OC Family Fortified with Irony

How to: Not have cable.

Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:26:00 GMT

I don’t have cable TV. There, I said it.

No, we’re not some wackos who believe that television is the voice of the devil. In fact, I really like watching TV. But our household has survived a whole year thus far without a paying for cable or satellite channels. How do we do it?

Before reading on, keep this in mind. A high-speed Internet connection is required for most of these options (I have mine through Cox, so I’m not entirely cable-free). There are probably other ways of doing the below, if you’re really tech-savvy. My tech-savviness dead-ends when cords and cables get involved. All of the below, I was able to set up on my own with minor consultation.

1) Digital antenna

I have a pretty nifty HD LCD TV I got from Costco. It came with a digital tuner, as most TVs manufactured in the past two years do.

When broadcasters made a big deal about a year or so back about the “digital conversion,” that meant that digital-enabled TVs could get local channels in glorious high definition, if you can pick them up. You’ll need a digital antenna for this.

I have a Philips digital antenna hooked up to my TV that allows me to get many (no, not all) local broadcast channels in HD. The beauty of it is that if they come in, they are in HD. If they don’t come in, then nothing shows up, or the picture is pixelated (no “They’re heeeere” static and snow).

I’m able to get KNBC channel 4, and KTLA channel 5 and the PBS channels pretty consistently. KCBS channel 2 is hit and miss, as is KTTV Fox 11. KABC 7 and channel 13 are no-shows.

Pros: Cheap (an antenna is less than $100). Clear reception.

Cons: Not all channels come in. No ability to skip commercials or watch a show later.

2) Netflix

For about $15 a month, I can have any two DVDs from Netflix in my home at a time. And here’s the thing: Netflix has DVDs of past TV seasons. I’ve caught up on “Mad Men,” “Breaking Bad,” and “The Tudors,” all via Netflix.

Not only can you have two DVDs in your possession at all times, you can stream an unlimited number of movies and TV shows over your computer. Many new devices, like Blu-Ray players and video game consoles will also stream them directly to your sexy HD TV. Sadly, I don’t have any of those. But I do have an iPhone 4. Netflix just added an app to stream to your iPhone, as well as the iPad.

Pros: Plenty of DVD titles available. Turnaround on DVDs is quick (if I drop in a mailbox Monday morning, I have a new title by Wednesday). Cost effective.

Cons: Limited number of titles to watch instantly. No instant gratification. You may have to wait months before your favorite TV show’s new season is released on DVD.

3) Hulu

Hulu has been around for a couple years and has made some pretty big changes lately, including the addition of a paid version.

If you don’t know, it’s a website that has a large number of current and past television shows available to stream via your computer. Not just crappy shows. We’re talking “Glee,” “Gray’s Anatomy,” “The Office” and more.

Hulu has tons of titles available to watch for free and they’re usually available within a day of their first airing. They’ve also recently added “Hulu Plus,” which offers more titles for an extra $10 per month, as well as access to your content on an iPhone and iPad app. This article has a good breakdown of free versus paid Hulu.

Pros: Free (basic Hulu). Large selection. Semi-instant gratification.

Cons: Video quality isn’t HD. You still have to watch ads (yes, remember the olden days when we all had to?!).

4) Apple TV

I’ve had my Apple TV for about two years and it’s been great. Basically, it’s like an iPod for your TV.

It plays any content you purchase from iTunes. So, yes, you have to buy your content. But there are lots of choices and it’s pretty cheap.

Nearly all prime-time and cable TV shows are available to buy for $1.99 for regular definition and $2.99 for HD. That said, there is the occasional show we want to see and cannot find on iTunes.

You can purchase season passes for about $30-$50 depending on the show. With a season pass, new episodes are downloaded the day after they air. Since there are only a few shows we watch regularly, it breaks down cheaper for us than subscribing to a bunch of channels we don’t watch. And once you buy them, you can watch them whenever and as often as you want.

Apple TV also allows you to purchase and rent movies via iTunes.

Not only that, but it can store your photos and play your music library. So if you have it hooked up to your home theatre, you can listen to music and set up a photo slideshow to play on your TV as a screen saver.

Pros: Lots of content available a la carte. Flexibility. Plays music and photos. Semi-instant gratification.

Cons: Hardware isn’t cheap. All your videos take up a lot of hard drive space on your computer (or, best case, external).

5) iTV(?)*

This one carries an asterisk because it’s based on speculation that may or may not be confirmed at Apple’s Sept. 1 press conference. And, the plot thickens. My search for a link to Apple TV for this blog post revealed that they are stuck on a proverbial back shelf on their website.

Rumor has it that Apple TV may receive an iOS makeover. That means it could work like an iPad or iPhone with, you guessed it, apps!

Theoretically, that could mean watching Hulu and Netflix content on your TV through the apps.

There’s also been some talk that iTunes could offer TV show rentals for about a buck a piece. My hard drive would be happy to hear that.

Further speculation reports that the iTV (if they can call it that, given a UK channel carries the same name) will provide a rich gaming platform. And the remote? Your iPhone or iPad.

Estimated cost? Some say about $100.

If that’s true, I’m due for an upgrade.

BOTTOM LINE:

Netflix: $15

iTunes, average month

4 episodes each of:

"The Soup": $8

Kid’s show (currently “Unnatural History”): $8

Mom's show (currently “Mad Men”): $12

iTunes and Netflix total: $44

Internet total: $46.99

Overall cost: $90.99

For now, this system works for me. One day, I may break down and get cable or satellite TV again.

How much do you pay for in-home entertainment each month?

X-Games: BMX & sweet swag

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:25:00 GMT

The X-Games are back in SoCal, and in a whole new venue -- LA Live and the LA Coliseum -- through Sunday, Aug. 1.

Although my 7-year-old is an X-Games vet, having attended the past two years, this is the first year I’ve ever been. I’m really glad we went.

Since BMX is his thing, we planned to hit up day two for the BMX street elimination competition. That event, plus BMX park and the two corresponding skate events, take place on the “event deck” at LA Live. Atop a parking structure (for reals).

From Blog

It’s all surrounded by booths, activities, giveaways, games and plenty of music at the X-Fest swag-o-rama in the middle of LA Live.

The X-Fest is free, but you do have to go through airport-style security, metal-detector and all. Don’t bring a backpack or food or drink, unless you like gettin’ hassled by da man.

Oh, and be sure to download the X-Games app if you can! It has an event schedule, map, athlete bios, results (slow to post, though) and more.

Even if you do nothing else besides the X-Fest, you and your kiddos will have fun, especially if they like action sports. They even have screens showing all the X-Games action. Oh, and if you’re a mobile geek like me, there are plenty of contests via text message and Twitter and signs encouraging you to tag your tweets with #xgames.

