Back to San Diego

620 Project: 2012 Edition

2012-06-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

Last year for my birthday, I asked friends and family: "Instead of sending me presents or cards, please take the money you'd spend on those things and donate instead to the 620 Project. My goal is to raise $620 by 6/20 (my birthday)." I'm happy to report we exceeded that goal, raising $670! My employer also matched the fundrasing, so I think the final ballpark amount Team Rubicon received was

Going Back to the Island: Maui 2012

2012-06-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, Lost hasn't been on the air for over 2 years. Like it or hate it, it was one of the more well-written dramas of late. Mind you, not near Sorkin's West Wing greatness, or Whedon's Buffy gravitas -- but I still admire the showrunners and writers who locked ABC into committing to a series end date so they could plan the ending and the journey there. How does that fit into this post? The title

Jon Stewart Tribute to Bruce Springsteen at Kennedy Center Honors

2012-05-22T08:03:00.000-07:00

Born and raised in New Jersey, I often take a lot of grief on behalf of my home state. Sure, I could go on and on about all the wonderful inventions and people who hail from the Garden State and defend it, but in the end I'm unapologetic. The great thing is, there are moments where I can just sit back and let others do the talking for me. Here's Jon Stewart explaining it so perfectly, so

Up Close and Personal for Dalai Lama Visit to San Diego

2012-04-20T08:57:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year San Diego was abuzz at the announcement that the Dalai Lama would be making 3 springtime appearances in America's Finest City. Each of the 3 major universities in town (University of San Diego, UC San Diego and San Diego State) would play host to his holiness. I quickly set a calendar reminder to buy tickets, then promptly forgot to do so because, well, it was the middle of tax

Paw Prints in the Sand

2012-04-05T19:44:00.001-07:00

Xander's very much enjoying living a mile from dog beach in OB. He's running around so much that most nights all I see are these...

Happy Little Sunsets

2012-03-28T21:48:00.001-07:00

Growing up we all watched the guy on PBS painting "happy little clouds." Here's a happy little sunset from tonight at dog beach.

Squirrel! (aka Dog Day Saturday)

2012-03-24T17:57:00.001-07:00

Today was a lazy Saturday, and we came upon this cutie at the dog park. The yellow ball made me think immediately of Miss Amy K Rosenthal!

Steven Schwartz + San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus = It Gets Better "Testimony"

2012-03-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

So very proud of my BFF Michael J. Fouquette and the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. Two nights ago I was privileged to attend their concert at Davies Concert Hall in San Francisco, featuring music by Stephen Schwartz (who was also there and performed a few songs). During the show, they world premiered "Testimony." I was so moved, I couldn't cry. Does that make sense? It's like when you hold a

Phillies vs. Padres Here I Come!

2012-03-20T11:26:00.001-07:00

Look what UPS brought! :) Philadelphia Phillies at San Diego Padres. All 4 home games, with my mom in April, right behind the Phils' dugout. And if the past few years are any indication, let's be honest: these are home games for the Phils, if the amount of red t-shirts in the crowd are any indication.

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

2012-03-19T07:12:00.001-07:00

It's been raining cats and dogs here in San Diego with no end in sight. Here's a shot I took of my windshield from inside my car over the weekend. The drops were making the prettiest patterns as they lay on the glass, don't you think?

My TEDx Talk: "I Can See Stars" (Space Shuttle Atlantis, Cancer and Life)

2012-03-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

Last summer I was selected by NASA to attend the NASATweetup at the final space shuttle launch, securing a spot by throwing my name in the hat for their Twitter contest. What followed was a whirlwind of activity, but it's safe to say I came home with 150 new friends and memories to last a lifetime. Cut to four months later: a TEDx organizer who'd read my article on "How to Put on a TEDx Show"

Living at the Beach

2012-03-10T15:51:00.001-08:00

This view on my way home from work never gets old.

