New Blog

Over to the right, in the Links section, there's a new link to a new blog I started for the company I work for; AVRP’s Blog. It'll be an online newsletter for us to highlight new people coming in, long time members of the firm that are going on to new things, and some of the amazing buildings and interiors that the talented members of the firm create.

A few weeks ago I did a 6 page newsletter for the firm and everyone seemed to like it, but we needed some way to get the word out faster and to more people. This will give the marketing department a place to refer people and it'll save paper and money over a printed newsletter. Our ultimate goal is to get the actual website updated so we can do this as part of AVRP.com, but until then a blog is a good alternative.

So for more information on who I work with and what we do, check it out and let me know what you think.

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

My review

This was the 2nd time I read this book. I'd woken from a nap and needed something light and easy to read. This is a very fun and funny book with charming characters you'll enjoy getting to know. And along the way it asks some good questions about love and friendship and success. The author doesn't take herself or her characthers too seriously, she just keeps it light and fun.

Heroine Lexi Smart has a loser boyfriend and not a great job, but she loves her tiny flat and going out with her three best friends; until one night she slips and falls, hitting her head. She wakes up in the hospital 3 years later and everything's changed: she's a successfule business woman with an incredibly rich, handsome husband. As she tries to fit into her Cinderella life, she learns that happily every after ain't necessarily so. This book is a well written, entertaining read; especially for those times when you need a little something, but not too much.

View all my reviews.

Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell

My review

I haven't seen the movie yet, but it's on my A list. I had the First Season on DVD in my hands at the store, but decided to put it back and be a smarter consumer and watch in on Netflix. I've seen many of the episodes, but not all.

The book that inspired it all is not fabulous the way the TV series is fabulously written, acted, and produced. I thought the TV series was way better than almost any other series out there, but the book, compared to other books, not so much. The book is good, but the material probably worked better as a series of columns.

While the TV series is driven by an ensemble group of characters that you get to know and care about; the book talks about various situations people find themselves in. Candace Bushnell takes the topic and puts it in a room on a stool with one light overhead exposing it for your review. She doesn't making any judgements: she just reports the situation, brings it to light, and lets you make up your mind about it yourself.

This is a great book for a light summer read at the beach or the park; perfect for a plane. But be warned: if you're a stickler for good sentence structure and well used colons and semi-colons; there's one each in the whole book. She tries to create a conversational tone using only commas and periods, leaving sentence fragments scattered about like so many cigarette butts.

View all my reviews.

Fatherly Advice

This is a picture of my father at about 12 or 13 years old with his brothers, baby sister, mother, and, we think, his maternal grandfather. My Dad is second oldest and second from the right. The husband of one of my cousins had this photo and gave copies to everyone at my father's funeral 2 years ago. I love old photos and we all enjoyed marveling at how easy it was to tell which boy had turned into which uncle.

This morning I was thinking about the only real advice about growing up he gave me. We'd been on some outing together and were back at his house. Before I got out of his car to get into my own car to drive home he said, “You know, you're getting to the age where you need to start trimming your nose hairs.”

I said, “Thanks Dad” and got out of the car.

While driving home I remebered that my father gave my older brothers fairly nice electric shavers when they were old enough to need them. I taught myself to shave using my mother's shaver. At Boy Scout Camp that summer one of the Scoutmasters loaned me a disposable razor and encouraged me to use it. And it was my mother, not my father, who told me about love and sex.

When I got home I looked in the mirror and thought; no tips on sex, no advice about love, didn't even teach me how to shave, the man may be largely inadequate as a father, but he's right about one thing. So I looked for the smallest pair of scissors I could find.

A Classic of a CLassic

Click to enlarge

Wisdom

"You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions." - Naguib Mahfouz

Memorial Day Movie

Yesterday afternoon Skip and I went to see "Ironman" at the Fashion Valley Mall movieplex. We both liked it a lot; well written, really well acted. Not only were Robert Downey Jr. and Gyweneth Paltrow great, but a bald Jeff Bridges was a nice suprise.

Also Currently Reading...

Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. His last novel; I didn't know it existed until a few weeks ago.

"Externally, it was a narrow lopsided wooden jumble of corpulent windows heaped one upon another as you might heap as many toppling oranges, with a crazy wooden verandah impending over the water; indeed the whole house, inclusive of the complaining flag-staff on the roof, impended over the water, but seemed to have got into the condition of a faint-hearted diver who has paused so long on the brink that he will never go in at all."

Now that's a sentence!

Iron Mountain 04.26.08

Even though my alarms went off dutifully at 5:30 and 5:45, I didn't actually wake up until 6:10, which was bad because I was supposed to be out the door at 6:15 to pick up Skip, stop at Starbuck's and make it to the trail head by 7:00.

