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.  Because I hadn’t made a mix tape since High School, I thought it would be fun to compile one for this list.  As I journeyed back in time I was surprised to learn two things.  The first was that my most memorable songs are not among my most favorite songs, and in some cases barely tolerable.  The second surprise was that no song was important enough for me to remember until I was ten and stopped being important all together when I was about twenty eight.  I guess that’s why they say never trust anyone over thirty.  The music stops.

The Kenwood Playlist:

1. “Karma Chameleon” by Boy George and the Culture Club. 

2. “Every Breath You Take” by The Police

3. “Thriller” by Michael Jackson

Why: The first three songs are grouped together because the albums they were a part of were the first ones I ever owned.  My parents gave me a “ghetto blaster” and those three cassette tapes for my tenth birthday.  My Mom left it up to the clerk at K-Mart to chose these seminal albums that helped shape me as I listened to them over and over again.  Easy to see why I didn’t become a longshoreman. 

4. “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel (see above)

5. “Peter Piper” by Run DMC 

Why: My Dad returned home from a business trip in 1986 with Run DMC’s monumental album, Raising Hell.  I was the first kid on the block to have it and milked the fame it brought me.

6. “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS.

Why: The song that marked my first puppy love in the summer between 8th and 9th grade.  Ironically, it was a love that was easy to tear apart. 

7. “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley.

Why: It was 1988 and I was a 15 year old kid spending the summer in Gustavus, Alaska.  I got a job as a “housekeeper” at the Glacier Bay Lodge.  I use the term “housekeeper” lightly because I wasn’t very good at what I did.  In fact, I often didn’t change the sheets between guests. Sorry, I was 15.  Anyway, it was one of those summers that will be forever etched in my mind.  The song was my commute tune.  My grandmother would wake me at 4am, feed me and my grandfather (also Kenwood) with a bowl of oatmeal, and send us off to work.  Still dark, I kickstarted the motorcycle, embedded the sony walkman headphones into my ears and headed off into the Alaskan wilderness.  I would often pass moose or bears along the ten mile dirt road singing “Three Little Birds” in my best Rastafarian voice.

8. “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin.

Why: One of my best friends was the first to get a car in High School, so it was always packed with kids.  Every day after school, five of us would pile into his Volkswagen Rabbit (surprisingly nobody made fun of him for that) and cranked up the Zeppelin. When I think Zeppelin, I think freedom.

9. “Fuck The Police” by NWA

Why: The following April I became of driving age and chose Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Easy E to announce my arrival.  On the rare occasion that I hear their songs I am instantly transported to those days when I’d drive through wine country with my windows open and “Fuck the Police” blasting through the speakers.  If I’m able to complete number 37, I think I’ll roll up to The French Laundry with NWA thumping on the sound system.

10. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana.

Why: The birth of grunge. Whether you like this song or not, if you are my age, this is the song of your era. 

11. “The Sky is Crying” by Stevie Ray Vaughn

Why: As a senior in High School, my best friend Waldow introduced me to this amazing guitar player.  It was as if I had been listening to fluff my whole life.  Looking back, I can’t think of my senior year without thinking of Stevie.

12. “Wild World” by Cat Stevens

Why: FFP at Marquette University. It was a culture shock that catapulted me into a different life.  I remember standing at the window in my room at McCormick Hall on 15th and Wisconsin Ave in Milwaukee. Cat Stevens was belting out “Wild World” as I watched the homeless and drunk college kids interact on the streets below.  At the time I wondered what the Hell I had gotten myself into.  But it wasn’t long before I knew I was home.

13. “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” by Brooks and Dunn.

Why: In one of my most embarrassing periods, I had a country phase my freshman year of college.  Rather than room with my good friends, I chose to stay at East Hall because it was the only building on campus with ESPN.  Turns out it was also the building that had Country Music Television.  Unfortunately for me, most of the kids at East Hall were there for the Country Music Television and not ESPN.  And seeing how I was outnumbered, I came to “appreciate” country music for a half second.  Not only did I listen to “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”, I actually became quite good at singing it.  I don’t think there was a week that didn’t go by over the next three years that one of my buddies didn’t request a rendition.

14. “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrex.

