christmas card, 2009

In case you didn't know:

Yuletide was originally a pagan winter festival celebrated by the historical Germanic peoples which was later absorbed by Christians with Christmas. Thanks Wikipedia.

Please click here for Christmas card 2008 if you are desperately missing last year's card.

Return to the GreensandBrowns home page.

a tribute to bryan voltaggio and volt - let's be friends

(Editor's note: I wrote the bulk of this blog post immediately after watching Top Chef Las Vegas Season 6. Thus, the posting date is correct while in actuality, it's a week late)

Emmelle and I just finished watching Michael Voltaggio claim the Top Chef Las Vegas crown (season 6). I went into the finale fully believing that his brother, Bryan, would be raising his arms in victory and endearing all doubters with his geeky, nervous laugh. There were a few reasons that had me convinced that the older Voltaggio would walk away the victor:

• I thought that Bryan (we are on a first name basis) created consistently excellent dishes throughout the season, both visually stunning and seemingly flavorful
• I could only ignore my new Man Crush for so long - the combination of his talent, poise, integrity and good looks - some are clearly more blessed than others
• He comes across as a much kinder being than the younger Voltaggio (at least it was edited that way)
• I ate lunch at his restaurant, Volt, in Frederick, Maryland a couple of months before the season finale aired tonight

Hhmm, most of those really aren't reasons to give him the big prize.

I won't argue about who should or shouldn't have won - we can't taste the food. And as viewers, we can't rely too much on the edited version of all of the judges' commentary. If we went strictly by that, we would be left with only these truths: Tom needs more salt (I wonder if he seasons his seasonings), Gail wants someone to tell her that she's pretty (especially one of the Voltaggio brothers), Padma wants everyone to acknowledge her baby bump, and Toby knows how to turn a phrase (and it sounds that much better because he has an accent).

I digress. My point is that we can't taste the food, which I hear is the most critical component of evaluating a cooking competition. Michael Voltaggio won. That's fine; I'm sure he deserved it. However, I was really looking forward to a BV victory so I could make claim that I am the first of my kin to dine at a Top Chef winner's restaurant. I'll have to settle for the first of my lineage to eat at a runner-up's establishment. Boo.

So what do I have to say about Volt? (I've decided I really don't know how to describe what I eat, so not much really...)

During part 1 of the season finale, Bryan mentions that he established Volt in Frederick, Maryland to be near agriculture. This is true; he's out in the cuts. His restaurant resides in a charming little downtown area, but beyond that is a lot of farmland and green for miles and miles. It's quite a trek from Washington, D.C., or anywhere else you might want to be. But downtown Frederick certainly has its small town charms; I could see Eddie Money scheming a future rendezvous with (fill in the blank).

Both male and female servers wear grey suits with brown Chuck Taylors, which contrast nicely with the white decor - walls, dinnerware, tablecloth... Our server told us that Chef Voltaggio was away "on business" for a couple of days. I am thoroughly convinced he was taping the finale in wine country while we lunched at his restaurant. I blame Eddie Money's indifference to the cuisine for contributing to Bryan's loss. Negative vibes.

One of Bryan's pitfalls during the Finale episodes was his lack of seasoning, which I could personally attest to. There were no flavor explosions in my mouth, which by the way, are my favorite type of explosions, especially in my mouth. But it was a good meal that further established my new Man Crush. On top of that, the three course lunch option was $20.09. $20! It's always a welcomed surprise to avoid large city prices.

Return to the GreensandBrowns home page.

the return of the shin - thirtysomething (part 3 of 3)

The Return of the Shin

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Editor's note: The first draft of this entry was short, much too brief for my liking. If you can't be long-winded, why say anything at all? Thus, I have sprinkled in some un-thruths throughout just to make things more interesting (and longer).

October marked the one year anniversary of this blog. Thank you all for showering yours truly with gifts and well wishes. It's always great to hear devoted readers' share how my words are changing lives, healing relationships, and making this world a better place. I do what I can.

During a recent writing sabbatical, I found myself scanning some of Year One's blog entries while mentally comparing my life as it is now with where it was last year. GreensandBrowns has become another mechanism in my life to measure time. In the past year, some days and weeks were painfully slow, while months seemed to blow by much too rapidly. Same with the blog. A mishmash of thoughts and anecdotes quickly grew into a full year's worth of my life.

Bottom line, life and time inevitably inch forward. The newly forming wrinkles on my face remind me, the intermittent strands of grey hair remind me, occasional bathroom accidents remind me, this blog reminds me.

