Yeti style

That's right. Katie does the city of Palm Springs - Yeti style! Here's the PS Power/Chill baseball float at the Festival of Lights parade. And that is our new mascot who does not yet have a name - for now, I'll call her Katie. Haha.

That's been the highlight. Work's let up a bit mostly because I got burned out again, and I've been on a few dates with concert guy. We went to Idyllwild on our day off and it was really pretty up there. We climbed up on a big rock with Scout and took a nap. It was so relaxing. More on that later I guess.
I'm getting stoked for being able to be home for Christmas again. And for turning 23. I won't be doing anything my actual birthday, but the next morning is a triathlon in Hemet and it's game on. Hello, Dairy Queen cake! The next day is a holiday party at my place - barbecue, hot tub and fun.

Be safe and peace out.

The big event(s)

What a crazy week! On Wednesday, a guy I worked with at the casino tracked me down and invited me to a ZZ Top concert that night. We went and had a BLAST. My life-long goal of rushing the stage during the song "Legs" is finally complete, and so is downing a lot of Coors Light. :)

Early the next morning, I drove to Long Beach to hop on a ferry to Catalina Island for the Eco-Marathon. The island was beautiful, and we got to work right away setting up for the event. My boss from KC Sports got me the in, and I'm very grateful because the event was very well put together and I met a lot of great athletes. I was mostly in charge of athlete food and making sure supplies got to aid stations, so that gave me a chance to float around to many areas of race operations. It really built up my confidence and got me excited because I'm finally pursuing my career in event management/marketing. I also got invited back to work at more of the events coming up which is a huge plus. Hopefully I'll get the chance to tackle my own event soon.

Other than that, got back late Saturday and caught up on a lot of errands that I've neglected with working 60-75 hour work weeks. So I think I'm finally on the right page with everything. November has shot right by me though, however I can't wait to put up Christmas stuff the day after Thanksgiving! I'll be San Diego for Turkey Day helping out at a 5K and meeting another race director, who from what I hear is a leading female director in California. Sweet! Power/Chill baseball is going well too, I'm beginning to learn the ropes and make some progress in being their marketing assistant.

On a side note, Cowboy Mouth is playing a concert in San Diego on December 12 - who's with me?

Twirl, twirl, twirl

Friday, Saturday and Sunday by day? Making about a billion smoothies at Jamba.

By late afternoon into night on Saturday and Sunday? Working at the Power/Chill baseball booth at the Pride Festival. Thousands of gays flock to Palm Springs from all over the country for the celebration. It was a strange mix of drag, leather, loin clothes, big hairy bicycle guys, children, awkward gay middle schoolers, a woman wearing a shirt that read "Pussy is a terrible thing to waste", guys dressed like Paul Bunyan, cheerleaders, etc. with a background of rainbows, tents and music.

There was even a parade Sunday morning, which was pretty much a gay Mardi Gras with beads everywhere. It's true - anyone you meet in Palm Springs is gay until proven differently! The whole thing made me realize that my gaydar is still off, there were a few hot boys walking around that could have fooled me.

22nd annual Tram Road Challenge

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT - GREG KLEIN 760-324-7069

Nearly 400 athletes from around the country were tough enough to complete the 22nd annual Tram Road Challenge on Saturday.



The 6K run/walk began at 500 feet elevation and ended at 2,643 feet, with the final kilometer being the steepest portion of the race.

The event benefited Palm Springs Police Activities League (PAL).

"This event is very challenging and there were some great times recorded," said Greg Klein of Klein & Clark Sports. "It was nice to see so many runners come out for such a worthwhile cause."

The men were led by Tim Van Orden of Venice at 29:58. Perry Scanlon (30:25) of Desert Hot Springs and Jeff Klemmer (31:21) of
Joshua Tree trailed behind.

The overall female champion was Brigid Freyne of Temecula at 34:54. She was followed by Laura Conley of Woodland Hills (35:06) and Nance Tran (37:02) of Tarzana.

