Technology is Amazing!

Hey All,

Remember me? I'm the dude that had the post about Lake Havasu back in July! How's everybody doing? I can't believe we're nearing the 2009 holiday season! I've been checking y'alls posts and I'm glad to hear everybody's still trucking, kids are growing, etc.

Nothing significant to report from me this time other than the fact that I treated myself and bought an LG 32" 1080p HDTV! The resolution on this thing is f*****g amazing! I decided to take advantage of a special Cox was running on an HD box and programming. So after literally 10 hours of online research on TVs this past weekend, I decided to make the plunge! I paid $449 for the TV at Costco and am going to pick up a Playstation 3 this weekend which has a built-in BluRay player, plays games and music, has internet surfing capability, and has 120G of memory all for only $299 at Best Buy. Not that I'm a gamer by any means, but why not get all this multimedia capability from something that was $399 last year? Did I use the word 'multimedia'? Oh boy, not good!

The weird thing is, I don't watch TV alot (except for sports and the show The First 48), but just wanted a form of entertainment available in case of company, a party, etc! But I do have to admit, the clarity and sharpness of the channels with HD broadcasting is unbelievable! I learned during my research that television shows are currently only broadcast with 720p resolution and the 1080p resolution is more for BluRay videos, video games (and clever marketing by TV manufacturers to get people to buy the more expensive 1080p sets). With the pics as clear as they are in 720p, I can only imagine what they'll look like when channels begin broadcasting in 1080p! For those of you in the market to make the plunge for an HDTV set too, don't spend too much money on a TV! The newest technology of LED screens and research and development for Super or Ultra HDTV (up to 8 times the resolution of 1080p) is currently underway and is expected to be commercially available around 2013-2014!

Life by the beach is good! The summer crowds have thinned out and there's much more room on the sand to watch sunsets and grab a drink at the bars! OB had it's annual Oktoberfest on the pier last weekend; although not as crowded as the Chili Fest a couple of months ago, there were lots of people, music, sausages, and beer. Aside from that, I got my eye on a used 8' epoxy surfboard and 4-session surf lesson for myself for X-mas!

To Vern, Norrie & the Norman's, I apologize for not being able to get up there this summer to check out the new pad and see what's happening in the Clovis/Fresno area...hope there's still an invitation to come!

To the Favero's, where's thxgiving going to be? And give Ryan a hearty DaDuhh from me...he'll know what that means!

To Shannyn, thank goodness you chose CSUSM, SDSU is waaay overcrowded and I read horror stories frequently in the SD Union Tribune about impacted programs and kids not being able to graduate in time because of cutbacks! Plus, I hear you guys are getting a dedicated frisbee golf course on the campus grounds! I don't think UCSD (which IMHO is one of the best amenitized university campuses in SoCal--ocean view dorms and all) has anything like that! Very cool!

Peace to all and I hope I'll be able to see everyone and catch up over the holidays!

love,

g

From Beach Bum to Desert Rat!

Wha's up folks? I'm about to tell you my 'What I Did Over the Summer' story. I took a short vaca from the grind to spend time at Lake Havasu with the peeps... Enjoy!

I tell you what, I'm sprung on the Lake! Wow, what can I say? Between the natural, untouched beauty of the Colorado River basin and the cool, laid-back vibe of the boaters in LH, I'm totally hooked and already looking forward to next year's trip! Yes, it was definitely hot...and the fact that it was 106 degrees on my first day out and around 116 degrees the next day (with nighttime lows in the low-90s), still didn't hamper the fun I had! Pretty significant, considering us San Diegans consider anything above 75 degrees hot!

According to the research I did about the area before we headed out, the Lake as well as the rest of the Colorado River basin system--which stretches north from Lake Mead, just south of Vegas, south to the Mexican border supplies a good deal of the drinking water and some electrical energy generation to SoCal, Arizona, and southern Nevada; so it serves a very practical purpose as well as a fun playground for the thirsty citizens of the desert southwest!

Day 1 - Friday, July 24th

Cindy, Dad and I arrived in LH after a 3+ hour drive from Beaumont at the home Steve, Deb and Ryan scored for the summer. Spent some time with Dave, Deena, Steve and Sam who had come earlier in the week from L.A. (Go Dodgers!) to hang out (they left early Saturday). Jeez, I can't believe how big, talkative and active Ryan has gotten! As always, it was good to see everybody and hang out. Just before dinner, Steve took the boys on a field trip to a boat showroom where we got to see some unreal and very expensive water toys!

