Six Years Ago Today…

Yep, it’s been six years… and they’ve been awesome ones. (Below, where we made it all official — Union Station, Oct. 26, 2002.)

Dates + Bacon = Delicious

I’m not a big math fan. But over at Maria’s Lemon Tart blog, she’s got an equation that I can appreciate:

plus

equals

Retro Friday: Five Years of "For Better"

Well, we already outlasted Nick and Jessica, who got married the same day we did, so everything after that is just icing on the wedding cake.

Five years later, I’m still proud to say I’ve got a pretty awesome wife.

Above, video from our engagement on Nov. 22, 2001. (But Carlos gets it wrong, we didn’t meet at the rink.)

Retro Friday: Five Years of "For Better"

Well, we already outlasted Nick and Jessica, who got married the same day we did, so everything after that is just icing on the wedding cake.

Five years later, I’m still proud to say I’ve got a pretty awesome wife.

Above, video from our engagement on Nov. 22, 2001. (But Carlos gets it wrong, we didn’t meet at the rink.)

Maria’s Thursday Three

It's apparently still 1998, and "The Rachel" is still all the rage, at "Top Chef" contestant Casey's hair salon.

1. Really happy that the final three on Top Chef are Casey, Dale and Hung. Hung has gotten likeable in the later episodes and you got to give him props for his skills. Dale has the knowledge and Casey has the heart. I’m especially happy for Casey as she’s proven herself to be a real contender in the kitchen. Plus (above), she’s in a much better place now after Brad left her for Angelina.

2. Can’t wait to check out Verdugo Bar in Glassell Park, which is a hop, skip and jump from our house. Verdugo Bar, 3408 North Verdugo Road, between West Avenues 34 and 35.

3. The frozen pie crust from Trader Joe’s is my new best friend. There have been many, many frustrating moments in our kitchen with me trying my hand at making pie crusts. As far as store-bought crusts are concerned, the crust from TJ’s is the best.

Maria’s Thursday Three

It's apparently still 1998, and "The Rachel" is still all the rage, at "Top Chef" contestant Casey's hair salon.

1. Really happy that the final three on Top Chef are Casey, Dale and Hung. Hung has gotten likeable in the later episodes and you got to give him props for his skills. Dale has the knowledge and Casey has the heart. I’m especially happy for Casey as she’s proven herself to be a real contender in the kitchen. Plus (above), she’s in a much better place now after Brad left her for Angelina.

2. Can’t wait to check out Verdugo Bar in Glassell Park, which is a hop, skip and jump from our house. Verdugo Bar, 3408 North Verdugo Road, between West Avenues 34 and 35.

3. The frozen pie crust from Trader Joe’s is my new best friend. There have been many, many frustrating moments in our kitchen with me trying my hand at making pie crusts. As far as store-bought crusts are concerned, the crust from TJ’s is the best.

Maria’s Thursday Three

Shell, Glendale, 1927. Photograph by Edward Weston. (From huntington.org.)

1. Must See: A tribute to the work of world-renowned photographer Edward Weston at the Glendale Central Library next Thursday, September 27, at 7 pm. There will be a film about Weston’s life and work and this event, sponsored by the Glendale Historical Society and the Friends of the Glendale Public Library, is free. The Glendale connection? Weston opened his first photography studio on Brand Boulevard in 1911.

2. The Hollywood Bowl, still a really good thing to do in Los Angeles. You don’t even need to get the pricier box seats, it’s pretty fun in the nosebleed section. Bring a great picnic, some wine and don’t forget dessert. With the stars above and the performance below, I still marvel at the experience everytime I’m there. Too bad Mike is hatin’ on Rufus.

3. We recently tried the Flyaway Bus from Union Station to LAX and the ride went pretty smooth as a good alternative way to get to the airport. Just don’t stand in the wrong area at LAX when you’re trying to catch it back to Union Station ’cause you’ll be very sad when it ignores you… waiting there for a half-hour… with your bags… and a toddler who was a good sport about it. So sad. Also, please note that the buses are located at the very back of Union Station so have your friend or the taxi drop you off there instead of you having to lug everything back there.

Maria’s Thursday Three

Shell, Glendale, 1927. Photograph by Edward Weston. (From huntington.org.)

1. Must See: A tribute to the work of world-renowned photographer Edward Weston at the Glendale Central Library next Thursday, September 27, at 7 pm. There will be a film about Weston’s life and work and this event, sponsored by the Glendale Historical Society and the Friends of the Glendale Public Library, is free. The Glendale connection? Weston opened his first photography studio on Brand Boulevard in 1911.

2. The Hollywood Bowl, still a really good thing to do in Los Angeles. You don’t even need to get the pricier box seats, it’s pretty fun in the nosebleed section. Bring a great picnic, some wine and don’t forget dessert. With the stars above and the performance below, I still marvel at the experience everytime I’m there. Too bad Mike is hatin’ on Rufus.

3. We recently tried the Flyaway Bus from Union Station to LAX and the ride went pretty smooth as a good alternative way to get to the airport. Just don’t stand in the wrong area at LAX when you’re trying to catch it back to Union Station ’cause you’ll be very sad when it ignores you… waiting there for a half-hour… with your bags… and a toddler who was a good sport about it. So sad. Also, please note that the buses are located at the very back of Union Station so have your friend or the taxi drop you off there instead of you having to lug everything back there.

Shameless Plug: Introducing the All-New MPress Studio Website/Store!

Mike always asks me when I’m going to stop the boycott and start writing on this blog again. Truth is, he’s just better at writing and I’m more interested in making things. Plus, between you and me, the guy is just obsessed about “feeding the beast.” His words, not mine.

Anyway, for the past few months I’ve been very busy updating my letterpress site. If you can, please check it out. Poke around and you’ll find some cool stuff that I’ve created for the site, like what kind of presses I have, a demonstration of the letterpress technique… and my new online shop.

Have you ever thought about ordering some personalized notecards for yourself or as a gift? Well, now you can from MPress Studio — and they will be letterpressed to boot. Consider it a slightly more personal alternative than buying from a store.

I hope you enjoy the new site. Okay, now it’s time to make Mike smile by posting a restaurant review or two.

Carlos Fund: Please Bid

An eBay auction is in the works for the last week of February to benefit a five-year-old child named Christian Carlos. (Image above from the Christian Carlos Fund blog.)

Christian was severely burned in a horrific accident that killed his mother, brother, grandmother and two aunts last month in Northern California. The car he was riding in burst into flames after it was rear-ended; Christian had to be pulled out of the wreckage by passers-by.

His story touched my heart and through a series of links, I found out that blogger Claire Green was organizing an online auction for him and his family. If you’d like to contribute any art or craft pieces to this auction, it is not too late to do so. E-mail greendoc@sonic.net for more information.

If you are interested in donating money, Nina Mehta, chief executive officer of NeilMed Pharmaceuticals, is establishing a memorial fund at Exchange Bank in Santa Rosa. Contributions made out to “Memorial Funds for Edith Carlos Medina” can be sent to this address: NeilMed Pharmaceuticals, 601 Aviation Blvd., Santa Rosa, CA 95403.

Another way to help is to bid on any of the items listed on the auction.

Here’s a set of notecards I donated for this cause:

You can check out all the other items listed on this preview site.