Deep Dishing

When can a pizza make you do 5 pound curls? When it's the Numero ONE-O from Oregano's Pizza Bistro in Scottsdale, Arizona. Check this out....



If you're thinking, "OMG! That is the thickest pizza I've ever seen outside of Chicago" you couldn't be more right. It felt like one slice weighed at least 5 pounds, which explains why it takes 45 minutes to prepare. But it's SO worth the wait. I could only eat one piece. And since I have no shut-off valve when it comes to pizza, that's saying something. Of course, the generous serving of "Italian Gold" wings I had to start this meal could have been part of the reason.

Great food and great company....simply a GREAT EVENING. And even better because I got to share it with Pat, Mike, Jim, Linc, and Debbie.

Next time you're in Scottsdale, give Oregano's a try. And make sure you bring your appetite.

Salut!

A Day In Pictures

Business travel (in general) isn't terribly exciting, so I thought I'd spice up the first day of this trip by taking a bunch of photos of random things that inspired me visually and otherwise.

Welcome to my life on the road...

My 21st Century Pen Pal

Connections between human beings can happen in magical and unexpected ways.

Most often, people connect face-to-face, but it doesn't always happen that way. When I was a kid in the 20th century, everyone had a pen pal some point. It was a person who went to a different school, or lived in a different city, that you never met in person. You learned about each other through letters, and sharing your experiences going through your lives. In spite of your physical separation, you found out how much you were alike, and learned about the world outside your own from the things you experienced differently. Sometimes you exchanged photos, but the words, and most importantly ideas, you exchanged were the critical piece that developed the relationship.

Fast forward to the 21st century. When you really think about it, technology allows people to meet and connect in a very similar way to the pen pal concept, but at lightning speed. Through social networking sites, blogs, and even e-mail, like minded people separated by incredible physical distances can share thoughts and ideas, and build actual relationships. Since I've gotten more active in the on-line community, I've been blessed to build some very special relationships. This post is the story of one of them.

Erika Zimmerman is my 21st century version of a pen pal. We met via Twitter while sharing our mutual passion for hockey, and that conversation quickly became the start of a friendship I cherish in spite of the fact that we've never met. Erika is a student at the University of Pittsburgh and a rabid Pittsburgh Penguins fan, but the Kings are her West Coast team. In particular, she loves Anze Kopitar and Wayne Simmonds. She is a madly creative writer and blogger, and she has the same in-your-face, totally honest and authentic kind of personality I have myself.

Every year, the LA Team Store at Staples Center has a clearance sale of all the prior season merchandise. Since I'm committed to making sure ALL my Kings fans buddies are properly outfitted, I sent Erika a note asking if there was anything she'd like me to pick up for her. She wanted a t-shirt with Kopitar on the back, which I found at the sale and sent off to her. Dedicated pen pal that she is, I got a lovely thank you note in response that made my day.

So this season, when Kopi and Simmer were both made into Bobble heads, I managed to snag a couple and send them to Erika for her collection. That prompted a causal conversation about whether I had a favorite Penguin, which I confirmed I do. Then a week or so ago, I got a note from her advising I would be receiving a package. And right on schedule, it arrived today!



I was stunned by her generous gift. I've gotten her a couple of Bobble heads and some t-shirts, and she cared enough to send me this.



Could it really be?



Yes, it is. An AUTHENTIC Sidney Crosby jersey, with the tie down in the back and everything. Oh....my....GOD!

And if that wasn't enough, she got me this INCREDIBLY AWESOME University of Pittsburgh t-shirt. GREAT COLOR!



So from one writer to another, this is just the start of my thanks to Erika - for our conversations, her generosity, and ultimately her incredible long-distance friendship. I'm working on getting her out here to LA for a game so I can thank her properly, but if that never happens, we'll still always be connected.

And I will cherish that connection...always.

Think YOU Had a Bad Day?

I've had my share of bad work days. We all have. But when you see something like this, it really helps you realize maybe what you're struggling with isn't all THAT bad.

