I recently started reffing dodgeball outwardly with the excuse of "helping out," but selfishly trying to "rid the world of cheating and bring justice to those who have been afflicted by the evils of people not taking their outs." I realized pretty quickly that this is way too unrealistic, and I've come to gain recognition for what referees do.
審判員 = shinpanin is referee in Japanese.
1.) Play the sport a bit. Sure it's more of a visual/ observational thing, but playing the sport and having experience, in my opinion, does factor in. While playing, one sees other plays happen and who might be cheating/ not cheating so that it's facilitated as a referee: I was already looking for people who didn't take their outs and wanted to call them out, now I can! (probably actually a bad attitude)
2.) Be firm in one's calls. Sometimes in dodgeball people who are whistled out will just calmly accept their fate (these are the kind-of honest types), but then there are people who insist that they weren't out, that it was an optical illusion the refs saw, that they never felt anything, etc. That's when a ref's resolve is tested, that they question everything they ever held to be true, and you're the only one on an island, it seems.
3.) Accept the fact a ref is not 100% right. Can't get every single call right, probably impossible. So instead of acting like players are dumb or ignoring anything they say, I listen and don't try to argue back, and if I think I might have gotten a call wrong I acknowledge that I could be wrong. It's possible. Just as a ballplayer makes mistakes, so too do refs. It's an imperfect science, if you want perfection, you should get machines to do it (actually that's probably what sports is moving towards, which goes into a whole nuther issue of machines replacing humans that I'm probably not ready to accept yet.)
4.) Accept that no one likes a ref. Being a ref is a sacrifice of one's social relationships; good people will give the ref a nod after the game's over and/or thank them quickly before moving on, bad people will give the ref a earful and hold grudges for the rest of time (I admit to sort of being one of the latter people). It's a no-win situation; someone's going to get upset, and it's a thankless job.
5.) Review videotape if there is videotape. Nothing like visual evidence to "review" what a ref got right and got wrong. Sometimes slowing it down doesn't even totally make it clear one way or another; that's how tough a ref's job is.
6.) Use audio, not just visual. I can think of many sports where sound can aid in the visual: the sound of hand hitting hand in basketball instead of hand hitting ball, the sound of a player's foot hitting the base before the ball hits the mitt in baseball, the sound of a ball hitting someone's body/ shirt in dodgeball. It's good to always get the visual confirmation, but the sounds sometimes confirms the call.
7.) consult with other referees. When a patient isn't sure, they get a second opinion. Referees getting a 2nd opinion shows some accountability in making sure they didn't miss something; there's been plenty of times I reffed where I was convinced of something but less sure after the other ref saw it from a different angle; getting "fresh eyes" is a valuable tool.
8.) Get a good night's sleep before reffing. Seriously helps to think clearly, watch multiple things going on at the same time, along with focusing. Also shouldn't be hung over, inebriated, or otherwise disturbed/ in an altered state.
9.) Not emotional. I've seen some refs give out yellow cards just due to a personal vendetta or personal grudge towards a certain player. Perhaps that was what Joey Crawford was doing to Tim Duncan way in the NBA?
10.) Let the players play. Don't make the game about the refs, make it about the players. If not sure, just play on, usually the bounces balance out. Call the obvious calls, let some things slide if not sure, and don't make calls just to get attention.
Now if only there were a fantasy referees league......
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, August 24, 2015
Sunday, August 16, 2015
Honesty is the Best Policy- "Pretending" in Professional Sports
Recently professional sports is tarnished by scandal, performance enhanced drugs, and all different ways of cheating, players getting season-long suspensions in the MLB, Tom Brady being suspended for tampering with balls and then smashing his phone to destroy the evidence when asked about it. Steroids and PEDs has been a constant issue in MLB. Numerous ways of getting an edge exist for those who are willing to try, as was revealed in the Biogenenics report featuring numerous star players including Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, etc.