The next event for Klein & Clark Sports will be the Palm Springs Half Marathon/5K on Feb. 17 beginning at Ruth Hardy Park.

For more information contact Klein at 760-324-7069 or greg@kleinclarksports.com.

More information on the Tram Challenge and other events can be found at www.kleinclarksports.com.

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Rawr.

That's all for today.

We hike AND sleep!

Took the JP to Idyllwild on Saturday before work. Definitely calmed me down and tired me out! We had a contest to see what the biggest stick Scout could fetch would be.


Then all day Sunday at Jamba, Monday at KC Sports and at the dentist for TWO and a HALF HOURS (yeah, my mouth still hurts from that one!). After today at work, I needed another day in Idyllwild. JP picked me up from work with Scout and we made our way up again. This time we hiked longer on the Devil's Slide trail. It tired Scout and I out so we slept on the way home.


Awwwww.

More travels...

(Idyllwild)
Last week I went to Idyllwild with Mike before work. I don't know anything that calms me down more than fresh mountain air, trees, good company and coffee during the drive. We stopped a bunch and got to Humber Park with Scout. Not only did she go running wild in the wilderness but she ran up a rock 90 times the size of her and did a suicide jump off of it. Bad Scout!

Saturday was an official travel day with JP and the Scout. We drove to Oak Glen, an apple orchard mountain town with a really old schoolhouse. It's one of the closest places to go to see the leaves change and see that the seasons do indeed change. We took a nice walk and got some chocolate and honeycomb from a tiny shop near a petting zoo. It was tasty and the air was chilly finally. I can't wait until it gets further into October and November since the leaves had barely started changing color and the pumpkins weren't quite ready yet. Last year we went to get apples and I spent the night making apple crisp and damn was it good.

After some doing some convincing we continued up the mountain to Big Bear Lake. I mainly wanted to check out the visitors center and get more information on the town. (Big Bear Lake)
It's about a two hour drive from Palm Springs though, so it'll be awhile unless I find something I can't say no to. But come on - driving home for a couple of hours to hit a lake with a log cabin? Damn near worth it! It's always been my dream to own a cabin on the lake, so some day for sure.

Oktoberfest in Big Bear is going on right now too and I'm hoping to make it to that. I need some celebration - I'm very German, I work way to hard and I haven't had anything to drink since the last party at PS Power baseball, so why not? I'm about due for a knockwurst and beer in a stein. Gemutlichkeit!

Other than that, there are a ton of upcoming events to work - tram road challenge, some stuff with Power and of course, Catalina. Gaudi!

On a side note, this site seems to hide that work at least 55-60 hours a week pretty well, don't you think?

Beverly Hills, baby.

I love driving. And the open road. (That's my new driving buddy, Scout.)

The ability to jump in the car and go see all sorts of things is incredible. Even before I got my license, I was obsessed with the go-kart my family had. When I finally got a car, I didn't have my license yet and my parents said I could drive on the stipulation that I didn't leave the driveway. You'd better believe that every day after school I was in that damn Geo Prism going up and down the driveway.

If semis weren't so abnormally large, I would totally drive for a living. Just drive around the country seeing new sights and meeting new people.

I was in Disneyland for Labor Day helping out at the half-marathon. The boss took me all around the parks to pick up the clocks following the race and I was like a kid in a candy store. People don't understand that coming from the mid-west Disney is sort of a big deal - it's an opportunity saved for the rich or families who save up all of their money for a vacation. Anaheim was pretty sweet, too.

(Heading down Santa Monica Blvd near West Hollywood.)
Today I drove to Beverly Hills. I took the 60 there, so it was a traffic-filled boring drive. On the way back, we'll say I took an alternative route (I got a little lost) and got a chance to see Rodeo Drive, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard, the Hollywood sign and the Hollywood Video IN Hollywood. Oh, and I saw a prostitute. Yeah, that's right. A real, live one.

Los Angeles is very weird - it goes from this strange ghetto to all of these cultural areas (Thai town, Little Armenia, this Latino district) to BMWs and Cadillacs and millions of dollar homes on Rodeo Drive all in an instant.

