Losing my breath in Yosemite..

figuratively... and literally.

I finally got the chance to visit Yosemite this past week, and .. yes, it was as breathtaking, majestic and gorgeous and beautiful as everybody else said. But the words that came out of my mouth the most were, "I can't believe I was up there!" and "I can't believe I just saw a f___n bear!!"

What do they refer to?  To my ultimate Yosemite camping experience (of course!) as described below.


1. Lovin' Camp 4

We didn't know about this until we did some research online. Camp 4, located in Yosemite Valley,  is a walk-in campground that only charges $5/person per night. Apparently it is also well-known as a hangout spot for rock climbers, with boulders scattered here and there around the campground.

Since it is a first-come, first-serve campground, we thought we should get there early to make sure we have a spot. So came the idea of leaving Bakersfield at 3AM to get there around 7-7.30 AM. When we got there, there were plenty of spots open and really we didn't have to come that early. I guess the busy season hasn't started (it started the week after we were there. What perfect timing!).
So we walked around, found a spot we liked, paid our fees at the ranger's kiosk and set up our tent. Nice and simple like that.

At Camp 4, you share each campsite with 5 other people. You also share the bear-proof food storage with these people. There is only one parking lot, so you have to bring all your camping gear to your actual campsite. But the walk from the parking lot to the campground is not far at all, so this should not be a problem. Camp 4 is also located next to the Yosemite Falls trailhead, and the view of Upper and Lower Yosemite falls is practically your backyard view when you camp there. This then leads us to point number two.

2. Hiking Upper Yosemite Falls with only 2 hours of sleep

Yes. It is always a good idea to do a strenuous hike when you only sleep for two hours and had to drive four hours to get to camp. That is why we did it. Well, not really. We did it because our original plan to do another hike that day didn't really work out and the park ranger recommended we did this one instead.
So there we were (armed with 2 hours of sleep, beef jerky, sandwiches, teddy grahams, clif bars and water), ready to hike what was described as "the mother of all stairmaster workouts." 

This is a 7.2 miles round-trip hike, so about 3.5 miles one-way..which sounds easy, except for the fact that it covers 2,700 feet elevation gain in those long and painful 3.5 miles. It is the equivalent of climbing the stairs all the way to the top of Empire State building..twice. 

Needless to say, this was where I literally lost my breath in Yosemite. At some point, I was pretty much panting, sweating and crawling on all fours climbing the rocky path up the trail because I couldn't lift my legs anymore. But the moment you got to the top, it was all worth it. It is something you have to see for yourself; no words can really describe the awesomeness of being up there.

 
By the time we finished the hike (about seven hours later since I am that out of shape), I never felt a bigger sense of accomplishment in my life and a stronger desire to crawl inside my sleeping bag. But it was all worth it, and I will definitely do it again.

 "I can't believe I was up there!!"

3. Flat ground, please

After point number two above, there is no way I could make another uphill hike. My legs move very awkwardly every time I step up or down the stairs, and they hurt! So we decided to go easy and stick to the flat trails around the valley, or drive up to capture the beauty of Yosemite. We walked around the Sentinel and Cook's Meadows, drove up to Glacier Point and to the infamous Tunnel View, of course.

Not many words can describe this point, so here are some pictures instead:

panoramic view of yosemite falls and half dome

Mirror Lake

one of the meadows

Tunnel View

Glacier Point

Bridalveil Fall

4. Up-close glimpses of Yosemite wildlife

is another highlight of the trip. Squirrels were practically everywhere. We got to see lots of deer munching on grass, and got really close to them. They don't seem to care that much about people and totally ignore us bunch of humans taking countless pictures of them eating.

On our drive down from Glacier Point, we saw a lonesome coyote hanging out in the middle of the road. Of course neither of us had the camera ready, so we had to turn around and head back. Luckily it hasn't wandered off yet. In fact, it was just standing there on the side of the road, waiting for cars to come by. As it approached our car it just stopped and stared at us, giving plenty of opportunities for Kodak moments. With a sad look on its face, it seemed lonely and to be wanting something (like food).
Later, Jerrad over-heard the rangers talking about that lonesome coyote and how it had become dependent on humans feeding it that it has stopped hunting. The coyote now just relied on begging for food from humans, and the only solution was to kill it. Lesson learned, folks: leave the wildlife alone. If you want to feed an animal, consider getting a pet and adopting from your local shelter. Do not feed the wildlife, that poor coyote now doesn't have another choice.