But I'd like to talk about another way of cheating, a very obvious but now accepted part of the game: pretending on in-game plays, or flopping in soccer/NBA,
In dodgeball, believe it or not, there is an honor code among players to take their own outs. Players are encouraged not to wait to be called by the refs, but to just walk out if they know they've been out. Now this is a moot point when the ball hits someone squarely in the chest and bounces onto the ground, or someone throws a ball and it gets caught with 2 hands away from the ground by the opposing team. The real crux of this is when a ball skims a player in the shirt (considered an out), or a ball hits another ball in the hands of a blocker and it also gets a part of their hand, or the ball hits another player first and bounces on the fly off the body of another player. These are very close plays that the ref sometimes (and honestly, usually) misses and it's up to the player to take their own out. As a veteran player, the players know 95% of the time when they are out. Soemtimes it might be a close call and a player's not entirely sure, but there's a lot of factors like hearing a sound from the ball grazing your body, or how the ball feels hitting one's body whether it touched the ground first or not (the ball will lose a bunch of its force if it hit the ground first thus feeling more like a soft blow).
I think professional sports should be more like dodgeball. Pros nowadays complain about calls everytime it goes against them. Football players ask for a flag when they think they've been fouled, or complain about the flag when it comes out against them. Basketball players complain about every foul or non-foul. Soccer players complain, and then they flop when they don't get the call to try to get the call. Baseball is mostly immune from it except for balls and strike calls, where "pitch framing" comes into play. I think pitch framing should be disallowed, btw. I don't care that it's an "art" perfected by catchers or not, if people are complaining about having a "automated strike zone" to replace the actual ump, why don't we first get ride of "pitch framing?"
Sure, there are players in dodgeball who cheat. These players get a reputation for not taking the close ones, and over time people know that they can't possibly be "avoiding all the close ones" and realize that they're getting away with things and tell them. It's a small community; people talk and eventually the person who's not taking their outs gets wind of their reputation. And usually those people get shamed into taking their outs more frequently, or the refs watch them more closely, or they just get the social shame of being known as a cheater.
"Well, dodgeball is a sport where you can feel the ball hit you! There's no gray area! It's easier to take your outs in the sport!" Well, this may be true, I've never played football or professional baseball, but in basketball games I have a pretty idea when I "made contact" with someone causing a foul or not. I see pros who know they've "gotten away with one" all the time. I'm pretty sure when you play a game for a living and have been playing it their whole lives, they know to a pretty certain degree whether something was a foul or not
"Pretending" in professional sports sets a bad example for kids and amateur players in all sports. Everyone watches the best players "pretend" on national TV, and it carries over to their own game. "Play until the ref blows the whistle" becomes accepted. Imagine if pro sports players had an honesty policy of "being the best sportsman." I understand they're being paid millions of dollars to win, win, win, and that winning is prioritized over everything, but if sports is part of our national identity (and really, universal identity) and "sportsmanship" actually physically includes the word sport, shouldn't we prioritize "integrity" over "winning?"
To me, winning but knowing I "pretended" dampens the experience for me. I didn't actually bring my "A" game because I had to "pretend"/"cheat" to gain an advantage for myself. If I want to win, I want to win knowing I did it of my own merit, from skill and maybe a bit of luck. Sure pro athletes are motivated by money and endorsements, but at some point aren't some of them motivated by pure competition and "being the best?" Probably sweeter to win if you're not a "pretender."
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
But I'd like to talk about another way of cheating, a very obvious but now accepted part of the game: pretending on in-game plays, or flopping in soccer/NBA,
In dodgeball, believe it or not, there is an honor code among players to take their own outs. Players are encouraged not to wait to be called by the refs, but to just walk out if they know they've been out. Now this is a moot point when the ball hits someone squarely in the chest and bounces onto the ground, or someone throws a ball and it gets caught with 2 hands away from the ground by the opposing team. The real crux of this is when a ball skims a player in the shirt (considered an out), or a ball hits another ball in the hands of a blocker and it also gets a part of their hand, or the ball hits another player first and bounces on the fly off the body of another player. These are very close plays that the ref sometimes (and honestly, usually) misses and it's up to the player to take their own out. As a veteran player, the players know 95% of the time when they are out. Soemtimes it might be a close call and a player's not entirely sure, but there's a lot of factors like hearing a sound from the ball grazing your body, or how the ball feels hitting one's body whether it touched the ground first or not (the ball will lose a bunch of its force if it hit the ground first thus feeling more like a soft blow).