One of our highlights was the Shark Week booth, where we signed up to win a free iPad and got free “chum,” basically a frozen strawberry smoothie. I liked the Paul Frank RV, but my cooler-than-thou son wasn’t impressed with their activities of designing custom helmets and spray-painting stenciled Julius and Skurvy characters on bandannas (come on, how is that NOT awesome?!).

From Blog

Lemonheads and Warheads were there making little sugar-buzzed addicts out of eager children and had games giving out prizes. Axe was there, and my kiddo, who fancies himself quite the Axe man, wanted to go up to the booth, which seemed to somehow involve getting your picture taken with scantily clad women (he didn’t do it after all).

(Personally I would have preferred to see BMXer Scotty Cranmer reenact the Double-Pits-to-Chesty move from his commercial).

My child’s favorite booth was the Woodward West booth, where he got to see some of his friends who work at the camp he went to last month.

The best deal in the X-Fest was easy to miss. At the Transworld booth, you could sign up for FREE subscriptions to their magazines, including “RIDE BMX” and probably some about skateboarding and motocross and snowboarding and stuff.

In the interactive area, for the price of a legalese-heavy waiver, kiddos could borrow a helmet, board and/or bike and ride some mini-ramps. My son deemed the bikes too big for his taste and his Woodward BMX buddy concurred that they weighed about “18,000 pounds,” compared the the ultralight rigs they’re used to. But most of the kids seemed to be having fun on them.

If you do choose to see the events, tickets for the event deck are general admission for the bleachers. Tickets are $9 each for the day, but by the time you add on the fees, they’re $13.50 at the Staples Center box office (you still save about $5 from the online price if you don’t mind standing in line).

We sat in Bleacher C for the BMX street elimination contest and had a really great view, much better than I’d expected. Definitely worth it. Our top moments? Sean Burns literally jumping into and out of the course, plus prolific Twitterer Aaron Ross ( @theaaronross) and Garrett Reynolds’ runs.

By the way, we took a Metrolink from Tustin and caught a bus from Union Station to within a block of all the action. That set us back a total of $37 for one adult and one child, round trip. Not bad considering event parking alone was $20-$25.

Oh, and if you decide not to go? The good news is that ESPN is broadcasting the events online, as well as on TV. And if you enjoy some inside-baseball X-Games BMX tweets, follow my Rad BMXers list on Twitter, it’s pure entertainment from the competitors and others.

Here are a couple videos I took on my iPhone 4 of our two favorite riders:

Aaron Ross

Garrett Reynolds

Woodward West Action-Sports Camp

Tue, 06 Jul 2010 20:46:00 GMT

The wee one, my 7-year-old boy, just got back from a dream week at the best camp ever, Woodward West.

From 2010 Woodward West Week 4

Well, it’s certainly the best camp if you’re a BMXer (as mine is), skateboarder, in-line skater or gymnast. This camp, just outside Tehachapi, Calif., has more skate parks than most counties do.

In fact, this camp is so awesome that there’s a Fuel TV show about it, or at least about the original camp in Pennsylvania. Surprisingly, a lot of people at Woodward West last week were from the east coast and chose to come to the California camp rather than the closer camp.

You know it’s a good camp when Tony Hawk takes his kid to skate there. Yes, THAT Tony Hawk, who we saw coming and going last week. Plus, other pros show up to work with the riders.

I was lucky enough to share the experience with my son for the week. I took a week of vacation off my job to work as a driver while he was at camp.

My little guy was the youngest BMX camper and, as a “mini camper,” shared a cabin with other boys age 7 to 10 and two “mini dads,” also staying with their kiddos for the week.

The mornings are filled with instruction in groups of others at a similar riding level. There are concrete, wood, Skatelite and more parks to rotate among. Plus, there is a vert ramp, foam pit and heavily padded “resi” ramp. Oh, and dirt bike jumps, which my freestyler and racer loves.

From 2010 Woodward West Week 4

The rest of the days are free for riding, hanging out by the pool (and its logroll), playing video games, editing videos, doing arts and crafts or making your own Create-a-Skate skateboard.

For the first time ever, I was actually glad that my little guy spent some time chilling and playing video games. He spent so much time riding hard, he needed some downtime and recovery time.

Every night was scheduled with some sort of fun recreational activity, from s’mores by the campfire to a talent show, Target social party, dodgeball and foam tag (like dodgeball, with foam from the foam pits).

From Woodward West Summer Camp

The food was surprisingly good as well, even for a picky vegetarian like me. The chef, a vegetarian, cooked up some alternative tofu dishes and the Ball Park Franks grill had veggie burgers available along with dogs and burgers at lunch and dinner.

Beyond the riding and all the general fun, camp gave my wee BMXer a chance at independence (I was working, so I didn’t hover!), to make good (and a few not-so-good) choices and to make new friends.

He was even one of the lucky few to get “Tapped,” meaning he got invited to a special VIP week at camp in August.

Whenever he does go back, one thing is for sure. He’ll have tons more fun!

Woodward West Slideshow (shot mostly with an iPhone 4)

Woodward West Video (shot entirely on an iPhone 4)

iPhone 4 mania

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:26:00 GMT

So, I got the new iPhone 4. And I only had to sit in line for five hours to get it.

Very short review: It’s awesome. I love it. And it was worth it.

I’ve been a Mac since the very early days, since before there even was a Mac, just a rainbow-colored Apple. Though I’m a total fangirl, I’ve never taken part in the whole release-day mania that surrounds so many Apple products. And I tend to wait for the second-gen of a product before investing in one.

But this time, I did. I preordered my iPhone 4 online bright and early on June 15. It took a number of tries, and I toyed with the idea of home delivery, but ended up with in-store pickup. I chose the Irvine Apple Store, where some of my fellow Twitter friends were planning an informal iPhone 4 pickup tweetup.

More check-ins at Apple Store

As it turned out, I was the only one of that Twitter group who got my reservation in (sucker!). So I was destined to sit in line alone.

On release day, I woke up at the ungodly hour of 4 in the a.m. I got to the Apple Store just after 5 a.m.

A huge line snaked its way around the store. I smugly walked toward the front, looking for the privileged “Reservations” line. It was nearly as long, snaking around in the opposite direction. The two lines nearly met on the opposite side of the store, so security guards reconfigured them. Each line probably had 100-200 people by 5:30 a.m.

People of all ages stood in line together. Apple employees brought out pastries and fruit and water and coffee to keep spirits up. They also came out to give periodic updates on stock, the activation process and to check our reservations via iPad.

In all, if you’ve gotta stand in a line, it’s not a bad one to stand in. Apple employees later brought out umbrellas to stave off the sun and pizzas to do the same for hunger.

When it was my turn, an employee walked me in and stayed with me through the whole purchase and activation process. I brought my MacBook and even started syncing it while in-store AT&T employees switched my old iPhone 3G to my second line for my mother.

