• When You Come to the Fork in the Road…

    I love the Yogi Berra quote, “When you come to the fork in the road, take it.” It’s a reminder to me to keep moving forward whether that’s physically, emotionally, or professionally. When I knew I would be passing through Pasadena, I knew I had to stop to see the actual fork in the road.

    Fork in the Road, Pasadena, CA
    Fork in the Road, Pasadena, CA

    This this is freakin’ huge! It’s at Pasadena Ave and St. John Ave. in a residential area. It’s so unassuming that it’s easy to miss it.

    If you want to see what weird stuff is in your city or wherever you’re traveling, check out Roadside America.

    My trip to Pasadena is part of The Undeniable Tour, which wouldn’t be possible without my awesome sponsors.

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  • My Favorite Things 2013

    Oprah used to do a “My Favorite Things” show every year so I decided to do the same, but without all the freebies. Sorry.

    I reviewed my calendar and Yelp reviews from the past year and here’s my list of my favorite things. Everything on this list is something I use or do and enjoy. I’ve not been compensated in any way for including anyone in this post.

    Working Out
    2013 half marathon pre raceFavorite Phoenix Area Race: P.F. Chang Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon

    Favorite Place to get Running Shoes: Runner’s Den

    Favorite Place to Work Out: Arizona Canal

    Favorite Device for Sore Muscles: The Stick

    Favorite Place to get Fixed when I Break Myself: Endurance Rehab

    Food
    Favorite Doughnut: Buttermilk bar from BoSa Donuts (open ‘til 10pm)

    0702131205Favorite Mexican Food: Jordan’s

    Favorite Greek Food: Greektown

    Favorite Indian Food: The Dhaba

    Favorite Dessert for Lunch: Yogurtland

    Favorite Food Truck: Jamburritos

    Favorite Dessert Food Truck: Mamma Toledo’s

    Favorite Ice Krem (Phoenix): Churn

    Favorite Ice Krem (Scottsdale): Sugar Bowl

    Favorite Place for Late-Night Eats and Work: Gay Denny’s

    Life
    0511131339Favorite Dog Park: Margaret T. Hance Dog Park

    Favorite Place for Shirts with Custom Verbiage: Brand X Custom T-shirts

    Favorite Site for Shirts with Original Artwork: Threadless

    Favorite Snuggle Wear: REI Yoga Pants

    Favorite Person for Fixing my Sore Body: Thomas Porter

    Favorite Shop for Music Geeks: Central Music

    Favorite Bookstore: Changing Hands

    Favorite TV Show: The Big Bang Theory

    Favorite Reality Show: Deadliest Catch

    Favorite Place to Go When I Really Need to Escape: Firefly Room at the Phoenix Art Museum

    No Pants Ride 2013 - Photo by Joseph Abbruscatto from Flickr (used with permission)
    No Pants Ride 2013 – Photo by Joseph Abbruscatto from Flickr (used with permission)

    Online
    Favorite Webhost: Dreamhost

    Favorite Social Media Platform: Twitter

    Favorite Podcast: Savage Lovecast

    Favorite Online Cartoon: Foamy the Squirrel

    Favorite Site for Travel Suggestions: Roadside America

    Favorite Site for Everything Else: Reddit

    Events and Activities
    Favorite Flash Mob: Improv AZ’s No Pants Light Rail Ride

    Favorite Community Event: Ignite Phoenix

    Favorite Place on a Friday Night: ASU Women’s Gymnastics Meets

    Favorite Phoenix Geek Event: Phoenix Ultimate Geek Smackdown (PUGS)

    Favorite Place to see Who’s Who in the Local Zoo: Local First Arizona Fall Festival

    I hope you’ve enjoyed my list and perhaps it’s inspired you to try some of my favorite things. 😉

  • My First Trip to Chicago

    I had the pleasure of spending three days in Chicago last week for the American Bar Association TechShow. It was a geek-tastic time. I met a lot of wonderful people and learned a lot about ways law firms can use technology to be more efficient. Our keynote speaker was the awesome Ben Stein. It was weird to hear him speak with inflection in his voice. I also got to present on flash mob law during the Ignite-style kick-off event LexThink.1. The audience really seemed to enjoy it.

    This was also my first real trip to Chicago. The conference didn’t give me much free time. I only had one evening and one afternoon to get in all my sightseeing. Chicago is known for having wonderful museums and an aquarium, but I skipped those. I am someone who can appreciate art, but I need a guide to tell me why things are significant or else it will be lost on me. Without a guide, I can walk through a museum in 10 minutes and wonder why I spent $20 for the experience. When I’m traveling alone, I prefer to use Roadside America to find a city’s quirky gems.

    On the second night of the conference I decided I wanted to experience some Chicago flavor. I asked the doorman where I should go for real Chicago pizza. Without hesitation he said, “Lou Malnati’s.” It was a delightful little pizza place with wonderful deep dish Chicago-style pizza. I grew up on the west coast, so this was the first time I had to eat pizza with a fork and knife. If you want Chicago pizza, try this place.

    After the conference was over, I had a few hours to take in the city with my cousin who lives in Chicago. He’s in a medical residency, so he doesn’t have time to see the city. He said there’s a wonderful architectural boat tour and a gangster bus tour in the city that he’d love to go on. Unfortunately our schedule didn’t allow for that so we took our own walking tour near the lake.

    Our first stop was Millennium Park. I had to see Cloud Gate – aka “The Bean.” Despite it being a freezing cold day, there were a lot of people out to see the giant sculpture. Being an ex-gymnast, I had to do a handstand in front of it.

    Our walk around Chicago also featured the Chicago Cultural Center, the Navy Pier, and the beginning of Route 66. I was tickled when I randomly encountered the statue of Bob Newhart and his couch. After I explained to my cousin who Bob Newhart was, I posed for a picture. It was odd to sit on a couch that was rock hard and ice cold. There was also a giant statue of Marilyn Monroe in her signature pose from The Seven Year Itch. We giggled when we walked around it and saw that the sculpture included an accurate depiction of her backside and panties. We also walked around Tribune Tower which has pieces of other buildings embedded in the outside like the Parthenon, the Taj Majal, the World Trade Center, The Alamo, and the Great Wall of China. I was little bummed when I didn’t find a piece of Stonehenge but I was happy to see that it had a piece from Antarctica.

    It would have been nice to visit Willis Tower (formerly known as Sears Tower). They have a glass observation deck that sticks out over the street on the 103rd floor. It would have been fun to do a handstand on that, but it was cloudy day and kind of expensive. Instead, my last adventure in Chicago was a ride back to the airport on the L.

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