A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
For Valentine's Day, I made a reservation (via OpenTable) for 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, February 14th, at our favorite Palo Alto restaurant, Evvia. . Evvia serves authentic Greek entrees, and we really like the high-quality dishes. . When we arrived at 17:20, I was surprised by how easy it was to find parking. Usually, Palo Alto downtown is quite busy (especially on Valentine's Day). After…
Read More: Valentine’s Day at Evvia
Today, January 12, 2021, I canceled many of my social media accounts. . . . . I didn't like all the censorship imposed by Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and decided I didn't need these social media accounts. They sell my personal information to advertisers in exchange for algorithm-curated news, headlines, and photos. No, thanks!. . Twitter - deleted my account on January 12, 2021. Instagram…
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I decided that he needed a surf skateboard to improve Alex's surfing technique - maneuvers such as cutbacks, bottom turns, and slashes. . Alex already owns a 43" Cardboard, but it's not as maneuverable as an actual surfboard. After researching, I found that a Florida company called Swelltech specializes in manufacturing surf skates that closely mimic surfing.. . On October 21, 2020, I pre-ordered the…
Read More: Riding Swelltech J.O.B. Banzai Surfskate
Ah, 2020 be gone! . With COVID-19 changing our lives (mainly for the worse), we are happy to move into 2021! I look forward to a time when wearing masks is no longer required, when lines to Whole Foods are a distant memory, and when I can sip my Philharmonic coffee at Philz and enjoy my freshly baked croissants at Fleur de Cocoa. . Despite…
Read More: Welcoming 2021!
. . How was 2020 in Sports? With COVID-19 raging, it turned out quite different, with much more surfing and mountain biking than in previous years. . 77 days of playing tennis (Sunnyvale Tennis Center) before Covid-19 closed it. I really miss playing tennis!. . 14 days of working out in the gym (City Sports) before COVID-19 locked it down. . 46 days of surfing…
Read More: The Year in Sports 2020
This year, unlike most previous years, our neighbors spent lavishly decorating for Christmas and the upcoming New Year, and the results speak for themselves. . . As we strolled through the Almaden Winery neighborhood along our usual walking path, we enjoyed the fancy decorations and beautiful illuminations. . . . . After wrapping all our presents and putting them under the Christmas tree, we went…
Read More: Enjoying Christmas
Is human knowledge only to be found in books?. As wonderful as books represent, document, and express human thoughts, they are not a substitute for direct, personal contact that comes from seeing, hearing, feeling, and experiencing things for oneself.. . Can any book truly capture the exhilaration of windsurfing on Maui, snowboarding on freshly fallen powder at Whistler, piloting a Cessna single-engine aircraft, swimming with…
Read More: The Bucket List 2020
For Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year's, we purchased a Christmas Tree and decorated it with all our favorite decorations. . . . Inna and Alex helped to decorate the tree with our favorite lights. Inna also arranged our favorite stuffed animals, including Olaf (from Frozen), snowmen, and moose. She even hung the sloth on the Goof balance board.. . . Here is a photo of…
Read More: Prepping for the Holidays
For this peculiar COVID-19 Thanksgiving, we decided to skip the standard Turkey preparation. We decided to grill fresh Ribeye steaks (along with asparagus and mushrooms), serve freshly prepared cranberry sauce, and have salad. . . . Alex, Inna, and I enjoyed the delicious Ribeye steaks, cooked to Medium-rare on the Weber grill, while Vladik ate his grilled chicken. . . . . . It was…
Read More: Celebrating Thanksgiving
For the past year, Alex has not been driving his 2008 Lexus RX-350 AWD very often, and the relatively new Interstate Battery has not been getting charged. When Covid-19 hit us in March 2020, Alex stopped driving his Lexus to Bellarmine High School altogether, as all his classes moved online. . . . After 3 months of not driving, the battery died ultimately. However, I…
Read More: Replacing Dead Car Battery
On Thursday, November 5, 2020, the upper rack of my KitchenAid Dishwasher KUDS35FXSS2 broke. The wheels on the upper rack fell off. After I removed the rack, I noticed that the tabs that hold the wheels in place had broken off. . . Using Repair Clinic, I was able to find replacement (S-Union) parts on Amazon for $23.99 . 4. W10253546 (W10712394) - Adjuster. 5.…
Read More: Repairing Kitchen Aid Dishwasher
After Alex completed his EdX class - MIT Introduction to Computer Programming using Python - he experienced a eureka moment. He decided that Computer Science is the area he'd like to study in college. . . . . . . Looking at various Computer Science programs at multiple universities in the United States and Canada, he settled on the following programs: . . Stanford -…
Read More: Applying to Colleges
During one of his latter surfing sessions at Rockpile Beach in Laguna Beach, Alex damaged his Firewire Tomo v4 LFS surfboard. . When we returned to Santa Cruz on October 10, 2020, we dropped off the surfboard at the Midtown Surf Shop for repair. Since BE Sanding was very busy, we let Trey repair our board.. . . . . . . . . .…
Read More: Repairing Firewire Tomo v4 LFS
It was that time of the year - Alex's 18th Birthday! I can't believe he is already that old. With Covid-19 still raging, we could not invite any of Alex's friends to celebrate this significant milestone.. . . . For presents, we decided to surprise Alex with the following:. Apple Watch Series 3 (so he could monitor his heart rate during exercise) . Dyson Pure…
Read More: Celebrating Alex’s 18th Birthday
With my City Sports Gym closed (due to the COVID-19 outbreak), I decided I needed a stationary spin bicycle to keep my cardiovascular fitness. Although I try to mountain bike as often as possible, I don't always have 2 hours.. . . . After much research, I settled on the Keiser M3i bicycle because it's available at my City Sports gym, and I was already…
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On Friday, March 6, I started to feel flu symptoms, with an intense headache persisting through Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, Mach 8. I had trouble sleeping and a persistent dry cough. I decided to work from home to avoid infecting anyone at work. I had the usual flu symptoms, which decreased after about a week of home rest (I also had a runny nose)..…
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Being a junior at Bellarmine College Prep, Alex wanted to explore Santa Clara University as a possible college for engineering or finance. He registered for a 9:00am tour on February 29 (leap day)!. . . . . . We arrived on time, parking in the garage near the Stephen C. Schott Admission building. Once registered, we were seated in a large conference room where Randy…
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For Inna's Birthday dinner, I made reservations at Evvia - one of our favorite Palo Alto restaurants.. . . . Our dinner started with two glasses of sparkling wine and "Tzatziki & Pita.". . . . We also ordered some freshly picked crimini mushrooms.. . . . The mushrooms were incredibly delicious and one of our all-time favorites. Being conservative, I ordered "Moussaka" as my…
Read More: Inna’s Birthday Dinner at Evvia
Since Alex, a junior in high school, will be graduating from Bellarmine College Prep next year, we decided to tour well-respected colleges and universities in Southern California that he is considering applying to.. . Our plan was as follows:. . Date . College / Activity Tour Time Hotel Location . Feb 15 Saturday Cal Poly (on the drive to LA) Kimpton Hotel, LA . Feb…
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For pre-Valentine's Day, I reserved an 8:00pm dinner at The Plumed Horse - a 1-star Michelin-rated restaurant in Saratoga.. . We have always enjoyed eating at The Plumed Horse - even more than at the 3 Michelin Star-rated Manresa in downtown Los Gatos.. . . . The Chef's Tasting Menu consisted of the following delicacies:. Roasted Brussel Sprouts - parsnip, grapes, lemon verbena streusel .…
Read More: Dinner at Plumed Horse