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!

This huge retail space is perfect for retailers such as H&M or perhaps Barnes & Nobel but the prevailing wisdom at Mills Management seems to be the anything is is better than nothing approach. Hence this upscale high-end retailer named Warehouse Furniture Outlet. And to think, just recently things were looking up with the opening of Neiman Marcus Last Call, Converse and Off Broadway Shoes. Hmmmmmmm, maybe they’ll put a 99 Cent store in the old Steve and Barry’s space. Oh yes, wouldn’t that be nice?

For the 6th year OCC will be hosting the Children’s Book Festival. I will totally be going to this festival. It doesn’t matter that I’m 30 years old and don’t have any kids of my own.

There will be authors, illustrators, exhibitors and entertainers. There will also be face painting, a petting zoo and train rides for those not so into books. This will be a book lovers dream… OK a kids book lovers dream.

Sunday, October 4th, 2009
9:30 AM- 4:30 PM

At least the formerly displaced Gallery will have a fancy permanent home again. And it’s opening just in time for Gay Days - think of all that expendable income!! Will you be stopping by the new version of the old gallery? Let us know what you think of it in the comments.

There will be cultural demonstrations, authentic music, hands-on arts and crafts, vendors, performances, story-telling, villages representing the Pacific Islands and of course, good food.

7111 Talbert Avenue,
Huntington Beach, CA.
92648

Thankfully, Ford not only heard our calls for help, but they decided to spoil the hell out of us. Drum roll please…..ladies and gentlemen, I present my new obsession……The Ford F-150 Raptor.

Bringin' the Orange to the County

I highly suggest you follow me past the jump for more pictures and information that will make many of you want to run to the nearest Ford dealership. Yes, really!

Well Hello!

Let’s start with the looks. This thing looks, and actually really is, massive! A stock F-150 next to this thing looks like the skinny little brother of the jock older brother. This new massive look comes, in part, from the fact that they widened the truck by 7 inches! Those big fender flares aren’t just for looks like on your neighbor’s pickup (if you live in Huntington Beach), they are quite necessary. That’s the reason there are marker lights around the truck. As with a duelly (the pick up trucks with 4 wheels in the back and giant rear fenders), the rules of the road stated Ford had to add the marker lights for safety. If you look closely at the front grill however, you’ll see instead of putting the lights on the roof, as the duellies and semi trucks do, they placed them in the grill. Check it out!

Who makes this truck again?

Don't the lights look pretty? Photo courtesy of Raptor's photo download section of their website

While we’re on the grill, did you notice the slight huge change? The Raptor gets a custom grill with a giant Ford stamp across the front. I really like it. Ford also created a custom front bumper just for the Raptor. I’ll get in to the details later, but Ford and Fox Racing Shox teamed up to make a completely custom suspension upgrade for the Raptor. As an added bonus to those who might admire your truck from up close, Ford added a window to the front bumper so as to admire the custom suspension.

Photo courtesy of Raptor's photo download section of their website.

Going back to the rest of the exterior, you might notice a new color from Ford, “Molten Orange.” Like some (many?) of you out there, I really wasn’t sure about the color at first. I thought it was just a preproduction scheme for the press. But as I walked around it more, and got used to it, I can’t see this truck in anything but orange! However if you’re really not a fan, the truck comes in 3 other colors. “Tuxedo Black”, “Oxford White” (get it? it’s like an oxymoron! trucks and nice clothes??) and my favorite…”Blue Flame”. Blue flame? Really? Was there no one at Ford that heard that name and immediately thought of lighting farts on fire?? I digress. The only other color I think the truck looks good in is the “Tuxedo Black”, however I feel you lose all the aggressiveness of the vehicle. Blue is my favorite color but I don’t feel the blue suits this particular vehicle. As far as the white is concerned, I don’t believe anyone should drive a white car unless it’s some vintage Rolls Royce or Mercedes.

Blue Flame?

The last things I’d like to point out on the exterior are the hood scoops and fender vents. While they may look like pretty decorations, it turns out they are actually functional!

They're almost like the gills of a fish, letting the beast breathe.

