Leisure Pro Tour

DODOcase iPad Case

2010-08-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

While I do not yet have an iPad, I recently came across the DODOcase iPad Case and thought it was sufficiently cool enough to write about. It houses the iPad securely in a very stylish bamboo frame and is bound in moleskin leather by a book binder in San Francisco. If you're into e-readers and end up getting an ipad, definitely order a DODOcase iPad Case. They turn your iPad into a styling looking book rather than having it look like a iphone for the vision impaired.

San Francisco Solar Energy

2010-03-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

Residential Solar 101 just put up a blog post explaining why it makes so much sense for PG&E customers to go solar if they have a high electricity bill. PG&E's tiered rate plans are the secret. http://www.residentialsolar101.org/Tiered_Electricity_Rates. Enjoy!

Residentail Solar 101 is live!

2009-09-11T19:26:00.001-07:00

I'm thrilled to say that my new company's site, www.ResidentialSolar101.org is live! My co-founder Clayton and I wanted to build a site to help home owners learn about adding solar power to their home and after a few short months the company is up and running and the site is live. We have sections on:
Solar Power Basics
Solar Technology
Payment Options
Rebates
And last but certainly not least we have a Free Evaluation form that home owners can fill out if they want to learn more about going solar and get a free solar evaluation of their home.

Please check it out! And if you like it, we'd love a link to www.residentialsolar101.org from your blog or site!

MTB Tire Sealant

2009-06-01T13:55:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I last posted, but my weekend of mountain biking in Tahoe has me more motivated. In particular, I feel the need to write a bit about Stans NoTubes Tire Sealant and the Caffelatex sealant. If this is Greek to you, then no need to read on, but if you're a bike geek, then keep reading. :)

I've been running Stan's in various tires for about 2 yrs now and switched to Caffelatex on my MTB 2 months ago since it seemed like the thinner Caffelatex solution might not dry up as fast as Stans, and it also seemed like the foaming action may actually do a better job of sealing the tires.

The Caffelatex was just as easy to set up as Stan's, and I think it does a better job of initially sealing the tires. I started with one wheel with Stans and one with Caffelatex, the one with Caffelatex would lose less air pressure over the course of a few days. Then I switched 'em both over to Caffelatex. So far so good...

However, I hate to report that yesterday I got a 1mm or maybe 2mm cut in my MTB tire (WTB WeirWolf 2.55 LT) and the Caffelatex was not able to re-seal it. I rode it for a mile or so with the solution spraying out all over the back of my bike & leg before my buddies pointed it out to me. Then I stopped, put my finger over the puncture and rotated it into the down position so the sealant was pooled up right above it. It's been my experience that with Stans this will help it seal. Didn't work. It just kept slowly bubbling out. Then I lowered the air pressure to the point that it stopped bubbling out and seemed to seal. I ride at 28 psi generally, but I would guess had to lower it to 15 or 20 to get it to seal. Ok, no problem, we had a long sandy climb coming up, and I figured I could use the traction that comes with lower PSI. I started riding and sure enough, it kept leaking. Ultimately I had to put in a tube after a few minutes of climbing. Grrr...

Compare that with my race at the Sea Otter Classic 2 yrs ago where I put in 3mm cut in a similar tire with Stans with about 2 miles to go (long uphill), kept racing and was able to climb out and finish with about 18 psi in the tire. I took 4th in my category, and changing a tire would have cost me a podium finish at Sea Otter, which was my main go for the season.

I thought I preferred Caffelatex, and even got my local shop to start carrying it, but after this experience, I'm switching back. I don't want to risk having to change a tire at the Downieville XC.

I'm starting to realize that any of these sealants are great for:
- initially sealing a tire with you first mount it
- preventing pinch flats
- allowing you to run lower tire pressure (better traction)
- sealing pin prick punctures that would normally cause a tube to go flat.

However, I do not think they work for sealing bigger holes in tires. Stans has all sorts of videos of them putting nail holes in tires and having it seal right away. That may be the case for nails, but one piece of glass in my Hutchinson Tubeless road tire (2mm hole) and it was toast. The Stans couldn't re-seal it. Likewise, 3mm in a MTB tire and it's toast.

Will I keep running Stans? Absolutely. Does it do everything they claim? ("When properly used, it will seal up to 1/4 inch punctures") Not in my experience.

What I am going to do is put Stans in the tire I punctured over the weekend and see if it does a better job of sealing it since the Caffelatex wasn't able to.