But the highlight of wildlife sightings in Yosemite Valley is obviously getting a glimpse of one of the numerous black bears residing there. I felt our odds of seeing one were nil at best but lo and behold, on our last day and hours of being there, we heard somebody said some rangers were keeping an eye on a bear. We turned to this beaten path, found the rangers just chillin' and sitting on a fence watching the three-year-old male bear named Blue #72 napping.
After what seemed like forever, he started making the move. Walking around, munching on grass, hiding so much behind trees so it's hard to take a good shot at him.
We finally got a good look at him when he crossed the bike path to the other side of the meadow. He was walking around the trees, ripping the barks off to find bugs, and eating grass. We just stood there for at least half an hour, watching in awe, of Blue #72 doing regular bear stuff.

 

"I can't believe I saw a f_____n bear!!!"

Four other words to describe Yosemite: best camping trip ever. 

~josie

Homecooking with the two Js: Thai Night

One of our favorite cuisine is Thai food, and one of our favorite Thai dish ever is Pad Kee Mao, also known as the Drunken Noodles. It is basically flat rice noodles with meat, vegetables, thick soy sauce, garlic, basic and chili peppers.  According to wikipedia, it is a "Chinese-influenced dish that was made popular by the Chinese people living in Laos and Thailand." Why is it called drunken noodles? We've heard and read on the internet that it is a popular dish for drunks... go figure... 

We decided to try and cook Pad Kee Mao together tonight. Why? because first of all, cooking together is more fun than cooking alone. I think it is time better spent together than going out to eat in a restaurant. Second, we are living on a budget now and we can't  afford to eat out all the time. Last but not least, there is something that is just more satisfying when you eat something you make yourself (that is, of course, assuming you didn't completely ruin the dish).

So after managing to find a decent recipe from allrecipes.com and all the ingredients we needed, off we went into our kitchen (mind you, this recipe we found is probably not the most authentic recipe, but it was close enough.. and it got 4/5 stars, so we thought we'd give it a try).
We bought fresh flat rice noodles, so the time it took to soak it in water was considerably shorter than the dried noodles.

These are the necessary ingredients for our dish:

We used chicken, carrots, serrano peppers and basil. But the dish is pretty versatile; you can add chicken, beef or pork, bell peppers, sprouts..or perhaps tofu for those of you who are vegetarians.

Making the dish was actually quite easy. After soaking the noodles in hot water until softened, we cooked the noodles in the thick soy sauce and garlic and sugar. Then we removed the noodles, cooked the meat and vegetables with more garlic, thick soy sauce, salt, pepper and sugar. We added some regular soy sauce as well. 

The whole cooking process didn't take us long, probably about 30-35 minutes total.  This is counting the time we spent rinsing and re-cooking the noodles since the first time we put in two tablespoons of sugar instead of two teaspoons. Hey we are amateur chefs here, we were bound to screw up somewhere along the way. 

As of the final product? Well, it didn't look quite as good as the ones you order in Thai restaurants:

       

We probably stirred the noodles too much, they were sort of semi-broken apart by the time we were done cooking. But the taste: it was pretty damn delicious. Not as good as the ones we've had at real Thai restaurants, but good enough for a couple of wannabe chefs who never cooked flat noodles before. 

We both practically had two servings each for dinner! 

~josie                                                                                                                                               

Living the dream..or merely daydreaming?

When you go to our blog, you will see the title that says, "challenges and misadventures on the road to living the ultimate dream."  I have been thinking about the phrase "living the dream", in our case being living in the US Virgin Islands. I realized now I don't really like that phrase...it sounds..well, dreamy-ish... unrealistic...foolish....

Sure, who doesn't think living in the caribbean  to be living the ultimate dream? (Well, maybe a few of you, but majority will probably agree with me on that one).  The problem is, dreams are unreal. So when I tell people that we are going to live our dream...of course many are skeptical because it is unrealistic. Heck, I was skeptical...and I think sometimes I am still a little bit skeptical even though I have decided to do this with my husband.

I tried to convince myself that we are not those people who just quit their job and buy a one-way ticket to do something utterly crazy and unpredictable like this. Well, okay.. I know we are NOT one of those people (I don't think I can handle the stress and anxiety level of being that spontaneous..). Or at least, we are less crazy and less unpredictable (well, actually I am really not crazy and very predictable, my husband is somewhat the opposite of me). But, who can predict, no matter how much planning we do, of how we will manage once we move there? That's the part that scares me.. a little bit... and makes me skeptical of this whole idea.