As I left the store, still-syncing new iPhone 4 in one hand, my MacBook in the other, Apple Store employees cheered and clapped. How’s that for first-class treatment?!

I haven’t had a lot of time to play with it, but so far I completely love it. It feels a little heavier, but sturdier, in my hand. It also seems much thinner. Also, the much-lauded "retina display" is razor-sharp and incredible.

The camera is great and I’ve downloaded iMovie to film and edit videos on the fly. Here is a movie I shot and uploaded (but didn’t edit) from my phone at the Irvine Public Schools Foundation Tweetup this week.

I’ll certainly be posting more impressions about the new iPhone -- but not for at least a week. My son and I are off to summer camp, where he’ll be riding BMX and I’ll be working as a driver. Yes, I took a week off my job to work as a driver at a summer camp! Stay tuned for more on that.

King’s Hawaiian Bakery

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 18:48:00 GMT

Feel like a Hawaiian vacation, minus the flight, hotel and pesky relaxation in a tropical paradise?

Just 30 minutes up the freeway, or 3 hours depending on traffic, is a little taste of the islands at King’s Hawaiian Bakery in Torrance. Perhaps you’ve heard of their sweet Hawaiian bread?

I discovered this little gem fresh out of college as a cub reporter at a South Bay newspaper. King’s was just putting the finishing touches on the Local Place Bakery and Cafe right at the end of the Western Avenue 405 offramp.

The restaurant specializes in Hawaiian food, like teriyaki, pork and things a non-meat-eater can’t really appreciate. But what I do appreciate is the bakery.

Of course they have packages of their famous bread, but they also have bakery cases full of tropical delights.

Their muffins, for one, are moist and delicious. I’m not much of a muffin fan, but their pineapple muffins are one of my favorite pastries of all times.

Their cakes are also fabulous. I opted for the Hawaiian Paradise cake for my baby shower way back when (OK, 8 years ago). It has tri-colored layers of passionfruit, guava and lime flavored sponge, topped with whipped cream and fruit glaze.

One of my former coworkers, who was pregnant at the same time I was, swore by the Chocolate Dobash cake for her shower, though I’ve never tried it.

Now that my child is no longer in-utero, his favorite is the Rainbow Bread. It’s a regular white sandwich loaf, but has swirls of orange, pink and green in it. It makes for seriously fun sandwiches in his lunch.

We usually buy a loaf or two and keep it in the freezer to ration out. It sells out quick, so get there early in the day to make sure you get some!

The Local Place also has an assortment of cookies, chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and the occasional, random Hawaiian souvenirs. They also have your basic, old-school cupcakes, even some with Hello Kitty toppers. And as of our visit today, they’ve even added red velvet cupcakes to their repertoire.

I rarely venture beyond the Orange Curtain, but when I have to take the 405 to LA, King’s is a required stop.

2 new OC nom spots

Mon, 31 May 2010 17:48:00 GMT

This week I checked out two new (one new, one new to me) places for noms, Sushilicious and Cafe Rio.

First, the kiddo and I headed to Sushilicious in Irvine. It’s been open for a few months and was generating buzz via Twitter and Facebook for maybe six months before that.

A sushi place may seem an unlikely destination for a vegetarian mom and picky-eater child. I suppose I’m not so much vegetarian as I just don’t like meat. I try to eat fish every year or so with mixed results since I’m not used to the texture.

I heard that kids eat free at Sushilicious on Tuesdays, so I thought we’d give it a shot. We weren’t disappointed!

The place, on Irvine Center Drive and Jeffrey in Irvine, is bright and cheery, kind of like a Yogurtland. Seating is around the sushi bar, which has two conveyor belts of plates chugging past diners at all times. They even take your order on iPod Touches!

Each plate of food sits atop a color-coded (indicating price) stand with a full description and clever names like “Napoleon Dynamite,” and “Cirque du Sushi.”

The kiddo ordered the free kid’s meal of chicken katsu (like chicken strips), which came with rice, tempura veggies and salad. He happily ate the rice and chicken. He wasn’t jazzed on the tempura, but he prefers his veggies raw.

We started with our favorite, edamame, which came warm and salted. They even have one of my favorite appetizers, sweet potato fries!

I decided to get brave and try the spicy tuna roll, which was perfect and not fishy at all. I was craving it so much, I went back the next night with a friend to get more!

BTW, the whole dinner, including a cleverly bottled Japanese soda drink the kiddo ordered, came to less than $16. Oh, and they have kids’ crafts.

Friday, some coworkers and I headed to the new Cafe Rio in Tustin on Irvine Boulevard. It’s a Utah-based Tex-Mex chain I’d never heard of until a Facebook friend from Utah sent me a message that one was opening near me.

“Is it good?” I asked him

“Is it good?!??!??!??!?! Is water wet?” he responded.

He recommended the pork barbacoa. I gave it a miss, but a coworker ordered it (though she found it a bit too sweet for her taste).

The place is another fun, lively spot. Staff is cheerful and if you tell them it’s your first time, they all shout out “First-Timer!” Given that it had just opened that day, they were shouting that a lot.

It’s similar to Chipotle: You pick from burrito, taco, salad or enchilada, a filling, and tell the “burrito artist” what fixin’s you want. My only complaint is that they don’t have grilled veggies, so I settled for BRC -- beans, rice cheese.

The front of the assembly line features someone making fluffy, handmade tortillas that looked delish. They make your meal in a round foil tin and you can get burritos enchilada style, with sauce and cheese on top.

My BRC burrito with pinto beans and enchilada sauce was delish -- and huge! Oh, and they have tons of soda on tap, including Diet Dr. Pepper and Coke Zero, and a whole wall full of hot sauces (sadly, no Tapatio).

The manager came by to get our opinions and even brought out their Tres Leches desert to try. It was yummy, sort of like an ice-cream cake topped with strawberries and whipped cream. It didn’t last last long between the five of us.

Glad to have it as a new lunch spot near work. Oh, and it even has an iPhone app.

And, my child has already asked me if we can go back to Sushilicious when he gets top behavior points in class. Sounds like a win-win to me!

Hybrid to Hummer: Update

Sun, 23 May 2010 14:17:00 GMT

It’s been two weeks now since I made my controversial conversion from hybrid to Hummer (relax, it’s just an H3). I can honestly say I’m very happy with my decision.

Its first true test -- and mine -- came after only a week of ownership. My wee BMXer was set to race in three State Championship qualifier races, in Santa Barbara, Camarillo and our home track in Orange.

I filled the rugged, plastic-lined rear cargo area of my new (to me) SUV with luggage, cooler, snacks, pads and helmet. And after a half-day of work on Friday, headed to REI to get the Thule T2 hitch-mount bike rack I’d had my eye on (now 20% off at their Anniversary Sale, and I got a price adjustment!).