I think professional sports should be more like dodgeball. Pros nowadays complain about calls everytime it goes against them. Football players ask for a flag when they think they've been fouled, or complain about the flag when it comes out against them. Basketball players complain about every foul or non-foul. Soccer players complain, and then they flop when they don't get the call to try to get the call. Baseball is mostly immune from it except for balls and strike calls, where "pitch framing" comes into play. I think pitch framing should be disallowed, btw. I don't care that it's an "art" perfected by catchers or not, if people are complaining about having a "automated strike zone" to replace the actual ump, why don't we first get ride of "pitch framing?"
Sure, there are players in dodgeball who cheat. These players get a reputation for not taking the close ones, and over time people know that they can't possibly be "avoiding all the close ones" and realize that they're getting away with things and tell them. It's a small community; people talk and eventually the person who's not taking their outs gets wind of their reputation. And usually those people get shamed into taking their outs more frequently, or the refs watch them more closely, or they just get the social shame of being known as a cheater.
"Well, dodgeball is a sport where you can feel the ball hit you! There's no gray area! It's easier to take your outs in the sport!" Well, this may be true, I've never played football or professional baseball, but in basketball games I have a pretty idea when I "made contact" with someone causing a foul or not. I see pros who know they've "gotten away with one" all the time. I'm pretty sure when you play a game for a living and have been playing it their whole lives, they know to a pretty certain degree whether something was a foul or not
"Pretending" in professional sports sets a bad example for kids and amateur players in all sports. Everyone watches the best players "pretend" on national TV, and it carries over to their own game. "Play until the ref blows the whistle" becomes accepted. Imagine if pro sports players had an honesty policy of "being the best sportsman." I understand they're being paid millions of dollars to win, win, win, and that winning is prioritized over everything, but if sports is part of our national identity (and really, universal identity) and "sportsmanship" actually physically includes the word sport, shouldn't we prioritize "integrity" over "winning?"
To me, winning but knowing I "pretended" dampens the experience for me. I didn't actually bring my "A" game because I had to "pretend"/"cheat" to gain an advantage for myself. If I want to win, I want to win knowing I did it of my own merit, from skill and maybe a bit of luck. Sure pro athletes are motivated by money and endorsements, but at some point aren't some of them motivated by pure competition and "being the best?" Probably sweeter to win if you're not a "pretender."
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Dates That Went Horribly Wrong!
Currently reading Aziz Ansari's book "Modern Romance" (or rather, listening to it on Audiobook, in which Aziz himself reads but shames the readers who would forgo the print version) about dating in the modern era. Very informative, very relatable for me because I'm in the right target audience for the book: 20-to-30-year-olds in Middle Class America who are experiencing the evolution of online dating, texting, and otehr new inventions in the world of finding love in the world we live in today.
Aziz's book has a lot of funny stories mostly generated by awkward situations related to dating, like bad texts, bad first dates, and bad social experiments that preyed on those who were looking for romance (they did a study on a crickety bridge where an attractive woman went up to single men and left her phone number, to see if more men would call the attractive woman if on a harrowing, swinging bridge than not). What I've summarized about Aziz's experience is that there's a lot of things that can go wrong during dating, but it's only natural because it's the most naturally awkward experience of our lives: we're basically going from being on our own and totally single to meeting someone who could potentially be the person we spend the rest of our lives with, (barring divorce) and finding one's soulmate. I mean of course things can go wrong, there's so much on the line and people have to deal with other people and emotion: that's tough. In almost every life conversation or interaction we have, we don't have to be too emotional: tell the barista what kind of coffee you want, give the valet your keys, say hello to your co-workers, email a bunch of clients, even address the judge in open court. But talking to a potential romantic partner requires not offending, not jumping in too quick, not hurting someone intentionally, not hurting someone unintentionally, deciding if you're interested or not, deciding if they're interested or not, so many different variables. It doesn't help that everyone wants to know who your partner is, and "oh that's so cute" or "wow he's so handsome!" so many societal pressures related to this. It's not an easy search, and most people have have bumps in the road. I list here some of mine.