So I kept going through this over and over again in my head, reassuring myself that this will work.
We do have a plan, and a timeline. We are working hard to save as much  money as we can, looking into networking online, searching blogs online about people who made it there, gathering paperwork for getting my PA license there, gathering paperwork about getting a business started there, etc, etc, etc (I plan on blogging in more detail about our planning and prepping of moving there as we go). It should work, right? It is possible to live there, heck tons of people did it. But tons more did it and went back to the mainland... for various reasons, including being unrealistic with their goals in life.

Some people probably think we are crazy, foolish, daydreamers. We are not. There is a reason why we want to live there, and it doesn't just involve cheap rum, gorgeous caribbean beaches and Johnny Depp...okay it really doesn't involve Johnny Depp at all. It really is about something more than that. I read online from people who already moved there that their first advice is to think why we want to move. If the answer is to escape from our life in the mainland, that is not a good enough reason. Well, I don't think that is our reason. It's just we are both sick of living in a place where everything that matters don't really matter. People only care about themselves, ignorance is rampant, all that matters here is money, what Kim Kardashian is doing and how to get everything I want right now. My husband said it perfectly: "there is no sense of community here." This is the major reason why we want to move, and why not move where it is also beautiful?

And where is that distinction between living the dream and reaching your ultimate goal in life? I like to call this reaching our goal in life: to live fulfilled, to live the best life we can be, to give something back and be a part of humanity. Is that too dreamy-ish? too unrealistic? Majority of my family will probably say yes. They will say just get a good job, buy a house and have children. But our goal in life is not to just work and have kids (something that a lot of my family members do not understand). Our goal is not just to do what everybody else is doing. We want a purpose and a sense of accomplishment in our life that we did something truly important and worth it for us. After all, shouldn't that be what living is all about?

I'd like to think that we are being realistic... and not merely foolish.

~josie

          He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.
                                      ~Friedrich Nietzsche

          The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, 

                 and  should have.
                                      ~Louis E. Boone

Birthday Food Extravaganza 2012

Last, last Sunday (March 4) was my birthday. I turned 29... one more year before the big three-zero.
There was no big celebrations or parties this year. Well, actually there usually is never a big party or celebration for my birthday, not since I was little anyway. I'm over birthday parties.

That didn't mean I didn't celebrate. I thought of how I wanted to celebrate my birthday this year. What better way to celebrate than with yummy goodness in your tummy??? So we made a plan of a weekend trip to fatten ourselves with delicious food. The way to Josie's heart IS through her stomach...

First stop was LA for Indonesian food. We went to Simpang Asia, known for its simple, cafeteria-style food as well as its grocery store full of Indonesian snacks. We had Nasi Mantep (Indonesian rice dish with egg, curried chicken, collard greens, beef. chili sauce wrapped in banana leaves), Rendang (beef curry with coconut milk), Ketoprak (tofu, potatoes, rice cakes, sprouts, thin noodles, chips and spicy peanut sauce).  I wanted to order more, but I had to control myself....

Ketoprak on bottom left, Nasi Mantep on top and beef curry on bottom right.

After eating, we obviously had to buy some Indonesian groceries. Unfortunately since we were going to be out and about all day long, I could not buy some of the homemade Indonesian pastries/cakes since they would probably go bad being left in the car all day.

Next stop: Claremont. We had to work on our appetite for dinner so we went on a hike first with the dogs. Two hours and five miles later, with a trip to Petco and Target as well, we were ready for dinner. Eureka Burger! is the only reason we came back to this town. Originally started in Redlands, California, Eureka Burger has a variety of gourmet burger selection like the Pearl Street Blues burger with melted bleu cheese, herb-sauteed wild mushrooms, grilled onions, chipotle ketchup with added bacon on top on freshly-baked buns. And fries, with spicy ranch dressing. Oh, and they also serve Hangar 24, local beer brewed in Redlands: our FAVORITE beer.

Pearl Street Blues Burger: 

Hangar 24 Orange Wheat

The night came to an end, and so did our food extravaganza day one.

The next day we stayed around in Oxnard at the Marina. Food galore continued with fresh, sweet strawberries from the farmers' market, and Toppers Pizza for lunch.

jalapeno, red pepper and chorizo pizza

big and sweet!

 We finished off our celebration by having seafood dinner (naturally, since we were right by the ocean) at Sea Fresh. Unlike Simpang Asia and Eureka Burger!, we've never been here so this one was quite a gamble. It was pretty good, I was not disappointed with my dinner, but it was definitely not as good as Eureka Burger!

ahi tuna with rice pilaf and vegetables

And that marked the end of our weekend food extravaganza. Well, sort of. I had one more food item I wanted: fruit tart, my favorite dessert. I did sort of demand this one shamelessly. And a good husband Jerrad is, after typically forgetting to buy one for two days, he managed eventually to get one for me.

