14 September 2007

Friday Afternoon Scavenger Hunt!


Bon and Mark hard at work on a Friday, when I ask Bon if he has the new Kanye West and 50 Cent CDs.

"Sure," he says, "But you'll have to work hard to find it."


Here is the First Clue...


Got it...Bruin on a Beach...and yup, there's Clue No. 2


Clue No. 2...hmm...a not-so-good star...



A-ha...Mark got this one...not-so-good star...Bad Andy's "star"!


Yay...the next clue!


Rebel...purpose...pointing...hmm...

There it is! Rebel Without a Cause literally pointing to the next clue!


And this time it's Keri who comes to the rescue...coconut tree pointing out to Jamboree...


And voilĂ ! There it is, the thumb drive with the new Kanye West and Fiddy albums...literally 10 feet from my desk, the whole time!


Me rockin' out to Kanye and Fiddy thanks to Bon!

My, work is fun!
Sam and Kedar in Africa


The first update from Sam and Kedar in Africa.

You can check out Sam's cool little blog for more details!
BREAKING NEWS: CHRIS MCCARLEY GOT ENGAGED!


And luckily for him, Emily said "yes"! [She was on the top of Devil's Tower after all...I suppose she didn't have much choice]

Congratulations guys!

You can look at Chris's blog for more details.

13 September 2007

Underworld and Paul Oakenfold

Paul Oakenfold opens for Underworld, who, in turn, really get the crowd moving!

Ah, now I where all those glow sticks have been hiding all these years!

Underworld and Oakenfold at The Hollywood Bowl
Game Called on Account of Cat!


It's a good thing too - I was getting creamed by The Better Half!
Why Working at Home is So Hard!

Mike and Mike (and Mike) Do Monday Night Football!





It was great fun to see Mike and Mike do their thing on Monday Night Football, and then see the other Mike ("Ditka") try to get a word in.

Too bad the game itself (49ers vs. Cardinals) wasn't terribly good, though it was exciting at the end.

In fact, it was the USC Quarterbacks Double-Header, with Carson Palmer leading the Bengals to a win over the Ravens earlier (helped along by a terrible call on the potential game-tying touchdown throw by Kyle Boller); followed by Matt Leinart throwing the game-ending interception in a loss.

11 September 2007

Facts About Federer Are Frightening

Updated: September 9, 2007, 9:19 PM ET




Roger Federer

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Stat No. 11: Roger Federer served 11 aces in Sunday's final.

NEW YORK -- What more is there to say about Roger Federer, who continues to rewrite the record books with every Grand Slam title he captures. He might not win as many matches or titles as he did the past couple of seasons, but Federer's win over Novak Djokovic in the U.S. Open final only reinforced his reign over the rest of the field.

Here's our Top 10 list (and change) of Federer's accomplishments resulting from his 12th career Grand Slam title:

0: No one has beaten Federer in a Grand Slam final that wasn't played at Roland Garros.


1: First player in the Open era (i.e., since 1968) to win the U.S. Open in four consecutive years. Before 1968, Bill Tilden was the last player to win the U.S. Championships at least four years in a row, taking the title from 1920 through 1925.

2: Number of players in the Open era who have won four consecutive Grand Slam titles at two events. Bjorn Borg won the French Open from 1978-81 and Wimbledon from 1976-80. Federer has won Wimbledon each of the last five years to go along with his four consecutive U.S. Open titles. 2.4: Million dollars he earned for winning the U.S. Open. Prize money for winning the U.S. Open is $1.4 million, but because Federer won the U.S. Open Series, he earns an extra million.

3:
Times Federer has won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open in the same year (2004, 2006, 2007)

4:
Number of players Federer has lost to in 2007: Guillermo Canas and Rafael Nadal, twice; Djokovic and Filippo Volandri, once each.

5: Career wins against Djokovic, including three in 2007.

6:
Titles Federer has won in 2007, tied with Nadal for the most this season.

