oscar pizza

we joined some friends for an oscar party and chose to partake in one of mamma's brick oven pizzas.

the BIG one.

it was awesome!

give thanks

my sister has critiqued my blog for not having enough photos with people in them.  well, i figured this one would satisfy for a little while!  this photo is of a recent fondue night with our good friends.  i'm thankful for many things in my life, but food, friends, and family are a good place to start.

have a very happy thanksgiving!

oh yeah, and fondue night with our friends was way too fun.  does anyone else feel like you do not do stuff like this often enough?

cd saturday: led zeppelin's iv

last year we took a hike with some friends on echo mountain.  the day started out hazy and misty.  you might even say it was a misty mountain hop.  okay, i know, i'm stretching a bit, but when i thought about what picture to use for today's album review, this one seemed like the perfect choice.


i want to start off by saying how much i regret putting an album on this list that includes one of the most overplayed songs in the history of pop music.  never the less, this is an album that deserves to make my top 20 favorite albums list.

when i play zeppelin's prog. rock masterpiece, i think of a few things.  first, it reminds me of sitting around with friends (especially mike and steve) trying to duplicate the sounds we were hearing on our own instruments, or simply tapping or clapping out the rhythms.  second, it makes me think of the incredible way that john bonham's drumming shapes my enjoyment of this record (especially on "black dog").  third, it makes me realize how different this album is to ANYTHING else i own or listen to.  zeppelin was a band that was ground breaking and revolutionary in ways that have never quite been duplicated.

this album only has eight tracks, and they are all incredibly good (if not for one particular track being a bit overplayed).  ones that stand out - favorites - are the aforementioned "misty mountain hop" and "black dog", as well as their take on the beautiful song "when the levee breaks".

this is a classic album, and i'm sure many of you feel the same way.  to take a look at the other 16 albums i've reviewed so far on my way to my 20 favorite albums, check out the list below.

1. u2 - the joshua tree
2. dave matthews band - crash
3. cake - comfort eagle
4. blue rodeo - five days in july
5. the beach boys - pet sounds
6. coldplay - viva la vida
7. weezer - pinkerton
8. mates of state - re-arrange us
9. radiohead - ok computer 
10. nickel creek - this side
11. u2 - how to dismantle an atomic bomb 
12. the beatles - the white album 
13. sloan - one chord to another 
14. o.a.r. - risen
15. paul simon - graceland 
16. jack johnson - brushfire fairytales

head on out for a bike ride with friends

if only it would stop raining on the weekend.

enjoy your super bowl sunday! i'll be making these for the big game.

beautiful sky (and a few friends)

in hopes of bringing some sunshine and blue sky into the incredibly rainy pasadena sky, i'm posting this lovely image from a few weeks ago, passed on to me by our friends, the morgans.

more (hopefully sunny) skywatch friday photos can be found right here.

january theme day #2: best photo from 2009

city daily photo (of which i'm a proud member) typically has theme days on the first of the month. this month is a little different, as they are asking members to use the 15th of january to re-post their favorite photo from this past year.

as i looked back through my year in photos, i had several choices. some were photos of meaningful experiences or significant sporting events, others were photos of significant pasadena moments, while others i just liked the artistic value. the one i chose combines all of these things - good times with friends, in a pasadena setting, with a picturesque artistic value. it is a fun picture, and i really like it. and thus, is my best photo from 2009. for those who are curious, it was posted all the way back on january 28th.

you can also check out what all of the other bloggers selected.
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

beyond the olive

beyond the olive is one of old town pasadena's newest shops. they specialize in - you guessed it - olive oil! most of their product is made right here in the state of california. best of all, you can sample anything in the store before you buy it. the metal containers on the left side of the photo are from the wide selection of oils that are available to be filled and re-filled from one of their house bottles. they also sell a wide variety of balsamic vinegars too. check them out!

this is what happens when you blow bubblegum on your bicycle

thanks for the candid moment, ryan.

with friends like these...

uh... uh...

i'm not sure what to say about this photo. enjoy!

one more from our grand adventure

here is another shot of the breathtaking imagery we found while visiting the grand canyon last week. we had a great time with our friends and can't wait for our next camping/hiking adventure!

heading out for a hike

we're hitting the road this evening for a long weekend trip with some friends to the grand canyon. we've never been and we're pretty excited! i'm sure i'll have plenty of photos to post when we get home, but until then, enjoy a few pasadena photos.

from here...

exam week is done, and the summer quarter doesn't start until the 22nd, so what am i up to? i'm combining my love of bicycles, beer, and baseball (remember my love of the letter b?) in to one fantastic journey. and you can follow my journey right here.

more sky watch friday right here.

happy weekend everyone!

4.7 miles back down

from the top of inspiration point we headed back down the mountain, and as you can see from the sign, we had a significant walk back down.

i hope you enjoyed journeying through echo mountain with us over the last few days.

remains of yesteryear

the top of echo mountain contains the remnants of the mount lowe railway and the buildings and hotel that used to exist on top of the mountain. little remains beyond the foundations and some old machinery, but it is still worth checking out if you are in the area.

it is an incredible place to walk around and take in some local history.

unknown planet

compare this image to yesterday. can you believe this is the same hike? sure, the marine layer is still hanging in the air, but the terrain looks completely different. awesome.

welcome to bike week!

hey there pasadena. this week is pasadena's annual bike week. it includes a wide variety of events and bike rides, and city residents are encouraged to get out and ride their bicycles - to work, around town, or just around the block.

go have fun! and for details about this week, check out the website.

oh, and this picture was taken during our recent epic bike ride.

clink!

raising a glass at this weekend's dinner at mi piace. we were celebrating a tim's recent successful audition - those of you on the east coast should keep your eyes out for a universal studios commercial with him starring as a british rocker.

congrats tim!

the epic ride.

on saturday i embarked on the most challenging bike ride of my life. i was joined by my wife and 4 of our good friends on a journey into the san gabriel mountain range. we headed out to duarte and headed north on route 39, where we proceeded to climb for 30 miles until we reached highway 2, which we took back down to pasadena.

this picture is a shot of the ladies of our group. if you click on it, you can almost make out three cyclists along the road, just beginning the worst of the climb.

over the next few days i'll share more about our adventure. in the meantime, check out a version of the route we did, and if you are up for a laugh, click on "show elevation". we are hardcore.

a ride across the bridge with friends

this shot is from a recent ride with our friends. perfectly pasadenian with a view of the colorado street bridge, as well as the old hotel.

pie 'n burger

i had seen several lists that put pasadena's pie 'n burger at the top when it came to the best burgers in los angeles. needless to say, my love of a good burger made me salivate at every list i came across. i'm not sure why it took me so long to end up going here for a bite, but last week we finally got the chance! the expressions on everyone's faces say it all - we were excited to be there!