Photo of the Week (March 15, 2009)

Greetings from Irvine, California, USA!
Photo taken on Saturday, March 14, 2009.

My calendar shows that I had three consecutive days this week – Tuesday through Thursday – where I did absolutely nothing. How is that possible? Fortunately I was out all day on Friday helping a roommate with a work project. That was followed by an evening of take-out food and a board game at some friends’ house. But the very next day, Saturday, more than made up for all my inactivity.

Just two weeks after my last visit to the Great Park, I was back again but not to ice skate. Originally the Valentine’s Day weekend opening of the park’s temporary ice rink would coincide with a “Snow Day”. Unfortunately the preceding week was dominated by rainy weather and the event was moved back a month to the rink’s closing weekend instead. I could have gone by myself but it is always good to share the fun. I relayed the Snow Day info to several couples with little children and one mom was able to come with her son and daughter.

The park had three snow zones, each for a different activity – one for snowball fighting, another for snowman building and the third for sledding on a slope. My friend, her kids and I did all three. I had a sled ride with my friend’s daughter and I would strongly argue on who had more fun – her or me. My weekly photo shows the brother and sister sledding – the girl has a face of pure joy while the boy looks a tad scared but still having fun.

In addition to the snow, the event had another rink for hockey. It also had arts & crafts activities. Under some tents at one set of tables, kids cut out and decorated paper crowns. At another they made Play-Doh snowman magnets. My friend and I helped her kids with both before they all headed home. That was when my favorite moment happened. When asked to say good-bye and thank you, my friend’s son grabbed my right leg and gave it a big squeeze. It was his way of showing how much fun he had with me. Forget the sledding, snowballs and snowmen. That hug was my highlight of the week.

But that was not the last I saw of my friend and her kids that day. Her husband and she were having a get-together that night. I went and spent the evening talking, eating and playing games – namely, Rock Band and Legos. Lacking any sense of musical skills, I avoided the former and instead focused my talents on the latter – with the kids, of course. I spent a few hours playing with Legos with five-year-olds, being amused by their innocence and amazed by their imagination.

First sledding, then Legos. Don’t you wish every day was a snow day?

Angelo

Photo of the Week (March 8, 2009)

Greetings from Newport Beach, California, USA!
Photo taken on Saturday, March 7, 2009.

Occasionally I come across a “time post”, something that reminds me how much time has passed. For example a high school senior graduating in 2009 was born in 1991. That student was not even alive when I graduated in 1989. This came to mind when I received an email about a reunion for my high school. TWENTY years already? I quickly learned that the email was not about a 20-year class reunion but an annual social for all alumni of West Covina and Edgewood High Schools, former cross-town rivals that merged before my final year when the school district had (suspicious) financial problems.

The email prompted memories of my 10-year reunion held at the Waterfront Hilton in Huntington Beach. It was mere miles from where I lived then, yet I almost missed it. I was in Atlanta, Georgia, working at my company’s conference until Friday. The reunion was on Saturday and I resisted an offer of a free hotel room for two nights if I left on Sunday as the cheaper plane fare offset the room cost.

I arrived at the airport to find my flight cancelled but was quickly rebooked on an earlier one with no stopover. Great but I had to run across several terminals in an unfamiliar airport to catch it. “Hot-lanta” is HUMID in August and I reached the gate covered in sweat. A flight attendant, unaware of my rebooking, scanned my boarding pass and remarked, “Oh, we were paging you for the last 10 minutes.” In between gasps for air, I replied snidely, “I’ve been running for the last 10 minutes.”

Back home a friend was to pick me up but unaware of my earlier arrival time. Sweaty, still catching my breath and last in line on the boarding ramp, I realized this fact while the woman in front of me turn to see if I was all right. I sputtered my story and she offered her cel phone to call my ride. I accepted the magnanimous offer (cel phones were less common and more expensive in 1999) and learned my friend could not make the new time. I took a taxi home instead.

