Today Caleb actually brought a mystery cup to me, instead of me finding it. "Dada, dirty!" He said. He then insisted that I wash the cup and put it in the dishwasher. Except the dishwasher was full, so he decided to unload it himself. Since I had to help I didn't have a chance to grab the camera of course. We then sat and ate toast together on a Sunday morning, waiting for football to start with our clean plates and cups. As we were done Caleb and wandered off with his cup, I was left to ponder will it come back or will I find it?

To think I have only gotten sit and down out of the dogs after 5 years of training.

Caleb goes Swimming

Caleb obsesses about Trains

The Reluctant Trick or Treater

New Finger Paints for Caleb

The night of the party we had one of glorious moments that all parents experience at one point or another. We were hanging out about a half hour before the party was about to start when Caleb started to get very whiny. He isn't generally a whiny little guy so we were trying to diagnose his problem while putting the finishing touches on the house.  We thought everything was starting to stabilize when a couple of minutes later Caleb puked all over the couch. About 10 minutes later he was redecorating our bathroom. It was one of those moments where the joy of parenting is almost amusing when contrasted with trying to have an 'adult' life.

We immediately went to damage control mode, swapping clothes on little man and feverishly scrubbing the house down again. Fortunately some of the folks were having a hard time finding the house, so we had a few extra minutes. We managed to get Caleb to a happy place, get everything together in time for the party, and get me in the shower in time to complete our recovery. 

Once the party started Caleb acted like nothing was wrong and nobody seemed to notice the missing major cushion on the couch. Caleb wrapped up his day with a call to Grandma and then went to sleep a little early.

The party was a lot of fun, as we had a great group of people to share it with. Happy Holidays everyone!

The Blue Skies Café has been open for some time. We gave it a try when it first opened and the service was a bit hectic. The menu was limited and the food was just ok. We didn’t go back for some time. This past summer we decided to go back again, a couple of times. The service had improved, though not A+. And the menu had the basics and the food was still just ok. The Blue Skies does have a coffee bar, although I haven’t given it a try since I’m not a coffee drinker.

The other restaurant we tried was Café Ella. Good atmosphere and great food. We were met at the counter by a pleasant smile. I ordered a roasted tomato soup and a Famonella Panini. We sat down and our food was brought promptly. The soup was a bit thinner than what I would have expected but still very yummy. The panini was also very good. A good amount of meat, but not too much, and the spread was tasty. Yummy!

And finally, The Lobby on Main and Maple. The joint opened up on Friday, Sept. 12. We strolled over to the farmer’s market and then made our way to The Lobby. We walked in to a smiling row of people behind the counter. I said hello and picked up a copy of their menu. The man behind the counter announced that this was their opening night. And, oh by the way, we are their first customers. Fantastic! Scott is a pizza addict so he ordered a pizza and I ordered the Mob Boss Sausage sandwich with fries. We sat down. I surveyed the joint.

Decorating the walls were a few plasma TVs, movie posters and, most interestingly, vintage photos. The Lobby is the original location of the lobby of the Fox Theater. I love history, I love to see photos of what our town use to be, I love to imagine who stood in the spot where I am standing.

Our food arrived and we dove in. The pizza crust was thin yet soft and fresh. The mushrooms and pepperonis were, again fresh, and tasty. My sandwich included grilled Italian sausage, mushrooms, online and bell peppers. Tasty but my suggestions would be to toast the bread. The fries were good but could have been cooked just a bit longer for a crisper taste. Although, Caleb didn’t mind and seemed to enjoy them. Caleb does not eat much so the fact that he ate these fries says a lot.

It’s not like there aren’t any good restaurants in Watsonville. It’s just nice to see some variety and I’m hoping the ones I’ve mentioned above have some staying power.

Jenzyne, Caleb and I got to the park and started setting up when Adriana came bounding up the path with a huge bouquet of balloons.  She handed me the balloons and joined in the setup. As we were continuing to get ready, I put down the balloons and the three of us started to work on getting all of the decorations completed. A moment later Jen yelled out "THE BALLOONS!!" I turned around and our balloons were about twenty feet off the ground and slowly floating away. Various words, that two year olds shouldn't hear, were muttered under my breath as the balloons slowly floated away. So began my fantastic day. I also managed to spill my sandwich all over the park and killed my car battery. Good thing it wasn't my birthday party, as Caleb had a ton of fun and didn't notice all the adult shenanigans. Thomas the Tank has been the favorite of the little man and was the theme for the party.

Caleb received a number of cool presents, most that didn't make noise  !! I hope Thomas continues to be his favorite for some time to come. That stuff's expensive.

