They had a panel on Thursday right after the con at the Hilton Bayfront called "Penn + Teller: 35 Years of Magic & BS!" My friends Gary and Rick accompanied me (later joined by Brandon). By the time we arrived at the hotel, there was a really long line that went downstairs, outside, back upstairs, and into the hallway. We decided to take our chances anyway. They ended up cutting the line off about 30 people behind us and letting us go in after it started in pairs. So we got in and it was awesome!

I really enjoyed hearing them speak about how they started their act over three decades ago and telling stories of their random encounters since. They were both very intelligent, articulate, and entertaining.

After the panel, Rick and I waited in the lobby for the rest of our group which was apparently waiting outside the hotel for us. After a few minutes, Penn and Teller came out to the lobby to meet and greet their fans, so we decided to join in the meeting and greeting as well. They were both extremely nice and took time to meet every waiting fan, shake hands, sign whatever they had, and pose for pictures. As you can see, Penn was standing in front of some badly lit corporate art, making the resulting pictures kind of dark, but you get the point.

I have to thank my friend Roger for constantly harassing encouraging me to watch what is now my new favorite sci-fi show and now I can cross #22 off my 101 list.

With my erratic schedule, using it every day was sometimes a bit of a hassle. Once I started it up, though, I invariably had fun every time. Having recently upgraded to Wii Fit Plus also helped by adding several new games to my options. I am particularly fond of skateboarding and the one where you fly in a chicken suit. This little exercise certainly did renew my love of my Wii Fit and I will probably continue using it more than I have for the past few months.

Griffith Observatory

A couple weeks ago we spent a lovely afternoon at the Griffith Observatory with our friends. It was awesome! We estimated that our visit might take an hour or so and we ended up staying for three. There were so many fun exhibits like the Foucault Pendulum, touchable meteorites, and a place to check your weight on each planet in our solar system.

A highlight of the visit was the film hosted by Leonard Nimoy in The Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon theater. It's informative, hilarious, and highly worth watching. It's only about 24 minutes long and free, so check it out if you go.

Griffith Observatory

We tried the butternut squash soup in the Cafe at the End of the Universe (operated by Wolfgang Puck) which was excellent, but avoid the brownie! Weird texture and too bitter without enough sugar. It was a beautiful day in L.A. (although a bit smoggy), so we ate outside with a beautiful view of the Hollywood sign, downtown, and part of Griffith Park. It was so nice outside I ended up getting quite a sunburn on my arms!

My advice for people wanting to visit the observatory:

• Go on a weekday if possible.
• Arrive as early as possible (for parking and to avoid crowds).
• Plan at least a few hours to see everything.
• The cafe was alright, but choices were very limited. Bring a lunch or check Yelp to find a tasty nearby treat.
• Don't miss the film in The Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon theater.
• Don't forget your camera because the views are spectacular!

And with that, I can cross #101 off of my 101 list.

I started with my decade old laptop that I was saving because although it couldn't handle video or much beyond basic web surfing anymore, I knew I would have a use for it someday. Little did it know, that day had come!

George helped me mount in on the kitchen wall with a small rack from Lowe's that I believe was intended for shoes. I can't remember exactly, but I'm pretty sure the hardware cost less than $5. Adding a wireless network adapter connected me to the internet and the rest of the computers in the house. I finished off my kitchen computer project by mapping my recipe folder from my regular computer and putting all of my favorite recipe bookmarks in Firefox.

Voila! Now I have access to all of my scanned recipes not to mention everything the web has to offer me. Of course it's nice to be able to turn on Pandora while I'm cooking, too. My new kitchen computer is far enough away from my stove and prep areas that I don't think it will suffer any collateral damage, but that is something to think about if pursuing a similar project.

I still have the original paper copies of most of my recipes which I use from time to time, but most of them are spotted with sauce, crusty with peanut butter, or blurry from water drips. I'm glad I scanned and saved them for endless digital use before their paper versions fall apart and become illegible. So I finally feel that I have found a good solution for my recipe organization and can cross #98 off of my 101 list.

NY Snow

After being dropped off at the airport, we found out that our flight (and many others) had been canceled due to blizzard. After a brief moment of discussion, we decided to fly into Washington D.C. and then possibly take a train into New York, Amazing Race style. To make a long story short, that's exactly what we ended up doing. Tip: Union Station in DC is pretty dreary in the middle of the night and the only food open is Au Bon Pain. The train ride, however, was quite pleasant.

Aroma New York

After dragging our luggage through the somewhat snowy streets of Manhattan and grabbing breakfast at Aroma Espresso Bar, we made our way to the Warwick hotel. It definitely had the old world charm that they promised. After some much needed sleep, we ended up switching rooms from one facing a brick wall with duct tape holding the mirror on the door to a much nicer room with a lovely view of bustling 6th Avenue.

