Welcome to the Future

There is nothing quite like the allure of a new car. I don't mean a car that's new to you (though that is cool too), I'm talking about a brand spanking new one that was made in the same year that you bought it.

Allow me to introduce to you the Black Pearl.

Okay I'm kidding, we did not name our car the Black Pearl or Black Beauty or anything for that matter, but she is fresh off the assembly line. This little beauty is a 2012 Ford Edge with all the fixings...well most of them anyhow.

You can say what you want about American car manufactures but I think they have done an excellent job bouncing back after some incredibly tough years...particularly Ford. Sure, they were one of the only car companies that didn't take any bailout money, but that doesn't mean they didn't have some major overhauling to accomplish. In my opinion that is exactly what they did.

Granted, I don't know anything about cars but I do know about cool shiny things...and this bad boy is definitely cool and shiny.

Family Happy Hour

There are a lot of things I loved about my old job and I consider myself extremely lucky to have held it for more then a decade, but one of the things I don't miss...never being able to go to happy hour.

So late Wednesday afternoon, since my wife already had dinner plans with friends, I scampered off to the Gaslamp to enjoy a couple drinks and some appetizers. Of course Happy Hour is not that happy if you have to go to it by yourself, lucky for me my little sister Debra had my back.

She and her friend Kristin were posted up at the Lincoln Room so I met them there, and a few minutes later Kristin's Uncle Jimmy met us as well. We had some good drinks, some good food and plenty of fun.

I guess that's why they call it happy hour?

The Morning Show

My first job in TV was as an editor for a morning news show here in San Diego. It was brutal. First off, I didn't want to be an editor, I wanted to be on TV, and second off the hours were miserable! I have a lot of respect and zero envy for anyone who works that shift.

That said, I finally got to be on the other side of it today and not surprisingly, I liked being on the show better then working behind the scenes. My role today was as an extra during the Channel 6 live shot for my buddy Teevan's Stand Up Paddling company.

I didn't have to do much, I basically just stood there and then paddled around for a few minutes in the bay. Near as I can figure they needed some eye candy so they called in the big guns. I was more then happy to help...but I still think the hours are terrible.

Ain't That a Dickens

The first thing you should know about my wife is that she hates surprises. Actually, that's not completely accurate. It's not the surprise part that she dislikes, it's the not knowing part that precedes the surprise that drives her crazy.

If I wrap a present for her and put it under the tree a few days before Christmas, she can't control herself. I have caught her on more then one occasion trying to sneak a peek under the wrapping paper or shaking her present before Christmas morning. So believe me, if the wrapped pair of socks I put under the tree early drives her crazy, wondering if she's growing a boy or a girl in her belly is down right maddening!

Lucky for us, thanks to the  miracle of modern science, there are these things called ultrasounds which allow doctors to determine the gender of your unborn child. At 12 weeks pregnant we went to a specialist who told us we were having a baby girl. He was very sure about his prediction.

Today at 19 weeks our OBGYN said she was pretty sure we were having a boy.

Welcome to my wife's nightmare.

The Next Generation

Now that I am going to be a Dad in about 5 months, I've been thinking about family and family traditions a lot. Obviously for the last 35 years we've been celebrating holiday's like Easter and Thanksgiving at my parents house, but one of these days we're going to make the transition to hosting these events at our house.

I understand that is not the most profound realization, but it has made me think. That's why when my sister volunteered to cook Easter Dinner this year (albeit at my folks house) I thought it was a great idea. In her words, it's time for the next generation to take over and so that our parents can make the transition to becoming grandparents.

Doing it at my parents place was a nice half step...too much change is scary after all.

SD Derby Dolls

On Saturday night I did what any loving husband would do for his 4 and half month pregnant wife...I took her to her first roller derby bout. 

I first learned about the Derby Dolls last Fall when I did a story on them for Channel 4, so while this wasn't my first experience with the girls, it was my first time seeing them in action. They did not disappoint.

They skate up in Del Mar every month or so (except during the summer) and the next match is in May. If you've never been to a bout, do yourself a favor and check it out. If nothing else the people watching is worth the price of admission...which for the record was only $8.

Filippi's

Filippi's Pizza Grotto is one of the best pizza dinning experiences you'll find in San Diego and a big reason why is tradition. Originally opened in 1950 as a deli grocery in what is now known as Little Italy, Filippi's boasts 13 restaurant locations today...and all of them have the same family feel as the first shop.

One of the best traditions they have is letting you sign your Chianti bottle and then hanging from the rafters in their restaurants. A kind of ever changing homage to the patrons and the restaurant. Megan and I went there this weekend, and though we didn't share a bottle of Chianti, we did try to find one of our old bottles.

