New Zealand (12/18 - 12/28)

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Sydney (12/15-12/17)

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Mission Complete: Endeavour Lands Safely in Southern California

November 30, 2008

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE -– Space shuttle Endeavour and its seven astronauts are safely back on Earth after a perfect landing on a perfect day in southern California. ...

A pair of sonic booms were heard, and felt, across the southland as Endeavor broke the sound barrier and entered local airspace about five minutes before touching down.

Local authorities received a number of calls by people who thought they had heard an explosion, and one North Hollywood resident reported a broken glass as a result of the booms. ...

Two scheduled landings at Kennedy Space Center in Florida had to be scrubbed due to dangerously high winds and a stormy sky. The weather there is not expected to improve tomorrow. So Endeavour was forced to detour to sunny southern California where the weather is excellent.

NASA prefers to have shuttles return to Florida because it takes about a week and costs $1.8 million to transport a shuttle from California on top of a modified jumbo jet. Also, the families of the astronauts are waiting for their loved ones in Florida.

Full story and video at KTLA News

Thanksgiving party at our apartment

Hi all,

We felt very special and honored that you all came to our house for Thanksgiving. What a nice thing to have such great friends as you guys! Here are some pics we took. Enjoy and big hugs! :D

Love,

Aviva and Bjoern



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Brush fires in Los Angeles and Orange County

95 ° Fahrenheit (35 ° Celsius) in mid November - Temperature in Los Angeles breaking record set in 1936

On the same day around the globe (high):

64 °F / 18 °C in San Francisco, CA
53 °F / 12 °C in Denver, CO
44 °F / 7 °C Berlin, Germany
63 °F / 17 °C Auckland, New Zealand

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Barack Obama elected 44th President

New York City Marathon - My first marathon distance (26 miles / 42 km)

Dear friends,

As you know, I participated in this year's New York City Marathon - with 39,000 runners and over 1 million spectators the largest race in the world. Even though I had to deal with a knee injury (which I got 2 weeks before the race), I somehow managed to run the 26 miles (42 km) and finished the race in 5 hours and 33 minutes. After one year of intense training, this was a very special event for me and I wanted to share some pictures with you which I have taken during the race (and yes, I added some from the official event photographers). Having also completed the Los Angeles Triathlon this summer, I achieved my personal goal and finished my first triathlon and my first marathon in the same year. Now, I will rest and relax for the next couple of months, but I am sure there will be another race next year ... .

Thank you for all your support!

Björn



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Dachshund Race at Old World, Huntington Beach

20081019 Old World Dachshund Race

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Out of the Darkness - Orange County Community Walk

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your support of my participation in the Out of the Darkness Community Walk in Irvine last weekend. Your donation will benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and its research and education programs to prevent suicide and save lives, increase national awareness about depression and suicide, and assist survivors of suicide loss.

In the United States, a person dies by suicide every 16 minutes, claiming more than 32,000 lives each year. With more than 32,000 lives lost each year in the U.S. and over one million worldwide, the importance of AFSP's mission has never been greater. I really appreciate your support for this worthwhile cause.

Thanks again!

Björn

20081018Out of the Dark walk

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Out of the Darkness - Orange County Community Walk

Dear Friends,

I will be joining with thousands of people nationwide this fall to walk in AFSP's 2008 Out of the Darkness Community Walk to benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I would appreciate any support that you give me for this worthwhile cause.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is at the forefront of research, education and prevention initiatives designed to reduce loss of life from suicide. With more than 32,000 lives lost each year in the U.S. and over one million worldwide, the importance of AFSP's mission has never been greater, nor our work more urgent.

I hope you will consider supporting my participation in this event. Any contribution will help the work of AFSP, and all donations are 100% tax deductible. Donating online is safe and easy! To make an online donation now, please click here.

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page!

Bjoern

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My first 20 miles (32 km) run - ever!

Location: Culver City - Ballona Creek bike path - Marina del Rey - Playa del Rey - Manhattan Beach - and back
Total Distance: 20.04 miles (32.25 km)
Total Time: 3.56 hrs
Avg Pace: 11.46 min/mile (7.19 min/km)
Avg Speed: 5.09 mph (8.20 km/h)
Avg Heart Rate: 153
Other: 43 days left till New York City Marathon!

