That Park Looks Familiar

 

Yup, it’s my beloved Tietze Park – not even a half block from my house – where my dogs have dropped literally tons of poo.  So watch where you step when you play your night nerf fake paintball.

February iPhone Picture of the Day #1

If you're not watching Archer on FX, you're flirting with the Danger Zone!

Click on Archer’s face to enter The Danger Zone (soundboard).

Birthday Week Gift Idea #2

LG 84-Inch "Ultra-Definition" 3-D TV

Birthday Week Gift Suggestion #1

Starship Enterprise coffee table

Best Teeshirt Ever

Hat tip to the great @DanaJGould

2011 in Review: Top Ten Meals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10	Ocean Prime (Dallas, TX) This may have been rated higher (or lower) if I could vividly remember this meal.  But I think it was pretty good.  Plus it introduced me to Penner Ash Pinot Noir.
9	Le Perraudin  (Paris, France) A traditional French meal in a traditional French restaurant.
8	Schweine Janes (Dusseldorf, Germany) Slow roasted pork sandwich.  What more do you need to know?
7	Preist Station Cafe (Groveland, CA) An absolutely gorgeous view of the sunset and cheap bottle of wine to go with some pretty good comfort food.
6	Restaurant in Beilstein Germany I went with the Schnitzel.  It was delicious.  Plus, there was the beautiful view of the Mosel.
5	Wayfare Tavern (San Francisco, CA) After a weekend out basking in the beauty of the Sierra Nevadas, could there be a better way to celebrate than putting Effingham Inlet oysters in your face?
4	Hotel Villa Melsheimer (Reil, Germany) This is more because this may be my favorite day of 2011.  And this is my favorite meal of my favorite day of 2011.  There was a meal earlier in the day (and referenced about) that was tastier.  But for the overall vibe of Zweibelkuchen and Federweisser and 40+ kilometers of biking, nothing could beat this.  And, yes, I still love you Amy.
3	Au Bon Bol (Brussels, Belgium) .Of all the great meal I had in Europe in 2011, this is the one I obsess on.  It could be because I hadn’t eaten, thanks to Lufthansa’s 24 hour Gander delay, a good meal in two days.  It could be because, thanks to paleo, I hadn’t eaten any noodles in over 6 months.  But whatever the reason, the artisan noodles with crispy duck were absolutely sublime.
2	Lucia (Oak Cliff, Texas) The first time I ate at what I now consider my favorite Dallas restaurant I felt like I was in Portland. That’s how good I think this place is.  It takes me to a much better place.   The second time I ate here I surpassed my first experience.  Eat everything here all the time always.
1	Elliot’s Oyster House (Seattle WA) It is impossible to consider any other meal in 2011 as better than this one.  It started off with a dozen pacific oysters, followed by geoduck, crab cakes, a giant serving of more crab and then another dozen pacific oysters.  And all of this on a dock overlooking Puget Sound and drinking a couple of bottles of a delightful Oregon Pinot Noir.

2011 in Review: Top Fifteen Pictures

In reviewing my 2011 pictures two things became obvious to me.  One, I need to take more pictures.  Even though I took almost twice as many pictures as the year before, that was mostly due to taking many more pictures at fewer “picture” opportunities. The second was that there was no obvious best picture of 2011.

In 2009 this was by far the best picture I took of an old couple in a café in Paris.:

In 2010 it was this self explanatory picture:

So, for 2011 I narrowed it down to these fifteen in no particular order.

Area Dog Possibly Possessed by a Vorlon