Unfortunately the restaurant was pretty full and it started to get kind of awkward with me leaning over people's lasagna and garlic bread so I had to settle for a picture of these random bottles. Next time.

Opening Day

After 10 years of covering the Padres for Channel 4 today felt kind of weird. Nothing against my comfy couch or vibrant HD TV, it's just wasn't the same, you know? I didn't even have a hotdog today!

At least the Padres did their best to restore a sense of normalcy to the day...3 errors, 2 bases loaded walks and now they're in last place. Of course, unlike the Chargers we don't have to wait a week to see if the team can bounce back. That's the best part of baseball, you can always go get'em tomorrow.

Good advice, actually.

Auf der Alm

My parents moved a week or so ago, and part of the process of switching houses was to purge some of their stuff. That is precisely how this beer stein (along with 4 others) came to be in my possession. Despite the very German last name of Weisbarth, as far as I know this is not a family heirloom. Instead, it's just something my Dad picked up along the way...probably in a Sears catalog or something.

Of course that's not the story my unborn child is going to hear. I really like this stein, as well as the others, and as far as I am concerned now they are family heirlooms. Of course that means I now have to come up with a back story...damn.

Pay the Piper

One of the universal unwritten rules of slow pitch softball is that if you strike out, you're buying beers the following week. Unfortunately for the "Brew Crew" there has been no shortage of refreshments this season.

At this point I fear it's turned into a vicious cycle. Someone strikes out one week, they bring a 30 pack the next week, the guys enjoy a few pops before the game, someone else strikes out, and there is more beer the following week.

At least we're living up to our team name.

Mr. Padre

Less then 2 months ago Tony Gwynn  underwent his second surgery in the last year and half to remove a cancerous tumor from his cheek. This time the doctor had to remove a nerve in Tony's face and replace it with a nerve from his shoulder, in a procedure that took 14 hours to complete.

In other words, this was no root canal...this was some serious stuff.

I'm happy to report that while he is still recovering, Tony is doing really well. I sat down with him for a two part interview on Monday to talk baseball, cancer and what the future holds for Mr. Padre. If you want to see the interviews you can check them out on The MTN Sports Network next week.

Walk in the Park

It rained in LA this weekend.

So when we woke up on Sunday and the sun was out, it was a pretty easy decision to go for a light after breakfast hike. You see, after the rain all the smog is gone and we get to see what Southern California  looked like 200 years ago...minus all the buildings and roads and people wearing LuLu Lemon.

Our friends Greg and Tonya live in Clairemont (the one in LA, not San Diego) and for 2 outdoorsy people like them it's probably the best city in LA. Lot's of parks, a good farmers market and plenty of trails.

Luckily this hike was pretty chill because neither Megan nor I packed any hiking gear...but at least I had shoes. Megan only had flip-flops and ballet shoes, so she opted for rainbow fleece socks and Tonya's 3-sizes too big Toms.

Thanks for the ammo honey. Now the next time I wear black socks and shorts I can pull out this photo.

The Hunger Games

Let's just get one thing straight...I have never, nor will I ever read or go see any of the "Twilight" books or movies. They are for teenie-boppers and women, neither of which I am.

That said I am all in on "Hunger Games". I am not a particularly fast reader and I devoured all 3 books in the series last summer...in a week. The Illiad it is not, no one is going to go cure cancer after reading these books, but from an entertainment standpoint they are terrific!

So this weekend while my wife and I were up visiting some friends in LA we made our way to the Arclight Theater in Hollywood and settled in for 2 and half hours of bliss.  It was great. Very entertaining, awesome visuals and more action then the PG13 rating would lead you to believe. If you haven't seen it yet, you should go. If you haven't read the books yet, stop what you are doing right now and start reading them.

The movie gets a thumbs up but the book(s) get a flying karate kick "fcuk yeah"!

Neighborhood Happy Hour

Though Spring technically started on Tuesday March, 20 and it rained this weekend, non-the-less the good folks of Talmadge kicked off the unofficial beginning of Spring on Friday with a neighborhood happy hour. It pretty much consisted of what you would expect...drinks, some appetizers and lots of kids running around outside.

The main event however took place inside at my neighbor Pat's house. With the kids in bed and only the truly committed happy hour participants still around, Pat and I squared off for some Wii boxing. As you can see from the picture above I am dominating. Pat's practically in the fetal position and my hands are moving so fast the camera can barely catch them.

End result...a first round knock out and two sore shoulders the next day. Small price to pay for the belt.