Last chance to enjoy 2008

And also, for those of you who live in California, savor your last *legal* day of texting while driving.

The new driving laws in 2009 are going to make my life a little more difficult. But breaking the law can be cool....

....I mean, I have no idea what that feels like. Happy 2009, everyone!

Things to look forward to in the New Year

1.) Another semester of my first year at Pacific! For some reason, after this long break I've been having, I'm really looking forward to working the second half of the year. I'm pretty excited to go back to.... Stockton. Who knew....? I'm really enjoying basketball season and I have a feeling baseball/softball will be along those same lines. And I'm going to get a 4.0 this semester. My 3.9 in the fall was pretty lame, so I'm going to improve on that ;)

2.) Playing with my new Sony Reader! Yep, got it for Christmas :) Thanks Mom and Dad, I mean, Santa.

3.) MLB Opening Day!! Which in many stadiums, also happens to be my 24th birthday. The Chicago White Sox have a countdown at the top of their page: only 98 days left! Yeah, I realize there's still the Super Bowl standing in my way. But I don't care, I will always be a baseball girl!!

4.) Only taking day classes means I'll finally have my nights free (after any baseball/softball games are over). So I can get my homework done earlier, eat dinner earlier, and have more time to go running or hit up the gym! I will lose weight and get my blood sugars down and get back to my October 2007 (pre-France) size. It's actually less than a two size difference, so I think it's an attainable goal. Only 10 lbs!

6.) Wedding plans! No, not mine. Everyone knows I'm single. But for the first time ever, I'm going to be a maid of honor. And we already tried on and ordered dresses. So I'm getting really excited to fly up to Oregon in August and be in Jen's wedding. Maybe I'll meet a cute boy....

Which brings me to.....

7.) Me being boy crazy. Which is always true. Developing a few crushes? Maybe? Well, I'll need a date in August ;) so I'm going to work on that one as well.

Oh well, Happy 2009 everyone.

The Night Before Christmas & Visions of Summer Dance Through My Head

Only six months until summer! With the winter equinox already behind us, the days are slowly starting to get longer (shortest day of the year is Dec. 21) and what better way to plan for it, than thinking ahead to the summer?

Once my collegiate baseball season ends, along with grad classes, I can start thinking about fun quick trips. And ever since I graduated from high school, my dad and I keep talking about doing a U.S. baseball park road trip. Six years after the fact, it might actually start to come true....

Obviously I'm not in a financial position to roadtrip to all 30 major league stadiums, but lucky for me I've already been to: the Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles stadiums. So that leaves me 22 more to go....

So, we brainstormed a few different routes to take, and after consulting the A's travel schedule in June and July, decided on the northern route.

I propose five ballparks in nine days.

July 2009:

July 3- Fly from San Francisco to Cleveland
July 4- Oakland Athletics at Cleveland Indians (fireworks night!)
July 5- Drive from Cleveland to Detroit (2.5 hours)
July 6- Kansas City Royals at Detroit Tigers
July 7- Drive from Detroit to Chicago (4ish hours)
July 8- Atlanta Braves at Chicago Cubs
July 9- Cleveland Indians at Chicago White Sox
July 10- Drive from Chicago to Milwaukee (1.5 hours), and Los Angeles Dodgers at Milwaukee Brewers
July 11- Fly from Milwaukee to San Francisco

Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio (Indians)

Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan (Tigers)

Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois (Cubs) U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago, Illinois (White Sox)

Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Brewers)

I'm really looking forward to this! Mom and Dad, you better be serious about this happening :) How about a late birthday present then, since I won't be able to go to MLB Spring Training with you in Phoenix this March/April??

"What is UC Santa Barbara?"

Ummmm did anyone see Jeopardy! tonight?!

More specifically the Christmas-themed category, "Let's Go To Santa"? The $800 question, I believe was, "It is one of two University of California campuses that begins with the word Santa."

I would have owned that question and the Final Jeopardy question; I keep getting those bad boys right. I might consider trying out someday in my life I think.

Oh how I loved my undergrad.