Why: The summer between freshman and sophomore year in Roslyn, Washington with my buddy Waldow.  It was the summer of hard labor.  When we weren’t roofing in 100 degree weather, we were jack hammering sidewalk.  After eight hours of brain concussing work, Waldow and I would commute back to my Aunt Ona’s house listening to Jimi.  It was also the summer of grunge and we had a front row seat to the beginnings of Sound Garden, Alice in Chains & Pearl Jam.

15. “Jeremy” by Pearl Jam.

Why: I returned to Marquette in the fall of 92’ and told all of my friends about the grunge movement.  As fate would have it, Pearl Jam booked a show at the tiny Varsity Theatre at Marquette.  Unfortunately, I was a horrible salesman because I was unable to persuade any of my friends to join me for the concert.  However, these were the same friends that I was unable to convince to join me to witness Robin Yount’s 3000th hit.  Seriously, Matt, what else did you have to do? Getting back to the Pearl Jam concert, I ended up going with my “country” friends from East Hall and it turned out to be the best concert I have ever attended.  

16. “In A Daydream” by The Freddie Jones Band.

Why: My buddy Packy and I followed this semi famous Chicago band throughout Milwaukee for a couple of years.  I remember catching a cab from McCormick Hall to a bar on the far East side of Milwaukee and watching a show.  A dozen songs and beers later, we stepped out into the frigid night (9 degrees) and decided it would be cheaper to walk home.  We could have died that night.  Instead, we warmed up in various bars on the way home.  I specifically remember line dancing that night.

17. “Satellite” by Dave Matthews Band.

Why: I am a Dave Matthews fan to this day. I continue to go to his concerts despite the cloud of pot that permeates the air.  This is the song that never stopped when I lived with Packy and Dave my sophomore year.

18. “Crash”  Dave Matthews

Why: The last song of my playlist is still one of my favorites.  The year is 1998 and I met a girl named, Sonia. It’s our song.

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 having fun. 

What’s done.

#63. Bought some candy from my brother, Sean.  Glad to see him break through and follow his dream.

What’s In Progress.

#1. We’re still growing, but it’s getting tougher. Still, the sky’s the limit.  We also hired a couple of employees.

#2. Experienced six new L.A. eateries which included, Bouchon, The Edison, Delphine, Thompson Hotel, Downtown Taco Truck & The Lazy Ox Canteen. The highlight was escargot at Bouchon.  

#15. Read Freakonomics. Good, not great.

Back to April.

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 juice
¾ ounce agave nectar
½ ounce ginger syrup
1 teaspoon chipotle puree
1 strip red bell pepper
4 lime wedges
2 ounces tequila or mezcal
1 small piece beef jerky

#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. Will
Sunday, 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 8-1. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire, with center fielder Torii Hunter in tow, met with Red Sox manager Terry Francona to assure him that Hunter had not intentionally sinned.

With the Twins seven runs ahead in the bottom of the eighth, with two outs and no one on and a 3-0 count, Hunter had swung hard at a pitch. According to baseball’s common law, he should not have swung at all.

This episode is recounted in Jason Turbow’s “The Baseball Codes” about the game’s unwritten rules. Just as the common law derives from ancient precedents – judges’ decisions – rather than statutes, baseball’s codes are the game’s distilled mores. Their unchanged purpose is to show respect for opponents and the game.

In baseball, as in the remainder of life, the most important rules are unwritten. But not unenforced.

With the Red Sox down seven runs with three outs remaining, it was, according to the codes, time to “play soft.” With the count 3-0, Hunter knew a fastball strike was coming from a struggling pitcher whose job was just to end the mismatch. Over 162 games, every team is going to get drubbed, so every team favors an ethic that tells when to stop stealing bases, when to not tag at third and try to score on a medium-deep fly ball, when not to bunt a runner from first to second.

But, Turbow notes, the codes require judgments conditioned by contingencies. Although the team on top late in a lopsided game does not stop trying to hit, it stops pressing to manufacture runs. But how big a lead is “big enough”? Well, how bad is the leading team’s bullpen? Does the losing team score runs in bunches? Where is the game being played? In launching pads such as Wrigley Field and Fenway Park? In the thin air of Denver’s Coors Field?

