California Vacation - Day 6

Today was our wine tour day up in the mountains of Salvang, California. You cannot BELIEVE how beautiful it is up here... simply gorgeous. We stopped at this cute miniature horse farm, too... which was adorable. Dozens of tiny horses running all over the place.

It took about 2 1/2 hours to drive up here, and we went through such beautiful valleys, mountains, up the coast, through some mountain passes, past a huge lake, and finally into this really quiet area speckled with HUNDREDS of wineries. And every one is amazing, so far. We started drinking around 11am, and went to about six or seven wineries, buying bottles, taking names, writing commets, making orders, and just having a great time.

Many wines I disliked, but a couple I *really* liked... and I've written them down to see if I can get them back home from a store. I've been told I cannot, but you never know. And if worse comes to worst, I will order them online. But we even stopped at a celebrity's windery and enjoyed seeing all the memorabilia from their movie career.

We drove back into the town of Solvang, which is a tiny Dutch town, with tons of little buildings in the same building style. We checked into our hotel room, and headed out onto the town for some supplies and dinner. We ate at this little family diner called The Little Mermaid and I got some dutch meatballs and traditional dutch sides, with some cocoa. It was ALL very delicious.. and completely not in line with my low-carb eating. Stomach ache, here we come!

After a full day of driving, wine tasting, eating, shopping and more, today was really amazing. I'm tired.. and it's good that we're turning in early.. I can catch up on some sleep and start tomorrow with a kick start. We're going to do some shopping in the town (it's so cute you have no idea). Then we're hitting a couple more wineries before we head back into the city. This is day EIGHT I have not worked out.. and my body is yearning for some heavy exercise. I leave Tuesday at 1pm, and will be home by midnight.

California Vacation - Day 5

Saturday was partitioned on my schedule to be a day I spent with my brother. We left LA really early to get out to Riverside around 8:45... pretty good time considering the traffic. My brother has lived out here almost a decade already, owns a beautiful house, a few cars, a social life.. he's doing quite well for himself. And he offered to make us breakfast.. which in and of itself is enough to make up if anything else was lacking. We put in our order the previous night over text message, and headed there in the AM.

We caught up with them for a few hours, ate our breakfast, and then headed to the nearby Mission Inn to do some exploring, sightseeing, and to get some lunch. The Mission Inn is this place that used to be some kind of Catholic facility housing monks and missionaries hundreds of years ago for the local tribes. Well, it's been turned into a hotel/resort, but it's still kept in the old style. We spent a good hour walking around the FIVE main floors and taking tons of pictures. The place is beautiful.

We headed to Spaghetti Warehouse down the street and really enjoyed a huge meal of meatballs, pasta, salads and ice cream in a beautiful building with huge tables. I've been to SF once before, and didn't remember it being this ornate. It was delicious and wonderful and great to catch up with Aaron again. It's funny. He usually mentions how nice it is that someone else has the memories he has growing up so it's not just him recalling the little tidbits about living in a kitchen for a couple winters, or the fact that our father butchered a cow in our front yard one Thanksgiving.

But we had to leave, as we needed to catch a boat out to Catalina Island to do some whale watching. It was about an hour away, we got there no problem, on time, and on the boat... for free. Cindy has connections *everywhere* around this city, and she knows one of the deck hands. We got on, settled, and then I got extremely seasick as our boat headed out into open water in the roughest water I've ever boated through.

But I held my guts in, and we finally settled in an area of water with FIVE whales, which was simply amazing. We saw them feeding, rolling, jumping and circling. The Captain said the one thing they did, which was flip over and show their underside as they dove.. was very rare and he could count on one hand how many times he's seen it in 30 years. It was to put no other way... astounding and mind blowing. The whales got really close to the boat, and I was busy snapping pictures.

But man oh man was I ill. I finally went inside where it was warm (since it was friggin COLD outside in the wind) and laid down on a bench and closed my eyes. Wasn't exactly a pleasant ride home.. but I felt immediately better when I got back on land. We headed back home, got some El Pollo Loco for dinner, and I got ready for go back out.

Cindy stayed in, as she didn't feel good, and I headed to a friend's house to play some party board games for the next few hours. I got there in this gigantic mansion.. just huge.. like 50 rooms huge. I thought I was trespassing this place was so amazing. But it was the right house, I went in, and got to know the ladies and my friend Gabe for the next few hours as we played games and had a good time laughing and eating. Well, I started rudely falling asleep... and insisted I leave.. only to submit and stay longer.

