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2012-366 Day 96 – San Diego Vacation III (The Activities)

So, after burning through a thousand or so words on the food yesterday, maybe I should spend a few on what we actually did on vacation. Whether it was as interesting as the food, well I’ll let you make that determination.

Thursday: We began our trip a little after noon (and a DMV appointment) and headed down to our first stop, Disneyland. Traffic wasn’t too bad and we made decent time into Disney’s parking structure line, which was the emptiest I’d ever seen it. We pulled directly up to the booth, flashed my pass, and were headed up to park on the roof in no time. We decided to walk to the park rather than waiting for the trams. (Where did all the people come from?) We headed directly for California Adventure, as the entire reason we were there was a Cars Land passholder exclusive preview event.

The entry plaza to California Adventure is still under construction, so we had to go entirely to the West end of the park before we could cut back to our destination on the far East end. There, inside one of the buildings behind one of the stages (very specific, I know), we found the place to get our wristbands and admittance into a hangar-like structure. It was actually pretty sparse inside, with about 2/3s of the space reserved for new merchandise you could purchase and the other 1/3 dedicated to some pictures, statues, and a stand giving out samples of some of the new food and drink. Jess and I took a minute to check out the pictures, grabbed a sample of the sour apple slushie (good) and popcorn (slightly seasoned, nothing to write home about), and then plunged into the merchandise. After going back and forth whether we wanted to get some of the opening day posters to adorn our new accent wall, we decided to just get the pin set and a Mater shirt for Jess’ cousin in Modesto (who is a Cars nut).

Having made our purchases and been stripped our our access-granting wristbands on the way out (not that we couldn’t have gotten another one by going back to the entrance), Jess wanted to check out the Blue Sky Cellar. I’d never been there before, and it turns out it’s a pretty cool place that houses more previews of everything that’s coming in the parks. The vast majority was focused on Cars Land, but there were also previews of the new entry to California Adventure and the new sleds they’re putting into the Matterhorn. It’s called the Blue Sky Cellar because the motto for the Imagineers is that when you start a project, you have nothing but blue sky to work with and anything is possible. Having aced the trivia game on the computers near the exit due to having watched a documentary on Disney last week, we headed out to acquire some Corn Dogs and take the tram back to our car.

We got down to San Diego and the rental house around 6:30, and I called the guy for the keys and he got there in about 15 minutes. We got settled in and then headed out to find our dinner and Target for supplies for the weekend. Having successfully acquired dinner and supplies, we got back to the house and crashed for the night.

Friday: We had our destination for the day picked out ahead of time, so we headed on over to the San Diego Wild Animal Park (about half an hour away from the house). The parking lot was a little more crowded than expected, but a bit of a hike and a tram ride later we were at the front gate. We picked up our tickets for the Butterfly exhibit and were told there were a lot of kids groups there (as the next available time was 3:30 and it was late morning when we got there). We had been once before and had a small list of things we wanted to see, but mostly we were just going to wander for a bit. I always liked the condor area since it is the highest point of the park and you can see across most of it, so we headed up that way initially. Coming back into the central part of the park, we circled the lagoon trying to decide what to have for lunch. After eating our corn dog, we completed a leisurely circuit of the entire park while making sure we were back in time for our butterfly visit.

We visited the butterfly exhibit with a group last year and were informed that, since it was the last weekend of the exhibit, we were seeing the last gasps of the decayed population (sad, I know). This time we were there for the first or second weekend, so we were assured a larger, more active population, and Jess was determined to get one to land on her. We certainly were not disappointed by the amount or activity of the butterflies in the enclosure, they were everywhere and landing on lots of people. One lady towards the end had several butterflies that would not leave her alone. Sadly, they just didn’t seem to like Jess or I, although one did land on her shoulder briefly just before we departed. We headed out from the exhibit intending to burn a little time until the Cheetah run at 5, but were encouraged by the people wrangling a honey badger to go over and stake spots out early.

