Dun, dun, dun. Dun, dah-dun. Dun, dah-dun.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…..

For someone who is not a huge Star Wars fan (I really have nothing against it, I’m just quite indifferent about the whole thing), I found myself entering into an alternate galaxy filled with grown men dressed as Obi-Wan Kenobi and children with plastic light sabers.

Fresno, or at least the Save Mart Center, was swallowed by a black hole on Thursday as local Sith Lords and Luke Skywalker wannabe’s gathered to witness Star Wars in Concert, a live symphony orchestra performing music from all six movies.

When my in-laws first told me that I would be spending $60 to attend a Star Wars concert, I was less than thrilled. However, as Thursday approached my curiosity got the better of me, and I found my excitement building. I pictured a scene straight out of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, belittling all the freaky nerds in full costume and declaring the event “Return of the Dorks.” To my surprise, we were greeted by a much larger percentage of sweet families with eager children in tow instead of the crazies I had envisioned. My 4-year-old nephew and 3-year-old niece were among the wee Storm Troopers and Leias in attendance, and watching their reactions was priceless.


The crowd hummed with excitement, families crowed for photo ops with Darth Vader (yes, I was among those vying for a Kodak moment with the Dark Lord), memorabilia from the films lined the hallways, a group of Storm Troopers marched through the crowd and inside the orchestra prepared to take center stage.


Aside from the franchise hype and commercialism involved, the performance itself was incredible. The story unfolded through the narrated prose of Anthony Daniels, the voice of C-3PO. Daniels, who came out on stage before each score, did a superb job of introducing the audience to the characters and story. At one point in the show he even impersonated his beloved character, unbuttoning his black tuxedo jacket to reveal a shiny gold vest. With each score, the audience was transported through time and space. The notes filled the building as scenes from the movies played on a large screen above the orchestra and choir. A number of scores were synchronized with green rays of light shooting across the crowd like flashes from a light saber. It really was out of this world!

After the final note was played, Daniels, the maestro and the performers were greeted with wild cheers and glowing light sabers shaking in approval. After a few minutes of clapping and cheering, Daniels came back on stage and exclaimed that we were quite the joyous audience. “Do you wish to return to the dark side?” he asked with sly grin. The crowd, in unison, shouted an emphatic “YES!” and Darth Vader’s famous Imperial March brought the evening to a close.

Needless to say, I am thankful that I married into a nerdy, Star Wars-loving family; otherwise I may never have been “forced” to visit this faraway galaxy!

What a trip!

The journey is over.

The LOST series finale aired on May 22, 2010, bringing fans to a widely contested close. After six faithful years of diligently following the hour-long drama, LOST fans are now searching to fill that hole (or at least the weekly time slot).

The road was long and winding, not for the faint of heart. Each week LOST dared fans to keep up with the ever-changing plots, extensive character developments, exciting twists and turns and endless amounts of questions, many of which will remain unanswered and continue to torment hardcore Losties for years to come. Over the course of six seasons intertwining flashbacks, flash forwards, flash sideways, and a questionable "reality" gradually merged in a convoluted mess, all tangled up like a tightly wound ball of rubber bands. As the last season approached, lofty promises were made igniting fan's hopes for a resolution, and, most importantly, explanations to the scores of questions that had built up over the years. With the final season underway it became apparent that each new week would leave us, yet again, with those all too familiar feelings of dissatisfaction and disillusionment. The love/hate relationship we fostered over the years would continue to the bitter end, and, like it or not, LOST was not just going to simply hand us a nicely packaged set of answers. There were too many intricacies, too many unexplained situations, too many intermingled story lines to sort through. LOST fans faced a fork in the road: continue on with the disillusioned idea that a sensible conclusion would manage to tie up all the lose ends and deliver a resolution, or accept the fact that there were no answers; an easy resolution simply did not exist. That nagging sense of confusion would remain, and in the end we would find our closure by biding farewell to the beloved characters instead of hopelessly trying to account for every detail of the mysterious island.

My life is rooted in reality and I do understand that LOST was only a make believe story, lacking any real value in the big scheme of things. But LOST was much more than just a television show. It was a weekly event that promoted deep thought, discussion and debate. It allowed friends to bond. It provided endless talk at the water cooler. It created a subculture of Losties, obsessed with the smoke monster and the time-traveling island. With the risk of sounding like one of those crazy obsessed fans, I admit that I cried when it was all over. Not only did it feel like I was saying goodbye to dear friends (the characters), but I would miss the weekly time with our good friends, Josh & Stacy, not to mention all of Josh's smoothies.

Josh & Stacy Huggins, Kristin & Jeremy Berquist.....so sad it's over.

Extra sauce, please

It’s crunch time again. When the assignment due dates are fast approaching, group presentations are hurriedly thrown together and papers are churned out one by one. With only four weeks left to go, I am in the midst of what will be my last end-of-semester push. I am infinitely happy about this! I’m hoping that once the dust settles and my cap and gown are tucked away in the closet I will be more diligent with my blog and post on a more regular basis. Until then, I leave you with a great lunch or dinner suggestion: Pete’s Teriyaki House. Tucked away in a strip mall behind the Tahoe Joe’s on Shaw and Marks, Pete’s is a little hole in the wall Japanese fast food joint with chicken bowls to die for. The atmosphere is nothing special, in fact it’s pretty dingy and old, but the food is amazing. The sticky rice is perfectly sticky and the succulent chicken is covered in a mouthwatering teriyaki sauce, with extra sauce to go. It’s the perfect meal for a late dinner after a group project meeting on this rainy April evening.

