Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Hey Gabriel! You Got Something On Your Cheeks...


gabriel
Originally uploaded by erickpineda527.
...let me get that for you. My nephew is such a cute kid.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Happy Mother's Day!


Mothers Day
Originally uploaded by erickpineda527.
It wasn't so long ago that El and I felt like a couple of kids that had just announced our engagement to our families. Our families got together and celebrated the moment with our first family dinner over 7 years ago. Today we had another first. El's first Mother's Day.

I wanted to make it kind of special so a dozen yellow roses were in order as well as a small gift of her all-time favorite tv show, Friends. No work allowed today for the would-be mom! In addition, there was a seafood restaurant that she had been wanting to try in the Dr. Phillips area called, Bonefish.

Now I'll be honest I'm pretty critical of restaurants that present themselves as something of the higher end. I've been to plenty of "hole-in-wall mom-and-pop" kind of places and had some great meals for reasonable pricing. But, when a restauranteur wants to front with a nice locale, nice decor and a nicer (i.e. more expensive) menu I expect alot.

I've been interested in trying out Bonefish for quite some time since it's location already speaks highly for itself. Moon Fish, Timpano Chophouse, Careira's Cucina and Amura in the same area are all great spots.

Right from the getgo it started off fantastic. With no reservations on Mother's Day we were able to get a table at peak lunchtime with no wait. Once seated we were able to put in our drink and food order. Great start.

Our server disappeared for a long time until a food runner brought out our soup and salads, although the food items were wrong. Another had to be brought out later from another runner. A long while later our fish dishes came out. Mine was room temperature like it had been sitting out.

There's nothing more frustrating to me than a server who disappears and doesn't check up on us. Apparently this seems to be a trend here in Florida.
I realize that there is alot of tourists that come and goso I understand the mentality that alot off it won;t be repeat business, but the locals shouldn't be taken for granted. No refills on drinks, we had to go our entire meal with only a glass of water.

Coming from a restaurant background I know what holidays can be like especially at rush time. But with so many runners, bussers and managers about you would think that the tables would be taken care of. I noticed that similar things were happening with my other fellow diners. It's too bad - things like this can be the death of a restaurant.

The entrees sounded good, but some of the sides were amateur at best. Thrown together and basic I expected more from a restaurant that gouged their prices like they did. Even after I paid the bill our server made no attempts to even seem genuinely interested in our experience. That'll be our first and last time there.

The last leg of our trip involved watching the remake of the Poseidon Adventure starring Ernest Borgnine and Gene Hackman. The new one, called Poseidon, featured Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfuss and Kurt Russell. I loved the original 1972 version, but this one was a nice adaptation of it. There were some differences but overall I thought it remained true to the first one. The effects were realistic and well done. Good job!

The rest of the day was spent relaxing. Happy Mother's Day El and to all the others out there - Carla, Jenivy, Crystal, Danyang and ESPECIALLY LEN LEN as well as our own parents in SC!

Friday, May 12, 2006

AAArrrgh! My Friggin' Eyes!


Allergy Season Sucks
Originally uploaded by erickpineda527.
My allergies have steadily gotten worse each year for the past three years or so here in Florida. I haven't had this many nosebleeds in the morning since I was a little boy living in Goose Creek, SC. Runny, congested nose. Periodic headaches. Trouble breathing. Coughing every now and then. Sometimes the allergy medicine works, sometimes it doesn't.

Either in the office or at home it deosn't matter. People must think I'm coked up the way I look sometimes at work. Hopefully the cleaning crew will clean out the air vents above my desk. It's odd that I react only when I'm in the office. But as soon as I go outside briefly it clears up. Maybe I'm sick. Maybe it's a case of Spring Fever. Hell it even got so bad at home one night I couldn't sleep even while I was literally nodding off reading iin bed.

To compound the problems more it's been very dry this summer/spring. AND I have to cut the damn grass AGAIN. With no rain the pollen and dust has been having a field day with me. Thankfully we've been blessed with some rain these past few days and I have FINALLY gotten a decent night's sleep.

...

My buddy Brian's mother passsed on Sunday. While I knew she was fighting the good fight for quite some time I know it had to be wearing down on him and his family. Sorry for your loss. The mass was very moving and El and I will keep her in our prayers.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Another Lost Addict Bites The Dust...


Random_Play
Originally uploaded by erickpineda527.
It seems that another buddy has fallen to the dark side of Lost. Ed took the Season 1 DVD set hesitantly and disappeared for a few weeks only to emerge paler and more gaunt - like a 6' Gollum. Sorry man.

But not before he immortalized that turning point in his blogger...