The problem is, the rack doesn’t come as ready-to-roll as I’d expected. So I rolled up my sleeves, pulled my hair back and got to assembling the rack -- in the parking lot at REI.

As a single mom and granddaughter of an engineer, I pride myself on being able to follow directions and assemble things better than the average person. However, it took me a good hour and two runs into the store with questions to get that bad boy on.

Once I got the rack and bike on -- and getting corrected by a Facebook friend on how to properly secure the bike -- it worked like a charm. A hundred times simpler and more secure than the soft rack on my Prius. This will definitely reduce my stress of getting loaded for race road trips!

The car worked great, the back is now filled with mud and I even survived its first fillup. It wasn’t as bad as I’d thought, coming to just more than $50. More than the hybrid, to be sure, but not as bad as I’d feared (it rates at 15/19 mpg).

The funny thing is, what feels like a monster truck to me was still one of the smallest vehicles in the parking lot of each BMX track.

Oh, and best of all? The kiddo got a third-place finish in his highly competitive race class of 7 Expert.

By the way, I’m planning a purchase of a car stereo to replace the factory one. I want one that will charge and easily play my iPhone, and maybe is HD-ready and has Bluetooth, but that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Any suggestions?

From Hybrid to Hummer

Mon, 10 May 2010 20:07:00 GMT

I recently made a very controversial decision.

I may be the only person who ever traded in a Prius hybrid for a Hummer gas-guzzling sport-utility.

Everybody won’t agree with my decision, and it's not for everybody. I don’t have to justify it. But I do realize it’s an unconventional decision. Here are my top 10 reasons why I did it:

1. Truck envy.

I loved my Prius. A lot. But after five years, it left me longing for something bigger and brawnier. At work, I always try to check out the Chevy Trailblazer or Suburban from the pool vehicles. I leave the two Priuses for people who don’t drive one every day!

2. Closet Hummer fixation.

Ok, that sounds rude. But I’ve loved Hummer H3s ever since GM introduced the scaled-down, semi-reasonable version of the Humvee and H2. I’d never drive anything as big as an H2, let alone pay for one. The H3, on the other hand, seemed more in reach. That is, until I went to the Hummer “build-your-own” website and priced a new one out. Then, notsomuch.

3. Space for our stuff.

As a single mom to a wee BMXer, an inordinate amount of my time is spent wedging bikes into the hatchback. Packing bags, bikes, cooler and more for out of town races nearly every other weekend. Fiddling with soft racks, fitting bikes on, scratching the car's paint with pedals and constantly pulling over to tighten the straps. I’ve got better things to do with my time and my 7-year-old isn’t ready for rack duty yet. Yes, I could’ve got a tow hitch mounted on my Prius, if that were the only mitigating factor.

4. Mile for mile.

The Prius, carpool sticker and all, served me well when I was commuting 50 miles a day. Unfortunately, those days added up fast on my odometer. My “new” car is two years newer and has half as many miles as my “old” car (and got me out of paying for two major rounds of scheduled maintenance).

5. Buy American.

I grew up in the Midwest. My grandparents grew up in Flint, Mich., home of GM. They never worked there, but my family always believed in buying American-made cars. My last two were not, so I was due. Grandpa would be proud.

6.The price was right.

I did a lot of comparison shopping and online research over the past year, and I couldn’t have touched a comparable SUV or even crew-cab pickup for the price I got this little (ok, big...) piece of Americana. I got a decent trade-in value for the Prius and my payments are lower. And I got a car I really wanted.

7. No-pressure sales.

I can’t say enough positive things about Car Max. I went in only to look at an H3 I spied online and, without high-pressure sales tactics, drove home in it. Totally unexpected. I’ve never done that and I’m very happy with my decision. They even sent me a link to my “owner’s page” online complete with a "Share this on Facebook" button. How cool is that?!

8. Collector’s item.

GM stopped production on the Hummer brand this year. If I ever wanted one, now is the time.

9. I’ve done my part.

Not to rest on my laurels, but I drove a hybrid for five years. I now have a short commute and walk or ride my bike to work when I can. I recycle. I turn off the lights when I leave a room. I’m a nice person, dammit! If anybody is going to prove a responsible owner of a gas-guzzling beast, hopefully it’s me. Better me than someone who drives 200 miles a week.

10. I wanted one! A lot!

And, my kid loves it.

Epilogue:

My 2005 Toyota Prius was a great car. I have no complaints. It was just time for a change. If you’re looking to pick up the noble mantle of environmentally conscious driving, I highly recommend one.

I hear Car Max in Buena Park has one. Maybe they even fixed the bike-pedal scratches.

Priorities, priorities

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:21:00 GMT

As a single, career-driven mom, I have to admit, I’m pretty low down on my priority list.

Number one on that list, and rightfully so, is my wonderful, 7-year-old son. Number two is my job, which is very hectic and stressful, but which I love.

A distant third -- with whatever little time, energy and money is left after bike races, bike parts, skate parks, homework (his and mine), meetings, projects, travel and whatever else pops up -- is me.

So when I have an opportunity to sneak to the top of the priority list, even briefly, I’m going to take it.

Luckily, I had that chance this week, thanks to OC Family and the ultra-fabulous spa at the Resort at Pelican Hill. Yes, THAT Pelican Hill. Certainly, that was worth taking a vacation day for.

The tony Pelican Hill Golf Club closed a while back for a complete refurbishment and addition of additional amenities. Now it has a full resort, pool, spa and restaurants, the last two of which are open to the public.

It’s the kind of place that the rich housewives from the fictional “The OC,” would go. I wouldn’t even imagine it being the kind of place little ol’ me could spend a day.

I’m now forced to rethink that.

Driving down Newport Coast Drive, I could practically hear the opening credit music to “The OC” (“California” by Phantom Planet -- a classic).

The front of the Resort at Pelican Hill has that Italian villa look the Irvine Company loves so much, and I certainly don’t blame them for that. A friendly valet took my Prius, still covered in dust, bugs and the bike rack from last weekend’s trip. I forgive him for not parking it up front with the Bentleys and Mercedes Benzes.

Each of us mommy bloggers checked in to the tranquil spa to receive an hour-long treatment. I got the Amber Gold Signature massage, which was heavenly and divine. The worst part was when it was over. And, seriously, the last 15 or so minutes I was dreading when it was going to be over. Man, I need to relax, don’t I?!?!

I sure needed it.

The spa, in my very limited experience of spas, is amazing, beautiful, relaxing (well, as much as I can ever relax) and well worth the premium prices if you’re looking for a special treat. (Mother’s Day IS coming up...hint hint!).

At lunchtime we made our way to the poolside Coliseum Grill. It’s on a deck overlooking the world’s largest circular pool! For reals! The pool overlooks the golf course, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean. In short, it does not suck at all.

