OCBoyz Blog 3.00

The Pentagon 9/11 Memorial

2011-09-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

I love Washington DC. Being a history nut, I always enjoy visiting historical sites and monuments. But on my last trip, there was one memorial I wish wasn't needed at all: The Pentagon Memorial honoring the 184 people who lost their lives on 9/11.

The Pentagon Memorial. (10/14/10)

We finally got to see it last October. It was our last day of our trip and it was raining pretty heavily. But I didn't even consider skipping it. It's something we needed to see.

The Pentagon Memorial. (10/14/10)

It's surprisingly tranquil there considering that it's set against the epicenter of our nation's military. And even though there are roads and freeways nearby, you don't seem to hear anything else other than your feet walking on the gravel.

The Pentagon Memorial. (10/14/10)

Each bench represents one of the victims. If the bench is facing towards the Pentagon, it represents one of the victims on the plane. If the bench faces outward from the Pentagon, it represents one of the victims on the ground.

The Pentagon Memorial. (10/14/10)

I think the saddest benches were those dedicated to Zoe and Dana Falkenberg, ages 9 and 3 respectively. The Falkenberg sisters were among the youngest of the victims, having been on the plane with their mom and dad.

The bench dedicated to Dana Falkenberg, age 3. (10/14/10)

May all the victims rest in peace.

Remembering 9/11/01

2011-09-11T21:52:00.000-07:00

I'll never forget that morning. Like any other work day, my alarm went off to news radio. I quickly realized it was no ordinary work day when I heard the somber announcement that one of the World Trade Center towers had collapsed after a terrorist attack. It couldn't be true, so we dashed off to the living room to see the horrifying reality before our very eyes. A few moments later, tower #2 went down.

James and the World Trade Center. (1996)

Like everyone else that day, I was shocked. I was horrified. I was scared. Hearing that the attackers also crashed a plane into the Pentagon, it made me wonder, what targets on the west coast were going to be hit? Was L.A. to be targeted as well? Surely we wouldn't escape this tragedy. In the end, we all felt the loss.

James near the World Trade Center. (1996)

More than anything, the biggest loss that day was the nearly 3,000 people that died in the World Trade Center, the four planes and the Pentagon. But when I came across these old slides of a visit to New Jersey in 1996, it made me realize how much I miss seeing the World Trade Center. May it always be remembered.

I Finally Reached Six Digits

2011-08-07T21:18:00.000-07:00

I finally reached six digits! No, I'm not talking about the six-figure number most working stiffs hope to reach. In this case, I'm talking about my car's odometer. Yes, after six-and-a-half years of dedicated service, my 2005 Saab 9-3 ("Birgitta") has officially reached 100,000 miles.

The last time my odometer displays five digits. (08/06/2011)

Of course it's not as exciting as it was in the old days of analog odometers, when you would see all five of the wheels turn over at once. But still, it's something worth taking a picture of and blogging about (and yes, I stopped the car to take the pictures).

It's only the second time I've personally witnessed a six-figure arrival on my car. The first car I've had that reached that milestone was my first car, the 1981 Honda Civic. But as luck would have it, I inadvertently loaned it to a friend the day it crossed over. I was heartbroken. When my 1989 Plymouth Reliant crossed over, however, I made sure I saw it.

My new six-digit odometer reading. (08/06/2011)

This time it's different though. Why? Because this was the first car I bought brand new — I drove it off the lot myself. So these 100,000 miles were mostly driven by me. Which is why I've not let anyone else drive my car these past couple of days. So here's to you Birgitta for 100,000 great miles, with many more to come!

Space Shuttle Endeavour to Retire in Southern California

2011-04-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

Today NASA announced the museums that were selected as recipients of the three operating space shuttles in its fleet. And I'm happy to report that the Space Shuttle Endeavour is slated to have a permanent home right here in Southern California.

James and the Space Shuttle Enterprise. (10/12/2010)

The announcement was made on the 30th anniversary of the space shuttle program's first flight (the Columbia, which was destroyed during re-entry in 2003) and the 50th anniversary of the first manned spaceflight (Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's famous 1961 mission). More than 20 locations around the country submitted bids to give a home to one of the retired shuttles.

The Endeavour, which was awarded to Los Angeles' California Science Center, has been used on 24 missions. It has orbited the earth 4,429 times and traveled 103,149,636 miles. It will take its final flight on April 29 (when it will be flown by Mark Kelly, husband of Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona congresswoman who was shot and critically wounded outside of a grocery store last January).

Tim and the Space Shuttle Enterprise at the Smithsonian. (10/12/2010)

Endeavour's return to Southern California is a homecoming, since all five space shuttle orbiters were fabricated in Downey, and assembled in Palmdale. And all shuttles were tested at Edwards Air Force Base just outside Palmdale, where 53 of NASA's 133 shuttle missions landed. I'm just glad there's one close enough to visit easily.

As for the others, the Atlantis, which will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. And the Discovery, which flew its final mission last month, will be displayed at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantily, Virginia, which Tim and I visited when we were in Washington last October.

The Space Shuttle Enterprise at the Smithsonian. (10/12/2010)

While there, we saw the Space Shuttle Enterprise, a full-scale test vehicle used for flights in the atmosphere (it was not equipped with a propulsion system, and therefore not ready for spaceflight). Although Enterprise never flew in space, it introduced a new era in space transportation and was the flagship for a fleet of reusable shuttles.

To make room for the Discovery, NASA will be moving the Enterprise test vehicle to the Intrepid museum in New York. But I'm glad I got to see it at the Smithsonian last year before it makes its move to its final home. Yay for California for getting a shuttle!

Got a Wartime Nickel from a Vending Machine

2011-03-29T22:55:00.000-07:00

I got a 1944 wartime nickel as change from the soda machine today. You can tell by the tarnished color and the large D over Monticello.

I got this 1944 wartime nickel from a vending machine today. (03/29/2011)

Unlike other Jefferson nickels, which are made up of 75% copper and 25% nickel, these nickels don't actually have any nickel in them. Wartime nickels were instead made up of 56% copper, 9 % manganese, and 35% silver.

At today's silver price of $37.02 an ounce, I calculated this nickel's value to be worth $2.09 on silver value alone. It's like I got paid to drink a Diet Dr. Pepper! :)

My Sassy New Headshots

2011-03-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I've been expressing interest in auditioning for some local musical theater productions after a 20-year hiatus from the stage. And to really be taken seriously, you need to bring a headshot to the audition — even for the tiny local theater productions I'm aiming for. So I am happy to debut my sassy new headshots.

James' smiling look #1

I researched some headshot photographers, but ended up approaching my photographer friend Ryan Romero. Although shooting actor headshots are not his usual thing — his work consists of gritty portraiture and moody landscapes — he offered to help me out.

James' smiling look #2

We set up a shoot last weekend, and although I'm not usually comfortable in front of the camera, Ryan totally put me at ease. Plus he kept making me laugh with his stories. The lighting Ryan set up was amazing. It kind of makes we wish I had a personal lighting team with me any time I was photographed, like Michael Jackson did.

James' serious look

Anyway, I'm looking forward to handing directors these headshots as I audition. You should have seen the ghetto headshot I crafted myself for my first audition. I think that alone was why I didn't make callbacks (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). :)

If you get a chance, check out Ryan's awesome work at ryanromerophoto.com.

Brush With Greatness: Elizabeth Taylor

2011-03-24T01:36:00.000-07:00

I was saddened to hear about the passing of the great Elizabeth Taylor. She was the last of a generation of movie stars, and a stalwart supporter in the fight against AIDS, even when it wasn't popular. But I most remember her from an encounter I had with her almost 20 years ago.

Liz Taylor at Macy's San Francisco. (10/11/1991)

It was October 11, 1991. I was a student at San Francisco State University, and I had heard Elizabeth Taylor was coming to Macy's in San Francisco's Union Square to promote her new fragrance, White Diamonds. Wild horses couldn't keep me away from this event.

She was appearing at 1:00pm, and I had to skip a class to be there (how often does one get the opportunity to see one of the grand dames of the screen, after all?). Making it an even bigger event was the fact that she had just gotten married with great fanfare. Remember the widely televised celebrity-studded wedding to Larry Fortensky at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch? That was just five days before this.

Elizabeth Taylor promotes White Diamonds at Macy's San Francisco. (10/11/1991)

The store was packed, and even though I got there 1.5 hours early, I was still at least 100 feet away. But I was still electrified the moment she walked into the room. She spoke about White Diamonds for a while, and afterward she answered questions from the audience.

My favorite moment was when someone asked her what she and her new husband did on their wedding night. Liz responded not with any words, but instead with one of the biggest, loudest laughs ever. Seriously, this cackle would put Hillary Clinton to shame.

Liz Taylor's Chair at Macy's San Francisco. (10/11/1991)

I too asked her a question (albeit a much less memorable one). I asked her which stars of today she liked the most. Her answer: Michelle Phillips (strangely) and Julia Roberts, who had just dazzled everyone in Pretty Woman the year prior.

After her much-too-short appearance, she left, and so did the crowds. I, on the other hand, beelined to the stage, where I took pictures of her chair and the table she was standing next to during her appearance. That's when I noticed that she had left her drinking straw in her glass of water.

Needless to say I swiped the straw as a souvenir. (Who wouldn't have?!) It even had her lipstick marks on it. In fact, the story of this lucky souvenir hunter made it into the pages of the San Francisco Chronicle, in the column of legendary San Francisco newsman Herb Caen, no less.

Liz Taylor's Glass of Water at Macy's San Francisco. (10/11/1991)

I kept the straw for many years until I eventually donated it to my friend Tom, who I believe still has it somewhere. Makes me kind of wish I kept it. Oh well. I'll always have the memories. So here's to you Liz, your amazing career, your life well lived, and your drinking straw.

Early Mexico Slides Gaining Fans

2010-12-25T06:58:00.000-08:00

When I started scanning my dad's old slides from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, at first it was an effort to digitally preserve them for our family to see again. I don't think my dad has had a functioning slide projector for decades and was worried the slides would deteriorate. But I've been surprised about some of the attention other people have paid to his photography (like when some of his slides were published in a book).

Mexico's Golden Age compilation by Gary Denness

Most recently, his photos were highlighted in The Mexile, a blog written by Gary Denness, a Brit living in Mexico City who has a passion for photography. In his post, Mexico's Golden Age, Dennis writes of how old color photos from this era offer a detail that black and white doesn't bring out, and thought they were too good not to share.

Check out the sets from my dad's 1957 trip to Mexico and 1960 visits to Mexico City, Totatiche and Acapulco.

38 Years of Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade

2010-06-29T21:37:00.000-07:00

It was 38 years ago this month that Disneyland debuted the Disneyland Main Street Electrical Parade, the famous summertime classic featuring floats and performers covered in "thousands of sparkling lights." The parade is also known for its infectious song, which is nearly impossible to get out of your head after hearing it.

Disney's Electrical Parade. (04/17/2010)

Doing a little research, I discovered that the parade did not have a constant presence at the park. It disappeared after the 1974 season only to be brought back again in 1977. The parade also disappeared after the 1982 season, only to be brought back in 1985.

Alice in Wonderland in Disney's Electrical Parade. (04/17/2010)

In 1996 it was announced that after a 24-year run, the parade would leave Disneyland forever and move to the Florida park. Its last Disneyland season drew crowds like it never had before. Disneyland even extended the final season a month to meet the demand to see it. At the end of the run Disneyland sold all the individual light bulbs that were used on the floats. I still have one.

Big Ben in Disney's Electrical Parade. (04/17/2010)

The claim that the parade would leave Disneyland forever turned out to be almost true. To boost attendance at Disneyland's sister park, the fledgling Disney's California Adventure, Disney brought it back in 2001. Only this time, since it wasn't on Main Street in Disneyland, they renamed it Disney's Electrical Parade.

Pinocchio float in Disney's Electrical Parade. (04/17/2010)

But it didn't matter that the Disney corporation used a loophole in their 1996 claim that the parade was leaving the park forever. People were just glad to have it back. It kept going until just this year, when Disneyland announced it would leave Disney's California Adventure to make room for the epic World of Color show that started earlier this month.

Pete's Dragon in Disney's Electrical Parade. (04/17/2010)

I can't tell you the first time I saw the parade, but I can tell you the last. It was just over two months ago, and I was fortunate enough to be able to see it on its final weekend. Disneyland claims it won't return, but they've said that before, so you never know for sure.

40 Years of Disney Archivist Dave Smith

2010-06-28T22:28:00.001-07:00

Last Friday, I read in the L.A. Times that Dave Smith, the legendary Disney archivist, announced his retirement. It was exactly 40 years and 1 day from the day he first started working for the company.

James and Disney lead archivist Dave Smith. (03/10/2010)

Smith began working for the company in 1970, just four years after Walt Disney passed away. His first assignment: Archiving the items in Walt's office, which had been off limits to anyone for four years.

This project led to a 40-year career archiving the storied history of the company. One of his most incredible finds was a small item found in the top drawer of the desk of Walt's brother. It was the very first ticket sold at Disneyland, which Roy Disney purchased for $1 in 1955. It was even marked with the number 001.

I was fortunate to have met Dave Smith recently at a D23 party. Our meeting wasn't a long one, and I'm sure it would not be very memorable to him. But it was memorable for me because I have an incredible amount of respect for this man, who I believe is doing God's work.

Best of luck to you in retirement Dave!

One Year Without Farrah

2010-06-27T21:22:00.000-07:00

Just over a year ago we lost one of Hollywood's brightest stars, and an icon of my youth, the late great Farrah Fawcett. I always felt a little bad about the news coverage of Farrah's passing (or lack thereof) being that she died the same day as Michael Jackson, whose death clearly stole the headlines.

James with his childhood Farrah Fawcett poster. (06/25/2010)

But when I read it was the one-year anniversary of Farrah's passing, I thought I would pay my small tribute. I'm not going to try to summarize her life. Many others have done that better than I ever could. Mostly I just want to share some of my Farrah memories.

Close-up of my childhood Farrah Fawcett poster. (06/25/2010)

Like any boy who grew up in the 1970s, I was fascinated by Farrah. Charlie's Angels was a cultural phenomenon. My favorite t-shirt at the time had a picture of all three of the original angels. My mom often spoke of the time at some cub scout awards event, I went up on stage and proudly showed off my Charlie's Angels shirt to the audience.

Farrah's signature on the iconic poster. (06/25/2010)

And like every other boy of that period, I too had "The Poster," the iconic 1976 poster of Farrah. Believe it or not, 34 years later, I still have it. It was in the garage. So I dug it out on the anniversary to pay a small homage.

I visited Farrah at Westwood Memorial Park. (04/27/2010)

Recently I went to the Westwood Memorial Park, where Farrah was layed to rest. It was sad to see her name written on her headstone. But one thing that made me happy was thinking back to how bright her star shone back in the day. Rest in peace our dear Farrah.

Truman's New Hood: Huntington Dog Beach

2010-06-10T23:24:00.000-07:00

It's funny. Tim has been in Southern California since the 1980s. I've been here since 1992. And despite our proximity to the ocean, I bet you can count on five fingers the number of times per year we go to the beach. But that's no longer the case now that we've discovered the Huntington Dog Beach.

James & Truman at Huntington Dog Beach. (04/03/2010)

I don't know why we don't go very often. Maybe it's the crowds, the traffic or the parking. It seems we only go to the beach when we have visitors from out of town. But now that we have Truman, we're always seeking dog-friendly places. And Huntington Dog Beach seemed a natural answer.

Truman's first day at Huntington Dog Beach. (03/27/2010)

Actually we've found that the parking at Huntington Dog Beach isn't too bad. The whole dog-friendly portion of the strip is metered for short-term, so if you don't find parking on your first pass, you'll surely find it on your second. And we've found that if you come from Golden West side, you avoid all the traffic surrounding the touristy part of Huntington Beach.

Shelley from Calgary, Tim & Sergio at Huntington Dog Beach. (05/22/2010)

And Truman simply loves it. He loves walking up and down the dog section. He goes around sniffing all the other dogs, playing with some, ignoring others. Of course we always keep a few treats in our pocket so he comes back when we call him.

Tim & Truman get splashed on Truman's first time at the dog beach. (03/27/2010)

But there is one thing Truman doesn't love: The water. He got splashed by a wave once, and that was it for him. Now he's always on the lookout for those waves. But there is one body of water he can't avoid: The bath we give him when we return home. Oh well Truman, you can't win 'em all!

Hearst Castle: Home Away From Home

2010-06-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about camping in San Simeon is that the campsite is literally five minutes away from the iconic Hearst Castle. I know, we've been there probably a half dozen times before, and we even wrote a blog post about it in 2006. And yet, each time we're in the area, I can't resist taking another tour.

Tim in front of Hearst Castle. (06/06/2010)

There are five tours in all, each covering a different section. I'm pretty sure we've been on all of them by now. So this time we started over with Tour 1. Plus, our pal Sergio had never been there before, so it was a good excuse.

James inside one of the guest houses. (06/06/2010)

I think one of the main reasons I'm drawn to Hearst Castle was that it was so exclusive for so many years. In its heyday in the 1930s and 1940s, the only way to set foot on the grounds was to be invited by William Randolph Hearst himself. It's like getting invited to the 3rd floor of the White House, or Camp David, or Neverland Ranch. The only difference is now anybody can go for $24.

Sergio in the Hearst Castle billiards room. (06/06/2010)

The other reason I'm drawn to Hearst Castle is — let's face it — I was meant to live that lifestyle. Champagne taste and beer bottle pockets. Story of my life. But until I can build my own mountain-top compound, I'll just have to keep paying a visit to my home away from home every few years.

Four Years Later, SoCal and NoCal Meet Again

2010-06-09T00:04:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's been nearly four years since our last big family camping trip. Looking back, our last big family camping trip was in the fall of 2006. That's about as much time as it takes to complete high school.

The NoCal / SoCal Camping Group. (06/07/2010)

Like our 2006 event, we selected coastal San Simeon as the middle ground, being approximately equidistant between us in Orange County, and my relatives from San Francisco. Plus it has the added benefit of being only five miles away from Hearst Castle, which I consider my home away from home.

James, Truman, Sergio and Tim with our new tent. (06/05/2010)

This year's group consisted of Tim and I, our pal Sergio, our pup Truman, my cousin Michele, her partner Lisa, their daughter Liele, my cousin Ralphie, his dog Dozer, our friends Lynne and Anna and their daughter Colby, and friends Bridgett and Bob, who brought along their kids Phoebe and Tristan.

Tim was like Dr. Doolittle for the ground squirrels. (06/06/2010)

We had the usual camping fun, with a few new twists, like the surprise trip to Target in Paso Robles to buy a new tent (apparently we didn't pack all the parts of our old one). I was also attacked by wildlife: A single bite from a ground squirrel. The little guy was trying to eat a nut from my fingers and got a little overzealous.

Who says Tim doesn't like kids? (06/06/2010)

I haven't started foaming at the mouth yet, so I think I'm okay. As always, we had a grand old time. Hopefully we won't wait another four years to do it again, a'ight?

Disneyland's Real World of Color

2010-03-31T23:30:00.000-07:00

I went to Downtown Disney today to meet up with a couple of relatives from Nevada who were in town on a Disneyland trip. After lunch and shopping, they headed back to their hotel for a little R&R. Since I have nothing better to do these days, I whipped out my annual pass and headed into the park where I glimpsed a rare sighting...

Disneyland's Real World of Color. (03/31/2010)"

In the Hub, near the iconic Partners statue, the four Pink Arpacho trees were in full bloom! The bright pink blossoms were absolutely stunning, and created an incredible backdrop for some of Disneyland's most photographed sights.

