My tummy is so angry...

... But my taste buds are so happy.

Storm of the century is hitting southern Cali.  So naturally, we hit the road. 

Enjoying our first full day in Scottsdale.  Hit potbelly's for lunch. Wreck!  You know it.  

Met the P's for a chicken sandwich for dinner.  And not just any chicken sandwich:  AZ88.  At least we shared a salad. 

And on the way back to the villa, we hit potbelly's for another wreck.  And now my digestive system is a wreck.  But we are off to Portillos-cause there's always room for Portillos.  

Viva la Wreck!

Panorama-lama-ding dong

Fun with Pano!  See the train going by?

Weekend in review

Girl child survived science camp with flying colors, coming home a little tired and hungry.  She demanded home popped popcorn and chicken wings "because I'm home!"  Her demands were met.  We stayed home that Friday night (and I later watched Zero Dark Thirty, which was pretty cool).

Saturday hit the gym and then went to hang at the beach while Joshy skimmed.  Turned out to be awesome, and yet a bit too cloudy and chilly - like 68 on the beach (78 on the highway.)  Later that night, the wifey and I went for a fancy Portillo's dinner ('cause there's always room for Portillo's) on our way to the House of Blues to see Surreal Neil and his band Super Diamond (after an all girl Queen cover band opened with their distracting red pants!).  They rocked the Neil - America's greatest living singer/songwriter - especially their speed medal version of "Play Me".  

Finally, Sunday we hit dog beach with the pups, where it was the lowest tide that I'd ever seen (see top panorama and another view of the blog's cover photo over there).  Dog's had fun.  Saw a couple of other Porties.  And hit up Juanita's for a California burrito afterwards.  Cleaning and chillaxing ensued.

History of Rap

I said a hip hop, Hippie to the hippie,

The hip, hip a hop, and you don't stop, a rock it

To the bang bang boogie, say, up jump the boogie,

To the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.

But this is no boogie, this is skim boarding!  

Here's a sweet sequence of a recent sesh at Balboa, sight of the upcoming Green Eggs and Am skim competition that the Mango's will be partaking of.  You go skimmer-dude!

Belated Valentine's Day Tidings

Postmarked Loveland, CO

Transliteration:

Dear Mom & Dad,

Your smile is like a shining array of pearls.  Your eyes are as bright as rain on a feathery fern on a gray morning.  Your hands are like giant sunflowers in full bloom.  You're as kind as a TV channel when they marathon my favorite show.  Your love is like hot Ramen on a rainy Saturday morning.  You are the loose french fry in the bottom of the bag because I'm always happy to see you.

Happy Valentine's Day from your Jilly-bean.

Love, 

Jilly

The Winter of this content

Tis the never ending season of winter evermore.  Where polar vortexes require solar gortexes.  The barometer emits its readings of barometricity.  Seasonal affective disorder hangs around like cabin fever.  It could drive a man to drink; yet I can't quench this thirst for an end to this abysmal season.

When will this unseasonably warm weather end?  And return to the seasonably warm weather we long for.  Game of Thrones forewarned that "winter is coming," but how much of these dry, warm Santa Ana winds can we stand?  Did I mention that it's warm?  Constantly sleeping with the windows open makes our home's innards feel like room temperature.  

Oh wait, did I also mention the ginormous, heaving piles of snow? No?  That's because this ain't Sheboygan.  This is Cali:  the all action, all the time state.  It's like a steadily irrigated, reclaimed desert out here.  Whilst my brethren bravely face the infinite snow and arctic air, I get a chill when it drops below 70, at dusk. 

But on a serious aside, the drought here approaches biblical proportions.  Steinbeck could write a sequel:  The Raisins of Wrath.  Can't they pile that east coast snow on a transcontinental railway?  

We've resorted to monitoring the kids' shower times. The dogs share a single water bowl.  And I'm doing my part as well:  drinking my martinis extra dry.  After all, these Santa Ana's are making me thirsty.

