San Diego, CA

If you haven’t heard San Diego has an IMAX theater that now plays feature films. We’ve always had an IMAX theater in Balboa Park that plays documentaries not feature full length films. I have never been to the Edwards in Mira Mesa but after hearing that I was able to watch Beowulf in IMAX 3D I had to watch it. So it takes me thirty minutes to get there as I live in the South Bay and I already know that Mira Mesa Boulevard is a busy place. Not only is it a busy place but it was Black Friday so it was even more packed. As soon as you exit I-15 you’re greeted with traffic upon traffic. It doesn’t help that the theater and a dozen other stores are right near the exit. In that little section there is Edwards Cinema, Barnes & Noble, Home Depot, Albertson’s, Panera and many more stores. It adds to the traffic and it’s definitely some place you don’t want to be unless you need to be there. But I had to watch Beowulf in IMAX 3D so we went extra early to make sure we got tickets for the show. To kill time, I ventured over to a very nice and very big Barnes & Noble. There I read some books and remembered that this is a place that many authors go to do book signings, for instance Nicole Richie was there to sign her book. After we ate at Panera to kill more time until the movie started. Once they started letting people into the theater we lined up and got good seats. The staff was very corteous and on their game being that they had to usher many people in and sold every seat in the house. The IMAX experience, especially in 3D, is very loud and interesting. Now that San Diego has their own IMAX and we won’t ever have to travel to Irvine to catch IMAX, you should go there and give it a try.

First off, forgot to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. I enjoyed mine and the turkey is settling in just right. Hope everyone that braved Black Friday came out alive and with what they wanted. I went to Kohl’s on Black Friday but at 10am which in my book is still early to be shopping. The lines wrapped around the store and if it wasn’t for the people I was with I would’ve been out after seeing that line. Instead, we stood in line for over 45 minutes to get checked out.

Other than that, I watched a lot of football. The Charger’s did well this Sunday taking on the Baltimore Ravens. It seemed as if Philip Rivers felt the heat from the booing fans and finally got his groove back. I just hope that he’ll be able to keep it up for the rest of the season and take us to the playoffs. Next up will be the Kansas City Chiefs and if they lose this game they’ll be out of the running because of that upset loss to Oakland. Listening to the radio, I heard a lot of good things about the Charger’s that make me hopeful that they will make it to the playoffs at least. If they can take us to the playoffs then I’ll start thinking about the Super Bowl but let’s get to one place before the other. The Charger’s are constantly being referred to as the most talented team in the NFL right now but they just haven’t been able to produce that talent on the field. With what we saw on Sunday let’s hope that they’ll just get better with time.

In a recent release by Forbes.com, they recently named America’s Fattest Cities and San Diego didn’t do too well being that they scored amongst the top 10. Other cities who landed amongst the fattest cities are Memphis, Tennessee who has an obesity level of 34% landing them in the top spot. The second spot belongs to Birmingham, Alabama with an obesity level of 31.3%. The third spot belongs to San Antonio, Texas who has an obesity level of 31.3%. So where is San Diego on this list? We earned ourselves the tenth spot on the list with an obesity level of 26.7%. Forbes has come up with reasons as to why we have such a high obesity level. One reason they claim is that our city is a heavy commuter’s city being that we don’t walk around plus being that there are a lot of Hispanics in San Diego they tend to have a higher chance of obesity. What do they say San Diego is doing to stop the trend? They are targeting obesity in kids by changing the things offered in San Diego public and private schools plus introducing more physical fitness.

I just wanted to see how the response would be if I did a contest or some sort of sweepstakes to win possibly some San Diego gift certificate to a restaurant or theme park. Would anyone be interested in that? Leave a comment so I can so how the response would be and tell me what you think would be a great giveaway to thank you for reading and coming back to this San Diego blog.

The South Bay expressway located in the South-east area of San Diego County is now open. This services the Chula Vista communities of Otay Ranch, Rolling Hills Ranch, Eastlake and San Miguel Ranch as well as Bonita, Spring Valley and Otay Mesa plus the border off the 905. It’s a much needed toll road that will lessen the amount of time it takes to get out the gridlocked area of Eastern Chula Vista. The only downside is that it is a toll road and toll prices are rather steep. Especially in San Diego, where many residents aren’t used to a toll road. Unlike New York and New Jersey where I hear there are a lot of toll roads, this is probably San Diego’s only toll road and it will remain a toll road for 35 years. But I’ve driven on it and have been using it to get around since I do live in the former gridlocked area of Chula Vista and I must say, it is a relief to get from point A to point B much quicker than before. If you open up a FasTrak account you will also save money and time on tolls because it’s a prepaid account that you just zoom by and it automatically deducts from your account plus FasTrak account holders pay less than if you were to pay upfront.

As of right now until December 2 it is free to the public to use to give it a try so go to Chula Vista’s newest shopping center, the Otay Ranch Town Center, visit the new communities of Chula Vista, or cross the border using the Otay Mesa entrance. It will become a toll road after December 2 but if you sign up for a FasTrak account you will be able to use it free of charge until January 13.

