Roseville Reopening Day 1

After 696 days of working from home, we are reopening our Roseville Headquarters today. It is going to be a very different world. Wandering through the five story building in the late morning, there were probably roughly hundred people on site; the building can hold 1,300. With so many employees now marked as remote or hybrid, I don't think that the building will ever "feel" the same as it did two years ago.

Sunday Brunch Adventure with Lee

Lee, Morgan, Daniel, Sharon and I had brunch at Butter & Bacon. I had a cali burrito [egg, avocado, spinach, mushrooms, jalapeno, potato, onion, spicy aioli, pasilla crema], while Sharon had avocado toast [toasted pugliese, avocado, chorizo, cotija, pickled onion, poached egg. served with fruit or potato].

The Lost Daughter

Saturday night, Sharon and I watched The Lost Daughter. This is part of our continuing quest to watch movies that might recieve Oscar nominations. The Goldderby website has Olivia Colman's role in the film as one of the leading contenders for the Best Actress Oscar. The film might also be nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Lost Daughter is a psychological drama written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal in her feature directorial debut. It is based on the novel of the same name by Elena Ferrante.

The film stars Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Dagmara Domińczyk, Jack Farthing, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Peter Sarsgaard, and Ed Harris. Jessie Buckley plays Olivia Colman's character at a younger age in flashback scenes.

Colman portrays a college professor on holiday in Italy. Her obsession with a woman, her daughter and a doll prompts memories of her early motherhood.

When it ended, Sharon said "I am not quite sure what to think." Although literally thirty-five minutes shorter than House of Gucci, the movie felt long. I give it a lukewarm thumbs up. Colman and Buckley's performances are very good. I am still rolling the ambiguous ending around in my head...

House of Gucci

Friday night, Sharon and I watched House of Gucci. This is part of our quest to watch movies that might recieve Oscar nominations. Last fall, it was high of the list of films likely to be nominated for Best Picture. Over the last couple of months, its odds of winning Best Picture have fallen sharply on Goldderby.

House of Gucci is a biographical crime drama film directed by Ridley Scott. It is based on the 2001 book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed by Sara Gay Forden.

The movie stars Lady Gaga and Adam Driver with supporting roles by Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons, Salma Hayek, and Al Pacino. For her portrayal of Patrizia Reggiani, Gaga received nominations for the BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Award, Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress.

The film follows Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) and Maurizio Gucci (Adam Driver). Their romance transforms into a fight for control of the Italian fashion brand Gucci.

Although it is long (two hours and thirty-eight minutes), both Sharon and I enjoyed the movie. I was particularly intrigued by the fact that it is based on a true story. Lady Gaga's performance is very good. I would bet that she is nominated for Best Actress. Although the film has received mixed reviews from critics, I still think there is a chance that it could get a Best Picture nomination.

Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi

My book for January was Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi. I finished it on the plane on the way to Lihue. Sharon read the book years ago and enjoyed it. It is also on Bill Simmon's list of the best sports books.

Open: An Autobiography is a memoir written by former professional tennis player Andre Agassi with assistance from J. R. Moehringer. The book reached No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list. It was published on November 9, 2009 when Agassi was thirty-nine years old.

Throughout the book, Agassi, an eight-time Grand Slam champion and former world No. 1, details his challenging childhood under the supervision of a demanding father and prolonged struggles with the physical and psychological tolls of professional tennis. Agassi repeatedly talks about how much he hated tennis.

This is a very good book. I was fascinated by Agassi's childhood and his time at a tennis academy in Florida as a teenager. Some of the middle of the book is a little repetitious as Agassi describes tournaments and matches. The later parts of the book looking at his relationship and marriage with Brook Shields followed by his courtship of and marriage to Steffi Graff are worth reading.

I was particularly struck by how unhappy Agassi seemed for large parts of his life. I made me think about my life. I have always been very comfortable in my own skin. I have had my share of personal and professional struggles, but never hated what I was doing. I like who I am and where I have been...

Sleeping Giant Hike

A map of our Sleeping Giant Hike on Day 6 of our Lihue trip for Sharon's birthday and retirement.

Adven/tist's chief strategy officer resigns amid restructuring

Adven/tist's chief strategy officer resigns amid restructuring

Adven/tist Health shuffled its senior leadership team to further support its employees, mission and 2030 transformation strategy, and its president and chief strategy officer resigned, the Roseville, Calif.-based health system said Jan. 28.

Adven/tist Health announced three leadership changes:

1. Todd Hofheins will serve as COO of Adven/tist Health. Mr. Hofheins became CFO of Adven/tist Health in 2020 after serving as executive vice president and CFO of Bloomington, Minn.-based HealthPartners.