Day 2 - Saturday, July 25th

Went out on the Favero's boat with the peeps, hung out on one of LH's many coves in the water, drank cold beer (Coors Lite seemed to be LH's choice of brew) and I was invited to and tried wakeboarding from the boat of a friend of one of Steve's buds--trust me, it's easier than it looks (although Steve 'the veterano boarder' got some serious air on his rides). Despite the hot weather, our high-speed cruising on the boat in the water and periodic stops in the Lake for a quick dips made it bearable. After cruising around for most of the afternoon and getting lunch from a floating fast-food vessel, we hung out at LH's channel area after the day on the lake--see Day 3 for details on the channel.

Day 3 - Sunday, July 26th

Boys' day out (Steve and Dad on the Favero's boat and me and one of Steve's buds on his boat). Very cool! I got some Boating 101 and LH geography tips from Steve's bud --also named Gary, jumped off a small cliff in the Copper Canyon section of the lake into the water, and after crusing around for a while, we had lunch, cruised the lake some more, and finally 'beached' our boats at the 'channel' section of the lake. Think of a water version of any city's main drag where instead of cars, people cruise their watercraft. There's music blaring from the parked boats along the river shore, people doing beer bongs, and participating in other raucous activity, etc.--which included a fight we witnessed between a few young women on one of the boats and their subsequent arrests by LHPD! The channel scene was unreal and very fun!

It really helped that the water was around 90 degrees and most spots along the channel water shore were shallow enough to just sit, stand, dunk, chat with other boat owners, chug Coors Lite, and stay cool while watching the boats go past (some of which according to Steve were valued at well in excess of $100K)! Just like the coastal surfing community, the LH boating scene has it's own set of rules, etiquette, flamboyancy, etc!

Day 4 - Monday, July 27th

Cindy, Dad and I split LH for our lives back in urban SoCal.

Day 5 - Tuesday, July 28th

Rested in OB and took advantage of the mid-week day off to get some errands done without the crowds.

Props to Steve, Deb and Ryan for having me in their summer stomping ground! This was by far one of the best 'What I Did Over the Summer' summers I've had in years!

P.S. The first pic was actually taken in Summer '08 when the Favero's, and Chuck and Cindy came down to San Diego (Solana Beach); and thanks to Chuck's photography skills for capturing our trip... Pardon the spacing problems again.

peace

HAPPY 233rd BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

Hi Everybody,





Hope everyone had a great and safe Independence Day 2009! We had a three-day weekend (Friday off), so I took the opportunity to sleep in and be lazy. It sure was crazy at the beaches--according to media reports 1.3 million people flocked to the coast here in San Diego over the weekend for the traditional 4th of July festivities. The weather was absolutely terrific, with highs in the low 70s and pure sunshine! Due to the number of people expected at the coast, I didn't dare driving out of OB so I stayed home.



Me and a couple of my neighbors went to check out OB's annual fireworks show and it was very entertaining to say the least! In my many years of observing fireworks shows, this was the first one where a couple of the exploded patterns were in the shape of happy faces! Only in OB (maybe in Venice Beach too, but VB doesn't have it's own fireworks show)! The fireworks from OB are shot from the pier and I got another unexpected surprise: the (simultaneous) fireworks shows from Sea World, La Jolla, and Coronado were also visible from the beach where we were. I also got introduced to the tradition of people hurling marshmallows at each other after the show. It was somewhat cheesy, but very cool and good-spirited in nature!



Afterwards, the celebrations continued. We were just walking down the nearby streets headed to the bars and there were house parties all over the place and people (old and young) had music blaring, grills grilling, and just generally enjoying the night. Last Saturday, the community hosted the annual OB Street Fair/Chili Cook Off--lots of bands, beer gardens, food and art vendors, and chili samples of course. Again, just a really cool vibe--even with 70,000 people hanging out!



Other than that, I'm just workin' for a living and gearing up for my first trip to Lake Havasu in a couple of weeks to hang out with Chuck, Cindy, Steve, Deb and Ryan.