So use the opportunity to come check out the newest toll road of San Diego and the community it services.

The Charger’s past two weeks have been really up and down. Their most recent game against Jacksonville’s Jaguars was a complete let down. I was unable to watch it but the score says everything. Although I did catch the last few minutes and I was praying for a miracle but then Rivers got picked off giving Jacksonville the win. While I was listening on the radio, I heard that terrible call of pass interference on Chris Chambers which was totally uncalled for and the commentator said to him that was the worst call of this season. That aside, there are no excuses for the Charger’s poor performance.

Now if we zoom back to two weeks ago when they miraculously beat the Indianapolis Colts that also was a very disappointing and scary game. Charger’s came on strong and made Peyton Manning a very unhappy camper. But, in what seems to be a trend for the Bolts, they gave up their tremendous lead in the second half. Darren Sproles and Antonio Cromartie really helped the team out as well as other defensive players who picked off Peyton Manning. Although I love the Charger’s, that game wasn’t a great win as the Colts should’ve won if Vinatieri, probably a hall of fame kicker, didn’t miss his two field goal attempts. What adds insult to injury is hearing the Mr. Norv Turner gave a speech in the locker room saying that this win was all them and it didn’t have anything to do with luck. The Charger’s weren’t buying it and weren’t particularly happy about this miracle win. Let’s hope the boys can pick it up. Only good news is that AFC West Division is a good place to be for our team being that the four teams in it aren’t doing so well but we’re doing the best out of them. All we can do is let out a big sigh and cry about the depression that ensues when your beloved team doesn’t do so well. (and hope that they send the Baltimore Raven’s home crying next week)

Oh this leaves me with a big question. If they fire a guy who lead the Charger’s to a near perfect season, what do they do to someone like Norv Turner?? Can someone answer that for me? Please?

San Diego’s famous Wild Animal Park in North County is having their annual Festival of Lights which starts on December 7 and ends on December 30. If you’ve never been it’s a great time to see the animals at night. There are plenty of winter wonderland things to do which isn’t the norm for Southern California. The majority of the park has holiday lights hung up just like the rhino in the picture. There is a Journey into Africa tour that you can take a night and experience being up close to many exotic animals. When I went I was an arms reach away from a cheetah with no protection. This cheetah they have is very interesting in that when it was born there was a dog there and since that dog was present the cheetah recognized the dog as the dominant animal in the relationship and therefore copies and abides by the dog. Since the dog is obedient to humans, the cheetah is also. Other than animals, you can experience a balloon ride and be able to see the park in it’s entirety which is vast stretches of land so the animals are able to roam free in their natural habitat. There are also stations set up for various holiday activities such as making hats and gingerbread men. This is a really festive way to spend your night and it won’t be forgotten. We definitely need to appreciate what a wonder the Wild Animal Park is and be thankful it wasn’t directly affected by the fires.

Gwen Stefani had her second San Diego concert on October 30, 2007 at SDSU’s Cox Arena just days after the wildfires have devastated the San Diego County. There was word that she was debating as to whether or not she should just cancel the concert all together in respects as to what happened or if she should just go on as if the fires didn’t happen but she came up with the class act idea that she will donate all of the proceeds that were made on that concert to San Diego fire relief. What a great idea and I now have so much more respect for Gwen Stefani. Another person who is donating their proceeds for their own stand up gig here in San Diego is the comedian Joe Rogan. He performed last Friday and is also doing the good deed. It’s good to know that there is a helping hand that will make this process of healing our city much easier and quicker than without their help. Kudos to them and the many other who have donated money, time and effort.

It’s been an interesting week for San Diego. A week after the fires have happened the city is still in repair and will be for a while. But in times of hardship, San Diegans have really stepped up. The San Diego Super Chargers were able to devastate Houston in their lovely hometown. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger started off the ceremony as the person who flipped the coin and there was a tribute to the great firefighters who conquered the wind and fire to keep many San Diegans safe. It was a touching open ceremony. It was a great win for the Chargers and especially for San Diegans who have so many great things to be proud about. It was pronounced the Antonio show as the majority of the points were made by Antonio Gates and Antonio Cromarti. Cornerback Antonio Cromartie scored his first two career touchdowns in one game. San Diego’s defense was amazing and it didn’t hurt to have the best tight end, Antonio Gates, score also. Another touchdown was scored by the team’s newest addition, Chris Chambers, formerly of the Miami Dolphins. This will be Chamber’s, number 89, first win of the season and first touchdown as a Charger. The Bolts have really turned things around and proven that they are the team we thought they were. The big question is are they good enough to beat the New England Patriots who are having an amazing season and have a big game ahead of them as Super Bowl 42 1/2. I think the Patriots are an amazing team but there’s only one reason I dislike them. That reason is Junior Seau, former star of the Charger’s. I dislike how he “retired”, did the most awkward and uncomfortable retirement speech, then went on to come out of retirement to play for the Patriots which is an obvious move to get another chance at that coveted ring. But I digress. We can only hope that we get to meet them again in the playoffs. But for now, let’s take it a week at a time and see how they handle the Minnesota Vikings.