Union Square Tree Lighting

I want to start this post off with I LOVE THE WINTER HOLIDAY SEASON! Phew I'm glad that I got that out. I should note that I love the holiday season in what I consider to be cities***. I will explain what I mean by that later in the post. I have recently moved to San Francisco and was able to go to the Union Square Tree lighting. There were two options for locations in which Nancy & I could of watched the tree lighting. Ground level or from the Cheesecake Factory, which is located on the top floor of the Macys just across the street from where the Tree Lighting was happening. So it was quite obvious which one was the best choice. WE'RE GOING TO CHEESECAKE FACTORY! I was so craving Cajun Jambalaya Pasta. This was a risky move because the tree lighting events started at 6pm. If we finished to early we would be out of a good spot to view the tree lighting, or we may not of gotten a table with a view of the tree lighting. We went upstairs at 3pm to put our name on the waiting list to sit outside. Now outside there are only 6 to 8 tables in which are seated right against the glass which would be the perfect seatfor us to observed the tree being lit. The chances of getting a table only a few hours before the lighting and on Black Friday were slim to none. So I was HOPING and PRAYING that we either got a good seat and could manage to eat slow enough so we could see the tree lighting, or that we were able to eat fast enough in order to stand with the crowd down below. I should mention that this isn't my first time attending a tree lighting. You know that big tree in NYC at that one center....What's it called again....oh yeah The Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting, also the Grove Tree Lighting in LA. So tree lighting are something truly special and something I enjoy. It signifies the start of the Christmas season. YES! So now that you know my experience in the tree lighting department I was quite excited to go to this tree lighting. Seeing that I missed the one at Pier 39. So I told myself I can't miss this one!

Once we get to the top of Macy's and Place our name on the waiting list we then proceed to go out onto the balcony and await for the seat moving and name calling to happen. It was a cloudy and cool day out today as we look down at Union Square and all the people ice skating and lining up for the tree lighting. I sit there and just take in the sights. Just thinking how happy I am that it is holiday time and that we get to see a tree lighting. So at 3:45pm the pager starts to buzz and I am like YES time to sit down but where?! I am also thinking wow its early and I thought we would be waiting for a bi

t longer before we sat down. I was thinking we may of hit a bad a patch of black ice here. We may get screwed out of a view of the ceremony and a good tree watching spot down at street level. So I was quite anxious to see where we would land. So we walk outside and there are two tables. One on the ledge where you can see the entire event and another that is just behind the table on the ledge. If we would of gotten this table we would of had to stand up to see the tree lighting. In my head that was a no go due to the fact that I would like to eat my cheesecake or whatever I would be munching on at that point in time, rather than trying to stand up to see the tree being lit. That is the convenience enthusiast in me. For all those wondering what that means is that the situation must be convenient as well as I must be enthusiastic about the situation in order for me to want to do it. Never is that lazy FYI. But as the Hostess kept walking I was noticing he was walking toward the LEDGE! THE LEDGE GOD OL MIGHTY THE LEDGE. And what do you know he stop

s at that very table and says "they need to clean off the table first then you guys can sit down." At this point in time while we are waiting I hear and see one thing:

Break it Down! Stop Hammer Time!

Can't Touch This

Can't Touch This

Can't Touch This

Break it Down!( Nice Pants, Hammer) Stop, Hammer Time!

By now the song and Hammer dance, pants and all, had stop and we were sitting down talking about how crazy it was that we got this table. So as we sit down you can see the different musical groups warming up as well as just the overall set up for the show. Its truly a great view. So the part of the evening which turned it from oh crap we just lost our chance to see the tree to oh snaps looks like we will have the best seat in the house after all. We go to order the Cajun Jambalaya Pasta and we both decide its what we want. Only to have the dish come to our table with the noodles mushy and water downed, TWICE. So by then we finally gave up on any and all pasta dishes. We finally order a steak and shrimp dish along with a salmon and mashed potato dish. By then it was 5.30pm and it was like looks like we will get to see the tree lighting from our table, and all because al dente wasn't in the chef's vocabulary. As we are eating our dish 6pm hits and the performers hit the stage. I keep eating my steak as I ask Nancy to take photos of the event down below. What don't judge, she was done eating her salmon and sitting there watching. So we are watching the performance and finishing our meal. Next thing you know the countdown begins 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 BOOM! Tree is lit. It was a great night in a great city.

