Hormones also differ in where their receptors are found in the target cell, and the type of effect they cause when they bind to their receptors. The receptor for thyroxine is located in the nucleus, while the receptors for steroid hormones are found in the cell's cytoplasm. In both cases, the hormone binds to the receptor to form a complex, and then the hormone-receptor complex activates specific genes within the nucleus, leading to synthesis of new proteins.

Adrenaline, noradrenaline, and the peptide hormones do not enter the target cell. Instead, they bind to a receptor on the membrane surface. The receptor extends through the membrane, and when the outside portion binds to the hormone, the inside portion of the receptor undergoes a conformation change. This change sets off a cascade of reactions inside the cell, ultimately leading to an increase in concentration of one or another internal messenger molecules. The most common of these so-called "second messengers" (the hormone is the "first messenger") are calcium ion and cyclic AMP (cAMP), a type of nucleotide. The second messenger then triggers other activities in the cell, depending on the cell type. In muscle, adrenaline causes cAMP buildup, which causes breakdown of glycogen to release glucose, which the muscle cell uses to support increased activity.

Hormones that bind to external receptors and work through second messengers affect pre-existing proteins within the cell. Because of this, they typically cause much faster effects than those that bind to internal receptors, which influence creation of new proteins. For example, adrenaline's effects last from minutes to hours at the most, while testosterone's effects last from days to months or more.

Track listing

All tracks written by Deftones.

1. "Bored" – 4:06
2. "Minus Blindfold" – 4:04
3. "One Weak" – 4:29
4. "Nosebleed" – 4:26
5. "Lifter" – 4:43
6. "Root" – 3:41
7. "7 Words" – 3:43
8. "Birthmark" – 4:18
9. "Engine No. 9" – 3:25
10. "Fireal" – 6:36
11. "Fist" – 3:35

http://rapidshare.com/files/151548702/Adrenaline_-_kidd.rar

A Sacrimento classic

It’s heavy as fuck

[audio http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/9/22/2110403/Engine%20no.9%20%28Deftones%20cover%29.mp3]

You might’ve heard of Suicide Silence. Unfairly painted by death metal purists as being “too scene” (what does that mean?) because they committed the cardinal sin of playing to audiences of younger, more MySpace-using fans than the usual truck of bearded beer-bellies that show up to death metal shows. The LA deathcore-types have been on tour with lots of big names as part of the Rockstar Mayhem tour in the US, and when I saw them headline the Summer Slaughter tour in the UK I could see why there's such a fuss about them: they were blinding.

You’ve definitely heard of Deftones. By far the best band to arrive during that 1990s belch that goes by the name ‘nu-metal’. They were one of the bands – if not the band – that got me into metal at the tender age of 14. I could go on but I’m saving it for another blog, another time.

Well, the former has gone and covered the latter. A big, stonking heavy screaching bastard cover of ‘Engine no.9’, to be precise. I'm sure there are plenty of people who'll consider this cover sacrilege, but anyone who's had to hear Deftones cover Weezer, right when they should be tearing '7 Words' apart, knows that they're hardly without sin in the covers game.

Deftones - Bored

More Deftones tunes:
When Girls Telephone Boys
Hexagram
Elite

The Guest
Max Cavalera (Soulfly, Sepultura, Cavalera Conspiracy): Brazilian metal God. Need I say more?

Cavalera Conspiracy - Sanctuary

More Max Cavalera tunes:
Soulfly – Eye For An Eye
Soulfly – Back To The Primitive
Sepultura - Roots Bloody Roots

The Masterpiece
Deftones - Headup feat. Max Cavalera (1997 - Around the Fur)

From Wikipedia:
"The song was written by Max and Chino as a way of venting some of their pain over the loss of Max's step son, and Chino's friend, Dana Wells. Soulfly is taken from a portmanteau invented for the song."

Though not a proper music video (only a youtube montage) the raw energy of the song is certainly not lost.

Soulfly cover of Headup (Live) 

by Susan Patterson

While diet and exercise is the cornerstone of any sensible weight loss program, many people overlook the importance of stress relief.  There will be a period of awkwardness initially, which can lead to higher stress levels.  But overall, you need to make sure you are managing your stress properly in order to increase your chances for success. 

In addition to the emotions you feel when stressed, there are several chemical reactions occurring in the body.  One of these is the release of adrenaline, and though this helps to reduce appetite and give you energy, it is only short-lived.  When we’re stressed, we are more likely to sit and stew in it, so the energy we get fuels our thinking and nothing more.  Another chemical released during stress is called cortisol, and unlike adrenaline, these levels stay elevated much longer. 

Cortisol is responsible for signaling us to replenish our bodies and can increase appetite.  Even if you don’t use the energy you initially get from the adrenaline, the cortisol will still be released, many times increasing your appetite and telling you to eat when you really aren’t hungry.  Our bodies are wired this way, which is why many times we will begin to eat when stressed though we don’t need to.  We also tend to crave carbohydrates because sugar is what is normally used when we expend that excess energy.