There it was:

yum.

Perfect way to end my birthday food extravaganza...

~josie

Salty sea dogs and crabs legs

Since the start of the new year I have been sailing (mostly solo) almost non-stop aboard the Pearson Triton we recently purchased. In this short time many adventures have been had and the constant reminder of one's own mortality a reoccurring theme. This tale is from our exploits during our most recent passage to Santa Cruz Island.

As Alex, Josie and I arrived at the docks Friday night, the winds blowing like fuck-all (40kts+). Optimistically(or foolishly), we loaded the boat and with any luck the gale would blow itself out before daybreak. We slept reasonably well given the howling winds and violent whipping of dozens halyards on dozens of masts.

Waking up an hour late the next morning, the outlook had significantly improved. The wind had calmed to a good stiff 25kts and the swell was not unreasonable. Upon realizing the good news, we loaded up on supplies and began preparations to make sail.

In a bit of fortunate misfortune, we decided on a last minute test of the BBQ. The weathered valve was not only faulty but seized in the propane feed tube. This was not a welcome delay, as we had already watched our planned departure time come and go. 

After about an hour of searching we found a second hand boat supplier, that not only had the replacement but also provided us with a workshop. We immediately set to freeing the useless and corroded old valve. This cumbersome process required the use of: a large hammer, an equally over-sized screw driver, an excessive quantity of penetrating fluid, a vice and a substantial application of force. In the end we were triumphant.

Upon returning to the docks the wind had not yet let up, this was good because we were now hours behind schedule and needed to make good time. Hastily, we prepared to make sail and planned a launching strategy. This strategy turned out to be a fantastic failure due to the strong winds and the old boat's terrible steering qualities in reverse. Fortunately, without too much drama and some fancy rope work we got her pointed up into the wind. We were finally on our way.

With the winds blowing 25kts with 30kt gusts we hoisted the sails and began to settle in for the six hour voyage ahead. We were finally making good headway and beginning to relax when Daisy, our German Shepherd, went tumbling-head-over heels off the back of the boat. Taking the helm and assigning my wife as a spotter, we performed a standard man overboard procedure. Riding up beside the dog I was able to grab her and bring her safely back on board. She was soaked to the bone but no worse for wear. I had been planning on putting netting in around the stern pulpit, and by week's end there will be.

Daisy relaxing on a calmer day

Once we were north of Ventura and well off shore the seas settled and the wind was reduced to a comfortable 12-15kts. We were able to shake out the reef and  run under full sail. Between that point and making landfall at Santa Cruz island things were pleasantly uneventful. 

The sun set as we made landfall, which was beautiful but less than desirable, as we were yet to anchor on what would be a near moonless night. With our intended destination still over 12 miles away I hoped we could sneak into Potato Harbor in the last lingering moments of twilight. We would have no such luck, all detail was lost to the darkness before we even arrived at the entrance. 

 

We pushed on through darkness for another hour and a half to Prisoners Harbor.  Its easy approach and unlit military supply dock [marking a safe anchorage] were ideal for just such an occasion. With one eye on the depth finder and the other on the featureless coast, we anchored bow-and-stern. Once satisfied with the hold and angle to the swell we were able to relax for the evening.

Once settled we spent the night fishing for crabs under the innumerable stars that are lost to the city lights back home. Our entertainment was watching the bio-luminescent display known as the red tide. The harbor came to life as dolphins chasing schools of fish lit up the waters around us. This seemingly electric display is impossible to photograph and a description in words is inadequate. One would have to see it themselves for it is a truly magical thing. This went on through the night and after pulling up a good haul of crabs we went below to get some sleep.

We woke in conditions so calm that the angry seas that tried to steal my dog seemed so far away. We would have had the glassy water of the harbor to ourselves that morning, if not for the sea lions and pelicans. It was a lazy day in all the best ways and once we were all up it was time for breakfast.

When I unwrapped the crabs they were still lively as ever. The biggest of the bottom dwelling bastards was none too happy to be in the same bucket with the others; he brutally removed the claws of one and nearly cracking another in half as we were preparing the grill. Making short work of cleaning them, I handed the meaty bits over to Alex to be cooked.