I tried to recall what's changed since October 2008. Not much I tell myself (and I will review this more fully at the end of the year). The most significant changes occurred more recently - Emmelle and I purchase Altimas Prime and C-Monster moved to southern California. Colonel Mustard turned 30.

Happy birthday, Sister Bear and congratulations for reaching this milestone. I rewarded this achievement with the greatest gift of all, by being handsome at her and Emmelle's recent party. Awwwwww! (see above). It's always great to hear passersby comment on how my handsomeness is changing lives, healing relationships, and making this world a better place. I do what I can.

Now, does a 30th birthday alter life in any tangible or meaningful way? Yes and no. As time passes, we all (hopefully) release ourselves from the bitter taste of insecurity and come to grasp our niche in life. It's similar to crawling to stumbling to walking to hitting full stride. That is a significant transformation. Of course, this process is evolutionary and takes place over time; it doesn't happen when you're 30. But we certainly can celebrate it at that age.

And celebrate it we did!

As the party became more raucous, Colonel Mustard disappeared for a few hours. We searched for her and finally saw her coming back down to the lounge from Potrero Hill with a slow and deliberate gait. As she approached closer, we noticed that she had traded in her black dress and heels for a grey cloak, a witch-like hat, and lesbian sandals (they looked like Birkenstocks). More noticeable was the long white beard she had grown and ethereal eyes that sobered us immediately. Her appearance was so captivating that we didn't notice the two stone tablets she effortlessly carried in each arm until she was very close.

An intense silence swept over the crowd as we eagerly waited for Colonel Mustard to speak. She slowly turned her head from side to side to consume all of our faces as her impressive beard flapped slightly in the gentle breeze. She placed the stone tablets on the pavement and undid her robe, unveiling a magnificently stunning white robe which momentarily blinded all of us and pierced our souls. Some cried. She claimed that she was "Professor Colonel Mustard the White". A low murmur swept through the confounded audience. Mustard is yellow; she was clearly going senile in her ripe age. She grew frustrated with our lack of understanding and reached into her side to reveal a short, crooked wand, striking it to the ground while bellowing, "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" This seemed reasonable; we were all interested in getting back to the party anyway.

The crowd quickly filed back into the lounge. What a party!

A 30th birthday doesn't require documentation to keep fresh in the memory tank, unlike some of the outlandish (fleeting) topics I like to write about. But I did want to acknowledge that time constantly changes us...for the better. 30 years ago, Colonel Mustard arrived in this world and learned how to open her eyes and recognize her family. Years later, her parents gave her a stuffed animal for her birthday, and she learned to nurture her companions. Years ago, she received a set of car keys and tried her best to chauffeur her siblings to and fro. Years of experiences and gifts played key roles in who she is today - ferocious lawyer, doting sister, loving daughter, troubled prophet of the ancient world...the list is longer than what is appropriate on this page.

What gifts from her most recent birthday will have major impacts on her life going forward? I'm not sure, but seeds have been planted and are being nurtured. As I watch Colonel Mustard stroke her long silvery beard, I smile knowing that fantastical things happen when you turn 30. I am sure of it. I have seen it. I am looking forward to it.

Return to the GreensandBrowns home page.

the return of the shin - tales of a thirteenth grade nothing (part 2 of 3)

The Return of the Shin

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

C-Monster commenced her collegiate career at UC Irvine in late September and now heads the southern California chapter of the Shin Empire. The Empire periodically receives light-hearted anecdotes and thoughtful updates, all pointing to a girl that has adjusted seamlessly to life as an undergraduate. We couldn't be more proud.

All the years C-Monster spent in teenage angst, vacillating between mild frustration and abject abhorrence to parental tyranny, vanished in the weeks leading to her Orange County trek. As expected, the parentals and she reached the apex of their appreciation for each other during this time. It's a natural evolution that takes hold of any household. Ironically, it's that very moment when harmony has been achieved, that parent and child must part ways.

My parents consciously avoided the feelings that they knew would strike them: “Today I lived without you for the first time. And after a full day in your absence, you still be gone when I awake tomorrow morning…” They would endure that burden once the young one left. While their daughter was still with them, they chose to celebrate the moment. Their youngest child had finally learned to appreciate the support her parents had showered her with over the years, a nurturing that exceeded their individual abilities and means. This sublime pleasantry was life-affirming.

