After mentioning that I have always wanted to experience a Straight Razor Shave, my girlfriend, Tori, gave me a Royal Shave gift certificate for Christmas from The Art of Shaving barber shop in La Jolla.
My barber's name was Hugo and he started with a very Hot Towel and then an application of Pre-Shave Oil to help lubricate my skin. He told me a lot of people can't take the heat very well, but I thought it felt great.
After working up a rich lather of warm Shaving Cream across my face, Hugo used the straight razor to shave with the grain. I could feel the sharp edge of the blade, slightly scrapping against my skin as he worked his way across my face. He told me that he first learned to use the straight razor while shaving men's heads back in Barber School.
After the first pass, he reapplied the thick cream and shaved across the grain of my face, avoiding the neck since it is prone to irritation for first timers. For the more experienced, there would be one more pass against the grain for the closest possible shave.
Finished with the razor, Hugo gave me another Hot Towel infused with Lemon Essential Oil before applying an After Shave Mask. Removing the mask after ten minutes, he wrapped my face with a Cold Towel to close my pores. It felt deliciously cool against my skin.
A spritz of Hydrating Toner and some After Shave Balm and I was finished in 45 minutes. It was a fun experience and Tori said my face has never felt so smooth. Mission Accomplished!
For Tori's birthday, we went to Catalina Island for a three day weekend getaway. Friday morning, we caught the 9 am ferry out of Newport Beach, the Catalina Flyer. The trip across the channel took about an hour after passing the harbor breakwater. As we approached Avalon, the Casino was clearly visible under the morning mist clinging to the hills surrounding the tiny town. Checking into our room at the Hermosa Hotel on Metropole Street, we walked past the Casino for our noon Zip Line Eco Tour over at Descanso Beach. After our weighing in (235 lbs. max), our zip line guide, Matt and our two Brakemen, Nash and Christian fitted us out with our harnesses and individual trolleys for the two hour tour.
After learning the basic zip line positions, our guides drove our group up to the top of Descanso Canyon where the last of the mist was burning off and the yellow flowers of the invasive Flax Leaf Broom shone in the sun. Raven pairs circled overhead as we prepared to take our turns down the first zip line, a short 501 foot line to ease everyone into the experience. To make it across, we needed to build up speed in the cannonball position and then watch for our brakeman's signal to drop our legs into the starfish to slow down. The last one across the first line, I was able to finally spot the most impressive of the tour's five zip lines. The second was the longest and highest at 1,045 feet long and 300 feet high. With the slight droop at the center of the long line, we needed to maintain our highest speed to make it up the incline at the end. Even though she stayed in the cannonball all the way across, the lightest girl in our group didn't make it and rolled back down to the center of the line. Nash had to send out the sand bag to retrieve her hanging high above the canyon floor.
The third line was the fastest, with speeds up to 45 mph across the 702 feet for the heaviest of us. As we descended the canyon from station to station, Matt described for us the environment of Catalina Island. He also said that we were now experienced enough to abandon the cannonball and starfish positions and could play around, letting go with a hand, twisting around into backwards, or waving our legs as we descended the forth line. Over 200 lbs, Nash was able to reach out and touch the leaves of the trees that the 892 foot line passed through. I took a video as I went down, stopping just short of the landing platform. I was able to catch the line Nash tossed me before I rolled back out toward the middle. Our last line was 531 feet and it ended right above Descanso Beach, a total course length of 3,761 feet. There was a camera at the end of the line, so they told us to style like crazy. It was very fun!
After dropping off our Ball and Chain, the metal trolleys we carried for the two hour tour, we walked back along the path to Avalon under a bright blue sky for a light lunch at El Galleon along the harbor front. All over town, there were numerous people dressed up in the attire of the 30's and 40's. At first I thought that there was a swing dancing event going on this weekend at the Casino, but we found out that they were there for a themed wedding. They even traveled in costume, boarding our ferry with old-fashioned luggage. With the adrenaline wearing off from our zip line adventure, we took a nap back at our hotel before heading out to dinner at Steve's Steakhouse. We had a great table right near one of the circular windows overlooking the harbor.
