This week I was invited to the Japanese Consul General’s residence to celebrate his new post assumption and the Emperor of Japan’s birthday.  In a section of Los Angeles known for the Playboy Mansion, I was able to meet the most interesting mix of people.  Between spreading the word about the JETAASC and being engulfed in great conversations, the event was a success.

One of the most interesting people with which I was able to spend time was George Takei.  Many of you know George from his role as Sulu on Star Trek.  I’ve never met such a sincere conversationalist before.  He is so happy, present and interesting.  I have to say that I was sucked into his great stories.  How could one not!  He is involved with quite a few Japanese related organizations.  There were a few parallels between some of his organizations and the JET Programme.  As a side note, Russell Iriye (in the photo above) has an interesting family connection with George.  Apparently, Russell’s grandfather used to cut George’s hair in the US Internment Camps during World War II.  Talk about 6 degrees of separation.  Another side note is that my wife and George have the same voice over agent here in Los Angeles.  Who knew?!  We look forward to seeing him again soon at the holiday party.  I can’t wait to hear what he’s got up his sleeve that night.

The drinks continued to flow as the speeches by Consul General gave a speech before the Controller of the State of California gave his.  The speeches were peppered with live shamisen music by a young man from San Diego.  Once the music subsided, the drinks flowed again and local dignitaries were working the event like pros.

After speaking with George we were able to strike up conversations with Cyril (Consul General of South Africa).  He was another engaging person filled with wonderful anecdotes about Rwanda and South Africa.  We learned quite about South Africa’s current situation and people.  Additionally, we realized that we know the same person that works with the South African board of tourism.  Again, a small world.  Between Los Angeles, Tokyo and Cape Town we were able to travel the world yesterday.  I’ll keep you posted about the next time we have the pleasure of chatting with George.

Studying Japanese can be a time consuming process.  Sometimes it even becomes a chore if one is not using it everyday.

I like to view Memrise.com as a game.  I’m always competing against myself and others for a better score.  All the while, I’m learning and retaining the Japanese words and kanji needed to help further my business Japanese.  I can create my own lists or choose from any of the others in the Memrise community.  So far, I’ve found no other lists from other users that will benefit me in my quest to retain and use relevant Japanese.  That said, it’s still a young community.  There will be more and more folks adding lists in any number of languages in the near future.

Like with any other language learning tool, the user needs to be very clear on the goal.  Do you want to learn Japanese to pass the JPLT test?  Do you want to learn Japanese to hit on women?  Do you want to learn Japanese to help further your professional trajectory?  This very simple question is usually the more difficult to ask and answer.  If the language learner identifies the “why”, then Memrise and any other tool will prove to help language learning immensely.

Here’s how I use Memrise.com:

1. Identify what I specifically want to get out of Memrise
2. Create an account on Memrise.com
3. Create a spreadsheet to compile words and phrases that are relevant to my goal
4. Create 4 columns in the spreadsheet:  Japanese, Furigana, translation, use (business only, casual, guys only, etc)
5. Compile approximately 10 rows at a time on the spreadsheet
6. Login to Memrise.com
7. Add the words and test yourself a few times immediately

I’d love to hear how some of you are utilizing Memrise.com in for your Japanese studies.  Do you have any tips you can share?

A few weeks ago I was in Tokyo for business and had a free Sunday on my hands.  I’m an avid disc golf player and manage to squeeze in a few rounds per week.  I have heard that disc golf has a quite a small, loyal following in Japan.  Additionally, I’ve heard that there are disc golf courses in or near Tokyo.

I was staying in the Ginza area was so excited to learn that there was a disc golf course approximately 4 stops away on the Yurakucho line (subway line).  At the stop called 辰巳 (tatsumi), there is a huge sporting complex that houses a small 9 hole disc golf course.  It’s so close to the belly of Tokyo that you’ll be slapping yourself for not going sooner.

