vikingdan

X-Mas Trip 2011!!!

2012-01-10T21:44:00.000-08:00

I figured I would post this before Christmas 2012. Enjoy.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T13:27:00.001-08:00

Random

2011-08-11T21:33:00.001-07:00

St. Baldrick's Day!

2011-03-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

Jeremy and his crew from Roseville Guitar Works decided to bravely participate in St. Baldrick's Day on Saturday. St. Baldrick's is a great charity that raises money for research to find cures for childhood cancer by getting people to shave their heads. Having been an active participant in my own personal St. Baldrick's every day for the past 5 years, I was there to lend moral support. Jeremy, being the guy that he is, also donated his hair to Locks of Love. Way to go!

Christamas in S.F. 2010!

2010-12-12T21:39:00.000-08:00

Saturday was the annual Christmas Trip to San Francisco. As usual we started off with dim sum at the Four Seas in China Town, picked up some pastries to go at the always fantastic Eastern Bakery, hung out in Union Square, thought about trying on an $8,000 overcoat at Neiman Marcus, enjoyed drinks at Macy's overlooking Union Square and finished up at Fog City Diner. Good times.

Me and Wayne

2010-11-28T21:03:00.000-08:00

Checked out some Wayne Thiebaud at the Crocker today. I think that guy has a future in the industry.

Pictures from Hill 88

2010-11-12T22:49:00.000-08:00

Did this hike back in October. More pictures HERE.

Massive Attack & Thievery Corporation

2010-11-07T18:51:00.001-08:00

Saw Massive Attack and Thievery Corporation co-headlining last night at the Greek Theater in Berkley. Fantastic show, packed theater and great weather. Highly recommended if you get the chance.

Video of Massive Attack from last night:
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4

A little Thievery Corporation:
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Great video here.

Birthday + 2

2010-10-26T20:37:00.001-07:00

Things Happening Today

2010-10-24T16:10:00.001-07:00

Happy United Nations Day!

Camping at MacKerricher

2010-10-22T21:50:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots from my camping trip at MacKerricher State Park back in September. Fish and chips in Fort Bragg is always a good way to start off a weekend in the wilderness.

More pictures HERE.

Chalk It Up! 2010

2010-09-16T16:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been almost 2 weeks, so I can probably blog about this now. Once again I enjoyed Chalk It Up! over Labor Day weekend, and once again I'm reminded about how much I hate talented people. Enjoy!

More Photos HERE

Chalk It Up! 2009
Chalk It Up! 2008
Chalk It Up! 2007
Chalk It Up! 2007 Pt 2

Freeway

2010-09-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

"Freeway"

1996 - 08/2010

Saturday Night on the Roof

2010-05-10T19:43:00.001-07:00

Engagement? Awesome!

2010-05-10T18:35:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Tyson and Dawn on their engagement!

Sneaking Up on a Dove

2010-05-07T20:00:00.001-07:00

Also known as "Dove On a Midtown AC Unit".

To the Beach!

2010-04-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

Visited the Point Reyes Lighthouse and Drake's Beach last Saturday with Ulysses. We made a fire using nothing but found driftwood and our wits (and a Bic Multipurpose Lighter).

Bowling for Tyson

2010-03-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

Tyson's birthday was back on March 15th, so of course, we went bowling. If you have an eye for detail, you may pick up the Big Lebowski theme. I apologize for the blurry pictures and blame the White Russians.

Click HERE for more pictures.

The Man of Action AND Leisure

2010-02-25T19:08:00.000-08:00

Pieter takes his fencing (and drinking) seriously. Very seriously.

Merry Christmas from Apt. 16

2009-12-25T11:11:00.000-08:00

It's Almost That Time

2009-12-24T16:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Eve!

Christmas in S.F. 2009!!!!!!

2009-12-24T13:23:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we had our largest turnout ever for our unofficial "Official Annual Christmas Trip To San Francisco To Eat Chinese Food Buy Whiskey Union Square Drink Expensive Drinks Scary Cab Ride To Fog City Diner" trip . It was fun. Thanks to all who participated and made this years trip such a success.

The Shadow Box (Acting!)

2009-12-01T17:14:00.000-08:00

Once again, if it's not worth blogging about a week and a half late, it's just not worth blogging about. Last Friday, 11/20, some friends and I went to see some local theater. We saw Amber's production of "The Shadow Box" starring Shane Galloway. Shane played Joe while Amber played Beverly. A great show and highly recommended. Go see it. Now.

