I’ve been afraid to admit how much I was dreading this one. Maybe it was the timing: a comedown from a busy year followed by buying a house. Maybe it was my training: I felt like I’d missed or shortened one too many bike rides. But mostly it was mental: I’d set the Oakland Tri as an … Read More »
Category: Writing
It was a classic case of “be careful what you wish for,” and probably inevitable. At the end of last year, I wanted a couple of things. I wanted to get back into triathlon shape. I wanted my Arabic to be good enough to write academic papers in it. And I wanted to become a better writer–a … Read More »
I am officially a homeowner now. All these years I’ve seen houses with tiny lawns and thought I’d like to have one, because I could trim it with one of those quiet, quaint little push mowers with the spinning blades. Maybe I got the idea from a Sunday comics page in my childhood. And I’ll say … Read More »
I should preface: There is a time and place for boat ramps. They help you get your boat in and out of the water without having to carry it yourself. And if, for some reason, you don’t like to walk in rocks and sand, or can’t take the stairs, a paved ramp into the water is … Read More »
Somewhere along the paved slope of a road known ruefully as Nasty Grade, my wife Erin gasped these words over her handlebars. It took a minute, but the other dozen riders us–hypoxic and churning the pedals up the steep central Californian road–finally realized she was joking, and laughed. We’d been thinking the same thing: How can … Read More »
This week, the Oakland Triathlon Club announced its 2014 Elite Team. I’m extremely humbled to be a part of this group, which includes some of the Bay Area’s most promising athletes: Ian Ballentine, Christina Liebner, and coach Mitchell Reiss. We are already training for a very full season of Olympic-distance races: our top events include Wildflower, Escape … Read More »
What matters to me on Valentine’s Day, what’s worth saying in a national storm of pink and red mylar balloons and overpriced greeting cards, is thank you. It has been a big year for love. So, thank you for wearing a rainbow, even if you’re straight. Thank you for painting Facebook red with HRC’s logo … Read More »
In the early-ish hours of last Friday, I discovered that I had lost my wallet. I was in the midst of towing two dogs and a cat out to the car, en route to Oakland International via the pet-sitter’s house. It was not on the dining room hutch, or my desk, or the dresser, or … Read More »
For a slightly longer version of how I ended up with an agent, I wrote a short piece over on my editing blog. Three-word summary: Persistence pays off.
This year I’m racing for the Oakland Triathlon Club, so from time to time I’ll be posting these mini-reports from the Bay Area courses that our team swims, bikes, and runs. If you’re here because of my writing, never fear: I’ll try to make them entertaining. If you’re here because you’re an athlete who wants … Read More »