For breakfast on Saturday, we headed over to Original Jack's Cookhouse where we just beat the fresh crowds arriving with the morning ferries. The sun began to come out as we walked over to the Casino to check out the museum. It was very informative as learned about the native inhabitants and the timeline of Avalon from the late 19th century to the Wrigley Family's involvement in developing the island. As a spring training site for the Chicago Cubs, a training ground for the military in World War II and a popular spot for vacationing Hollywood stars in the past, Catalina has a rich history. Further out on the Casino's jetty, we watched the scuba divers entering the freezing clear water in their dry suits. Next time I come back to the island, I am definitely going diving.
Heading over to the Green Pleasure Pier jutting out at the center of Avalon Harbor, we boarded the Moonstone, one of Catalina's iconic Glass Bottom Boats. As we cruised out of the harbor, we watched the sandy bottom turn into the kelp forest of Lovers Cove, filled with Opaleye and bright orange Garibaldi. We were able to watch a diving cormorant swimming under our boat in search of fish and our guide pointed out the large numbers of Calico Bass, a very tasty sport fish forbidden from commercial fishing. As our boat headed back to the harbor, large numbers of juvenile sea lions swam alongside while countless strings of Cormorants flew past, gliding just above the water.
After our boat ride, we stopped at Luau Larry's to get Wiki Wacked, receiving hats with our strong drinks. Still a little buzzed from our Wiki Wackers, we watched a parade of boats decorated for St. Patrick's Day to sober up before renting a golf cart, Avalon's main mode of transportation. Since it was near the end of the day, we had only an hour left to circle the town. The cart chugged up and down the steep hills for great views even as the clouds were returning. After dropping of the cart, we headed over to Mi Casita's for Tori's birthday dinner. Very good Mexican food!
We woke to clear blue skies on Sunday morning, perfect for our morning tour out into the Catalina Island Conservancy. After breakfast at Sally's Waffle House, we boarded the Skyline Drive tour that drives out to the airport in the middle of the 21 mile long island. Our driver, Cindy, told us all about the flora and fauna and kept us entertained with cheesy jokes. We kept our eyes out for buffalo, spotting a bison herd on a distant hill where they looked like a patch of brown bushes. The conservancy land supports a herd of 150 which they control with birth control, transporting any extra to the plains of North Dakota. When we arrived at the Airport in the Sky, we bought some of their famous Killer Cookies.
While we spotted another bison herd in the distance on our way back from the airport, we lucked out near the end. Two male buffalo were close by on either side of the road, one grazing by the town's water reservoir and the other hanging out in the shade of a tree. Just as we started to drive off, he ambled over to a spot of exposed dirt and collapsed. Raising a cloud of dust, he rolled around on his back, kicking his legs in the air as he wallowed to cool off. Our zip line guide, Matt, had described this behavior to us on Friday and it was great to experience this impressive sight first hand.
Back in town, we ordered ice cream at Big Olaf's while we waited for our afternoon ferry back to Newport Beach. I haven't had one of their waffle cones since the shop in Leucadia closed when I was a teenager. Boarding the ferry, there was a long line but we were able to grab some seats inside. Because it was a full boat, people had to crowd onto the exposed upper deck where a strong wind picked up as the catamaran speed across the channel. Good thing for them that it was a sunny day. With hardly any traffic on the way home, we made it back to Carlsbad by eight. It was a great weekend!
Catalina Zip Line Eco Tour Videos
Tori flying down the 1st line of the zip line course.
POV of me zooming through the trees on the 4th zip line.
I haven't been skiing this winter so I jumped at the chance to go to Big Bear Lake on Sunday with Kenny and Jill. Because of the long drive, I met up at their house at 5 am, but it meant I had to wake up by 3:45. With time springing forward an hour for Daylight Savings Time, it felt like 2:45. On the drive up to Bear Mountain, we ate the delicious breakfast burritos Kenny made.
