• Heading out to eat soon. Getting some Japanese food. #

We’re getting ready to go to New York City! We’re taking Virgin America as our airline. I’m hoping for as a good flight experience as we had when we took Virgin Atlantic to London last year.

I’ll see if I can blog from NYC on the iPhone. I’m not sure if it will happen. At the least, I’ll provide some updates via Twitter - which will, in turn, appear on the blog.

I know, the weather outlook in NYC looks pretty wet. I’m hoping it’s not. Either way, I won’t let it damper the trip.

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Yesterday, we celebrated Rex and my birthday with a small dinner at Nana’s house. The other birthday boy this month, Big Gordon, is in Nebraska. Of course, he couldn’t make the celebration.

We had an early dinner. I tried to BBQ some steaks, but they didn’t turn out their usual juicy selves. I decided to rely on a meat thermometer while BBQ-ing instead of my instinct. Next time I’m going to rely on my gut feeling.

Cake on Fire

Rex received a few gifts, the big surprise being the Wii! Me? I got some water pistol underwear and a lovely shirt. Since my bday is later in the month, I think the other presents will be given closer to that time. At least I hope they will.

Of course the big gift this year is a trip to New York City. The reason I bring this up (again) is that I purchased a new camera for the journey, a Canon G9. I’ll write more about my experiences with the G9 later. In the meantime, head on over to photo gallery to check out pictures of last nights celebration, and a video, taken with the G9.

Farrah let me in on my birthday gift early. It is quite a gift: a trip to New York City!

Hesitantly, she revealed my present to me a couple of weeks ago. My mindset regarding flying, and traveling in general, made her feel that it was best to let me in on the gig sooner rather than later. Also, she wanted me to be part of the planning.

I readily admit I didn’t jump on the planning bandwagon right away. It definitely needed to sink in that we were going to New York City. Farrah was good at trying to fool me on my present.

Farrah knows how much I love my tech toys. She is always hesitant on buying me such gifts for fear that (1) I will have bought it already, or (2) that the tech toy would not be up to snuff. She had me work on giving her specs on electronic presents I wanted for my milestone birthday. I gave her the specs on a 17" MacBook Pro, a Sony LCD television, and a Nikon D300. All of those gifts are very pricey. I felt very guilty giving her that as my wish list items.

But this trip to New York City is something special, something that can live way beyond the lifetime of a tech gadget. The memories of our trip to England and France are still very fresh in my mind. I think NYC will be a blast. I’ve already spent time on several sites trying to figure out what to do. Let me tell you, there is no shortage of things to do in NYC.

More to come as we plan our trip out for five days, four nights in NYC.

[Photo by Flickr user 708718 used with permission per Creative Commons.]

The 40-40 club.

In baseball, it is an exclusive club. You need to have stolen 40 bases and hit 40 home runs in a single season. Currently, only four players have done it. First was Jose Canseco. (Yes, I don’t believe it either.) Next was Barry Bonds. I’m pretty sure this was the pre-roid-juiced-up-mofo Bonds. But if Canseco was taking the juice back then, I guess you can never be certain.

But the 40-40 club holds a different meaning for me. It means I will be 40 years old in about 40 days. (BTW - I make this baseball reference mainly for Scott, a baseball fanatic who made me aware of the 40-40 club, and who will be joining me in this club shortly. Also to follow is BossaNova later this year.)

Ah, 40-40.

I am not feeling anxious as the fateful day approaches. At this point, it feels like any other impending birthday. But in my mind, I run through my life assessment checklist.  It’s a short checklist, starting with the big question, “What have you done?” and ending with “What would you like to do?”

Suffice it to say that I am very happy with my life.   I tend not to regret the decisions I have made. After all, the sum of the choices I have made represents the person I am today. I am pretty happy with myself - minus a few extra pounds.

I try not to look too far back, not wishing to question the choices I’ve made. I also try not to look too far into the future, not wanting to miss what is right in front of me.  So I try to stay grounded in the present, living in the moment.

