New Year's Eve

Well, I am home from my vacation and as usual I had a great time but I'm glad to be home. Seven days of non-stop fun included skiing, hiking and visiting friends and family. I took about 100 photos plus several short movies, several of which I will upload in upcoming posts. It will be 2006 in 20 minutes and then I will sleep for an entire day.

Case Grande

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Beer at Loco Lizard Cantina

Me drinking a local beer at the Loco Lizard near Park City

Virgin River

Where I spent Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve Eve

For the first time ever I will be spending Christmas away from home, mainly because my "home" no longer exists. I have spent every Christmas I can remember at my parents house, but that house was sold after my Dad passed away earlier this year. So this year I am traveling with my brother and his wife to visit relatives in Utah. We leave via car on Christmas Eve morning, spending the night in Mesquite (at a Casino) and then driving on to SLC Christmas morning. I am look forward to this vacation. I will be spending time with relatives, going skiing, seeing friends and visiting national parks. Many good photo opportunities await me too, so expect more blog posts during the next week.

Merry Christmas!

Holiday Willow Exclusive

Just arrived unexpectedly in the mailbox - a gift from Diamond Select Toys.

Added 12/23/05:

Apparently, I am one of the first to receive this figure, judging by the buzz on the Buffy/Angel Figures forum. I plan on keeping this figure, not selling it on Ebay. Next year at Comic-Con in San Diego I will have to thank the staff at the DST booth, and yes, I will continue to buy their figures at their web store.

Go Chargers!

First the Chargers went into New England and stopped their home game winning streak. Now they have traveled to Indy and won BIG, ending the Colts hope for an undefeated season. You know what they say about streaks - they're made to be broken.

More Christmas Cheer

Christmas Cheer!

Catalan Cathedral

Pictured left is the inside of the Catalan Cathedral located in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona. When I walked inside the Cathedral I was overcome with emotions. The architecture was breathtaking and at the same time the sound of the pipe organ made me think of my dad and how much he would have enjoyed hearing the music. Even though the organist was just practicing, the sound of a pipe organ is always very powerful. I have many memories of listening to pipe organ music with my dad so I always think of him when I hear a pipe organ.

As the music was playing, I walked around the Cathedral and was amazed by the detail of the small chapels, columns and even benches. (I recorded a short movie with sound that I will post when I can reduce the file size to less than 5 MB.) I would recommend this Cathedral as a must-see for anyone visiting Barcelona.

Nose Emergency

For the first time ever I had to call 911. I resisted, but when I felt like I was going to pass out I figured it was the best thing to do. After putting my new registration sticker on my car, I stood up and "bamm!", I slammed my nose and forehead into my bike rack. This took out a chunk of skin on my nose and a small cut on my forehead. Once I got the bleeding stopped, I rested, but then began to feel faint, dizzy, numb and my heart was racing fast - all signs of shock. So I called 911 and they sent out the usual crew of paramedics and firemen. They took my pulse and blood pressure and said I wasn't going to die, but I might need a skin graft and a tetanus shot. After they left I felt much better and luckily I didn't have to be taken to the hospital. I hope my nose heals without too much of a scar.

Sunday followup:

I went to the urgent care facility at my doctor's office today and after two hours I left with a tetanus shot. They said the paramedics were crazy because I don't need a skin graft - the cut will heal just fine. I think the paramedics were just looking for some business for the hospital.

Hotel 1898

While in Barcelona I stayed at Hotel 1898. I must say that this is the fanciest hotel I've ever been to (compared to Marriotts and Embassy Suites). The staff was very friendly, helpful and best of all they spoke English (except the bartender - more on that later). My room was a quiet, interior room with a courtyard view. At first I had a problem figuring out how to turn on the lights. There were no switches anywhere! Then I saw a place near the door for the room key. When I inserted the key, the lights came on. So I removed the key, and about 30 seconds later the lights turned off. So the key needs to be inserted while I'm in the room. The king sized bed took up most of the floor space, which is fine because most of my time in the room is spent sleeping. The bathroom was very elegant and had a nice large shower. There was a LCD TV (not HDTV) with various Spanish, German and English channels. I ended up mostly watching a German video music channel which tended to replay the same songs, most of which I hadn't seen before including the new Madonna and Green Day videos.