Upon finishing our delicious breakfast, we noticed a large number of fish had found refuge under the Triton's hull. I tried free-diving in the icy cold waters but there was simply not enough visibility. I quickly gave up and resorted to rod and real. Using bread for bait, we fished till our cooler was full and the few pieces of bread we had were gone.

It was now half past four, well after our planned departure time but more importantly well after lunch. We made quick work of the fish and headed for open water. The wind was just strong enough to allow for good speed but not enough to cause any undue discomfort. The sun set as we cleared the point and again we headed into darkness.

A dark night with a good breeze has to be one of my favorite times to be at sea, and I enjoyed this near moonless night maybe more then others. Our boat moving in solitude and silence through calm seas was joined by a pod of dolphins. The electric glow of the red-tide allowed us to see every detail of their movement. You could see them lazily riding the water pushed aside by the hull. They were rolling and playing with one another; so close you could literally reach in and touch them. Once bored, the dolphins would veer off at full speed leaving a glowing comet trail behind, only to return a few moments later for another free ride. It went on like this for some time as we took turns riding the bowsprit. It really is amazing the otherworldly things you can see so close to home if only you know where to look.

Shortly after the dolphins had abandoned us for good we were back in the safe waters of the harbor. Returning to the slip was far simpler a task then leaving it. With nothing lost to the sea or damaged aboard the ship, our voyage was at an end.

~jerrad

the business of medicine in worker's comp: money is always the keyword

I have been working for almost three months now and I am already getting restless, drained and can't wait to leave this system.

I currently work in an orthopedic office specializing mostly in spine orthopedics and worker's compensation claims. How is it, you ask? I would rather go back to the craziness of PA school than work here. That says A LOT about how much I don't like this job.

I'm not generally a picky person, ortho was never my first choice but I took it anyway. Hell, I'm not a picky person at all I took the darn job in Bakersfield!! Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful I have a job during these hard economic times, but working for this system is exhausting.

I never knew how broken and inefficient our worker's compensation system is until I started working here. The idea of it sounds good, but the reality is far from it. Why? well, to start we have to get authorizations for pretty much everything in worker's comp: xrays, MRIs, medications, therapies, lab tests, referrals to other specialties, and of course the expensive procedures.


Countless times I tell my patients, "your insurance company is denying it," or " we haven't heard anything from your insurance yet"; I have seen patients wait for longer than a year to get back surgeries approved, or even a simple, relatively cheap treatment like physical therapy. I have seen real, legitimate patients suffer because they can't get treatment through worker's comp, and they either don't have private insurance or their private insurance won't touch their complaint since it's worker's comp. These patients are stuck; getting by daily with pain, unable to function, unable to live life to the fullest. Imagine living day in and day out in pain, no work and unable to do most of anything. That is a terrible life.

Then I get stacks of denial letters. These denial letters are pages long, typed in small fonts and in such a way that you don't even want to read it. The reason of the denial usually is never straight forward; they list all kinds of guidelines they used, and you have to search for the actual sentences that say the specific reason they deny a request. Sometimes they don't even exist. Sometimes the reason is beyond ridiculous. It's like they purposely try to frustrate you when you open that letter.

But not all the fault lies on the insurance company. The system is broken, because it's also being taken advantage of by the patients. I have also seen patients claiming heart attack, diabetes and hypertension through their worker's comp. I mean, that's stretching it a bit, don't you think? I have seen people lie and fake pain to get painkillers, because lots of times we provide meds in house, not through prescriptions.

Between the denial of treatments, people claiming diabetes caused by their work injury, people lying to get painkillers, delay of treatments and diagnostic testings, and 80 work comp patients a day, I finally read what is between the lines: MONEY. Money talks, money controls what can and can't be done, and money drives the huge volume of worker's comp claims we get. It is sickening, but it is reality.

I went to PA school because I want to do something to help people. I know you think, "that's what every medical professional say, but they really go into it because of the money"; well the money's good but that is not all the reason. I actually do want to help and do something productive to improve people's lives.

I have never felt so frustrated and so useless in my job (well, I've only worked  for 3 months now, but still...). I missed my clinical training days as a student in family medicine, in private practices and urgent care, where at least I still felt like I did something productive and helped my patients. But nowadays, medicine has become more and more controlled by money and medical treatments are getting harder to come by...

                                                    
                         “When morality comes up against profit, it is seldom that profit loses.”
                                                               ― Shirley Chisholm

~ josie

Just a quick update

I've been back from Haiti for about a week and I have been busy writing but don't know when I will be done, I will post as soon as I am finished.

 

-Jerrad