I can't believe this little guy who was four and a half pounds when he was born two years ago is almost 30 pounds and repeating every word I say, even the bad ones! Looking forward to year three and beyond.

The weather was perfect and everyone had a good time. We headed back to the house after the party and Caleb slept for an hour. We then continued to hang out while Caleb, his cousins and the rest of the family played with all of his various new toys.

A few weeks ago we went for an eight miler at Nisene Marks and that’s when everything started to go downhill. At about mile five I started to feel knee pain. Hmm, three miles to go. What to do? I rationalized in my head that since we were out in the middle of nowhere, regardless, I would still need to finish the last three miles. Walking would just take a long time. Lame. Running might hurt a bit but at least I could be done sooner. The sooner I could finish, the better. So that was that. I finished the run, well, running.

Fast forward two weeks, glazing over a run at the beach that I rather not talk about, and we headed out to Pacific Grove for another eight miler.

A couple miles into the run Scott said, “How’s the knee?”

“We’re not talking about it,” I said.

Thanks for jinksing me, though, I thought to myself.  Sure enough at mile three the dreaded knee pain crept up. What to do? Since we were not in the middle of nowhere, I actually had options. As we ran past Monterey Bay Kayaks I thought that I could hang there, wait for Scott to be done and wait to be picked up. I thought about this for a couple miles. On the return trip back past Monterey Bay Kayaks I made a pit stop. I quickly stretched and then kept motoring ahead. Miraculously, I was cured! Wow, that’s some powerful power of suggestion. We finished up our run and headed home for an afternoon of football.

That afternoon I headed for the urgent care. It was time to get some expert opinion on whether or not I should continue running. I know what you’re thinking. I thought it too myself. STOP RUNNING! But it’s like a moth to a flame, like a crack addict with a bad habit. Running is addicting. So the urgent care doctor took some xrays and sent me on my way with a referral to an orthopedist. I was beyond physical therapy at this point since I had continued the exercises they had taught me and yet I was still experiencing knee pain.

I met with the orthopedist this past week. Very nice man, who apologized for the fact that the medical staff forgot I was in the waiting room. Hello? Hello, anybody? When is it my turn? Good thing the doctor was paying attention to his schedule and inquired why he had not met with me yet.

Anywho. We went through my history and he did a physical exam, bending and twisting my leg. The diagnosis, very simple. A misalignment of the knee cap. Thanks mom for yet another factory defect. Actually, both knee caps are misaligned but only one is beat up enough to cause pain at this point. The cure is really very simple. STOP RUNNING SO FAR! That's not anything that I didn't already know. And I asked the doctor questions that I already knew the answer to. Like, do you think it's a good idea for me not to run this half marathon in three weeks? And, maybe I should shorten up my distances? He smiled and noded in agreement. I guess I just needed a trained professional to tell me that it was ok not to run through the pain.

So no fall halfy for me. What a bummer. However, the key for me is the “SO FAR” part of the doctor’s suggestion.  I’ll just have to work on finding the right running distance that doesn't cause stabbing knee pain. Although I won’t be running the fall halfy, I’m looking forward to supporting Scott. Go Team!

Although Adriana has had a stare down with her knee several times during this training it held up fine. We had strategically moved our run from Saturday to Sunday to take advantage of an anticipated lower temperatures and we were not disappointed. It was around 60 degrees at the start of the run and was pretty sunny through Monterey. We chugged along and finished in just over a 10 minute mile pace.

Just a few more long runs to go...

This lasted until the Olympics were on and then the magic began. In order to keep up with all the Olympic coverage we had to run the TV as much as our day, and night, would allow. The Equestrian events started one Saturday and since that moment there has been a constant cry of "Horsey, Horsey." Usually when you hear this, you will find Caleb sitting in a chair or on the couch pointing at the TV. Adriana and I can barely watch Beezy Madden, or whatever her name is, not go clear and rack up 10 faults in the qualifying round (can you tell I watch this a lot, I know Equestrian lingo). Caleb claps with the audience, exclaims loudly when they are successful and points out any horsies that are wearing hats. What can I say, this is 30 minutes of complete fascination for the little man, which pretty much lets me get things done that I would not normally be able to accomplish during the day.

Next, Adriana found and DVR'd 7 minutes of Thomas and Friends on PBS. Holy cow! We practically have had Thomas on an endless loop ever since. Caleb sits completely transfixed. Staring intently at the TV until there are five seconds left in the video then the cries begin. "Train, TRain, TRAIN" comes roaring out of his mouth. However, it sounds a bit more like "Chain" but that is ok, we know what he means. In roughly two weeks I have viewed those seven minutes 197 times. I finally broke down and went out and bought a Thomas and Friends box set this past weekend, because I simply couldn't watch those seven minutes anymore.