But after a group picture, one last game, I headed back to Cindy's place around midnight (3am NY time), and got into bed. I'm exhausted.. but it's been quite the wild ride so far.

California Vacation - Day 4

Cindy and I woke up and headed up to the coast to Pt. Dume, a beautiful area of the coast that has great beaches, beautiful landscapes, good hiking, and the ocean! It took awhile to get there, but it was perfect. I went down and walked through the water, getting my feet wet and walking in the sand. BLISS. No doubt.

We decided to walk one of the hiking paths, and set up to find ourselves on the edge of a beautiful cliff side view of the ocean, complete with 360 skyscapes, buoys in the distance, an inlet, sea lions barking, waves crashing.. oh, it was perfect. And Cindy and I laughed hard the entire time. We hiked a lot, and enjoyed hours of the sun.

We appropriated enough time to do our walk, get some lunch, enjoy the sun/water, and then get back on the road to do some shopping at the Camarillo Premium Outlets nearby with Cindy's friend Dana. Dana has a great sense of style, and this outlet center was aMAZing. Hundreds of top of the line stores.. beyond compare. You cannot believe how much I bought.

My first thought was "How will I get all this home?" but it was so worth it. I may even have to ship some stuff back on Tuesday. But I got a really great new pair of shoes, a new winter hat, a new winter coat, sandals, shirts, socks... oh, you name it, and I bought it. We did a ton of shopping and browsed in dozens of stores. Had a lot of fun exploring... and I got some great deals.

Once we got done shopping, it was well past dark, and we headed back to the garage/apartment to eat some snacks, change into some new bowling clothes, and head to Extreme Bowling for Cindy's friend Connie's birthday. OH, and I wore a couple of my new clothes. Tired has been my theme as of late, but there is so much to do in LA, so I push through the drowsiness and have a GREAT time.

So we headed to this bowling alley, got some more food, started our massive tab, and starting drinking and bowling with a group of 20 people... terribly. I didn't really get a chance to talk to anyone outside of Connie and Cindy, but I had a great time, and had a pretty good 3 games. OH, and plus, having a dozen alcoholic beverages wasn't too bad either. Ha!

I find it astounding how many people Cindy knows, how many connections she has, and how much influence she brings to every conversation, situation, event, group of people, and transaction we have. I am truly grateful for everything she's been doing for me this week. She's made it an amazing trip so far, and every day is just jam packed with mostly random fun things to do, people to see, and photographs to take. This place is beautiful, delicious, awe-inspiring and just amazing.

I've been falling asleep in the middle of things late at night. While it's normal for me to stay up until after midnight... being 3am back home.. or even 4am back home is ripping my soul out. I'm truly exhausted every day I hit the bed, and try my best to sleep through the night. I've been waking up at 9am back home (6am here), and it's frustrating, but I'm doing my best. But I can sleep when I get back home! Or at least that's what I keep telling myself.

Bowling and hiking and the dozen other things I've done today have been terrific... and the people I've met and the things I've seen are just simply mind blowing. California is beyond compare... I am loving every minute of it.

California Vacation - Day 3

So Cindy and I headed toward the coast to the Venice area to walk the canals, check out the cool walking paths, and rent bikes at Venice Beach for a couple hours. Everything is so beautiful here, and the weather is completely cooperating. The days are sunny and in the 70s, and the nights cool and in the 60s.

So Cindy and I rented a couple mountain bikes and biked down the bike trail along the coast for a bit. The breeze was so wonderful, and the fresh salty sea air refreshing. Renting bikes was cheap as all heck, and just walking around with no deadlines or timetables was bliss.

Unfortunately, trying to be smart, I ended up tumbling off my bike in a faceplant onto the side walk, but luckily I wasn't hurt in the slightest. But we returned our bikes, made a stop at Starbucks, walked through the beautiful side streets of Venice, and headed back to Hollywood to run a bunch of errands.

PLUS.. I got to SHOWER today. Not so exciting to you, but where Cindy lives, there is no shower, so we went to her grandma's place and I got to shower. Ha! But we took her grandma to a couple places, ran a few errands, had a delicious dinner at a salar bar place, and headed to a friend's house to watch a movie.

Movie turned out to be Casablanca and a delicious red wine I not only had last night, but the other night at the rainforest cafe: Blackstone Cabernet Sauvignon. I definitely want to find this CA wine when I get home.

