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Chef Shiro's Orris

Saturday evening in Los Angeles, I met up with Curry, his brother Eric and William for dinner at Hideo "Shiro" Yamashiro's Orris, a five-year old "small plates" restaurant that borrows heavily from the Japanese izakaya, …
Brunch at the Starling Cafe

Saturday morning my cousins Alex and Bill took me out to the Starling Cafe, voted one of the best brunch places in Long Beach. It is a cute place, reminding me of the now-defunct Miss Millie's on 24th Street in San Fran…
Middleaged Muscleman Mexican Mason

Los Angeles is nothing if not diverse. Driving back from Long Beach this morning we traveled alongside a convertible Corvette blasting a song in Spanish, a beefy middleaged man with a sunburned scalp showing through his…
Return to the Big Mango

After two full weeks in the United States, Tawn and I departed Friday afternoon from San Francisco en route to Taipei and, eighteen hours later, Khrungthep. The heavy drizzle which had greeted our arrival to San Francis…
Last Bites of SF

As 2009 came to a start, our trip to the US came to an end. Wednesday morning, Jenn and Kevin and the girls drove us up to the airport for our flight back to San Francisco. The girls had been moody all morning, their …
The Second through Fourth Days of Christmas

Technology is not entirely a foreign thing for our family. On Christmas Day my grandfather fired up Skype and we had a video chat with my aunt and uncle and cousins in Seattle. They were nearly snowed in and turned the…
And Christmas Arrives

First off, to those Christian members of my audience, Merry Christmas to you and yours. It is actually just a few minutes before midnight on Christmas Eve here in Kansas City, but since my Xanga account is set for Bangk…
Jet Lag Hits Tawn, Who Turns the Other Cheek

It is amazing how jet lag affects people differently. On my first night here I took a sleeping pill, slept fairly well through the night, and have largely been able to function on a normal schedule ever since. Sure, I'…
Sam and Julia Thoron Speak Out

I'll be writing more about this issue in the coming weeks, asking for your help to raise awareness and get the message out about Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative to take away the right of same-sex couples …
All Day at the Aquarium of the Pacific

Saturday was aquarium day. I coordinated meeting two sets of friends, one from the North County of San Diego and the other from Culver City. Long Beach's Aquarium of the Pacific seemed to be a great meeting place as it…