Sunday, November 30, 2008

The Princess and the Frosting (a Modern Fairy Tale Birthday)

Once upon a time in a faraway land called Portland, there lived a beautiful little Princess named Addie. As her first birthday approached, her amazing mother, Queen Tanya, decided a celebration was in order. So e-vites were sent to the far corners of the kingdom, and people traveled from near and far the help the princess celebrate the miracle of her birth!

Queen Tanya is very wise, and decided that Princess Addie should have special memories of this day when she was older, so she created a time capsule for all the subjects to fill with memories of 2008, the first year the Princess ruled her kingdom. When Auntie Meg arrived from CA, she wrapped the time capsule in Mickey Mouse paper, since Princess Addie loves Mickey!



When they day of the party arrived, the King and Queen posed regally with their Princess. Everyone was awestruck at what a beautiful and perfect family they made!



Then the King presented Princess Addison with a specially baked birthday cake. Before she could dig in, everyone sang to her...



Then it was time to eat, and eat she did!! And she smeared icing all over her face and hands, to the joy of her subjects looking on! But the Princess did not care if she was covered in icing. "It's my birthday, and my kingdom, so I make the rules," she thought to herself.



And not only did she get cake, the Princess got presents! Piles of beautifully wrapped boxes and bags! So many, in fact, that Princess Addie was a little overwhelmed by all of it. "Have my servants guard my treasures, and I will open them tomorrow," she decreed. "This Princess needs a nap!"



The next morning, the presents were opened, and Princess Addison reveled in the love and admiration of all the friends and family that stayed overnight in the castle as guests of the King and Queen. And Princess even had one last smile for her favorite Auntie Meg, who gave her a pink teddy bear backpack as a gift. The Princess knew she would be walking soon, and needed something to carry her tiara, of course!



And the Princess lived happily every after!




Thursday, November 27, 2008

Turkey = Togetherness



I consider myself extraordinarily blessed with friends who adopt me every Thanksgiving. I rarely make the long trek home to my family in Delaware since I feel like I get more bang for my buck visiting at Christmas. When you're single, Thanksgiving is a hard thing to do by yourself. Luckily I like to cook, so I always manage to get myself invited somewhere using Martha Stewart's famous Mac & Cheese recipe as my contribution to the dinner. The past few years, Nadine and John have always invited me and all the other family deprived folks they know over to their house. This year, Nadine's friend Aaron adopted us into his extended family.

Prior to his career as an auto appraiser (Nadine and Aaron are both field reps at Safeco) he was a chef for the Marriott Corporation. I can now attest to the fact that the man knows his turkey!!! He prepared not one, but two turkeys...a total of 50 lbs of deadly deliciousness!! One was smoked (top photo) and one was deep fried (bottom photo), and they were both more delicious than any turkey I've had before (sorry Mom...). Moist, tender, melt in your mouth...simply incredible.



What a spread!! Everything was amazing, and of course I ate way too much and felt like I needed an hour on treadmill after dinner. Of course that didn't happen....but I'm just saying...

And Martha's Mac & Cheese was a huge hit, so Aaron's already invited me over for their New Years bash if I promise to bake some more. In case you're interested, here's a link to Martha's recipe archive where you can find it....

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/perfect-macaroni-and-cheese



Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Seattle Sky

The morning drive from Seattle to Bellevue...




Cold and clear.
Mist rising off Lake Washington.
Sunrise in shades of blue, pink and red.
Snow-topped Mountain Rainier in full view.
Starbucks Peppermint Mocha warming me.

Doesn't get any better....


Sunday, November 23, 2008

An Afternoon with the Boys

Today was the Kings annual "Meet the Players" party, an event held for season ticket holders to get their first player photos and autographs of the season. This is another one of those events Nadine's husband, John, has absolutely no interest in, so I get his ticket. Thank you John!!! I owe you a beer next home game...
Denie didn't go either, owing to her dislike for standing in long lines. So I headed over to Dodger Stadium all by my lonesome, determined to visit with my boys Sully and Drew and tell them in person just how much I love them both. OK, so I didn't actually use the word love, because that would be kinda stalker-like...but I did find nice things to say.

