Sunday Brunch

CoCo here, and I love brunch. It's my favorite meal to cook and my favorite meal to eat. And it's especially great when you enjoy a long, loungy brunch with good company. Today gave me all of that, and it even included a goat cheese quiche with a hash brown crust. So without further ado, I present today's brunch:

 

(Believe me, you want the quiche recipe. Easy, delicious, and even accommodates your gluten-free homies. Click here.)

Tower of Dougie

Franco

It is said that mankind's hubris led to the creation of the Tower of Babel in an effort to reach the heavens. In an effort to divide and conquer the Gods came down from the clouds to confound their speech rendering them unable to communicate their love for one another. All is not lost however. Mankind's redemption is near through the teachings of what can only be described as miraculous. Using the universal language known as "The Dougie" multitudes across the globe are once again reconnecting. It started in a distant outpost known only to a few as Inglewood. All records of the first "Dougie" are lost to civilization but it has since spread like wild fire in the region as can be seen in the following historical document:

Messengers on horse back spread the word to the far off lands south of the Rio Grande. Study it carefully to reap the benefits of the subtle nuances brought upon by the cross-cultural synergy.

For years it was believed that the dance of the "Dougie" was a regional phenomenon doomed to languish in isolation on the shores of the New World. In what could only be described as providence, traces of the language have been spotted halfway around the world unifying Gods' children near the cradle of civilization.

It is evident that mankind's long journey home is nearing its final leg as more and more cultures assimilate to the teaching of the "Dougie." However, the true test is yet to be administered. Winter is coming and the last stretch to cross is the dreaded "Techno Dance" that has grown in popularity among the hedonistic pagans.

Does redemption lie in humanity's future? Will "Techno Dance" be its doom? Or something more sinister?  Only time will tell.

Philly to the Max!

Hello cyber-world. CoCo here. Usually it's the other half of Francoco posting about movies, but today, it's me.

I can't describe how happy I was to hear the Iron Man 3 teaser trailer is out. Yup, you heard me. Iron Man 3. Go ahead. Call me a philistine (Franco already has, after he scoffed when I exploded with joy and told him the teaser is out).

Iron Man 1 was exactly the type of movie I love. When I go to the movies I want to have fun, and I had so much fun watching Iron Man 1. I will never get over the beginning part in Afghanistan. Pure movie genius!

Iron Man 2 was another story. Being a sequel, I didn't expect too much. I pretty much got what I expected, a blah movie. But as I've made clear I am an Iron Man junkie and so I had a good time. I'm a loyal fan.

Iron Man 3... well I did't expect much. I didn't even really care about it. Until I watched the teaser trailer (see below). It got me all excited again. The creepy bad guy voice reminded me of Bane in the most recent Batman film, which I loved (I can hear Franco scoffing). The dramatic music and scenes of buildings dropping into the ocean reminded me of Inception, which I also loved (I know, more scoffing!). This teaser gave me everything I wanted from Iron Man 3. Now I hope the movie will live up to my new expectations.

I know, I'm a sucker. When is the third movie ever any good? Oh well, keeping my fingers crossed for this one. Now I gotta go watch that teaser trailer again. Hasta luego.

When kiddies score, America SCORES

Today I refereed a 1st/2nd Grade soccer match. It was fun and intense and also my first time. I think I'll be doing it at least a few times a month. The organization I hooked up with is America SCORES. They're a dope After School program that mixes the academic and athletic in urban schools across the country. The program is equal parts soccer and poetry writing. I've only had experience in the soccer aspect of SCORES but I do love me some creative writing. I think their two-pronged approach (working the brain muscles and body ones) is neato. SCORES fuses the different building blocks to make the ultimate well-rounded citizens we say we wish we had. Think: Arnold in Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

If you're in the market for some volunteering and want to spend time outside, with children and run around (geez, did I run a lot) then I highly suggest you check out this map to see if there's one in your neck of the country. There's no experience or license necessary. You just show up and be supportive. It melted my man heart to see some of these kids trying so hard and having their practice pay off. I mean, some really sucked, yeah, but they had a great attitude about it. For some it was their first soccer game ever. With child obesity up at backbreaking numbers every little bit of motion counts. Unfortunately it's the fatties that end up in goal. Oh well, next time.

Heeeere we go!

2 Months?!?

CoCo here, ready to re-enter the blogosphere.

Now I knew it had been a while since we last updated, but two months?? En serio??? Well... yo confieso that I have no good excuse. It's por mi culpa, por mi culpa, por mi gran culpa. Time to get back in the habit.

While I was busy not blogging, I was enjoying the summer with my boo. I'll use this post to fill you in.

The end of July was the beginning of our "Quintessential [Northern] California Vacation", as one of my colleagues called it. We started off by visiting the beach town of Santa Cruz. Surprisingly, Franco had never been and I was excited to introduce him to one of my childhood loves. We ate at great restaurants (Saturn Cafe, Cafe Brasil), hung out at the boardwalk (rides and the imperial circus from China and more rides and salt water taffy and more rides - I was a giddy kid again), and played some fun games (mini golf! bowling!). It was a very chill trip and we really enjoyed ourselves. The perfect way to start a vacation.

Next up was Lake Tahoe. We're lucky because my grandparents have a cabin on the North Shore, so off we went to Grandma Gloria's Bed & Breakfast. I know most people visit Tahoe in the winter but I love it in the summer. I look forward to lazily lying on the beach all day. I got plenty of sunbathing in, and Franco even convinced me to hit a trail. 

From Tahoe, we drove to Yosemite. Neither of us had been and we were extremely excited to visit. Since we were driving from the lake, we drove through Nevada and into the park from the east. I was kind of dreading the drive because it was going to be long and I didn't know what to expect, but it was beautiful. Of course, Yosemite was amazingly beautiful as well (believe the hype). We spent time in Tuolumne Meadows and Yosemite Valley hiking and swimming and taking in the natural beauty. The photos really are nothing to compare to the real thing. I'm already thinking about our next visit.

After our vacation, it was back to the grind. However, we did manage to fit in good food, the outdoors, and another trip to Tahoe in the next month. And we watched our mini porch garden bloom. All in all, it was a great summer. The best thing is, we have another one coming. Get ready for Indian Summer!!!