3 days without power

3 days without power
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

It was an interesting three days... in retrospect, I'm happy we didn't have power. I'd like to reenact the experience next year... perhaps we could have "Pioneer Days" one weekend every year... living w/o power really highlighted how addicted to electricity we are... and then, when the power finally came back, it seemed ridiculous to watch people piss it away by powering inflatable snowmen in their front yards...

The holiday party

Some companies host lavish holiday parties, give fancy gifts, etc... not us. We took the crew to the Bodies exhibit. Jeff thought it was a strange holiday party theme, but the other pagans in the office loved the idea.

It's been 4 days since our holiday party and I'm still thinking about it... the exhibit was fantastic. loved it. My favorite parts: the knee joint. nervous system. babies in jars. and looking for the best piece of "steak" on each body (the calf usually looked nice and meaty).

Golden Gardens goes off

I pulled into Golden Gardens just in time to chat with Wes before he launched his 3.2. Minutes earlier his board was blown 15 feet across the lawn. I rigged my 4.2.

The wind dropped down to 4.2, the sun came out... it was GREAT! Wes snapped a few shots of me while he was rigging his 4.2. Then a Seattle P.I. photographer came over and asked Wes for our names, i guess he caught a few photos of us out there. :-)

Typical Andy - the game

No, I did not hire a "dynamic Ukranian company" to build a mobile game for the German market where I "get out of the labyrinth"... damn, why didn't i think of that?!

From the press release:

Happy Tube, being a dynamic Ukrainian company which specialises in the production of mobile content and also focuses on outsourcing services, is pleased to announce a release of "Typical Andy" which has been developed specifically for Snapgames, a German company which is considered to be a new force in the development and publishing of games.
"Typical Andy" has proven to be a very successful project of Happy Tube and is going to strengthen its cooperation with Snapgames.

The idea of the game is to help Andy to get out of the labyrinth, which is a great opportunity for the player to develop the logical way of thinking. Happy Tube's developers have a lot of experience in the development of the games for the mobile phones, so they have provided the game with a convenient control and 2 modes of 15 levels each.

Having a friendly graphics and enriched with the animation, thanks to the hard work of the Happy Tube's designer, the game is ported to the majority of the mobile phones available on the market.

Happy Tube, being a developer of the games for mobile phones as well as an aggregator, is also attracted to the domestic and foreign companies by its outsourcing abilities. So, Snapgames is not an exception, because the outsourcing is rather cheap, but the quality of the products is high. That is why "Typical Andy" is once more going to prove the reliability and quality of the Happy Tube's products and we are very much hoping that the game will be enjoyed by all its players.

Snow Day!

The kids are home from school today - a few inches of snow shut down Seattle. People were stranded for HOURS on the freeway - JeffUppy spent 20 hours going from Burien to Woodinville – his truck was firmly stuck in the snow, so he spent the night with family friends and had his truck pulled from the snow this morning. He said he passed 500 to 1,000 abandoned cars on the freeway this morning. Cars everywhere.

Jana and I are working from home – I took a little break and took the kids sledding! Now my back hurts! :-)

John Lennon said it best

John Lennon said it best
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

I've got blisters on my fingers!!

It's great to sail on holidays... all the windsurfers like to B.S.
"remember the Easter storm a few years ago?"
"oh, yeah, it was BLOWING!"

And now we can talk about the Thanksgiving 06 session... it was cold, lot's of logs, gusty, 20-30mph winds - and three guys out today - Matt, Wes and me.

The wind has not stopped for weeks, and my hands are turning into ground beef.

First my hands go numb from the cold.
Then, I'm sailing a HUGE sail for the conditions, so I'm holding on for dear life.
Finally, my blisters start ripping and sand crawls deep into the holes...

Christmas present idea #2: Glacier Gloves

It blew like crazy

Launching at Three Tree Point
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

Since "wes called the Coast Guard" I've decided to start wearing a life jacket... this was the only jacket in my boathouse, now I'm looking for a stylish version with a pocket for a strobe light, flare or horn.

I sailed for 1.5 hours on a totally OP'd (over powered) 5.2 - Wes was on a 3.7! (his 3.7 was in his 4.2 bag... we thought it looked small as he was rigging it).

Lots and lots of logs and a few HUGE jumps for three tree point. I'm hurting now... soooo sore. After i got off the water it started hailing!

Lupe's new chin

Lupe's new chin
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

Lupe went under the knife yesterday.

Tumor-lump-thing - gone.
Festering wound - gone.
super-huge-mole - gone!!

All night long he whined in pain. I slept on the couch to help him turn over, etc. - it was really sad to hear him in pain, I had to carry him everywhere - i thought "did we do the right thing? he's getting old - can he handle surgery?! how long will it take to recover?"

Then, like magic, he jumped out of his bed this morning and limped for the door. He can walk!!! No way!! I opened the door and he started walking down the stairs... whoa! I scrambled for my shoes and ran after him... when i caught up with him he was down in the road with Pam and Rio - going for a walk!! Now, keep in mind, this dog just had surgery. He walked to the Indian Trail, then i made him go home.