I had to laugh to myself as we were among the ladies who lunch. Well-dressed and impeccably groomed women, with probably little else to do besides look fabulous, filled the restaurant.

But the casual menu includes kids meals and favorites like pizza and burgers, at all and the prices are reasonable enough to bring the kiddo for a fun weekend lunch. I definitely plan to do that soon.

We had gazpacho, one of my favorite of all dishes, as well as a salad and home made gelato! It made the perfect post-spa lunch.

After lunch, a couple of us stayed behind to hang out in a poolside cabana equipped with a TV and Bose sound system. It was almost like being on a real vacation.

Definitely worth the vacation day I took from work to enjoy it.

Who's your Olympic star?

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:15:00 GMT

Watching the Olympics can inspire anyone to greatness, especially with the right hero as a role model.

For the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Shaun White and Apolo Ohno are capturing much of the attention and media coverage in their extreme sports of snowboarding and short-track speedskating. And Wednesday night, White successfully defended his gold medal in the men's halfpipe.

When I was a little girl, watching women’s gymnastics in the Olympics inspired me to take up that sport. Next thing my mom knew, she was shuttling me back and forth to practice two, three, four times a week and my grandfather built me a balance beam in the back yard.

Well, I didn’t become the next Nadia Comaneci. And I went on to other sports like synchronized swimming (no joke) and, in college, rowing.

Now my 7-year-old son is competing in one of the newest extreme sports in the Olympics: BMX racing. BMX made its debut in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where three Americans made the podium: Californians Mikey Day and Donny Robinson, who took silver and bronze in the men’s competition, and Jill Kintner, who won a bronze for the women.

Watch a video of the 2008 Men's Olympic final here.

By the way, Day, Robinson and Kintner are all on Twitter!

The BMX Olympic Training Center, which has a Beijing replica track where the Olympic trials and training took place, is just down in Chula Vista. With its three-story high start hill, huge turns and gigantic gap jumps, it’s not for the faint-of-heart, and offers plenty of excitement for spectators.

In September, it hosted the world’s top racers for the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup -- including my son’s favorites, Day and Robinson. He cheered them on each time he heard their names and every time they blazed past us on the track.

To my son, Mikey Day and Donny Robinson are on par with Shaun White. Even higher, because they represent the best of the best in his sport.

They don’t have a video game or a clothing line like the snow- and skateboard star does. But if they did, they would top my kid's Christmas list, for sure.

So what is it that makes a sport or an athlete connect with young athletes? I don’t know the answer to that. But I do know my son will be rooting for his favorite racers for the 2012 London Olympics. And maybe working toward the 2020 Games himself...?

Want to learn more about BMX racing?
Check out Orange County’s track, the Orange Y, off Chapman Avenue and the 55 Freeway in Orange. They have practice and racing Wednesday and Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons. As long as a kid can ride without training wheels, he or she can probably make it around the track!

And if you’re in Chula Vista, there’s a new race track there, adjacent to the Olympic replica track, as well as the BMX Hall of Fame.

Moving Forward. Eventually.

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:41:00 GMT

I drive a Toyota Prius. There, I said it.

We’ve been together quite happily for going on five years before this whole recall debacle. In fact, my aunt is on her second Prius, having passed her first along to her eldest daughter.

It’s served me well with its average 40-45 mpg, a sticker that lets me drive in the carpool lane solo and just enough room to carry my kid and his BMX gear to races and other adventures.

Thus far, my model year has not been named in any recalls (knock on wood). Some Prius owners reportedly state that their cars have spontaneously shut off or had braking problems -- none of which have affected me (knock-knock).

Friday was the first problem I’ve experienced with my Prius. And of course it was when it was loaded up to take the kid to a big Nationals BMX race in Chula Vista.

And of course it happened just as we passed the last San Onofre exit on the I-5 and entered the long no-man’s-land that is Camp Pendleton.

All of a sudden, the dashboard started beeping at me. The check engine light came on. That, I can handle.

But then a series of exclamation marks in increasingly alarming colors lit up on my dash. And no exits for miles.

I carefully drove to the first available exit, which is apparently home only to Camp Pendleton, a trail head and lots and lots of Border Patrol cars. I pulled to the side of the road and consulted my owner’s manual.

It told me to contact a dealer immediately. I found the closest one 14 miles away in Carlsbad. They told me to bring it in right away, but it might take a few days to fix.

I pulled back on the freeway and inched my way to Toyota Carlsbad, where I threw myself upon the mercy of service advisor Dave.

He checked me in and offered me a rental Yaris -- no way all our stuff would fit in that! He called in the big guns and got a Ford Flex from the nearby Hertz. We loaded it up and got on our way, not even late for the kiddo’s practice!

The wee one and I really liked the Flex. Just big enough, but didn’t drive too big. I have a serious case of SUV-envy, but really liked the Flex. Even drove nicely in the torrential downpours we encountered.

Bless his heart, Dave called the next day with good news. My Prius had a water-pump issue, one covered under the 60,000 power train warranty the hybrids have. I squeaked in with about 59,700 miles on my car.

After a rainy day of BMX racing Saturday, the wee one and I drove from Chula Vista to Carlsbad to -- somewhat reluctantly -- hand the Flex back in.

Total cost for the repairs and rental? Zero. Whew!

We finished off the long weekend with more damp racing Sunday, where the kiddo faced some very serious competition in his 7-Expert category, including a kid who won the Worlds!

Well, we didn’t bring home a trophy or a new Ford Flex. But he had fun and we got our car back. And best of all -- no charge!

And no recall. Well, yet... By the way, next car? It'll be an SUV or pickup. And I wouldn't say "no" to a Flex.

Woodward West Winter Camp

Sun, 10 Jan 2010 15:42:00 GMT

Over Christmas break, my wee BMXer finally got the chance to do something he’s been begging to do for ages -- stay at action-sports camp Woodward West, in Tehachapi, Calif.

It’s the West Coast outpost for Camp Woodward, featured in a Fuel TV show (new season starts Jan. 31). It’s filled with ramps of all varieties and forms, inside and out, plus dirt jumps. It’s sheer heaven for BMXers, skaters and even mountain bikers.

The minimum age for camp is 7, so their Winter Camp was his first opportunity to stay there. It was also the first time he’d been at a sleepover camp, leading to a great deal of anxiety on my part. But there were a surprising number of 7 and 8-year-old campers, plus two 10-year-old friends of his.

The younger campers get a “mini-dad” assigned to their cabins to help keep an eye on them. Each cabin has about eight bunks and a private bath with shower.

There were 300 campers, 155 of whom, I’m told, were BMX. So that officially makes more BMX kids than skate, mountain bike or in-line.

Not only do they have great staff and counselors, they get visiting pros to help the kids out. Etnies BMX pro Aaron Ross (see video link below), as well as Mike Escamilla and Brian Kachinsky attended the winter camp, sharing their expertise with the kids. I set up a Twitter list so I could follow some of the action from home!

