Hahah! Excited to see you next weekend, Cha Cha!

I have returned from my trip in the wild, wooly western frontier. I was privvy to some of the best of what Northern California and Southern Oregon have to offer. Here are some highlights of the trip.

The Beer Stein, Eugene OR - Any serious beer fan owes it to themselves to check out this place if they are anywhere near Eugene, OR. They have precisely 1 million beers for sale from all over the world. Oh, did I mention their prices? Rock bottom. Charlie and I were dancing back and forth along their massive refrigerator walls trying to decide just how we were going to punish our livers next. This place is fucking amazing. It puts my beloved Brouwerij Lane here in Brooklyn to total shame. I even called stupid Jesse to tell him how awesome The Beer Stein was, but he didn't pick up. Sucker.

Wolf Creek, OR - Though we only stopped in Wolf Creek for a few minutes to stretch our legs and get coffee on the long drive between home and Portola Valley, I was fortunate enough to see not one, but TWO men with knives on their belts. Wolf Creek is the kind of town that can be found anywhere across our great nation where the city fades out and people are left to fend for themselves. We could have been in Alaska or Alabama and Wolf Creek would have been exactly the same. The United States is not its New Yorks and San Franciscos; the United States is the Wolf Creeks across our land.

Black Bear Diner - You can find Black Bear Diners up and down I-5, between Washington state and the southwest states. I put it here not because the food is good (it isn't), but because no where else have I seen so many awful puns in one place. I kid you not, I saw a waitress with a nametag that read, "Ambear".

The maybe 3 good photos I took - They're not ready yet. Be patient.

Amazing roadtrip games - These include, but are not limited to "3 People You Would Take On A Roadtrip", "10 People You Would Invited To A Pool Party", "I Like My Women Like I Like My...", and "If You Had To Get A Phrase Other Than 'Exit Only' Tattooed On Your Lower Back Right Above Your Ass, What Would It Be?" One of my favorite answers for the 3 people on a roadtrip game was Charlie's "Helen Keller".

Troy pouring himself a beer in the closed hotel bar - That's it.

Andy Stearns - Yes.

That the whole trip to Oregon can be summed up in these three photos -

All in all, I would say that it was a successful trip and that a good time was had by all. Keep your eyes peeled for some photos I took while up there.

I was hanging out with Mike and Leah and Charlie and Juli and Sienna at Mike and Leah's house and I decided to shoot some photos of my little niece. She is adorable, right? YOU HAD BETTER SAY YES.

Here are a few nice'ns, including a rare group shot of me and Juli.

Here are the rest - Kicking it with one aspect of my family Gallery - 2/22/2009

While I was at home, my brother Charlie invited me over to his house to embark on a wild beer-brewing trip through the furthest depths of space and time. Well, mostly he invited me over to hang out while he and his buddy Justin brewed beer in his back yard. He christened the beer "Blasphemale" based on a suggestion I made. My ego was pleased. I took pictures. It was also my opportunity to finally meet my brand-spankin'-new niece who shares my name, Sienna Jo. There's a picture of her here; see if you can identify which one she is.

Here are some of my favorites. Click on them to view them larger.

And here's the entire gallery: JC Brewing Extravaganza 2/21/2009

Here Charlie is playing his banjo in a self-made promo for JC Brewing.

Notice his bare feet while at the office. Real classy.

I have an admission to make. I love Christmas music. There is something so sublimely cheesy about all of it that I can't help but like. And now that December has officially sprung, I have license to play my collection of quirky Christmas music for the next month. Awesome!

Then you won't be surprised that I thought it was a surprise and true pleasure last year when my brother Charlie recorded an album of hi favorite Christmas tunes in a way only he could. They are rather nontraditional takes on classic songs. Check them out. I think you'll dig them. A download link for the whole record is at the bottom.

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Download: Vitamin - Christmas in Paradise

I've gone through some old photos in my archive and posted the selects from some of my better sets. Here's a smattering of the best of the best. I was going to try and do something fancy here with the Wordpress plug-ins and whatever, but no matter what I do, I cannot get it to do what I think it should be doing. Nothing is perfect. Instead, here are some links.

• Miles and Ana's First Birthday
• New Year's Eve, 2007
• Fourth of July, 2007
• Charlie's Graduation from Loyola, New Orleans