Day One Hundred Eighty Nine

Dear Readers,
      Day two of our relaxacation here in beautiful Berkeley.  We were supposed to spend the day walking around San Francisco, but my sickness got the best of me this morning.  I felt even worse when I woke up.  Fortunately I am feeling better now.  So I am hoping I will be even better tomorrow to allow for a superb day on the town.  I would have hated walking around with my eyes watering and having to blow my nose everywhere I went.  Instead we spent the day relaxing, swimming and working out.  I wasn't going to waste my vacation time laying around in bed all day.  I was going to make the most of it, no matter what.  After a splendid breakfast at Saul's, where I had the delicious hash and eggs, we went to pick up a few items on the shopping list for Raina's dad.  He grew up in the area and actually went to school for a little while here at Cal.  Needless to say, he is a big fan and asked for a few items of clothing from one of his favorite stores.  I hope he enjoys all the new Cal gear.
      I have to say, after walking around this little town for a couple of hours, it is a very quiet and beautiful neighborhood with lots of trees.  One of those little college towns that are full of old traditional homes that I love.  The weather is great and I could actually see myself living here, if it wasn't so close to Oakland and wasn't so expensive.  It doesn't help that the school I love, Oregon, is always competing against Cal.  I guess I would be able to see them a couple of times a year when they come down to lay down the law on the Golden Bears.  Either way, there are places I would rather live that are more cost efficient then here.
      It has been another day with time spent by and in the pool.  I really love swimming and hope to one day have one of my own.  It's a great workout and great for those hot summer days.  There have been so many days of coming home from work in the dead heat of summer and wishing I could just take a dip in the pool to cool down.  Some day.
      We had dinner at Zachary's tonight.  A great pizza joint just down the street.  They do Chicago style pizza, but we got our own version.  A stuffed pizza.  A layer of dough, then toppings and cheese, then another layer of dough and then a top layer of cheese and their signature sauce with diced tomatoes.  It was so freaking awesome.  I think this is our third time there and it has been excellent every time.  We even brought back a few slices for a late night snack while we watch our rented movie.  If you are ever in the area, and you are a pizza lover, you have to try Zachary's.  They are always really busy, but it is worth it.  They will have to roll you out of the place, just like they had to do to me.  Stuffed and ready for a movie.  John Carter tonight.  I heard it was pretty bad, but I still wanted to see it, at least once.  It was only $1, so it isn't like we will be wasting much money.  Gotta love Redbox.

This Day In History: 1876
Jesse James, the most notorious train robber of the American West, holds up the Missouri-Pacific train and robs it of $15,000.

Born This Day: 1906
Satchel Paige - American Hall of Fame baseball player.

"A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education."

-Theodore Roosevelt

Some pictures of our day.

The lobby at the Claremont

Hash and eggs from Saul's

You can see San Francisco from our hotel

Soooo Gooooood!

I got green chiles on top of mine

Self explanatory

Love this place

Day One Hundred Eighty Eight

Dear Readers,
      Here we are in beautiful Berkeley.  Our first day on our weekend vacation and my sinuses are still killing me, along with congestion in my left nostril.  I have been rubbing the tears out of my eye all day and now it is all red and puffy like I have been crying all day.  Driving out here with one eye was pretty difficult, so I had to be relieved by Raina.  I only drove the first hour and a half and she drove the rest of the way.  I normally do all or most of the driving, so today was a bit of a shift.  It was a really relaxing drive, other than the whole blowing my nose every fifteen minutes thing.  We made it safe and sound though and have had a relaxing day of swimming, unpacking and dinner with tea at Raina's grandmother's house.
      This place is pretty old fashioned.  It has an old fashioned name to match the style of building, The Claremont.  It is pretty fancy though.  Fancy shops inside, fancy restaurants and bars inside and a fancy spa a fitness center.  I know we are really going to enjoy this weekend, as long as the cold doesn't get any worse.  One of the coolest things is just driving too and from Raina's grandmothers, which is only about ten minutes away.  It's a quiet little college town with tons of shops and restaurants.  Not big name brand stores and the usual restaurants that are in every town, but tons of small bookstores and clothing stores and little family owned restaurants.  I love that kind of stuff.  Those big department stores and bookstores have all the same stuff, but with little family owned shops like this you really never know what you might find.  The restaurants tend to be really good too.  Little places where families make the same food their mother's cooked when they were kids.  Authentic Thai or Indian food, or even the Jewish deli they have here.  Saul's is one of those delis that we have been coming to for as long as we have been coming to visit Raina's grandmother.   We always go for breakfast.  They have french toast made from the Jewish Challah bread, which Raina gets every time we go.  Personally, I love their hash and eggs.  Absolutely mouth watering.  Not the healthiest thing on the menu, but I guess that is why I enjoy it so much.  Our tradition of breakfast at Saul's will be happening tomorrow morning.  A hearty breakfast in the morning and then it is off to downtown San Francisco.  I will make sure to wear my Dodger shirt all through the city.  Have to support my team, even in enemy territory.

