After accumulating junk and ex-girlfriend belongings over a period of years, Keith and I decided it was time to finally clean my garage. In the process, we came across a mouse carcass and 8 scorpions! When I saw the first one, I grabbed my Glock airsoft replica and shot it with plastic BBs. It turned into a scorpion hunt. When all was clear, I cleaned the floor and ceiling with my new shop vac, sanitized the floor with ammonia, and built some new shelves and a workbench. Everything was packed in nice and organized, and I had the trash hauled away.

Garage Cleaning Photos

We held our second Hookahdome fundraiser. The first was called Soul Candy, so this was Soul Candy 2. Instead of doing it at a residential house, this time we rented out an art studio in San Francisco. It was great! We sold out, and had lines forming at the door. DJs were pumping music inside. We had a ticket table, a bar, and a hookah lounge in the upstairs loft. I saw all my Hookahdome family, and Sabina and her brother came!

Soul Candy 2 Photos

I went to see Mayu perform with her Salsamania group at the San Francisco Salsa Congress. She was on their Son de Mania semi-professional team. Their performance was amazing, and she looked so good! It was very interesting to see all the different styles that are out there. Some of them were pretty crazy, quite different from what I've seen in the past.

Salsa Congress 2005 Photos

I had a great time at Burning Man. It was a magical experience, as usual, but it wasn't very new in my third year. The first half of the week was primarily a lot of work. We built the dome, had it almost fully covered, and then a huge dust storm punched in one side. I never thought our dome would actually invert like that. We then had to uncover it, take the broken side apart, rebuild it, and recover it. The second half of the week was much more fun.

Burning Man 2005 Photos

The first day of the trip was spent traveling, meeting up with everyone, and getting some food and rest. On Monday, Mayu took us on a tour of Asakusa, or "Old Tokyo," where we saw the Senso-Ji temple. After passing the Kaminari-mon ("Thunder Gate"), we passed through a vast shopping area before reaching the main temple. We drew oracles (I got "Good Fortune," yay!), purified ourself with water, consecrated ourself with fire (incense), and made an offering at the temple. We then went to Odaiba, which is a very modern development, and was quite a contrast. We shopped around a bit in one of its many malls, and then dined while overlooking the Rainbow Bridge and a miniature state of liberty.

Asaukusa & Odaiba Photos

On Tuesday, we got word that a Typhoon was heading straight for Tokyo. It was only two days prior that Tokyo got hit with a 6.1-magnitude earthquake. It was quite strong, and was still on the news. Since it was rainy out, we decided to stay inside and went back to Odaiba. We went back to the mall we were at the first day, and saw an entire floor built to resemble old Tokyo. We then went to a new mall that was modeled after Las Vegas (a mix between The Venetian and Caesar's Palace). We then headed back to the hotel and had dinner with my Dad and his coworkers while the Typhoon passed through. The winds and rain had gotten pretty strong, but it was nothing like the hurricanes in Florida.

Typhoon Shopping in Odaiba Photos

On Wednesday, the sun was shining and the sky was blue. We headed out to Meiji-Jingu, perhaps Tokyo's most splendid Shinto shrine. We bought a wooden card, wrote our wishes on it, and then hung it with thousands of others that will be burned in an offering. On our way out, we strolled through a wonderful garden, where giant carp popped their heads out of the water and opened their mouths. Later, we walked down Harajuku, and gazed at the wild-looking Japanese youth as we toured some shops. We then closed the day with a visit to Shibuya, which was packed with people (and it was supposed to be a light time of day). On the way back, I saw some Cisco advertisements in the subway.

Meiji-Jingu, Harajuku & Shibuya Photos

On Thursday, we met up with Mayu and her Mom, rented a car, and drove to Mt. Fuji, which is far west of Tokyo. We left the concrete behind and found ourself driving through rolling hills of green. Then, suddenly, we saw Mt. Fuji. We took a bus up to the 5th station (halfway up the mountain), had a picnic, sent a postcard to my brothers through the Mt. Fuji postal box, and then hiked around the mountain a bit. There were clouds over the mountain, and the air was crisp and cool (no humidity, for once!). When we got back to the car, we drove to a nearby lake and took some photos as the sun set. It was a beautiful time spent with Mayu, her Mom (who I met for the first time), my Mom, and Quinee.

Mount Fuji Photos

On Friday, my Dad had off again, so we all went out to the Tsukiji fish market. Street after street was filled with merchants selling fresh seafood, and just behind was a huge receiving area for all the fish from the boats. Workers zoomed around on little powered carts. We shopped around a bit, and then had lunch at a sushi place. I had Toro for the first time, and boy was it fresh and good! The sushi was incredible. Afterward, Mayu and I had to catch a train, so we said goodbye to my parents and hopped on a train to Nagoya, and then caught a train to Matsuzaka, where we picked up a rental car. We then drove to Mayu's grandparents place up in a mountain village outside of Ise. We were welcomed with an amazing BBQ feast. Her grandfather's brother and his wife were also there. We think they thought we were getting married!

