Our Thank-God-It's-Done Party

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.