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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!

Golden Globes 2012 Live Blog: Snoozefest Central for the Most Part

2012-01-16T14:03:00.000-08:00

Photo: Golden Globes. Coming to you live from the Beverly Hills Hilton in Los Angeles it's the 69th Annual Golden Globes, brought to you by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Hosted by the venerable Ricky Gervais, you'd think we were in for a night of rollicking debauchery. You'd be wrong. Not up to speed on who's going to win and who's going to BS tell us all "it was an honor to be

Happy New Year From San Diego!

2012-01-01T17:39:00.001-08:00

In the immortal words of Ice Cube: "Today was a good day."

A Little Disney Magic

2011-12-29T22:52:00.001-08:00

A perfect end to a magical day...seeing World of Color at Disney California Adventure with my BFF Michael and his partner. The show is just the inspiration I needed.

Bigotry Alive and Well This Holiday Season

2011-12-26T20:38:00.000-08:00

Keeping up my holiday tradition, I went to Target today in East San Diego (Santee) to check out their post-Christmas Day sale items. As I walked in the store I saw a security guard walking out with a large red sign. I didn't think twice about it, and wandered back to the picked-through holiday aisles. I got a couple of boxes of cute cards, and picked up a few Yankee Candles that were on clearance

Giraffe Says, "You Lookin' at Me?"

2011-12-22T18:55:00.001-08:00

We had our annual pre-season off-site, this time at the San Diego Wild Animal Park (now called the San Diego Zoo Safari Park). We got to feed a couple of rhinos and giraffes. Here's my favorite pic of a baby giraffe:

My Dog is Now As Old As Me

2011-12-18T09:07:00.001-08:00

Today my favorite little ball of fur (seen here at 2 months) turns 6 years old, which in dog years means he's as old as me! Happy birthday, Xander!

Today Would Have Been Mom-Mom's 95th Birthday

2011-12-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

Me, Mom-Mom and Harry Kalas at the Phillies ballpark when she was awarded the 2006 Phillies Phan of the Year. Today, December 2, 2011, my Mom-Mom, Mildred Vichko, would have turned 95 years old. Tomorrow, December 3, 2011, is the 3rd anniversary of her death. I wrote this tribute to her two years ago: Why Grandmothers Rock, And the Importance of Thank You Notes

Lemonade Fail

2011-11-29T07:59:00.001-08:00

What do you think it is about this pic that triggered me? (For once it's not a UX or usability issue...)

Happy Slapsgiving!

2011-11-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

If you aren't watching How I Met Your Mother you really should. Here's one of the many reasons why: this Happy Slapsgiving clip! In other news, here's the salad I made for Thanksgiving. Apple, parmesan & homemade candied almond salad with cracked lemon peppercorn tossed arugula and romaine. I made the almonds with agave nectar instead of sugar (thanks for the tip Chef Jesus from Cups La

Words of Wisdom from Joss Whedon at TEDx

2011-11-20T16:43:00.001-08:00

Today I gave my first TEDx talk, at TEDxYouth@BommerCanyon in Irvine, Calif. The organizer asked each of the speakers for an inspirational quote to print in the program next to our picture and bio. While there were many who put Einstein, Maya Angelou, and the famous Anonymous, I went with Joss Whedon:

Facebook's New Timeline and Redesign Changes: A Story in Pictures

2011-09-26T21:16:00.000-07:00

A picture essay for all those folks lamenting the changes Facebook made after announcing their plans at F8. Also includes a preview of profile timeline at the bottom. First, there was collective indignation... Followed by the always-have-to-be different naysayers who pretended to like Facebook's News Feed changes... Which leads to the requisite The Oatmeal comic... Then reality set

Emmys 2011 Live Blog: It's a (Modern) Family Affair

2011-09-18T20:47:00.000-07:00

Coming to you live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles it's the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Hosted by Glee's Jane Lynch and executive-produced by Emmy Award winner Mark Burnett, with running snarktastic commentary by TWL. Not up to speed on who's going to win and who's going to BS tell us all "it was an honor to be nominated"? Check out the full list of nominees, then join us later for our

