I spent last weekend visiting my nephew Mathew in Pullman, WA.  I hadn't been back at WSU in a couple of decades.  A lot has changed.  The new wing of the main library, named after WSU President Glenn Terrell, is beautiful.  There's also a new rec center that has four racquetball courts, a field hockey court, badminton courts, four full-length basketball courts, a track, lots of cardio equipment, volleyball courts, ping pong, darts, and even a foosball table.  We went there four times.  I saw a few of my former residences (Scott Hall, Monroe Ave., and the Honda Shop).  The CUB is a totally new building.  It's hard to believe I was there 26 years ago.  Wow, that's nuts. 

One of my favorite hangout spots at WSU was the periodical section of the Holland Library.  I was here nearly every day, reading magazines and newspapers.  It was always busy, but now the hall is a ghost town.  The main doors of the Holland Library are permanently closed, which is really sad.

Bruised Books was one of my favorite used bookstores of all time.  And it still is!  I bought David McCullough's "Mornings on Horseback" (hardback) for $7.  Nice.

I walked past this park every morning in 1986 when I lived above the Honda Shop in downtown Pullman.  I'd forgotten how steep the hill was to the top of campus.

I remember seeing Hannah and her Sisters opening weekend at the Cordova.  Now it's a house of worship.

Luv my Sistas!

Then and now...we took this last weekend for Dad's 70th birthday.  We went through lots of pictures, many of which I scanned into a thumb drive.  I need to scan the whole collection.  There are some crazy pics...like this one from the 70s!

I need two pairs of sunglasses for this color combo.  Holy cow the that was one crazy decade!

I took Rossana and Daniel to Flipside Burgers Wednesday night, our new neighborhood burger joint on Lakeshore Ave. 

Our meals received a coveted Three Thumbs up for freshness, taste, and juiciness.  We were very satisfied.  Welcome to the neighborhood, Flipside!

I hit the racquetball courts extra early this a.m. to counter the effects of all those fries. 

Wolf House

Alice and I visited John, Sara, and Seth Donnelly in Sonoma over the weekend.  What a fabulous time!

We took a walk in the rain to Jack London's Wolf House in Glen Ellen. 

My Kindle's loaded up with Jack London novels, but I haven't gotten to them yet.  I should read one this week in his honor. 

My days are overflowing with work, writing, and endless little items that take longer than they need to.  I miss the balance of a writing life.  Writing while working has always been a great challenge to me.  One day at a time, that's all I can think about right now.  I do like how this new book is shaping up.  I still haven't come across anything like it out there in middle grade land. 

Haven't seen The Hunger Games yet, but plan to soon, maybe this coming weekend when I'm in Seattle for my dad's 70th birthday.

State Singles in Fullerton, CA

The California State Racquetball Singles Tournament was last weekend in Fullerton, California and my energy was zapped early in the tournament, which was something I was worried about in the weeks leading up to the event. My endurance has been an issue since November. After only two matches in Fullerton I was tapped out. My third match Saturday morning was against the eventual winner of the A Division, Octavio Medina, who made some incredible gets during our second game and managed to overcome a 10-4 deficit to beat me and take the match. I didn't win another game after that in my age bracket. I could barely move properly on the court and my focus simply wasn't there. I look forward to getting back to full strength next year and becoming more of a threat. The one bright spot for me last weekend was my come-from-behind win in the first round against a player named Frank who had a great drive serve. I was down 2-9 in the tiebreaker but managed to claw my way back and take the match 11-9. I didn't play well throughout the match, leaving balls up and missing my serves, but toward the end of the tiebreaker things started to click, especially with a couple of wall-hugging Z serves. Unfortunately, I was so exhausted after the match that two hours later when I faced Octavio I wasn't fully there. The walls on our court were also very wet, creating all kinds of sick spin on the ball. The organizers actually shut down our court after the match because it was so unplayable.