You can bring your own discs, but don’t bother.  It’s a short 9 hole that doesn’t allow for much more than the use of an Aviar putter from Innova.  You can rent a disc at the park office, assuming you go there during business hours.  They’ll be open on weekends too.  They can rent you an Innova Condor.  It’s more like a frisbee and less like a hard core driver or mid range disc.

Here’s how to get there:

1. Identify where you are in Tokyo and then look at a subway map for the Yurakucho line.

2. Take the Yurakucho line East-bound and get off at Tatsumi Station.

3. Exit for the sports park, etc

4. After you exit, you’ll see a pedestrian bridge and a giant dragon head made of rocks.  Walk that bridge.

5. After to walk the bridge you’ll see a giant asphalt cone.  Walk past that and then make a right down the LONG tree lined walking path.

6. Walk approximately .5 miles and you’ll see an opening or exit to the left.  You’ll see a convenience store on the corner.  It’s the only one around.  This is where you’ll purchase your water if it’s a hot day.

7. Walk past the convenience store and past the tall apartment complex

8. Go into park entrance on left.  When you walk down the path, you’ll see a small park office where you can rent very basic discs and frisbees

9. Don’t make the mistake of thinking the first tee for the disc golf course is outside of that building.  Continue walking down the path.  Just as it begins to gently wind to the right, you’ll see the tiny disc golf course on the left.

Below you’ll see the map of the 9 hole disc golf course.  If you want to play like the locals do, you can play in a skip style.  Incorporating a skip style in 9 hole disc golf on short courses requires you to keep your numbers straight.  For example, on the Tatsumi disc golf course in Tokyo, you’d tee off on #1 and aim for the #3 basket.

]]> http://www.brendondavid.com/2011/08/disc-golf-in-tokyo-closer-than-you-may-think/feed/ 0 http://www.brendondavid.com/2011/07/coach-tim-stone-instrumental-in-introduction-and-growth-of-girls-cricket-in-toronto-ontario/ http://www.brendondavid.com/2011/07/coach-tim-stone-instrumental-in-introduction-and-growth-of-girls-cricket-in-toronto-ontario/#comments Wed, 20 Jul 2011 05:50:58 +0000 admin http://www.brendondavid.com/?p=1228

Tim Stone of Toronto has been instrumental in the introduction and growth of girls cricket in Ontario, Canada.  Until 5 years ago, girls cricket wasn’t an option for girls in the Toronto area.  Since the introduction of girls cricket at Vradenburg Junior Public School, the sport continues to grow in popularity among girl and boy students.

They have found that not only is girls cricket popular at Vradenburg, but it is bringing families and people together.  In this CBC interview with Tim Stone, one learns that cricket brings a wealth of cultural context to the front burner.  Cricket, like most sports, can be a powerful unifier of cultures and their children.  Toronto, known for being one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world, is no stranger to cricket and positive impact it can have on a community.

One of the great things mentioned by the student interviewed in the audio clip above, is that she had no idea what cricket was.  She had never played and didn’t know the rules.  That didn’t stop her.  She is a now a lover of the sport.  That seemed to be a common trend.  While many students didn’t know how to play cricket, that didn’t stop them from wanting to play on the Vradenburg team.

Coach Tim Stone, an alumni of the Japan Exchange Teaching Programme (JET), is the sort of upbeat, honest and fun person people don’t forget.  Spend two minutes speaking with him and you know exactly what most people feel when they interact with him.  His engaging and positive personality is no doubt a very valuable asset to the girls cricket squad at Vradenburg and to the ultimate success of girls cricket in Toronto.

Here is my Top 10:

1. camping headlamps are key – because they are tiny and will enable you to find your way in the extreme dark of walking from your hut to dinner or night time hikes in jungle, etc.

2. quick drying footwear- not a must since you’ll be there during the “dry season”, but there will still be a fair bit of water and humidity (rafting, hiking, horseback riding, etc). Sports sandals have material that won’t absorb and retain too much of the stink at all.

