18th Annual Academy Awards Party

Tom and Christine hosted their annual Oscar party again. And just as they've done in previous years, they've put together a fantastic food spread inspired by this years nominees.


The gang waves tiny Mexican flags for Pan's Labrynth. (02/25/07)

We had a variety of items, many of which were Mexican themed (fritos, bean dip, taquitos, Mexican cheese with tiny Mexican flags) in honor of the Mexican nominees for Children of Men, Pan's Labrynth and Babel. Que viva Mexico!


The Inconvenient Truth punch. (2/25/07)

I was particularly impressed with the punch, which paid homage to the Al Gore documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. The sea blue punch even had actual melting polar ice caps.


The spread. (02/25/07)

Other items included Lettuce From Iwo Jima (in honor of the movie with a similar title), a United 93 cake, and the ever-present cold-cuts that Tom and Christine struggle to connect with an actual movie each year.

Our job was to bring something for The Queen. Our first thought was to hunt a stag, but unfortunately we didn't have enough time to let the blood drain. So instead we opted for the English delight, Bubble and Squeak (it's basically mashed potatoes with cabbage).


Ginger and Ryan and Dinah's Fried Chicken. (02/25/07)

I think the tastiest of treat came from Ryan and Laura, who brought a big bucket of Dinah's Fried Chicken, which was the actual chicken the family ate in the opening scene of Little Miss Sunshine. But unlike the way the family reacted in the movie, Dinah's chicken was really good!

Hats off to another great party T&C.

One Crazy Cranium Showdown

There's a little known fact about our pals Dana and Eric. They are huge Cranium geeks. For the one person who hasn't heard of Cranium, it's a board game where you advance by doing a wide variety of tasks, like drawing things, sculpting things, answering trivia, solving word puzzles, acting out charades, imitating celebrities, or humming songs. So when Dana and Eric invited us to a Cranium party, we were there!


It was the closest game Dana has ever seen. (02/17/07)

Everybody brought an appetizer. So we made authentic Mexican guacamole, complete with authentic Mexican-style tortilla chips. Everything was delicious, although my all-time favorite had to go to Dana who made bacon-wrapped shrimp with pineapple. It was amazing!

We had met a lot of Dana and Eric's other friends at previous events. One of my favorites is Debbie, who is the definition of a party girl. I seriously want to take her to my 20th high school reunion later this year and introduce her as my wife. We'd be the talk of the reunion!


The serious Cranium players. (02/17/07)

We were divided into four teams. Each, as it turned out, had a distinct personality. There was Dana's team, which included the serious Cranium players. They probably had the most competitive drive out of all the teams. They definitely played to win.


The confident and cool ones. (02/17/07)

Debbie's team had a whole different vibe. They were confident and cool. They knew they were bad-asses, yet they didn't feel the need to show it off.


The trouble makers. (02/17/07)

Tim's team were the trouble makers of the bunch, mostly due to the combination of Tim and Dana's sister. They were the ones mooning the camera while Dana's team was actually concentrating on the game (I'm doing you fine blog readers a favor by not publishing that photo!).


The winners! (02/17/07)

Finally there was Eric's team (my team), whom I'll simply refer to as the winners. :)

We had a blast! Thanks Dana and Eric for including us.

Happy 36th Birthday Christine!

Tonight we celebrated Christine's 36th birthday. It may be a few days early (actual date is the 16th), but this is the date that worked out the best due to a travel commitment for work. It was a smaller group than Christine's birthday party last year (Just Tom & Christine, Me & Tim and Ryan & Laura), but still loads of fun!


The gang at Albano's Brooklyn Pizzeria. (02/11/07)

We started off the night at Albano's Brooklyn Pizzeria in Studio City, which had some pretty dang good pizza. It's one of those places where you see all sorts of photos and autographs from B-list celebrities. And as luck would have it, we even saw a B-list celebrity in person while we were there: Andrew 'Dice' Clay was there having dinner with his kids.