Camping on Catalina Island

with Erin, Josh, Cynthia, Patrick and Aviva

Hi All,

As some of you know, I organize a trip to Catalina Island in September. I made reservations for a group campsite on the Little Harbor Campground for up to 12 people on Saturday, September 13. Little harbor is located about seven miles south-east of Two Harbors and 16 miles north-west of Avalon (see map of Catalina Island). It calls itself "Paradise along a sandy beach" and it was rated "one of the best campgrounds in the west" by Sunset Magazine. Little Harbor is a sandy, beachfront campground with picnic tables, BBQs and fire rings. We have campsite 16a - which is located next to the ocean and close to showers (cold water only!), chemical toilets and fresh water (see map of campground).

Currently, we are three people - so there is room for another nine. If you are interested, please let me know asap. I will pay for the campsite, so there are no costs for you. However, please only sign up if you are 100% committed, since space is limited and you might keep others from going if you sign up, but don't show up afterwards.

We plan on taking the Catalina Express from San Pedro to Two Harbors on Saturday morning (7:00 am) and will return on Sunday afternoon (2:15 pm). The fares for a round-trip ticket are $66.50 (please make your own reservations online or by calling 1-800-481-3470). From Two Harbors we can take the "Safari Bus", which links Two Harbors with Avalon, including a stop at Little Harbor. Tickets are $11 and advanced reservations are required (by calling 310-510-2800).

Once the camp is set up, there are many options for activities and recreation. We plan on going on a hike to explore the Island, but if hiking is not your thing, there should also be enough to do around the campground, e.g. swimming, fishing, snorkeling or kayaking (snorkel gear and kayaks can be rented from Wet Spot Rentals by advance reservation (310-510-2229)). In the evening, we plan on having a nice BBQ together. Patrick volunteered to take care of the organization of this and will send out a separate email soon.

Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I hope this sounds like fun and I will see you there!

Björn




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My first triathon - LA Triathlon 2008

Swim: 1.5K (.9 miles)---Venice Beach
Cycle: 40 kilometers/24.8 miles---Hollywood and surrounding areas
Run: 10 Kilometers (6.2 miles)---Downtown Los Angeles



714 Bjorn Kampmann

SWIM: 35:17 min
T1: 8:55 min
BIKE: 1:26:40 hrs (17.2 mph = 27.68 km/h)
T2: 4:00 min
RUN: 53:21 min (8:36 min/mile or 6.97 mph = 11.21 km/h)
TOTAL: 3:08:11 hrs

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Tchaikovsky and Fireworks at Hollywood Bowl (and my 2nd anniversary in the US!)

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Aviva's second Ironman (Plymouth, MA)

Swim 2.4 miles - bike 112 miles - run 26.2 miles!!!
(3.86 km - 180 km - 42 km)



15 hrs 34 minutes 28 seconds - Congratulations!

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Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles)

Bernstein - Bolero - Beethoven

Walt Disney Concert Hall: "Designed by architect Frank Gehry, Walt Disney Concert Hall, new home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is designed to be one of the most acoustically sophisticated concert halls in the world, providing both visual and aural intimacy for an unparalleled musical experience."

Program: "Prepare to be seduced! After all, whose pulse doesn’t pound and heart leap in delight as they hear the opening strains to Beethoven’s immortal Ode to Joy with full orchestra and chorus or Leonard Bernstein’s irresistible West Side Story and Candide? As for Bolero, there’s good reason it earned 'shouts and cheers from the audience' at its debut in 1929 and has continued to do so forever after - as Cal Phil will once again prove. Maestro Vener and principals Cedric Berry, Suzanna Guzman, Khori Dastoor and Kalli Wilson will stun the audience with features Ode To Joy, West Side Story, Bolero and Candide."

20080824 Walt Disney Concert Hall

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Aviva's first Ironman (Sonoma County)

Swim 2.4 miles - bike 112 miles - run 26.2 miles!!!
(3.86 km - 180 km - 42 km)

20080802 Aviva's first Ironman

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Aviva and I moving in together into an apartment in Los Angeles

20080729 New Apartment in Culver City

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5.4 Earthquake in Southern California (Chino Hills)

"LOS ANGELES (Los Angeles Times) - The earthquake that rattled Southern California on Tuesday might have caused devastation if it had taken place in some parts of the world, but relatively strict building codes ensured that most of the region's infrastructure -- homes, schools, freeways and rail systems -- rolled with the magnitude 5.4 punch, which was centered near Chino Hills and felt as far as Las Vegas.