We arrived right as the slopes opened and headed up the lifts. It was pretty chilly during the morning, but it soon warmed up under the blue skies until it grew pretty hot. The mountain received 12 to 14 inches of fresh snow on Friday so there was plenty left for us. For the first time ever, I felt outnumbered as a skier since 90% of Bear Mountain contained snowboarders. While I enjoyed the steep Geronimo and Exhibition runs, we spent most of the day in the Freestyle Terrain Parks on the west side.
It was also my first time skiing down a Half Pipe and it felt great to improve so much by my 4th run down. I haven't spent so much effort working on countless jumps in a long time so I was more exhausted than usual at the end of the day and my right knee was really aching. Kenny and Jill had constructed extra homemade padding to wear under their snowboard gear but Kenny had a bad dismount off a rounded metal terrain feature and landed flat on his back, the only unpadded area.
We left an hour early to beat traffic and even with a short nap on the drive, I passed out by 9.
"No way would I ever do that," I thought when my girlfriend brought up trying a 10 Day Juice Fast after she watched the movie, "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead", but I surprised myself when she emailed me a Groupon the next day for a shorter 3 day period and I agreed to try it. The fact that Chef V would deliver all the supplies, pre-prepared helped convince me.
Beginning on Saturday and Sunday, we were supposed to avoid meat, dairy, flour, oil, sugar, salt and alcohol for our juice fast starting on Monday. No medicine or vitamins either. We did a good job, but we cheated a bit with small amounts of salt included in our meals and grilled chicken in our salads when we met our friends for a Birthday dinner on Sunday evening. I was really craving my Dr. Peppers, but I fought it off.
Monday morning, Chef V delivered the three day's supply of what we would need:
Organic Green Drink - (4 per day) 1 Black Kale Leaf, 1 Green Kale Leaf, 1 Collard Green Leaf, 1 Green Leaf Lettuce, 1 Green Chard Leaf, 2 Dandelion Greens, 2 Sprigs Curly Parsley and 1 Apple. This drink was the best tasting of the three items.
Ultra Shake - (2 per day) Multi-Vitamin Shake Mix with Pea Protein. We added the small container of powder to 16oz. of water in the Blender Cup provided. Tasted pretty good with ice added.
Organic Detox Soup - (1 per evening) I don't know what was in this thick yellow soup, but it tasted like butternut squash with maybe celery. It was nice and sweet, but a bit bland like baby food. Tori liked it a lot better than I did.
Day 1: Morning Weight: 180 pounds - While the sight and smell of food is enticing, I'm not hungry at the end of the first day. Probably because my stomach is so full of fluids sloshing around. Between each scheduled Green Drink and Ultra Shake, I am required to drink over 24oz. of water to help my body rid itself of toxins. By the end of the day, it was a struggle to take even a few sips of water but I managed it. I still feel like I have plenty of energy.
Day 2: Morning Weight: 175.4 pounds - While the provided drinks taste good, I am getting tired of the same sweet flavors over and over again. I felt a little hungry in the afternoon, but it goes away if I don't think about food. I thought I would be craving soda by now, but instead I find myself wanting something savory instead.
Day 3: Morning Weight: 173.4 pounds - My last day! I felt a little euphoric in the morning and it grew into lethargy by the afternoon. I was really craving food by the end of the day, but I still had the weird sensation of not being hungry at the same time. My belly felt full. I have had plenty of sleep, but my tiredness reminds me of how I feel if I stay awake all night until dawn. Tori had the opposite reaction to the cleanse then I did. She started out feeling bad on Monday night and improved each day.
Day After: Morning Weight: 172.8 pounds - I know a juice fast burns fat over longer periods, but I am curious about how much of my weight lost in this short period was just attributable to the absence of new food in my body. But it is not a big deal because my main goal was to detox my system. I had delicious oatmeal this morning for my first meal and I ate healthy food for the rest of the day to let my body adjust back to normal.
I have now written 424 pages with 132,529 words in total for the first three parts of my science-fiction novel, Sensory Overload. According to my outline, I now have seven chapters to finish, plus an epilogue. My New Years Resolution for 2013 is to write at least five new chapters of the final Part IV by the end of the year. Since I average a little over two months per chapter if I stick to my regime of 2 new pages a week, it should be no problem.