Ryan goes for the prize in the Toy Taxi. (02/11/07)

Albano's had some really good pizza. It's that kind with a thin crust that really lets you enjoy the flavor of the toppings. But even better than the pizza were their Zeppoli's, which are these little pastries made from pizza dough and sprinkled with powdered sugar. We got an order right out of the oven. Simply delicious!


The only time of the year we have German chocolate cake. (02/11/07)

Afterward we headed back to Tom and Christine's place for presents and German chocolate cake. I think Christine is the only one of us that really likes German chocolate cake, but it is her birthday after all. Actually, I did have some and it wasn't bad.


Christine with her latest Jamie Oliver book. (02/11/07)

She got some pretty cool gifts. Tim and I got her the latest Jamie Oliver book, Jamie's Italy. It probably didn't reach the scale of the Project Runway Barbie last year, but she still loved it. Happy Birthday Christine!

Married 50 Years And Counting!

Gotta give props to my Uncle Tony and his wife, Tia Socorro, who celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary today. It was on this day in 1957 that they tied the knot in Chicago. Congratulations!


Tia Socorro and Uncle Tony in Manitou Springs, CO. (05/2004)

My uncle Tony actually goes by the name John Anthony, but my mom always called him Tony, so that's what I grew up calling him. I don't see them very often, since they live in Chicago and they don't come to California very often (nor do I go to Chicago very often). The last time I saw them in person was when they came out to California for my mom's funeral five-and-a-half years ago.

Although I don't see them often, I did call them to wish them a happy anniversary. Congratulations!

P.S. - Thanks cousin Anita for the terrific pic you contributed! :)

10-Year Anniversary Brunch

For most people, the first Sunday in February means one thing: Superbowl. But to Tim and I, the first Sunday in February is the day we choose to celebrate our anniversary.


Enjoying brunch at Orange Hill. (02/04/07)

It was Superbowl Sunday in 1997 when Tim and I met in person for the first time. By then we had Internet chatted each other and spoken on the phone. The only thing we hadn't done was meet in person. And since neither of us were football fans, nor did we have any plans that day, we decided to hang out.


Tim and James celebrate 10 years. (02/04/07)

I had been living in L.A. at the time, and decided to make the drive down to Orange County where Tim lived. I remember driving an old beat-up 1980 Honda Civic with a wrecked front end that I was embarrassed about, so I parked it down the street.

We had lunch at Red Robin, of all places. We followed lunch with a movie — the terrible Fierce Creatures, which was really disappointing. But the important thing was that we hit it off. And here we are 10 years later.


Christine & Tom. (02/04/07)

To celebrate our anniversary, we decided to go to Orange Hill Restaurant for our favorite Sunday Brunch. We invited our close friends, Tom & Christine, and Jon & Amy, each of whom have celebrated their 10-year wedding anniversaries (although they've been together much longer than 10 years when you factor in their first time meeting).


Amy and Jon. (02/04/07)

It was the first time there for everybody except for the two of us, which made it fun. Afterward we had lots of fun taking pictures overlooking the incredible views. We even took some pictures under the wedding arch for fun. Even Amy got into it, pretending to catch the boquet!


Pretending to toss the boquet. (02/04/07)

It was fun for everyone. And believe it or not, we even watched half of the Superbowl when we got home! Even though I was pulling for the Bears, it was still a great day for us.

A Rockin' Birthday Party for Cass

As I mentioned in my post, A Brief Journey into California History, I had to go to the San Diego Convention Center to set up our company booth for a trade show. Coincidentally, it happened to fall on the same day as Cass' 36th birthday party in Chula Vista. So after a brief stop at the Hotel Del Coronado, I made my way to Cass' party.


The birthday girl and her dad share the stage. (02/03/07)

Originally Tim and I were supposed to come to San Diego together. While I was at the convention center, Tim was to hang out with Christine and Cass. But he ended up having to take a project management class that day, so it was just me.


