PAY AT THE PUMP

Filling up my SUV at Costco where gas is 'only' $3.17, I saw one of these at the pump next to me, a Fleetwood Southwind. With these current gas prices, of course I had to know how much it cost to fill one of those bad boys up. I went over to talk to the owner, commented on his rig, 'she's a beauty,' and other small talk then asked what the damage was. $300 to fill 'er up. Yikes. That's about a 94 gallon tank. Forgot to ask him the range he gets.

They were heading out of town, probably get as far as filling up at the next Costco Gas :) I asked if he wouldn't mind if I peeked inside, which he and his wife happily obliged. Niiice. Huge, comfy, all the amneties. 6 figure ride. Worth it. Just added it to my wish/dream list. Home away from home. I like that.

ART CONTINUED

More of my favs:

Van Gogh's "Irises":


Michelangelo's Pieta:


Robert Bechtle's "Agua Caliente Nova." Oil on canvas. Photorealism. Saw his amazing work at SFMOMA:


"The Battle of Anghiari", usually attributed to Da Vinci or one of his unknown students. One of my favorites, it's on my Mac's desktop:

ART

To all the artists after my own heart - keep creating, bringing beauty into, and sharing your genius with the world.

Some quotes to share with you that have inspired me:

“A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself.” - Abraham Maslow

"Great art not only brings forth the ordered essence of human experience, but of the world we live in, this is what we call beauty. Art and love are man’s greatest gifts to himself; and there can be no art without love. Art is always the making of the soul, the craft of a human being’s touch…" - David Hawkins, "Power vs. Force"

“[One] viewer describes the unsettling physical dimension of the aesthetic flow experience, which resembles the shock a body feels when diving into a pool of cold water:

‘When I see works that come close to my heart…I have the strangest reaction, which is not always exhilarating, it is sort of like being hit in the stomach. It’s just this sort of completely overwhelming feeling, which then I have to grope my way out of, calm myself down, and try to approach it scientifically, not with all my antennae vulnerable, open . . . . What comes to you after looking at it calmly, after you’ve really digested every nuance and every little thread, is the total impact. When you encounter a very great work of art, you just know it and it thrills you in all your senses, not just visually, but sensually and intellectually.’ “ - Mihaly Scikszentmihalyi, "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience"

En-joy,

Roman

(pic: "Red Jazz" by Didier Lourenco; "La Victoire de Samothrace")

ROAD TRIP


Heading to Vegas for business next weekend. Staying at the Rio. Can't wait.

SUNDAY A.M. RAMBLE

Blogging from Panera Bread. Just opened in Concord. What a gorgeous, sunny day. This a great place to chill. This may become my new mobile office location along with Starbucks. Hot Tea. Smoothies. Free WiFi. Plenty of outlets. Lots of patio and indoor seating. Uh-oh, the secret’s out.

And try the Spinach & Artichoke Souffle and Chocolate Croissant. MmmMm.

I'm back. Stopped into REI next door. They’re having a big sale, tons of cool stuff, what a zoo. Picked up some new gear, but couldn’t decide on which new bag (looking for a new carry-on) but also picked up the new CamelBak water bottle to try out. Just came out. The checker raved about it, even had hers with her as she rang me up. Like a sipee cup for adults, hehe.

Hi. I’m Roman. And I’m a gear and gadget nut.

Out on the bike yesterday, nice easy jaunt with some of the boys, two of whom got brand new Specialized rigs, same as mine. Yes, more converts. Nice to ride after all that rain and get ready for the season. Lots of events to choose from this year.



Saw my friend Tom the other night. As in Cruise. Mission Impossible 3. Great popcorn flick. What the first two should have been. I don’t really keep up with all the gossip about him. I just like (most of) his movies, especially his latest ones, Samurai, Collateral, War of the Worlds. It’s become somewhat of a tradition of mine to see the latest Cruise movie on the big screen.



Looks like the rain ain’t coming back. Enjoy the sun!