Random thoughts

• "List Monday - Yiddish words for Penis" ( a little anatomical etymology) is far and beyond my most popular post ever.  Well, don't know about popular, but most viewed.  There is either too many Jewish people with free time on their hent or way too many perverts out there.
• Since our Portuguese Water Dog, Sugar, had a litter with our other dog Cubby's brother Bugsy, does that mean Cubby is Sugar's Brother-in-law?
• I shorted Potbelly's stock yesterday (on weak earnings) which killed me, because I love me a good Wreck!  But, I made a tasty little profit.  And that'll buy a lot of wrecks...

And now, a letter from the teacher

Dear Parents,

The weather has been picture perfect, and we're all enjoying our time here at the Lazy W Ranch!

Wednesday highlights from Science Camp:
*The students were excited to finally see their cabins and choose their bunks.
*They did two science investigations and hiked through three different ecosystems...the Chaparral, Riparian, and Oak Woodlands.
*All groups had recreational time on the playground where they played games like gaga (ask your child), basketball, and volleyball.
*They started working on the skits they'll present tomorrow night.
*Dinner was family style where all the students had jobs like set-up, host, server, and various clean-up duties. (This is something you may want to continue when they get home!)
*We went on a night hike (no flashlights allowed) where we learned about bioluminescence and nocturnal adaptations.
*Lights out at 9:30pm.........Have a good night!!!



Fifth Grade Teacher

Baby bird has flown the coop

My baby has left the nest!  She is off to science camp for 3 days and 2 long nights to explore the natural sciences.

Now, I've been separated from her before, but that was when she took some trips with her Mom.  This will be the first time my little scientist is off on her own.  Yet she is so smart and outgoing (even though she does spend too much time on the iphone/computer) that I'm sure she'll be the consumate camper.  So, I can be totally proud of her and yet, be freaking out at the same time.  That's my baby!

Random acts of mindlessness

Long light exposure gone wrong.  Horribly...

• Jilly has been into soup for a long time now.  After all, soup is good food.  Lately, her craving has shifted towards Ramen Noodles.   She'll eat it breakfast, lunch or dinner. We've been buying it buy the crate load.  She came to me with a panicked look and cried, "We're down to our last box of Ramen!"  So, I replied, "It looks like the fall of the Ramen empire."
• Jillian, for smelly pets, "We need Fur-breeze!"
• Josh:  I do have a test today in Social Sciences. I mean, really, what's the point? I'm not a socialist. I don't plan on being a socialist.  And I'm not a scientist.  So who gives a crap if they're socialistic scientists? They could be fascist anarchists, it still doesn't change the fact that I don't own a car. (or something to that affect)

Dia de los Presidentes part dos

Tried to find some Presidents' Day themed food.  It's basically cherry pie.  So I made tacos.  But I also made these (now I'm a food bloggie):

Dia de los Presidentes: Fun Facts (no Balderdash here!)

So having hung with Barack in the desert and learning about Millard on the old man show, I thought I'd put in a holiday blog on the dead presidents (except for George H.W. Bush):

• The Federal holiday is officially just Washington's birthday.
• John Quincy Adams and Herbert Hoover both had pet alligators, Calvin Coolidge had two lions, a wallaby, and a pygmy hippopotamus (among others), while Theodore Roosevelt kept a badger called Josiah who used to bite people.  John Adams named his dog "Satan."
• Thomas Jefferson invented the swivel chair.
• Fillmore, the bigot, married his teacher.
• Benjamin Harrison was the first president to have electricity in the White House. However, he was so scared of getting electrocuted that he would have his staff press the switches.
• William McKinley almost always wore a red carnation on his lapel as a good luck charm. While greeting a line of people in 1901, he gave the flower to a little girl. Seconds later, he was shot by an assassin, and died eight days later.
• George H. W. Bush vomited on Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa at a banquet in 1992.
• James Madison and Thomas Jefferson were once arrested together for taking a carriage ride in Vermont on a Sunday, which violated state laws.