A Political Campaign Worth Getting Behind: #Kony2012 #StopKony

2012-03-07T08:23:00.003-08:00

Jason Russell, who's spoken at here locally at TEDxSanDiego, heads a movement called Invisible Children. Yesterday, he launched a campaign to oust Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda. He's enslaved over 60,000 children to fight in his army, many times killing their parents and families. The International Criminal Court at the Hague indicted him 7 years ago, but

TEDActive Day 3 Recap

2012-03-02T11:04:00.000-08:00

TEDActive 2012: Day 1 Recap

2012-02-28T21:25:00.000-08:00

TED 2012: Full Spectrum, live in Long Beach and simulcast to TEDActive in Palm Springs. Last night, I overhead someone say, "Don't worry about it, what happens at TEDActive stays at TEDActive." Yeah...that. Allow me to let you in on a little secret: what happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens TEDActive ends up on Twitter. And Facebook. And Instagram. And Pinterest. As it

TEDActive 2012: Arrival Day Recap

2012-02-27T17:52:00.000-08:00

After a wonderful day in the desert with 250 TEDx organizers, we slowly began to welcome the rest of the TEDActive attendees to the Riviera Palm Springs Resort and Spa. As the hotel started filling up, the already high energy kicked it up to a new level. TEDActive placed attendees on a number of different project tracks (hence, the name "Active"): Health, Urbanization, Color, Progressive

TEDActive 2012: TEDx Organizers Workshop Recap

2012-02-26T10:50:00.000-08:00

Left the beach house in San Diego on Saturday, and tweeted this pic: "Car: packed. Current view: ocean. Song: Rusted Root "Send Me On My Way." Destination: Palm Springs. TEDActiveOrBust" 250 TEDx organizers from around the world descended upon Palm Springs, California—by plane, train, and automobile—to attend the TEDx Organizers Workshop. These TEDxers represented 61 countries and came

TEDActive or Bust

2012-02-25T12:24:00.001-08:00

Car: packed. Current view: ocean. Song on radio: "Send Me On My Way" by Rusted Root. Destination: Palm Springs, Calif. for the live simulcast of the TED conference, TEDActive.

On Being Creative: Trying to Be Good

2012-02-08T00:09:00.000-08:00

At my job I work on the creative team, surrounded by insanely talented and wicked smart people who challenge me every day to be the best creative I can. Here's Ira Glass, host of This American Life, with his take on creativity and the creative process. I heart him. And the video with a lovely typographic treatment for those of you who've never heard his melodic, yet neurotic, cadence.

Super Bowl 2012 Commercials Live Blog (Includes All Commercials)

2012-02-05T15:30:00.001-08:00

Source: National Football League (NFL). It's been a tradition of mine for years to live blog the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys, and Golden Globes. (Plus Will and Kate's wedding, for good measure.) This year, I decided to throw in the other pantheon of entertainment: the Super Bowl commercial. No where else does $4 million for 30 seconds make any sense, unless you're talking a Kardashian wedding,

Simba From The Lion King Appears In...Camden, NJ?

2012-02-02T16:02:00.000-08:00

For all my Jersey friends... Source: Unknown.

Little Froggy Appears In Time For First Peak

2012-01-30T22:41:00.000-08:00

We met this little guy during our post-lunch bocce ball tourney. He wasn't more than 3 inches long. Turns out that even during the crazy hectic-ness of tax season, there are cool little surprises to see in life if you stop for a minute to see them. (And not almost obliterate them with the 5 pound bocce ball.) Hi Mr. Frog. Kermit, you're not, but you sure are cute.

RIP Coach: Joe Paterno, Penn State Legend. We ARE...

2012-01-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

Joe Paterno, long-time Penn State football coach, passed away after battling cancer. I couldn't have commented better on JoePa's passing than my writing partner, Matthew Heitzer, so I won't try: "The world lost one of the most important and influential sports figures of the last 100 years today. A family lost their patriarch, their father, their grandfather. The Penn State family lost a

Operation Shabby Chic @ the Beach Has Commenced!

2012-01-20T19:09:00.001-08:00

Moved into my new beach house today, and after patiently waiting in my 4 hour window (which turned into 5 and change), I'm happy to announce Operation Shabby Chic @ the Beach has commenced! I've got a super cool old place in Ocean Beach (OB), and am going to spend the next few months decorating it in a shabby chic meets beach decor. The big furniture is in, and after 7 weeks of sleeping on an

A Little Super Bowl Star Wars Dog Fun

2012-01-19T13:17:00.000-08:00

How presh... The black English lab is Darth Vader! (And he looks like my lab, Xander.) Xander, 3 years old (in 2008). I know what I'm dressing him up as for Halloweent!