#21 in progress.  Finished Slaughterhouse Five… So it goes.

#72 Complete. We spent the weekend in the Santa Ynez Valley outside of Solvang following the wine appreciation trail seen in the movie Sideways.  Good times.

Looking for wooden shoes in Solvang.

Number 23 in progress. Eating at AJ Spurs in Buellton, CA.

Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs was the movie that probably most inspired me to try my hand at screenwriting.  Like Reservoir Dogs, Inglorious Basterds is full of great scenes and dialogue.  However, unlike Reservoir Dogs, Basterds lacks a solid core and coherent plot.

Once I saw the trailer for the remake of Pelham 1, 2, 3 I felt taken.  I worked with the producer of Pelham for several months on a script I wrote called, The Hostage.  He loved three ideas in particular about my script.  All three things were in the trailer of his Pelham remake.  Was he “inspired” by those ideas?  I’d say without a doubt, but I needed to see the original before I had a clear take.  Well, I just watch the original and I can say with ninety percent certainty that the producer lifted the big ideas from my script and applied them to his remake. But as they say, ideas are a dime a dozen, it’s the execution that makes a movie.  Getting ripped off is a rite of passage I guess.

August Recap. I’ve been thinking about goal #11 since I took on the job when Devin was in the 2nd grade.  Twelve years later we finally got the job done.  Although a bit traumatic, especially for Sonia, it was a successful hand off.  With that said, I managed to knock eight more goals from the list.

What’s done…

#11. Like I said.

#28. After getting knocked down by a wave or two, I made it out on the open water.

#31. Took in a little Yo-Yo Ma

#48. Bike ride to see the freaks of Venice.

#51. Another toy to stalk my every move.

#58. A damn cold walk across the bridge.

#85. Breakfast in bed.

#94. The perfect San Fran Meal.

And the works in progress…

#10. Six weeks into a 100 pushups work out routine.

#12. Almost there.

#18. Yep.

#23. Of course. Tried Lobster in Santa Monica, Le Petite Four & Chateau Marmont on Sunset,  Takimi & O Bar downtown Los Angeles, Ti Couz in San Francisco, Pinot Bistro in Studio City, The Kogi Truck in Venice and Boa in Las Vegas.

#97. It’s just not going to happen.

On to September.

Just finished the big Fantasy Football draft.  Ours is an auction league, so lots of strategy. I had the winning bid for the first two players on the board (Adrienne Peterson and Maurice Jones-Drew), but was broke thereafter. Still, on paper I’m happy with my team.

At Magic Apparel Show in Vegas. Anxious to get back to the craps table.

At Pure Nightclub at Caesar’s Palace.

Cop. Cyndie. Sonia. Elvis.

In Vegas… On Business.  For real.

The hills are on fire again.

One of L.A.’s hottest restaurants at the moment is the roach coach, Kogi Truck. Lines to order the Korean BBQ are sometimes a hundred deep. Luckly we spotted it in Venice before a major line formed. Pretty damn good.

Interesting, but dry.

But it’s dry heat.

Surprised it took me so long to see this.  I really enjoyed it.

#7 not done yet.  Eliminated three credit cards today.  One more and it’s sayonara bad debt.

Took Brittany to see District 9 to keep her distracted from the lingering pain of her morning oral surgery.  I was really looking forward to this one, but overall I was let down.

#11 Complete.  At approximately 12:30p.m. on Sunday, August 23rd 2009, on the corner of Powell and O’Farrell in San Francisco, Sonia, Brittany and I hugged Devin goodbye and wished him luck on the next chapter of his life.  A bittersweet day for all of us.

#85 done. Enjoyed some eggs benedict in bed.

#23 in progress. Met some old high school friends for dinner at this French place in San Francisco’s Mission district. Tres bein.

Moved Devin In.

#94 Finished.  Enjoyed a bowl of calm chowder in a bread bowl at Fisherman’s Wharf where mom used to take Sean and me as kids.

We’ve arrived.

4am at the Donut Shop. Preparing for the drive to San Francisco.

The time has come to shove one of the birdies from the nest. Fly, boy.

Stupid.

Won 3 of 4 to take 2nd place. Brit played great and scored 7 of the 15 goals. Unfortunately we probably lost one of girls to a torn ACL.

Pre game nap.

#24 in progress. Made yet another downtown L.A. restaurant discovery last night.  This time we joined friends at O bar for a tapas style dinner.  Loved it.

Back to soccer weekends. We win 7-0 in game one. Brit scored 4.

I finally saw a real doctor for the first time in ten years.  Nothing has changed since the last time I saw one.  You still have to wait forever to see the guy.  However, when I finally got in I was told that my blood pressure was absolutely normal which was a huge relief as I could not have given up food and cheer if it wasn’t.

#24 in Progress. After living in the Valley for eleven years (not to mention the same apartment) we finally ate at Pinot Bistro. The food and wine was excellent.

#98 in progress.

1. Kiss Sonia at Midnight on January 1st
2. Attend Sundance Film Festival
3. Grow our Business
4. Visit Gustavus, Alaska
5. Write at Least Five Entries on My Grandfather’s Office

I like it.  My managers rep the writer which proves that they can shepherd a small, character driven movie to the big screen.  So maybe I’m the problem.

Thinking about #3.  Mexico and Canada are too easy. Only a few months left.

#24 in progress. Takimi is an impressive place on the 21st floor of a downtown L.A. skyscraper.  Although nothing can touch our Kiwami sushi,  the food at Takimi was very good.

#24 in progress. Had dinner at Chateau Marmont on Sunset. Most famous for being the place John Belushi overdosed and died, the place oozes with Hollywood history. Saw a couple of celebs, had horrible service, above average food and a great date with Sonia.

24 in progress. Tried Le Petite Four on Sunset. Not Great.

#24 in progress. Ate at The Lobster in Santa Monica.  Sonia brought me there to see the sun set in the west, but a hill got in the way. Nevertheless, the food was excellent.