When you are trying to lose weight, staying calm is vital to appetite control.  One of the easiest ways is through walking.  Studies show that walking has a positive effect on mood, and can help control hunger.  Experts recommend walking 60 minutes a day, five days a week or more.  Yoga and meditation are also powerful stress relief techniques.  There are many videos or CDs you can buy to allow you to practice in the privacy of your own home.  Any of these techniques will be helpful if you are trying to experience safe and quick weight loss.

For some, controlling their appetite is the most stressful part of losing weight.  The constant calorie counting and monitoring of eating habits can be too much for them.  Others are stressed and constantly feel hungry, which can lead to total abandonment of any weight loss efforts.  If hunger is a real problem, try a fast-acting natural appetite suppressant like a hoodia shot.  This doesn’t have the same effects as others which contain strong stimulants and lead to ravenous hunger once they wear off.

The Six Flags Demon Drop could only take me so far.  And the local ski hill; which was a beautiful nine hole par-3 eight months of the year, fully equipped with well disguised sand traps, challenging 40-foot puts, and a fleet of seven rentable golf carts; did not give me the vertical I needed to sustain my adrenal needs.

My friend Matt and I made the 35 minute commute to the airstrip surrounded by corn and lots of other corn and made our jumps.  Addiction set in, we bought rigs, learned to pack and made it a weekend ritual that rivaled any we had experienced to date.  The Screaming Eagle had nothing on this new craze.

We subscribed to the average-at-best industry publication and continued to be disappointed month after month as the new issue graced our mail stack.  Sure it had some pictures and yes it had your name in it (along with thousands of others) if you earned the next license in the skydiving pyramid. 

But with one exception, the magazine was trash.  On the very last page, they always featured one photo.  A still shot that captured something noteworthy in the space between the plane and the corn.  Were the pictures good enough to cut and paste to your wall or door?  Not usually, no…but they were the highlight of the issue.

‘Dude, we could totally get our pictures in here, ‘Matt said confidently.  The magazine he was holding smacked down on the table in front of me.  A picture of two skydivers, clad in neon jumpsuits and both waving ‘hang-loose’ fingers, stared back at me.  I threw up in my mouth a little bit.

Within minutes we had devised and begun the execution of the perfect plan. 

We bought Suzi, the inflatable love doll in a seedy part of town outside of East St. Louis.  The guy behind the counter did not seem remotely phased by the group of excited guys who came in to make the purchase.

Our friend Sam, also pro-photographer and skydiver, agreed to film the jump.

9,500 feet.  Sammie flung the door open, adjusted his helmet-cam, climbed out on the wing, and gave us a thumbs-up.  Seconds later the four of us were flying.

Matt and I were not physicists and we did not anticipate the drag created by the rubber doll at 120 mph.  We both hung on for dear life.  I fully expected her arms and legs to rip right out of her body.   She was flapping like a bad toupee at an oscillating fan convention.  Even her circular smile seemed to cup wind. 

But she held.

Sammie started laughing right away.  After Matt and I realized Suzi was solid, we did the same.  8,000…7,000…flap, laugh, flap...we finally reached opening altitude and I waved Matt off.  He had foolishly agreed to hang on to Suzi for the entire jump. 

Within seconds were we hovering under canopy, still laughing.  I could hear them both as clear as I could see them a few hundred feet away. 

‘Dude that was awesome!  I swear to God I thought she was gonna rip apart.’

Sammie was hysterical and could not get a word in.

We watched the tape at least 60 times with the rest of the drop zone.  35 adults gathered around a 12-inch screen and laughed like children.  It was an historic moment.  The laughter was viral. 

Much like an old leg break or an old football injury, my ribs still tingle to this day when I cast my mind back.

In the heat of it all, Sammie never took one still shot, only video. 

We never sent a single shot to the magazine.  But if we had…

Got to know such a place it existed when my friend Jee Wang tried it some months ago. Attracted by some of the challenges shown in the photos, we decided to see for ourselves how it feels like up close and personal.

The adventure park is located within Taman Pertanian, Shah Alam and can be reached by entering N-3.09325 E-101.50717 on your GPS.

^ Click for full map

Booking IS REQUIRED by calling the number on their website EVEN if your group is less than 10 pax. In fact you get a 10% discount by going in groups of more than 10.

We found this out the hard way when we arrived without booking and thus required to pay the RM3 entrance fee at Taman Pertanian THEN having to negotiate for transport (and we settled by renting their bike to proceed to camp 15 minutes away).

The ride is quick and smooth and the weather for the day is quite cooperative that it was cloudy but didn't rain until much later when we're about to leave, and even then only a slight drizzle.

As we didn't book our trip for the day, we had to negotiate with the staffs there and since there's just 6 of us, they managed to slot us in together with the bigger group. Much thanks there.

Note: As a result of that, although they are Wayyyyyy slow in their progress with all the waiting and cheering for their ladies, we simply suck it up and waited patiently for our turn. Personal rant.

We grabbed our gear and joined in for the basic training on how to keep our ass off making a dent in the ground.

Basically it was all about making sure that there's always a tether hooked to their safety lines at all times and that under no circumstances that we do hero stunts and try to leap frog across the chasm.

