Letter to the Manager of the Father's Office Bar/Restaurant

Dear Office Manager,
I recently tried to take a few friends to Father's Office to partake in your fairly famous burger and shopping cart of fries. I myself live in Santa Monica and frequent your establishment on account of your tasty fare and substantial beer selection. Although we don't love having to snipe for tables, we often put up with the hassle because your offerings are among the best Santa Monica has.

Unfortunately, my friends were unable to share the Father's Office experience. In fact, we didn't even get in the door. Not because you were filled to capacity. Not because anyone in our party was underage. Simply because my friends are from another country. They are from Canada and although they provided driver's licenses to the bouncer to prove they were of age, they were denied entrance on account of your policy that an international license is not sufficient.

After we declined to go all the way home to pick up their passports and then return to Father's Office, this event still aggravated me to no end. This policy is ridiculous in the strongest sense of the word. A Canadian driver's license is a government issued document and just as official as a passport. In fact, with a Canadian license my friends are even permitted to DRIVE in this country. That they were turned away from your door is unfathomable.

Tonight, we are returning to your establishment, passports in hand, a full week after we were here last, due to the fact it took that long for my resentment to subside. Tonight we'll comply with your policy but I sincerely hope that you will consider dropping this asinine formality. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and for providing Santa Monica with an excellent restaurant destination.

Sincerely,

David Klein

Columbine RPG documentary

I went to college with Danny Ledonne, the creator of the video game Super Columbine Massacre RPG and also the writer and director of the forthcoming documentary Playing Columbine.

DeNiro: A Good Source of Riboflavin

300

by the Latino Comedy Project

Tim Minchin - Peace Anthem For Palestine

Jim Carrey - Call to Action on Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi

An old friend of mine is very involved with the U.S. Campaign For Burma. She posted this video on Facebook, so I figured I'd pass it along.

Wellness Festival

The organization Gillian works for, Laurel House (which provides important services to Stamford's mental health community), is hosting its 17th annual Move-A-Long on Saturday, September 15th at Cove Island Park from 9AM to 12PM. The event literature encourages participants to "walk, cycle, run, scooter, bike, or roller blade around the park’s recreational path. The Move-A-long is an annual one-mile challenge" that benefits the many members who help run and utilize Laurel House's programs.

In order to make a donation or sign up to walk with Gillian and the rest of her team click HERE.

If you have any questions or want some fliers or literature about Laurel House, its programs or the Move-A-Long, you can email Gillian at gilliantanz@laurelhouse.net.

Barack Obama on The Daily Show

Sneezing Panda

Rest in Peace Shithead

Midnight Rumble

I haven't posted anything in quite some time, mostly because I haven't had anything to post. Or maybe just because I haven't felt like sharing lately. Either way, this evening I have been moved to share something. Seriously, I was physically moved.

While laying awake in my bed, trying to fall asleep (a sport at which I increasingly suck at), I heard a strange noise and was inclined to think that Hobbes had kicked the bed. Although Hobbes doesn't normally spasm in his sleep, I leaned over the edge and looked down at his peaceful body. As I marveled at how something so annoying could appear so adorable, something across the room, sitting on a shelf, made a follow-up noise. Sure, I would have liked to blame this too on Hobbes, but it seemed that my qualms would have to be directed at Mother Nature instead.

I have just experience my first Earth Tremor or, for those less studious, what's called an "Aw Shit The Ground Beneath Me Is Moving Without My Permission" event.

After both Darcy and I ventured out of our rooms to make sure neither the 42in LCD HDTV or the beer glass collection had tumbled to the ground, I now will make a second pass at unconsciousness. Wish me luck...

Microsoft Surface Parody

Enjoy!

A Weekend of New Pics

First off, thanks to everyone who donated to the Maria Fereri's Children's Hospital Walk The Walk! Gillian reached her fund-raising goal and I hear the event was a great success. However, it's not too late to contribute if you haven't already. See the post below for donation details.

On Saturday night we held our first party in the new apartment. Such events are often referred to as housewarming parties. It was a scorcher. Good friends (some new), good food (I made burgers from scratch and Darcy made his first salad), and good times (the new 42" LCD and Nintendo Wii were huge hits)!