For the rest of the pictures, click HERE.

Chalk It Up! 2009

2009-09-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

Late post alert! I know "Chalk It Up!" happened like 3 weeks ago, but better late than never. So here it is, the 3rd annual installment of things people do with chalk and sidewalk on Labor Day Weekend. Here is a link to more pictures. Enjoy!

Chalk It Up! 2008
ChalkIt Up! 2007
Chalk It Up! 2007 Part 2

Friday Night at the State Fair

2009-09-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

George!

2009-07-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots of my friend George. George plays the guitar. He plays it very well, so well in fact, he is about to earn his master's from Sac State. Soon George will be unleashing the fury of his classical guitar on the world! Enjoy.

1st Birthdays

2009-07-03T15:49:00.000-07:00

Not mine. I've had 1 or 2 before. On the weekend of the 20th I flew down to Encinitas with the family to celebrate my niece Riley's 1st birthday. She passed with flying colors. When we flew into San Diego, we ended up waiting for about an hour at the Dollar Rental Car before we were hooked up with a glorious Grand Marquis. Aside from being incredibly inefficient, Dollar also happens to be directly in the flightpath of landing aircraft, which is always interesting.

What's 7 Kinds of Awesome?

2009-06-04T21:49:00.000-07:00

Lightning! Just enjoyed the little electrical storm we had last night. Good times.

Music, Babies, Literature & Stuff

2009-05-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

I am back online using the awesome power of the internet in this age of instant messaging to blog about things that happened 2 weeks ago. I am lazy. It's been a pretty cool 2 weeks. First up:

1. Ulysses and I went to see Ravi Shankar & Anoushka Shankar play a rare combined performance at the Mondavi Center back on 05/13/09. It was fantastic. The show got started about 30 minutes late as the fire alarm went off and the fire department showed up for some mysterious reason. Perhaps it was because Ravi and Anouska were on FIRE (not literally, just metaphorically. Seriously, everyone is fine.) Ravi is 88 years old and responsible for THIS and THIS. Ravi, keep up the good work.

2. We were supposed to celebrate Pieter's birthday on 05/14/09, however that was interupted by the birth of his daughter, Lola, on 05/13/09. Congratulation to Lucy and Pieter! Also, Pieter just recently won the Sacramento News and Review's "Flash Fiction" contest. Being the creative sort, Pieter is now responsible for THIS and THIS. Pieter, keep up the good work.

3. On Friday, 5/15/09, I had the opportunity to see my friend Chris' band Weird Harold play at the Concert in the Park. Great set, it was probably the most athletic performace I have seen in a long time. If you get the chance to see them, I highly recomend it. Chris is now repsonsible for THIS and THIS. Chris, keep up the good work.

4. Last night I had the opportunity to see Tiesto and the community center. Great show. Very loud. Lots of blinky lights, fog machines and glow sticks. Good times.

Point Reyes

2009-04-26T14:05:00.000-07:00

Doug, Ulysses and I went on very pleasant hike in Point Reyes last weekend that concluded with some cold beer and a fried oyster po' boy for myself. Good times.

Acting!

2009-04-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots of Amber for her upcoming debut in "Tartuffe" at the Chautauqua Playhouse. Go see her! Now!

Whiskeyfest 2.0

2009-04-05T12:07:00.000-07:00

As I asked last year, "Is it possible to enjoy yourself without whiskey?". Probably, but again, not if you are attending a little event called Whiskies of the World Expo (& Artisanal Spirits Fest). Since we enjoyed ourselves so much last year (and remembered so little), we decided to try it again. This time we dragged Jeremiah and Keith down there with us. The weekend started with a trip to a fencing (fencing, not fencing) store in Pacifica, as all good weekends should. We then had some dim sum at the Four Seas in Chinatown and finally proceeded to check-in at Le Meridien Hotel. Whiskeyfest is held on the San Francisco Belle which is conviently located within walking distance of the hotel. There were not as many vendors this year as last, but that did not slow us down. We all had our favorites, some of us preferred the Bushmills, some of us preferred the Johnny Walker and some of us preferred the High West Rye, all for our own, varied reasons. The next morning we had breakfast and Irish coffee at the Buena Vista before heading home via the Golden Gate and a brief stop at the beach. Good times. See you all next year!

The Eastern Bakery. The best bakery in Chinatown. Two words... Moon cakes.

Who's ready to drink whiskey? This guy!