2. John Beaman is the new CFO of Adven/tist Health, a $5 billion corporation. Before this role, Mr. Beaman was chief business and people officer of Adven/tist Health. Mr. Beaman also previously served as vice president and senior financial officer for Adven/tist Health and CFO of Adven/tist Health hospitals in Bakersfield and Simi Valley, Calif.

3. Bill Wing, president and chief strategy officer of Adven/tist Health, is stepping down. Mr. Wing played a significant part in developing Adven/tist Health's 2030 strategy, which is focused on the health system transitioning from a solely hospital-centered organization to a health company, the health system said. Adven/tist Health also credited him with playing a key role in acquiring community health research company Blue Zones and accelerating the launch of the health system's "hospital-at-home" initiative in 2020.

Apple Watch Series 7

Six years ago, Sharon bought me an Apple Watch for Father's Day. Although I had never worn a watch before, it quickly become a key part of my life. I am literally never without it.

I upgraded to a Series 3 four years ago and to a Series 5 two years ago.

Last Thursday while we were in Hawaii, my watch started acting flaky. It kept trying to turn itself off and the buttons were inconsistent. I wore it on Friday and Saturday, but it was almost useless. The experience reenforced how much the watch is part of my everyday workflows, including tracking exercise, sleep and health. It is a window into my phone for text messages, emails and other notifications.

Late Saturday night after we got home, I ordered an Apple Watch Series 7. I was delivered about noon on Sunday.

It's really, really, really over...

Sharon went into the Rocklin F@rm Credit West Office to drop off her laptop and fob. She got a few cards and miscellaneous gifts.

Afterwards, Sharon had a long lunch with Jeana. Walking in the door after lunch, she said "it's really, really, really over!"

2022 NFL NFC Championship Game - 49ers versus Rams

Jack, Sharon and I watched the San Francisco 49ers play the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL NFC Championship game. Leading 17 to 7 at the start of the fourth quarter, the 49ers lost the game by the score of 20 to 17.

It has been a fun month. I enjoyed watching the 49ers beat the Rams in the last game of the season to make the playoffs, Dallas on wildcard weekend and then the Packers last weekend.

It will be interesting to see what the 49ers do with Jimmy Garoppolo. It looks like he has one more year remaining on his contract with the 49ers.

2022 Lihue - Day #9

Up early, Sharon and I finished packing and loaded the car. We had a quick breakfast and cleaned out the condo.

Heading to the airport, I dropped Sharon at the curb with the luggage. Dropping the Hertz rental car, I walked back to the terminal.

We were scheduled to take a 10:35 am Hawaiian Air flight to Honolulu. Our plane didn't show up until just about the time we were suppose to depart. We ended up leaving about 11:10 am.

Walking off the flight in Honolulu, we grabbed some food and went through the agricultural inspection again. Just as we walked up to the gate, they called our boarding group.

We had seats 17C and 17D in economy plus on a Hawaiian Air Airbus 330. We were in the middle section of a 2-4-2 configuration. The seat next to Sharon was empty. Scheduled to depart at 12:55 pm, the flight pulled away from the gate about 1:00 pm.

Sharon spent the flight watching a couple of episodes of Little Fires Everywhere, while I read my book [Station Eleven] and listened to a Bill Simmons podcast. The five hour flight went quickly.

We were on the ground just after 8:00 pm. It took almost an hour to get all of our luggage. The golf clubs came off last on the oversize luggage belt.

Jack picked us up at the curb. We were home about 9:30 pm.

It was a great celebration of Sharon's birthday and her retirement!

One footnote. I don't have the best body image, i.e. how I think and feel about myself physically, and how I believe others see me. I have a mental picture of myself as a fat kid. Hanging out at the pool at the Marriott and having lunch at the pool at the Grand Hyatt, I was shocked at how out of shape the majority of the people were. Obviously, this is a different sample, but yikes people are fat. It made me feel pretty good about my shape...

2022 Lihue - Day #8

Up early, I took the Holly and Van to the airport about 6:15 am. After two plus weeks on Oahu, Maui and Kauai, they are flying home.

After I got back from the airport, I walked down to the ABC Store for some eggs and water. Sharon and I had a leisurely breakfast in the condo.

The Gainsleys were changing rooms. Checking out by 10 am, they left their luggage with the bell stand and walked up to the condo.

The plan for the day was a hike in Poipu. Looking in AllTrails, I suggested that we hike the Maha'ulepu Heritage Trail from Shipwreck Beach to Punahoa Point. This was a hike that the Gainsleys hadn't done before.

We ended up hiking about four miles in about two hours. There was some great views of the ocean along the bluffs. Part of the hike walks along the Poipu Bay Golf Course. We saw whale spouts and a sea turtle. A map is here.

