June 2007 in pictures

1983

Dragon's Lair

When I first stumbled upon this image of Dirk the Daring, I had one of those instant flashbacks to 1983, and it made me smile. I pictured myself at the Camelot arcade, standing behind a gaggle of greasy 15 year-olds who were twice my size. I was holding a slice of piping hot, square-cut pepperoni pizza, trying to get a glimpse of the game of all games. Dragon's Lair. I didn't care that my shorts, socks and shoes were soaking wet from the recent bumper boat battle I had just lost. I was gonna burn my tongue trying to choke down that slice before my turn came up to play the game that would cost me 50 cents and only last about 30 seconds. Here is a cool article regarding the phenomenon.

Orange County Girl

We just got back from Gwen Stefani's Sweet Escape concert in Irvine. Tisha, Tay and I had a blast. That girl put on one hell of a show for all of her hometown fans of Orange County. I was impressed with her energy, and the elaborate stage props she had going on. It's hard to believe that this is the same goofy girl we used to watch play free shows at Cal State Fullerton, back in High School. Now, she is selling out gigantic arenas all over the world. Being that we went to the same High School, and she is a proud Anaheim-ian, its fun to see her do so well and achieve great success as a performer. Tonights show was special in that she performed all of her catchy tunes from her last two solo albums and kept the place jumping. Just when you thought it was over, the biggest and best surprise of them all happened...No Doubt came out for the encore! they performed 5 songs for all of us old-school fans. That was awesome! Here is some video of the reunion...

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KOBEWATCH '07

Things are NOT good here in LA-LA Land. Everyone knows that I'm a life-long Laker fan. My house becomes the neighborhood sports-bar whenever the Lakers are in the playoffs, and everyone is invited. Lately, there hasn't been much to celebrate in the post-season, and if the drama surrounding Kobe continues the way it has been, we can see a championship drought in the near future. First and foremost, I'm a LAKER fan, not a Kobe fan or a Shaq fan. The Lakers organization is always first. It's about the name on the front of the jersey. So when Kobe makes this recent demand to be traded, by default, I look to see what is best for management. I'm a realist, and I understand that there are two sides to a story, and both parties share the blame in this one. I have to admit, I'm not completely on board with Kobe on this. Part of me wants to bitch-slap him and tell him to stop whining, and that he is lucky to don the Purple and Gold. The other part of me, wants to choke-out Kupchak and tell him to get it together, and get us another superstar on the squad...Ok, violence won't solve this problem, but damn I'm frustrated. Kobe shouldn't disrespect an organization that has given him everything a player can ask for. He could've ended up in Boston or Milwaukee, but no, he was lucky enough to be traded to the greatest Professional sports organization on the planet. If he thinks he can "win a title" in Chicago or New York, then he is terribly mistaken, and it will only prove what many people have accused him of being, which is an ego-maniacal, attention-whore, who changed his uniform number just to see how many people love him. I'm hoping that this maneuver was a ploy by Kobe to force Laker management to bring in a big gun to help him out. I know he didn't enjoy getting his ass handed to him in the playoffs the last couple of years, none of the fans enjoyed that, but I'm just not sure that this is the right way of going about it.

CLASS OF 2007

Congrats to our little Brother and Sister for their recent accomplishments.
Claudia Graduated from Loara High School on June 18th and Emilio finished 8th grade at Ball Jr. High on June 19th.
We are very proud of both of you!

US OPEN 2007

This tournament is the one that really inspires me to dust off the irons and get out on the track. This is probably my favorite tournament because of the kryptonite-like effect it has on the Pros. The courses featured at the US Open have been brutally tough over the past 5 years, and it provides some great drama on the final round Sundays. Check in here for the latest news from Oakmont.

PARKS Magazine debuts

We all know the story of how I grew up wanting to be a Park Ranger...blah blah blah. Anyways, since I can't do that now, I love to visit as many parks as our budget and time will allow. The medium that gets me all jacked up and in the garage rifling through my camping gear, is Parks magazine. It has the same effect on me as a good issue of National Geographic, but even more so because most of the places profiled in Geographic are too far reaching. So go ahead and check out their newest issue and happy trails!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TISHA!

I can't believe you are finally 22 years old! OMG! then that would make me only 23 years old...YES!
We love you babes and wish you the very best.
Oh, and congrats on the new job, I'm gonna miss having you at home during the daytime...boo hoo
View B-day pics here

Anaheim Ducks Win the Cup!

Almost as unbelievable as the 2002 World Series win by my beloved Angels, The Ducks of Anaheim cap-off their dream season with Lord Stanley's Cup. They demolished the Ottawa Senators in the Finals and will have the privilege of forging their names on to the cup. Being a life-long Anaheim-ian, I have the same sense of pride as when the Angels took the Series. Unlike then, I didn't go to any of the games. I simply enjoyed them from my 61-inch at home and streamed the games at work. This accomplishment just adds another rung to the ladder of success that Orange County has enjoyed recently.
GO DUCKS!

Fan celebration on Katella (video)
Watch the Slideshow (pics)