Ex: Keen or Teva adventure sandals, etc HERE

3. Dri-fit shirts will be your best friend.

4. A small “dry bag” will give you so much more flexibility and piece-of-mind with your wallet, camera, phone, passport, etc (getting caught in the rain, rafting, going to beach, hiking, humidity) HERE

5. binoculars- you’re going to see some insanely awesome wildlife and so much of it lives in the trees waaaaay above. There have been over 800 species of birds identified in Costa Rica. Not to mention the howler monkeys, spiders, etc

6. Another name for Costa Ricans is “tico” or “ticos”. It’s not derogatory at all.

7. If you have your own car while there (one you’re driving), NEVER leave anything inside at the beaches or for destination hikes. Costa Rica is insanely safe, but theft from tourist rental cars can be high in areas where they know you’ll be at the beach for a while, etc.

8. Bring a bandana. Great for humidity, dampness, nose, etc

9. In Monteverde (the area in which you may be) you can see the world’s largest private collection of insects.

10. 97% of the country is literate.

Again, it doesn’t matter if you’re going to Tamarindo or Limon. Keep the above tips in mind and you’ll have a great time.

You can do all sorts of things at Malibu Creek State Park: hammock camp, tent camp, mountain bike, rock climb, boulder, hike, trail run, paint, bird watch, etc.

The first thing to keep in mind is that this car camping campground is very  tightly compacted.  If you are looking for a campground for car camping that is affords a bit more separation from your fellow nature lovers, then you may want to consider other areas.

The second thing to keep in mind is that Malibu Creek State Park is notorious for ground squirrels and crows.  That means store your food in car or box or cooler.  No kidding, folks.  they open bags and nab all of your stuff.  Plus, by protecting your food you are protecting the wildlife out there.  Cranky-ass crows don’t need Cheese Doodles.  They need beetles and roadkill.

There are a few things that I consider when camping at Malibu Creek State Park:

In high traffic area?
Good for hammocks?
Level ground for tents?
High concentration of other slots?

One of the biggest challenges I find with booking a reservation at Malibu Creek State Park campground is that it is so difficult to guess where the good spots are located.  Choose well; the time of your life.  Choose poorly; you’ll want to dig up John Muir and punch his bearded corpse.

The key is to book in advance.  While the last two times we were able to book last minute [read: the day before], I don’t recommend it unless you are super mellow and easy going.  If you aren’t careful, you could end up in one of the crap slots.

Tips:

1. Gather a few words you use in your normal life in English (don’t pick lame book vocab…pick stuff you actually say in your native tongue)
2. This of a scenario recently where you planned “A”, but “B” happened.
3. Write down some simple situations. Ex: “I planned to go to the party, but it was canceled.”
4. Find the Japanese translation

ところが　- Connector phrase for situations when something contradictory happens.  “A” was planned, but “B” happened.

NOTE: it can be a good situation or a bad situation. Must always follow the “ta” form of the verb…regardless of tense.  The tense of the sentence will be dictated by the main clause/point.

Bad Situations

例１：

I went to Ginza Ramen Shop, but it was already closed.

銀座ラメン屋に行ったところが,もう閉まっていた。

例２：

I planned on sending the email to Mr. Kobayashi, but my Internet access crashed.

小林さんにメールを送くるつもりと思っていたところが、インタネット・アクセスがクラッシュしてしまった。

Good Situations

例３：

I wasn’t expecting much, but the food was great.

あまり期待していなかったところが、食べ物は美味しかった。

例４：

Although I was expecting a bad traffic, it only took 10 minutes to get to the restaurant.

光津渋滞を期待して思てったところが、レストランへは10分かかった。

Long Beach, California has got to have the most thriving appreciation for reggae, dub and jah-related.  Last night at the Art Theater, the 11pm show was a screening with the director, Ethan Higbee.

Let’s get this out of the way.  If you are a fan of reggae, dub, drum n bass, electronica or House music, you’ll need to ensure that you see this documentary ASAP.  Even if you are just a fan of music or historical documentaries, you should see this movie.