Our friend Brandy was also in town this past weekend for a dance competition and had enough downtime to grace us with her presence (although she couldn't make it to the party). On Sunday we spent the afternoon on the beach with good beer and a frisbee and watched a gorgeous sunset. Click on the album below to view all the pics from the beach and Father's Office, the place we went for food and drinks afterward.

Brandy's Santa Monica Extravaganza

Yesterday (Monday), I was fortunate enough to participate in a test drive study for the new BRP Can-Am Spyder, a 3-wheel motorcycle. It's a pretty cool vehicle and another album link is below if you want to see more pics...

BRP Can-Am Spyder

That's about it for now. No job as of yet, starting to panic a bit... looking into A/V companies just to pay the rent...
hope you're all well...

Stick 'em up...

and empty your pockets... It's that time again to donate to everyone's favorite Diabetics! The children of the diabetes and endocrine wing at Maria Fereri's Children's Hospital are walking in a circle to raise money for their disease. If they raise enough money they're going to buy Diabetes a shiny new bicycle for Christmas so he can ride out of town and never come back.

In seriousness though, Gillian and my close friend Jen (who works with the kids at the hospital) are both walking the walk along with some other pretty fabulous people and they could really use all the support they can get. Below is a link to Gillian's page where you can donate right there or surf around a bit and donate to the whole team (Jen's Journey). If you've used the internet before I have faith that you'll figure it out. But, if you have trouble and really want to help the hospital buy that new bike and send Diabetes packing, let me know and I'll walk you through it.. but not in a circle...

Gillian's Donation Page:
CLICK HERE OR LOOK LIKE A CHEAPSKATE!

Who's On First

I'm posting it because not enough people even know this exists anymore...

Music Vid from Madagascar

My friend Liz spent some time in Madagascar last year. While there she was courted to be in a music video. She plays the dutifully domesticated white woman...

TINONDIA-TSY MAMPIRAFY
Uploaded by ombilahy

My Map of Santa Monica

Google has added a new feature to the slew of tools they offer to the everyday internet user... My Maps is just another step towards organizing the world's information...

Below is my map. a work in progress...

Click Here

MC Rove

New York Times Editorial

The Rovian Era

Published: April 1, 2007

Turn over a scandal in Washington these days and the chances are you’ll find Karl Rove. His tracks are everywhere: whether it’s helping to purge United States attorneys, coaching bureaucrats on how to spend taxpayers’ money to promote Republican candidates, hijacking the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives for partisan politics, or helping to organize a hit on the character of one of the first people to publicly reveal the twisting of intelligence reports on Iraq.

Whatever the immediate objective, Mr. Rove seems focused on one overarching goal: creating a permanent Republican majority, even if that means politicizing every aspect of the White House and subverting the governmental functions of the executive branch. This is not the Clinton administration’s permanent campaign. The Clinton people had difficulty distinguishing between the spin cycle of a campaign and the tone of governing. That seems quaint compared with the Bush administration’s far more menacing failure to distinguish the Republican Party from the government, or the state itself.

This was, perhaps, the inevitable result of taking the chief operative of a presidential campaign, one famous for his scorched-earth style, and ensconcing him in the White House — not in a political role, but as a key player in the formation of policy. Mr. Rove never had to submit to Senate confirmation hearings. Yet, from the very start, photographs of cabinet meetings showed him in the background, keeping an enforcer’s eye on the proceedings. After his re-election in 2004, President Bush formally put Mr. Rove in charge of all domestic policy.

In that position, as David Kirkpatrick and Jim Rutenberg reported in The Times, Mr. Rove took a lead role in selecting federal judges and the hiring — and firing — of United States attorneys. Mr. Rove’s staff maneuvered to fire the prosecutor in Arkansas and replace him with a Rove protégé, and also seems to have been involved in the firing of a United States attorney in New Mexico who refused to file what he considered to be baseless charges of election fraud against Democrats.

Mr. Rove’s efforts to maintain one-party rule go deep into the government. Last week, we learned about a meeting set up by Mr. Rove’s staff with officials of the General Services Administration that was wildly inappropriate and perhaps illegal. The aim, as outlined by Mr. Rove’s deputy, Scott Jennings, seems to have been to take advantage of the billions of dollars in contracts put out by the agency every year to return Republicans to the majority in Congress in 2008. It included PowerPoint slides on vulnerable House and Senate seats.