Happy 8th Anniversary, Europe Trip!

Today my thoughts are on Europe. Memories drift slowly through my mind’s eye as I recall the journey that began as two friends and I boarded our plane on April 10, 2002. Hazy moments mingle with bright images of a two-month backpacking trip that covered six amazing European countries.

Jen & Jenai on the ferry coming in to Greece

I rarely think of my time spent along the sun-soaked Mediterranean. Young and fresh-faced, we had moments of blissful ignorance and were wonderfully carefree. One particular photograph encapsulates the easy, relaxed period of life we were in. Beyond what is captured in the photograph itself, I vividly recall the sense of utter contentment and peacefulness I felt in that moment. Three girls, sitting on the sea wall in Sorrento, Italy, Nutella and crackers in hand, chatting and laughing as we watched the setting sun throw its glorious pink and orange rays across the calm water lapping at the rocks below. And in the picture, our faces held perfect smiles. Happy. Innocent. Eager for life.

Down by the Bay

San Francisco. So much to do and see, so many strange and interesting people to observe, so many amazing places to eat, so many hills to climb...

I was fortunate enough to spend a long-weekend with my grandma McNaught, my mom and her friend, Irene, for an amazing girl’s weekend in San Francisco.
My 77-year-old grandma's first taste of San Francisco came at 10:30 p.m. as we pulled up in the cab to the front entrance of our hotel. After lugging the suitcases out of the trunk and on to the sidewalk (thanks for being a gentleman and helping a girl out, cab driver), we turned towards the hotel doors and were met with the best greeting ever from the homeless man standing near by. With arms outstretched, he shouted in a loud, boisterous voice, "Hey, you made it!" Even my mom, whom I haven't seen since Christmas, failed to match the stranger's exuberant welcome.

Three days of traversing the steep hills of San Francisco means burning major calories. Friday morning we awoke to the most amazing weather (it reached 78 degrees that day, which is really warm for SF) and took to the streets in search of the highly recommended Mama's restaurant to fuel up for our day. As we rounded the far corner of Washington Square, our gaze settled on the line of breakfast-goers wrapping around the side of a quaint little building, and we knew we were in the right place. Normally I wouldn’t stand in a one-hour line for breakfast, but trust me when I say the French Toast Sampler plate was worth every minute of our wait.

Since our party consisted of two SF newbies (grandma and Irene), we slid right into tourist mode and hit all the main attractions like Coit Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square and numerous cable car rides (but who ever gets tired of riding the cable cars?). We spent one afternoon across the bay in the sleepy little town of Sausalito. With less than 8,000 residents, Sausalito has a real sense of calm and quietness compared to it's busy neighbor on the opposite end of the bridge. Beautiful homes dot the hillside and a plethora of shops, cafes and restaurants line the street at the water's edge. Dining al fresco at a pier-side cafe for lunch, popping into various boutiques, resting by the fountain in the little park with our afternoon snack of ice cream - life doesn't get much better than that!

No matter how many times you visit San Francisco, it never gets old. As my grandma aptly said, "It sure is an interesting city!"

It's beginning to look a lot like Spring...Gazuntite!

It's March. Spring is almost (officially) here. And as the air quality reports clue you in to the skyrocketing pollen count, you'll more than likely find yourself saying “God bless you” to an increasing number of sneezing allergy sufferers. For those of us who live in the Central Valley, the familiar sounds of sneezing and runny noses are evidence that spring is fast approaching. The culprit: all those orchards blooming absolutely everywhere.

One of the best ways to experience the beauty of the orchards is the Fresno County Blossom Trail. This self-guided motor or biking tour stretches for over 60 miles and winds along the countryside east of the city, showcasing the vast array of almond, peach, plum, apricot and nectarine trees in full bloom. These crops typically bloom from February through March, so now is the perfect time to hit the trail. And that's just what we did. With the sun shining bright, near-70 degree temperatures, white clouds gently dotting the blue sky and a puff of allergy nasal spray, Jeremy & I took off for a Sunday drive along the trail to see the local orchards in bloom.

Bright white, light pink and red-flowered trees lined the roads. Some of the orchard blossoms were already starting to fade, but in its place a faint hint of green appeared. We took the drive at a leisurely pace, stopping now and then to snap a few pictures and admire the sun-drenched scenery. Blossom Trail road signs helped us navigate and after a couple of hours we had finished the entire loop, managing to miss only one stretch of trail (there was never a sign telling us to make a left turn, I swear.)

Despite the sneezing, the orchards are absolutely beautiful this time of year and give Fresno a vibrantly colored backdrop to enjoy. Not only that, we can now wait in eager anticipation for the harvest! It really is amazing to see the beautiful flowering trees now and know that in a couple of months we will be savoring the sweet, juicy fruit produced from those very blossoms. God is good. And so are fresh peaches.

Quote of the Week

"Travel pushes my boundaries. When you travel, you become invisible, if you want. I do want. I like to be the observer. What makes people who they are? Could I feel at home here? No one expects you to have the stack of papers back by Tuesday, or to check messages, or to fertilize the geraniums. When traveling, you have the delectable possibility of not understanding a word of what is said to you. Language becomes simply a musical background for watching bicycles zoom alongside a canal, calling for nothing from you. Travel releases spontaneity. You become a godlike creature full of choice, free to visit the stately pleasure domes, make love in the morning, sketch a bell tower. You open, as in childhood, and - for a time - receive this world. There's the visceral aspect, too - the huntress who is free. Free to go, free to return home bringing memories to lay on the hearth."

Excerpted from A Year in the World, by Frances Mayes