I have concluded that I will not do a "newsletter" at the traditional Christmas/New Years. That means shifting a time-consuming endeavour to a less busy time of the year AND it avoids the traditional flood of newsletters that plagues some of us like the overdose of candy on Halloween.

Instead, let me give the typical quick update on my recent life experiences.

Dining. Holy cow. I've eaten out at more restaurants in the past two weeks than the rest of the year combined. I feel like a restaurant reviewer or something. Italian, Chinese, Mexican, American - you name it. Gourmet to all-you-can-eat buffet... The whole break seems to have centered around dining. Here, I must digress and point out a major difference between eating and dining. As a child, I could not recognize a difference.

Eating is a personal and core part of our existence as humans. Dining is sharing that life-core with other people. It is sacred in the same style as bathing or sleeping. I've come to truly appreciate the magic of dining. That being said, I had the BEST dish at the Getty the other night: Venison in a red currant sauce with cashew puree and carrots. Incredible - I can still taste it :)

Michelle! I was soooo happy to spend time with my awesome girlfriend again! We only had about 10 days, but we made the best of our time: sledding and hot tubbing (big thanks to Bob and Susan up in the mountains), shopping, visiting Hollywood, dining, hanging out with Sharona, touring the Getty, tromping around Disneyland, practicing Salsa, watching movies, hugging, and yes, even kissing. Sadly it looks as though I won't see her for quite a while, but that's the way the cookie crumbles at this point in life. Whooha for love!

More later ;) For now, I'm headed to bed high up in the mountain air above the L.A. smog...