Tahoe Panorama

 One of the easiest and most satisfying hikes in Tahoe -- just 2 miles from the Casinos.

 I took this panoramic still with my pixel phone camera - the pan feature is awesome. The huge pic dimensions allowed me to I bring the still into premiere and put a slight pan on it -- exporting it to 1080p.

I also had a blue filter clipped over the lens.

 Here's the original file:

JohnnyK - The Every-Day Tourist

     GGB off to my left… Alcatraz on my right: (Once home to Al Capone and Janes Whitey Bulger amongst others.) People come from all over the world for this view. For me, it’s just the half way point of my run. That’s right! 2.7 miles from my home and another 2.7 back. My runs now are more like run/walks, and I like to stop along the way to take in the fresh ocean air — special delivered from the Pacific by a natural wind tunnel through the Golden Gate.


     This spot is a little patch along Crissy field - with a couple of trees, a bench , and a beautiful view.  Wish you were here.
JohnnyK

Dodgers/Giants Rivalry to Me!

When I was a kid, I didn’t hate the Giants, because the Dodgers/Giants rivalry wasn’t a big deal. Dodgers/Yankees… now that was a big deal!

You gotta understand, I began my fandom in 1977 -- an era when the Dodgers and Yankees met in the World Series three times in five years. That was the rivalry -- especially for a kid growing up in suburban-northern New Jersey. That’s right! Before I was a Dodgers fan in Giants country, I was a blue blood in Yankee-land.  While I worshiped Garvey, Cey, Lopes, and Russell, all my friends loved Reggie Jax, Ron Guidry, and Graig Nettles. I shed plenty of tears in ‘77 and ‘78. But, in ‘81, I proudly shoved that pain back in those spoiled-Yankee-fans faces.

How could I hate the Giants when they were so ordinary. And, the teams were never good at the same time. The Dodgers dominated the 70’s and 80’s. By the time San Francisco finally won a division in ‘87, the Dodgers stunk, and I was going off to college with plenty of other things on my mind. Hell, I even rooted for the Giants in the ‘89 Earthquake series.

Ok, I admit it, there was one reason to hate the Giants -- 1982. Joe Morgan -- a brief Giant -- knocked the Dodgers out of the playoffs with a homer on the last day of the season. It sucked -- but it wasn’t like the Giants advanced instead. It merely gave the division to the Braves. Besides, that winter, a bigger tragedy loomed. Garvey and Cey were leaving the Dodgers, and other big names would soon follow (I would say goodbye to all my favorites -- Lopes, Russell, Baker, Sutton, Hooten, Reggie Smith, and Yeager). The team of my youth was gone forever.

Revenge is a dish best served, with pizza -- I mean Piazza! In 1993, Barry Bonds proved that you can go home again. He led the Giants to 103 wins in his first season in San Francisco. But, rookie of the year, Mike Piazza sent the Giants into hibernation for the winter with 2 epic homers, giving the division to -- who else -- but the Braves. What a coincidence. Oh, and in a case of wonderful irony -- that was Will Clark’s last game as a Giant! -- payback is a bitch!

So, some rivalry seeds were sown. But, through the Barry Bonds years, the Dodgers were not that good. The rivalry simmered. I even wanted the Giants to win the 2003 series. Hell, I never felt threatened by the Giants finally winning something. Besides -- I loved watching Barry hit.

In 2008, things changed. I move up to San Francisco in 2008, and the Dodgers returned to dominance with back to back NLCS appearances in ‘08 & ’09.

Then 2010 happened. Sure, I rooted against the Giants, but I tolerated their win without angst. I figured the sun shines on the back of every dog’s ass sometime -- right?

2012 sucked.

2014 really sucked.

So, here we are!

I am a Dodger fan in Giants-country --  and the rivalry is now very real.

I Wanna Buy Your E-Book... (But I Don't Have a Kindle)

in

All of you authors out there know what I mean.

You wrote a kick-ass e-book — put an announcement on Facebook — and all your friends say they want to read it, but they don't have a kindle. 

Give them a link!


They don't need a kindle to read your book!

Get the kindle app for any device!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=dig_arl_box?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

It's Amazon's kindle app page. For smartphones... computers... tablets!

Need set up help for iPad, iPhone, iPod?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200438220&

Need set up help for PC?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/kindle/pc/download

Need set up help for Mac?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/?nodeId=200443820

Android set up?

http://www.haynerlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/How-to-Install-the-Kindle-Reading-App-for-Android-Compatible-Devices.pdf

Why Tony Gwynn Is Great

in ,

 

     In the winter of 1994, I was an intern for NBC in San Diego. Sports Director Jim Laslavic knew how much I idolized Tony Gwynn, so he sent me out to get a sound byte from my idol — who was giving a hitting clinic at the San Diego School of Baseball.

