Blogging Again

I'm not sure why I lost touch with my Big Scratch Pad...but it has bummed me out. Blogging, I found, was actually quite cathartic in a weird way. When I stopped in March of this year (which was the last time I posted) I wasn't sure why....but now I think I have figured it out....and it was for a good reason...the right reason I guess. There were bigger issues surrounding me that required my attention.

But now I'm back and I'm feeling good. Agenda for the next three months is pretty simple:

1. Enjoy our family trip in August and get ready for trip to Europe in September.
2. Work on wedding plans and get Emily prepared for marrying me (does she really know what she is getting into)
3. Cook more...learn some new techniques...get to my sauce class at the Culinary School....move beyond my expectations in the kitchen
4. Start my piano lessons
5. Recommit myself to writting my book
6. Get new tattoo.

So I think that is about enough....these are things that are on my mind and I think I will use my blog to track what I am doing and how thing are progressing on all 6. Hopefully at some point I will be writing daily like I use to.

Nice to see you again old friend.

Direct TV Sucks A$$...and steals money from people

...and other interesting experiences. Long story but just take my word for it...never use DirectTV.

Go-Bama!

A pleasant new suprise around every corner reaffirming Borack is the right guy....dare I say the perfect person....to hold the Presidency at this time in history.

From Jay Leno appearance the other night:

"Obama spoke about the experience of possessing barely comprehensible power—“life in the bubble,” he called it—as if he had won the presidency on The Apprentice, occupied the Oval Office for a few months, and was now returning to tell funny, awed, slightly self-mocking stories about it. The doctor walking behind him with a defibrillator; the Secret Service men who wouldn’t let him walk alone for “750 yards”; his characterization of Washington as “a little bit like American Idol, but everyone’s Simon Cowell”—the stiff, defensive air of abstraction that would have cost him the election last fall if the bottom had not fallen out of the economy was now the insouciance, and the irreverence, of the triumphant interloper."

Great Article - From the Daily Beast Website

Wall Street's New Bonus Outrage
by William D. Cohan

The disclosure that near-bankrupt Merrill dished out a staggering $209 million for 10 bankers takes this scandal beyond the absurd-and possibly into criminal territory. Will the Feds prosecute?

The curious case of the obscene Merrill Lynch bonuses just keeps getting more and more disturbing and harder and harder to fathom. For instance, there is the small matter of the whopping $33.8 million bonus that Merrill supposedly paid to the suave European Andrea Orcel, Merrill’s top investment banker, who allegedly generated, according to The Wall Street Journal, some $550 million in revenue in 2008. The Journal attributes the number to “people close to him” and offers nothing close to any further substantiation.

If it comes out that Ken Lewis knew about the Merrill bonuses—as Thain has alleged—then once and for all it will be time for him to relinquish his job.

But this number is beyond absurd. It is almost inconceivable for a single investment banker to generate that much revenue in an entire career, let alone in a single year and one that happened to be one of the worst in Wall Street’s history. It might be one thing if Orcel were some kind of Mike Milken-like figure who controlled the junk-bond market from an X-shaped desk in Beverly Hills, but that does not seem to be what’s at play here. Who even heard of Orcel before we were told of his absurd compensation? At least Milken was the junk-bond king when he got his $550 million pay package in 1987. It is unlikely that even Felix Rohatyn, the legendary investment banker at Lazard Frères (and then Lehman) who has spent all but three or so of the past 60 years doing deals and at times produced 80% of the partners’ revenue at Lazard in a given year, has come close to generating $550 million of revenue in his career. When Rohatyn started at Lazard in 1949, he was paid $32.50 per week. When Ace Greenberg started at Bear Stearns that same year, he was paid the same $32.50 per week.

While we do know that Orcel received a one-time bonus of $12 million for advising Royal Bank of Scotland on one of the all-time worst deals in history—its 2007, $101 billion acquisition of ABN Amro Holding NV. Sir Fred Goodwin, the RBS CEO who engineered the ABN deal has been sacked, of course, and RBS is now a ward of the state. Orcel, meanwhile, remains head of international corporate and investment banking at Bank of America. (Did anyone say, accountability?) If Orcel did indeed generate the $550 million in revenue his friends say he did, then perhaps he is entitled to his $34 million since a rule of thumb in the industry has been that bankers get bonuses equal to about 10% of the revenue they generate. Still. Orcel’s revenue number cries out for some serious justification. Show me proof, I say! Until then, as a former M&A banker during a time when the best among us generated $50 million in revenue, I remain incredulous.