Disneyland's Pink Arpacho trees were in full bloom. (03/31/2010)

Most of the year, these trees are covered in average-looking green leaves. Sometimes there are no leaves at all. The Disneyland gardeners typically keep things looking cheery by hanging live floral displays. There was clearly no need for that today.

Beautiful pink blossoms frame the Matterhorn. (03/31/2010)

It's funny to think that at Disney's California Adventure, they're currently putting the finishing touches on "The World of Color," a fountain water effects show that promises to be amazing. Today, however, it was Mother Nature's world of color that was truly amazing.

James Turns 15,000 Days Old Today

2010-03-29T18:32:00.001-07:00

Okay, it appears I've come to the end of another long break in the James & Tim blog. I've been wanting to get back to blogging again, and now that I'm not working, I literally have no more excuses.

James on his 15,000th birthday. (03/29/2010)

So what better way to kick-off my new blogging activity than with a blogpost celebrating my 15,000th birthday! Yep, according to the nifty Alternative Birthday Calendar, today marks my 15,000th day since I was born.

What's the next milestone after this you ask? (Well, besides my 42nd birthday, obviously). Next up is my 400,000-hour birthday, which will be October 20, 2014. Keep an eye out for the invitations!

Livin' it Up in California City, CA

2009-11-08T20:54:00.000-08:00

There are only 18 cities in all of the United States that have the same name as the state in which it resides. There's Oklahoma City, Kansas City and New York City to name a few. But in all my 40 years, I have never been to the namesake city in my own state. Until now.

James at the California City maintenance yard. (11/07/2009)

California City, population 12,659, is located in California's Mojave Desert, near the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It sits 109 miles north of Los Angeles, and about 70 miles Southeast of Bakersfield. The closest thing to California City that anyone has probably heard of is Edwards Air Force Base, which is where Chuck Yeager famously broke the sound barrier in 1947 and has been the site of several Space Shuttle landings.

We were in town visiting our good friend Sergio, who currently lives and works in California City. Since we met Sergio earlier this year, he has always been the one to visit us. This was our first time visiting him.

What California City looks like. (11/07/2009)

After months of hearing Sergio talk about California City (more specifically, the lack of things to do in California City), I was dying to see this exotic locale with my own two eyes. So Friday night Tim and I packed up the Envoy, threw in Truman, and embarked on the 3-hour trek to Cal City (as the locals call it).

Our first glimpse of the town was not too exciting since we arrived at night (although we did stop at the city's one stoplight). But I was impressed to see that Cal City had its own McDonald's. The next morning Sergio gave us a city tour. We saw the city maintenance yard, the municipal airport and the Silver Saddle Ranch and Club, an 80-acre "resort oasis" (or as I would call it, a "campsite").

Sergio & James in California City. (11/07/2009)

Afterward, we decided to have some lunch and then go bowling. The nearest bowling alley, of course, was 42 miles away in Lancaster, CA. Despite the lack of a bowling alley and a decent grocery store, I thought Cal City had a lot going for it.

It had a Quizno's sandwich shop. It had a Wimpy's 1950s-themed diner. It had a Sears (albeit in a strip mall), but it was nicer than some Sears stores I've seen. Plus, the take-out food we picked up from Green Tea Garden Chinese Restaurant was pretty darn good.

The California City supermarket. (11/07/2009)

Another thing that California City has going for it is it's immense size. It has a total area of over 200 square miles, making it the third largest city in California (only beat by Los Angeles and San Diego) and 35th largest city in the United States.

Although I can't argue that there's a lot to do in Cal City, one great thing I can say about the town is that it's affordable. During Truman's morning walk, I came across a sign that listed apartment rentals. I was amazed that you can find a 2-bedroom, 1-bath apartment for as low as $550 a month (it would be $1,200 in Orange County). There was even a 4-bedroom, 2-bath place for rent at the amazingly low rate of $850 a month (unheard of in Orange County).

James at the California City Airport. (11/07/2009)

So if you don't like living anywhere near a large city, want an affordable place to live, and don't mind the lack of diversions, then check out California City.

Celebrating Day of the Dead / Dia de Los Muertos

2009-11-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

Once again we had our semi-annual dinner celebrating Día de los Muertos (aka "Day of the Dead"), the annual tradition celebrated on All Saints' Day (Nov. 1) or All Soul's Day (Nov. 2). This festive Mexican holiday pays respect to friends and family who have passed away, while at the same time honoring the continuation of life.

Our Dia de los Muertos altar. (11/01/2009)

The holiday symbolizes the belief that our connection with friends and family does not end at death. To commemorate the impact they've had on our lives, a special meal is prepared to welcome the souls into your home for a day of rememberance.

Johnny, Jon and Tim get ready to eat. (11/01/2009)

Today's special meal was Mexican of course, and our pals Johnny and Jon joined us in the celebration. We had carne asada, pollo asado, carnitas, beans and tortillas. (We skipped the rice this year since we're doing South Beach). Of course I made my award-winning fresh guacamole. We also bought a pan de muerto, a Mexican bread sold this time of year that looks like bones. We also skipped the cupcakes and instead celebrated with skull-like cups of sugar-free pudding (another South Beach modification).

Pan de Muerto. (11/01/2009)

This was our first time celebrating Day of the Dead in two years. We skipped it in 2008 because Tim's Grandma Helen in Buffalo, NY passed away a few days before, and her passing was too recent to celebrate Day of the Dead in the joyful spirit in which it was meant to be celebrated (it's not intended to be a sad holiday).

Dia de los Muertos pudding cups. (11/01/2009)

One of the traditions is to display a Day of the Dead altar, where you place candles and photos or mementos of the special souls who have touched our lives. My mother, my grandparents, Tim's dear friend Judi and our beloved dog Simon had their appearance. This year we added photos of Tim's Grandma Helen and our friend Jack Pitts who passed away this year. Although we were saddened to have lost them since our last Day of the Dead celebration, we were honored to include them in our celebration this year.

James & Tim's 2007 Day of the Dead celebration.

James & Tim's 2006 Day of the Dead celebration.

Halloween Impromptu

2009-11-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

You may think we had all sorts of plans for Halloween. Especially this year since it fell on a Saturday. Nope.

James as Fidel Castro. (10/31/2009)

We had no plans. No party invitations. Nada. So our plan was to do what we do every year: Hand out candy to the kids. Our pal Amy also had no plans, so she came over for dinner (Tim made a great tilapia) and to hand out candy to the kids.

Tim as Coffee Matey Light. (10/31/2009)

We had maybe 35-40 kids drop by. By the time we shut down at 9pm, I was itchin' to go do something. I was already in my old Fidel Castro costume. So we quickly pulled out Tim's old Tigger costume for Amy, and Tim dusted off his old Coffee Matey costume.

Amy as Tigger. (10/31/2009)

Looking for something to do, we called our friends Scott and Erika, who we learned had just moved into their new condo that very day. Amazingly, they were up for an adventure. Even more amazingly, with all of their belongings stuffed in boxes and clothes hapers, they were able to improvise two costumes in less than 5 minutes!

Our posse at TGIF. (10/31/2009)

Our plans weren't huge. We went to T.G.I.Fridays at The Block for appetizers and drinks. But for an impromptu adventure, it sure was a fun Halloween.

Another Weekend Project

2009-10-31T17:02:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it was Halloween and Day of the Dead this weekend. But despite these things, the joys of home ownership continue on. This week's project: Painting the front doors.

James paints the door trim. (10/31/2009)

We've had the new doors for almost a year now. They came primed. But we never got around to painting them until now. (We wanted to do it before the wet rainy season kicks in).

James while painting the front doors. (10/31/2009)

The door color: Whole Wheat, from Dunn Edwards. I did the majority of the doors themselves. Tim is taking on the white trim. You wouldn't think painting a front door would take very long, but it's time consuming. But they look great now, so we're happy.

From Mexican to Sexican - LOL

2009-10-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

For the last year, I've been meaning to check out this barber shop that my co-worker Walter goes to. It's called Hawleywood's Barber Shop and Shaving Parlor, and it's right here in the OC. I was in desperate need of a haircut, and since we had no major plans this weekend, I thought this will be the time I finally check it out.

New Haircut, Before & After (10/24/2009)

Hawleywood's is a 1940s and 1950s era barbershop that specializes in straight razor shaves and high and tight old school haircuts. We're talking pompodours, duck tails, flat tops, crew cuts, etc.

The place was awesome. The room was long and narrow, with a line of maybe eight or 10 old-time Naugahyde barber chairs — complete with ash trays in the arms. The walls were covered with vintage motorcycle pics and stuff like that.

New Haircut, Before & After (10/24/2009)

Unlike most typical old school barbershops, all the barbers there were under 40. Although most were pretty heavily tatted, they were all dressed to the nines, complete with perfectly-creased trousers, leather shoes and vests.

New Haircut, Before & After (10/24/2009)

No women are allowed in the shop, a fact clearly stated by the array of male-focused magazines to choose from, including a few tittie magazine titles. When you sit down, an attendant will bring you a beer if you so choose — Pabst Blue Ribbon in the can. It's definitely a man's place (accentuated by the fact that they will kick you out if you wear a fanny pack, tennis socks or Oakley sunglasses).

New Haircut, Before & After (10/24/2009)

Cesar was my barber. I didn't have enough length on the top to pull some of the haircuts off, so I settled for what they call the "Business Man" ... a little long on top with a part. Cesar did a great job I thought. What do you think?

The Truman Show

2009-10-24T19:48:00.000-07:00

In a world filled with uncertainties, there are many unanswered questions. What is the meaning of life? Why can't the world's nations peacefully coexist? And most importantly, why haven't Tim and James updated their blog in months?

James and Truman's first picture together. (03/14/2009)

We can't tell you bupkis about the first two questions. But the third question can be answered in a single word: Truman.

Truman the day we brought him home. (03/14/2009)

Yes, for the last seven months, our lives have revolved around a cute little miniature schnauzer puppy we adopted in March. Since then you could say our lives could easily be called "The Truman Show." And it goes without saying, we spend much more time taking care of this little fella, which cut into our blogging time.

Truman was so small when we first got him. (03/14/2009)

A birthday gift to me from Tim, Truman has been a welcome addition to our family. Most of the time anyway. It depends on if Truman is being the little angel that he sometimes is or the little devil that he sometimes is.

Truman's first bath. (04/04/2009)

We were glad to have a dog again, since it had been almost a year-and-a-half since we had to put down our beloved Simon. Although frankly, we were a little leery of going through the puppy phase. It was hard for a couple of months, but now that he's nine months old, it's a lot easier than when he was three or four months.

Truman in the car. (05/30/2009)

A lot of people ask me about his name. I wanted him to have a presidential sounding name, so I named him after president Harry S. Truman. As it turns out, our pup seems to share some of the traits of the former president.

Truman looking adorable. (06/18/2009)

Harry S. Truman was a feisty little son-of-a-gun who was often referred to as "Give 'Em Hell Harry." Our pup — who we jokingly call "Harry Ass Truman" — is also a feisty little son-of-a-gun who gives us hell quite a bit. But then moments later, he can be an irresistable little angel.

Tim & Truman. (07/11/2009)

We're still working on eradicating some of his bad habits (like his propensity to steal our socks). But despite his occasional behavior issues (and what puppy doesn't have them?) he is definitely a joy. Welcome to our family Truman!

Bob Baker's Marionette Theater now a Landmark

2009-06-06T20:50:00.000-07:00

I was delighted to read in the L.A. Times this week that the Bob Baker Marionette Theater has been granted landmark status by the Los Angeles City Council in a 14-0 vote. Although the theater has been continuously performing marionette shows since the Kennedy Administration, Tim and I hadn't discovered this gem for ourselves until a year-and-a-half ago.

The Bob Baker Marionette Theater. (12/06/2008)

Our first taste of the Bob Baker Marionettes was in December 2007 when we saw a mini show as part of the Disneyland Tour of Downtown Los Angeles we went on with Charles Phoenix. During the Fantasyland section of our tour, we went to the theater to watch a scene from the marionette production of The Nutcracker.

We saw the marionette production of The Nutcracker. (12/09/2007)

Afterward, we were privileged to see a private performance and audience Q&A by the legend himself, Bob Baker (who, at age 83, looked far younger than he actually is). Baker's marionette work can be seen in the 1960 film G.I. Blues where Baker perfomed alongside Elvis Presley. Baker's work can also be seen in the 1954 Judy Garland film, A Star is Born, as well as a childhood favorite of mine, Escape From Witch Mountain (1975).

Bob Baker (left) discusses the art of marionette puppeteering. (12/09/2007)

In addition to marionette work, Baker was in charge of the special effects in Bedknobs & Broomsticks (1971), one of Tim's all-time favorite movies. Baker's special effects work can also be seen on the original Bewitched and Star Trek television series.

Inside the Bob Baker Marionette Theater. (12/06/2008)

We enjoyed our experience at the marionette theater so much, that we went back a year later to see the full-length version of The Nutcracker. It was really cool, and totally surreal. It's like being in a time capsule from every decade over the last 50 years.

Bob Baker demonstrates Mr. Bojangles. (12/09/2007)

Admittedly, the theater is not much to look at from the outside. Aside from the unassuming marquis sign, the theater's exterior consists of simple white-painted cinder blocks that belie the richly-colored theater you'll find inside. One of my favorite areas is the hallway leading to the bathroom, where you can see many of Baker's original sketches for marionette designs.

Original marionette sketches line the wall. (12/09/2007)

For nearly 50 years, this theater has been putting on shows six days a week. So if you ever get a chance to check it out, DO! It's a treasure for both kids and adults alike. And best of all, after every show they serve ice cream in the connecting party room. It's not to be missed.

James & Tim at the Bob Baker Marionette Theater. (12/06/2008)

The Bob Baker Marionette theater is located at 1345 W. First St., Los Angeles, CA, 90026. (213) 250-9995. Performances are Tuesday - Friday at 10:30 a.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. General admission for the show is $15 for adults and children. Reservations recommended.

Celebrity Footprints OC Style

2009-02-20T17:33:00.000-08:00

Part of a continuing series of articles about interesting, unusual or underappreciated things Orange County has to offer. Click here for all Orange County articles.

One of the most iconic symbols of old Hollywood can be found on the cement just outside the historic Grauman's Chinese Theatre. I'm talking, of course, of the cement enshrined foot- and hand-prints of celebrities from the golden age. Did you know Orange County has its own collection of cement celebrity footprints?

Marcel Marceau

The Orange County version can be found in Buena Park, CA, just outside the building that once housed the Movieland Wax Museum. Although Movieland Wax Museum shut its doors permanently in October 2005 (see my previous article discussing Movieland Wax Museum's final days), its collection of celebrity foot- and hand-prints is still accessible to anyone who wishes to see them.

Dorothy Lamour

Now before I continue, let me first warn you that the calibre of stars enshrined in Orange County is not exactly A-list. Don't expect to find Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, or Paul Newman there. But do expect to find the likes of Dudley Moore, Ray Charles or Liberace. My personal favorite is probably one of the smallest stars, both in terms of celebrity rank and stature: Herve Villechaize (aka "Tattoo" from Fantasy Island).

Herve Villechaize - Tattoo from Fantasy Island

The other thing you'll notice is that the celebrities feel like they came straight out of an early 1980s time capsule. We've got people like Loni Anderson from WKRP Cincinnati, Jack Klugman from The Odd Couple and Quincy, M.D., and Lou Ferrigno from The Incredible Hulk TV series. In fact, looking at all those names, it seems the only thing missing is the cast of Barney Miller.

Ray Charles

Although the collection seems a little dated, it's still pretty cool considering you can see it for free. When the Movieland Wax Museum closed, developers announced they would raze the building and replace it with "Movieland Plaza," a movie-themed retail center anchored by a Best Buy store. The retail center even planned to display some of the original wax stars in glass cases.

Eva Gabor

It's been more than three years, and there's still no sign of "Movieland Plaza." And with the current economic climate, I don't expect bulldozers any time soon. All that sits there now is the empty building, the iconic sign, and a Starbucks.

Vincent Price

So the next time you're craving a venti non-fat, sugar-free vanilla latte and want to compare shoe sizes with the likes of Hulk Hogan, Tom Selleck or Gloria Estefan, you know where to go. Located at 7711 Beach Blvd. in Buena Park, CA. Ample free parking. For more pics, click here.

Sunday Brunch Nixon Style

2009-02-16T22:05:00.000-08:00

It seems Richard Nixon is all the rage again, what with the fascinating film Frost/Nixon having been nominated for five Academy Awards (and deservedly so). So when we were looking for something to do yesterday morning, we decided to have brunch at one of Richard Nixon's favorite restaurants, El Adobe, in historic downtown San Juan Capistrano.

Nixon's favorite restaurant: El Adobe. (02/15/2009)

You don't have to search very far in Southern California to find Nixon history. Nixon was born and raised on the family lemon farm in Yorba Linda, where his birthplace, burial spot and presidential library now sit. He served as a congressman and U.S. senator representing California. Nixon even ran for California governor in 1962 (the loss was said to be the end of his political career).

But Nixon's fondness for El Adobe wouldn't come until 1969 when the newly-elected president purchased La Casa Pacifica in nearby San Clemente (just 10 miles away from the restaurant). The home, which became known as the Western White house, became his presidential getaway during his one-and-a-half terms. The Nixons lived there full time after his 1974 resignation until moving to New York in 1980.

A framed photo of President Nixon leaving El Adobe restaurant. (02/15/2009)

The history of the restaurant goes further back than that, however. The building it currently occupies was built in 1797 as a private home. In 1812 a courthouse and jail was built next door. In 1910, a local purchased both properties, combining them into a single structure. In 1948 the building changed hands again and became El Adobe restaurant.

Upon entering, you realize that this is one of those great, old-school Mexican restaurants, with thick terra cotta tile floors, heavy wooden chairs and wrought iron decor. And just in case you didn't know already that the restaurant was a favorite of Richard Nixon, you'll know when you see the Nixon-autographed menu on the wall, flanked by several 1970s photos of Nixon arriving there.

Inside Nixon's favorite restaurant, El Adobe. (02/15/2009)

Within moments of sitting down, the wait staff had already brought us a basket of chips and a bowl of freshly-prepared salsa to enjoy while we poured over the menu selections. When I saw "The President's Choice" on the menu, I knew instantly what I was having.

The plate includes a chile relleno, a chicken enchilada, a shredded beef taco, beans and rice. According to the menu, "President and Mrs. Nixon's favorite [was] served on countless occasions at El Adobe & the Western White House."

The President's Choice on the menu. (02/15/2009)

It didn't take long for our food to arrive. The first thing I noticed was the sheer volume of food. My God it was enormous! I'm telling you, there's no way that Pat Nixon ever finished her plate. Lord knows I know how to pack it down, but even I still had to take the chicken enchilada, rice and beans home with me.

But the food itself was delicious. Normally I think chile relleno is just okay, something I'd eat if you made it for me in your home, but not something I'd ordinarily order at a restaurant. But this one was very well done ... not too eggy like some I've had before.

President's Nixon's favorite dish. (02/15/2009)

And the taco? Pure bliss! A crunchy deep fried outer shell stuffed to the gills with perfectly-cooked shredded beef, crisp lettuce and fresh grated cheese.

I didn't get to experience the enchilada until this afternoon, and that too was fantastic, even after sitting in the fridge for a day. The chicken was still juicy, yet still shredded apart easily with your fork. I can definitely see why the Nixons enjoyed it so much.

The bar inside Nixon's favorite restaurant, El Adobe. (02/15/2009)

So if you're in for some great Mexican food, and some presidential history to boot, definitely check out El Adobe. Located at 31891 Camino Capistrano, in downtown San Juan Capistrano. (949) 493-1163. Open 7 days a week. For more pics, click here.