After getting settled in, all the kids and parents started exploring all the ramps, running up, sliding down and planning their rides. They hit up The Enterprise, a huge outdoor skate park, before heading to the 50,000-square-foot Hangar 18, complete with a vert ramp and foam pit to practice gnarly tricks into.

Those kids were probably worn out before they even got to ride! My kid informed me that he’d be working on back flips. I told him to start out with something a little easier.

The daily schedules were posted and, in addition to instruction times and free riding time, they could play dodgeball, listen to live music and make skateboard decks.

I knew he’d be ok when I said goodbye to him and he dashed off to his cabin without so much as a look back.

I waited anxiously for a call from him for the next four days. It didn’t come.

He claimed he couldn’t figure out how to use the phone card. But, following updates on Twitter, which showed pictures and videos of kids running on giant mats in the gymnasium (Woodward also teaches gymnastics) and hurling themselves into foam pits, I didn’t blame him.

The last night of camp, I tweeted @WoodwardWest to send a picture of my kid. She sent two -- one of him in the foam pit and one on the tramp bike -- a BMX with no wheels for use practicing tricks on a trampoline. It made my night!

Parents started lining up the last day to come in and see what their kids had learned. I entered Hangar 18 and the first thing I saw was his friend Tucker, 10, do a backflip (here he is doing it at Etnies Skatepark).

My kid, notsomuch. He was pretty exhausted from four days straight of riding all day. But he showed me a couple new tricks he’d worked on.

Once he got his energy back, he told me all about the fun he had. And begged to go back for a week at summer camp.

I’m saving up now!

Here’s a great video of pro Aaron Ross and some kids at Woodward West Winter Camp. Didn’t spy my kid in it, but looks like lots of fun!

Go ahead. Party like it’s 1999.

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:52:00 GMT

It’s amazing that the first decade of the 21st century is nearly over.

As we bid farewell to the aughts, let us remember where we were 10 years ago.

Then: We were subjected to hype over Y2K.

Now: We’re subjected to hype over 2012.

Then: Jeans were jeans. And boot-cut.

Now: Skinny jeans are everywhere. Even on your sons.

Then: Some of us had cell phones. They stored phone numbers, but not much else. If we were lucky, they had about seven novelty rings. Five of which may or may not have made your ears bleed. They were not smart phones. More like motivated phones.

Now: Most of our phones can text, e-mail, take pictures, Tweet, Facebook, surf the Web, play games, order a burrito and sound like Mr. T, if you're into that sort of thing. Oh, and make a call. And get you in trouble with your spouse (Tiger Woods, I’m looking at you!).

Then: Cameras had film. Seeing your photos after getting them developed in an hour was amazing.

Now: Film? Is that the stuff you used to take to camera shops when they were around? My 7-year-old son doesn’t understand a world where he can’t view a picture on a tiny screen one second after it’s snapped.

Then: We got our music on CDs. We bought them at places called “record stores.” They came encased in large, plastic holders that cashiers needed the Jaws of Life to open. We needed the Jaws of Life when we got home to remove the wrapper and industrial-strength tape keeping them safe and tamper-proof.

Now: We download music from the Internet and listen on our phones. No tools required.

Then: We had dial-up. If anything. Remember the lovely sound of your computer modem connecting?

Now: We complain if the free Wi-Fi at the coffee shop is sluggish because too many people are livestreaming video via their iPhones while sipping their lattes.

Then: TVs and computer monitors were as deep as they were wide. God forbid you should ever have to move.

Now: Not only are our televisions ginormous and thin, but they’re also HD. Now I see every pore on a news anchor’s face. How did I ever survive before?

Then: We got our news in the newspaper and on TV. We got our celebrity gossip on Entertainment Tonight.

Now: Newspapers? What are those? Today, we get our news and celeb gossip online. Often from the same source. And indistinguishable from one another.

Then: We asked directions if we got lost. And got a TripTik from AAA if we were really organized and planning ahead.

Now: We Google directions from our smarphones or search on our car’s GPS, which can be configured in a variety of accents. Just for giggles.

Then: “Checking in” meant calling when you got there.

Now: “Checking in” means whipping out your smartphone and logging in Foursquare or Gowalla or Whrrl (or all three) to post your location, meet up with your friends, review a restaurant, post pictures, microblog your experience and earn virtual badges with arbitrary names. Oh, and retain your mayorship. Duh.

Then: Our moms and significant others wanted to hear about our day.

Now: Our moms and significant others want to hear about our day. But that doesn’t stop us from also telling everybody else in the whole world about it anyway!

Thanks for reading. Follow me on Twitter if you're up for shenanigans.

Even ‘SC fans can back these buckeyes

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:11:00 GMT

With the regular college football season now wrapped up and bowl games coming up, it’s time for some buckeyes. Not the Rose-Bowl bound Buckeyes, although I’m equally excited about that. I’m talking about candy buckeyes!

I first learned to make these in high school home economics class back in Ohio. Now it’s a nearly annual ritual for me to make the ridiculously yummy peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. They get their name for their resemblance to horse chestnuts, also known as buckeyes -- from the state tree of Ohio and namesake for Ohio State athletics teams.

For reasons I cannot explain, the Ohio State mascot, Brutus Buckeye, is basically a man with a nut for a head.

My son, however, thinks his head is made from peanut butter.

I consider myself a Buckeye since I spent most of my formative years at THE Ohio State University, although I earned my degree from Cal State Long Beach. I even have OSU colors, scarlet and gray, tattooed on my body forever. No lie.

Candy buckeyes are just about the only thing I make full use of my kitchen for. I’m no domestic diva and buckeyes are quite a production, but they’re worth it! And they’re perfect for holiday parties!

How to Make Buckeyes:

You will need:

2 (16-oz.) jars of creamy peanut butter (Jiff or Skippy, not the healthy kind)

2 large sticks of unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 lbs. of confectioners sugar

2 (12-oz.) bags of semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 stick of paraffin wax (or 1/4 bar -- weird, but keeps them firm)

waxed paper
double boiler
toothpick
patience

Make sure the butter and the peanut butter are nice and soft to start. If you have a fancy mixer, mix the butter, peanut butter and sugar together until smooth with no lumps. If you don’t have a mixer, work the butter into the peanut butter in a large bowl (or separate into two) and gradually work in the sugar; then mix it in a blender until smooth.