The next night, I went to the 10-year reunion and came home with about a dozen classmates, spouses and friends. We drank and talked until sunrise. After all my near-misses I had a blast. This dual-school alumni social was also close to home at the Newport Beach Marriott. This week’s photo is that hotel’s fountain. I went but did not recognize a soul, somewhat odd since I run into family, friends and other acquaintances all the time. My 20-year reunion will be later this year. I expect to have as much fun as my 10-year one – and without all the obstacles.

Angelo

Photo of the Week (March 1, 2009)

Greetings from Irvine, California, USA!
Photo taken on Saturday, February 28, 2009.

Have I gone three straight weeks with nothing eventful? Will I write again about movies & television? The best television spin-off – Laverne & Shirley, Melrose Place, Law & Order: SVU? Or the best movie series – James Bond, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter? I give that topic a rest as I actually went out and did stuff.

On Friday afternoon a friend and I went to lunch and a movie. Both were inexpensive. The meal was at a Souplantation restaurant and the movie was a pay-per-view back at the home that my friend and her husband recently bought. We watched The House Bunny, a pleasant comedy. I often read the credits and saw the name Rumer Willis. I vaguely remember when she was born to her parents, actors Bruce Willis & Demi Moore. Fast forward 20 years and here she is all grown up. I feel old now.

That evening I watched a men’s volleyball match. The UC Irvine Anteaters team won the match – 3 games to 1 – against the Long Beach State 49ers, bringing the season record to 14 wins, 3 losses. Also in the three weeks since my last update, the team has moved a notch in the national rankings, up from #3 to #2. Woohoo!

On Saturday I went ice-skating for the second time. My first was three years ago when a friend invited me to an ice rink in Pasadena. I never fell down but did not last long on the ice. My problem was the rental skates. I tried on two pairs but neither fit right, making my feet hurt while skating so I gave up.

This time around I had better fitting skates and fell only once. The same friend was with me at a temporary ice rink set up at the Great Park in Irvine. It was housed in an old airplane hanger on the former El Toro Airbase. Both the rink and skates were free but limited to a 50-minute session. This week’s photo shows the ice rink, almost completely smoothed out by the zamboni in between the hourly skate sessions.

Taking full advantage of the day’s great weather my friend and I next went to Laguna Beach for a couple of hours walking along the beach, climbing the rocks and looking into tide pools. That was followed by a pizza dinner, a chance encounter with a former coworker at a coffee shop and a singles mixer. I had a long day and left the last event early. In fact I was so tired that even after a night’s sleep I did nothing the next day. Aren’t you supposed to rest on Sundays anyway?

Angelo

Photo of the Week (February 22, 2009)

Greetings from Fountain Valley, California, USA!
Photo taken on Sunday, February 22, 2009.

The previous week was uneventful and I had more of the same this week. That being the case, I revisit – but take a different approach – to my last topic: Movies or Television. Last time I mentioned the recent series Battlestar Galatica was greatly improved on the 1970s version. But what shows have become successful movies and vice versa?

My pick for best drama movie based on a television series is The Fugitive. The original show ran for 4 years in the 1960s before becoming a hit movie in 1993. Even more, time and repeated viewings have not diminished its appeal. Additionally Tommy Lee Jones won an Oscar for his performance as Deputy Marshall Gerald and reprised the role in 1998’s U.S. Marshals. The only lowlight is a short-lived TV series update in 2000.

As for best comedy movie based on a television series, I favor The Addams Family. On TV it only lasted 2 seasons but endured in reruns. The Addams Family movie in 1991 proved popular enough for a sequel Addams Family Values in 1993. Then an updated television series, The New Addams Family, had a brief run in the late 1990s.

On the flip side, my choice for best television drama series from a movie is Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The theatrical version was average at best but the Buffy series and its spin-off Angel were both successful, lasting 7 and 5 years, respectively. The show ended in 2003 but its fans still fuel talk about another movie but that is pure speculation so far.