100 Fantastic Years of Carmen Miranda

2009-02-09T06:02:00.000-08:00

Today marks the 100th birthday of the legendary Carmen Miranda, the Brazilian bombshell who took Broadway and Hollywood by storm in the 1940s. A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post about her on the 50th anniversary of her passing. Today I'm using her 100th birthday as the reason to retouch on this woman's amazing journey.

Carmen Miranda sings The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat.

Although Carmen was born in Portugal, she spent most of her formative years in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was there that she had become the country’s most successful entertainer.

At the height of her popularity in Brazil, someone asked Carmen what she needed to be happy. She replied: “A good bowl of soup and the freedom to sing.”

A portrait of Carmen Miranda from her Brazilian career.

She made her American debut in 1939 after legendary Broadway impresario Lee Schubert saw her show in Rio de Janeiro. He immediately booked her for his Broadway review: The Streets of Paris. Carmen went to New York and became an overnight sensation.

That show marked the beginning of an 18-month string of successive Broadway reviews and nightclub acts. Although her career in the U.S. was skyrocketing, she found an entirely different reception when she returned to Brazil after finding her success in the U.S.

Carmen Miranda in Brazil.

Upon her return to her home country, audiences rejected her. She had become "Americanized," they complained. She was no longer their Carmen Miranda.

The response broke Carmen's heart. It would be 14 years before she would ever return to her homeland.

Carmen sings The South American Way.

Back in the U.S., Carmen landed a new contract with 20th Century Fox. She was starting a new life in a new country, and she took the town by storm. Six months after the fateful return trip to Brazil, Carmen's hands and feet were enshrined in cement at Grauman's Chinese Theater. Soon she would become the highest paid woman in the U.S.

By the mid 1940s, however, Carmen's novelty began to wear off. Despite Carmen's desire to expand her talents, 20th Century Fox wouldn't permit her to do anything else other than sing and dance in supporting roles.

Carmen sings Brazil.

She would later buy out her contract, dye her hair blonde, and take a lead role opposite Groucho Marx in the 1947 film Copacabana. The film was a flop. By then Carmen was unable to escape the type of roles that once made her so famous.

She went back to the nightclub circuit, but by then, she was almost a novelty act. After working two shows a night for months on end, Carmen began having problems sleeping. So she began to take a sleeping pill. Within a few years, she was taking up to 10 sleeping pills a night.

Carmen became the highest paid woman in the U.S.

After a nervous breakdown, Carmen entered into a deep depression. She went back to Brazil to recuperate with her family. Doctors there put Carmen through shock treatments, which were common at the time. A few months later, she began to show signs of life again.

But her own ambition turned out to be her downfall. She returned to Hollywood in 1955 and threw herself back into the turmoil of appearances and TV guest spots.

The last recorded image of Carmen before her death at age 46.

Three months later, appearing on the Jimmy Durante Show, she collapsed suddenly while dancing and had trouble breathing. But being the trooper she was, she picked herself up and finished the show, dancing gracefully out the door.

It would be the last time the public would see Carmen Miranda alive. She died later that night. Cause of death was a heart attack. She was 46 years old.

Carmen Miranda at the height of her career.

Fortunately today, Carmen Miranda continues to touch the lives of fans through her movies. Happy 100th birthday Carmen!

James Turns 350,000 Hours Old Today

2009-02-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago, I plotted out all my alternative birthdays according to the Alternative Birthdays Calculator. And my calendar just reminded me that I turn 350,000 hours old today!

James turns 350,000 hours old today.

I don't even want to think about how many of those hours I've spent watching TV or wasting time on the Internet. So let's just celebrate my 350,000th hour on this planet. :)

Another Washington Arrival

2009-01-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

Today is a historic day for America. I don't know about you, but I have been glued to the TV for every moment. Whether it's the White House luncheon with the five past, present and future presdients, or the "We Are One" concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. And I certainly plan on watching Obama place his hand on Abraham Lincoln's bible and take the oath of office on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.

My first day at the White House. (11/03/1998)

In fact, seeing all these events at these historic places makes me think of another notable arrival in the nation's Capital. This one goes back a few years, and although it lacked the pomp and circumstance of the ceremonies welcoming President Barack Obama, it was nonetheless a very memorable event for me.

It was 1998 and Tim and I were visiting our friend Steve who lives in Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington DC. It would have been a perfect trip were it not for one thing: Tim and I each caught a terrible case of the flu.

The White House the day I almost threw up inside. (11/03/1998)

The flu dampened our trip, but we made the best of it. We still managed to make it to the National Archives, The Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Monument, Arlington National Cemetery, the Vietnam Memorial, the National Cathedral, the U.S. Capitol and three Smithsonian museums (including the Natural History museum where Tim passed out from exhaustion). But the most memorable moment, for me anyway, was the Guided Tour of the White House.

The golden ticket to the White House.

It was on November 3 — Election Day, no less. Tim was far too sick to go, so he stayed in bed that day. I was also too sick to go, but I wasn't about to pass up the rare chance to tour the White House. I had requested the tickets through my Congressman months before (thanks Hank), and I knew there was no way I'd have a second chance anytime soon. So come hell or highwater, I was determined to go.

Tim in front of the U.S. Capitol. (11/1998)

Despite my ass dragging, Steve and I made it in time for the tour. Unfortunately, I was so sick, I couldn't enjoy it as much as I would have otherwise. I remember feeling so hot and stuffy, that I could barely stand any longer. I so wanted to sit down for a moment, but we weren't allowed to sit on any of the furniture.

The Lincoln Memorial as we first saw it. (11/1998)

I was so miserable, that during one point of the tour, in the Red Room, Blue Room or Green Room (I don't remember the color), I nearly threw up. Seriously. I think it was the closest I ever came to throwing up without actually having done so. It took everything I had to keep it down.

I made it through without incident, but now that I look back, maybe it would have been a better story if I did throw up in the White House. How many people hold that claim to fame! I think even President Clinton, who was in residence that day, might have heard about the tourist who tossed his cookies all over the White House floor.

Steve in front of the White House North Portico. (11/03/1998)

Let's just hope the newest arrivals to the White House have a better experience than I did their first day in the White House. Gobama!

Celebrating the Arrival of 2009

2009-01-01T22:33:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year's from James & Tim! We celebrated the way we always like to celebrate: At our house with a few friends and a relaxed setting. Joining us were our friends Doris & Jen, visiting from Santa Cruz, as well as Jon. Amy wasn't able to make it since she had just gotten back from Argentina the day before and was too jetlagged to make it.

Doris, Jen, Tim, James & Jon shortly after ringing in 2009. (01/01/2009)

We began the evening with a delicious pork soup Tim made, and some nice organic breads from Whole Foods. After a little Apples to Apples and some Nine Holes of Golf, we broke out a selection of finger foods. We played a little Mexican Dominoes and before we knew it, we were popping open a bottle of Prosecco to ring in what we hope will be a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. Cheers!

Dining Like the Orange County Housewives

2008-12-30T23:24:00.000-08:00

Despite being Orange County residents, we don't normally run in the same circles as the Real Housewives of Orange County. But imagine our surprise when we tuned into tonight's episode of the Real Housewives of Orange County to see Lynne and Gretchen having lunch at Marché Moderne, the same restaurant where we had lunch last month!

James, Amy, Sean, Toro and Tim at Marché Moderne. (11/29/2008)

Our friend Sean had invited to lunch there. Marché Moderne is up on the 3rd floor of South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. It's one of Sean's favorite restaurants, and he wanted to share it with some friends. Marché Moderne, which means "modern market," brings together strong French recipes with modern American cuisine. The food was amazing.

Japanese Pain de Mie, deviled eggs salad, cucumber and aioli. (11/29/2008)

Sean not only invited Tim and me, but he also extended the invitation to our pal Amy, as well as Toro, a friend that we met at a party not too long ago whom we later came to realize also knew Sean. It was a fun group (not that I expected differently).

Toro and Tim. (11/29/2008)

Sean began his meal with a half-dozen oysters on the half shell, before making his way into sauteed sweetbread a l'echalote. Tim, Amy and Toro each ordered the Spontanée, a three-course menu that changes daily (I think the choices that day were sea bass or some form of beef). We also shared a couple of bottles of great wine, the names of which I can't remember.

The delectable apricot sorbet. (11/29/2008)

I started off with the Marché "Salade Composée" a perfectly seasoned salad with hearts of palm, ham, cucumber, asparagus, P'tit Basque (French sheep's milk cheese), tomatoes, avocado and an agridulce vinaigrette. Then I worked my way into a botique sandwich consisting of Japanese Pain de Mie, deviled eggs salad, cucumber and aioli. Translation: An egg-salad sandwich.

Sean, Toro, Tim and Amy outside Marché Moderne. (11/29/2008)

But lest you think I'm speaking of it in a disparaging tone, let me say, it was the best egg-salad sandwich I had in my life. And what a beautiful presentation too! We closed the meal with a beautiful hand-made apricot sorbet which was lovely. In all, I can see why the Real Housewives of Orange County, or anyone for that matter, would enjoy lunch there. It was that good.

Happy Holidays from James & Tim's Blog

2008-12-22T00:34:00.000-08:00

Breaking news: James & Tim's Blog is alive! Not that you can tell by the frequency of blog posts lately. I've been concentrating on other projects as of late, like organizing and backing up our digital photo library (and we have thousands), or our continuing effort to digitize our family's old slides, like these I scanned today that seemed rather timely.

James (in blue) & Robert throw snowballs as our dad watches. (12/1971)

According to the writing on the box, these snapshots were taken in December 1971 when we drove our 1969 Country Squire Station Wagon to Chicago to spend Christmas with relatives. I'm almost certain that this was the first time I had ever seen snow in person. You can see the delight in my face as I tossed snow balls towards my Mom who was taking the photo.

That was the first and last time we drove to Chicago for Christmas. My dad said the drive home was horrible. It was 14 below and in the middle of a storm. My dad was afraid to turn off the engine, for fear the car wouldn't start again (even filling the gas tank while the car ran). It wasn't until we arrived in Wyoming that we eventually turned the engine off.

I think this was my first time playing in snow. (12/1971)

He said the only way he knew he was still on the freeway was because of the poles at the edge of the road that extended above the snow. My brother and I were bundled up inside our coats, inside two sleeping bags, and even with the heater on full blast, we kept complaining about being cold. No wonder we never made that trip again!

In the meantime, enjoy the pics and keep tuned into James & Tim's Blog for new content soon.

Happy 75th Birthday to the Bloody Mary

2008-12-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

I wasn't planning on blogging tonight (we've been really busy lately), but when I heard that today was the 75th birthday of the Bloody Mary — one of my favorite adult beverages — I knew I had to commemorate this special event somehow. So in this special edition of the James & Tim Blog, I will write about my three most memorable Bloody Marys.

Bloody Mary on the Space Needle. (07/24/2004)

Space Needle Bloody Mary
One of my most memorable Bloody Marys was in 2004 when we had brunch atop the Seattle Space Needle the day we embarked on a cruise to Alaska. We ordered a couple of these splendid beverages, and were surprised with the garnish they chose: pickled green beans!

Normally you expect a celery stalk and an olive. But green beans? Well, it turns out the Space Needle bartender knows a thing a two about blending flavors, because the combination was freakin' amazing! The only thing that made this Bloody Mary better was the stunning views of Seattle we had while sipping them.

Bloody Mary at Laughlin Ranch Country Club. (11/24/06)

Laughlin Ranch Bloody Mary
I didn't have a lot of expectations when we went to have breakfast at the Laughlin Ranch country club just outside Laughlin, Nevada (technically it's in Arizona). It was our first time there, and when I saw the amazing Bloody Mary they brought out for me, I knew it wouldn't be our last.

Although this looked more like the stereotypical Bloody Mary, with the giant celery stalk, one noteworthy difference between this Bloody Mary and others was the giant prawn used as a garnish. It had a protein. It had a vegetable. Hell, add a slice of bread and it's practically a meal in itself!

Bloody Mary at the Ramos House, San Juan Capistrano. (11/30/2008)

The Ramos House Cafe Bloody Mary
As you've been reading, I've had some spectacular Bloody Marys over the years. But I think the crown jewel of my Bloody Mary history came just yesterday when we had Sunday brunch with our friend Sean at The Ramos House Cafe in the Los Rios historic district in San Juan Capistrano.

You knew this Bloody Mary was different the moment they brought it out, complete with a fresh clab claw speared into a scotch egg — a hard-boiled quail egg rolled in sausage meat, breaded and deep fried. I kid you not!

Topped with a fresh crab claw and a scotch egg. (11/30/2008)

The only thing better than the amazing presentation was the taste. Unlike some Bloody Marys I've had, this one did not have a harsh alcohol taste. The reason why: It's made with fermented vodka, rather than distilled vodka (it has something to do with the classification of the restaurant's liquor license). It was definitely a drink to remember. Talk about a meal in itself!

Happy 75th Birthday to the Bloody Mary!

Our Color Purple Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T22:56:00.000-08:00

They say 2008 was the year of change. So after nearly 39 years of group Thanksgiving gatherings at the homes of family or friends, Tim and I decided to make a change this year and spend Thanksgiving dinner at Orange Hill Restaurant.

The view when we arrived for Thanksgiving dinner. (11/27/2008)

A couple of reasons prompted this. First, we've never had Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant before, and it sounded kind of fun (especially at Orange Hill Restaurant that we love anyway). Second, my whole family was in Chicago for Thanksgiving this year. Third, we had tickets that night to see The Color Purple stage musical at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

We didn't intentionally buy show tickets on Thanksgiving. In fact, I wouldn't have thought they would even perform a show on Thanksgiving. But this year we subscribed to the series and selected Thursday nights as our show night. When we received our tickets, we actually called the box office to make sure there wasn't a mistake (there wasn't).

The view when we left Thanksgiving dinner. (11/27/2008)

We had dinner before the show, arriving at 4:30 p.m. We strategically selected that time because we knew the view would be daylight when we arrived, we'd watch the sunset while we ate, and it would be night when we left. That way we could see the amazing view in all the major stages (the view, and the food, were amazing).

The show was great too. I don't know if it was the best show I'd ever seen, or even in my top 10, but I still enjoyed it very much. The woman who played the lead part of Celie, Jeannette Bayardelle, was great. And being the American Idol nut that I am, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that LaToya London, one of the powerhouse divas of Season 3, was playing the part of Celie's sister Nettie (LaToya London's Idol performance of "All By Myself" still gives me chills when I think about it).

We spent Thanksgiving night seeing The Color Purple. (11/27/2008)

The most standout performance, however, was by Felicia P. Fields, who played the unstoppable Sofia (the role Oprah Winfrey played in the 1985 film). Fields was reprising the role she originated on Broadway, and she was incredible. I especially liked her song, "Hell, No!" The audience went wild when she sang it.

Altogether, it was a very pleasant way to spend the day. In fact, if you ask me if I would have done Thanksgiving any different this year, I'd say: "Hell, No!" :)

How to Open a Pomegranate Without the Mess

2008-11-11T22:30:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about this time of year is the seasonal availability of one of my favorite treats: Pomegranates. For some people, this season is all about pumpkin pie. But for me, it's those ruby-red bundles of goodness made by Mother Nature herself. So today, I'm using our blog to actually write about something useful: How to open a pomegranate without the mess.

Step 0: Start with a pomegranate. (11/11/2008)

I've seen various methods of opening a pomegranate, many of which I find needlessly messy. So here is my mess-free, stress-free way of opening pomegranates. First, you'll need a pomegranate. I buy mine at Costco. POM brand are the best, in my humble opinion.

Step 1: Slice off the top. (11/11/2008)

Step 1: Using a paring knife, slice off the top, or crown. In some of the other methods I've seen, they cut off the crown deeper into the fruit, exposing the arils and making a big juicy mess. Totally unnecessary, I say. I prefer to cut off a thin portion without exposing the interior fruit.

Step 2: Make a center cut and score. (11/11/2008)

Step 2: Stick the knife about a quarter-inch into the core, making a small incision. Then, gently, use your knife to score the outside skin in the same direction of the cut in the core.

Step 3: Repeat in opposite direction. (11/11/2008)

Step 3: Repeat Step 2, but this time go in the opposite direction. If you did this correctly, you'll notice the center core will have a "+" or "x" depending on the angle in which you hold it.

Step 4: After scoring it, gently pry it open. (11/11/2008)

Step 4: After cutting the core and scoring the outside skin, gently begin to pry it open. Be sure not to squeeze the fruit while doing this, or you'll crush the arils inside and again, make a big juicy mess.

Step 5: Open until it splits. (11/11/2008)

Step 5: Keep prying the pomegranate open until it splits in half. Be on the lookout for any arils that fall out. As you've no doubt heard, pomegranate juice causes permanent stains, so be sure to avoid wearing white while doing this.

Step 6: Split again and then eat the tasty arils. (11/11/2008)

Step 6: Take the two halves and split them again along the scoring lines you made. You should end up with four large sections that now make it much easier to pick out the tasty little arils. Some people prefer to do this in a bin of water, since the arils sink while the membrane lining floats. But I find it just as easy to do this dry. Enjoy!

Biking in the Newport Back Bay

2008-11-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

We were pretty busy last weekend, so we didn't get much of a chance to go biking. But this weekend was a different story. This morning we joined our friend Sean in doing a ride around the Newport Back Bay, the inland delta in Newport Beach.

James and Sean biking on the Newport Back Bay. (11/01/2008)

We did the full loop. It was tiring. But gorgeous! I especially liked riding around some of the residential areas at the top of the course. I saw the next house we want to buy. We just have to save up a couple of million first.

The only thing more beautiful than the ride were the breakfast plates we got at Shamrock Bar & Grill. After a couple of Bloody Marys, we ordered the Irish Breakfast: Two eggs any style, bangers, rashers, O'Brian potatoes, light and dark pudding (which is actually sausage) and Irish brown bread. What a treat.

May the Force be With You This Halloween

2008-10-31T22:25:00.000-07:00

I think one of my favorite workdays of the year is Halloween. In the words of Angela Chase, from my favorite TV shows of the '90s, My So-Called Life, Halloween is "the one chance all year to be someone else."

James as Anakin Skywalker. (10/31/2008)

So how was I going to follow up my stints as Coffee Matey and Fidel Castro? Well it turns out the Force was with me when Tom loaned me his Anakin Skywalker costume.

The real Anakin Skywalker

I have to say, the costume doesn't look bad when Tom wears it. But me? The moment I slipped on the tunic and robe, and grabbed the lightsaber, I looked Jedi-tastic!

Enhanced version of James as Anakin Skywalker. (10/31/2008)

As always, I knocked everyone's socks off at the office where we had our annual Halloween pot luck. Even our graphic artist got in on the fun and used Photoshop to enhance the realism of the costume.

All the costumed people at work. (10/31/2008)

I also wore the costume while handing out candy to the 30 or so kids that stopped by. I had cool moment when a kid dressed as Luke stopped by the door. After I gave him some candy, I said, "May the Force be with you." And just as I was closing the door, I heard him say, "May the Force be with you" back. A true moment of Star Wars geekdom!

Just the guys. (10/31/2008)

On a final note, I gotta give mad props to Christine for making such a bad-ass costume. I keep joking around that I've been bragging to everyone that I made it myself, but in reality I've been giving her all the credit. Much Force, she has in her sewing abilities!

In Praise of Wiechec's Lounge

2008-10-10T23:37:00.000-07:00

Tim and I have been visiting Buffalo, New York every few years to visit Tim's Grandma Helen and other relatives. Since our first trip in 2000, we routinely schedule one night to have dinner at Wiechec's Lounge, a neighborhood tavern owned by Grandma Helen's brother Hank and operated by two of her nephews. Although this time we were in town for Grandma Helen's funeral, I'm sure she would have been disappointed if we didn't make it to Wiechec's during this trip.

