Getting ready for back to back to back shows in August.

Enjoyed watching the US win the Copa Oro at a proper English Pub with Devin and Sonia.

This is when we created the superhero duo, Underwear Men.

So, I did this to my body last night.

The US soccer team is shaping up to be America’s best team ever, but I’m officially crossing off #85 as a possibility. Not only will it be winter in July 2014 in Brazil, it appears that they are completely unprepared to host the world. Maybe Qutar in 2018.

I know this is mean, Brittany, but you only get your wisdom teeth pulled once.

Pulled off the spare tire trifecta this weekend by eating at a couple of dogs from Jene’s and Jude’s, a burrito from Taco Burrito Palace and a burger from Bills. Oh, and a rib eye steak three out of the four nights.

Actually enjoyed a round of golf.

A Marquette reunion broke out while celebrating Matt’s birthday.

Dinner at Piccolo Sogno Due and drinks at The Roof at the Wit.

Well that was a huge mistake.

Can’t go to Chitown without a couple of dawgs from Gene’s and Jude’s.

Sonia, Brit and I joined a good college buddy and his family at Joe’s Seafood, Stone Crab and Prime Steak to help him celebrate his 40th. Sonia and Brittany ate and ran to see Beyonce perform from her cousin’s luxury box at the United Center. I was luckily not invited.

Love this city, but 95 degrees and deathly humid.

You can still get a decent meal on a domestic flight. Virgin Airlines.

I learned nothing.

My daughter is now an “adult”. Bittersweet.

Enjoyed the gourmet Mexican restart, YXTA, our tenth new restaurant of the year.

Dropped Brit off at UCR for orientation. Less than a month to go. The other girl is Brit’s future teammate and roommate.

Enjoyed a showing of Bill Murray’s “Stripes” at the LA Historic State Park on the outskirts of downtown.

Tried the Dirty Sanchez burger (ground beef, pastrami) from the El Burger food truck.

July 6, 2012

July 6, 2013

It will take a miracle to meet last year’s numbers, but at least our Facebook fans are still increasing.

We’re getting closer.

Much like The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons, The Inferno was a fun read.

Other then Devin stepping on the scorching hot grill and barbecuing his foot, it was a great 4th.

As long as George is around, I will never be a favorite uncle.

I never said it had to be a good beer. We messed up the yeast part of the equation which resulted in a flat, bitter brew.

Beautiful night at the ballpark with Sonia, Georgeanne and my Dad. Giants lost by a couple of inches.

Although I think it would’ve been a cool project, remembering to take a one second video every day became too much of burden.

Summer Weekend. Food. Pool. Bronco. Repeat.

Thank you for introducing me to nature and sparking my love for animals. I probably never would have cared to travel to Africa if it wasn’t for you.

Their choice for dinner, our choice of movie. Kids picked better.

First time I’ve done this in well over fifteen years.

Father’s Day dinner.

Happy Birthday to my Aunt Ona. Thank you for teaching me and giving me everything most adults at the time deemed inappropriate. Love you.

Beers are bottled. Two weeks away from a tasting. Not optimistic.

Enjoyed the newly opened Hinoki and the Bird in Century City. chili crab toast, beef tartar and baked yam.

“To see ten thousand animals untamed and not branded with the symbols of human commerce is like scaling an unconquered mountain for the first time, or like finding a forest without roads or footpaths, or the blemish of an axe. You know then what you had always been told — that the world once lived and grew without adding machines and newsprint and brick-walled streets and the tyranny of clocks.” ~ Beryl Markham ~

As a kid, I drempt of Africa. Maybe it was because of Alaska, or the safari boat ride at Disneyland, or the National Geographic magazines read while at the dentist’s office. I loved lions and giraffes and elephants, but I hated zoos. I wanted to see these animals roam. Ten days ago I made this dream come true. Signita, the company that manages the 350,000 acre Grumeti Reserve, is considered the best safari company in world, so my expectations were sky high. My expectations were exceeded the minute our 12 seater prop plane landed on the red volcanic rock landing strip in the middle of the Serengeti. We certainly mortgaged our near future for the experience, but, as you have probably guessed by this blog, Sonia and I have vowed to buy memories over retirement planning. My only fear is that this vacation has ruined all future vacations. On our first night, we were awoken at 3am by an animal sniffing at the entrance of our tent. We had only been in camp for about twelve hours when I turned to Sonia and told her I already missed this place. They say an African safari is restorative. They say it fills a hole you didn’t know was there. But for me, I knew the hole was always there. Unfortunately, Africa just ripped it wide open. All I can think about is returning. And while I hope future trips will produce the same magic, I can’t help but be a little pessimisstic. Africa, like the rest of the world is changing. The population is growing expotentially and places so pure are quickly disappearing. We already know that the rhino will be extinct in short time, probably before Brittany graduates college. Elephant poaching is again on the rise as the suddenly rich Chinese crave ivory ashtrays and hairbrush handles. It’s hard to imagine that the great migration will be so great in ten years time because it’s too damn hard to deny the math of population growth. I think that’s what affected me the most. When you see something so great and perferct you immediately think about your children and grandchildren. Even if they don’t get a chance to see an elephant walking slowly and confidently across a grassy plain, just knowing that such a thing and place exists makes the world a better place.

Watching TV for the first time in over ten days, but my mind is on the plains watching the sunset.