7:
Set points Federer saved in the first two sets. Federer staved off five in the first set and two more in the second before winning both in tiebreaks.

8:
Number of players who have won at least four U.S. Open titles. Richard Sears, Bill Larned and Tilden won the most (7). In the Open era, the only players with more U.S. Open titles than Federer are Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras, each with five.

9:
Grand Slam sets Federer has lost in 2007: zero at the Australian, four at the French Open, three at Wimbledon and two at the U.S. Open.

10: Consecutive Grand Slam final appearances. You have to go back to the 2005 French Open to find the last time Federer did not make it to the final of a Slam.

Keith Hawkins is the tennis editor for ESPN.com.

10 September 2007

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog at a Star Wars Premiere

The one that started it all!

On the other hand, after seeing how Conan is practically forcing Jay out of NBC, I can't help but admit that my feelings towards the tall Irishman have changed considerably towards the negative.

Triumph The Insult Comic Dog at The Tony Awards

A couple of months late, but still as funny. Sent to me by my old pal Daniel "Burgun Must Die" Burgun.

Novak Djokovic Impressions

Before he was giving Roger Federer the scare of a lifetime in the US Open Finals, Novak was making people laugh with his immaculate impressions of other players' serving motions!

What a great guy. It's nice to have someone else break into the Roger-Rafa nexus.

Charlie Rose on Roger Federer

A great discussion on the greatness of Roger Federer with a range of guests from Rod Laver to Rafael Nadal.

09 September 2007

Are You Ready for Some [American] Football?!

Apparently big-screen TVs were designed for (American) Football...

And, apparently, the New England Patriots were designed to dominate said (American) Football...

Oooooh...Greenie is not going to be happy!









3:10 To Yuma




Saw this on Saturday with Tony and Monique at The Bridge (in the very fancy Director's Hall with reserved seating!].

Really, really good - this close to being very good. Excellent acting all around: from Ben Foster, Peter Fonda, Alan Tudyk, Dallas Roberts, Logan Lerman and especially both Russell Crowe and Christian Bale.

As always, it comes down to the script.

This close.

It's a pity that the theatre was as empty as it was, given the quality of the film. Bloody Lionsgate (neck-and-neck with Paramount for the title of worst studio, ever!) totally mis-handled the marketing for this film.

Here is what critics are saying.

Go to the official website click through to "Soundtrack" to hear the excellent score by Marco Beltrami, who manages to update the usual Western motif without resorting to parody.



WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD - DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE

Rosanne, as always, had an interesting take on the film, which made me appreciate it a tad bit more.

The movie is about mythology - the mythology of the Western itself, of the villain in the film (and how he actively supports/subverts it), and of the hero (who has created the myth around his own heroism to gain the respect of the son).

Almost every myth, good or bad, is punctured at some point (the "heroic" Pinkerton employees and Marshals,; the railroad company; the scum that is the villainous second-in-command in the outlaw gang, who nevertheless cannot abide to let his boss go) which perhaps is the film's message: Myth Creation.

Interesting...
Shoot 'Em Up

Naturally, we had to see it opening night!

Shoot 'Em Up
Dori Gets Groomed


This is how a cat looks after she has had a mobile grooming spa come to her house, give her a haircut, trim her nails, and give her a massage...
Just Another Friday at Work



Free In-N-Out burgers, shakes and fries!



Free movie!


And, of course, the free beer!

07 September 2007

Mark is a Winner!



Mark Contreras, my colleague, is a big winner of a prime parking spot, reserved just for him...

On the fourth floor!!
Team Lunch

My teammates and I from work eat delicious sushi and Japanese food at Taiko followed by yummy dessert at YogurtLand.

Work is so hard! ;-)


Team Outing
Roger Federer vs. Andy Roddick

US Open 2007 Quarter-Finals

So, here are Andy Roddick's stats for the match:

First Serve Percentage: 71%
First Serve Winning Percentage: 77%
Fastest Serve: 146 MPH (!!)
Average First Serve: 130 MPH
Average Second Serve: 110 MPH
Aces: 14
Winners: 42
Unforced Errors: 24

And he still lost in straight sets!