This sort of behavior should not be all that surprising. It was not that long ago that the Bush White House embraced the priorities of the Republican governor of Mississippi and virtually ignored the far greater needs of Louisiana’s Democratic governor after Hurricane Katrina.

Mr. Rove retreated a bit from the public eye in the heat of the Lewis Libby trial, but after avoiding indictment, he seems to have regained his confidence. Take a look at YouTube to see his bizarre, humor-challenged gyrations as “MC Rove” at an annual media dinner in Washington the other night.

The investigation of the firings of the United States attorneys seems to be closing in on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who should have been fired weeks ago. But Congress should bring equal scrutiny to the more powerful Mr. Rove. If it does, especially by forcing him to testify in public, it will find that he has been at the vortex of many of the biggest issues they are now investigating.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Below is the video referred to in the editorial. It is more excruciating to watch than you could possibly imagine.

grand canyon pics

sorry it's been so long. no excuses other than the standard ones...

i just don't have it in me for a long diatribe about the grand canyon. so the short of it is that we rolled Darcy's s2000 off the trailer down on route 40 and then sped like hell up to the giant hole. I'd now be lying if I said I had never been in a car at 130mph... we got there just in time for dusk. anyway, here are the pics.

grand canyon

apt video tour

Since my last post of pictures of the new apartment generated so much buzz (this statement is chock full of sarcasm...) i decided to comply with the requests of all of our readers (Gillian) and post a video tour. hope it helps give you an idea of the space i'm occupying so that when we speak you can imagine me sprawled out on the floor of my enormous closet. :P



again, i implore you to use the comments function and let me know that whatever minimal effort i put into posting is being minimally appreciated...

Apt. Pics

Apt Pics

Home, Sweet Home

I now live in Santa Monica, CA.

After 64 hours of driving, taking shifts and napping in the cab of a 26' truck over the course of 3 days, Darcy and I have arrived in LA. We're not settled in yet, but at least we're here. Unfortunately, we won't have electricity until Monday and internet won't be connected until sometime after that. So for the time being, all dispatches from the west coast will be conducted from... you guessed it, Krispy Kreme. We all have to make due sometimes...

So, we're moving in, slowly getting acclimated, exploring the immediate neighborhood, and looking forward to becoming LAers or whatever stupid name people who live here go by. (suggestions should be submitted via blog comments)

If you'd like to know my new address, email or call. I don't really want to post it up here for the world to see.

Off to dinner with Jake and Sandy. Pics of the apartment will follow tomorrow.

The Journey Thus Far (Part II)

This post is on behalf of both David and myself (Darcy). I am perched on the edge of the car carrying trailer across from a Super 8 a little west of Oklahoma City after Dave and I spent the last 30hrs or so driving ans napping our way this far. All i hvae time to say is, there are many pictures to be posted, and now we head to the Grand Canyon.

Darcy

Pulp Fiction in Typography

it's amazing what people do in their spare time. a great homage to a great scene from a great movie...

Santa Monica, Here We Come...

So, a quick update won't bring you up to speed but it'll have to get you by...

Two night before Valentine's Day I was trying to figure out what to get Gillian and coming up empty. So, I dropped my dog off with an old friend from high school fabulous enough to take care of him for a little while, gave my car keys to Jake (who promised to take care of her as if she was his own), and bought a last minute flight home to Stamford. Although it's much more romantic to think that I flew home just for V-Day, I have to admit that I also needed a place to live for the month of February as my new apartment was only available as of March 5th.

Yup, you read that right... new apartment. The apartment that Darcy and I found, loved and didn't think we would get, came through. It's an awesome 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1 loft, 2 parking space awesome apt. and the lease is signed and the checks have cleared. It's ours. We just have to move in.

So, in order to achieve that last part, Darcy and I are packing a 16ft Penske truck on Tuesday, March 6th and plan to roll out of Stamford early on the 7th. If we have our way with the road and only stop to eat & pee (ok, #2 too), we hope to hit the west coast by Saturday... Our only detour is a minor jaunt along the rim of the Grand Canyon. Otherwise, we plan to stay on Route 40 most of the way out. I'm pretty excited about this route for two reasons: 1) It's new. I drove out on Route 10 last time, so this trip presents new stuff to look at and less road time in TX. 2) A good portion of Route 40 runs parallel or on top of what used to be Route 66 the infamous, decommissioned "Main Street Of America". We'll be rollin' along side history...