***Now to explain my theory about what I mean by cities. I know a city by definition is an incorporated municipality, usually governed by a major and a board of aldermen or councilmen. But for me a city is more than what is defined by the dictionary. Los Angeles is my home town and I love that place but I don't consider that much of a city. I say that because most things about the town seem to fake to be true. Most of the major cities have a downtown or a portion of the city where there is high rise buildings and is popular portion of the city in which you must go to the heart of the city to get around. Los Angeles is not one of those places. You never have to see downtown if you didn't want to. Only reason why most people go downtown is for the Staples Center, Nokia Center or Los Angeles Superior Court. In lady the holidays don't seem real. There is a lot hollywood glam everywhere instead of just holiday spirit. Cities like NYC, SF, Newark, most of the northeast. They feel the holiday season. They are cities not stopping points. So what is what I meant by I'm happy to be in what I call cities.

Thanksgiving 09

The Holiday season has started and this past week Thanksgiving was the first holiday of the season. It was anything but a holiday for me seeing that on Thanksgiving, I started working at 3:30am. Black friday was another day in which I worked at 3:30am, and Sunday the same. My only day of rest was on Saturday which I was quite thankful to have to myself. I spent this Thanksgiving Dinner with friends of my fiance, who are like family, in Oakland, CA.

Most of my Thanksgiving usually go like this; I wake up around 9 am to do the normal family calls to wish everyone a happy thanksgiving and also to confirm what time dinner is suppose to be. After making my rounds of calls I normally then call grandma to make sure she has a ride or to tell her what time I'm going to pick her up so we can go down to Dad's place. I then make my way to my mothers place to have the first thanksgiving dinner and also catch the early Football game. It is a Miller Family Tradition that as well eat or as we wait to eat we watch whatever game is on at the time. Normally that consists of the the Sad Dallas Cowboys playing or the lowly Lions. The menu at both parents homes are usually the same. Turkey, Ham, Mac n' cheese, Stuffing, Yams, Greens, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Cranberry Sauce, and Biscuits. Of course the only time the tv is turned off is for the family blessing of the food which usually the Man of the house blesses the table then we chow down and eat. It is the same rituals at both house and after eating at both homes it time to go home to prepare for Black Friday work or just a day off.

This Thanksgiving was different and interesting. Both of which are good things. It was different because for the first time, as I am walking to the car and driving to work I'm seeing kitchen windows across my route to work lit up. Knowing that mothers, fathers, and friends are prepping their turkeys for the Thanksgiving Dinner. It was funny to see because I am normally sleep during the wee hours of turkey prep and initial cooking phases. So I am working on Thanksgiving for the first time and not going to any family dinners on the holiday. The thought of not being with my family makes me sad and really makes me appreciate the times that I have with the. Once I get off at Noon I then proceed to rush home to shower and change and attend a friends Thanksgiving. Once I arrive at my fiance friends place in Oakland I knew this was going to be very different Thanksgiving that I wasn't use to. The first thing I noticed is that there was no TV with the game. On this Thanksgiving there were three games on. A 8:3oam game, 1:15pm game and a 5:20pm game. As the more friends of the friend started to arrive for dinner it became crystal clear this was going to be nothing of what I was used to or what I wanted to get used to. No one seemed to care that there was a football game on, and guests were bringing in appetizers, all of which weren't my cup of tea. During my family thanksgiving there normally weren't appetizers to have pre dinner. Wanted to leave as much space as I could for as much Mac n' Cheese and turkey as possible. There were peas stuff with salmon, vegan cheese biscuits, and a mound of Salmon or tuna with crackers. The conversation was quite lively and everyone was entertaining. The menu consisted of Turkey stuff with pesto, Asparagus, spicy vegan sweet potato, and stuffed sage sweet potato wrapped in prosciutto, cranberry salsa, regular cranberry sauce, stuffing, a vegetable medley. I definitely felt out of place because none of those items are things that I normally wouldn't eat most of those items if I had the choice if they were on a menu. So I definitely felt out of place and like worried that I would offend my friend by not eating certain select foods because they aren't a flavor I like. For the first time there was no Thanksgiving blessing of the food and the family. That was the final sign that this was definitely going to be a different Holiday. After having dinner and dessert, which was pumpkin pie, it was time for Thanksgiving at this house to end.