Roger Federer v Andy Roddick US Open 2007

05 September 2007

The Case of the "Stolen" Office Chair



Co-Worker: "Where'd you get that chair?"

Me: "Wha?!"

Co-Worker: "Where'd you get that chair?"

Me: "Umm...not sure..."

Co-Worker: "Did you have it when you moved from Main street?"

Me: "I'm not sure..."

Co-Worker: "No, seriously, where did you get it?"

Me: "It's not your chair."

Co-Worker: "No, seriously, where did you get this chair?"

Me: "..."

Co-Worker 2: "Oh, hey [Co-Worker], I took your chair because my back hurt due to my pregnancy."

Co-Worker: "Oh..." [smile appears]

Me: "Just because I look Mexican doesn't mean you can accuse me of stealing."

Co-Worker: "Ha ha...what a funny little comment. You're such a kidder..."

Co-Worker walks aways with Co-Worker 2.
Wine Tasting with Eliza

We take Rosanne's friend Eliza wine tasting in and around Ojai and Santa Barbara, CA.

We visited a few different wineries, but none were as polite, welcoming, and tasty as the first: Oak Creek Ranch Winery.


Wine Tasting with Eliza
LA Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake

LA Galaxy 1 - Real Salt Lake 2
Basu's 0 - Not Seeing Beckham 2

But at least we sat with the cheering section: The Riot Squad! My goodness! Not for the faint of heart!

Sample Chant (to the tune of "My Darling Clementine"):

Who's your father?
Who's your father?
Who's your fa-a-a-a-a-ther, referee?

You don't have one
You don't have one
'Cuz you're a ba--a-a-a-a-stard, referee!

Like I said, not for the faint of heart!

LA Galaxy v Real Salt Lake
Fiesta Hermosa

What better way to spend a three-day weekend than with pretentious artwork and drunken frat boys. ;-)

Fiesta Hermosa 2007
Tchaikovsky at The Hollywood Bowl

Fireworks and Tchaikovsky at The Hollywood Bowl! With special guest, pianist Gabriela Montero (recently featured on 60 minutes).

Tchaikovsky at The Hollywood Bowl
Hermosa Beach Museum

Some history of the charming little beach town where we are fortunate enough to live!


Hermosa Beach Museum
Hermosa Beach ArtWalk 2007

Rosanne and I walk around admiring artwork on the sidewalks of Hermosa Beach, CA!

Hermosa ArtWalk 2007
Office Picnic

This is where the infamous "Ben Mercer" incident happened.

Office Picnic
WTA East West Bank Classic

The WTA comes to Carson, CA and we are there to watch Sybille Bammer take on our new favorite player Jelena Jankovic. The two would play a couple of times more over the course of the summer culminating in a thrilling fourth round match at the US Open.

Jelena ended up losing to compatriot Ana Ivanovic in the semi-finals of Carson, and in a stirring quarter-final match against Venus Williams at the US Open which featured a third set tie-break.

The poor girl was so gracious in defeat, even though she was on the verge of tears, and made it a point of speaking to the crowd even though she lost.

She was chatting to the crowd during the match, smiling, grimacing, interacting...needless to say both Rosanne and I are huge fans of hers!

WTA Tournament
Life Guard Competition

Hermosa Bach life guard competition...at night!

Life Guard Competition
Tommy James and The Shondells

Rosanne and I watch Tommy James perform at Hermosa Beach. "Mony, Mony," "Crystal Clear Persuasion," "I Think We're Alone Now," and, of course, "Crimson & Clover."

Tommy James and the Shondells
The Kwik-E-Mart

Here are some photos of Rosanne and I visiting the 7-Eleven which was converted into a Kwik-E-Mart to commemorate the opening of the Simpsons movie.

Who needs the Kwik-E-Mart?