And then the day came, the morning we packed C-Monster's necessities and departed for her new home. The parents were not traveling with us and were required to say goodbye in a restaurant parking lot. Tears flowed. And flowed. And bellowed. The Lady Shins' cry was a vocal manifestation of their collective bodies' ache. Real physical pain. It was agonizing to hear and experience. The weeping only ceased when they tacitly agreed to carry on silently, away from each other.

We hit the road. We sat in traffic. We looped the same CDs over and over again (Ingrid Michaelson, Iron and Wine, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs). We arrived at the dorms. We unpacked. We ate at Olive Garden. We fell asleep in a Marriott. We ate in a dining common. We said goodbye. More tears. We parted. We drove home with less weight in the car. We thought about each other from our four corners. Days passed. Weeks passed. Life moved forward as it always does. Life is good...

In the weeks proceeding C-Monster's departure, I make a conscious effort to visit my parents more frequently (made easier by Altimas Prime) as my parents were clearly afflicted with Empty Nest Syndrome. Every time I stay at my parents' abode, I make camp in C-Monster's old room, the vacant room. Every time I turn her television on, I am momentarily surprised to see ESPN as the first station that displays on the screen - only because that's the channel that was played during my last visit. The room goes unused. Or almost completely unused; my mom uses C-Monster's old computer each morning. To the left of the desk on which the computer sits are a handful of framed photographs of C-Monster. These photos collect no dust. And each time I go home, I'm certain these frames change position ever so slightly, as if somebody picked one up for a moment and tried to set it back in its proper place.

------------------------------------------------

For posterity’s sake, I’m sharing this video from LiNK, a non-profit organization committed to liberty of the North Korean people (please don’t confuse this group with PiNK – Punishment in North Korea, or BLiNK – Bad Luck in North Korea), ((I’m going double parentheses here – why is everyone so obsessed with acronyms?)). Anyway, skip to the 2:57 mark and follow the girl with the #25 above her head.

If you're too impatient to view the entire video, the basic premise is that the organizations' current initiative is to rescue 100 refugees. C-Monster represents the 25th of those who will be uplifted from suffering. That seems like a lot of pressure. Doesn't this mean that she will immediately feel a kinship with Refugee #25? Will she go out of her way to meet this person? To befriend this person? What if they actually got to talking? It would probably go something like this:

C-Monster: I portrayed you in a campaign that we did to raise money and awareness.

Refugee #25: I haven’t eaten in four days.

C-Monster: Yeah, you are number 25. We made you a jersey.

Ok, I’m going to stop…feeling insensitive.

Return to the GreensandBrowns home page.

the return of the shin - altimas prime (part 1 of 3)

The Return of the Shin

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

When an idea pops into my head, my usual blogging routine goes something like this:

I'll jot down some notes either on my laptop or sometimes on my cell phone, spend some time pounding away on a keyboard and walk away from it to uphold a more 'objective' review at a later time (it's the best thing to do without a real editor, a position which Emmelle has jockeyed for on numerous occasions). I'll return to to the material hours or days later, gut it and revamp before finally publishing for public consumption.

It’s really a process in place to serve as a checks-and-balances if you will. Since the inception of this blogging endeavor last year, my greatest fear has always revolved around writing something completely asinine or worse, attempting in vain to be funny. Regrettably, this has prevented me from posting as frequently as I would prefer. Over the last three months, I’ve abandoned several drafts that I spent too much overthinking, eventually losing all interest. I've started, scribbled, erased, tired, and thrown my hands up in frustration repeatedly. I can readily identify these creative dearths as they unfold, but am helpless nonetheless. It's quite vexing. Ultimately, writing became arduous and ideas eventually waned.

I'm trying rather unsuccessfully to explain how difficult it's been to update in over three months. Let's just chalk it up to an involuntary hiatus and now I've come back fully refreshed and inspired.

There were some downright meaningful events that occurred over the last three months. I’ve boiled them down to three events that I'll share over the course of three individual posts. The first occurred in early September:

Altimas Prime

Emmelle and I purchased a new car, a Nissan Altima, to replace her loyal and trusty Honda Civic. I traded in my beer bottle opener key chain for the Nissan smart key that has enough bulk and weight to serve as the key chain itself (appreciate the rich symbolism). Altimas Prime has now been in our lives long enough to escort us across 3,500 miles of Northern California road, and has shortened the San Francisco-San Jose distance that separates us during the weekdays.

