Dear Jurisprudence

After years of getting out of it, my number was called. I am on the jury. That's really all I can say right now.

On Monday I traded in my identity for that of Juror Number 9 and while I am not allowed to discuss anything about the case, just let me say that this entire process has made me wish I had gone to law school. I feel I've missed my true calling. It's so frustrating sitting there in the jury box when I know the system would be so much better served by me be allowed to shout emphatically things like "Objection your Honor - hearsay."

It's silly, really, that I never came to this conclusion before now. I mean, come on. What better job for a loud mouth argumentative bull headed kid like me. Um, strike that. I mis-characterized myself as a kid. The one trick would be that I don't so much like to lose. Yes, that IS a sticking point.

Anywhoooo, deliberations start Tuesday. I'll be sure to fill you in on all the dirty details next week once we come to a decision. Woooo Hoooo.

Rattle & Hum

We were invited to a bar-b-q / picnic yesterday with some friends at The Paramount Ranch. LA-B and I had never been to the ranch before so we didn't know what we were in for. There's a lot of history in this little ghost town. I got some info from the National Park Service.

Lights! Camera! Action!...In 1927, Paramount Pictures purchased 2,400 acres of the old Rancho Las Virgenes for use as a “movie ranch.” For 25 years, a veritable who’s who of Hollywood practiced their craft at Paramount Ranch including director Cecil B. Demille and actors Bob Hope, Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert. The diverse landscape was the real star of the show. It offered film makers the freedom to create distant locales such as colonial Massachusetts in The Maid of Salem, ancient China in The Adventures of Marco Polo, a South Seas island in Ebb Tide (1937) and numerous western locations including San Francisco in Wells Fargo. The art of illusion was mastered on the landscape.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

The golden era of movie making at Paramount Ranch came to an end ....William Hertz bought the southeast portion in 1953. ... he built a permanent western town ...As a result, television companies began producing westerns at the ranch such as The Cisco Kid and Dick Powell’s Zane Grey Theatre.

From 1991 to 1998, Paramount Ranch was used as the setting for the television show, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

All fun facts for sure. But I was a bit disappointed as I had never actually seen anything that had been shot at this place. That is until I did a little more research. I found some really good pictures and more interesting facts at this site. The most interesting of which to me is the fact that in the 1976 telepicture Helter Skelter the Paramount stood in for the Spahn Movie Ranch - home to The Manson Family. EeeeeeeeeeeYikes.

So, it's only fitting that I share with you a couple of pictures LA-B took at the ranch with my new camera. They really embody the spirit of the ranch in it's role as the home to a gang of killers.

What you are looking at is a bona fide rattle snake eating a helpless little squirrel!

It was pretty cool and gross all at the same time. It's the closest I think I've ever been to a rattler. We figured it was pretty safe since his venom is in his bite and his mouth was preoccupied at the time.

So, that's how we spent our Saturday afternoon.

I Q you A

Would you rather.....

Live in a city you love and work at a job you hate?

OR

Live in a city you hate and work at a job you love?

Food Glorious Food

Well, good ol' Cup O Joe smacked me upside my head and hit me where it counts - my tummy. He tagged me with an delicious meme. I've been asked to list my five favorite places to dine out. Yummy.

This isn't really as easy as some might think. Having lived a significant amount of time in a handful of cities, there are eateries from Batavia to San Diego that make my mouth water. Pontillo's Pizza on Main Street in Batavia, NY defines pizza for me. Our standard order was a large pizza, half pepperoni / half mushroom and they knew it was us calling decades before caller ID.

San Diego is home to The Chicken Pie Shop, Knoxville has Louis' on Old Broadway with crazy good garlic bread. A moment of silence, please, for Pop's Place in Jeff City - the tiny Pop's burgers and chocolate shakes were my CN diet.

I could go on and on, but I know Joe tagged me so I'd spotlight some Hollyweird fare. So here goes...

1. El Coyote - This place is legendary. The "scratch"margaritas are like diesel fuel and the food is only good after your taste buds have been numbed by said "scratches." But somehow, I can't stay away. It was the first place I ate in LA, and, the last place Sharon Tate ate anywhere. She and her friends dined in the big corner booth the night they were killed by the Manson kids.

2. Palermo - When I first moved to LA, they'd give you free cups of wine while you waited for a table. Shortly after, they got in trouble with the feds and had to start charging 75 cents. I'd pay twice that just for the pleasure of hearing Tony bellow "Kelly, pizza time." Get the Rotelli with Tony sauce. You won't regret it.

3. The Tam O'Shanter - It's the original Lawry's Steakhouse. It was Walt Disney's favorite place. And it's where we had our wedding reception. Order the chocolate souffle. Enough said.

4. Damon's - When LA-B and I got hitched and moved to Glendale, we decided we needed a place. We found it in Damon's. The best Mai Tai's in the world, prime rib, and monkeys hanging from the ceiling. I will never forget the day we walked over to Damon's after catching a matinee of "Spiderman." There was a boxing match on the tv and the bartender, Denny, started chatting with us. It was at that moment we became regulars (cue The Replacements song). We shared a 10 oz prime rib just about every Friday for the first 2 years of our marriage.

5. Hmmm, number 5. This is tuff. There must be a million restaurants in the naked city and naming just 5 is so hard. Some have great food. Some have great memories. Some have both. For number 5 I choose The Walt Disney Studio Commissary. It's where LA-B and I had lunch almost daily when we first started dating.

Ahhh, I feel like I've missed so many. No worries, LA-B will fill in the blanks. I'm tagging him along with Worldwide Jag, Dave Lowe, and...I feel bad about tagging peeps I don't know. So, I'm gonna leave it at 3.

Happy eating.