What makes the disclosure that Orcel and his top nine buddies at Merrill hauled out a staggering $209 million for their work at the firm and that another 149 bankers were paid $3 million each and scores more were paid $1 million each, is that no one else on Wall Street was getting anywhere close to that much money. Everywhere else on Wall Street in 2008 a modicum of TARP-induced prudence reigned. At Goldman Sachs, which was profitable for the year, the top executives got bonuses of zero. At Morgan Stanley, CEO John Mack took a zero bonus for the second year in a row. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorganChase, took a zero bonus along with his $1 million salary. Vikram Pandit, the beleaguered CEO of Citigroup, was paid $1, which seems about right.

But at Merrill Lynch, the party raged on. While it is true that none of Greg Fleming, the former Merrill president, Robert McCann, the former Merrill head of the Global Private Client Group, or Rosemary Berkery, the former Merrill general counsel, received a bonus for 2008—they all resigned from the firm in January—and while it is true John Thain, the former Merrill CEO, ended up with no bonus for 2008—despite his efforts to the contrary—and was fired in January by Ken Lewis, the CEO of Bank of America, blame for this bonus debacle must be apportioned. Unfortunately, Lewis blames Thain. And Thain blames Lewis. Bank of America has also filed a petition to keep the compensation data confidential.

Fortunately, though, Andrew Cuomo, the New York State Attorney General, seems determined to get to the bottom of what happened here and why. He has taken the closed-door testimony of both Lewis and Thain. Last night, according to the Journal, Cuomo subpoenaed Orcel, Peter Kraus, the former head of strategy at Merrill, and Thomas Montag, the head of global sales and trading at Merrill and at the merged firm. (Thain recruited both Kraus and Montag from Goldman Sachs in 2008. Kraus got paid $29.4 million for about three months work; Montag got $39.4 million for five months work plus another $50 million in stock to compensate him for what he left behind at Goldman.)

Cuomo is zeroing in. If his investigation reveals that Lewis knew about the Merrill bonuses—as Thain has alleged—then once and for all it will be time for Lewis to relinquish his post as CEO of Bank of America. He should have been fired already for his decision in 2008 to overpay for both Countrywide Financial and Merrill. How he has hung on in the wake of the collapse of Bank of America’s stock is another mystery Cuomo might want to investigate. What Cuomo might also want to put on his agenda is how the Merrill board of directors, with Lewis’ acquiescence, could have authorized the billions of dollars of bonuses for Merrill’s bankers and traders in a year where the firm lost $27.6 billion, took $10 billion of TARP funds and was days away from bankruptcy. When he gets the answer to that question, it may well be time for the federal prosecutors to act.

William D. Cohan, a former senior-level M&A banker on Wall Street, is the author of The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Freres & Co. Cohan's House of Cards: The Fall of Bear Stearns and the End of the Second Gilded Age, will be published by Doubleday in 2009. He also writes for Fortune, ArtNews, The Financial Times and the Washington Post.

Phoenix "is" Kaufman (I guess)

So I got some feedback from people reading my blog and the Deliquent Debutant that it has been confirmed Phoenix is working on a confidential mockumentary and this is all a sham.

I'm not sure why I'm so intrigued by this whole thing but I am...and I also found some other blogs with thoughts on the same....here you go!

http://vanguardmindloop.blogspot.com/2009/02/joaquins-mockumentary.html

http://blogs.thetimes.co.za/minor/2009/02/16/rolling-stone-on-joaquin-phoenixs-letterman-appearance/

http://celebrityrant.blogspot.com/2009/02/joaquin-phoenix-is-bad-joke.html

http://www.popeater.com/movies/article/joaquin-phoenix-might-be-laughable-but/328197

When a child goes missing....

Raising childen is accompanied by all sorts of highs and lows. By far, I have come to realize that the highs outnumber the lows by 100 to 1. However when the lows come about (rather hit you) it is amazing to see and feel the breakdown of the human mind and body. It is amazing to see how all sensibility in even the most intelligent person breaks down and deseperation begins to invade ones mind and judgement.

Today, for the second time since E has been living, I felt the physiological or chemical reaction one experiences when panic sets in. At 300pm today, E's mother called me to tell me that E never checked into her afterschool program and the aids can't locate her....she is in second grade. After I heard this, and realized this was real panic I was hearing on the other end of the phone....I became lost in a cloud of crazy thoughts. I turned and walked out of my office in an instance...not knowing exactly what I could do by leaving but feeling the need to drive towards the place she was last seen at. She knew I was planning to pick her later in the afternoon...so there would have been no reason for her to leave school....no reason at all.