Wiechec's Lounge, Buffalo, NY. (10/09/2008)

It was no problem for me, because I love the place. Not fancy by any means, Wiechec's is the kind of place where you can still get hot wings on Monday nights for the eat-in special price of 35 cents a piece (where else can you get a dozen wings for $4.20). It's a place that still does the Friday night fish fry, a popular dinner event in the Northeast, particularly in cities with large Polish/Catholic populations.

Entering the doors, you have no idea what decade you're in. The interior has elements from seemingly every decade from the last 50 years. Imagine dark-paneled walls and red vinyl booths. Two large, corner-mounted TVs (not widescreen). Banquet tables and chairs in the back dining room. Add a few neon beer signs throughout, and you pretty much get the picture.

Wings and a Genee Beer. (10/09/2008)

Wiechec's is really a celebration of all things Buffalo. It simply oozes the very character of the Rust Belt. It's unpretentious, and teaming with honest, working class folks who simply want good food and drink at decent prices while watching the ball game.

At Wiechec's, they serve coffee, not lattes. Beer, not microbrews. Fish and chips, not panko-encrusted sea bass with taro chips. And they would probably laugh you out the door if you asked if their cooking oil is trans fat free.

Tim's extended family at Wiechec's. (01/28/2000)

Inside its storied walls, you can feel the very history of Buffalo. It summarizes everything from the city's economic prosperity in the 1950s and 1960s, to the economic downturns of subsequent decades after the demise of the steel mills. You can practically imagine the patrons' glee when the Buffalo Bills made it to the Super Bowl four times in the early 1990s, as well as the eventual heartbreak when the Bills lost each of those games.

Most of the time, when people go to Buffalo, they check out the Anchor Bar, which has the distinction of being the inventor of Buffalo Wings (by the way, nobody calls them "Buffalo Wings" in Buffalo ... it's just "Wings.") From what I understand, however, the only people who go to the Anchor Bar are tourists. If you want to find real locals, you'll find them at Wiechec's.

My favorite is Wiechec's pierogi's. (01/28/2000)

I've sampled quite a bit of their food over the years. And although the wings and fried fish are fantastic, my favorite are their pierogis, semi-circular pasta dumplings filled with things like potatoes and cabbage. I remember Grandma Helen saying that the pierogi plate has three pierogis. "Just three?" I asked. Well I changed my tune when I saw how big these pierogis were!

After Grandma Helen's interment, a gaggle of Tim's relatives headed to Wiechec's for lunch before our flight home. They weren't doing pierogis at that time, but I did order some wings, which I accompanied with a Genee Beer (Grandma Helen's favorite beer). I hope that brought a smile to her face in heaven.

The fish fry at Wiechec's is amazing. (01/28/2000)

Wiechec's Lounge is located at 1748 Clinton St, Buffalo, NY 14206. (716) 823-2828.

Traveling Down to Travel Town

2008-09-19T23:10:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about living in Southern California is that it's hard to run out of first times. You know, the first time at the Hollywood Bowl, or your first time at the La Brea Tar Pits, etc. Despite living in Southern California for over 16 years, we managed to find another Southern California first: Our first time at Travel Town.

Welcome to Travel Town. (09/19/2008)

Described as a "railroad petting zoo," Travel Town is an indoor and outdoor museum dedicated to the history of transportation from the 1880s to the 1930s. The museum's roots date back to the 1940s when the steam locomotive era was drawing to a close. Railroad companies were looking to scrap their old engines. That's when a few City of Los Angeles employees began contacting the companies to see if they would be willing to donate the old engines to a transport museum.

Some of the trains at the Travel Town museum. (09/19/2008)

One thing led to another, and Travel Town officially opened to the public in 1952. In addition to the large train engines in the outdoor section of the park, Travel Town also has an indoor section featuring a variety of old cars and trucks. In addition, the museum still operates a miniature train the circles the museum grounds.

Chia and Solar on the Travel Town train. (09/19/2008)

What's funny is that we didn't even intend to go to Travel Town that day. It just turned out that we had several hours to kill after our Warner Brothers Studio Tour and our planned excursion to the Griffith Observatory. So how do you kill a couple of hours? We decided to check out Travel Town.

An unusual instruction on this train. (09/19/2008)

Now that I've been to Travel Town, I can't honestly say it's a thrill-a-minute kind of place. In fact, the grounds were practically dead that day (albeit, it was a weekday; maybe weekends are different). In fact, it almost seemed abandoned. But if you're a railroad enthusiast, I could imagine it would be awesome. I don't know if we'll go back anytime soon, but I am glad we checked it out at least once.

Chia and Tim aboard one of the Travel Town trains. (09/19/2008)

Travel Town is located within Griffith Park in Los Angeles. The museum is Open daily, except Christmas. Free admission.

My Dad's Photography Gets Published

2008-09-18T23:10:00.000-07:00

Last year, in an effort to digitally preserve the Kodachrome slides in storage at our family's homes, we purchased a dual-bed scanner. I scanned some slides and uploaded them to Flickr. A couple of weeks later, I got an e-mail from an author interested in using a couple of slides for a book about the history of snapshot photography in America. One thing led to another, and now four of my dad's photos can now be seen in Who We Were: A Snapshot History of America.

Who We Were: A Snapshot History of America. (09/18/2008)

My copy of the 240-page, hardcover book arrived today, and it's gorgeous! The book tells the story of America through snapshots taken by amateur photographers from the 1890s through the early 1970s. My dad's photos appear in the chapter about Kodachrome slides.

The pages with my dad's snapshots. (09/18/2008)

According to the year printed on the slides, the photos were taken in 1962. The photo subjects were my cousins Albert, Lupe, David and Pete, who at the time, were living in Davenport, near Santa Cruz. You can check out the full slide set here.

Alberto. (03/1962)

When I first scanned these slides, I remember finding it funny to see pictures of my cousins so young. I remember them being much older than me (David, the baby in the picture, was seven years older than me and used to tease me a lot as a kid). Lupe, the girl in the photo, had kids who were not too much younger than me. I don't think I ever met Pete, because he died in an accident before I was born, or shortly thereafter.

Lupe. (03/1962)

Those pictures of them look great in print. The authors — Michael Williams, Richard Cahan and Nicholas Osborn — kindly sent signed copies of the book to both my dad, and to my cousins' mom, my Aunt Amelia. My dad was delighted to receive it, and so was my aunt.

My cousin David. (03/1962)

But as much as I was fascinated by seeing our old family slides, I was equally fascinated by many of the other old family photos in the book. For example, I loved the series of photos showing people in front of houses they built to qualify for the Homestead Act, which offered 160 acres of free land to people who lived on the land for five years. The houses are shacks by today's standards, but you can see the pride in their faces.

Pete. (03/1962)

I also loved the amateur photographer in Elgin, Illinois who sought to record the history of the John F. Kennedy assassination by taking at least two dozen color photos of his black & white TV screen as he watched coverage of the days following the shooting. I also had no idea until I received the book that Apollo 16 astronaut Charles M. Duke Jr. actually left a snapshot of his family on the surface of the moon during a 1972 lunar landing. Fascinating stuff.

This one of Paul didn't make the book, but I'll still post it here. (03/1962)

If you're interested in getting a copy of this book, you can order it here. If you order it through this alternate site, you'll receive a deluxe edition which will be signed and will include a genuine vintage snapshot considered for the book (the snapshot I received, acccording to the writing on the back, was of Helen & Bob Boehm, of Los Altos, CA, on their 30th wedding anniversary in 1978).

Signed by the authors, complete with an original photo. (09/18/2008)

Congratulations dad on getting published! If you want to see more of my dad's slides, check out the complete collection.

Mountain Bikes ... Meet Mountain

2008-09-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

Watch your back Julien Absalon. Yeah, you may have won the gold medal in Men's Mountain Biking in the last two Olympics. But keep your eye on the rear-view-mirror, my friend, because James and Tim just may sneak up on you in London in 2012. That is, now that we're graduates of the REI Outdoor School Introduction to Mountain Biking class.

The REI Outdoor School van. (09/14/2008)

We decided to take this course shortly after buying our mountain bikes last month. We knew we had to unlearn some of our self-taught habits we picked up from riding street bikes as a kid, and learn proper techniques from skilled mountain bikers. Our instructors, Mark and Greg, definitely met that challenge.

Mark explains the finer points of mountain biking. (09/14/2008)

We learned the correct way to mount a bike, the correct starting position, and the correct stopping techniques, including how not to fly over the handlebars when you make a sudden stop. The trick is to stick your butt out (insert joke here). Although these things were all helpful, I think the most illuminating lesson came when they showed us the proper riding position. Low, with your head above your hands. It made a huge difference, and that alone was worth the cost of the class.

James about to depart for our ride. (09/14/2008)

We also learned that our bike saddles were too low. I was worried mine would be too high, but once I learned the proper way to start, it wasn't a problem at all. Best of all was the fact that we finally took our mountain bikes off the paved bike trail and onto the natural terrain they were made for.

Tim before for our ride. (09/14/2008)

The class was held at Malibu Creek State Park near Calabasas, which interestingly enough, sits on land once owned by 20th Century Fox. The studio used the land — then called "Fox Ranch" — as a filming location for dozens of films, including three Tarzan movies, How Green Was My Valley, Viva Zapata, The Defiant Ones, Planet of the Apes and Logan's Run, to name a few. It also incorporates the land that used to be Ronald Reagan's ranch.

Malibu Creek State Park. (09/14/2008)

For the biking portion of the class, we went along what they call Crags Road. It was a great place for biking. The only downer was the heat. It was hot that day! Thankfully we remained fully hydrated with the 2-liter hydration backpacks we purchased at — where else? — REI.

We rode up Crags Road. (09/14/2008)

Out of the 13 people taking the course, only three of us were guys. One of the women was older, probably in her 50s. She was a little chunky, and she rode this old Schwinn mountain bike that didn't even have shocks. It even had a rear basket for storing things. Yet I kid you not when I say this woman kicked all our asses when it came to riding. She was definitely a mind-over-matter type of person.

Mark explains how to ride over obstacles. (09/14/2008)

Most of the other girls were pretty young (I'd say in their 20s) and petite. When we were going over the basics at the beginning of the class, some of them just weren't grasping it. I remember thinking, "Okay, even though I'm a big old fatass, I am still so much more athletic than these amateurs." I actually believed it too ... until we got to the big hill.

Greg demonstrates how to ride over a log. (09/14/2008)

Let's just say that my silent smack-talking came back to haunt me big time. The young girls I was making fun of an hour earlier were climbing up the hill like nobody's business. Meanwhile I was working twice as hard to go half the speed they were. I had to stop twice to take a break. Tim had to stop once himself. But we eventually made it to the top.

Tim on the trail. (09/14/2008)

Despite the ups and downs (literally and figuratively), the class was great, and definitely worth the price. The only thing I wish they spent more time on was proper gearing. They did talk about gears, but I still don't feel as if I've mastered the art of knowing what gear I should be in. But I imagine that will come with more experience.

In the meantime, if you're in the mood to go riding with us, let us know!

Move Over David Hasselhoff

2008-09-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

My rise to fame in Germany is continuing at meteoritic speed. Less than a month after one of my photos was published on a German website about celebrity graves, another one of my photos has caught their eye. If this keeps up, I'll be, as Tom put it, "the David Hasselhoff of shutterbugs."

Our photo of the David O. Selznick grave on the website. (09/09/2008)

This time the requested photo was of the grave belonging to David O. Selznick, legendary Hollywood producer of such cinematic classics as Rebecca and Gone With the Wind. I'm not sure why the webmaster passed over my photos of such A-list graves as Clark Gable, Bette Davis or Walt Disney, and opted for the less famous Telly Savalas and the behind-the-scenes movie mogul Selznick. I guess it's kind of like the French and their affinity for Jerry Lewis.

The full-size photo of the David O. Selznick grave. (02/10/2008)

Oh well, either way, I'm happy to contribute. If you care to, check out the Selznick article.

Ich bin ein Berliner!

Our 14-Mile Bike Ride

2008-09-07T18:55:00.001-07:00

Okay, I preface this by saying that I'm not going to blog about every bike ride we go on. However, when we do something new and interesting, it's fair game. And today we hit a new milestone — a 14-mile ride!

Amy on our 14-mile bike ride. (09/07/2008)

I realize that for serious bikers, 14 miles ain't diddly squat. There are people who can do 100 miles a day. But for us out-of-shape, 39- and 40-year-olds who are more commonly seen in front of a computer screen, 14 miles is an accomplishment, let me tell ya.

Tim on our 14-mile bike ride. (09/07/2008)

Today we rode the Santa Ana River Bicycle Trail, which begins in Corona in Riverside County and continues 30 miles through Orange County. It ends at the ocean between Huntington and Newport Beach. We didn't make it to the beach today, but we made it seven miles to the 405 freeway before we decided to turn around and begin the return journey.

James on our 14-mile bike ride. (09/07/2008)

Prior to that the best we did was on our local bike trail, which is four miles from beginning to end. Combine that with the one mile we bike from our house to the bike trail entrance, and our best to date was about 10 miles. So this beats our previous record by 40%. Not bad, eh?

A Tribute to Pecos

2008-09-05T23:12:00.000-07:00

Some unfortunate news. We learned today that our pals Ryan and Laura had to put their beloved cat Pecos to sleep today. Pecos had been ill with kidney failure and had gotten progressively worse. I know it was very difficult for Ryan and Laura because Pecos was a very special cat to them. He was a special cat to me too, since he once was my cat too.

Pecos. (12/27/2007)

It was 1995 when I decided to get a cat. I had befriended another tenant in the apartment building I lived in at the time. I can't remember her name for the life of me right now, but I do remember that she dated Dwight Yoakam for a while.

Anyway, she had three or four cats, including one that just had a litter of kittens. She invited me to her apartment to play with the kittens, and I couldn't resist taking one home. Only one male and one female were still available. I chose the male because he seemed adventurous, while his sister was much shyer.

Pecos, left, with his big sis Sumatra, right. (11/09/2006)

I had him for a couple of months. As it turned out, however, I wasn't a very good cat papa. I was single and had a job that required long hours. Subsequently, Pecos would be home alone all day. In addition, my job also required travel. During a trip to Dallas that year, I left him at Tom and Christine's so they could cat sit.

When I got back, they had a heart-to-heart with me, letting me know that I wasn't taking very good care of Pecos. He had fleas and worms, and didn't have any other cats or people to play with all day. Ryan and Laura were willing to adopt him, and so they did.

Pecos naps with big sister Sumatra. (11/08/2006)

It was one of those things that turned out to be the best move for everyone. Pecos now had a wonderful home where he was cared for and loved for the rest of his life. He also had a big sister Sumatra to keep him company when Ryan and Laura were at work. And I know Pecos brought a lot of joy and happiness to Ryan and Laura too.

Although Pecos may have had a rough start his first couple of months, he was very much a happy cat until his final days. He will be missed very much.

Our Thank-God-It's-Done Party

2008-08-31T23:45:00.000-07:00

This has been a crazy summer for us. Since April we've been undergoing major house renovations, including new landscaping, new windows, new house paint, new main line, new patio and driveway, new tiki torches, new air conditioning, new gate, new fountain, new sprinklers, and probably a couple of other things I can't remember. So what better way to celebrate the end of it than with a Thank-God-It's-Done pool party.

Jon, Amy and Ashley lounge under the patio. (08/31/2008)

Before you say anything, yes we know we haven't put up the 'before & after pictures' yet. We still need to take the 'after pictures', which we'll probably do next weekend since we've been busy preparing for our party. Thankfully Jason and Jarrod came down from Ventura on Saturday and helped us prepare in the morning.

Amy relaxes in the pool. (08/31/2008)

We decided that Labor Day weekend would be the best time for the party, since the renovations would be 95% done (the only thing left is the new front door which, due to a an error on the part of the store, won't be in for another six more weeks). About a dozen or so of the usual gang were able to join us, which made for a nice party that wasn't too big or too small.

Christine getting ready to squirt. (08/31/2008)

We provided the burgers and basic drinks. Everyone else brought a side dish to share. Speaking of, we gotta give mad props to Ann who wowed the crowd with a homemade asian cole slaw that totally rocked. And Dana & Eric's mid-afternoon ice-cream bars were a definite treat!

Tim and Ann enjoy the water. (08/31/2008)

Most of the people had to take off in the evening, but Jon, Ann, Amy and Ashley stayed well into the night. After a second round of swimming, we turned on the tiki torches and enjoyed a game of Apples to Apples on the patio. We moved on to Catchphrase, but by the time we finished the second round, Tim and I were exhausted after our day of fun.

Eric dips his feet in. (08/31/2008)

One final note: Surpringly, we did not take a single picture the entire day (hard to believe since I almost always have our litle camera in my hand). Luckily our pal Laura S. took the pics that accompany this blog post. Thanks Laura! :)

James & Tim: Mountain Bikers

2008-08-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

In our effort to get a little more exercise, Tim and I just purchased a couple of mountain bikes. It probably sounds a little out of character for us, since we haven't exactly been Mr. and Mr. Weekend Warrior or anything. But we've began appreciating outdoor recreational activities a little more since our trip to Colorado last month, where we surprisingly enjoyed things like hiking and white water rafting.

Tim takes his new mountain bike for a spin. (08/27/2008)

It turns out there's a really cool cars-not-allowed bike path about a mile from our house, so biking seemed the perfect fit. The other reason we chose biking was because we both already knew how to ride a bike (compared to say, surfing or mountain climbing, which would require a lot more instruction before we could do it).

We knew we were going to ride a combination of road and trails, so we opted for mountain bikes instead of road bikes, since you can ride a mountain bike on the road, but not vice versa. We got them at Orange Cycle, a cute little family-owned store that's been been peddling bikes (pun intended) in old towne Orange since 1969. They were really nice there; we highly recommend that store.

We found a bike for Tim in stock, but they had to special order mine since they don't stock too many size 15 mountain bikes (meant for short people like me). The day we picked mine up, we rode them home (just over 3 miles). It's taking me a little time to get used to the gear shifting, since the bicycle I rode as a kid had no gears, but I'm catching on.

James on his new mountain bike. (08/27/2008)

Yesterday after work we went out on the bike trail and it was a lot of fun. We were surprised at how far we were able to get in a short amount of time. I definitely look forward to doing it more.

BTW, how lame is this? In all my 39 years, I never knew that bicycle shorts had a pad inside. All this time, I just thought bicycle shorts were tight lycra shorts and nothing more. It never even dawned on me that they had a pad for your nacho (the little area that, as they say, is "nacho ass, and nacho balls.") But let's just say that extra padding is a very welcome thing after you've been sitting on that hard seat a while.

So if anyone wants to go riding, let us know!

Here's to You Katie!

2008-08-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

We were saddened to hear that a friend of ours passed away recently. That friend is Katie, whom we first met when a big group of us took a cruise to Alaska in 2004. To put it in context, Katie is the aunt of our friends Christine (of Christine & Cassidy) and her brother Eric (of Eric & Dana), which would make her the sister of Christine and Eric's mom, our friend Jean. (I know ... it's complex).

Katie on our Alaskan cruise. (07/30/2004)

We hadn't known Katie prior to the cruise. When we first met, we took a liking to her immediately. Like her sister Jean, Katie was funnier than heck. She and I had quite a few things in common. For example, we're both numismatists. Plus, we both can spend hours on slot machines (she was easy-to-find on the cruise ship ... all you needed to do was check the casino).

It was during that cruise that I learned the lyrics to a song I first heard in an old Carmen Miranda movie. The song was called K-K-K-Katy (Pronounced "kuh-kuh-kuh-Katy," like a stutter). It was a silly but endearing little song that I would sing when I saw her each day.