A couple of getaways

Went to Big Bear again! I love it there so much. It's a huge lake and a resort-looking city about an hour and a half from here. It was definitely a welcomed day trip after work on Saturday. Sunday I helped give out free Jamba at the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films which was great, because I love getting out into the community and out of the store.
Today I found out I'll be helping out at the Disneyland Half Marathon for Labor Day! Score. I'm so excited! Anything I can do at community and sporting events/activities makes me so happy. Gotta get those hands mighty dirty before getting into business for myself.
I've got a pretty decent calendar after that - Nike Run Hit Remix in LA that Jamba is picking up the tab for me to run five miles in September, another triathlon, working at the Palm Springs Tramroad Challenge 6K uphill that Klein and Clark Sports is putting on, possibly a Nike marathon in San Francisco, helping with the Catalina Eco Marathon in November, Tinsel Triathlon that I'm running in in December, and then I'm going home for Christmas! My events calendar gets better and better.

Work hard, play harder

I finally beat the heat on Sunday and to the Padres game in San Diego. Mike, Bob and I saw some great ball and then walked all around the Gaslamp and the beach. It was great weather and by the end of the day (walking barefoot on the beach at sunset after chowing down some AWESOME pizza) we all wanted to move there. I still think it'd be sweet if one of us got a place there, then we'd eliminate all hotel fees because there'd be someone to stay with in the desert AND near the beach. Anyway, we stayed in the best hotel ever on Pacific Beach and didn't want to leave the next morning. Good times.
Definitely looking forward to leaving the desert again, but life is picking up big time with triathlons and 5Ks coming. I guess we'll see what happens. The waters are calming a bit after it seemed everything was falling apart, which I'm happy about. Things can only get better after such a rough patch. Lots of decisions to make about what I'll spend my time doing - there are a lot of different directions to go at this point. Would have been cool to go home for a little while, but a little glad I didn't - still, I'm really bummed I have to miss the state fair.
I hate being an ambitious, ADD hippie sometimes!

All stirred up

Okay, seriously. How could you not LOVE that face?

More on life later. Career can wait, puppy cannot.

You're my new mommy now.

So I'm a new mom. I adopted a little girl from the pound and named her Scout.

Muah!

That's right. Reese has a step-sister - she's a two-month old chihuahua/jack russell terrier, which is a very silly mix I think. We went walking downtown after work today (more like I set her down for awhile, she pooped, and everyone stared then I carried her the rest of the way) and her personality is starting to come out. Yesterday she got home after being in a kennel for awhile and being spayed so she was a little groggy, but she's more playful now. She is the BEST at greeting me after a long day at work!

Anyhow, now two dogs will make up my muse for Brown Dog Endeavors. :) They have yet to meet though. Scout is more a snack at that size than a buddy to Reese so we'll wait on that. Let me know if you have a better play date in mind!

Who knows?

Went to Big Bear for the first time on Friday! Walked around town and the big lake. I would love to spend more time there, maybe get into doing events there or work in a resort or something. It was sweet.
And we saw this giant bus. I LOVE THESE! I can't explain it. I'm such a weird hippie.

On Saturday I worked at the JJ in Hemet. That city was cooler than I thought too. I mean all the girls were pregnant, so I hoped there wasn't something in the water, but the store was good and the city was like a Mexican Maplewood.
Saturday night was super fun. I went out for Steve's birthday... to a lesbian bar, then a gay club/bar. We danced and had beer with the ladies, then to the very gay bar. It was apparently underwear night there and the cocktail servers were all in white-tighties. Apparently I dance, and had not previously known this. It was AWESOME. So many pretty men yet none to touch.
Other than that, I had a really good meeting with KC Sports on Thursday. I'm taking on more responsibilities AND getting paid to work on Catalina Island in November! It's awesome. I so wish I could do that full-time. I'm also in cahoots with a couple of other organizations here. Not sure how my current job is going to go in the next few months - I feel no respect and not sure if it's what I want to keep doing. No matter how great my jobs have ever been, I'm always looking and always have offers coming in. As my mom would say, there's always room for improvement!