An hour later he snuck out and walked the beach a few times!

I think Jana put it best when she said "Lupe is INSANE. He really must be a Kleitsch!"

Nukin Wednesday

Before the wind kicked in
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

The wind went effen crazy on Wednesday - the wind gods presented 2 hours of great/insane 5.2 wind off Three Tree Point. 25-35mph gusts made for a fun day - sprinkle in a ton of floating logs (ding! ouch!) - and wow, I'm still smiling! This photo was taken before the wind went berserk.

Wes was completely blow off the water on his 5.2. He rigged his 4.2 and caught a few runs, but got caught off the point (in a wind shadow area) and did a lot of swimming.

Oh, I finally went back and picked up my windsurfing gear over by Seahurst Beach. It was lying in someone's front yard for a few days. There were a few dirty dog tracks across the board - surfer dog.

The Brain Thinks...

Sometimes Jana uses my computer at night, while sitting at the dinner table, on the couch, etc. This morning i found my browser open to likebetter.com

I took the quiz... and this is what "the brain" thinks about me:
1. I'm a teenager
2. I'm a boy
3. I'm a night owl
4. I'm religious

The Brain was close... Take the quiz now, it's fun!

My trip to bozo beach in Seahurst

It’s reassuring to know the Coast Guard is friendly, responsive and willing to help crazy windsurfers. On several occasions I have been very close to calling the CG for Wes… but Sunday it was Wes who finally called the CG for me. Luckily for me, I made it to shore, under my own power, about 5 miles from home, before the cavalry arrived…

It all started when the wind died suddenly, and shifted to the SE. I was South of Three Tree Point on my 7.3, it was raining, stormy, cloudy. With every attempt at getting back to shore I found myself further and further away. At one point I almost decided to swim, but it would be a long swim, about 1.5 miles, against a ripping tide. And I was freezing at this point.

So, I decided to head out to the middle one more time for another attempt at getting back to the point… but, I crashed in the middle, and that’s when Wes called the CG. With the rain and fog blocking his vision, Wes didn’t see me up-haul the sail… I was looking for ANY boat to bring me back to shore.

The GC radioed two tugs in the area that were escorting a tankard. They broke away for the rescue, a CG boat in the area was sent and they fired up a helicopter! About 30 minutes later I landed approx. 5 miles away and the search was called off.

A nice guy in Seahurst let me use his phone, and my windsurfing gear is still in his front yard.

My tongue has a patch of nasty salt burn on the tip. This is caused by hours of excessive wind, salt water (sometimes gulped – yuck!), and singing while windsurfing. Today I was singing All Along the Watchtower… it’s a great windsurfing song. For a few minutes a was singing Crimson and Clover (Joan Jett version) – what the hell was I thinking?!?

I’ve been windsurfing twice in the last 24 hours – both great sessions even though the beach is clogged with logs from the recent flooding. I took this photo at low tide. At high tide the “log soup” is 15 feet wide - it looks like the trash compactor scene in Star Wars. I had to battle through a few logs on my way in/out today – it got kinda hairy when I was getting pounded by logs in the beach break, luckily R2D2 (wes) was there to save my sail.

Karsten tells all

Karsten brought home an "About my Dad" paper that his teacher helped him complete... I don't know if i should be scared or proud of these answers? The answers are correct - but they make me sound like a junk-food-geeky-football-fan! Ouch... The truth hurts.

About my Dad - by Karsten:

Dad helps me build things.
Dad is special to me because he likes me.

-- Dad's Favorite Things --

Food: Pizza
Book: Star Wars
Hobby: Go to work
TV Show: Football

Windsurfing Flip-Flopper

If I'm not in the mood for C89 dance music or KEXP (my favs), then I'll dial in NPR on my way to/from work... and of course, John Kerry's lame joke was all over the news yesterday. But what got me, was how the announcer called him a "windsurfing flip-flopper"! That's a great name for my kinda lifestyle! I love to windsurf and i love flip flops. And even better - "Congratulations! windsurfingflipflopper.com is available!"

Here's the transcript, or listen to the wav clip here: http://mediamatters.org/items/200611020008

ROBERT SIEGEL (host): Mara, it sounds like the Republicans have been in need of a good issue and they thought they found one in Senator Kerry.

LIASSON: They certainly think so. This is something they are trying to use to fire up their base. They need to in the remaining days before Election Day. Even at the expense of returning voters' focus to Iraq.

Now, this is a little bit of déjà vu all over again because that windsurfing flip-flopper has provided the Republicans with ammunition again, just like he did in the campaign of 2004. And Vice President Dick Cheney was out on the campaign trail saying John Kerry was for the joke before he was against the joke.

Went numb, but had fun

On Monday I got home fairly early - and hey - it was windy! Blowing about 18-20 from the North. I grabbed my board and enjoyed 1 hour of windsurfing on my 7.3. The session got really fun when a fully-loaded-big-old-container-ship went cruising by. It was throwing a 3 or 4 foot wake - huge! As a windsurfer this is a dream come true. I jumped, jibed, rode, jumped, jibed, rode - overall, i had three runs over the swells - i was having so much fun I didn't even notice that my hands had gone numb from the cold.

