The engagement.

This past weekend 5.26.06 – 5.29.06 I took Megs down to Carmel to celebrate our belated anniversary and her belated birthday gift. The trip was meant to be from Saturday morning until Monday afternoon. Upon arriving in Carmel I took Megan to the beach for a scavenger hunt for the “heart shaped trees” which exist nowhere but in the imagination of the story I had crafted in order to get her to the beach.

Once there, I proposed to Megs and asked for her hand in marriage. The weekend was fantastic and will be the one of the most awesome memories I will cherish for my lifetime. Other than gaining a fiancée (the best part obviously) - we went horseback riding, sea kayaking, and had some amazing meals. During the proposal- this dog (bandit) came out of the ocean and sat next to us (just as Megs said yes) and left once we decided to go. It was SO bizarre, he came from the ocean, and once left – I swear by all that’s holy- that’s exactly where he returned. I didn’t see him ANYWHRE once we started to leave the beach.

Between having the most inspiring weekend with the person I love most, breaking my ass on the horse, almost tossing my cookies on the ocean, and laughing non-stop.. I had the most amazing experience, and got engaged to my best friend.

Here are some photo’s to commemorate the weekend. (Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.)

Right after Megs said yes..



The bandit and the beach..



The James Bond Move Reenacted... (I had to sneak the ring from my bag to my pocket undetected.)



Showing off the bling to the camera... (Yes I'm a massive dork.)



On horseback in Andrew Molera State Park (Big Sur.) **(Note.. If I ever find my horse again "Kip", I am going to shoot it!)

The happy and newly engaged couple heading back to the city.

The End.

Proof.

This is just a little proof that Megs and I are actually Jewish. Better late than never, but here are some pictures of the mini seder that we had for Passover at our place.




Is it any wonder that I am madly in love with this woman. Apart from the fact that she is the best human being that I have ever met, she is absolutely beautiful. I am a very lucky man.

Ehhhhhh........

I have had some time get over my sincere disappointment in last night's season finale of LOST.

The only thing I can say at this point...

WHAT YOU TALKING ABOUT LOST!

What gets you through the day musically.

Top 10 Albums you can listen to over and over andthey never get old.Interested in seeing what gets you through the daymusically.

Shaun's picks.

10. Siamese Dream- Smashing Pumpkins. I remember hearing this for the first time in high school and how amazing I thought the music was.The guitars on this album scream to perfection.

9. Farmhouse- Phish. Criticized for being too commercial and the beginning of the end. I love this album Catchy songs and great hooks.

8.Superunknown- Soundgarden. Is this case- it really was the beginning of the end- but what away to go out. AMAZING guitar work and good lyrics.

7. Trey Anastasio- Trey Anastasio. I LOVE this album. Good for a morning of grooving at work or possibly the best driving music.

6. Urban Hymns- The Verve. Sure we all know "bittersweet symphony" but if you haven't given the whole album a chance- it's well worth it. Although, over a decade old at this point- still an amazing record.

5. (We have a draw.) Kind of Blue- Miles Davis=Flawless!
OK Computer. Radiohead. Mopy English goodness with amazing instrumentation.

4. Songs In The Key of Life- Stevie Wonder.Musical perfection. Awesome double album sure to make any work day fly by.

3. (We have a draw.) The Audio of Being- Matthew Good. Kick ass rock and roll album. Good for a solid rock-out session. I dork out to this album often.
Amorica- The Black Crowes. Southern fried amazing!

2. Dick Picks Volume 11. Grateful Dead. Best versions of "I know you rider," "Morning Dew," and "China Cat."

1. (*We have another draw) Decade of Hits- Allman Brothers.
A Picture of Nectar- Phish. Both of these albums are just pure joy from beginning to end.

Another good weekend.

Friday night was a very relaxed evening. Megs had to study for her final exam and so I found myself watching "Two for the money." I was really disappointed- the movie had a lot of potential.. But sadly Pacino needs to be dragged out back and shot. The HOO no longer has the WHAAAH.

Saturday we went out with our good friends Jen and Jarrod and caught the Da Vinci Code and some Thai food for dinner. I understand why the critics absolutely slammed the movie- but all four of us actually liked the film. I liked the fact that Hanks wasn't the focal point of the film and found that everyone actually played their parts really well. I always find that when filmmakers take great books, they often don't turn them into great movies. Ron Howard is being slandered for not creating something alternate to the page by page script that the book already was... I happen to think that he did the right thing- and that the movie is a very good homage to the writing.