There is still a lot of time for things to happen. 40 isn’t that old. Heck, 50, 60, and 70 aren’t old either. I have a co-worker who has parents in their 90s and they are still running around enjoying life. But when I look back at times, and it isn’t often, these 40 years can seem to have flown right by. It’s time to start checking off some of these items from the checklist.

I have done so many things, but there is so much more to do.

It’s great to hear the Writer’s Strike is over. But according to Kristin at E!online, some of my favorite shows won’t be on until next season!

My favorites:

24 - Looks like Jack won’t be back until next January, since they only finished half of their episodes. A long break may be good for this show, which has had some weak writing as of late.

Battlestar Galactica - For the final season, it looks like they are going to split it just like the 2.0 - 2.5 box set. Razor quenched my thirst for new Galactica, but only for so long.

Big Love - Looking good for this summer!

Brothers & Sisters - Only four new episodes this year?!?!?!

Dirty Sexy Money - One of my favorite new shows. Too bad it won’t be on until next fall.

Gossip Girl - Yeah, really. I always walk in when Farrah’s watching and I know what is happening. A favorite?

Grey’s Anatomy - Some new episodes, according to the article. Frankly, I’ve lost a bit of interest in the characters.

Heroes - No new ones this year. They really need to work on the story lines, and it sounds like they are from the article.

How I Met Your Mother - They might cancel it?!?!? How could they?

Lost - There are new episodes now - if you’ve been watching. I guess they’ll be doing a few more this season.

Pushing Daisies - My favorite show of the new season! It sounds like they might have a few new episodes this season. I really hope they do.

Read the article for more information on your favorite shows. For now, I guess I need to be satisfied with my reality show diet of - Rock of Love 2, Project Runway, American Idol, America’s Next Top Model, and Celebrity Rehab.

Yes, I watch too much tv. Thank goodness for Tivo!

Since I had ordered my Dell over the phone, I tried to seek technical support the same way. The Dell answering menu kept directing me to seek help online. After nearly an hour, I finally contacted a human, but there was an infuriating language barrier. It sounded as if the customer representative was repeatedly asking if I’d pressed the “cat slap button.” Then I realized she was referring to the “caps lock” button. I asked where she was. “In the Philippines,” she replied.  -- Sending an S O S for a PC Exorcist

Ah, you have to love outsourced technical support.  But the main point of the article isn’t support via the Philippines, it’s about PC/Windows support in general.

You know me, I go with what John C. Dvorak says in the article:

“I advise everybody to buy a Macintosh because Apple products are the easiest to use,” he said. “If you own a PC, you have to find a local nerd, a kid, maybe a relative. Every family has one unless they’ve just moved here from a foreign country. That’s the only solution.”

Unfortunately, I happen to be that one Dvorak speaks of.  So please, please, please, if you are buying new computer, please buy a Mac.  It will make your (Internet) life easier.

I’ve been meaning to blog more this year than I have in the past. Unfortunately (or fortunately), it has been busy at work.  Then two weeks ago I had dinner with friends I had not seen in years.  It was great seeing them, but I caught the flu from one of them!  A small price to pay to see friends, but it really through ‘my game’ off for the next couple of weeks.  I still have a lingering cough at this point.  This thing is nasty.

Anyway, I’ll be back to blogging soon. There are several subjects I’ve been itching to write about but I haven’t set aside any time to write.  I will shortly.

I have been to a salon twice before Farrah and I were married. The salon was Atelier Aveda on Santana Row. Aveda is for everyone, both women and men. But it appears to cater to women more. Since I have been growing out my hair again, Farrah thought I would like to visit a salon again. Instead of Aveda, she found the American Male Salon.

The salon is located in San Antonio Shopping Center, an outdoor mall where I spent many days hanging out. It’s tucked in a corner near the 24-hour Fitness. Parking was a bit of an issue on a Saturday afternoon since Trader Joe’s was bustling.

I arrived a bit early for my appointment. I was offered a drink and a chair in front of the television where the Seahawks-Packers game was on full blast. I then met Yessica (I heard Jessica, but her card says Yessica). Farrah signed me up for the Men At Play package. The package was not only for a haircut, but also included a pedicure and a manicure. They call it detailing which is a term I think I prefer.