The wife and I jumped on our bikes and rode to the Art Theater to get in line early.  We knew this movie would draw out many fans of reggae and dub.  Other than in Jamaica or some parts of Tokyo, I’ve never heard of a place that embraces reggae and all of its trappings like Long Beach, CA.  Between the heroin skaters, low rider bmx-ers, ex-cons working out at Bixby Park, fixed gear computer guys ripping up the streets, there is no place as diverse in Southern California.  This diversity is gelled by the love to Jah, weed, reggae, dub and one love.

Ethan and his crew couldn’t have chosen a better place to show this movie in LA.  The Life and Music of Lee Scratch Perry was an amazing movie.  It has a healthy mix of reggae, ska and dub history.  What’s more, he works-in Scratch Perry as he is today.  It’s a brilliant contrast of then-and-now.

I had no idea that he was so integral to the rise of Bob Marley and the roots reggae invention.  Wow.

Go see this movie.  Here are the areas in which they’ll be screening this movie.

Rock climbing can trace its roots to the Southern California.  The birth place of modern rock climbing is spread across the arid and mountainous areas of Southern California:  Idyllwild with its Taquitz, Sierra Nevada Mountains with its Yosemite National Park, Palm Springs with its Joshua Tree National Park and….wait for it….LA County’s Stoney Point.

Stoney Point is very much a part of rock climbing iconic history, but it bears a much different history and evolution over the last 50 years.  Situated in the northernmost part of Los Angeles in Chatsworth, Stoney Point is the closest cluster of rock formations upon which rock climbers can ply their craft.  It’s also the closest area for gang bangers and trouble makers to spend time late in the evening.

What many people don’t know is that the founders of the global brands Patagonia and The North Face were the forefathers of modern rock climbing.  Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Black Diamond and Patagonia, learned to climb at Stoney Point; as did his rock climbing and merchandising contemporary, Royal Robbins.  Most climbers in LA don’t realize that those two living legends were refining their beginner skills in Los Angeles on a series of rock formations in Chatsworth.  Who knew!?

The sad truth is that this place has devolved into the antithesis of what rock climbers promote, seek out and protect.  If you were to go to Stoney Point right now- even if you are not a rock climber- you’d be disgusted.  Unlike its counterparts- Yosemite National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, San Jacinto Mountians- Stoney Point is the rock equivalent of that friend with which you grew up that took the wrong path in life and wound up in jail.

Stoney Point is littered with millions of glass shards.  They are everywhere.  It doesn’t matter how high one travels on the rocks, glass is everywhere.  Each dirt path or ledge leading to the top of each section of rocks is strewn with multi colored beer bottle shards.  The browns and greens glitter like a path of gems in the early morning light.  It’s depressing.  Of course, there is the obligatory plastic bags, condoms, cigarette butts, cigarette wrappers, etc.

If that is not enough, taggers have littered the rock faces with lame spray paint scrawling.  Just when one thinks they will get high enough and not see any gang or tagger call signs, they are quickly proven wrong.  We actually found a Courvoisier bottle at the highest area.  The cherry on top is that most of the areas where there are deep cracks or holes, a rank stench of urine and body fluids rises up like a cloud of doom welcoming any rock climber hoping to climb and enjoy nature.

The Spooky Cross of 2010 was the best cycling race in which I’ve participated in “all me days”.  This race is a textbook illustration of why cyclocross racing is the life blood of bike racing.  In addition to professional racers showing up, there were a healthy number of triathletes from Triathlon Training Series (TTS Racing) that delivered a solid showing of power, pain and good attitude.  Who knew that triathletes could race cyclocross well?  Awesome.  The the good news of this years race was that Chris Horner of Team Radioshack showed up and won.  Watching a Tour de France and pro peleoton racer like Chris Horner absolutely shred the Irvine course was quite a treat.  I should note that the level of talent here in the SoCal cyclocross scene is insane.  Horner had to work for this win.  Way to go SoCal bike racing scene.