If the fenders are gills, these must be the nostrils....OF THE BEAST!

While we’re on the subject of big breathing beasts, let’s talk engines. (insert Tim Allen grunt here) The truck that I drove had the 5.4L SOHC V8. The thing sounded great and was mighty powerful under pressure, yet very refined on the streets. The specs show it as having 320 horsepower and 390 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s an engine you can have some fun with! However…if that’s just not enough for you (let’s face it, if you’re going to own a truck like this, why not go balls to the walls), then may I suggest waiting until early next year for the 6.2L V8! This engine is also known as the “BOSS” engine. It has over 400 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. of torque! Pair each of those with a 6 (yes 6) speed transmission, and you’re going to have some fun in the desert, or wherever you go! (except the gas pump, that still might suck) The MPG was in the 17-21 range, which for what you’re getting, really isn’t that bad, but let’s be honest…it’s no Prius.

Like an idiot I forgot to photograph the engine, so once again I thank Raptor's website for downloadable pictures.

Earlier I mentioned the suspension. As I stated Ford and Fox Racing Shox teamed up to create specialized shocks just for the Raptor. The guys at Ford wanted to give the maximum amount of travel (the distance the wheel can move up and down) without intruding into the engine bay or truck bed. Fox designed specialized shocks that look as though they have reservoirs attached, as you would see in professional race trucks, but in reality that is just an extension of the shock itself. I lied. It is in fact a reservoir! Even better! This allowed them to get a few more inches of travel into the suspension and keep the structural integrity of the original design. How many inches of travel you ask? Try 11 inches in the front and 13 inches in the back! This provides a big cushion for the truck to land when you catch air and a great amount of flexibility when maneuvering difficult off-road courses. Unlike in typical suspension upgrades, though, they have also made the truck smooth and sturdy when driving on the asphalt! This means when you drive to the movies or work or whever, it’s a comfortable ride! Go figure!

Don't they look pretty?? See what I mean about the piggyback design?

Just to give you an idea of what 13 inches of travel looks like. I don't think I was even at max stretch here either.

How have I gone this far and not mentioned the off-road specific features of this king of the desert?? This truck was purpose built to race the Baja 1000, widely agreed upon as one of, if not the most grueling auto race in the world. Every year approximately two-thirds of the vehicles that enter the race don’t finish. Well the Raptor finished 3rd in class and was the FIRST EVER preproduction truck to finish the Baja 1000!! Don’t believe me? Check it out!


So how do you build a production truck capable of accomplishing such a feat? Well it helps to start with a sturdy vehicle. Say what you will about Fords, they haven’t had the longest running, highest selling pickup for no reason. As I said, they threw in a powerful engine, beefed up the suspension, widened the track by 7 inches…what else is there? How about the first factory standard Electronic Locking Rear Differential!! (the link takes you to wikipedia for those who don’t know what it is) They also created a technology they call “Hill Descent Control”. When this is engaged, if you’re descending a hill, the anti-lock brakes automatically control your descent! Yeah, take your foot off the brakes and concentrate on steering. It works and it’s awesome. It also works in reverse, so if you climb a big steep hill only to discover it leads no where, you can safely back down. There is also an “Off-Road Mode” button. When this is engaged, the computer adjusts the throttle to be more less responsive (in other words, less touchy…so if your foot accidentally twitches, you’re not sent 90 mph over the rock you were crawling over) and lets the shifts rev a little higher to prevent constant gear changing when climbing hills. It also adjusts the ABS brakes and the locking rear differential to improve your off-road experience. Having tested these features out I can tell you they work, and they work WELL! Ford also teamed up with BF Goodrich, widely know to make superior off-road tires, to create a custom tire just for the truck! While they may look like your typical “BFG All Terrains” you see on most other off-road trucks, these have been specially made to improve the truck’s handling on and off the road, and best of all…they’re quiet on asphalt! Yeah! You can drive with your windows down and talk to your passengers! They think of everything.

I wish I could say this was me, but I didn't want my PR rep, Octavio Navarro, to lose his job, so once again Raptor's website provided the photo.

Custom tires even!