    As photographer Mike Osment — arm seen in pic — set up, my stomach churned with butterflies; a million thoughts raced through my brain. What do I ask him? About the Padres fire sale? The upcoming season where the Pad's were sure to finish last? How many more batting titles he thinks he can win?  Above all, I was terrified of saying something stupid.

   As I fidgeted, and waited for Mike to say go, Tony was looking at me — curiously — like he was sizing me up. Then, he nodded his head at me. I leaned in. "Are you nervous?" he asked.

   "Yeah, a little." I admitted.

    "Awwww... I'm just a baseball player," he said, belting out an infectious laugh, and flashing that million-dollar grin. "Don't be nervous around me."

    Mike, the photog, laughed.  I cracked a smile, relaxed, and began the first interview of my TV career. It went fine.

    It was an awesome moment I'll never forget. And, to make it even better, the wife of Bob Cluck — the former MLB pitching coach, and owner of San Diego School of baseball — saw the whole thing, snapped a photo, had it framed, and gave it to me as a gift. That framed picture still sits on the top of my book shelf. It's one of my prized possessions. Thank you Mrs. Cluck!

    Almost 20 years later, I smile when I think of Tony Gwynn. Tony told me that he was just a baseball player. He was wrong. He was also one-helluva guy — and the best-damn hitter I ever saw!

 

Mist Falls, Kings Canyon National Park

    On Memorial Day 2013, while Yosemite was ridiculously crowded, Kings Canyon was nearly empty. The biggest attraction in the park is the General Grant sequoia tree — the second largest tree in world. It's one of those big fatty trees with enough lumber to fuel the fires of hell until kingdom come. We, however, hiked to Mist Falls. It's a great river hike that evolves into one waterfall after another. About 9 miles round trip... if you like rushing water and rapids... you'll love this hike!

    I strung together video of various sections. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

One Day Diet - New and Improved!

in , , , ,

One Day Diet... New and Improved!

I read the best selling book Wheat Belly by William Davis MD., and with "no wheat" as my guide, I designed this diet for people embarking upon a high intensity one-month workout routine.

To view Hi-Res pdf click here!

To view Lo-Res pdf click here!

To Download pdf go to download links (Located on Bottom Left of Every Page)

 

JohnnyK's One Day Diet (that you repeat everyday)

in ,

This is a No Wheat, High Protein, High Veggie, Medium Fat, Real Food Diet. Stick to the basics and repeat this everyday. This is me after dieting and exercising for 1-2 solid months with few slip ups.

 

 

Diet is below. For a PDF download right click here and chose download linked file... and save to your desktop.

 

 

Rodriguez Should Have Been the Next Dylan

He should have been the next Bob Dylan!

But here he is… doing my favorite Bob Dylan song!

 

I saw Rodriguez play last night at the Warfield in San Francisco. SPECTACULAR!

I wasn’t sure what to expect. After all… HOW GOOD COULD HE BE? He’s a 70 year-old man… whose musical career was stabbed in the heart by failure… only to be resurrected 40 years later by the Oscar-winning documentary, Searching For Sugar Man.

Of course, it didn’t hurt that 60 Minutes featured him on the same episode that showcased Adele, the hottest singer on the planet at the time. People tuned in for her… and what they got next was a story so fantastical… it captured the curiosity of America… and finally clued us in on what South Africans had known for decades… Rodriguez was… and is a treasure.

 

Flanked by his daughters, Sixto Rodriguez had to be helped to the center of the stage. He appeared every bit the frail old man of seventy. Dressed in black clothes, black glasses, and a black hat pulled down over his eyes, he looked like he should have been Johnny Cash’s sidekick in a western movie.

Once he got to the microphone… a transformation happened. He took off his jacket. His sleeveless shirt revealed the still powerful-looking arms that only a lifetime of hard labor can forge. He didn’t seem like an old man anymore. His voice had strength and soul. His guitar playing was powerful. (He uses his fingertips… like Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac.)

Crucify Your Mind. Sugar Man. Can’t Get Away. The Establishment Blues. He played all the favorites… plus some great covers too. Little Richard’s Lucille… Blue Suede Shoes… Peggy Lee’s Fever… Dylan’s Like a Rolling Stone. (All huge crowd pleasers.)

My favorite song of the concert was Like Janis – one of his many Dylan’esque compositions. I sang so loud and proud… that when it was over… a fellow crowd member quizzed me on the lyrics - to make sure she was singing them right. (All those times in the hallway at work, singing along to my iPod, paid off!)