As I rode down and exited the slowest elevator I ever experienced in my life, I found myself sprinting across the building lobby of my office, down stairs, across a parking structure and into my truck...by now finding my heart rate extremely elevated and my mind trying to triangulate how far she may be from her school if somebody indeed picked her up...someone who was not suppose to.

As I drove from my office I found myself restraining my instinct to disregard all laws of the road in haste to get to E's school as quickly as possible. Thoughts spin in your head that you never imagine when faced with the unknown push of desperation and panic. I can't recall the next 8 minutes of driving that occurred...most likely at high speeds. I lost sense of time for a bit as well...until I got a call from her mother....telling me that the school made a PA announcement and she responded to it....walking into the main office after having sat in front of the principals door for the past 30 minutes waiting for me to pick her up. She forgot the change in schedule....all she was thinking about was me picking her up wondering why I was so late.

Once I heard she had been located at 315....I snapped out of the panic state I had pushed my mind and body into. I began to breathe again....my heartrate fell....and I was able to gather my thoughts. At this point, all I wanted to do was pick my little girl up and hug her and give her a kiss. I wanted to give her a very serious talk about where to go and what to do when she is confused like she was today....I wanted to tell her how scared she made me...and emily...and her mother fell! ...and eventually I did do those things....

But when I saw that little girl running out to me and jump into my arms with this huge smile on her face...happy to see her dad....all i could do is be thankful that the low never really came about...that this ended in a happy moment.

I have spent years trying to figure out what I would do...how I would react if I found out I contracted some sort of deadly disease....or lost a loved one who is really close to me....or if I found out something bad happened to E. How would i respond?...how would my life change?....what would be my initial thoughts and actions? When E stopped breathing in her crip at 6 months...blue in the lips and having only a faint heartbeat...my response was to pick her up, to put her head low, to rub her and move blood around, to make sure whe wasn't choking on something, to put air into her body.....and I did all of these things as the paramedics made there way to our home. I could hear the sirens for what seemed to be hours as they circled up to the front door....by then emma having color once again and breathing on her own.

I can't help but reflect on how in control I felt then...how I knew what decisions to make....used my first aid training....got all the right people involved...and she ended up recovering and being just fine (although they never determined what happened to her). However today I felt completely out of control....I realized I could do nothing but drive towards her school....that indeed this was not anything I could solve....and that feeling sucks!!!!

All I can say now is that I'm so glad today ended as it did. Unfortunately I also answered a question to myself that has sat out there since the day E was born. I truly hope to never have to face that reality in this life....EVER!

Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman - Before and After

LETTERMAN INTERVIEW ON 2/11/09:
http://lateshow.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/video_player/index/php/978097.phtml

It is both amazing and a cryin shame that Hollywood can do something like this to a person. Is he desperate and for the last years playing a huge joke on the world (ala Andy Kaufmann)....or is this the new real deal. And although not a huge fan of his, the guy has gone off the reservation and now sounds more like a train wreck waiting to happen than a joke. Letterman has rights on the interview that went on the other night so I can only post the link...but look at what Phoenix was like back in his normal days during Walk the Line...now look at this guy.

What a spectacle. Joke or not....his brother River died....his parents are notorious hippies....I hope he doesn't end up like Kaufman.

My Favorite Room

My favorite room in the house has evolved over time....when I was young it was my bedroom. I use to change it up every other week...move the beds, new pics, change everything around! As I moved through the college years and into my first home it became the garage. I built multiple work benches and organized the garage world to accomodate all my tools and related "stuff." The garage is still one of the places I enjoy hanging out in more than anywhere.


But in recent years, with my love for food and cooking growing I have found the kitchen to be my ZEN playhouse. I have always enjoyed the kitchen....grew up cooking with my mom and brothers...then over time made a small business out of it....then slowly the kitchen (and cooking specifically) became the place I went to when I needed to relax and re-center.


So what does my perfect kitchen consist of. White cabinetry, vintage black wood floors with black granite countertops throughout. Black is a wonderful color to prepare food on because it helps to contrast food colors and creates a clean palat to work from. 8 burner Viking stove top another essential tool. Multiple prep areas with sinks in strategic locations. Large viking pull out refrigerator. Built in wine closet with great vintages. Wusthof-Trident and Calphalon cutlery....All Clad cookware.....full viking electronics (mixers, compactors, washers and fryers)....and on and on.