We were given a basic course on rope work, climbing ladders, walking the planks and off we go!

< Picture courtesy of Ivan

For starters, we are required to climb to the minimum height without getting our arms fatigued and dropping off the ladder. We are made to understand that the platform up there is about 4 stories high. Honestly I think it's only about 3 stories but still, climbing that is no easy task on itself.

Once we reached the platform, we are then made to climb up HIGHER before we can start. I suppose all this is to make sure we lose our perspective of the ground and make us feel safer but it sure didn't help.

< Picture courtesy of Ivan

Once we reached the required height the fear begins.

As you cross each challenge (there's 23 in total), you can't help but noticing that you are slightly better than walking a tightrope across the forest canopy.

Add to the effect that you are so helpless up there, there's no handrails! By right we had to ignore the presence of the safety line but since the platform itself is swaying to the bridge, it's hard not to take advantage of it.

There's a couple of different obstacles and each are rated on its difficulty. Most will feel challenging on itself but as we get used to it, we started to enjoy it.

For example the flying fox. It was to be a track with the least amount of work but required the most amount of guts (200 grams of it) but it turned out to be the most enjoyable moments in the track.

The track condition itself feels good and safe and there's no sign on wear and tear on the gear nor the supports itself. Which is why we are able to do most Indiana Jones timed jump sequences.

Reality has been harsh. All the time spent on Tomb Raider, Star Wars and Prince of Persia didn't help in tackling some suspended PVC tubes. Jumping across short tubes might seem easy on  photo but when you look down and see this:

And note that the tubes actually swings apart in between your legs, then jumping across just doesn't seem that easy anymore. In fact the more you linger the more you know staying in bed is the best decision you did not make.

To be honest, the scary moments are usually while you are on the platform itself due to the narrow walkways and the trees sway in the wind. Also when you look down to take a picture and you realize your camera is not sling across your neck, dropping it just makes taking a picture not worth it.

The pictures you see here tells half the story, for it means I feel safe enough to take a picture, the really scary ones are those you do not see here. For those, nothing short of going there yourself will give it the credit it deserves.

In the meantime while we cool off and plan for the next trip, I only have the following 2 composite picture to share, the rest is in my Facebook album.

But, here's the paradoxical thing I've discovered.  Well, at least it's true for me.  For you too?  I have found that the busier, and more focused, I am, the more energy I have.  Is it adrenaline?  Is it the release of endorphins?  Whatever it is, I like it.

I've been somewhat lethargic lately.  That I don't like.  It just makes me down, sluggish, tired, and a total crankpot.  But, now I'm feeling alive, full of energy.  Sleep just gets in the way of creative thought and accomplishment.

Stay tuned.  There's going to be a lot of exciting stuff coming down the pike soon.

Are you listening???

Justice, c'est quoi aujourd'hui ? Le batard trop trash d'une french touch trop clean ? L'esprit Rock n' Roll appliqué à la musique digitale ? Mais avec un ingrédient en plus alors : un peu de sueur, un peu d'alcool, un peu de sexe, un peu de violence, un peu d'adrénaline, un peu de drogue… et beaucoup de marketing ! La sortie du DVD, le 24 novembre prochain, est l'ultime touche ajoutée à cet exemple parfait de produit conso, bien dans son époque, comme le furent David et Jonathan il y a 20 ans. Toujours par Gavras.

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]]> http://momswellness.wordpress.com/?p=563 Mon, 29 Sep 2008 05:17:58 +0000 cheryljazzar http://wellpostpartum.com/2008/09/29/provider-profile-dr-dean-raffelock/ Many times women can become frustrated by the task of finding appropriate, effective care during the postpartum period.  When women are suffering with a mood issue, it is problematic to even recognize a need for care, let alone trying to navigate "options" such as information on the Internet, various types of care providers and insurance benefits.

WellPostpartum Weblog is proud to highlight practitioners who seek to address underlying causes for perinatal mood issues.  Many of the care providers in the Provider Profile Series practice complementary care.  They will refer mothers for medical treatment when necessary, but they tend to try other approaches first.  If testing shows neurotransmitter imbalance or nutritional depletion, those needs may be addressed first, for example.  Some specialize in helping women to wean off medications using alternative approaches.

Information about how they provide care is outlined here, starting with an interview of Dr. Dean Raffelock.

Dr. Dean Raffelock is a doctor of chiropractic who has earned board certifications in clinical nutrition, acupuncture, and applied kinesiology. He and his wife, Stephanie, have a special interest in helping mothers to recover their lost nutritional reserves after giving birth, thus preventing and resolving many postpartum mood disorders.  Because most commercially-available prenatal vitamins do not have adequate amounts of calcium or magnesium, Dr. Raffelock has developed prenatal and postnatal vitamin supplements which help mothers maintain vitality during their journey to motherhood.
He is the lead author of A Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Health (Avery-2003).  www.pregnancyrecovery.com

1. How long have you been in practice?  32 years And how did you become interested in perinatal mood disorders?  Both my wife Stephanie and myself have mothers that suffered very serious postpartum mood disorders and never fully recovered while we were children. These postpartum difficulties adversely affected our mothers plus all other family members and we have been devoted to serve this community to try to prevent this kind of prolonged suffering in other families.  Do you provide telephone support?   We offer 30 and 60 minute phone consultations.
 
