Doc on the Boat


photo courtesy of huy

Just found out that Huy will be deployed again but this time on a humanitarian mission to Vietnam and Cambodia.  He’s going to be living on USNS Mercy, which is a basically a huge floating hospital.  I don’t know if there are more than one but one of them was docked by my house for a few months this past year.  I’d see it on my runs along Mission Bay and admire it from afar.  It’s so big, white, and has a big red cross on it.

He started up his blog once again so you can keep up with his adventures.  He started it back when he was deployed to Iraq for 6 months and it’s back.  I have a link to it in my Blogroll to the right but here’s the link: http://httran.blogspot.com/.  Maybe it should be called “Yet Another Doc on the Boat” now.

Take care of yourself out there Huy!!!

Barrels and FARM

On Saturday, we drove up to Napa for Nickel & Nickel’s Barrel Tasting Event.  It was basically a preview of all the reds that they will be bottling next March and we got to taste quite a few.  They also had cheese and meats out for us to taste as well.  We found a really cool cheese that basically tasted like a Philly Cheesesteak.  Who knew that you could somehow get the taste of meat in a cheese?!

The four of us had a pretty good time sippy and snacking until our lips and teeth turned purple.  I’d have to say that out of all the ones we tasted (about 10 different wines), I liked Dragonfly, C.C. Ranch, and Sullenger the best.  I’ll just have to wait until next year to taste the real deal to see if they’re still my favorites.

On our way down the road, we stopped at Opus One for a $30 glass of wine that was just as mediocre as I had remembered about 10 years ago.  I thought I’d have a greater appreciation for it now but I don’t think we’ll be returning there.

Afterward, we did a little outlet shopping and then headed over to FARM at the Carneros Inn.  We were a bit early so we lounged in their outdoor patio area, which was a really nice relaxing place to rest up before dinner.

For dinner, we were seated outdoors and the weather was perfect.  We all shared a bunch of dishes including the scallops (above), hamachi crudo, lamb, lobster, and beef.  We stuffed ourselves silly, finished off two bottles of wine, and even ordered two desserts at the end of the meal.  We pretty much had to roll ourselves back to the car.

Here are photos from our afternoon in wine country.

Yum Yum

On Thursday, we had Happy Hour with some of Jes’ co-workers.  It was at Anchor and Hope, which is restaurant that I’ve been wanting to try for quite some time.  They have a warm uni and crab appetizer that I had heard about and was also featured on a Food Network show.

So, it was ordered and did not disappoint.  It’s a creamy concoction of crab, uni, potato puree, lemon beurre blanc, and little bits of onion and tomato served in a hollowed-out sea urchin shell.  Mmmm…it was really good.  We stayed only for their HH specials but it was good enough.  Their parmesan fries were really yummy and they had a really interesting beer from Firestone Walker Brewing Co on tap.  Good eats…

Practice Run

This morning I ran 9 miles and included one of the hilly parts of the Giants Race that’s coming up in mid-June.  Unfortunately I miscalculated the rest of the route and ended up 3 miles short of 9 miles.  So, I had to run past my house (so painful!) and go another 3 miles before heading home for breakfast.  Click on the image to see a larger version of the route.

Pool Party

Last Sunday it was Mother’s Day but many of us at work didn’t have their mom’s nearby.  However, our dear friend Mai was in town and she wanted to have a picnic.  So, the girls at work and I planned a pool party at my place.  We all gathered outside by the BBQ and Jes fired up the grill for the skirt steak, kabobs, corn, and chicken wings.  It had rained that morning but the sun came out just in time for the guests to arrive.  Unfortunately, the sun was in and out all day and no one actually went into the pool that day.

Instead, we hung out on the patio chairs while the food cooked and then took a short break inside to eat, and then all came back outside for more sun.  We had a fun time chatting, laughing, and making fun of each other, as usual.

Mai also got to meet Koa and they spent some quality time together.  I knew they would hit it off and Koa was like butter in Mai’s hands.  Here are the rest of the photos.

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

That was the theme for Jimmy’s 35th Birthday Party last Saturday and it was at their house.

When I first arrived, I asked Jimmy if the Lakers were going to win and he said “Of course. They always win on my birthday!” Well, it was a close one but they did win after all.  Thank goodness because I was afraid the party would turn sour if they didn’t.

Eleen ordered a full spread of J’s Filipino favorites and we stuffed ourselves silly.

Olivia and Kevin also brought a chocolate cake that said “We Love J and the Lakers”.

We all had a good time and I think the birthday boy did too…especially because he didn’t have to do any push-ups this year.  Here are the rest of the photos.