Nothing beats going to the mall and feeling like you’ve been transported to the Star Wars universe. Kudos to the fine folks at the Rancho Cucamonga Library for another fantastic Star Wars Day.
Lion’s Head. Kennon Road, Philippines on Flickr.
Lion’s Head. Baguio City, Philippines. 40-foot-high, carved from limestone boulder and unveiled in 1972. Photo by Ruel Gaviola.
A few of my Flickr photos from the Pinball Hall of Fame - Las Vegas. Awesome place. Pinball machines, video games, and other novelty games from the 1920s to the present. Free admission and most games can be played for a quarter or two. One of my favorite non-Vegas-y things to do in Vegas.
I’ve had three books on the Now Reading section of my desk since the holidaze kicked in around the second week of December. Tonight I finally jumped back into The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro, a thoroughly entertaining book about life with an Italian soccer team.
My recent conversion to soccer fandom (a miracle in itself) led me to a search at my local library and, after reading the synopsis of Joe McGinniss’s year spent with a non-quite-major-league soccer team, I was hooked. It’s a wonderful account that captures the ups and downs of professional sports in a country that loves its futbol, told by an American who recently became a soccer fanatic.
I’ve got about a hundred pages left and I’ll post more thoughts when I’m finished. Perhaps by then David Beckham will have inked a new deal with my favorite futbol team, the 2011 MLS Cup Champions L.A. Galaxy.
“Mademoiselle,” I said in my horrible French accent, “would you like to go to Crepes de Paris?” I made sure to pronounce it “Pair-eeee.”
She laughed long and loud. My horrible French accent isn’t that funny, so I attributed her laughter to exhaustion caused by a day of hiking. Or perhaps it was her giddiness upon reading the word “Nutella” on the restaurant’s online menu.
The second day of 2012 meant our first hike of the year at the North Etiwanda Preserve, which, combined with our early New Year’s morning Wii dance marathon, had us sweating off holiday pounds like we made a resolution to do so (we didn’t).
Of course, a day of hiking should always be rewarded with a rich and sweet dessert, even if it means re-adding a few of those lost calories. Or listening to my horrible French accent.
(originally posted on my blog)
The first day of 2012 is almost over and I’m still smiling about last night’s festivities. It was low key and exactly how I wanted to bring in the new year: with my girlfriend, my brothers, their wives, and close friends. We ate great food, we drank good wine, we karaoked, and we Wii-danced until the wee hours.
Of course, the leftovers were a big hit. I love our get-togethers because it usually means there’s enough food for twice as many people. And it means I’ll be well-fed on the first day of the year.
A wonderful throwback in a city that constantly reinvents itself, Ronald’s Donuts reminded me of the donut shop of my childhood, where the hard plastic seats caused back spasms but you could sit for hours anyways, thanks to the magical healing properties of all that fried, sweet dough.
On my last visit to Vegas I was up before the crack of noon and decided to leave my hotel’s property to sample some of the local cuisine. A quick yelp check yielded Ronald’s and I made the short trip into Chinatown. I’m convinced that every donut shop in the world has a group of senior citizens talking about the day’s news and Ronald’s was no exception. As I walked in, the regulars had their coffees in hand, their daily discussion well under way.
I loved the shop’s retro-but-not-hipster ambience and ordered a cinnamon twist and large coffee. The doughnut was crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, with the right amount of cinnamon sweetness throughout; it was the perfect complement to a hot cup of coffee.
This was a great getaway from the hustle-and-bustle of the Las Vegas Strip: relaxing, inexpensive, and a delicious way to recharge your batteries before/after a night of Sin City debauchery.
With the annual holiday feast coming up, I’m trying to figure out what to cook. I’m going through online recipes and I’m browsing through my food photos, but I’m still not sure what I’m making for the family.
I am sure, though, that this picture of pulled pork sliders from a few weeks ago makes my mouth water. I use this easy recipe for the pulled pork, put it on toasted King’s Hawaiian rolls and add French’s French Fried Onions. Simple and tasty.
I’ve got wine tasting on my mind. My girlfriend and I are going to pick up our wine club shipment this weekend. Here’s a photo from a trip to the Joseph Filippi Winery last year. We didn’t join their wine club, but I liked how they used poker chips to keep track of how many tastes we had left.
Who else is going wine tasting this weekend?