Cheese Souffle

2009-01-18T22:59:00.000-08:00

One of my childhood favorites was definitely Cheese Souffle. So tonight we decided to have a go at it. The only issue is that I'm somewhat lactose intolerant. Or at least I used to be. We looked at a bunch of recipes and decided on Martha Stewart's. The only issue was that it called for 2 cups of Parmesan Cheese and Sour Cream. While shopping we found dairy free sour cream substitute, so we thought we'd give it a go. However when we got home we realized we only had 12oz of the substitute, but it called for 16oz. We opted to skim 4oz of yogurt off of the top of a "fruit on the bottom" strawberry yogurt. :) But I digress.

Katie handled most of the measuring, and mixing, and I spent lots of time separating beating the egg whites. We started with the yogurt & sour cream substitute, sifted in the flour, added the egg yolks one by one, added the salt, chives, cayenne, and parmesan. We then beat the whites until they were stiff, then gently folded them into the sour cream & egg mixture. In her video, Martha Stewart said that the key to folding was to think about chiffon. Think "light and airy". And I must say, when watching Katie fold, I could see the difference between when she was and was not thinking of chiffon.

The final product tasted fantastic, however Martha said it would rise to be 2 inches above the rim and turn golden brown. Our was perfectly golden brown, however we had no such rising. Ours stayed at least 1 inch below the rim. Damn. But it did taste great!

So, how the heck do we get it to rise next time? Any tips?

Lentil & Brown Rice Extravaganza!

2009-01-16T00:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight was our 3rd cooking expedition. Again, we followed the lead of Daniel and Nancy from Abounding Harvest. Here's a quick slideshow of our efforts:

Three of my favorite ads

2009-01-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

Not sure why stuffed and balloon (condom) animals are so funny, but they are.

And this speaker commercial is another all time favorite. It will make even more sense for any of you who rode in my prior Volvo.

And lastly, a great ring-tone commercial from India.

Pasta Sauce!

2009-01-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

Last night I decided to make my own pasta sauce. I had seen a friend of mine, and fantastic chef, make home made pasta sauce a few times before, so I had some idea of what should go into it. Tomato paste, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, oregano, basil, salt, peper, and maybe a few other things. I wanted to be sure I didn't miss anything, so I pulled out a jar of pasta sauce and looked on the back to see what the ingredients were. :) I thought that was pretty clever. I also added ground beef and mushrooms to make it fun. Like everything else I've cooked thus far, I started with oil, onions and garlic. Once I sauteed them for a while I added the ground beef, followed by the tomato paste. I then added the diced tomatoes (from a can), mushrooms, and spices. In hindsight I could have added the mushrooms earlier so that they were softer by the time the sauce was done. Otherwise, it was pretty damn good. I think I added a bit too much tomato paste, and not enough salt and pepper. But otherwise, so far so good.

Any suggestions on how to improve it? Also, any recommendations for my next dish?

Chef-Boy-R-David

David's cooking!

2009-01-04T23:39:00.001-08:00

After a week in Jackson, WY with friends Daniel and Nancy who run an organic farm and who are fantastic cooks, I decided to follow their lead and do some cooking of my own. Katie and I decided to start fairly easy. We started with a veggie & chicken stir-fry, I guess you could call it. We started with oil in the pan along with onions, carrots, and as we went we added garlic, bok choy, broccoli, chicken and mushroom, in that order, along with soy sauce and sesame seeds.

It was good, but not legendary. I wanted to be sure the chicken was sufficiently cooked, so I may have over done it, and in doing so probably over cooked the veggies, as all were pretty soft by the end. I'm still trying to figure out the timing for each ingredient (any suggestions on order?), as well as how to work in meat. Daniel and Nancy are vegetarians, so they cooked with tofu, seitan, and miso, which I may have to try as I figure out the timing & seasoning for meat.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Downieville Downhill!

2008-12-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

I just spent a day riding the famed Downieville Downhill with good friends. Below are a handful of videos from my V.I.O POV1 helmet cam.

Enjoy!

