It seems that Orange County beaches are being overrun by giant squid.

Chthulu would be proud?

Ok, maybe I just wrote this post because I couldn’t resist the title.

The ZOMG is actually more in reference to the giddiness I would feel at being able to hop on a train/monorail/whatever the hell they come up with and be in SF in something under three hours.

2.5 billion sounds impressive until you hear the figure the entire project is supposed to cost, which is somewhere in the realm of 42 billion.  Even if California matches dollar for dollar the federal money they receive, it’s still a paltry amount compared to the final total.  And uh, last time I checked, the state has a pretty gnarly deficit.

We’ve got a long way to go, apparently.

For some reason, EVERY TIME we have enough rain to make the flood channels actually flow, at least one person decides to take a swim or something, causing your local fire fighters to get out the swiftwater rescue gear and get ready to get wet.

I ventured out after the big storms passed through to get some pictures of the flood channels FROM A SAFE DISTANCE when I noticed a fire engine on the Chapman Ave bridge over the Santa Ana River.  When I looked north, I could see flashing lights from other engines across all the bridges visible from that spot.  I found out later that 2 young teenage boys were playing in the water when they were swept away.  One boy was plucked out of the water just minutes later, but the other boy was not found.  He’s not expected to be found alive.

More information and pictures after the jump. (more…)

As I was walking into Target (at the Spectrum) this afternoon I noticed a sign announcing “This Location Closed” in front of Kiddie Kandids (located next door to Target and JoS. A. Bank) I also noticed two pieces of paper taped to the window, so I walked over to take a closer look.

I was surprised. It seems, to me anyway, that it was a pretty busy store. I always saw kids dressed up for photos and saw the flash going off. Well, maybe this location was busy, but not others around the nation.

One of the signs posted is from the staff of the Irvine Spectrum store. Based on the verbiage, they were not expecting the shutdown. There is a contact e-mail – lindsaywiser@gmail.com – if you have photos that need to be picked up. It seems like they are going to really try and accommodate their customers.  The other is similar to what the Kiddie Kandids website is showing.

Good luck to all of you that have photos that need to be picked up. Let us know if you were able to get them.

You can read both signs/letters below and they get larger by clicking on them.

Letter to customers of Irvine Spectrum Kiddie Kandids store. Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge.

Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan, drummer for Avenged Sevenfold was found in his Huntington Beach home on Monday, December 28th.  It is reported that he passed in his sleep due to natural causes.  Jimmy was only 28 years old. 

There has been a huge outpouring of support from fans and friends alike.  My thoughts and prayers are with the Sullivan family.  They are a close bunch and I know this is devastating. 

Rest in peace Jimmy, you won’t be forgotten.

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

That’s right folks.  The legendary Kogi BBQ, which has made quite the name for itself in Los Angeles for having amazing Korean BBQ with a bit of a Mexican flair (Korean short rib taco anyone??), and also for utilizing their Twitter account @kogibbq to tell folks where they are at the last minute, is here in Orange County!!!  A special thanks to Jodi from LA Metblogs for pointing this out to us. Their newest truck, affectionately named Naranja (“Orange” in Spanish for you multi-lingually challenged), is making it’s way around our fair side of the curtain.

It looks like they hit up 2 locations each night.  They have the week ahead planned on their website, but it is strongly suggested you follow them on twitter as the locations can change or as I’m reading, sometimes the addresses aren’t quite right.

I don’t know about you, but I am SUPER DUPER excited about this!!!!!  It looks like they’ll be at “Prim Jewelers – 1736 E. Meats Ave, Orange”  from 10:30-Midnight this Wednesday, you’d better believe I’ll be there!

Thank you Kogi!!!

According to this article, the nudists of San Onofre have suffered a setback in that the State Supreme Court has refused to hear their appeal.

Now, my views on this whole thing are pretty well known on this blog, and I don’t necessarily take pleasure in the fact that it’s now pretty official that nudity is no longer allowed at San Onofre.

But my point all along has never been a condemnation on nudists or nudity, but rather the fact they were doing it on public land, which is not the same as private property, and thus one cannot always do what one wants to do.

So, we will see if they go the route of civil disobedience or if they will simply choose to find a legal and more appropriate place in which to practice their preference.

Zoltan Tombol, a Brea resident and LA County Sheriff’s Deputy for 19 years, was found dead in a canyon off the 91 fwy Tuesday morning.  His wife reported him missing Sunday evening which launched a massive search.  They found his truck off Green River and the 91.  Since he was a hiker, this wasn’t considered unusual.  On Tuesday they found his body at the bottom of a cliff.  If you’re interested in the full details, you can check out the OC Register article here.

I first found out about this when a friend of mine posted his missing persons report on her Facebook status.  Apparently, when she was in the police academy, he was one of her drill instructors.  She had nothing but good things to say about him and was hoping for the best.  Unfortunately, the best is not what we got.  Please send out all of your prayers, good thoughts, good karma or whatever else you have to send to his family.  He leaves behind a wife, also a deputy, and a 14 year old son.

I received the following e-mail yesterday, from the City of Irvine, and thought it was worth sharing with everyone.

The City of Irvine is taking a proactive approach in enlisting the help of residents in the prevention and transmission of influenza (flu) this season.

Click this link for information regarding the transmission, signs, symptoms, and tips on how you and your family can stay healthy, which will in turn contribute to a healthy community.

In addition to this letter, more information is available on the City’s web site www.cityofirvine.org and the Orange County Health Care Agency (OCHCA) web site http://ochealthinfo.com

Thank you for making your health and the community’s well being a priority.

Community Services Department
City of Irvine – One Civic Center Plaza
Irvine, CA 92606
949-724-6600
cs@cityofirvine.org