The perfect kitchen centers around the cooking and prep areas....and the kitchen connects to the eating and entertaining areas...because in my world cooking has always been both both social and good therapy. I have designed about 20 different kitchens in my head already and look forward to that day when I can spare no expense and create the perfect culinary room.

If you pay me enough, I'll sing these songs at a karaoke bar

Interstate Love Song
byStone Temple Pilots

She's Got a Way
by
Billy Joel

Lucky Man
by
Montgomery Gentry

New Favorite Blog and an Apology

I apologize to my BLOG for the months of neglect. I have developed a notable case of writer's block and have not been in the proper state of mind to be either witty or profound.

I feel the veil slowly lifting and I am going to make small steps to bring my words back into my BIGSCRATCHPAD.

With that being said, I have been reading quite a few new BLOG sites....my new favorite is this one.

http://www.seriouseats.com/

For foodies (such as I) out there....you will enjoy it...I promise!!!!

Here's a few random photo from our recent trip to NY in December....this trip is fondly recalled as being the Engagement Trip (where DD and I agreed to tie the knot)

Like I said...small steps!
JC

John Stewart is....wait for it.....AWESOME!!!!

Bill O"Reilly Spinning Out of Control

Wow....can somebody say anger management!!!

US Airways - A Circus in the Air

Sooooo all I have to say is WOW!!! How is this airline surviving. I just returned from a turn around business trip to Arizona and got stuck flying US Air for the first time in a long time. Its nice to know that nothing changes! The employees appear absolutely miserable as was demonstrated by one Lakeesha at the ticket counter who refused to answer you by actually looking at you but instead held her head low and mirmed things such as "you aint gonna get on this flight right now cus its all fulled up."

Nice to know they still can't take off or arrive on time too. Or that a seat in the middle of the plane costs $5 to upgrade to because it is next to a window. Or that seats in the stink collection zone...otherwise know as the funnel of funk....aka the back of the bus...well those seats are still standard rate thank god. Sometimes I just need to sit next to a bathroom door that doubles as a fan...conveying the wonderful odors of the bathroom into rows 29 -31...and enjoy the sounds, smells and flavors of the "back."

Its also nice to know that major airlines are using planes with propellars once again....those pesky jets with their speed and lack of noise can get annoying when flying across country.

But today was a major highlight for me ....after Lakeesha announced that our standby positions were being honored after all....and that we did not have to spend the next 4 hours in the airport waiting for our regularly scheduled flight...as we were then rushed on to the plane to our unassigned seat (how would they know where we were sitting if the plane crashed). We then proceed to watch as our new hall monitor, a rather large black lady with thinning bleached hair, paced the aisles frantically. It was after 1o minutes of watching mayhem and confusion that we realized something was arye. Then like a storm cloud rolling over the desert, Lakeesha showed up at the front of the plane (having left her post at the ticket counter)....eyes piercing and 6 guns ablazin..... We had a person on our flight that was not suppose to be there and was refusing to get off.....so they brought in L-A-K-E-E-S-H-A!

About 2 minutes later the unwelcomed traveler was ushered off in haste and we were ready to depart. This is when we are introduced to our second stewardess...his name was Jack. He was about 6'2" and as limp wristed as they get. He literally walked down the aisle with his arm half cocked...fingers aflailing, lisping every other word, and giving the head bob and circle to his faithful side kick as they whispered about how they weren't going to take shit from nobody.....(and then threw out the air Z with the finger).

As gay Jack announced the safety measures and the other stewardess acted out the directions in a less than concise way...I noticed that on this tiny little airplane she was unable to walk down the aisle without having her hips get stuck between the seats...and now I'm thinking this is a safety issue if my stewardess can't get between perfectly aligned seats in a fuselage that hasn't yet been impacted by another solid surface.

After the announcements, Jack went into the back (which is where he announced earlier...no joke....that that was where he liked to be!!!)....my hippy stewardess got onto the PA and began to go through a sequence of commands the are part of the Federal Aviation Requirements.....and all I can say is that not only was it extremely hard to understand what she was saying....but the language she was attempting to use was some sort of fusion between street, english, and a tad bit of something else that I can't describe.

