Marooned

It's 101.  Not highway 101.  Not Economics 101.  But temperature 101.  Degrees.  Arizona weather.  Only this isn't the Grand Canyon state.  This global warming is for the birds.

As I write this, I lay helplessly along the arid, sand covered wastelands.  Stranded amongst the foreboding cliffs to one side and the mocking, frigid sea to the other.  Throat parched.  The dry Santa Ana winds crisping my nostril innards.  Sweat profusely perspiring.  I haven't showered in 3 days.  It's not very aromatically enticing.

Sure the Montage Resort is only 57 steep steps away.  But it was almost too unbearably hot to hang at the beach and watch the skimmer dude skim away.  Almost.  The aforementioned winds and present swell led to a session that was firing - kind of like the weather.

A boy, his board, and a bird.

George Clooney gets engaged

Really, I got nothing.  Just thought I'd throw that blog title out there to see if it drives traffic to the site. Besides, it's easy to get engaged. Let's see if he completes the deed. He couldn't even stay on ER until the end.

Had a nice dinner out with the wife last night and a nice lunch date with the daughter today.  The son had another nice beach day. When is it not?

Nice extended commercial for Cabo during the old man show this morning. Although Josh could probably do better. But please: stop advertising about my happy place.  It's bad enough that quitter Clooney has a place down there. But as you can see by the shameless selfie, George ain't got nothing on me (except for a place in Cabo, and Lake Como, and  all his other properties....)

Everything must Gogo

Neighborhood garage sale today. Made a little coin. Even the kids made a few shekles. Met some nice neighbors. And more importantly got rid of a bunch of crap and freed up a lot of space...for more newer crap. 

Awww Sugar, Sugar

Willy once rapped, "What's in a name.  That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."  Not as sweet as our smelly Sugar!  For today is the mama bear's 7th birthday!

Sugar, nee Vivi, came to us about 8 months ago.  After 4 litters of famous pups, she was "retired" by her previous owners/masters.  Until she came to us, I don't think she ever got to sleep in a bed, go for a car ride, or have a table scrap...because she loves her new life and gets super excited for new adventures.

Sure she steps in poop occasionally.  She has been even known to ingest such unpleasantries.  She farts and burps like a trucker.  Really, it's impressive.  And can anyone remember her first night in Jilly's room?  Let's just say "fudge factory" comes to mind.

But since then, she has been loving and sweet and cuddly and loyal and silky smooth!  And has even made a best friend with her chubbier, younger cousin Cubby!  I think we'll keep her.

Sugar Magnolia

Ladies and gentlemen...

...meet Jack Black!  Or as he is known in France:  Jacques Noir.  He is a standard size 6-string acoustic guitar with a cutaway body.   The hot new axe will be a featured player in the up and coming duo:  Jack and Jill!  Look out Joan Jett.

Joshie the Explorer

Josh and his posse took their cruisers on a trek yesterday.  Loaded up with his beater board on his rack, his wetsuit pack on his back, and his camera in his basket, the Mango's headed downtown.  They went past the high school, past the train station, past the pier...and wound up at T street.  That's far!  Caught some cool waves.  Then headed to MickyD's for supper.  And then the little Dude made it all the way back up the hill, even though his buds didn't have to.  Way to be self-mobile!

Earf Day

Happy earth day to you.  What is it Mother Earth's bday?

Does Venus get a day?  No, just a cool Frankie Avalon song and a burning atmosphere that rains sulfuric acid.

Does Mars get a day?  No, but it don't want one. Afterall, Mars needs women!  And it's tired of getting its bars fried (at Macs Fish & chips).

Theme night at the GoGo's.  Crafts and games and Worms in the dirt for dessert.

Super Saturday continued

And then, we went to the Santa Barbara Bowl to take in a concert. It's a beautiful outdoor arena carved into the foothills in the midst of a nice neighborhood with an ocean view.  It's like the Ravinia of Santa Barbara, without the lawn.

We saw Bryan Ferry, of Roxy Music fame.  He put on quite the show - for a 69 year old hipster.  Couldn't believe it. It was like watching Papa Bruce on stage - with wailing guitars and saxophones.  Love is the drug.  Avalon. Kiss and tell.  Jealous guy. 