I decided to get in Drew's line first since he's already one of the most popular players on the team and one of the newest, which means all those fans wanting a truly complete collection of team memorabilia would be targeting him. My instincts were right...his line got shut down twice during the day due to high demand, until they could be sure to get everyone through. After an almost 2 hour wait, I got my moment.



I had been in contact with my Facebook buddy Ed in London, Ontario earlier in the week. Turns out he's Drew's uncle, and Ed's a good sport so he gave me permission to do a little name drop. When I told Drew Ed wanted me to say hello, he asked how I knew him, I told him about his Facebook fan club, etc. We both agreed Ed is a super dude, and I let Drew know how much I love watching him play. Great kid!!!! Absolutely could not have been nicer. Still makes me smile thinking about it....

Luckily John Zeiler was in the same area with Drew. Nadine and I have met him several times before, and he's always very nice. He put a hell of a hit on Colorado's Adam Foote at last nights game, which almost involved a stretcher to get Foote off the ice. Not good! I like a hard hit as much as anyone, and I don't think Zig was trying to hurt anyone, but he skates like a banshee and I think he was a little late putting on the brakes. I told him I hope he doesn't get suspended for any games (the league automatically reviews penalties like that and sometimes chooses additional discipline), and he just smiled and agreed. Looking at this pictue, I'm always amazed how aggressive he can be on the ice...total cutie pie that he is!



The next line I joined was Sully's. His booth-mate was Kyle Calder, also a nice dude. Then again, all hockey guys are really nice. Sully is one of the quietest players on the team, at least around big crowds of people. He's a little less reserved one-on-one. He never says a lot, but when I told him I spent all summer reading hockey blogs and praying he would get re-signed, I got a polite thank you. That's almost like getting an "I love you too" in Sully-speak. And few people can work the backwards ball cap and look cute, but it works for me...



With my mission accomplished and a flight to Seattle leaving in a couple of hours, I headed out to the airport. Gonna be a long time before any more hockey news...December 1, if you can believe that!! The next game is Saturday, 11/28, but I'll be in Portland, OR helping little miss Addison Offerdahl celebrate her first birthday. Very few things can make me miss a hockey game, but she is absolutely one of them.

Thanks for a great day boys!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

The Little Team That Could

Today was the longest work day in the history of the universe! All I could think about was tonight's game against the Caps, wearing my Ovie shirt in the midst of a sea of Kings jerseys, and watching the master at work. So when the time finally came to leave, I practically raced out the door.

As expected, Denie and I were not alone in our love for the Caps. A whole group of their fans turned out to "Rock the Red." Don't we all look awesome?







And there was no choice for "Hottie of the Night" with Alex the Great in the building...he trumps everyone! What an exciting player to watch. He even reprised his famous shootout attempt from last year's all-star game, swinging his stick like a baseball bat to smack a puck in flight into the net. And me without my video on! Dammit!!!!! He missed, laughing the entire time in complete Ovie fashion. It's not often you see someone enjoy themselves as much as Ovie does.



The biggest surprise of the night was the final outcome of the game. No one in their right mind would have picked the Kings to win tonight, but win they did! HUGE night for both my boys as Drew and Sully each scored goals. Big one for Sully, who's had a scoring drought over 12 games, plus it was the g0-ahead goal that eventually helped win us the game. Drew was also the number two star of the night!

And a big welcome back to the Kings for our boy John Zeiler (aka Ziggy), who started the season on injured reserve. He's wearing Cammy's old number and looking great in it, as well as playing some awesome physical hockey. We love you Zig!!



Next game....Saturday vs the Colorado Avalanche! Go Kings!!!

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Getting Ready for the Big Night...

