America 40th Anniversary Concert

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If you don’t know the band America all I really have to say is “A Horse With No Name.” This is not their only #1, but now you know what I am talking about. They are my favorite music band. I have pretty much known America’s music all my life. I grew up listening to their easy going melodies ever since I was born.
I always dreamed of seeing one of their concerts but by the mid 80s they were out of favor. All I had was a America’s greatest hits album (which I ended up buying three copies of because I wore them out from soo much use).
This was good, but then in the early 2000’s something wierd happened. I was visiting my Aunt in Santa Rosa, CA and she told me that she had just gone to an America concert. An America concert in the 2000’s, very wierd. It turns out America was starting to write again. In 2005 there was a concert in San Diego, but I didn’t have enough money to go. More missed opportunities.
Then this last Saturday, May 9th, 2010. America came to Riverside, CA. This was too close to home and too close to my birthday to miss the oportunity. Mixing together money from several holidays past along with a birthday budget boost Denise and I were able to go out and see America at the Fox Theatre in downtown Riverside. Which is also wierd because it has been closed for the last three years.
The concert was fun, America has definately changed over the years, but they are still entertaining. First of all the trio is now a duo. They are however writing new songs. The voices are definately lower, but that is expected I guess when your 59 years old. The sound however is just like it has always been, highly acoustic with emphasis on the rhythm and soft melody. My favorite song from their newest album is a song called “Chasing the Rainbow”:

Also at the concert was Firefall. I have to admit I didn’t know who these guys were untill I heard the following song:

What was cool about them was after their set I bought a CD and all three members of the Firefall band signed my CD. They were very nice people to talk to.
In all the concert was a blast. Definately, was a memory I will remember for a long time. If you are interested in seeing this band in person this is time to go. You can check out their website for future concert dates. They are going all over the world doing 100 concerts, so chances are good they are coming near you too.

Varsity Scout Trained Leader

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Scouting is actually something that is not new to me. Scouting to me actually started for me in the early 80s when I joined the Cub Scouts. I continued through to Boy Scouts and reached the rank of Life Scout. The last time I did anything of any real substance with Scouting was back in 1991. Then about a year ago the 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric came up to me and said “you are the Assistant Varsity Coach.” I remember filling out an application and I went to the Teachers (14-15 yr old boys I advise) and told them I was their new Varsity Coach. They told me they were not interested in Scouting. I was ok with that, so I did nothing about it. Time passed by and my Teachers got older and left me. When the new ones came in they told me they were Stars and they wanted to become Eagles. Furthermore they had discovered I was their Coach. I told my new Teachers that I was their Coach, but I didn’t know what to Coach them to do (some Coach). Anyhow, I told them that I would figure it out. Luckily, they just called a new Scoutmaster who it turns out actually knew what we were supposed to be doing (he used to be an Eagle Scout). Having the motivation of the new Scoutmaster I signed up for Varsity Basic Leader Training. Actually, what I learned was that before I could even sign up for training I had to do a bunch of online tests. The first one I did was Youth Protection (a class about how to protect youth from sexual predators). Then I had to take “This is Scouting” (a three hour online course to teach you the importance of Scouting). If that were not were not enough I also took: Fast Start for Boy Scouting, the Troop Committee Challenge, Unit Coordinator training, Fast Start to Unit Coordination, Climb on Safely, Physical Wellness, Safe Swim Defense, Safety Afloat, Staffing the District Committee, Trek Safely, and Weather Hazard Training. Three days later I had passed enough online quizzes to show up to my first Basic Leader Training course. The first part of the training was Indoor Leader Training. This was an all Saturday class that taught us the basic organization of the Troop (in my case it is called a Team) and how to get a bunch of teenagers to run a well organized program. It surprised me how much training I needed for a program in which is really run by the boys, not the adults. We are there to make sure a catastrophe doesn’t happen and to teach, but the leadership is all on the boys. Anyhow, that done we then had a two day overnight training called Outdoor Leader Skills. It was like a very intense First Class Board of Review. We had to basically demonstrate we could do everything a First Class Scout could do (first aid, knives, lashings, cooking, plant and animal identification, knot tying, ten essentials, etc.). I was a little rusty on some of my skills, but I had reread the Scout Handbook prior to the course so I was able to do ok. The reward for all this learning was the following three cards and a patch that says “trained.” Anyhow, next time you see an adult Scout leader and you see a trained patch you now know a little of what they did to get that patch.

AJ and the Helping Hands 5/8/10

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AJ on the Bishop’s Head:

These pictures were taken by Denise. I am just putting up on the web, so if you need more explanation, you are going to have to get her to chime in…
Anyhow, the last few weekends have been pretty busy. The first weekend in May I was out at Scout Leader training, but Denise and AJ went and did a service project. Every May in Crestline our church group participates in a program known as “Mormon Helping Hands.”