Prime was a last minute, but sound, purchasing decision proceeding several weeks of Acura TSX-hunting; luxury can wait a few years. The buying cycle was frustrating and time-consuming although some highlights were sprinkled in throughout the process (e.g., Emmelle’s dad telling a car dear he was “shit” to his chubby face).

I, for one, am extremely pleased with Altimas Prime. Sure, she looks "shiny and new / like a virgin / Hey!", but that's not what tugged at my heart the moment we signed on the dotted line, and the vehicle officially became our property. I couldn't help but think about how this car will steer us through seminal moments of our early years together (a friend also mentioned semenal moments, but I don't even know what that means).

I’ve never felt an emotional connection with a car, but I do now. Prime will transport us to life-changing moments and emotional journeys. It will usher us from today to tomorrow, serving as a conduit for us in the present and us in the future. Five years from now, we’ll complete payment on the car. Over the next five years, I expect the car to carry us to wedding, births and perhaps even tragedy and death.

Altimas Prime will be the ultimate confidante on our car rides – a silently active participant in our intimate conversations, a good-natured companion of our inside jokes, and a comforting seat to catch our most private of tears, both happy and sad.

I'm not trying to appear overly dramatic, but stating that this vehicle is a reflection of where we are and what we are surrounded by in our late twenties/early thirties. One day when it's time to give up (on) the car, I will give it the most sincere bear hug, remembering the moment we brought her home, recounting how Emmelle and my life had gotten better in the years that followed.

Thanks in advance, Altimas Prime.

Return to the GreensandBrowns home page.

happy anniversary to me!

Placeholder for an exciting return of the king...

green curry with chat mingkwan

No words will follow. This is it. I make green curry. You don't.

Return to the GreensandBrowns home page.

the groom's march

A few weddings to attend over the next couple of months...this morning, I find myself mentally sifting through ways in which weddings could be more enjoyable - not just for myself, but for everyone.

Consider, as an example, the groom's procession down the aisle. No one has been able to provide me with a satisfactory reason for why his entrance must be so unceremonious. Half of the time, I don't even notice that he's already proceeded to the front. This just isn't fair, the man isn't getting his propers.

I understand that this is the bride's day, but she gets the opportunity to enter last, casually late to the party if you will...dawning a gaudy white gown...wearing a pound of makeup on her face as if she is a television anchor...holding a bouquet of flowers that she'll at some point heave at throngs of single woman. To take it way over the top, there is a theme song in her honor. Can't the groom enjoy at least one of those things?

I've always embraced the idea of a groom selecting music to accompany him as he walks down the aisle. I liken it to a baseball player hand-selecting musical pieces for his short stroll from the on-deck circle to home plate. It gets him and the crowd amped. Why not here? Being the meticulous planner that I am, I have considered my own theme music whenever my own special day comes. There has been an on-going internal battle between the Star Wars and Indiana Jones themes. Lately, I've contemplated adding The Dark Knight score into the consideration set. However, this is a bit more ominous and brooding, and I wouldn't want to conjure up images of The Joker while aforementioned cake-faced bride saunters down the aisle after I have already swooped down wearing a black suit (and cape...and cowl...and utility belt).

This got me thinking further. Maybe the groom's theme needs to be a little more uplifting, perhaps a track to get the congregation all jacked up and ready for the reception. The following are masterfully crafted ideas of my own, but I welcome anyone to hijack these.

As a latch key child from the eighties, the only sensible musical choice is this (you'll need to skip to 1:40 - please be patient and take the time). Everyone would be so engaged and fired up! I encourage posters and spontaneous applause during the more pivotal moments of the wedding ceremony. The groom would stop at various moments down his walking path to point and pose, acknowledge all of the loved ones that have taken the time to be with him on this most blessed of days. Don't we deserve at least that much?

To build upon this theme, it would then make sense for the bride and groom to walk into the reception while the DJ spins this classic cut. Wait a second - when did Macho Man's entrance music become the graduation theme? How did I miss this as a child?

When I commit to something, I like to take it all the way, or least to a point where others say, "You've taken this way too far." To complete this brilliant wedding theme, it would only make sense for the slide show of the bride and groom to be cut off by the music of a villain, and then ultimately he would emerge on the screen or in-person. This villain would undoubtedly be the bride's ex-boyfriend and the music would be "their song" so that she would momentarily recall all of the special moments that she had forcefully shoved out of her memory.

Ex-BF would challenge the new husband to some sort of duel to finally settle who deserves the bride's affection. The groom would quickly recognize the bride's wanton relapse and attack EX-BF. Friends of both the groom and EX-BF would come out of nowhere and brawl on the dance floor. The DJ would then put on his announcer's hat and call the action as it played out...