Super Saturday

Decided to take the beasts to dog beach today. In Santa Barbara!  Kind of puts Del Mar to shame. Definitely San Clemente. 

First stop was at Hendrys Boathouse for brunch. After a nice seared ahi club, a blackberry Mai tai, and a serious whale spotting (but not Oprah), we let the dogs frolic.  

Checked into the Fess Parker and relaxed poolside.  Look a little spin along the coast and down the pier. Had dinner at Mac's Fish & Chips, famous for their fried Mars bars. 

Josh stayed back in the OC to compete in a skim competition and sleepover Heath's.  He showed big improvement, but alas, didn't place. Skim on skimmer dude!

Meh Friday

What's so good about Good Friday, anyway?  Didn't Jesus get crucified on that day?  He must get irked when Christians shout "TGIF".  Good Friday sure is no Super Saturday or Titillating Thursday.  Ah, I remember Thursday as if it was yesterday.  Good times...

At least I had the day off.  But I didn't want the markets to be closed - kind of a non-separation of Church and State, if you ask me.  At least I didn't lose today, but it's a day without an opportunity to win.  So, turn those machines back on!

Besides, everyone else was at work/school.  Kind of a waste of a day off.  You wish you could bank this holiday for when you need a long weekend.  I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be.

And sadly, the kids are actually off school this Monday, while I'll be at work.  What religious holiday is that:  Meh Monday?

Ukraine on the Membrane

Facebook always asks, "What's on your mind?"  I always reply, "Cerebrospinal fluid."  And my fluid is in a tizzy.

I didn't need the ominous apparition of a blood moon (on tax day, no less) to portend that all is not well with the world.  Clusters of earthquakes continue to shake, rattle and roll along the Ring of Fire.  A ferry of high school students capsized off of Korea - did that Italian cruise ship captain find a new job?  And the Cubs lose both games of a double header to the Yankees - well, that's par for the course.

Speaking of courses, my eldest recently lamented, "Why do I have to take World History in high school?  It's not about our part of the world.  And history is about the past; thus, the word history.  Seems like a waste of time."  Or something to that affect...

And I immediately agreed.  I told him to just download Mel Brook's History of the World, Part I from Netflix instead.  It covers the same material and is slightly funnier.  It's good to be the Dad.

No, of course that wasn't my response.  I opined philosophically, "Those that don't learn from history, are doomed to repeat it."  That is, unless their DVR's are set for "first run only."

Anyway, I raise this topic because I disturbingly read that Jews in a town in eastern Ukraine are being required to "register" for a "fee" and to provide detailed lists of their assets.  It's like 1939 all over again.  And only one good thing came out of 1939:  the birth of Papa Bruce (not that Hitler consulted with him prior to invading Poland)!

Speaking of Poland:  My grandfather Salomon (more commonly known as Sam) was born in Torskie, Poland.  That was way back in 1910.  But today, Torskie is located in the Ukraine.  No, the town didn't move, but the borders did.  So, that's what's making this anti-semitic manifestation all the more disconcerting.  Perhaps Mr. Putin needs to retake high school World History as well.

Monday Bloody Moonday

photo by Josh

Happy Passover

On Social Media

First Facebook status update, October 2007:

Visiting the homeland


First Instagram photo, November 2010

First Twitter post, June 2011:

I tweet; therefore, I am.

Genealogy Wednesday

So, this was waiting for me upon my return from abroad:

It's the marriage license of my grandparents, Harold Greenblatt and Rose Davidson on May 20, 1935 in NYC.  He was 22 and she was 17 1/2.  It confirms that Harold's mom Lee was born in the US and the spelling of Rose's mom's maiden name:  Sophia Seagle.  On a subsequent page, Rabbi Max Drob  is listed as performing the ceremony on 6/9/35 with Norman Shrildriser (?) and Aaron Davidson as witnesses.

Daughter in the water

Jilly officially overcame her ocean-phobia today. Way to wait until the last day. Still, I'm very proud.

La Pena Dulce

Cabo, you sadistic mistress

Burning beauty abounds with an overwhelming intensity

A sky hued so blue it could only be azul, dripping molten rays on a crispy countenance

Beguiling tranquility of the spanking surf along the punishing shore break

And just when it becomes almost bearable,

La semana es no mas.