Ashley, John, and Rob on the Sunrise Trail:

David on the Third Divide Trail (camera work by Rob Becker):

Another great t-shirt

2008-09-11T23:58:00.000-07:00

Granted, this is a take off on the "Somewhere in Texas a village is missing it's idiot" t-shirt about George W. Bush, but I just had to chuckle when I saw this anti-Palin t-shirt. You can buy it here . And for those who don't know what a Theocrat is, it's a person who believes in a theocracy which is "a government ruled by or subject to religious authority." (from www.thefreedictionary.com)

Assaf Lotan - cancer survivor

2008-08-28T13:38:00.001-07:00

I just saw a video posted by a high school buddy of mine, Assaf Lotan, who is now a fellow cancer survivor. He gave a great speech at a "Survivor Day" at Cedars - Saini, and I wanted to share it via my blog. We often hear about Lance Armstrong and other famous people with amazing stories, but we don't hear as much about the regular people who had the same disease, survive with the support of their friends and family, and have their own inspiring stories & lives. Assaf does a great job of telling his story.

Here's his video:

As a side note, I'm the high school friend he mentions who survived colon cancer. Gotta love the shout out.

New Favorite Environmental T-Shirt

2008-08-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

I think I have new favorite t-shirt. It makes so many great statements at once! Environmental, transportation, political... and personal.

You can order them from Widgethouse.com via CafePress.

In the mean time, I'm off to pass gas... er, um, I mean, ride my bike to work.

Leadville Trail 100 - Lance vs. Dave Weins

2008-08-12T15:27:00.001-07:00

I think I have a new favorite video site! superhumanmag.com. They have a great 8 minute video covering the 2008 Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race, in which Dave Weins edged out Lance by 2 minutes, setting a new course record of 6hr 45min, breaking the prior record by 15 minutes.

Here's the site & video:
http://www.superhumanmag.com/content/view/763/92/

Apparently around mile 45 or 50 Lance dropped the hammer and blew apart the group for 6 or 8 that made up the lead pack. Weins was able to go with him and the two of them worked together for the rest of the race. There are a few sections of trail, namely the "powerlines" climb that just about everyone, including Dave Weins, walks. When they were at the bottom of it, Lance asked if they were going to walk or ride. Dave said walk, and Lance said ride. So they rode it. Very impressive. But what I think is most impressive is that Lance was able to make up ground on Dave on the descents. Dave Weins is a former mountain bike world champion, and Lance is not know for his mountain biking skills, until now. Apparently Dave wasn't taking any chances, as he didn't want to flat, and Lance was willing to hang it all out.

Enjoy the video, and I hope you see you and Lance on the Leadville start-line in years to come, assuming I can get in via the lottery.

UPS.com rocks

2008-08-11T23:17:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's that I'm just easy to please, but I've gotta say, I'm very impressed with UPS.com. One of my co-workers told me that shipping via the USPS was less expensive, but after trying to navigate their site, which isn't nearly as user friendly, I decided to head back to UPS.com. In fact, I had filled out all of the UPS forms, then closed the window figuring I'd use USPS.com, but after trying to do what I wanted with USPS.com and not getting exactly what I wanted, I went back to UPS.com. I was frustrated thinking that I was going to have to re-enter the shipping info a 3rd time, but when I click on Create-A-Shipment it asked me if I wanted to continue with the last shipment that I had started. Awesome. A few clicks later and I was printing out the label to tape to the box. Better yet, you don't even have to schedule a pick-up. You can hand a package with a printed UPS label to any UPS driver. Pretty convenient if you ask me! So if I'm in the shipping store, I go with USPS since it's usually cheapest, but if I'm shipping from home or the office, I definitely go with UPS.com.

Camp Hollywood Swing Dancing Camp in LA

2008-08-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

I just got back from a fantastic weekend of swing dancing in LA at Camp Hollywood. It's a 3 day camp with 4 hours of instruction a day, several competitions & exhibition dances, and dancing 'till all hours of the morning with some of the best swing bands in the country! This is the 3rd year I've gone, and wow is it ever fun! Below is a compilation video of most of the moves we learned in the Advanced and Masters track classes. (they break up classes by Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Masters)

As you can see, this year was heavy on Balboa, Charleston, and Air Steps aka Aerials. And WOW was it ever fun. The instructors come from all of the country, and even all over the world. If you've ever watched a Lindy Hop video on line (like Kevin & Carla's dance to Benny Goodman's Bei mir bist du schoen) and wondered if you could learn from them, you can, and you can do it at Camp Hollywood!

Kevin is now dancing with a new partner, Emily, and in their Master's class they taught us several moves from their current performance routine. It was awesome! However, I have a long way to go before I dance with his style.

I even got to dance to one of my two favorite bands, Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five. My other favorite band is Stompy Jones, but I get to dance to them every Tuesday and Thursday night in San Francisco, so we didn't stick around for their Sunday performance.

