Alpha Asian

So yesterday my coworkers and I were given a rare opportunity to reach the very top of the Transamerica Pyramid. Security is extremely tight at this building, since it is a recognizable San Francisco landmark. The building was the intended target of a foiled terrorist attack involving the hijacking of airplanes (this was in 1995). After 9/11, access to the very top has been completely restricted. People can book the 48th floor, which is the top floor with windows. As you can see from the picture, however, there is still quite a distance from that floor and the very tip of the pyramid. In order to reach the very top, you have to start at the 48th floor and climb several stories of stairs. These weren't ordinary stairs, however. This was a steel rail stairway extending up at a steep 60 degree angle for approximately 6-8 stories. These stairs were so steep, that it felt like we were climbing ladders. So imagine climbing a steel ladder several stories high, and you get...

The baseball playoffs are here. And last night's National League Division Series playoff game between the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves was an amazing event for Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum, who is half Filipino. The 5'11" pitching ace threw a two hit shut out and struck out fourteen batters! I didn't watch the entire game but saw enough to know that Lincecum had his fastball humming! He threw consistently in the low 90's and had batters off balance with change ups and the occasional curve balls. Additionally, Lincecum broke the Giants franchise record of 10 strikeouts in the post season. At one stretch, he retired 19 of 20 batters. The Freak (as he is sometimes called) just dominated the Braves. The man's a stud on the mound.