For this years’ project AJ and Denise went and cleaned up Lake Gregory in Crestline. I am not sure what Denise’s project was, but AJ got the perfect job for him:

Moving rocks, specifically, he had to take the rocks off the beach and throw them in the lake. I can’t think of a better job for AJ. With AJ on the job he made sure the beach was nice and clear.

Riverside Air Show March, 2010

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This particular post goes into the category of “better late than never.” Anyhow, back in March we spent a sunny, albeit windy, Saturday looking at planes in Riverside. Every year the city of Riverside sponsors an airshow (yes, Riverside, CA has an airport). The new price for entry (free) was noted and it was really crowded. In past shows they charged a few dollars for entry, but not this time. They did charge $10 for close parking. It was fun and AJ really liked climbing into everything they would let him touch.
I made a little video:

Old Town, San Diego

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We have been busy, but I wanted to take this chance to post a video I did of the newly refurbished Mormon Battalion Center.

It is a really a fun place to go and the best thing is it is free! Some of the other things you can do for free are go window shopping or go visit the two historical parks they have. The only real issue you will find, will be parking. Parking is free, but we ended up parking on a really steep hill, because all the flat spaces were taken.

Busy, Busy

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Weeks to the Half: 9
Weight: 302
Longest Distance Run: 7 miles
It has been a busy week. This week I went and got our Scouts tour permit settled for the district camporee on April 23rd. It was a lot of paperwork. I had a few good short runs, but as the results show I didn’t have any noticible improvement this week. Hopefully, next week it will be better.

The Walking Yo Yo.

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Weeks to the Half: 10
Weight: 300
Longest Distance Run: 7 miles
Well, the weight is coming down again which is good, but I am really not happy about all the yo-yoing. I am in a distance block right now due to my weight and that is really frustrating. Any time I try to go up to 7 miles my shins start to hurt a lot. I think this is due to the extra weight I am carrying. This week I worked on strengthening them by doing more sprints and a couple of uphill jogs. I am hoping that it will help me break that 7 mile barrier.
On Monday, I had AJ come along with me for a 5 mile walk. He is quite the walker himself. He is only two, but he can walk two miles on his own. I was quite impressed. His problem is he gets distracted way too easily. I almost thought he was part dog because he stopped and pointed at every fire hydrant on the way to point at it and say “Yellow.” Then when an ambulance came by he started to mimic it by going “wooowooowooo.”

A Walk Thru Playas de Tijuana, Mexico

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Weeks to the Half: 11
Weight: 305
Longest Distance Run: 7 miles
As you can see I am not doing so well on the whole weight thing. Not that it is a valid excuse, but Playas de Tijuana was really tempting. The taco you see here is a Marlin taco and it covered my whole plate. It cost me $1 dollar. Too much good food for too little of a price equals disaster on the waist line.
On the bright side however I did manage to do some walking while I was in Tijuana. Playas de Tijuana is a very off the beaten path in Tijuana. You don’t see many tourists there. The main reason for this is that Playas de Tijuana is the southernmost tip of Tijuana. You can take a taxi to get there, but it is going to cost you about $15 dollars. Which is not expensive in the US, but in Mexican terms it is a lot of money. The neighborhood is not really designed for tourists. I think there are only two hotels in this area. There are also not many “tourist attractions” in this area. The main one is the bull ring, but it is open only half the year. If you do visit Playas de Tijuana your main point of interest is going to be the beach (Playas means beach). When I was there I didn’t see many people in the beach, but it was kind of windy.
Here is a video I made while walking in Tijuana:
(video here)

We walked about 3 miles. Denise stopped in the middle of our walk and got a haircut while AJ, my dad, and I continued walking to the beach. The streets of Playas de Tijuana are not very well kept, but as you get closer to the beach the scenery does improve. I particularly enjoyed looking at all the daisies in bloom.

