Running the Bases with Powayslugger

392- My motto

2012-01-27T09:41:00.000-08:00

391- Central Coast Trip- 19

2012-01-27T09:38:00.001-08:00

The Rock at Morro Bay, California.

390- Central Coast Trip- 18

2012-01-27T09:36:00.001-08:00

Old cars are everywhere.

389- Central Coast Trip- 17

2012-01-27T09:34:00.002-08:00

The "million dollar view" of San Simeon coast from Hearst Castle.

388- Central Coast Trip- 16

2012-01-27T09:34:00.001-08:00

Lighted statue in the private movie theater at Hearst Castle.

387- Central Coast Trip- 15

2012-01-27T09:32:00.000-08:00

The dining room at Hearst Castle.

386- Central Coast Trip- 14

2012-01-27T09:31:00.001-08:00

Beauty in the pond at Hearst Castle.

385- Central Coast Trip- 13

2012-01-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

William Randolph Hearst's Castle at San Simeon.

384- Central Coast Trip- 12

2012-01-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

Along highway 1... the coast road.

383- Central Coast Trip- 11

2012-01-27T09:28:00.001-08:00

Top Gun's F-14 at the Estrella Warbird's museum.

382- Central Coast Trip- 10

2012-01-27T09:26:00.000-08:00

A wonderfully preserved A-4 at the Estrella Warbird's Museum.

381- Central Coast Trip- 09

2012-01-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

The guys were getting her ready to fly!

380- Central Coast Trip- 08

2012-01-27T09:23:00.001-08:00

Ever wonder where the band Reo Speedwagon took it's name? Here's the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REO_Motor_Car_Company

379- Central Coast Trip- 07

2012-01-27T09:21:00.002-08:00

"A 50% discount for military personnel? Let's look at that wine list again!"

378- Central Coast Trip- 06

2012-01-27T09:21:00.001-08:00

K taking a break from wine tasting for a smile.

377- Central Coast Trip- 05

2012-01-27T09:20:00.001-08:00

The vines are dormant in mid January.

376- Central Coast Trip- 04

2012-01-27T09:18:00.002-08:00

Olive oil tasting room at Pasolivo olive company. K was in her glory here- showing off her Italian training!

375- Central Coast Trip- 03

2012-01-27T09:18:00.001-08:00

oak wine barrels.... equal good wine.

374- Central Coast Trip- 02

2012-01-27T09:16:00.001-08:00

Bronze fish statue at Scuplterra sculpture garden.

373- Central Coast Trip-01

2012-01-27T09:12:00.000-08:00

Paso Robles. Wine Tasting at Sculpterra Vineyards

372- Key Fobs

2012-01-07T12:46:00.000-08:00

We received new key fobs today down at the annual HOA general meeting. They're small and I know they could be very easily lost. I immediately attached them to a large key chains... and only left one out. They'll be used to enter the swimming pool area and access the hot tub. It will be nice since many non-residents (i.e. folks who don't pay monthly dues and live outside the area) had been hoping them fence to swim and use the spa after hours.

371- Other stuff

2012-01-06T15:32:00.001-08:00

370- Da Beach- 3

2012-01-06T12:57:00.001-08:00

369- Da Beach- 2

2012-01-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

368- Da Beach-1

2012-01-06T12:17:00.000-08:00

2012-002 Auto Show (6)

2012-01-02T06:45:00.001-08:00

2012-001 Auto Show (5)

2012-01-02T06:43:00.000-08:00

365- Auto Show (4)

2012-01-02T06:42:00.001-08:00

364- Auto Show (3)

2012-01-02T06:40:00.000-08:00

363- Auto Show (2)

2012-01-02T06:39:00.001-08:00

362- Auto Show (1)

2012-01-02T06:37:00.000-08:00

361- Merry Christmas!

2012-01-02T06:35:00.000-08:00

360- Old Poway Park @ Christmas Time

2011-12-23T14:07:00.001-08:00

358- Me at 82 Years Old

2011-12-23T14:06:00.001-08:00

Darn you Apple iPhone!

357- Intermission

2011-12-23T14:04:00.000-08:00

356- Inside the Spreckles Theater

2011-12-23T14:03:00.000-08:00

355- Photos from the Ballet

2011-12-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

At the Spreckles Theater

354- Farewell to a Friend.

2011-12-18T06:53:00.000-08:00

RIP Kip Williams

353- Last Tailgate (early Dec)- 4

2011-12-18T06:38:00.001-08:00

Inside at the game.... it got down to 44 degrees... brrrrrr.

352- Last Tailgate (early Dec)- 3

2011-12-18T06:36:00.001-08:00

Ultimate tailgaters... a 40 inch TV????

