Buddha Baby

Oh, and I just found these pics we took this summer...





Ask Buddha a Question: Buddha will tell you the answer :)

Broomballin'

Took me a while to post these pics, but here they are. Great time with everyone who showed up. Those of you who didn't... missed out. Not sure how much lasting damage was done from all of the falls I took, but I was laughing so hard, it hurt too much to cry.

Mi Casa..... is mine so stay away!

Some pics of the new home. These won't stay on here for long, so enjoy them while you can.

It's been done....

Ok, ok. I know I haven't updated my blog in a while so I thought it would be fitting to post a Top 10 for the year. I was sitting around wtih Jennifer last week and I asked her to name the best things about 2008. I asked for 5. But when hard pressed for my own list, it was hard to keep it to 5 so I figured I would tell the story with a Top 10. Here goes and in no particular order:

Number 1: We'll start chronologically. In January, I figured it was my last chance to swing up to Tahoe and see our friend Beth. And last chance to bum a free place to stay as well. As it turns out, Beth went above and beyond the normal hosting. This girl does for her guests what we all wish we could do for them when they visit. It started out with a helicopter ride (however brief over Tahoe.



Then, Beth let me help her make Ravioli, Butternut squash soup, and coconut creme brulee from scratch! Awesome!!! Lastly, we got free passes to Heavenly. Honestly, I think we paid for them, but it was so long ago, the experience itself was rich enough to pay for itself. Anybody wonder why I want to buy a vacation home up there? I don't know who the guy screaming in the video is. Just something I caught on tape.










Number 2: Hawaii. I never really wanted to go, but for $300 bucks and another free place to stay, who is going to turn that down. And I'm glad I didn't. The very first day, I took a kiteboarding lesson. Many thanks to Mark for taking pics of me beating myself up on the shores of Oahu. You are a beginner at this sport for a loooong time. Next, I was incredibly sick and on the couch for 3 days which is why the pics below reflect views through our patio doors. But we still had a blast even though I was a total drag on the fun. Thanks Mark and Becky for the invitation. Can't wait for our next adventure.












Number 3: Lucy. Good time to stop here and mention our first child Lucy. Of course it's a dog. Who ever heard of someone with a pet not saying it was their child? Especially when you see this face:









She's growing up quick size-wise, but is still getting into puppy trouble even though she listens pretty well. She just has so much damn energy! BTW, her full name is Lucille Ostero V. Arrested Development fans will get that.

Number 4: My trip to Santa Monica to visit my cousin Paulie from Jersey. As usual, my cousin, who lives 3 blocks from the beach, took me around for a much needed R&R vacation. Riding bikes on the boardwalk, beers at Hinano's, and overall lounging are what I like to do when I head out to see him. He even took me onto the set he was working on of some Eddie Murphy movie about a dying tree (sounds like another winner in your recent repetoire Eddie). Probably the best part was the outside gardens at the Getty Museum. Stunning!



Number 5: A quick trip to San Fran. I love being able to see Josh and Helene who are fantastic hosts also. I got a great chance to hang out with just Helene the first day and we went to the MOMA where there was a glass bridge installation at the top. Just walking the city we got a great chance to talk and I am thankful Josh let me have the time with his wonderful partner. She helped me pick out some perfume for Jennifer at Neimans while we fended off this crazy French perfume counter duo. Any day in SF with Josh and Helene is a good day.








Number 6: If I were doing these from worst to best, this would be best for sure. Sophia Katherine. She is a joy in my life to say the least. When she was born, and I heard her first lusty cry... I wept. We did not know if it was a boy or a girl when Jennifer was pregnant, so the surprise was overwhelming. Sophia admittedly wasn't pretty at first, but she's gotten a lot cuter since then. She's gurgling now, not quite talking, but I love that little girl more than anything...











Number 7: Portland, Oregon with my in-laws. I had 2 weeks of meetings up there, so instead of coming home for the weekend, I saved the company some money and had Jennifer and her parents fly up there. We did the falls, Washington Park, and even Cannon Beach and Haystack rock which I had never been to when it is sunny. Great time, great food, and great place. My only regret is not making it over to one of the McMennimans pubs while I was there. Oh, and I found THE BEST place for any man to get his haircut. "Hair M". How about beer, a haircut, a massage, and a shampoo for $30 bucks. Wish I got up there more often.




Number 8: Tacoma, Washington and the Nevada Desert. I finally got a chance to go to the Chihuly's Glass Museum when I was in Seattle. It's always closed on certain days when I'm there in the winter. Also, I have included here pics of my meetings at an AFB somewhere in the NV desert where I got up close and personal with the Reaper and Predator drones. They would have let me fly one, but their Atari joystick was busted that day and they were all out of saddles for me to ride on top of one...




Number 9: Ohanapekosh campsite and Mt. Rainier. They say you can never go back and it's true. I tried to put together a guys' trip to Washington state but tensions were high when we got there and so it wasn't the best trip I ever took. Fortunately, I had a great moment at the campsite toward the end when a buddy of mine, Matt, and I chilled in our chairs with some beers just enjoying the flowing glacier river from Rainier. Included here is some video of our hike at Rainier which was gorgeous, even in September. I can't imagine it in the spring. Still waiting for pics from Jon on this trip.