One Last Laugh with Bruce

2011-09-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up to what I thought was a practical joke on Facebook. Folks were posting condolences on my friend's wall, like he'd passed away. Knowing what a funnyman he is, I thought he was somehow pranking us, because the truth couldn't be true...that we'd lost him. Because we're too young. And he's got a family and a baby on the way. And he freaking rocks. So it couldn't be true. But

My Boxer, the Doggy Day Care Escape Artist

2011-09-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

Rowan, our boxer, who I apparently should have named Houdini. Doggy day care called from PetSmart.* Today, the staff looked up from registration area, across the glass enclosure, and saw "Rowan trotting past the window, around back in the kennels." Our boxer had unlocked kennel suite and was sitting outside the play area. The lab, her happy accomplice, was found in the kitchen gorging

Remembering 9/11, 10 Years Later

2011-09-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

I remember my phone ringing at 7:47 a.m., through my sleepy haze, and John leaving a message on my answering machine. Tired, I roll over, look out the window and sure enough, it's a crisp blue sky kind of San Diego day. Rather than get up and go to the living room to listen to it, I just called him up in LA and give him a sleepily chipper, "What's up?" He replies, "You have no idea what's going

The British Expat's Guide to American Football

2011-09-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

The Sacred Arena of Washington HANDEGG. During my junior year abroad at the University of Gloucester* one of my British friends turned out to be a big American football fan, specifically the Washington Redskins. As I'm a lifelong Philadelphia Eagles fan, we hit it off immediately. He recently moved to the United States to be closer to his American wife's family (she also went to UG with us for

Comic Sans Be Damned...

2011-09-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

Yep, this pretty much sums up my feelings toward Comic Sans, that unwieldy font that screams, "I can't let go of my inner kindergartner, and ohmygosh isn't this picture of my cat just so cute!" Source: hughmcguire.tumblr.com via Dana on Pinterest Word.

My Summer Vacation: By Kara Elizabeth Anne

2011-09-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

Back in May, I figured I'd have a nice, quiet summer to relax after a long tax season. We headed to Australia shortly after April 18th, and then I planned on nothing special...boy, was I wrong. Here's a photo essay of the Busiest Summer of My 30s. July 2011 Watched people leave Earth 3.1 miles from where I was standing. Me and Atlantis, about 400 yards away. My #DiscoveryHouse mates with

Hellmouth Opens Under Capitol Building as Earthquake Rocks DC

2011-08-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

Twitter reaction shortly after the quake. When I moved to California in 1999, all my friends and family in New Jersey chided me, "Sure the weather's nice, but oh, there are all those earthquakes in California! Have fun falling off the face of the Earth when The Big One hits!" Cut to today, when my Facebook and Twitter feeds begin blowing up, "EARTHQUAKE!" Funny, I didn't feel anything here in

An Unexpected Weekend in Palm Springs

2011-08-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

The requisite stop at the Dairy Queen in Hemet, Calif. Here's how it went down at 5 p.m. on Saturday night: John: Let's go to Vegas. Me: Love the idea, but it's a 5 hour drive. You just had surgery. John: Let's go to Palm Springs. Me: Call the kennel. I'll book the hotel. We dropped the dogs off, jumped on the 67 North, and settled in for the scenic 2 hour back road trip to one of my

Comic-Con 2011 Panel Wrap Up: Glee, Big Bang Theory, Game of Thrones and More!

2011-08-12T23:04:00.000-07:00

Did you miss Comic-Con in San Diego this year? I was there, sucka! Covering all the hottest panels for Tea With Lemon. Glee panel? Yep. Big Bang Theory? Up close and personal. Supernatural, Fringe, Game of Thrones? Close enough to smell the sweat of anticipation from the cougars who filled Ballroom 20 and Hall H. Over a period of 4 days I wrote 13 articles. Hope you enjoy reading them

What Does "Come On Eileen" Have to Do with Space Shuttle Atlantis' Final Launch?

2011-07-31T01:49:00.000-07:00

I turned on the car at 5 a.m. on July 8, 2011, and the Dexy's Midnight Runners hit was on the radio. For better or worse, I'll always associate "Come on Eileen" with Atlantis and that day. :) All the videos of the original are pretty bad on YouTube, so here's a cover by two artists I really like: Sugarland and Sara Bareilles, performing it at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.