Paragon Mania

Prior to its opening, I had heard whispers about some outlet going up somewhere close by. Since I'm not a shop-a-holic, I wasn't interested in hearing more about it. Then, the whisper became louder until it became irritatingly noisy. This outlet finally had a name and an exact location. Everyone was talking about it. No way to avoid it. Even covering your ears didn't help.

Dang !! Another outlet. Expect mayhem and grid lock. And an excuse to shop.

On November 8th, Paragon Outlets in Livermore Valley, CA opened its doors to a herd of hungry shoppers, eager to avail of the bargains and discounts these stores had to offer on opening day. From what I've gathered in the news, the place was packed. The atmosphere was merry yet chaotic. Shoppers had to wait 45 minutes to an hour at the cash registers. That's just crazy. And traffic was backed up on the 580 freeway (by the El Charro exit), and facility's management had to use the wide open dirt spaces around the complex for parking. It was that many.

The smarter shoppers decided to stay home for days and waited till the crowd thinned out. When the novelty of being one of the first shoppers has died down, things became more manageable. On Thanksgiving Sunday, my family and I went to Paragon to check out what the fuss was all about. We  walked around to see what stores they had. My son and I stopped by the Nike store hoping to find something for him, but we were disappointed. My wife peeked inside one store and got some apparel, then off we were.

As you know, outlets do not carry the premium stuff. They're what I call "discards" of these retail stores. The outlet stores sell items that don't sell at their regular stores, and pass them off as "sale" items. So, if you're looking for a nice black Prada man-purse, like I was, you won't find it at Paragon. Instead, go to the Prada store in Union Square in San Francisco if you want a better selection. But if you aren't too picky, then an outlet should be OK.

For me, I don't need to travel far for an outlet experience. There are many near where I live. Whether its Gilroy, Great Mall in Milpitas, Napa, Cabazon, Orlando, or Woodbury Common in New York, an outlet is an outlet. They are all the same. For the experience, it wouldn't hurt if you paid Paragon a visit. Maybe you'll find something you like.

Author's Note:  For more information about Paragon Outlets, visit their website at www.paragonoutletslv.com.

Another Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving isn't a traditional festivity I am accustomed to. Growing up in the Philippines, there was no thanksgiving to speak of. The most festive of all occasions, which I would equate to as a Thanksgiving equivalent, is Christmas. It is a time to be with family and friends, to be thankful, and to share. It is probably the longest celebration ever observed. It begins with the start of the "ber" months, which is September, and ends in January. As soon as the clock strikes 12 midnight of September 1st, you'll hear the first Christmas carol being played over the radio. But since the US has become my home for so many years, I have adapted and have partaken in its own rich heritage and tradition.

I am not particularly fond of turkey. I think it's the driest bird ever cooked. It is only during Thanksgiving that I even eat turkey, but I don't think I am missing out on anything. Many moons ago, we hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for some friends. We did away with the usual dishes of a Thanksgiving meal. We didn't have turkey. We had chicken instead (TWO, as a matter of fact), plus some other special treats typical of any Filipino feast.

The days that led up to Thanksgiving was quick and full of activity. The workweek was shorter than normal, and I was able to leave work early on Wednesday since there was hardly anyone in the office. Later that evening, my family and I had dinner at our favorite Szechwan/Hunan restaurant, Jing Jing, in Palo Alto, before we watched the Stanford Women's volleyball team play their last home game of the season (they won against Colorado, 3-1).

I knew it was going to be a long day, and there will be a lot of eating. So it was important to pace ourselves. Our Thanksgiving day started with a mass at. St. Joseph. I was a bit surprised to see that there weren't many parishioners that morning. Quite unusual.

As a family, we started some sort of a tradition for ourselves. For the last 3 or 4 years, we celebrated Thanksgiving lunch at Maggiano's in Santana Row in San Jose. They had a prix fixe family-style menu that included traditional Thanksgiving fare and all the fixings, plus some other Italian favorites. There was just a lot of food. If you have been to Maggiano's, you know what I mean. Obviously, we had tons of leftovers, some of which we barely touched.

We planned on taking a quick nap before we headed off to the evening's activities. On our way home, we stopped by a local Safeway. At the door, a homeless man on a wheelchair was soliciting. My wife (with my son) gave the man some money, then went inside to shop. As we left, the man was still by the door. I looked at him, and felt that he was tired and hungry. When we got back to the car, we sorted out the leftovers we had at lunch, and gave the man something we thought he would enjoy. My wife made sure my son was around to see her hand over the bag of food so he understood what he needed to be thankful for and to share what you have.

For as long as I can remember, we've always been invited to a Thanksgiving dinner. Since we don't have any family close by, we are fortunate to have really good friends who treat us as their own. They are OUR family. This year was no different. We had multiple invitations, but it was just impossible to say yes to all of them. Somehow, we managed to do so for a couple. It was on a first come, first serve basis (or was it more like first invite, first go?). The only thing I didn't like about it was that we had to eat at both places we went to. You certainly didn't want to upset your hosts by not having a bite or two of the food they tirelessly prepared for hours. We barely had digested the HUGE lunch we had, and here we were, having dinner, TWICE !!!

As much as we wanted to stay on, the body had given up. All the eating had taken its toll. It was time to raise the white flag. Another Thanksgiving had ended, as we paused to acknowledge all the graces and to be grateful for all the blessings.

A Long Day At Galt

I have never been to Galt, CA. Never heard of it either. But we went there for the Boy's Volleyball Power League tournament #3.