ROAD AND SKY TRIPPIN'

I took G out for a run on her new bike. She’s fast now, I can’t just jog next to her, I have to ruuuun. And she just loves her new pink (of course) Chuck Taylor Converse All Star High Tops (see pic). She spotted them in the shoe store window at the mall among countless others. Are all females genetically wired toward shoes and bags?

Anyways, we were down at the Benicia Marina and the city was hosting a car show downtown. We saw dozens of cool cars, mostly classics and hotrods but also saw this(!) parked on the street:



It’s a Roadtrek RS Adventurous Motorhome!

My Life To-Do List includes ‘Travel the Lower 48 States by RV.” For instance, I’ve actually never been to the Grand Canyon but have always wanted to go. They say pictures are one thing, but it’s a world of difference seeing it in person. There are so many outrageously beautiful and interesting places to visit throughout America. RV is one way to go: taking your time, visiting whatever places you want to go, at your own pace. There’s the freedom of traveling with everything you need, camping out, a home away from home. A must do. The RoadTrek is a place to start.

Or maybe one of these(!):


SUPERMAN

In the meantime, you can also dowload Google Earth and scout the places you want to travel to. The Google Geeks are geniuses. You enter and address or location and you ‘fly’ to that location anywhere on the map. So of course I spent considerable time ‘flying’ around the world to all my favorite places and yet to visit places: Grand Canyon, Hawaii, Paris, Rome, Tokyo, Great Wall of China, Fiji and of course places in Nor Cal. Very detailed images, you can zoom in and even see cars in your driveway. And get this, you can rotate the topography and see the images in 3-D.

Here’s the Grand Canyon:


Here’s the Marina where we ran:


Here’s the Google Campus:


Up, up, up and away...

I OWE IT TO MY MOTHER!

Early Mother's Day thoughts I came across. Fuuunny!

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
"If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4.My mother taught me LOGIC.
"Because I said so, that's why."

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

7. My mother taught me IRONY.
"Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
"Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
"You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
"This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12 My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
"If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!"

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.
"I brought you into this world, and I can take you out."

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
"Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
"Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
"You are going to get it when you get home!"

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP.
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?"

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
"You're just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
"Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
"When you get to be my age, you'll understand."

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.
"One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

TAKE A PICTURE, IT LASTS LONGER

Fun at the Apple Store....







...smooch.

SKYLINES

Check out the Top 15 Skylines in the World.

Of course Hong Kong is my favorite. I lived/traveled in HK and China for about five months. One of my most vivid memories is crossing the harbor on the ferry at night, mesmerized by the massive reflections of the skyline lights on the water. Because of airport regulations, the lights can't be blinking, so there's a stillness amid the ancient/urban energy.

I can't wait to go back, the next time with my girl/s.

THE DASH

Lots to think about today. My friend is celebrating his son's 5th birthday by wearing the polo shirt he wore when he was born. The shirt is clearly 'worn', a couple of holes, but his annual tradition is a touching one in celebrating one of the most significant days in his life. It was ironic, that as I shared that moment with my friend, I was preparing to attend the funeral of another friend's mother.

After the service, she told me that her mom's unending wish was for her five sons and daughters to end their 3-year feud (over money, no less, what else.) I was somewhat astonished to hear that once the children finally reconciled, just one week later, the mom passed away. It's amazing how people can literally hold on to life for something they love or desire, yet also see that once people have nothing to live for, they can literally stop living. It also boggles my mind that for three years the siblings denied their mother and the grandchildren the joys and memories of sharing life together because of bickering over money. Now, that their mom is gone, was it really worth it?

In one day I saw both poles of life, birth and death. On the photocopied funeral service bulletin, or on the headstone, just below the departed's name, they print the birth year and year of death. For instance, in my case it would read Roman Derek Seguerre, 1965 - ? (whoa, that's freaky just writing it.)

I've learned that the dates aren't most important, it's the dash in between that matters most.

Wore shorts and sandals today! What a concept.

HEALTH UPDATE

Exhale. My biopsy tests came back NORMAL, which means that there wasn't any traceble cancer cells observable in my blood. It means a clean bill of health! Much love to all for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers.