As I sat in amazement...and the PA announcement ended....I looked across the aisle to an older couple sitting in similiar amazement....the wife then says to me...."this is unreal....its like flying with a circus."

And that is exactly what it felt like....flying on questionable machinery with miserable and distorted circus characters...

AWESOME.

Thanksgiving

The holidays have changed quite a bit over the years for me. In my early years...it was clockwork....same places....same family....same meals....all amazing and comfortable and peaceful and memorable. I find it amazing how many times throughout the year I find myself reflecting on those memories. Christmas dinner at Aunt Marilyn’s and Uncle Glenn’s....pure Italian....cold cuts, chicken parm, lasagna....that was heaven. Nana and Grandpa's...pure traditional holidays with perfect turkey, gravy that still to this day cannot be replicated by anyone....and the fact that Grandpa spent ALL day preparing a meal for an unknown number of people…and in the end he always seemed to be perfectly allocated with everyone getting stuffed...a never a leftover in sight.

After my parents divorce the logistics of the holidays started to become a challenge and the easiness of the holidays slipped away a bit. At this point in my life, I started to feel like I was in a mode of having to please everyone during holiday times….yet at the same time I was still trying to enjoy the reason and purpose behind the holiday’s like I remembered growing up.

During college the traveling and school/work schedule began to complicate the "easiness" of the holiday even more. Holidays were still fun and enjoyable but the logistics become a big hassle. Following Grandpa’s death, the jockeying for holiday dinner position began creating some bad vibes and hurt feelings. The traditional structure of the holidays slowly waned.

Soon after grad school I got married...and the logistics were complicated exponentially....both of us divorced families living in the 4 corners of LA County. You can do the math on this one. We both were holiday junkies and wanted things our way. In the end we met in the middle and I lost half of my holiday traditions to compromise.

After E was born, we no longer had the same choices. Everyone wanted the opportunity to be around the baby girl. We gave in and tried to be everything for everyone...and the simplicity faded virtually away. After the divorce another layer of complexity was added in that I had to manage the logistics of our fractured family, my fractured family and the distance factor involved with people moving and migrating around California. We moved dinners to weekends or off holidays and it ultimately worked out....but the shine of the holidays was officially gone which made me very sad.

So last year at this time...I decided to take Thanksgiving off....and spent a simple day doing what I wanted to do. Although I enjoyed it and ironically found a new piece of mind which led me into the arms of the love of my life...it was the first day I felt I could finally be selfish and not give into everyone else’s needs and demands and instead did something for myself. Contrary to who I typically am it was hard...but in the end it was the best thing I could have done for myself. It recharged me and my love for the holidays (logistics and all) is back.

So today I decided to give thanks publically on my blog for all those things which I feel blessed to have around me and in my life. Here you go:

1. E's x 2 = the loves of my life.


2. A family that to this day is everything it always was....perfect (in an inperfect way). Unconditional love and support through thick and thin....very rare....


3. having a home that truly feels like a home.


4. Blazer and Kira


5. Success in my profession (actually just having a job)


6. rain on thanksgiving (a personal favorite)


7. friends who I know I can count on if I ever need any of them!


8. being a coach and having the chance to give a child (or children) the chance to have fun, and build confidence and be inspired to want "more."


9. this blog


10. my health....regardless of the old war injuries that are returning for their second round of punishment on my body.


11. having COACH in my life.


12. a new president that actually makes me feel hopeful and thankful to be living in this country.


13. the travels I have done and the wonderful places and experience I have had an opportunity to experience...it makes me see the world through less critical eyes.


14. my faith in humanity...


15. my trust in notion that tomorrow will always have the potential to be a better day then today...

With that let me just say to whomever may be reading this....I hope that you too feel the inspiration of the holidays and the simpleness that should come with these days. Today is about remembering the past and reflecting on one simple thing....if you are alive and well....that is all you can ask for. The rest of the stuff we deal with each day that may be negative (money, relationships, family, illness, etc) really doesn't matter if you have a day in front of you with the potential to change things.

With that...I have one last thing to be thankful for....A HOT TURKEY SANDWICH WITH GRAVY THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING.....the best meal ever invented!!!!

Peace!

China Days 1 - 2.5

China Days 8-11

We have returned home from our trip already; however I have decided to reflect on our last 4 days in China post haste and complete the diary of our excursion.

