Doris and Jen in Orange

Doris and Jen, our friends from Santa Cruz, came to visit us for President's Day weekend. These were the same friends that we visited in Santa Cruz last May. They are also the same ones with whom we vacationed in Quebec. After all those fun adventures, we were looking forward to hosting them here in Orange.


Doris, James, Tim and Jen smile in front of the fountain in the center of the Orange Plaza. (02/18/06).

The first night, we took them to one of our favorite restaurants in Orange: The Citrus City Grille. It's a little on the expensive side, so we don't go there too often, but we love it every time we do. We enjoyed things like the ahi poke — raw tuna prepared with an amazing spicy asian sauce. Doris particularly enjoyed it, as well as her two martinis.


Tim shops for cheese at the Frog's Breath wine and cheese shop in downtown Orange. (02/18/06)

The following morning, we had breakfast at Felix, a quaint Spanish/Cuban restaurant in the Orange Plaza. The Plaza is the heart of Old Towne Orange, a popular dining and shopping district. Afterwards we hopped around to a few different shops in the area, including the new Frog's Breath wine and cheese shop which opened last November. We picked out some nice cheeses to have as a snack with the wine.


Jen shops for street signs in one of the Old Towne Orange antique shops. (02/18/06)

Doris and Jen really liked browsing some of the area's many antique shops, especially the architectural salvage place. Even if you're not in the market for antiques, it's just a lot of fun to browse around.


Doris hunts for religious antiquities in the antique district. (02/18/06)

One Year of Driving Birgitta

This month marks one year since we got Birgitta, our Saab 9-3 (in case you're interested in reading the original blog entry, it's here). She may have 20,000 miles on her, but we still love driving her just as much as we did on the first day. So happy anniversary Birgitta!


James takes his new hoopty for a spin in a photo taken last year. (02/26/05)

Saab. Born from jets.

Overnighter in Laughlin, NV

While we were in Laughlin for Christmas, we saw that Vicki Lawrence was performing at the Riverside Casino in February. We heard from a friend that it was a good show, so we bought tickets for ouselves and for our pal Everett. It was also the weekend of Tim's dad's birthday, giving us a good opportunity to have a nice birthday dinner the evening of the show.


First stop: Breakfast at IHOP in Barstow, CA. (02/11/06)

To avoid the always-Hellish Friday night drive along with countless other Southern Californians heading to the desert, we kept the trip short and sweet by leaving Saturday morning and returning Sunday afternoon. For our breakfast break, we selected IHOP. Mmmmmmmm. Pancakes.


We stayed at the Riverside Casino, which we highly recommend you avoid. It was a customer service disaster on so many levels. (02/12/06)

First stop was Tim's parents' house, which was on the way to Laughlin. We dropped him off there so he could do some technical support with their computer network. Meanwhile, Everett and I headed to Laughlin to check into the hotel. We would meet Tim, his parents and grandmother later for dinner to celebrate Tim's dad's birthday.


This is the "river view" from our first room. (02/11/06)

The Riverside Casino was a nightmare. First they lost our pre-paid reservation and took half an hour finding it. Then they checked us into a room that hadn't been cleaned since the previous occupants. Plus the room didn't have the river view that we specified in the reservation.

After complaining, we changed rooms. The new room had the river view, but it too had not been cleaned since the last occupants. By then it was an hour-and-a-half since we first walked in the door. A few minutes later the cleaning crew arrived, although we didn't have time to freshen up and shower by the time we had to leave to meet Tim and his grandma for bingo at the River Palms.


Here's the view from our second room ... after we complained. That's the Colorado River on the bottom, and the state of Arizona on the top. (02/12/06)

We had many other troubles with the hotel, like never getting the extra towels and pillows that we called to ask for, twice. Plus, we think it's really cheesy that they charge a $2 deposit for each room key card. Honestly, if you ever go to Laughlin, do yourselves a favor and stay somewhere else. We'll certainly avoid the Riverside from here on out.

The day wasn't a complete loss. We did have a great time at Tim's dad's birthday dinner, and also at the show (Tim's grandma came with us there too).


This was one funny-ass show. (02/11/06)

Vicki Lawrence's two-woman show was great! It was part stand-up comedy, part storytelling, and a couple of songs for good measure, like her one hit, "The Nights the Light Went Out in Georgia" (she also poked fun of her one-hit wonder status). One thing we weren't expecting was all the adult humor, particularly on subjects like gynecologists, feminine hygiene spray and whether or not the "carpet matches the drapes." We were laughing our asses off.

In the second half of her act, Vicki came out as Thelma Harper, better known as "Mama," who gave us her take on pop culture and current events. She covered everything from Michael Jackson to hip hop to same-sex marriage, to which she quipped, "If same sex couples want to be as miserable as I was, then have at it!" She had everyone rolling on the floor laughing.