I've been pretty exhausted, going on very little sleep and FULL active days... so getting back to the apartment and getting in bed was extremely pleasant... ON TO DAY FOUR.

California Vacation - Day 2

So we woke up pretty early and got on the road for Anaheim. Disneyland was on today's itinerary, and we went to find tickets off Craigslist. It fell through, so we just headed to the park, got checked in, and started riding rides immediately. Cindy had a couple friends meeting up with us in the park later in the day, so until then, we were on our own.

There were literally NO LINES all day long. It took as long as it took to walk through the path in the line, and no longer. We got on every ride we tried within a minute, and we rode as many as we could. The animatronics were kinda creeping me out at first, but after awhile, I expected them.. and enjoyed the bopping Christmas tunes and such.

The park is HUGE.. just GIGANTIC. So much to do, and it's split into themes. Fantasyland, Futureland, etc, etc. We were literally on the run the entire day... with sore butts from yesterday's horse ride.. but no ride was too much. A lot of fun kiddie rides (like Dumbo and Teacups) and a lot of food roller coasters and such. We did everything from "It's a small world" to the underwater Submarine ride. Went through sleeping beauty's castle, and flew through London in Peter Pan's ride.

Cindy kept taking pictures of me texting and such, so here I am posing with my two loves.. my cell phone and diet coke. So sad, but yet... so so good. She kept going "I'm totally avoiding Facebook after all these updates." Didn't update Facebook, but I got the message.

We met up with Cindy's friend Connie, and then later on met up with Courtney and her boyfriend Glenn. 3rd wheel was OK, but then being a 4th was better.. ha. They were a lot of fun, wanted to do *everything* and kept moving. And Glenn was an expert on the park, so it was like having a tour guide right there with us.

I even got an etched shot glass from Disney with my name on it. We ate a delicious 1st lunch on the run (mickey shaped vegetables), a 2nd lunch at some bear cafe, and then much later.. dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. One of my favorite rides was Pirates of the Caribbean, and Indian Jones... so much fun. After a day of younger themed rides, it was great to be immersed in some kickin coasters.

We got done with the park around 8pm (11pm back home), headed to dinner, and enjoyed a great meal with great company. On the run the whole day, a ton of fun, didn't get to see everything, but enjoyed it immensely. And the fireworks! Wow. A blast, for sure.

California Vacation - Day 1

So I'm in California! And Cindy met me at the airport. We headed to the rental place and picked up our hot little Yaris, and got on our way. Been about a year since I've seen Cindy, and she has quite the extensive itinerary for our week together. First up... well, Kinkos, but 2nd stop.. HORSES.

Up in the hills of Hollywood is a Sunset Ranch, a self guided horseback riding tour place. You actually ride up into the trails under the Hollywood sign, about 6+ miles over 2 hours.

My horse's name was Mustard, and Cindy's was Galaxy. At first, riding was painful, but then you get used to sitting a certain way. It was definitely a cool experience to drive the horse, even though I almost drove the horse off a cliff.

Once we got to the top of the mountain, you could see the entire Los Angeles basis with 360 degree clarity. It was such a warm, clear day, and no smog! Beautiful!

After horses, we found our way into Beachwood Canyon, a ritzy part of Hollywood, to try out the city's stairwalks. Due to the way the hills/roads are laid out, you can actually find your way through these neighborhoods up quirky, cool, OLD and interesting stairwells that are 100ft incline. So Cindy and I walked around a bit, got some exercise, got some food at a local cafe, and headed to Target for some supplies.

We headed up to the Griffith Observatory, the iconic star observatory in the hills of LA. We got up there after dark (obviously), and headed into to check out the exhibits, look at Pegasus M15 in the telescope, watch a show on the stars/planets (in which I fell asleep), and enjoy the fresh crisp air in the LA night.

By then, it was LATE, and we were starving. So we headed to Korean BBQ: Honey Pig, in which you cook the raw vegetables and beef and such on a metal dome. Definitely delicious.. SO much food, good drink, good atmosphere.. we were the last ones to leave! We made our way back to Cindy's apartment/garage after midnight, and I got to bed within the hour.

Flying today

I'm on my way to L.A. Currently sitting in the BWI airport browsing the net. I'm reboarding. See ya in CA!