1.) I met a girl one time in orchestra and went on a couple dates, one of which was postponed because she couldn't get out of work on Friday afternoon and texted me multiple times saying she was late, then finally just having to cancel. She was very apologetic, and I understood, but then later she asked me to play violin with her at a wedding. I went to the wedding where I knew NO ONE and played music for 2 hours. It was pretty embarrassing, and I don't think I did very well. The bride and groom nor anyone from the wedding gave me any recognition, so I was just so embarrassed I just left and let my date take the money that was supposedly due for the session. That was the last time I saw her.
2.) I went on a couple dates with a girl who asked me where I lived. At the time I was still living in Hollywood Hills but was planning to move to downtown, so to save time I said downtown at (name of building complex), without explaining that I hadn't actually moved in there yet. Everything else went well, and the next date she asked me casually again if I lived in (certain building complex), and whereas I should have explained myself there, for some reason to stay consistent I just confirmed that fact. After the date she said she didn't see us being more than friends, which possibly was due to lack of chemistry, etc., but I always wonder if she was just testing me and if she had looked up where exactly I lived or all the current residents at (name of building complex). Bottom line: Don't lie, or at least lie about stupid things and not clear up information.
3.) I went on a date instead of a dodgeball tournament that I was thinking about going to. I went to the date, spent $40.00 for brunch, the date never responded back, I missed the dodgeball tournament. I never skip things I like (e.g. dodgeball tournaments) for dates ever again.
4.) I met a date in Las Vegas and met up with her friends to go to this place called the Grand Canyon Overlook (a nice scenic place). I didn't know it was so expensive, like $70.00 a person. I offered to pay for me and my date, which makes sense, but somehow my Chinese was interpreted to mean I was offering to pay for the date's friends too (2 other people) and I ended up, to look like a gentleman, paying the whole bill. I went on a bunch of dates with this girl, but ultimately her taking for granted my paying for the bill became an issue. (not that I'm cheap or couldn't afford it, but I don't like being taken advantage of). Lesson: don't be too gentlemanly, or at least address those issues early on.
5.) I once committed to a trip to Utah with my friend and her husband, PLUS their friend from China who I had been talking to online. I thought it might to meet and possibly see if we could have a connection. The friend was cordially but was not open to any time of romantic interest, and immediately upon the first day was evident she was NOT interested. I spent the rest of the weekend just trying to have fun, but not really.
Lesson: get your relationship straight before committing to a 3-day weekend, or at least commit to something that you're gonna have fun otherwise.
6.) My first try at online dating, I got a question from a girl I had been responding back and forth with asking "If you don't mind me asking, why does your profile say you're OK with girls 24-30?" ( I was 27 at the time). I don't remember my exact answer, but I said something to the effect of "I like to keep an open mind" and she immediately told me we should stop talking, because "(online dating site) serves different purposes for different people." I probably shouldn't have used the "open" word I guess (indicating wanting to hook up or not being serious). Lesson: just say as little as possible in the online dialogue and just ask to meet in person.
7.) I once went on a date in REDLANDS, CA, ( I work in downtown) and drove 2 hours after work to Redlands for dinner. It was an OK conversation, but afterwards she said she wasn't interested. That's a FOUR-HOUR commitment in driving alone for a first date. Not worth it; should have insisted on meeting her halfway.
8.) Lesson about inter-office relationships: (社内恋愛): Probably not the best idea. Certainly tempting, but the consequences of it not working out probably outweigh the chance it does.
