Showing posts with label Alex is being odd again. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alex is being odd again. Show all posts

Friday, April 1, 2022

Dragon Boat NFT | DieselFish Dragon Boat Team | Serving San Jose, Peninsula, San Francisco

Are you surprised? We’re from Silicon Valley.

Happy April Fool's Day! LOL Oh yeah: San Francisco, Peninsula, San Jose dragon Boat Team DieselFish offers free lessons in Redwood City.

DieselFish has once again created a furor in the dragon boat world. The team has created the Metaverse’s first dragon boat-themed non-fungible token (NFT).

This unique piece of art was designed to celebrate the team’s 23rd season on the water. “This NFT celebrates our anniversary as Silicon Valley’s premier dragon boat team,” said Alex, DieselFish’s captain. “Over the years, we’ve noticed that people keep mispronouncing our name. It’s ‘DieselFish.’ Okay? One word. Not ‘Die Selfish.’ Our NFT pokes fun at this recurring mistake.”

DieselFish will release its NFT for sale on the team’s OnlyFans account on April 1, 2022. The team predicts that bidding for the piece will be aggressive and brisk.

After you place a bid on our NFT, RSVP for a FREE lesson on Eventbrite. Fun times on and off the water await you!

* 4/9 lesson (RSVP by 4/4): https://bit.ly/3D9wG29

* 4/16 lesson (RSVP by 4/11): https://bit.ly/358nSwX

- Alex, the Minister of Newbie Happiness 🐲

Copyright 2022 DieselFish Dragon Boat Team. All rights reserved.

Happy April Fool's Day! LOL Oh yeah: San Francisco, Peninsula, San Jose dragon Boat Team DieselFish offers free lessons in Redwood City.


Saturday, March 24, 2018

Working Out ALL Your Muscles | DieselFish Dragon Boat Team


We turned and rotated the other cheek to get more power

San Francisco Bay Area dragon boat team DieselFish offers free lessons in Redwood City


We had a focused practice today because we had no choice.

Rain clouds loomed over the horizon and the tide was beating a quick retreat.

“Let’s get in the boat NOW,” said Coach Marynka.

As we paddled out, the air was fresh and clean. The water was warmer than we expected—no frozen pinky fingers today!

We brought the boat to a stop, and Marynka began her lesson about body positioning.

“Focus your weight on your outside cheek,” she said. “Try it.”

“You mean my face?” somebody innocently asked.

“Not that cheek,” somebody else responded. “Marynka means the cheeks below your waist.”

For the next 40 minutes, the crew of DieselFish DragonBoat Team twisted and swung around its hips and bottoms.

These contortions led to breakthroughs in speed and power. Soon, the boat was chugging along at brisk pace. “Wow,” joked Captain Alex. “Our butts are going to get so strong.”

“You’ve been working hard and the tide is going out. Let’s go home,” said Coach Marynka.

The boat docked. We disembarked and headed for the boathouse. Most of us were walking funny. Let’s call it strutting after a productive practice.


-Alex, the Minister of Newbies Happiness

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Signs of Mutiny? | DieselFish Dragon Boat Team

No! Signs of POWER!

The coach went away for a business trip and left me in charge. So, this happened…



I think I got cocky because the team paddled so well today. They nailed their starts! Also, their power drills sent the boat flying through the water. I nearly fell out.

Our newcomers are improving, too. They are paddling longer without resting. It just takes some practice.

(If I don’t post a blog piece next week, call the cops and tell them the coach did it.)


- Alex, the Minister of Newbie Happiness


Sunday, December 6, 2015

The Burning Question | Redwood City Dragon Boat

Dragon Boat Nipples?


Hello Internet Friends!

Look down at your PFDs.1

What do you call those plastic square doohickeys? What do you do with them?

Post pictures of you using your doohickeys!2

Thanks,

Alex, your Minister of Newbie Happiness3

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Editor’s Notes:

1. A “PFD” is a personal floatation device. Or, to newbies, a “life jacket.”

2. Awkward! But I am curious to find out how people use this feature.

3. After this weird post, not for long!

DieselFish is committed to educating newcomers about the fun sport of dragon boat racing. Send pictures and complaints to Alex at dfcaptains@gmail.com


Sunday, June 14, 2015

Dragon Boat #Bling

How do you paddle with that thing around your neck?



Alex will provide you with free paddling lessons if you email him at dfcaptains@gmail.com. You need to sign a waiver before trying on the #bling. 





Thursday, July 21, 2011

Happy Birthday


Look what the team did for my birthday:

I was really touched by this gesture, but I'm glad I missed practice that day. At my age, a birthday dunking could lead to pneumonia!

THANKS DIESEL!

