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More time-delayed photos, courtesy of AT&T. Here are our margaritas (his was top shelf, mine was sangria-margarita) at Matt's El Rancho . The waitress talked us into Bob's queso - queso with ground beef and guacamole in it - she really had to twist our arms, as you might imagine. Allyn practically licked the bowl. ;) The food at Matt's was good (his Tacos al Carbon was better than my Tacos al Pastor) but not great. Personally, I think Chuy's is better. We will be going there in November.

Unfortunately, my phone was having posting issues, so this took a while, but here's Allyn on the covered patio at Rudy's (did I mention that he loves outdoor dining?) right before we stuffed ourselves with brisket, turkey, sausage, cole slaw and potato salad. He liked it. Hm. That's an understatement. He offered to eat at Rudy's for every meal for the rest of the weekend, but I declined. :)

I can't believe it's Thanksgiving! Today we started off with some quick antiquing at Spitalfields. (What, you thought this family could get through more than one day without a flea market?!) They've apparently updated the space recently, so there were fewer dealers, but a slew of new restaurants -- a Gourmet Burger Kitchen(gbk) , Wagamama , La Tasca , Giraffe , and some others. We didn't find much in the antique stalls, but the artist stalls on the other side were full of gorgeous goodies - purses, jewelry, shirts, dresses... (no, I didn't buy anything) We stopped for lunch at gbk -- a fancy version of Five Guys or Mighty Fine -- we just beat the lunchtime rush. Then we went looking for Be vis Marks , the oldest synagogue in London. After a minor challenge with the map, we found it, but we couldn't go inside. The "best kosher restaurant in London" is also there. After that, we walked over to the Guildhall Art Museum, to see an exhibit of GF Watts...

I missed the APIC National Convention in Las Vegas two weeks ago, but my friend Adam is expert at the PR thing (it's his job, natch), so he corralled a good number of media outlets to come and report on the event. He got everyone from the New York Times to UPI photographers to the Las Vegas Review Journal to come and interview folks and record the event for posterity. A reporter from the Las Vegas Sun spent some time talking to Dad -- I could recite the stories he tells about small buttons on lapel pins, and people's habits changing because of air-conditioning... in my sleep! ;) (love ya, Dad!) It's nice to see that the hobby is getting good press. Now if only we could find somebody other than old white guys to join! We're forming an Obama collectors chapter, so maybe we'll drum up some more members in the next few months. Election years are good for that.

Thanks to my very generous family and friends, I raised over $1500, and my team (Eye of the Tiger) raised over $3300! Bryan didn't register for the Race, but he showed up towards the end of the route with a big sign for mom. Fortunately, she was wearing a pink shirt and a hat, which made it much easier for him to find her in the sea of white t-shirts. Here we are at the end, in the shade, recovering from the Race. I think mom enjoyed it enough to want to come back again next year! Thank you again to everyone who supported us! If you didn't get a chance to donate, and would like to do so, you can still give at my sponsor web page .

Since apparently I can't be bothered to blog more than once a week any more, I thought I'd run through the various highs and lows of the past week, real quick-like. 1. Obama-mania! OK, so he didn't win California. (Really interesting take on that here .) But Superduper Tuesday did show that a lot of the country is interested in what he has to say. It's going to go down to the wire on this one, and surprisingly enough, the Dem vote in Texas might actually matter! :) 2. The Patriots didn't win! ...err, I mean, The GIANTS WON THE SUPERBOWL ! I've never been a huge Giants fan -- being a Skins and all -- but my "underdog-itis" (as Dani calls it) took over, and I had to root for little Eli and his guys. Hey, it's not my fault that Brady's pass rush couldn't protect him! Go Giants! My cousin even went to the victory parade in NYC. [Apparently the Vegas odds-makers were none too pleased with the result, though.] 3. Bill Clinton wised up and deci...

I should have posted this earlier, of course, but I am tremendously thankful for my family and friends, my job and my great co-workers, and of course, the USC Trojans. ;) Here's a great picture of us at the Carpinteria Tidepools on Friday. L-to-R that's Jae, me, Sam, Teri, and Bryan. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, full of laughter, food, family, and fun.

On Friday, Mom and I set off from Reno at about noon, headed to Fallen Leaf Lake, which is southwest of Lake Tahoe. We made it about ... 15 minutes, before we had to stop at Boomtown for some coffee. I took a few pictures of the mountains, and then we were off to the west. I didn't even notice when we crossed into California. We are driving a cute green Jeep Liberty. We stopped once on the road so I could take pictures, and then for lunch at the Olde Tahoe Cafe in Homewood. We just kept saying how beautiful the scenery was. And stopping by the side of the road so I could jump out and take pictures. :) When we called Mike (our host), he told us we'd definitely want to stop and take pictures when we got to Emerald Bay. He wasn't kidding! Unfortunately, up on top of that mountain, it was COLD! But a nice lady took a picture of us, and we returned the favor for her. Then we jumped back into the car and headed for Fallen Leaf. We missed the turnoff for Fallen Leaf Ro...