When we got over to the run, most of the railing spots had already been taken. Jess pounced on an opening between an Asian couple and a grandfather and grandson, and I circled the place to see if I could find a better vantage point. There were no better locations, so Jess and I settled in to wait the 45 minutes or so until showtime. The run, as we would be told in the introductory speech by the handler, was exactly long enough to allow the Cheetah to get to top speed and have enough time to stop, and is unique among zoos. We got to observe a couple tests of the lure, the “elusive floppy purple octopus” and then the running of the Cheetah’s companion dog (the name or breed I don’t remember, but he was BIG) to encourage the Cheetah to participate. With all the preliminaries out of the way, it was time for the main event. I will say, the cheetah at full speed is majestic, and the sound their paws make hitting the ground and accelerating is surprising. I was paying more attention to the run than my phone, so the video I was trying to take never actually recorded, but Jess got some pictures on the camera in rapid shot, one of which she is quite proud of. I’ll edit it into this post later when I have access to the camera.

Having spent a full day at the Park, we headed out to find dinner and then meandered our way back to the house.

Saturday: The list for the day was not quite as definitive as Fridays, but a bit more busy. We started by scheduling lunch with Steve and Hanka and visited with them for a little bit. After that we headed to the San Diego Zoo for our traditional first quarter of the year visit. Having spent most of the day before at the Wild Animal Park, we only had two goals for our quick visit, the aviary where I should have proposed (a story for another time) and the otter and monkey exhibit which has brought us some of the most entertaining times at the Zoo. It’s always amusing to see the otters play pranks on the monkeys, and this time we got to watch an otter repeatedly throw a rock around the waterfall. Our primary goals accomplished, we headed back to the car and started towards Coronado and then Hodad’s.

A quick aside, who designed the parking lot at the San Diego Zoo? We parked in between the F and G rows of the parking lot, and each had a sign decorated with an animal. The F sign had a flamingo decorating it, while the G sign had a giraffe on it. Made sense, until we started looking at the other signs, and saw the E sign with a Koala on it, and the C sign with a Meerkat atop. In fact, none of the other signs had an animal that matched its letter! This bothered me, a lot (hence why I’m mentioning it here), but we’ll move on.

After driving through Coronado (the ending point for the Ragnar Relay last year and this year), we headed to the border (just because), turned around a couple miles short, then headed back to Hodad’s. After Hodad’s we went downtown and walked around a bit, watching the end of the Kansas-Ohio State Final Four game outside a bar with large open windows and a rather rowdy fan base. After downtown, we went looking for gas and somehow ended up in Old Town San Diego, and, after walking around a bit around closing, made a note to come back with a group in the future. Finally finding the gas station and deciding not to wait for a late 50/50 burger (another Steve mention), we headed home to clean a bit and then get to bed.

Sunday: After an initial miscommunication led us to leave a little later than we wanted (the owner was waiting for us to call him, I though he was going to show up at a specific time), we headed back to the Wild Animal Park to try to feed the giraffes (which Jess really wanted to do, but we didn’t see the sign for it until after it ended on Friday). Unfortunately we got all the way out there before finding out that the line to get into the parking lot extended a quarter of a mile back up the access road and we determined we’d just have to come back another time as I had to get back before a 5 pm soccer game and we still had to get back up to L.A. Despite quite a bit of traffic, we made it back with over an hour to spare, thoroughly vacationed out, having had an excellent time.

Weight: 232.2 Loss: 7.8 lbs – Running Yearly Mileage: 86.7 miles (+5 miles)
Fitocracy Level: 17 (33441 points, 1409 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Last Game: L, 6-9 (Record: 1-4) Next Game: 4/15 – 5:50 pm

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2012-366 Day 95 – San Diego Vacation II (The Food)

If you know something about Jess and I when we go on vacation (or even just in our area), one of the things we like to do is try new food places. We have various sources, though mostly our favorites come from Yelp and Food Network destination shows. We covered all the bases this time around, even getting a good old-fashioned word of mouth recommendation.

Thursday Lunch – San Carlo Deli: We had an appointment at the DMV so I could renew my license before we kicked everything off, so we started with a local favorite. This one is right by our house and was discovered via Yelp. Although this was a little early, so you may call it brunch, in which case you could say that the corn dogs we had at Disneyland later that afternoon were lunch. We tried the Corn Dog Castle in California Adventure and it was okay, but I just feel that the Corn Dog bus in Disneyland proper to be better.