The feel-good moment of the night came early in the show. The crowd erupted at the first few notes of I Wonder. Everyone was so jacked up… singing along… that I got a keen sense of what it must have felt like to be in that South African crowd in the movie… when their Elvis… their Jimi Hendrix… their Jim Morrison… came back to life to sing them the words they’d been singing along to… for years. MAGIC!

“I wonder… how many times you’ve had sex…

and I wonder… do you know who’ll be next?”

As for me… now the morning after… reflecting on a great show… I wonder… how many great songs he WOULD HAVE WRITTEN… had success come forty years earlier… when it should have.

 - johnnypromo

 

Live concert date info:

http://www.rodriguez-music.com/tour-dates/

Buy Rodriguez's music... It's more than worth the money!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/searching-for-sugar-man-original/id538121204

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cold-fact-bonus-track-version/id283049338

 

Go Pro Boxing Videos

Experimenting with the new GoPro camera. I shot my Polk St. Gym boxing class one day, hitting the mitts. Turned out pretty good. The group ranges from beginners to pretty advanced.

 6 groups of 4 boxers each.

Shot at 1080p 60fps.

I converted the H264 to Apple ProRes and eventually output to H264 at 30 fps. Had to downshift to 720p to make it more youtube friendly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you mean I'm tying my shoes backwards?

in

I am constantly retying my shoes (like twenty times a day, at least). Synthetic shoelaces have only made the problem worse. Whenever I complain, some advice-giver invariably says, “Why don’t you use a double knot?”
“Because double knots suck, that’s why!” For one, it takes twice as long to tie it. Secondly, I have a short attention span… What was I talking about??? Oh yeah, double knots. They cut off circulation and make your shoes a nightmare to take off. (It’s a 50-50 chance anyway, whether I untie my shoes or just step on the back and pry them off — the commonly used self-inflicted flat-tire method of taking your shoes off. Try that with a double knot.)

All that is true and all that is bullshit! The real reason I avoid the double knot and suffer through endless retying of my shoes is that I have an escalator-phobia. (What?) A long time ago in my youth, I heard about a kid whose shoelaces got stuck in an escalator — he couldn’t kick himself out, because he tied a double knot. (I realize that this incident may be an urban myth, but I heard he lost a foot! I’m not willing to risk it.)

At work last week, we were about to record a promo for the news, when I felt the familiar floppy whip against my ankles. I stopped, tied my shoes, and bitched about my shoelaces always coming undone. The much-beloved Bay Area TV news anchor and all-around nice-guy, Allen Martin, quipped, “You should try a double knot.” I just looked at him with a semi-evil eye. (I like Allen so I squashed my usual rant.)
Then, something happened that changed my life. Michelle, the 23 year-old production assistant said, “You’re tying your shoes backward.”
“What?” I said. “I have been tying my shoes for almost forty years and have never heard anyone ever say anything about a right and wrong way to tie my shoes.”
“Yeah,” she said, unfazed by my snarky tone. “If you loop it the other way, it won’t come untied as much.”
I looked at Allen, whose curious face indicated that he too was out of the loop on this one. “What do you mean?” I said to her — although it probably came out of my mouth sounding more like Gary Coleman saying, “What’chu talkin bout Willis?”

“After you make the loop,” she said, “wrap the lace around the other way.” Then, she walked me though it. It felt weird, mostly because I had been tying my shoes one-way my entire life. (I felt like a recovering stroke victim relearning the simplest of childhood tasks.) I pulled and prodded to see if the lace would come loose. I couldn’t really tell if it worked, but I committed myself to giving it a try over the next few days. (It did take a while to get used to the new method. I hadn’t felt this awkward tying my shoes since I was a wee-little boy.)

I’ll be damned! On Thursday, October 11th 2012 — at 43 years, 5 months, and 15 days old — I went an entire day without retying my shoes. I couldn’t believe it!
I went online to see if this were some miracle fix, a secret passed on through generations, like the Knights of Templar cautiously guarding the secrets of Christ. But no, IT’S ALL OVER THE PLACE! There’s a video that even explains the whole thing. It’s called a granny knot versus a reefer knot. Apparently, looping it one way pulls the knot apart. When done the other way, motion actually tightens it.

  
I was outraged! Did my parents know about this? My sisters? My kindergarden teacher Mrs. Tinsley? Why wasn’t I told? This is bullshit! Pop and I need to have one of those, “Come to Jesus talks”. I want answers!

The moral of the story is, you can teach an old dog new tricks. I feel like a new man. One of the banes of my existence is gone! Praise the Lord! And, thank you Michelle.