Transfer your creamy peanut butter mixture into two bowls and put in the freezer. Leave it in at least 30 minutes, until nice and firm. Take one bowl at a time out and scoop out a tablespoon or so at a time and roll into balls, then place on a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper. It helps keep the peanut butter from sticking if your hands are a little damp. If it starts getting soft, put it in the freezer and pull out the other bowl of mixture. Keep this up until it’s all in ball form. Put them all in the fridge or freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Next, melt the chocolate and wax in a double boiler. Pick up peanut butter balls one at a time with a toothpick and dip in the chocolate, leaving a small exposed spot at the top, resembling a buckeye. You can fill in the toothpick holes with a little of the mixture. Keep the balls you’re not working with in the freezer or they’ll start getting soft and mushy.

Place completed buckeyes in the freezer or fridge to firm and chill.

This recipe makes about 72 buckeyes. Share with your friends. Or not!

Brutus Buckeye image from Columbusing.com.

Arnette BMX Fall Classic

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:49:00 GMT

Although BMX was born in Southern California, we don’t get to see too many freestyle competitions here. BMX racing, however, goes off regularly at the Orange Y on Chapman Avenue.

But last weekend, Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest hosted all levels of BMX riders -- little guys to pros -- for the Arnette Fall Classic contest Sunday, Nov. 29 (Ride BMX story here).

We love Etnies Skatepark, a private-public partnership between the City of Lake Forest and Sole Technology. It’s one of the few skateparks that allows BMX bikes in. Plus, it’s free to ride. By the way, it has a new website.

Though he’s a seasoned BMX racer at the Orange Y and further afield, my little 7-year-old is just starting to do the park contests, which are a very different animal. He’s still grasping the concept that you get points for pulling tricks, not just riding. But he has lots of fun, regardless.

The 10 & Under category had six riders, including the legendary Tucker Smith, 10, a good friend of my wee one. Tucker’s got some crazy tricks and riding skills way beyond his years! It’s no surprise he won the category and took home an 18” Haro bike and trophy.

The competition was sponsored by Arnette, which supplied cool sunglasses-shaped trophies.

BMX pros Rob Darden and Corey Martinez also showed up to sign autographs and hang out to watch all the action.

It was a great competition and I hope to see more of these here in Orange County!

Click below for my Whrrl story on the day!

Sleepover camp -- how young?

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:38:00 GMT

How old were you when you first went to a sleepover camp? How old was your child?

Though it wasn’t my original intent, I decided this week that my 7-year-old wee one will attend a three-night sleepover camp 150 miles from home, without me there. I think I’m much more anxious about it than he is! But I don’t want to deny him the opportunity for a really great camp, Woodward West.

As an avid BMXer, one of his favorite TV shows is “Camp Woodward” on FuelTV. It follows three teenaged boys at an incredible, massive action-sports camp in rural Pennsylvania.

Camp Woodward has an outpost in Tehachapi, Calif. (between Lancaster and Bakersfield), called Woodward West. That camp has five concrete, wood and Skatelite outdoor skate parks, plus a 50,000 square-foot hangar filled with ramps.

The hangar also has a foam pit to practice those gnarly 360s and backflips on your bike or skateboard before committing to them over unforgiving, hard ground. It also has a “resi” vert ramp, a ramp with about two feet of padding covered by a smooth riding surface.

He’s been begging to go to the camp, but this coming summer will be the first he meets the minimum age of 7.

We visited for a BMX competition in the hangar last spring (read previous blog post on it here). He rode the ramps for eight hours. And threw a fit when we had to leave.

I resolved to send him for a week in summer of 2010. I plan to apply for a parent job that week so I’ll be close to him since he’s never gone to a sleepaway camp.

For his 7th birthday in September, I promised to take him for one of their Action Sports Getaway weekends in November. A family can stay at the nearby lodge and ride ramps in the hangar. But it turns out that their three-night, four-day camp is a better deal and will give him more riding time and instruction.

I hoped to be up there with him for the whole time, but that didn’t work out. Regardless, I know how badly he wants to go and, somewhat nervously, signed him up anyway. I read this in the registration packet:

“It has been our experience that it is more often the parents that are having a difficult time adjusting to their child’s absence or overreacting to a child’s early anxiety at being away from home.”

He, mind you, hasn’t expressed any concern about it. He also knows at least one other rider who will be there, so he won't be totally alone.

Now I’m trying to stay philosophical about sending my child away for the one week of the holiday break he will spend with me, not at his father’s house. I’m also readying him for taking care of himself, taking big-boy showers, brushing his teeth without me nagging, eating all his food, etc.

The kiddo will get to spend four days riding at a place he’s been looking forward to going for more than a year. He’ll get in some good riding time with help from other riders and with trained professionals to coach and mentor him.

Plus, he’ll make some new friends who share his passion.

Hopefully he’ll be one happy camper.

Here’s a clip on the BMX camper from last season’s “Camp Woodward” on FuelTV.

Follow me on Twitter. If you dare.

So you wanna be a BMX mom?

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:38:00 GMT

Kids’ sports and activities fall into a few categories. There are those the parents want the kid to do. There are those that the kid is good at. Then there are those that the kid actually enjoys.

Neither soccer nor baseball, both of which my wee one took up at 5, jibed with him. He just wasn’t into it.

Yet within a month of getting the training wheels off his bike, he was racing BMX at Orange Y and jumping off curbs.

Every sport involves a learning curve for parents and for kids. First of all, BMX is broken into a few categories. There’s race, flatland (the guys who stand on pegs and balance and do crazy kinda stuff popularized in the ‘80s and ‘90s) and freestyle, which encompasses everything from “street” to “park” to “vert.”

Focusing just on freestyle, you’ve got to worry about what bike to use and where to do it. After some trial and error, ie. getting kicked out of some skate parks, I started to get a sense of it over the past year and a half.

Skateboarders used to be the persecuted sports minority, with nowhere to ply their trade, er, craft, er, whatever it be. Now there are plenty of skate parks (at least in Southern California), but few that allow BMXers in.

There is a safety concern, and that I understand to an extent. But some parks in Orange County do at least share their space.

Etnies Skatepark in Lake Forest is the best example. The park is a great public-private partnership between the City of Lake Forest and Etnies (Sole Technology), which is just up the hill from it. (Read about my tour of Sole here).

The skatepark has three BMX sessions each week, including Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. Best of all, it’s free, once you sign a waiver and get an ID card for your kid. Also, they offer lessons through the City of Lake Forest’s Parks & Recreation department.

They will be expanding the park this winter with some new sections. They will also begin charging $5 for nonresidents to get an ID card as of Jan. 1. Still, it’s a bargain.

Next up is Vans at the Block in Orange. They also have three BMX sessions, 6 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. There’s a minimum age of 6. Given the late hours and the fact that it costs $15 to ride, we don’t go there much. And, honestly, my son prefers the Etnies ramps for his bike and I think the City facility is actually better maintained.

Lastly is Morning Ride, a BMX shop in Lake Forest that also has ramps. It’s small with some indoor ramps, but reasonably priced to ride. Right now, Tuesday nights are free.