This Day In History: 1957
Fifteen year old Paul McCartney attends a church picnic in the village of Woolton, near Liverpool, England, where he meets sixteen year old John Lennon.  Lennon had formed a band called the Quarrymen, which was playing at the picnic.

Born This Day:1747
John Paul Jones - American revolutionary naval hero.

"People who read the tabloids deserve to be lied to."

-Jerry Seinfeld

This is what I will be saying at the end of the year.

Day One Hundred Eighty Seven

Dear Readers,
      I just want to point out to my brother in law Matt that I am here saving time, typing up my blog during my break in class.  So that I can maximize the time I have wirh Raina.  Have to utilize every moment.
      Going back to work today for one day was a real bummer.  I hate days like this.  The boss isn't in and we aren't doing any major work, because we don't want to leave any unfinished projects over the three day weekend.  There is also the fact that most of our department had the day off, so there were only about nine of us there today.  So the day ends up being a bunch of filler work.  Little odd jobs, paperwork and cleaning around our yard jobs.  Organizing trucks and warehouses.  Just a bunch of tedious work that doesn't even get you out and about very much.  Kind of like our rainy days.  Usually I just go home or take those days off.  Unfortunately, I traded my day off today for Monday so we could stay an extra night in Berkeley.  So, a little sacrifice now for what I hope will turn out to be a pleasantly memorable weekend.  It is supposed to be a little chilly out there for the weekend, but I would much rather have that then a weekend of sweltering heat.  Just throw on a sweatshirt or jacket and you are good to go.  Especially walking around San Francisco.  You tend to generate enough body heat just walking all over the city.  By the way, I won't be visiting Alcatraz like I hoped.  It is my fault for not giving Raina enough advance notice to make the reservations required for the tour.  I just didn't think about it.  It will have to be on the next trip up there.  There will still be plenty to do and pleanty of places to get some good grub.
      What is it about traveling that brings out the eater in me?  I guess there is this sense that we are in a place that I will either never go back to, or rarely go back to, and I want to try anything that I might not be able to get back at home.  I mean just look at all those cooking shows that are on TV nowadays.  It just shows how diverse food has become, and every city has something new to offer.  Whether it is some small hole in the wall mom and pop cafe or some fancy shmancy expensive restaurant that needs reservations months in advance.  I have already been given suggestions for places to go and I am hoping this slight cold I have will not interfere.  You heard me right, I am sick again.  At least it isn't some awful throat infection.  It is a slight cold that is making my nose runny, just on my left side.  Which makes my sinuses act up, just on my left side.  Which makes my eyes water, just on my left side.  It is really weird how that happens.  The right side is completely fine.  I can breath through that nostril and see clearly out of that eye.  The left side is a big mess.  I can't breath out of that side and it looks like I am crying for no apparent reason.  I am praying for healing tonight so we can wake up early and hit the road.  Hopefully early enough to miss all that traffic driving through Los Angeles.  So, I will be blogging from the road this weekend.  No catch ups, hopefully.  I want to keep you updated on a regular daily basis.  Now, time to pack.

This Day In History: 1942
Ian Fleming becomes the first graduate of a training school for spies in Canada, known as "Special 25."  The training proved invaluable to the creation of his fictional spy, James Bond.

Born This Day: 1951
Huey Lewis - Singer for Huey Lewis and the News.
1980 - Teresa Jenkins (Happy Birthday old high school rainy day lunch buddy!)

"There are three roads to ruin; women, gambling and technicians.  The most pleasant is women, the quickest is gambling, but the surest is with technicians."

-Georges Pompidou

Hip hip, hooray!

