Back to Tanks, Boardshorts and Bikinis!

The past few days have gifted me with the weather I moved here for. I wake up, roll outside and it's already hot! I spend my early morning reading my book on the patio while the sun beats down on my body. As much as my mind loves it, the bones thank me royally.

Today I ventured down to Del Mar to check out a big tack shop near the fairgrounds, as well as to go on a trail run at Torrey Pines State Reserve. I've heard that there's a large posting board at the feed store that advertises everything from horses and equipment for sale to services needed. I figured I'd see if there was anything that sparked my interest. Not this time, but I was relaxed and refreshed to be surrounded by horse everything!

There's something to be thankful for for a little nature retreat in the heart of suburban southern California. Torrey Pines wasn't like the Iron Mountain hike which blessed me with only a handful of people on the trail, but as I always say, I have no room to complain. Here, in the land of excess, it's refreshing to see so many people getting their exercise outdoors. The Reserve has a series of trails that both wind around and through the park, as well as along the beach. When I read about the various trails online, the website talked about the plethora of wildlife you could see at any time. I got lucky. As I was hopping stairs down a crag towards the beach, I looked out into the ocean and saw a killer whale bobbing up and down along the coast about 20 feet out from the beach. SO COOL! That's the first killer whale I've ever seen, and I got the chills. What magnificent animals they are!

I got in a good run, and good sweat, and loved every minute of it. I spent the rest of my evening reading and enjoying my last night off before my workweek begins tomorrow. I cruised up to Beacon's to watch the sunset which was gorgeous as always. It was so perfectly clear today that the islands were clearly visible. Ahhh. Another day in paradise...

http://www.torreypine.org/

Brett

SURFING!

I’m elated to report that I finally got back out into the waves! It was a short session, but just being back to the water atop my board again felt great. I have admittedly been intimidated to return to surfing. Not so much because of my recovering body parts, but more so because of the surfers who dominate Beacon’s on a daily basis. Like on my favorite runs at Steamboat, I know that the local wave riders get annoyed by the newbies in their waves as well as their way. But what we all must remember is that everyone begins a beginner. That is I, yet again. Besides only having surfed a handful of times, I’m attempting to re-learn regular-footed as opposed to goofy-footed. I truly believe that I am naturally regular-footed. I only learned to surf goofy-footed because that’s how I learned to snowboard. Many years ago I borrowed a girlfriend’s board who was right-foot forward, and the rest is history. I only stood up once, but just that one ride made me more-than-content for my first surf. Now, if I can make it a daily or weekly habit to keep up the sessions, soon enough I will graduate from beginner status. As most of you who know me well enough I hate being bad at something. I’m determined to change that with surfing! Looking back, I’m happy that I have procrastinated getting back out on my fish. As I sit and write, my sacrum is definitely talking to me and letting me know that I used it to the fullest extent today. Once again I am so thankful for my body to have made such an incredible recovery in just a year since my accident.

On This Momentous Day...

It's almost impossible to fathom that just one year ago was the worst day of my life. I'd be hard pressed to deny that today marks one of the greatest days of my life. I was treated to my morning wake-up call from my mom especially early this morning. Luckily I was up, in bed, sipping my morning cup of jet fuel and clicking away on my MacBook. "Isn't it a little early to be calling me after closing the bar last night?" I answered her 8 a.m. call as sassy as Brett knows how to be. "Happy anniversary to you," my mom sang chipperly to me. Wow, yes, I'm out of the dark with my pelvis. But honestly, I've already had the joy of feeling that way for the majority of my 12-month recovery.

After my morning rituals, I geared up for a coast along the coast peddling my road bike. My first visions this morning were filled with overcast sky, but as I procrastinated, the blue sky began to win Mother Nature's heart. Not to mention mine. As I cycled south through Solana Beach and Del Mar, I thought about every body part damaged. From head to toe: I seem to have no lasting side effects from my concussion. Any short term memory loss is my own doing. My shoulder is at about 98 percent strength I would guess. Once I'm feeling back to health from my cold, I'm eager to get my eight-feet-full-of-fun back in the water where it belongs. My pelvis I haven't thought about since probably my last physical therapy appointment for it. My sacrum lets me know it's there every day, but it has yet to slow me down. My knee feels great, and now that I think about it, my ankle no longer erupts like jiffy pop when I initiate my first steps each morning. I happy to have life and limbs--literally.