351- Last Tailgate (early Dec)- 2

2011-12-18T06:34:00.000-08:00

Trying to keep warm

350- Last Tailgate (early Dec)- 1

2011-12-18T06:29:00.001-08:00

K and I ---- freeezing.

349- Never Trust...

2011-12-13T19:19:00.000-08:00

My friend Kip once said, "you can never trust a chimp." Truer words were never spoken. RIP my good buddy.

348- Our Front Porch for Christmas

2011-12-13T19:18:00.001-08:00

347- White Christmas

2011-12-13T19:16:00.000-08:00

346- New Gutters Doing Their Thing

2011-12-13T19:15:00.000-08:00

345- Busy Day

2011-12-10T21:57:00.000-08:00

We filled our sack full today. It was a busy and action packed day.

First it was up and out of bed and off to Starbucks to collect my Happy 15th (free coffee), then off to the gym for a workout on the elliptical and weights, to the USMC P-X for some Christmas shopping, to the Commissary for groceries, eating lunch, making spinach dip, wrapping presents, bringing the Christmas stuff down from the attic, finished the stucco repair on the house, putting up lights, trees and bells on the front porch, eating supper, bringing the tree into the house, typing out a Christmas letter, making a photo DVD, addressing / sending out Christmas cards, getting two boxes packed / ready to mail and finally typing it all into my blog.

Time for bed already.

344- Spartans Going to the Outback Bowl to Face the Georgia Bulldogs

2011-12-10T21:55:00.000-08:00

343- Angels We Have Heard on High...

2011-12-10T21:54:00.001-08:00

342- Less Cards Being Sent

2011-12-10T21:49:00.001-08:00

We have noticed the trend over the last 5-6 years has been to get (and send) fewer and fewer Christmas Cards through the Mail. This season we will only be sending out about two dozen to just the family and close friends. Everyone else will get a nice e-card from us. Thank you 1-2-3 Greetings.

341- It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

2011-12-10T21:47:00.000-08:00

Santa is already wrapping his presents for our house.

340- Christmas is Here Again... Stand Up and Cheer Again!

2011-12-10T21:46:00.001-08:00

339- Lonely Cat

2011-12-10T21:44:00.000-08:00

Without his partner in crime... Rocky is a lonely cat and follows us around the house all the time.

338- Going Bowling

2011-12-04T19:28:00.000-08:00

I follow two college football teams. My Alma Mater is Michigan State and although they lost to the Wisconsin Badgers by 3 points for the Big Ten Championship, they'll still be going to the Outback Bowl (Tampa) against the Georgia Bulldogs on Jan 2.

My adopted team, the San Diego State Aztecs, will be playing in the R+L Carrier Bowl against Louisiana-Lafayette on December 17 in New Orleans.

337- Jelly Belly President

2011-12-03T06:45:00.001-08:00

336- Priorities in 1981 Still the Same in 2011

2011-12-03T06:42:00.000-08:00

Reagan knew what to fix... somehow Obama was confused.

335- Karen Designs Her Presidential China

2011-12-03T06:41:00.001-08:00

334- Plaza Pranksters Strike Again!

2011-12-03T06:40:00.001-08:00

333- Morning Shadows

2011-12-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

332- Gutters!

2011-11-27T21:19:00.000-08:00

WE now have rain gutters on our house... I never thought I'd get that excited about something like this. but yahoo!

... and we have been making 17-18 kWtHrs of power each day over the holidays!

331- Tailgating at Home/ Chargers Suck

2011-11-27T21:16:00.000-08:00

We BBQ'd some ribs and made some chili for a little backyard BBQ/tailgate party before the Chargers game. That was pretty fun... sadly it was the only fun as the Chargers managed to lose in overtime to the hated Denver Broncos 16-13.

330- HomeBrew

2011-11-27T21:13:00.000-08:00

I've tried home brewed beer about a half dozen times or so... and it never tasted any good. (but I never told the home brewers that!). But Gary and I made a batch from Mr. Beer and it was.... good!

329- Novel Writing at Home

2011-11-27T21:12:00.000-08:00

328- Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T06:50:00.000-08:00

This has been a rough year. My wife got deployed to the war in Afghanistan, my father passed away, all the kids are away at college or moved out and we had our cat put to sleep. Yes a rough year... but still I am Thankful.

My wife returned on Halloween night. Safe and sound.

I was able to visit my father before he had the surgery that he had complications from. Saw him in full health and energy. I will remember him that way.

Lots of good things have been happening:

We have our health and the love of family.

I still have a job (two of them) and my wife and three children are all employed.

We have a (non-leaking) roof over our heads and food in our bellies.