Day 8 was spent traveling by train from Hangzhou to the city of Nanjing. Nanjing is best know for the invasion that took place by Japan in 1937. Sometimes referred to as the Nanjing Massacre it resulted in the murder of over 300,000 Chinese civilians. A combination of events occuring in later years has led to a rift between the two countries that persists even today. (It was ironic that while we were in China the PM of Japan visited China (Beijing) for the European/Asian Global Financial conf. It was a historic moment for the two countries as this was the first PM to visit China in 20 years).

Anyway, when we arrived in Nanjing, it was the first time we actually dug deep into the planning roots of a Chinese City. We spent time at the City gate/wall and then took a tour through the back streets of the old historic Nanjing village. This was the most impactful moment of the trip. The area was recently part of a collaborative China/US planning effort whose goal was to plan, restore and rehabilitate the historic part of the old town. As we walked down the streets we actually had an opportunity to bare witness not only to some of results of the planning effort, but also to the intimate living arrangements and hard conditions which most Chinese live under. As we learned, most families are provided by the central gov't subsidized housing comprised of about 140 square feet. This is the typical space provided to a family of 6. Running water in some units however neighborhood restrooms for all….1 facility per street. Just think central bathrooms at a camp site and you have half the image. Very very hard. The housing was communal for the most part...central courtyard entrance for 4-6 homes. We never felt unsafe...in fact you could sense a sort of community closeness, almost pride, that is hard to find here in the states. Pretty interesting experience (see pics).

After a trip to the grounds of the original Nanjing's Forbidden City (which is currently a community park) we journeyed back to the hotel in the afternoon for massages and some down time....

Day 9 we woke to the smell of heavy fire....very noxious. We were told the farmers were burning old crops and leaves...but the town was covered in a haze that was like nothing we have ever seen before. It left your eyes and throat burning...add some rain...good times. We headed out of town to the Ming Tomb and Mausoleum site. Although we arrived to a very rainy hazy day, the grounds were beautiful. The monuments and buildings date back almost 600 years and were in remarkable condition. The Mausoleum itself was under renovation. Most of the archeological work around it was ongoing so only got a taste....but definitely appreciated the significance of the site. From there we traveled to the base of the Ming Tomb. I decided to climb the 392 steps to the top and represent for Emily and I. When I got to the top I was amazed at ....even in the crap weather. We headed off the grounds after an hour or two and headed back to the Confuscious marketplace. Again, blown away by the fact that just about every significant site we visited was surrounded by a McDonalds or KFC. Just crazy how you can be looking at a 500 year old Buddhist temple then walk 100 feet to get a BigMac. Capitalism in its most absurd form is alive and well in China. We decided to take a personal night and had dinner in the rotating restaurant on the top of the hotel....the "kobe" steak I had was definitely not Kobe but still tasted amazing....at this point I'm seriously missing homeland food. Emily was still on a no meat diet so when her cheese pizza arrived loaded up with half a pig...she was less then enthusiastic....but stripped it down and had "sauce-on-bread" which ironically still satisfied.

Day 10 we arose to the smell of burning rubber....again a strange smell surrounding the downtown of Nanjing. We were ready to blow out at this point and journey somewhere...anywhere else. The town was starting to depress us. We headed southwest for our last City visit...the town of Yangzhou. The drive out was over 2 hours and was challenging our patience. One thing to note was the large number of mid rise condo towers built inthe middle of farm lands. Right next to these buildings were large corporate facilities with NOBODY in them. I asked our guide later what was going on and evidently they haver created a "skeleton" new town that will ultimate be inhabitated with relocated residents from one of many large urban cities. The way it works is that when the central gov't decides to tear down a part (or entire) city to redevelop, they pay the previous residents to move out of there homes and relocate to areas outside of the city. This "new town" was being set up for a migration of about 400,000 people. Think how this would work for lets say...oh I don't know....how about lets demolish Burbank and move everyone out to premade condo's in Riverside. Same scenario....communism is still alive.

The town of Yangzhou tself is located at the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal it was interesting and clean. We did a boat tour on the Slender West River and then journey off into a few local garden parks and called it a day. The lunch was actually one of the toughest to stomach over the entire trip because we had such mixed emotions about the trip. We truly loved this trip...an amazing and "eye-opening" experience that I know I will never forget...but we were also ready to return home to reality.....so when we left the town at 2pm for a 5 hour bus ride to Shanghai we were less then enthusiastic (especially after getting into the smallest bus I've ever been in with baby Hitler driving....ironically the same bus driver that almost got beat up by the valet at the hotel earlier that morning because he wouldn't move his rig out of the valet are...pure comedy to watch this tiny man go after 4 large security guys...but I digress).