Thursday Dinner – Babbo’s Bar and Grille: How Jess found this one is beyond me, but it’s another Yelper (then again, how we found it was kind of crazy, since Google Navigation had us driving in circles and I just happened to see the temporary sign coming off a right turn). Apparently it had just opened in this new location around December after having been flooded out of an old location. Everything seemed very simple, from the decor, to the layout, to the atmosphere. Serves everything from crepes to burgers to Italian, which is what we were there for. I got the cheese stuffed ravioli, Jess got the spaghetti marinara. Both were quite good, although the surprise of the night was the garlic bread. Very blonde and unassuming, one bite revealed that the top was covered in a very fine coating of garlic powder, which made it quite potent and very delicious. This also happened to be the nicest restaurant we ate in all weekend (though that speaks more to our charming – and proud – lack of sophistication than the quality of any restaurant we visited).

Friday Breakfast – 2 Die for Sushi: Ha! Just kidding, we don’t do breakfast (actually mine was half a box of Hot Tamales, Jess had a bowl of cereal). I just wanted to point out that this restaurant does exist, and I have to think has one of the worst sushi restaurant names ever. Why remind your customers of their own mortality when eating uncooked fish? (I may be a little biased.)

Friday Lunch – Congo Kitchen, San Diego Wild Animal Park: Despite the presence of the always excellent Hebrew National hot dog in their chili cheese dog, sadly the rest of it was the same over-priced, over-processed theme park fare. Outside of the fact that we needed to eat SOMETHING since we spent most of the day at the park, nothing much to recommend here.

Friday Dinner – Pizzeria Luigi: Oh, my, goodness. Looking at their website, there appear to be two locations. We went to the Golden Hill spot, which seems to be the original. This is a Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives spot and, if past indications in the San Diego area – Hodad’s – are to be an indicator, it was going to be good. And it was good, despite them not having the pizza I wanted to try by the slice (The Capone). I had two slices of pepperoni, while Jess had a slice that featured basil and sun-dried tomatoes (not named on the menu) and ordered a Meatball Roll from the baked items section of the menu that would take fifteen minutes to be prepared. Jess declared the pizza the best she ever had due to its thin, crispy crust (I am more a traditional or pan crust person, but it was still quite good). We were debating going back for another slice each when IT arrived.

I’m going to start a new paragraph here merely out of respect for the Meatball Roll, lest it be too close to some of the lesser dining options from our trip (mainly looking at you here Congo Kitchen and Del Taco). The Roll is essentially a meatball pizza rolled up on itself and baked. With the ultra thin crust, this actually makes it quite manageable (about foot long sandwich sized). The flavor, however, exceeds all known bounds of the sandwich realm. The meatballs themselves are great, along with the excellent sauce and generous amounts of mozzarella cheese, but the true stroke of genius is the ricotta that is found in pockets throughout. Hitting those sweet patches spread throughout the rest of the savory treat was a revelation. Now pardon me while we move on and I wipe the drool off my keyboard.

Saturday Lunch – Habanero’s: Since we were down in San Diego for more than a couple of days, it would have been a crime not to see my best-friend-since-high-school Steve and his (relatively) new wife Hanka for a (too) brief visit. We decided on lunch (and not to subject Hanka to Hodad’s) and asked for Steve’s recommendation on a local eatery. Previous bouts of Italian versus Mexican had (obviously) been won by the Italian side, so when Steve suggested a local place called Habaneros that he said did Mexican well, we were sold. Upon arriving at the location, I was reminded of our favorite local Mexican place by campus (Senor Sol), which definitely doesn’t hurt the first impression. I got my standard testing dish for a Mexican restaurant, the bean and cheese burrito (Jess got the Chicken Enchiladas). What arrived was a good sized burrito with very good beans and cheese (could have used a bit more cheese though). At Steve’s behest I tried the salsa from the Salsa Bar and was not disappointed, it added a good flavor to the burrito. I could easily see the place making our regular rotation if we lived down there.