Views from the hotel room.

The aftermath.

Just say "No" to room service ice cream.

All weekends spent drinking whiskey should end in a bunker.

2nd Saturday from the 4th Floor

2009-02-08T01:16:00.000-08:00

This is a little late since it is now the 1st Saturday of the following month, but it is never to late to post pictures of people who light things on fire and then swing them around.

Snowshoeing 09'

2009-02-07T12:26:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I, Tyson, Ulysses, Bill, and Bill's small furry child Taz went snowshoeing up on Donner Summit. If this looks familiar, it is because we went snowshoeing here back in 2007. There was much less snow here now than in 07' which enabled us to access one of the longer tunnels and hike a little farther than last time. On the way home, we witnessed a Subaru fly off of the freeway and into a culvert ending up about 20 feet off of the road. If you are planning on driving your car off the road, it is a good idea to have the head of an O.R. at a level 2 trauma center (Bill) driving behind you. Luckily for all, Bill sprang into action to assist the driver and Tyson was able to call the appropriate authorities. Other than a cut on the face and some disorientation the driver was fine, but the car appeared to be totalled. Judging by the outcome, my next car may be a Subaru. Another successful day of snowshoeing.

Taz!
Tyson is pleased with his new hat.Click here for the FLASHBACK!

New method for defeating snow zombies.
At rest before the Flying Subaru incident.
For more awesome pictures, click HERE.

Beaches!

2009-01-18T00:34:00.000-08:00

The U-Dog and I spent the day at Stinson & Muir beaches. Good times.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T14:04:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from #16.

X-Mas in San Francisco 08'

2008-12-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

Tuba Christmas - Check
Reggae/Power Cord fueled drive to San Francisco - Check
Annual visit and purchase at The Whiskey Shoppe - Check
Flasks and cigars at Union Square - Check
Parade of drunk Santas - Check
Annual X-Mas dinner at Fog City Diner - Check
Overpriced drinks at hotel bar - Check
Good times! - Check

Saturday Morning.

2008-12-06T23:56:00.001-08:00

On the way to the bagel shop...

Turkey in the Park 08'

2008-11-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

Last week our Socks and Gloves group held it's now annual "Turkey in the Park" Thanksgiving meal for the homeless. This was by far and away the most successful one yet. A lot of volunteers a served a lot of food and boxes of clothes and blankets were given away. For more info about Socks and Glove and T.I.P., link HERE. Thanks to every one who volunteered and made it such a success.

More Pictures Here

Seattle!

2008-11-18T21:45:00.000-08:00

The U-Dog and I decided to go on a little road trip to visit my friend Rob in Seattle, who will be leaving for Australia in a few months to spend the next 3 years in Adelaide with his lovely wife Jen (who is currently doing research for the hospital). We left town around 6:00 a.m. on 11/07/08 in a rented Nissan Altima with a full tank of gas and a half-pack of cigarettes. We arrived in Seattle 13 hours later. We got to see Rob's place of work, most of Seattle's waterfront and an amazing library. I am also proud to say I was able to fulfill every right thinking American's dream; I drank a chai latte at a Seattle coffee house on a rainy morning (I know your jealous). As you can see by the following pictures, the trip was dominated by Washington State Ferry system. On Saturday we took a ferry to Bremerton and had lunch while on Sunday we took a ferry to Bainbridge and then drove to Port Angeles. On Monday we fought our way through the Portland commute to make it back to Sacramento 13 hours later. Other than the tragic and utterly unbelievable fact that we could not get a cup of coffee in Seattle at 6:00 a.m. on a Monday morning, the trip was a tremendous success. And I would go camping with Les Stroud any day of the week.

First stop, Taco Bell in Yreka.

Cherry Slurpee from Canyonville, OR. This scene would repeat itself over the next 3 hours.

Ferry ride to Bainbridge Island.

Each ferry received and armed escort from 2 coast guard watercraft across the Sound.

The outdoor art park in Port Angeles.

Moving ship, dark, no tripod...

Jimmy!

The long drive home.

Chalk It Up 2008!

2008-09-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late, but we do what we can. "Chalk It Up" to place again over the Labor Day Weekend, and once again, I hate people with talent. I think I said this in last years post, but it is amazing what someone can do with some chalk and a little pavement. It was not quite as impressive as last year, but it is so much better than it was in previous years when it was turning into nothing more than a temporary advertisement for local businesses. You still see a little bit of that, but the "art" part has taken center stage again. Enjoy.

