Home Sweet Home

We just got back from a quick trip to Santa Monica, and I guess this time I was struck by how much that place is getting very familiar. This is our fourth family trip there and I think Kim's seventh trip since January, so it's feeling like another home.

The girls know the drill -- most mornings they take their breakfast in bed (Daddy earning his nap!) and then we all head out to the pool for some sunshine and fast wi-fi. The girls like these little cabana-ettes and they can play in those things for hours. I think they make-believe that they're by a pool at hotel in California. Something like that.

On Saturday we go to church, if by church you mean, the Santa Monica pier. Definitely a religious experience. Here's Maze sitting beside me on the big wheel thingy. Right behind her in the yellow car is Noah Wyle. No kidding. He was standing in line right in front of us and I would have never recognized him except Kim said something to me. His kids are pretty cute, and damn, he does look a lot like a young Steve Jobs.

On the same Ferris Wheel ride Lu and her Mama practice not-blinking. A few minutes later Kim went with Maze on the obligatory ride on Rickety Death (my name for that blasted roller coaster) where she got to practice not-barfing. Maze has this liturgical insistence on the sacrament of roller-coaster, so this time I begged Kim to go instead of me for a change. If you want to see one of the videos I took of a previous ride with Maze, check this out. (Warning: I say "baby" a lot).  I don't know what it is with Maze, but she's really into insane thrill rides. I tried to take a video of Kim and Maze this time but you can't see anything as they swoosh by -- mainly because Kim was "hiding" in her seat. Hmmm.. I think I have my old job back next time.

Sunday, while Maze and Kim had a shopping date, Lulu and Deano and I went to the awesome Science museum on the USC campus. We played around in the "creative area" for a while.

Here's what we look like in infrared.

And after looking at all the exhibits we went to see the IMAX movie Born To Be Wild. No it's not a Steve Martin routine, but the baby elephants and the baby orangutans were pretty funny. And the movie was narrated by Morgan Freeman, who if I'm not mistaken, was actually born a poor black child. Close enough.

And then just like that the weekend was over. We got to the airport and for some reason the Alaska terminal (31-35) was jammed full. So in desperation I rifled my wallet and found this card that got us in one of the business lounges, a part of the airport where Kim and I spent quite a bit of time when we worked in the circus. Home sweet home. Ha!