• Sitting 11 rows up from the field. We were so very close.
• Alex Smith replaces Shaun in the second half, when the 49ers almost came back from a 21-0 deficit. Made for quite an exciting finish, but not sure if this is a good or bad thing?
• Three army people parachuting into the stadium from the sky, one holding an American flag and another holding a football. This was pretty awesome.
• The Bushes were at the game. HW and W were witnesses of the game-opening coin toss. When we found out they were there, first thing we thought? “Um, I’m not sure how safe I feel being in the same stadium as these guys…”
• Seeing Shaun after the game. First thing he said? “Since I’ve been playing this sport, that was only the second game I’ve started and didn’t finish.” FYI, the first time was when he was at Maryland and got injured. Yep, this time it’s a bit different…
• Houston’s lightrail = awesome. When is Austin’s going to become available???

After the game we had dinner with Chill’s mom. This is when the real fun begins. About 15 minutes after finishing dinner, I started feeling a sharp, acute pain on my left side. At first I thought it was a cramp or something, so no big deal. But then I started feeling nausea and the pain was getting worse. My natural instinct is to lay down and curl into a ball to make things feel better, but nothing made it feel better, and every movement felt like it was making it worse. While the vomiting and nausea made us think it could be food poisoning, no one else was getting sick, and the pain in my side was very sharp and constant and did not subside at all, only worsened. We decided to head to an emergency clinic, and after lots of drugs and tests, voila - it was a kidney stone! 18 hours later, I am feeling almost back to normal, but looking back at it all feels very surreal.

• FYI, kidney stones = severe, severe pain. I hope I (and you) never have to go through that again. The doc asked me what it felt like on a pain scale of 1 to 10. My answer was 9. I may probably be a wuss, but considering other pains I’ve felt in my life (which is not very much, I’m guessing), this was pretty bad. I mean, I couldn’t even concentrate nearly enough to watch the NFL and MLB games on TV, I was feeling so horrible. Plus, read this Wikipedia article: “…described as one of the strongest pain sensations felt by humans (including the pain of labor pains in a female)”. So there!
• For the first time in my life, I had the most pleasant experience of getting an IV. They pumped over 1.5 liters of fluid into me. Plus drugs, lots of drugs. Morphine? Been there, done that.
• Getting a CAT scan made me feel like I was in a Sci-Fi movie. Look at how fast the thing is spinning around! OK, I was probably a bit effected by the first round of pain and nausea medications I got into my IV… but it was still cool. And it was distractive enough that I actually felt the best during the scan than any other period in the place.
• I slept for 12 hours after all the hoopla, I still feel drowsy/tired… those meds really did the trick, eh?
• Chill being the most supportive = best ever.

One of the nurses gave me a CD with my CAT scan stuff on it. Guess that means pictures are soon to come. :)

FRIDAY

My bike was fixed (from being hit by a car four days prior) just in the nick of time so that I could ride my bike to Zilker on Friday. It was a pretty sweet ride since I just took the Lance Armstrong bikeway from downtown straight to Austin High and the Mopac pedestrian bridge, which led right to the Town Lake entrance. I actually think it took longer trying to lock my bike into one of the racks than it took to actually bike there.

I got there around 2:45pm and saw the last half of the Averett Brothers, who sounded awesome. After that I sat and listened to The Walkmen’s set, then got in semi-close for Phoenix. I had no idea who Phoenix was, did not know their music at all, but chose them over Coheed & Cambria because I knew I did not like C&C. Phoenix was just awesome, and turns out I did know a couple of their songs… probably from commercials or radio randomness.

I then camped out for Thievery Corporation because I knew (from ACL 2006) they put on a most wonderful show, and it was. I then ran over to catch Them Crooked Vultures, listening to a little bit of Andrew Bird on the way. I initially thought I was going to see Kings of Leon to end the day, but then flopped over to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. And they were sooooo good.

Biking home was pretty uneventful as well, minus having to dodge the pedestrians walking on the bike path who didn’t know what “ON YOUR LEFT” meant.

