My Wife Plans My Death By Bacon

Though I didn't mention it here, Tuesday, April 8th was my birthday, an event I surprisingly share with social networking star Chris Brogan. While Chris got introspective in a piece called "Who Am I Really", I for the most part let the event pass. After all, to me, last year's milestone was more of a big deal. (Today, Turning 30, I Get to Start Feeling Old)

But while I downplayed my birthday, my wife didn't completely ignore it, even though we were on opposite sides of the country virtually all week.

You see... she sent me an e-mail that evening, saying I'd been signed up to "what I always wanted".... a Bacon of the Month Club. That's right. Bacon. Now, once a month, for a full year, I'll get a new package of bacon, as well as a "Bacon of the Month" ballpoint pen, free t-shirt, and a toy pig, among other hoggy eccentricities.

This new Bacon of the Month diet plan will fit in nicely alongside the shakers of "Bacon Salt" I picked up last December, in the goal of making every meal have a taste of bacon. If you're into bacon, you should try it for sure.

So what's her ulterior motive here? To reduce the number of birthdays I have remaining? To make sure that I stay heavier than she does even as she grows with our twin pregnancy? Not sure. All I know is that on my desk at work I have a new package from the Bacon of the Month club daring me to open it. Yummy.

Going Into a Food Coma

Dinner at Ruth's Chris steakhouse is an undertaking, one that requires planning, pace and time. Tonight, in celebration of a friend's birthday, my wife and I headed to San Francisco to pad our waistlines and empty our wallets. Both were accomplished.

Ruth's Chris aims not to skimp on quality, atmosphere or portions. A typical meal consists of a 24 ounce steak for more than $40, plenty of side dishes, salad, bread and all the soda, water or wine you can drink, depending on preference. And if you miss dessert, that's a mistake. While grabbing cheesecake or ice cream can set you back another $10, it's absolutely essential.

I first visited a Ruth's Chris in Manhattan, and while I expected the West Coast restaurant to be lower in stature, tonight's dinner was just as filling. I'm sure I'll be avoiding the scales for at least a week, and I just might go easier on the ballpark food the next time we are in Oakland. Maybe.

For the five of us, even without alcohol, our bill, following dinner, sides, and dessert, came to almost $450. The tip added $100 more. But when it comes to a good steak, you shouldn't compromise. Expect to eat well, have a great time, don't be rushed, and enjoy the experience. I expect we just might be back on some near future occasion, ready to focus on the food.

Baseball Themed Belated Birthday Bash

With most families seeing April 8 as Easter Sunday this year, and my work-related travels taking me to San Diego this most recent week, today is the day my wife and I set aside to invite friends to our home for an Oakland A's themed birthday extravaganza. Now, with a few dozen expected to arrive in just over an hour, our house is decked out with all things baseball, the colors green and gold most heavily featured, of course.

We have the A's vs. the Rangers playing on both TVs, in the living room and bedroom, a baseball themed birthday cake, green and gold napkins and plates, ballpark food, including polish dogs, peanuts, jelly beans and Skittles (green and yellow hand selected). We have all matter of A's paraphernalia out, from team blankets to pot holders and bobbleheads. Should be a fun time.

I don't typically make a lot of noise around holidays and birthdays, especially my own, but the friends are arriving from all over. From the East Bay and the Peninsula, to lifelong pals driving up from the Los Angeles area, just for the event. As I told nearby neighbors, you will know the party is a success by what time the cops are called. But I was kidding. Or was I? You'll have to wait and see.

Enjoying Time In Arizona

To read the headlines, you would think Phoenix had erupted in a big ball of flame and the residents had been scorched to their deaths. In a double-decker front page masthead, The Drudge Report railed: "WINTER RECORD SMASHED: 99 DEGREES IN PHOENIX..." as for the fifth consecutive day, the city broke heat records, topping 94 Sunday, after peaking at 99 both Friday and Saturday. But we're loving it. The balmy heat, even at midnight, where it's 75 degrees en route to a likely low of 65 or so, reminds us of the two trips we've taken to Hawaii, first for our honeymoon, and in an second trip the following year. And to make things better, today the A's finally won a game with us in attendance.

Both Friday and Saturday saw the A's make us roll our eyes with their incompetence. The team's starting pitchers, Joe Blanton and Joe Kennedy, gave up 4 and 5 runs respectively in the first inning, before retiring a batter. The A's of course went on to lose both contests, by scores of 8-5 Friday night and, even worse, 11-4 Saturday, when the team never even had a chance. So on Sunday, with Dan Haren taking the mound, we were more hopeful for a better outcome, but strongly considered delaying our showing up to the ballpark until the 2nd inning, as maybe we were the cause. But Haren avoided our curse, shutting down the LA Angels of Anaheim for four innings, and seeing the A's to an early 2-0 lead.

Yet the Angels came back and took the lead, holding a 5-3 margin going into the final frame. It looked like the A's were going to go 0-3 for us, but it was not meant to be. The A's came back to within 5-4, with two runners on and one out in the ninth. As we crossed our fingers, and hoped against disaster, Richie Robnett smacked a 2-run single allowing the tying and winning runs to cross the plate as fans cheered, players jumped up and down in the heat, and we headed home happy. Now, with a 1-2 record under our belt, we will see the A's for a fourth and final time tomorrow at 1:05 before heading home.

Even with the four games, we've done more than see just baseball in our stay in Phoenix. On Saturday, we carried off an unlikely pairing as my wife and I first had dinner at Hooters and then drove to the Mesa LDS temple to see the sights (arguably at both locations). The Mesa temple grounds were well cared for and the temple was beautifully lit. Tonight, we headed back to Tempe near the Arizona State campus and filled up at PF Changs and Coldstone Creamery. Unlike Saturday, which featured St. Patrick's Day revelers drowning in green beer, with some handcuffed by local police, the Sunday scene was much more serene.

It's a quick mini-vacation, but much anticipated. It will be tough to get back to the grind on Tuesday.

Life In the Big City: New York, New York

Though no surprise to you or me, my travels to New York went fine.

I was able to upgrade my seat on the Los Angeles to New York leg of the trip to business class and that was much preferred over United's "Economy Plus" option. Despite the fact my chair was just a tad broken, and there were no power ports anywhere to be found, it was alright. I plan to follow up on that in a different post in the near future to be sure. Regardless of whether I flew in coach or cargo, we made it.

The weather here in New York is pretty good. It's in the mid-30's and actually feels good, so long as you keep moving. I'm staying only a few blocks from Broadway, meaning a short stroll will get me to some of the best-known sites in the city, from Radio City Music Hall to NBC Studios and the Time-Life Building. As I've now been here three times in the last two-plus years, always staying in this two-block radius, I'm pretty comfortable with it, feeling I can walk in any direction and make it back with no trouble.

Though I'm still on Pacific Time, I knew I should grab food before it got too late. Though New York is billed as a city that doesn't sleep, I wanted to make sure enough things were open, and headed out, finding Famous Famiglia Pizza on Broadway. It was outstanding. New York pizza is great to begin with, but I honestly felt I could eat there every day and not get bored. Great stuff.

I also ducked into the Virgin Mega Store on Broadway, like I do each time I come here, and headed to the Dance & Electronica music section. Like every other time I've been here, I get very tempted, and buy nothing. It's better for my budget to just window shop, but the energy in there is tremendous.

Despite my concerns over New York's weather, on the first evening here, I have no complaints. Weather forecasts expect the temperature to drop into the 20s, with potential flurries over the next few days. If that happens, I'll let you know.