"And it burned, burned, burned ... the ring of fire." (02/03/07)

From the moment I walked in and saw that they were singing karaoke, I knew it was going to be a fun party! Nothing gets in between me and a karaoke stage!


Our listening audience were on the edge of their seats. (02/03/07)

I don't know how many times I went up there throughout the night, either solo or as a group, but I did a bunch of songs. "Ring of Fire," "Route 66," "L-O-V-E," "Mack the Knife," "Summer Nights," "You're the One that I Want," "Babe," "What a Wonderful World," you name it.


Dana and Aric, with an "A". (02/03/07)

Some of the highlights included Tyrico's "Rapper's Delight," Christine's "Baby Got Back" and the boys singing the Notorious Cherry Bombs' "It's Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night that Chew Your A*s Out All Day Long." The girls even had a response performance, with the lyrics rewritten to say, "It's Hard to Kiss the Lips at Night When You're an A**hole All Day Long!"

But the ultimate performance of the night goes to Christine for doing Styx's "Come Sail Away" in voice of Cartman from South Park. HILARIOUS!!!


Eating one or Rick's famous burgers prepared for me by Dana. (02/03/07)

It was also nice seeing Dana, Eric, Jean and the whole gang, whom we don't see nearly enough. Good times! Happy birthday Cass!

A Brief Journey into California History

My company is exhibiting at trade show in San Diego. Because it was so close to Orange County, they assigned certain people to attend on certain days. Since I manage trade show activity, I had to go to the convention center Saturday to set-up the booth. That, in and of itself, was pretty uneventful. But I did do something exciting afterward: I went to see the historic Hotel Del Coronado.


The world famous Hotel del Coronado. (02/03/07)

I had been there once in 1986 or 1987. I made my parents take me there. It was during the height of my Marilyn Monroe phase.

The hotel, as you're probably aware, was one of the locations where they filmed Some Like it Hot (which today is still one of my favorite movies). But when my boss Dori, who spent New Year's Eve there, showed me pictures of her stay, I decided it deserved a second visit.


The main courtyard. (02/03/07)

Built in 1887, the Hotel Del Coronado is one of the few surviving examples of an American architectural genre, the wooden Victorian beach resort. Few seaside resort hotels of this significant architectural style remain in America.

The hotel has hosted 10 U.S. presidents, starting with Benjamin Harrison in 1891. Many other national figures have stayed there, including Thomas Edison, Babe Ruth, Charles Lindbergh, etc.


It's one of America's largest wooden buldings. (02/03/07)

Another notable guest: Edward VIII, the one-time King of England who abdicated the throne to marry the twice-divorced American socialite and one-time Coronado island resident, Wallis Spencer Simpson. Some people suggest that they met at the hotel, although no one knows for certain.

In addition to Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, the hotel has also seen a steady streem of other celebrity visitors, from Charlie Chaplin and Humphrey Bogart to Brad Pitt and Madonna.


The haunted room, number 3327. (02/03/07)

The hotel is also home to a ghost! In 1892, a woman named Kate Morgan checked into room 3327 to meet her estranged husband who never showed. Several days later, Kate's body was found on the hotel steps leading to the ocean. Since her tragic death, witnesses have been puzzled by odd noises, spirited breezes, strange faces and the ghostly figure of a young lady dressed in a black lace dress. Many believe her spirit is still waiting for her husband in room 3327.


The famed Crown Jewel martini. (02/03/07)

Mostly, I just walked around taking pictures. But I did want to take home at least one special memory of the hotel, so I decided to have a drink at Babcock & Story bar, an oceanfront bar in the main building. I ordered the bar's famous Crown Jewel Martini, a drink that has been enjoyed by dignitaries and stars throughout the Del's rich history. It had Crown Royal, Martini & Rossi and brandied cherries.

And let me tell you: The drink was terrible! But at $10.50, I was going to finish that sucka if it was the last thing I do. And I did. At least it was memorable!