2. Please describe your clinical approach to women's perinatal mood issues.  I am convinced, based on so many years of clinical experience, that a very significant percentage of women with perinatal mood disorders have bodies that become nutritionally depleted when donating all the nutrients to form their baby's body, placenta, breastfeed, and provide the energy to take care of a new baby.  This concept has been validated by so many years of testing postpartum blood levels of key nutrients like 34 different fatty acids (ie. DHA and EPA omega 3 oils), amino acids, organic acids, intracellular minerals, antioxidants, etc.

A key factor of our approach is to test urine levels of the major neurotransmitters including serotonin, GABA, dopamine, adrenaline (epinephrine) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine) and a 24 hour urine hormone test measuring the free levels of progesterone, pregnenolone, estrone, estradiol, estriol, DHEA, adrosterone, testosterone, etiocholanolone, cortisol and cortisone. Blood thyroid hormone testing (TSH, free T3 and freeT4) is also very important.  It is very important to understand that neurotransmitters and hormones profoundly affect each other's functioning.  For instance, there needs to be enough available free progesterone to allow the brain's receptors for GABA help prevent/relieve anxiety and insomnia.  There needs to be enough estrogen for the serotonin receptors to function properly to prevent/relieve depression, insomnia, anxiety, limit carbohydrate cravings; etc.  It takes neurotransmitters and neuropeptides (proteins that affect nerve function) to simulate the pituitary gland to tell the body to make to make progesterone and estrogens and the other hormones just mentioned.  These systems are "synced" and need to be looked at as interlinking and interdependent.  Treating one system without the other often does not yield the desired results.
My book on this subject, A Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Health (Avery-2003), goes into this topic in great detail including showing all the nutritional precursors that the body needs to make its own neurotransmitters and energy.  Our nutrient company, Sound Formulas LLC, is a woman's company specializing in making premier quality, comprehensive prenatal and postnatal vitamin 3 bottle "systems" that provide all the key nutrients to provide babies and mothers what their bodies truly need.  Our postnatal vitamin system is called After Baby Boost and contains #1 a top tier multi-vitamin/mineral formula (including alpha lipoic acid and CoQ10), #2 essential fatty acids (fish oils), and a nighttime calcium/magnesium formula to enhance sleep and relaxation.

After Baby Boost  was put through a clinical trial using a leading prenatal vitamin as placebo and was much more successful in preventing and treating mood disorders, sleep disorders, joint pain, skin disorders and a host of other complaints than an ordinary prenatal vitamin taken postpartum.  Our website Soundfomulas.com gives a great deal of information on why these products were formulated the way they were along with lots of information that many pregnant and postpartum women find very helpful to know.
3. What types of mood issues do you see most often in new mothers?  Depression, insomnia, anxiety, irritability, chronic fatigue, and fears of hurting their babies.
 
4. Please say a little about your assessment and testing procedures.  See above
 
5. Which treatments do you tend to favor for mild reactions?   Nutrient replenishment, bio-identical hormone replacement and neurotransmitter amino acid precursor therapy. And severe reactions?  Add a referral for evaluation for anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, and/or sleep medication to treatment for mild to moderate reactions. mIt is important to note that these pharmaceuticals contain no nutrients and that replenishing all the nutrients donated to form baby's body is very necessary for treatment and to prevent recurrence.  What is a typical course of treatment for each type of mood issue?  This predominantly depends upon individual test results, however, nutrient replenishment, evaluating and treating hormone and neurotransmitter imbalances are the core of what we do because these are the most powerful mood modulating chemicals in the human body.  Referrals for psychological counseling and medications are done as needed.
 
6. What have been some of your most remarkable successes with mothers?  Most of the women who come to us are able to overcome their difficulties, enjoy their families, and have other children if desired.

Thank you to Stephanie and Dean Raffelock for their passion in helping new mothers achieve balance in the postpartum period!

i did an interview for this site. after reading THIS i dont think they will think im "pretty". :]oh well, more on a few posts soon. gonna add more pics and whatnot.

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1610033&w=425&h=350&fv=]

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="357" caption="Adrenalynn Opens her holes "][/caption]

  For those of you out there who think that you are called to preach, I feel the need to give you some insight into the reality of preaching.  Here are a few thoughts as I get ready for game time today:

