This is amazing you guys.  Tonight at 6:49, if you look to the south western sky, you will see the International Space Station pass very brightly overhead in our night sky, followed closely by the Space Shuttle!!  I just watched this happen in the eastern sky about 10 minutes ago.  WOW!  I tried to snap a picture, but it didn’t turn out too well as I had about 30 seconds notice to get ready.

So go outside with your family at 6:49 and experience something amazing together!!

PS- No telescope necessary.  You can see them with your naked eye!

*UPDATE*- Picstures from the second pass!  This time they were going away from each other.

The streak on the right above the houses is the Space Station. The streak on the left above the house is the Shuttle.

This was amazing. The flash in the middle of the picture was about 4 seconds of the Shuttle before it disappeared. There must have been a flash from the sun or something that made this cool effect. The yellow streak on the left is just my car antenna.

Hey all, I just saw on the KCAL9 news there is a fire burning in Anaheim Hills. They are reporting the 241 toll road is shut down in both directions. Stay safe.

I resent the type of weather on Thanksgiving in which it is possible for me to wear shorts if I wanted to.

Something about Thanksgiving screams turtlenecks and sweaters, not tees and flip flops.

It will work for my dad, who is the official Turkey BBQ’er (yes, we put our turkey in the barbeque, and man, it is delicious!) for he will not be shivering in the cold. 

But for everyone else? Bah humbug!

You guys remember a while back when I posted about my awesome trip to The Valley aboard the Metrolink? I even had another one just a couple months ago where I utilized the Gold Line to Pasadena! Both trips were fairly easy and made it so I didn’t have to drive through traffic. However, I had to plan a few days ahead of time, because as I’ve mentioned, Metrolink doesn’t exactly have a “regular” schedule. Well today Metrolink let me down not once, but twice.

To hear the reason, just follow the jump… Read more

B and I were walking thru the spectrum when we started to notice the amount of people walking around in blankets… sleeping bags along the parking structure…. people camping out. How could I have forgotten about New Moon opening?

New Moon has already broken records for presale tickets.  What always surprises me is the mixed audience.

According to these ladies (who kindly let me lurk around them) the people at the front of the line got there at 8:30 am!

They had been in line since 6:30 pm and they had quite the layout.  Do you see the luminaries?

See more of the New Moon mania after the jump…

Read more

Last Saturday we went to Eat Chow in Costa Mesa.  It actually shares a space with The Closet not far from Triangle Square.

This is what I went for.  Fried Green Tomatoes.  I had never had them and have wanted them since seeing the movie in the early 90’s.

I’d read rave reviews about these and really, they did not disappoint.  I saw plate after plate leaving the kitchen.  I’ll be honest, I don’t have a basis of comparison but I will definitely be back for more.  Cornmeal crusted, warm and topped with a chili herb aioli.  I’m hungry all over again.

See what my favortie was after the break….

Read more

Well, not yet, the first week of December.

If you’re a frequent reader of this site, I’m sure you know the husband and I were looking to purchase a house. I say “were,” because we are no longer looking to buy for several reasons. Here are some of them:

• Didn’t want to deal with a Short Sale and the time period it takes to close escrow. Unfortunately, Short Sales are currently the norm;
• Not interested in buying a REO/Lender Owned property, they’re typically in need of thousands of dollars in improvements;
• We’re not the type of people to make a giant investment decision based on a 15 minute walk-through, which is basically what you need to do, if you like a house and want to get it … etc., etc.

So after months of looking and one more, which turned out to be final, disappointment we put looking on the back burner for a couple of months. We just needed a break. For us, wanting to purchase a house in the current market was very stressful, time consuming, and ultimately unsatisfying. Sure we could’ve settled, but we know we would not have been happy with our decision. Settling and compromising are two different things. The way I see it, settling is buying a house just to buy it (it’s a great price or it’s in a great neighborhood), whereas compromising is buying the house that might not have all of your must-have features (hardwood floors or a foyer). The bottom line, buying a home is a very personal thing and you should only do it if it feels right.

After our self-imposed house hunting timeout, we decided to continue to rent, but move out of our current place. We wanted something bigger and closer to the beach. Once we made our decision, I couldn’t believe how easy it was to find a house. We looked at several places, all found via craigslist, and signed a lease within a week. However, I’m not so sure that it would’ve been so easy had we not seen 200+ houses over the past several months.