This time, I was in DC for more than 40 hours . I managed to fit in time to see my former colleagues at the Council on Competitiveness, as well as Amy, Kelly & Jeff & Hannah, Dani (and Spiderman 3), Lisa, Jen, and some MBA folks. [Oh, and I went to a CASC meeting and some meetings on the Hill, of course.] And, I got a cute haircut! Phew! Random news: Amy & Rob and Amy's friend Mary are going to Australia later this month. They're hitting Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne in the space of a week! I gave her a list of things to do, but I think it might be too chilly to climb the Sydney Bridge by the time they get there. I can't believe it's been three years since we went ! Hannah has chosen the names she'd prefer for her soon-to-be-sibling, but I don't think Kelly is going to use them (there are too many Michaels already) so she has some others in mind. We won't know what sex the baby is until a few weeks from now, though. Not patient enough to be surp...

... Dear (Old) Dad managed somehow to sprain his ankle/break something on Thursday night (well, ok, Friday morning at 1:30am) when he was taking out the trash. We're just lucky he didn't hit his head when he fell -- Mom and I wouldn't have found him until 7am when we were rushing off to a meeting! Having skipped medical treatment until Monday (unless you count Nurse Ratchett bandaging his ankle for him while I was there over the weekend), the doctor has decreed that he will be at home for a few days. He will be walking with crutches for two weeks, and have one of those big black boots for six weeks. He's learning to go up and down the stairs on his tush. Poor "gimpy". He'll accept any sympathy you want to send his way.

On Friday, Mom & Dad Fratkin, along with "Uncle" Norman, arrived in Austin. We tried to have lunch at Enoteca Vespaio on South Congress, but Dad & Norman were running a little late on the trek from Houston (too many antique stops, I suppose)... so Mom & I had lunch at the South Congress Cafe instead. Very tasty. I took Mom to see my new office in the afternoon, and she needed to chat with some of my co-workers. We went from there to the gym, where Tina kicked my a** (mostly because I hadn't been to the gym since Monday!) and mom got a quick massage. After we cleaned up, Norman used his little Garmin nuvi to find my house, and I gave them a quick tour. [You'd think mom had never seen a car navigation system before... she was enthralled!] Dad apparently approved of my house.... he even checked out the duplex that's for sale across the street. Dinner on Friday was at Castle Hill , one of Norman's favorites -- and now I know why! He had the Voodoo ...

I went home for the weekend, for the annual political memorabilia show that I organize. (Odd, but the co-chairs of the National Capital Chapter of APIC live in Austin, TX and Harrisburg, PA. The age of the Internet!) To save some dough, I flew home via JFK on JetBlue. I forgot how much I love JetBlue. I watched some Food Network, a little Bravo, and the NCAA basketball tourney on my flights. [Hours 1-3] The flight from JFK to DC was delayed a little, but Bryan picked me up and we still made it to dinner at Colvin Run by 8:15. Norman made me drink red wine. (He really twisted my arm.) It was a lovely Pinot Noir. Bryan and I both had the tuna 3-ways appetizer. (Teri, you would LOVE this.) And then he always has the duck for his entree. Always. I had a decidedly southwestern-style chili-rubbed pork loin and stuffed pepper. Norman had a blue cheese salad and then lobster consomme. Then we had dessert. The boys had chocolate mousse with banana ice cream. I had a chocolate-peanut-b...

When I was working at the Council on Competitiveness two years ago, we produced a little 8-minute film explaining how high performance computing affects everyday life . [Most of you know this, because I have forced you to watch it at least once!] DreamWorks Animation was on our Advisory Committee, and they very kindly offered to help us put the video together -- and we got to use the "Psychotic Penguins" from Madagascar in the film. March of the Penguins came out around the same time, and then Happy Feet . So these little tuxedo-clad waddlers are everywhere! My mother decided that as long as I was going to be associated with this HPC video, I should start a collection of penguins. I'll admit, I didn't fight her very hard on this, because a) penguins are cute, b) I work in an industry where the penguin symbol is well-known , and c) she's not really serious. Right? I momentarily forgot that I come from a family of collectors, and no matter how hard I fight th...

5 Best Things about being in DC this week: 1) Hanging out with the fam. Yes, they're a little bit nutty, but we have had a good time. Although for future reference, a week may be a little bit too long for family bonding. 2) Seeing all my pals. I managed to get together with most of the people I wanted to see this week, with one notable exception ( she knows who she is, she was off getting tan in Florida !) I also missed seeing some of the new mommies and their wee ones, but I'll be back in either March or June - or both! 3) Driving mom's car. My car is just going to seem like a sluggish tin can when I get back. Oh well. I still love my Cruiser. 4) The food! I had sushi, Indian food (twice), dim sum, bison, and even some Mexican food this week. urp. (Have to find a dim sum place in Austin.) 5) Staying an extra day to watch USC in the Rose Bowl! As long as UT is closed for the President Ford remembrance day, Dad offered to pay for me to stay an extra day, and this wa...

