plugging away!

This post can't cover everything that's gone on since my last post, so I'll just see how far I get...

First, here's a photo from Lisa Peterson's birthday lunch:

that's their son eric at the back of the table

I did some more barefoot running on the beach, but had to switch over to walking because it made my calves hurt.  It is very peaceful out on Silver Strand State Beach at this time of year, near sunset - probably because it gets pretty chilly and most people don't want to be out there!

sunset on the beach

I had to work in the hospital on Saturday, February 9.  The gate to my usual parking area was meant to be closed, so I was instructed to park in front of the main hospital.  Who knew there was a fancy entrance with a statue and fountain!

front entrance to paradise valley hospital

That night, I joined my mountainboarding friend Kody at Qualcomm Stadium for my first ever Supercross experience.  It was pretty fun, especially since Kody works for Fox Racing and could give me the inside scoop on who the riders were and which ones to keep in my sights.

kody and me with the supercross track in the background

On Sunday evening I caught up with Christine, a friend from Cal who now lives in San Diego - we hadn't seen each other in over 20 years!  It was great to catch up, meet her husband and kids, and just spend some time hanging out.

christine and me with her two boys

That Monday, I happened to look up and see the moon.  Since I have my camera with me pretty much every day, I realized the chance had finally come to catch a photo I've wanted for years.  It requires the perfect combination of moon phase, time of day, clear (enough) skies, camera in hand, and ability to be outside at the right time.  Here's the result:

fingernail moon, full circle

Since my CI and I had worked that previous Saturday, we got Tuesday off.  The Petersons were kind enough to take me to see the renowned San Diego Zoo.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch and had a good time walking around seeing the animals before we headed back.

i guess i'm less than half the size of a full grown polar bear!

ron and lisa in front of a pachyderm statue

capybaras are such ridiculous looking creatures, yet cute...

Belinda showed up Friday evening, and the two of us went to the nearby cemetery to enjoy the sunset.  It was pretty spectacular:

sunset view - looks like there's some centrifugal force acting on the clouds!

 The next day, although Belinda and I were both feeling a bit sick, we went out for lunch with her parents and then went for a walk on the bay side of Silver Strand State Beach.  There's a bit of a nature preserve there with loads of wild rabbits.

lisa, ron, and belinda - bonita is in the background on the other side of the bay

wild rabbits in alert mode

Belinda and I both ended up spending that Sunday sitting around the house, feeling pretty sick.  She fortunately had the Monday off from work for President's Day - I ended up coming home sick because it was not a good idea to be around patients in my condition at that time.  Thankfully, I felt much better by Tuesday and was back at it full force.