During the stay there were two small problems. One afternoon the power was out, and a bellboy had to open up the room, and one morning there was no hot water, making for a very cold shower! Apparently these things happen with a new hotel (it opened in October).

One evening I decided to have a drink at the bar before going out for dinner. I ordered an apple martini and the bartender didn't understand me. He finally figured out "apple" and proceeded to pour me a glass of apple liqueur on the rocks. I said "No, a martini!". They he realized I wanted Vodka, so he poured Vodka in my glass until I said "good". Then he did the same with a Martini mix and gave me a stirring straw. After mixing this concoction, it wasn't too far off, except it wasn't in the proper glass.

I would recommend this hotel to anyone staying in Barcelona. It is within walking distance of many sites, including the Gothic Quarter, shopping district, and even the Temple de la Sagrada Familia if you don't mind walking farther.

I Can't Figure this out!

If you know how they do it, let me know. The ball is always right!

Traveling to Europe

As you might have read, I just got back from my first European vacation. I was glad I was traveling with someone who had been to Europe before and knew what he was doing. I may have gotten lost had I traveled alone. The first leg of the trip, from home to Chicago, was easy enough. However, we almost had a disaster getting to our connecting flight. The monitor indicated that it was delayed, so we took our time eating dinner. On our way to the gate, we heard, "Last call for ... you have two minutes before the plane leaves." Holly cow! We ran as fast as we could, arriving just as the door was closing. The let us on, but I'm sure everyone was staring at us, thinking that we delayed the flight. After that run, I realize that I was way out of shape. Once we found our seats, which were the last three to be filled, we buckled in for our long cross-Atlantic flight.

We were seated in the center isle, with a bulkhead (the bathrooms) behind us, so our seats didn't recline, plus there was NO leg room for tall people like my brother and I. Anyways, after an hour into the flight, they served food. Having just eaten a large burrito, I wasn't ready to eat, but I never pass on a meal opportunity. Traveling on a foreign airline, Iberia, is like traveling on a domestic airline five years ago. They serve a hot meal with metal forks and knives. The food wasn't very good, second grade chicken, but I got a very small can of beer at no extra cost.

I tried several times to sleep, and just when I was about to doze off, the lights came back on and the airline attendants were out with the carts serving another meal. Was this breakfast? It was only 9PM Pacific time, but 6AM local time. So much for sleep - time to start the next day.

The was rising as we landed in Madrid, where we were in for a three hour layover. After disembarking the plane, we had to go through passport control. I showed the customs agent my passport, and he stamped it without even talking to me or looking at me. This was my first stamp ever, and he used a page in the middle of the book. After killing a few hours by trying to sleep on the airport chairs, it was time to fly to Barcelona. That flight only took one hour, but we had to take a bus from the gate to our plane, and that trip took about five minutes. Apparently, there are not enough gates for all the airplanes.

When we landed in Barcelona, we gathered our checked luggage and headed outside to find the forth member of our crew, Karen.
Never once was my carry-on baggage checked. I was nervous because I had prescription medicine, and I was afraid they might think the pills were some illegal drug. I even brought a copy of my prescription to prove they weren't. From the airport, we took a cab to our hotel and after checking in, the fun began.

