10 Years with the Freedom Writers!

Has it really been ten years since I met Erin Gruwell? It is very hard for me to believe that ten years ago a wide-eyed 23 year-old teacher attended a class at Cal State Long Beach and met Erin. Little did I know on the first day of class how this relationship would shape my life for the next ten years! Erin and I became good friends during the semester that she taught my young adult literature class. I began as a volunteer for her inaugural political run and was soon put on the payroll and met people that I am still in contact with to this day. Of course, we lost that race, but soon regrouped to form the Freedom Writer Foundation. I have been working with Erin as a consultant for over nine years and have traveled with her to over twenty states! With the Freedom Writer Foundation I have been to Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Pennsylvania, Montana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Michigan, Indiana, New York, Utah, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, Illinois, Minnesota New Jersey. We have spoken everywhere from juvenile halls to the Bacara resort in Santa Barbara. Along the way I have met Bruce Brown, Dan Rathar, Wing Lam (founder of Garrett's favorite restaurant: Wahoo's) Hillary Swank, Patrick Dempsy, Reene Firestone (Holocaust survivor) and the current Sec. of Ed. I was able to be on the set for five days of shooting the "Freedom Writers" movie and I am actually in the film! (for half a second) Amina and I attended the premiere in Westwood where she got to meet Patrick Dempsy. (one of the highlights of her life!) During this time the Freedom Writers Diary has sold over a million copies, I helped to ghost write and edit Erin's memoir and the Freedom Writers Teachers Guide, racked up over one hundred thousand frequent flier miles, and enjoyed the good life of free drinks in private airport lounges across the country. I now also have the honor of serving on the Freedom Writers Board of Directors. (But my Dad refuses to call me the Chairman of the Board at work) The above picture was taken yesterday at the Skirball center as Erin launched her fourth book: Teaching Hope! On Saturday we celebrated Erin's 40th birthday at the Hotel Maya in Long Beach. Next Friday I will be attending the premiere of the Freedom Writer Documentary, Voices Unbound, at the Lido theater in Newport Beach. Erin has been a great friend to me over the years and to think that I picked her class without having any idea of whom my professor would be. It's just like my main man Forrest said, "life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get."

Stealing Life

"For it is the ultimate wisdom of the mountains that a man is never more a man than when he is striving for what is beyond his grasp, and that there is no conquest worth winning save that over his own weakness and fear."
-James Ullman

How many of our days are spent in an endless cycle where minutes seem to pass us by in seconds as we sit slack jawed in front of a television or computer screen? How many mornings do we wake up with no excitement in our lives? How many hours are spent in the office with the small drudgery of going from task to task all the while secretly knowing you are accomplishing nothing of importance? How often do we avoid challenges, steer clear from fear, and live our lives as if the sole purpose is to remain as comfortable as possible at all times?
On the morning before our Mt. Whitney ascent Nicole and I got up early to watch the sunrise over Crystal Lake. As we were hiking the trail in darkness we both were reflecting on all the people who were comfortably sleeping in their beds and would not be up for hours. As we watched the sunrise Nicole turned to me and said, "Matt, it's like we are stealing life."
On August 4th, 2009 the following six people decided to rise at 2 in the morning and steal a little bit from this life. Here are a few of the stories from this day as I salute this cast of characters:

Garrett Riley AKA "Billygoat" AKA "Big Goot"
This lean and mean version pushed his Nikes to the limit as he set a consistently fast pace and did not want to stop for breaks. He wore his socks as mittens, got the nickname "deuce-deuce" and made it to the top with no trouble at all. He was able to marvel at God's creation in his own special way as we stood atop trail crest and looked down at Kings Canyon. On the decent he was hurting but he did not complain once and just dealt with the pain.

Nicole Santiago AKA "White Lightning" AKA "Champ" AKA "Mini-punk"
What can I say about this amazing athlete? I think my brother said it best when he said Nicole could climb Whitney and than go run a 10K. She was always smiling, always encouraging people and setting a fast pace to the top. At trail camp it was bitterly cold and as we tried to eat Nicole looked at me in the freezing wind and said, "isn't this awesome?" Her smile was just as big after 22 miles as it was at the beginning of the hike. I can't wait for all of our adventures to come.

