A Doctor, An Architect and a Politician...

A doctor, an architect and a politician were debating which profession came first. The doctor claimed first place, because it was a doctor who took Adam's rib to make Eve. "You're wrong," said the architect. "Before Adam and Eve, the world was chaos. We architects organized it." "You're both wrong," the politician said. "Who do you think created the chaos?"

A twist on the original chicken and egg, don't you think? A joke told by Gorbachev, and recounted by Robert Schuller.

Mother's Day Events 2008

This Mother's Day mom wanted to do something outdoorsy. So I made all the food for a picnic and found the trails in Crystal Cove and sure enough we spent three hours or more hiking up hills and down.

Our first nature sighting, towards the beginning of the trail atop the BFI hill. The cute roadrunner.

Then from a distance, I spotted a quail....well we didn't know it was a quail until after we looked at pictures and saw the poof on its head.

Finally, the day started to clear up and blue shown through the clouds. The breeze was still nice, keeping the heat away.


We finally made it on to flat lands. Admittedly, we were all pretty tired from the long steep hill we just climbed. The hill was so inclined, that every step you took more so resembled lunging than a step.

As mom and I were being "chatty cathies" dad froze in front of us and held both his arms out. Silently and slowly, he grabbed his video camera and pointed to the trail in front of us. Yes, that is a red diamondback rattlesnake. The kiosk at the beginning of the trail said that we most likely would not see any in Crystal Cove. With just our luck, on our first visit, we spot one.




After having bravely attacked another serious incline, we started out gentle downward slope back to the car. The view was beautiful since the marine layer burned off.

After the hike, we drove a mile North on PCH to the Los Trancos parking area to take our picnic to the Historical District. We crossed under PCH and make it to the cottages that are situated on the beach. We found ourselves a picnic table and enjoyed the sun, ocean breeze, and people watching. I had made "Unfried Chicken"Drumsticks, Brown Rice and Crunch Vegetable Salad, a twist on Antipasto Salad, and Banana Bran Walnut Muffins for dessert. Afterwards, we headed back to my place, but stopped on the way for some gelato. Nothing like a nice little sweet Italian treat after a long hard day of fitness.

We started the hike by taking "B.F.I." that connected to Moro Ridge. The entire leg of the hike was uphill at this point. Then we turned left on to E. Cut Across a.k.a. "I Think I Can". This is when we saw all the animals and some great views of the back country. For the most part it was either downhill or flat and windy. From there we cut a quick right on to El Moro Canyon, then a quick left a the three pronged fork of the trails to take Poles. Now I realize it is called Poles because it is steep and dirt that poles would have come in very handy. But at the top, it is very fulfilling when you look out across the back country and see little dots which are people of where you just were not too long ago. That connects to "No Dogs" where we took a left and started the gradual decline back down to the car. In all, it was probably a 4 mile, or slightly more, hike.

The Future

HEADLINES FROM THE YEAR: 2029

• Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions in the seventh largest country in the world, Mexifornia formerly known as California. White minorities still trying to have English recognized as Mexifornia's third language.

• Spotted Owl plague threatens northwestern United States crops and livestock.

• Baby conceived naturally. Scientists stumped.

• Couple petitions court to reinstate heterosexual marriage.

• Iran still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least 10 more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels

• France pleads for global help after being taken over by Jamaica

• Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking.

• George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2036.

• Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only.

• 85-year $75.8 billion study: Diet and Exercise is the key to weight loss.

• Average weight of Americans drops to 250 lbs.

• Japanese scientists have created a camera with such a fast shutter speed, they now can photograph a woman with her mouth shut.

• Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.

• Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals, violates their civil rights.

• Average height of NBA players is now nine feet, seven inches.

• New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2036.

• Congress authorizes direct deposit of formerly illegal political contributions to campaign accounts.

• IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75 percent.

• Florida voters still having trouble with voting machines.

• Utah’s West Desert Nuclear Waste Dump can be seen from the moon – Glows brighter than ever.

• Now, send this to whomever you want to and as many as you want and guess what… and this is the best part… NOTHING will happen. No miracles, no money, absolutely nothing, except you might make someone smile.

Let's Go Angels...Let's Go!