Tsukiji Fish Market & Ise Mountains Photos

On Saturday, we woke up, payed respects at the grave of Mayu's father, and then went out for lunch. We had eel over rice, which was yummy, but filled with too many tiny bones. After shopping for dinner, Mayu and I went out to Ise-Jingu, the most prominent Shinto shrine in Japan. It's replaced every 20 years with an exact replica, and is built using traditional methods (no nails, only dowels and joints). Unfortunately, you can't see much of the main shrine unless you're royalty. We shopped around a bit afterward, had some amazing green-tea shaved ice with rice balls and red bean paste, and then drove down the coast as the sun set. We went to the Meoto-iwa ("Wedded Rocks") in Futami. Upon returning home, we changed into some traditional clothes Mayu had bought for us, and had a nice dinner, complete with watermelon.

Ise-Jingu & Futami Photos

On Sunday, we went out with Mayu's grandparents. We went to a resort on the coast, where we rented a golf cart and drove around. Afterward, we stopped at a light house, which had some beautiful views. After dinner, we found a praying mantis crawling across the floor. Once Mayu set it free, we went out for Karaoke. Her grandparents were very good, and Mayu had a fabulous voice. Unfortunately, I sucked. I couldn't sing on my first try (it was a Coldplay song, too high of a note), but I redeemed myself by singing "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley. I think all the Japanese patrons were confused. Not only did I sound bad, but it was probably not the style of music they were expecting from an American!

Ise-Shima Coast Photos

On Monday, Mayu and I packed up and caught a train to Kyoto. We checked in at the most amazing hotel. It was traditional in style (we slept on mats, and it had sliding doors), but it was very nice and modern. I kept the AC cranked up high, as the last two days were spent with none! We then went to Kiyomizu-Dera, which blew my mind. It was a vast temple complex in brilliant red against a green and blue background, perched high on a wooded hill overlooking Kyoto. We then found out that Kodai-Ji was going to be lit up at night, so we headed over there as the sun was setting. The grounds were beautiful, filled with wonderful trees, streams, bridges, steps, buildings, shrines, and groves of bamboo. It was especially magical lit up at night.

Kyoto & Kiyomizu-Dera Photos

On Tuesday, Mayu and I took a train to the northeast of Kyoto, where we hopped on another train to the end of the line. Then we got on a cable car that went straight up the mountain. It was crazy! This was followed by a suspension car ride to the peak of the mountain. From there, we took a bus to the temple complex of Enryaku-Ji. We were high above Kyoto at an ancient temple that spawned all the Japanese sects of Buddhism. The weather was different here. Thunder echoed through the mountains, punctuated every now and then by the ring of a giant gong. In the innermost temple, three flames burned continuously for 1200 years. While inside, it began pouring rain, so we lit votive candles from those very same flames, wrote wishes in Japanese on wooden cards, made offerings, and meditated. You could feel the energy in the air. Of all the temples we visited, this one left the biggest impression on me. I wanted to leave the world behind and become a monk. When we returned to the city below, we shopped, had dinner, and packed for my return trip.

Hiei-Zan & Enryaku-Ji Photos

On Wednesday, we checked out of our beautiful hotel in Kyoto and took a bullet train to Tokyo station. From there, we took an express train to Narita airport. Before I left, I had to try the "Teryaki Burger" at McDonald's. It was pretty tasty, but there's no way I'm going to be eating fast food again. I hugged and kissed Mayu a hundred times, hopped on a plane home, and reflected back on my amazing time in Japan. It was definitely the best trip I've ever had. I wish I had a few more days in Kyoto, as I only had a glimpse of the area, but I guess this means I have plenty to see for a return trip!

Departure Photos

Gordon, Mayu and I spent last Sunday working on the tarps that cover the Hookahdome. We're adding black plastic sheeting to make them 100% opague. After some trial-and-error, we've perfected our technique. It takes 15 minutes per strip of adhesive, so about 2 hours for the whole tarp. We only have half of one done though! In these photos, you can also see a new boombox I got for my iPod. It's sweet!

Tarp Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

Jumping on Playa Covered Tarps (QuickTime Movie, 1 MB)

On Friday night, Mayu and I got dressed up nice and went to a big salsa party at the Decathlon Club. We met Keith and Cassy there, had a drink, took a refresher introductory salsa lesson, sat down for a nice dinner, and then spent the rest of the evening either trying to dance, watching experts dance, or drinking. It was actually quite fun! There are also some photos of dinner in Los Gatos with Cassy and Rob the next day.