Must Defend the Fort

I'm defending Barcelona from attackers by sea. I'm not sure when this gun was last used, but it doesn't look that old. It sits outside a fort at the top of a hill, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. We took the Metro (subway) to get to the base of the hill just to find out that the Funicular was under repair. There was a bus that took us up most of the way, but we had to walk the rest (no one else was walking up the path). From the fort we walked down to the Olympic stadium and then the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC). The Olympic doesn't look like it has been used much in the past year. Perhaps a soccer game or two. At this point I regretted not bringing my jacket, the temperature was turning cold and the wind picked up. I was glad to enter the MNAC to warm up. We purchased our tickets and proceeded to wander the four different rooms, which included art and sculptures from Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and modern.There were people in each room that watched you very carefully to make sure you don't take photos or get too close to any exhibit. I tried to read some of the descriptions of the art work but after a while it just became a string of meaningless words. I'm sure my college humanities professor would have been proud of me for at least trying to learn something new. After a few hours it was time to head back to the hotel. A short walk to the Metro where we zipped to a stop near our hotel for a short break before dinner.

Group Photo in Barcelona

The only group photo we took in Barcelona. We're sitting at Park Guell, a place where Antoni Gaudi lived for a while. We stopped her during our last day as we rode a tourist bus. As you can see, it is a clear, sunny day. However, it was also quite cold.

Barcelona Vacation is over.

Another looong plane flight home yesterday may for a very looong Friday. Having a five hour layover in Madrid and a three hour stop at JFK didn't help. However, after a sleeping for 10 hours last night I am ready to adjust by to my normal routine. I'll have pictures to post soon from my vacation so stay tuned.

Happy Thanksgiving from Barcelona

I just had my first Thanksgiving meal outside the USA and for the first time in 38 years not with my dad or parents. I ate a turkey dinner at a Hard Rock Cafe in Barcelona. The food was just that, food, but still a fun experience spent with my sister, brother and sister-in-law. Tomorrow I wake up at 4:30 AM (that´s 8:30 PM for you folks back home) to catch my long flight home. Tired I will be but glad to sleep in my own bed.

Museums in Barcelona.

Today was a day of visiting museums. First off was Museu D´Historia De La Ciutat, which is built on Roman ruins. You walk down below ground, but above the digs. Kind of interesting to see the Roman influence in Barcelona. Next we went to the Museu Picasso, which had many of Picasso´s drawings, paintings and ceramic works. Evey room had a guard that watched your every move. There were only a few of his more famous ¨Cubic¨ paintings - mostly just drawings that look like they were drawn by a child. Lastly we journeyed to the Museu De La Xocolata. There is only so much to look at witm a museum dedicated to Chocolate. Some interesting chocolate scuptures and that´s about it. Our only plan tonight is dinner, and all the food thus far has been great.

I'm in Barcelona!

I'm finishing up my second full day in Barcelona, Spain. Somehow I lost Saturday. I left early Saturday morning and arrived Sunday afternoon. I set a record with about 27 hours of awakeness. I was sooooo tired on Monday, but that didn't stop me from walking almost non-stop for six hours. I will post photos of the sights I've seen when I return home. For now, I have two more full days to tour this unique city.

First Trip to Europe

This weekend I leave on my first trip to Europe. I am traveling with my family to Barcelona, Spain for one week. My only other trip out of the country was to Mexico, and that doesn't count. I will get my first stamp in my new passport, officially making me a world traveler. I will have my new digital camera and plan on taking photos of everything, including the pillows in the hotel room. Yes, there are many hours to be spent on an airplane, and I will be tired the whole time, but hopefully my excitement will keep me going. The only downside is that I may not have a job when I return!

Expensive Car Day

I took today off work to get some chores done, and ended up spending way to much money on my car. First I took the car to Toyota for an oil change, and asked them to look at my brakes, which felt "funny" when I press them. Turns out the disc was warped and I needed a complete front-end brake job. They completed that work within an hour and now by breaks feel great. I was stopping just for the fun of it. After a quick lunch I drove to Costco to get my tires rotated, which they do for free since I bought my tires there. When I went to pick up my car they said that there was a nail in one tire and it couldn't be repaired because it was near the sidewall. However, they told me that another Costco had the tires in stock and they could pro-rate a new tire or even two so I wouldn't have just one new tire. So I drove to the next Costco and after they looked at my tires, I found out that because I have an all wheel drive car, they have to replace all the tires, they can't do just two. That was the bad news. The good news is that since my tires were about 50% worn, they gave me a set of four new tires at 50% off. So now I have a new set of tires that will hopefully last for 40,000 miles (which is a lot for me because of the way I drive). So after waiting for over four hours for car work to be done and driving all over town, I can finally enjoy my day off work.

