What is that Nicole up to?

I am not exactly quite sure where to start, since some of you may know where I have been and some of the things I have been up to. I apologize in advance for any redundant information but I probably need to set the scene and groundwork before moving onto the fun stuff!

Home: Santa Cruz, California
I love this little surf town. I feel extremely lucky to live here - and hope to continue to do so for as long as possible. I live a block or two from one of the top surf spots in town - Pleasure Point - in an area we refer to as the "surf ghetto". Lots of cool, funky houses practically stacked atop one another. There is not alot of privacy in my 350 square foot studio (with a shed that just about increases my real estate by 50%!), which lies a foot or two either side to our neighbors, but I can walk to the surf with my board (and quickly home afterwards - the ocean is chilly here - and jump straight into the outdoor shower and/or hot tub). I also ride my bike to work (UCSC) as well as to all my favourite mountain biking trails. I rarely drive my car. I am lucky if I fill up on gas every other month these days. I have also been logging my road and mountain bike miles over the past year ( I will end up dong somwhere around 4000 miles on road and 2000 miles on singletrack/dirt), so feel free to use me as a carbon credit! Of course, such a lifestyle is made possible by the very mild, temperate climate here. It averages 68F and never gets much above or below that, except for the occasional chilly mornings and nights. It gets a bit rainy in winter, but that is always welcome as the grounds dry out with long rainless summers. Summers are a bit foggy, which is a nice break from overexposure to sun. I also swim outdoors year-round with the Santa Cruz masters team in the 50 meter pool that overlooks Monterey Bay atop the UCSC campus. It is the best way to watch the sunrise in the morning. I thrive on activity - it is what keeps me sane, healthy and happy - Santa Cruz seems to have this effect on most everyone that lives here!

Hi Family and Friends! I figured that since I am terrible at phone calls and update emails to my family members (including the non-genetically related ones), that I could keep them up-to-date on my life by recording it in a blog. It is a wonder that I have taken this long to even start a blog, considering that I am surrounded by computer-minded people (aka computer geeks) such as my brother as well as my favourite Mt Biking partner and others that work at Google. I initially avoided the blogging trend as I thought it was a little narcistic, in which case I am not forcing nor expecting anyone to read this. However if you happen to be the one taking a peek at the going-ons in my life - then it is probably because you love me and want to ensure that I am alive and well! Kisses backatchya and thanks for taking the time to check up on me!

Labels: Introduction