OFF TOPIC

This restaurant news blog has been slow for most of the summer (to be restarted after Labor Day) because I have been unusually busy. Here is my diary of events:

1. May: Proposed to The Restaurant Gal
2. May: Prepared for wedding
3. May: Drove to Utah for mathematically perfect view of annular eclipse of the sun
4. May: Drove to Las Vegas & Hoover Dam
5. June: Prepared for wedding
6. June: Drove to Grand Canyon for vacation/hiking
7. June: Drove to Bryce Canyon for vacation/hiking
8. June: Drove to Zion Canyon for vacation/hiking
9. June: Prepared for wedding
10. June: Drove from SB to lake near California/Oregon border to take a 5-year-photo with friends for the 7th time in 30 years.
11. June: Drove from Oregon to SB
12. July: Prepared for wedding
13. July: Drove to Balboa, CA for annual 4th of July vacation
14. July: Interviewed with SB News-Press and CNN.com about 5-year photos
15. July: Prepared for wedding
16. July 15th: Married The Restaurant Gal
17. July: Flew from SB to Hawaii for week-long honeymoon.
18. July: Flew from Hawaii to SB
19. July: Attended week-long annual family reunion
20. July: In the middle of the family reunion the CNN.com story about 5-year photos unexpectedly exploded (50 million readers in 2 weeks) making it their biggest story of the year and 3rd largest of all time on CNN.com.
21. July: Drove to LA for live satellite interviews about 5-year photos on CNN Newsbreak (interview, screen shot) and Headline News (interview, screen shot).
22. July: The 5-year photo story made Yahoo.com home page and is ranked #2 most-popular after the Olympic games.
23. July: The 5-year photos go viral world-wide with global views estimated at nearly 1 billion.
24. July: The NBC network called and wants 5-year photo guys to be live on the Today Show in New York City. NBC offered to fly all of us and our wives to NYC and pay for food and accommodations.
25. August: Entered discussions with CNN Starting Point, Fox & Friends, Good Morning America, Howard Stern and Late Show with David Letterman about the 5-year photos guys making an appearance while in New York City.
26. August 13th: Interviewed with Gary & Catherine on KLITE 101.7 at SB airport about 5-year-photo story. Flew to New York City with new bride for Today Show appearance.
27. August 14th: The 5-year photo guys made a live interview on the Today Show. (videos: limo arrival at Rockefeller Center, arrival at the Today Show set, behind-the-scenes live interview, official broadcast). While on the set we met and took photos with Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, the U.S. Olympics gymnastics team and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. Emailed Today Show pictures to SB News-Press from Times Square.
28. August 15th: Visited Central Park, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial. Much to my surprise, signed dozens of autographs all over New York City.
29. August 16th: Flew from NYC to SB
30. August 17th: Participated in live satellite interview from Goleta to Australia with 5-year-photo guys on the morning show “Sunrise” (the Down Under equivalent of the Today Show).
31. August 18th: Drove from SB to Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point and Tuolumne Meadows
32. August 20th: Hiked to top of Half Dome (18 miles, 15 hours)
33. August 23rd: Drove to Sequoia National Forest and hiked the Sequoia Trail
34. August 26th: Drove from Sequoia to SB
35. August 27th: Drove from SB to Santa Monica to pack up all belongings of the The Restaurant Gal and move her to Goleta to live happily-ever-after with The Restaurant Guy.

A bunch of Santa Barbara High School graduates appeared on the Today Show August 14th, 2012. The Fab Five meets the Flab Five.