Now I'm in the air somewhere over the Rocky Mountains. Chatting up a storm with a bunch of friends back home... my bum hurts from sitting so long... and I'm starving... and this plane is EMPTY!

The beginning...

I think I've figured out why Ashley acts the way she does.... we fed her after midnight AND got water on her! (Taken when she was 6/7 months old.)

My highschool speech

I found my old high school graduation speech... how quaint.

Good afternoon parents, teachers, faculty, fellow students, alumni, and graduating seniors.

Today, a momentous occasion in each of our lives, brings us not only to an end, but to a wonderful beginning. We have spent the last 13 years of our lives advancing to this point. Now we’ve gotten here and can see why all our struggles and stumbles were worth it.

Throughout each of our lives we have had people come and go. Some have positive influences and others not. But we can see that everyone affects us, and we wouldn’t be the people we are today without them. Some are teachers, parents, friends, and others are the ones that bring brief moments of joy into our lives. Many exemplary people have come and gone from my life and have shaped the way I think. Each of them have a place in my heart and I will forever remember them.

A few of you might have known that a great man, Deforest Kelly, recently passed away. He spent most of his life in pursuit of being in the medical field. A place that I hope to be someday. He’s been an inspiration to a great deal of people and he’ll be missed forever. Mr. Kelly died a few weeks ago surrounded by his loved ones and the people he’s helped that he never met. He represented humanity in its best light and it fitted him very well. This man cared only for his family and the friends whose lives he changed. Another friend of mine died a few years ago, that made me look at life differently. This friend, Reba, holds a special place in my heart. Without her, my life would not be as bright as it is today. I will never forget my best friend.

Sorrowful moments like this remind each of us that our lives are precious and each second needs to be cherished. All of our actions DO affect others and we should strive to help everyone that we can. Most of the time our thoughts are on ourselves, and how our lives will turn out, but what is most important is how we affect each other. What we do today might come back and nip us a few years down the road. Be careful, but always look forward.

Pertaining to this --- Nicholas Gordon said the following in one of his poems:
So few realize what life is about.
If I knew nothing else, I knew warmth, pleasure,
Despite everything, I knew love.
People look for what they can measure:
A degree, money, children they can brag about,
Reasons others might wish them the world’s rewards.
On days like other days were moments I treasured,
Life like other lives, humdrum, passing without
Yammering, with you, with the children, full, enough …

Today brings us to a closure, not to a conclusion. Each of us is a student in our own way. The act of learning never stops, it is just the way that we learn that changes. The past 13 years were not designed to prepare you for today’s ceremony, but to prepare you for the rest of your lives.

Our futures bring promise, and the nice thing about being young is that we trust the future. This is the one thing that is untouched and unknown to humanity. Without it being written out for us, we can shape our own lives. Is tomorrow a sunny, warm day? A day that will help us learn more of ourselves and the way each of us think? Or will it be bitter cold, and rainy. A day to look inward and discover the inner gears of the mind? The possibilities are endless, but always rewarding.

Some of you will be moving on to college, to the military, or directly into the workforce. To all of you, I wish you goodluck. Now with the knowledge you gained from within the walls of this school, you can right the wrong, and learn from others’ mistakes. Try and never give up. Without trial and error, how can we evolve? “The man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything.” Slowing down is not the answer, push the limits and strive to improve the world around you.

Furthermore, let the knowledge you have gained in the past 13 years guide your decisions for the road ahead. All our lives we try and make our own decisions. Do this. If we continually followed our elders’ steps, then how will we learn what we can accomplish by straying from their path? Do right by those who care for you, live life as you see fit, and whenever necessary, choose the bumpy road that nobody takes. I challenge each of you to prove to yourself and to your family that a student from Romulus can accomplish Romulus Central School’s ..... BIG idea.

Thank you to everyone, and best of luck to the Class of 1999.

New coat!

Spent the last two days buying up a storm at the mall.... got a lot of great new clothes for my trip to LA Tuesday...!

November Tri-birthdays

November is a big month for birthdays in my family! So my huge extended family got together and ate a ton of food (not I), opened lots of gifts (not I), ate lots of cake/pies/desserts (not I), and drank lots of alcohol (yes I). We couldn't stop laughing. We also can never pose for pictures normal (even thought it looks like it). Much inappropriatenesses ensued.

Winterizing The House

Winterizing The House
Sent via camera phone by lukeawol.

