A Busy Week

The past week has been a busy one. Brenda arrived at LAX Friday night, and she stayed until Wednesday. During her stay, were able to reconnect and talk at length about the future, and I think we have a greater understanding of just what our wants and needs are. There are still some issues to resolve and some questions to answer, but it was a good start.

On Saturday evening, we went to visit my parents for dinner and the Broncos-Patriots divisional playoff game. Dinner was good- Mom's stew and home made "Annual" Bread. Annual Bread is a family favorite, but it's made so infrequently that it's referred to by that name. It's practically an event in itself.

As far as the game went, the Broncos took advantage of many New England mistakes and beat the champs 27-13. Needless to say I am pretty happy about that, as it puts the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game. Sunday would decide Denver's opponent, and in wild rollercoaster of a game, the Steelers upset the Colts at Indianapolis. As far as I'm concerned, those two games couldn't have gone much better. Had the Colts won, Denver would have had to play them at Indy, where they've struggled greatly over the last few years. Pittsburgh's win puts the title game in Denver, where it belongs! The Steelers are an excellent team, with a lot of impressive offensive and defensive weapons. However, I'm optimistic, and I know Denver can beat them. It's going to be a very tough game, and Pittsburgh is definitely capable of pulling off the win. But seeing as the Super Bowl is the day after my birthday this year, it would be a nice gift to have the Broncos playing on Super Sunday. Go Broncos!

Brenda and I hung out at Belmont Shore on Sunday afternoon, checking out the shops, people, and the beautiful canals and homes in Naples. We had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, a Middle Eastern place called Open Sesame. The food is great, and the atmosphere is really cool. It's a busy place with a lot of interesting customers.

Monday was a nice day off- we just went to Irvine Spectrum for a red bean and boba slush at the Tea Station, and to people-watch. That evening, we watched Sideways, one of my favorite movies, which Brenda really liked.

Tuesday morning I awoke for work, feeling a cold coming on. Since then, it's gotten worse- sore throat, congestion, headache. And as I write this, I basically have no voice. I stayed home from work on Wednesday, went home early yesterday, and I'm staying home today. This cold is a nice little gift Brenda brought with her from Mexico. Gracias, chica! Anyway, Tuesday night we celebrated my parents' birthdays with Miles and Lisa at Lascari's in Whittier. It was fun and it was nice to see everyone, but I was a little out of it with my cold.

I took Brenda to LAX on Wednesday evening, and she made it home safely. We tentatively planned on her coming back for my birthday and the Super Bowl, but we have a few more things to discuss before committing to that. We'll see...

A final note- I've been more interested lately in proverbs and quotations, which can often be simple yet so profound. I found this one by a guy named G.K. Chesterton to be interesting, though it should be taken with a grain of salt:

Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions.

Until next time, a few photos...


Mom's Annual Bread




Silliness in Belmont Shore


A nice Karmann Ghia, Belmont Shore


Mussels on the shoreline


Apartment building and dock, Naples