Saturday Dinner – Hodad’s: It is Hodad’s. If you haven’t heard about Hodad’s from us, you have not talked to us much. In an exciting update, however, Hodad’s now has a squirt bottle of BBQ sauce (Hog Heaven BBQ Sauce) on the table which turns the greatest Bacon Cheeseburger on the planet into the greatest BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger on the planet. Yes, my quest has ended (the quest for the ultimate BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger), though I will continue to try new ones, I shall never find an equal.

Sunday Lunch – Del Taco: What do you want? We were driving home and hitting some fun pockets of traffic, so when our first option fell through due to a too long wait, we punted and got some tacos and stuff to go.

Weight: 232.2 Loss: 7.8 lbs – Running Yearly Mileage: 81.7 miles
Fitocracy Level: 17 (32455 points, 2395 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Last Game: L, 6-9 (Record: 1-4) Next Game: 4/15 – 5:50 pm

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2012-366 Day 94 – San Diego Vacation I (The Surprise)

So, for reasons that are hopefully obvious, I didn’t advertise it on the blog, but last Thursday through Sunday Jess and I took our annual first quarter of the year Anniversary trip down to the San Diego area. Since we have Cesar Chavez Day off (thank you State of California) and it fell on a Friday this year (also cancelling teaching class), we decided to take a slightly extended trip.

In looking for lodging I was struck by a sudden spark of inspiration. Rather than just getting a conventional hotel room, why not look at renting a vacation home? It was only a week or two ahead of time, so quite a few places were already booked, but there was one place on the upper end of what I was willing to pay nightly that seemed like it would fit the bill. After comparing what I could find on high end hotel rooms (most in the downtown area) and finding out that they all charge parking on top of their room rates, the house was looking like a decent deal (especially since they were running a 20% of special).

After getting in touch with the owner and getting a price quote, I decided to go for it but not tell Jess (the titular surprise). I actually offered to tell her the night before when we started to pack, but she wanted to be surprised (which is somewhat unusual for her). She finally guessed on the way out of Disneyland on Thursday, when I told her we had to call someone (my “contact” – the owner for the keys) when we got into San Diego.

I called on arrival to a quiet secluded street in an area where all the street names up to our area where either Presidents or States. The owner met us ten to fifteen minutes later and took us on a tour of the house. It looked to be a one bedroom, one bath house that had been expanded with converting a basement to a second bedroom and a closet into another half bath.

This was actually the clincher for me, as the view out the back door was amazing. The fact that the home was literally built on the side of a hill in Southern California was a little worrisome, but, as mentioned in the Mountaintop post, I like being on top of everything.

The whole house was very pleasant, this was the living room. We really did enjoy the space, and the bed was actually amazingly comfortable. Another plus over the standard hotel room.

This was the part that amused me the most. This bathroom had to have been a converted closet. I cannot convey to you how tiny it was via picture. I barely fit in it if I turned sideways. I’m pretty sure bathrooms on airplanes have more total room than this. Seeing as there was a full bathroom immediately on the other side of that wall with the mirror, it was absolutely nothing to complain about, just amusing.

In all, Jess and I decided that, as nice as it was, it was probably too much room for two people, especially seeing as we spent most of the days out and about. Definitely would recommend for two couples though or just a group of friends to hang out.

Weight: 232.2 Loss: 7.8 lbs – Running Yearly Mileage: 81.7 miles (+3 miles)
Fitocracy Level: 17 (32455 points, 2395 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Last Game: L, 6-9 (Record: 1-4) Next Game: 4/15 – 5:50 pm

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2012-366 Day 93 – Resolution Update

Turns out being on vacation at the end of the month messes up all the regularly scheduled features. So we’re a day late on the first of the month resolution update, and the weekend wrap up will just have to wait until the upcoming weekend for its second installment. Now, however, it’s once again time for our monthly check-in on the old resolutions.

1) One blog post (long or short) every day this year. – On track.