Lunch Windsurfing Session

I was working from home yesterday (really!) and I caught a great windsurfing session during lunch. South winds 18-20mph. A cute little fish jumped right in front of me while i was out in the channel.

Saturday was F'n great

Saturday was a great summer day, in middle of October.
The sun was out. Wind was blowing about 20mph from the NW.
I was blasting along singing songs at the top of my lungs.
Great day.

Then i realized - i need this product!
(think christmas present!)




Yes, these babes look darn crazy airing out their pits like this... but, the Easy Uphaul promises a life of leisure!
I want one.

First Windsurfing Session of the Winter

It's officially winter. The first South wind blew thru Puget Sound yesterday and I was lucky enough to catch 25 minutes of powered 7.3! No numb hands. Some spotty sun. But, LOTS of crap in the water. I had kelp (sea onions) trailing from my fin 4 or 5 times - i'd have to plop in the water and use my foot to scrape off the weeds, then continue. Caught a few airs too. :-)

Jacks last night

Goodbye Jack

You were kind
till you shit on the bed
and did it again
and then again

You were cute
till you sent Spencer home
with an asthma attack
that lasted two days

You were fun
till you clawed the couch
that took jana
two years to buy

And the sad part...
I know Jana and Karsten will miss you dearly
we could all tell
you were a nice cat
when you weren't shitting on something

Goodbye Jack

I walk like a cowboy

Or, to be more specific... i walk like a cowboy with a groin injury.

Should normal guys, with normal day jobs ride electronic bulls?

The Party Bus

I'm at CTIA right now. LA is full of parties during CTIA - you know it's internet boom days all over again when Tony Hawk is at the tech conference.

At some point last night I was in front of a hotel with the Blue Frog Mobile guys when a party bus (flashing lights, thumping music) pulls up and Brian McGarvey jumps out - KLEITSCH!! I'm instantly in the bus. drinks flowing.

hours later, after riding the electronic bull at the cowboy bar, i realize my laptop is still on the party bus, but the bus is GONE!

I'm forced to take a cab back to the convention center to pick up my car.

When i get to the convention center the gates are locked. it's 1am. i found a security guard and he agreed to let me in. but OH SHIT, my car keys are on the party bus!! And that's when i realized that everything i owned was either in the party bus or locked in my car. No toothbrush. no clothes. nothing.

back in the cab. destination tom's house.

Tom had to drive me back to the convention center this morning (i'm still wearing the same outfit), and lucky for me, the party bus was parked right in front - and my belongings were still there. whew!

changed in the parking lot. back to the conference hall. business as usual.

Running to Airport - Late Again

Running to the airport is my signature move. It's something i've perfected. It's an art.

Keep in mind, my flight leaves at 7:05am....

5:30am: Jana wakes me up "your alarm is going off - you gotta go!" I take a long shower, shave, coffee.

5:50am: oh no, i better hurry up! I still need to pack!

6:00am: hummm. packing is not going to happen, so i better just grab a toothbrush and an extra shirt. ok, i'm packed.

6:05am: pull away from house

6:20am: arrive at airport, check-in, cut in the security line with my new Alaska Airlines MVP card

6:35am: I'm thru security, browsing the bookstore, etc.! It only took 15 minutes to check-in and get thru security! I could have slept longer. ;-)

Vantage, The Cops & Liquid Smoke

Liquid Smoke: We arrived a little early. Around 2:30pm. It was blowing about 25mph. And sure as clockwork, at 4:20pm Vantage turned into liquid smoke. We think it was blowing 40+mph - classic Vantage - huge swells, spray blowing everywhere and water funnels shooting 30 feet into the sky. A little slice of heaven.

The Cops: You know it's a good windsurfing session when the cops or firefighters show up at the beach... "we got a call, people thought you were in trouble, is everyone ok?" The Vantage cop told Wes there was a rescue boat at the Vantage marina and the Dam had a few boats too - just in case we ever needed them.

4 days remain

In 4 days i will have:
- Wes kicked out of the boathouse
- Clean house
- Less beer consumption
- 2 jet-lagged kids (eating breakfast in middle of the night)
- Home cooked meal?!? (i hope)
- Very happy wife?!? Please! ;-)

I'm ready for the old, boring andy to take center stage again. Party Andy is killing me.

Vantage Goes Off, Wes Swims

Wes and I had been watching the weather reports for weeks... then we saw it:

Ellensburg - 20 to 30 with gusts to 40mph.

YES!! Classic Vantage conditions.
I took a quick peek at the Vantage cam. The glassy river was full of wind gusts... let's go!!

2 hours of packing the van
2.5 hours of driving
1 hour of rigging the smallest sails we own, stashing beer in the water (to cool down), and we're ripping!

Wes sailed for 15 minutes, then broke his boom in a big wipe out. He spent the next 2 hours swimming in 40mph wind and carrying his gear over rocks, etc. By the time he made it back to the beach the sun was going down.