In addition to having Team Radioshack show up at a SoCalCross Prestige Series cyclocross race, two things have come to the surface that have elevated cyclocross to the regal level.  I’d hate myself if I didn’t note these two things with which I, Brendon David, have graced the cyclocross scene:  The Bark and the “Get Some!” anthem.  Not only are these two things zero calorie, but they add another level of animal tendencies and a healthy portion of Thunder Dome.  That means that you’ll need to keep your eyes open and wallets in a safe place.  Because when the sabers begin rattling and the “Get Some!” starts to float through the air like a cloud of old lady perfume, you’ll need to either begin singing “Run to the hiiiiiiiiiiills” or board the Crazy Train.  Get some.

If you’ve raced bikes or triathlon, you know that races can be a bit dull.  They typically are not spectator friendly and people are so serious.  That vibe, however, helps Southern California remain one of the tops regions in the USA for amateur bike racing.  That’s all well and good, but why not have a fun atmosphere and a high level of racing?  I’m here to tell you that they don’t have to be mutually exclusive.  Shocking.  I know.  The intersection of exciting vibe and insane bike skills occurs in the great sport of cyclocross.

Cyclocross is the style of bike racing that happens after the main season of criterium and road racing is complete.  That means that the field of racers are very fit and have a lot of racing under their belts from the previous season.  Now add a dash of screaming fans, racers in crazy socks, beer drinking, barking fans and loud drums/bells.  You’ll be left with cyclocross.  Additionally, this flavor of bike racing is great for fans too.  There are always racers passing and plenty of opportunity to scream “Get Some!”

This a book that you should read if you are a fan of Japan, mob stories, Tokyo, saitama, kabukicho, snack bars, hostess bars or anything related to the yakuza.  Jake Adelstein did a great job of “pulling back the kimono” on the mysteriousness for which Japan is known.  On the surface, it appears to be an autobiography about the yakuza and not much more.  However, if approached the way one would approach Japanese culture then the subtleties that fill in the cracks are what make this book what it is.

The book is divided into 3 main sections:  college grad wants to be a reporter in Japan, young reporter finds himself in the middle of yakuza, reporter grows and understands how the police and yakuza truly work.

Adelstein, like many exchange students living in Japan, wanted to grow his language skills as quickly as possible.  He decided to combine his journalistic skills with his Japanese ability.  He did what no foreigner ever does.  He signed himself up to take the entrance examination for the Japanese media.  The catch was that he was a foreigner and the test was 100% in Japanese.  He passed and was offered a job at the Yomiuri newspaper covering the police beat.  Most, if not all, rookies are placed on the police beat when they begin their journey into the complex and sometimes nonsensical waters of Japanese journalism.

Adelstein goes on to spend most of his time in Saitama and Tokyo.  As he grows as a journalist, he befriends prostitutes, policemen, pimps and all sorts of folks that have dealings with the underworld or what is called the “Water Trade”.  Though Adelstein is never fully sucked into the shady world of the Water Trade, he works with the key players to get more information for ongoing stories.

These connections place his path right in the way of the yakuza.  Over the years, Adelstein holds many meetings and conversations with key mobsters that keep him alive.  Adelstein wins their respect because he understands Japanese culture and because he takes major risks that the average person wouldn’t take with high ranking yakuza.

There are many other tidbits about this book that really make it a wonderful read, but I won’t spoil it here for you.  Grab the audiobook or paperback and you’ll not be disappointed.

Allison day of SushiDay.com and Brendon David of BrendonDavid.com at WordCamp LA 2010. photo by Bryan Villiran

This past weekend, LMU hosted the 2nd annual WordCamp LA.  Like 2009, WordCamp LA 2010 was an undeniable success.  Of the many great sessions I attended, Allison Day’s session was the type of lecture I love to see at events like this.  All too often many perspective attendees opt not to attend due to the intimidation factor.  The truth is, that many felt WordCamp LA was going to be too advanced.  I can think of 3 different associates that decided against attending for those very reasons.

Day’s session was the perfect type of session for a person new to using WordPress:  Web Development for Beginners: Decoding the Code Behind Your WordPress Theme. She did a masterful job of  presenting a topic that scared the crap out of most of us when we first began blogging.  I wish I was able to attend this lecture years ago when I was spinning with confused thoughts of PHP, HTML and CSS.  Sometimes all it takes is a professional or expert to explain things in simple, digestible terms.  Day did *just* that.