Looking back on it, all of these experiences seem kind of silly in retrospect, but I did think a lot about it afterwards and have really summed up a lot of my experiences, and can say confidentally I'm a lot more knowledgable and less likely to make big mistakes in the future. Which is good, cuz I'm getting back out into the dating world again! (gulp).
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Aziz's book has a lot of funny stories mostly generated by awkward situations related to dating, like bad texts, bad first dates, and bad social experiments that preyed on those who were looking for romance (they did a study on a crickety bridge where an attractive woman went up to single men and left her phone number, to see if more men would call the attractive woman if on a harrowing, swinging bridge than not). What I've summarized about Aziz's experience is that there's a lot of things that can go wrong during dating, but it's only natural because it's the most naturally awkward experience of our lives: we're basically going from being on our own and totally single to meeting someone who could potentially be the person we spend the rest of our lives with, (barring divorce) and finding one's soulmate. I mean of course things can go wrong, there's so much on the line and people have to deal with other people and emotion: that's tough. In almost every life conversation or interaction we have, we don't have to be too emotional: tell the barista what kind of coffee you want, give the valet your keys, say hello to your co-workers, email a bunch of clients, even address the judge in open court. But talking to a potential romantic partner requires not offending, not jumping in too quick, not hurting someone intentionally, not hurting someone unintentionally, deciding if you're interested or not, deciding if they're interested or not, so many different variables. It doesn't help that everyone wants to know who your partner is, and "oh that's so cute" or "wow he's so handsome!" so many societal pressures related to this. It's not an easy search, and most people have have bumps in the road. I list here some of mine.
1.) I met a girl one time in orchestra and went on a couple dates, one of which was postponed because she couldn't get out of work on Friday afternoon and texted me multiple times saying she was late, then finally just having to cancel. She was very apologetic, and I understood, but then later she asked me to play violin with her at a wedding. I went to the wedding where I knew NO ONE and played music for 2 hours. It was pretty embarrassing, and I don't think I did very well. The bride and groom nor anyone from the wedding gave me any recognition, so I was just so embarrassed I just left and let my date take the money that was supposedly due for the session. That was the last time I saw her.
2.) I went on a couple dates with a girl who asked me where I lived. At the time I was still living in Hollywood Hills but was planning to move to downtown, so to save time I said downtown at (name of building complex), without explaining that I hadn't actually moved in there yet. Everything else went well, and the next date she asked me casually again if I lived in (certain building complex), and whereas I should have explained myself there, for some reason to stay consistent I just confirmed that fact. After the date she said she didn't see us being more than friends, which possibly was due to lack of chemistry, etc., but I always wonder if she was just testing me and if she had looked up where exactly I lived or all the current residents at (name of building complex). Bottom line: Don't lie, or at least lie about stupid things and not clear up information.
3.) I went on a date instead of a dodgeball tournament that I was thinking about going to. I went to the date, spent $40.00 for brunch, the date never responded back, I missed the dodgeball tournament. I never skip things I like (e.g. dodgeball tournaments) for dates ever again.
4.) I met a date in Las Vegas and met up with her friends to go to this place called the Grand Canyon Overlook (a nice scenic place). I didn't know it was so expensive, like $70.00 a person. I offered to pay for me and my date, which makes sense, but somehow my Chinese was interpreted to mean I was offering to pay for the date's friends too (2 other people) and I ended up, to look like a gentleman, paying the whole bill. I went on a bunch of dates with this girl, but ultimately her taking for granted my paying for the bill became an issue. (not that I'm cheap or couldn't afford it, but I don't like being taken advantage of). Lesson: don't be too gentlemanly, or at least address those issues early on.
5.) I once committed to a trip to Utah with my friend and her husband, PLUS their friend from China who I had been talking to online. I thought it might to meet and possibly see if we could have a connection. The friend was cordially but was not open to any time of romantic interest, and immediately upon the first day was evident she was NOT interested. I spent the rest of the weekend just trying to have fun, but not really.
Lesson: get your relationship straight before committing to a 3-day weekend, or at least commit to something that you're gonna have fun otherwise.