SATURDAY

They were calling for rain and storms both Saturday and Sunday, so I decided to ride/walk in with my friend Kristen. Saturday was her day and I really didn’t have any preferences at all, so I followed her lead. While it didn’t rain on our walk in, it started to rain shortly after we got there. It was a cold steady rain that, despite having a semi-effective hoodie jacket, made me feel thankful that I brought my umbrella. We listened to a bit of Grizzly Bear, then some of Citizen Cope, then Bon Iver. We headed out towards Mos Def a bit early but then got sidetracked at the football tent where the end of the LSU-Georgia game was playing out. When we got there, the score was 7-6 with GA in the lead and basically two minutes left. Who knew that the teams would score three more touchdowns to make an insanely exciting end to the game?

Mos Def ended up starting 30 minutes late, which was super lame. We left after basically one song to camp out for the Decemberists, the anticipated show of the day. The played their latest album front to end non-stop, and they were amazing. I’d never seen them live as a band (I’ve seen Colin Meloy solo), what a great show. After that was the choice between Ghostland and Dave. While I’m not the biggest Dave fan, I’d never seen them before and he IS fro my hometown (and I’ve seen GLO four times)… but I got so excited when I saw the laser lights being tested out through the clouds and rain that I ended up going to see Ghostland. I did catch a song or two out of Dave when leaving though, so I guess I can officially now say I’ve seen him.

I was so cold and wet and muddy after getting home that I rinsed my shoes off under hot water in the condo’s first-floor bathroom before taking a nice, long, hot bath that felt so very awesome.

SUNDAY

The last leg, and I admit I had to do some extra self-motivating to get myself up and moving. I had a plan though - I HAD to see Passion Pit since I barely missed out on them when they played at Emo’s a few months ago and Charlottesville-based Sons of Bill were also playing (although basically at the same time as PP - stupid schedule).

Of course, walking into Zilker I noticed that it was a little muddy. The first few steps were okay - dirty, but nothing out of ordinary - but then reality set in, as the “grass” disappeared and the mud became thicker, then eventually turning into a wet, thick, sludge that covered your feet completely and smelled pretty not-awesome. I was walking on the way to the Toadies, but soon decided that it was okay to listen to them from far away. From that point on, I decided that I was going to minimize travel distance the rest of the day.

I went over to the BMI stage, where Sons of Bill were going to play, a bit early because it was the only stage where you could actually see grass. I was amused by the crowd that formed there - some probably because of the grass - but mostly it seemed like a lot of the crowd was from Charlottesville. It was almost like a little reunion in the middle of the festival. Pretty sweet. In any case, I got to hear SOB play three songs (they sounded so good, so happy for them!).

I headed over to Passion Pit as fast as I could through the sludge and stayed for their entire set. What an awesome group, I love their stuff! I then went over to The Dead Weather for a few songs before heading back to the Dell stage to wait for Girl Talk. GT was BADASS. I thought I had no energy left, but I ended up dancing through the entire thing.

No Pearl Jam for me, I headed out after the awesomeness of GT and couldn’t wait to hose my feet down. The mud was definitely the hot topic of ACL Sunday. It was pretty ridiculous.

So one major thing that has developed over the past few months: I am now addicted to rock climbing. I’ve been climbing for almost 4 months now, and I am obsessed. I go to the climbing gym 2-3 times a week and have taken a few trips outdoors as well. I don’t know why I’ve become so nutso about it. It’s just tons of fun and very rewarding. I can pretty much onsight V0s and V1s in the gym and am working on V2s and V3s. And I’m finally working out my upper body! I could barely do one pull-up before starting all this nonsense, and now I can do three easily. My arms are getting toned, I’m feeling stronger… and I haven’t lifted a single weight! So awesome.

I have already looked up (multiple times) where the climbing gyms are in Santa Cruz. I probably won’t have time to climb while over there, but just in case…

If you haven’t seen the movie and/or read the book and don’t want to be spoiled… then don’t keep reading.

So where to begin? Yes, the movie left out a lot. But usually this is fine, as the previous movies were good, standalone movies that were still entertaining and had a good plot line, even for those who had never read the books. The HBP was lacking in a solid story line to follow… it’s as if nothing really happens in the movie. The book centers around the mysterious Half-Blood Prince (Harry grows in awe of the HBP, even to a point of idolizing, but who is he, is he Harry’s father?), the facts behind Voldemort’s troubled past (memories dedicated to learning about his grandfather, his mother and uncle, how he became obsessed with dark magic, revenge, collecting “trophies”, and ultimately immortality, how his past has influenced his current personality and outlook), and the Horcruxes and realizing what Harry must do to end the magical war (and ultimately end the series). By the end of the book, you know (basically) what all the Horcruxes are, and you learn about all the reasons why Voldemort has become who he has become. You learn that Snape is the Half-Blood Prince, which is a more significant realization in the book because of all the mystery that was built up to it. And of course, Dumbledore’s death, the person that has been there for Harry throughout the series and has taught Harry so much, has led him along through all the learnings of the Horcruxes and Voldemort’s past… the book pretty much finalizes his death (no, he is NOT secretly alive and coming back), and Harry realizes that he is alone in his endeavor to finish Voldemort, that he cannot rely on Dumbledore anymore. In the last few pages of the book, Harry grows up a LOT.