Hockey nirvana is coming to southern CA this week as the Washington Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin (aka Alex the Great) make a road trip to the Western Conference. After a game in Anaheim with the Ducks on Wednesday, they come to Staples Center Thursday night and take on the Kings.

Nadine has personal connection to the Caps through an old college friend, so we're going to be really bad Kings fans Thursday night and come out in full Capitals gear. And Alex the Great deserves some welcome signs, so we had a sign making party this afternoon. Look for these on TV if you're watching the game. Even if the Los Angeles media doesn't put us on, I'm sure the Washington news outlets will pick us up!





After we got our signs done, we checked out the Kings game on Nadine and John's new TV....a Panasonic 63" high definition with the most amazing picture I've ever seen. So we got to see the Kings in all their glory, unfortunately in a loss to Anaheim. Not going to dwell on that....



Nadine's pooch Bailey didn't seem to know what to make of all the excitement...



Only 4 days until OVIE!!!!!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Good Luck, Bad Luck

I woke up this morning, got ready to face the day, and pulled out my jersey for tonight's game. Then I dug up my weekend tickets and looked through them, at which point I realized I had never purchased a ticket to this game! I had originally planned to be at JMU for Alumni Band Day, but finances and free plane tickets evaporated so I ended up not going.

So I hopped on the Internet and got the surprise of my life! I was lucky enough to find a front row seat available one section over from Nadine's and my regular seats. Talk about rinkside view!! I gotta talk to Adam, my ticket rep, about getting this spot next year. Perfect Sully viewing!!!!






































Great seats deserve some great video, so as usual I have a favorite Sully-cam and some great defensive zone stuff on Drew. Sully's video is first.



Lucky seat selection unfortunately did not mean luck in the game. We lost this one 3-1, partly due to an accidental empty net goal by our team captain Dustin Brown....into our own open net! Hopefully when you make a pass your teammate is there, but if you miss it sucks. Happens to the best of 'em. Just a shame to see our 4 game winning streak come to an end. And this is our second loss to Nashville, a team we can't seem to figure out.

And now for my the opposing team "Hottie of the Night." In this case, we have two. Not because Nashville has better looking players than the rest of the NHL, but because I decided to let Nadine have a vote as well.

Nadine's hottie is #2 - Dan Hamhuis, a defenseman from Smithers, British Columbia. At least she picked someone tall this time. Dan is 6' 1" and Nadine tends to like the scrappy little guys that clock in around 5' 9". I'm proud of her for thinking outside the box!



















My choice is #28 - Ryan Jones, a right-winger from Chatham, Ontario. He also wins the "Best Hockey Hair" award of the night. Unlike Nadine, I tend to go for the typical tall, dark and handsome model, 6' 1" and over. Ryan is 6' 2".



















Next up...our local rivals, the Anaheim Ducks, in Anaheim tomorrow night.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Shootout Success!

Amazing night for the Kings tonight with a shootout win against our conference rivals the Dallas Stars! Drew Doughty had another great night, logging the most ice time on the entire team, assisting on the first goal of the game, making his first NHL shootout attempt, and being named #1 Star of the Game.

Sully was on the starting line, got a ton of ice time, several "almost" goals, and a shootout chance as well. He and Drew both missed. And in one of the more interesting moments of the game, he started to put a hit on one of Dallas' players along the boards and didn't quite make it. He practically knocked himself out running into the boards. Luckily no more teeth went missing, but he's gonna need some Advil tonight!

But the highlight of the night goes to our fearless captain Dustin Brown, who checked Stephane Robidas of the Stars so hard, he knocked Robidas over the boards and onto the Kings bench. Ka-boom!!!!

For our videos of the night, I'm featuring my boys and their shootout contributions.

Here's Sully's shootout move.....



And here's Drew....