Sunday saw Megs and I going to the last day of the San Francisco "Subway Series/ Bttle of The Bay." We went with our friends Jeff and Denise to see the Giants play the A's. The game was really good and the Giants won in a shut out: 6-0. Here are some pictures from the game- including some far off shots of Bonds NOT hitting #715.

Comments make the world go round...

Dear All,

The one thing I loved about the friendster blog is that is sent out notifications to everyone when a new post has been made. In turn, a lot of people would leave comments on the old blog. I have had 696 people look at this new blog since it's inception, and there have been very few comments. I know for a fact that I do not know 696 people, and the only time I log on here is when I am writing the piece for the day. So, I ask that all who read this fine page- leave some love, some thoughts, ideas, criticisms, whatever.. It would give me ideas for new topics and good grizzle to chew on for debate.

Cheerio
Shaun

How diplomatic debate really goes...

"I told you Bush.. I am not
giving back that nintendo
until you tell me how to get
the unlimited lives in Contra."













"And I told you that
it was up, up, down,
down, left, right, left
left, right, select start.
Jesus, even I can get
that right. And by the
way.. I know you stole
my Han Solo doll..."

Pathetic!

Absolutely Pathetic!

I understand that the NFL is a business and that people run the organizations in order to make money and progress the team. However, what kind of message does it send to the youth and the up and coming athletes who work hard, play by the rules, and never get drafted? It is absolutely beyond pathetic in my opinion and I think Nick Saban is a joke! Ricky Williams was expelled for one year because of drug violation 47.... Now Marcus Vick who is barely 19 and has a wrap sheet a mile long gets a professional sporting contract?!?

It's a very sad day for the NFL...

The Finest Yankee Bashing West of Beantown!

I wonder if A-Rod cried?

As we all know- NOTHING (except for Megan) makes me happier than seeing the Yankees play like shit. More specifically seeing the Yankees play to the best of their two hundred million dollar payroll ability and still come up tanking horribly- AND do all this while losing HUGE to G-d’s children : The Boston Red Sox.

Last night the Red Sox CRUSHED the Yankees 14-3 in the Bronx. Randy Johnson gave up seven runs and five walks in 3 2/3 innings. Unless my memory fails me- the Smack Ass Spankees brought the “Big Unit” AKA “Ugliest Man Alive” to NY in order to counter Boston having added Schilling to the line up. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED BRIAN CASHMAN AND GEORGE STEINBRENNER… MISSION ACCOMPLISHED..

NY Yankees total pay roll for 2006: $198,662.180
NY Yankees have NOT won the world series since: 2000
NY Yankees last world series appearance: 2003 (LOSS TO FLORIDA)

Here are the 21st Century Yankees (1)

“In the emotional October 2001, following the September 11 attack on New York City's World Trade Center, the Yankees defeated the Oakland Athletics 3 games to 2 in the Division Series, and then the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS, 4 games to 1. But, the usually unhittable Mariano Rivera shockingly blew the lead - and World Series - to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the bottom of the 9th inning of Game 7. Arizona manager Bob Brenly used his pitching staff, which included Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, very effectively. In addition, the usually potent Yankee attack turned ice-cold. The Yankee Dynasty was over.
After the 2001 season, fan favorite players Paul O'Neill and Scott Brosius retired. Tino Martinez and Chuck Knoblauch left for free agency. The Yankees had huge holes to fill. They signed famous slugger Jason Giambi and outfielder Rondell White. The Yankees also managed to bring back David Wells. The Yankees finished the 2002 season with a AL best record of 103-58. In the 2002 Division Series, the Yankees lost to the miracle Anaheim Angels in 4 games.
In 2003, the Yankees defeated their long-time rival the Boston Red Sox in a tough seven-game ALCS, which featured a near-brawl in Game 3 and a series-ending walk-off home run by Aaron Boone in the 11th inning of the final game, only to be defeated by the Florida Marlins - a team with a payroll a quarter of the size of the Yankees' - in the World Series, 4 games to 2.
After the 2003 season, the Yankees signed/traded for sluggers Alex Rodriguez and Gary Sheffield to add more power to their lineup that was shut down in the 2003 World Series. Throughout 2004, the Yankees' weakness was starting pitching. Despite their pitching weakness, the Yankees managed to get into the playoffs and win over 100 games with the power lineup.
In the 2004 American League Championship Series against the Red Sox, the Yankees became the first team in professional baseball history, and only the third team in North American pro sports history (it happened in the NHL twice), to lose a best-of-7 series after taking a 3-0 series lead. After the 2004 World Series, the Yankees needed to improve their pitching, which faltered in the devastating collapse to the Red Sox. They signed pitchers Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright. The Yankees also acquired dominant lefty Randy Johnson from the Arizona Diamondbacks.”