- Your loving and slowly decaying Minister of Newbie Happiness


Hello Internet friends! Doesn’t dragon boat racing with DieselFish sound like fun? Go to http://dieselfish.org/ now to sign up for a free practice session!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

The Queen of Dragon Boat Racing





Dear Kate Middleton:

I’m not a monarchist, but I’d like to offer my best wishes for your upcoming wedding. We are worlds apart, separated not only by an ocean, but also by class and culture. We have, however, one thing in common: we both enjoy dragon boat racing.






I paddle with DieselFish, one of the most respected teams in Northern California. Over the years, we have paddled away with the gold at prestigious races including the Kaiser Permanente San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival. I enjoy paddling with DieselFish because I enjoy the physical activity, camaraderie, and adventure the team provides. At first, I only showed up to the Saturday morning practices. But I enjoyed the experience so much, I started showing up to the Tuesday and Thursday night sessions as well. Then, I became a part of the team’s upper management. What started out as a hobby gradually became an alternative lifestyle!




Did you enjoy training with your team? What did you like about it? It looks like you learned how to steer. That’s a hard job – the last time I tried to work the tiller, the boat kept hurtling towards the shore at dangerous speeds. I heard your team tried to cross the English Channel in a dragon boat. How did that go?

If you and the Prince ever travel to Redwood City (it’s the Paris of Northern California! Really!), please look me up. My dragon boat team, DieselFish, will roll out the electric green carpet for you, and take you out for a spin on the boat. I’ll even loan you my carbon fiber – err, pardon me, “fibre” — paddle.

It’s hard to believe I have something in common with a member of royalty. I’m not one of your subjects, but I feel I can relate to you in a small (and non-threatening) way because we share an uncommon hobby. That makes you THE QUEEN OF MY HEART.

(Please don’t sic your security detail on me.)

Sincerely,

Alex
Minister of Newbie Happiness/Creative Officer
DieselFish Dragon Boat Club

Hello Internet friends! Doesn’t dragon boat racing with DieselFish sound like fun? Go to http://dieselfish.org/ now to sign up for a free practice session!

Thursday, March 31, 2011

DieselFishieLeaks


Recently, Team Manager Christie read a ridiculous business book that preaches the need for transparency when making leadership decisions. Her Majesty’s first step in the long march towards “openness and accountability” (whatever) was ordering me to disclose all of the questions people have recently asked me about DieselFish’s day-to-day operations. But I don’t have time for this new age, “I’m OK, you’re OK” nonsense. It would take an eternity just to type everything out. So in the interest of time and my sanity, I’ve provided just the answers. Here you go, my dear:

1) Tuesday and Thursday nights from 6-8pm and Saturday mornings from 10am-noon at 1450 Maple Street in Redwood City.
2) Yes they are. We get a lot of compliments about them.
3) Not a whole lot ever since he was deported. All my chat sessions with him start the same way: “YR NOT A COP R U? COS IF U R, U HAVE TO TELL ME, EH?”
4) The CDBA ones work just fine. Trust me.
5) Surprisingly, many of us can’t. But shame on you if you never learned how. I’m surprised you’re still alive.
6) It’s pronounced, “diesel fish,” not “die selfish.”
7) Sorry, she’s long gone. But every now and then, when the planets are aligned just right and the bloom is on the sage, she returns. I hope you get to meet her – she’ll change your life.
8) We're going to Long Beach and Boston. I'm still salty that the Leadership Committee nixed my suggestion for Tijuana again.
9) Head Coach Birk and George Steinbrenner.
10) Yes, even when it rains. It’s a brisk, life-affirming experience.
11) Sometimes you get the race, sometimes the race gets you. And sometimes, during the race, you fall off the front, get run over by the boat, and then get smacked on the head by ten rows of paddles.
12) Yes! They are great paddlers and even greater people. It’s obvious why we did it. I still can’t figure out why they did.
13) If I knew the answer to that question, I wouldn’t be at home writing this dragon boat blog entry, would I? I’d be at a dance club or one of those “fusion” lounges. Maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s the population we pull from. Maybe they’re just not into us.
14) Almost four years now.
15) You’ll have to prove you can count to ten. If you fail, off to the engine room you go!
16) You need to train and get sponsored. Then, you have to pass both a classroom and a practical exam.
17) Bite your tongue, drybag. My recipe is delicious, and you’re not being fair. If Ferran Adrià or Grant Achatz did it, you’d call it a whimsical gastronomic trompe l’oeil. But when I do it, it’s considered childish and disgusting. No respect…
15) By now, they’re okay with it. It has become amusing, and they appreciate all the business the rest of the team gives them.
16) You find a really big balloon and then tell the new guy it’s his turn to take one for the team.
17) It doesn’t make us any faster, but it leads to more interesting conversations.
18) BOO! PICK A SIDE.
19) That was one of our many brushes with celebrity. We hope it works out. We should have hired a stylist and a makeup artist to improve our image. I know for sure that the crew didn’t practice all the cute facial expressions and gestures that I taught them.
20) People on the team also enjoy basketball, running, skiing, snowboarding, swimming, and bar trivia. Our bar trivia team is actually getting to be very good.