Re arranged the sunroom after putting up the winter windows. Loving the new feel.

50 Things to do in Rochester, NY

My ongoing side project to collect AND do the many, many fun things to do in Rochester.

1. Watch a baseball game at Frontier Field (Rochester Red Wings)
2. Visit the Seneca Park Zoo
3. Happy hour and city's best chicken wings at Jeremiah's Tavern
4. Do a self-guided tour of Mount Hope Cemetery
5. Listen to an evening of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
6. Explore the Memorial Art Gallery
7. Discover the Susan B Anthony House
8. Go swimming in Lake Ontario at Charlotte Beach
9. Laugh hysterically at the Downstairs Cabaret Theatre
10 Visit the Rochester International Jazz Festival
11. Catch a show at the Geva Theatre
12. Check out the independent film festivals at the Little Theatre
13. Buy fresh produce at The Rochester Public Market
14. Visit the animals at the Humane Society at Lollypop Farm
15. Take a Bike Ride Along Erie Canal
16. Picnic and sight-see at Letchworth State Park in Mount Morris
17. Rent and do some Canoeing down the Genesee River from GVP
18. Geocache and explore the Rochester Subway System
19. Take a tour of the George Eastman House
20. Catch one of the quirky themed movies at the Dryden Theater
21. Hang out at Betty Meyer’s Bullwinkles
22. Enjoy the accents at The Old Toad English Pub
23. Take a date and tatch the laser show at High Falls on New Years
24. Nick Tahoe Garbage Plate
25. Spectate and attend an FLR autocross at MCC, Xerox, or RIT and cheer on the racers
26. Dine at Magnolia's and other lovely establishments on Park Ave
27. Squeeze into The Little Bakery on your Saturday morning travels
28. Take your pups to the dog park! (Ellison Park)
29. Grab a plate and enjoy the music at The Lilac Festival
30. Visit the Water Street Music Hall
31. Take a boat ride on the Mary Jemison and do a canal tour
32. Corn Hill Landing - Richport + Corn Hill Creamery + Awesome View of the City
33. Catch a friend's show at the Bug Jar
34. Drive past the Lyell Ave hookers
35. Go catch a show at Charlotte Beach
36. Watch the crew teams compete yearly at The Regatta
37. Check a broadway show at the Auditorium Theatre
38. Catch some mexican fare at Salena's in Villiage Gate
39. Visit the artisans at Anderson Alley in their yearly open houses
40. Avoid the craziness that is the Park Ave Fest
41. Go antiquing near Canandaigua Lake and visit the pier
42. Have a day of fun at Roseland, the waterpark in Canandaigua
43. Do a limo wine tour around the Finger Lakes
44. Grab a delicious burger at any Schallers location
45. Eat some amazing chicken wings at Country Sweet on Mt. Hope
46. Movies 10 on Tuesday nights! $1.00 to get in! Brandani’s pizza next door!
47. Do some extreme shopping at Eastview Mall in Victor
48. Frisbee Golf in Genesee Valley Park
49. Go running along the Genesee River walkway
50. Grab authentic NYC style pizza at Pizza Stop on State Street

Taboo & Shake/Bake/Fun

Tonight was Nola's birthday. My favorite group of girls (and guy) all got together, had a fantastic home made meal, replete with homemade salsas, cheese things, chicken wing dips, homemade warm bread, shake & bake, delicious molten chocolate volcano thingies... and about 2 hours of rockin hilarious Taboo. This group always has a hilariously good time, and it was wonderful to meet a couple of Nola's friends outside the core. I think I spent more time lounging at Nola's today than I ever have. Was nice to just hang and not be anywhere....

PSA: Flu Shot

This might be very un-PC, but Nola and I about died laughing watching this.

Wine Tasting

Wine Tasting
Sent via camera phone by lukeawol.

Out with mom doing some wine tasting on Cayuga Lake today.

Country Get Away

Country Get Away
Sent via camera phone by lukeawol.

Got out of the city and enjoying a quiet weekend out in the country.

Craziness. Absolute craziness.

This. Has been my life. As of late.

(photo unrelated)

Zombie Apocalypse

Zombie Apocalypse
Sent via camera phone by lukeawol.

Visiting with the actors of Michael's Zombie movie.

Our jog this morning...

Pushed myself to a full 10k this morning with Nola. Well, she was with me for about 3k of it, but still. Look at my odd ass path this morning.. but it was fun, and cold!