Cooper Cadre Turkey Holiday

I arrived safely to my parents on Wednesday mid-morning and managed to avoid most of the holiday traffic. I also made my usual stop at ... SONIC! What's so great about this one if Taft is that 1) it's almost exactly half way to my parents house, and 2) it's not uber popular so when you ask for extra limes, they give like 9 of them!!!















So far this Thanksgiving holiday has been great. Lots of food and family. Some Scattergories. Catching up on (desperately needed) sleep. And sadly even some homework - don't judge me, finals are next week. This pic of cute Casch pretty much captures the feeling of the Cooper house (he loves Mom and Dad's big bed):

2010 Summer Reading List

It might seem premature to announce my summer reading list but the new year is just around the corner which means resolutions and these just arrived! Yes they are beautiful and classic and I'm excited. I look forward to reading something I won't be tested on, or for which I will not be held accountable.
















That box contains the following:

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

It sure is an ambitious list (at least for me, I don't read like my brother Chris!). Granted I have already read Jane Eyre and Great Expectations but that was in high school and I have already attended my 10 year reunion. Even Obama only listed 5 books for his summer vacation to Martha's Vineyard. (insert sarcastica font) He does have a big job so I can understand why he'd have such a conservative sized list!

So, any personal favorites from the queue that you'd strongly endorse? I always welcome company as well so if you'd like to read along we can even have an ad hoc discussion about one of the books (nothing formal like a book club, that's too committal!).

So as my little brother Casey would say "wish me all the luck"! :)

Just eat it

Every year at my work the Litigation Department hosts a pie eating contest (you may recall that last year I was a bronze medal finisher ... eh hem, no bragging here.) There is always a huge turn-out for the event and they do a fantastic job hosting it. A whole year later and I'm still not ready to eat any pumpkin pie. I may have found a new dieting technique. Binge so hard you don't ever want any again. (To be totally PC I'll provide the caveat that I'm not encouraging the purge, just the binge).

NOPErah

Is the world ending? This just in from CNN:

News Alert
06:37 PM EST Thursday, November 19, 2009

Oprah to end her television talk show

After more than two decades on the airwaves, the trendsetting TV talk show host is stepping down.

Mixing business and pleasure

While I feel that I often am not able to participate in many (or any!) social functions I continue to self-adjust and try to find the best balance between work and play. Last night was a successful indulgence as I had the opportunity to do a behind-the-scenes tour of Staples Center and meet with AEG Directors (AEG encompasses LA Live and right now they are prepping for the AMA's on Sunday).

AEG is responsible for all the major sporting events including the Lakers, Clippers, WNBA Sparks, NHL Kings, and all the Nokia Theater and Lounge Events, and major industry events like the Grammys. Needless to say it was informative and I felt like kindred event-planner-high-pressure spirits when they shared details about the last-minute production of the MJ Funeral over July 4 weekend. Bottom line: an event is an event. The beast doesn't change.

I stayed for the first part of the game before scooting off for a quick visit with extended family in town for some Disneyland/Knott's action.
















I continued on my indulgence roll and made plans to catch up with a friend over lunch today at one of my FAVORITE spots. I highly recommend the Ensalada Azteca at Native Foods. So good ... so good ... so good (sung to the tune of Sweet Caroline).
















Friends are fun.