Afterwards, the four of us had lunch at the Captain's Bar at the Grand Hyatt. I had a Ahi poke bowl, while Sharon had fish tacos..

Heading back to Lihue, the Gainsleys went back to the Marriott to switch rooms. Sharon and I took a nap. Afterwards, we started packing up the condo.

Eventually, Sharon and I wandered over to the Marriott to check out the Gainsley's room. From there, the four of us headed to Hualani's Restaurant at the Timbers Kaua'i. We had dinner at the bar. Sharon and I spilt a Kale Caesar, Kalbi Lamb and Jasmine Rice.

At the end of the night, we said goodbye to the Gainsleys. We are ending back tomorrow, while they are staying another week!

2022 Lihue - Day #7

This is destined to be known as the vacation with lots of golf. For the third out of four days, Holly, Van, Donna, Kevin and I played golf. When we hit balls at the range on Saturday, Holly made two tee times at the Wailua Manicipal Golf Course for Thursday.

We started the day with breakfast at the Noka Grill. This was the only morning that we didn't make breakfast at the condo. I had a breakfast sandwich [egg, cheese, bacon, spam, lettuce and tomato on a brioche bun].

Mixing things up, we split into two threesomes. I rode single with Kevin and Donna, while Sharon and Holly rode together with Van as a single.

Although I didn't score as well as Monday I had a much better time than I did on Tuesday. The course played pretty long. Although I was striking the ball pretty well at the beginning, my short game continues to be a struggle. I parred the par four fifth hole.

It was a long round. With a couple of slow groups in front of us, it took more than four hours and forty minutes to play eighteen. It was also the warmest day of the trip so far. After about thirteen holes, my concentration started to wander and I was ready to be done. I ended up carding a 118. The scorecard is here.

After golf, we headed to the Lava Lava Beach Club for a late dinner. Sharon and I had eaten at this restaurant on the Big Island. I had STRAIGHT UP BURGER [Angus Chuck, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Cheddar]. Sharon was disappointed that they didn't have a fish sandwich.

Back at the condo, Donna, Kevin, Sharon and I wandered over to Hualani's Restaurant at the Timbers Kaua'i for a nightcap. Holly and Van spent the time packing. They are leaving on Friday.

Holly, Sharon and I finished the night watching the first episode of the Gilded Age. The series has a number of references from the Vanderbilt book that both Sharon and I read.

2022 Lihue - Day #6

After two days of golf, Holly, Van, Kevin, Donna, Sharon and I switched gears and decided to hike on Wednesday. The Gainsleys suggested the east Sleeping Giant trail. Taking two cars, we got an early start in order to make sure that we could get a parking spot. We ended up hiking just over three miles with almost a thousand foot gain in elevation. The total time on the trail was just over two hours and twenty minutes. A map is here.

When we got back to the condo in the afternoon, we headed to the pool at the Marriott's Kaua'i Beach Club again! Sharon and I spilt some fish tacos at the pool bar.

After a short nap in the afternoon, the six of us went to an early dinner at Hualani's Restaurant at the Timbers Kaua'i. Although it was walking distance from the condo, the Gainsleys didn't know that it was there. We split an interesting appetizer: Signature Pupu Whole Fried ["Hawaiian Ehu", lime aloha shoyu, chili]. I had SESAME CRUSTED AHI [Local Yellowfin Tuna, Shiitake Jus, Jasmine Rice]. This was a very good meal; it will probably be the best meal of the trip.

Holly, Van, Sharon and I started to watch the The Glided Age on HBOMax, but gave up after ten minutes.

2022 Lihue - Day #6 at Hualani's Restaurant

2022 Lihue - Day #5

The plan for day was to play golf again. Holly, Van, Kevin, Donna, Sharon and I drove over to Poipu and played the Kiahua Golf Club. Sharon and I rode together and played with Donna and Kevin. Holly and Van were paired with a couple from Spokane.

I had a great time on Monday. I didn't have a great time on Tuesday. I played horribly. Interestingly, all four of us struggled.

Although I was striking the ball well, my chipping was horrible. On the second hole, I hit two nice shots to the front of the green and then hit my chip shot very thin. It flew way past the green. This put me in a grumpy mood for the rest of the day. Altough I feel like I have been doing better lately, my chipping woes conintued over the course of the round. I ended up carding a 122. The scorecard is here.

After golf, we had a late lunch at Keoki's Paradise. I had FISH TACOS [Cajun grilled, flour tortillas, guacamole, pico de gallo, shaved jalapeño, lemon remoulade, tortilla chips, fresh salsa].

When we got to the condo, we wandered back down to the pool at the Marriott's Kaua'i Beach Club again. It was very nice to have access to the pool.

We finished the day having a late dinner at condo with the leftovers from Monday night.