And here's a video of what we learned last year. As you can see, LOTS of good moves being taught at Camp Hollywood:

I hope to see many more of you there next year!

Swing out! Swing waaaaayyyy out!
-David

PS. If you're looking for swing dancing shoes, I wrote a Hub about it. Check it out! http://hubpages.com/hub/Swing_Dance_Shoes
I also have a Hub or two about Where to dance in San Francisco.

Whistler Mountain Bike Park

2008-07-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

I just returned from 3 days at Whistler's mountain bike park and it was AMAZING! I couldn't recommend it more. I went there as a cross country racer (think spandex, shaved legs, light weight bike (23 lbs) and by the end of the 3 days I was riding a 45 pound downhill bike, wearing full body armor, a full face helmet, dropping off rocks higher than I am tall, and launching table-top jumps & doubles until my hands hurt. :)

I went with two friends with the goal of improving our riding overall, and wow did we ever. We started with a 2-day Dirt Series mountain bike camp, which I highly recommend. Each day we worked on skills & drills in the morning, then applied them on longer rides in the afternoon. Whistler has all sorts of great "skills" areas with log rides, drops, ranging from 6 inches on up to 6 feet, small and large jumps, berms, etc.

Whatever the skills is that you want to work on, Whistler has the terrain for you to do it! I'll be adding more details as well as photos & videos soon.

From XC rider to DH rider in one weekend at Whistler.

Best mountain biking technique book!

2008-07-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

I've looked at various different instructional mountain bike books and videos, and recently came across Brian Lopes's "Mastering Mountain Bike Skills". It is far and away the best book out there for improving your mountain biking skills! From beginner to advanced, it has something for everyone. And for those you who who ride with me, I'd say that 50% of of the things listed in the book are things that I need to work on, or simply can't do yet. There's plenty to grow into. The explanations are fantastic, as are the photo sequences. I highly recommend it!
http://www.brianlopes.com/shop.html

It covers everything from learning how to climb without losing traction to cornering in loose terrain vs with 8 foot berms to sending a 10 foot drop or hitting a 15 foot gap jump. It's packed with tons of advice, drills, skills, and will help make anyone a better rider.

How To Avoid Getting Poison Oak

2008-04-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. Spring is in the air, and lots of people are getting the itch to go hiking or mountain biking on the trails in Nor Cal. If you're not careful that "itch" can stay with you in the form of Poison Oak. Due to the wet winter the poison oak seems to be everywhere this year! I've already had it twice times this year (every other weekend, as far as I can tell). but then I go mountain biking 3 or 4 times a week. Although I'm pleased to say that using a few new tricks I've avoided getting poison oak for the past 2 weeks, despite coming in contact with it.

I've written an article on HubPages.com titled How To Avoid Getting Poison Oak. Check it out!

New Years Resolution - Juggling 5 Balls

2008-03-19T17:29:00.001-07:00

I have a belated 2008 New Years Resolution! I've decided I'm going to learn to juggle 5 balls. After seeing me on the edge of my seat watching the Cirque du Soleil juggler, Susan bought me a set (3) juggling clubs. I brought them into the office ('cause they're quite loud when I drop them) and now have several of the guys juggling 3 clubs. But now that we can all juggle clubs I decided I wanted to learn to juggle 5 balls. I'm fairly good with 3, but apparently the jump from a few cool tricks with 3 to just being able to execute the standard 5 ball cascade is a big leap! I bought 6 balls and brought them into the office. Now almost everyone can juggle 3, and a few of us are working on 5 balls, but so far no luck on getting beyond throwing 5 and catching 4. Any suggestions?? Happy Juggling!

My new favorite headset - the Etymotic hf2 - Headset and Earphones

2008-02-01T17:24:00.000-08:00

Ever since I picked up a Blackberry Curve I've been trying to find a new headset. I've tried several, but always run into issues hearing or speaking in noisy areas. I've heard about the JawBone bluetooth, and even tried it, but I don't like the delay before it picks up, and I'm sure I'd lose it, or forget to charge it. I read about the Etymotic headsets and had to try one. The hf2 is amazing! When both ear pieces are in it reduced background noise by 20 decibels, which is a whole lot. I believe traditional form earplugs reduce noise by 10 decibels or so. Using one ear or two, I was astounded how clearly I could hear everyone, including my mumbling friends whose phone calls I avoid because I can never understand them.

