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Mara and I had an eventful weekend… Mara did some weddding planning while I took the opportunity to clean up my apartment and work on some programming.  We also had a fantastic dinner at Antony’s house and had the pleasure of meeting his wife and daughter… a really great family.  Antony was a really impressive cook and we had a great conversation.

To cap the weekend off, Mara & I went with Bo & Victoria to Metropolitan Golf Links in Oakland to play 18 holes.  We’ve been diligently practicing at the driving range for the past 2 months about 2 times a week and it was time to play our first 18 holes.  Despite being relatively sunny all week, the weather conditions were less than idea.  It was windy and a bit cold, very strange for July.

After about 5 hours of play, we did manager to finish the 18 holes.  Mara and I played a scramble format and we shot 101, which is pretty good for our first time out.  I’m especially proud of the PAR we saved on holes 3 & 18.  In general, I drove the ball pretty consistently (my longest drive rolled about 240 yards) and hit my fairway woods better than expected.  But I’m still having a lot of issues with my longer irons.  I definitely need more practice.

I was really proud of how Mara hit  Especially at 17 and 18, she teed off with her woods very well.  She’s really starting to hit her irons, hybrids, and woods very consistently and I would say she has very good touch on her short game.  On top of that, she’s starting to generate good pace on her longer clubs now.

I can’t describe how excited I was to go out with Bo, Victoria, and Mara this weekend… and after 18 holes I feel even more excited about the sport.  Golf is such a great game to play and I’m already looking forward to our next time out.  I’m already playing back in my head many of the shots to see how I can improve them for next time.

Golf

John Mayer just released a new CD of his live performance in Los Angeles.  I ordered it from Amazon.

He’s widely recognized as one of the most talented and accomplished musicians of my generation.  And many people I’ve talked to firmly believe his abilities with the guitar approach those of Clapton, Santana, and Hendrix.  But what impresses me most about John is his dedication to growing and how he has evolved throughout the years.  He started off accoustic, moves into teen rock/pop, releases an album dedicated to the electric guitar, then he blends together blues/jazz/country/rock, and now he’s performed all of these different style in the same concert.  If you get a chance to preview his version of Tom Petty’s 1989 “Free Fallin’”… really pretty remake.

For me, John Mayer’s music has represented a reminder of transitions in my life.  I still vividly remember watching John host and perform “Bigger Than My Body” on Saturday Night Live at my friend Dan’s house the night of my grandfather’s funeral.  Before that, I had never really paid too much attention to his work.  And I constantly think back to one of Mara and my first dates, where we saw John Mayer (opening act by Maroon 5) at Shoreline.  I felt that night was a real turning point for us…

He’s definitely grown up so much since “Room for Squares” and has shown an incredible range as a young musician.  Whenever you watch him, it’s clear that he absolutely loves his music and his guitar solos seem to be meditative moments for him… I’m interested to see where his music goes in the future.

Misc.