Jean and her sister Katie at Ray & Brena's wedding. (06/24/2006)

Katie lived in Oregon, so we didn't see her a lot after the cruise. But we did get to see her one more time in 2006 when she was in town for our friend Ray's wedding (Ray was also on the Alaska cruise). That was the first time (and now, sadly, the only time) the entire Alaska cruise bunch had been reunited since the cruise ended.

Katie passed away in June, but we didn't hear about it until recently. From what I gather, Katie didn't want any elaborate services, so the immediate family kept things fairly small with plans for a memorial service a few weeks later. Well that memorial service is this week, and Jean, Christine and Eric are currently up in Oregon celebrating Katie's memory with her friends and family.

Katie with the whole Alaska gang. (06/24/2006)

So with Katie in mind, I'll sing the little song I sang each day when I saw her:

"K-K-K-Katie
Beautiful Katie
You're the only g-g-g-girl that I adore
When the m-m-m-moon shines
Over the cow shed
I'll be waiting at the k-k-k-kitchen door"

Here's to you Katie!

Zov's for Mom's Birthday

2008-08-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

It's been seven years since my Mom passed away, but every year on or around her birthday, we still celebrate her birthday by doing something she loved: having dinner at a nice restaurant. We don't get too crazy, like getting a birthday cake or anything (that would be weird). No, we just enjoy a nice meal in her memory.

We celebrated Mom's birthday at Zov's Bistro. (08/15/2008)

For this year's birthday dinner, we selected Zov's Bistro in Tustin. Upscale, with a Mediterranean menu, Zov's was definitely a great dining experience. For our appetizer, we chose Lebni, a plate of seasoned yogurt cheese, string cheese, cucumbers and warm pita bread. It was excellent.

The Lebni from Zov's Bistro. (08/15/2008)

For our entrees, Tim ordered the Red Curry Halibut, which he enjoyed very much. Meanwhile, I ordered the Seafood Tagine, consisting of new zealand mussels, manila clams, tiger prawns, lalibut wrapped in grape leaves and toasted couscous, with a spicy saffron broth. It was incredible.

The Seafood Tagine from Zov's Bistro. (08/15/2008)

We finished the evening off with iced coffee drinks and we shared the bread pudding with fresh berries. It was a great meal and a great tribute to my Mom. Happy Birthday!

Yeah, But We're Huge in Germany

2008-08-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

Sure, maybe our pal Tom has had a photo published in the New York Times. (Who hasn't?!!) But how many of you can say that your photo has been published on a German website focusing on biographies and graves of celebrities?

Our photo on the website. (08/12/2008)

I was contracted today by Klaus Nerger, publisher of www.knerger.de, who kindly requested to use a photo of Telly Savalas' grave that I took while celebrity grave hunting. I figured, why not? At least he was kind enough to ask instead of just taking it (I probably would have never found out if he did).

Our original photo of the Telly Savalas grave. (09/03/2006)

And faster than you can say, "Who loves you, Baby," that picture wound up on this webpage. Check it out.

Six Years and a Little Miracle Gro

2008-08-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

When we took our first trip to Hawaii in 2002, one of the souvenirs we brought back was a ready-for-planting shoot of a hibiscus plant. I think we got it at the ABC store for a couple of bucks.

First flower in six years. (08/12/08)

When we got back home, we planted it in a pot, and amazingly it continues to survive. The only problem was the plant never flowered. But that all changed today!

Yes, after six years of being nothing but green, the hibiscus plant finally opened up with a burst of color. Why it took so long, I'll never know. But when I asked Tim about it, he said he had started giving it plant food. Who'da thunk that plant food would make such a difference? :)

Coincidentally, I bought this hibiscus plant shoot on the same trip where I bought the Kona coffee plant that first bore fruit in 2005 and again in 2006. I guess everything I grow is a late bloomer.

James ... Star Publicist

2008-08-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

Okay, I think I'm about to take on a new career: Star Publicist. And by that I don't mean to be a publicist to the stars. But rather, as a publicist, I am the star! That is if you consider getting two front-page newspaper articles on your client in a single day. (brushing lint off my shoulders)

Tom made front page news. (08/09/08)

The client in this case is Tom, whose original screenplay Lowlifes morphed into the made-for-tv musical romance called The American Mall. The film, set to air on MTV on Monday, August 11 at 9pm, was based on Tom's work in retail sales.

When we were with Tom and Christine last weekend, he asked me for some help in putting together a press release (one of the duties I'm responsible for at work). I had written one for him back in 1996, which proved to be successful in two newspapers. So he thought I could do it again in advance of The American Mall.

The article on the Burbank Leader website.

At first I was a little reluctant. "Just take the one from 1996 and freshen it up," I lazily suggested to him. But Tom coaxed me into it, and once I got the first hook down, the magic literally began flowing from my fingertips! I didn't complete the press release that day, but I gave it its main structure, upon which Tom finished up with some additional details.

Then it was time to put Tom to work on his own publicity machine (he was not only my client, but my assistant too). After some coaching on the do's and don'ts of story pitches to the media, Tom followed through on the plan. And once again, we captured lightning in a bottle!

The article on the Santa Cruz Sentinel website.

Tom's two original and current home-town papers, the Santa Cruz Sentinel and Burbank Leader respectively, picked up the story pitch and ran front-page articles yesterday. I know, not exactly Vanity Fair, but still, pretty good for maybe a couple of hours of effort. The only target we didn't hit was the Los Angeles Times Scriptland column. Oh well. Two out of three ain't bad.

The final feather in my cap came today, when Tom wrote a thank-you e-mail to the Santa Cruz Sentinel reporter Tom Miller. Miller's response: "Of course, just doing my job. The press release was very well done so it was easy to work off of." The proof is in the pudding, my dear reader.

The American Mall.

Read the Santa Cruz Sentinel article here.

Read the Burbank Leader article here

Denver in Half a Day

2008-08-01T23:52:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of years, our vacations have been spent mostly at the beach. Virgin Islands in 2006. Maui and Kauai in 2007. This year we decided to shake things up by heading as far away from the beach as possible. Our destination for 2008: Colorado.

Welcome to Denver. (07/03/2008)

Our flight to Denver was seriously at the butt crack of dawn. The bad thing about that is ... well it's the freakin' crack of dawn. But the good thing about an early morning flight was that we got to spend a few hours sightseeing in Denver before driving to Manitou Springs that evening (more on that later). Let me say, we seriously made the most of those few hours.

The Colorado State Capitol. (07/03/2008)

First of all just getting out of the airport took a while ... it's that big! You seriously have to take a tram inside the airport just to get from one end to the other. We picked up our rental car — a plum-colored TrailBlazer — and headed to downtown Denver in search of Starbucks.

Amy petting a kitty in downtown Denver. (07/03/2008)

We found a Starbucks in the heart of downtown Denver, which turned out to be the starting point of our walking tour. We strolled by the State Capitol. Checked out the sculptures in Center park. We meandered by the art museum, main library and the iconic City and County of Denver building.

Front view of the U.S. Mint in Denver. (07/03/2008)

Our last stop in the district was at the U.S. Mint. I had tried to secure tickets for the tour of the U.S. mint a few weeks back, but they were sold out. And that was weeks before we even got there! The website says you can try to get into the tour if there is space available, but alas, there was none. So we had to settle for only seeing the Mint's cheesy gift shop.

The cute Larimer Square district. (07/03/2008)

Afterwards we made our way to the Larimer Square Historic District, which was really cute. Lots of quaint botique shops and restaurants. We made a stop for a caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, since we were so close to the Rocky Mountains. From there we made our way to Denver's 16th Street Mall, where we did a little more shopping before heading to our next adventure ...

Hopelessly Devoted to Grease

2008-07-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

We were happy that the Orange County Performing Arts Center (OCPAC) decided to repeat its Free-For-All Movie Mondays program this year. On four consecutive Mondays during the summer, OCPAC projects a big movie musical on the side of the main theatre and invites people to bring their lawn chairs and blankets and watch the movie for free, drive-in movie theater style (only without the cars). And this year, Tim, Amy and I attended the screening of Grease.

True Grease aficionados, James and Amy. (07/21/2008)

Last year, we made it to Singin' in the Rain and Xanadu (sadly, we missed West Side Story and Moulin Rouge!). Although we wanted to attend all of the movies they selected this year (Easter Parade, Grease, The Muppet Movie and the 2007 version of Hairspray), if there was one that we absolutely could not miss, it was Grease.

Tim ready to be converted. (07/21/2008)

Forget the fact that Grease is one of my favorite movies of all time (and one of Amy's for that matter). What was important was that we converted Tim. For years, he has always said he hated Grease because his sister loved it so much and would play it over and over and over (and rightly so). This was our chance to lure Tim to the Grease side of The Force.

The crowd at Grease. (07/21/2008)

I don't know how successful we were in converting Tim, but he did enjoy the night. Seeing it on the big screen again was fun, especially outdoors with a bunch of other Grease fans (some of whom wore 1950s era costumes). The only downside for me was that no one was singing along with the songs. I say next year, make it a sing-along version!

Pikes Peak or Bust

2008-07-06T23:38:00.000-07:00

We saw so many cool things in Colorado, but one of our trip's high points (pun intended) was our adventure atop Pikes Peak. Although Pikes Peak is not the highest mountain in Colorado — it's only one of 54 mountains in the state over 14,000 feet — it's certainly one of our country's most famous mountain peaks.

James, Tim and Amy atop Pikes Peak summit. (07/06/2008)

The mountain is well known because of its height and its proximity to the edge of the Great Plains. In fact, back in the 1850s, during the western expansion, "Pikes Peak or Bust" became a common expression for westerward-bound settlers.

The Pikes Peak railway depot station. (07/06/2008)

In addition, the stunning vistas from the Pikes Peak summit inspired the lyrics of one of our country's most famous songs. In 1893, Katherine Lee Bates, an English professor from Wellesley visited the summit, and was so inspired by what she saw, she wrote a poem about it that night. The title: "America the Beautiful."

Just one of the amazing views from the Pikes Peak summit. (07/06/2008)

To get to the top, we took the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, which has been taking passengers to the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak for 115 years. It also has the distinction of being the highest-altitude train in the entire United States.

The train that brought us to the top. (07/06/2008)

Although only 8.9 miles long, the train ride to the top takes two hours. Every moment of it is gorgeous too, with the views getting better the higher up you get. The last three miles of the route are above the timberline, which means there are no trees. The rocky landscape almost looks like you're on another planet.

The landscape above the timberline. (07/06/2008)

Although there isn't a lot of wildlife at that altitude, we did see some. For example, we saw a couple of yellow-bellied marmots, large rodents that adept well to high altitude climates. Pikes Peak is also home to one of Colorado's largest herds of bighorn sheep, and we saw several.

We saw wild bighorn sheep near the Pikes Peak summit. (07/06/2008)

We were given about 40 minutes to walk around the various parts of the summit. We didn't stay outside too long because it was bitter cold! Fortunately, the summit also houses the world's highest altitude donut shop, which makes fresh, hot donuts. The donuts are plain (no frosting, glaze or sprinkles), but trust me, when you're trying to warm up from the gusty winds outside, they are the best tasting donuts you've ever had.

Amy delves into her mountain-top donut. (07/06/2008)

Of course there is a gift shop too, which conveniently sells a wide array of sweatshirts and other warm gear. I was just happy to get a pressed penny stating that I made it to the top of Pikes Peak.

The Stunning Garden of the Gods

2008-07-04T23:36:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of our Colorado trip was our morning spent at the Garden of the Gods, just outside Manitou Springs, CO. The park is a collection of stunning rock formations that look like they're from out of this world!

James and Anita at Garden of the Gods. (07/04/2008)

My cousin Anita, our trusted tourguide, made sure that we compressed the very best sights into our half-day excursion, without feeling rushed. Plus, she knew just the right photo spots to make it appear like you've been rock climbing for hours, when in reality, it's maybe 20 or 30 feet from the road (shhhhh ... our secret).

Tim, James, Amy & Jon at Balanced Rock. (07/04/2008)

The dramatic landscape was simply incredible. You can see in the pictures just how beautiful it was there ... and let me tell you, although the pictures look gorgeous, they didn't do the place justice when you compare to seeing it in real life!

James and Tim at Garden of the Gods. (07/04/2008)

So if you're ever near Manitou Springs, CO, we highly recommend you check this place out! Free admission, although donations are accepted.

Lunch at Denver's Oldest Restaurant

2008-07-03T23:55:00.000-07:00

After an exhausting half-day in Denver, there's nothing better than sitting down to a nice, steaming-hot plate of rocky mountain oysters. For that, we made our way to the Buckhorn Exchange, Denver's oldest restaurant. The place has been serving patrons since 1893. Even President Theodore Roosevelt ate here in 1905. How cool is that?

Buckhorn Exchange: Denver's Oldest Restaurant. (07/03/2008)

The Buckhorn Exchange is tucked away in a part of Denver where you would never think to find it. But it's definitely worth seeking out. As Denver's oldest restaurant, the place is as much a museum as it is a restaurant. The place is stacked with memorabilia, historical items, and an absurd quantity of taxidermy hunting trophies. I loved it!

The place serves everything you'd normally find at a steak house, but so much more. Where else can you order a New York steak that weighs four pounds? (Granted, the four pounder, which costs $178, serves five or more people). Other unique menu items include rattlesnake, fried alligator tail, buffalo steaks, elk ... and of course the house specialty appetizer, the rocky mountain oysters I mentioned earlier (sliced bull testicles that have been breaded and deep fried).

Main dining room at Buckhorn Exchange in Denver. (07/03/2008)

We got there just after 2:00 p.m., right after the dining room closed for lunch. I was worried that we missed our only opportunity to have our rocky mountain oysters. Luckily for us, they were still serving food in the lounge upstairs.

Although the lunch we ordered was pretty standard fare (I think the most exotic thing was my buffalo burger). But I simply could not resist the call of the famous rocky mountain oyster appetizer. Tim had already told me he wasn't going to try one ("I don't eat beef," was his excuse). Amy was out too. Jon said he'd try them (although he actually thought they were oysters, until I explained it to him after we ordered).

Jon, Tim, Amy and James at the Buckhorn Exchange. (07/03/2008)

About 20 minutes later, the waitress brought out the a plate of rocky mountain oysters, fresh out of the deep fryer. And there was a ton! Far more than enough to feed the only two daredevils who were willing to try them. Finally, it was the moment of truth.

I grabbed one, dipped it into the dipping sauce, and popped it in my mouth. And you know what? It was good! It was kind of like eating calamari, but not as fishy. Basically, if you like popcorn chicken, you'll probably like the Buckhorn Exchange rocky mountain oysters.

Rocky Mountain Oysters at the Buckhorn Exchange. (07/03/2008)

Jon liked them too. Even Amy tried one (a small one). I was proud of her for trying it. Tim was the only holdout (that whole beef thing, you know). Now I have to find some place that serves chicken testicles.

We couldn't even come close to finishing the rocky mountain oysters. There were far too many, plus we still had our lunch plates coming. So we packaged them up to go and took them to my cousin's house in Manitou Springs.

James likes the rocky mountain oysters at Buckhorn Exchange. (07/03/2008)

When I told Anita about them, she wanted to have her three boys try them, but she didn't want us telling them what they were until after they tried it. Guess what? They liked them too! And then when we told them what it was, they were totally unfazed. It was no big thing. All they know is that it was fried food and it tasted good (those boys will eat just about anything).

Buckhorn Exchange is located at 1000 Osage, in Denver. (303) 534-9505. Reservations recommended. Open 7 days a week.

Five Bucks a Gallon Coming Soon?

2008-06-15T23:22:00.000-07:00

According to a recent poll by the CNN/Opinion Research Corp., 78% of respondents expect they will have to pay $5 for a gallon of gas by the end of the year. Well I've got some news for you. Five-dollar-a-gallon gasoline is already here!

$5.19 for regular at this Mobil station in Needles, CA. (06/15/2008)

Over the weekend we went to the desert to visit Tim's family for Father's Day. While there, we found a couple of gas stations in Needles, CA charging $5.19 for a gallon of regular. Ouch! Thankfully that's still the exception and not the rule. But how long will that be the case?

Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles

2008-06-05T23:23:00.000-07:00

Certain things are always better in pairs. Bonnie and Clyde. Fred and Ginger. Posh and Becks. For me and Tim, an entirely new pairing now tops our favorites list: Chicken 'n Waffles!

Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles, Long Beach. (06/05/2008)

Despite being Southern California residents for ages, we had never been to the local institution that is Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles. We realize that this blog post is not uncovering some little hidden gem nobody knows about yet. The place is dang popular. And now that we've tried it, we understand why.

We were invited to the one in the LBC by our good friend Amy who wanted to buy dinner for the guys who helped her move the previous weekend. And far be it from us to decline an invitation to Roscoe's Chicken 'n Waffles. Joining us for this long overdue excursion was Amy's sister Ashley and another friend Bill.

Scoe's #2 - 1/4 chicken in gravy with 2 waffles. (06/05/2008)

Ashley was already a fan of Roscoe's hizzy, so Bill and I followed her lead by ordering "Scoe's #2," which is 1/4 of a fried chicken, smothered with gravy, and paired with two fluffy waffles. Ash and I stuck to the breast/wing white meat, while Bill went for the leg/thigh dark meat. To counteract the fattier dark meat, Bill at least pretended to make a healthier choice by adding a side garden salad.

Let me just say I was enamored with the chicken on my first bite. The breast I had was extraordinarily plump and meaty. It was cooked to perfection too. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. Even the gravy smothering it couldn't diminish that amazing crispy outside.

Roscoe's House of Chicken & Waffles menu. (06/05/2008)

Don't let me leave out the waffles. They were fluffy, hot and flavorful. My only complaint, if you can call it that, was they put too much butter on top. But it was nothing I couldn't remedy by scraping some off with a butter knife.

Tim and Amy got the Carol C. Special, which consists of 1 succulent breast (no gravy) and 1 delicious waffle. Let me tell you, after trying Tim's chicken, I didn't know which I liked better — with the gravy, or without. It was that good. Tim also tried the buckwheat waffle, which was also delicious, but just a little more dense.

1 Succulent Breast, 1 Delicious Waffle. (06/05/2008)

Interestingly, after a little web research, I learned that the combination of chicken and waffles is not a recent concept. Sure, Roscoe's opened his first restaurant in 1976, but it goes way further than that. In fact, some believe it goes back to Thomas Jefferson, who on a trip to France in the 1790s, brought back a waffle iron. Chicken with waffles was said to have began appearing in cookbooks shortly thereafter.

Frankly, I don't really care who gets the credit — Thomas Jefferson or Roscoe. All I know is that I loves chicken 'n waffles. We'll definitely go back.

Disney World in 3D on Google Earth

2008-06-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

I love Google Earth. I love to virtually thumbtack the places I've been, places I've lived, places I worked, etc. I even wrote a blog post when they launched Google Street View. But now the Walt Disney Corporation has made Google Earth even cooler with its new 3D building overlays of Walt Disney World parks!

Magic Kingdom on Google Earth with 3D Buildings on.

As soon as I read about it on The Disney Blog, I popped open Google Earth and turned on the 3D buildings setting. And sure enough, there was Epcot's Spaceship Earth in all its 3D glory. Jump to the Magic Kingdom, and I was delighted to see Cinderella's Castle
shimmering on the skyline.

Epcot on Google Earth with 3D Buildings on.

At Animal Kingdom, you can see Expedition Everest or the Tree of Life. And the Scorcerer's Apprentice Hat at Disney Studios looks great too! I've posted a few before/after shots, but they're not half as cool as seeing the real thing on Google Earth, where you can see it from any angle or depth.