The Curse Reversed and the Future!!! (2)

“Post-2004 Era (2.1)
The 2005 season did not start as expected, once the Yankees were in last place in the American League East Division. Pavano, Wright, and Johnson struggled. As the season continued, the Yankees improved and slugger Jason Giambi started to hit again. Most of the season, the Yankees were chasing the Boston Red Sox for the division title. The Yankees, however, won the division, clinching it in the second-to-last game of the season against the Red Sox. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez won the American League MVP award, becoming the first Yankee to win the award since Don Mattingly in 1985. Giambi was named Comeback Player of the Year, as voted by fans, and Robinson Cano was runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting. Another highlight of the season was the record-setting pitching by journeyman Aaron Small. Small was called up after the All-Star break to help fill some holes in the Yankees' rotation and became just the fourth pitcher in history to win at least 10 games without a loss, joining Tom Zachary, Dennis Lamp, and Howie Krist.
In the 2005 American League Division Series, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim defeated the Yankees in five games in the first round of the postseason, winning the deciding game by a score of 5-3.
In the 2005-2006 offseason, general manager Brian Cashman was given more control of the direction of the Yankees, and on December 23, 2005, the Yankees stunned the baseball world by signing center fielder Johnny Damon from the rival Red Sox, where he was a marquee player.
The Yankees began the season on April 3rd on a West Coast trip against the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Last time the Yankees started off there, they won the World Series. As the 2006 season, began most of the players got off to great starts. Mussina, Jeter, Johnson, Giambi and Sheffield got off to great start, that helped the team win more ball games than in April 2005.
[edit]

World Series drought (2.2)
Normally, when a team has not won a championship in just five years, the time span would not qualify as a drought. However, for teams such as the Yankees, the Red Sox, the Braves, and the Cardinals, who have had either a long or recent history of winning postseason berths, division titles, league pennants, or championships, expectations are that much greater, especially for a franchise that based its culture on winning.
Many explanations have been given for the lack of Yankee World Series titles since 2000. These include depletion of the Yankee farm system because of trades and free agent acquisitions, the aging or departure of the players who had formed the core of the Yankees during the late 1990s, and allegedly poor coaching (like the overuse of Mariano Rivera in the 2001 World Series). Buster Olney, in his book The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty, argues that George Steinbrenner's management style resulted in the players burning out psychologically. Several sabermetricians have argued that success in the playoffs is largely the result of luck. This argument is bolstered by the fact that the production of the Yankees' core players has decreased steadily since their 1996 World Series title.
One particularly creative explanation jokingly proposed by blogger Larry Mahnken is the "Curse of Clay Bellinger". By analogy with the Curse of the Bambino, Mahnken points to the departure of utility player Clay Bellinger from the Yankee roster following the 2001 season and asserts that the Yankees will never again win the World Series until either they make amends to Bellinger or they win the championship anyway. The tautology is part of the joke.
On another note, there is also belief that the Yankees world series drought has been attributed to the events of 9/11, thus coining the phrase Curse of 9/11. [citation needed]
Despite their most recent drought in World Series championships, the Yankees have continued to perform well in the regular season, recently winning their eighth straight AL East division title. In September 2005, the club set a new American League home attendance record of 4,090,696. The Yankees are only the third franchise in sports history to draw over 4 million in regular season attendance at their own ballpark (the others being the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays with 4,057,947 and the 1993 Colorado Rockies with 4,483,350).”

1-2.2 Credited to www.wikipedia.com

Random stuff for a Monday..

Form the news…

The leader of Iran wrote Presdient Bush a letter....

I believe that the letter said: “I asked for my Nintendo back over 8 months ago.. Either give it back or I am going to be forced to go ahead with my nuclear power plan! And you better not have errased my high score on tetris bitch!”

Headline reads... David Blane in "bad shape."