So, that's the short of it. Trust me, the long version ain't too interesting. I did a lot of sitting around these past few weeks. Other than running a couple of errands and helping Darcy pack and wrap things up here on the east coast, it's been a fairly low key trip.

Hope you're all well and I encourage you to stay tuned to the blog in the next week or so (and longer) because I fully intend to post dispatches from the road and a whole slew of more photos from The Journey: Take 2.

COMMENT!

Hello

i want one.

Real Men Of Genius

The Hole - video powered by Metacafe

The Earth Wants To Eat Us

Sinkhole in Guatemala...

Horticulture How-To

one of the best things to come out of my time at MComm...

jetBlue's promise to you

an interesting moment for corporate communication...

smartcar commercial

clever...

Kennedy conspiracy development

A NYTimes article detailing new discoveries regarding the Kennedy Asassination due to new film footage recently uncovered. It supposedly proves that the "one shooter/bunched jacket" theory is actually possible.

worth a glance

Just good writing...

Letter From California: Looking for the Pattern of Ordinary Life - New York Times

backlog of fun photos

the following were taken at various moments and don't particularly pertain to anything important.

Where do stupid pop culture and stupid foreign policy unite? The coin-waster machines in the entrance of your favorite diner...

I was bored and hungry one night in Beverly Hills Adjacent so I took Hobbes for a walk through the Mickey D's drive through. Cali takes its condiments seriously.

When Darcy was in town we did some exploring in our neighborhood-to-be. We found the local Irish pub with Guinness on tap. The bartender, Carl, is actually Irish and pours a near-perfect pint. I 'spect to be spendin' some more time in this establishment...

Adam took Darcy and me to a Korean BBQ. It's an all-you-can-eat meat extravaganza!

They serve Hite Beer. Apparently, it's made from "naturally fresh water". And yes, the beer was lousy. Although it was only a close second to the shots of Soju we were suckered into trying. Soju is like a Korean equivalent of Vodka. Vodka that tastes like rubbing alcohol. It certainly packs a punch though...

This is by far my favorite pic of the evening. And it only has a little to do with all of the "Darcy's meat" jokes that stem from this photo.

timeline for withdrawing... stuff from my car

the apartment i was convinced wasn't going to accept Darcy & me as tenants proved me wrong! we've been approved (after much cajoling and convincing) and can move in as of March 5th. I'm ridiculously excited and ridiculously poorer than I was when I was homeless. 1st month rent plus 2 months of security on a two bedroom, two bathroom apt. with a loft can really put the squeeze on one's available funds.



but we have a place to live! eventually. and that's a good thing. now, all i have to do is figure out where to stash me and my dog from now until March 5th. I also have to start planning how to get my stuff out here from the storage unit in CT. Darcy & I will probably share a truck but there are many logistics to work out. can't wait.

If you've been reading fairly regularly then you've seen my recent posts that have less to do with me and more to do with stuff i've come across on the interweb (apparently that's what the canadians call it. i figured if i was about to live with one i should learn to speak its language). I hope you find these posts to be informative or entertaining. perhaps both? anyhow, it doesn't take me a whole lot of effort to post a link so you're stuck with my web suggestions until it no longer interests me. feel free to comment on the impersonal posts as well as the personal ones.

more to come when i have more to report.

The First Ones

NYTimes Short Film The First Ones

a few actors and their recollections of the first films that had an impact on them...

Wookie Rage

i love this town already...
thanks to gillian for finding this one...

Feb 3, 2007 11:27 am US/Eastern

Chewbacca Impersonator Arrested For Battery

(AP) LOS ANGELES A man dressed as Chewbacca was arrested after police said the street performer head-butted a tour guide operator in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Frederick Evan Young, 44, of Los Angeles was booked Thursday for investigation of misdemeanor battery, police Lt. Paul Vernon said.

Police said the 6-foot-4 street performer was seen arguing Thursday afternoon with a tour guide who had expressed concern the Star Wars wookie impersonator was "harassing and touching tourists" in violation of city law.

The city passed ordinances last year seeking to crack down on the colorful assortment of actors who perform outside the landmark theater. The move was prompted by complaints from tourists who said the actors were aggressive and abusive if they refused to pay for pictures.

Security guards escorted Young off theater property, but he decided to strike back and head-butted the tour guide, Vernon said.