...

I vaguely remember reading a Bill Simmons article a couple of years ago about how he thought it was a good idea to have a championship belt in sports a la wrestling, replete with feuds like above. Damn him. I'm still taking credit for this idea. Yes, I am an adult.

Return to the GreensandBrowns home page.

hog island - time lapse

I recently learned a neat little trick involving my DSLR and Quicktime Pro. I snapped over 1,800 photos in Hog Island last week to create this 3+ minute video. Many thanks to those in attendance that endured my persistence.

YouTube isn't the ideal format to showcase this, but the video is too long for upload on Flickr or Vimeo. Either way, I'm satisfied with the results from my first attempt at a time lapse sequence.

Return to the GreensandBrowns home page.

godspeed, michael jackson

Last night, I was out with some friends watching a DJ set up for his late night set. WonQ posed this question, "When will the Michael Jackson tribute be?" I had not even thought about this obvious scenario as I had skimmed a few articles regarding his death during the afternoon and quickly put it out of mind. And then the DJ began his MJ homage with "Beat It", and the news finally struck me.

I have no personal relationship with the man, but the loss of greatness impacts everyone. And he was truly great.

People seem to act most "humanly" at a time of death. With his passing, the world can now begin to resurrect his genius and properly place him in the pantheon of musical brilliance. He easily stands up there with Lennon/McCartney, Mozart...the list is pretty short. It's a shame we didn't do this while he lived. Some of that was obviously self-imposed from improper/unusual behavior, but the reverberating shock stretching across the world today is tied to the fact that we slammed the door on him and abandoned him for over a decade. Amazingly, we all were able to distinguish between the man and his music. We never stopped lauding the music. Meanwhile, we denigrated the man named Michael Jackson to nothing more than a punchline, a freakish circus sideshow. I think that ceases now.

And to quickly touch upon all the improper behavior - is it innate or learned? Is it possible that it was an unavoidable discharge to counter all of the creativity? Or is it simply an outcome of being pushed too hard early in life because the genius is spotted quickly? It might be a combination of both. Either way, the world victimized him and in turn, he did the same. There are no excuses, just a modicum of understanding that those that are truly unique have difficulty fitting in with the masses. We celebrate them, we ridicule them. We expect them to be different from us and the same as us all at once. That's just how it is.

I would never intend to underestimate the magnitude of losing a father, a son, a friend. But as fans, for those of us Jackson has entertained, we can now remember him fondly. I am looking forward to that.

Enough words. Here's my favorite MJ music video. "Thriller" may be more historically significant, but "Smooth Criminal" is easily his best video creation:



Return to the GreensandBrowns home page.

wonq and the dark knight

Recently, WonQ invited me to share some thoughts and words about The Dark Knight (2008) as part of his relentless march to watch 40 movies in 40 nights. Why 40 in 40? Because he is Catholic, and Jesus spent 40 days in the desert thwarting off Satan's temptations. So, I interpret this to mean that these films serve as a surrogate to his normal life of sexual deviance and hard core drugs.

I was flattered by the invitation until I realized it was a lazy attempt to write about this lengthy film without having to actually dedicate a night to watch it. I call, "Fraud!"

Irregardless, I had a great time bouncing thoughts off of each other. I believe WonQ envisioned an amiable, open exchange about the movie and the comic book film genre in general; I decided it would be more fun as an argument. I don't believe I will be invited for more.

You can find our epic battle here.

Return to the GreensandBrowns home page.

picasa vs. flickr

I've been tinkering with Flickr lately and am convinced that an active account is necessary for any aspiring photographer. From the initial comparisons I've conducted, it appears as though some resolution is forfeited when embedding Picasa images as compared to Flickr images. Ultimately, there is utility for both, but I think I'll be posting images from Flickr going forward. Let's chalk one up for Yahoo!

Because you care.

Picasa:

Flickr:

Picasa:


Flickr:

Return to the GreensandBrowns home page.

the beatles rock band

I don't remember all too much from my childhood, but I have a clear memory of my first introduction to The Beatles. I was in seventh grade, and I inserted a Beatles tape that Colonel Mustard had brought home from school. Years later, I would realize the track I listened to was "A Day in the Life" off of the Sgt. Pepper album. John Lennon's haunting vocal and the cacophony of the orchestra felt like some kind of assault on my ears and my mind. I freaked out and stopped the tape about fifteen seconds after I pressed play. Today, I think it's one of the most brilliant pieces of music ever composed/produced (but what do I know, I get excited by Lady Gaga these days).