The season is over!

So Power baseball season is over. It's back to normal. Less beer, slightly less drama (don't worry, with Jamba it'll never go away) and hopefully a few days off in a row to get out of town for awhile. Back to the gym too, which is my favorite part. My calendar for August looks so bare by comparison to the last two months.

I really met some great people at Power though. And I'll definitely miss the footlongs for dinner...

A white Christmas!

Hey folks! Looks like I should be home for Christmas this year! I have a plane ticket reserved for December 22-28.

Tonight's Power game was Christmas in July themed. It made me think of going downtown and seeing Christmas lights, how I was always so glad when the ice was finally thick enough to ice skate on, sledding, seeing all billion sides of my family in two days, and hearing nothing but Christmas music on KOOL108 radio.

I can't seem to unwind lately, I have so much on my mind. Things just keep popping up to really got me going haywire and it's been non-stop stress for awhile. After Power is over, I'm taking a nice long trip to the beach or the mountains or finding a lake somewhere to really reflect.

I miss home a lot lately too. I just want some Erbert and Gerbert's, Noodles, and most of all, the color green. I've heard it's pretty dry, but you're telling someone who lives in a DESERT with green reserved only for golf courses. And of course, my family and friends too. I can even smell what it felt like to step outside last winter. So fresh and crisp and not 116 degrees. Just a nice bitter cold. Yum.

Catch up time

This month has passed by so fast! It's been a roller coaster ride, however.

I celebrated my fourth of July by working a baseball game, then walking the dog and enjoying fireworks with her. I pondered a lot about moving here - after all, last fourth was spent homeless in San Diego! And before that, I was always at my grandma's. So it was different.

(The team with Mary Bono on the fourth of July. Photo by Katie Bild.)

Other than that, I'm working at the JJ in the mall now. I was pleasantly surprised - it's a decent team, the manager has a great head on her shoulders and I have a lot of respect for her. I have a manager that can be straightforward with me for the most part and I like that.

I've been so stressed lately. I have a lot of people in my life not being honest with me. I'm always closest to and more respectful of people that can say what they mean, be with me. That's not asking much. I also tend to stick up for what is right and what I believe in, and that's gotten me into some trouble recently.

Triathlon

Mike beat me by a few seconds.

Finished okay. Climbed a hill to Devil's Canyon on a bike that nearly fell apart (you know because I was riding so hard). And of course, had to sport the Jamba jersey. It sure felt good!

Still here!

I ran a 5K with Mike in Idyllwild. We both did pretty well on very little sleep. The course was hilly and beautiful, and I ran 3rd in my age group. Mike beat me by a minute (he started in front!) and I was very proud of him.

The next day we hiked eight miles. We did yesterday too but on a different trail.

Funny how time flies...

April 30 was the last time I wrote? I guess I fell off the planet into a busy world of Jamba, day trips, triathlon training and other adventures.

Where shall I start? I started at Jamba Juice and just finished training. So now I'm a real, live AGM in the desert. Not sure if it's a good or bad thing yet, but the hours are plentiful which means the money's good. It's fun though.

My grandparents came in early May. We went to a deli and I showed them that yes, there is a place called GayMart here. I went to San Diego the next weekend for beaching and Balboa Park. I also did a few hikes around home.

I got to see my mom play in a billiard tournament finally! We drove to Vegas and stayed in a cheap motel across from an adult video store. I even got to take her out for Mother's Day (Denny's!) breakfast and walk all around the strip with her. I'm so proud of my mommy, she did so well.

I took Reese for the following weekend. She was great, I miss having a dog greeting me at the door sometimes. We played tennis, went to the dog park and watched movies - just mother 'dogter' time.

The next weekend I finally got out to the bars. It was nice. People watched and saw people I knew from various things.