"The lesson here is you can have the force with you," Vernon said. "You just can't use illegal force."

Young could not be reached for comment. His telephone number was unlisted.

The tour guide, Brian Sapir, told the Los Angeles Times that he asked the Chewbacca impersonator to stop harassing two young Japanese tourists when the actor exploded in anger.

"He said, 'Nobody tells this wookie what to do,'" Sapir said.

(� 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. )

homelessness is easier in warm weather

here i sit, surfing the net for free, kracky kreme donut in hand. i'm telling you, this place is amazing...

i have also come to the conclusion that it is a good thing i am in CA. if I were homeless in CT it would be much more uncomfortable to live out of my car. I have yet to sleep in my car, but I still have everything I own in my car and rummaging through my trunk for a clean pair of underwear would be considerably more unpleasant in Glenbrook than compared to say, Venice Beach.

I've been sorta sick the past few days. For those of you who don't know, when I get sick, I really get sick. When I have a cold I don't just get the sniffles, I get the snots, I get the sore throat, I get the fever, I get the shivers, I get the phlegm, I get the... well, I think you get the point. So, I decided to move out of my friend Adam's apt. and check into a motel. I figured a good night's sleep in a real bed might do me some good. I was correct. Aside from being poorer than I was yesterday, I feel much better. But I can't continue to pay for a motel room until March when I will presumably move into an apartment. I have to figure something else out...

i'm toast

this may come out more like verbal diarrhea but there's no other way to jam it all into one post...

i'm currently sitting in my new favorite place in the world: a krispy kreme with free wireless internet. you read that right... free. i've also decided to forget about finding a place to live and curl up in the corner of this crack-filled donut and information portal.

seriously though, the apt. hunt has both sucked and been fruitless thus far. darcy was out here this past weekend to help me look for a place and we were both fried and frustrated by the end of it. we did however find one place that was really nice and in the area we're looking. we've applied and are waiting to hear back from the landlord. i'm trying to stay positive but it's just not my style... i doubt we're gonna get the place. darcy agrees.

i'm sleeping at my friend adam's place and while his couch is quite comfortable i'd like to find a couch of my own sometime in the near future. i'm not sure how much longer i can surf the wave of kindness from my west coast friends.

i've recently joined scionlife.com, an online community and message board for Scion owners. I'm hoping to meet some people in the area who are as in love with their car as I am. darcy has made some life-long friends from the forums he belonged to when he owned his Civic Si. we'll see what comes from it...

i'm having poker withdrawl... i watched Rounders the other night and it made me itchy for a game... i played a few hands at a casino for the first time while i was in new orleans and did pretty well but i haven't played a live game since. last night i reinitialized my account at fulltiltpoker.com though. that helped feed the need. hopefully i'll have a table soon though where i can invite friends over for a friendly game of taking their money.

insomnia is evil. my sleeping pattern is so off kilter i'm practically up all night and then sleep into the early afternoon. hopefully when i have a bed and some more stability that will straighten itself out. i hope so.

it seems more and more likely that i might not be able to move in to a apt until march 1st. if that's the case, i'm thinking about driving up to san francisco for a few days to see a friend from high school. that way i'm not on adam's couch for 3 weeks straight. i'm just kicking the idea around for now...

i think that's about it. hobbes and i both need haircuts but that's not particularly interesting...
oh, never get stopped for speeding in North Carolina... stopping for that cop was the worst mistake i ever made. if you're caught doing 10mph over the speed limit they issue you a court date that you either have to attend personally or hire an attorney to represent you unlike every other civilized state in the union that simply tells you how much you owe and that's it. since i obviously can't attend the court hearing, i have to pay a licensed extortionist to appear and settle it for me. talk about inefficient, unaccommodating, lousy, criminal and irrational laws! fuck North Carolina. the Garretts have to come visit me from now on...

that really is about it. hope you're all doing well. and have places to live...

coolest thing ever

these pics are incredible...

fatpita.net :: frozen tidal wave / melting glacier

the trip is over. let the journey begin!

i've spent the last week sleeping on my friends Jake and Sandy's floor. They've been quite wonderful and supportive, helping me look for a place, showing me around town, reminding me that I'm not alone out here.