Update: 4/3/13
I have finished the rough draft for Chapter 21. This one took three months because it ended up being 10 pages longer than my usual length. Writing this chapter helped me fill out deeper outlines for my next two chapters and also sparked me to rethink the future story-line after that. I decided to change a major plot-point and throw out my outline for Chapter 24 and replace it with a completely new story idea. The basic outlines for the final chapters survived, but needed some major revising to absorb the changes. I think it will be much better now.
Update: 7/3/13
Another long chapter, but I have finished writing Chapter 22. This chapter ended up being pretty straightforward and easy to write due to my earlier outline work, but I am still behind schedule. Unless the next three chapters are all well under 20 pages, I doubt that I will complete my New Years Resolution for 2013.
As I write the last part of my novel, I've looked back at the evolution of my writing process. For the first few chapters, I hand-wrote them in a notepad before transcribing them into Microsoft Word. Even after I learned to type fast enough to write creatively on a computer, I would still need to print out the completed pages to edit them with a pen and a crossword puzzle dictionary. Now I do everything on the computer, outlining, writing and editing. Even when I send chapters to my friends for review, it tends to be on their Kindle or Nook.
Update: 9/26/13
After writing two long chapters in a row, Chapter 23 is back to a reasonable length. I should have time to complete at least one more chapter before the new year begins. Halfway through 23, I decided that it will end up switching its location with Chapter 22. Since the timelines overlap in these last three chapters, the events in 23 will end up being anti-climatic after 22. Switching them will now prolong the mystery of what occurred at the end of 21. I now need to edit all three to make sure they are cohesive.
Update: 3/3/14
Helping to plan my wedding in January put me behind schedule in writing Chapter 24. Before I was halfway finished with the new chapter, Tori read the first three chapters of Part IV and had a problem with the major event that happens at the end of Chapter 21. At first I didn't agree with her critique, but she convinced me to think it over. After long debates in my head, I finally have a rough plan on how I can revise the troublesome plot-point and adjust the events in the 22 and 23 to fit. It will be tough to pull off but I think Tori has pushed me to improve my story. I will abandon 24 until I finish revising the three previous chapters.
Update: 8/1/14
Even though I had a revision outline, I was daunted by the task and distracted with our preparations for Burning Man at the end of the summer. I finished re-writing Chapter 21 yesterday and I think it is much improved. I know I will be obsessed with editing my Burning Man photos after the event so I hope I can finish revising 22 and 23 before the end of the year as well.
Update: 3/17/15
Slow as usual but I finally finished rewriting Chapters 22 and 23. I am looking forward to getting back to Chapter 24 that I started over a year ago. Including the 10 pages I moved into it from previous chapters, I have 22 pages that I will have to rewrite before I can start on new material.
Update: 7/27/17
That was a long layoff but I finally put my nose back to the grindstone and finished Chapter 24. At 27 pages, it ended up being another long chapter but I am happy that I am finally back on track writing new material. I have two trips to Los Angeles and Amsterdam planned for August and September so I hope I am not delayed too long with more photo editing.
Update: 9/24/20
It took me three years before I got back into gear and finished writing Chapter 25. While I want to blame my time-consuming photography hobby and the return to Burning Man in 2018 and 2019, the real reason I put off writing this chapter for so long was because I was a bit scared. Chapter 25 was the culmination of a lot of different plot threads and I didn't know how to tie them together. After re-reading all my chapters from the beginning, I finally figured it out.
This might be the slowest book ever written. I wrote Part I during my Twenties, took a long layoff and wrote Parts II and III in my Thirties. If I can finish Chapters 26, 27 and the Epilogue before my 50th birthday at the end of 2021, I will have written Part IV in my Forties. Three Decades!!!
Update: 12/10/20
The rough draft of Chapter 26 is complete. I wrote these 24 new pages fairly quickly as the story advances toward the final confrontations. I will now spend the rest of December re-reading and editing Chapters 25 and 26. My New Year's Resolution will be to finish Chapter 27 and the Epilogue before my 50th Birthday on 12/25/21.