I sailed for 2 hours in classic Vantage wind - the tops of the whitecaps were blown clean off, hitting me in the face. I found "Vantage Island" - the shallow spot in the middle of the river where Todd Regis clipped his boat prop just weeks earlier. Many times during the session i experienced the rag-doll-toss (getting thrown over the board/sail during a 40+mph gust).

As the sun was setting...
1 hour of packing and de-rigging
2.5 hours of driving to Seattle

and we're watching the wind forecast again... ohhh, looks good for tomorrow!

Ellensburg - 25 to 35 with gusts to 45mph! Look for us on the Vantage cam around 6:30pm tomorrow!

Glasgow on TV

I just flipped on the TV while getting ready for bed - hey, it's Glasgow! The Travel channel dedicated an entire show to Glasgow - and even though we were only 2 hours away, we never made it. Actually, we thought it was a rough-and-tough town. With the highest knife crime. ugly industry. bad whisky. But, we were wrong... according to the Travel Channel. And i must say, i bought a bottle of Glasgow whisky and it was very tasty.

I made dinner!

I finally broke down.
After 10 days of frozen food, pizza and tacos,
I set a lofty goal... make dinner.

I put water on the stove. check.
looking for pasta.... looking...
looking... looking...
awhhhhh heck, maybe this cooking thing isnt going to work!
(deep breath... ok, one more try)
looking... found Pad Thai!!
That'll work.

1 hour later. 20 dirty dishes. 1.5 beers. I made dinner!

Bachelor Daze

Jana and the kids are in Edinburgh. Eating healthily. Going to museums. Good global citizens.

I'm in Burien. Eating pizza, tacos and chipolte sausages. Drinking Vitamin R (Rainier Beer). And putting around in my dads boat. All the neighbors know "Andy's bach'n it", and they're keeping a safe distance from the party house... :-)

Jana and I have had a few chances to talk, but here's the quick day-by-day blow, and a few items i forgot to mention on our call.

Thursday Night:
Larry and Margi had a great party. I walked away with all the leftover taco fixins. enough to feed a small army "should feed you for the week" said Margi. Oh, Margi also found a mysterious baggie and gave it to me. Not sure what that was... but it's gone now.

Friday:
Got to work by 10am (not bad considering jetlag,etc.). In the evening a small army showed up at the beach house. Ate all the taco fixins and drank two bottles of Scotch. Jon was toasted and called Stan Seo at 11:30pm. Rock fight broke out. Wes passed out in chair. Jon stuffed Wes's pockets with rocks. Mark and David slept inside.

Saturday:
Wes asked himself during morning coffee "hummm, why are there so many rocks in my pockets?" I had dinner with my dad and picked up the boat. I took the boat on a little cruise with the guys.

Sunday:
Nice day at the beach. More vitamin R. Actually had a little business meeting at the beach. More boating. Another long night around the camp fire.

Monday:
Meetings all day at work. It's good to be back! Had some spicy sausages for dinner. Sounds like a little poker game is brewing for tonight. I just noticed - Lupe has a big NEW bump on his leg. Looks and feels like fluid. We'll be headed to the vet later this week.

Overall, I'm trying to keep the house CLEAN! I even made the bed. :-) Wes is living in the boathouse, but he's keeping busy painting the Rossmans house. Speaking of Tom and Brenda - they bought a new house and they're moving asap! I'm bummed.

Edinburgh with Kids

Hello in there?!?!
Originally uploaded by B-TownMom.

We've been in Edinburgh for 5 days... here's the quick update:

Jana and grandma have escaped the 1am and 4am breakfast sessions with the jet-lagged kids. So daddy had to figure out how to cook crepes. After a few days of edible mistakes, i finally got the hang of it, and now i can flip a crepe in the air.

I had the best sandwich yesterday. Chicken, cream cheese, bacon, bbq sauce, gouda, salami and mayo. Jana called it the artery clogger. I called it heaven.

Had my first 'real shave' by a scottish barber. Britta was with me. As long as i kept feeding her bits of broken cookie she was happy.

Karsten puked on the kitchen table, chair, couch, living room floor, his shirt, pants and on his bed. Then he felt much better.

There's no TV in our flat, so we've been watching movies on my laptop. Most watched: Thomas the Train, Superman, Muppets.

Karsten loves castles, dungeons, ghosts and monsters. Luckily Edinburgh has plenty. He's super excited to see nessy. While getting my haircut i heard a song on the local radio station "here comes the monster"... i'm not sure if that's just a local favorite or global hit?

Things we couldn't easily figure out how to operate: dishwasher, washing machine (dryer still a mystery), toilet, door locks, oven, stove & microwave. Diane has been hanging clothes in creative places around the flat.

Kids favorite food so far... Karsten: Thomas spaghetti-o's and Thomas yogurt. Britta: oranges (she calls them apples)

Must be @ airport in 12 hours

I printed Jana's "pack this stuff for the kids" email... but i'm missing a few items.

