Bellarmine Winter Concert

Today, Alex played trumpet in his first Symphonic Band performance with the Bellarmine Symphonic Band in the Sobrato Mainstage Theater.

The Winter Concert Program was scheduled with the following performances:

Symphonic Band

1. Synergies by Robert Sheldon
2. Ghost Fleet by Robert Sheldon
3. Instant Concert by Harold L. Walters

Performance Choir (with Notre Dame High School)

1. Let It Snow
2. Winter Wonderland
3. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
4. I'll Be Home for Christmas
5. Jingle Bell Rock

Wind Ensemble

1. Kindred Spirits
2. Trumpeter's Lullaby by Leroy Anderson (William Healzer on Trumpet)
3. Crossing the Bosporus by Jukka Viitasaari
4. Carol of the Bell, arranged by Sean O'Loughlin

Here is a video of the Symphonic Band playing "Synergies."



Here is a video of the Symphonic Band playing "Ghost Fleet."

The Performance Choir with the girls of Notre Dame singing Christmas Songs.

Here is the Wind Ensemble playing the final four pieces.

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Review: Jlab Epic 2 Bluetooth Earbuds

After trying many different earbuds, I recently purchased the Jlab Epic 2 Bluetooth Earbuds (and from the excellent review on Wirecutter). 

Wirecutter claimed that these were the best headphones for working out, and I wanted to replace my Klipsch S4i wired earbuds with a Bluetooth headset using an Apple iPhone 7 or an Apple Series 3 watch.

Since this Jlab Epic2 headset was quite expensive - $99 on Amazon.com or Best Buy - I scoured eBay and found an excellent deal for $60.

After using these earbuds in my Active Sports gym, I have identified the following positive and negative traits.

Positives:

• Midrange and treble sound clean
• Connects quickly to my iPhone 7S
• Announces battery level when first turned on
• Good battery life (12+ hours)
• Stays on during a heavy Nike workout (which includes jumping)
• Includes lots of different earplugs

Negatives:

• The bass response is seriously lacking (in comparison to Klipsch S4i wired earbuds and AUKEY Latitude Earbuds
• The price is a bit high at $99 (though I found a deal on eBay for $60)
• While the bass response is acceptable with large tips, these tend to fall out during workouts; the other ear tips have a terrible bass response (but at least stay in)

Now that I have used the Jlab earbuds for a few weeks, I have found a few more issues. During workouts, the earbuds sometimes pop out. Also, the Bluetooth connection is not very strong - it frequently cuts out on mountain bike rides.

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Review: Jabra Move Wireless Stereo Headset

I decided to purchase the Jabra Move wireless Bluetooth headphones on Amazon for my work (to block coworkers' noise and to use them on walks during lunchtime).

Although I initially liked them, I realized they were too bulky to be painful to wear for over 30 minutes. Here is my overall review.

Positives

• Relatively inexpensive ($50)
• Sound exceptional with excellent bass extension
• Good Bluetooth range
• It can work with a 3.5mm jack or with Bluetooth
• Good battery life

Negatives

• Does not fold
• Significant pressure on the ears
• When connecting to two Bluetooth devices, experience occasional noise

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Review: AUKEY Latitude Wireless Headphones

Wanting to retire my iPod Nano player with Klipsch S4i earbuds, I decided to use my iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 3 with wireless, Bluetooth earbuds.

I looked forward to avoiding long cord dangles and fully wireless operation during my workout sessions at Forma Gym and mountain biking rides.

Researching online, I saw that the AUKEY Latitude wireless headphones were highly recommended by the Wirecutter, and for $30 on Amazon, they were hard to resist.

I purchased them from Amazon and used them for about two weeks. Eventually, I returned them because they kept falling out of my ears during workout sessions. Otherwise, they performed very well.

Positives

• Relatively Inexpensive ($30 on Amazon)
• Paired quickly with my iPhone7 and Apple Watch Series 3
• Nice bass response
• The battery lasts 8 hours
• Seemed durable

Negatives:

• During workout sessions, they kept falling out of my ears. I tried various combinations of medium and large wings and sizes, but they did not stay in
• Mids and highs are not as straightforward as my Jlab Epic 2 or Klipsch S4i

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Review: Babolat Pop Tennis Sensor

After being disappointed with the Zepp 2 tennis sensor, I continued searching for one that could provide meaningful/actionable tennis statistics to improve my tennis game.