Salsa Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

Learning to Dance (QuickTime Movie, 578 KB)

Last weekend, I had a big BBQ party at my house. I expected only a handful of people, but 19 people showed up! We had a great time, cooked up some hamburgers and hotdogs, had a few drinks, played guitar (Keith provided a few lessons as well), smoked hookah, goofed around, and shot at targets with the airsoft gun while holding a beer in the other hand (I have a very compromising video of Heath).

July 4th BBQ Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

Never Do This With a Real Gun! (QuickTime Movie, 750 KB)

Two weekends ago, we went to Black Rock Desert for Field Day 2005. Heath welded up a steel trailer for a new antenna. The weather was nice, but a thunderstorm soon rolled in. We saw beautiful lightning displays as the sun set, followed by lots of rain. We huddled around a hookah and heater as the wind and rain whipped around our shade structure. We didn't know if the antennas would getstruck by lightning, and we didn't know if we'd be able to leave the next day, as the ground had turned to mud like cement. But the sun did come out, and the ground dried up, so we packed up and went shooting at a junk yard.

Field Day 2005 Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

Mayu and I spent an amazing Saturday in Monterey. The weather was beautiful! Flowers were in bloom everywhere. We explored the Monterey Bay Aquarium and petted little sharks and manta rays. I finally saw the other half of the aquarium featuring the deep sea and kelp forest. Afterward, we visited some shops and had a wonderful dinner on a deck over the water as the sun set.

Monterey Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

After having a great dinner at Dish Dash in Sunnyvale, Mayu and I decided we'd take a try at cooking up some kabobs and "yellow" rice. We got some kabab spice mix from Rose's Market in Mountain View, and I found a recipe for the rice online. We had a lot of fun, and it came out okay, but it didn't compare to Dish Dash. Next time I'm going to try a recipe that Heath gave me, which is apparently superior.

Kabobs Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

A few weeks ago, we went to Saratoga one Saturday to visit a Japan festival in Hakone Gardens. After a hike up a hill, we were surrounded by a wonderful landscape with bridges, streams and Japanese-style buildings. There were some booths as well. After a brief visit here, we continued up the mountain to the Los Altos range, where Mayu and I did some shooting. She did very well, and spelled my name using bullets. There are some other photos in here of me doing some airsoft training, with Gordon as my imaginary range officer.

Japan Festival & Shooting Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

For our last ISE 298 class with Dr. Andre, we had an HF/E "show-and-tell," followed by a potluck dinner with all the HF/E students. It was yummy! We had everything from pizza, to emu egg quiche, to carrot cake (from the Summit Store), and baBANA bread! What, never had it before? You should try it! It was fun, and gave us a chance to socialize instead of working on final projects and studying for final exams.

Potluck Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

After we went shooting, we crossed the street and hiked around Castle Rock for a little bit. We scrambled around Castle Rock itself, and Mayu got a cool photo of my legs on the rock wall. I so wish I had my climbing shoes! We then went to the Tea House Spa in Santa Cruz, had a wonderful time relaxing, and then had a nice dinner at Gabriella Cafe.

Scrambling Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

I showed Mayu how to use a gun one Saturday. I taught her the safety rules, had her practice safe handling, and coached her on her grip, stance and trigger control. Then we went shooting at an outdoor range, where she shot a gun for the first time -- and did well! Her first shot was almost a bullseye :) Then she started thinking about things, and variability appeared (a problem I'm dealing with too) In one of these pics, you can see my shots on the top target, and her shots on the bottom target.

Shooting Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

Why do I have over 300 super balls? For a statistics group project! We designed an experiment to look at how initial bounce height is affected by three factors (Size: small, large; Material: swirl, fuzzy; Drop height: low, high). We performed the experiment one night after class, controlling as much as possible for confounds and variability. An SPSS analysis revealed that fuzzy balls bounced higher than swirls at both sizes, although the difference was greater at the high height compared to the low height (an interaction effect). So what? If you want the biggest bounce, drop a small fuzzy ball from high up! :)

Superball Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

Mayu and I had an amazing weekend. On Friday, we had dinner at Ti Couz, danced to The People and Vinyl at the Elbo Room, and spent the night in The Milano hotel. When we woke, we checked out the Cherry Blossom Festival in Japantown, and then crossed the Golden Gate to visit Marin County. We stopped in Fairfax, and then drove up Mount Tamalpais. The sky was clear, and the hills were green and covered with wildflowers. We goofed around on some rocks, took a nap on the mountainside, and then watched the sun set from "butt crack rock." We capped off the adventure with dinner at Piazza D'Angelo in Mill Valley.