As for the microphone, it's amazing. I called a friend in her office and before asking her how I sounded, she exclaimed at how clear and crisp I sounded. She was astounded when I said I was driving and had the stereo on. The noise canceling characteristics of both the microphone and the earphones are fantastic.

So, if you have a blackberry Curve or an iPhone and want a fantastic set of headphones that doubles as the best headset made, go for the Etymotic hf2.

http://www.etymotic.com/ephp/hf2.aspx

I also wrote about it in a HubPages Hub. Check it out: http://hubpages.com/hub/Etymotic-hf2

Where to Mountain Bike in the SF Bay Area?

2007-09-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

I'm going to flush this one out shortly, but wanted to quickly put up a list of my favorite trails to ride.

1. Soquel Demonstration Forest! It's off of Summit Road off of Highway 17. I'll post detailed directions soon, as well as links to my GPS tracks on http://www.everytrail.com/ But if you go to everytrail now and search for Soquel Demo Forest, you should be able to find them. I recommend descending Saw Pit, climbing, Sulphur Springs, then Descending the Braille Trail. Lots of great jumps & man made stunts.

2. Tamarancho. In Fairfax / San Anselmo, and also called Boy Scout Camp since the hill side is apparently owned by a boy scout camp. You need either a yearly trail pass or a day pass which can be purchased either online, or at Sunshine Bicycles (in San Anselmo, I think). Great loop, 100% single track, fairly technical, and best ridden clockwise.

3. Skeggs Point, also called El Corte de Madera Open Space Preserve. I believe maps can be found at openspace.org. I'm a big fan of descending the Resolution trail to the Cross Cut Trail, down to the Giant Salamander Trail, across the North Leaf Trail, then up the other side. I also like descending the Manzanita Trail, and/or Steam Donkey and Blue Blossom. Generally at Skeggs we descend single track and climb fire roads.

4. Pruissima Creek OSP. Maps at Openspace.org. I park at the top of the Purissima Creek Trail on Skyline, ride north on skyline to the parking lot for the Whittimore Gulch Trail, descend the Whittimore Gulch Trail, then climb the Purissima Creek Trail back to the car.

More to follow soon, and I have GPS logs of most of these trails up at everytrail.org.

Swing dance shoes

2007-08-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

Those of you who swing dance have realized that having the right shoes really does make a difference. There's nothing worse than being on a nice, fast, hardwood dance floor with sticky rubber shoes on. You can wish you could spin & slide to your heart's content, but without the right shoes, it just isn't going to be the same.

In my experience there are two ways to go. One is to buy dedicated dancing shoes with hard-leather or suede soles, and the other is to convert a existing pair of shoes.

For men's shoes, I think hard-leather soled shoes both spin & turn best, and they're the most predictable. I wear white Aris Allen shoes from Dancestore.com. They go with any outfit, and will give your dancing credibility, whether or not it deserves it. They also sell them in black, but the white ones are more fun and look a whole lot more flashy.

For the women, the Aris Allen Canvas Sneakers with a suede sole are quite popular, as are the Aris Allen retro running shoes with suede soles. However, if you're dancing Balboa, or like to dance on your toes, I'd recommend something with a heel, like the Mary Janes or the Rug Cutters. You can also dance in any other leather or suede soled shoes, but I'd make sure they have a strap on the heel to keep them in place, and I would suggest against open-toed shoes so that your toes don't get stepped on. Also, I'd avoid spike heels just in case you step on someone by accident. It happens all the times.

Alternatively, you can take any pair of shoes and put duct tape over the soles to make them spin & slide, but the duct tape doesn't last long, nor does it look all that sharp. Moleskin (for blisters) works well too, but again, it doesn't last long before it either peels off, or gets worn out. I also found moleskin to be too fast. I was sliping and sliding all over the place, and actually had trouble controlling the shoes.

Lastly, you can "chrome" any pair of shoes. That consists of gluing suede to the sole of the shoe. It's called "chrome" because the type of suede used is called "Chrome Suede". Apparently you can do it yourself using barge cement, or you can pay $30-$50 to have it professionally done by a shoe cobbler. I took a pair of Adidas Samba indoor soccer shoes to a cobbler in San Francisco and for $50 they did a fabulous jobs of putting chrome suede on the soles of the shoes.

The only downside to using suede or duct tape is that you can't do heel slides like you can on hard-leather shoes. But that's a minor downside if you ask me.

Happy spinning & sliding!