6.) My first try at online dating, I got a question from a girl I had been responding back and forth with asking "If you don't mind me asking, why does your profile say you're OK with girls 24-30?" ( I was 27 at the time). I don't remember my exact answer, but I said something to the effect of "I like to keep an open mind" and she immediately told me we should stop talking, because "(online dating site) serves different purposes for different people." I probably shouldn't have used the "open" word I guess (indicating wanting to hook up or not being serious). Lesson: just say as little as possible in the online dialogue and just ask to meet in person.
7.) I once went on a date in REDLANDS, CA, ( I work in downtown) and drove 2 hours after work to Redlands for dinner. It was an OK conversation, but afterwards she said she wasn't interested. That's a FOUR-HOUR commitment in driving alone for a first date. Not worth it; should have insisted on meeting her halfway.
8.) Lesson about inter-office relationships: (社内恋愛): Probably not the best idea. Certainly tempting, but the consequences of it not working out probably outweigh the chance it does.
Looking back on it, all of these experiences seem kind of silly in retrospect, but I did think a lot about it afterwards and have really summed up a lot of my experiences, and can say confidentally I'm a lot more knowledgable and less likely to make big mistakes in the future. Which is good, cuz I'm getting back out into the dating world again! (gulp).
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Reviewing the 2015 L.A. Marathon (マラソン)
昔々あるところに, (A long long time ago, somewhere) I participated in the 2015 L.A. Marathon and finished! It was quite the experience and a spur-of-the-moment, bucket-list-completing thing that I did with my childhood friend Ray, and a significant step in my life, so I need to review it.
When asked about doing the marathon, I often compare it to taking a big test, like the SATs or the Bar Exam, the training is much more involved than the actual race itself. If the test (or race) is prepared for properly, the execution on test/race day should be pretty satisfying and take care of itself.
Marathon training was TOUGH. I'm still in pretty good athletic shape (although I've probably reached my athletic peak at this stage and even more so when I hit 30- it's all downhill from there), so I can probably do a 10k (6 miles or so) any day given the right amount of rest and nutrition the day before, but 26.2 miles seems like a mountain compared to that. I'd heard of marathon training groups and detailed plans beforehand, but I figured I could do it on my own (like studying Japanese, I'm kind of a do-it-yourself-er) and the plan was to ramp up each time by 2 miles, from 6 to 8 to 10 up until 20 the week of the marathon on March 15, 2015 (I'd read an article somewhere that said you could safely stop at 20 as the race-day adrenaline would somehow kick in - boy would this prove wrong).
Fortunately for me I live in a run-friendly neighborhood in West LA, and there's a perfect creekside trail called the Baloona Creek Trail (usually reserved for bikers) that runs down to the Pacific Ocean and happened to be like exactly 6 miles, so I kept adding miles until on the 5th or 6th run, I could hit the Pacific Ocean and run back (exactly 12 miles!) It was a peaceful run with minimal traffic, just me and my Ipod listening to news, fantasy baseball, all with the end goal in mind. I also ran around some old stomping grounds (get it?) around the Rose Bowl, and stopped at an even 20 the week of the race.
Day of the race was rough. Signed up pretty late for the event, so had to take one of the first shuttles from Santa Monica (the race makes you park in Santa Monica, the end point, way early in the morning then take a shuttle to Dodger Stadium, the start) at 4:30AM. AM!!!!! This after having spent all of Saturday (the race was on a Sunday) carefully selecting what to eat, checking into the race (yes there's a check-in time to get your bib, an extraneous trip IMO made necessary by their sponsors trying to sell all their running gear) and trying to fall asleep at 10PM. I know it's just a race, but it's NERVE-WRACKING knowing what your body is going to have to go through in mere hours, especially for my first race.
Dodger Stadium was PACKED with racers, more people in the parking lot than I've seen there for some Dodger games. The start is PACKED with people and my friend and I were in one of the last troughs to go so it took like 15 minutes before the pro runners started that we got to even sniff the starting line.