1. What you see on Sunday morning is the final step of a long process.  I may have notes when I preach.  But the message has materialized over the course of weeks, and in some cases, over the course of my life.  Preparation is 75% of the message.  The other 25% is getting up there and preaching your heart out.
2. After 10 years of preaching, I still get nervous.  EVERY SUNDAY that I get to preach, I feel like I'm going to get sick.  My stomache is churching even right now.  It's not because I've not prepared.  It's not because I'm not excited about the message.  It's because I understand the weight of this office.  The words I speak today, and the way I speak them, could change someone's life.  I want to deliver this with all the power and anointing that God gave it to me with.  If you get up there feeling so confident that you don't get nervous, chances are that your not taking this position seriously enough.
3. I'm still amazed at the attractability of God's Word on people.  When preached straight up, with love, and energized with passion, God's Word will attract the people.  I'm still amazed that ANYONE would show up to hear me once, much less every week!  But its not me that they've come to hear.  PREACHERS...ITS NOT YOU THAT THEY'VE COME TO HEAR!  THEY CAME TO HEAR GOD'S WORD!!!
4. Every week you'll go from adrenaline powerhouse to drained wimp.  Every time I preach, I leave it all out in the service.  Speaking to people a life changing Word will bring an adrenaline rush.  I think that this is what a lot of "preachers" love about the office.  But what you may not hear from most is the FACT that in the next few hours after the service ends, once the adrenaline runs out, you feel like you've been hit by a truck.  You are so drained that you almost feel like resigning (even after great services).  Preaching is a LOT OF WORK!  If you've never done it, you may never fully understand the range of emotions you go through and the wear and tear it exumes on your emotions and body.
5. If you're called to preach, there's amazing reward!  If God has called you to preach, then preach!  Preach to anyone, any size congregation, anywhere! It becomes a part of who you are.  It truly becomes a "fire shut up in your bones".  "Woe to me if I don't preach the gospel!"  There's not a job like it.  I love preaching because it makes me check my own life to see if I am indeed practicing what I'm preaching, thus bringing me closer to Christ.

So here we go...getting ready to head out the door to preach the beginning of a new series this morning:  The Cities of Refuge--Protector.  Preach on!

Alright friends, quick question:  What do guitar legend Jimi Hendrix and I have in common?  Give up?  Well, here it is:  We’ve both taken the stage to perform at San Francisco’s legendary Fillmore Auditorium. 

I got the chance to play the Fillmore recently as a participant in the Rock-n-Roll Fantasy Camp.  After a full day of rehearsals with our “camp counselor” Kip Winger (yes, that Kip Winger,  front-man for the multi-platinum ‘80s rock band of the same name), my four bandmates and I took to the same stage that helped launch the carreers of  Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, and—well—more rock legends than you can count.

While the one-day “On Tour” program has wrapped up for this year, there’s still time to get in on the outfit’s week-long Fantasy Camp program in London.  If the opportunity to play alongside The Rolling Stones’ Bill Wyman and Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason isn’t enough of an incentive for you to get out your checkbook, you’ll also have the chance to record at The Beatles’ Abbey Road studios and play live at Liverpool’s famous Cavern Club.

In the meantime, check out the Xperiences page at XTRORD.com for the full story on my extraordinary experience rocking out at the Fillmore.

When a million things are running through your mind, you just can't get them out straight, so I'm just gonna spit them right out in a stream of consciousness.  I'm a little backed up with the updates (nothin out of the ordinary there!), so this could get quite random who knows...my mind is feeling weird right now.  Here it goes:

- driving makes me anxious/nervous/excited now that i'm: a) driving a new car, b) driving a stick-shift, and c) totally paranoid that everyone knows i'm driving a stick and will stall/peel out/what-have-you => more ADRENALINE RUSH!!!  sometimes i wonder why i did decide to purchase a manual, but it feels good to grow and learn new skills, and hopefully master them!  forgot to mention also that my anxiety has heightened as i am seeing invisible obstacles in the road after being scarred from my accident a month ago.

- so i'm gonna go there.  you know...THERE...the unsaid..the TABOO talk.  SEX.  my neighbors upstairs, well let's say all the neighbors in this neighborhood, are rather conservative.  ok make that REALLY conservative.  many with young kids.  you say "hi," and maybe they'll say "hi" back, but a lot of them give that "i know what you've been up to" look because you're the young, single one that is living the life they wish they could have back.  i return from my enjoyable game night to plop on my couch excited to finally blog!  until i am so oddly stricken by a thudding repetitive creaking sound coming from up above.  wait...this happened yesterday at almost the same exact time.  could it be...?  noo...adults don't have sex. that is crazy talk!  besides, it's been nearly 6 months since i've lived here and haven't heard a thing.  plus, my neighbors upstairs are always the ones giving me weird looks like i have just done my rounds at the whore house or something.  perhaps they're just running on a treadmill (are those even allowed in apartments??).  sound continues...minutes pass by.  it's getting kinda uncomfortable as i am sitting here alone in my almost-silent apartment with this sound that just keeps magnifying in my head.  why is it so weird to hear other people having sex?  or is it because they're old?  or maybe i have something against them because i feel like they're nosy neighbors that i have to justify my actions to, which i really shouldn't. anyway, knowing that my neighbors around me are having sex i guess at least kinda gives me a peace of mind.  it's kinda like, "IN YOUR FACE!  you're not so goody goody now are ya?!"  well, i guess the next time my garage interrupts "quiet hours" between 10 pm and 8 am, i won't feel so guilty.