Marin & Mount Tam Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

We went to a "pimps n ho's" party Saturday night put on by some Burning Man friends. Everybody was dressed up in the craziest of costumes. It was hilarious! I had a purple pimp suit with leopard skin trim, and Mayu was my "ho," wearing a black corset and some fishnet stockings. She was the hottest and classiest "ho" at the party :) Here she is with Gordon, the pimpiest of pimps.

Pimps & Ho's Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

On Saturday, a whole bunch of us went wine tasting in the Santa Cruz mountains. We started at Burrel School, which is right by my house. The weather was beautiful, and we sipped wine on a deck that overlooked the vineyard. We then went to Bonny Doon, which is my favorite winery, and I picked up a few bottles. For lunch, we went to Bonny Doon beach, had a picnic and explored a cave. Mayu took most of the photos.

Wine Tasting Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

After an impromptu party at my house the night before, Mayu and I took a trip to Big Sur on Saturday. We had a late start, and stopped for lunch in Capitola. It was beautiful out, and felt like the first day of summer. We then drove down the coast, stopped to take in the view, visited the River Inn to check out the river, hit Nepenthe just as the sun was setting, and then stopped at Carmel on the way back for dinner and to browse the galleries. It was a fun day, with lots of memories.

Big Sur Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

Planes Flying Over the Beach (QuickTime Movie, 888 KB)
Mayu Getting Blown by the Wind (QuickTime Movie, 1.7 MB)

Partially due to Heath's influence, I went and bought a handgun, which is not an easy process in California. I now own a Glock 23 (.40 S&W) with a Glock Tactical Light/Laser combo. I field stripped the gun and cleaned it for the first time last night. As a sport, it's fun to shoot. And considering I live alone in the woods and my house was broken into, it's not a bad thing to have around. I'll run and call the police before putting myself in a situation where I'd have to use it though. I love and respect life, of all sorts, and could not harm anything unless my own life was in danger. I am known to set free moths that get stuck in my house!

Glock Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

I had a wonderful Christmas with my family and friends back home in PA. We broke in my brother's new house with a housewarming party, had a big feast at a Mexican restaurant, bought a home theatre system and wide-screen HDTV for the family, set it up overnight with my brothers as a surprise, played with dog poop during a Christmas party, opened gifts, gambled at the Borgata in Atlantic City, and generally had a great time. I miss everyone, and hope to see them soon.

Christmas Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

Craziness at Brian's Party (QuickTime Movie, 1.7 MB)
Brian Makes Out With a Dog (QuickTime Movie, 616 KB)
Dog Poop in the Shrimp Dip! (QuickTime Movie, 1.1 MB)
The Borgata Casino at Night (QuickTime Movie, 396 KB)
Snowing in Atlantic City! (QuickTime Movie, 580 KB)
Craziness at Brian's Party (QuickTime Movie, 1.7 MB)
Snow, Snow, Snow (QuickTime Movie, 1 MB)

The day after Keith's birthday celebration, I wrapped presents and cleaned up the house a little. Later that night, I went to Ruth's house for a holiday party for school. It was the usual Tuesday night Mission Ale House crowd, so Keith was invited as well. The party was nice, although somewhat mellow. We ate a potluck dinner, had a few drinks, and talked.

Holiday Party Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

We celebrated Keith's birthday back in December. A couple of us had dinner at Roe, and then I paid $150 for a reserved booth and bottle service at Prive, the club upstairs. It was my birthday present to Keith, and Christmas present to everyone. We had a blast! The place was packed. Our waitress brought out carafes of cranberry juice, tonic water, and orange juice, and we mixed our own drinks with the bottle of vodka. We danced and danced.

Keith's Birthday Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

We had Thanksgiving dinner at Soren's house with the whole Hookahdome family. Heath deep-fried a turkey (first time I ever saw this), and it turned out yummy! There was a bountiful feast, good company, and many humorous moments, as evidenced by the movie clips below.

Thanksgiving Photos - Set 1/1 (Digital, Canon PowerShot S230)

Massive Food Preparations (QuickTime Movie, 1.8 MB)
Deep-Frying a Turkey! (QuickTime Movie, 588 KB)
The Flaming Pot (QuickTime Movie, 256 KB)
Stephen's Lipless Whistle (QuickTime Movie, 420 KB)
Orgasms, Orgasms, Orgasms! (QuickTime Movie, 3.9 MB)
"Red Hot" Alicia and Margaritas (QuickTime Movie, 1.2 MB)
Giving Thanks, Both Near and Far (QuickTime Movie, 1.6 MB)