Mountain Bike Body Armor

2007-08-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

I've been discussing mountain bike body armor with a quite a few friends lately, so I figured I'd post something about it.

If you're out riding technical single track and descending hard sooner or later you'll see the value of good body armor. I've lent my armor to a bunch of friends, and every time everyone always asks which make/model it is since it's super easy to put-on, take-of, without removing your shoes or gloves, which I think is key since then you're much more likely to take the time to put it on. One other thing that I look for in a pad is hard plastic on the outside of it. The plastic slides better when you do hit dirt compared to fabric covered pads (Race Face/Roach and some 661 pads) (thanks Sean Cooney for the reminder about that one).

For knee/shin pads, I wear the Dainese Knee Guard Revolution. Your local shop can probably order them, and if not, they are available through BeyondBikes.com's website.

For my elbows & arms I wear the Dainese 3X Elbow Guard. Again, they're available through BeyondBikes.com website.

I also do have ankle guards. I generally don't wear them unless I'm riding in Tahoe or somewhere with lots of rocks that can "bite" your ankles. I wear the Dainese Pro Socks. And again, at beyondbikes.com.

Beyondbikes.com seems to have one of the largest body armor selections I've seen. It's worth checking it out here.

So you think you want to learn how to swing dance?

2007-08-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

I have a bunch of friends who keep saying they're going to come learn how to swing dance, so now I'm going to make it really easy for you to find out when & where to learn how.

At the beginning on each month, virtually all venues that teach lessons start a 4 week "beginning lindy hop" class. THAT is where you want to start. The weekly half hour drop-in east coast swing classes can be fun too, but really, I'd suggest learning to lindy hop. I think it's much more fun dance, and it's what most of the leaders tend to lead on the dance floor. And once you know the lindy hop basics and a few moves, you can follow almost anything. Or, if you're a leader (generally guys), once you can lead a few lindy hop moves you can dance with just about anyone on the dance floor. Don't get me wrong, I still think it's important to learn East Coast Swing, but I'd focus on taking the full 4 week beginning Lindy Hop class.

What: Beginning Lindy Hop at the Verdi Club in San Francisco.
When: 8-9pm Tuesday Nights
Where: The Verdi Club located at 2424 Mariposa St. at Portrero St in Potrero Hill in San Francisco
How Much: $65 for the 4 week series or $20 to drop in.

You do not need to bring a partner, as in class you will rotate partners every few minutes. Then, later in the evening when the live music comes on, both leads and follows will be asking people to dance. So feel free to come alone, and feel free to ask anyone to dance.

Also, wear something comfortable to dance in, and ideally slick soled shoes. (ie. hard leather or suede, but ideally not rubber) Heels are ok, but not spike heels since they're both more difficult to dance in, and much more painful should you step on someone by mistake (it does happen). People dress in everything from jeans and a t-shirt on up to vintage outfits. I generally wear jeans (or baggy pants) and a nice shirt. Oh, and wear something that won't get too hot. Believe it or not, swing dancing can work up a sweat very quickly. So dress in light weight clothing, or bring a few shirts. You may not work up a sweat your first day out, but if you're dancing to fast music, you really can work up a sweat.

Also, between class and dancing, or if you sit out for a song, the Verdi club does have a bar/lounge where you can get a drink and just enjoy the music.

Other places to learn to lindy:
What: Fundamentals of Lindy Hop at Swing Central in Redwood City, taught by Carla Heiney
When: 7-8pm Tuesday nights.
Where: "Swing Central" located at Foresters Hall at 1204 Middlefield Rd., Redwood City, CA 94063 Swing Central has a great map on their site with directions.
How Much: $65 for the series, or $16 to drop in. $55 for the series if you register early (see details on their site)

What: Back 2 Basics at the 920 Special - They teach both 6 count East Coast Swing and 8 count Lindy Hop in this class.
When: 8:20 - 9:20pm on Thursday
Where: The 920 Special is at the Russian Center at 2460 Sutter St. at Divisidero in San Francisco
How Much: $50 for the series, $14 to drop in (drop-in only allowed for the first 2 classes)

After the lessons dancing begins at 9:20pm with a DJ and a huge dance floor and goes until 12:30am.

There are certainly other venues where you can learn to swing dance like the Metronome Dance Center on Monday Nights, Cat's Corner on Wednesday Nights, and even a free intro lesson on Sunday's at Lindy in the Park in Golden Gate Park.

Now that you have all of the details, I look forward to having you come join us on the dance floor soon!