I decided to try out the Babolat Pop tennis sensor since it was popular and inexpensive. With Babolat Pop, one wears a wristband that contains a small packet where the small sensor resides. The sensor records the motion of one's playing hand.

The sensor looks like a small, thin card with a button to turn off/on. This sensor pairs over Bluetooth with one's smartphone (I used an iPhone 7).

The Pop Smartphone App provides many meaningless statistics that are hard to understand.

For example, the PIQSCORE has style, speed, and spin percentages. The exact meaning of these is not well known.

The Activity Calendar provides a visual record of past training sessions and matches.

There are other statistics screens, such as the ones below. The numbers don't always make sense. Since I was playing against the ball machine, the best rally of 26 doesn't really make sense.

After playing a series of 5 games over a week, I noticed that most of the statistics stayed the same, but since no individual data is provided, it's difficult to determine how to change one's game for the better.

For example, Pop kept telling me that all the forehands were being hit flat. However, even when I tried to deliberately use a lot of ball spin, it still did not recognize most of my topspin forehands.

After more use, this tool did not provide valuable data, and I returned it. It really needs to give more details about each stroke.

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Bellarmine vs Mitty Football

At 18:35, I arrived at San Jose City College, where all the Bellarmine Home Football games are played. I parked in the garage, entered the stadium, and walked to the Bellarmine concession stand to purchase food. I decided to get the highly recommended tri-tip sandwich, chips, and water.

Unlike the previous Bellarmine football game against Gonzaga, this game was much more crowded for both Bellarmine students and Archbishop Mitty High School students.

I found my seat near the Jazz band (where my son plays the trumpet) and waited for the game to start (at 19:00) while other alumni and students walked about.

The game started around 19:00, and Bellarmine quickly scored a touchdown. 7-0 Bells!
There was not much scoring for the next quarter, and the half ended with a 7-0 score, with Bellarmine leading.

Unfortunately, Bellarmine lost the lead when Mitty scored twice, leading 14-7. It was disappointing for Bellarmine.

I enjoyed the game and the sounds of the jazz band right above me.

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Biking John Nicholas Trail

On my last mountain bike ride at Almaden Quicksilver Park, I stopped by for a short break and got talking to another mountain bike rider. She told me about a mountain bike ride on the nearby John Nicholas Trail in Los Gatos (relatively nearby), which she thought was one of the best rides in the area.

Since I had never biked there, I was intrigued and curious about this new trail. She said it was not as grueling as Almaden Quicksilver, with more shade and prettier scenery.

I arranged a ride with some friends, and we arrived at the trailhead of Jon Nicholas Trail (in Sanborn Park).



We unloaded our mountain bikes and started our ride. The first part of the ride was quite level, on an extensive trail of other mountain bikers and hikers.

The trail was very scenic, with excellent tree cover.

Once we passed Lake Ranch Reservoir, full of fish, the trail started to narrow and wind uphill.

A few steep sections required pedaling in the lowest possible gear, but I reached the top (Vista) with only one stop.

I recorded a GoPro 4 silver video in standard and high definition (shown below) (use the link).



The view of the Vista is quite lovely, and I could see a vineyard in the distance.

Since I recorded the ride using Strava, I used Relive to generate a ride video.



The ride back down to the parking lot was high-speed! I really enjoyed biking on this trail and hope to do it again.

My Strava statistics are as follows:

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Bellarmine vs Gonzaga Football

It was my son's first Bellarmine vs Gonzaga Football game and my first home tailgate.

The actual game was scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at San Jose City College (where the pre-game tailgate dinner was held from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.)

When I arrived at 5:00 p.m., I parked at San Jose City College's parking garage and walked to the dinner tables. The Bellarmine crew was setting up a catered dinner for chicken, sausage, and hot dogs. I decided to purchase 2 dinners for my wife and me while we waited for the Jazz Band to set up and play.