And then we have our opposing team "Hottie of the Night," Mr. Mike Modano. Mike holds the NHL scoring record for an American-born player, which is saying something in a sport filled with Canadians. Mike s 6' 3", 205 lbs and hails from Livonia, MI.



















God bless the USA!!

Remembering

I think about my Dad all year long, but Veterans Day always gives me special pause. I don't talk a lot about my family to most people, which I think comes from years of wanting to escape my unremarkable small town upbringing. My Dad has been an especially hard subject for me ever since he died 8 years ago. But for an otherwise ordinary man, he did extraordinary service to is country, and that is something I want to talk about. So here are the broad strokes of his story, as best I can remember.

Sergeant William B. Jarrell served in the Army Air Corps during WWII and flew in B17 Bombers (aka The Flying Fortress), serving as a gunner. During one bombing run, his plane was shot down over Germany, and landed in a mine field. As he was escaping the plane, a mine nearby exploded and buried shrapnel in his leg. He was then captured by the German Army and held as a prisoner of war of 18 months at a camp called Stalag 17-B. During his captivity, he developed gangrene in his injured leg and required emergency surgery. There was a shortage of anesthesia at the time, so after drinking as much whiskey as he could hold to numb the pain, several of his buddies had to hold him down while doctors cut out the infected part of his leg. A wonderful French surgeon saved his leg, and most likely his life, that day. I remember seeing a picture of him once and attempting to interpret the note on the back of the photo with my rudimentary high school French. His best friend was fellow crew member named Reuben, a Navajo Indian. After the Normandy invasion, he and his fellow prisoners were finally returned home, my Dad with a permanent souvenir of the experience via a huge scar in his thigh. I think he would have loved to keep flying after the war, but he suffering a bleeding eardrum that affected his hearing, which kept him out of the cockpit. Later in life, he ended up with hearing aids in both ears. So instead of flying, he got a job, bought a house, and worked at building a life and a family.

My grandmother kept a scrapbook with newspaper clippings while he was imprisoned. I remember looking at it as little girl and thinking it was neat my Daddy got mentioned in the paper, without understanding the magnitude of what it meant. Imagine living with that agony as a mother, thinking about your child suffering and wondering if you would ever see them again. As an adult, I'm amazed at my grandmothers strength. Although my father's situation was the most grave, his family sent all four of their sons to serve our country during WWII and the Korean War. It is a miracle they all lived into old age given the violence and terror they faced.

When my dad was still alive, I never spent any time asking him about his experiences, or what he thought about subsequent wars he lived through as a citizen but not a soldier. Once, his VFW group planned a trip back to Germany, to see the places they had been during the war, and I recall him commenting he had already seen enough of the world and had no desire to relive the past. I know he didn't sleep through the night most of the time. If I woke up during the night to go to the bathroom, I would catch him out of the corner of my eye through the cracked bedroom door, sitting on the corner of the bed smoking. I wonder now what haunted his dreams and kept him up at night.

I don't even know why he enlisted, although I think I can guess his answer. It was simply the right thing to do. He grew up in a modest, hard-working family where what needed to be done always superseded what you wanted. He lived through the Great Depression. Life was hard. Burdens were shouldered, and you kept moving forward, trying to make the best life you could without making excuses for what you didn't have.

My father had a strength and determination that I've never known in another person. My mother says I'm just like him. And in that respect, I hope I am.

Monday, November 10, 2008

I'm an A-Lister!

I know I'm a total geek and that I've become one of those image obsessed LA people, but I thought this was kinda cool....




















Note to anyone who wants my business....make me feel like a VIP and I'll probably part with my money!

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Getting Physical

Another much needed victory for the Kings tonight, in a very physical contest versus the St. Louis Blues. Drew Doughty scored his second career NHL goal and had an assist as well. But my favorite moment of the night belonged to Sully. Watch his one-armed take-down of a Blues opponent...it's towards the end of the video in the left side of the frame.



And meet the opposing team "Hottie of the Night" - #12 Lee Stempniak.