As aftershocks continued to reverberate, officials inspected airports, freeways and buildings, and reported little damage from the quake, which occurred at 11:42 a.m. and was the first significant temblor in more than a decade to be centered in an urban area of California. The biggest strains were felt in phone and Internet systems, which buckled due to overwhelming demand in the minutes after the jolt.

The quake struck hardest in an area of San Bernardino County that has seen massive growth in population and housing in the last decade. That meant that the buildings shaken the hardest were mostly built under California's strictest building codes, updated in 1997 in response to the 6.7 Northridge quake of 1994. That kept damage to a minimum.

Only minor injuries were reported, three at an outpatient medical clinic in Brea and five at a building in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles.

"The most interesting thing to us is that this is the first one we've had in a populated area for a long time," seismologist Kate Hutton of Caltech said. "People have forgotten what an earthquake feels like. We should look at this as an earthquake drill for the Big One that will come one day."

Although moderate in intensity, the quake rumbled up from a relatively shallow depth, making it feel sharper, stronger and scarier than its magnitude suggested, especially in areas close to the epicenter.

"It's the first time in my life I actually got under my desk," said Anaheim Police Sgt. Ken Seymour, a native Southern Californian.

Robert Heded, 32, a Time Warner technician who lives in Culver City, was about 30 feet up a telephone pole at La Cienega and Pico boulevards in Los Angeles when the quake hit.

"I just sat there and waited, kinda rode it out," he said a while later as he bought an energy drink at a 7-Eleven, still dressed in his reflective safety vest.

The lines were "swaying a lot more than usual, about four feet from side to side," he said. "I wasn't sure what was happening, if it was an earthquake or if it was me." Heded said he finished up his work, still strapped to the pole in his safety gear. Then made his way down.

"It was bad," said Nirmala Dawson, the director of the Montessori School of Chino. She said the school performs frequent earthquake drills. "But at that moment, to be honest, we forgot them. We just evacuated."

No one was injured, she said, but a few children were frightened by the shaking. Then, after the quake, phones began ringing off the hook with calls from parents.

That nearly universal instinct to call loved ones -- or someone -- strained the capacity of the regional phone network, perhaps instructive for officials planning emergency responses to the next massive earthquake.

Verizon lost some phone service Tuesday in several quake-affected areas. "We have some outages on our land-line side," said Jonathan Davies, Verizon spokesman. "We're not sure yet if it's physical damage or just due to high call volumes."

AT&T's cellphone service was spotty in some areas. Sitting in a Starbucks in Pasadena, Paul Roberts was able to get calls on his cellphone. "But I am sitting here with my buddy, who has AT&T, too, and he can't make outgoing calls," said Roberts, a student at Art Center College of Design.

The Los Angeles Times' website, latimes.com, was briefly unavailable to many users when heavy traffic swamped its servers immediately after the earthquake. Full access returned in about 10 minutes, according to Meredith Artley, the executive editor of the site. It had about 630,000 page views in the hour after the temblor, roughly double the usual amount.

The earthquake slowed, but for the most part didn't stop, the region's transportation network.

A section of the southbound Interstate 5 near Bake Parkwayin Mission Viejo was briefly closed to traffic so that Caltrans workers could inspect it, according to Tom Marshall, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. No problems were found.

No disruptions were reported on Los Angeles County highways. Raja Mitwasi, chief deputy director of the Caltrans office in Los Angeles, said Caltrans was inspecting highway bridges and pavement, but had not found any signs of damage.

The biggest delays were on passenger trains, which were slowed to allow inspectors access to tracks."


Many earthquakes hit Southern California each year. This map shows all earthquakes in 2008 with a magnitude of 3.0 or greater

My first 100 km (65 miles) bike ride!

Location: Westwood, Santa Monica, Marina del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Palos Verdes and back
Type: Bike
Total Distance: 65.45 miles (105.3 km)
Total Time: 5h 40 min.
Avg Pace: N/A
Avg Speed: n/A
Avg Heart Rate: N/A
Comments: My first 100k bike ride ever!