My hardest category is best television comedy series from a movie as no show stands out in my mind. By default I name M*A*S*H. Following the 1970 movie, the 1972 TV show lasted 11 years, much longer than the 3 years of the Korean War, the setting for the series. It spun off another comedy and, in an interesting twist, a drama too. The former was the less successful AfterMASH, lasting only 2 seasons, and the latter was the popular Trapper John, M.D., running for 7 years. Unlike my other choices, M*A*S*H has never been remade for movie or television since the series ended.

Keep in mind that these choices are only my favorites. Several properties have moved from one medium to another and back again such as Star Trek, Ferris Bueller/Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Spider-Man, Clueless and Superman. Feel free to share your opinions.

Finally this week’s photo is another follow-up. Last year I had a shot of a golden retriever puppy sleeping on a pile of stuffed animal toys that just shouted “CUTE!” The dog, Kala, makes a return appearance, much larger, but still adorable, even when getting in (and out) of hot water literally, as this latest photo shows her in a jacuzzi. She is blonde, beautiful and, as a female dog, always a bitch.

Angelo

Photo of the Week (February 15, 2009)

Greetings from Foothill Ranch, California, USA!
Photo taken on Saturday, February 14, 2009.

In my first week back among the unemployed, I did not do much. In fact this week’s photo – tree blossoms taken on Valentine’s Day – is practically a close-up version of last week’s shot but at least it is a different tree in a different city. In need of a topic, I pull the following from the “Hat of Ideas”: Movies or Television. Between the two, I prefer the boob tube to the silver screen. I am partial to a television series’ long-term format over a movie’s one-time experience, sequels notwithstanding. In January I welcomed the return of two shows: Lost and Battlestar Galatica.

Lost’s premise: Crashing on a Pacific Ocean isle, an airplane’s seemingly disparate group of surviving passengers attempt to return to civilization and normal lives but are hindered by the supernatural mysteries of the island and its natives. Also while most series dread cancellation, this show’s executive & creative team established a definitive endpoint, ensuring resolution to the many storylines and questions. With revelatory flashbacks, flash-forwards and other “jumps in time”, the series has kept me intrigued from the start.

Lost is an original. But eventually someone may create something remotely comparable or maybe, just maybe, improve upon it as old series are often brought back in updated form. Knight Rider recently had a short-lived resurrection after a successful first run. Popular Beverly Hills 90210 was reborn as 90210 and has had a promising first season. Then there is Battlestar Galatica (BG). Like many sci-fi shows, BG garnered a small but loyal fan base for its single season in 1978. A “revisioned” series bowed in 2004.

BG’s premise: Cylons, robots created by man, gain independent thought and attempt to kill all mankind. The surviving humanity are roaming the universe searching for fabled planet Earth as a new home and for a way to defeat the enemy while evading their own creation and finding human-looking cylon infiltrators among themselves. This Peabody Award-winning show presents a thought-provoking look into human behavior amidst a war for survival without offering simple solutions. Though a latecomer to the series, I quickly latched on to it.

Similar to Lost but in contrast to its predecessor, the second Battlestar Galatica was able to decide its own end. The fourth and final season of BG is airing now while Lost is in its second-to-last. If you are not watching either one, I hope my praise makes you reconsider. I will not guarantee that you will become an advocate too. But I will say that their stories and characters are different from and better than those in most of the other television series out there. You have my word on that.

Angelo

Photo of the Week (February 8, 2009)

Greetings from Costa Mesa, California, USA!
Photo taken on Sunday, February 8, 2009.

Monday started with bad news - This would be my last week at my freelance job. The news sucks and the recession was not the cause. After nearly six months “The Powers That Be” decided that I was not the right person. My coworker was also my supervisor as she had seniority but less experience than I did. Everything had to be done her way which I did 95% of the time. The remaining 5% when I did things my way is likely the reason that I was cut loose.