These are the things jumping into my face right now- but there are plenty of others that if I could sit and think about it I could write down.

Happy Thanksgiving and remember the story about the half glass of water...

An optimist thinks it is half full

A pessimist thinks it is half empty

and an engineer thinks it is twice as big as it needs to be.

327- NanoWriMo Continues

2011-11-24T06:49:00.000-08:00

It won't be a good story but I'm, at 32,680 words out of 50,000 and only six days left. Can I do it? Do I want to do it? Only time will tell.

326- Black Friday Coming- Are You In?

2011-11-24T06:45:00.000-08:00

Not me. Went to Walmart a lot of years ago... it was a zoo. We ended up buying a small reefer that we didn't need.

The other (and last) time was a few years ago at Fry's Electronics Store. Got there about ten o'clock and the place was packed. Found a parking spot in less than five minutes... went in saw that the checkout line wrapped itself around nearly every aisle. Noticed all the good deals were long gone and decided to leave. Took us nearly an hour (in the rain) to get out of the parking lot. Had the car turned off most of the time while just sitting there and not moving.

No More Black Friday for us.

325- Boise State versus San Diego State Tonight!

2011-11-19T11:03:00.000-08:00

324- Foggy Skies and Palm Trees

2011-11-19T11:01:00.000-08:00

323- Writing Month

2011-11-19T10:59:00.000-08:00

trying to get to 50,000 words.. and only at 21,000 with just 11 days to go... probably won't make it.

322- Anniversary of the Heidi Game

2011-11-17T21:44:00.000-08:00

1968 – Viewers of the Raiders–Jets football game in the eastern United States are denied the opportunity to watch its exciting finish when NBC broadcasts Heidi instead, prompting changes to sports broadcasting in the U.S.

321- Turkey Roasting 101

2011-11-17T21:39:00.000-08:00

To prepare the turkey for roasting, first remove the giblets (and save for gravy or stuffing). Next, rinse the bird inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.

If you are stuffing the bird, stuff it loosely, allowing about ½ to ¾ cup stuffing per pound of turkey.
Brush the skin with melted butter or oil. Tie drumsticks together with string (for stuffed birds only).
Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. The thermometer should point towards the body, and should not touch the bone.
Place the bird on a rack in a roasting pan, and into a preheated 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven. Use the following chart to estimate the time required for baking.
Bake until the skin is a light golden color, and then cover loosely with a foil tent. During the last 45 minutes of baking, remove the foil tent to brown the skin. Basting is not necessary, but helps promote even browning.

Weight of Bird	Roasting Time (Unstuffed)	Roasting Time (Stuffed)
10-18 lbs	3-3.5 hours	3.75-4.5 hours
18-22 lbs	3.5-4 hours	4.5-5 hours
22-24 lbs	4-4.5 hours	5-5.5 hours
24-29 lbs	4.5-5 hours	5.5-6.25 hours

The turkey is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (75 degrees C) at the thigh.

+++ from http://allrecipes.com/howto/how-to-cook-a-turkey/

320- Hipsters?

2011-11-17T21:36:00.000-08:00

Hipsters (also scenesters^[1]) are a subculture of young, recently settled urban middle class adults and older teenagers with musical interests mainly in alternative rock that appeared in the 1990s. Other interests in media would include independent film, magazines such as Vice and Clash, and websites like Pitchfork Media.^[2]

Hipster culture has been described as a "mutating, trans-Atlantic melting pot of styles, tastes and behavior[s]."^[2] Christian Lorentzen of Time Out New York argues that "hipsterism fetishizes the authentic" elements of all of the "fringe movements of the postwar era—beat, hippie, punk, even grunge," and draws on the "cultural stores of every unmelted ethnicity," and "regurgitates it with a winking inauthenticity."^[3]Others, like Arsel and Thompson, argue that hipster signifies a cultural mythology, a crystallization of a mass-mediated stereotype generated to understand, categorize, and marketize indie consumer culture, rather than an objectified group of people.^[4]

319- Mayan Calendar Only Gives us 400 More Days

2011-11-17T21:30:00.000-08:00

318- Veeps are Peeps, Too

2011-11-17T21:21:00.000-08:00

317- Making Solar Power

2011-11-13T06:19:00.000-08:00

We have a new man working for us... it's Red E. Kilowatt... the solar energy panels now on our roof. It was exciting to turn it on and the first day watch the meter spinning backwards and making electricity.

316- NaNoWriMo Writer's Group

2011-11-13T06:18:00.001-08:00

Mike is going into the cone of silence.

315- Rainy Day Visitors

2011-11-13T06:16:00.001-08:00

These guys (Praying Manitis') stopped by after the storm.