- that was a long rant on that topic. done now. at least with the taboo part. let's talk apartments. so the above being one reason why i wanna move to a different complex. reason #2:  where i work is so damn far from everything.  i'm not saying i want to be in the center of all happenin' life.  san diego actually has a lot of life in many pockets around the actual city.  rancho bernardo is NOT one of them.  initially when i moved out here, i thought how awesome it would be to live so close to work to save on gas, but that only meant a longer commute to have a life outside of work.  so i was forewarned by co-workers but i didn't listen.  i mean, it's not the boonies here.  there's plenty of shopping centers and eateries.  still a Starbucks every couple miles if that's one metric that'll paint a picture.  but no one really makes their way up here unless they have to.  so i've been giving a lot of thought to moving and methinks it will happen within a year, if not sooner.  just gotta get my funds in shape.

- so that leads me to my final thought of the night...FUNDS!  post-college life is grand when you're working full-time because you are REWARDED for your hard work in monetary form rather than working your ass off to earn an A or B.  duh, right.  everyone knows that.  but what kind of hit me blindly was my careless spending.  drinks tonight? sure!  let's go out!  let's take a trip to Vegas!  ok how about cross-country just for the weekend?  oh yeah..that $100 lamp from pier1...let's get it!  it adds up like crazy.  even just going out for meals.  i guess it didn't hit me until i had to unexpectedly buy a new car.  i suddenly had to think about things i never really had to care about.  like interest rates and where my budget would be x months or years out.  i felt backed up in the sense that i have school loans, rent, regular bills/expenses, and now a car payment.  welcome to the real world...blah blah blah.  well, if i could leave any reader walking away with something, it would be to save and invest early.  again, people hear it all the time, but nothin really goes through this stubborn head of mine until it seriously is banging on your front door.  or at least for me, my bank account.  i was recently advised by good friend/co-worker, Andrew  (there's your plug that i've been promising :)), to open up a Roth IRA, which you'll really be thankful for when retirement rolls around.  not gonna go into details about finance, since i am certainly not certified/knowledgeable in that arena, but i have come to the realization that earning interest on your savings over time is quite powerful.  there is just too much to gain to overlook.

with that said, i think my nerves have calmed down.  the couple upstairs has long been done.  my bed awaits me to rest up for another vigorous day!

underdog by audio adrenaline (audioa). pretty cool song. all their songs are great. leaving 99.really amazing song. i know that they're now broken up, but audio a is/was an amazing amazing group of people who had a love for music & worshipping God & they were quite well at it might i add. my dad was all about audioa for a loooongg time. & he still is. ocean floor, by the way, probably my favorite song, ever, by them. its amazing. the first time i heard that song was at a church camp called bigstuf in panama city. we had just heard a really moving/emotional/heavy "sermon" i guess you could call it. & then the band (who is ridiculously amazing) struck up this song. & it was just a crazy amazing experience (yes i know i use the word amazing way too much i'll have mrs sprunger teach me a synonym for that this week). then my youth group went out on the beach for group time & everyone was just totally silent & we listened to the waves & God speaking to our hearts, it was really really cool.

if you like rap, then definitely check out grits. you'd never ever ever know (without me telling you) just by listening to them that they're a christian group. its crazy! i love them whenever i'm in the mood for a rap song or something of the sort, because now you can't listen to rap without it being about getting drunk & having sex. its nuts! so i love these guys. i'd never heard of them til i saw them in concert. but from that moment on i thought they were pretty neat & like to listen to them. oo ahh, or bobbin bouncin, or open bar would be where i started.

superchick. they're a pretty cool band. i like them alot. they're lyrics are totally real, & totally true. "you need that boy like a bowling ball dropped on your head which means not at all" from one of my favorites: bowling ball. its totally true! girls, please agree with me here, how many times have you thought that about yourself after a relationship or about one of your friends!? its totally true. & all their songs are like that. that's what's so cool about them they're totally honest. i'd never heard of them til i heard them in concert (the same concert as grits, actually).

no i don't go to a bazillion random concerts a year, incase you're getting that idea. i've actually been to very very very few concerts. MAYBE a handful. but this huuuuge concert used to come to my town every year with 15+ bands & that's where i heard of alot of bands, krystal meyers, tobymac, kj-52 included.

As I pointed out in my india journal entry "The Danger Shot", there comes a point in each trip I take where I like to risk life and limb for the sake of a good story. That is what this entry is about. In Cambodia, I climbed a massive boulder while getting bit by fire ants, in India I climbed a tower strung with numerous wires and electrical outlets for the sake of a good photo, and in Italy, well instead of ascending, I chose to descend. 

It was our last trip to Cinque Terre with the camp. The weather was absolutely stinking gorgeous and I felt a mixture of happiness and forlorn not knowing when I would be able to visit this beautiful area of Italy ever again. Each trip to this five-town region had been utterly rememorable and distinct and I was hopeful that this time would be no different. I knew what I had to do to make this happen. I had to take the leap of insanity that I had passed up the two previous times I had been here. I was thinking about it all the time. The cliff was mocking me from afar in my restless sleep. It was like the eye of sauron atop Mount Doom staring at me through while I rested my head upon inflatable mattress. It's power had become overwhelming. Compelling. I had to go. I MUST go...