Angel, Fred, Illyria and Star Trek Figures

My next shipment of figures has already arrived! This time around not only do I get Angel action figures, but also Star Trek figures for the first time in over a year. Star Trek will never die.

Illyria from the final season of Angel.

Pylean Demon Angel. It was these episodes that got me watching Angel.

Fred, who was discovered in Pylea.

Vampire Angel with his son Conner.

Dax from Deep Space Nine, Trials and Tribble-ations episode.

Other figures I bought but are not pictured here are Sisko and O'Brien from DS9, The Ring Angel, Season 5 Angel and Shells Illyria.

Time to Vote

For those of you who are having elections in your state today, get out and vote! If you live in San Diego, you get to choose who your next mayor is. I won't tell you how I voted, but let's just say, stay away from "DF".

Hike in Los Peñasquitos Canyon

Crossing the "river".

Young's Double Chocolate Stout

One of the "Beers of the World".

Bones, The 4400 and Alias

Time for a post about television shows. I saw an episode of The 4400 at this years Comic-con and it looked good enough to add to my "watch" list. After viewing several episodes, I decided that I just wasn't interested in what happened to the characters, so I stopped watching. Time to erase this show from my DVR (Digital Video Recorder).

Last year I had a few people tell me how good Alias is, so I watched every episode last season. Each time I felt that I was missing something. The plots were too confusing and each episode concluded too quickly. The last episode of the season was a cliff-hanger, so I watched the season premier, and once again I was confused by all the plot twists. I understand the concept of "suspension of belief", but nobody can travel around the world that quickly! Since I have five or six recorded episodes to watch, I may just give up on this series and delete them all.

Another show I saw for the first time at Comic-Con was Bones. This series showed promise: good actors and original story lines. I finally saw the second episode last night and felt that the show still has potential. With a little work on the acting, writing and directing I believe Bones could be a hit. However, that doesn't mean it won't be canceled.

I try to watch new shows, but end up sticking with the classics like The Simpsons and Charmed.

Halloween 2005

For the first time in four years I had trick-or-treaters come by on Halloween. Two, to be exact. Last year no kids came to my house. I found out a week later that my front light was burnt out, so they assumed no one was home. Two years ago the neighborhood had just about burned to the ground by the big fire, and the air was thick with smoke and ash keeping all children at home. So now I have almost two bags of candy to get rid of. I'll keep half here and take the rest to work where it will surly be devoured.

TCU at SDSU - Homecoming Game

New Computer

Last week I bought a new computer. I average a new computer once every five years. That is a long time for someone like me, who spends his whole day working with computers and software. I upgraded from a PIII 667 MHz to a P4 3.0 GHz duel core processor with 1 GByte of RAM and a 200 GByte hard drive. If your are impressed by these numbers then you need to get a life! I am only beginning to realize what I can do with this new computer. Soon I'll be burning DVDs and even connecting over a wireless network!

Go White Sox!

I'm happy that the White Sox won, even though I'm a National League (specifically, the Padres) team fan. I wish the Astros had won at least one game, but Houston will have another chance at the World Series sometime soon. Next year it would be great if the Cubs won the title - just keep that "Bartman" guy away from the game. Now that the endless baseball season is over, it is time to concentrate on football, American style. Go Charger!

Wilma Heads Towards Key West

I've always wanted to experience a (weak) hurricane for some crazy reason, and if I were still in Key West I'd get to ride though a strong one tonight. Wilma is heading more south towards the Keys, as 80% of the residence hunker down for the night. Since my next trip there isn't until next year, all damage should be repaired and life on the island back to normal. Speaking of bad weather (because there is nothing else to talk about), it has been so gloomy here that I feel like jumping off my roof Seattle style (not really). I guess this weather is better than exactly two years ago when the big fire driven by warm, dry Santa Ana winds forced me to evacuate by house.