A year later, The Beatles Anthology (0:55 to 3:18 or so is a must for any fan, but you should have your own DVD copy, right?) aired on ABC, and I was intrigued.

High school came, and I found the band to be a way for me to distinguish myself as an independent thinker (this is the honest truth). Somewhere along the line, I fell in love with the music. I spent all of my discretionary income purchasing CDs and memorizing lyrics. I educated C-Monster on which member sang vocals on a particular track.I chatted with other fans in Beatles' CHAT ROOMS (on a Netscape browser). I spent hours listening to classic rock stations listening for any Beatles' tunes I had never heard, which ultimately was an introduction into the entire genre - The Who, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, the list goes on. And at the ripe age of 15, I was convinced that the good Lord had inadvertently displaced this sixties' soul in the wrong decade.

College came and my musical tastes diverged. But I kept my first love close to the chest (or ears). And then iPods broke onto the musical scene and completely revolutionized all of our musical catalogs. Any solid iTunes requires an eclectic mix of classic rock, eighties pop, indy rock, hip-hop, soulful R&B...all meant to add up to a musical persona with depth, heart, intelligence, and frivolity. It sounds silly, but we've all spent years fine-tuning our playlists. But I digress. The Beatles got lost in the fold. 

And then a few months ago, my appetite for the Fab Four was rejuvenated when I learned that a Beatles version of Rock Band would be hitting store shelves in September. I am subscribed to email updates, and until today, I've been teased with really meaningless information.

Today, the game's collaborators released a trailer, and it looks fantastic! The hair styles, the beards, the duds all perfectly match the time periods, venues, and records. The confirmed track list is fairly short at the moment, but the entire Abbey Road LP will be available for download not too long after the initial release. That leads me to believe that their entire catalog will be available at some point. I have a feeling I'll be buying the same Beatles music over and over again, in various formats, for the rest of my life.

I am way too excited for this.

There is a higher definition version of the video on the official Beatles Rock Band website.

Return to the GreensandBrowns home page.

memorial day weekend, whale's vagina

Emmelle and I ushered in summer 2009 with a drive to Whale's Vagina* over the long weekend. We opted to trek down 101 rather than 5 to make some stops along the central coast which I personally have never taken the time to explore. Once we reached our final destination, I was pleased with my body's ability to endure the lengthy drive like road trips past (e.g., I once drove to Iowa with some buddies in about 30 hours). And then I slept for twelve hours on one of the nights to recuperate, and I still don't feel fully rested. 

My body is getting older (so is yours)...

Laetitia winery in Arroyo Grande about an hour north of Santa Barbara. The vineyard is located right off of 101, making it ideal for a quick stop to stretch the legs and sample some of the local grapes. There are some really nice wineries down here; it's amazing how Napa's marketing machine was able to brand itself as the pre-eminent region for California wine. Anyway, just throwing in this pic to gross you out. 

Cafe Firenze in Moorpark owned by Top Cheftestant Fabio from season 5. We were sadly underwhelmed by this establishment, a huge restaurant in a suburban strip mall. Absolutely no charm or intimacy, the decor was reminiscent of a Cheesecake Factory or some gaudy Las Vegas eatery. As for the food, it was decent. Again, nothing overwhelming. I did enjoy the beef carpaccio, a dish universally praised by the judges on the show.  

The zoo. I have been telling some folks that we vacation like an old, retired couple. Early to rise and early to bed with a touristy activity or two mixed in between. I can't handle anything else. My body is getting older.

The pictures aren't really meant to entertain or solicit a response. I'm just putting it out there more as a reminder that it's summer now. Fill up your weekend calendars and snap some memories.

Thanks for stopping by.

* Ron Burgundy: Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego, which of course in German means a whale's vagina. 
Veronica Corningstone: No, there's no way that's correct. 
Ron Burgundy: I'm sorry, I was trying to impress you. I don't know what it means. I'll be honest, I don't think anyone knows what it means anymore. Scholars maintain that the translation was lost hundreds of years ago. 
Veronica Corningstone: Doesn't it mean Saint Diego? 
Ron Burgundy: No. No. 
Veronica Corningstone: No, that's - that's what it means. Really. 
Ron Burgundy: Agree to disagree. 

Return to the GreensandBrowns home page.