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Archive: July 30, 2005
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Wow, I'm back.
A lot of sailing, a wonderful vacation with my family at Orcas Island, and a week of investor presentations. Those are my reasons, but they're no excuse, of course :)
Here's the view we had at sunset from our cabin:
(click for larger pic)
This is looking out over some lesser San Juan islands, into the Haro Straight, with Canada on the horizon (Sidney Island and Vancouver Island). Unbelievable!
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What can I say about Lance Armstrong that hasn't been said already? He's amazing, and my hat's off to him. Defeating cancer, winning the Tour de France seven times in a row, and raising millions of dollars for cancer research through his Lance Armstrong Foundation. He is definitely going out on top.
While sailing I read a fascinating book called Lance Armstrong's War, by Daniel Coyle. Despite the title it really isn't about any war, instead, it is a detailed look at the innards of professional bike racing. The preparation, the mental games, the tactics, and the sheer unpredictability. Really great.
And check out this New Yorker cover from July 25:
(click for larger pic)
The title is "Tour de Force"; I love it!
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Last night Shirley and I celebrated our 13th anniversary. (Thirteen! Wow.) As is our tradition, we had dinner at Michael's in Santa Monica, still one of L.A.'s best restaurants after all these years. I proposed to Shirley there - unplanned, inspired by an out-of-this-world '81 Mayacamas - and so we go back to revisit the scene, so to speak. Not to mention, the food is always great, always interesting and great, the service is top-notch, etc.
 You probably don't care but for posterity I'll note last night's menu. We brought a bottle of '97 Araujo Eisele which was about as great as California Cabernet gets, which is to say, perfect.
- Oysters, three kinds, with Champagne. (Shirley had an heirloom tomato salad.)
- Foie gras, perfect, on polenta with pear, accompanied by a glass of Sauterne.
- Quail with a wine reduction sauce, over a light salad of greens. Perfect with the Araujo.
- Duck, two ways, a small breast and thin slices, with a Grand Marnier basting, and baby potatoes. Unbelievable.
- Rack of Lamb, rare, with an olive jus that could be the best sauce I've ever had on meat. The lamb was perfect, and the sauce played off the Cabernet beautifully. (Who really really likes mint on lamb, right? This is how you do it.)
- Cheese, five kinds, with figs. I would note especially the Epoisse which was awesome.
- Flourless chocolate cake, with vanilla bean ice cream; Shirley had a creme brulee which was [as usual at Michael's] perfect. Accompanied by a '94 Taylor port which was amazing.
I may have had a better meal but I can't remember it. And of course Shirley was there to share it with, so what could be better than that?
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 If you're a regular reader you know I love Ottmar Liebert. His music is amazing, and he's a savvy guy who understands that you can't put the technology genie back in the bottle, so you'd better embrace it instead. He and his team recently posted a new listening lounge, which is the exact way an artist should present themselves online, IMHO.
You can download free tracks, purchase tracks for $1 each (no DRM) in a variety of formats, browse through the music by tags, and explore other artists' work. And everything is released with a Creative Commons license. If you like Ottmar, you'll love the lounge, and if you're not familiar with him this is your chance to become acquainted!
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Friends –
On Saturday August 6 I am again participating in the Westlake Sail-a-thon. This is the 12th anniversary of this event; last year it raised over $40,000 for Casa Pacifica Children’s Crisis Center, which helps victims of child abuse and neglect.
 For nine hours participants sail “laps” around Westlake. Two years ago my team sailed 38 laps, more than any other team. This year we are once again going to try to break the record of 47 laps – wind willing! My team will again consist of myself, my daughters Alexis and Megan, and whatever friends they bring along…
I’d like to ask each of you to help by sponsoring us. Typical sponsorship levels are $.25/lap, $.50/lap, or $1/lap (about $10, $20, or $40, respectively). It really is a great cause. If you’re interested in sponsoring us please just send me an email; after the event I’ll report on how we did :)
Thanks in advance for your help and support!
P.S. And thanks to all my friends and colleagues who've already pledged their support; as of now if we sail 38 laps again we'll raise over $1,500. That's awesome!
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I'm sitting in my back yard this morning, blogging, and yeah my posts are all over the map. Hey, when you visit my blog, you get what you pay for, and it's worth just about what you pay for it :)
Anyway, right now there's this dog at one of my neighbor's houses which is whining. I mean, really whining. What to do, if anything?
I am a militant neighbor when it comes to dog barkage. If you have dog, and it is barking in the middle of night, you are going to find a note on your door from me (with my name, address, and phone number) asking you to do something about it. Most people are nice but a few years ago someone was not nice, and they ended up with the police at their door. That's how it goes, you are not allowed to disturb your neighbors in the middle of the night. Okay.
Here it is, the middle of the day. You are allowed to make noise in the middle of the day. And this dog isn't barking, it is crying. This isn't barkage, it is whinage. There is a problem over there. Maybe the owners aren't home? But dogs get used to that, I don't think he's crying just because he's lonely. Maybe he's hungry, or maybe he can't reach his favorite bone? Don't know. But this is not a pleasant noise, and I want to do something about it! My beautiful Saturday morning is flawed by these urgent sounds from a fellow creature in distress.
Well, maybe I won't do anything. Some things you just cannot control. Could be time for a bike ride :)
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