Picnic & Carmina Burana at Hollywood Bowl in LA

20080708 Carmina Burana at Hollywood Bowl with Aviva

Featured Artists:

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Bramwell Tovey, conductor

Cyndia Sieden, soprano

Benjamin Butterfield, tenor

Eugene Chan, baritone

Pacific Chorale

Los Angeles Children's Chorus

Program:
Tovey: Urban Runway
Strauss: Don Juan
Orff: Carmina Burana

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Bike & run combined

Location: Santa Ana River Bike Path
Type: Bike + Run (combined)
Total Distance: 37.82 miles (35.21 miles bike + 2.61 miles run)
Total Time: 2.54.35 (2.24.13 bike + 30.22 run)
Avg Pace: 3.85/mile bike / 11.37/mile run
Avg Speed: 14.8 mph bike / 5.2/mile run
Max Speed: 26.6 mph bike
Other: N/A

Santa Ana River Bike Path (Part 2)

Location: Santa Ana River Bike Path - Placentia, Yorba Linda
Type: Bike
Total Distance: 20.48 miles
Total Time: 1.39.05 min
Avg Pace: 4.50/mile
Avg Speed: 12.4 mph
Max Speed: 22.9 mph
Other: N/A

Eurocup soccer final (in Old World, Huntington Beach) with Aviva & Cynthia

Germany 0 - 1 Spain :-(

Pacific Open Water Challenge - 1 mile swim

Location: Long Beach
Name: Pacific Open Water Challenge
Type: Swim
Total Distance: 1 miles
Total Time: 57.24 min
Avg Pace: N/A
Avg Speed: N/A
Avg Heart Rate: N/A
Other: Place 68 out of 79 (men)

Bike Tour with Aviva

Location: Westwood - Santa Monica - Manhattan Beach - Hermosa Beach
Name: N/A
Type: Bike
Total Distance: 48.06 miles
Total Time: 4.10.38 min
Avg Pace: 5.12/mile
Avg Speed: 11.5 mph
Avg Heart Rate: 136 bpm
Other: N/A

Yosemite National Park with Aviva

20080610 - 20080615 Yosemite Park with Aviva

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Santa Ana River Bike Trail

Location: Santa Ana - Costa Mesa - Newport Beach - Irvine - Anaheim
Name: Santa Ana River Bike Trail
Type: Bike
Total Distance: 49.57 miles
Total Time: 4.40
Avg Pace: N/A
Avg Speed: N/A
Avg Heart Rate: N/A
Comments: Beautiful bike path!

Santa Monica Pier

20080601 Santa Monica Pier

"The West Coast skyline is set to go dark for 17 days starting May 5 as the removal process of the Pacific Wheel Ferris wheel begins in preparation for the installation of an all-new Pacific Wheel Ferris wheel at Pacific Park® on the Santa Monica Pier. The world-famous solar-powered Ferris wheel will receive a larger-than-life makeover as the superstar, nine-story attraction is replaced with a contemporary state-of-the-art Ferris wheel at the two-acre seaside amusement park.

The reveal, scheduled to kick-off the Memorial Day weekend, will dazzle onlookers with an all-new lighting package illuminating the Southern California coastline with 160,000 energy-efficient LED lights replacing the 5,392 red, white and blue traditional light bulbs that now flicker on the wheel's spokes and hub. The enhanced LED lighting will provide higher energy savings while complementing the solar-power application. Featuerd as a backdrop in countless feature films, nightly newscasts and more, the new illumination package will also display dynamic, eye-popping computer-generated lighting entertainment in the evenings.

...

The Pacific Wheel, which has provided more than 3 million rides in its 12 years of operation, stands 130 feet above the Pacific Ocean, features 20 gondolas with a maximum six riders per car and can accommodate up to 800 riders per hour.

The all-new $1.5 million Ferris wheel is being manufactured by Chance Morgan Rides Manufacturing Inc. in Wichita Kan., and will have comparable rider capacity and mechanical specifications." (Source: http://www.pacpark.com)

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Memorial Day

20080526 Memorial Day

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My newest hobby ...

