We've been in Hawaii for a week or so now, and I've had the good fortune to have played three rounds so far -- two on Mauna Lani South and one round at the legendary Mauna Kea. I finally broke 100 on my second round on Mauna Lani South (96)! Hurray! (Glad to get that stupid monkey off my back.) Turns out if you just don't screw up big you can break 100. I helped that I was hitting pretty well, especially off the tee.
Too bad I didn't take that lesson to heart on my round at Mauna Kea. Wow, what a beautiful and frickin' hard course (slope 134) from the blue tees. I don't think I would have scored well anywhere the way I was hitting, but it was made worse by the difficulty of the course. 590 yard par 5 up hill? Really? No level lies anywhere? Crazy greens with very pronounced grain? A duffer like me had no chance. I won't publish my score here because it would violate a dozen obscenity laws, but sufficed to say it was much higher than 100.
Hopefully, I'll get a chance to play again before we leave Hawaii. Stay tuned...
A bit of Las Vegas history is gone forever. The 45-year old Tam O'Shanter Motel was torn down in January to make room for a new 22 story addition to the neighboring Venetian Hotel.
I never stayed at Tam O'Shanter, but I always looked forward to seeing it on my trips to LV. My two best high school buddies and I went to Las Vegas for our senior trip and for some reason, Tam O'Shanter struck us as really funny.
(Well, we were too young to gamble or drink, so all we could do was make fun of silly hotel names. Sad, I know, but it was funny and even more so as our brains suffered from the insulin tidal wave caused by the food debauchery of the Circus Circus buffet. I guess you had to be there.)
I like seeing the crazy big hotels on the Strip get even crazy bigger, but I'm sad to see bits of old LV go.
Well, I survived my three days of Resort Golf golf camp. It was actually pretty cool. There were just three of us with the one instructor, Tom. We spent a lot of time on grip and posture (even the other student, Scott, who has a three handicap needed work here.) The video analysis of our setup and swings confirmed we all needed work on these. It was really super enlightening to see it on screen.
For me, the class verified that I overswing and am just too flexible, so keeping my timing is hard. When I swing smoothly, it feels like I'm not doing anything, but the ball goes, so it must be right.
The other great thing was learning how to hit the various short game shots. Immediately during our practice rounds, my short game was better (including pitching up close to the hole on a par 5 for my tap in birdie.) I think I might actually be able to hit a ball out of the sand now.
Our instructor Tom was a good guy and a good instructor. It was a fun few days. I highly recommend it if you want to get better. Just be sure to put sunscreen on...
We flew Southwest Airlines down here to Las Vegas. It's not hard to see why they're doing well. They run the damn thing well, the planes are in good shape, and the crew clearly enjoys working for the company. Our steward was incredibly funny and everyone was nice. The prices were way less than anyone else too. I don't even mind the cattle boarding since we board early (see, Michael is good for something...)
Compare that to United, my normal carrier. You can almost smell death lingering on a United flight (watch for the vultures circling your plane.) What a difference.
I'm on vacation!! Hurrah! Work has been absolutely draining recently, so I'm especially looking forward to this little break.
I'm taking the boys to Las Vegas while Michelle jaunts off to London. The guys will get a chance to hang out with my mom while my dad and I go off to Resort Golf Golf School at Angel Park Golf Club. I'm sure my hands will be bleeding by the time I'm done, but I can't wait.
Of course, this means I need to fly with the boys first. Alone. I'll be armed with a DVD player, a cool new Sony laptop (with DVD player and recorded TV programs), books, toys, and snacks. I have duct tape too if things get dicey (especially with the Evil One.)
Stay tuned!
First off, congrats to the Stanford men's bball team on their win at the buzzer this weekend over Arizona. 20-0. Amazing.
In the
article talking about the game, the writer lists famous Stanford alums who were there.
Celebrities at today's game included Tiger Woods, Jim Plunkett (former Stanford All-American and NFL quarderback [sic]), Bill Walsh (former San Francisco 49er and Stanford head coach), Troy Walters (former Stanford wide receiver and a member of the Indianapolis Colts) and George Schultz (former Secretary of State).
It's an odd world where a former Secretary of State needs an explanation but a golfer doesn't. Maybe our priorities are in the right place after all...
Oh my God, I think my spleen is about to burst after listening to some of the Bud Lite Presents radio ads.
So far, I especially love the Mr. Male Football Cheerleader, Mr. Giant Taco Salad Inventor, and Mr. Computer Computer Guy. Hysterical!
So much for my productivity for the rest of the day...
At the urging of my friend Justin, I tried hot yoga (Bikram style) this morning at Yoga of Bellevue (whose URL is Yoga of Kirkland since they have the same owner.) This is like some kind of medieval torture where they jack the room up to 105 degrees and then subject you to ninety minutes of contortions. All the while, you have to pretend to enjoy it and pay for the privilege.
While lots of people claim nearly miraculous effects from hot yoga, I experienced very common effects like light headedness, incredible thirst, and sore muscles. I have promised to stick it out for a while to see if I like it. Lord knows I need the exercise and a few miraculous effects would be very welcome too.
Stay tuned for updates...
Why does a search for "Tony Chor" (not that I'm vain) on Google put Duffer Geek higher than tonychor.com? What's up with that?
I'm going to have to start a concerted campaign to get links to my site so this site goes up in the rankings. Dammit.
Hope you all had a great Christmas. Lots of loot, grandparents doting on kids, and tons of yummy food lead to a very relaxing Christmas at the Chor home.
Helped Mom buy a new cellphone today. Amazon and AT&T will give you a Motorola V60i MK2 (the hot phone from about two years ago) with $200 cash -- they give you $200. Of course, you need to sign up for two years of service... Still, crazy economics.
