Last week I was on a bike ride and decided to stop by the Orange County Great “Preview” Park. I happened on a day where the wind was calm enough that the Balloon was open and taking passengers. I decided to take the trip and am glad I did. From the height of about 400 feet, the view is spectacular.

One of the first things I noticed was the lack of RV’s that were previously behind the gates as I drove/rode in to the park, and that they were clearing the land. It got me wondering, “Is the Preview Park actually becoming more than a preview?” I asked the balloon operator and she confirmed that they were actually breaking ground on the construction of the Sports Park.
(more…)

Here we go again.

Based on rules they made up a couple of  months ago, the Orange County Board of Supervisors rejected the grant application for tobacco settlement money from Planned Parenthood.

It seems they rejected the grant on a technical issue concerning a nurse case manager, whom the Board claims would not be providing direct clinical care, and thus the application does not meet the requirements.

Uh, I’m going to guess that pretty much any program from any applicant is going to include incidental personnel such as the case manager.  Have you ever known a doctor to answer the phone at their clinic or hospital?

No, what I’m guessing is that Planned Parenthood’s application was gone over with a fine-toothed comb until the supervisors found something they thought could be used against them.

Here’s hoping Planned Parenthood sues the crap out of them.

Come out today to hear one of Orange County’s most dynamic speakers, Doug Lyle, M.D. Dr. Lyle is a practicing cardiologist and best-selling author. He writes both fiction and non-fiction.

The Friends of the Aliso Viejo Library invite you to spend “An Afternoon with an Author.” Dr. Lyle’s topic of discussion will be “Forensics & Fiction.”

For those of you who have not heard Dr. Lyle speak, you’re in for a treat. He has the gift of gab and holds your attention with his yarns and oh-so charming slight southern drawl.

DATE: Sunday, May 24, 2009
TIME: 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: Aliso Viejo Library community room. 1 Journey Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
COST: $5.00 suggested donation

Ikea will be giving out FREE breakfast this weekend. (Sorry I made you miss out today) Breakfast at Ikea is served until 10:30. While they normally open at 9:30, this weekend they’ll be opening at 10am, giving you a half hour to stuff yer face.

For those asking, “Food at Ikea? Wha…?!?” they actually have a decent menu. If fact there are people who swear by their food (I think it’s average).

And after you’re done, you can walk off the food by strolling around Ikea! I don’t know why but I love to walk around there.

Wayne Allwine, who was as the voice of Mickey Mouse for 32 years, died Tuesday. A multi-talented Emmy award winner, he got his humble beginnings in the mail room at the Walt Disney Studios. He has been voicing Mickey (along side his wife Russi Taylor who voices Minnie) since the late 70s. To hear Wayne’s body of work all you have to do is spend an afternoon at Disneyland and you’ll soon see what life and warmth he brought to the character.

I met Wayne once; he couldn’t have been nicer. It seemed to me he genuinely loved giving a voice the world’s most famous mouse. My thoughts go out to his family and friends in this trying time.

Proof that there are rednecks in Orange County. I spotted this lovely sight inside the secured parking garage at my “luxury” apartment complex in Anaheim. Nothing hotter than putting your Cadillac up on blocks and then letting it sit there for weeks on end. Maybe it’s time to move….

Oscar Mayer is giving away FREE packs of hot dogs!!! Unlike in Los Angeles, here in Orange County, we’re trusted to have bonfires at most of our beaches. The best food to have at a bonfire is BBQ! (OK….and smores) So why not sign up to recieve a free pack of hot dogs to enjoy at your next bonfire/camping trip/midnight snack!?

There are not many things in the food world that I love more than a good steak. For the longest time, I had heard various whisperings about Stubrik’s Steakhouse in downtown Fullerton.

Great steaks….mutter mutter mutter…the best I’ve ever had…mutter mutter mutter…it’s fantastic…mutter mutter mutter

So with all these ephemeral compliments floating around, we finally got to try Stubrik’s not that long ago.

And I don’t know exactly what I was expecting, but Stubrik’s in no way met those expectations.

For a restaurant that bills itself as a steakhouse, having only five cuts of steak feels like cheating.

If I hadn’t known I had ordered a filet mignon, I would never have known that what was on my plate was a filet mignon. It had maybe three bites that contained the signature filet mignon tenderness.

I’ve had better mashed potatoes and gravy at roadside diners.

For around thirty bucks a meal, I want better a better ambiance than “dive.”

The vegetables were the best thing about my meal. Grilled to perfect crispness and nicely seasoned.

Except I’m at a steakhouse, dammit! I don’t give a rat’s ass about the vegetables!

Stubrik’s doesn’t even give you bread with your thirty dollar meal and charges an outrageous amount for a beer.

For the money, I’m going to be sacrilegious and claim that Outback is a better value for your money.

As part of Mars’ Real Chocolate Relief Act, consumers can visit RealChocolate.com, where each Friday through the end of September, the 1st 250,000 visitors can download a voucher for a full-size package of Twix, Dove, 3 Musketeers, Snickers, Milky Way, or M&Ms.

Take that Hershey! Who wants their cheap-ass chocolate anyway? With such a high limit of coupons being offered, there more than enough for everyone in Orange County to get their free-choco-groove on!

Don’t hate cause I think like a 12 year old.