My Dad had driven up to Northern California with my sister, Nephew and his wife to have Thanksgiving with her family. So once we left the friends house we then drove up to Richmond, CA to go see my dad and family for about an hour. At my grans house it was the traditional Thanksgiving dinner that I was used. So of course I had to make a plate of the classic food I'm used. It was quite amazing and I enjoyed it so much. After I ate and played with my nephew and talked with my family I left after about an hour due to the fact that the following morning I had to be to work at 3:30am. It did feel good to see my family and have some of the traditional food that I was used to. It wasn't the highlight of the evening but definitely the icing on the cake. That was my Thanksgiving in the nutshell.

I want to say that events like these are what shape us as people. Even though this wasn't my traditional dinner, and traditional events I still appreciate the fact that someone thought of me enough to not want me to spend Thanksgiving alone. Someone thought and cared enough to want to invite me into their home to spend a family holiday with them. It's those small gestures in which people forget to appreciate and need to step back and understand they do it cause they care. Understand that the Holiday isn't about you but the collective whole wanting to spend quality time with quality people.

Dine by Design

DIFFA's Dining by Design San Francisco was held on Wednesday November 18th 2009 at 6pm. It was quite an interesting evening. During the evening I had the chance to see some of the best design for your dinning room. Some lived up to the expectations while others fell to the wayside. There were four floors of dinning room samples, with food and wine scattered between the dinning room displays. The event had ribs which were definitely to die for. (And there are two ribs that are too die for, Mr. Brian Veenhuis, and those Ribs at the Diffa event). I am a food fan so I thought I would add that in there for the other food lovers. Some of my favorite pieces had a elegant setting along with a calming feeling about the space. This photo was apart of the Academy of Art Interior Architecture and Design table. From the place settings to the Lacquer walls it was one of the best tables in the entire venue. There was this amazing chandelier at the Art table that had bids being thrown at it left an right. Whoever win this bids is a lucky person. This Chandelier was hand made by the students of the institute and really makes you appreciate one of kind hand created items. Another table in which I thought was amazing was this green friendly table. From the bowls, place mats, glasses, it is truly an amazing table. Overall this event was a lot of fun and really enjoyable. Had great food, company, and saw great design. All in the middle of the week.

Thomas the Train

Now Halloween is suppose to be about the kids. But what happens when grandma decides she wants to roll and collect some goodies for herself. This is what happens. TRICK OR TREAT!

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Today the the Niners lost to the Houston Texans 24 - 21 at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The game was the story of 1st half vs 2nd half for the Niners. In the first half we had a hard time doing anything right. From Shaun Hills 6 for 11, 45 yard day, to a fumble on a punt by Arnaz Battle, to allowing 24 points in the first half of the game. Apparently the entire 49er team had their popcorn ready to watch the game rather than play in the game. Come the second half there was a change in attitude and quarterbacks with Alex Smith starting and leading the team back to get within three of the Texans. The Niners just could not pull it together to get the last field goal of the game to tie it and send it into overtime.

