Finally made it to the top!

A couple of weeks ago myself and two friends took to the mountain and hiked half dome in Yosemite. It's something I've wanted to do for a little while, but had heard from several people that it's a tough trip and was a little worried about being able to make it. So to prepare, I skipped dinner the night before and got a full 3 hours of sleep (insert sarcastic tone here). People weren't lying, it is quite a hike 18 miles round trip, 4000 foot vertical, and the infamous cables up the side of the dome at the end. Once at the top, the amazing view of Yosemite Valley was all at once trumped by the realization we had to go back down the cables and hike another four hours in the hundred degree heat. The whole way we were huffing, puffing, and grumbling; but in the end (and after a full days rest) we looked back and really felt like we accomplished something (although we all pretty much agreed never to do it again).

Bonus: This is what I saw when I took my shoes off after the hike, LOL.

How to make someone appreciate a desk job

I really don't like it when people complain about the weather.
It's just something that:

1. Everyone you're talking to is experiencing as well
2. There's nothing you can do about it

That being said, it's been a little slow work wise this week. And because of that, I got the opportunity to go out in the field instead of being stuck at my desk all day.

Monday morning around 8:30 I was asked to visit a site in Selma and take some photos for a project we're working on. I spent about two hours walking up and down the streets taking some photos and then on the way back grabbed an iced drink from Starbucks. It was quite nice and made the day fly by when I got back. So yesterday, when I was asked to go out to another site to take some measurements, I was more than willing to go. I jumped in the work truck and started to drive and it was at that point I started to doubt the "fun" of this trip. I looked at the rear view mirror and saw this:

Yeah... having even your eyeballs sweat kinda puts a damper on the novelty of being out in the field. Needless to say, it was nice to get back to the office that day.

I sold my soul to Gamestop

Times being what they are right now and with a load of fun things quickly coming up on the horizon; I decided to make some quick cash by trading in some old Gamecube games that have sat in my closet untouched for a couple of years now. I packed up my stuff in what turned out to be a unwieldy stack of Jenga pieces and headed over to Gamestop.

I decided to go a little out of my way in order to go to a less busy store with close parking. I got out of my car, grabbed the stack of games (which only fell over 18 times on the way there) and headed for the door. As I approached the store I could see one of the store employees shaking his head (that's never a good sign). I pulled an amazing elbow-to-foot door maneuver and got in, only to be told that they closed in 8 minutes and they couldn't help me. They directed me to the store down the road which was open for another hour and I reluctantly grabbed my stack and headed over there.

Upon arriving, I was greeted with the lack of parking I was expecting and had to trudge across the parking lot trying not to leave a breadcrumb trail of games as I walked to the store. After finally getting in and setting everything down, the transaction began... 25 minutes later and several "I can't believe you're selling these" comments from the clerk, we finally finished. All in all I sold 40 games and pocketed $95. As if that wasn't heartbreaking enough, due to a special Gamestop was having I could get an additional 40% value if I took store credit instead of cash. It came out to about $165. That's a $70 loss. Oh well and extra $100 in the pocket never hurt anyone. :)

Also, I've received the world's longest receipt. The Guinness guys are supposed to be calling me back anytime now... :)