WordCamp LA is designed for all folks.  Whether one be a super techie guru or a new blogger that just wants to write about yoga or travels, this event is worth attending.  In addition to all of the great lectures, the attendees are as diverse, interesting and engaging as you’ll find at a computer event.

To all of you that told me you were thinking about attending WordCamp LA 2010 and didn’t, you missed out.  This was the session you should have attended.  If you’re lucky she’ll be presenting at WordCamp 2011.

On a side note, she just returned from a trip to Tokyo, Japan.  Check out her site and see the photos from that Tokyo adventure.  She and Son did a great job of capturing a lot of the subtleties of Japan through fantastic photography.

You think you live a green and eco-friendly lifestyle?  Try drinking your own urine!  Though you may enjoy drinking your own urine, it was news to us that it could be done and that three astronauts on the International Space Station actually did it.  Recycling urine to drinkable water is a huge feat.  Here’s  what went down.

Apparently a recycling system, installed last fall, can purify urine. For the people up in space, recycling is crucial.  Water is a costly item to transport from Earth.  When the crew members lifted their frothy mugs of urine-come-drinking water, the team in Houston all lifted their glasses at the same time to prove that you don’t have to hang out with Spock in order to drink you own urine.

The reality is that the fixed gear phenomenon has been alive and well in Long Beach for many years (like in most major cities) and these riders spend the majority of their time cycling the streets.  Though not all fixed gear riders are angels, many in the Long Beach area subscribe to the adage of “live and let live”.  There is no arbitrary beef with other cyclists and motorists.  These riders, like all cyclists, just want to feel safe when going to the office, heading to class, to spending time with their loved ones and having fun with friends .  Safety is normally not the first thing cyclists (of any type) as they venture out into the city as illustrated by a verbal harassment my buddy and I experienced this evening by a fellow Long Beach resident when riding (within the law, I may add) to a local retailer, “Go get some brakes, fags.”  Though that does not represent the view of all residents in Long Beach, it does represent enough motorists that cyclists of all types feel nervous when riding around the city.

The good news is that thanks to a proactive city council and Charlie Gandy, the City of Long Beach’s Mobility Coordinator, residents and tourists are able to access more shops, offices and beaches via bicycle.  As a resident of Long Beach, technology professional, husband and avid cyclist I am amazed at the progress Charlie and the City of Long Beach have made.  Not only have they been able to bring cycling of all stripes together to create a solution, but they’ve been able to bring the Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) to the discussion.  The good news is that the LBPD has made it clear that they want to ensure the safety of all the residents of Long Beach; cyclists included.  So, no longer is the LBPD “the man” out to hassle local cyclists or ignore their concerns as local, money-spending residents.

Last June Long Beach was the first city to implement green “sharrows” on the city streets.  Pictured below, green sharrows were installed in Long Beach to remind cyclists and motorists that the law states that bikes are required to be on the streets and not on the sidewalks.  This is a reality that most residents in most cities in the USA don’t realize.  Sometimes we need a small reminder.

Another initiative they have put into action that will come to fruition in the next few months is the Vista Bike Boulevard.  This is a special street that is being redesigned to accommodate pedestrians, motorists and cyclists.  They will install 7 traffic circles, decorative signage and diversion areas.  This will be the first of its kind in Southern California.

One of the key elements that the City of Long Beach and Charlie Gandy have identified is that cyclists spend money.  They’ve been able to convey that to local merchants.  The good news is that savvy merchants are listening and getting that famous “aha” moment.  They realize that in tough economic times consumers- cyclists, pedestrians or motorists- speak with their pocket books and want to support merchants that care about their customers.  Addressing the cyclists needs is just one of many ways merchants can benefit, but it is a way that many have not realized and are beginning to leverage.

My family, friends and colleagues support the work that Charlie Gandy and the City of Long Beach are doing.  After all, when we distill it down to the lowest common denominator they’re just making Long Beach a safer and more desirable place to live, work and play.