I was very excited to see todays game because it was going to signify the beginning of the Crabtree era in San Francisco. Beginning meaning not the MC Hammer and Deion negotiation show but the Crabtree finally rocking the #15 Jersey for the Niners. It was going to be the worlds first chance, as well as mine, to see the 10th selection of the 2009 NFL Draft play a game FINALLY! No one knew what kind of shape Crabtree was in, how he would adjust to the NFL Speed, DB's and coverages. For a first NFL game it went ok for Crabtree. Crabtree played in over 90% of the offensive plays, had 5 receptions for 56 yards for an average of 11.2 yards per catch. All I know is that for Crabtree better be like SHOWTIME for him.

Another player who had a big day today was Vernon Davis, who is the Niners most talented player. Vernon had 7 receptions for 93 yards 3 Tds averaging 13.3 per catch. For some strange reason the Houston defense left Davis open all day over the middle and Alex Smith took advantage. Abusing the Texans defense for 3 Tds on the same exact play Davis down the seam. Davis did have a scary moment in the game when he went down after he caught his first Touchdown from Smith. Apparently a teammate, knee'd him in the stomach during the celebration knocking the wind out of Davis.

Another surprised today was the appearance of Alex Smith. Smith went 15 of 22 for 206 yards for 3 tds and 1 int. He had a passer rating of 118.6 with a 9.4 average per pass. I was surprised to see Alex Smith out there in the 2nd half due to the fact Shaun Hill hadn't imploded. He just couldn't throw the ball, which is no new news to anyone. Shaun Hill was still doing what his job technically, which was is just to manage the game not win it. The Niners O-Line did a terrible job of blocking in the first half and we had no running game. Hill was constantly under pressure but you had a feeling that he wasn't who we could win the game with.

On the first series of the 2nd half out comes Alex Smith and the Niner Offensive. With the 2nd half came a new attitude. It was like Venus and Mars. The O-Line had better run and pass protection. Smith was making all the right passes. The set back for Smith this week was his poor management of the play clock. There were three different occasions in which Smith lost focus on the play and either had to waste timeouts or take the penalty. Otherwise his performance was a very much over due.

The 2nd half effort of the Niners was what I expected to see for the entire game. I expected better pass and run defense. They were able to buckled down in the 2nd half and make things happen. Only giving up a field goal in the 2nd half. Today was a lack of intensity and concentration during the 1st half for the entire team. During the 2nd half everyone finally showed up at the stadium and decided to play football. Moving forward I believe the Niners do need to make some changes which I think will greatly improve their offensive chances. I concentrate on the offense because the defense is ranked 5th against the run and 15th against the pass. Our offense needs the change like the Raiders need a new Owner. Its something that is long overdue. We have some great players in Gore, Davis, Crabtree, Morgan yet there isn't anyone to truly distribute the ball to them. I believe going to Alex Smith, who can win games rather than just manage games, will help a lot with that issue. As well I believe going to a starting recieving core of Davis, Crabtree, and Morgan would benefit more than having Issac Bruce start for us. Don't get me wrong Bruce is a great wideout but I do believe we are stunting the growth of Morgan by not having him in there for us. Bruce would better serve on 3 wide sets and in more of a veteran leadership role than a starter. Bruce only has 13 receptions for a 167 yards. Morgan has 13 Receptions for 202 yards and a TD. Having the duel threat of Crabtree and Morgan would greatly help Smith with his passing. So now with two dual outside threats you have Davis free to torch the middle of the field. Davis is leading the team in receptions with 22 Receptions 262yards and 3 Td's. Even though this core is a young I believe this can be a great trio of offensive receiving weapons for the 49ers.

Many people do not believe Smith is the quarterback for the Niners but I beg to differ. I don't believe that Smith has had the proper chance to succeed in the NFL. He has had rotating coordinators and coaches. Always changing schemes and terminology of the offense. Under Singletary I believe Smith can grow into the qb who can help lead the 49ers back to the playoffs. Smith just needs the time in which most QB's get to grasp and learn a system that is going to be around for a while.With that trio of weapons you can't forget about Frank Gore or Glen Coffee in our backfield. If our line provides Smith with ample protection I believe that the 49ers offense will blossom towards the end of the season as we are making a push towards the playoffs.