Imagine having to call your boss and explain this.

• You damaged the company vehicle.
• You damaged other property.
• You caused the police to come redirect traffic for 2 hours around a busy parking structure until a concrete contractor could come out and reattach the pylon supporting the height warning pole you hit.
• And you had to stay there the entire time and have people look at you while thinking, "What an idiot."

If I wasn't busy working in the office building next door when this happened, I would have been tempted to go say hello to the driver and share a story from my college years that would make them feel a little better. Because they aren't alone. This has happened before....

• My story involves a band truck loaded with percussion equipment.
• The truck got stuck under a railroad bridge, which caused the top of the truck to peel open like a sardine can.
• A rescue crew was deployed, which freed the truck by letting the air out of the tires until it was safely below the level of the bridge, then pushing it out from underneath.
• The driver of the truck, who I will politely not name, is still ridiculed at alumni events to this day and regaled with tales of the incident.

Have you ever had a day worse than one of these? If so, I'd love to hear about it, so leave your comments! You'll have my sympathy.

In Training: Cinco de Mayo!

So my calendar reminded me it's time for another "In Training" status report, and unlike last time, we have good news. The pesky pounds that crept back on are now gone again, and health-wise life is starting to return to normal. I even managed to get back out on the tennis court with Nadine for the first time since last October, and discovered I still have a little game in me. I have to admit, it felt really great to run around chasing some new yellow fuzzy balls!

I still have a way to go to meet my goal, but I'm feeling more energized about it than I have in months. Motivation is a wonderful thing!

Since there isn't much interesting to report on the exercise front, I figured I'd use the fact that my co-workers and I celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a fun dinner as a great excuse to talk about food! It also gave me an excuse to engage in a fun habit I share with my co-worker Cindy Hyon -- photographing food! Because when it looks this good, why wouldn't you take a picture?



My healthy restaurant choice this evening was seared Ahi tuna and asparagus with Chinese black bean sauce. So why is tuna healthy? According to Elements4Health, "Tuna is an excellent source of protein, and while some vitamin and mineral losses occur during canned tuna processing, the protein nutritive values are not dramatically changed. Tuna is an excellent source of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, protein, potassium, selenium, and vitamin B12. It's a very good source of niacin and phosphorus."

All these things mean a diet including tuna can help reduce your risk of stroke, high blood pressure and coronary heart disease. Big win, AND extremely tasty when barely seared on each side and served rare like my dish.

Of course, my celebratory cocktails offset the health benefits of the tuna just a bit, but a girl has to live, right?



Happy Cinco de Mayo! Be festive, my friends!

Changes In Latitude

There is a certain magic about an afternoon drive heading south, away from the City of Angels...

The I-5 traffic stays steady, then starts to open up when you reach the Orange County Line. Then you hit Ortega Highway, right around San Juan Capistrano when the roadway starts a subtle bend closer to the coastline, and you feel the air cool a few degrees.

You feel it getting closer.

And you keep driving, and the road keeps shifting. Then you hit the bend at San Onofre, and you see it, so you pull over because it pulls you it, begging you to watch, listen...commune.

Your first clear view of the vast blue of the Pacific Ocean, just over the dashboard lights.



In the afternoon sun, the sky blends effortlessly with the calm waves, blurring the horizon line so beautifully you hardly care that you can't tell where one starts and the other begins.



The sea birds know there is no better place to be at peace, sunning themselves on the rocks and enjoying the view of their limitless sky.



For a moment, you glance down and consider your options. New places, faces and adventures awaiting you....



Then you spot a furry friend, and you both calmly stop and consider each other, wondering what the other is thinking.



And then a circling helicopter from Camp Pendleton reminds you this is the real world, not a fantasy of peaceful blue. The birds take flight, as if to chase the intruder away and restore peace to the skies.



And you stop once more, close your eyes and determine your course.



And under the watchful gaze of a knowing bird, you spot the path back to the road, back to your life.



And you pull back on the freeway...and keep heading south.

Hockey Widsom

The things hockey will teach you about life....