Sleeping with the Enemy July 28, 2006
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Well, not exactly sleeping, but hanging out for sure. My Notre Dame Dad will have me excommunicated from the Barnes family. (However, he should know I was searching for a mole within the squad to admit last year Reggie Bush pushed Matt Leinart illegally over the goal line to “upset” Notre Dame in South Bend and thereby negate that victory.)
Last week our Entrepreneurs Organization (“EO“) group held an event at the historic Los Angeles Colisium, home of the 1984 Olympics and USC home football games 
Our guest and speaker was none other than Bruce Jenner, who shattered the Olympic record in the Decathlon on his way to winning gold. Upon entering the Colisium, we were greated by the USC Marching Band and Cheerleaders. Bruce gave an inspiring speech about digging deep down within your soul in order to acheive great heights. In his words, “my victory in the Decathlon was 20% physical, 80% mental”. You hear repeatedly from the best of the best (Jordan, Bird, Tiger) that’s it’s mental fortitude that separates the great ones.
A Word to the Burger July 22, 2006
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Update on the upcoming Barnes hamburger cookoff: I’m chillin’ tonight with my homey Tom Casper who arguably is the best non-professional chef I know. He also likes tequila and beer so we’re tight like that. After some intense discussions with T-Money (i.e., Tom), he dished out some serious prose on how to best approach this burger test. First, he correctly pointed out that I should not aim necessarily to prep the best burger I think will amaze, but rather to gauge the taste of my regional Kentucky audience and their taste buds. Bottom line – while other would-be chefs will go to all ends coming up with “the tribe – 40 spice blend” and overwhelm the beef under spotlight, I’m best served by keepin’ it simple and going with good beef and a reasonable seasoning of basic ingredients. I like that advise. So…..while all my Barnes bretherin’ is scheming to destroy their beef with chipotle-lime-garlic-paprika-A1 sauce, I’m going to keep it real and simple. Hopefully I’m not penalized because I live in California.
The Cabo Report: Pool, Sun, Cerveza and Zucaritas July 16, 2006
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Yesterday we flew back from Cabo, Mexico via Alaska Airlines to Los Angeles. Many thanks to Troy for keeping our car all week and picking us up! We had an incredible time. Both Mallory and Nathalie got some serious sun after spending the entire week in the pool. Before the trip, Mallory wouldn’t put her face under the water, but by mid-week she was fully swimming under water from side to side. We did absolutely nothing on this vacation except lay out by the pool and meet new friends.
July 4th in Cul-De-Sacville July 6, 2006
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Hard to believe this is our 7th year in our little neighborhood and the completion of yet another great cul-de-sac 4th of July. All the infants of 1999 are now becoming big kids, but the moms and dads don’t seem to change with the exception of alchohol tolerance. Old standbys of good food, bouncy houses, and Tom Traylor’s tequila hoof (he doesn’t own the hoof, the hoof owns him – inside joke) were joined by louder speakers (with multiple iPods competing for airtime) and the first organized water fight. Doc Burkhardt treated (or scarred…depending on your point of view) the kids with his 70’s throwback coach’s outfit. All in all, yet another beautiful day in the paradise known as Aliso Viejo.
Stanley Davis (We Call Him Kid Flash) July 3, 2006
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Our little nephew continues to impress with lighting fast times on the track. At only age 10, Stanley (Davis) has rapidly become a young track star. Today we received word of his new personal bests in the 1500 meter and 400 meter events during the USATF Youth Championships taking place in Greensboro, North Carolina. In what was a national event, Stanley placed a narrow 2nd place in the 1500 meters “Bantam Boys” division (10 year and under) with a time of 4:59:5! In the 400 meters he placed 3rd overall with a time of 1:03:92. Junior Olympics are next. Can the 2016 Olympics be in his future?