Disney Studios on Google Earth with 3D Buildings on.

What's even better is that in the 3D building mode, you can click on any attraction and see a short video clip explaining what it's all about. Boy, those Disney folks know a little something about marketing, don't they?

Animal Kingdom on Google Earth with 3D Buildings on.

Check it out if you have Google Earth. And if you don't have Google Earth, you can download it here. It's totally FREE! Here's hoping they get around to doing the same thing with Disneyland in Anaheim ...

Ancient Chinese Secret No More

2008-05-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

As often as Tim goes to Starbucks, you'd sooner expect him to know more about Chai Tea than he would about Tai Chi. Well, dear reader, that's no longer the case now that Tim and I have graduated from our 8-week course in Tai Chi (with perfect attendance to boot).

Our T'ai Chi Chih class warms up. (05/21/08)

Inspired by our pals Amy and Jon, we signed up for a Wednesday-evening Tai Chi class at nearby Grijalva Park in Orange. T'ai Chi Chih, as it's officially called, consists of 19 stand-alone movements and one pose. The series of movements is designed to promote balance, flexibility and mental clarity (and Heaven knows we can use more mental clarity).

James and Tim with Al, their T'ai Chi Chih instructor. (05/21/08)

And based on the condition of our teacher, Al Talberg, it works! The guy is literally 80 years old and has as much energy as Tim and I put together (and probably more when you consider that Al also teaches a walking course). Not only was the class informative, it was fun too. So next time you need someone to play the "bass drum," "work the pulley," or "pull taffy," give us a holla!

The Moonlight Rollerway Jubilee

2008-05-17T23:33:00.000-07:00

Roller skating rocks. Even if you're terrible at it like me, there's something incredibly fun about strapping on those well-worn rented skates and risking life and limb on the thickly-varnished skating rink floor. So when we learned our favorite histo-tainer and Kodachrome King, Charles Phoenix, was planning an entire night of activities surrounding this fading pastime, we were all over him like a bad suit!

Jon, Tim and Amy at Glendale's Moonlight Rollerway. (05/17/2008)

The event — dubbed the Moonlight Rollerway Jubilee — was a roller skating show spectacular featuring: A Charles Phoenix retro slide show celebrating the history of roller skating; a live Hammond organ performance by roller rink organist Dominic Cangilosi; A live skating show featuring a cast of more than 60 costumed skating performers; and an after show all-skate party. And did I mention free ice-cream and punch?

The Moonlight Rollerway's rules and dress code. (05/17/2008)

The event was held at the Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale. Even though I hadn't been there before, walking up to the door instantly brought back memories of elementary school birthday parties at the Golden Skate in San Ramon where I grew up. My little sister Anna, age 8, still attends birthday parties there (here's a blog post about my first time taking her there).

The world's greatest roller rink organist, Dominic Cangelosi. (05/17/2008)

We arrived a few minutes before the show, quickly grabbing our seats for the slide show. While we waited for the slides to start, we were treated to the musical stylings of Dominic Cangilosi, a roller-rink organist who has held that profession since the late 1940s (apparently he's the only organist to be inducted into the Roller Skating Hall of Fame).

Charles Phoenix whizzes by in his gold lamé suit. (05/17/2008)

It was the perfect appetizer for the roller-skating themed slide show. Like previous Charles Phoenix slide shows, this one was educational and hilarious at the same time. I was particularly fascinated by a photo of a now-demolished skating rink in Santa Ana called Skate Ranch. According to Phoenix, it was Southern California's most stylized rink, looking like a big red barn (it has been said they even had live chickens wandering the grounds).

A skating champion and her seaman. (05/17/2008)

The highlight of the slide show were photos from a 1940 wedding where the entire wedding party — including all 18 bridesmaids and groomsmen — was on roller skates (the bride and groom had met at a skating rink). Imagine our surprise when Phoenix told us that the bride in the photo was in the audience! Gramma Cookie Gantz, as she's now known, stood up and waved to the wildly-applauding audience. What a great moment.

Grandma Cookie Gantz and Charles Phoenix. (05/17/2008)

After a break for sugary snack bar treats, the show continued with amazing performances by the Moonlight Rollerway's reigning United States champion skating performers, Team In Sinc, and other skating stars. For the next hour plus, we were dazzled as the performers took us through every major decade of skating's golden era, from the 1940s to the 1970s.

James and Charles Phoenix. (05/17/2008)

The performances, especially those by the older teenage troup, were stunning. They were not only well choreographed, but also fully costumed. No shortcuts for these guys. I tried to get some photos of the event, but they didn't come out so hot. But I did manage to get a few good video clips.

Disco Inferno on Skates. (05/17/2008)

The evening culminated with the all-skate party. Tim and Amy were the definite stars of the night, making several rounds around the rink. Meanwhile, Jon and I each made it around once. But it was enough to satisfy our skating fix for the near future.

So as Charles Phoenix would say, here's to roller skating and YOU!

Jerry Herman: Up Close & Personal

2008-05-10T23:17:00.000-07:00

You can't be a showtune aficionado and not know the name Jerry Herman. As composer and lyricist of such musicals as Hello Dolly, Mame, La Cage aux Folles, and a string of others, he is a musical theatre giant. Naturally, I was delighted to have a chance to see this living legend in person.

Jerry Herman: Up Close & Personal. (05/10/2008)

Held in Orange County's Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, the event — Jerry Herman: Up Close and Personal — was equal parts songwriting workshop and performance. Jerry Herman was interviewed on stage by Michael Kerker, vice president of ASCAP. Topics included everything from how he got his start to his songwriting process. Between each interview segment, we'd hear songs performed by folks like Jason Graae, Ron Raines and the amazing Debbie Shapiro Gravitte.

The show was at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. (04/22/07)

I thought I knew a lot about Jerry Herman before, yet I still learned so much. I found it interesting that he writes music and lyrics simultaneously, never writing one element first, then applying the other. I also loved the story about how Jerry Herman's mother, seeing his talent, arranged an interview for her young son to meet another musical theatre legend, Frank Loesser (Guys & Dolls anyone?).

Jerry Herman and Carol Channing as Dolly.

Frank Loesser would grow to become Jerry Herman's mentor. To this day, Jerry Herman thinks of songs in the way Frank Loesser did: As a train, complete with an engine, a middle section, and most importantly, a caboose. The caboose, Jerry Herman said, could be summed up with a parting line. He cited as an aexample the final line in the song "I Won't Send Roses." Rather than ending on the words, "I won't send roses," Jerry Herman added "... and roses suit you so."

A not-so-recent headshot of the great Jerry Herman.

My favorite Q&A segment discussed how so many Jerry Herman songs have moved on to have lives of their own, beyond the scope of the musical they were written for. Think of classic songs such as "Hello, Dolly," "If He Walked Into My Life," "I Am What I Am," "The Best of Times is Now," and many others. Despite being written for a specific character at a specific time in a specific musical, these songs have become classics in their own right.

Angela Lansbury, Jerry Herman and Carol Channing.

Jerry Herman seems just as surprised at this fact as anyone. He remembers the first time he heard a recording of one of his songs on the radio, a cover of "Shalom" by Eddie Fisher (Jerry was in the supermarket the first time he heard it). "Hello Dolly," for example, was popularized when Louis Armstrong recorded a jazz version. "If He Walked Into My Life," was made most famous when Eydie Gorme covered it as a torch song.

Jerry Herman and Lucille Ball.

Jerry Herman also discussed how when they were casting Mame, no one at first wanted to cast Angela Lansbury, who as we all know, became legendary in the role. Having just finished filming the cold war political thriller The Manchurian Candidate, Lansbury was the furthest thing the producers had in mind for the role of Mame. But Jerry Herman championed her, and eventually got his way (much to the delight of generations of musical theatre fans).

Jerry Herman and Bernadette Peters.

My only complaint was that the show was too short! I loved all the Q&A, but I also wanted to hear more of the songs, especially by the amazing Debbie Gravitte. But I was glad to hear her stirring renditions of "Wherever He Ain't" from Mack and Mabel and my favorite Herman ballad, "If He Walked Into My Life," from Mame.

A more recent photo of Jerry Herman.

They closed the night when all three performers joined Jerry Herman on piano for a rousing rendition of the La Cage aux Folles hit, "The Best of Times is Now." For the encore, they singers closed the night when they sang "Hello Dolly," or more to the point, "Hello Jerry." And when they sang the lyric, "Jerry don't ever go away," I couldn't agree more.

Cinco de Mayo Weekend on California's Gold Coast

2008-05-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

Despite our pals Jason and Jarrod moving more than 100 miles north, we've actually managed to see them quite a bit actually. The only bummer for Tim is that every time we've visited, we've never had any time to shop at the nearby Camarillo outlet. So this past weekend, we planned a trip to see J&J and shop.

The historic Santa Barbara County Courthouse. (05/03/2008)

After some fountain shopping for our landscaping project, we headed up to Ventura. Shortly after our arrival, we hopped into Jason's car for a quick jaunt to Santa Barbara, another hour north of Ventura. We had been to Santa Barbara before, but never really explored it to its full potential.

Northeastern view of Santa Barbara. (05/03/2008)

The coolest place we went to was the old Santa Barbara County Courthouse. Built in 1929 to replace the one destroyed in the 1925 earthquake, the courthouse is not just a California Registered Historical Landmark. It's also a National Historic Landmark — that's national significance, everyone. National! :)

James & Tim at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. (05/03/2008)

This attraction — free to the public, incidentally — is definitely on the must see list. Just wandering the elaborately decorated Spanish-style hallways is amazing enough, but the best thing about this building requires an elevator trip to the observation deck on the main tower.

Jason & Jarrod two-fisting it in downtown Santa Barbara. (05/03/2008)

From the top you can see virtually every square mile of Santa Barbara and the surrounding area, including the ocean a couple of miles away. It was simply gorgeous! How I hadn't been here before, or even really heard of it, is beyond me.

James & Tim live it up in downtown Santa Barbara. (05/03/2008)

After the exhausting elevator ride up and down, we were in the need of replenishment in the form of Margaritas and appetizers. So we headed down State St. to a little Mexican restaurant that was having happy hour. The appetizers were half-price, and the drinks were two-for-one. So what did we do? We ordered two drinks a piece.

Jason picks out some cascarones. (05/03/2008)

That held us over until we had dinner back in Ventura. For that gastronimical experience, Jarrod and Jason took us to the awesomely-retro Main St. Restaurant and Steakhouse. When I say awesomely-retro, I don't mean it was made to look retro. It just is retro.

A wide selection of cascarones — confetti-filled egg shells. (05/03/2008)

Built back in the 1950s, this restaurant hadn't been remodeled since the early '70s, as evidenced by the heavy brown and rust tones. It was fabulous! And it's also famous, having been used as a filming location for the Julia Roberts hit, Erin Brokovich. (In fact in the scene that was filmed here, the real-life Erin Brokovich played the waitress who served Julia Robert's take on Erin Brokovich).

Ventura's Main St. Steakhouse. (05/03/2008)

Lots of fun. After a fantastic breakfast of oatmeal raisin pancakes, Tim and I headed off to Camarillo for the much anticipated shopping. As always happens with us, I ended up buying a lot more stuff than Tim (the idea was to restock Tim's closet).

Inside the awesomely dated Main St. Steakhouse (05/03/2008)

Afterward, we headed back to Ventura to meet the guys for the special Cinco de Mayo beer bust at Paddy's. Jason, one of the organizers of the event, had been cooking six pounds of carnitas for the taco bar, and after smelling them all morning, I was destined to have some. And just as I had imagined from the smell alone, they were amazing.

Jason appropriately dressed for the Cinco de Mayo beer bust. (05/04/2008)

So was the entire weekend actually. Thanks Jarrod and Jason for hosting us yet again. :)

Lounging with the Lakshmi's

2008-04-27T23:07:00.000-07:00

Another brush with greatness! This time the greatness is Padma Lakshmi, the Indian supermodel and actress who has appeared in such varied projects as ABC's 2006 miniseries The Ten Commandments, Glitter with Mariah Carey and even an episode of Star Trek Enterprise. Tim and I of course know her best as host of one of our favorite TV shows, Bravo's Top Chef.

James and Padma. (04/27/2008)

Padma was making an appearance at the 13th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books to promote her cookbook. Our friend Christine was actually working at the festival that weekend (Christine manages the library store operated by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, which had a booth at the festival).

When Christine's husband Tom pointed out that Padma Lakshmi was scheduled for a cooking demonstration and book signing, we were all over it like a bad rash.

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. (04/27/2008)

I hadn't been to the festival before. I'm not typically much of a reader, at least when it comes to full-length books (give me a magazine, Internet article or blog anytime though). But leave it to Padma to bring me for the first time.

Her book, Tangy, Tart, Hot & Sweet: A World of Recipes for Every Day, is not merely a cookbook. It's really a life-long collection of recipes, travel stories and personal anecdotes that helped form her palate. Looking through it you really get the impression you've been sifting through a shoebox of memories.

Padma was reading from her cookbook 'Tangy, Tart, Hot and Sweet.' (04/27/2008)

Padma began her session with some audience Q&A, mostly relating to Top Chef. With the help of an audience volunteer, she demonstrated a recipe from the book: Mushroom and Goat Cheese Flautas, which she complemented with a Fresh Mint and Date dipping sauce.

Although we didn't get to taste any of the food Padma prepared, Tom, who was close to the stage getting photos, can attest that the food smelled terrific.

Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi reads from her book. (04/27/2008)

She also read a couple of the short essays in the book, highlighting some of her life lessons. Her readings were just as colorful and vibrant as the book's awesome photography.

I enjoyed her reading of a childhood story about the time she unabashedly stole roses from a neighbor's garden to give to her mom for Mother's Day, especially when she imitated her mom's thick accent. Seriously, it was as funny as when Margaret Cho imitates her mom! :)

Tom and Padma. (04/27/2008)

Afterwards, Tom and I dashed to the autograph line to secure a good spot before the rest of the crowd got there (even then, there were probably 50 people ahead of us). We were glad to see that Padma was posing for pictures, despite the no photography rule that was listed in the schedule.

Tom and I, of course, were prepared nonetheless, cameras in hand. As usual, Tom took a much better picture of me with his camera than he did with mine. But I think Padma looks better next to me than she does next to Tom ... wait a minute, I just realized I don't necessarily like the way that sounds! :)

Where Padma Lakshmi signed James' book. (04/27/2008)

I have the feeling Padma would have personalized her autograph had we asked, but we were careful not to take too much time since we were also posing for photographs.

Plus there was a long line of people behind us, and we didn't want to be like those handful of crazy superfans that show up to book signings and then spend a year with the person before moving on. Believe me, we've seen plenty of those types at signings by Liza Minnelli, Caroline Kennedy and Iron Chef Morimoto.

James and Mrs. Lakshmi. (04/27/2008)

After getting our pictures taken with Padma, we ran into her mother, who was standing nearby. It's now gotten to the point where we not only try to get ourselves photographed with celebrities, but also celebrity mothers!

It was one of those times where Tom and I were glad we were with each other, since neither Christine nor Tim would likely join is in approaching Padma's mom. (But at least we're not like those crazy superfans, right?) :)

Where Padma's Mom signed James' book. (04/27/2008)

Mrs. Lakshmi was nice, but a little surprised in our interest in her. She was even more surprised when we asked her to sign one of the photos that appears inside Padma's book — a little trick I learned back in the 1990s when at a Lorna Luft book signing, I had Lorna's son Jesse (Judy Garland's only grandson) sign his photo page.

But Mrs. Lakshmi was delightful, and happily signed her photo inside. Our encounter with Padma's mom only added one more interesting layer to an already fun-filled day.

Be sure and read Tom's blog post about our day with Padma. Also, thanks Tom for the use of a couple of your photos.

Shel, Lisa, Liele in Southern California

2008-04-24T23:03:00.000-07:00

After five straight days at the Disneyland Resort, my cousin Michele, her partner Lisa and their daughter Liele escaped Disneydom and joined us at out house for two nights. Tim and I each took Thursday off work to spend the day with everyone before they head back home to the Bay Area Friday.

We started the day at Disney's Character Outlet Store for more shopping. (04/24/2008)

Despite the five exhausting Disney days, Michele hadn't completely gotten her Disney-themed shopping fix out of her system. So after a great lunch at Ruby's diner in Fullerton, we took her to Disney's Character Outlet Store. Believe it or not, Shel and Lisa got out of there with spending less than $100, which is a historic event (especially for Michele).

Liele and Amy check out the sea lions. (04/24/2008)

Next, we headed to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA where we met up with our gal pal Amy. Tim and I had been there once before for Jon's birthday (click here to read that blog entry), but it was a first for Michele, Lisa and Liele. It was fun being there with Liele, since it makes you see things from a slightly different perspective.

Liele feeds the lorikeets. (04/24/2008)

One of the highlights as always was feeding the lorikeets, brightly-colored arboreal parrots that can be found in Southeastern Asia, Polynesia, and Australia. You can buy these little cups of nectar that the lorikeets simply love. All you have to do is hold it up, and within seconds, you'll have a lorikeet on your arm drinking.

Michele watches Amy feed the lorikeets. (04/24/2008)

And I have to say, Tim once again did really well at the shark exhibit. He even once again actually touched a shark. Yeah, it was only for a second. And yeah, the shark may have only been two feet long. But heck, it's still technically a shark! :)

Tim touches a shark for the 2nd time in his life. (04/24/2008)

Afterward, we went to see a beachside apartment that Amy is considering renting. It belongs to the mother of a friend, and so we brought some wine and snacks to enjoy the sunset. It was beautiful. I have no idea why I didn't take any pictures.

Lisa's interpretation of heaven. (04/24/2008)

Jon also joined us after work, since he knows Michele, Lisa and Liele from our camping trips, like the 2006 San Simeon camping trip. For dinner, the seven of us went to the Rock Bottom Brewery in the heart of downtown Long Beach. I think Lisa enjoyed it the most, since she got to sample a bunch of their microbrews.

Liele enjoys her ice cream. (04/24/2008)

It was a great final day to Michele, Lisa and Liele's Southern California vacation. We had fun and definitely look forward to their next visit when they can actually enjoy our pool and finished landscaping (instead of the landscaping in progress).

Shel's Disneyland Birthday Bash

2008-04-20T00:03:00.000-07:00

To celebrate her 40th birthday this year, my cousin Michele decided she wanted to take a family trip to the happiest place on Earth, Disneyland. Not only would it be a great way for her and her partner Lisa to celebrate a milestone birthday, it would also mark the first ever trip to Disneyland for their three-year-old daughter Liele.

Shel looks sassy as ever on her 40th birthday. (04/19/2008)

They left home in the Bay Area at the crack of dawn on Michele's actual birthday. They made it to Disneyland around 1pm, where Tim and I met them, birthday gifts in hand. The gifts, if you can't tell by the pictures, are goofy birthday hats that were intended to be worn the entire day. (Although let me point out that fewer than 30 minutes later, photographic evidence will prove that Michele and Liel weren't wearing their hats.) Oh, the humanity!

Shel, Liele and Lisa in their birthday hats. (04/19/2008)

We were lucky enough to be joined by our gal-pals Amy and Lynne, each of whom are integral players in our famous SoCal/NoCal camping trips. Speaking of which, we need to plan another one soon!

Amy, Tim, Shel, Lynne & Liele at Disneyland. (04/19/2008)

Tim and I were geared up for our routine day at Disneyland. But since we don't have kids, we had forgotten how much slower you move when a young child is involved. No longer can you quickly dodge in and out of pedestrial traffic lanes to get around the slow stroller people, because suddenly you are one of the slow stroller people! :) But considering the day was about spending time with family, and not getting through the park as fast as possible, it was fine.