We arrived at the main train station and hopped off at the first town. This was a journey I had to make on foot. My fellowship of the fling consisted of three others and myself; Kyle, king of texan dwarf giants, Luke, elven prince of friendswood and Peterwise the Gray, wizard of gogurt. We trudged on through the horrors and rank stank of the 1st town. The sight of the Lovers Walkway caused one's stomach to turn. (Not really, it was really-cutesy and made me feel heartsick that I was walking through one of the most beautiful places in Italy with two guy that were married or dating. There was place where you and a lover could affix a lock to the bridge as an ever-lasting symbol of your love - depending on the strength of said lock that you had attached.)  We battled unspeakable beasts at every niche and corner, our minds teeming with the thoughts of victory while our eyes bled fury from the bloodlust that galloped through our veins. (As did sugar. We ate a few gelatos before making it to the jump. And some fuckatcha.)

Finally, we arrived at the Death Bay of the second city, a truly dismal sight (Tourists, sunshine, waves, fat americans, beautiful italians). In a battle of wits and power, we lost our friend Peterwise the Gray to an evil beast, awakened from the depths of hell (his wife, mary, who is actually super nice and not beastly or hellish didn't want him to jump). Bloodied and depleted, mentally and physically (from pizza and ice cream) we made it to the top... to the jump... to our destiny... but first we had to go down down below and make sure it was save to jump and that there wouldn't be any rocks directly underneath the water that we would impale ourselves upon. I mean, we didn't want to die or anything. So we climbed down the cliff to the ocean water and swam around the amazingly blue water. I dove as deep as I could/felt like without goggles to find nothing at all around us. The leap was on!

Before this could happen, an unforeseen circumstance made it's self known. All of the damned elvish bread I had consumed earlier had flown through my system like a train through the tunnels of cinque terre. Yes, I wanted to fly, Yes I wanted to jump, Yes I had loads of adrenaline, but before this... i had to dump. okay? From my two previous trips to Cinque, I was about ninety-eight percent positive that were no bathrooms in these cities. People just peed and pooed wherever they wanted. Not like India all out in the open and shit but mysteriously hidden in some manner that my american mind could not fathom. Plus, I wasn't about to trek back up mount doom to walk back to the 2nd town just to find a place to do my deed. And, I was pretty much already in what resembled a massive toilet bowl anyways... I shouted out my urgencies to my companions and they quickly heeded my call; dashing out of the surrounding water and keeping a lookout for evil orc patrols (or nearby swimmers). A note about this if I may, pooping in open water is one of the most uncategorizable yet totally pleasure filled experiences one can have. I admit, I was slightly conscious of nearby aquatic life that would want to investigate just exactly what the hell was going on but once the motion of my ocean had started, all my fears just drifted away... along with lunch. But of course, idiocy and laziness befell my two companions and no more than 25 feet away, a kayak appeared with two newlyweds happily exploring the surrounding cove. A little note - thiiiiss was pretttty clear water. Like super clear. My fishing expedition came to a screeching halt and I cut the line while reeling up my pants in a discrete motion.... I didn't ask and they didn't tell.

******Poo-Free*********Poo-Free*************

It was time. We gathered our belongings and made peace with the recently deceased. Up the cliff we went. We had made it. And holy balls did the nerves hit us. From our estimates this was somewhere in the neighborhood of 70-80 feet. The only real measurement we had was to drop a rock and count "One-One Thousand, Two-One Thousand, Three-One Thousand, FOUR"! Splash. If somebody can translate that to height in feet, then let me know. I wanted to go first, kinda. But Luke wanted to go first as well. We danced around like the butterflies within our stomach before Luke approached the railing with an increasing 'ohshitness' factor building quickly. Hands on the rail. One leg over. Two legs over. We held on to luke's wrist because the ground was rather slippery and unsteady as was the metal railing. Luke turned around reversing his hands on the pole... He looked back at us... and leapt. It felt like he was falling forever. HUGE SPLASH! And boom! there he was waving at us like a kid that had just jumped into the pool. Watching this made me feel peaceful that he hadn't died and also less peaceful because HOLYCRAPDIDYOUJUSTSEEHOWLONGITTOOKHIMTOHITTHEWATER?!?! Also, a crowd had started to form. This did not help. An american lady came up to me with her hands on her mouth in scared awe. "What would your mother say??" she asked in disbelief. I told her my mother would by crying against the rocks over there. Regardless, it was my turn. I jumped over the rail in  the same manner as luke and had kyle there to hold on to me. This was the last place you wanted to slip or trip. If you didn't jump out or somehow fell to either side of the jump, you were most definitely seagull lunch. I shimmied to the center and turned around. My heart was pounding. I tried to step outside myself to look at how it was affecting me but thankfully i stayed right where I was mentally and sucked in the moment. A thought ran through my head from a scientific experiment show where they display how jumping wrong into water from 60 feet is like jumping onto cement from 60 feet. I was going to dive like a pencil off this sunuvabitch...

And then... silence, beautiful weightlessness and freedom in the earth's atmosphere... beauty and peace had collided against angst and nervousness and created a millisecond of utopia. Then the air started whooshing around me like I was skydiving and I was plummeting like a ton of bricks into the waves below. I looked down to make sure i was pointing my toes down and creating the least wind resistance possible, whiich in retrospect may not have been the best idea.