While my July trip to Vegas with Tori for Chad's Birthday was all about nightclubs and lying poolside, this visit was more about seeing shows and eating great meals. We lucked out at the rental agency when they upgraded us to a BMW 328i and we drove out to Vegas in style. It was my first time driving a Bimmer and I really enjoyed it, 35 mpg with lots of power. I loved how many automatic features it had while the super responsive cruise control was the best I have ever experienced. After a quick four-hour drive on Saturday, we arrived at the Wynn only thirty minutes after our check-in time. Opening the drapes in our luxurious room, we were greeted with a lovely view of the sun setting between the Mirage and Treasure Island on the other side of the Strip.
After settling in at the Wynn, we drove to Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas since Tori had never been there before. We drank strong margaritas from a bar out on the street and watched two overhead VivaVision shows, American Pie by Don McLean and a Bon Jovi montage. For dinner, we ate at the Grotto in the Golden Nugget. It didn't look that fancy, but the pasta was amazingly delicious. (Ravioli with zesty vodka sauce for Tori and tortellini with creamy pesto sauce for me.) In the morning, we went next door to the Society Cafe at the Encore. I would definitely recommend the Frosted Flake French Toast. After breakfast, we walked over to Circus Circus to watch The Flying Angels trapeze show. I saw a new trick that I have never seen before, the "Pass Over". Visiting Circus Circus brought back many memories of my first visit to Vegas in 1993.
Back at the Wynn, we explored the hotel for a little while before walking over to Caesars Palace to meet up with Nick who moved to Vegas a few months ago to work at the Cirque show, O. On the way back to get ready for our dinner reservations at L'atelier de Joel Robuchon, we watched the beginning of the Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. It was eerie watching all the racers running down the center of the empty Strip, normally crowded with cars. Nick warned us that it would cause major traffic problems so we got ready early to catch a cab down to MGM Grand on the far side of the Strip. After sitting in bumper to bumper traffic for one long block, we ditched the cab at Harrah's and rode the Monorail the rest of the way.
Since the monorail saved us so much time, L'atelier was able to sit us an hour early, allowing a nice leisurely meal before the Absinthe show at 9:30. I have eaten at this Michelin Star restaurant once before in 2008 and I have always wanted to come back. Tori and I both ordered the four-course menu and a glass of wine. Not technically one of the courses, the dinner started with a L'Amuse-Bouche (Foie Gras Parfait with Port Wine and Parmesan Foam) It was my first time tasting foie gras which is banned in California and we found it very delicious.
1st Course - La Joue (Melting Beef Cheek with Onion Mustard Sauce and Young Vegetables) and L'Hamachi (Yellow Tuna Tartar with Spicy Tomato Coulis) While tasty, these appetizers were our least favorite dishes of the night.
2nd Course - Le Homard (Lobster Bisque with Crunchy Green Peas) We both couldn't resist ordering this smooth and rich bisque. I am normally not a huge fan of lobster, but I loved the flavor here.
Added Course - La Caille (Foie Gras Stuffed Free-Range Quail with Mashed Potatoes) This wasn't part of our menu, but we ordered an extra plate of Joel Robuchon's signature dish to share. The buttery potatoes melted in our mouth.
4th Course - Les Tartes (Traditional French Tarts) We both ordered the tarts with an after-dinner cappuccino. My favorite tart was the coffee while Tori loved the lemon meringue with edible gold leaf.
I enjoyed the counter-seating at L'atelier that creates face-to-face interaction with our friendly waiter and where you can watch the chefs working in the quietly efficient kitchen. Hopping back on the monorail, we rode up to Caesars Palace for our after-dinner show, Absinthe. (As we walked across the overpass, we could see marathon runners still crossing the finish line.) Absinthe's small spiegeltent lies in the front courtyard of Caesars and we were in the 5th row back from the tiny center stage. As people entered the tent, one of the static trapeze performers, Genevieve Landry, sat above the aisle messing with people as they went underneath to their seats. Most were unaware of her sitting right above their heads on the static bar. The show started with a chair-balancing act and the Green Fairy descending from the ceiling as she sang and performed a burlesque routine. These were both okay, but Absinthe really kicked off with the appearance of the Gazillionaire and his assistant, Penny Pibbets. They were very funny, raunchy and racist as they introduced the rest of the acts throughout the night.