This just in: Angels beat the Orioles 3-1, putting the Angels in a winning spot in the series at 6-5 over Baltimore. And we were there to see it. On May 3rd, my boss gave me some tickets to see the Angels play the Orioles. Little did I realize that when he said the tickets were behind home plate, that they were literally 14 rows directly behind home plate!

pointing to were we are going to be sitting

So we arrived at our seats before the game. And to our great surprise, we were practically on the field. The section is the Diamond Club, with only 24 rows of seats and a restaurant with tables at the top of the section.

the field from our seats

Before the game started we had lunch at one of the many hot dog stand areas. Of course we all got ourselves hot dogs!

being goofy at the front gate waiting for the food

big hats.....Christine, Dad and I

the dads!
(who by the way seemed to be having the time of their lives with their daughters)

Christine and I
aka: Betty and Veronica

The game finally started and the action was soon to come.

drinking our Stellas :-)

cheering on the boys

a quick photo from inside the Diamond Club Restaurant

heading down to our seats

Of course about half way through the game we hadn't had enough with the hot dog, lemonade, peanuts and Stella, so we had to get nachos of course!

taking some photos during the game

The real action of the game was after the 5th inning. That's when we finally got the last 2 runs that put us over the edge for the win!

group shot!

Dan and Christine :-)

Dad and I :-)

And for a little more reading....and a full synopsis of the goings on in the game, here is an article courtesy of the MLB::

Angels rally to defeat Orioles

Halos score twice in sixth inning; Garland goes eight strong

ANAHEIM -- The Angels were looking for a hitting explosion on Saturday afternoon. Instead, the explosion came from the Angel Stadium mound, where Jon Garland throttled the Orioles on three hits over eight innings.

The Angels defeated the Orioles, 3-1, after having labored without a hit off Orioles right-hander Daniel Cabrera for three innings and waiting until the sixth for the two-run rally that gave them the lead for good.

"It was one of those games where, either way it goes, you can't be too upset," said Garland (4-3), who gave up a run on three hits while striking out one and walking one.

Francisco Rodriguez pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 12th save.

"Even when I'm getting my brains beat in, I still want to go out and do my best," Garland said when asked whether he would have preferred to finish the game.

He spoke from recent experience, having surrendered 10 hits, two of them home runs, in six-plus innings of a 14-2 loss to Oakland on Monday night.

Garland said he and pitching coach Mike Butcher went into remedy mode after that one, viewing not just the DVD of the Oakland debacle but a disc from Game 3 of the 2005 American League Championship Series, in which he pitched a complete game as he and the White Sox defeated the Angels.

Garland said he took the 2005 DVD home, watched it, and "let it sink in."

In both of those performances, Garland said, "I was opening up early, pretty much showing every hitter exactly what was coming. The adjustment Butch and I worked on was turning my left shoulder in, and you could see the results."

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said of Garland, "He looked much more confident in his delivery. His load was much better, he had better control of his offspeed pitches, and the ball was coming out of his hand crisper."

The Angels' decisive rally began with one out when Cabrera (2-1) hit Brandon Wood with a pitch and Chone Figgins followed with a walk. Designated hitter Reggie Willits, who had broken up Cabrera's no-hitter with an infield single in the fourth, slashed a single to right to score Wood. Figgins went to third and scored on a Gary Matthews Jr. sacrifice fly.

Willits said he was OK with the DH role. "I'll take any way they can get me in there," he said. "It gets some guys some rest."

On Saturday, the person resting was Vladimir Guerrero, as Matthews started in right field, Torii Hunter in center and Garret Anderson in left.

Willits spoke about the pitch he drove into right to tie the score. "I was looking to be aggressive early in the count. [Cabrera] was getting a lot of first-pitch strikes. The catcher was setting up on the outside of the plate, and it came right down the middle."

Garland yielded the Orioles' run in the second on Luke Scott's two-out RBI single. The Angels' starter also retired 18 of the last 19 batters he faced, the only break coming on Melvin Mora's one-out double in the seventh.

"Through the middle innings he was in the zone early and often," Scioscia said of his starter.

Figgins left the game after scoring the Angels' third run, sliding home safely, but awkwardly, on a fielder's choice when he beat third baseman Mora's throw following a soft ground ball by Matthews.