Tasha Riley AKA "Sweaty" AKA "Jabbermouth"
Tasha is really a great athlete, but she will never tell you about it, you have to join her on an adventure. Tasha took to the mountain with ease and kept me going on the way down with her constant jibber jabber. It is great to be able to run, hike and cross-country ski with my sister-in-law. She is in for Mt. Whitney next year and I look forward to it.

Denise Riley AKA "Squeakers" AKA "AARP"
Denise did a great job getting to the summit. She really trained hard, took every bit of advice very seriously, and was the first of our group to make the top. Denise seemed to almost be in a trance on top of Mt. Whitney but I think she was reflecting on her accomplishment. Denise and my Dad have set the bar very high as I will have to summit again in my late 50's. It was fun to go on training hikes with Denise and spend time in the mountains.

Tina AKA "little black bear"
Tina was an unknown to me but she did great. She kept a very cool head after some large rat dog chewed up her water bladder. We did not discover this until mile 4 of the hike but Tina played it cool. She was a great asset to the team and I hope she comes back with us next year.

Matt Riley AKA "Rolling Thunder" AKA "Moot"
This time around I enjoyed myself so much more on the hike. I was able to really focus on the views and scenery and I hope we can all do it again next year! I want to thank my great team for being such a positive and optimistic group. See you all next year!

Surf for Life

This morning, before work, my brother Mike and I were able to surf my local break, Dolphin Wall, for a few hours. It was a beautiful clear morning, sunny skies, surf babes on the beach, trunkable water and nice little peelers. I was able to ride my longboard and Mike got his first taste of "big red." As the tide came up, the waves got better, the wind died and Mike and I were smiling from ear to ear. What is it about surfing that makes it so addictive? I think that the amazing combination of nature and the innate athletic skill that it takes to catch and ride moving water make surfing not just a sport, but a lifestyle. I have been blessed in my life to travel to Baja, Hawaii (multiple times), Indonesia, Australia and Fiji (see above pictures) all in the pursuit of waves. If you think about the influence that surfing has had on my life it is mindbogoling:

1. All of my friends (except Shuford) surf

2. I have NEVER lived more than a few blocks from the ocean

3. My Mom let me take Mike to Mexico when he was 17 on a surf/camping trip!

4. I will never move away from the ocean

5. I have been surfing since I was in the 7th grade! What have you been doing consistently for 21 years?

6. I competed on my high-school surf team and coached a high-school surf team.

7. In Coach House's history class I wrote my term paper on the history of surfing and got a B-

8. My earliest memories of surfing were watching my Uncle Dennis catch and ride a long wave at San Onofre and our neighbor Ralph Moore who had surfboards in his garage.

9. I caught my first wave at Ratt beach on a piece of junk board that Jeff bought for Paul at a swap meet.

10. The first time I angled (went down the line, not straight) I was riding a Joe Bark in the 7th grade.

11. The morning after my high school graduation my entire crew went down to surf Ratt beach, than went home to sleep.

12. My first real tube ride was a burnout beach in Torrance

13. I have traveled the world with a surfboard under my arm and a smile on my face!

P.S. Is all of this just a shameless excuse to post pictures of myself surfing? In the words of our favorite VP candidate who is proving "she's not a quitter" by quitting her job, YOU BETCHA!

One year ago today!

It was one year ago today that I stood on top of Glen Pass with John, Dennis and Mike. It was a beautiful day that I will always remember. I love backpacking for the memories and pictures (such as this one) that are made. The four of us formed a bond over those five days and long trail miles. We spent hours laughing at the contact between bubble one to bubble two, and talking over campfires. It is vital to for your soul to get out in the wild and live life to the fullest. I still laugh as I think about Mike talking in his sleep every night and telling me he is not going to shine his flashlight "at some big-ass bear." We were all so lucky to spend five days in God's country. I can only hope to be in as good as shape as Dennis is when I am 61 so I can hike the Rae Lakes loop at his age. I still think he should be on the cover of A.A.R.P. Thanks to a great crew for the laughter and memories!