Day One Hundred Eighty Six

Dear Readers,
      Happy Fourth of July everybody!  This used to be one of my favorite holidays growing up, besides Christmas.  I looked forward to fireworks every year.  There was something amazing and special about those exploding lights.  I couldn't wait to start firing them up.  Unfortunately, a lot of the luster has worn off.  Is it the fact that I have grown up, or is it that fireworks just got bigger and bigger every year so that I am now callus towards the basic fireworks?  One of my two favorite fireworks as a kid were the snakes, which I don't see anymore, and the sparkler in the shape of a machine gun.  My dad hated the snakes, because they would always stain the concrete black out front and you could never get it out.  I just thought it was one of the coolest things to see a little tablet get lit and grow into this big worm all on it's own.  The machine gun was just living out my fantasy as a kid to be a soldier in a big war.  Going around shooting up the enemy.  Neither one of those fireworks are still around.  They have changed so much.  Picolo Petes are still the same, but the flower fireworks used to last so much longer.  Now they are lit and done within three seconds, and they all cost so much more.  I actually saw a couple of different fireworks today with Spanish names.  Mexico is really taking over.  The names are slowly but surely become Spanish names.  En Fuego and another one called Viva Futbol!  Amazing. 
      Now, a little bit of a response to Matt's bashing of my beard and my blog.  First thing, I did get some beard love today from Chris's brother Todd.  It just so happened that this is the first time I have seen him with a beard, so naturally he gave a little beard love my way today.  Second, I don't spend my busy weekday evenings after school writing my blog.  I do it during any free time during class, so that way I can maximize what little time I have with my wife.  Thirdly, I just have to ask.  If I was a bad husband, is it worse to be a bad husband or a bad father.  I am just asking without anyone in particular in mind, Matt.  Just kidding, you aren't a bad father, but it might be misconstrued that way with what I saw today.  Grabbing your daughter by the hair to throw her into the pool, in front of your young son.  Causing him to cry because his sister is being attacked so viciously.  Then the slapping of your daughter across the face.  This doesn't look like good parenting skills 101 to me.  I guess I could be wrong, but I think Social Services might see a problem with that.  It just looked like child abuse to me.  Poor Kailee probably has some bruises.  If she was in school I would be really worried.  You know the teacher would ask and they would never believe Kailee's story.  Poor poor Kailee.  I guess it is just a matter of time before Micah starts getting beat in public.
      For those of you who do not know Matt or I personally, this is all in good fun.  I just love finding ways to dig at Matt a little bit.  Besides, I have to stick up for my niece a little bit.  Matt is actually a very good father to my niece and nephew.  If he wasn't, then I would have to step in for real.  Give him the boot.  Thankfully, I don't have to.

This Day In History: 1884
France presents the United States with the Stature of Liberty, commemorating the French and American revolutions.

Born This Day: 1790
Sir George Everest - Welsh surveyor-general of India, after whom Mount Everest is named.

"Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work; so most people don't recognize them."

-Ann Landers

Some pictures at our 4th of July barbeque at the Jones' house.

My bride and I.

Matt grabbing his daughter by the hair.

Parading her around while her hair is being pulled out.

And then thrown into the pool.

Poor Micah's reaction to the bad treatment of his sister.

Matt about to slap Kailee across the face.

Kailee's reaction to her face getting slapped by her dad.

Day One Hundred Eighty Five

Dear Readers,
      I am starting to miss my wife and am especially looking forward to this weekend.  We have both been so busy over the last few weeks, that we have hardly spent any time together.  We had a little time on Sunday at the mall while my truck was getting an oil change and we were together at the Dodger game, but Raina was so tired from the previous week of work that she was mostly silent.  We both have work and I have school and then there is Raina's second job of working as an assistant to a florist who does weddings.  So after work on Friday, I went to help Brandon move while Raina babysat.  Then on Saturday, Raina worked a wedding in the morning and by the time she was done, I was on my way to the Dodger game.  I know she has been missing me.  I don't want to say I am more practical about things then her, but there is a part of me that understands that we are both busy and don't get much time to spend together.  Which gives my wife the illusion that I don't actually miss her.  Now that we are going on a few weeks of our hectic schedule, I am missing her even beyond my understanding of our busy schedules.  That is why this weekend away together has me really excited.  I get to spend it with my wife and I get to go away for the weekend.  We will be heading up to Berkely California.  Leaving Friday and we aren't coming back until Monday.  Only bummer is the fact that I have to be back in time to go to class at :5:30PM.  Raina's grandmother has blessed us with a room at a really fancy hotel in Berkely.  I can't remember the name of it.  I just remember the story I always hear of how the move Mrs. Doubtfire filmed the pool scene at that hotel.  It is going to be an awesome weekend of working out, dinner with grandma, walking around San Francisco, and relaxing in the spa.  I am praying for safe travel and plenty of quality time together. 
      I am hoping to finally do something I have always wanted to do in San Francisco.  Finally go and visit Alcatraz.  As many times as I have been up there, I have never made it over to "The Rock".  That place just seems so intriging to me.  So many stories and history in that place.  In fact, my mom has told me that I have had a family member as an inmate there.  I have a great uncle, or something like that, who killed a man in self defense.  Apparently he was a giant of a man in very good shape.  He actually escaped and still lives in Mexico.  No, he didn't escape directly from Alcatraz.  There is a loop hole to this breakout.  The guards back in those days used to take him into San Francisco to fight in underground boxing matches.  So they could gamble and make money off his fights.  On one such occasion, he managed to escape and take off to Mexico.  I think that since the guards were doing something illegal, they covered it up.  I really should do some of my own research on this story.  There is something really cool to have a relative who was on Alcatraz and escaped.  It would be cool to meet him and hear the story directly from him while he is still alive.  It might make for an interesting addition to a book or something.  So, needless to say, I really want to visit Alcatraz someday, and hopefully that day will be this weekend.

