The GGA Project -- Day #237 "And Let's Get Forward, Guys"

This was the phrase we heard repeated all day long, from the mouth of our guide to 


Today's New Activity: White Water Rafting!!


Groupon and Living Social have been good friends in the course of this project.  If you are familiar with either of these sites, you know that all sorts of deals on all sorts of random activities are presented on a daily basis.  When I saw the Living Social deal for Action Whitewater Adventures back in February (half price for a full-river trip down the south fork of the American River), I knew I had to jump on it.


I sent out an all points bulletin to former Barnes & Noble coworkers, suggesting we make it a reunion on the river.  I was so happy that my friends Nessa, Benson & Joey signed up right away, with Peter and Brian following closely after.  A couple of other friends were supposed to come, but events in the interim prevented that from happening.  In the end our friend Jay was able to take one of their places, so it was a 7-person group for today's outing.


Now, I have to say that before I signed up for this trip, I hadn't given much thought to the fact that death by drowning is the most terrifying idea to me, and one that haunts me any time I meander even a little ways into the ocean.  This is owing, I know, to a semi-traumatic and super embarrassing experience I had in a wave pool back when I was 9, and it's been that way ever since.  It's something I'd like to change at some point, but at the same time I think a healthy fear of drowning is a good thing; it'll keep me from doing anything stupid.


Unless, of course, balancing on the edge of a raft moving quickly over class 3 rapids is considered stupid.


Make that mostly balancing.


On the very first rapid (named The Meat Grinder), we slammed into a jutting rock at a wicked scary angle and speed, and Jay, I, and Benson (in that cascading order) were launched from the raft and into the fast-moving water.  I have to say that was probably the most terrifying moment of my life, partially because the lead guide had only 10 minutes earlier put the fear of death in us by imploring that we put our toes up in the water should we happen to fall in, unless we cared to get a foot stuck under a rock and be drowned by the rapids running over our heads.  All I could think in that moment was 'don't die, don't die, why did I do this (?), don't die!'


I somehow was soon back at the raft's edge, where I was able to grab onto the oars the others were holding out for us, and Joey yanked me back into the raft.  Jay and Benson had quickly made their ways back to the raft, and we were soon on our way again (mad props to Nessa for having the presence of mind to grab all three of our oars.  We would have been pretty useless for the duration of the trip if she hadn't!).


Here is a sequence of pictures (taken by a local company that sells them for the price of one arm and one leg (thank you Benson and Joey for offering yours)) from a rapid that *didn't* manage to kick us all out of our boat.  In fact nobody fell out for the rest of the day, following that first adventure 10 minutes in.

The only bummer about falling out of the raft so early into an 8-hour day on the river was that it put me on guard for a while.  I was wondering if the whole day was going to be one big, stressed-out quest just to stay in the boat.  It wasn't until after lunch that it finally sunk in how rare the falling out is and how manageable the act of staying in the raft actually was.


But anyway, one nice thing about doing the full-river option was that there was a lot of relaxing, down time as well (almost *too* much on the first leg).  We talked and took in the nature and got to know our guide, Austin, a little bit.  It was a clear and beautiful not-too-hot day, and the water--though cold--was refreshing.  Most everyone jumped out for a swim now and then, but once I was safely back in the boat I was pretty committed to staying there ;)


I was also thankful that we had a full boat comprised solely of our group.  There was one raft in our party (we pretty much stayed in the vicinity of the 5 other rafts our company took down the river that day) that contained a super obnoxious man who was the only one in the raft talking every time our raft came close enough to hear, and who never--in 8 hours--tired of splashing the people in the rafts passing by.  I think their group was only three people, so the other 5 people in that raft were just randomly subjected to his incessant chatter.  Yeah, I was pretty grateful for the friendly, happy, good-natured, non-obnoxious group that made it out for the trip!


When we got through the lower fork of the river, the current subsided and all the companies' rafts chilled out for a 20-minute jet ski tow back to the let-out point.  We watched the river pass by and took in the experience and relaxed to near napping.  A short bus ride back to camp and we were done for the day.


We put up camp and then met up with Benson and Joey in Placerville where, on Austin-the-river-guide's recommendation, we ate at Z Pie, a pot pie restaurant.  They are worth checking out even if only for the experience of eating a pot pie that was not scalding hot in the center or else cooled down to the point where the crusts had hardened.  They had two vegetarian options as well and everything was very reasonably priced.