Britta's brush. Really needed?
Bug spray. Huh? Can i fly with aresol cans full of toxic stuff?
The list goes on...

I better finish packing!

Camping Trip Day 3

Big, big breakfast with eggs, pancakes, tortillas, salsa, sausage, cheese, coffee - yum!
Fold up tent, clean site, pack.
Went for hike on Cascade lake.
Karsten "does some business" in the woods. Lucky, i had some tissue.
1pm head to ferry.
Wait in line for over 4 hours in the hot parking lot.
More junk food.
Finally on the ferry at 5:30pm.
McD's in Anacortes.
Wes, Karsten and I all have tummy pain.
Britta is shuttled back to seattle by Lisa, Arnold, Heidi and Hanna.
Karsten and I pick up Britta at Lisas at 9.
Kids back home, and in bed by 10:30pm.
Karsten had a really good time. He's already talking about next year. He needs a bath.
Britta had a wonderful time with Bestemor and Farfar, and she had a great time with Heidi and Hanna. I don't think she even missed me! :-)

Camping Trip Day 2

Big breakfast with Ryan and Tina.
Hike to waterfall.
Drive to top of Mt. Constitution.
Oops... we're running late...
Change into dress clothes.
Speed to wedding, starting at 2pm.
Get lost.
Make it there just in time.
Beautiful wedding.
Drink. Eat. Drink. Eat.
Back to camp site, change into shorts.
Head to swimming spot.
Then to farmhouse for more drink & food.
Back to campsite.
Karsten in bed around 10pm.
Guitars came out.
Neighbors came over.
Thought about swimming at midnight - nah.
In bed around 1am.

Camping Trip Day 1

Day 1:
Hand Britta over to Bestemor at 10am.
Drop Jana off at airport.
Wes, Karsten and I drive to Anacortes.
Wait in ferry line for 3 hours.
Drink beer.
Eat junk food.
Catch ferry to Orcas Island.
Eat junk food.
Get to campground - Moran State Park.
Set up tent.
No pillows or batteries.
Borrow flashlight from Karsten's new friends a few sites away.
Karsten tells scary stories to the Cookie Scouts (a troop of Girl Scouts) - they love him.
Tina, Ryan, Wes and I proceed to drink lots of beer.
Smores.
Swimming in the lake at midnight.
Raccoons at 2am, eating grahm crackers that i left on the table.
I'm standing in my boxers holding neighbors flashlight above my head, waving at the racoons.
Raccoons proceed to eat all grahm crackers, they ignore me.
4am Karsten needs water, he wakes up Wes to walk him to fountain.
6am Karsten starts jumping on inflatable mattress.

Karma?

Jana is flaunting around Europe and I'm at home doing double-kid-duty... what's wrong with this picture?!?! Oh yes, it's payback time. For all my trips and crazy projects - it's my turn to "feel what it's like". I can't even complain, cause as every reader of Jana's blog is well aware, I deserve this.

Am I too old for new tricks?

I'm sitting on the couch. injured.

My back continues to hurt no matter how many times i rearrange these f-in couch pillows. I had one of those moments today while windsurfing "Am I too old to learn new tricks?? No way! I'll go for it!"

About two days ago i received my early fathers day present = The Windsurfing Tricktionary. it's the windsurfing trick bible. almost every crazy move ever invented. i studied it for hours on my flights to/from LA this week, and then today, the wind blew! Now was my chance! I must bust a move!

well... it feels like i "busted" something.

Anyway, at this point if you're still reading this (you, i mean jana) then you'll be interested to know that Christi inspired me to do the duck jibe today. So, i'm hurtin, but at least i pulled off a duck jibe on my 7.3. I got that going for me....

Look Daddy, Fire!

Yes, my morning was going fairly well until I heard “look daddy, fire!”

Wow. The toaster oven had black smoke pouring out and big flames clearly visible through the glass window!

I quickly unplugged the toaster oven, Karsten opened the back door, and the smoldering breakfast was set on the back porch.

Ok, organic toaster pops are not going to work today… uhh, kids, who wants eggs for breakfast?!

Al Gore comes out of the woods

A group of us saw Al Gore’s movie last night – An inconvient truth.

A question came up after the movie: If “this” Al Gore (a funny, charming, scientific, warm guy) was running against Bush, would the outcome have been different?

I remember reading a book about politicians (while I was running for port commissioner) and now it’s all starting to make sense to me… Al Gore has come out of the woods.

I think Al has been in two political camps during his career...

1. The 'hot topic of the moment' politician. This type of politician will eagerly change their point of view when it's convenient to them, to meet popular opinion, to get reelected, etc. In my opinion this type of politician does not have a real backbone, they are only interested in preserving their job in office, they will take the 'easy way out' to avoid conflict, etc. This was my view of Al Gore during his election vs. Bush. Al Gore appeared to be easily manipulated. And he was.