CONTEST: Try to guess the questions! The winner gets a DieselFish prize. Email your entries to dieselfishcaptain at gmail by 4/15/11.

Hello Internet friends! Doesn’t dragon boat racing with DieselFish sound like fun? Go to http://dieselfish.org/ now to sign up for a free practice session!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Dragon Boat/Tiger Mom

Mine/His


This past Christmas, a coworker put a pot of tulips into my stocking. I didn’t like this gift at first – its pretty, fussy existence threatened my already fragile sense of masculinity. But, in time, I learned to stop worrying and love my bulbs. In fact, taking care of these flowers has become an exciting part of my daily office routine, because I get to watch them grow a little bit more each day. I’m actually getting competitive about them. Sometimes, I’ll look at my coworkers’ plants and scoff at them. “Meh,” I’ll think to myself. “Mine are taller. Mine are blossoming more quickly. Mine have deeper colors.” This Tiger Mom-kind of thinking is new territory for me. For most of my life, I was not a very competitive person. A few years ago, I wouldn’t have batted an eye if a coworker’s plant had the gall to sprout an extra bud. I guess paddling for three seasons on a dragon boat team will do that you.









To be kind, I am not a natural athlete. I wasn’t born with the heart or body of a champion. But I’m working on it. My first season with the team was strictly recreational. I didn’t even bother to try out for a seat on the advanced boat. But, as time went on, I got hooked on both dragon boat paddling and DieselFish, thanks to the support the team gave me. They never gave up on my shallow, jittery stroke, and that positive energy encouraged me to try harder. By my second season, my technique improved, as did my mindset – I was determined to prove myself. I tried out for the advanced boat, and earned a seat on it.

At some point, this desire to push myself in the boat spilled over into my personal life on dry land. My time with DieselFish has been rewarding because it has become more than just a physical activity. It flipped on a switch in my head, and showed me the need to strive for better things. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to force my flowers to do extra math homework and play the piano for a couple of hours.

Hello Internet friends! Doesn’t dragon boat racing with DieselFish sound like fun? Go to http://dieselfish.org/ now to sign up for a free practice session!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Fun with the Census

Back in March, I had some fun with my official Census form:


If you believe that "race" is a social construct, then this response is not untrue. But honestly, I got bored filling out my form and wanted to have some fun.

Hello Internet friends! Doesn’t dragon boat racing with DieselFish sound like fun? Go to http://dieselfish.org/ now to sign up for a free practice session!


Sunday, January 23, 2011

WE NEED TO GET KIM KARDASHIAN TO JOIN DIESELFISH



[Editor's note: This entry was originally posted on the old DieselFish blog on July 20, 2010]
Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt...

Recently, a first-timer left his shirt at BIAC. I picked it up for him, and agreed to hand it back to him at my office during my lunch break.

First Timer: Hi Alex, thanks for picking up my shirt.
Me: No problem! Did you have fun on Saturday?
First Timer: Yeah, but I got really sore the next day!
Me: That's how you know it's working! You had a good workout!
First Timer: Yeah, the next day, my arms were sore, my back was sore…even my butt was sore.
[The security guard that I nod hello to every morning hears this and chuckles to himself]
Me: …Err, yes. The DRAGON BOAT PRACTICE SESSION that you were just referring to does work out those muscle groups…
First Timer: My God, my butt seriously HURT! I had trouble sitting down!
[A bunch of people dressed in suits – upper management-level executives, perhaps? – hear this and start cracking up.]
Me: Yeah, well, that happens when you GO DRAGON BOATING. WHEN YOU TRY DRAGON BOAT FOR THE FIRST TIME, YOU WILL GET SORE IN MANY AREAS, INCLUDING THE PART YOU JUST DESCRIBED.
First Timer: I never knew my butt muscles could ACHE like that! I couldn't drive the next day because my rump hurt too much!
[A bunch of the women from the marketing department walk by and begin giggling uncontrollably]
Me: YES, THE DRAGON BOAT PRACTICE SESSION THAT YOU ARE DESCRIBING WILL WORK OUT NEW AREAS OF THE BODY… [defeated]Look I got to go, please come back and practice with us any time….
###
 
During the off season, a parent of one of kids from the Youth Team gave paddling with DieselFish a shot.
 
Me: Hey [NAME WITHELD], what did your dad think about dragon boat?
[NAME WITHELD]: He liked it, but his butt was really sore the next day. He doesn’t have any fat back there. It’s all bone.
Me: … Please tell him that he can come back any time he wants.


Hello Internet friends! Doesn’t dragon boat racing with DieselFish sound like fun? Go to http://dieselfish.org/ now to sign up for a free practice session!