This magic does have a downside. There is no escaping the lights of the magic box anymore. If the TV is on little man wants it tuned only to his Horsies or Thomas. If the TV is not on and Caleb remembers, he brings the remote over with a request for Thomas or horsies. If it's a go, he jumps on the couch and sits quietly staring at the TV waiting for it to be turned on. If it's a no then there's a bit of confusion, discussion and maybe some screaming. We work to re-direct his energy.

The Thomas box set is wonderful. Although, Thomas sounds like "Dammit" coming out of Caleb's mouth. The box set allows a full 30 minutes of time that Adriana and I can get something important done. Or, it also allows us to sit and spend quiet time with Caleb. We sit and watch and spend time reinforcing the message of the videos. Who would have thought that a train island would be all that exciting but the kids love it!!

This index represents the aggregate price index of burritos researched, and eaten, by me. There are carefully researched statistics maintained and audited by an undisclosed independent local PR firm. After an exhaustive amount of Mexican food consumed in nearly five years, a horribly disturbing trend has emerged. My initial research indicates a 61 percent increase in burrito prices in the greater Watsonville area. This devastating increase can only be a result of the lack of off shore drilling or something, right? I am looking for the presidential candidate that is going to aggressively address these issues and get burrito prices back where they belong, low!

Ok, so this is only based on one place, but I mean come on!!! When we moved to Watsonville nearly five years ago a burrito sold for $2 at El Frijolito, affectionately known as "the window." My buddy Chris introduced me to this super cheap delicacy in the first few weeks after we moved here. My wife knows El Frijolito as "The Bean" from her high school days. Fantastic food, super cheap prices.

Within weeks of moving to Watsonville the price of a burrito increased to $2.25, and the town was in hysteria. I have watched as the price of a burrito has steadily increased, culminating today in notification that the new price is $3.25. So now I must ration my burrito consumption, rework the budget and find even more change to be able to eat a Carne Asada Burrito.

Whether it's a burrito or whether it's gas, in the next presidential election we need some Change We Can Believe In.

We noticed that Kiana had been quiet all night. As the clock got close to midnight we noticed that Kiana was not only quiet but she was not around. We launched an all out search. Our room, guest room, downstairs and outside. Hmm, there is no sign of the dog. We have done several chases around the neighborhood when the dogs have gotten out, but it is usually pretty obvious when one of them escapes the confines of the house. This didn't seem to be the case.

We were left with one possibility - did we really leave Kiana in Caleb's room? We circled the house calling Kiana's name, disbelieving that the noise we heard around 8 p.m. was Kiana and Caleb having a party in his room. As we were calling her name, we heard the muffled sounds of dog tags as Kiana shook off.  

We discussed our options, as we needed to be strategic about busting into the baby's room in the middle of the night. Finally we broke down and opened the door to Caleb's room, hoping we wouldn't disturb his slumber. Kiana came bursting out. Celebrating her reunion with Stormy and the rest of us. She sprinted to the back yard door with an urgent put out request.

Now that the Great Doggie disappearance has been solved we are left to wonder - did the baby's toys get eaten, is there a big pee stain in there or did everyone just play nice? I guess we will find out tomorrow...

The run target was four miles for me (easy week) and six miles for Adriana (long run). Although I proposed the Green Valley Loop, Adriana was wiser and suggested we head out to the beach, because it is both more scenic and cooler. We headed out to Palm Beach and left "Mini"(Dagmar) in charge of The Mini(Caleb).

The run felt good despite my recent bouts of foot pain. This was the first long run with my new running shoes (Brooks Beast) that we bought a couple weeks ago while up in Los Gatos. We started at Palm Beach and headed north past the Pajaro Dunes Shorebirds area. There were a few folks out and about, including a large crowd making a sand castle. Not little one quart bucket sand castle, I mean a Disney castle replica with serious hand tools and careful architecture. Pretty impressive but nothing I would have patience to do.

As we headed past them the next group ahead gesturing excitedly towards the waves. We glanced over and saw the most amazing sight - a pod of dolphins about 200 yards off the beach slowly making their way northward. They were slowly climbing above the waves and diving back in. We were with them for a half mile or so before we outran them, and saw them again on our turn back. Amazingly graceful and beautiful to watch.

I ended up completing five miles which was a stretch but I felt good despite the new terrain of the sand. Adriana completed her sixth mile while I stretched and stared off into space. We are both doing so much better than during our training for the last half marathon, even with Adriana's visit on the disabled list. We are looking forward to the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in San Jose in October.