Gwen Stefani Solo Tour

Just got back from seeing Gwen Stefani on her "Harajuku Lovers" tour ( I still don't know what "Harajuku" means). It was a good concert, but nothing like No Doubt. The No Doubt concerts I've seen have more energy, and of course, more songs. Tonight Gwen Stefani basically just sung each song from her solo album, adding some extended endings and lots of "San Diego" shouts. What was missing from her songs were the guest vocals, like Eve on Rich Girl. That song just didn't sound the same live. However, the base player sang a few solo lines, and her voice was really strong and clear. I could have done without the break-dancers on the stage - I thought that died out in 1984! Anyways, I'm glad I went to the concert but now it is time for another No Doubt album and tour.

Wesley, Loren, Buffy and Faith Action Figures

New Buffy and Angel arrived this week - a total of 11 new action figures. This series included four Wesley and three Lorne figures, plus Buffy and Faith "deluxe" figures. The "deluxe" figures have more "points of articulation", meaning that they are more bendable. Since I don't take them out of their packaging, that means nothing to me.

These action figures will be going on my wall for display, soon to be joined my even more new figures that just went on sale: Angel, Fred and Illyira. I can't keep up!

Baseball Playoffs

Even though I'm disappointed that the Padres didn't win one game in the NLDS, I am glad that there are different teams that did win, like the Angles and White Sox. I'm tired of the Yankees winning, and Boston won last year so it is time for some other team to make it to the world series. Right now I'm rooting for Astros vs. Angels (although White Sox would be fine too).

Marina In Key West

This is a view from the Half Shell Raw Bar in Key West. The fish at this restaurant is very fresh. I've had my fill of fish during my stay on the island.

I got home last night around 10pm without my luggage. American Airlines had it delivered this morning to my house, after waking me at 7:15. I'm suffering from jet-lag and am thinking about taking a mid-morning nap.

Room View in Key West

This is the view from my hotel room in Key West. Looks nice. Too bad I never went swimming. I did walk by the pool many times on the way to the pool bar, where I drank Hurricanes and Yingling beer. Yingling is very common on the East Coast. Every bar seems to serve it and it doesn't taste too bad.

I spent most of my free time sleeping, eating and watching movies. I saw Corpse Bride and Lord of War. One was a basically a fairy tale and the other was violent and depressing. Guess which is which. Both were good.

Angry in Virginia Beach

Here is the photo I've been trying to upload for the past week. They have these signs all over in Virginia Beach. I had to get a photo of one with me disobeying it. Nearby shop owners were giving us strange looks. I had never been to the beach part of Virginia Beach. It looks like a fun place to be during the Summer. After Labor Day eveyone goes home for the Winter.

Key West Stay

I was going to come home a day early but the airplane ticket was $500 more, so my boss axed that idea. If it is not raining then I will try to do something other than watch a movie during my extra day. Hopfully rain will not keep me here longer on Thursday.

Trip Report

I've been trying to upload photos from my phone, but Blogger keeps rejecting them. Once I figure the problem out I will have some interesting pictures to share from my trip.

Beer at Smokey Bones

After this beer I got a free beer because I was the only one drinking Guinness and they had an extra.

KGB Skyshow Fireworks

They said it was going to be louder than last year, so out came the earplugs. Actually, I found the show boring. There were no new special effects, no original theme and very little other than lots of fireworks. At least the Aztecs won their first game of the year.

SDSU Game/KBG Sky Show -- Beer!

Michele (with one "l") looking for a way to escape our drunken group.

TD-18/TS Rita Wins

My trip to KW is postponed due to Rita. I'll try again next week, just in time for the next storm.