2022 Lihue - Day #4

The plan for the today was golfing on the Ocean Course at Hokuala. The course is right next to the condo where we are staying.

After hitting the range, we teed off about 10:50 am. The split the group into two threesomes. We sent the girls off in the first threesome. Sharon rode with Holly. I rode with Kevin. A fourth-Tom-from Indiana joined the boys on the first tee.

I really enjoyed the day. I was striking the ball off the tee and in the fairways solidly. I parred two holes on the front nine. I ended up carding a fairly honest 111. The scorecard is here.

It was a beautiful course with a couple of holes along the ocean. The weather was perfect. After raining on us while we walked on Saturday and Sunday morning, it was clear day.

After golf, we all headed back to the pool at the Marriott's Kaua'i Beach Club. It was great to cool off after golf.

The six of us finished the day with dinner at the condo. The chef that Sharon had arranged for her birthday had her assistant deliver the meal. The food was solid and there was a lot of it! The menu is here.

2022 Lihue - Day #3 - Celebrating Sharon's Birthday

For the second morning in a row, we did an early long walk with the Gainsleys and the Wongs. We covered about 4.5 miles.

After breakfast at the condo, we wandered over to the Marriott and got guest passes for the week. Sharon wanted to spend her birthday lounging at the pool and on the beach. This is something we never do.

The six of us [Donna, Kevin, Holly, Van, Sharon and I] spent the bulk of day at the pool. Off and on, different combinations would go for a dip in the pool.

At one point, Sharon and I wandered down to the beach and waded out into the ocean. It was a nice relaxing day. I really enjoyed visiting with everyone.

Wandering back to the condo, I watched the end of the Kansas City Chiefs verus Buffalo Bills AFC playoff game. In the last minute and fifty seconds, the teams scored 25 points, including three touchdowns, a two point conversion and a field goal. Mahomes drove the Chiefs 50 yards in the last 13 seconds for a field goal to tie the game and send it into overtime. Kansas City won in overtime by the score of 42 to 36.

Sharon had arranged for a chef to serve the group dinner at the condo. At the last minute, the chef called saying that she had food poisoning.

Scrambling to figure out what to do for dinner, we ended up going to Cafe Portfino. I had a pasta special with marlin, shrimp and mussles.

2022 Lihue - Day #2

Donna, Kevin, Holly, Van, Sharon and I started the day with a long morning walk. We walked along The Ocean Course at Hokuala to the Ninini Point Lighthouse. On the way back, we wandered through an old abandoned golf course near the airport. In total, we walked more than five miles. It rained off and on during the walk.

While the Gainsleys walked to the airport to pick up a car, Holly, Van, Sharon and I had a late breakfast at the condo. Afterwards, Sharon and I went shopping at Safeway.

In the early afternoon, the four of us drove to Wailua Falls. The double waterfall is known for rainbows and its place in the "Fantasy Island" opening credits. Sharon, Jack and I visited the falls when we were on Kauai in 2013.

On the way back, we stopped at the Wailua Golf Course and hit balls on the range. I felt good with my short and medium range irons, but not so much with my woods. It is going to be interesting to see how my knee holds up when we play on Monday and Tuesday. I twisted it badly the last time I played golf in December.

We got back to the condo just in time for the start of the San Francisco 49ers versus Green Bay Packers NFC playoff game. It was a very odd game. Essentially on the strength of their special teams play, the 49ers won the game by the score of 13 to 10.

Holly and Van made dinner at the condo for the six of us. It was a great dinner of steaks, ahi poke and vegetables. We all crashed fairly early.

2022 Lihue - Day #1

As part of Sharon's retirement and milestone birthday, we started planning a trip to Kauai last summer. We invited Holly and Van to join us. Additionally, it turns out the Gainsleys are in Kauai at the same time and our VRBO is very near their timeshare.

Sharon and I caught a 7:25 am Hawaiian flight from Sacramento to Honolulu. Sharon made a last minute decision to upgrade to first class. The plane was an Airbus 330 and the first class section was fanastic. There was more room than I have ever experienced in first class.

With a two hours layover in Honolulu, we caught a 1:00 pm flight to Kauai. We almost left Sharon's carryon behind... We were on the ground about 1:45 pm. Exiting the baggage claim, Holly and Van were waiting for us.

I caught the shuttle to Hertz and picked a rental car. With all of the luggage and golf clubs, it took two trips to get everyone to the VRBO.

The VRBO is very nice. Often a rental doesn't do justice to the pictures, this one might actually be nicer than the photos.

Holly and Van made a run to Costco for supplies. After they got back, the Gainsleys wandered down from their time share.

The six of us finished the night with a very late dinner at Dukes. I had the SAUTÉED MAC NUT & HERB CRUSTED FRESH FISH [Mahi-Mahi}.