Next up for the Kings...Tuesday night vs. the Dallas Stars.

Plan B


So I continued my rock star lifestyle yesterday with a night out on the town with Tammy. Yep, that's 4 nights out in a row this week (including hockey games) if you've been keeping up with your blog reading. I rule!! Although I must admit, my feet are feeling a little worn out right now from hours of standing around in clubs...I could use a reflexology massage.

Our first stop was dinner at Kitchen 24, (http://www.kitchen24.info/index.infopage.html) an upscale atmosphere "diner" that's open 24 hours and serves great sandwiches, omelets, and simple entrees. The sweet potato fries rock, and I especially loved the Smac & Cheese. If you're ever in Hollywood and want quality food to help you sober up, check it out.

It seems every time I hang with Tammy plans change, and last night was no exception. Plan A involved a trip back the Hotel Cafe to see Brett Dennen (http://brettdennen.net/). John Mayer is a huge Brett fan, so Brett was on the Mayercraft trip last year, and was the opening act on John's summer tour. Brett is kind of Bob Dylan lyrically mashed with rock-reggae type grooves and a Jimmy Buffet barefoot performance sensibility. Cool, but with a message. Unfortunately, it was a KCRW radio promoted show, and the station turned in a 100 person "guest list" the club, so it turned into an "industry" thing. We hadn't bought tickets in advance since we didn't anticipate this development, so we bailed and went to the movies instead.

Luckily the Arclight Cinema is only a couple of blocks from Hotel Cafe, so we walked over to see what was playing (https://www.arclightcinemas.com/ArcLight/faces/Home.jspcomplex). We had some time to kill before the movies started, so we dropped by Citizen Smith (http://www.citizensmith.com/) for a drink. So much fun in a two block radius!!

Back at the Arclight, we decided to catch Josh Brolin's stellar performance as our soon-to-be-former-President in "W." I highly recommend you check it out. It's creepy to see the last 8 years of our country's history condensed into 2 hours and realize just what a bunch of megalomaniacs were in charge of our country. Richard Dreyfuss is frightening as Dick Cheney, and while Cheney's theories about the Middle East got the Oliver Stone exaggeration for narrative impact, if half of the ideas expressed in the movie are true it's staggering what the administration was up to. I won't give more away because I really want you to see the movie.

Tammy invited a couple of friends to join us for our last stop of the night, so while we were waiting for them after the movie, we walked another couple of blocks to the Frolic Room (http://www.myspace.com/thefrolicroombar), the best little dive bar in Hollywood. It's right next door to the Pantages Theatre, so it's great spot for people watching or waiting for a show to start. After a quick vodka tonic, the girls arrived and we headed to our final stop of the night.

Tammy managed to get free passes to Avalon (http://www.avalonhollywood.com/) since one of the members of Shiny Toy Guns was deejaying. The music in the main room has a techno-dance vibe, but there was also a smaller bar with more dance oriented music. We never did figure out which DJ was the guy from the band, but we had fun anyway.

After a long night, it was finally time to head out for the long drive back to the Valley. And the rock star life continues tonight when the Kings take on the St. Louis Blues.

Maybe Sunday I can finally get some sleep.....

Friday, November 7, 2008

Strange But True (And Really Funny) Job Interview Behavior

Today is my 14 year anniversary with Progressive. I woke up this morning and had all kinds of lofty ideas about looking back on the last 14 years of my life, what it meant, how I've struggled and overcome, the success I've enjoyed....a virtual Hallmark Hall of Fame blog of my work life.

Then my boss sent me a congratulatory e-mail and made me laugh my ass off, so I decided to post portions of it instead. Here's the connection she made between interview humor and my anniversary, which is a task only someone with her level of creativity can accomplish....