After that we headed to Red Hawk Casino for a spell, where Benson, Peter, and Brian all won money, promptly using their winnings to treat us to pitchers at Austin's other recommendation--The Coloma Club.  It was the only bar in town (only about a mile from our campsite--score!), but it was enough.  It was actually one of the coolest little watering holes I've ever been to, with old wooden fixtures in the bar area, a good house band playing classic rock, and a huge patio lit by lamps and Christmas lights, where all the locals were hanging out and where Nessa and Brian schooled the crowd in a game called ladder golf.


All the way around, it was a great experience with great company.  I'd love to do it again, now that I'd be more relaxed for the duration of the rafting and know the best spots to hit up afterward.  Thanks to all you guys for making it truly memorable and for waiting until we were all safely inside the raft to pull out the cameras :)

The GGA Project -- Day #113 "Walking Rainbows"

I don't know about you, but I've always sort of resented having to suppress my desires to smear random strangers with handfuls of fine, brightly colored powder.  Thank goodness for the saving grace of


Today's New Activity: Celebrating Holi


which gave the whole desire-to-smear-colors-all-over-strangers a giant green light :)


My friend Nessa invited me to come along with her and some new friends, Brenna and Evan, for today's festivities.  I was so happy about that, because I've been wanting to join in this fun for a few years now...but I never remember about it until a week later, or just later that day when I see people walking around covered in head-to-toe color.


Holi is a Hindu festival that is celebrated at the onset of spring, and I've just learned from my friend Wikipedia that it is celebrated to commemorate one of two different events, depending upon who's telling it.  One tradition says it's meant to observe the death a woman named Holika, who died when her brother Prahlada was trying to put his arrogant father in his rightful place, with respect to the Lord Vishnu.  Another says has to to with the love god Kamaveda, whose disruption of Shiva's meditation led to his demise and ultimate restoration in another, symbolic love form.  I'm not sure which version of the events is being celebrated by the majority of Hindus here in the Bay Area, but I'm glad they've shared it with the rest of us.


The Holi celebration held at Stanford's Sandhill Fields is put on by Asha for Education, a group which donates the festival's proceeds to the education of children in India.  Paid admission to the event gets you, first, a friendly "Happy Holi!" from these official people in vests, accompanied by a fistful of color, straight to the face.

Can you imagine?!  Their whole job for the day is to welcome clean-faced, white-shirted folks through the doors with the first of many splashes of color at the hands of strangers.  I would LOVE to be one of those festival ushers for the day!  It's such a surprise--that first contact from a person you've never even seen before, but it's such a happy reaching out that all you can do it smile big and dive right in. 

Asha also provided the colors for everyone, but they distributed them (wisely it seems) in small handfuls at a time so the supply would last the whole day.

Each booth of this kind had about 6 color passers out, working from giant sacks of colored powder and handing them out to people so eager for them you'd think it was edible, and they were starving.  We were right there with them, though.  And some colors were rarely passed out, so that when a person did start distributing them the crowd would shout out a collective "Greeeen!!!" and rush to the purveyor of the goods.

Once you had a handful of rainbow happiness, you were free to turn to any person in the vicinity and spread it on their back, shoulders, neck, hair, or their face, and people were of course free to respond in kind.  I'd say few experiences I've had matched today's in terms of stranger intimacy--the good kind.  After a while, the best part was hanging out near the entrance and having the chance to give people their first big doses of color.  And some people brought their own colors--deep, deep midnight blue, vibrant purple and magenta, and the happiest shade of marigold--which stood out brilliantly.

And what would this festival have been without music?!  There were performances from a number of different dance groups

And when nobody was performing, a really good DJ (or maybe it was recorded, I'm not sure) was playing all the most popular Bollywood hits for the happy crowd of revelers.  It actually made me really miss watching Bollywood movies and listening to the songs, which I haven't done in a while.  Being quite sure my music-loving son digs that music and dancing, I'm going to start watching and listening to them with him.

This picture was taken about one hour into our time there, so we were all plenty more covered by the time we left, but it was the best kind of dirty that grownups are allowed to have in public.  I have no idea how monumental a task it's gonna be to get all this color out tonight, but whatever it takes, it'll be worth it  :)

I'll end with this song, which isn't new but which I heard for the first time today and liked instantly.  The lyrics are totally joy riding gangsta, but I like the beat and the sound of it.

The GGA Project -- Day #95 "Can't Read My, Can't Read My..."