Alex played the trumpet in the Jazz Band, and I was surprised by the band's quality and the number of songs they played.

I recorded a short video on my iPhone of the Jazz Band playing a tune below:



After dinner, we walked to the nearby stadium to watch Bellarmine College Prep's Varsity team take on Gonzaga.

The Jazz Band played a few numbers while the football team was getting ready.

The football game was quite exciting, but unfortunately, Gonzaga immediately took the lead, first 7-0, then 14-0, from which Bellarmine could not quite catch up.

I was surprised by how crowded the game was - I didn't expect so many Bellarmine fans!

Bellarmine lost 19-38, but I enjoyed the game.

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Review: Zepp 2 Tennis Sensor

I was always curious about tennis sensors and was set on purchasing the Babolat Pure Aero Play tennis racket with built-in sensor technology. Since it was costly - $350 - I decided to try a lower-priced option - the newly released Zepp 2 Tennis Sensor.

I attached the Zepp 2 to my 2017 Wilson Burn 100S tennis racket using the "insert mount." In the Wilson tennis racket, I popped out the "W" cover with a small screwdriver and inserted the Zepp-provided "insert mount."

After charging the Zepp 2 sensor, I attached it to my racket by turning it into the mount. It seemed secure to me, but it does stick out.

I installed the free Zepp app from the iTunes store on my iPhone 7. It quickly found and connected to my Zepp device.

After playing two matches, I checked the recorded stats on my iPhone.
The status screen looks like this:

In the Zepp box, there are 3 different methods for attaching the Zepp 2 sensor to the tennis racket. I used the best one (the insert mount).

Having played a few matches, I can now report my findings on this new Zepp 2 Tennis sensor.

Zepp 2 Tennis Report Card

Positives

• $100
• Work with my Wilson Burn 100S racket without any special adapters

Negatives

• The sensor sticks out at the end of the racket (and I find the extra length obtrusive)
• Why didn't the designers allow it to rest inside the racket? There is plenty of room on the racket's handle.
• Turning it off/on is really stupid:
• Holding the on/off button for 4 seconds turns the sensor off or on - but whether or not it's turned on or off is hard to tell. A separate OFF/ON button would have been nice.
• There is no "on" indicator - the designers should have used a blinking LED or something. Once, when I thought I turned it on - I actually turned it off.
• The charging cable is also poorly designed. Why invent a whole new connector when a micro-USB would have also worked?
• Zepp iTunes app was buggy. One time, it locked up while syncing with the Zepp sensor. 

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Review: "Something Rotten" at Orpheum Theater

After hearing our friends' favorable review of "Something Rotten," I decided to see it in San Francisco's Orpheum Theater (if I could get reasonably priced tickets).

Today, on Sunday, September 3, when I checked my iPhone's TodayTix app, I realized that some seats could be available at the $40/ticket price. At 09:00, I got the $40 Rush tickets (which turned out to be in Row Y of Orchestra for the 14:00 performance).

The Mercury News wrote a delightfully accurate review of Something Rotten. I am posting a short excerpt below:

One thing you have to admit about the new Shakespearean spoof “Something Rotten,” it comes dangerously close to living up to its title. Despite being very funny at times, I found the music and lyrics a bit uninspired. 

“Rotten” slices and dices the Shakespearean canon until it’s as cheesy as a Denver omelette. The rub is that once you’ve heard one Shakespeare gag, you’ve heard them all.

The plot’s a nonstop Bard put-down. The preening peacock Will (a wonderfully funny Adam Pascal) is the rock star of the London literary scene and he has a lock on box office returns, so Nick (Rob McClure) and Nigel Bottom (a nuanced Josh Grisetti) decide to up the ante with a new genre. Nick pays a soothsayer to predict what the future holds for the theater and the prediction is for — wait for it — musical comedy. Enter the “Hamlet” parody known as “Omelette: The Musical,” which leaves the brothers with a lot of egg on their faces.