Today, Monday, is Sandy's birthday. Last Saturday night we celebrated her birth by shouting obscenities at pirates. South of LA is Medieval Times dinner theater. Directly next door to the Medieval Times is a Pirate Adventure dinner theater. While attending the latter we were treated to an evening of eating in the dark, cheering for the oldest, most ripped, acrobatic pirate in the show, and all around goofy fun.

Here's Sandy and The Red Pirate:
Sandy is kinda into pirates...

Meanwhile, I'm looking for a place to live. Constantly glued to craigslist and westsiderentals.com, I am forever searching for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 gated parking spot, dishwasher and on-site laundry, dog accepting, well-located Santa Monica apartment under $2000. If you know of one available please let me know so I can camp out front all night and plant my flag in the morning.

(I know I promised never to beg for comments again, but it really is the only way I know who's reading. thanks)

fuel summary

1/6/07 Marlton, NJ: $2.239/gal, 10.389 gal, total: $23.26

1/7/07 Chester, VA: $2.159/gal, 12.276 gal, total: $26.50

1/9/07 Leland, NC: $2.229/gal, 11.2.216 gal, total: $25.00

1/9/07 Midway, GA: $2.189/gal, 11.990 gal, total: $26.25

1/10/07 Melbourne, FL: $2.309/gal, 11.476 gal, total: $26.50

1/15/07 Palm City, FL: $2.399/gal, 12.296 gal, total: $29.50

1/16/07 Wesley Chapel, FL: $2.399/gal, 8.857 gal, total:$21.25

1/16/07 Grand Bay, AL: $2.089/gal, 9.333 gal, total: $19.50

1/18/07 Gonzales, LA: Prepaid $20. don't know gas price. stupid receipt.

1/18/07 Brookshire, TX: $1.899/gal, 11.585 gal, total: $22.00

1/19/07 Kerrville, TX: $2.169/gal, 9.451 gal, total: $20.50

1/19/07 Ft. Stock, TX: Prepaid $20. don't know gas price. stupid receipt.

1/19/07 Fabens, TX: $2.079/gal, 11.424 gal, total: $23.75

1/19/07 Benson, AZ: $2.339/gal, 5.237 gal, total: $12.25

1/19/07 Benson, AZ: $2.339/gal, 5.237 gal, total: $12.25

1/20/07 Salome, AZ: Prepaid $25. don't know gas price. stupid receipt.

Total spent on gas: $277.50
Total gallons purchased: approximately 162.676 gallons
Average price per gallon: $2.034

Iraq memorial

this memorial is located on the beach in Santa Monica, CA. the creators update the memorial each week, adding the number of US casualties in Iraq to the dead already memorialized by miniature headstones embedded in the sand. the headstones are replicas of the style found in a military cemetery and even reflect the religion of the deceased. A cross is erected for Christians, a star of David for Jews and a crescent for Muslims. it's a lousy pic but thought you should see it anyway.

surprise in AZ! then on to LA!

after weathering the storms in TX I found myself in Phoenix, AZ after a 14 hour drive from San Antonio. Well rested and ready to get back on the road, I decided to make a pit stop in Phoenix proper before landing in LA.

As the internet confirmed, Lauren Sherwood, a good friend from Curtain Call days growing up, currently works at a children's theater in Phoenix called the Valley Youth Theater where she officially serves as Audience Services Manager. Unofficially, I'd stake money on the fact she probably runs the place... Lauren wouldn't have it any other way.
As proof, I found her working at the theater's offices on a Saturday morning. Just as she was leaving the office and coding out the building, I stepped up and surprised as she opened the door. Her reaction was priceless and well worth the uncertainty I suffered while trying to find the office in the first place.
Anyhow, we had a wonderful lunch together and got a chance to catch each other up on the various happenings in each other's lives. Good times...

Having made my final stop across the country, I drove the final 6.5 hours to Los Angeles. Here are a few pics of AZ and then CA.

AZ

a real AZ cacti!

i actually got out of my car and walked up to an overpass to take this pic... you know you're impressed...

SoCal rollers roll on 24s... in buicks...

A view of the valley from Mulholland Dr.

get through TX

as I'm sure you heard, last week the mid-west got some real shitty weather. well, i had the pleasure of driving through some of it right in the heart of Texas. Lovely as that state can be I chose to push through as fast as possible...

New Orleans vs. Katrina: Round #365/24/7

I spent a full 24 hours in New Orleans, LA in order to give myself an opportunity to fully grasp what happened to NOLA, as the locals call it, and what challenges they still face with regard to rebuilding their city.

