SAN DIEGO ZOOAugust 10, 2013 – We got up extra early to drive down to San Diego. Both Nicky and Yuki are August babies, and they decided to do their birthday hangout at the San Diego Zoo. On the way there, a lunatic driver in a silver Honda Accord tailgated Angel, and then pulled beside him and tried to ram him into the K-rail. This guy was nuts! It was seven in the morning and traffic was light. He could have easily changed lanes and pass Angel, but he decided to play chicken and harass him instead. He eventually drove off after Clem (in a separate car) made it clear to him that we were not going to put up with his BS. Twenty minutes later, traffic was backed up due to a 4-car pile-up. Guess who was in the center of it all? Yep. Karma… Don’t worry, he survived, and I’m sure by now, he is facing a mountain of bills and lawsuits. We only saw the aftermath of the accident, but from the trail of debris, it seems the Accord struck 3 trucks and then slammed into the K-rail. There were no visible damage to the trucks, but the tiny Accord was a goner. Karma…
At the zoo, we took the Lost Forest trail which led us to the tiger exhibit. Nicky LOVES tigers and she even has a tattoo of one. I’ve rarely seen her so enthusiastic for anything! Unfortunately, her excitement was short lived because the lone tiger was napping in corner out of view. Aw…too bad. We continued up the trail and came across one of the most unusual animal I’ve ever seen — an okapi. It looks like a mix between a deer, a zebra, and a giraffe. Next, we visited Panda Canyon. So…what’s cuter than a baby panda? A red panda! They’re so adorable! I want one…
According to my Fitbit flex, we walked over 7.25 miles, burned 2468 calories, and took 16,649 steps. We covered almost the entire park except for the Discovery Outpost. Darn it…didn’t see any sloths this visit.
I was a bit bummed about missing the Pixar concert last year. It was at the Hollywood Bowl, and all my friends who had gone only had awesome things to say about it. This year, Pixar in Concert moved to the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre and was performed by the Pacific Symphony. Angel and Nicky were supposed to go, but sadly, Nicky broke her leg the night before, so they gave up their seats. One ticket went to our pal Dave, and the other went to Cain, a music buddy and former classmate of mine.
Overall, I liked the concert but felt it was very rushed. Last year, the conductor would pause between pieces and engage the audience with stories and anecdotes. The conductor for this show ran straight through the pieces until the intermission. All the pieces were very short, maybe 2-3 minutes at most. Cain and I were playing a game of “find the musicians.” It took us awhile to locate the guitarists and drummer. They used an upright piano rather than a concert grand, and the bagpipes were probably played on a keyboard. Awwww… For a Pixar/Disney concert, it just wasn’t all that magical for me.
JOHN WILLIAMS CONCERT
The one event I look forward to the most in the summer is the John Williams Concert at the Hollywood Bowl. This year’s special guests were Julie Andrews and Monica Mancini. The first half of the concert was dedicated to the friendship and collaborations between Henry Mancini and Blake Edwards. Just before intermission, someone in a Pink Panther suit came onto stage and presented a bouquet of roses to Julie Andrews. It was adorable!! The second half features some of JW’s most popular pieces. Indiana Jones and Star Wars is a must, and sometimes we hear pieces from Superman, ET, Harry Potter, or Hook. Before JW started the Star Wars set, he said he would let us in on his secret about his writing process…and then he showed us this video!!
The Star Wars set can be considered the rock concert of film music, and this is apparent whenever they perform the Imperial March. That’s when everyone busts out their lightsabers and waves them in sync to the music…well, at least until a meter change. The only new piece performed this year was a theme from Lincoln for string orchestra only. So beautiful…
Scary, Scarred Face (Part II)
Yep. That’s right… we went back. I lasted 2 whole minutes without screaming or flinching this time. Then I broke down and lost it.
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