Today is the second World Cup Ski Cross event of the season. It's taking place in France, the same country I left from a year ago and change on an emergency flight via private jet. I checked qualification results this morning from this afternoon's event, and I was elated to see my best 'mate' on the tour, Aussie Jenny Owens, had a fantastic day and landed number two at day's end. It's refreshing--in a positive way--to no longer see Frenchie Ophelie David run away with every competition as if no other women decided to step into the gate. She's finally being given a run for her money. I was also happy to see that one of my replacements, Caitlin Ciccone qualified 24th. I wish her and Langely McNeal all the support and good fortune in the world!

Off to work--more on this later!

Love,

brett

Live the 'Skinny Lifestyle'

As of late, Oprah has been getting a plethora of press regarding her struggle with her weight and the fact that she's toppled the 200 lb. mark. It's refreshing to see someone so highly visible be so candid about such a massive epidemic in our country. I would be an absolute liar if I were to say that I've never struggled with the food and weight issue. As Oprah put it in one of her interviews, "You can have all the money and fame in the world, but when you can't even fit into your clothes, there's a problem." Amen to that. The past year of my life, I have experienced the opposite. But it hasn't occurred due to some extremely unhealthy crash diet. After my ski wreck a year ago tomorrow (!!!), I lost a considerable amount of weight due directly to muscle atrophe. Pants and shorts that were snug in the waist and upper thigh I found falling off of me this summer. Sure, it's nice to get down to a good fighting weight, but there's nothing wrong with being a healthy size either. The biggest struggle I find dealing with is the fact that I absolutely LOVE food. And why not, it's one of the greatest pleasures in life. Though, it's a very good thing that I enjoy exercising just as much. There's a fine line between the two. What people, and mostly women, must learn is to balance the two in a healthy manner. It's not rocket science. It can be done--but it takes determination, focus and commitment. But just like anything in life, it's possible--as long as you're willing to put effort into changing your ways.

What I've recently been reading and pondering myself is the mindset of thinking like a skinny person. Eat slowly so you get full faster. There's something to be said about enjoying each bite to the fullest extent. You are absolutely making the most out of your eating experience, all the while listening to your body in the process. Dance like you have curves to show off and calories to burn. You'll get more out of not only the workout, but also your self esteem. Turn away from the weighty carbohydrates, the fried foods and the heavy beers. It's not a mystery why the skinny are just that. Although trying to get over the hump is an initial struggle, it's so rewarding once you land on the backside. That's why we have trainer goals, make New Year's resolutions and try to change our ways in life. They are challenges, but they're not unconquerable. Just like Oprah, we need to find out why we are abusing food. Where is the disconnect in life? What makes us resort to food for 'happiness?' But is it really happiness? Are we happy once we've binged and eaten way more than our body needs? Of course not! What I find myself repeating in my head is this: "It's more powerful NOT to binge, than to eat unwanted carbohydrates. Have self control, and be happy with the result and yourself after the fact.

Being healthy inside and out only leads to a happier more prosperous life. So go ahead, enjoy food. But like everything in life, do it in moderation.

Brett

I'm (sort of) a Reggae DJ!

Over a month ago I was approached by my last-year's roommate's husband who is a DJ and works for an online radio station in San Diego. The station is launching a series of streaming playlists. Not only can you log on and listen to the music, you can also chat simultaneously with others tuning in. The best part about X1FM is that there are no fees, no registration, no strings. Just pure music whenever you want it, need it and crave it. Trevor sat in on a typical station meeting where they discussed starting a reggae playlist. My name came to his head immediately, and he approached me for a demo CD of my reggae music library. Thanks to all of my cohorts who keep me on the cutting edge of the genre, my diversity of music beat out the other demos! I was hired to create a 1,000 song playlist for the the station to turn into a streaming playlist. My first reggae gig! The catch was that they wanted the music to be mostly roots reggae and dub. The station wants to appeal to a general audience and therefor didn't want much dancehall, soca, reggaeton, etc. I'm not going to lie, this was tough for me. Dancehall is my gig and was hard to stray from. But I pulled through. I spent three days creating the playlist and then went to National City, to the station's headquarters, to deliver the goods. I got a tour of the studio, the garage band set, and met the various higher-ups of the company. They paid me on the spot and my job was done! I have been keeping in touch with them and hope to be able to continue working with X1FM in various capacities in the future. The tech gurus are still in the process of launching the playlist, but as soon as they do, I will be sure to make an announcement loud and clear. Until then, click on over to X1FM.com and check out the other playlists and music they have to offer.

Bless!

