One Day We'll Actually Make Friends in San Diego

until then, we'll rely on visitors and trips to Los Angeles to socialize with non-feline creatures. As the photos show, many of these gatherings revolve around food. We're not complaining.

In early January, over brunch at Jinky's Cafe in Studio City, I briefly caught-up with my friend, going back to UCLA graduate school days, Alicia and her son. They were in town from Paris and exhausted from running around visiting everyone--the standard experience when one returns home after extended absences. We never made it down to Paris to visit her while we were in England, but we did meet-up for dinner during one of Alicia's theatre-centric London getaways.


Two weekends ago, Dom came down to San Diego, and that certainly calls for putting some thought into where we were going to eat. I thought about trying somewhere new, but then I remembered Dom's love of mac n' cheese. Urban Solace is known for its reasonably priced, quasi-gourmet comfort food, and Dom loved it. He still raves about the cheese biscuits--which, sadly, neither Matt nor I can eat.

Me and Dom @ Urban Solace. Matt and Dom (and lavender lemonade) @ Cafe Chloe for brunch.


Then last weekend we were up in the greater Los Angeles area. This time our food stops including the Farmer's Market @ 3rd & Fairfax where we both ordered the Tuna Sambal at Banana Leaf--a little greaser than we remembered it, but still yummy. Matt went back to SD on Sunday, but I stayed around to catch "The Wrestler" at my favorite theatre (Arclight Hollywood), eat dinner at the 101 Cafe with Monique, eat brunch at Cafe Midi with Tyler and Shawn, and take a scenic drive along Mulholland in Shawn's new Mazda 3. Since it had recently rained, the views extended out farther and were clearer than, say, about 350 days of the year.


Matt sporting his warm weather gear at the Farmer's Market. I get ready for my first bit of brunch.


Tyler and I barely contain our enthusiasm. Shawn and I with the Hollywood sign in the background.

Yes We Did!

Matt and I hooked up my computer to our 19" monitor at 7am this morning to watch the build up to and the actual swearing in of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. We wish we were with more people to share the moment, but the great thing about this campaign has been the feeling of inclusiveness, no matter where one is. The only thing left to say is, "Woo hoo!"



Since we couldn't be there, here are some Getty Images of the morning. (I love Michelle's color choice--her gloves are simple and classy. And Sasha's pink and orange palette is one of my favorites.)


Inauguration Photo from South Pole Antarctica!!!
Originally uploaded by Huffington Post

I love this photo from the South Pole.

Daisy Louise Magnolia Hanapepe McGavock (aka the Princess, the Peepstar, Dee Dee)

My sister and brother-in-law's dog, Daisy, whom they adopted from a rescue group in late 2003, passed away on 9 January. She had been quite sick, but happy and pain free, for a year. Without Carolyn and Adam's constant nurturing, she would not have made it these additional months. Adam sent out a sob inducing email of remembrance, and it was nothing less than this sweet lady deserved. Here's a short excerpt.

"We will always remember Daisy as our gentle princess, our spoiled girl, our little star. She was a licker of faces, a cozy companion, a friend to all people and dogs, and a constant presence in the kitchen."

The Holidays: Nature

Matt captured a beautiful sunset moment at Primehook National Wildlife Refuge, Broadkill Beach, Delaware.

On a nature walk in Kent Island, Maryland we spotted the reclusive decaying pick-up truck, Matt and my mom smell the gin-making Juniper berry, and red berries are a small dot of color in the brown and green landscape.


Great Blue Herons brave the winter in Delaware; it was the first time I'd seen one in a tree.


Typical sight around the Delaware shore in winter: migrating Snow Geese, bales of hay and Canadian Geese (click for more detail).


Matt and I bundled up for a sunset nature walk with my (crazy-eyed) dad and stepmom near their shore home. More Primehook landscape shots below.

The Holidays: Christmas

The McGavock Christmas Tree

We arrived in Virgina on 26 Dec. at 6am and, after a brief nap at my sister's, we celebrated Christmas the rest of the day. Though we had agreed on not exchanging gifts of much monetary value, we still found some fun items to bestow upon each other. Prime example, Carolyn and Adam found some 'vintage' glasses: Lando Calrissian from "The Empire Strikes Back" for Matt and Miss Piggy for me. Unfortunately, Matt's glass wasn't robust, and it broke seconds after opening.


Matt sad, Amy happy.

A Split, Croatia football club scarf from my dad was a big hit, as Matt's grandma is Croatian.


Carolyn thought my homemade bird portraits were professional, and she really liked the smell of her new hand lotion.


Mom showing off her new slipper socks, and Adam with the big gift of the night: Wii Fit.

Nintendo's Brain Age captivated my grandmother, and Adam's step-niece liked her penguin stuffed animal. After receiving a stack of books, she made it clear that she would have preferred more toys. However, my mom, Matt and I all took turns reading to Skyler, and we felt better when we caught her reading on her own later in the day.


Carla explains Brain Age to my grandma, and Skyler, less than enthusiastically, opens another book.


Entertaining Skyler: Matt reads "Where the Wild Thing Are" and my mom sings (in a way) Christmas songs.

The rest of the day was filled with food and family time. I think we did a good job of looking like we like each other in the photos--except for one of them.


Carolyn and I are all hugs, until a second after the posed shot. I love my unintentional, please get away from me, look.


Nan, Mom, Carolyn and Matt sit down for dinner, and my dad poses with his girls.


The weary travelers--I changed for bed even before the second round of gift opening.