Andy, Beth and Jennah, congrats on the new house! Thanks again for keeping us a part of your experience and I can't wait to see it...

Best Regards

Big Ups to Lucille's

Given my slowness to maintain my blog on major life events, you know when I post a blog about a restaurant it obviously made an impression. Two words--Lucille's BBQ in Temecula. Last Sunday, we (Cindy, Steve, Deb, Ryan and me) took dad out to lunch for his b-day. I was impressed with Lucille's BBQ, a decent southern BBQ, good sweet iced tea and generous-sized portions. I had heard about Lucille's from a co-worker who's been to the flagship store in Long Beach as well as another location in Rancho Cucamonga and she raved about it. She was absolutely right on about this place! They even have a huge smoker inside the restaurant!

Of course the real estate side of me was impressed by its location in the new, open-air section just adjacent to the massive (enclosed) Temecula Promenade mall. The new section has an impressive lineup of stores including Williams-Sonoma--an upscale kitchen goods store, Pottery Barn, Sephora--a line of cosmetics, and a bunch of other nationally-known retail outlets which have definitly put Temecula on the map as far as retail store selection. I assume in the next few years once the economy picks up and the Temecula/Murrieta area grows, Nordstrom or Bloomingdale's could be next to be added to the tenant roster.

Anyway, it was good to hook up with my peeps after not seeing them for a few months. Steve has invited me to hang out with everybody in Lake Havasu this summer. I think I'll take him up on it. Anybody have any suggestions on how I can prepare to party in 115-degree heat?

Mission Accomplished!

Hello Dudes & Dudettes,

How 'bout those Lakers! Can you believe they let Houston make them play all 7 games??? Now on to Denver and hopefully another championship! I could go on; but anyway...

I apologize...I know it's been a while since my last post. And I do periodically check on you guys to see how things are going; but I told myself that I would not place another post on my blog until I had a decent pic. Now that I do, here's what's been going on with me since my last blog:

January 2009

I started a new lunchtime habit turned on to me by two co-workers: the stairs. We climb a 25-story building three times, 3-4 days a week! These 50-something women lead the typical SD active lifestyle: one used to be a lifeguard, likes to kayak and play golf and the other does marathons every year across the country! They pestered me for months to join them 'cause I kept saying I wanted to get in shape--I figured this would be a great new year's resolution.

February 2009

Got a promotion and a nice raise to go along with it.

March - April 2009

Pretty much routine days of work, home, work, home, an occasional night out, etc.

May 2009

I found a permanent place and am in the process of moving. To the beach. Try 1.5 blocks from the beach! For only $25 a month more than what I pay now! Plus it's a good deal larger (although still a studio). The place is in Ocean Beach (or OB to the locals) and it's San Diego's version of Venice Beach IMHO. Here's a link: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=San+Diego&state=CA&address=5053+Long+Branch

Our unit takes a day off once a year and goes on a field trip. Last year (before I got there), they went to Scripps Aquarium in La Jolla. This year we went to the flower fields, picked strawberries, and had lunch up in Carlsbad. The weather was mostly overcast, but it was still good day to be out. I wasn't to keen on looking at a bunch of flowers, but once I got there, it was actually pretty cool. The way the flowers are patterned by color are a photographer's dream and the site has a head on ocean view!! I tell you what, you ain't had no strawberries until you had vine-ripened ones straight from the field--forget Henry's, TJs or Whole Foods. These babies were the sweetest, juiciest berries I've ever tasted!!!

Here's one pic that we took--I'll post more when I get batteries for my camera so that I can access the others.

So that's pretty much it for me. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to see everyone sometime over the summer--I know I can't wait to see Andy, Beth, and Jennah's new crib once it's finished!

Oh, and yes...I'm still doing the stair routine! Until next time...

P.S. Can anyone offer advice on how to get this thing to stop the funky spacing? The preview page and post page look totally different!!!

I'M BAACK (I THINK)!

Hi Everybody,

First of all, I'd like to wish everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous 2009!

Second of all, I'm still in shock (happily) that America has elected it first black president. I know a lot of people don't see the significance of it, but you have to remember that blacks couldn't even vote legally in the U.S. until 1964! Add that on top of the sanctioned racism and social exclusion that blacks faced during most of the 20th century...and the reasons for the record turnout in voting amongst blacks and optimism for future generations of minorities and women that the country's highest glass ceiling has finally been broken explain themselves!!