Some observations:
1.) the race wraps around downtown L.A. with Olivera Street, Chinatown, and Little Tokyo to begin. L.A. to has a nice loop of these ethnic neighborhoods (I think we also stopped in the Phillippinetown somewhere along the way).
2.) an easy mistake (that I kind of fell into) was people going too hard too early. I told myself not to, but because there were so many bananas and energy bars available, my body was so full and ready to go it was hard not to exert myself early on. I kept eating and sustaining myself during the race where every mile it seemed there were oranges/ bananas available, but...
3.) Mile 20 was a HUGE crash. My body just gave out, had no will to run, not to mention some nasty uphills to tire one out. I usually can go on by just walking, but I didn't even want to walk, I just wanted to lay down and not move for awhile. Adrenaline had given out and my body's practice of 20 miles had reached its limit. Not a good feeling and really only through sheer power of will did I keep going at a snail's pace. Also probably motivated by people around me passing me, like getting passed by old ladies and little kids.
4.) The half marathon also goes at the same time, and I think some people do some sort of "relay marathon" where one person does one half and at the halfway point tags their partner in to do the 2nd half, which I thought was kind of lame and made me question my resolve as I saw people starting with fresh legs at mile 13.
5.) Lots of interesting signs and supporters around different areas of marathon, and they had plenty of people with water and gatorade around which was nice. The liquids though got really warm as the day wore on (and the sun started to come out so most of that water was used just to pour down my back and on to my face, for refreshing purposes. It felt good though.
6.) USE THE RESTROOM before the race. Can't stress this enough. I didn't have to use it until after Mile 20 due to sheer exhaustion, but it totally breaks up the rhythm to have to use the restroom in midstride and have to get back into the groove again. The porterpotties are available, but definitely not suggested.
7.) There were a few big downhills that made me feel good about myself as I strided down confidently and passed a bunch of people, but I probably exerted too much energy there that I could have used later on. Probably would have learned that in a marathon group....
8.) Finishing is gratifying and getting that big finisher award medal is sweet, but then you have to find your parking spot and drive home through a ton of traffic (everybody else is trying to drive home at the same time!) And your feet/ legs are of course not working really well and everything's already feeling sore, plus pure exhaustion. It's certainly not like the movies where the main character raises his fists in triumph and kisses the girl/ goes to a huge welcoming crowd. For me and my friend we just.....went home and posted it on facebook.
All in all, the L.A. Marathon was a great, non-replicable experience and my first taste of true exhaustion but also true accomplishment (anything worth doing is hard). Not sure if I'll ever do another marathon again, but a half-marathon is definitely in play. I run for life.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, August 3, 2015
Touring Toronto Tumultuously
After a week to explore the historical relics and gorgeous scenery of Greece and Turkey (which still wasn't enough time), Toronto was a whirlwind of a weekend.
Toronto really just feels like an American city, except with a lot of Canadian pride. I imagine the city becomes a zealous hockey and basketball town upholding "We the north" like the Men of the Night's Watch in Game of Thrones, but in the summer it's just another city with a great oceanview of the Toronto Bay.
Very dog-friendly city: My friend the Volkinator recently adopted a pincher dog, and he quite a lot of attention when taking him outside. The dog was allowed to walk on the beach, go on ferries, walk around the Toronto Islands- one of the highlights of the trip, in my opinion. A giant public park in the middle of the Toronto Bay that requires a ferry to get to, equipped with bike rentals, lighthouses, a nude beach, and hedge maze? ( I love hedge mazes)- sign me up.
I have a quirk of visiting Chinatowns in urban areas, just to get the flavor of the ethnic culture around each city. The Toronto Chinatown was.....bustling, but not overwhelming. It's right next to the University of Toronto, which is a sprawling campus basically in the center of the city. I'd have liked to go to school there.