2. The Ideal-based politician. This type of politician has very strong beliefs on a topic and will not be swayed by popular belief. It is their goal to gain power, so they can enact their policies, and change the world damn it. These types of political figures go through LONG periods where they are "out in the woods" - that is, their political views are not valued by the general public so they have no chance of being elected, and they are seen as 'a little crazy'. They can go their entire career "out in the woods" and never have an opportunity to shine, or they can have great timing, and luck, and perhaps their 'hot topic" will become a national importance and they will rise to power. Winston Churchill has always been sighted as a good example of this type of politician - true to his beliefs - and took power when his views were in line with the political environment. And now... dare i say... Al Gore... is this type of politician too?

Windsurfing Odyssey

Jon bought a house on the sound last year and I’ve always wanted to windsurf from my place to his place… Sunday was the day – I had a few hours before a group of preschool kids stormed our place and I convinced myself that I could windsurf to Jon’s a back before all the kids arrived (wrong). As I set out on the trek the wind was blowing nicely, and I thought I’d be there in no time, but then the wind DIED COMPLETELY. There I was, in the middle of the Sound thinking “ok, I’m going 2 miles per hour, and Jon’s house is WAY over there (3 miles at least)…. humm…” I couldn’t turn around, there was no way to make it back home. I was on a giant down-winder to Jons…

In the end, I finally made it to jon’s house. he gave me a ride home. mission accomplished. The image shows my route.

My wife looks good in a bunad

I'm a sucker for a tall blonde in a bunad.

The family marched in the 17th of May parade. threw candy. and had a blast. Jana looked foxy in a bunad she borrowed from bestemor. Britta looked like a princess in the dress she borrowed from cousin heidi. and karsten was the center of attention as he threw candy to his adoring fans.

Morale-o-Meter added to site!

Ok, I don't update my site enough... but thanks to Erik Benson i now have a morale-o-meter providing all my 'vital' stats. Get your own meter here: http://morale.erikbenson.com/

R.I.P. Jack the Cat

On thursday we took Jack to the vet, for his final appointment.

He's been gone for several days now and I'm still not use to the change. As I backed up my car this afternoon I gave my usual "make sure jack isn't behind me" glance.

We miss you Jack.

Storms make me happy

I had a great windsurfing session on Sunday - wow, it was blowing!

Neighbor: How was it out there? (as she's blocking wind-driven-rain from pelting her face)

Me: It was beautiful! Really great day.

Neighbor: I think you're the only one on this street that thinks this weather is "beautiful"...

Well... let's see... it was dark. cloudy. windy 20-25mph. raining. cold. Yeah, she may have a point.

In other windsurfing related news...

Urban Surf had their annual Swap Meet. It's a great event - freindly people, cheap gear and free hot dogs! :-) I picked up a 5.2 2001 Northwave (used 3 times) and a boom. Lot's of kite gear for sale too.

Revvvvvvv REVVVVVV!!

My one day to sleep in, also happens to be my neighbors one day to go out to his tricked-out-monster truck and fire-it-up! Sure it's only 8:30am on a Sunday, but that's a GREAT time to make the asphalt shake. Revvvv, REVVV!!

Note: Ok, i actually like the truck. and i like my neighbors. but a monster truck is one hell of an alarm clock! ;-)

Bubble Tea High

Jeff Uppy drives to west seattle every morning for his bubble tea hit. 2 shots of green tea. creamy liquid. and the signature wide straws.

The dealers know he doesn't like it very sweet. and no gummy bears on the bottom please. just a green-tea caffeine bomb in a hello kitty cup.

Last week i needed a ride to work, I had my 16oz french roast coffee in hand. Jeff had the shakes - so we were off to bubble tea paradise. My coffee was almost gone, then on a whim i ordered a bubble tea. i've got to check this out.

I'm high. sweating. pacing. bubble tea + french roast = speedball.

Last night Jana told me about a new drink - a must try: Coke Blak. She said it's tasty!

Oh, by the way, Jeff's new nickname is Bubl-T.

Had a great b-day

David Uppy and I have the same birthday... every year we try to get together on our birthday - it's a fun, unwritten tradition.

I called david around 11pm (birthday 'officially' in one hour), and said "meet me at the boathouse for birthday beers" - and to my surprise he said OK! We were out there for hours...

The kids woke up early, 6:30ish... "honey, it's my birthday, you take the kids... please!" she did. i was asleep in seconds...

i was finally stirred from my rest by the... WIND!! Oh shit, it's cranking! Oh hell yeah, it's by birthday!

blue sky. sunny. blowing about 23mph. on my 7.3, and actually catching some airs on that big gear. The windsurfing session was a HUGE birthday present. Thank you wind gods!!!! :-)

So... it was looking like the best birthday ever and then - crash! I fell down/off the ladder down to the beach! What the hell was i doing?! i Fell about 7 feet, scraped up my leg pretty good. ouch!

But, the day got better again. I hit the taco stand for a spicy pork burrito w/ avacato.

Oh yeah, things were looking good then.

Off to work. (which is very fun by the way)

Back home for a picnic with the inlaws and kids.

Overall, it felt like a great summer day.

Die Trying

My parents met us at The Daily Perk Sat morning for the big hand-off. They took Britta and Karsten for 24 hours! As soon as they pulled away the timer was on - Jana and I set off in panic mode - how much house/yard work can we accomplish in 24 hours?!? We were seriously working with a mission.