Meatball Shop

Now, back on schedule, we headed to the Meatball Shop where we sampled several different and utterly delicious meatball sliders including beef, pork, veggie, and lamb. The veggie were possibly the best I've ever had with a surprisingly meaty texture and just the right amount of spice, but my favorite combination was the pork with the spicy tomato sauce. They also had the most amazing roasted butternut squash side dish that is a must try. It was just a perfect dinner in my opinion and I highly recommend stopping in for some meatball goodness if you're in the city.

Then it was off to my first Broadway show actually on Broadway - Rock of Ages. It was RAD! It was non-stop fun from start to finish with classic rock hits that had the whole audience singing along. Afterward, we met up with a friend of Sarah Jo's for dinner at Bocca Di Bacco which was a pretty tasty Italian restaurant. The meat plate appetizer and meatballs were all scrumptious.

Scary T-Rex at TRU

Sunday morning found us at Cafe Edison in the Edison hotel and me having an all chocolate ice cream banana split for breakfast. I must admit, it really hit the spot. Next it was off to see about last minute tickets for Next To Normal. Apparently, if you get to the theater a couple hours before show time, they hold a lottery for a small amount of cheap seats up front. There weren't tons of people waiting for tickets (probably due to a combination of cold weather and it being a Sunday matinee), so we secured a couple of tickets before heading to Toys R Us to kill time before the show started. If you've never been, you really should see the three story craziness that is the TRU in Times Square. I was slightly disappointed that they removed most of the characters from the Candyland candy shop upstairs and a person dressed at Geoffrey (the giraffe) playfully took my hat off my head which annoyed me more than it should have. Still, it's TRU and it's always fun to see the big Ferris wheel, LEGO display, giant T-rex, etc.

Show time rolled around and I have to say, if you have the chance to see Next To Normal, do it! It was simply amazing. I'm not one to get emotional at movies or shows, but I admit, I cried. If anyone in the audience didn't cry, I guarantee they are a robot. The performance and story are just so powerful, you can't help but get a little emotional.

69 Chinese Food

Next stop was Jacques Torres chocolate shop to meet up with a couple more people and try their Wicked Hot Chocolate. It was a little thick for my taste, but they are undoubtedly a great place for chocolate treats of any kind. After hanging out and grabbing a snack at Papaya Dog, we headed to our dinner engagement with friends Matt and Kev from Big Kev's Geek Stuff at 69 for some Chinese food. It's a tiny restaurant plastered with one dollar bills from floor to ceiling and the food was pretty good, but the eggplant dish we ordered really stood out to me. I neglected to take a picture of the food at this stop before we devoured it, my apologies Kev :)

We ended the night at Marie's Crisis - a piano bar with sing-a-long show tunes! A couple of drinks and several Broadway hits later, we called it a night.

Granola at Norma's

Tim Burton Exhibit at MOMA

We fancied it up a bit with Mondays breakfast at Norma's. The fresh orange juice flowed freely and my granola was covered with a plethora of mixed berries and extremely good. The next stop on our agenda was the Tim Burton exhibit at MOMA. I'm a little torn on what to say about it, so I'll try to be succinct. It was very exciting to see so much of his work in one place, but the presentation was kind of cluttered which I thought detracted from the exhibit a bit. Overall, it was cool to see the mix of his sketches, paintings, maquettes, and movie props all together and recognize influences like Edward Gorey, Charles Addams, Ed Roth, Ralph Steadman, and many others. Definitely worth the trip if you can make it.

Pastrami & Potato Pancake at Carnegie Deli

We decided to have lunch at Carnegie Deli where we split a pastrami sandwich and I also had a single potato pancake. The pastrami was exactly what it should be, tender and flavorful, but to be honest, I think I like the pastrami better at Langer's here in Los Angeles.

Waiting for the Daily Show

After lunch it was off to a taping of the Daily Show which was just as wonderful in person as it is every night. Jon Stewart is hilarious and has an amazingly quick wit. Having previously attended a taping of the Colbert Report, I feel like I've completed the Comedy Central "news" show circuit.

Hot Pot

Finally we met up with more friends to talk toys and grab some dinner which was at a place I do not know the name of. It was hot pot style in Chinatown which is a bit like fondue minus the cheese. We had a pot divided in two with half chicken broth and half spicy broth. Then we ordered tons of ingredients to cook in the pot including various meats and vegetables like sausage, chicken, potatoes, bok choy, mushrooms, etc. I thought it was very tasty and definitely best for groups.

Pork Buns at Momofuku

Our last day in New York started with a trip to Zabar's for bagels and other tasty treats to bring home. Then we grabbed our luggage and headed to Momofuku for lunch. The food was exquisite, particularly the pork buns. We also tried the pig tail (very tasty, but the bones were annoying), chilled spicy noodles (refreshing and satisfying), and roasted rice cakes (super tasty bite sized treats).