314- Welcome Home Photos.

2011-11-13T06:14:00.000-08:00

313- Lotsa Rain

2011-11-13T06:12:00.000-08:00

That's right for the second week in a row we've had rain. last week was about a 1/2 inch , but yesterday was an all day soaking rain that dropped over an inch in most places around the city. Did it keep us inside? Heck no. We went out to PF Chang's for lunch and then over to the Carlsbad Outlet Mall and we did get wet... i.e. no umbrella, no hat, car parked a long ways away.

312- Daily Audio Bible

2011-11-13T06:08:00.000-08:00

I've been listening to Pastor Brian Hardin each day on "the daily audio bible" for nearly a year now. Each day, rain or shine, he reads a passage from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. It is 1/2 hour long and the first fifteen minutes is reading and the last fifteen is commentary.

Here's a link:

http://dailyaudiobible.com/

Also it can be found on i-tunes and downloaded as a podcast (that's what I do)

311- Cold and Wet

2011-11-07T08:38:00.002-08:00

It's been running a little cold and wet lately here in the city. Friday we had about a half inch and yesterday we got showered on most of the afternoon (about 1/4 inch) and then got treated to a thunder and lightning show in the evening.

This morning we have the City electrical inspector coming out to sign off the solar panels and start generating our own power.

310- Mayan Calendar Update

2011-11-07T08:38:00.001-08:00

Make the most of your time... only 409 days until the Mayan calendar comes to an end.

309- NaNoWriMo begins

2011-11-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

National Novel writing month is now in full swing. Try to write a 50,000 word fictional novel in the 30 days of November. Here's a link:

http://www.nanowrimo.org

308- Halloween Hijinks-4

2011-11-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

307- Halloween Hijinx-3

2011-11-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

306- Halloween Hijinx-2

2011-11-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

305- Halloween Hijinx-1

2011-11-02T17:35:00.000-07:00

304- Mayan Calendar

2011-10-31T07:27:00.000-07:00

Live your life to the fullest. Only 416 days until the end of the Mayan Calendar. Whether you believe that is the end of days or not, why not fill your life with fun and interesting activities?

303- Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T07:25:00.000-07:00

303- Backyard of Memories

2011-10-30T10:23:00.001-07:00

Baseball, hide-n-seek, army men, football, whiffle ball golf, field hockey... this backyard was the site of all those good childhood memories. Funny that it doesn't seem as big now that I am grown up.

302- Losing to Wyoming 30-27.

2011-10-30T10:19:00.001-07:00

This was a painful game to watch 30-13 at the half and then SDSU put it into gear to make it a 30-27 final. Sadly the usually (mostly) reliable kicker, #86 Abel Perez, missed an extra point in the first half and then two field goals in the fourth quarter (37 and 22 yards) that would have tied the game. Damn you #86! It sucks when the team plays hard, gets close and then has their backs broken by a lousy field goal kicker. That's the siren song of all San Diego football teams... you heard me Nate Kaeding!

301- Funeral

2011-10-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

We held a memorial Mass for my father at church this past week. It was a beautiful service and I had a hard time keeping it together. The VFW gave him a 21 gun salute and played taps and I bawled like a baby. RIP father.

300- Lavender Bush Makes Comback

2011-10-30T10:07:00.000-07:00

Erin and I lopped the top off this lavender bush at my mom's place. I mean we destroyed it and I beleived that we killed it. Not to be. You see nature finds a way and the plant is coming back strong.

299- Fall in Michigan

2011-10-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

298- Danger in the Attic

2011-10-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

I was up in the attic getting down some Halloween stuff and came across this wasp nest. You can bet that after I sprayed it I got the heck out of there pronto.

297- Mayan Calendar

2011-10-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

Its countdown update time... only 423 more days left on the Mayan Calendar.

296- Mr Peanut Meets the Texas Chainsaw Massacre

2011-10-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

295- My Bro in Oregon

2011-10-22T16:43:00.001-07:00

294- BMO @ Parents Day CSU-Northridge

2011-10-22T16:42:00.001-07:00

293- Costume Advice

2011-10-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

I have some advice to any adult who attends Halloween or masquerade parties. Put together one good costume and use the heck out of it. Several years ago I purchased the pieces to a Pirate costume when we decorated our yard up with a pirates of the Caribbean theme. . I bought a hat, earring, eye patch, blunderbuss, sword and fake boot leggings. My daughter made me a brown vest and sash and I dug up an old ruffled white tuxedo shirt. For pants I use old striped PJ bottoms or blue jeans. A little black makeup for a beard and a bandanna under the hat and.... good looking pirate.