Dagmar was working the back gate when we arrived, we handed over our $5 apiece and went on in. We took a quick look around and bought merchandise from a number of vendors. The Super Shammy guy put on a great display, we almost couldn't stop his pitch to buy the product. The SpanglishTees lady was friendly and we bought a few things. (Editor's note: The editor planned to link to the SpaglishTees web site. However, upon close inspection, some of the content on the site is rated PG-13. You'll just have to Google SpanglishTees for yourself.) I then went on a food binge rampaging through many of the ~25 food vendors that were there. I had a slice of NY style pizza, a few different tacos, some chicken teriyaki and finally a strawberry smoothie. Adriana had a gyro (oh yeah I took a couple bites of that too) and some crazy strawberry desert. (Editor's note: the gyro wasn't that good.)

Caleb was getting really excited about some of the rides and we went over to investigate whether he could ride the ferris wheel. Unfortunately you have to be 36" tall to ride and little man is only pushing 33" so far. In addition, mama was NOT on board to let the little man ride the ferris wheel. Sorry buddy, you'll probably be big enough next year.

As Caleb started his pre-nap daze we decided it was time to head out. At that moment we got a Tweet that Kevin, one of Adriana's colleagues, was at the Strawberry Festival as well. A few quick text messages and we located him and his wife Amy, along with her niece, at the funnel cake stand (mental note for next year). We visited for a bit and then it was off to home. We made it home right at nap time, threw Caleb into his crib and then went into power-save mode.

When Steve Jobs first announced the iPhone at Macworld San Francisco in January 2007, I knew I wanted one. I had to have one. I would get one in due time. I would be waiting a while to get one.  Having worked in the tech industry for some time, I understand the tech hype, the sales cycles and the need to work out the bugs. iPhone 1.0 would not be for me.

Nearing the one year anniversary of the availability of the iPhone, all the hype was about iPhone 2.0. Speculation about the features, design, upgrades were amok. So of course on June 9, the morning of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, I was glued to Macworld.com. During Jobs’ keynote, refresh, refresh, refresh. Blah, blah, blah about Apple whatever, blah, blah, blah. Finally, after a whole lotta refreshing and one and a half hours into Jobs’ keynote, iPhone 3G was finally announced.

July 11, 2008 rolled around, the day iPhone 3G was going on sale, and I decide I would inquire at the local AT&T store about availability. No doubt it would sell out and I would most likely need to wait to get my own but that’s fine. I’ve been waiting since January of 2007. I happened to drive by the AT&T store early that morning on my way to the gym and as I suspected, there was a line out the door. By the time I got to the AT&T store at 10:30 a.m. the crowd had died down and I was told the iPhones were sold out. Ok, I will order my iPhone and wait. In less than a week my iPhone came in. YAY!

Three weeks later, I am having a love hate relationship with my iPhone 3G. It’s pretty, it’s mesmerizing. Steve Jobs is mesmerizing. He could sell sand to a camel. I love that my iPhone is pretty but really I need my iPhone to be a workhorse. I have high expectations of my technology and I work my technology hard. I get irritated when my technology doesn’t work as hard as I need it to work. I always knew that my Blackberry would keep up with me and work as hard as I needed it to work. The iPhone, not so much.

So here I am with my pretty iPhone. It does a bunch of cool stuff, mostly Safari related, oh right, and there’s the iPod stuff. The graphics are amazing and the camera phone quality is exceptional. Although, no flash with the camera like on the Blackberry. And the Blackberry e-mail function is amazing, which is what I am having the most trouble with on the iPhone.

I love Apple for the iLife, MobileMe, touchy feely, make me feel cool-type technology. So how do we merge Blackberry with iPhone? The workhorse meets my sensibilities. Or, do I just need to slow down and be patient? Nah. Seriously Apple, figure out the push technology, for free, like Blackberry did and make it happen. It’s that simple, no biggie and I will be a happy camper. All my dreams realized in one simple to use device. Can you make that happen? If not, I can march myself back to the AT&T store and re-activate my Blackberry.

Although the birds (and people) weren't out early due to the fog and cold conditions, it was great being out early and checking out the habitat without a whole lot of folks around. Despite having kayaked past it many times, we had never been out to the wildlife preserve. Bill had a Swarovski scope which was really great for zooming in on birds that didn't appreciate us getting to close. Caleb got into the birds after a while and seemed interested in the many wild bunnies running about the area. We were there for a couple of hours and then headed to lunch and then back to the house for Caleb's nap. After Caleb's nap, we went down to the Moss Landing Harbor and looked at the tons of pelicans, sea lions, otters, and other birds. It was a fun day and we came back home and got a good night's sleep.

Hope Bill and Carolyn have a good trip to South Africa this week!!