Google Map said it was an hour and 35 minute trip. With some luck, that's about an hour and fifteen trip for me. This meant we had to be up by 5:00am and on the road by 6:00am, in order to make it to the 7:45am call time, with some time to spare. We were on the road at 6:00 alright, but we weren't hoping on the 680 freeway. We still had to get coffee and something to eat. It was 6:35 when we entered 680N. We arrived 7:44.

The drive was uneventful, as in the previous trip to Sacramento 4 weeks earlier, except that there was rain in the forecast. The rain came in spurts and it didn't slow us down. But it poured as we arrived at the venue. Galt is a small town, and it didn't seem like there was much to do there. Volleyball is probably a favorite sport in this town because the tournament venue belongs to a local volleyball club. It has 4 courts and a little food counter.

What I didn't understand was that the facility charged a $4.00 entrance fee (except coaches and players), and you couldn't bring in any outside food or beverage. Since the facility was located in a business complex, the team "stations" had to be erected around the perimeter of the building under the cold rain. Our team's tent was located at the back of the building, right next to the warehouse shipping dock. And I would think that this volleyball club also charged the tournament organizers for using their facility. What a way to make money!!!

Our boys played 3 games and officiated 2 games in their pool. The games were close, but they lost all 3. After a quick lunch, there were 3 more games to play in the bracket. The last 2 games were critical because it determined whether the team stayed in their division or would move down. Although the 4th game was not crucial, a win was a win. It would give the players the needed boost. Unfortunately, they lost another close one. That was 4:00 in the afternoon.

Our club's director was concerned that all the games were behind schedule. With 2 more games to play and 1-2 more games to officiate, we would be up there all night. After some discussions with tournament officials and team coaches, it was agreed that games, goingforward, would be played with one set, to 25 points. For teams whose outcome would determine their eventual standing in the division, they would play best of 3 sets.

Realizing that there was work that needed to be done, the boys went on overdrive. With renewed vigor and energy, they won game #5. It was after 6:00pm. Somehow, there was confusion in the scheduling because the next team we had to play was still officiating. More discussions with tournament organizers resulted in some of our parents volunteering to officiate, so the team we were suppose to play next could warm up and be ready to play sooner than later.

It was after 7:00pm and we started our last game. I guess the long day had taken its toll, particularly for our opponent, that the game ended quite quickly. Our boys won game #6, and stayed within the division. As a matter of fact, they moved up a couple of notches in the standings. It was past 7:30 in the evening.

It surely was a (very) long day, and I didn't even play. And I never expected to be in such a "remote" town this late at night either. By the time we hit the road, it was almost 8:00pm, headed to Lodi for some Moo Moo burger (see related post).

Playing With The Bigger Boys

Since my son has learned to (truly) love volleyball, I have been a much happier camper. He's played CYO basketball since he was in 3rd grade and still does so as an 8th grader. I introduced him to volleyball in 5th grade (start of CYO boys volleyball program), and has begun playing competitively this year since he joined Endline Volleyball Club. I told him that he has a much better chance of playing high school volleyball than basketball, so he needs to hone his skills this early.

He tried out last year, also with Endline. He got accepted. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough players to form a 14 & under team, so they had to dissolve the team. This year, he tried again, hoping that there would be enough players. To our surprise, he was offered to play for the 16 & under team. Of course, he accepted. He is the only 13-year old and 8th grader in the team, composed mainly of high school freshmen and sophomores (and even a junior). Endline did form a 14 & under team for training and development purposes, and not for any competition. I guess the coaches have seen my son's potential and felt he was ready to play with the bigger boys.

During summer, he attended a volleyball camp at James Logan high school, which ran for 2.5 hours a day, 4 days a week, for 7 weeks. This was actually a good preparation for my son when he tried out for Endline. The club volleyball season for boys starts August and ends in December. Beginning February, the CYO boys volleyball season starts until late May. Then, the cycle begins again with the volleyball summer camps from late June to early August.

With my son's acceptance at Endline, I had mixed feelings. I am happy that his skills are recognized and that he will gain more experience playing with older players and be taught by seasoned coaches. On the flip side, I hate the road trips to what I consider distant tournament locations. We were briefed at the start of the season to expect travel to as far north as Sacramento, and as far south as Fresno. So far, we have been to Sacramento twice, with at least one more next weekend. For now, we're also looking at the Regional tournament (a 2-day event) also in Sacramento. Venues have changed in the last minute, so we're hoping it's closer, like San Mateo. For now, the team in planning to drive up Friday night, and spend the weekend up there.

Being in club volleyball means spending all day at a tournament. For the qualifying rounds and regionals, these are 2-day events. Teams play at least 5-6 games, and officiate 2-3 games each tournament day. That's a lot of volleyball. Even I get tired watching (and waiting). This also means the team needs to be fed and be well hydrated. Sandwiches and lots of fruits are what keep the boys going all day. In between, they snack on crackers, cheese, and chips. What makes things a little bit complicated is that there are no lunch breaks. Everything is dependent on when they play and officiate.

On tournament day, each team sets up their own "station", typically, just outside the playing venue. Teams jockey for the closest spot to the court entrance so there is less time getting to and from the station in between games. Just imagine a (very) scaled down version of a tailgate, minus the cooking, grilling, and drinking.

Club volleyball is a commitment. For us, it is a new process different from CYO. It is fun as it is tiring. But, at the end of the day, I think it is all worthwhile.

Author's Note:  For more information about Endline Volleyball Club, visit their website at www.endlinevolleyballclub.com.