Cabo Surf'n with the best of 'em

Brekkie at Cabo Surf, followed by a sesh where Josh ran into homie Nick. 

Lunch at Drunken Sailor by puerto 

Dinner at Flora Farms

Baja Fresh

Got up early and commuted to the office, where we plowed through a pile of work consisting of Mexican eggs, tortillas, guac, and beans.  Chatted with Luis- our waiter of 9 years!

Did something we never do - left Cabo. Took a day trip up the Baja peninsula to Todos Santos. Some cool galleries, cafés and the Hotel California.  Got kind of hot - in the 90's - so we blew off our next stop, La Paz. 

Instead, we went to Cerritos Beach - an isolated surf colony with a cool, cliff side hotel and beach club. Ate a pizza (and beer) on the beach, played in the surf, and I even got a sandy massage.  

Checked in to our standby hotel. Got a skim sesh in. Hot tubbed. Went for sushi dinner. And stopped by the Walmart Mexicano.

Scooby Doo and the thirsty dinosaur

Hit the automac for huevos and salchidas mcmuffin. Took the skimmer dude to famous pacific break at Solmar, but it wasn't firing.  Went to old Sheraton stomping grounds to get a mushy sesh in.  Back to Palmar beach and pool, with whale slide . Rode glass bottomed boat "Adonai" out to Land's End. Chillaxed. Dinner at Missiones de Kino. 

Working late at The Office

Smooth sailing into Cabo San Lucas - our happy place.  Survived the airport gauntlet, where Jilly was the first to emerge from the terminal narrowly escaping the preying timeshare hawks.  Thrifty was not too thrifty.  Long twilight walk along the beach.  Marathon dinner of drinks, good food, and cool music at La Officina.  Buenos tardes.   

List Monday - Yiddish words for penis

Oy, vey!  This blog has schlepped over here!  Thanks for clicking.  I know, I'm such a nudnik...

Josh's English Assignment

Parody of Neil Diamond's "I am...I said"

North Shore's fine, there is big waves most the time,

and on my Longboard I lay back.

Big waves flow and barrels are hollow,

but you know I keep thinkin' about,

making my way back.

Well I'm Dana Point born and raised

but nowadays,

I'm lost between two shores

Oahu's fine, but it ain't home

California is home,

but it ain't mine no more

"I am getting barreled"

but no one saw.

And no one got the shot

not even the photographer.

I am being held down by a set

And I am lost but I lived and I can't

even say why.

Aloha, mahalo still.

Did you ever read about Greg Noll

Who dreamed of bein' a big wave surfer,

and then became one.

Well except for the names

and a few other changes,

if you talk about me,

the story's the same one.

Can't win for losing

Well, the Cub's are on the board.  They have finally won a game.  They lost their first game after 10 innings.  They lost their second game in 16 innings.  All this despite their new utility man Emilio Bonifacio setting a MLB record for getting on base 9 times in the first two games.  With the aid of Mike Olt's first major league homer, the lovable losers avoided getting swept by the Pirates to get their first W - even if outfielder Junior Lake wore the wrong away uniform today.  It's going to be a long season.  Go Flubs Go!

Jillian, On the history of beer (an excerpt of a school project she created):

Haircut by choice

Most excellent dinner of the Peaking (into the past) Dragon in a Turkish Prison Cell

Fun, reminiscent dinner last night.  (Shwack lunch and Proud Mary goodbye nice too. ) Food was meh!  But kids enjoyed hearing about some of our most famous trials and tribulations.  Topics covered included:

• the Hot Tub Story
• Justin and the season of summer that never was
• Sleeping out for Neil tickets
• the Cheap trick
• the blind date of 2 Bruce's
• the frozen vomit
• Dustin
• Jared vs. Napoli
• How many of Uncle Dude's body parts we broke
• and various tales of the Perlows

Good times...

March goes out like a wildebeest

Photo by Bubbe

So much for optimism. The Flubbies lost in 10. They have been mathematically eliminated. And that's no April fool's joke.

Enjoying the visitors and the wintry weather. Had a nice meal at home, brunch at Beach Garden Cafe, drinks at the pier, and some banned Mexican food. Today, Shwack and Peking a Dragon.

Illuminating

California Girls