to clean up, but stuff away and get things done. While I worked on the computer, I was able to watch the Gamecast of the Angels game and they too began to look like themselves on a team that should be leading from start to finish. Regardless, they'll pulled out the sweep and I ended up getting everything done. I took care of the financials, reviewed and correct some of the major errors, and packed away the cow run stuff for next year. What a day! I do have a few things left on my agenda, but I planned them for tomorrow. It feels good and now I can go to sleep. Hopefully, I'll be able to wake up!

~:[CH3 - Day 249]:~ Seeing Spots

~:[CH3 - Day 249]:~ Seeing Spots

It was quite the exhausting day. Waking up before 4am and being at the park at 4:45am is not the way I imagine spending an ideal afternoon, however, it is what it is. After setting up, the chaos of the new chip system became a reality as the registration line stretched far back. We ended up delay the start of our meet about 10 minutes, we discovered that the chips from our own school were missing (I guess better our school than anyone elses), and it was already getting a little warm early on as the clouds were not where I would have hoped they'd be - in the sky. Regardless, it held off from being too hot until after the meet and we survived, as after a few adjustments, we were able to get things setup correctly. I was so relieved to be over and while my body started to cramp up when eating at Red Robin after and I still had to unload a bunch of things from my car, we survived the Great Cow Run and can now focus on the season. Thanks to all those who came out and support, volunteered, or participated in the race! We couldn't have hosted our largest meet to date without all of your help. Our race will not get any bigger by choice, as we are at our cap for high school athletes, but I know that with the amazing help I have around me, I know that we would be able to handle more!

~:[CH3 - Day 248]:~ Sneak Peek

~:[CH3 - Day 248]:~ Sneak Peek

It was a crazy day with an assembly schedule and the preparation for the Great Cow Run becoming real. As we rushed through the day, barely fitting everything in. We got a break by going to the assembly. As usual, our students showed off their talents and our principal gave a worthwhile speech to let everyone know what "we" should all be about. After the day was over, I got more work done for Saturday, whipped through practice and headed to setup the course. We got through fairly quickly and despite a few moist spots and a few spots where a truck drove through, it was ready for action. We celebrated with a quick dinner before I headed back home to finish up most of the work. Sadly, despite doing most of the work yesterday, I still had a lot on my plate and it took me into the late hours of the night to get it all wrapped up. It's time to sleep so I can wake up tomorrow!

~:[CH3 - Day 247]:~ School Days

~:[CH3 - Day 247]:~ School Days

Yes, we are back at it at school ... almost in full swing in fact. As we progress forward, the students are getting back into their routine and I am finally get towards a structured schedule. It's been a bit easier to get back into the routine, of course, having to prepare for the Great Cow Run doesn't help too much! Tonight, I was able to finish almost everything for the Great Cow Run with the exception of packing up my car for tomorrow. It's great because it means there will be a lot less stress for me on Friday, which should be dedicated towards the initial course setup. While I know things are lacking, we are progressing to a point where I know we'll be in good shape. Our field will be one of the best we've had and even our open race is going to be loaded. I am quite excited and without having to do the timing, I am fairly confident, as long as we can get the weather to cooperate.

~:[CH3 - Day 246]:~ Plus One

~:[CH3 - Day 246]:~ Plus One

Today was my mom's birthday and after running a full day of errands, I came home to enjoy the evening with her. It was quite funny because the card I bought her was absolutely perfect and a mirror image of what we look like. I say mirror image because normally we are sitting in the opposite layout. My dad on the couch with the remote, I was on the couch where I fell asleep, and my brother on the chair eating his mangoes. The card says, "it's a great day to relax ... feel free to join us." In any case, it was a casual night but always a great one. Of course, I ended up staying in my spot on the couch until the morning.

~:[CH3 - Day 245]:~ Starting Off Right

~:[CH3 - Day 245]:~ Starting Off Right

The first day of school got off on the right foot as the day went fairly smoothly, there was not much unnecessary stress, people were positive and energetic, and the weather remained relatively cool. Don't get me wrong, it was hot during the day, but it cooled down just as we were about to run, that's what I call a perfect day. My classes, as normal, are a bit quiet. They did fairly well in class and the only thing that really went wrong is that I still need to give them the password to the website. We survived practice, although, we didn't have the best of workouts, which happens on the first day of school. Afterward, we did our traditional XC night at John's Incredible Pizza where we celebrated the start of a new school year together. Who can ask for anything more?

~:[CH3 - Day 244]:~ Years Gone By

~:[CH3 - Day 244]:~ Years Gone By

My last day before I start with students was action packed and ended up being a lot more exciting than I had planned. With our normal Labor Day practice on the Cow Run course, we headed to grab a nice hearty breakfast. It was a great day to just sit and relax but I was on the go. I ended up going to shabu shabu with Daniel and I had not seen him in about six years or so! It was great to catch up and see what we missed over that span. It's always nice to do that. I also had some catch up later on at Jamba Juice, two in one day! Of course, it got better, because I ended up with a last minute unplanned trip to Disneyland! The lines were minimal and while it was a little crowded upon arrival, the crowds slowly dispersed as the Monday night went on. Between getting work done and meeting up with people, it was an amazing day, well, all except the part where I went to Costco and it was closed, but maybe we should save that story for another day.