Tropical Depression EIGHTEEN

This storm is headed straight towards Key West, and so am I. Tuesday should be interesting for me unless one of us changes our travel plans.

Harvest Moon

Actually, tonight is a Harvest Moon. Go out and take a look. I tried to take a photo of the Moon, but the exposure was wrong. Guess I'll just listen to some Neil Young.

Blogger Problem

There seems to be a problem accessing photos uploaded to blogger.com. Sorry for this inconvenience. Hopefully they will have it fixed soon.

They fixed it.

Interesting HDTV Forum

Since I am looking to buy a HDTV, I do a lot of research on the Internet. It is hard to find unbiased reviews of HDTV, but I found a forum that seems to have just that. There are threads on individual HDTV models and the people who post have the questions and answers that I am looking for. They discuss how the picture looks, what problems they are having and how to solve their problems. I am thinking of getting a 42 inch LCD, and there are threads about the new Samsung, Sony, Sharp and JVC sets. So if your interested, give this site a visit.

Brooklyn Electronic Stores

Since I am looking to buy a HDTV, I found this web site interesting. When you search for a HDTV online, the lowest prices seem to be from stores located in Brooklyn. I would rather buy from a local store where I can return the product if necessary, even if the price is higher.

Blog Spam

I finally got hit with blog spam! So now I have to turn on "word verification". Sorry to all you who post legitimate comments on my blog. Please don't stop posting just because you have to type in some extra letters.

WTC Photo 1999

It is that time of year again. The anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I may have posted this photo before, but I still feel lucky that I was able to visit the World Trade Center in 1999. This is a photo of me on the roof taken on a sunny Spring afternoon. Look at how grey me hair is not! Later this day I ended up walking through Central Park during an Earth Day celebration. I was lucky to be on a business trip with weekends free. A quick ride on the Long Island Rail Road got me to New York City. I haven't been back since but someday soon I hope to visit this fine city again.

SDSU vs. UCLA

The crew eating and drinking before the big game against UCLA. We are in a tailgate party (Cafe Azteca) within the main tailgate area (SDSU Athletic Foundation), where we pay an extra $15 for all you can eat food and drinks. The food is really good, with roast beef and chicken, but the beer choice was between Miller Lite and a Pilsner from the Czech Republic (I don't remember the name). The Pilsner wasn't anything to blog about, but very drinkable.
The Aztecs have never beat UCLA, and this game was no different. There were lots of UCLA fans wearing their team colors, and by the third quarter the Aztec fans got really quiet. That was about the time we left. There are five more home games in the season, with the KGB Skyshow being the next. I will be out of town and will miss this big event.

Firkin Beer!

I know I look wasted, but I'm not. I'm drinking a special brew at Karl Struass just tapped from a Firkin keg. No one at our table liked the beer but me. Others were drinking it because it was free or giving it to me after a few sips. Yes, the Strauss Stout was better, of which I had two.

LASIK Eye Surgery Results Two Year After

The strangest thing happened to my eyesight last month - it got much better! Almost two years ago I had LASIK eye surgery. My vision was around 20/30 after six months. My one complaint was that my vision got worse during the day. When I drove home from work street signs look blurry, but then after eight hours of sleep my eyes were fine again. Over time my vision got blurry earlier in the day - until last month, when my vision suddenly improved! Street signs look sharper than ever all day long. My close-up vision is also better. I don't know what happened or why, but I'm going to see my optometrist soon. I hope this vision improvement isn't temporary or a result of some kind of brain tumor!

The Actual Pyramid

We didn't hike up to the top of the pyramid this time. Nothing much to see up there anyways. They were advertising eight new condos with beach views available soon, so now is the time to buy your weekend getaway home.

SD Crooner's 45 Birthday!

SD Crooner with a cute young chick at Rosie O'Grady's in Normal Heights. We went on one of our bike pub crawls along Adams Avenue, only we started at this bar and never left. Well, we left to go eat dinner at a friend's house (She cooked us pork chops with rice and beans, and we saw her cat's five kittens!). Then we went to another bar but left because it was dead and ended up back at Rosie O'Grady's, where "Rufus" was hosting Karaoke night. There were was a strange (interesting) mix of people (OK - young and weird) in the bar, so we left after a few drinks and the night was over.