I have a big weekend in a few days. I started working with the baseball team here and they're opening night is Friday. The next morning I go run a 5K and work again at night. Around 2 a.m. Sunday I will pilgrimage to San Diego to volunteer for the Rock 'n Roll marathon and work again Sunday night at the baseball game.

I occurred to me earlier that life is going alright. Jamba gets me a free smoothie when I work and baseball gets me a free hot dog or hamburger each game. In mid-June I even get to bring Reese to work for Bark in the Ballpark night! How cool is that? Plus I'm making a lot of goals and future plans that I'm excited about. Other than some boyfriend issues, life is all geeeeeee.

Toyota Desert International Triathlon

LA QUINTA – The largest staged triathlon in the Coachella Valley attracted nearly 1100 participants on April 22 at Lake Cahuilla. Athletes ages 11 though 84 competed in the eighth annual Toyota Desert International triathlon.
The calm cool weather made for fast times on two distances. The sprint race included a 500 meter swim, 14 mile bike and 5K run. The international distance was a .75 mile swim, 24 mile bike and 6 mile run.
The overall winner for the men’s sprint was Michael Collins age 41 of Irvine with a time of 1:01.05. For the women’s sprint Laura Kephart age 24 of San Diego finished with a time of 1:12.56. The event was her first triathlon.
The overall winner for the men’s international distance was Thomas Taylor of Phoenix, Ariz. with a time of 1:49.23. Rachel Challis of Carlsbad won the women’s international distance with a time of 1:59.20. She was the only woman to finish the international distance in less than two hours.
The event benefited Police Athletic League (P.A.L.) and the DARE program.
The next event for Klein and Clark Sports is the Tram Challenge held in mid-October.
For more information, contact Klein and Clark Sports at 760-324-7069 or www.kleinclarksports.com.
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Yum! I cut a lot of fruit. The day was fun - the boat died and the director swam in before the start of the race, I got GU all over me afterward, the race went very well for most, and afterward we went out for food and beer. It can't get much better than that!

Save the Ta-Tas!

LOCAL 5K BENEFITS LOCAL RESIDENTS

Nearly 800 runners and walkers took to the streets Sunday, March 25, with their strollers, dogs and children in tow to support breast cancer. The Morrow Institute Women Running Wild 5K Run & Walk began at Ruth Hardy Park and wound through the Movie Colony area of Palm Springs.
“The event was a fun, family-oriented way to benefit people locally,” said race director Greg Klein. “It was great to see so many people come out and support such a great cause.”
For Klein’s family the cause hits home – his sister lost her battle to breast cancer two years ago at age 46. To honor her memory Klein and partner Brenda Clark created the Jody Klein Breast Cancer fund. The money raised from the event goes to the Klein Fund and is directed to the Suzanne Jackson Breast Cancer Fund. Since 1996, the event raised more than $400,000 to provide breast cancer screenings, diagnostic tests and education to women and men in our community who would not otherwise have access to these critical services.
The event included a run and walk with awards and prizes. Many participants wore the name of a person they were there to support or remember. After the race, participants observed a moment of silence and released pink balloons.
Tristan Rogers, known to viewers of General Hospital as Robert Scorpio, ran in the event and later presented awards – including one to his son who placed third in his age group.
First place woman Melissa Oodeca from Santa Barbara not only won the women’s division by a slightly more than a minute with 17:33 but ran in the men’s race 45 minutes earlier and recorded a 17:35. Peggy Kern of Riverside placed second for the women in 18:55. Denise Foote of Aloha, Ore., finished at 19:34.
Adrian Mendoza of La Quinta took first in the men’s race in 16:01. Carlos Ventura of Coachella followed in 16:45 and Eduardo Macias took third in 17:06.
For more information and results, visit www.kleinclarksports.com or call 760-324-7069.

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I wrote that all and got no coverage. Oh well. It went really well, and I worked the 5K on Monday, too. That one was all fancy and nice - the food was catered by the hotel and everything. Not as big of a turn-out as they thought though.

Santa Barbara

I went to Santa Barbara for the first time!

