As of January 5, I have a new first cousin once removed, Jillian!

Jillian's father Jason says my cousin Megan is doing well and he provided these stats:

Weight: 8 Pounds 6 Ounces (3.8 kilos in Canadian)
Time of Arrival: 4:04 PM Eastern Time (16:04)
Length: 19 3/8 inches (49.2 cm in Canadian)
Hair Color: Strawberry Blonde (The queen's royal gold in Canadian)

Welcome Jillian!

Years ago, I posted some vids of Japanese TV on my blog. Their game shows were so unreal, I had to share them. I thought I had seen it all, but alas, what I've seen has been topped.

Slip and Slide, plus oil, plus girls, plus one hefty guy equals this game.

Just when this might seem like a new phenomenon, check out this kids show from the 70's

I went to the Rose Parade yesterday and it was great as always. The sky was bright blue, the temperature was great (I didn't need a coat) and everyone was in good spirits. I love the parade and could barely sleep in anticipation of it, even after a late night of celebrating the New Year.
Pictures from the 2009 Rose Parade are here.

I spent New Years Eve at the Echo. There were some bands, some DJ's spinning some great music (80's, disco punk, a little electronica) and a cool crowd of people having fun.

I don't have a New Year resolution yet. I didn't have one last year. I'm not sure if I need a new resolution at the moment.

Wurstkuche is a sausage and brat bar in downtown LA. I went there once during it's opening weekend with Roman, and I went again last weekend. The place is delicious, awesome, and unmatched in the rest of Los Angeles.

The first time I went, the service was a bit slow and clumsy since the place had just opened. Forgivable in such a casual setting. Last weekend, service was much better and the restaurant is really on it's feet. The brat chef was taking orders before we even paid to ensure speedy delivery of brats. Of course that's unnecessary in such a place. This is a place to go with friends, and to catch up while having a simple great meal.

The food menu has two items. Links of some genre and french fries. There are over 20 different types of links, ranging from simple bratwurst to the exotic rattlesnake or alligator (which I had.) All are made fresh, and don't even think about having a crappy bun. The fries are thickly cut and you can get a large or small portion. For drink, Wurstkuche has an extensive beer menu that would make any German or Belgian beer lover happy. Most of them are on tap, which is special in itself. If alcohol isn't your thing, the beverage menu has "indie" soft drinks like jones soda or movie cola.

I don't know what else to say, except that I cant wait for the Gold Line extension to the Arts District to be completed so I can get dropped off 2 blocks from this place. Angelenos definitely need to check out Wurstkuche.

Remember how Daniel Day Lewis clinched the Oscar for best actor last year for his performance in There Will be Blood? No one even thought about the other nominees. I think Mickey Rourke has done the same thing this year in his performance of The Wrestler.

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Obstacles I encountered driving home from Bagdad yesterday

1. Ice. It was on my car in the morning. I had to defrost for the first time in my life.
2. I forged a stream going across a highway. I didn't lose any oxen.
3. Bunny Rabbits. Apparently they like crossing the highway a lot in the morning.
4. A haboob. Just past blythe there was a big one that lasted about 20 miles. Visibility was around 50 meters, and since a car can travel that distance in three seconds, it was a little scary. I hit a couple tumbleweeds too. Thankfully my airbags didn't deploy.
5. Snow. There was snow on the road on the 210 near Rancho Cucamonga
6. Falling leaves. Along the 210 in Arcadia, the freeway is lined with trees. Yesterday, the trees decided to shed their leave in the wind, causing traffic delays.

It's obvious I'm not into big blockbuster movies with loads of special effects, explosions, and hype. However I was was interested in The Day the Earth Stood Still. It's a remake of a movie from the 1950's of the same name, which I've never seen. The premise of an alien coming to save the Earth seemed interesting to me, so I was. I happened to catch a showing on an IMAX screen which looked great and sounded loud as heck. I felt like Grandpa Simpson.

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Last Tuesday, my Acura RSX hit the 100,000 mile mark. It happened as I was coming home from work, exiting at Lake Ave on the 210 freeway. When I bought my car a little over 5 years ago, I had no idea what kind of adventures I'd get into with it. I also had no idea it would be so dependable, and low maintenance. In fact, before going green was fashionable, my car was getting 35 mpg. It now averages around 32 mpg due to years of wear and tear.

Unfortunately, Acura no longer makes the RSX. Honda makes a Civic sports coupe that sort of takes its place. The performance is pretty similar on paper. When I brought my car to the Acura dealership last month for a 10,000 mile checkup, one of the car salesmen offered me $8,000 for the car, which is pretty good considering it's mileage, age, and a couple of scratches. I'm not in the market for a new car, but it was nice to know my car is in demand.

Anyways, as I was watching the odometer and celebrating (quietly to myself) 100,000 miles, my front driver side tire exploded as I pulled up to the stoplight at the top of the ramp. My car was celebrating so hard it blew out a tire. I slowly rolled a quarter mile down the street to Discount Tire (very convenient) and had a new one put on. The tire was only 6 months old and still under warranty, so no harm to the pocket book was done.

I got to wondering what are the odds that a tire blows out at exactly the 100,000 mile mark. I don't really know how to calculate it. I don't know if you can. The odds are so high, it seems like a "lottery moment" to me. That is to say the odds are so high you'd have to live many lifetimes for an incident like that to happen again.