The bus ride and gloomy/polluted weather ,and the reality that our trip was winding down, put us into a little funk. Our lame ass bus driver got us lost in downtown Shanghai and we suffered for the first time from road rage....misdirected but nonetheless justified. We finally arrived 6.5 hours later at our hotel which would be the last stop before we headed to the airport for our long journey home.

We both have a number of heartwarming, interesting, inspiring and down right laughable moments to share in future entries...but I will table those for another night.

For now enjoy a few shots that I found most memorable from days 8-11.

China - Days 4-7

So I apologize for the sporadic updates but to say that we have been busy would be an understatement. Day 4 brought us deep into the back hills of Beijing for a treck up to and across the Great Wall. As we looked back on our trip at its half way point, I can honestly say this was a true highlight. Absolutely amazing to have had the chance to do this this early in my life. Truly truly an amazing experience.

Following our trip down the mountain from the Great Wall we dined at a fish farm situated deep in the backcountry of Biejing...this ended up being exceptionally rustic dining and one of the best meals of the trip. That afternoon and evening was spent back in Beijing within the Forbidden City. Pictures will be the only way I can provide an explanation as to the size and scale of this human monument. Trapsing through the crowds, Emily was revealed as a American Superstar of sorts...providing picture opportunities for the locals...

Day 5 consisted of a smattering of significant temples, the birds nest and water cube and a variety of public spaces...each visit was spectacular....but at one point we began to hit overload and the mind no longer processed in a way that was productive. We were stringing together long bus rides and flights and late night meals....we found ourselves battling a sort of grey appreciation for what was around us.

On day 6 we made the journey to the TerraCotta Warrior exhibit outside the province of Xi'an (Pronounced Shee-an) and to say we got the VIP tour would be an understatement. We stood face to face within the archeo dig areas with hundreds of warriors dating back 2200 years. A true wonder of the world and for me the most exiliarating highlight of the trip to date.

Today we settled into a recharge mode and decided in the AM to back out of the days lectures and go exploring within the city of Hangzhou (Pronounced hung-cha). What we experienced today walking through the backstreets of this city solo was truly amazing. We spent time in the local farmers/craft/live food markets and then journey to West Lake for a stroll up the boardwalk against an amazing scenic backdrop.

As we taxi'd back to the hotel...we both felt a calm rush back into our bodies having recharged our bodies and minds...while simultaneously having the opportunity to adventure into a completely foreign world. We now are preparing for a train ride into Nanjing tomorrow morning with City walking tours both there and in Yangtzchou before returning home.

I've attached a few more pics for your enjoyment. (please disregard spelling errors)

China - Days 1-3

Happy to say Em and I are sitting here in our room at the New Otani Hotel in Beijing finishing up day 3 of our trip. Very odd to feel like you just got a plane yet by calender count we have been away for 3 days.

We loaded up and headed out of LAX on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 19th. Our heading out of CA was uneventful...having found our way through ticketing, baggage check and security in just about an hour. The next two was spent trolling through the internation terminal trying to find something to eat that was not See's Candy and nasty "deli" food. The deli food smelled like warm cheese which led us to a quick scamper back to the 5 by 10 room called the snack store. Interestingly enough, when you don't have a lot of space in a store, you can stack things to the ceiling and all of a sudden you are a WalMart. Our check list:

• cheese popcorn - I guess the stale part was extra


• Liz Lemon glasses - So Em could flash me sexy eyes on the plane


• Nutter Butters - A classic favorite of course


• Pistachio's - Ended up being a huge lifesaver on our 14 hour trip as the food was...well foreign and only marginally describable....couldn't locate sesame in the sesame chicken...but the rice was good.


• Water - Or as Emily likes to correct me on..."werter"

So equipped with the necesities (see above)....we waited in a comfortable stuff spot away from the herds until the bus drove up to the gate to transport us to the gate. Oh yea...planes don't actually stop at the international terminal...they park them about 15 miles down the street. So after you hand the gate lady your ticket, you proceed to a bus that is approximately 165 feet long. About 100 people crammed into the bus (the hydrolic shocks adjusted 3 times last count).....and your off. More odd than the fact that the plane was 15 miles away was the fact that he stood at the very very very end of the LAX terminal area....right next to the barb wire topped permiter gates. To say you felt like China Easter Airlines was a red headed step child would be an understatement.