Palm Springs Half Marathon and 5K Run/Walk

FEBRUARY 18, 2007

PALM SPRINGS -- Slightly over 1,000 runners competed in the 8th annual Palm Springs Half Marathon & 5K Run/Walk on Sunday. The runners, age 7 to age 86, represented 30 states plus Canada and Mexico. The race went off without a hitch and benefited the Arthritis Foundation.
Carlos Carballo of Cathedral City blasted away the competition in the 13.1 mile challenge with a time of 1:07.58, or an average of 5:11 each mile. Juan Ramirez trailed nearly six minutes later with a time of 1:13.57 followed Aaron Olswanger (1: 17.02).
Mary Moore of Irvine had an impressive time of 1:21.23 to lead the women. She was followed closely by Olympian and Triathlon World Champion Joanna Zeiger who ran 1:22.43. Kristin Schranz trailed for a third place finish (1: 24.18).

For the men Steven Crum, age 16, took first in the 5K with a time of 15:49. Kevin Barda trailed nearly a minute later (16:40), followed by Daniel Rosales (17:02). The women were lead by Robyn Arnold, age 13, with a time of 19:15 followed by Shannon Maisano (19:53) and Brittany Rereimer (19:56).
The next event to be organized by Klein and Clark Sports will be the Morrow Institute Women Running Wild 5K Run and Walk to benefit the Jodi Klein Breast Cancer Fund on March 25 at Ruth Hardy Park in Palm Springs.
For more information and more race results, contact Greg Klein at (760) 324-7069 or visit www.kleinclarksports.com.

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My work paid off. The event made the front page of the area newspaper! I have to get into writing press releases again - I'm getting rusty.

I'm so glad there was a Desert Sun photographer there.
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=permgall

Home, sweet home

I'm home and I already depart tomorrow. :( I'll write later about my adventures drinking Leine's, getting wet at the MOA, going to the impound lot, throwing a guy out of a concert and going to my old stomping grounds.

But I did get what I came here for.

I got to sit on Fred's lap after the Cowboy Mouth concert! Yum!

Da Bears let us down.

Thisis when you know you've made it. Ahh, memories. I grew out of graphing and into my business calculator. I love paying off student loans.

I'm feeling much better. I'm rehydrated, back to hiking and getting off the toilet. I went to a Super Bowl party today with all big Bears fans. They started off so well. At least the commercials were good and the food was plentiful, that's all I require for a good Bowl party.

I'm excited to be coming home soon. I'm in dire need of a vacation.

Other than that, I'm doing well and a deeper entry is coming soon. I've been reading a lot lately so I'm feeling particularly philosophical and saucy.

Two tickets to paradise!

It's official! The boy and I are coming to Minnesota from February 8-13. Other than the planned Cowboy Mouth concert on Saturday for Krystle's 21st b-day, there isn't anything else set in stone. Except for the fact that the first beverage to touch my mouth when I arrive will be Leine's, damnit, because it's good and you can't get it here.

Well, except for the list that his boss (grew up in MN) helped to compile that is: Mall of America, White Castle, Erb and Gerb's, UW-RF with Bo's for lunch, Holiday (of course!), downtown, and Snuffy's. I'm thinking Sexworld has to go on too just for fun.

I'm so excited for this adventure. He hasn't really seen snow or cold, so it should be good. There had better be snow, maybe we'll go tubing, or at least sledding.

So you all better clear your schedules, because the party is coming to town. :)

Idyllwild and the Celebration of Commerce

After all of the sleeping, JP and I took a drive to Idyllwild, enjoyed the snow and went for a hike. I love getting out of Palm Springs and enjoying the wilderness. It makes me feel so refreshed. Then I went to Best Buy and used a gift card (and some extra) to buy a vacuum (finally!). Now it's back to work for the night. :/

I'm not sure that I'm going to make New Year's resolutions. Basically 5Ks and triathlons to stay in shape, stay crazy healthy, and aggressively pay down debt. Those are my goals for 2007.