Questions people often ask me in regard to my health:

How am I feeling?
Feeling great, strong, energy still high. No debilitating side effects, just nausea at times in the evening after I pop my pills. Yech. You wouldn't know that I'm sick, as a matter of fact, I'm planning my next endurance event for the year.

How long do I have to take the medication? What happens if I stop?
At this point, indefinitely, or until a cure is found, max dosage 800 mg of Gleevec daily. It's not as bad as it sounds, I still am fortunate enough to have a high-quality of life, and extended years since my diagnosis (1/03).

So my meds are still effective, the cancer cells haven't mutated and built up a resistance to my treatment. I'm technically in remission, but there are likely still cancer cells in the blood, just not observable. Basically, the cancer would come back in full force if I stop taking my meds. There are some other drugs in the testing stage that seem to be even more effective than Gleevec. My oncologist says that I'm in a good place even if a worst case scenario comes up.

What is bone marrow biopsy? Does the biopsy hurt?
It's a process for extracting a sample of bone chip and marrow from the center of the hip bone (those two protrusions in the small of your back). The samples are sent to the lab for testing. I basically lie on my stomach and the doc uses a needle to 'extract' the specimen. They anesthesize the area but unfortunately you can't anesthesize the bone. So it does hurt a little, kind of like boring a searing-hot needle through my brain by way of my eyeball. No, it just hurts for a while. I'm fully awake but I have some sleepy drugs to take the edge off. I also have my ritual of always wearing my Adidas sweatpants and Crocs, and listening to my iPod (Vivaldi or Bocelli). Plus the nurses will hold my hand or rub my head, no really, they do, it's like their maternal instincts kick in when they see a full grown man crying in pain :) My owie is still tender for about 2-3 weeks afterward.

The best news is that there are new 'normal' blood tests (from your arm) that seem to be as effective as a biopsy. So my doc says this may be the last biopsy I'll ever need. The future routine tests will just be from my arm. Yahoo.

Sidenote: my favorite nurse Alicia wasn't there for my procedure. We're always yakking and making each other laugh. I called a couple weeks later and she said she was out the past few months going through chemo, breast cancer. Just got back on the job. Stay strong girl!

Living life one day at a time,

Roman

(pic: street luge. not me, but how life seems at times)

"ROMAN'S STORY"

This just came out, part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's 2006 nationwide marketing campaign. Pictures and interview were from the SF Nike Marathon Party last October (though they edited an earlier bio of mine to use for the text). There I met Nancy Klein, the Sr. VP of Marketing Communications out of NY who was so kind and gracious to Gilly and I. Love to TNT and LLS.

I think a print campaign is to follow. Pretty cool.

Click Here for the jump

SNOW TRIP

Gilly's first trip to the snow. Another milestone and memory. Record snowfall. A friend's cabin there has snow packed above his 15 foot high deck. Can't see out of some of his second floor windows because of the snow pack blocking the view. Only the third floor has all the windows clear. Yikes.

Of course the snow and cold didn't faze G. She just wanted to keep on playing, throwing snowballs, building snow castles, making snow angels, catching snow flakes on her tongue. We might as well have been at the beach playing in the sand as far as she was concerned.

You know when Gilly goes off to college/Stanford in 13 years, it means I only have 13 more Winters to play in the snow with her as a child. Think about that for a moment. Just 13. Next year that number goes down to just 12. Then only 11.

And I only have 13 more Springs to fly a kite with her, throw rocks into the ocean, eat ice cream at the downtown cafe, ride our bikes in the park, hold hands dropping her off at school. I know that may sound weird, but I think that way most of the time. It keeps me focused on what's most important, where and how to use my most precious resources in life-my time and energy. You know-do what you love with the people you love. Life is short. Life is precious. No regrets. Live and love in real time. They grow so fast.

Maybe worn 'cliches.'

But not to me.

OON, Happy Spring Break. I hope everyone gets lots of sunshine and has a chance to get outside and breathe in life. Get re-energized and refreshed. And stay safe.