2) Lose 20 pounds. – Hovering around 232-233 (7-8 pounds lost), didn’t do too much damage despite eating a ton on vacation (a bunch of walking really helped), and just getting ready to kick of the heavy running season. On track.

3) Run 600 miles. – Nearly ran more this month than the first two combined, and I haven’t even started training for the half marathons toward the end of the year. Still behind pace (I should theoretically be around 152.5 miles), but that should change in the upcoming months. Behind. 78.7/600 = 13.1%

4) Complete 5th Gup Green belt test by end of year. – Orange Belt accomplished. Next step, Blue Belt. Our school just went through a pretty titanic shift by changing associations, which will end up slowing down the progression to Black Belt by about six months. It doesn’t change the lower rank progression and, as such, doesn’t impact this resolution. On track.

5) Complete first novel. – Actually kind of lied last month, as I’ve had the idea of what I’m going to write for about half a year now and have actually started brainstorming how everything is going to work. Actually had a pretty big breakthrough revelation when I dedicated half an hour to just thinking about it this month. Probably won’t complete it, but definitely could get a major dent put in it. Behind.

Another month down, this year is going by really fast!

Weight: 232.2 Loss: 7.8 lbs – Running Yearly Mileage: 78.7 miles
Fitocracy Level: 17 (31887 points, 2963 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Last Game: L, 6-9 (Record: 1-4) Next Game: 4/15 – 5:50 pm

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2012-366 Day 92 – Soccer Game 5

Jess and I made it back safe and sound from our vacation to San Diego (more about that this week) about an hour and a half before game time. After a weekend of driving and eating, I certainly felt the need to stretch out a bit more than usual. We were playing the second place team (who is also undefeated, but had played one less game than the first place team) and were sure to be in for a good fight.

We were down 3-0 halfway through the first period on some good goals, though we then scored three to put us even. Unfortunately we went down 5-3 on a goal scored by a woman that I saved twice, but couldn’t get the third time, and they opened the second half strongly. We scrapped, but wound up losing 9-6. The loss pretty much guarantees we don’t make the playoffs, but we’ve finally cleared the top half of the league, so the last two games we should have a better shot in.

The home team in the game after ours was without a goalie and asked me to stay, so I got to play another game. Lost that one 9-5, and got pretty beat up over the course of the two games (took a shot off my left arm that I had to ice and prevented me from typing for a bit, delaying this post). We’re off next week for Easter, then have the last two games, which I’m looking forward to.

Weight: 232.2 Loss: 7.8 lbs – Running Yearly Mileage: 78.7 miles
Fitocracy Level: 17 (31887 points, 2963 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Last Game: L, 6-9 (Record: 1-4) Next Game: 4/15 – 5:50 pm

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2012-366 Day 91 – Directions

Every semester I teach my class about algorithms, instructing them that they must be clear, concise, and, most importantly, complete. When you make a peanut butter sandwich and need to get to the peanut butter, you should include the instruction to open the jar.

So when I walk into the Starbucks restroom and see that they have a six step process for hand washing that ends with shutting off the water, well you and I naturally assume we know what the first step is, right?

We’d be wrong.

Yes, I see that the purpose is to tell them to use a paper towel to shut off the water, but it just looks weird unbalanced.

Weight: 232.2 Loss: 7.8 lbs – Running Yearly Mileage: 78.7 miles
Fitocracy Level: 17 (31154 points, 3696 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Last Game: W, 10-4 (Record: 1-3) Next Game: 4/1 – 5 pm

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2012-366 Day 90 – Mountaintops

Living in Southern California, particularly the San Fernando Valley, you’re pretty much always an hour and half from the beach or the snow, the heights or sea level. I’ve always been more partial to the heights than the beach, for some reason I’ve always preferred going up. There’s something about being at the top looking down at everything that’s been appealing to me, also knowing that I had reached the pinnacle and had nothing higher behind me. That is also why I enjoy hiking and geocaching so much.

I’ve always loved the mountaintops and spending my time in them.