The CN Tower- I'm not as enthralled by really tall buildings in cities anymore after being underwhelmed by the Space Needle in Seattle and the Oriental Tower in Shanghai (I mean, there's so many tall buildings in a city that you can get to!) but the CN Tower's got a bit of uniqueness to it, other than just the usual "transparent glass floor" which makes one kind of leery of stepping on due to the false sensation of falling through the floor, but at night the CN Tower's surrounding balcony lights up in different colors, which gives a pretty cool effect.
I completed my 21st baseball stadium (only 9 to go!) at the Rogers Center in Toronto, and the roof happened to be open! (only happens on sunny days there). Unfortunately the home team Blue Jays lost, an occurrence I'm getting used to now (went 1-9 with home teams in my baseball road trip last summer), but as with most cities I could see that it's a festive atmosphere at the ballpark, not a rude crowd or unfriendly towards other baseball teams at all (I wore a Cincinatti Reds Todd Frazier shirt without any repercussions).
The Hockey Hall of Fame was almost as foreign to me as Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (I know barely a bit more about Hockey than rock and roll) but did like the Throne Room (various individual player awards like The Conn Smythe Trophy, Hart Trophy, no Iron Throne) and the coveted Stanley Cup.
One last bit of warning: Don't be fooled by the latitudinal coordinates of Toronto which to the novice traveler might suggest more temperate conditions in the summer: It's just as hot and sticky as any midwest city I've ever lived in (while, just Chicago and I guess Champaign-Urbana). Be prepared. Going different places in the summer makes me realize how good I got it in Southern Cali-for-nye-A.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Toronto really just feels like an American city, except with a lot of Canadian pride. I imagine the city becomes a zealous hockey and basketball town upholding "We the north" like the Men of the Night's Watch in Game of Thrones, but in the summer it's just another city with a great oceanview of the Toronto Bay.
Very dog-friendly city: My friend the Volkinator recently adopted a pincher dog, and he quite a lot of attention when taking him outside. The dog was allowed to walk on the beach, go on ferries, walk around the Toronto Islands- one of the highlights of the trip, in my opinion. A giant public park in the middle of the Toronto Bay that requires a ferry to get to, equipped with bike rentals, lighthouses, a nude beach, and hedge maze? ( I love hedge mazes)- sign me up.
I have a quirk of visiting Chinatowns in urban areas, just to get the flavor of the ethnic culture around each city. The Toronto Chinatown was.....bustling, but not overwhelming. It's right next to the University of Toronto, which is a sprawling campus basically in the center of the city. I'd have liked to go to school there.
The CN Tower- I'm not as enthralled by really tall buildings in cities anymore after being underwhelmed by the Space Needle in Seattle and the Oriental Tower in Shanghai (I mean, there's so many tall buildings in a city that you can get to!) but the CN Tower's got a bit of uniqueness to it, other than just the usual "transparent glass floor" which makes one kind of leery of stepping on due to the false sensation of falling through the floor, but at night the CN Tower's surrounding balcony lights up in different colors, which gives a pretty cool effect.
I completed my 21st baseball stadium (only 9 to go!) at the Rogers Center in Toronto, and the roof happened to be open! (only happens on sunny days there). Unfortunately the home team Blue Jays lost, an occurrence I'm getting used to now (went 1-9 with home teams in my baseball road trip last summer), but as with most cities I could see that it's a festive atmosphere at the ballpark, not a rude crowd or unfriendly towards other baseball teams at all (I wore a Cincinatti Reds Todd Frazier shirt without any repercussions).
The Hockey Hall of Fame was almost as foreign to me as Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (I know barely a bit more about Hockey than rock and roll) but did like the Throne Room (various individual player awards like The Conn Smythe Trophy, Hart Trophy, no Iron Throne) and the coveted Stanley Cup.
One last bit of warning: Don't be fooled by the latitudinal coordinates of Toronto which to the novice traveler might suggest more temperate conditions in the summer: It's just as hot and sticky as any midwest city I've ever lived in (while, just Chicago and I guess Champaign-Urbana). Be prepared. Going different places in the summer makes me realize how good I got it in Southern Cali-for-nye-A.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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