This Day In History:1962
Jackie Robinson is inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the first African American to be so honored.

Born This Day:1962
Tom Cruise - American actor. (Crazy scientologist)

"I think age is a very high price to pay for maturity."

-Tom Stoppard

It really does.

Day One Hundred Eighty Four

Dear Readers,
      I'm already falling asleep in class and we are only ten minutes into class.  So here I am writing up my blog for tonight.  The Teacher is reviewing what we learned last Thursday.  I really almost passed out for a minute there.  Stay awake, stay awake.
      I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday, while on our way to the Dodger game.  He asked if I noticed a difference this time around going to school.  I actually feel completely different this time around.  At least for now that is.  My focus and my attention span is so much better.  The first time around I was young and dumb, completely distracted by anything and everything.  I wasn't taking it seriously enough, just trying to enjoy the moment.  Looking back, it seems like such a waste.  I know it's only been a week, but I feel so much more motivated to finish my homework, and learning is so much more enjoyable then I remember it.  I really am motivated to do will in this class.  So, yes, it is very different for me this time around.  Much older, a little bit wiser and less distracted.  Then there is the whole understanding the value of work and the almighty dollar.  Can't be wasting money on classes I don't finish.  I already wasted enough money the first time around.
      By the way, I am still waiting on the Beard Bashers crew to respond.  It has been really quiet on their blog for what seems like two weeks now.  I found them quite entertaining and am beginning to miss their quick wit.  I would have thought that they would have jumped all over the fact that I broke Brooke's fan, or the picture of me holding the Dodger shirt talking about needing a shave.  Saying something along the lines of how the Dodger's don't even support my beard.  Alas, there is nothing but silence.  So, since I brought up Brooke's broken fan again, Here is the picture of it.  I forgot to post it yesterday.

See, it doesn't look broken.

This Day In History: 1937
American aviator Amelia Earhart disappears.  With navigator Frederick Noonan, she was attempting to fly around the world when they lost their bearings over the Pacific Ocean.  No trace of Earhart or Noonan was ever found.

Born This Day: 1932
Dave Thomas - American founder of Wendy's chain of restaurants.

"When dealing with the insane, the best method is to pretend to be sane."

-Hermann Hesse

Just wondering.

Day One Hundred Eighty Three

Dear Readers,
      After today is over, it will officially mark half way through the year of growing the beard.  I can't believe it is already half of the year over.  If you are doing the math and not understanding how 183 is half of 365, then you have to remember that it is leap year and there are 366 days this year.  I picked the perfect year to do this.  I get one extra day.  By the way, I totally got another beard compliment today.  Raina and I were at the Goodyear getting my truck an oil change and the guy working there was telling me how he wished he could get a beard going and asked about it.  It has almost become daily with the beard love.  Just wait another three months when it is really long.  I can't wait to see how long I can actually get it.
      We went to the Dodger game for the second day in a row and they finally pulled out a win for me.  It was getting pretty depressing there for a little while.  They scored more runs today then they have in the whole last week combined.  It was about stinking time.  We had fantastic seats, almost right behind the catcher.  We could actually see the movement on the pitches from where we were sitting.  Fantastic seats, fantastic game, and a couple of Dodger dogs for dinner made it a great night.  There was also the whole getting to watch Clayton Kershaw pitch a great game.  First time this year I was able to go to a game that he pitched.  He has an amazing curveball that just drops out of thin air on you.  Amazing to watch.
      I have to bring up the fact that my "Fire Hands", as my dad calls them, made an appearance yesterday.  After helping Brandon and Brooke move into their new home, I was helping a little bit with the unpacking part.  I was trying to set up their window fan to help the room cool off.  It was stinking hot in there.  It is one of those window fans that has two fans on it, that can be set for bringing in cool air, or pushing out the hot air.  Or you could set it to do both and have the air circulate.  Well, it has an extender on the side that can be pulled out to block the part of the window that isn't covered by the fan itself.  I thought it was pulled out far enough and yanked on it pretty good.  It pulled out some more.  All the way out to be exact.  I felt bad after breaking something that wasn't mine.  I am sure there is a way to fix it.  I just need the time and tools to go over there and fix it for them.  As for now though, they have a partially broken fan that is my fault, and I have to own up to my mistake.  "Fire Hands" strikes again after a long retirement.

This Day In History: 1863
The largest military conflict in North American history begins when Union and Confederate forces collide at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  The epic battle, which lasted three days, would come to be viewed as the turning point of the American Civil War.

Born This Day: 1961
Carl Lewis - American track star and Olympic gold medalist.

"There is only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous."

-Napoleon Bonaparte

Some pictures of the game.

Our view from our seats.

Kershaw in action.

Here we are.  Go Dodgers!

Raina found this shirt pretty amusing.  I didn't share her enthusiasm.