Weight: 232.2 Loss: 7.8 lbs – Running Yearly Mileage: 78.7 miles
Fitocracy Level: 17 (31154 points, 3696 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Last Game: W, 10-4 (Record: 1-3) Next Game: 4/1 – 5 pm

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2012-366 Day 89 – Cars Land

Since we have tomorrow off, Jess and I also took today off to make a four day weekend. We went down to Disneyland and took in a passholder exclusive preview of some of the new Cars Land swag. We had a lot of fun looking over the construction wall at the great replication of the places from Cars. The Land is shaping up extremely well, and we’re both looking forward to its opening in the Summer.

Posts are going to be light for the next couple days as Jess and I take it easy, so you can enjoy the break.

Weight: 232.2 Loss: 7.8 lbs – Running Yearly Mileage: 78.7 miles
Fitocracy Level: 17 (31154 points, 3696 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Last Game: W, 10-4 (Record: 1-3) Next Game: 4/1 – 5 pm

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2012-366 Day 88 – Magic Time

So we had just finished group last night and I went to check the score of the Laker game on my phone. What’s the first thing I see on ESPN? The Dodgers had been sold! To a group with Magic Johnson! For 2 BILLION DOLLARS!?! Most estimates I had seen before were topping out at the 1.5-1.7 billion range, so the number surprised me. However, since bidding was just supposed to open yesterday, it seems like this group knew what number would get them accepted immediately.

I’m going to address this briefly, because if I don’t I might throw up, but good riddance Frank McCourt. Take your 1 billion in profit, three years of wasting our time, and minority stake in the parking lots and don’t let the door hit you where the good Lord split you. The list of despicable things you’ve done is . . . you know what, the doctor said I can’t do this on account of my blood pressure . . . just go.

As for the people coming in, well, by following McCourt they will simultaneously be viewed as heroes and with suspicion. We all thought anyone could be better than Fox, but look how that turned out. Such a massive initial outlay should indicate that they will be willing to spend for a winner, which will be refreshing. I’m also hearing that the purchase will be all cash with zero debt, which is astounding and, again after McCourt, refreshing. I’m looking forward to the first shiny toy they buy the fans to try and win them back.

Jess and I already have our first game back picked out (provided no earlier ones fall in our laps), and that’s the May 15th game, because you know I needs me an Orel Hershiser bobblehead.

Weight: 232.2 Loss: 7.8 lbs – Running Yearly Mileage: 78.7 miles
Fitocracy Level: 17 (31154 points, 3696 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Last Game: W, 10-4 (Record: 1-3) Next Game: 4/1 – 5 pm

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2012-366 Day 87 – Injury

This just goes to show that I need to stop thinking about things, but I recently thought that I was lucky to have avoided any running injuries despite the fact that I’m a bit overweight. Anyone want to guess what happened about two weeks ago? Yup, that’s right, my left heel started hurting.

It was a little sporadic and I could run through it (it would settle down after a while, although I was changing my gait a bit which generally bodes poorly for not sustaining other injuries), but in training for Ragnar I couldn’t really afford to let it stop me. After a particularly bad day last week I finally decided to see what all the fuss was about. Naturally this didn’t involve seeing a doctor (I had enough of that in the Lost Year) but instead WebMD and Google. WebMD wasn’t much help in this case, as its main theory was a stress fracture, which I could not afford. Googling came back with a more likely suspect, plantar fasciitis, an ailment I was familiar with from my reading of Runner’s World. Since the main treatment for that was some taping and rest, I decided that was what I had.

After acquiring some tape and applying it to the bottom of my foot, I could tell we were in business. The pain started to fade almost immediately. I’m still working through it a bit, but I’m glad it wasn’t something major, particularly this close to Ragnar. I’m actually surprised I didn’t have an occurrence of this earlier, as it does tend to effect overweight runners.

So the moral of the story, I suppose, is if you self-diagnose yourself, only do it for minor things and don’t assume the worst. Yeah, we’ll go with that.

Weight: 232.2 Loss: 7.8 lbs – Running Yearly Mileage: 78.7 miles (+4 miles)
Fitocracy Level: 17 (30682 points, 332/4500 to next level) – ID: disciplev1
Soccer – Last Game: W, 10-4 (Record: 1-3) Next Game: 4/1 – 5 pm

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