Crabtree Signs With the 49ers

Michael Crabtree has signed a contract with the San Francisco 49ers. It is a 6 year deal which Crabtree has the option for a 6th year. The money has yet to be disclosed but I hope it for the same amount as the deal for 16 million guaranteed and the chance to hit 20 million with incentive's.

The question of the hour is who is in Crabtree's private corner. Obviously Crabtree's agent is not in that corner because his agent has been trying to convince Crabtree to sign the current deal yet he has yet to.

When M.C. Hammer and Deion Sanders are getting involved in your contract negotiations what does that say. Are those two individuals you really want involved in your financial future. I mean M.C. Hammer alone is enough to scare a person straight. This is the same Hammer who lost millions of his own money and was evicted out of his own home due to his poor financial decisions. Deion Sanders isn't a better of a choice to have at your contract negotiations with all the trouble he has been involved with as well.

I get that Deion has done great things for the Niners and was a great return man, not a great DB, in the perspective of things but it is only Deion. Hammer was a good entertainer for one CD but after that he was a flop. So you have an OK player in NFL history and a floppish performer handling the money aspects of your life. That makes no sense at all. Why would anyone trust those two individuals over your own Agent. How is having financially asinine individuals run your contract negotiations better than having your agent run your contract negotiations. Agent's try to get the best deal possible because the bigger the deal the bigger the payday will be for the agent. So in the era where 75% of players NFL are going bankrupt within 5 years or less, why would you trust M.C. Hammer and Deion Sanders. Hmmmm?! Well maybe being broke is the way to go? Crabtree let your agent do his job and tell Hammer to go finish his Blog about Whitney's attempt on a comeback, 50 Cent and Cnn's Newsclips of Obama. Tell Deion to go back and just finish his weekly biblical service. You are paying your agent to do a job let him do his job and listen to the advice. Eugene Parker's has over 40 NFL clients which include Ray Lewis, Aeneas Williams, Derrick Brooks, Walter Jones, Cory Simon, Hines Ward, Laveranues Coles, Deion Sanders, and Emmit Smith. Obviously all of the following players seem to have made out ok with his advice.

I will leave on this quote by EV

"I can't even really imagine how that goes down...or what those negotiations are even like if Hammer didn't like something would he say, "STOP! Hammer Time!" or was he just on 2 Legit 2 Quit mode every time Crabtree's name came up and as for Deion, how many times did he put in that "Must Be The Money" has to be played during 49er games." EV

Later

JM

Crabtree?!

So Michael Crabtree is apparently coming back to San Francisco to re open negotiations. He flew back from Tampa on Monday and his agent is coming into town on Tuesday. I don't understand how Crabtree is being such a child about his salary for a not a top 5 pick. Too bad the Raiders selected another WR instead of you. Doesn't mean you deserve the money that they offered to their pick.

If you turn down a 5 year 20million dollar deal with 16 guaranteed then you don't deserve to play specially when there is no guarantee that you will produce and be worth the 16 million his ungrateful self would receive. Does Crabtree not realize that the whole world is in a recession and money isn't floating out there like that. You are trying to come to the organization which housed the greatest receiver of all time and you shun that because you believe that you aren't getting paid enough. Tell that to the 12.2 % of people unemployed right now in CA that you want more money because you believe you are worth more. Every person in who works believes they are worth more yet they don't hold out for a better contract. You know what happens when you hold out like that " YOU GET FIRED."

Yes the Niners Offense could use a big play WR but he has yet to make a big play in the NFL. Not even in practice. He has made big plays in NCAA Football 2008 and thats about it. So until Crabtree gets some sense and signs and attempts to live out a contract he may never do I say screw'em and be poor like the rest of us.

I wish Crabtree doesn't sign because I hope he goes back to into next years draft so he drops out of the 1st round and gets 2nd or 3rd round money, then he is going to look back like damn 16 million sure did look good.