Number 10: Chicago. Always a great place to visit, but this time, Jason talked me into a Cubs game. Not being a big sports guy, I figured, "What the heck, it's Wrigley Field" and so I went and we had a blast. The fans, the team, the experience, and the seats were amazing! So much so, that I cut out of my last meeting the next day and we raced back up there to do it again for an afternoon game. Word to the wise, good tickets get a lot cheaper from scalpers after the first inning. This may upset some out there, but I'm a cubs fan now.

So many more experiences, and really amazing people I met on the road, but I have to stick to the Top 10 for now. Thanks for tuning in and I promise to update this thing a lot more in 2009. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah to my Jewish friends, and have a great New Year. Safe Travels.... -J

Hey brah, you gotta wicked stance on that longboard...

Much thanks go out to our friends Mark and Becky for their invite to join them on a last minute trip to Oahu, Hawaii. The first three shots are of the house we stayed at in Ko'Olina which is plenty west of the hectic honolulu downtown. It was nice to wake up in the morning and look out onto the ocean, see whales breaching, or even an Octopus (in the form of Paul Allen's massive yacht of the same name - he was in town for the Pro Bowl which was that week) The next couple of shots are those around the island.

While there, we snorkeled and I got another kiteboarding lesson in before going down for the count and getting sick two days of the vacation. I guess paradise is as good a place as any to lie on a couch and feel crappy, but it did mean I was major drag on the fun for a few days and missed out on paddle surfing and going to see a blow out session at the North Shore where waves were huge because of a nearby storm. Check out my pics of a blue stop sign and the picture of a picture I took of a famous Lost castmember eating shave ice at Matsumoto's.

Crown King - Now in your Grocer's freezer!

The annual camping trip up to Crown King is always an adventure in and of itself. With a bunch of goofballs (yours truly included) who never do anything outdoors, a bar 500 feet down the road, and no women in site, we are always bound to get a little crazy. This year was a real treat with the unexpected change that there was lots and lots of snow.... My apologies to D. Mackle for the invite as he had absolutely no idea what he was getting himself into.

The drive up is completely dry, unlike most years when it is very wet and muddy - and so we believe it will be dry as a bone at the campsite and possibly even warmish. Not the case. SO, we see some of the white stuff and between Heinzel who has a two wheel drive Isuzu, and Mackle who has a 4 wheel drive Jeep with completely bald tires, it is a wonder that 3 of the vehicles made it up there at all. All in all, we had a good time and those who did not attend were missed, but Shaw took Foutz's usual place in the "heaving contest" and Shoemake may have overtaken Harris as the guy who brings items that appear completely unnecessary and scoffed at which turn into very coveted necessities later. (Read: all night propane heater in the middle of the frozen, snowy forest). More pics after the link:

Crown King pics

Middle seat to Michigan

Sorry for so long between blogs, but I've been BUSY!! As the title suggests, I had to ride the middle seat all of the way from Phoenix to the big MI. I was presenting for an Indian Casino north of Lansing and the landscape was definitely middle America and unlike any I've seen before. The pic is from my hotel window and I thought it looked pretty pastoral and winterlike. It sure FELT winterlike. Another thing I've never experienced is "wind chill". Well folks, I'm here to testify that it exists. When the wind blows, you immediately feel 15 degrees colder all at once. Brrr! The good news was I made about $600 on the craps tables while I was there. That made me feel all kinds of warm and fuzzy on the inside. The casino was VERY nice on the inside, but everyone smoked everywhere and I don't think their A/C handled it very well because I had to take about 2 showers a day to keep from smelling like an ashtray. Good people up there. Oh yeah, they had a car dealership nearby that was called Krapole Cars. Sorry, but that doesn't make me want to buy a car...





Last week was my last trip of the year and it was up to southern Oregon to a place called Klamath Falls - or as the locals call it, "K" Falls. I bet it's really pretty in the summer for golf, but it rained the whole time I was there. Pretty nice little condos I stayed in at the Running Y Ranch and they had a great chocolate cake at the bar/restaraunt in the main lodge. The downtown was nice. Some old buildings, some newly built, more modern ones. The pics are of a forest road I started down then turned back before I became another Oregon statistic in 2006. They also had a killer light display at Moore's park in K Falls.

Merry Christmas! (And Happy Channukah for my Jewish friends) See you in 2007!

Ohanapekosh - gesundheit!

Second part of our camping experiences. Jennifer was in for this ONLY because she had had several chances to shower in between. My original plan was to camp outside of Dayton, WA, but that whole area was evacuated due to forest fires. Instead, we ended up at the gorgeous Ohanapekosh camp grounds. It was the best time of the year because right after Labor Day, the place is practically empty. We also had the best campsite thanks to a helpful Ranger. A-21 was secluded and close to the rushing river behind us. Plus, we got to have a fire! You see where I'm going with this - S'mores and hot dogs (although, not together). We took a gorgeous hike to Angel Falls and also to Grove of the Patriarchs on Curt's suggestion. I will tell you from experience that the water is definitely glacier water and COLD!