Visit the web album i've compiled below...

New Orleans post-Katrina

Travels With Hobbes

I think Hobbes deserves his own post. I have to give him credit. He's a wonderful travel companion. All he does is sleep!

A lot has happened in Hobbes' life in the past several months and I'm sure the upheaval hasn't been easy on him. Not to mention the fact that his testicles were removed somewhere in the midst of it all. (On a side note, Gillian wrote a wonderful little ditty dedicated to Hobbes' missing testes. You should ask her to perform it for you sometime. If I can, I'll have her record a track and we'll post it right here in the future.)

Hobbes has been confused and befuddled at all of the shuffling we've done lately but through it all he's been a real trooper. I'd travel with him anytime.


Hobbes with his favorite person in the world, Gillian. This was taken not too long before the condo was sold.
Taking in the scents...
If Hobbes had invented ballet this would have been position #1.

Funny signs...

Truckstop Ministries offers mobile salvation.

Joke unnecessary...
Available at a Flying J truck stop near you! (Southern locations only...)

One might think this is self-explanatory...

I'm not entirely sure if this is a township or simply where the line begins...

I hear they're opening a store in the new Stamford Town Center. Wahoo!

Good to know... (but I didn't tell Hobbes...)

I swear I stood here for 5 minutes trying to get Hobbes to lift his leg. He was a very uncooperative subject. Perhaps it was because he was just as baffled as I was...

Tampa, FL

I didn't take any pictures while spending time with my aunt and uncle. I also failed to take pictures while spending time with my cousin Adam who recently returned from Afghanistan where he served as a communications and satellite specialist in the Army. However, I assure you a good time was had by all.

After leaving Boca Raton I drove across the state to Tampa where I spent an evening with Ali Russell, a close friend of mine from elementary and middle school. Although I saw Ali only a few months ago (she flew up to CT for Mom's funeral), I haven't seen the rest of her family in a number a years. Her parents had us over for a lovely dinner and excellent conversation. I have missed their warmth and friendship a lot over the years.

These are Ali's parents Don & BJ Russell. I'm the one on the right.
This is their house. The picture is taken from the boatdock facing their courtyard. Their home is beautiful.
This is the view of Tampa from their boat dock.

Oh yeah, and this is Ali. She rocks.

car mod-ing in FL

where am I? just let me check my GPS... yep you read those letters correctly, i bought a GPS navigation system for my car. however, I didn't just buy a stand alone unit, i had to go and buy an in-dash system with a flat touch screen display. This purchase wasn't only so that I would know where I am at any given moment it was also to improve the quality of my sound system. before i left Stamford, my best friend Darcy and I installed the Harmon Kardon Drive + Play iPod system in my car. It's the coolest thing ever and pictures will follow. However, when Darcy and I installed it, there was an awful hum in the speakers, suggesting that we (read: Darcy) did not ground the system correctly. This being an incredibly annoying noise while driving from Connecticut to Florida, I decided that there was no way I would be able to make the trip from one coast to the other while listening to my car hum along to my iPod. Damnit, I'm the only one allowed to hum along to my iPod.

Radio before GPS installation:
After installation:

The Harmon Kardon system (not installed as pictured but you get the idea):The system was a dream driving across the country. It's been a huge help in finding my way around LA and my music sounds amazing. I'm in love...

playing catch-up... starting with SC

the next few posts will focus on the past few weeks because I was unable to post enough while on the road. I've got a bunch of photos that need to go up, so hang with me...

Driving from Wilmington, NC to Palm Coast, FL I made sure to drive through Charleston, SC cause I heard it was worth while from Elizabeth Meny, a friend of mine who grew up in Charleston. I have to say that despite being in South Carolina, Charleston is quite charming. Below photos from said city...

This is a bridge at the entrance to the city of Charleston.

This is the boardwalk along the water. it's a really beautiful area to walk and view the architecture.
The houses above and below are actually right next door to each other.
below is a building involved someway with the library. but i don't think it's THE library.

above is a building involved someway with the library. but i don't think it's THE library.

Unitarian church graveyard... cool place...
Jewish studies building of the College of Charleston. If I'm not mistaken, Elizabeth helped raise the money for this building...
This bridge is the one I crossed on my way out of Charleston.