Pre birthday celebration at the W in Hollywood.  

Four weeks later and the back is still whack, so I went to yoga today.  Yoga is hard.

Something to work for.

#68 Done. Songs have a way of marking time like few things can.  When I was putting together this list, Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” was playing on the radio which immediately brought me back to 1983.  My brother Sean and I would tune into MTV every morning before school to catch the video of the short ugly guy singing to his super model wife. …

March Recap. First and foremost, Marquette exceeded my expectations by earning an invitation to the NCAA tournament and then broke my heart as usual.  Warriors aside, March was the first full month of the year regarding this list and I only managed to knock off one goal.  At this rate I won’t even bat .500 by year’s end.  Nevertheless, we’re climbing the ladder and…

Learned how to make one of my favorite cocktails. This one was imagined by Julian Cox at Rivera Restaurant.  How could you not like a drink with a beef jerky garnish? P.S. wish Butler would have pulled it out. INGREDIENTS:½ ounce fresh lemon juice¾ ounce agave nectar½ ounce ginger syrup1 teaspoon chipotle puree1 strip red bell pepper4 lime wedges2 ounces tequila or mezcal1 small…

#2 in progress.  Sonia and I had lunch at Gordon Ramsey’s Boxwood Cafe at the London Hotel in Hollywood.  The food was so good that we didn’t feel the 7.2 earthquake that struck in Baja.

Ah, Opening Day.  All is right in the world again.  George’s F. Will’s used the opportunity to write a little bit about the unwritten rules of baseball. Plumbing the etiquette of baseball By George F. WillSunday, April 4, 2010; A15  The 2006 summit that preserved the peace occurred in a laundry room in the Metrodome in Minneapolis after the Twins beat the Red Sox…

#10 in progress.  Saw Hot Tub Time Machine…  Wish I hadn’t.

For the first time in years I did not wait in line to buy Apple’s newest product.  However, if they actually had the version I wanted I’d be there. Instead, I’ve pre-ordered the 3g, 64 gig iPad that should be available by the end of the month.

Lakers versus Jazz. Former Warrior, Wesley Mathews scored a bunch, but Lakers still won.

#2 in progress.  Had dinner at the Library Bar downtown LA. Same owners and food as Laurel Tavern, so it’s a bit of a cheat.  The burger was just as good though.  Sonia got the chorizo sliders, so at least we tried something new.  

Ouch

Wrote two checks to Uncle Sam that rocked our world a bit.  That said, I still won’t vote for Sara Pallin.

#2 in progress.  Had lunch with Sonia at the Lazy Ox Canteen in Little Tokyo.  Gourmet bar food done well.  

As I leave the constraints of writing for the screen behind, I have rediscovered the joy of simply writing.  While I spend most of my time on the computer, nothing is more satisfying than free styling with a pen and pad of paper… Which brings me to the moleskin.  After buying my first one in Paris, I now have a dozen small moleskin pads…

A good day on a budget.  It began with Brit’s soccer game in Simi Valley.  Dad joined us to watch her team dominate a “higher” ranked team.  Brit scored two of three and assisted on the other. We then headed over to Sean’s Rocket Fizz to buy some soda and candy before heading to a chili cheese burger lunch.  We got home around 1:30…

Dinner at Dad’s.

http://www.viddler.com/player/e15e8594/ Grandma came down to watch the twins so my brother and sister-in-law could attend to their grand opening.   (Source: http://www.viddler.com/)

Saw our accountant today. Ladies and gentlemen, the party is over.I must now change such goals as Eat a meal outside of the U.S. to Order from the value menu at McDonalds.

Casual Friday.

Watched Brit’s team lose another close game against a bigger school.  Having never played before, she’s doing great. Starting second baseman and batting 5th.  After the game she was brooding because of her last at bat. I explained to her that baseball/softball is not soccer.  Going 1 for 3 is a good day. I said, “batting is mostly about failure, so get over it.”…

Speaking of my bracket…  Here’s a bracket parody infused with the movie the Downfall. There are a million of these, but they never get old.  Funny aside, if you haven’t seen Downfall (Hitler’s last days), rush out and rent it. (Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

#2 in progress.  Food trucks are all the rage in L.A. There’s one for sliders, another for grilled cheese sandwiches and even one for waffles.  But, the best remain the original taco trucks.  I finally tried one of Sonia’s favorites downtown and have to agree with her. Everything is fresh down to the hand made corn tortillas made right in front of you.

#17 in Progress.

Followed my sister’s lead concerning a couple of these.  The first is the Tears Foundation. This is an organization that seeks to compassionately lift a financial burden from families who have lost a baby by providing funds to assist with the cost of burial or cremation services. The second is a close to my sister’s heart, the race for the cure. For more than 25 years,…

http://www.viddler.com/simple/3c729337/ A proud day for us as we attended Brittany’s high school soccer banquet.  Brittany broke the girl’s scoring record, was awarded team MVP and by unanimous vote by the league’s coaches was named to the first team all league.  (Source: http://www.viddler.com/)

The damage to our car was over $15,000 and we knew we’d take a hit because of the frame damage, so…  Our salesman connection at Mercedes called us when they needed to move a unit for a loss.  We went with the 2010 E350.  