Headline should read.. David Blane is a total asshole and this just in.. NO ONE gives a shit if you want to shrivel up in a snow globe…

From the Depths of my nerdom and fascination with LOST.

Lost Season II Finale 16 days and counting..

What is behind door number 1?

In other news.. This weekend was really relaxing and Megs and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. We had an amazing dinner at the Fillmore Grill (not what it sounds like..) It’s actually an upscale sort of place with a really classic interior, great bar, and REALLY good food.

We saw two movies this weekend…. MOVIE REVIEW TIME!!!!!!!!!

Derailed: This had to be one of the most predictable films I have ever seen. About 4 mintues into the movie I knew exactly what was going on. The story is a suspenseful thriller that revolved around a chance meeting and an extortion plot. The only vaguely good thing the movie had going for it was that X to the Z: Xibit was in the movie! Even that however, was a total let down.. No- totally unnecessary shout outs to pimp my ride.. Not even one irrelevant mention of Waffles or Natalie Portman’s nipples… (see me for reference.. Not funny unless I explain.)

Just Friends: This was the second time I have seen this- the first for Megs. This is a very funny story about the fat kid in high school who comes home(very skinny) and expresses his love for his high school best friend. Ryan Reynolds is HILARIOUS in this movie. Highly recommend this for a Saturday night when you’re doing take outs and want something light hearted and laugh out loud "funny flick" to watch.

That's all that is going on in my world at the moment. Feel free to leave some comments and raise some topics for discussion if you feel inclined to do so.

This summer in blockbusters...

This summer is going to be absolutely amazing for movie going... There will be a wide array of both the small scale and large summer blockbusters coming out between May and September.. Here are a few of the featured movies that I greatly look forward to.

Enjoy..

(FYI- You will need quicktime to view most of these previews.)

Yo ho - yo ho- a pirates life for me...

The man of steal returns..

It may not be the Pats- but in true disney style it will be great..

It's high time we had a new classic western..

Sean Penn... This shall be awesome..

III times mind blowing..

This will either be the best film of summer or the biggest shamble of a great book...

6 Feet Under

I have for many years protested how much I dislike the show and how I didn’t understand why people loved it so much. Megs loves the show and decided to finish out watching the series via netflix and in the midst of the evenings we were both home and felt like a good couple of hours in front of the tube- I ended up watching the last 3 seasons of the show together, over the past 6 months.

My mother and sister both wrote these really lengthy entries on how the finale of the show impacted them deeply and made them feel things they weren’t aware of. This past Saturday I watched the finale with Megan- Needless to say I won’t divulge the premise or subject matter of the finale- But, I must say that it was flooring.

I am not usually one who is at a loss for words ever- and I was absolutely silent after the conclusion of the show. I didn’t find myself crying (although the urge was very much there,) but the simple gut check and perspective I took away from the finale was quite amazing.

I have developed into a more silent and stern person when it comes to being overly emotional outside the confines of my immediate relationship with Megan- but this experience really knocked the wind out of my sails and humbled me- simply to see the reaction in Megan and think about the resonance of how the show translated into the thoughts that revolve around my own family was astonishing.

The song that accompanied the final moments of the finale is called “Breathe Me,” by S.I.A. It’s pretty rare in the last 5 years that music really HITS me- but I highly recommend the artist- and for that matter- the show. I have been converted and can now say- I am absolutely a 6 feet under fan.

No matter how much of a hard ass you may be- and how emotionally stoic you may be- if the finale of this series doesn’t make you tear up or at least think on a very personal and penetrating level- I simply don’t understand how you can be human.

And it goes on and on...

Birthday Bash Weekend Part I continued on into Monday and Monday evening to celebrate Megs 26th birthday. It was one of the most amazing days I had seen (weather wise) in San Francisco in the last year or so. It was in the 70’s and sunny the entire day.

Instead of going to the Moma- Meg decided that she wanted to go hiking in Muir Woods for the first part of the day. We got there around 12:15 pm and embarked on a really nice 2.6 mile hike into the mountainside.

After the hike we headed back into the city and hung out at home for a few hours before heading to dinner at Izzy’s in The Marina. The dinner was really good! If you like steak and genuinely delicious steak house style food alla Morton’s or Ruth’s Chris- then this is the place for you. Instead of doing the celebratory birthday dessert at the restaurant- we took a quick cab ride to our favorite euro trash Gelateria and had birthday dessert there. I treated Megs to an rare but appreciated Zoolander impression over Gelato.