... but I think Austin is "home" now. Arrived on Saturday night. The whole fam came to pick me up at the airport, and we went to Ted's Montana Grill in Crystal City for dinner. We all had various forms of bison meat -- steak, meat loaf, short ribs, burger -- but nothing so impressive that we have to run right back. It was a little unnerving to sit underneath the wall-mounted giant stuffed buffalo head. (His name was Maximus.) When we got home, we celebrated the last night of Chanuka. I got a penguin to add to my collection (a collection that is growing daily as my mother goes out shopping), a lovely bracelet and three books I wanted (including a knitting book) from my brother. Poor kid had to brave the Crafts section of the bookstore to get the Yarn Harlot book . heh. I also opened my new (RED) iPod (thanks, Andy!) and started loading songs onto it. I loooove it! Xmas eve at Kelly's was tons of fun, as usual. We only had nine people this year, which was a nice,...

Welcome to the Holiday edition of "Getting to know your friends" - courtesy of Phyl-Phyl 1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both. It all depends on the gift. I looove wrapping gifts. 2. Real tree or artificial? None. Menorah, check. Chanuka lights, check. Tree? Not so much. 3. When do you put up the tree? see #2. Menorah comes out the day before Chanuka, and gets put away after the eighth night... after I've cleaned all the melted wax off the base. 4. When do you take the tree down? again, see #2. 5. Do you like eggnog? Lactose intolerance really curbs my eggnog intake. However, I would love to get a sip of Dani's famous version someday. I'll just pop a dozen lactaid pills first! I'm still on the hunt for the recipe my mom used to have for eggnog cookies. they were awesome. 6. Favorite gift received [as a child]? There are two things that I absolutely love that my parents got me - first, a script from the West Wing, signed by Dule Hill, Allison Janney, ...

This was the text message I got from my mother when I told her that we were going to Sea World last Friday. She remembers the last few times that we went to Sea World (when I was very young) -- we sat in the "soak zone" for both Shamu and the seal and walrus show. It's called the "soak zone" for a reason. :) Samantha, on the other hand, is very wary of getting wet. So we sat waaaaaay far away from the splashing Shamu and the dolphins. The shows were good, although they seemed really short (30 minutes each). Sam has a great story book about baby Honu the Sea Turtle , so we were able to relate the animals to their Hawaiian names in the book. She was much more excited about the eels and other creatures when she recognized them from the book. We looked for the sea turtles (there was one on the map) but we couldn't find them. Instead we went to see the starfish in a little pond, where you could take them out of the water and touch them. Sam actually touched the s...

... or as I said many times by the end of the day, "urp." Wow, there was a lot of food. Turkey, Ham, asparagus, spinach salad, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and "geoff-a-roni." and rolls. and wine. and don't forget the not-quite-seven-layer dip that we had for an appetizer. Like I said, "urp." And that's not counting the desserts!! Teri's brother Tom made spinach salad. Tutu made asparagus and stuffing. Geoff made his own version of Rice-a-Roni, and really yummy candied sweet potatoes. and three kinds of gelato. (much of the early time was spent messing with the gelato machine and explaining what 'zabaglione' was.) We ate outdoors in the sunny 70 degree weather (why didn't I remember from last year that black jeans are not good for sitting in the sun?!). Casey and Samantha had their own little side table, and Sam actually tried some of the Thanksgiving food. The girls seem to have had a good time, and the grownups ended the evening watc...

Wednesday, we helped straighten up for the onslaught of family that was coming on Thursday, while Samantha went to pre-school. Bryan was happy *gardening* outside. ( Hang on, Mom, I know you're in shock. ) He was enjoying the warm sunny weather, while also cleaning up the garden. He pruned the rose bush waaay back, mostly so that he could get past it to reach the hose, to rinse off the nice outdoor chairs. (The way he put it, he needs outdoor physical activity, and this was as close as he could get while on vacation.) I had to take a picture. :) We finished up with the chores pretty quickly, because we decided to go see the latest James Bond 007 movie - " Casino Royale." I liked it. It drags in places, but the opening sequence is phenomenal, and Daniel Craig is a very good Bond. Much as I looooved Pierce Brosnan, he was a little too ... "prissy" as Bond. As one of the reviewers said in People magazine, when Daniel Craig punches someone, they "stay punched...

After a quick weekend at home, I got up at 6am, runny nose and all, and went off to the airport to fly to LA. Why an early morning flight? One word: Non-stop (ok, two words). In order to get non-stop flights to/from LAX at an affordable fare, I am flying early in the morning in both directions. But it's worth it! So I made it to LA and went to the Getty to have lunch with MZ. Unfortunately, there was some fixing-up in progress up on the hill, so we went elsewhere for lunch. ( Jerry's Deli, in Westwood ) We were going to go to the Bel Air Grill , but they hadn't opened yet. Then I dropped M back off at work and went to the Getty Villa , over on PCH. It has only just reopened. It was beautiful. I particularly like the Greek painted terracotta wine cups and vases, with stories illustrated around the sides. (The muses were my favorite part of Disney's Hercules cartoon movie.) :) But owing to the fact that my nose wouldn't stop running, and I had gotten up way too early,...