Liele and Lynne with the Julie Andrews horse. (04/19/2008)

We closed the night with a group dinner at Tortilla Jo's in Downtown Disneyland. And let's just say we were having a good time even before we ordered the two pitchers of Margaritas. And when the waiter accidentally brought out a third pitcher that we didn't order (and then let us keep at no charge), let's just say we staggered out of that restaurant happy.

Happy birthday to Michele. (04/19/2008)

It was a great, memorable way to celebrate Shel's 40th birthday ... a celebration that will continue for the duration of their five-day park-hopper tickets. Oh my!

Just What the Dr. (Seuss) Ordered

2008-04-13T23:35:00.000-07:00

I've always loved unique marketing campaigns when they're done well. Take, for example, the US Postal Service R2-D2 mailbox promotion. Or the 7-11 store re-branding for The Simpsons movie. Even the Pepsi Ice Cucumber publicity stunt got me excited. Naturally, when I learned IHOP was offering a special Dr. Seuss breakfast to celebrate the film release of Horton Hears a Who, I was so there!

A tough challenge, but someone has to do it. (04/13/2008)

The Mayor's Breakfast, as it's formally called, consisted of — what else? — green eggs and ham! But unlike the eggs in the book, which literally have green yolks, these are simply your average yellow-yolked eggs that have been scrambled with green spinach. I just happy to have bragging rights that at least I had a vegetable for breakfast. The eggs were accompanied by a slice of ham (normal color) and, for extra measure, some hash browns.

James' Green Eggs, Ham & Hash Browns. (04/13/2008)

The breakfast also comes with a stack of Who-Cakes. These are essentially five pancakes of various sizes, stacked from largest on the bottom to the smallest on top. The Who-Cakes are drizzled with boysenberry and blueberry glaze, sprinkled with rainbow chocolate chips, and pinned together with a pink lollipop that looks very similar to the pink clover in which Horton places the famous speck of dust.

James' Who-Cakes. (04/13/2008)

Yeah, this single breakfast probably has as many calories as I should have in an entire day. But since I've committed this far, I figured why not just go balls deep and also order the Beezlenut Splash to wash it all down. This liquid concoction is made up of lemon-lime soda mixed with cubes of cherry and berry blue Jell-O. It's fun to try and suck everything up with a straw — kind of like a boba drink.

James washes it down with a Beezlenut Splash. (04/13/2008)

As for my review, I thought the main part of the breakfast was simply delightful. My green eggs, ham and hash browns were cooked to perfection. The who-Cakes, however, are another story.

I think James just heard a who! (04/13/2008)

I'm afraid to say I wasn't a fan of the Who-Cakes. The pancakes themselves were fine, but the blueberry and boysenberry glazes (both tasted identical, by the way) didn't really make for a good topping. It didn't saturate like syrup does. The rainbow chocolate chips, too, were overkill. In all honestly, I kind of wished I had got mine with the regular pancakes instead.

Although I didn't finish my plate of Who-Cakes, I was still glad to have had the opportunity to try my own Whoville breakfast.

Barbra: The Way She Could Have Been

2008-04-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

Barbra Joan Streisand. I love her. LOVE HER! She's the voice of the century. A Triple Crown winner, having garnered an Oscar, Grammy and an Emmy (a Quadruple Crown winner if you count her honorary Tony Award). In short, Barbra Streisand kicks ass!

James & Sharon Owens as Barbra: Hello Gorgeous! (04/13/2008)

Yet few artists have the ability to annoy me like Barbra. Unlike young Barbra in the early '60s, today's Barbra takes herself way too seriously. She never really relaxes, at least in front of the camera. Watching interviews with her is uncomfortable. (Even watching Ellen interview her was agonizing.) But when I heard acclaimed Barbra-impersonator Sharon Owens was in town, I figured it would be a good opportunity to see Barbra the way she was.

Sharon Owens as Barbra Streisand.

I had seen Sharon Owens do her Barbra tribute on the little-watched Fox reality show called, "Performing As," which ran for seven episodes in 2003. Although the show itself was forgettable, Sharon's performances as Barbra were anything but. She looked, sounded and moved just like the real Barbra. It was incredible.

Flash forward a couple of years and Sharon is now co-headlining a show called Barbra & Frank, The Concert That Never Was, which can be seen at the Riviera in Las Vegas. But for one night only the show came to the Carpenter Center for Performing Arts in Long Beach. Although Sebastian Anzaldo's take on Frank Sinatra was quite good, make no mistake about it, we were there to see Sharon's Barbra.

Sharon Owens looks, sounds and moves just like the real Barbra Streisand.

And she did not disappoint. Her versions of Barbra's hits were superb. But what I found most impressive was how she did something that the real Barbra struggles to do: Have fun while interacting with the audience. You'd never see the real Streisand take a wireless microphone and venture into the audience to sing, jabber and joke around with the crowd.

During the show, I came to the realization that Sharon Owens doesn't really do Barbra the way she was. Nor does she do Barbra the way she is now. Rather, Sharon's version is a combination of both: She looks and sings like the Barbra of today, but retains the fun sense of humor of young Barbra. It's actually Barbra the way she could have been.

Sharon Owens' Barbra tribute is spectacular.

That's not to say that I'm giving up on the real Barbra. Hardly the case. But if you want a Barbra experience that's good, fun and doesn't cost $350 a seat, I highly recommend catching Sharon Owens' tribute to Barbra Streisand.

Easter Sunday With Sweeney Todd

2008-03-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

Ah, Easter. Just the word makes one think of cute bunnies ... blossoming lillies ... brightly-colored easter eggs ... and a deranged barber who kills his customers so his accomplice can grind the dead bodies into meat for her pie shop? I don't know about you, but that's what we saw when we caught the Easter Sunday matinee of Sweeney Todd.

We spent Easter Sunday seeing Sweeney Todd. (03/23/2008)

The version we saw was the U.S. national tour of the John Doyle-directed revival that opened in New York in 2005 starring Michael Cerveris and the imcoporable Patti LuPone. You may remember that this production famously abandoned the traditional orchestra and instead relied on the 10-person cast to play all the instruments.

The show was at the Ahmanson at L.A.'s Music Center. (03/23/2008)

I was very excited to see this production, having heard so many good things about it. Plus, having seen a "traditional" production of Sweeney Todd, I was very curious to see how a 10-person cast could pull off the complexities of this show, score and all.

Now that I've seen this production of Sweeney Todd, I can honestly say I have mixed feelings. You couldn't deny the absolute talent of the cast, led by David Hess and Judy Kaye in the lead roles. The ability to play their parts, as well as play the instruments was amazing. And the staging and direction was incredible — it was so different from the original staging.

We saw the show with Jarrod and Jason, who's behind Tim. (03/23/2008)

But there was one major component lacking: The incredible orchestrations of Paul Gemignani. A longtime collaborator with Stephen Sondheim, Gemignani was responsible for creating one of the richest, fullest and loudest scores ever to grace a Broadway stage. So important was Gemignani's contribution to the musical that Tim Burton hired him to orchestrate his 2007 film adaptation of Sweeney Todd, which also had incredible orchestrations.

"One Helluva Show!" (03/23/2008)

There are so many great moments to the original score, like the introductory theme that's played right before Mrs. Lovett's opening number. And in this minimally-orchestrated version, the excitement was somewhat lacking. It really bums me out that I didn't love this production unconditionally, because I really wanted to. But alas, I really missed the lush strings and tight brass section.

However, I am glad that I did see this production once.

Why I Spent My Birthday in a Courtroom

2008-03-06T22:56:00.000-08:00

Most of the time, people want to do something fun for their birthdays. Think Disneyland, or your favorite restaurant. But guess where I spent my birthday? At the Orange County Courthouse, where I got summoned for jury duty.

The Orange County courthouse in Santa Ana. (03/04/2008)

I've had some bad birthdays before, but this takes the cake. The hell started early. You MUST CHECK IN BY 8:00am, the paperwork sternly warned. Since I'm one of those people who allows only enough time to get somewhere, I was scrambling. I seriously screeched into the parking lot and ran my fat ass all the way to the courthouse one block away. I was out of breath and about to pass out, but I made it in the nick of time ... and would you believe they didn't even start until 8:45? Thanks for that!

Although I'd never been summoned for jury duty before, I heard from my friend Tom that they typically open with a motivating speech emphasizing the importance of being a juror. Seriously, he said it was truly inspirational (think the D.A. speech in ABC's The Practice). Believe it or not, our judge opening statement was funny! She was literally telling jokes up there. Out of the hundreds of people in the room, I was seriously the only one laughing! Humor, anyone?

This judge gave a really funny motivational speech. (03/04/2008)

Later they began the long process of assigning individuals to different courtrooms. That took a YEAR! But eventually I was told to report to the courtroom on the 10th floor immediately after lunch. Once there, Rusty the Bailiff herded us into the courtroom.

Next, each prospective juror had to tell the judge and attorneys your name, your occupation/employer, your spouse/domestic partner's occupation/employer, and finally whether you have any family in law enforcement or in jail. I answered honestly, explaining that I have at least three cousins in law enforcment and another three cousins who have been incarcerated. They basically canceled each other out.

The wonderful room where I spent my birthday morning. (03/04/2008)

Although I didn't really want to be there, I definitely felt some civic responsbility to at least be honest about my answers. It wasn't a financial hardship for me (work pays for jury duty time). I didn't have kids or elderly parents that were dependent on me. And I certainly don't lack English comprehension.

What annoyed me, however, was how some people would clearly stretch some truths to get out of serving. It actually really started to annoy me after the first dozen or so people were excused. As it turns out, I was one of the 12 jurors selected.

Restricted area, jurors only. (03/04/2008)

I was annoyed, but I changed my tune when the judge informed us about the nature of the case. It was a very sobering moment when he said it was a sex crime involving a minor. When I heard that, I definitely felt an attitude shift. I mean, I have younger siblings, and if the tables were turned, I would certainly want it to be taken seriously. So I did.

The next morning, the court case officially started. I'm not going to mention names or details, but essentially the case surrounds a 16-year-old female surfer. She was part of this surfing group of friends who would hang out at the beach during the summer. One of the people in this crowd was an older guy, maybe in his early 40s. Apparently, in the surfing community, it's pretty common for people of all ages to hang out with each other.

Loved this picture of a stamp in the jury assembly room. (03/04/2008)

The older guy owned a van that he would park near the beach, and one afternoon, the girl complained of shoulder pain and asked this guy to give her a massage. So they went into his van where he proceeded to massage her back — with no one else around, of course.

This is where the stories diverge. She said he unhooked her bikini top to massage her back. He said she unhooked it. She said during the massage, he pushed her bikini bottom to one side and exposed her, stating something like, "I'd tap that." He stated that he may have accidentally touched her bikini bottom while he was massaging her lower back, but that it was unintentional. Ultimately, one of her friends showed up and interrupted the session before it went further.

The trick to surviving jury duty is to bring a good book. (03/04/2008)

As a juror, I definitely found the guy's story unconvincing. The smoking gun in the case was the phone call the police prompted her to make, which was recorded. She indicated in the phone call what had happened, and he began pleading with her not to get him in trouble. If he had genuinely felt nothing inappropriate had happened, as he later claimed, why would he plead with her over the phone to not report it?

It took about a day-and-a-half to hear all the evidence and witnesses. In deliberation, we all agreed that the girl may have liked the attention he gave her. She may have wanted the massage to go further, but likely changed her mind when the reality sank in. Regardless of the girl's intent, the fact remains that he was an adult male who should have known better than to go to a private place with a minor female who, by law, cannot give consent.

View from the OC Courthouse 10th floor. (03/04/2008)

Case closed. We unanimously found him guilty after about one hour of deliberation. It definitely wasn't the crime of the century or anything, but certainly the guy should be held responsible for his actions. After the verdict was read, we were sent on our way. It was definitely a birthday to remember!

Just a Little Birthday Dinner at Citrus City

2008-03-04T23:55:00.000-08:00

We didn't do anything too extravagant for my actual birthday. Just a nice dinner for two at our favorite restaurant, Citrus City Grille in old towne Orange.

Our favorite Orange restaurant. (03/04/2008)

It was fun. Happy birthday me!

The Long Yellow-Brick Road to Wicked

2008-02-27T23:58:00.000-08:00

I doubt anyone reading this hasn't heard of Wicked, the stage musical that tells "the untold story of the witches of Oz." I had first heard of this musical back in the summer of 2003 when our pal Steve M. caught a performance of the pre-Broadway try-out at San Francisco's Curran Theater.

Wicked at the Pantages Theater. (02/27/2008)

Several months later, the show opened on Broadway to enormous acclaim, especially for the two leads Idina Menzel (Elphaba) and Kristin Chenoweth (Glinda). It wasn't until I saw them perform the amazing "Defying Gravity" number on the Tony Awards the following June that I got bit by the Wicked bug. I knew then I needed to see this show.

Musical Theatre Sensation: Wicked

Our first opportunity to see Wicked in person came when the National Tour came to Los Angeles in June 2006. Our pal Jason, who at the time was working for The Center Orange County, alerted us that the organization was planning a fundraiser where you could buy tickets for a bus-chauffeured trip to Wicked.

Wicked, the Broadway Sensation.

We had participated in the same type of fundraiser in 2000 when we saw The Lion King , which worked out great. We told Jason to sign us up as soon as details were announced. As it turned out the group tickets sold out through word of mouth, even before the event was announced.

The Pantages Theater is a great place to see a show. (02/27/2008)

We didn't get to see it in L.A., but we weren't worried. Two months later the National Tour of Wicked traveled 45 miles south to the Orange County Performing Arts Center for a two-and-a-half-week stint. We would see it then.

Caissie Levy played Elphaba the night we saw the show. Photo courtesy of Rick Yribe.

Easier said than done. We tried buying three tickets (the third being for my boss-at-the-time Lisa, who, like us, was dying to see the show). As it turned out there was such overwhelming demand by so many people, that the day tickets went on sale, the website froze up for hours. After three hours of trying via the telephone and not getting through, I gave up.

Megan Hilty played Glinda the night we saw the show. Photo courtesy of Rick Yribe.

I tried getting tickets on eBay. That didn't prove to be very beneficial. Not only were the tickets listed at outrageous prices, it was next to impossible to get three tickets. They were only sold in pairs or in groups of four, which were even more expensive. So we gave up.

The grand lobby inside the Pantages Theater. (02/27/2008)

But we found new hope in February 2007 when an open-ended production of Wicked opened at Los Angeles' Pantages Theatre. We still planned to go with Lisa for a while, but after a couple of her co-workers invited themselves into the plan, things started getting a little too complicated (you try coordinating schedules with eight people). We ultimately bowed out of the group event and just decided to see it on our own.

Chandelier inside the Pantages Theater. (02/27/2008)

Well months passed by until I started dropping hints for Tim that a great Christmas present would be tickets to Wicked. So when I saw that my Christmas present came in an envelope instead of a box, I had a feeling I knew what was inside. But I was shocked to find that Tim had somehow gotten his hand on fifth row seats! That was a huge surprise.

Katie Webber's headshot from American Idol season 3.

One interesting side note. Our friend Tom's stepmom Wendy worked with with the sister of Katie Webber, who in 2004, made it to the Top 32 of the 3rd season of American Idol (and was previously on the WB reality show Popstars). Today Katie is a cast member of the Broadway production of Wicked.

Ryan Seacrest and Katie Webber on American Idol in 2004.

For Christmas last year, Tom and Christine used those connections to get me an autographed copy of the Wicked CD — autographed by an actual cast member of the show! Consindering that I watch American Idol like a stalker (and did the same thing with Popstars), I was impressed!

The Katie Webber autographed Wicked CD I got for Christmas.

The show itself was amazing. And so were our fifth row seats! We laughed. We cried. And during certain moments, like the end of "Defying Gravity," we were on the edge of our seats. We particularly enjoyed Megan Hilty as Glinda who really stole the show. Caissie Levy as Elphaba was also great. We were also pleasantly surprised to see Jo Anne Worley, from Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, in the role of Madame Morrible.

It was a great night at the theatre. (02/27/2008)

I'd recommend Wicked to anyone. And if you want to see it in Los Angeles, you better start planning it now, because from what I understand, it's scheduled to close in January 2009. But a second North American tour, as well as a San Francisco production, begin in early 2009, so be on the lookout!

At Hollywood's Oldest Eatery

2008-02-27T23:06:00.000-08:00

I don't remember exactly when I became aware of Musso & Frank Grill, Hollywood's oldest eatery. It must have been after moving to L.A. in the summer of 1992. But when your age and annual salary are in the low twenties, actually eating there was beyond my means. Who knew that nearly 16 years would go by before I would ever enter Musso & Frank's doors?

Musso & Frank's sign in the back. (02/27/2008)

I find it simply astonishing that this Hollywood landmark has been around longer than movies had sound. It opened in 1919, when bar and grill restaurants were a new concept. (A full-service restaurant where you can get booze — imagine that!) Back then bar and grill restaurants had a somewhat bawdy connotation — the kind of place good church-going folk avoided. But this one was a magnet for Hollywood stars.

The rear entrance to Musso & Frank Grill. (02/27/2008)

Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and Rudolph Valentino were said to be frequent diners. Purportedly the three of them once raced down Hollywood Boulevard on horseback, with the loser picking up the check at Musso & Frank's. Other frequent guests included Humphrey Bogart, Orson Welles, Jack Webb, Peter Lawford and all four of the original Warner brothers.

Tim inside the famous Musso & Frank Grill. (02/27/2008)

Musso & Frank Grill was also a watering hole for many literary giants who came to Hollywood for stints at screenwriting. These include F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, John O'Hara, Dashiell Hammett, even Ernest Hemingway. Legend has it that William Faulkner would mix his own mint juleps here. And from what I've read, Raymond Chandler wrote "The Big Sleep" while at Musso & Frank's.

Musso & Frank Grill's legendary stuffed celery. (02/27/2008)

Going inside Musso & Frank Grill is like stepping back in time. Dark mahogany panels cover the walls. The booths are upholstered with red leather. And you are served by red-jacketed waiters who look like they've been working there forever (and they probably have). Yet one of the strangest things about the place was what it didn't have: Muzak. It's amazing how we've gotten so used to background music at public places that when it's gone, it seems eerily quiet.

Tim's sanddabs sautè meunière. (02/27/2008)

But I wasn't just fascinated with the history and ambience. The menu itself was like a study in early- and mid-century cooking (except for the prices, which actually seemed to be from the future). But where else can you find hors d'oeuvres like stuffed celery, imported sardines, or marinated herring?

James' sauerbraten, potato pancakes and applesauce. (02/27/2008)

Other interesting selections include a stuffed tomato salad with chicken, a smoked tongue sandwich, even a side dish of stewed tomatoes. There's even a whole section devoted to potatoes. You can get them boiled, candied, french fried, mashed, julienne, lyonnaise, cottage fried, baked, au gratin or prepared as hash browns. Talk about choices!

James outside Hollywood's Musso & Frank Grill. (02/27/2008)

Some of the main courses would only appeal to a bon vivant with an adventuresome palette, like the oyster stew, lamb kidneys sauté, or sweetbreads jardinière. Although Tim and I didn't get too adventurous, we did end up selecting items that you don't often see on dinner menus these days. I ordered the Wednesday weekly special: Sauerbraten with potato pancakes ($22), while Tim selected the filet of sanddabs, sautè meunière ($21).

The legendary Musso & Frank Grill. (02/27/2008)

As great as the experience was up until that point, I can't say the same thing about the food unfortunately. I think Tim hit the nail on the head when he described it as "old people food." Both of our entrees were a bit bland. They were under seasoned and really lacked flair (as well as anything remotely resembling a vegetable). Conversely, our stuffed celery appetizer ($7) was so overpowered with blue cheese, I couldn't really enjoy it much.