The Aerial Straps routine was amazing as a couple spun in the air over our heads to the song, "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri. There was another burlesque routine with a women slowly working her way into a big inflated bubble as she discarded her clothes and the Gazillionaire and Pibbets performed their own comedic acrobat/dance routine that cracked us up and reminded me of Borat. The roller skating act was impressive, but frightening as the woman spun in the air, whizzing past our faces with her head barely missing the floor. My favorite act was the static trapeze routine by Ssens Duo. The couple's constant motion to the song, "Kilometer" by Sebastien Tellier, was mesmerizing. Tori performs static trapeze and was impressed by the routine's length and their perfect form throughout. The show ended with a tightrope walking act, combining a mixture of comedy and drama. Absinthe is now my favorite Vegas show.
(Video - Static Trapeze starts at 1:39 after short comedy routine)
Since the Strip was still closed after the show, we walked back to the Wynn. Tori's high heels were pretty comfortable, but her feet were sore after walking at least two miles in them. Sleeping in on Monday morning, we headed over to The Venetian for breakfast/lunch at Bouchon, Thomas Keller's restaurant in Vegas. Since I love a Croque Monsieur, I instantly ordered the Croque Madame off the menu. It is the same thing except for a fried egg added to the top of the grilled cheese and ham sandwich. Since I wasn't super hungry because of our large dinner last night, I thought that I would ignore the large pile of french fries that came on my plate. Wrong!!! They were so light and perfectly seasoned that I ate almost all of them. Ha! Tori got bread-pudding french toast which was great too. Afterwards, we walked around the Grand Canal Shoppes and went for a Gondola Ride before heading back to relax/nap/read in our room until dinnertime. (I loved the complementary robes hanging in our closest.) Very nice!
Chad had recommend the Botero Steakhouse at Encore so we went there on our last night. It is a beautifully designed restaurant based around the work of the Colombian artist, Fernando Botero. In the circular space, we were seated right next to The Seated Lady statue at the center. We started with a wedge salad that was amazing, so refreshing with iceberg lettuce, bleu cheese, pickled onions and pieces of candied pork belly. Good thing we shared because it was huge. While I ordered the twelve-ounce Filet Mignon as my entree, Tori got the Potato and Truffle Crusted Salmon. It was perfectly cooked and she said it was the best piece of fish she has eaten in her entire life. While my steak did not reach that level, it was still very good and the three individual pepper sauces that came with it made it flavorful and unique. For desert, we finished with the tasty S'mores Beignets, marshmallow-stuffed donuts and dipping sauces.
Complimentary tickets for the show, Le Rêve, came with our rooms at the Wynn and we went after our meal at Botero's. Le Reve is an aquatic show created by the former Cirque du Soleil director of Bellagio's "O" but with close-up seating circling the round tank, I think it had a much better stage. The production values were amazing as the performers appeared from up under the water on the evolving stage or dropped down from the hole in the ceiling on elaborate rigging. The show's main theme was about a woman's doubts and dreams after a young man's declaration of love. Tori's favorite part was a static trapeze routine performed on rotating apparatuses shaped like school desks. I would love to see the underbelly of this stage to see how it all worked.
Since we drove home on Tuesday, we could sleep in and still avoid the long Sunday traffic jams on the I-15 back to Los Angeles. We stopped at Buffalo Bills's on the Nevada border last time to ride the roller coaster, but it broke down right before it was our turn. Trying again, this time we found the entire resort closed for renovations. I guess third time will have to be the charm for us. Near Barstow, we stopped for lunch at Peggy Sue's 50's Diner. I have always seen the signs on these Vegas drives but this is the first time I have eaten there. It was decent, but after all our amazing meals in Vegas, I was a bit too spoiled for simple diner food. We should have gone on the drive out instead. :)