2 days later.

Click HERE to enjoy more amazing pictures of the event.

Two Suns

2008-08-30T22:57:00.001-07:00

Bathroom at Cafe Trieste, North Beach, S.F. Highly recommended if you

get the chance. The coffee shop, not the bathroom. Coppola wrote some
of The Godfather here. Again, the coffee shop, not the bathroom.

View from my apartment, compliments of the forest fires.

Hotdogs forthe Homeless 08'

2008-08-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the 2nd annual "Hotdogs for Homeless" event @ North B and Ahern in downtown Sacramento. Plenty of hotdogs, clothes & gift bags were given out. Thanks to all those who participated. For more information, link here to Socks & Gloves.

For photos of the event, click here.

Sierra Buttes!

2008-08-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Danny took me hiking to the Sierra Buttes, which is located about 30 miles north of Truckee, near Sierra City. The hike up just about killed me. I'd like to think it was the altitude and incline that were responsible and not the fact that I am tremendously out of shape. But I think all three may have played a factor. The trail head starts at 7,000 feet and rises to about 8,600 feet in less than three miles. On the way up I had to convince myself that I was merely going on 16 hikes of 100 feet each. It took about 2 hours to hike up and some mild hyperventilating, but it was worth it. Amazing views, beautiful weather, and great sandwiches (samiches). If you have the means I highly recommend it. Thanks to Danny for the invite!

Click here to view the Awesomeness.

4th of July in San Francisco

2008-07-11T23:56:00.001-07:00

An Evening With Anoushka

2008-04-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

The U-Dog & I caught Anoushka Shankar at the Mondavi Center last night and only have one thing to say: Ravi Shankar's daughter + sitar + Mondavi Center = Totally Awesome. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend it. And for those of you who care, Norah Jones failed to show.

I Don't Remember Last Night

2008-03-30T20:39:00.000-07:00

Is it possible to have a good time without whiskey? Probably, but not when you are attending a little event called Whiskies of the World Expo. I traveled down to San Francisco on Saturday with the usual suspects and spent the evening tasting whiskey, bourbon, scotch, tequila, cheese, cigars and learning to really appreciate the many fine varieties of Knob Creek. We crashed at Le Meridien Hotel for the night, which was located about 3 blocks from the San Francisco Belle, where the event was being held. The evening will also be remembered for one of the most thrilling/terrifying cab rides I have ever been associated with. On Sunday morning we capped it off with some breakfast at the Buena Vista, which is responsible for introducing Irish Coffee to America. If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend it. A few more things I learned; stairs on a boat get much more difficult to navigate later in the evening, bagpipe & drum bands are really cool, and peat moss makes for a very nice form of incense when burned over a tealight.

The view from our hotel room.

Free whiskey schwag.

Snowshoe 08'!

2008-03-22T22:41:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was the 2nd annual Snowshoefestapalooza at Rob's cabin, and I think it was rather successful. Cigars were smoked, whiskey was consumed, air rifles were fired, trees were felled and then burned, and snow was shoed. Now, I can only speak for myself, but I had a pretty good time. If you compare this to last years snowshoe blog, you can see there was quite a bit more snow. We had several snow flurries and some hail, but overall the weather was beautiful, especially when you are staying in cabin that is heated to 70 degrees. Thanks to Rob , Franklin, Ulysses & Tyson for a successfully wasted weekend, and I mean that in the best way possible.

For more fun and exciting photos, see "Dan's Photo Page" link on the right ==>.

Go Figure

2008-02-01T22:10:00.000-08:00

You Are Big Bird

Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around.
You are usually feeling: Happy. From riding a unicycle to writing poetry, you have plenty of hobbies to keep you busy.
You are famous for: Being a friend to everyone. Even the grumpiest person gets along with you.
How you life your life: Joyfully. "Super. Duper. Flooper."

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

3 Day Weekend

2008-01-21T22:59:00.000-08:00

Not much going on right now. Just enjoying the 3 day weekend, the rain and 7 straight hours of NBA basketball. Since I can't think of anything else to blog about, other than the fantastic lunch I had today at Pancake Circus , here are some pictures from McKinley Park.

A Shack in the Woods

2008-01-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

Tree's Up!

2007-12-19T00:07:00.000-08:00

Now Christmas can begin.