Although the food itself wasn't great, I truly enjoyed the experience. I would go back in a heartbeat ... for drinks only!

Celebrity Grave Hunting, Episode 2

2008-02-10T23:34:00.000-08:00

It's been more than a year since the last time we went celebrity grave hunting. It's one of those things that I really enjoy doing, but seldom find people who are actually willing to take the time to do it with me. So after crashing at Tom's & Christine's place in Burbank after Bean's birthday party, I decided to check out Forest Lawn Glendale.

Here lies Walt Disney. (02/10/2008)

Like the Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills site we checked out last time, the Glendale property is definitely worth a visit. Even if you take the whole celebrity grave concept out of the picture, there is simply so much to see! The mosaics, the statues, the artwork, heck, there's even a full museum, complete with rotating exhibits and everything.

Spencer Tracy. (02/10/2008)

I started off at the Court of Freedom, where thanks to Find A Grave, I knew there were lots of good celebrity graves. One of the first I found was that of Walt Disney, who is buried in a family plot with his wife Lillian, daughter Sharon Disney Brown Lund, and Walt's son-in-law Robert B. Brown. I was surprised that it was as understated as it was. I was almost expecting a statue of some sort.

Here lies Larry Fine, one third of the Three Stooges. (02/10/2008)

Next I popped inside the Freedom Mausoleum, where I saw such legends as George Burns & Gracie Allen, Nat King Cole, Alan Ladd, Jeanette MacDonald, Chico Marx of the Marx Bros., Larry Fine of the Three Stooges and Spencer Tracy. Not bad. I saw all of those and probably only spent about 10-15 minutes inside.

Gracie Allen & George Burns. (02/10/2008)

Next, I came across an exact reproduction of Michelangelo's David. Like the original, it stands 16 feet, 9 inches tall and was carved from a single piece of white Carrara marble. This is the second exact reproduction of Michelangelo's David I've seen in Southern California. The first was during our visit to the now-closed Movieland Wax Museum in Buena Park. My next goal is to see the original David statue.

Exact reproduction of Michelangelo's David. (02/10/2008)

Although the David statue was cool, there were few accessible celebrities in the area, so I moved on to the Hall of the Crucifixion-Resurrection. This building was constructed in 1951 to display a painting of the crucifixion, which I kid you not, was singularly the largest painting I have ever seen in my entire life. Painted by the renowned Polish artist Jan Styka, The Crucifixion stands 195 feet long and 45 feet high. Yet it's not just the size that makes it impressive, it's the detail.

Hall of the Crucifixion/Resurrection. (02/10/2008)

I couldn't take pictures inside the Hall of the Crucifixion-Resurrection, but even if I could, it would not capture the monumental scale of the painting. The guard was telling me that normally, another painting, The Resurrection, rolls in front of the crucifixion. At the moment, that process was not functioning however. He suggested to come back at a later time, which I certainly intend to do. Another notable feature: The view of Glendale from the Hall of Crucifixion-Resurrection is spectacular.

Great view of Glendale, CA. (02/10/2008)

Next stop, the Forest Lawn Museum and Gift Shop. Yes, this cemetery has a museum and gift shop. And believe it or not, it's very worthwhile! I spent an hour there, and could have stayed there longer. I was about to head home when the guard recommended that I check out the Last Supper Window/Memorial Terrace, which houses an exact replica of Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper painting, but in 100% stained glass.

The entrance to the Great Mausoleum. (02/10/2008)

It was magnificent. It was crafted in Italy by Rosa Caselli Moretti using Leonardo Da Vinci's own sketches. The And it wasn't just a stained glass window, either. It was a complete show, with story narration and an unveiling. It was a little Disneylandish, but since I love Disneyland, I loved this.

Clark Gable. (02/10/2008)

While I was in there, I also visited the graves of Clark Gable and wife Carole Lombard Gable, who were interred side-by-side in the attached mausoleum wing. I looked for a few others but couldn't find many more before the guard came by and politely told me I wasn't supposed to be wandering around after the Last Supper show.

The front of the Wee Kirk o' the Heather Church. (02/10/2008)

I also made an attempt to find Jimmy Stewart, who is buried near a replica of the Wee Kirk o' the Heather chapel. This chapel is modeled after the village church at Glencairn, Scotland, where Annie Laurie of Scottish lore worshipped. It was pretty cool on the inside and outside, although I never did find Jimmy Stewart.

Bean's Birthday 2008

2008-02-10T22:33:00.000-08:00

So far February hasn't been too eventful of a month, but one modest-yet-fun highlight stands out: Bean's Birthday (aka Christine's Birthday). Although it's not technically her birthday until the 16th, we held it a few days early since Tom was leaving for New Mexico the next day.

Christine blows out her birthday cupcakes. (02/09/2008)

It was basically a small group enjoying pizza and some pretty damn good black and tans. Tom missed the first half, since he had some sort of Writers Guild meeting. Apparently the guild leadership was presenting the membership with the terms of the offer to finally end the three-month-old+ writer's strike.

Yummy Cupcakes in Burbank supplied the birthday pastries. (02/09/2008)

Besides the great company, the highlight of the night was the birthday cake, or rather, birthday cupcakes from Burbank's own Yummy Cupcakes. And believe me, as good as they look in the photos, they tasted even better. We even had to cut them in quarters so we could each try multiple varieties.

Nigella thinks the gifts are for her. (02/09/2008)

As with every party, Ryan eventually fell asleep, with Laura and Christine joining him shortly therafter. Tom and I tried to keep things going with a game of Scrabble, but I eventually joined the sleep party, ultimately crashing on the sofa for the night. They say if you wake up in a bed that's not yours, that's the mark of a good party!

Weekend in Ventura

2008-01-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

We spent a delightful weekend with our pals Jason & Jarrod, who had recently moved to Ventura, California. Although we don't see Jason & Jarrod as often as we'd like, we always have fun with them, whether it be red-shirting it at Disneyland, enjoying a relaxing pool party, or dressing in our best white trash garb and going to womens roller derby.

Cool restaurants in downtown Ventura, CA. (01/19/2008)

For those readers who are not familiar with Ventura, it's a beautiful seaside city that sits in Ventura County, the county immediately north of Los Angeles County. It sits mid-way between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. It was actually founded by Father Junípero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan friar who founded the mission there: Mission San Buenaventura.

Beautiful downtown Ventura. (01/19/2008)

Although we didn't see the mission itself, we had one heck of a time. Our first stop was downtown Ventura. Now keep in mind that prior to Jason & Jarrod living there, we have driven trough Ventura countless times (emphasis on "driven through"). We had never really stopped there before, so downtown Ventura was a first-time experience. And it was great!

The Ojai post office. (01/19/2008)

Lots of amazing shops and restaurants. I was pleasantly surprised and am now kicking myself for not having experienced it earlier. After getting some food, we made our way to the Coalition Thrift Store, which is Jarrod's favorite thrift store. (He's the only person I know that has a favorite thrift store).

Getting some treats at Ojai Ice Cream. (01/19/2008)

Later in the afternoon, we went to the nearby town of Ojai, a scenic little town nearby. Tim was happy since one of his TV shows is Brothers & Sisters, and the family's fruit orchards are set in Ojai, inspiring the name of the family business, Ojai Foods. I was more impressed with the fact that Ojai was the hometown of 70s TV classics, the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman.

Our bed for the night. (01/19/2008)

After Ojai, we went to Paddy's for a drink, before heading back to Jason & Jarrod's place. Jason cooked us a wonderful dinner of fresh carnitas tacos, which were amazing. The rest of the night we had a great time watching bad TV like Fuse TV's Pants-Off Dance-Off, which was at one point described by TV Guide as the "dumbest show on television." But it made for some great TV!

Ryan & Laura's Birthdays at Campanile

2008-01-16T23:39:00.000-08:00

To celebrate Ryan & Laura's birthdays (which are only four days apart), we had an intimate gathering at Campanile, one of Los Angeles' finer dining establishments. It's one of those prix fixe restaurants where they only have three things on the menu at any one time, and yet it still takes three hours to complete your meal. Not that I'm complaining about it because we had a great time!

Campanile, Los Angeles. (01/16/2008)

Making it better was the fact that we were there for the Writers Soup Kitchen, a promotion that began late last year when the Writers Guild of America went on strike. Each Wednesday since then, they've been offering a full three-course meal for the significantly discounted price of $18 if at least one person at the table has a WGA membership card. And since Ryan's brother Tom is a WGA member, it became the natural choice as the place to celebrate Ryan and Laura's birthdays.

Campanile's Writers Soup Kitchen Menu. (01/16/2008)

Despite having lived walking distance from the restaurant for six years, it was my first time there. And the place was simply gorgeous, looking somewhat like a medieval castle. After a little web research, I learned that the building was originally constructed to be the private office of Charlie Chaplin, whose studio lot was just up the street at 1416 N. La Brea Avenue (which is now Jim Henson Studios). Interestingly enough, before the building was completed, Chaplin lost the building in a divorce settlement with his first wife.

Inside Campanile, Los Angeles. (01/16/2008)

The other thing I noticed upon walking in was the place was packed! Evidently the Writers Soup Kitchen promotion is working. And proving what a small world Hollywood is, we even bumped into Tom's picket-line-walking buddy Nina (aka the Slackmistress, author of The Slack Daily) and her husband Will, who were also dining there that night.

Cool stained glass window at Campanile. (01/16/2008)

The food, wine and service was perfect. I began my course with the vegetarian minestrone soup (it sounded better to me than the other soup choice, cream of pumpkin). For the main course, I ordered the veal which was cooked to perfection (although I secretly envied Tom's herbed chicken).

Architectural detail of Campanile, Los Angeles. (01/16/2008)

I thought about ordering the chicken, but Tom, who had it the week before, said the chicken was not de-boned. It wasn't exactly the type of place where I wanted to be eating chicken off the bone, so I opted for the veal instead. As it turns out the chicken was almost completely de-boned, with the exception of a single leg bone, which was quite manageable. Thanks a lot Tom!

Laura & Ryan and their birthday sorbet. (01/16/2008)

The meal ended with a duet of freshly-made sorbet, complete with birthday candles (thankfully it was not the type of restaurant where all the waiters gather to sing happy birthday). It was a great meal with great company.

Eva, Laura, Christine, Ryan and James outside Campanile. (01/16/2008)

The only weird element came after we divvied up and paid the bill. After discussing it, we got confused about the tip amount. We felt we had undertipped. Out of concern that we didn't leave enough of a tip, Ryan, a former waiter himself, asked our waiter about the tip amount. And you should have seen the cold-faced stare he gave Ryan! I think he thought we were suggesting that we over-tipped him, when our motivation was quite the opposite. It was a weird and funny way to close the night.

Note: Thanks to Tom for providing the photos for this blog entry, since the few photos I took that night didn't come out too well.

Lea Salonga Shines in Southern California

2008-01-03T23:02:00.000-08:00

Regular readers of James & Tim's Blog might remember my post about Susan Egan where I lamented about how my other favorite Disney-meets-Broadway star, Lea Salonga, seldom performs in Southern California. Well as it turns out, shortly after I published that post, I was happily proven wrong!

Lea Salonga had a rare Southern California concert appearance. (01/03/2008)

Lea Salonga was doing a rare Southern California concert appearance at San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino in Highland, California. Although the location was about 60 miles away from where we live, I was determined to see this performance.

Lea Salonga was at the San Manuel Indian Casino. (01/03/2008)

Like Susan Egan, Lea Salonga perfectly embodies my love of musical theatre and Disney animated films. Born and raised in the Philippines, Maria Ligaya Carmen Imutan Salonga was a regional stage performer until 1989 when she was selected to play the female lead of a new stage production debuting in the London West End. The show turned out to be the megahit Miss Saigon, which thrust Lea into international fame. When Miss Saigon came to New York two years later, Lea Salonga reprised her role on Broadway.

Lea Salonga, with Simon Bowman, in Miss Saigon. (09/1989)

After Miss Saigon, Lea Salonga landed the role of Eponine in the Broadway production of Les Misérables, becoming the first Asian to play the role. She reprised the role of Eponine in London, and was ultimately asked to join the dream cast for the 1995 10th anniversary concert performance at London's Royal Albert Hall. Last year she joined the cast of the Broadway revival of Les Misérables, but this time as the older Fantine instead of the young Eponine. Even Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo flew to New York to see Lea in the role.

Lea Salonga as Fantine in Les Misérables. (2007)

But despite the thousands of musical theatre performances, Lea's most widely seen work is her work with the Disney animation studios. Lea was selected to be the singing voice of Jasmine for the 1992 blockbuster hit Aladdin. She followed that with the singing voice in the title role of the 1998 hit Mulan.

Lea Salonga was the singing voice of Jasmine in the Disney film Aladdin. (1992)

With a resumé like that, you can see why I was so excited to see her perform live. The icing on the cake was that my ticket was in the third row (and it was no small theater by any stretch). I got there about 30 minutes before showtime, but it wasn't nearly enough. The will call line was longer than anything I've seen.

Lea Salonga was the singing voice of Disney's Mulan. (1998)

Then you had to get through security, which was the tightest I've ever seen for a concert. Seriously, it was like airpot security. And don't even try to sneak a camera inside. If they caught you with a camera, they made you go to the camera check-in, which also had a terribly long line. As it turned out, the show started 40 minutes late. Even so, I barely got into my seat just three minutes before showtime (no joke).

The best picture I could get of Lea with my camera phone. (01/03/2008)

For nearly 90 minutes, we were dazzled by Lea's amazing voice. Backed by a 5-piece band, Lea performed a variety of songs, and sounded amazing. She apologized for not sounding as good as she normally does, since she was coming down with a headcold. None of us in the audience could tell. Seriously, she sounded fantastic!

She opened her set with "Something's Comin'" from West Side Story, followed by the ballad, "I've Never Been in Love." Afterward she sang a Filipino song called "Hahanapin Ko." (I'd estimate that at least two thirds of the audience was Filipino). Although I didn't understand the lyrics, it was a beatiful song.

I picked up Lea Salonga's most recent album, Inspired. (01/03/2008)

Next, she sang two songs from musical theatre roles she has always wanted to play, but never has. The first was one of my favorites: "I Don't Know How to Love Him," sung by the character Mary Magdalene from Jesus Christ Superstar. Her voice was the perfect fit for that song too. Then she mentioned she always wanted to play the title role in Evita, singing "You Must Love Me," from the film adaptation.

Afterward, someone from the audience asked her to sing something from Miss Saigon. She laughed and responded, "I have to do the Disney section first," upon which the entire audience burst into cheers and applause (me included). She talked about being the singing voice for Jasmine, but lamented that she couldn't sing "A Whole New World" because she didn't have an Aladdin. (She could have asked me!) Although she did sing a few bars a capella.

Lea Salonga signed the back of the CD sleeve for me. (01/03/2008)

But the highlight of her Disney section was the inspirational ballad "Reflection" from Mulan. She sang the song as it was originally written. She explained that how due to length, the song had to be shortened in the editing room. But we got to hear the full version, with all its verses and the bridge.

After the standard "Someone to Watch Over Me," she broke into one of the absolute highlights of the night: Eponine's ballad from Les Misérables, "On My Own." This brought down the house! Truly amazing. If you know the song, you know how sad it is, so to bring things back up, she sang "Taylor the Latte Boy," a cute, funny song about falling in love with a Starbucks barista.

Lea Salonga's self-titled album. (1993)

But the light, funny moment didn't last. Next on her set list was her big ballad from Miss Saigon that she sings to her son, "I'd Give My Life for You". There wasn't a dry eye in the house after that. And if we weren't already crying, she next sang Fantine's big song from Les Misérables, "I Dreamed a Dream." It was paralyzingly good.

After the tearjerker section, Lea closed her set with the more uplifting "I Still Believe in Love," which blended into the inspiring "Being Alive." After that the audience was on its feet, demanding one more. For her encore, she sang "Tomorrow" from Annie, her first major musical theatre role in the Philippines. It was a great way to end the show.

Lea Salonga at Glamour Magazine's salute to the 2005 Women of the Year. (11/02/2005)

If the night ended then, it would have been a great night. But making it even better was the fact that she was signing autographs after the show. There was a long line, but it was worth it. I didn't bring anything with me to sign, so I purchased her latest CD that I didn't already have. While she was signing it for me, I asked her if she was doing any more concerts in Southern California. Protecting her voice, she mouthed the words "I don't know." But if she does, you can count on me being there.

A Taste of Santa Cruz

2008-01-01T21:59:00.000-08:00

Our last day of 2007 was devoted to experiencing the sights, sounds and tastes of the city of Santa Cruz, California. It began with a delightful breakfast of fruit and yogurt, prepared by our hosts for the weekends, Doris and Jen. After spending a few minutes strategizing the day's itinerary, we were on our way.

Entrance to the Mystery Spot. (12/31/2007)

Our first stop was the world famous Mystery Spot. Fittingly located at 465 Mystery Spot Road, the Mystery Spot is what is described as a "gravitational anomaly." It's said that at the Mystery Spot, "the laws of physics and gravity are questioned."

A bargain at $5. (12/31/2007)

While there, our tour guide showed us all sorts of anomalies, like how water and round objects appear to be rolling uphill. We also saw how two people can stand facing each other and appear to be the same height, but when they trade places, they appear different heights. The really cool thing was the way people would appear to be leaning at impossible angles.

Slanted Amy. (12/31/2007)

Some people attribute this phenomena to a magma vortex, a hole in the ozone layer, a carbon dioxide portal, even alien spacecraft. Personally I attribute it as to what happens when you build a cabin at a 25-degree slope, as is explained in this article.

The gang at the El Palomar taco bar. (12/31/2007)

Although I'm not a true believer, I still had fun at the Mystery Spot, which has been a tourist destination since 1940. Despite having lived in the Bay Area for more than half my life, I had never actually been to the Mystery Spot before, so I was quite excited to finally have the chance to check it out. Besides, for only a $5 entrance fee, you can't go wrong.

Three varieties of hot chocolate. (12/31/2007)

Next, at Amy's request, we went to the downtown to do some shopping. In particular, Amy enjoyed the Om Gallery, where she picked up a really cool light fixture for her meditation room. While in the downtown area, we stopped for a bite to eat at the El Palomar Taco Bar nestled inside the historic Palomar Inn.

Amy, Jen & Doris at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. (12/31/2007)

After stopping at a few more shops, we made a pitstop for hot chocolate at a little restaurant called, what else?, Chocolate. Although it's a full-service restaurant, one of their trademarks is their unique varieties of hot chocolate. You can get a Lena, a Bianca, a Belga or a Victoria. I don't exactly remember which is which, but I do remember ordering the Bianca, which was a white hot chocolate, which was, like, amazing.

It's hard to take pictures on a roller coaster. (12/31/2007)

No trip to Santa Cruz would be complete without at the very least a quick visit to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, which has been a city landmark since 1915. Although the last day of December is not a typical day of the year to spend at the Boardwalk, we decided to go anyway since Jon and Amy hadn't really experienced it before. She had been once or twice, but not when anything was open (Tim and I were last there in May 2005).

Doris & Jen cooked a fantastic chicken dinner. (12/31/2007)

As it turned out the Giant Dipper roller coaster was in operation. Built in 1924, it's the world's 6th oldest roller coaster in the U.S. that's continually operating in its original location. Jon and Amy had never ridden it before, so we all joined them for their first time.

Doris & James ring in 2008. (01/01/2008)

We ended the day with a beautiful dinner prepared by Doris & Jenn at their home, followed by several rounds of Apples to Apples, a few rounds of Wii baseball and a round of cards. Just before midnight we flipped to ABC to watch the ball fall to ring in 2008. It was a great way to ring in the new year before we drove back home the next morning.