Canaan retreat at Redwood

Had a good time with the Canaan folk, especially the youth and those involved with them. They've got good kids. It was also a good confirmation for me for the ministry.

Strange things about the weekend...

It was strange at first because I was at Redwood, but the usual faces associated with the place weren't there. It was just weird not seeing any PCJC people walking around.

It was strange not seeing the snack bar open. I was about to get a rainbow surprise one day... but then, it wasn't open.

It was strange seeing juk at the cafeteria. Actually, I didn't recognize it at first as juk. It looked like something... well, a lot less appetizing. The Taiwanese constituents weren't complaining, and they were eating it, so, what do I know?

It was strange because the youths' cabins didn't have adult supervision and yet they didn't sneak out at night.

It was strange sleeping in Evergreen lodge. It was like a hotel room. That's not the Redwood experience I know.

Off to Santa Cruz for the weekend...

"Costco's converted to pretzels." -- Brandon G.

"Churros were the bomb." -- Charlie F.

When did Costco stop serving Churros? I went to Costco today. And although all I wanted was an ice cream bar, I was disappointed to find that Costco's food court no longer carries Churros. Wait... is churro capitalized? Ahh... who cares.

According to Brandon, the churros at Costco were replaced with pretzels... err rather, Costco converted to pretzels. But from my recollection, I sorta remember the pretzel warming box (I'm sure there's a technical term for that thing) having both pretzels and churros. Maybe, I dreamt this. This is possible. I like both soft giant pretzels and churros. This could have been dream. A very good one.

So, I'm thinking... somebody should start an online petition to bring back the churros to Costco. Everybody loves churros. And even those who don't have to admit that they're cheap at Costco.

It's that time again, college football season.

The season has officially started as of today. With our Golden Bears ranked #15 in the ESPN/USA today poll, and #13 in the AP, I'm feeling pretty high and mighty. Rodgers to McArthur... that's something we're gonna be hearing a lot of. Reminds me of the glory years of Vedder to... uhhh, yeah. The poor guy couldn't even see over his offensive line. Probably the reason why they always ran wide receiver screens when he was taking snaps.

But Rodgers to McArthur, that's gonna be a great combo. Watch out SC. Don't underestimate the power of the Fighting Tedfords. "It's the only song you know... it's boring and it's slow...." Yeah, I don't think the rest of the chant is appropriate for blogging purposes.

Thanks lots to my friend Brandon. Got a lot to think about. I don't think I've been challenged like that in a real long time.

Why do we Christians have such a hard time being honest with each other? Better yet, why is it that we have a harder time being honest as we climb up the totem pole of leadership? And in honesty, not just in the things of the past but of the present.

James 5:16

Week long hiatus due to camp.

Camp was a whole lotta everything. Highs, lows, and everything in between. Never ceases to be a good time though. Had a great group of guys in our cabin.

Top 3 laugh out loud moments at camp...
1. One of my boys getting hit (slammed is probably a better word) below the belt by a catapulted water balloon during organized rec.
2. Greg, Kyle, and Brandon Saito downing a pitcher of water each (though Greg insisted on fruit punch), and then proceeding to yack most of it back out (though Kyle miraculously kept it all down).
3. Mark breaking the big blue whiffle ball bat after hitting Jon on the butt with it with all his might.

Showering

So, for years, my mom's commented on the length of my showers. Everytime she notes how I take "bird baths." Real quick showers according to her. For the record, my showers last about 5-7 minutes. All you guys out there, 5-7 minute showers aren't that short right?

I've noticed that I have a daily pattern in showering. I never break the ritual. Get the water warm. Dampen the hair. Shampoo. Rinse. Soap the face. Rinse. Soap the front. Rinse. Soap the back. Rinse. Soap the feet. Rinse. Squeegee the water off the body with hands... one more time. Towel off. Not only is the order of activities the same... but the order of body parts when I'm soaping or towelling is the same. Maybe I'll feel a little crazy tomorrow and towel dry the right arm before the left arm!!! What will I think of next?

Just checked out ESPN.com and found out that the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll for college football has been released. Lo and behold, Cal is ranked #15. I can't remember the last time Cal was ranked in the top 25 in the preseason.

To celebrate, our very own BCS Poll (the blog championship series poll), has its own preseason rankings. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding and resources, the preseason rankings are the same as last year's final standings. Have no fear, things will start to pick up again at the beginning of the season starting week 1, August 24th-30th.

Although I do not share the ESPN East Coast bias, I have to admit I am not bias-free... read: Alinna will enter the rankings in week 1. Then again, the real BCS (the bowl championship series) is just about as objective as a Berkeley ethnic studies professor on politics.

Great fun over the last couple of days.

Sunday, after church, I went to celebrate Jason's birthday and say good-bye to Danny at their place. Barbeque. Big fat barbeque. Met a bunch of people. Talked with old friends. Didn't get to talk with all the people I wanted to though. Oh well. Such is the case in these great big get-togethers. Saw a lot of smiles. Saw a lot of laughs. It was just a good ol' time.

So, at the barbeque, Ben Tao's there, and he comes up to me. "Hey, Hideyo, you wanna come down to the South Bay and play some ball tomorrow?" I'm such a push-over. Especially if it comes to getting a free ride to see Alinna.