Then there’s the whole Snape-killed-Dumbledore bit, where by the end of the book we really do hate Snape, we really think he’s evil and horrible and has tricked Dumbledore. Yes, there are a few subtle hints as to his true allegiance, and I remember thinking there was more to it than meets the eye, but you were surprised when it happened. It was shocking to think of Harry Potter without Dumbledore. Snape being the Half-Blood Prince, whom Harry idolized but also hates because he is Snape, and loathes even more after the killing. Learning that Snape was the one who overheard the prophecy when it was made and was the one who ran to Voldemort to tell him of the prophecy - he was the one that delivered the message that ultimately caused the deaths of Harry’s parents. Snape’s character is so important in the outcome of the series, and the HBP book set it up that way.

The film took out most of the memories about Voldemort’s past and story, didn’t spend much time on Horcruxes, and barely touched on the Half-Blood Prince - all the things that made the HBP story interesting and significant. It was almost as if you couldn’t understand why the title of the whole story was called the HBP. And Snape’s bare-mention of him being the Half-Blood Prince at the end of the film, almost too casually, even made it worse. It was almost like it was just thrown in there because it was important, but the viewers didn’t actually know why it was so important. Of course, Snape’s character was not developed at all, and it’ll be interesting to see how the last two movies will go about Snape’s character, especially how important he becomes. I was also appalled that so much time was spent on the whole romance bit, even more appalled that the Burrow attack scene was ADDED (did NOT happen in the book)… why did they do that, when they could’ve used that time to include more memories, or explain the Horcruxes, or anything else? The HBP is a complex book with a ton of character development and so much backstory and story, most of which was eliminated in the film. Perhaps they were concerned of the “lack of action” that the movie would have - adding an action scene to make it “more interesting” and focusing more on teenage romance which appeals to younger audiences - but I feel like that was a cop-out. Perhaps the decisions were made to make a better movie, but in fact they made it worse. I don’t know, I feel like if I hadn’t read the books I would be completely lost in the film, with all its randomness and piecemealing of facts.

The film did do a good job with Malfoy’s character, and I thought the opening action sequence with the bridge in London and the cave/lake scene were very good. Especially the cave/lake scene - it was almost an exact duplicate of how I imagined the scene to be in my head when I read the book. But all in all, it was a disappointment.

On another note, the ACL schedule came out. While I shouldn’t be surprised because this is what happens every year, I’m once again annoyed that all the acts I want to see are playing at the same time. What I’m most irritated about is the fact that Sons of Bill and Passion Pit overlap on Sunday! WTF, probably the two most-wanted bands to see for me, who aren’t even huge names, and they’re playing at the same time. I am not happy.

So being stuck inside for most of the past five days, I spent a lot of time in front of ESPN and Youtube, thus catching up on all the Harry Potter hype that’s been happening for the movie’s release this week. Like with everything Harry Potter in the past, I am very excited about the movie and can’t wait to see how they adopted the pivotal book into film. Although, it’s not nearly the same level of excitement as when the 7th and final book came out. I am definitely a believer that the books are still much better, but the movies are still wonderful, and I’m still going to go see the flick at the Drafthouse at some point.

As for the rest of everything, I was biking most days to work (before the rash began), which was working out great. I’m still getting used to it and every so often I’ll freak out and almost fall off, but overall it’s been awesome, despite the heat. I’ve been climbing a lot also - almost obsessively - just last week I finished my first V2, although there are still many V0s and V1s that I still haven’t yet conquered. And lastly, ultimate is starting up again as well with practices twice a week. This weekend is my first tournament of the season, which will be interesting. I’m way out of shape still, and having sat on my butt (well, not really sat on butt, more like, laid on my back) most of the past week, we’ll see how it goes…

I haven’t had a chance to ride it yet (except for the few minutes I rode it around the parking lot yesterday), but hopefully it’ll become my main transportation option soon. I’m super excited that I’ll get to bike to work, ultimate practices and games, ACL, etc. etc. Yay!