We cannot control when we will die, but we can control how we will live

Thank you to my friends and family for their support during my recent round of hospital visits. This week was an emotional rollercoaster and I was happy to be back at work today. The routine of office life and property management was a pleasant way to spend my day. I especially want to thank my brudda from the islands, for sharing his story and kind words on my blog. Here is a rundown of my week:

Wednesday- Routine follow-up at the doctors office reveals I have a slight deformation in my heart. Stress test ordered immediately! Return to office in a confused and slightly spaced out frame of mind. The best boss in the world notes my condition and offers to buy me a beer. I refuse the offer and try to continue working.

Thursday-UCLA schedules my stress test for Friday which leaves one more day to contemplate my own mortality. I am on the way to class at UCLA and find out it is canceled because MJ died (see previous post as to how I spent my time). I have trouble sleeping and make alot of phone calls that night.

Friday- I awake at 6:00 am for my 9:00 stress test. I leave my house at 7:00 am and somehow make it to the hospital by 7:45. I am one hour and fifteen minutes early for my test but they take me in and prep me. My doctor is named Dr. Diaz, which I interpret as a good sign. Stress test is completed and all test results are positive. I walk out of the hospital feeling like a new man. I drive to the Raider Image and buy a new T-shirt to get ready for the upcoming season.

Saturday- I get up early, put my longboard on the racks, pick-up Mikey, meet Reed and am surfing San Onofre by 9:30 am. We celebrate Jeff's birthday at the beach and I can't help but look at his scar from open heart surgery. I drove home, drop my board off and head out to Dodger stadium.

Sunday- I drive to Palm Springs, hike 11 miles with my brother, come home and go to church. (I made it by 6 minutes) When I am taking a shower I feel really tired and consider skipping church but something tells me I should go. I walk in to church and the sermon for the evening is on death. The show a video of a young married father who has thyroid cancer and the pastor tells us a story about a 16 year-old girl who went to his church who died suddenly. He is in tears as he tells us this story and says "you cannot control when you will die, but you can control how you will live." I go to sleep at 8:45 determined to make the most of my time on this earth.

Postscript: Garrett kicked butt on the hike and I have now summited Mt. San Jacinto with Mike, Paul and Garrett. Check his blog for a great video

"If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it, or else they will lock you up"-Hunter S. Thomson

I was on my way to my real estate class at UCLA today and I found out that class was canceled because MJ died. They canceled class because the guy who invented the moonwalk died? I thought about turning around and heading home, but the thought of spending more time on the 405 parking lot just did not appeal to me. So I decided to walk over to UCLA medical center and mingle with the crazies, like the guy in this photo who brought flowers. I got some face-time on Fox News (check out Garrett's blog) got interviewed for a German newspaper, tried to get interviewed by a hot Spanish reporter and got kicked out of the press line by an fascist cop with a bullhorn. When this angry cop demanded my press credentials, I told him I wrote for a blog, he didn't buy it and he kicked me out of line. That was cool because I witnessed a group of people dancing to Thriller, Bille Jean and Beat-It. My only wish was that my brother Mike was with me to join in with the nutballs and enjoy the scene. I think I spotted an anguished Corey Fieldman holding hands with a distraught Malculy Culkin. No word on Webster. The funny part of this experience is how word spread through the crowd that Latoya was in the building. People spoke in hushed tones and breathlessly repeated the words, "Latoya is with us, she is here." So I will leave you with another quote by a true American genius: Hunter S. Thomson

"When the going gets weird, the weird go pro."

Now that is a man they should have canceled class for!

Holding pattern

Today I has my long awaited follow-up with my cardiologist and we got some good news and some bad news. The good news:
1. No plaque or blocked arteries
The bad news:
1. I need to have a stress test tomorrow or Friday
2. I have a small deformation that causes a few of my veins to be pushed out the wrong way and loop over and rest on my heart.
3. The big unknown: This could be serious, it could be mild, it could be nothing. They hope to know more after the stress test. So, my doc told me to put all running on hold until they get this thing figured out. So until I know more, I am in a holding pattern.