I couldn’t title this post “Catching Up” because I’ve fallen back on that idiom twice before. I’m sorry for neglecting you, Duolab. A lot has transpired, but I didn’t take down notes and can’t even manage a glut of adjective-laden anecdotes like I did in July.

I know I meant to write about backpacking in August but kept putting it off because I hadn’t processed the photos yet. The trip was fantastic, aside from the concussion close-call we had towards the end. Gorgeous lakes, shitty instant soups, shittier lasagna, miles of strenuous marching, foolhardy cliff traversals, whiskey, and counting shooting stars from the comfort of a sleeping bag atop hardy grass. I kept repeating “the chitinous staccato of grasshoppers and sinewy crackle of knees” in my head as we hiked out because I meant to write some flowery prose about all the sounds (or lack thereof) we wrapped ourselves in, but I think I’ll just leave it at that. Here are the visuals.

I visited San Diego for Megan’s wedding and then again a couple weeks later for the annual Bike Bar Tour. Both trips were awesome. I miss San Diego. I miss burritos and biking everywhere.

Fall was beautiful. It’s hard to describe the feeling that washes over you as the air turns crisp and the leaves flush with color before accumulating on the ground. I keep straining to sample random smokey accents laced through each breeze. Living in San Diego for six years has definitely made me appreciate the foothills more.

And now it’s snowing.

Its fall again, many of you might have noticed. And being in San Diego during this time of year has once again been a let down. I miss the seasons I used to get living in Northern California. The mornings I’d wake up to wet roads and cloudy skies. Or the nights the howling wind and heavy rain would wake me. I miss wearing heavy clothes too. I didn’t think I’d ever say that. Enough weather talk.

A few weeks ago I took a seemingly unexciting spill on my bike and ended up spending three days in the hospital with a ruptured kidney. My parents flew down and my mom took care of me for a few days afterwards. Making me meatloaf and pies until I told her to stop being so motherly and fly home to take care of my dad; he’s useless at taking care of himself. Nothing bad came of the injury to my kidney, other than the doctor taking away my riding priviledges for 6 weeks.

Jordan and I have been looking at renting a house down in South Park. We got word that we’ve been approved for a place a few blocks from Hamilton’s and The Whistle Stop and will probably be moving in the next couple weeks.

Work has been fairly mundane. Although I do get to go to CES again this year in January. If anyone wants to meet me in Vegas for my birthday buy a flight for the weekend of the 10th and 11th.

I’m a month late, but the Bay to Breakers photos are all finally up. I apologize for the wait. It’s difficult to put into words the pandemonium we marched through, so I’ll just let those pictures and this brief, low-res video do the talking:

Oh, and my Thailand shots are all on Flickr now too. Validate my leisure!

Above is a photo I took at Cathedral Cove in mid-February. Now pay close attention to 00:42 in the theatrical trailer I’ve embedded below.