Palm Sprinkles

Took a drive out to Rancho Mirage for a romantic President's Day Valentine's Day weekend....with the kids.  And the desert was just fabulous!

Barrack flew in just as we arrived to meet with the King of Jordan.  You can just call me Jordan.  But we did get to drive by Air Force 1 a few times.   No sign of Harrison Ford, though.  The kids weren't overly impressed with 747-sized symbol of America...until later that night, when Air Force 1 made an appearance in the movie Armageddon (see 2012: the a-blog-alypse) that they were watching in the room.  And they also watched Star Wars, but not the one with Harrison Ford.

We drove in Friday night (after much traffic).  Our planned heart-shaped deep dish pizza dinner flown in from Malnati's was usurped by a side trip to another Chi-town mecca:  Portillos.  Steph made an excursion to the casino, which I smartly stayed away from.  Steph should have as well.

Saturday, we walked through an inspiring Art Fest while waiting for a hip breakfast at a place called Cheeky's....after the monkey.  Did a little pool hang, where the family reviled in water volleyball and land ping pong.  Kids made tie-dyed shirts as a souvenir.

Took the Aerial Tram to the top of San Jacinto, where the temps dropped by about 30 degrees, but no snow.  Jilly was a little affected by the altitude.  And then on to Dinner at Las Casuelas Nuevas, a pretty Mexican, but ginormous, restaurant where we dined al fresco.

Hit the road early, tweaked my back, and was home in time for the old man show.  Millard Fillmore what a bigoted buffoon!

TGIF

Ok. So we went to Fridays on Wednesday.  We have been having Daddy/daughter dates prior to honor choir rehearsals.  Who knew?

And at 5 o'clock, it was packed.  Jilly was in app heaven: wings, skins, and sticks. Oh yeah, and her iPhone apps.  Soup, there it is!

Bicycle built for two....feet

So, my mobile boy child bought himself a coastal cruiser.  Not quite the Black Phantom, but pretty sharp!  He wants to independently get himself to the beach (and to the ladies, I suspect).  

The only problem was that it was up to me to assemble said bike.  It all went swimmingly, until the dude took it for a test spin. He said,"every time I try to make a turn, the wheel hits my feet!"  Now I know his feet are regulation size. Turns out, I attached the front fork backwards.  Maybe he can turn it into a unicycle.  

Sochi Whiz

Leave it to the wife to come up with Olympic theme night:  beef stroganoff, pierogi, and Russian cake cookies. Da!

Other 2013 highlights

China

 As a mentioned, the GoGo's took a trip of lifetime last fall--to China.  It's like a different country over there.  Those Chinese have a different word for everything.  Here's a quick rundown of the highlights (for more, see the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlZilDoj2uo ):

Day 1 - Beijing
MingDonalds
Bus with Emily
Summer Palace
Hotel
Mall for Hot Pot dinner
Swimming
Sleeping like dead pigs

Day 2
Buffet
Pearl Market
Zoo for pandas
Hutong (like Chinese ghetto)
Bell and Drum Towers
Rickshaw ride
Lunch at Kung Fu Lu's house
Tienanmen Square
Forbidden City
Massage of death

Day 3
Buffet
Jade Market
Great Wall
Fish restaurant
TMC/street market
Peking Duck dinner

Day 4
Buffet
To Shanghai
Bazarre
MingDonalds
Bund
Shuzhou
Sushi

Day 5
Buffet
Lingering Garden
Canal Ride
Farmers market
Chinese Fooood
Silk Factory
to Hang Zhou
Hotel Bar

Day 6
buffet
west lake boat ride
walk in park
green tea mountain
lunch with cake
to shanghai
dinner at element fresh
walk

Day 7
buffet
maglev train
88 floor jingtao tower
french concession/commie house
time square
dumpling lunch
haagen dazs
jinjao temple
more element fresh

Date Night

No, not tonight.  Last weekend.  With the wife.  But it was pretty cool, so I figured it was blog-worthy.  Cause we went to Los Angeles.