Fortunately Skip's friend, Alice, and her friends Mark(green t-shirt) and Szymon(big smile), waited patiently and we got under way shortly after 7:30.

Iron Mountain is a great hike; not far out of town, short & long options, amazing 360 degree views at the top. What a great way to start the weekend!
(Double click on any image to enlarge it)

Currently Reading ...

I'm not going through it very quickly because the class I'm taking is kicking my butt, but what I have read has given me much to think about. And that's a good thing. Deepak Chopra makes it an easy read but gives you a lot to contemplate.

Favorite quote so far:

"You must find the place inside yourself where nothing is impossible."

I looked and looked and for the life of me I could never find that place. So I decided to build it from scratch.

Second favorite quote:

"'In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.' (Matthew 7:9-12)
If you contemplate the Golden Rule, it turns out to be an injunction to live by grace rather than by what you think other people deserve."

Usually, when we think of the Golden Rule, we think in terms of a proactive situation; we treat someone nice so they'll be nice to us in return. But Deepak Chopra is looking at it from a reactive situation; someone has just been thoughtless/rude/mean to us and in our anger we want to give them what they deserve, or at the very least turn away, but Grace requires us to be nice, as if they'd been nice. This goes back to treating people as they ought to be, rather than as they are.

I apologize to my non-Christian friends for quoting scripture at you. I'm trying to be more spiritual than religious. Despite the fact that many have used Scripture to beat us up and leave us to die tied to a fence, there is some spiritual wisdom in scripture. And that's Deepak Chopra's intent in writing this book; to look beyond Jesus "the man" whose factual history has been all but lost and to bypass Jesus "the arbitrator of rules" who has been kidnapped by the conservative false prophets, and look at the spriritual, mystical leader he was trying to be all along.

New Blog Feature: Call Me for Free !

Over to the right you'll notice a blue button that says "Call Me". Just double click on it, enter your name and phone number, click the "call me" button, and pick up your phone. The computer will put a call through from your phone to my phone at no charge. No long distance fees!

And I'll be able to post voice mails to my blog, so if you've got some news to share or want to leave me a festive message on; say, oh I don't know, My Birthday in 30 days (3/27); go for it!

"He who gives when he is asked has waited too long." - Seneca

Truth

For an example of some amazing writing check out: http://www.bigassbelle.blogspot.com/. Her most recent entry "kayla" just wrecked me. Her previous post "roe, wade and me" is a valid view point worth considering. And she won an award for a post in April called "piano music". She tells the truth like we all should but none of us do.

Happy Valentine's Day

"Love is often nothing but a favorable exchange between two people who get the most of what they can expect, considering their value on the personality market." - Erich Fromm

Fun with PhotoShop

I've started an Interactive Media class through the San Diego Community College Continuing Education program. And first thing we're diving into PhotoShop in great detail. During class last week we took the top 4 images and manipulated them every which way but loose until we have something completely new. Our instructor really knows her stuff, which is good, although she's often challenging to keep up with. She likes to add many layers to create an image with lots of depth. But she's very encouraging and the other 60+ students are all amazing, bright, talented, super nice people to share 3 evenings a week with.

Wild Animal Park 01.13.08

Early Sunday morning Eddie swung by my house, then we picked up Skip. After an obligatory stop at Starbucks we headed to the Wild Animal Park just outside of Escondido; Eddie and I to take pictures, Skip to see it for the first time. I snapped pictures of everything in sight, filling up my 2GB memory card before lunch. Eddie was much wiser with his shot selection. Skip was very patient with both of us. For more, better, pictures check out Eddie's blog at: http://www.mrmagdaleno.com/WildAnimalPark.htm

Today was a sad day at work. Dave passed away Saturday morning at home surrounded by his family.

Safe journey my friend.

Vespa Vespa

Vespa, the maker of the motor scooters, held a contest to see who could create the best video about them. I just found out that the Grand Prize, and a brand new scooter, went to Rex, a friend who, with his boyfriend Dan, I frequently hang out with at Kicker's, the country western dance club. Rex wrote and performed the song and made the video. Vespa liked his song so much they've flown him all over the country to perform it at their entry in the motorcycle shows. Who knew this otherwise quiet little guy had all this talent?

I think Vespa should spend the money to run the video during the Superbowl.

Secrect Indulgence

A few days ago I was at the gym. As I got off the treadmill I saw my friend Wayne coming up the stairs. While I waited at the top to say "hello" I took off my headphones and reached down to pause my Zune.

When Wayne walked up to me he asked, "What is that you're listening to? Is that ABBA"?

I was so busted. Pressing "pause" had caused the oversized screen to light up and display my taste in oldies for all to see.

After he headed off to workout and I went the other way to stretch out I turned my music back on. A minute later I was suddenly grateful for getting off easy. After ABBA the next song to come on was by Doris Day.