Brunhilde

Playa del Run Aquathlon, Santa Monica

My first Aquathlon:
- 1,000 meter swim
- 5 kilometer run










Results:

            SWIM    SWIM   RUN      RUN  TOTAL    TOTAL
NO. NAME     Plc    Time   Plc     Time    Plc     Time
==== ====== ==== ======== ==== ======== ====== ========
601  Bjoern  155 00:25:47  129 00:31:37    166 00:57:23

Casa del Camino (Laguna Beach) mit Aviva

20080511 Casa del Camino Rooftop Bar mit Aviva

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Boxen: De la Hoya vs Forbes (Home Depot Center, Carson, CA)

20080503 Boxen - De La Hoya vs Forbes mit Aviva

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Klettern in Malibu Beach (Pointe Dume) mit Patrick

20080503 Pointe Dume mit Patrick

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Klettern in Malibu Beach (Pointe Dume) mit Aviva, Erin, Josh, Jenner, Patty and Garth

Climbing in Pointe Dume with Aviva, Erin, Josh et al

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Staples Center (Los Angeles): LA Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks

20080404 LA Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks (Staples Center, Los Angeles)

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Rooftop Bar at the Standard Downtown Los Angeles

20080329 The Standard rooftop

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Skifahren in Aspen (mit Douglas und Ben)

Kurzerhand habe ich mich letzte Woche dazu entschlossen, mal wieder einen Kurzurlaub zu machen und ueber ein verlaengertes Wochenende nach Colorado zu fliegen. Dort habe ich mich mit meinen beiden ehemaligen Mitbewohnern aus meiner Studienzeit an der Colorado State University getroffen. Douglas wohnt mitlerweile in Aspen und Ben konnte ich ueberreden aus Boulder (in der Naehe von Denver) ebenfalls zu uns zu stossen.
Zunaechst ging es Donnerstag Abend nach der Arbeit mit Southwest Airlines ueber Las Vegas nach Denver, wo ich eine Nacht in einem Hotel verbracht habe. Am naechsten Morgen habe ich mich dann mit Douglas getroffen und nach einem kurzen Zwischenstop bei den Red Rocks sind wir in ca. 4 Stunden ueber den I-25 nach Aspen gefahren. Zwar kann man natuerlich auch direkt nach Aspen fliegen, jedoch ist bereits die Fahrt durch die Rocky Mountains ein besonderes Erlebnis. Der Interstate I-25 bringt einen von Denver aus nach Westen und fuehrt einen ueber Bergpaesse von ueber 10,000 Fuss (3.000 Meter) Hoehe und vorbei an beruehmten Skigebieten wie Vail, A-Basin oder Breckenridge.
In Aspen waren wir in den folgenden beiden tagen Skifahren, danach in den Hot Springs zum entspannen und natuerlich auch in zahlreichen Bars und Restaurants. Sonntag ging es dann wieder zurueck nach Denver und heute (hoffentlich) wieder zurueck nach LA. Im Moment muesste ich mich eigentlich bereits in der Luft befinden, statt dessen sitzte ich jedoch hier am Flughafen in einem Internet-Cafe und warte darauf, dass mein Flug endlich aufgerufen wird. Mein Flug hat bereits 3 Stunden Verspaetung; wer wird sich jedoch beklagen, nach solch einem schoenen Wochenende in Colorado ...

Nachtrag: Insgesamt hatte mein Flug dann 5 Stunden Verspaetung. Als das Flugzeug endlich in Denver bereitstand, hat man mir noch schnell mitgeteilt, dass der geplante Weiterflug von Las Vegas (wo eine Zwischenlandung geplant war) gestrichen worden ist. Somit musste ich also in Las Vegas das Flugzeug verlassen und einen anderen Flieger besteigen. Gegen 23:00 Uhr war ich dann endlich zuhause.

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Meine Mutter in Amerika

Ueber Weihnachten und Silvester hatte ich meine Mutter hier in Kalifornien zu Besuch. Sie ist bereits am 15. Dezember angereist und hat insgesamt 3 Wochen mit mir verbracht. In der ersten Woche konnten wir noch nicht so viel gemeinsam unternehmen, da ich in dieser Zeit noch arbeiten musste. Die darauf folgenden zwei Wochen hatte ich jedoch auch freigenommen und so konnte ich ihr so einiges hier in der Umgebung zeigen. Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Dana Point und vieles andere standen auf dem Program. Leider hatten wir mit dem Wetter etwas Pech und so konnten wir viele Aktivitaeten, die ich eigentlich fest eingeplant hatte, leider nicht verwirklichen. Fuer meine Mutter war es jedoch -glaube ich- dennoch interessant, konnte sie nun schliesslich einmal sehen, wie ich hier in den USA so wohne, lebe und arbeite. Und natuerlich haben wir uns auch beide gefreut, uns nach 15 Monaten mal wieder zu sehen und einfach ein wenig Zeit miteinander zu verbringen.

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