OK, let’s finish up with the interior.

Looks great, right?

Sync! I love it and will discuss more about it in future posts. Stay tuned!

This truck had all the bells and whistles for the entertainment system. It had Ford’s exclusive “Sync” system (which I adore and will discuss in a MetBlogs post in the near future) and of course the full touch-screen/sat nav/DVD/space ship/super duper/blow you away entertainment system. As I said earlier, I’m a DJ so music is VERY important to me. The sound system equipped in our truck was Ah-mazing! One of my pet peeves when off-road driving is, being that it’s bumpy, my CDs always skip! Well this thing has a hard drive to store your music. Now I can rock out while I’m out climbing rocks! Also, if you can see those four switched by the shift lever, those are pre-wired auxiliary switches! It’s not uncommon to add a winch or exterior lighting to an off-road vehicle, but the problem has always been where to install the on/off switch?? Ford answered that for us. Thanks Ford!

Look at the cool looking gagues!

Nothing clever to say about this one. It just looks great!

As with you’re typical extended cab pickup truck, it has a “suicide door” setup for easy entry and to haul bigger stuff in the cab. The back seats don’t provide any more or less room than your standard extended cab either. If they do, it’s not really enough to be noticed by the general public.
OK I’ve covered all the areas I felt were most important, but there’s still so much more that I didn’t cover. Why don’t you check out Raptor’s website yourself, or just go chat up your local Ford dealer and see it for yourself! If you have an interest in trucks and playing in the dirt, I think you’ll be hard pressed to not want to buy one of these.
I’ve included the rest of my pictures below. If you haven’t figured it out yet, the pictures get much larger with a click. Enjoy!

I like the logo too. Fun but not over the top.

This picture wasn't my idea, but I like how it turned out. So you get to stare at my beautiful face and be jealous I drove a cool truck...and you didn't.

Not sure when it’s expected to open, but as you can see in the photo, they are already stocking the store with merchandise. The store is located in the aisle between Nordstrom and Target. It’s located in the spot that has been occupied by a million different things and I don’t remember any of them.

It’s a 100 degrees outside, football season hasn’t officially begun, Halloween is still eight weeks away and we’re already being reminded that Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus – or whatever it is you celebrate or don’t celebrate – is not about being spiritual, but about who gets the most crap. This is just the beginning of “the airing of the grievances.”

P.S. sorry for the poor photo i.e. huge shadow. Unfortunately, I can’t control the turning of the Earth.

Shoe lovers of Southern California rejoice, the Taryn Rose Outlet is reopening this Friday, August 21, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. at the Irvine Spectrum Center. Many of you probably remember them from their previous location in Rancho Santa Margarita.

The Spectrum store, like the one in RSM, will, most likely, be temporary. However, this may change depending on any number of factors. Ms. Escobar explained it’s a business decision as rents/leases are much more flexible for – what the retail industry calls – pop-up stores (think Halloween or Christmas). Rest assured they will be at their current location for at least two months. For all of you who will be traveling from L.A. and San Diego Counties this location is much more accessible from both the 5 and 405 freeways (the mall literally sits between the two at the split). This is the ONLY Taryn Rose Outlet in the country. Again, depending on how things go another may open somewhere else. Continue reading for pricing and contact information.

The pricing is as follows:

• Samples (women’s size 7 only) ~ $55
• Handbags ~ $75
• Mens’s ~ $100
• Women’s Sandals ~ $75
• Women’s Flats ~ $100
• Women’s Pumps ~ $125
• Women’s Boots ~ $150

Samples are preproduction samples … some make it into production others don’t. Regardless they have “all the bells and whistles.” None of the shoes are seconds or irregular. They are, however, overstocks as well as past season shoes from department stores. The Spectrum store will be opening with Spring styles.

Tayrn Rose Outlet

95 Fortune Drive – Suite 615

Irvine, CA 92618

Phone: 310.469.6336*

E-mail: outlet@tarynrose.com

Website: www.tarynrose.com

* Currently the store does not have a local phone number, but you will be able to reach the store via this number. I will certainly pass along the new number when/if they get it set-up.