Yessica suggested starting off with the pedicure, then the manicure, and lastly the haircut. I have never had a pedicure or manicure and found the experience to be extremely relaxing. Yessica was very professional and nice. She talked only when I started a conversation, giving me the option to simply relax and enjoy the service and the football game, which was on another television set in the manicure/pedicure area!

After my nails were done, and before my hair was washed for its cut, I had the opportunity to dip my hands in a paraffin hand dip. I have to say that experience is interesting as well. Layering your hands in wax and having it peeled off later to reveal a softer feel is an experience.

The haircut was standard fare, pretty much secondary to what had previously occurred. Yessica did talk to me about options regarding my hair and how I take care of it. She offered products to consider using for my hair without being pushy about it. Me, I’m used to being fairly bald so any advice is helpful.

I really enjoyed my experience there. Though it cost considerably more, for the package, I think I will find myself going back in six to eight weeks. In fact, I have my next appointment already set.

Rating: **** (out of 5)

One's past is what one is. It is the only way by which people should be judged. -- Oscar Wilde

Since the site change in late December, only a week ago, I have been in several online and offline discussion about the older blog entries being gone. Some understood why I wanted to change. Others simply didn’t like it. After all, in life you cannot easily deny what has come before. On the Internet, almost anything you post will always be online. So, like a brow-beaten politician who has stumbled on the campaign trail, I am changing my position. I have relented and am reposting all the old content.

But I am slowly reposting it.

I am also working deliberately on the photo section on Smugmug. Unfortunately, I haven’t had much time to devote on the photos, but will try to set aside some time in the future. OK, enough talk about updates. I’m going to bed.

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Interesting building I found on my visit to Digg.com. Imagine being drunk and wandering by this place in Paris. I guess it’s a surrealist building, but I’m not sure if it is built this way or if the building is covered to obtain the look. You can find more information about the building by visiting the following website . This is where I obtained these press photos (more photos after the jump).

The website is in French. I cannot translate the text. If you happen to garner more information on this building I’d like to know.

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The first movie to be reviewed on the “reloaded” website is Juno. Farrah and I watched Juno about a week ago at the AMC Cupertino Square 16. This theater is becoming our number-one place to watch movies. I suppose because it is new, clean, and doesn’t smell like feet yet.

We had only heard good things about the movie, so expectations were slightly high. The only aspect I wasn’t looking forward to was Jennifer Garner’s acting. We bought our Milk Duds and headed into the theater. We were early enough to have our choice of seats. But the place quickly filled up with eager moviegoers. It had been some time since we watched a movie in a crowded theater.

Here is the brief synopsis provided by Netflix:

Facing an unplanned pregnancy, worldly teen Juno (Ellen Page) devises a plan to locate the proverbial perfect parents to adopt her baby. But the seemingly ideal couple Juno chooses appears to still have some growing up to do. Now, everyone in Juno’s world must do a little soul-searching. Michael Cera (Superbad) co-stars while Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner play the pair of affluent yuppies anxious for a child in this offbeat coming-of-age comedy.

What I Liked

The film is funny and smartly written. Sharing laughter with a large crowd sure makes the movie experience more enjoyable. Juno is one of those movies that has very quotable dialog. You can find yourself quoting lines often throughout the following weeks. The acting is sharp all around, especially from Ellen Page who plays the lead. Yes, I even liked Jennifer Garner.

The film moves at a brisk pace, clocking in at a fast 92 minutes. The seemingly predictable plot points turned out to be refreshingly unpredictable, at least from my standpoint.

What I Did Not Enjoy

I can’t think of anything I didn’t enjoy about Juno. I could say it was short, but it didn’t feel too short. I was awaiting an unsatisfying ending; you know the endings where each viewer needs to determine for themselves if the characters found happiness or not? Luckily this did not come to pass.

Some may think the dialog is trying too hard to be memorable, trying hard to be cute and hip. But it works in this movie for both the characters in high school and the adults.

Final Thoughts

Strong movie. Smart script. Strong acting by likable actors. A good way to spend a few hours in a warm theater.

Rating: ***** out of 5 stars