I won $30 playing slots at the Colorado Belle ... my biggest payoff for the weekend. It's not much, but at least I came out ahead. (02/12/06)

Afterward, we went casino hopping along the riverwalk, a river-side path that connects four or five casinos. I lost a little. Then won a little. In the end I left Laughlin with $18 more dollars than I came in with ... but at least it wasn't a loss.


We highly recommend the Fresh Market Square brunch buffet at Harrah's, seen here from the water taxi. (02/12/06)

On our last day we took the water taxi to Harrah's on the other end of the strip, where we heard they had a really good brunch buffet (it was really good). Even though we had our car with us, we took the water taxi simply for the fact that it looked fun (and it was only $4 a person). We had some good food, then we rode the water taxi back to our car before heading back to SoCal. Despite Hotel Hell, it was an enjoyable trip.

Amy and Sabrina Pass the Boards

Gotta give a big shout out to our pals Amy and Sabrina who recently passed the state board exam allowing them to practice Chinese medicine in California. Although they're not ready to practice just yet — they still have to finish their 500 hours of internship — passing the state boards is a huge achievement for them. We celebrated this milestone with dinner at the Vietnamese restaurant, roller skating at the Holiday Skate Center in Orange and then cake and champagne back at our house.


Amy, Jon and Sabrina help celebrate Amy and Sabrina's passing of the state boards for practicing Chinese medicine. (02/04/06)

Congrats Amy and Sabrina!

The Not-So-Mighty Ducks ... Tonight at Least

When we were at the Arrowhead Pond for Stars on Ice a couple of weeks ago, we thought it would be fun to get tickets for a Mighty Ducks game. Even though we live just a few miles away, we had only been to a Ducks game once before against the New York Rangers. And the Ducks lost that night. And this night turned out to be no different. I guess we're bad luck charms.


Anaheim Mighty Ducks vs. the Edmonton Oilers. (01/25/06)

Actually it was kind of a bad night in a lot of ways. First off, we got kind of a late start and didn't have time to eat out at the place where we really wanted to go. So we had to settle for some not-so-good Chinese fast food. Then once we paid $5 parking, we realized we forgot the tickets. Rather than driving back home, we figured we would just buy new tickets (the tickets we forgot were only $8 a piece after the AAA discount, so it wasn't that much of a loss).


The Ducks lost this one. And I lost $20 on my bet with our Canadian rep. (01/25)

The night was going well for the Ducks in the first period. They even had a two-point lead at one point. But then one after another, the Ducks started getting all sorts of penalties. And the Oilers took full advantage of it (as would anyone). In the end the Oilers won with a three-point lead.

To top it off, I had a $20 bet with the Canadian rep for the company I work for, which I obviously lost. And I instigated the bet, too! Oh well. I think we'll stay away for a while and let the Ducks win a couple of games.

Hangin' With Li'l Sis and Bro

We had a great time hanging out with my little sister Anna and little brother JP during the weekend. They are a handfull sometimes, but always fun.

Every trip, we try to take Anna out on some sort of adventure — something she doesn't get to do very often. Most of the time, we just take her to the movies. But this time, as a way to break things up, we took her roller skating — her very first time!


James escort's Anna for another trip around the Golden Skate rink. (01/22/06)

The location was the Golden Skate, which is the same rink I used to go to when I was a kid. I was surprised to see that it was still around, in fact. Anna didn't do too bad skating. She only fell seven times (she kept track).

I can't wait until John Paul is old enough to join us. He always seems to entertain us. The amount of fun a kid can have with a cardboard box is beyond me.


As you would expect, John Paul had more fun playing with the box rather than what was inside. (01/22/06)

No matter how you dice it, we enjoy being big brothers.

Another Christmas ...

We recently spent the weekend with my dad's family to celebrate Christmas (and yes, we do realize that it's 2006 already). This was the first chance we all had to get together since Thanksgiving, since Tim and I were with his family at Christmas. Meanwhile my dad's family spent Christmas in Chicago. So rather than send our gifts, we just held on to them until we could get together. It was a nice weekend. Here are a couple of pictures:


Tim gets ready to open his Christmas gift. (01/21/06)


James shows off his new shirt. (01/21/06)


Anna smiles with her two latest additions to her Barbie Fairytopia collection. (01/21/06)


John Paul checks out his latest gift, Harry the Dirty Dog. (01/21/06)

Stars on Ice

To kick off next month's Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, we thought it would be fun to see Stars on Ice, which was held at the nearby Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim.


Stars on Ice scrolls across the Arrowhead Pond marquis. (01/14/06)

The show featured several former Olympians, including:

• Jamie Salé & David Pelletier from Canada, who at the Salt Lake City games in 2002 were the victims of a judging scandal that cost them the gold medal in the pair category (although the IOC rightly awarded them the gold a couple of days later)


• Alexei Yagudin (aka "Sexy Alexei"), who won Olympic gold in the men's category in the Salt Lake City games


• Elena Berezhnaya & Anton Sikharulidze, the Russian gold medal pair winners who were also embroiled in the Salt Lake City judging scandal


• World and U.S. National champion (and expert spinner) Todd Eldridge


• World Champion Yuka Sato


• World Bronze Medalists Kyoko Ina and John Zimmerman (whom you may have seen on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy)


• Steven Cousins, eight-time British champion


• Jennifer Robinson, six-time Canadian champion


• Jason Dungien, two-time U.S. pair champion

All 12 cast members wrap up Act 1 of Stars on Ice. (01/14/06)

Stars on Ice was a great show and a great way to start what is going to be an exciting month of winter sports.