The best thing, it’s exactly what  and where we were looking to buy. So, for us it’s a win-win. We got the house we wanted and get to keep our down payment in the bank. For all of you who are still looking to move to your ideal home in the ideal neighborhood my advice to you is to look at alternatives, it just might pay-off.

Laguna Culinary Arts

One of my favorite things to do on the last Saturday of every month is go to a wine tasting at Laguna Culinary Arts in Laguna Beach. For $5.00 LCA offers one-ounce pours of eight different wines.

I love going because I always find the atmosphere so relaxing (warm mustard-yellow walls, airy and rustic), the wine good (an excellent way to try new and/or different wines), the cheese wonderful (a huge selection from all over the world) and the staff very knowledgeable (they always describe the wines and cheeses).

The "white" cheese plate

LCA always has a “white” and “red” cheese plate to compliment the wines they are featuring in the tasting. The cost is $12 for two-three people and $18 for a plate that serves three-four people. Wines by the glass and bottle are also for sale.

I’m not an oenophile, by any stretch of the imagination I just enjoy wine. Full Disclosure: I pick my wine based on what the label looks like. I know, I know that’s probably blasphemous, but whatever.

So  mark your calendars now for Saturday, November 28, from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m., which is when the next tasting will take place. Laguna Culinary Arts is located at 845 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 and their phone is 949.494.4006.

If you go or have been, let me know what you think. I hope you like it as much as we do.

There is currently a fire burning near the Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano. As I was on my way home around 1:00 p.m. this afternoon, I noticed, what appeared to be smoke. I was sure of it when I crested a hill near my house.

It is being reported that it is a 25+ acre fire that is out of control. However, no structures are currently in danger.  There are 100 OC firefighters fighting it with 100 more on the way. The cause is thought to be downed power lines, although this has yet to be thoroughly investigated.

Stay safe everyone!

I took the following photos from my porch.

Fire, as seen from my porch

View of the fire from my porch

Have you come back to stay?

Its that time of year when the air is cold enough for an outdoor ice skating rink in Irvine Spectrum!

Well, maybe its not cold out but that isn’t stopping Irvine Spectrum from starting in on the holiday cheer.

Located in front of the ferris wheel is the annual ice skating rink.  Check here for schedules and pricing.  I’m happy to annouce they are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas and will be open every other day from now until January 17th.

This is the only outdoor skating rink in Orange County so be sure to stop by!

There is no doubt that now is the time to support local independent businesses.

Patchwork Indie Arts and Crafts Festival happens twice yearly and its happening this Sunday.

You’ll find handmade goods from local vendors including: clothing, accessories, home goods, affordable art and more.  What festival would be complete with out good food and drink… and music!

So support your local vendors and give unique gifts this holiday season!

The festival will be held in Santa Anas Museum District near Bowers Museum.
2022 North Main Street
Santa Ana 92706
Sunday November 15 from 11-5 pm

For those of you that haven’t already been out there.. the Hurley Warehouse sale is going on now!

Items are running from 50%-75% off!

Also, rumor has it that the sale will be running next Wed-Sat and perhaps the following weekend.

November 13th: 12 pm- 8 pm

November 14th:  9 am- 3 pm

2323 Main Street, Irvine 92614

Cash, Visa, Mastercard and American Express Accepted.

Get some of that holiday shopping done!

Days like this I am amazed that the rest of the country is preparing for winter.  They are bundling up against the wind and the cold.   Yet here we are, enjoying a gorgeous Saturday at Crystal Cove.

We may not get the fall foliage that so many do but I have to appreciate this time of year at the beach. The crowds are gone and you are left with stretches of beach to yourself.

All you hear are the waves. All you smell is the ocean. Life is so good.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend.

You may have seen Boogie Box Fitness on the news or in the paper lately. Its the latest work out to hit Orange County and classes have been popping up everywhere.

Care to burn up to 1100 calories in less than an hour?
“This workout is a high intensity fusion of hip hop & Latin dancing, mixed with kickboxing, plyometric exercises and military drills choreographed in intervals in order to really burn off those calories!”

All I have to say is be ready to sweat. Its not a ladies only class either, so guys head on out!

This Friday is a launch party and free class in the Lake Forest area at 6:30 pm.
Xtreme Dance
26439 Rancho Parkway South #175
Foothill Ranch, CA

I’ll be there, but don’t expect me to be able to hold a conversation once class has started…