Further afield, you can go to the Compound in Lake Perris and Mission Valley YMCA in San Diego. (Links to previous blog posts).

There’s also an upcoming camp in December from Team Soil through the City of Newport Beach.

As far as bikes, check with each facility to see what they allow. Start with what you’ve got and go from there. Right now the trend is for super light bikes (around 25 lbs.) with small chainwheels and a single brake cable. But if you've got it and they'll let it in, ride it!

My little guy rides a 16” wheel, which is a good place to start for anyone 8 or younger. He’ll start moving up to 18” before long. For freestyle tricks, 20” bikes are a little big for anyone younger than 10 or 12. Check out Morning Ride or Bike Alley in Orange, which focuses more on race, but has some freestyle. But both will give you good direction.

It all seems intimidating and, frankly, dangerous. There are, however, a broad range of kids, bikes and ages hitting the skate parks. Particularly at Etnies, you’ll find even really young kids riding and having fun, sometimes with their parents.

Of course, pad them up. Roll them in barrels of toilet paper. Tape pillows to their backs. Ok, just kidding. But most parks require long pants, elbow pads and a helmet. To be extra safe, throw knee pads/shin guards on them, as well as a full-face helmet, if you have access to one.

I’m still learning about all of this but if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

Bike Paradise in the IE

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:05:00 GMT

Being a mom of any sport -- Soccer Mom, Baseball Mom, et al -- means lots of travel. And not the super glamorous kind, but usually fun.

This weekend, I took my wee one for a day of bike riding in Paris. Scratch that, I mean Perris. Slight difference.

I don’t often venture beyond the Orange Curtain, and if I do it’s usually shuttling my kid to some BMX race or another. Saturday, at least, we got a biking twofer -- racing and freestyle.

We loaded up both bikes -- the race bike and the freestyle one -- and made it to Perris Lake in about an hour. Both Perris Lake BMX track and the Compound are near the dam, on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds property.

Orange County only has two skateparks -- Vans in Orange and Etnies in Lake Forest -- that officially allow BMX bikes in. Even that is only for limited hours. So it’s great to find the Compound, a ramp park open to bikes, skateboards and Razor-type scooters. Even if it is way off in the IE.

It’s got three main sections, all with wooden ramps. Two are covered and a third is outside. They used to have a foam pit to practice those hard-core tailwhips and backflips, but they took it out.

There’s also a small dirt section, which is basically a few 5-foot-tall mounds of dirt in a parking lot. Not for the faint of heart.

It’s $15 to ride all day or $10 for a three-hour session. The day we were there, they were hosting a rockabilly-type event. So lots of tattoos, slicked-back hair and girls with red lipstick. One booth was selling super-cute, handmade purses with skulls, leopard print and crushed velvet. I couldn’t resist and bought one!

The Compound has a limited snack bar, basically with non-diet sodas and candy. Bring a cooler stocked with drinks and snacks if you're not aspiring to diabetes. There are some picnic tables, but it wouldn’t hurt to bring a chair if you’ve got one. The restrooms are passable, park-type restrooms.

Next door is an ABA BMX track. It’s been recently redesigned with help from Maris Strombergs, the first BMX Olympic gold-medal winner! Yes, BMX racing is an Olympic sport now.

Saturday was part of a four-race series for extra points and accolades. That means more and better racers showing up.

It’s a nice dirt track and well organized. There’s a decent snack bar with some hot food like pizza, plus they had a barbecue going. Only restrooms were porta-potties.

In the end, my kiddo got fourth of seven riders in a really tough field. He just moved up to expert class and up an age group, so he’s finding his place in the big pond.

Also, we managed to score some loot in the raffle! I always buy tickets at big races and never win. But my $5 investment netted us some bike inner-tubes, grips and a brake cable.

And Sunday? Etnies Skatepark BMX session and the second in the Intense Winter race series at Orange Y BMX (I'll post more on that later). Both safely behind the Orange Curtain!

And all that was after a crazy busy, stressful week at work.

Do you ever feel like you need a weekend to recover from your weekend?

Microbrew Mania

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:40:00 GMT

Orange County has its share of microbrew beers, usually tied in with some type of restaurant. But Saturday night, I was lucky enough to sample some one of OC’s lesser-known breweries, The Bruery.

No, that’s not a typo, that’s how they really spell it.

The Bruery makes unique, high-end craft brews with names like Autumn Maple, Orchard White and Mischief. It’s in, of all places, an industrial complex in Placentia, California. Yes, Placentia.

They have a tasting room right in the middle of the Bruery, among the giant, shiny vats and rustic barrels filled with their products. The tasting room is open Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons.

There’s no food, no snacks, no amenities. Just good beer.

With my kiddo at his dad’s for the weekend, my friend Claire and I decided to check it out. We each ordered a flight of beers for $8, including the glass.

We started with the Orchard White. The beer sommelier, or whatever you’d call him, described the hints of lavender in it. My nose immediately picked up the aroma. It was soft, golden and delicious.

Next, we moved on to the Saison Rue. It had a strong flavor with a noticeable hint of molasses. So did their seasonal brew, Two Turtle Doves, which also had hints of pecan.

Their Autumn Maple, another seasonal brew, is made with yams and pumpkin and spice for a nice turn on traditional pumpkin ales. Claire also tried the Hottenroth Berliner Weisse, with its sourness balanced by adding rose essence (they also had raspberry, pomegranate and orange blossom).

The Bruery sells bottles of their concoctions for anywhere from $8 to $18 each. This ain’t no Coors Light. They also sell growlers, jugs filled for you straight from the taps.

We had a great time sampling their brews and will definitely be back again to try more. And I suspect some people may be getting bottles of Bruery beer in their Christmas stockings!

By the way, you can occasionally find the Bruery’s beers on tap at local pubs. Haven Gastropub in Orange, for one, usually has a keg or two on tap.

Are you a glutton for punishment? Follow @OCMarisa on Twitter.

The Importance of Vowels

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:29:00 GMT

My second-grade son was telling me the other night about a book his teacher read at school, "Beverly Cleary Sucks."

I wondered what the heck kind of books they're letting in schools these days!

Apparently it's Beverly Cleary's book, called "Socks."

My bad.

He has a new-found love of reading chapter books. He’s always been a strong reader, but not too motivated to challenge himself reading harder stuff on his own.

That is, until he discovered Diary of a Wimpy Kid books (Amazon link). He plowed through the newest one, “Dog Days,” and is nearly done with the original “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book. The other day he read 46 pages on his own!

Today for a special treat, I picked him up from school to join us at work for a barbecue lunch. Normally, he likes to play and ride his bike around the park.

This time, he just wanted to sit on his own and finish his Wimpy Kid book so he could get started on the next one, which his dad just bought him. I’m really glad to see him so taken by these books!

He still should have run around and played some, though!

What books do your little readers like and why?