#2 in progress. Tried the rooftop bar at the Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills.  The Lobster Tacos were outstanding, but the service ruined the experience.  

#63 Done. Bought some candy from my brother, Sean. Although he looks a bit nervous, Sean confidently opened his candy and soda pop shop in Simi Valley today.  Traffic was high and sales were robust. The future is bright.  If random candy and soda pop pictures are your thing, I took a few pics and posted them here.

#2 in progress. Maybe I’ll knock this one out in no time.  Tried Delphine at the new W Hotel in Hollywood.  Surprisingly a very good French bistro. The Hollywood W is the new “IT” place to be and it shows.  

I Wish I Wasn’t A Fan

Another heartbreaking loss that has become all too common. 

In honor of the coach who made Marquette Basketball matter. Hopefully today’s game isn’t a white knuckler. Go Warriors!

Happy Birthday Michelle.  May the luck of the Irish find you.  And to clarify, that’s “good” luck.

#1 in progress. Business has been busy.  As we work toward getting into the manufacturing trade, we decided we could use another hand.  Our job ad garnered 150 resumes in three days.  From those 150 we were able to narrow the field down to 25 qualified applicants.  We then emailed those 25 applicants with a set of questions to answer.  With the additional info,…

We had an earthquake this morning, but I slept through it.  With my back in its current condition I will be unable to take cover if the big one hits any time soon.  

The field is set and MU continued to overachieve with a six seed.  Not exactly happy with the match up with the Washington Huskies, but a sweet 16 run is definitely doable.  Win Thursday and I’ll be in San Jose on Saturday. 

Had my bi-annual back throw out party today.  Watching Brittany’s first club soccer scrimmage in three months helped ease the pain for a couple of hours, but man does back pain suck.

#15 in progress. Read Superfreakonomics, the follow up to Freakonomics and learned one very important fact… Pimps provide better value than Real Estate Agents. 

#2 in progress. We ventured downtown to try The Edison.  Great libations and high end bar food.  The place is huge and maintains much of the architecture and artifacts from when it was L.A.’s first power plant.

I chose the wrong year to miss the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden. Warriors win again.

Brit had her first softball game today, and despite not being totally comfortable out there she played great.  She played second base, made six out of seven plays that included a Willie Mays style catch that garnered raves from both teams, and went 3 for 4 at the plate.

#1 in progress. Placed an ad on craigslist yesterday afternoon for a part time assistant and the response has been eye opening. So far, I have a stack of about 60 resumes and they keep coming.  About 80% are college graduates. Many went to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. A few are USC alums.  And we have one from Princeton.

I was 6 for 9.  I still don’t think Sandy should’ve won it, but it was the best speech of the night.  Hurt Locker writer wins an Oscar for his first screenplay.  Encouraging.  Or not. Jeff Bridges’ win is long over due. Sometimes the Oscar has an adverse effect on those who win him.  I really hope that’s the case for Mo’Nique.  And finally, Tom…

Memory of the Week

Each day I sit in front of my computer for a couple of hours and try to write something worthwhile.  Some days I manage a couple of pages, while others just a couple of words. On the days when my writing output sucks, it’s nice to have this blog where the writing is simple.  Which brings us to #74. Writing about memories is a…

#2 in progress.  Tried Thomas Keller’s Bouchon in Beverly Hills last night.  Tried escargot (pictured) for the first time and became a huge fan.

My Predictions. Best Picture – The Hurt Locker. I thought it was an intense and virtually flawless war movie.  Avatar was an experience I’ve never had at the movies, but in five or ten years when 3D is the norm it will remembered as the first, not the best. Best Director – Kathryn Bigelow. She’ll be the first woman director to win, and deservedly…

Happy 60th Birthday to my Brother-In-Law, Tom.  Seems like just yesterday you were in your fifties.  Celebrate the day!

Netflixed Law Abiding Citizen.  Sympathized with the villain.

From the pages of last year’s list, Sonia’s quest for the perfect smile took a major step forward today, albeit a painful one.  Under local anesthesia, Sonia had four teeth pulled and two screws inserted into her jaw bone.  I think she’s ready to write a book titled, Be Happy with your Crooked teeth.  Meanwhile, Brittany’s teeth are moving ahead of schedule.

#37 research.  Every year, Restaurant Magazine, the most respected magazine and critic in their field, chooses the top 50 restaurants of the world. Based on 2009’s list, there are only eight top 50 restaurants located in the USA, six of which are in New York City.

Hit the Clippers-Jazz game with Sean to see former Warrior, Wes Matthews.