After a long day of work we headed to Burien for a nice dinner. Yes, this is not a type-o - we went to BURIEN for a nice dinner. It feels like Burien has been transformed back to the 1950's - back in its prime - when people actually went to downtown Burien, for fun, drinking and to meet friends.

Just a few years ago you would only go to downtown Burien if you needed a payday loan, something from a pawn shop or a tatoo.

Anyway, i saw a bumper sticker last night that sums-up my outlook on life: Die Trying. It's kinda strange- i'm not worried about death. I just want to be doing something cool when i die. windsurfing. singing in a rock band. riding my bike in europe. you get the idea. And while i'm on the topic - i have very specific instructions on what to do with my body when i die. I want my ashes to be sprinkled in the water, along the bouy line on the South side of Three Tree Point.

Ok, this was not suppose to be a blog post about house work, Burien and my death. but, oh welll, i'm hung over. Read Jana's blog if you want to know why.

hold em madness

Every time I visit vegas I play a few rounds of texas hold em. I always follow the same rules - $100 buy-in and play till its gone.

Usually it takes a few hours then I'm sent packing. But a funny thing has been happening at the hold em table during my last two visits... I'm breaking even. And (gasp!) tonight I actually WON money at the hold em table!! I walked away with $250 in winnings.

Its approx 3:30am, I'm at the grand lux cafe blogging from the crackberry.

Insomnia...

Here it is, 2a.m. I'm sitting on the couch - wide-awake - wishing i was in bed.

I always sleep like a log. why not now?!? I know why... i blame it on my St. Pat's Day "nap".

I had an unexpected couch nap from 9pm - 11:30pm. Jana said she tried to wake me 3 times, with no luck. Hummm, perhaps that St. Pat's nap was somehow related to the green beers i had earlier?

But... somehow... the green beer spell i fell under has unexpectedly worn off.

If i was in college i would rally.

Hell, if i was in Barcelona i would rally. ;-)

But not here.

Not in Burien.

Nope.

It's just... oh.... 2:45a.m... in good ole burien. currently raining. lupe is asleep. jack has been fed.

Spring winds, good this year

Wes called me today from Colorado.

"Dude, the wind is blowing pretty good on Puget Sound right now. I just pulled it up on the internet. You guys have had a good spring!"

5 minutes go by, Wes and I are still talking about the good winds - jana is sitting next to me. bored. we're driving to the Pho Bac for lunch. she could care less about "wind talk" and she's really good at mocking me and wes. Jana likes to say "Dude, it's going off!!"

I love it when she talks like a surfer girl. ;-)

For the windsurfing log:
North winds on Saturday, for a change! Blue sky, warmer than last week. Ian was out with his kite, i was on my 7.3. A few big sealions were sunning on the channel marker. 45 minutes of nice powered fun.

I love it when they close 520

Sure it causes major traffic jams, reduced productivity and road rage - but when they close 520 it just makes my day - cause it's freakin windy as hell! Time to rig my smallest sail, say a few hail marys, type my will from by blackberry, send my last text msg, and go for it.

I sailed for about 20 minutes yesterday. Then i was F-F-F-F-F-R-O-Z-Z-Z-E-N. Going numb isn't nearly as bad as thawing out. During the thaw-out I had about 4 minutes of oh-my-god-pain, as my hands were turning a blotchy red/white mix - and then ZEN - really - it was trippy. I was warm and relaxed. Just like those guys they find frozen at the north pole, who strip off all their clothes cause they feel 'warm' - right before they bite the dust.

Yup. I love it when they close 520.

I also love it when the power goes out.

Sure you can't cook, heat your house or watch TV - but it's windy!

OMG

...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM PST THIS EVENING THROUGH LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT... Uhhh, I'm going into work a little late tomorrow...

I walk with a limp

Not sure what muscle i pulled - or perhaps i'm just getting old - but i windsurfed two hours on a 4.7 yesterday and now i walk funny. But worth it!! The sun poked out. Not many logs (brushed against a few). A few BIG catapults. Fun rating: 9.0.

Can fondu satisfy?

The dutch love their cheese. They have three types of cheese in Amsterdam - young gouda, old gouda and melted gouda.

Flash back 10 years: tammy and joey invited us over for a fondu dinner. It was fun, but I still remember how I made jana stop at a drive through on the way home. Fondu just doesn't cut it for dinner - or does it?

While living in Amsterdam we tried to eat at a popular fondu restaurant, but it was/is always packed!

Well here I am. Sitting in the restaurant, blogging on the crackberry, and soon I will be elbow deep in melted cheese. Ill let you know if I hit McD's on the way home. :-)

Laptop GONE!

Hey, barcelona crack head, yeah you, who broke into my booth last night and took my laptop - die skumbag!! Shit. Shit. Shit. What the hell?!? All my contacts, email, personal photos, itunes... Crap!!