My only hope is that people don't write him off because of his relative youth and give him a chance to begin to straighten out our seriously wounded economy, mend our strained international relations, and find a way to safely bring our troops home from Iraq & Afganistan.

Other than that, things continue to chug along here in San Diego. Since I haven't posted in a while, here's a short synopsis of what's been going on since my last entry:

NOVEMBER 2008

Went to a great concert at the House of Blues and saw Matisyahu, an orthodox Jewish rapper whose lyrics flow with a reggae beat; and Flotbots, a great alternative rap group with two high-energy front men and a really cute girl who plays the violin.

Spent Thanksgiving at the Cids' place. They've really done some impressive work on their home and Steve and Samantha are full-fledged teenagers! Geez, it seemed just like yesterday they were about yea (3-feet) high.

DECEMBER 2008

Helped the Favero's celebrate Ryan's first birthday. Of course, Ryan's skills as a ham continue to sharpen and I believe that he will use said skills on Mom & Dad in the future for lots of toys and money. It was very nice meeting all of Ryan's friends and his beloved babysitter, Miss Arlene. It was very cool to see the Norman's--hadn't seen them in a while--and Jennah's growing like a sprout!!

Christmas was spent at the Favero's and they had a lavish buffet of the traditional holiday meal. Unfortunately, I had to work the day after Christmas, so I made an early exit shortly after dinner.

JANUARY 2009

I rang in 2009 in the Gaslamp. It's so nice being able to be close enough to bars to walk home!!

Celebrated my 39th b-day with co-workers where we once again hit up the Gaslamp. I can't believe this will be the last year I'll get to say I'm 30-something!!! I'll be officially 40-and-over next year. Wow! Cindy gave me a really cool handmade quilt for my birthday which I was finally able to use last night as it was kinda chilly.

Watched the Chargers get stomped by the Steelers and their chances of a Super Bowl taken away. Good thing there's more to do here than football, otherwise there'd be some very depressed folks in SD!

FEBRUARY - MARCH 2009

For Super Bowl Sunday, I'm headed to a co-worker's place up in Ramona for a Super Bowl party. The party is an annual tradition for her and her husband and they usually go all out: pools, prizes, food, etc. Go Cardinals!!

My six-month lease will be up in March, so I've begun the search for a larger apartment. I love living downtown, but still have a strong urge of "go west young man", so the search will probably include the beach areas where there are some pretty decent places that I can find for very close to what I pay right now. Besides, there's a nice gas grill from Lowe's with my name on it, and I need a place to park it!!

For those of you still awake, that pretty much sums up what I've been up to for the past few months. I'm looking forward to new adventures and meeting new people throughout the year and hope to be able to hang out with y'all soon. I'd really like to be able to post some pics soon--the ones I really wanted to post from the concert were underdeveloped.

Until next time...

Home Sweet Home!

What's this? Gary has two new posts in one week? Yep, I'm afraid so!

First, I finally found a permanent place to live!! What a huge relief! I found this really small studio in the East Village district of downtown which is a 10 minute walk to work (at a leisurely pace) and just a block away from some really cool bars, bistros, restaurants, an Albertson's supermarket, and of course, a slew of coffee shops including the venerable Starbucks.

As far as the setting, think South of Market (SoMa) in San Francisco or SoHo in NYC. It's got a real urban vibe to it with lots of new high rise condos and apartment buildings, funky retail stores, a couple of high-end tattoo parlors, it's three blocks east of San Diego's tourist trap--the Gaslamp Quarter, and three blocks north of Petco Park--the home of this season's pathetic baseball team--the Padres.

Trust me, my heart's still at the beach (I'm only 3 miles from it), but staying here will give me a chance to save some dough and the opportunity to enjoy stability for a while!

Second, I decided to upgrade to a BlackBerry Curve PDA and let me tell ya, this thing does everything but the kitchen sink. (It probably does that too, I just haven't reached that part of the owner's manual yet)! My second two-year contract with Sprint ends in November so I decided to splurge with both the new phone and new carrier--Verizon.

Third, I guess now as a single guy in the city, I'm gonna have to start working on a love life, and maybe, a post with some pictures included...

Ciao!