Spicy Noodles

Cookies

We finished up our last day in New York with a visit to Tulley's gluten-free bakery and Milk Bar, both to grab a few cookies for an impromptu taste test. While the gluten-free chocolate chip cookies were possibly the best I've ever had, they paled in comparison to the coffee infused cookie creations from Milk. Don't miss the compost cookie with pretzels, potato chips, coffee, oats, butterscotch, and chocolate chips all conveniently packaged in cookie form - divine!

Thus endeth a delicious weekend in New York. Three and a half days of walking around the city definitely wore me out and I slept most of the next day. As a side note, we used a combination of Google maps and HopStop.com throughout the trip for directions and they worked out surprisingly well. Coupled with a subway map these make it pretty easy for us non-public transit system folks to find our way around the city.

You can check out the rest of my New York trip pictures on Flickr.

I originally intended this list item to include taking George to an Ice Dogs game in Long Beach, but sadly, the Ice Dogs are no more. I still wouldn't mind attending another minor league game because the play is usually a little rougher and chance of fights is higher. (Don't pretend like you don't like watching a good fight break out on the ice!) I would also like to check out a non-LA game someday...maybe in Pittsburgh, Chicago, or wait for it...Vancouver (yes, I know I'm crazy, but that would be awesome!). Los Angeles is amazing, but we just don't provide the most enthusiastic crowd.

I didn't have any eggs on hand, so I decided to go for a vegan berry pie with ingredients I had on hand. I looked at dozens of pie crust recipes online and settled on this one (which I can't find the link to again)...

1.5 c flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
.5 c vegetable oil
2 tbls milk (I used Rice Dream)

Mix everything thoroughly; it will be a little crumbly, but trust me, it will work. Press the mixture into a pie tin (or whatever dish you are using) to form a nice solid crust. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Then add your filling.

For the filling I combined frozen mixed berries (thawed) with a little strawberry jam, lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon. I topped the whole thing off with the left over crust mix and baked for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Finally, I added a little freshly made, berry flavored whipped cream and the end result was far tastier than I thought it would be! I generally enjoy a nice flaky, buttery crust, but this was just as good, especially with the sweetness of the berries. You could also easily substitute Splenda to make this a sweet, delicious sugar free dessert. It totally fulfilled my pie craving, so I count this one as a complete success and look forward to more pie making adventures in the near future!

A couple days ago I finally got to take George to Legoland California, thus fulfilling #18 on my 101 list! I hadn't been since 1999 when it opened, so it was cool to visit again 10 years later. Also cool that it was near Halloween so there were Halloween decorations throughout the park adding a little extra Lego fun.

We didn't ride any rides, but spent the day taking pictures and drooling over the amazing creations that surrounded us. We also met up with our friend Gary and visited the Model Shop where he works. It was every Lego fans dream! Bins upon bins of every piece in every color you could want, right there at your fingertips. Definitely one of the coolest jobs I can think of.

With only an hour to spare, we hurried over to the new Sea-Life Aquarium. It was...an aquarium. I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but I think I was hoping for more Lego creations. There were actually lots of Lego people and things scattered about the place, but somehow it still just felt like an aquarium (and smelled like one, too!). They did have rice pudding in the cafe at the end, so that was a plus.

All in all, a wonderful day at Legoland made extra awesome by hanging out with Gary. Of course, since we didn't ride any rides there, we had to stop by Disneyland on the way home for the Haunted Mansion. Ok, we really stopped there to have dinner with our friends Scott, Kathy, and Lyla, but riding the Haunted Mansion was a bonus.

Check out more pics from Legoland on my Flickr!

I recently conquered #86 on my 101 list - visit a cheese shop. I've been meaning to do this one for quite some time, so it was a very satisfying trip.

It was lunchtime when we walked into the Artisan Cheese shop in Studio City. Once faced with a counter full of delicious and intimidating dairy products, I wasn't sure what direction to go. I opted for a five variety cheese plate and the very nice cheeseman said he could pick the cheeses for me if I wanted. After a brief discussion about my specific cheese likes/dislikes, I went off to find a beverage and settled on a tasty Virgil's Rootbeer. Soda in bottles always tastes better.

Several minutes later, a beautifully arranged cheese plate (or should I say slate) arrived. Cheeseman named and described each variety, but I only caught the pertinent details of each description. My favorite was a creamy cows milk cheese that had the consistency of brie, but a sweeter aftertaste. It paired especially well with the grapes in my opinion.

Second favorite was a firmer cows milk cheese that had a mild, almost nutty flavor. Third was the goats milk cheese, although, like most goats milk cheeses, it was very crumbly and messy for me to eat. The other two cheese were a swiss and a cheddar, both of which I thought were too...sour? I thought they left a bitter aftertaste, but they turned out to be George's favorites, so that worked out well. As you can see, we cleaned our cheese plate including most of the rinds.

This has been one of my favorite list items so far - fun and tasty! Really though, nothing beats a great cheese plate in my opinion. I can't wait for another cheese shop visit in the future!