Mex Beach on Saturday

I wish San Diego beaches looked like this on a sunny Saturday afternoon. The sand is clean, the water is cool and refreshing, and no families with screaming kids to be found.

Fountain Photo

Woody and I hanging out on the fountain. I thought it was strange that the fountain was working during the time that they were trucking in water due to the water not working. Photo and the Photoshop enhancement complements of the SD Crooner.

Homies

After returning from Mexico, where we ate Mexican food all weekend, we headed to a local Mexican restaurant for a shrimp burrito. While we were waiting for our food we found a "gumball" machine that dispensed Homies. My friends collected a few of these tiny figures that they discovered at other Mexican restaurants. These two, Fat Boy and Bullet, are from series 8. There are 24 in each series. No, I don't plan on collecting them, I just think that the idea of producing a collection of Homie figures is funny and original. They cost $.50 or $.75 each, and you never know which figure you will get. If you get a duplicate, you can always trade.

Pyramid Resort 2005

This past weekend I made my annual trip to the Pyramid Resort in La Mision, Baja California. Last time I went it was cold and foggy the whole weekend, this year it was warm, sunny and froggy. We usually go on Labor Day when it seems half the population of San Diego is there. This weekend the local bars were dead. Also, we couldn't get any one to play Elvis Whiffle Ball with us, so we just practiced hitting. To entertain ourselves, we turned the game into "Dorf" Whiffle Ball. You had to be there to understand unless you remember the "Dorf on Golf" commercials. We are thinking of going back in three weeks when many people said they would be able to make the trip, but people always say they want to go, but don't. I have many more photos from the trip to post later, so stay tuned.

No More Worms or Ducks

I finally have something to do this weekend. I'm going down to Mexico! Hopefully the area where people don't get shot or kidnapped. This is our annual trek to the Pyramid Resort. As I sit in my hot house, more strange men are outside washing the walls in preparation for painting the building. They seem to paint every five years around here. I'd rather have them re-roof the building so the winter rain doesn't leak onto my nice new ceilings. If I don't leave my condo soon, I may be trapped by the spraying water, so off I am.

Picnic at Mission Bay

A rare company picnic. Food and drink for free!

I Found the Ducks

After seven years of living in this neighborhood, I finally found the "hidden" lake. All the signs were there. People walking with fishing poles, a blob of blue on a map and ducks crossing the street. I had never tried to find the lake before today, which was the goal of my evening bike ride. It took me about 15 minutes of following dead-end streets and climbing steep hills before I saw the unmarked path to the lake, which lies about 1000 feet from my home. Riding my bike down to the lake, I saw ducks swimming happily and a man fishing for dinner. Mystery solved.

House Back in Order

The painters came in force this morning. Four men arrived at 9:15 and they were finished by 1:30. My ceiling looks great. Better than I expected. It was worth the money and hassle. It took me the next three hours to put all my stuff back in its place and I feel much less out-of-wack.There is still work to be done: new entertainment center, putting unused furniture in the garage and installing a shelf in my computer room.

Waiting for the Worms

Tomorrow a painter is coming over to paint my ceiling. My house has been in disarray ever since I had my popcorn ceiling removed over a month ago. At the time I didn't realize that the process required two steps: removal and painting. It will be so nice to have this home improvement project finished. I can hang pictures back on the wall and redisplay my action figure collection. Now all I have to do is figure out what to do during the day, as I can not stay at home while the work is being done. I guess I'll go for a drive and listen to some more Pink Floyd.

Afternoon Beer

Yes, I do sometimes eat a meal without drinking a beer. Sometimes. It is just that no photos are taken on those occasions. We were celebrating my brother's (not pictured) birthday at Oggi's and I was the designated drinker.