The slide resulted in an injury to Figgins' right hamstring muscle, which tightened up on him when he returned to the dugout.

"He said it cramped up, like there was a knot or something in there," Scioscia said.

Figgins was unavailable following the game.

"We'll have to get [the injury] evaluated by the doctors," Scioscia said. "With the hamstring, you're always concerned."

In the seventh inning, the Angels' recent hitting woes centered on a frustrating snapshot of Anderson being ejected by plate umpire Paul Emmel for flipping his bat 20 feet after being called out on strikes.

"Garret is trying, searching," Scioscia said. "He's going to find it, but right now he's searching for his game."

Java B.

It's been a while since I've posted pictures of my little kitty. Well, she isn't so little anymore. Let's just say, it's not as easy to pick her up with only one hand now. She has definitely kept her playfulness however!

She still likes trying to hide in bags...

...and attack the camera.

This weekend was fun with the girls. Saturday night Nancy, Christine and I went to see "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" then we went back to my place and talked until the wee hours of the morning. Java didn't mind of course, especially since she was having so much fun playing with Christine.

One of my favorite pictures of Java...

25 Ways to Tell You're Grown Up

(thanks Amy)

1. Your houseplants are alive, and you can't smoke any of them.
2. Having sex in a twin bed is out of the question.
3. You keep more food than beer in the fridge.
4. 6:00 a.m. is when you get up, not when you go to bed.
5. You hear your favorite song in an elevator.
6. You watch the weather channel.
7. Your friends marry and divorce instead of "hook up" and "break up".
8. You go from 130 days of vacation time to 14.
9. Jeans and a sweater no longer qualify as "dressed up".
10. You're the one calling the police because those %&@# kids next door won't turn down the stereo.
11. Older relatives feel comfortable telling sex jokes around you.
12. You don't know what time Taco Bell closes anymore.
13. Your car insurance goes down and your car payments go up.
14. You feed your dog Science Diet instead of McDonald's leftovers.
15. Sleeping on the couch makes your back hurt.
16. You take naps.
17. Dinner and a movie is the whole date instead of the beginning of one.
18. Eating a basket of chicken wings at 3 a.m. would severely upset, rather than settle, your stomach.
19. You go to the drug store for ibuprofen and antacid, not condoms and pregnancy tests.
20. A $4.00 bottle of wine is no longer "pretty good shit".
21. You actually eat breakfast food at breakfast time.
22. "I just can't drink the way I used to" replaces "I'm never going to drink that much again."
23. 90% of the time you spend in front of a computer is for real work.
24. You drink at home to save money before going to a bar.
25. When you find your friend is pregnant you congratulate them instead of asking "Oh, shit, what the hell happened?"

BONUS

26. You read this entire list looking desperately for one sign that doesn't apply to you and can't find one to save your sorry old ass.

Memphis Cafe and Birthday Thanks!

Thank you to all that helped to celebrate my 23rd Birthday, through cards, wishes, and sharing a drink! On Saturday, I hosted a brunch with all the closest friends that I have here. The biggest gift that I could have was having everyone together for a good time for brunch at Memphis Cafe. It was a fantastic afternoon!!!

flowers from work!

Upon arriving at the restaurant, our table was split into two sections. That was definitely now okay with everyone, so after much table adjusting, and causing a ruckus with the staff we finally rearranged the tables how we wanted. I was a little embarrased, but hey, it's my birthday and I can set it up how I want right?!

Amber & Matt (the best couple in the world--can't wait for Junebug to appear :-p)

Don and Christine just can't seem to make up their minds about what to order

Michelle and I

trying to figure out what drink I should get...

Bonnie and Michelle

Christine and Nancy (the two girls that I've known the longest in my life)

I honestly thought that I would skate by this year without having a crowd sing Happy Birthday to me. But to my COMPLETE SURPRISE Nancy got me a birthday cake and the entire patio sang to me! Needless to say, I was definitly blushing hence my expressions and redness....

it took 3 puffs to get all those candles out! good thing we were outside because it got quite smokey...

licking the candles is the best part! (I did share, but most of them I kept to myself...)

these are the bouquets that I got that morning at Memphis

Thank you everyone that sent me a card, flowers, or even just thought of my for my birthday!