Bad timing... All my demos were on the laptop.

tapas and beer in barcelona

Pig legs were hanging from the ceiling (just like jana described) and the air was thick with smoke. This was my first authentic tapas experience. Squid, pimientos, cheese, ham, bread and a spanish omlet (tortia) - I'm not sure how to spell most of the items consumed - but it was goooood. Tall frosty beer mug too.

But damn, its cold here! I'm wearing my big winter jacket.

what the hail?

I got caught in a hail storm today while riding my bike through amsterdam. And as I was hiding under an awning I thought about jana and the kids playing in the kiddie pool... Grrrr. :-)

Hamsterdam

I'm back in amsterdam and loving it.

My bike was still chained up where I left it 2 months ago. I put a little air in the tires, and bam, its like I'm living in amsterdam again. Riding my old streets.

saturday storm

Three tree point was pounded on saturday by a strong sw wind. See http://www.janakleitsch.com for photos. When the tide backed off the bulkheads I was able to launch and enjoy 1.5 hours of 4.7. Very nice waves.

Jana asked "are you sad that the boathouse was trashed?"

Nope, the sailing was great. :-)

Posted from the crackberry.

saturday storm

Three tree point was pounded on saturday by a strong sw wind. See http://www.janakleitsch.com for photos. When the tide backed off the bulkheads I was able to launch and enjoy 1.5 hours of 4.7. Very nice waves.

Jana asked "are you sad that the boathouse was trashed?"

Nope, the sailing was great. :-)

Posted from the crackberry.

My new hat made the paper

My new hat made the paper
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

Hung over and looking my best. My sister gets the "best xmas present award" for the polar bear hat.

Polar Bears Make the Times

Highline Times
Originally uploaded by Andy Kleitsch.

Once a year I do something crazy enough to make the local paper. This year the Highline Times was there to catch the Polar Bear plunge!

If you can read the small print - they give me photo credit as the "second one from the left" - well... not exactly me... but all us middle-aged white guys look the same anyway.

Windy weekend

Saturday: I paused for an instant as i was launching my windsurfer at high tide looking at the big logs floating in the water... remember last session? Big logs, high-tide - i got worked, and almost lost my sail... but, oh well, this is a NEW DAY and the wind is blowing! I had a great time on my 7.3 for an hour, then it started raining hard. I was sailing with one eye open (rain pelting my face), looking for logs, getting some good runs - wind blowing about 20mph.

Blogging from the crackberry

Had to try it... Can my new cracktoy serve as a mobile blogging machine? I hope so. I'm feeling blog pressure from drew, I need to start blogging more or risk getting kicked out of the drunken blogoparty crowd. Pressure!!

The Perfect Storm (in Vegas)

Tomorrow I'm headed to the largest convention of the year in Vegas... every hotel on the strip is sold out... the Foo Fighters are playing private parties... Japanese partners are picking up my tab... and here's the crazy part... I'm hooking up with my old ATTWS buddies Drew and Paul!! Last time i partied with Paul in Vegas i was "not invited back" by Sony Ericsson. Yes, it was fun.

I'm also hooking up with Brian C, Mike A, Leo, Trey, Ian, Steve, Moe, Norman, etc., etc... sleep? Who needs it. And if i do need sleep, i can always crash in Drews room (he likes that) - although, it doesn't sound like Drew plans on sleeping much...

Who else is headed to Vegas?!

Windy New Year!

2006 Report: Good so far.

New Years Eve: We dropped off the kids at Bestemor and Farfar's on New Years Eve. Jana and I had a much needed 'date night' watching the ball drop on TV in front of a cozy fire. Went to bed early. Selpt in.

Noon on New Years Day: Time for the 4th annual Polar Bear Swim at Three Tree Point! The ultimate cure for a hangover. My neighbor posted photos.

3pm New Years Day: A 48mph gust blew through Three Tree Point folding back the roof on my neighbors house! (his wind meter registered the gust) Time to go windsurfing! I rigged my 5.9 and was totally overpowered. I caught one big air - at the top of the jump i was completely out of control headed for a crash landing and I remember thinking to myself "I'm going to have to pick up the pieces after this one!" Yup, total yard sale.

It started getting REALLY windy, the tide was high (smashing against the bulkheads), and then - Doh! - my boom came untied! There i was, broken down in the sound trying to re-rig before i was swept around the point. I finally made an emergency run towards shore, but there was nowhere to land. Big logs crashing against the bulkheads. No beach. 30-40mph gusts. Then, I found a boat ramp that looked like a safe place to land. I decided the only way to get to shore was to disconnect my sail and board (the biggest no-no in windsurfing!) I took my board to shore, timing the swells and missing the big logs... a neighbor gave me some rope and i headed back out to save my sail.

The sail was getting pounded with logs and headed out with the tide around the point. I ran through many yards and finally caught-up with the sail on the huge rock bulkhead on the point. And like a gift from the wind-gods... the sail was practically handed to me on the huge boulders. I pulled it to shore and to my surprise there were NO HOLES in the sail! There were a few rips in a batton sleeve, a broken rope, a few holes in my board, but overall - not bad! :-)