KRRAAAAK

I hit the water and experienced an instant feeling of red throughout all my senses. I felt my body sinking down, down, and down further as air bubbles escaped from trapped air my body had brought into the water with me. I reached a point of darkness and a thought danced quickly into my head "am I going to pass out?" .... As quickly as it danced into my head it flew out and i shook my head while spreading out my legs and arms to stop the descent. I looked up into darkness (i don't remember if this was visual or mental) and began to swam... for what ended up being like 7 seconds. 

I broke through the water and luke was right there smiling and laughing. He was concerned that I didn't pop up super quickly like he did. I felt an instant explosion of joy and accomplishment, all from just jumping off a cliff. As stupid as it may sound, something changed in myself (and luke) from doing this jump. I feel totally changed in the realms of confidence and adventure from just jumping off a high place in italy. At the time, I also felt red hot fire on my ass cheeks from slapping the water so hard, even in a pencil-like position. My teeth ached from having my mouth slightly apart before landing. There was salt water pouring from my nasal cavity which wouldn't stop until 3 hours later. My neck ached the next two days from looking down before I landed; hence the red lights. But i felt absolutely stinking great. 

We climbed back up to take pictures of the jump and the cove. An older italian woman, about the same age as the american woman, came over to me and spoke in broken english. "You justa jump eh?" Yes, i nodded my head. She just whistled and smiled before saying "grande couragio!" And this is why european women rock. They like it when guys do stupid stuff such as jumping off a stupidly high cliff!

The rest of the day was a blur. The aftershocks of the jump resonated in me until I drove away from italy a few days later. Looking back, it may just seem like a humorous story of jumping off a cliff like any number of countless drunken rednecks do every weekend. But it was also a momentous moment of kicking apprehensions and worry in the balls and laughing like a maniac while plummeting through the air; tears streaming from your eyeballs in the wind. This act, foolish or not, has changed the way i look at everyday and not-so-everyday events. If thoughts of hesitance confront me in any circumstance all i have to do is think back to the cliff jumping in cinque terre.
Just jump you damned fool, and laugh while you do it.

The thrill of adventure and the rush of blood while taking that first dive into the deep blue waters are fantastic catalysts for most people who love adventure. Scuba diving is popular all over the world and in India, it is now picking up pace mainly due to the efforts of Planet Scuba India. The country’s first inland scuba diving school, based out of Bangalore, is aiming at making scuba diving one of the premier leisure activities for Bangaloreans, without the hassle of travelling to the diving hot spots across the country.

Very few adventure sport in the world matches up to scuba diving in terms of fascination, and most people in the world would like to try it out, given a chance. The chance is here. The time is now.

Leisure and adventure are two faces of the same coin, when it comes to sports like scuba diving. Once underwater, the diver can experience the beauty of the marine life in near weightlessness, and that feeling is incomparable. It has become a way of living for many people across the world and Indians are taking to the sport like a fish takes to water, all puns intended.

So, give the adrenaline junkie inside you a chance to take you through an exhilarating experience. Anyone can dive at Planet Scuba India!

It was a bit chilly and as soon as I got to the boat I put my jacket on. I had taken my fleece home the week before and didn't remember to bring it back. I guess the weather is changing despite my best efforts at denial. Warm sunny days with cool nights. So we motored out to the outer harbor and put up the sails. We saw 12-15knts out of the NE so tonight was mostly a reach out to the CRIB and back. We were 20 seconds or so late to the line but worked our way above the fleet into clear air and saw 7.5–8knts on the speedo the entire evening. There was a bit of fetch coming down the lake out of the North so the boat wanted to gyrate a bit but once we got into a groove, kept the boat speed up nicely. The 'party' was under full swing even before we left the slip. Patrick's brought a CD from the Rat Dog concert in Chicago a few weeks ago so that went into the player and set the tone for the evening.

Despite our late-ish start and being behind the majority of the fleet, we passed up most of the boats by the time we rounded the CRIB and set ourselves up for a broad reach back to the city. Everyone was commenting on how fast we were going this week compared to the previous one. Last week we covered the 4.3 mile course in 52 minutes and this week our time was just under 39 minutes. As we were taking the sails down, a harvest moon in all it's glory popped up above the horizon. A deep, burnt orange orb slowly rising and changing shape and color. You couldn't take your eyes off of it.

Well we got the boat back in, put things away, and spent another hour and a half toasting to the end of the summer. But eventually hunger got the best of us despite working hard at cleaning out the junk food cabinet, so we headed up to the club. We made it just in time to hear that we took a 2nd place, finishing just behind Veloce, the Beneteau 36.7 in the slip next to us. Congrats guys!

So the rest of the evening was spent in great conversation and a commitment to do spin section next summer. There was even talk of doing a MAC. The conversations buzzed along and things started to break up around midnight and I made it home just after 1am.

And Patrick "promises" to post photos from the last two weeks so keep checking!

See ya next Wednesday, weather permitting.

Adrenaline's 2008 Trophy Case