"I thought it would be fun to remember the process that separated you from the pack, made people take notice and start believing in you --yes, I am talking your job interview. Even though I wasn't at that momentous event, I am betting you were completely prepared (...and color coordinated and "bedazzled") as usual. We have benefitted from that hiring manager's decision back in 1994 and I continue to appreciate your contributions and our interactions each day (...well, at least Monday through Friday, most holidays and of course leap year--bonus points for leap year contributions as they are pretty rare)."

God, she knows me way to well!! Color coordinated and bedazzled...guilty as charged! I was wearing a purple power suit with pearl and diamond buttons. Go figure.....

And then she attached this. Where she picked it up, I have no idea, but I thought it was hilarious. I think I'll consider using #20 on my next interview....

*************************************************************************************
Strange Job Interview Behavior

Most managers and supervisors (and HR people) have had experiences interviewing candidates for job openings. I'm sure each of you has, at one time or another, been baffled by interviewee behavior, but we're betting you haven't faced some of the behaviors that we list below. Certainly head-scratchers, and amusing (at least to read about). Strange but true.

Based on a survey published via the Internet, here are some of the odd things reported by HR professionals.
1. "... said he was so well-qualified that if he didn't get the job, it would prove that the company's management was incompetent."
2. "... stretched out on the floor to fill out the job application."
3. "... brought her large dog to the interview."
4. "... chewed bubble gum and constantly blew bubbles."
5. "Candidate kept giggling through serious interview."
6. "She wore a Walkman and said she could listen to me and the music at the same time."
7. "Balding candidate abruptly excused himself. Returned to office a few minutes later, wearing a hairpiece."
8. "Applicant challenged interviewer to arm wrestle."
9. "... asked to see interviewer's resume to see if the personnel executive was qualified to judge the candidate."
10. "... announced she hadn't had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger and french fries in the interviewer's office."
11. "Without saying a word, candidate stood up and walked out during the middle of the interview."
12. "Man wore jogging suit to interview for position as financial vice president."
13. "Stated that, if he were hired, he would demonstrate his loyalty by having the corporate logo tattooed on his forearm."
14. "Interrupted to phone his therapist for advice on answering specific interview questions."
15. "... wouldn't get out of the chair until I would hire him. I had to call the police."
16. "When I asked him about his hobbies, he stood up and started tap dancing around my office."
17. "... had a little pinball game and challenged me to play with him."
18. "... bounced up and down on my carpet and told me I must be highly thought of by the company because I was given such a thick carpet."
19. "At the end of the interview, while I stood there dumbstruck, went through my purse, took out a brush, brushed his hair, and left."
20. "... pulled out a Polaroid camera and snapped a flash picture of me. Said he collected photos of everyone who interviewed him."
21. "Candidate asked me if I would put on a suit jacket to insure that the offer I had made was formal."
22. "Said he wasn't interested because the position paid too much."
23. "While I was on a long-distance phone call, the applicant took out a copy of Penthouse, and looked through the photos only, stopping longest at the centerfold."
24. "During the interview, an alarm clock went off from the candidate's brief case. He took it out, shut it off, apologized and said he had to leave for another interview."
25. "A telephone call came in for the job applicant. It was from his wife. His side of the conversation went like this: "Which company? When do I start? What's the salary?" I said, "I assume you're not interested in conducting the interview any further." He promptly responded, "I am as long as you'll pay me more." "I didn't hire him, but later found out there was no other job offer. It was a scam to get a higher offer."
26. "An applicant came in wearing only one shoe. She explained that the other shoe was stolen off her foot in the bus."
27. "His attache [case] opened when he picked it up and the contents spilled, revealing ladies' undergarments and assorted makeup and perfume."
28. "He came to the interview with a moped and left it in the reception area. He didn't want it to get stolen, and stated that he would require indoor parking for the moped."
29. "He took off his right shoe and sock, removed a medicated foot powder and dusted it on the foot and in the shoe. While he was putting back the shoe and sock, he mentioned that he had to use the powder four times a day, and this was the time."
30. "Candidate said he really didn't want to get a job, but the unemployment office needed proof that he was looking for one."
31. "He whistled when the interviewer was talking."
32. "... asked who the lovely babe was, pointing to the picture on my desk. When I said it was my wife, he asked if she was home now and wanted my phone number. I called security."
33. "... she threw-up on my desk, and immediately started asking questions about the job, like nothing had happened."
34. "Pointing to a black case he carried into my office, he said that if he was not hired, the bomb would go off. Disbelieving, I began to state why he would never be hired and that I was going to call the police. He then reached down to the case, flipped a switch and ran. No one was injured, but I did need to get a new desk."
35. "... asked if I wanted some cocaine before starting the interview."