We have lived in California, as a couple, for some 7 or 8 years, on and off.  And during all that time, I think we have driven to Vegas more often than L.A., not counting times we drive through L.A. to get to somewhere else.  When craving the urban lifestyle, I'd rather head south to San Diego, which is a still confusing, but much more understandable city.  Having grown up in New York and Chicago, I need a grid.  L.A. just doesn't have a grid.  It's all over the place.

We started off with a quick trip to The Getty.  The museum itself is so beautiful and the tram ride up the hill so fun, that the incredible art is a bonus.  We got their just as the sun was setting over the sprawling metropolis.  Besides parking, it's free-which probably explained why it was so crowded on a Saturday night.  Took in some 19th century art: Rodins, a Pissaro, some Monet and Renoir, and a surprising Manet.  Love me some Manet.  By then we were starving, so we grabbed a snack (a cookie and a muffin and a coke) and hightailed it to dinner.

We drove downtown to Philippe's Original French Dip sandwich.  They got all kinds of meat they'll French dip for you!  Kind of a cool, throw-back scene.  Food was ok, but the mustard was killer.  Took a quick spin through Chinatown (maybe for next time).  And then we went to the One-Eyed Gypsy, which was kind of a goth/punk bar.  It was supposed to have skeet ball, but the carny games had been removed. We stayed for a pint.

Finally, we went to a real hipster neighborhood to visit Pie-Hole.  For pies.  It wasn't that late, but they were down to their last 2 pies.  Luckily, the custard thingy we had was pretty damn good.

Thought about going for a nightcap at an old-school, up-scale bar at the Biltmore, but we were full and had a big drive home.  That didn't stop us from actually considering stopping at Portillo's, though.  Cause, "there's always room for Portillos."

Super Bowl Sunday

Superbowl Sunday, Groundhogs Day and my 2nd post of the year all on the same day?  I think my brain is going to explode.  Too much pressure!

Well, the groundhog saw his shadow and scared the Broncos out of the Meadowlands.  You'd have to be partaking of a "super" bowl of something to have enjoyed this debacle.  I don't know what was more disappointing:  the "game" or the commercials.  Really, Dylan hawking cars?  That's almost as sad as today's loss of great actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman (death by Shart), who was awesome in the Big Lebowski.  At least Bruno Mars rocked; not so much Chili Peppers.

At least it was pleasant around the ol' homestead.  Dogs went to the beach.  Josh went to the beach.   Jilly....not so much.  I normally would've, but it looks like the end of this Indian Winter.  We could stand some rain.

I made a fire and planted myself in front of the tube.  I said to the wife, "Wife, I would just like some chips and salsa and you..."   Chicken wings, potato skins, several dips, a few unexpected guests (Josh's posse came by and one Dad), and a lone bloody mary (I's gots to be up in 3 hours) later:  one fantastic Sunday.

At least I beat the spread...

Gong Hay Fat Choy!

I'm back blogger babies!  Maybe.  We'll see how it goes.  But right now, I feel a swell of communacative creativity a-cresting.  And why not it's 2014:  the year of the horse.  According to the ol' Chinese Zodiac, I'm a horse.  A horse of a different feather, that is.    Having recently graced the People's Republic, galloping back into the bloggie seems apropos.  

Did I mention it's 2014?  The United Nations designated 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming and Crystallography.  Whatever that is.  And, it's already February 1, 2014.  So, not only did we miss Latvia entering the Eurozone, but the blog lapse has caused us to skip over January and all of 2013.  (I was unprepared to continue blogging not having expected to survive the a-blog-alypse of 2012).  But we did with flying colors, health and happiness intact.  

We'll try to use some upcoming posts to fill you in on what was missed.  But some of the highlights included:  trips to Cabo and China, the girl child winning back to back volleyball seasons, the boy kid progressing swimmingly in skimming, beatering and skurfing (more later), great grades, a bar mitzvah, visits with family, occupational turmoil, and blah, blah, blog...