You've heard of BART, so get ready for PRT

Well, I assume most people reading know that BART stands for Bay Area Rapid Transit, which is like our own little subway-ish system we've got out here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Watching the news tonight, I sort of learned about a new system in the works with 18 enthusiastic companies in the San Jose and Santa Cruz areas called PRT: Personal Rapit Transit. Essentially several cities in the United States have already signed on to implement this new transportation system by 2030, which would really bring the United States up to speed with the world view of the future embodied by the Jetsons' creators, by having a network of rails high above city streets, teeming with personal podcars.

Past meets future. Bit of a stretch, maybe? Though, I haven't seen that dress come into style yet. I'm still holding out.

The podcar is kind of an interesting skyway transportation system. Supposedly it's not going to make BART obsolete, yet work in a complimentary manner. The PRT is as the name suggests, personal, and is not tied to predetermined schedules or anything like that. It is a roadway like most freeways and supposedly will only cost around 4 cents a mile to ride. The idea is something like this will free up some of our dependence on foreign oil and reduce our current pollution rates.

Currently the only existing system in the world similar to this is at the West Virginia University campus. Though as I type this, London's Heathrow Airport is already constructing such a network. The only other country besides the United States and England proposing this system is Dubai.... shocking. In fact, Madagascar City in Dubai is proposing to ban all cars once the PRT system is complete. Just something to think about.

But check out the simulated street view for San Jose after the PRT system:

Because I'm done with finals and don't feel like thinking anymore

....Another photo of the day! Hard to think a year ago we were prancing around and making plans to go to Switzerland for Christmas and Paris for New Year's Eve. There is no possible way I'm going to top that this year. Maybe next...

Enjoy Bormes-les-Mimosas, France. December 24, 2007.

These are a few of my favorite things

Since it's holiday time and all, I want to share a couple of things I think are neat on the market right now.

The hp TouchSmart:




And the recycled Apple MacBook Air:

I'm thinking I might purchase a new computer in the next year (my current computer's from 2005! wow it's still working great).... these might be on my list of considerations for when the switch time comes!

It's almost 1 a.m., yay!

Brief update as to why I've been so busy lately. (And you know you're a full-time employee and grad student when the only time you have to yourself is this late into the night/early morning.)

But we did have our women's intramural basketball championship play off game tonight, which we won handily actually. That was a nice little study break.

However, most of my time is being eaten up with two major projects, though one I'arguably finished a few weeks ago. They are my current 23-page marketing and promotions proposal for a newly-created, hardly-existent summer baseball team. I'm in the process of compiling a binder that's nearly full to capacity of information. It includes 57 research surveys I asked people to fill out, detailing their thoughts on baseball marketing and how they would respond to hypothetical situations. It also includes three interviews with minor league baseball employees and the coach of the team I'm marketing for. Then there are several scholarly articles on what has worked for other minor/major league baseball teams, and finally, my 23+ page proposal on what has worked for other teams, what potential fans want to see, and what I think will work for this baseball team.

Almost there. It's due on Monday and I'd say I'm about 3/4 done. The other "project" is my research thesis. We're supposed to create a power point and present that to the Sport Sciences staff next Wednesday. I'm done with my proposal, so all I need to do is pull together a few slides, get over my fear of public speaking, and own that presentation.

And then I have a few sporadic days off throughout December to enjoy my winter break! It's going to be a lot of work here in the final push, but I say bring it on. (Oh, and I enrolled in my courses for next semester, I'm finally in my fifth year of higher education going to take a communications class. I've avoided it like the plague as much as I can, but I'm super open to this class on Public Relations because a.) it's my job so I think I have a fairly good idea about it and b.) it's cross-listed as an undergrad class, so lectures will be easy I forsee.)

More photo du jour

Chamonix/Mont Blanc, during our first real winter visit to the snow since.... gosh, high school? December 2007.

....and oh yeah, HAPPY DECEMBER everyone! This easily my favorite month :) Can't wait! We put up our Christmas tree at my parents' house, and then three days later I put up a beautiful tree with my roommates. My presents are wrapped and I'm patiently waiting for finals to be over so we can start the celebrating!