Another Day

2007-11-27T22:35:00.001-08:00

Click Here

Nice Axe! (Axe Envy)

2007-10-14T01:07:00.000-07:00

I was admiring the U-Dog's Fender Strat a few months ago. Although I don't play, it's a beautiful instrument, all curvey and swoopy like a 59 Caddy or Jayne Mansfield . An all-time classic design. Sorry for the wonky lighting, but that's what you get when you are at the mercy of natural light.

Apple Hill!

2007-10-08T22:17:00.001-07:00

Yup, it's that time of the year. Time to pack up the minivan and head up to Apple Hill and, as my sister stated, "go gathering". By the end of the day I had consumed apples, apple cider, apple donuts and apple pie, with some potato salad mixed in for good measure. Once again, if you have the means, I highly recommend it.

No Title (Any Suggestions?)

2007-09-27T23:33:00.001-07:00

BlackSun Flower

2007-09-24T22:53:00.000-07:00

A Leaf

2007-09-23T00:59:00.001-07:00

This is just a leaf near my apartment.

My Week of Hearing Loss

2007-09-18T22:55:00.000-07:00

Two completely different shows, both excellent and highly recommended.

B.RM.C. = Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

Paul Oakenfold = Opening Act
Underworld = Headliner

Oakenfold + Underworld = Good Times.

More Things in an Alley

2007-09-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

Things In An Alley

2007-09-14T23:51:00.001-07:00

Chalk It Up! Part 2

2007-09-13T20:04:00.000-07:00

Chalk It Up!

2007-09-09T21:28:00.000-07:00

Over the past few years one of my favorite things to do over Labor Day Weekend is to wander down to Fremont Park and watch people draw on the sidewalk. It is amazing what people can do with some chalk and a little patch of sidewalk.

How Do You Feel Today?

2007-08-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

*On a personal sidenote, this is Mocha, the dog that ate my G-Shock.

?

2007-08-25T23:09:00.000-07:00

I was feeling artistic. Discuss.

The Building Across the Street

2007-08-16T21:23:00.001-07:00

A Sandwich

2007-08-15T23:03:00.000-07:00

Oil and Water

2007-08-14T10:29:00.001-07:00

Tahoe!

2007-08-06T14:56:00.000-07:00

Last week I got to hang out in Tahoe for a couple of days with most of the family (see ya' up there next year Amy, John & Ella), which is becoming an annual and much looked forward to retreat. I did the usual resorty(?) type things; hanging out by the pool, the beach, the casino and in the process acquired some very oddly shaped and randomly placed sunburns.

The Photo Gene.

The hike up to Eagle Lake.

Back at the beach.

An uninvited guest.

Loki the lab is a staff member at the beach. Loki's official job is to keep the beach free of waterfowl (as indicated above, she is not always successful.) Apparently Loki began taking the surfing lessons in June in order to help her carry out her mission. Does a k-9 have to file a 1040?

The end result of Loki's hard work. (I'm sorry but I'm fascinated by this.)

The water taxi from South Shore to Camp Richardson, among other places. The best value in Tahoe, I highly recommend it.

The drive home and back to reality.

Black and White Mania

2007-07-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

More Bridges (Local Edition)

2007-07-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

I have to give a shout out to Cory for the pictorial inspiration.

For those who believe the Tower Bridge is just Sacramento's little copy of the Golden Gate, prepare to have your minds blown! The Tower Bridge was completed in 1935 while the Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937. Discuss.

More Marin Headlands

2007-07-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

I know what your saying, "We know you went hiking, now shut up already!" But it's my blog and I'll post what I want. Now sit back and enjoy the pretty pictures. (Was that hostile enough?)

The Golden Gate

2007-07-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

This is a continuation of my previous post. After hiking to Hill 88, Ulysses and I hiked (and drove) to Hawk Hill. This is the probably the best place to view the Golden Gate Bridge in all of San Francisco. I timed this trip to coincide with the full moon, and it was definitely worth it. I also have to give props to the Marin Headlands park rangers. Technically the park closes at sunset, but we were there with dozens of other gawkers well past 11:00 pm without ever being hassled by The Man. To quote Ferris Bueller, "If you have the means, I highly recommend it."

Hill 88

2007-07-10T15:52:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, 06/30/07, Ulysses and I went for a little hike around the Marin Headlands. One of the more interesting hikes was to Hill 88. Hill 88 is a former radar station for decommissioned Nike SAM site SF- 88, which is located on a nearby hill. It's an interesting little bit of cold war history amidst some beautiful scenery.