Both Shakespeare and Broadway get a drubbing here which is kind of fun, for a little while. There are some funny bits, particularly Nostradamus’ (an astute Blake Hammond) epic song and dance number summoning the ghost of musicals yet to come in a massive name-checking chorus line. He shimmies and sashays from “Les Miz” to “Avenue Q” in a cheeky showstopper (“A Musical”) that goes so far over the top it’s upside down.
Songs like “I Hate Shakespeare” and “The Black Death” feel uninspired. It’s a bit like “Spamalot” if you take away the Monty Python stuff.

Despite McClure’s engaging performance as the ink-stained wretch Nick and Pascal’s (“Rent”) stylish strutting as the leather-clad Billy Idol-style rock god, moaning that it’s “Hard to be the Bard,” the play is not quite the thing here. The shtick is the real star of the show, from the groaner puns spewed by a mincing Puritan preacher (Scott Cote) who seems obsessed with bottoms to the overstuffed codpieces and the fangirls holding up candles (the precursor to the lighter) at the Shakespeare concert. 

In the funniest and most insightful joke of the evening, the moment that had the audience roaring with applause, the soothsayer has premonitions about musicals in the future. He gets flashes and images but nothing definitive. For instance he knows you have to solve a problem like Maria and he knows there are people called Nazis. When asked if these Nazis are good or bad, he demurs.The elastic-limbed choreography is consistently eye-catching and the costumes are pithy, but the words or the observations rarely get anywhere near as noteworthy as the production values. 

Something Rotten Report Card

Positives

• Full of zany zingers, making fun of Shakespeare and most American Musicals
• Very funny at times

Negatives

• "The Black Death" song seems uninspired/kitschy 
• Stage Decorations were average
• Most of the songs are not of the same level as other musicals, such as Spamalot (not to mention Chicago or Anything Goes)

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Hiking Butano State Park

When our friends suggested hiking at Butano State Park, I was surprised to hear about it - since I never heard of it before. It was only 80 minutes away from Los Gatos (so nearby).

When we arrived, we decided to follow some of the suggestions from Alltrails.com:

• Start from the Park Entrance parking lot
• Follow the Six Bridges trail south toward the Ano Nuevo trail
• At the intersection with Ano Nuevo, follow the Ano Nuevo trail East toward the Olmo Fire Road
• At Olmo Fire Road, turn  right, walking a short section
• At the intersection with Goat Hill Trail, follow Goat Hill Trail north until fire road
• Turn right at Fire Road and then walk a short distance
• At the intersection with Little Butano Creek trail, get on the Little Butano Creek trail
• At the intersection with the Fire Road, walk to the park entrance

We decided to shorten the hike, as we were running out of time, and everyone was tired from the steep ascent in the Ano Nuevo trail. At Goat Hill Trail, we turned left and walked toward the fire road, taking it all the way back to the park entrance.

I also tracked my progress on Strava and had an excellent recording of my hike on Relive.
This 3.3-mile shortened hike took us 1:50 hours with an ascent of 940 ft.

After the hike, we stopped for lunch and coffee at the tiny village of  Pescadero. We thought about eating pizza there, but the pizza restaurant burned down.

I saw a cool car parked next to the Downtown Local coffee shop. The "Mocha" I ordered was so-so, but the beautiful 3-wheeled vehicle with a V-twin was something to admire.

I had never seen a car like that, and it was beautiful.

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Biking Saratoga Gap and Long Ridge

As the weather was scorching, I mountain biked the Saratoga Gap and Peters Creek trail in Saratoga (starting at the Vista Point parking lot at Highway 9 and Skyline Boulevard).

I arrived just before 9:05 am and rode my 2011 Specialized S-works FSR with newly built wheels. The rear tire flat has been fixed at Silva Cycles.

The trail started with an easy climb to a single track with an excellent green tree cover. I recorded a nice high-definition GoPro 4 video on my ride here:




I also tracked my progress on Strava and had an excellent recording of my progress on Relive.



I also took some iPhone photos on the ride.

The ride took about 1 hour and 15 minutes. I really liked this trail - it's not as tiresome as Almaden Quicksilver County Park - but it is more scenic with many different sections of single track and technical descents. I hope to ride it once again.

Here are my Strava statistics:

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