Anyway, we gleefully jumped on board and grabbed our seats. Lucky for us we were side by side on a two seat section and NOBODY SITTING IN FRONT OF US IN BULKHEAD. For me, with my extendo legs, this was like a dream come true. I refer to the bulkhead as first class coach....its about the best you can without paying the additional $6500 to upgrade. So the door closes to the LAX and I leap from my seat to claim my new Montana....I would be riding in big sky country for 14 hours....it may not be SO hard to fly today.

WRONG....IT WAS STILL A 14 HOUR FLIGHT!!!!! I watched a half season of Northern Exposure, A Guide to Knowing Your Saints, the Godfather, played my DS, some cat naps and read the entire Chinese version of Sky Mall....yet when all was said and I was ready to be here....we still had 4 .5 hours to go. Thats still one way to Hawaii in "people not sitting on a plane for a longgg time" speak.

Emily found her zen on the flight....mainly in my computer which we were able to plug in to electricity...allowing her to watch Forgetting Sara Marshal (hated it!!!) some computer games, and then cover to cover read of a new book. Half way through the flight I began to realize she was getting lots of sleep too...yet I was in lock down with a tingling tail bone and no comfortable positions left in my play book. Did I mention how challenin it is for me to fly.... ?

We finally landed in Shanghai to a transfer that took far to long and was at an hour that at this time was delirious for us....I think it was 5am CA time and 7pm China time.....which led to more confusion for both the mind and body....but we eventually made it and arrived a little after midnight on Tuesday morning the 21st....a little tired and exceptionally hungry, but happy to finally be here.

We arrived at the hotel and headed upstairs.....2am China time....11pm CA....two days traveling....very little sleep...and small rations of food. You would think all we could do is drop our bags and crash....not so much! Room service order and 2 hours later....we wore down and called it a night.

We awoke on tuesday to a welcoming hotel...nice breakfast in our room.....then took a walk around downtown Beijing. First to the Friendship market which actually housed every physical item you could purchase in this country. It was a little sensory overload and a lot of self-restraint to actually walk out with NOTHING.....

We headed from their down to Ri Tan park which sits in the center of the Embassy Area within the first ring of Beijing....down the street from the palace. We had cameras a blazin and were amazed by the fact you can actually find a Sizzler in China but I don't think any exist in America. We ended up the afternoon with a walk through the park....lunch at the Elephant Bar (Russian version evidently because we didn't recognize a thing on the menu except fried cheese sticks which were located under the vegetable section...) and then headed back to the hotel.

So far the City is very interesting...more thoughts as we get deeper into the trip. But for now, the summary of the trip is as follows:

1. flying sucks


2. emily won day 1 photo bug tour


3. messages in china are a great deal


4. and little mongolian kids with plastic cups on their hands like to beat up tall american men when they are walking by them on the street.

Tomorrow we begin our day with an afternoon at the National Library of China for a behind the scenes look at their ancient maps archive.....

by for now.

How many ice cream stands do you need in a town....

And other fun things that swim around the brain of my girlfriend. I'm serious if you were sitting her listening to her talk to her computer you would realize (as I am now) that she is a walking fountain of entertainment.

As is my nephew who visited this weekend to see E's soccer game. The two had a blast and ended the afternoon with a little face painting...here are a few shots.

HOW SWEET IT IS......

I remember years ago while in college...driving a forklift for a water company in San Marcos, stacking bottles of water 30 high in about 100 degree weather....I remember my best friend Craig coming out into the service yard and announcing to me that OJ Simpson is in a slow speed chase through southern California. Not sure what was going on at the time but the rumor was that he he left an apology and admission of guilt letter to his kids (which they read on the air but never presented in court) and they think he was involved with the killing of his wife. It was at that time when we began to hear the beginnings of a drama which would literally last for years. It ended up being something like a train accident and I couldn't stop being pulled into the craziness of the OJ case.

Look back at, the time and energy I spent following that lame saga is time I will never get back. In the end, OJ (part 1) felt a lot like the 2008 Presidential Election Campaign....1.5 years of pure rediculousness.

I can now say thank you to the great City of Las Vegas for at least giving me some peace of mind (and a little confidence back into our judicial system). OJ should have been rotting in jail for the past 15+ years. It was rediculous that he ever got off in the first place. So watchin this video makes me feel soooooo good once again.

Justice prevails....and OJ is off the golf course and into the big house. Can I get an amen????