The codes are frequently enforced from the pitcher’s mound. When a fastball hits a batter’s ribs, he is reminded to stop peeking to see where – inside or outside – the catcher is preparing to receive the pitch. In 1946, Dodger Hugh Casey threw at Cardinals shortstop Marty Marion while Marion was standing out of the batter’s box – but closer to it than Casey thought proper – in order to time Casey’s warm-up pitches.

Traditionally, baseball punishes preening. In a society increasingly tolerant of exhibitionism, it is splendid when a hitter is knocked down because in his last at-bat he lingered at the plate to admire his home run. But it was, Turbow suggests, proper for the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols, after hitting a home run, to flip his bat high in the air to show up Pirates pitcher Oliver Perez, who earlier in the game had waved his arms to celebrate getting Pujols out.

The consensus was that the codes were not violated when, during Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak in 1941, with one out in the bottom of the eighth and a Yankee runner on first and DiMaggio, who was hitless, on deck, Tommy Henrich bunted just to avoid a double play and assure DiMaggio another chance to extend the streak. Which he did.

In the codes, as in law generally, dogmatism can be dumb. The rule is that late in a no-hitter, the first hit must not be a bunt. So the Padres’ Ben Davis was denounced for his eighth-inning bunt that broke up Curt Schilling’s perfect game. But the score was 2-0; the bunt brought to the plate the potential tying run.

Cheating by pitchers often operates under a “don’t ask, don’t tell” code. When George Steinbrenner demanded during a game that Yankees manager Lou Piniella protest that Don Sutton of the Angels was scuffing the ball, Piniella said, “The guy [Tommy John] who taught Don Sutton everything he knows about cheating is the guy pitching for us tonight.” When a reporter asked Gaylord Perry’s 5-year-old daughter if her father threw a spitball, she replied, “It’s a hard slider.”

When the Yankees’ Deion (“Neon Deion”) Sanders barely moved toward first after popping up to short, White Sox catcher Carlton Fisk, 42, a keeper of the codes, screamed: “Run the [expletive] ball out, you piece of [expletive] – that’s not the way we do things up here!” Were Fisk and his standards out of date? As has been said, standards are always out of date – that is why we call them standards.

#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.  

#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 around the house and the car.  Most of them contain bits of pieces of a story that will hopefully give birth to a decent novel. 

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 and I hit the couch for a nap. Woke up groggy an hour later and caught up on some work while Sonia concocted a new cocktail for me to try. An hour or so later we convened in the back yard for a shrimp dinner.  Not bad.

Dinner at Dad’s.

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.”  She looks at me with tears in her eyes and says, “you don’t get it dad, failure is not an option for me.”  "Then why do you have a C in spanish?“, I said.  She laughed and her woe is me moment was forgotten.

#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.

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.  

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 narrowed the field down to five applicants for face to face interviews. Four of the five would have made great additions, but ultimately it came down to two.  After much deliberation, we decided to hire both.  We are now a company of five.  Scary and exciting.

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 Hanks has no sense of drama.

#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 so.  She somehow directed Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze in the same movie (Point Break) and managed to have a career.
• Best Actor – Jeff Bridges. I haven’t seen Crazy Heart yet, but Jeff is one of my favorite actors.  How he hasn’t won an Oscar and Jamie Foxx has is a travesty.
• Best Actress – Meryl Streep.  I like Sandra Bullock just fine, but The Blind Side is a formulaic popcorn movie.  It’s inspiring, but so was Rudy.  Did Rudy deserve an Oscar? Take this scene from the Blind Side:  Woman, “You’re changing that boy’s life.” Take a wild guess at what Sandra’s response is.  I’m not going to tell you because you already know.  And if you can write the dialogue, Oscar has no place in the discussion.
• Supporting Actor – Christopher Waltz. Quentin Tarantino writes meaty parts for everyone in his movies, but Waltz made Nazis fun.
• Supporting Actress – Mo’Nique. Ugh.
• Original Screenplay- Quentin Tarantino. He’s probably too famous and colorful to pass up.  The Hurt Locker dude probably deserves it, but…
• Adapted Screenplay – Jason Reitman. I’d give it to the District 9 guy, but Reitman seems to have this one.
• Best Animated Film – Up.  It’s also nominated for best film, so if it doesn’t win best animated film then the voters are stupid.
• The other categories are for bathroom and snack breaks.

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.