Brett

X1FM.com

Iron Mountain Hike

Meet the weekend warrior of San Diego. Like my compadres in the metro area who jet off every weekend to the Rocky Mountains, I'm the beach girl escaping into the foothills of southern California on my jobless days. I googled hikes in the area and found a few here and there. After reading the reviews, the Iron Mountain hike was definitely the trek of choice. It sounded like a fun trail that rewarded you at the top with a 360-degree view of the area. Done. I jumped into Cherry and headed southeast to Poway, 'The City in the Country,' officially named. "Perfect, I'm home," I thought. In just 30 reggae-jamming minutes on the highway I was at the trail head, stoked for a great trail run on a beautiful late-September day in Colorado. Or just another brutal winter day in San Diego. The trail was fun and technical filled with rock steps and wide-open switchbacks. I kept up a great trail-running pace and landed at the summit in 35 minutes. What a blast. I passed a handful of nice people and happier K-9s. I felt my heart swell and my soul smile. I was in my element. I took the time at the top to inhale the view and give thanks for a wonderful life. The run down was just as thrilling. I concentrated on looking ahead for optimal foot placement, as well as using my left leg more absorbing drops and jumps. Believe it or not, my right leg has already returned to its normal position of being my dominant leg. Crazy to think that in just a year of crushing the entire right side of my body it's already re-established itself as the ruler of my kingdom. I have no reason to complain. I love my life!

Here are a couple of links regarding Iron Mountain. The first is very accurate directions to the trail head. The second is a great video of the 360-panorama view at the top. Enjoy!

Much love,

Brett

http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/IronMtn_7320.asp

http://www.nealwatkins.net/hiking/iron.shtml

Football!

Working at a sports bar in San Diego is a little like working at an apres ski bar in a resort town. Come College Football Saturday and NFL Sunday, people are ready to party. And as of late, San Diegoans are more than supportive of their rallying Chargers. Before I left Colorado during my trip, there was one final stop I had to make before DIA: Sports Authority so I could get my grubby little hands on a Broncos jersey. I've been ashamed all season long to cruise into work every Sunday not supporting my home team. Especially with the turn of events that went down between the Broncos and the Chargers last week. I debuted my Brandon Marshall (15) Jersey during the conference game. I received every comment possible from, "Are you really wearing that jersey?" To "Your bold to wear that, but I commend you for it." I was proud to sport blue and orange with pride. Regardless of the fact that the I knew the Chargers were on just that and ready to squash the Donkeys like an elephant to a possum. Let's just say I added a little spice to the mix, a little fuel to the fire. How boring if there were only Chargers jerseys in the house? "BAM!" As Emeril would say.

Last night the Chargers' pride was cranked up a few notches at D Street. The game started at 5, but by 4 o'clock the place was filling up faster than the ladies' bathroom on a Saturday night. People were hovering for free-for-all tables, chairs and even standing room alone. Thanks to the near 50 tvs in the place, we accommodated a maximum occupancy and kept the alcohol pouring as fast as the Chargers were rushing. Again it was a no-brainer for me to wear my Colorado colors. Now I was just asking for shit. People were more than ready to dish it out, but I was more than ready to take it. I renamed it my 'R.I.P. Shanahan' shirt. Even Charger fans thought that was an intense turn of events for Denver. As the game progressed, so did the drunkenness of the building. By the final touchdown in OT the place was on their feet, fists in the air and vocal cords maxed out. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in every sports bar in San Diego. I assumed the decibel level could have provided the city's electricity for at least a minute or two.

On the note of football, I'll resort back to my Thanksgiving day and my game-winning pass in true Favre (get it?) style during a 3-on-3 pick-up game. Turkey Day marked the first solid day I had the time to roll downtown and chill out with Tom and Kelly Gallo. We headed over to Coronado island where Tom's good buddy Willem lives. He leads an incredibly rough life fixing up houses on the island for his dad during idle home-time from racing sailboats in Florida. Before we collectively gorged ourselves we strolled over to a park on the beach for some calorie burning. The group consisted of me, Tom, Kelly, Tom's friends Willem, Todd, Kristen and two Aussie racing buddies of Willem's, Pauli and Mike. We tossed the Frisbee until it cracked in half and broke. On to football. Naturally, I was the only woman participating. I didn't do much. I would catch a pass here and attempt to throw a long ball there. Really I just ran around and provided a little bit of deterrence and defense. Once the game was dragging we called the two-point win and end to the game. Somehow my team was up. Pauli went out on a limb and threw me a long pass. I caught it like a pro, cocked back and threw a perfect spiral to Willem in the end zone. TOUCHDOWN! We won the game from my sand-bagger pass. YESSSSS! Apart from my scrumptious pies and the Lutan Fyah show later in the night, that was the highlight of my day of Giving Thanks.

Signing out. San Diego---Super Chargers!!!

Brett