Liele's Downtown Disney Adventure

My cousin Michele, her partner Lisa, and their daughter Liele are in Southern California this weekend for Michele's god-daughter's Sweet 16 birthday party. We met up with them Friday evening at Goofy's Kitchen — a character dining experience restaurant in Downtown Disney. We thought it would be a fun Disney experience without actually paying admission for Disneyland itself. Plus we finally had a chance to give everyone their Christmas presents. We had a great time and took some fun pictures, as you can see.


Minnie stops by to pose with Liele. (01/13/06)


Liele shares a moment with Chip. What I found most interesting was that Liele didn't seem to think there was anything odd about a giant chipmunk. (01/13/06)


See? Contrary to popular belief, Tim really does like kids. He just doesn't want one full time. (01/13/06)


As you can see Liele is reacting wildly to the "I Love You" Elmo Christmas present we gave her. (01/13/06)


Tim, Michele and James mug for the camera. (01/13/06)


Liele and Mama Lisa get ready to call it a night after a fun night at Downtown Disney. (01/13/06)

Resistance is Futile

Meet Ella. My new iPod. Yep, I have officially joined the iPod collective.

Actually our iPod revolution began last April when Tim got his iPod and we decided to standardize on one platform. Since then we had been sharing the one iPod between us. But thanks to a bonus check from work, as well as some Christmas money, I was finally able to get my own.


Ella sits in her new kickstand case, making it easy to watch videos, like the Eurythmics video currently on screen. (01/15/06)

Incidentally, one benefit of being such a late adopter was that I was able to get the newest generation iPod that plays videos! :)

Christmas with Tom & Christine

We finally had a chance to have our Christmas exchange with Tom and Christine. In previous years, we used to find a day before Christmas to hook up and exchange gifts. But the last couple of years, everyone has been so busy during December, that we've been postponing until January.


James uncovers the expertly-wrapped calendar. (01/07/06)

Tom and Christine made the drive down this time, since they wanted to use the Claim Jumper gift card they received from one of Tom's sets of grandparents (there are no Claim Jumper restaurants near Burbank, although there are several in Orange County).


Tim thinks about his next bowl of punch. (01/07/06)

Just to make it a little more special, we decided to go down to the one in Costa Mesa, which is nicer than the others. Since there was a wait, we got to do some shopping at the Sanrio store.


Christine opens the box to see the electronic version of her current obsession: Sudoku! (01/07/06)

Then we came back to play games and exchange gifts. Tim got a punch recipe book and an iTunes gift certificate. I got a Broadway musical poster calendar and the new Bo Bice CD. We gave Christine the new Neil Young CD and an electronic hand-held Sudoku game (Christine's latest obsession). We gave Tom the new Wizard of Oz 4-DVD boxed set.


Tom's eyes glow with excitement upon finding the 4-DVD Wizard of Oz boxed set. (01/07/06)

Now only two more Christmases to go until we're done. Keep reading the blog for updates!

Happy 2006!

Sorry about not updating the blog in a while. As you regular blog readers know (all two of you), I go through a dry spell every once in a while.

We hosted a smallish party at our house for new year's eve, which was lots of fun. Joining us was our pals Jon & Amy, their friend (and our new friend) Sabrina, Jason and Carolina (also a co-worker of Tim) who brought along her new boyfriend Todd.


Jon captured this picture of us with his new camera. Pretty good, I must admit. (12/31/05)

We mostly just ate and played games — Mexican Train Dominos, Scattegories and Time's Up —. At about a quarter to midnight, we put Dick Clark on started pouring our champagne toasts (a nice bottle of Moët & Chandon White Star that we got as a Christmas gift from one of Tim's co-workers).


Our floor immediately after midnight. (01/01/06)

Of course Jon and Amy had to bring along all these confetti-tossing devices that everyone used at midnight (I was mostly concerned with making sure I didn't get any confetti in my champagne). The place was a mess! Even though we cleaned it up shortly thereafter, you know we're going to find confetti for months to come.


Tim couldn't take the mess, so when the rest of us were playing games, Tim swept the confetti mess. (01/01/06)

While I was glad that everyone pitched in to clean up, I wasn't so happy that while I was in another room for a few minutes that someone got a little overzealous in their cleaning and poured out my glass of champagne that I had left on the table (and that's like 30 bucks a bottle!). At least I got a couple of sips in at midnight.

Have a great 2006 everybody!