If there's one thing I'm definitely not, it's a gambling woman.  The few times I've ventured to casino destinations (three weekends total in my life, spent in Reno/Tahoe--I still haven't been to Vegas as an adult....Oooh!  That sounds like a fun GGA outing!), I allowed myself to spend a total of $100 on gambling.  Most of that I spent on $3 Black Jack tables or quarter slots.  I never planned to strike it rich gambling, obviously; I just enjoyed the sport of it, and it was more fun if it could be spread out over a weekend without losing too much money in the process.


As part of the GGA, however, I wanted to learn how to play poker.  I have a coworker who plays pretty regularly, but I was leery about going to his normal haunts with him because he's a *serious* gambler and I don't really like the idea of being in the environment of *serious* gamblers.  He got transfered away anyway.


So I was super excited to accept when my friend, Wee Irish Nessa, invited me to join in the weekly poker night she attends at the home of former coworkers Mitch and Michelle.


Today's New Activity: Learning When to Hold 'Em, Fold 'Em

Not only did this poker night sound fun because a number of people I rarely see or haven't seen in a while also participate, I knew they would be a friendly group who would help me learn without stealing all my money.  With a $5 buy-in I didn't stand to lose much, but still I'd rather take it slowly and actually learn in the process.


I decided to sit next to my friend Thomas, since he is generally nice (at least a good part of the time) and I know he's a good trainer; he helped train me when I was rehired at Barnes & Noble a few years back.  We played Texas Hold 'Em, and I'm not really sure how this stacks up in terms of difficultly level when compared to other styles, but I found it to be relatively easy to follow.


The most difficult thing to do was to follow the warp-speed progress of the fold/check/raise decision-making from all the players.  We started with 10 people, so nobody was wasting any time in the beginning.  Play slowed every time it came to me and Thomas had to help me decide what to do, explaining why in the process.  Thankfully, nobody seemed to mind (it gave them plenty of time to catch up on nerd trivia "Hey Mitch, question for you: In Star Wars III...")  We played that way for about 6 hands or so before Thomas set me free to make my own decisions.


I think I had a bit of beginner's luck on my side.  That coupled with extreme caution allowed me to hang in there for a while.  The nice thing was that each chip was worth only 10 cents, so it was pretty easy to get A LOT of play time out of 5 bucks, provided I wasn't looking to feign high-roller status (and clearly I wasn't).  Lookit these spoils!

That's like a good $7 right there.  HELL to the yes!

What was interesting to me about the night (beyond learning to play the game and trying my hand at bluffing (super suck at that, no surprise)) was how mentally alert I had to remain just to follow half the conversations going on.  First of all, there were 3 or 4 people there in addition to those who were playing, so it was a lot to keep track of.  But some people, like Nessa, seemed to be able to follow all of it, all at once!  It was happening so fast--numerous conversations there in the room along with simultaneous Twitter feed commentaries and responses, Words with Friends moves played on iPhones, and constant take-no-mercy harassing going on.  Nessa was sweet enough to let me in on the inside jokes, though she didn't need to go to the trouble.  It was enough fun for me to just be in the presence of people who liked each other and had a lot of history between them from which to draw.  I joked that hanging out with this group would keep my mind young.  Being able to play the game well and keep track of all the whatnot will be a REAL test of mental agility, and I welcome the challenge for when next time rolls around.

Big thanks to all those present for the instructions and the good time!

If there were a downside to having spent the evening with such a rousing fun group, it was that it made the return home to my Monkey-less bedroom that much more difficult to reconcile.  He spent the night with his dad, as he has every Wednesday since the first overnight visit about a month ago, and the contrast between the happy din of Mitch and Michelle's and the quiet, absent-baby-energy solitude of my room was a rude awakening.  I actually had to grab Monkey's giant stuffed elephant (Elly) to sleep with, just to keep myself company and to feel like some part of him was nearby.  I imagine that at some point being without my baby at night might become a little easier to bear, but for now it's something of a shock every time I get home from whatever I've chosen to do that night to distract me.

Spending the time with friends has been more than a distraction.  I've enjoyed fully all the moments I've spent in the company of others while the baby is away, but I can't help but notice that--at the end of the evening--when all is still in my room and quiet in my mind, there is an absence whose strength is impossible to measure.  Nothing feels right until he is back under the same roof with me.  And I don't want to detract from the importance of the time he spends with his father...I'm just sharing honestly the feeling I have without him nearby.

