I got older and Sonia turned 5.

  
 The only place worthy of my 43rd.

Pearl Jam from henry james on Vimeo.

#14: Pearl Jam.

A year shy of a quarter of a century ago I saw Pearl Jam at the University Theater at Marquette with around a thousand other students. I still have the drumstick that took an entire song to wrestle away from another fan. I couldn’t convince any of my friends to join me, but it remains the greatest concert of my life. Last night’s concert came pretty close. Although I planned this trip around the event, I had no idea Sonia and my Dad were conspiring to make it epic. My dad called in a favor to his friend who just happens to be Pearl Jam’s manager and scored us All Access Passes, the set list and a signed poster from the band.

#41: Nap in a hammock

Enjoyed a mid afternoon Miami escape in a hammock with my wife.

  
Few things better than a pool day.

  
Still not too old for the club.

#42: Lounge by 5 hotel pools

Poolside at the Edition Hotel, Miami.

#12: Vist an American city I’ve never been before: Miami.

  
First things first. A proper Cubano sandwich. 

Birthday weekend in Miami.

Feels good to be on a plane again. It’s been nearly five weeks.

Tried a private supper club. Right up our alley.

#13 Try 10 New LA Restaurants

The Church Key in Hollywood makes at least 10.

Brunch at The Blvd at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, then some early bday shopping at Barneys New York.

#13: Try 10 New LA Restaurants

Enjoyed the Peruvian restaurant, Picca. Then took it back to the 80’s with Air Supply at the Saban. It was a great show but it smelled like grandma.

IMG_7122 from henry james on Vimeo.

#4: “Write one true sentence” Each Month & #76: Write One Leaf aka a page.

Both goals remain strongly on track. When I was a screenwriter, I carried around a small notebook to record the constant stream of noise that filtered through my brain. Whether I was seeing fully formed scenes or hearing bits and pieces of dialogue, it was a constant experience. When I shelved my screenwriting aspirations to make a living the voices in my head slowly, then all of the sudden ceased to speak. I missed the voices, so I put two writing exercises on this year’s list and, just like that, the voices awoke. And now that they’re talking again, whether they make sense or not,  I use instagram as my dump in hopes that they will one day inspire or make their way into a novel.

An incredible brunch followed by a competitive easter hunt that resulted in Rosie finding the “Golden Egg”. We then moved on to the corn hole tourney where Sean and mostly Kim breezed through the competition .  We ended the night with another decadent dinner, but I was too overwhelmed to take a picture.

I took the pictures. Devin was in the bathroom.

We found the miracle worker. Brittany, Sonia and I went to see a physical therapist/chiropractor who, in one session realigned Brittany’s pelvis and made her one inch taller.  He completely relieved Sonia’s and my TMJ.  And most importantly for me, my back pain is gone and I can’t help but stand up straight.

The unveiling of the new Porsche 911 at the Ronald Reagan Library benefiting the Children’s Hospital.

#10 Try all of L.A.’s Iconic Burgers

Pie n Burger in Pasadena. Another tasty burger.

#15: Try 6 downtown coffee houses.

Verve Coffee on Spring Street.

You’re halfway there.

#13 in Progress: Try 10 New Restaurants

Took a client to the relatively new downtown L.A. restaurant, Le Petite Paris. Beautiful space, pretty food.

#49: New Workout

Two months in with TRX. Punishment for cheeseburgers.

Introduction was the best part because LeBron and the Cavs absolutely destroyed the Clippers.

#91: See Five Local Bands

Saw LA band, The Proof at Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, but loved the Nashville opening act, Smooth Hound Smith.

Found a few additions for the garden.

#10: Try all of LA’s Most Iconic Burgers

Straight outta Compton. Mom’s Burgers is a tasty burger in the hood.

#15: Try 6 downtown coffee houses.

Blue Bottle Coffee in the Arts District. I went with a cold brewed New Orleans coffee.

#47: See ten movies in the theater.

A few over the top scenes does not make a good movie, but man, those scenes were funny.

#97 Remove a tattoo.

Twenty Five Twenty years ago I got this tattoo (my sister reminded me I was 23). When deciding on what to get, my eighteen twenty three year old logic was to get something without meaning because you never know how things will play out. But it’s the lack of meaning, as well as not going well with loafers, that I had my first of twelve treatments to have it removed. With that said, it’s a two year process, so #97 will return on next year’s list.

Intense, but very good.

#13: Try 10 New Los Angeles Restaurants

A top notch restaurant in Pasadena.

We attended Brit’s end of the year soccer banquet to celebrate the seniors and the 2nd winningest season in UCR’s history. I know next year’s banquet will come way too fast.

  
#15 Try 6 downtown coffee houses

Another cool one in the arts district.

#19: Read 10 New Books

A good read.

#20: Return to Salsa lessons.

Despite cutting down on my carb intake, as well as working out, I have yet to lose any significant weight. Decided to give this meal prep diet a shot.

Skipped the Oscars to see The Illusionists at the Pantages with my Dad and Georgeanne. Very entertaining.

Excellent dinner at Night + Market.

It was National Marquette Day, so I joined some local alumni to watch the overmatched Warriors lose to the number one team in the nation, Villanova.

 #13: Try 10 new LA restaurants

Lula Cocina. Meh.

I didn’t care for the Revenant, but I think it will clean up on Sunday.