If you’ve not seen Cindy Sherman’s photography, you’ve been missing out on one of the most creative female photographers in the late 20th century.  She is known for recreating herself as completely different women in her “self portraits”.  If you consider yourself a fan of photography, you should be ashamed of yourself for not telling your friends about her work.

On a brand and marketing note, she has – like many other world class photographers – created a strong brand identity through the consistency and uniqueness of her work.  One of the interesting elements of her photography is that one knows what to expect, but never really knows what they’re going to get.

Here are the Top 5 Things you should have learned from Cindy Sherman:

1. Don’t be afraid to do art that makes sense to you

2. Ladies, expressing yourself is bueno

3. Photography doesn’t have to be just of weddings or your crappy Halloween party

4. Pictures are truly worth 1,000 words

5. Smeared make-up is pretty awesome

from L to R… chris prynoski (Titmouse), ollie green (Adult Swim), t-pain (Jive Records), carl jones (Iroko), monica jones (Iroko), nick weidenfeld (Adult Swim), jacob escobedo (Adult Swim)

What happens when one mixes a group of cagey animators and high profile hip hop stars in a venue with over 100 plasma TVs deep in the bowels of Hollywood?  Offspring caked in “ice” arguing about the powers of Dragon Ball Z?  Close, but not quite.  It’s more like a river of booze with high profile rappers slapping fives with some of the top artists in animation.  These are the types of parties Hollywood-based Titmouse animation studio throws.  Giddy up.

Last week I attended the Hollywood premiere of “Freaknik the Musical”.  This animated movie, airing on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, featuring the likes of Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, T-Pain and Young Cash is quickly exploding across the country being called everything from a hood heater to a cult classic.  Apparently these types of projects fall into Titmouse’s wheel house and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Known for bringing  internationally famous projects like “Metalocalypse” to life through their animation, direction and production chops, Titmouse rubs elbows with the most unlikely mix of creative and influential people in Hollywood.  If they aren’t hanging out with Slash at their studio or having meetings with Disney execs, they are fine tuning their reality show project called 7200 Frames or destroying sh*t at one of their infamous Smashing Parties.

The Hollywood premiere of “Freaknik the Musical” is no exception to the enigma that surrounds Titmouse.  The evening was hosted at the plasma screen mecca called Capitol City Bar and was flush with music  and comedy celebrities like T-Pain, George Clinton, John Witherspoon (dad on the movie “Friday”), Christopher “Kid” Reid, Mr. Marcus, Gene “Poo Poo Man” Anderson and Affion Crockett.

The evening started with DJ Stefi spinning a hip hop mix of bangers, underground heaters and classics.  Just when the party was hitting the 300 person mark, the music faded and all eyes went to the mic.  Co-Creators Carl Jones (Co-Executive Producer of “Boondocks”) and Nick Weidenfeld welcomed the eager crowd.  Jones kicked it off by thanking Titmouse.  Weidenfeld followed by thanking Cartoon Network and Adult Swim and then passed the mic to T-Pain.

T-Pain is the voice of the main character in “Freaknik the Musical” that looks like a ghost monster from Pacman plastered with green dollar signs.  After speaking about his enthusiasm about working with Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Titmouse T-Pain gave the cue and and all 100 screens burst to life with the first public viewing of the movie.  The crowd went crazy.

I’m not sure how they did it, but Titmouse was able to convince hundreds of semi-drunk people in a club in Hollywood to stay quiet and watch a 45 minute animated movie.  It was like Grizzly Man and Steve Erwin came down from the heavens and did their uncanny mind melt on all of us.  However they managed to pull that off, they succeeded in hosting one of the most badass premieres in Hollywood.  So glad I was there.

The main point Robinson and his team were making was this:

Though education is free in Bhutan, rural families have a tremendously difficult time providing uniforms, shoes, books, pens, paper and school meals.