Two days later, I'm still very sore in my legs and right arm. I'll play again on Friday and definitely work on my leg strength in preparation for the Stockton Pro/Am next month.

While in Fullerton, I visited my nephew Tristan, who's a freshman at Chapman University. We had a great time together over a couple of delicious burgers at Claim Jumper and sandwiches at Watson's Diner in the center of Orange. Tristan's future looks very bright indeed!

Now that the state tournament is over, my attention has shifted to the new middle grade novel I'm working on about a future U.S. president who as a 5th grader believes he was a mighty king in another life. I hope to have this story finished by July.

Top 10 Things on my Mind

1.  The Oscars...and The Artist, which gets my vote for Best Picture.

How does a silent, black and white film become the most talked about feel good movie of the year?  I have no idea, but the moment the lights dimmed and the music began I was hooked.  This was one of the most enjoyable movie experiences I've had in years!

2.  New YA Novel...middle grade groundbreaker for boys...readable draft ready by mid-summer.

While waiting for Julia Milan to find a home, I'm keeping myself busy with a new novel about a fifth grader from Oakland named Martin, whose uncanny insights about leadership and human nature propel him to national promiance during the presidential election of 2012.  Presented as a biography about the young life of a future U.S. President, this political page turner is unlike anything in bookstores for middle grade readers (especially boys!). 

3.  Julia Milan news...no news yet...

Good things come to those who wait, and great things come to characters like Julia who must wait to find an editor who understands why she is the way she is.

4.  Vanguard Mutual Funds

I've been meaning to update my 401k situation with a new strategy and positional shift to Vanguard and its low-fee, strong-performance mutual funds.  I never seem to have enough time to read annual reports and prospectuses, but I'm getting my act together this week.

5.  Neal's Visit last week

w/ Neal @ Chapel of the Chimes

My longtime awesome friend Neal Fowler visited last week and we had a TOTAL blast hanging out, eating Zach's pizza, the new burger joint down the street, watching a few flicks ("The Descendants" and "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy") and even giving 4th grade neighbor Sophie a violin lesson.  Can't wait for Neal's entire family to come visit!

6.  Inspiration Point with Alice

This morning, Alice and I took a wonderful 4-mile walk through Tilden Park in Berkeley, walking along Inspiration Point on a crisp, cloudless day.  As Alice would say, "This is living!"

7.  1776 and George Washington

I listened to the audio version of David McCullough's "1776" last week and parts of it again this week.  The Battle of Trenton is still swirling around in my mind.  I now understand why George Washington is so revered by historians.  He needed a total game changer before the start of 1777, and on Christmas night 1776 he totally delivered what has to be one of the most dangerous, gutsy, midnight surprise attacks of all time.  Stunning.  Truly awe-inspiring.  I love this founding father right now.

8.  Racquetball

I'm preparing for the A division of the State Singles Tournament next month in Fullerton, CA, and it's amazing to me how consistent I can be one day and inconsistent I can be 24 hours later.  Yesterday morning I moved around the court like an 80-year-old.  I could barely move.  Steve B., Brian R. and I have been playing singles a lot in prepartion for March.  Next week is the Club One Doubles Tournament.  Can't wait!

9.  Page Plus Cellular on the Verizon Network

Last month, I was all set to upgrade my orginal iPhone to an iPhone 4 with AT&T, but quickly learned that would mean an additional $30 in monthly fees, so I searched for a less expensive but reliable option.  This company out of Ohio is very good and uses the Verizon Network.  For $30/month, I have all the minutes, texting and data I need.

10.  Downton Abbey Season 2

 Not as tight nor compelling as season 1, but still an engaging program with many likeable characters.  Can't wait for season 3!

New Year

Alice and I traveled to Hawaii for a few days after New Year's, just to get away and relax before embarking on the beginning of a very busy year for both of us.  We were in Honolulu five days and four nights, and we both had a sensational time.  The weather was perfect and the food was just as good.  We took a lot of pictures and I hope to add more to this entry throughout the week.