Signing Off... For Now.

So, here's the big news: Apollo Hosting, where our website has been based since 2003, is changing management, so we're switching to FatCow.com, which looks very promising. Until tomorrow, the website will be down, as the site transfers, and then we'll have to rebuild the site from scratch. This might be that golden opportunity to finally switch over to DreamWeaver. The site will look different from now on, but the update is long overdue. Thanks for sticking with us.

Nothing will happen tonight, as we're very excited about going to the Mel Brooks tribute at the Academy. More about that soon.

Render unto Caesar...

A while back, I read an interesting article in the New York Times about the home of the Caesar Salad. I was intrigued by the concept of it being created by an actual person, Caesar (originally Cesar) Cardini at the Restaurant Caesar in Tijuana, Mexico. I was even more intrigued by the fact that the restaurant is still around and still serving Caesar Salads, which most tourists are too scared to eat because of the raw egg involved. I sense a trip to Tijuana coming on. In the meantime, El Coyote in Los Angeles serves a mean version of the salad.

Total Eclipse

Today there will be a total eclipse of the sun, which can be seen throughout Asia, but also online.

We're having an eclipse of our own in California, with a horrible new budget for the state.

On the good news front, Downtown Los Angeles will see its first new cinema opening in decades this November, so we'll be able to avoid reality far more easily and far more often.

Speaking of films, the Academy's season of ten nominees for best picture in 1939 continues and we saw the great "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" on the big screen last night. Timeless classic. More relevant than ever. And this Friday we'll be back for more, as the Academy is hosting a tribute to Mel Brooks. Saddle up!

Yow!

Very sad about the news coming out of the Beastie Boys' camp this morning. We were looking forward to seeing them in concert at the Hollywood Bowl this September, but it turns out Adam Yauch (see title of this post for pronunciation) has a form of cancer in his throat and will go in for an operation next week. The good news is he's expected to make a full recovery; the bad: no new album or tour for a while. Our thoughts go out to him and his family. Check out the BBoys website for a very honest video explanation from the man himself.

Here's what the Hollywood Bowl website is posting:

"Adam "MCA" Yauch of Beastie Boys was diagnosed last week as having a cancerous tumor in his left parotid (salivary) gland. Luckily it was caught early and is localized in one area, and as such is considered very treatable. It will however require surgery and several weeks of additional treatment. Fortunately the cancer is not in a location that will affect Yauch's vocal chords.

Beastie Boys have canceled all upcoming concert appearances to allow time for Yauch's surgery and recovery. The release of the band's forthcoming album Hot Sauce Committee Part 1 will also be pushed back.

Paraphrasing from a video statement on Beastieboys.com, Yauch said, "I just need to take a little time to get this in check, and then we'll release the record and play some shows. It's a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it) because i was really looking forward to playing these shows, but the doctors have made it clear that this is not the kind of thing that can be put aside to deal with later."

Outsourcing

I've wrestled with an easier way to update the News section since we started this site in 2003. I abandoned this third-party blog after a few months back in 2005, as we were still posting a lot of photos in the News section. We're still using old software to update the site for the moment, so it's been pretty difficult changing the pages on a regular basis. We're switching back to a third-party blog service, as we need to update our site faster and from any location. Just as with the photo section (outsourced to a fantastic service called SmugMug), we're going to start using more dedicated services to run different parts of the site. In 2005, blog software was still in its infancy, but it seems to have caught up with our needs, so we have no more reservations. Hopefully, we can find a decent place for the mp3 mixes we host as well. In the meantime, here's another change and a new look we hope you'll appreciate.

As for news, we had our first "lazy" weekend since April. Friday, we went to see a great little documentary (Food, Inc.) at our favorite and cheapest cinema in Pasadena (the Regency). On Saturday we visited Jonna and Le to see beautiful Baby Addison in Orange County, and on Sunday we relaxed around the house, staying cool because outside it was hovering around 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Summer's here, at long last.