It’s said that Nu.2000 (approximately $50 USD) will pay for a student’s schooling for a year.  Tony and and the Tera-thon team have a goal to support over 1,200 students per year.  To bring awareness to this issue, the Tera-thon team ran an average of a half marathon a year.  They started in Paro; the only working airport in Bhutan.

Paro is in the far western part of the country and has an airport that is surrounded by wild marijuana that they feed to pigs.  No kidding.  Another interesting little bit of information is that the capital city of Thimpu is the only nation’s capital in the world that has zero traffic lights.  Again, no kidding.  That might make jogging a bit more challenging.

You can learn more about the Bhutan Tera-thon team here.

There are any number of variables that can hinder you from making smart dining choices while you are on the road and go the opposite direction of weight loss.  Maybe you can’t find anything organic on the menu at the Sheraton in Atlanta or maybe it’s as fundamental as not having a predictable routine away from home.  Peter Greenburg, the author of The Traveler’s Diet:  Eating Right and Staying Fit on the Road, seems to think it’s the latter.

Listen up, businessmen.  He makes good points about changes in schedules and never knowing if you’re going to dinner at 7 across town or at 9 in the hotel.  That’s not even taking into consideration the cocktails you have before dinner or having to skip meals due to meetings.  But, as Green points out, it’s not all doom, gloom and kaboom to your waist line.

On his website, Greenburg points out some basic tips that fall into the “why didn’t I think of that category”.  And they don’t even involve that loaded term “diet”.   Here are some of his tips:

• Always make sure the break basket or chips and salsa is on the other side of the table.
• Eat only half the sandwich.  (I’ve been doing this a lot recently and it’s amazing how well this one works.)
• If you know that you’ve got a lunch scheduled, then load up on breakfast early with eggs or oatmeal.

Many of his points highlight the need for self control.  It’s basic, but it’s so difficult to do.  I recently spoke about this with one of the leading multisport coaches in the USA at Triathlon Training Systems.  We were chatting about one of his clients, “Joe”,  and he said that the biggest obstacle for him becomming faster was being able to “push away the plate” when he was eating.  Don’t finish everything on your plate.  It’s that simple.  Or is it?  I think about that now when I’m on the road.  It’s simple and it’s helping me me keep off the lbs.  What are you going to do on your next trip?

Spending 24 hours on the Summit of Everest sounds like it would be as fun and easy as drinking boiling water for 20 minutes with no break.  Three expert Sherpa brothers are going to attempt staying at the summit of Everest about 20 times longer than is typically allowed (for “increased probability of certain death” reasons).  The average time spent at the top is a mere 1 hour due to winds that can whip across the mountain at 100 mph and temperatures that can drop to -25F.

Usually, the time spent by mountaineers on the top of any major summit is limited.  The reality is that the air is thin, guides have strict time schedules and the longer you hangout the harder it is to get started again.  Though Sherpas have legendary status and are known to have the skills, power, knowledge, experience and humility that all mountain climbers aspire to have, 24 hours of on the summit of Everest is a monumental challenge.  It makes breaking the home run record in baseball seem about as significant as jumping over a puddle during a rain storm.

Beyond all of the other adjectives used to describe these three Sherpa, “ballsy” would be more apt.  These men will spend more than 24 hours in what is called “The Death Zone”.  The Death Zone begins at an elevation of 26,000 ft/8,000 m and extends all the way to the summit of Everest at 29,035 ft/ 8850 m.  The Death Zone requires that the human body be on supplemental oxygen tanks because the air is so thin at that altitude that you’ll die within minutes without this extra/pure oxygen.  This will be the temporary home for these Sherpa temporary in what will be the longest 24 hours of their lives.

Experienced Everest climbers, Phurba Tenzing, Pemba Dorje and Nima Gyalzen have collectively summitted Everest 16 times. Dorje has a guru-like status, as he’s set the world record for the fastest ascent of Mt. Everest at eight hours and 10 minutes.    It typically takes other climbers about four days to reach the summit from Base Camp.  The current record holder for the most time spent at the top of Everest is 21.5 hours by Chhiri.  Apparently, he didn’t sleep the entire time for fear of never waking up.  Literally.