Tijuana, Mexico: Calle Revolucion

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When I was a teenager I remember coming down to Tijuana and visiting Calle Revolucion with my mom. Back then Calle Revolucion was a party hub for American tourists. On the weekends the bars would be going 24 hours and the tourists would crowd the streets for cheap souvenirs, beers, and velvet Elvi. My mom and I would go to restaurants and fill up on cheap fish tacos until we were stuffed. After gorging ourselves we would walk up to the Jai Alai building and watch the competitors throw the tiny rubber ball. Then came the drug wars, 9/11, and strict border laws that would require every American to have a passport to come across the border. It would be many years before I would see this street again.
While we are here in Tijuana we are staying in the Centro (center) district. Our hotel is about a block and half away from Calle Revolucion. Since we were so close I couldn’t help but to visit this old haunt. The street is still there, the restaurants are still there, the bars are still playing the music, but it is not the same place I remember from my youth. First of all the American tourists are no longer there. I took a walk down Calle Revolucion and during the two days I took a walk I only saw two other Americans (both were there doing dental work too). The Jai Alai building is still there, but there are no more competitions. The Hotel Caesar is still a hotel, but the restaurant that created the famous Caesar salad is now a Carl’s Jr. The music still plays but no one is dancing. It is very surreal. It is almost like someone declared the party over, but forgot to tell the host to turn off the lights. As we walked down the street we were swarmed by very desperate vendors. The prices are posted, but you would be ignorant to pay the listed price, reasonable bargaining is between 20-30% lower than the listed price.
As far as safety goes we felt very safe the entire time we were there. The city has done a lot of work cleaning up this part of the town. There used to be a lot of beggars on Calle Revolucion, the police has run them out off the street. Also, the police has declared no open containers in public, I didn’t see any passed out drunk people on the street. I don’t drink or go to dance clubs, but I doubt even if I did, I would be leery of Calle Revolucion, the bars still look kind of shady to me. There still is a red light district, but it is much smaller and kind of hidden (HINT: don’t go past the aqueduct unless you are looking for trouble). Whenever you travel to an unfamiliar area you need to be aware of your surroundings, and Tijuana is no different. That being said however, a tourist taking proper precautions should not be too afraid.
Calle Revolucion is not the same place I remember as a youth, but that being said it is no longer in my opinion a place to avoid. The place has changed quite a bit and as long as you know what to expect you can still have a good time. As mentioned the prices are very low and there are plenty of bargains to be had. If you are looking for cheap food or cheap souvenirs this is the place to go. If you go on a weekend my suggestion would be to walk down to the aqueduct, there you will find a free amateur concert. Find a good restaurant (don’t worry they will come to you), order some fish tacos, and enjoy the new atmosphere.
For a preview here is a video we made:

Tijuana, Mexico Day 1: Medical Tourism

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When I told my friends that I was going to Tijuana my friends told me I was crazy. In the San Bernardino Mountains Tijuana is known as a dirty, drug invested town that is the birth place for wannabe illegal aliens and drunken Americans. Knowing this one would have very little reason it seems to go to Tijuana, but here we are. The question then becomes why are the Pedrozas in Tijuana, Mexico?
Ok, here is the deal. I work for a local city government. When it comes to my paycheck I make very little, but when it comes to insurance I have some of the best in the state of California. I went to my dentist in the USA for my regular checkup and I was told I have 5 cavities. Metal fillings are completely covered under my insurance. Problem is metal fillings to me look horrible. I could go with white resin fillings but they are only 50% covered with my insurance. With the 50% insurance coverage, white resin fillings were going to cost me $200 each. With an extra discount my US dentist was willing to give me, my total was going to be $800.
After mulling over my problem for awhile (talking to friends, searching the Internet, etc.) I started to find myself drawn to the multitude of dentists found in Tijuana, Mexico. In Tijuana the going rate for white resin filling is between $40 and $75 US dollars. After doing some more research and a little bit of email negotiation I settled on going to a place called Sam Dental in the historic center of Tijuana.
The quote I got over my email was $275 for the 5 fillings. Saturday morning came, and after buying some Mexican car insurance, we found ourselves at Sam Dental in Tijuana. I picked this place because it had a lot of good references, it had the latest equipment, and it looked very clean. The first thing the dentist did was look at my teeth and say, “I see some cavities there, but they are really small. We better take some x-rays.” She took the x-rays and she said that she saw the cavities, but they were so small that they were not worth worrying over. In the end she filled one tooth that need two surfaces done and took out an older metal filling and filled it with resin. Total cost was $100, which according to the representative I spoke to at the IRS is completely deductible as a medical expense since we have a receipt. The whole visit took an hour and half. As far as the procedure goes it went fine. The teeth look good and the only thing I felt was a slight prick when they injected the anesthetic.
Something is wrong in the US when I can get better dentist work in a foreign country for 1/8th of the price in the US. I think there are various things contributing to the discrepancy. The major one is malpractice insurance. While doctors and dentists in Mexico have to carry insurance, the laws are much different over here when it comes to malpractice liabilities. In doing my research I found out that if something goes wrong with a procedure it is very difficult to sue in Mexico. The other thing I found is that here in Mexico doctors and dentists education is majorly subsidized by the government. Basically, if you can pass the entrance exam, the government here will pay for your University degree. There are other contributing factors as well: less overhead costs, lower staff costs, and lower maintenance requirements.
Anyhow, we are now here in Tijuana and we will be staying here until Monday. We have decided to make a little vacation out of it. Over the next few days our hope is to show you what we found.