The news did not take long to sink in. Better yet I quickly found a silver lining. The company’s chief operating officer had a “Big Brother” presence a la George Orwell’s novel 1984. I always felt everything – emails, phone calls, even casual conversations – was being monitored. With my job ending, I continued to do it as professionally as before but the specter of “Big Brother” no longer haunted me.

I even had a gold lining. Being my last week, I was no longer hesitant to ask for a longer lunch on Wednesday. The UC Irvine’s Athletics Department held a luncheon with guest speaker John Speraw, head coach of its men’s volleyball team. Speraw was also the assistant coach of the gold-winning USA’s Olympic men’s volleyball team and he presented a slideshow of his Beijng experience.

None of the Olympic team was there but the luncheon had open seating and I ended up at the guest speaker’s table. Speraw was not there long before being pulled away by other attendees and then his presentation. The slideshow was a very detailed and insightful look into an athlete’s (and coach’s) Olympic experience – from the pre-games orientation in the USA to the security, housing facilities, nightlife and competition in China to the victory celebrations there and back home.

Only bronze left to complete a medal analogy. I ended the workweek watching the Anteaters of UC Irvine win 3-0 against the Cardinals of Stanford University in men’s volleyball. The sport’s season started in January and UC Irvine’s team had the preseason ranking of 6th nationally. A month later, its standing has moved to 3rd. It’s a bit of a stretch but 3rd is bronze, right? The ‘Eaters swept the match and I have swept the medals.

Finally speaking of seasons, barely into February, the weather is far from cold, even for Southern California. In fact in this week’s photo, the whiteness in the trees and on the ground is not snow, but blossom petals. This may be the midst of winter but spring has taken a huge head start.

Angelo

Photo of the Week (February 1, 2009)

Greetings from Los Angeles, California, USA!
Photo taken on Saturday, January 31, 2009.

A friend invited me as her guest to a birthday party in Hollywood on Saturday night. I would be driving through Los Angeles and went early to visit Exposition Park. I had been there several times previously as it has various attractions such as a rose garden, museums and sporting venues.

The park’s California Science Center has an IMAX Theatre, where I saw two short 3-D movies. “Watching” is an understatement. “Experiencing” is more accurate. By mixing three-dimensional technology with the huge screen and surround sound, you find yourself “in the movie”. But story is still important. The first movie was a narrative nightmare. Fortunately the second was better scripted.

Exposition Park also has the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Currently it is home to the Trojans football team of my graduate school alma mater, the University of Southern California (FIGHT ON!), its campus adjacent to the north of the park. But the greatest fame comes from the Olympics. The stadium held the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the track & field events for the 1932 and 1984 games.

After the movies, I saw that the Coliseum’s Olympic Cauldron was lit and the evening sky added to the rare moment as captured in this week’s photo. The stadium had no event but some lights were on and I heard music from the field beyond my view. The USC marching band may have been rehearsing but I know not why the Cauldron need be on.

Next I met up with my friend and headed to Hollywood. Arriving ahead of schedule, we visited and took photos at two nearby attractions - the Kodak Theatre, where the Academy Awards aka the Oscars are presented, and Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, where movie stars leave their hand and foot prints in its cement pavement.

The party had a theme of prohibition-era speakeasy and you needed a password “Dillinger” to enter the back room of the Pig & Whistle restaurant where the birthday gathering was held. In the midst of this fun evening, I ran into an acquaintance. I first met Chuck at a wedding two years ago. We met again as his wife and my friend both knew the birthday girl. This six degrees of separation stuff happens all too frequently to me.

Finally on Sunday was the Superbowl. At a friend’s party, I partook in the traditional betting pool and won the 3rd quarter pot. As for the game, Arizona Cardinals almost upset the favored Pittsburgh Steelers. In the last three minutes, the Cardinals finally took the lead (20-23) but two minutes later the Steelers regained it to take the game (27-23). The Cardinals lost but I had a winning weekend.

Angelo