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Seeing Stars

What a night of hockey! The Kings finally snapped their losing streak tonight, beating the Florida Panthers 3-2 in regulation. And best of all, it was also a big night for both my boys! Sully had an assist on one goal and played a great defensive game. Drew also had an assist on the same goal with Sully, and one on another goal. Two assists in one night...not bad!

When all was said and done, the sports media voted Sully #1 Star of the Night, and Drew the #3 Star!!! I even got a picture of them on the ice together.



And for your viewing pleasure, video of the plays that led to Drew's first NHL assist!



I almost forgot...one more awesome thing happened tonight. The merch store at Staples Center finally got some Kings license plate frame, and I bought the last one. That will be going on the car tomorrow!!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

On a Music Mission

My friend Tammy is a live music junkie, and LA is a great place for live music. We hadn't been out to see any bands in a while, so we were talking a couple of weeks ago and agreed it was time. Our only plan was to hit the Hotel Cafe, a great little venue in Hollywood that attracts singer-songwriter types from all over. More on that in a second.

Our plan was to meet up after work at Hollywood and Highland, a kind of shopping mall/entertainment complex next to Graumann's Chinese Theatre, grab some food and walk over the the club. Tammy wanted to make a quick stop by the Virgin Megastore, and we were excited to find out Shiny Toy Guns were doing an in-store performance and CD signing. I haven't heard much of their music, but Tammy likes them, so we stuck around. It was your typical "unplugged" style thing, while the records are more electronica, but the songs are great and it was fun performance. Now I have another band to check out on iTunes!



(That's Tammy in the grey sweater getting her CD signed)


Then we popped over to Hotel Cafe to check out Josh Kelley. To all you non-music fans that follow watch Access Hollywood and read People magazine, he's Mr. Katherine Heigl. Josh did a great set, and his band is a riot. Those guys are like the 3 Stooges when they get together. Of course, Josh also mentioned they had dinner across the street at the Velvet Margarita before the show, so they were a little liquored up....



If you're in LA and want to see some great music any night of the week, Hotel Cafe is the spot. So they deserve a link:

http://www.hotelcafe.com/first.html

Tammy and I are headed back there Friday night to check out Brett Dennen. Live music lives in LA!!!

Another Kind of Election

Yesterday was obviously all about elections, and not just the Presidential kind. I was thrilled to be appointed "Officer of California" for the Drew Doughty Fan Club by my friend Ed Liberato. Now don't get too excited...this is a Facebook fan club and since Ed is the group leader, his endorsement was the only one needed to make me an officer. But I think it's cool anyway!! Plus I love Drew...probably the best draft pick the Kings have made in recent memory, a hard worker, and good looking to boot! He deserves any support I can give him, so in honor of my "appointment" I made sure to get some pictures and video to add to his fan club site. If you're on Facebook, check it out!



Drew skates really fast, which is awesome but also makes it a little challenging to get a good picture without Nadine's fancy long lens high speed camera that would get us thrown out of Staples Center. So this is the best I could do with my pocket size digital...






And for your viewing pleasure, here is a short clip of Drew at work last night. He played well in spite of the Kings loss...bummer! It was a well-fought contest, and we lost in overtime so at least we got a point towards the overall standings. Every dark cloud has a rainbow, right?