And Happy Easter. I overhead Gilly singing softly, "at the Cross, at the Cross, where I first saw the light, and the 'birds' of my heart rolled away." It's an old hymn I used to sing as a child. It's the first time I heard her sing it, she must have learned it at school. I listened quietly. She then asked me to sing the last part for her. A precious moment not soon forgotten.

He is Risen. He is Risen Indeed.

(pic: Soda Springs Snow Park outside of Tahoe)

ISLAND PARADISE

One of the magazines I subscribe to has the "Private Island Business" as some of the coolest employment going. So I added 'Own an Island' on my Life "To Do" List. You know, for a quick little getaway. Maybe Fiji, Thailand, So. America, Carribean, Greece? Like Tom Hanks in Castaway, except with food, supplies, lucidness and a lifeline to the modern world. (I always wondered what was in that last Fed Ex package. Maybe a satellite phone?)

Check out this way cool site, where people really buy and rent their own private islands.

Of course the allure of an island is to get away, stranded in paradise, with time and space far from the stress and hurriedness of life. There's a great deal of romantic adventure involved. Lots of privacy, great views, sand, sun. I like the fact the as far out as it may seem, REALLY owning (or at least renting) my own private island is within the reach and scope of possibility within my lifetime. Anyone care to join me?

HOME THEATER

Snapshots of movies I've watched recently, when I have some spare time, thank you Netflix:

MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
I was really looking forward to this since I missed it at the theater. Of course I like most Japanese themed movies. Classic love story-girl loves guy, guy loves girl, guy can't have girl, girl can't have guy. Do they end up together? Watch the movie :) Wonderfully sumptuous visuals and cinematography, beautiful locales. I can see how it won Oscars for cinematography and costume design. Some of the recognizable scenes were shot at local Bay Area Japanese Gardens but you would swear you were in 1930's Japan. Ahh, the magic of movies.

KING KONG
Watched the big screen version in the summer with my brother. King Kong deserves the best actor Oscar, (half)-seriously. I thought I was watching a 'real' 30-foot giant gorilla. Peter Jackson is brilliant. The computer graphics work for Gollum (Lord of the Rings) was first-rate, King Kong is stellar. Another 'love story' but stay for the T-Rex fight and Empire State Building Battle. A great summer popcorn movie now at my fingertips. Yes. Haven't even gone through the special features yet, love the 'behind-the-scenes' and 'making of' stuff. I should have been a director.

ROLL BOUNCE
If you lived your teenage years in the late 70's (like me), WATCH this movie. Surprisingly sweet, hilarious and nostalgic flick on the passages of youth. Reminds me of all the times me and the boys would cruise our Vallejo neighborhood during the summer on our bikes (ten speeds, not Harleys :), exploring, goofing off, just being kids, not a care in the world. The old school music takes me back to an innocent, memorable time. Makes you want to groove and put on those funky rollerskates that you know you owned but won't admit, and take one last skate around the rink. Retro is in. Time to get out my old Member's Only jacket and Angel Flight suit.

(pic: hehe, I couldn't resist :)

In the queue: John Legend Live at the House of Blues, Chris Rock: Never Scared, 24: Season 4.

CAPTURING MT. DIABLO

Great photo essay in the Contra Costa Times, a pictorial of Mt. Diablo in Danville. It's a hot spot for cyclists. In the times I've been there to ride, I never tire of the view from the top. It's a grueling, steady pace to the summit (some picnic-ers called me crazy and courageous) but the view of the emerald and caramel foothills and the sweeping valley below makes the effort easily forgotten. Breathtaking, a favorite spot for artists. On a clear day you can see the Golden Gate Bridge and the other mountain summits in Marin and the South Bay.

After I soak in the beautiful views and take a slow, deep breathe, I always love the next part, the fun part, my favorite part, what I always remember-the fast ride d-o-w-n.

Click Here to view photos

(pic: 'Western Slope, Mt. Diablo', by O. Quigley, Oil on linen)