It's always good to get grounded...to be reminded of what I hold closest to my heart and to appreciate it fully.  But it's also good to reconnect with the people who bring me so much laughter during all the moments until the baby who stole my heart can return with it  :)

In tribute to tonight's new activity and for fitting mood music, I offer the Glee version of this appropriate Lady Gaga number:

The GGA Project -- Day #79 "@monkeygal2"

For a long time now, I've been saying that Twitter was my line in the sand.  The end of the rope.  The last straw. The thing that would rob from me the last of my sanity.  That's probably why I found this Twitterific take on the melodramatic trailer for The Social Network so hilarious:

But the road I'm a'traveling along for this project is a long one, and I'm sure it will lead me onto mini-paths I never would have considered ambling down before.  Nothing dangerous or ill-advised of course (though I'm sure Twitter qualifies as "ill-advised" for a good many people), but I am surely destined to participate in scores of activities I never would have considered before.  In fact, that's THE WHOLE POINT of the project!


So on that note, I will make no apologies for this fiasco, for


Today's New Activity: Tweeting My First Tweets


Early adopters have long garnered mad props.  They are the first on the scene, the in crowd, the trailblazers.  They sniff out the cool and lead you to it like the scouting ants to the sticky spoils.  On the other end of the spectrum, I recently read an article in Details about the merits of being a "first dropper," the person to abandon a fad while some are just barely catching on.


That's all good--both of those trend-setters have their place in the grand scheme.  But I've decided to carve out my niche as a Dorky Late-Adopter Who Never Drops, If Ever (*notable exception: Farmville).  Yes.  That's my scene.


Which brings me to Twitter.  I don't know how people who have resisted Facebook handle the constant mentions of it in every corner.  They must feel like the rest of the world has gone insane and they are just barely keeping it all together for the rest of us.  I think Twitter is far less ever-present than Facebook, and still I've been similarly annoyed/curious/annoyed by all the buzz about "tweets," a word I think is just beyond stupid.  Celebrities especially just can't seem to shut up about how they're tweeting all the time.  Ugh.  It's even worse as a verb!


But whatever you wanna call it, I don't really think the Twitter phenomenon is going away any time soon.  And I think that today, finally, I got a little bit of "if you can't beat 'em join 'em" flowing through me.


I chose the super original @monkeygal2 as my handle, or username, or whatever you call it, and set about to find some people to follow.  The thing is, Twitter doesn't make that part real easy.  It allows you to access your email contacts, but who really has the most up-to-date contact information there?  How many people even use email that much anymore?  Why can't Twitter access Facebook contacts?  Maybe because there is NO NEED for *both* Facebook and Twitter, but no matter.  I harvested the few contacts available through e-mail and went from there.


So this post had to happen a little later than usual, just so I'd have some time to actually use the app before being able to comment.  


I didn't have enough time/attention even available to keep up with my friend Nessa, a master Tweeter.  I remember her rapid-fire tweeting during lunch when we worked together like 2 years ago.  And at this moment, she's authored 11,058 tweets.  Good lord!  Her musings, combined with those of my friend Liz managed to keep me busy reading off and on all day.


But beyond that--so far--there isn't a whole lot to say.  I still don't have any burning desire to share all day long in 140 characters or fewer.  But it is more fun than I expected to have this running buzz in my ear all day long--the buzz of people commenting on everything and the whatnot.  It's potentially very annoying as well, and probably bad for me in some unforeseeable way (at the very least, it's just one more distraction at the gym, now that I'm using my iPhone for music while I'm there).


One thing that I've heard people say in defense of Twitter has turned out to be true for me, though.  It does plug you into your friends' lives in a different kind of way.  I get to know details I never would have been privy to before, especially now that I've moved a little ways from them and no longer work with any of them.  Some people find the thought of knowing such details nauseating, but then I'd just say Twitter isn't for them.  I can filter the junk out and enjoy what's left.  Based on today's tweets alone (still hating the word...it hasn't gotten any better through repetition), I had ideas for several more GGA playdates, just because I got to know things about what my friends were into/thinking about that I didn't know about previously.  I think that's pretty cool.


Now I must excuse myself because I have some tweeting to do.  Hahaha.  And as I end this, I see that Nessa is now, quite seriously, up to 11,060.  Here's hoping they've found a cure for carpel tunnel syndrome by the time she hits 30  :P