Nevermind the fact that I’ve only ridden a bike three times in the past 20 years and that I’m still scared to death of the thought of sharing the road with cars… but I’ll get over it. :)

Not a whole lot going on right now. I’m still slowly getting back into the swing of exercise-things. I’ve kept up climbing (got myself a month membership to the North gym), kind-of-sort-of started running again (once a week? twice a week?), and kind-of-sort-of started playing more ultimate again. This past weekend I played in TBUF (beach ultimate) in Galveston, which was fun despite our defending champions team failing to win again, and this weekend I’ll be playing in the Riverside Classic tourney with a bunch of awesome peeps, so it should be fun. I’m still really out of shape, but at least I’m doing stuff! It’s a slow process, but as long as I avoid injury, I’ll be happy.

Other than that, just watching lots of NBA basketball. So sad the Cavaliers are out of it - yes, I’m lame and really wanted to see a Kobe-Lebron matchup. But I like the Magic and big goofball Dwight Howard also, and I hate the Lakers, so maybe they can pull off another upset in the Finals. Long shot on paper, but the Magic really showed their stuff against the Cavs, so who knows?

Finally… I’m not one to watch movies in theatres very often, but Pixar’s Up is out, and I’m hoping to see it soon. Heard it was really good… but that’s not very surprising considering it’s Pixar, right?

It’s been a frustrating battle the past few months, trying to get back into the exercise swing of things. As I summarized in this post, I’ve been going through a cycle of sickness and injury. It actually continued a bit longer, as I managed to turn my ankle (the same ankle, of course) again, although the second time around wasn’t as bad as the first. That was about two weeks ago, and I decided that I was going to stop running altogether, at least for awhile. Instead, I’ve been going to the gym for low-impact cardio and doing some push-ups and crunches at home. A few days I went out to Clark field to do some track work - i.e. running some 400s not-very-fast, and as often as I remembered I tried to do strengthening exercises for my feet and ankles. I’ve been very careful, because I really didn’t want to injure myself again.

This past weekend was jam-packed (for me). I was originally going to have a typical weekend - sleep a lot, rest in front of the TV, and maybe go to the gym. Instead, I went climbing for the first time in over a year on Saturday - very much an impromptu trip - and then played ultimate all the way to finals in the Spring League tournament on Sunday - first time playing that much since Winter League. And… I survived! At least for the most part. :)

Climbing was fun! We were originally going to go outdoors at Reimer’s, but it poured down rain on us out there and we had to bow out. That was too bad, although it did add to the adventurous fun. A few of us went to an indoor gym to get some climbing in. I wouldn’t call myself a climber - I’d only climbed a few times in my life over a year ago - but it’s definitely a lot of fun, even when you can only attempt to climb a few routes before your arms going to jello. Of course, my arms are super weak, and I know if I started going more regularly it would get better. So I’m going to try. :)

Ultimate was an iffy decision for me, because sprinting back and forth in cleats usually increases probability of injury, especially ankle-turning. It was kind of like a trial to see if I was on my way back to normalcy - if I made it through the tourney without destroying myself, then I could consider starting to run and play ultimate again. Of course, it made me realize how much fun ultimate was - I can’t believe I almost forgot - and that makes me motivated to keep it going (but carefully). I’m going to try to hit up some pick up games in the next couple of weeks, and then we’ll see. I’m already signed up to play in TBUF, a beach tourney - at the end of the month, so gotta be ready by then - don’t want to let my teammates down!

All in all, I’m just hoping I can get back into the swing of things. I’m incredibly out of shape, and I need it!

The movie looks great. HBP is one of my favorite books of the series, and I’m eager to see how they decided to portray the sixth book on screen. There’s so much plot and happenings packed into it, you know they had to leave out some stuff and change the story here and there. I’ve been pretty satisfied with the movies thus far (but I do think the books are still much better) - can’t really complain much due to the fact that JK Rowling has input in the movies - and I think they’ve gotten better and better. Of course, the main thing I’m really curious about is how they go about [SPOILER WARNING] Dumbledore’s death, which is probably the biggest turning point in the whole series.

Apparently they’re splitting the final book into two movies. I’m not quite sure how I feel about that…