As is customary on my trips home to Cali, my mom and I went to see two very different movies. Spoilers guaranteed.

On Saturday, we saw Angels & Demons, the new “Di Vinci Code” sequel starring Tom Hanks. If you liked the first movie, I think you’ll be sufficiently entertained by this one. Plenty of mystery, action, a bit of blood, and moderately respectable acting. Tom Hanks put forth a good performance and was looking far more in shape than the previous movie. It probably helps that I love Ewan McGregor, and that he got to express his bad-boy side with a twist at the ending. Liam Neesan is always a treat and, although he has had more ambitious roles, he still oops Stellan Skarsgård mastered his character in this movie. I was pleasantly surprised that there was no creepy “what if” romance between Tom Hanks and the lead female role. The pace of the movie was spot on; in fact, I was actually anxious for the “next move” on multiple occasions. For a piece of work I could really care less about, the movie was quite satisfying. But I’m glad my mom paid for it.

On Sunday night, my mom wanted to see “Ghost of Girlfriends Past”, a cute chick-flick with Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner. Identifying Matthew as a star from Day 1, I was open to this proposition. The movie was funny, heart warming, and ultimately redeeming; qualities all good chick-flicks must possess. Matt and Jenn are cute together and make a great sexually frustrated couple who eventually end up together (surprise!).

Last night I visited the new Local Taco in Sylvan Park, in the former location of Goldie’s Deli. I’d heard good things about the food, margaritas and was prepared for a line out the door. It met my expectations on all fronts.

Parking is notoriously difficult, no matter which establishment you are visiting. Complimentary valet service is available for Local Taco, but there is also a lot behind it that connects via a little bridge walkway. I had no trouble finding a spot in that lot.

The line was out the door when I arrived, about 6 people deep, but the looping electronic display of the menu helped pass the time and prepare to place my order. Finally someone using technology to display their menu. I’ve been talking about doing that for years. I was a bit surprised at how limited the menu choices are, in the sense that there are basically only tacos, enchiladas, and salads. No burritos, nachos or quesadillas on the menu. I’m a burrito fan myself, so I was a little disappointed. I’m pretty sure they have more types of tequila than items on their menu.

The tacos, though, were varied, ranging from Korean BBQ to Spicy Shrimp to Vegetarian. The enchiladas were similar, and came with your choice of sauce topping (chili sauce, verde and 2 others). All of the items boasted the use of local ingredients, including the tortillas and salsa. I’m not sure how “local” they are, though. I didn’t see any description or explanation of where exactly they get the items. To me, it seemed more like a marketing tactic, but whatever.

Judging by the price of one taco (~$2.50) and one enchilada (~$3.50), I assumed that the portions were small and the girl at the register confirmed this by suggesting customers order more than one item. All items are served a la carte, except for the salads which are full meals on their own. I ended up ordering the chips and salsa starter (although I asked to substitute the chips for a few tortillas) and 2 vegetarian enchiladas without sour cream.

I needn’t forget to mention the margaritas. Their house margarita, made with Sauza tequila, is pretty cheap ($5.50) and then they go up from there and can be ordered by the glass or pitcher. There are a few specialty drinks and a slew of tequila options. I went with the house margarita on the rocks, with salt. My entire meal came out to about $15, which I thought was pretty reasonable for what I ordered.

After paying, I found a table while I waited for the bartender to make my drink. Customers basically just have to wait at the bar and recognize when the bartender fills their order. My drink sat there for a few minutes before I realized he wasn’t calling out ticket numbers and I was just supposed to check it myself. Soon after choosing a table, my salsas arrived, but with chips and no tortillas. I didn’t speak up and just resigned to eat a few chips with heaps of salsa, which was pretty tasty, I must say. The tamatillo one was probably the best I’ve had in Nashville.

A few minutes later, they brought my 2 enchiladas, each on its own plate, and the two tortillas I’d intended to eat with my salsa. Oh well. The portions were definitely a la carte size, which is just fine with me. Being a burrito fan, I was a little disappointed with how little filling the enchiladas had. It might’ve been because I got the vegetarian ones (which are just refried beans and black beans inside), but even then, I expected a little more than what was there. The heaviest ingredient was the melted cheese on top, which I mostly scooted to the side in efforts to compensate for the calories in the margarita. The menu said it also came with “tomatoes”, but if there was even one slice worth of chopped tomatoes, I’d be surprised. I ended up pouring the rest of my salsas on top of the enchiladas to add a little more flavor.

Overall, it was definitely enough food for me, but I wasn’t overly impressed. I do like that they have a bar (with a cute bartender) and margaritas, although it seemed like the turnover was pretty quick, which makes we question the “drink and drive” aspect of it all. However, I didn’t seem to catch a buzz from my one margarita, so….

In comparison to other places in town, I’d say it’s closest competitor is SATCO. The reason I say that is because of the menu options (no burritos, but even they have fajitas and chalupas), portions and availability of alcoholic beverages (although they don’t have margaritas). Local Taco’s offerings are a little more exotic (bbq, shrimp, etc), but its the same idea just fancied up a little bit. I don’t think the line issue will ever really go away, considering you can only fit about 4 people in line inside the doors before you have to go outside. Unless they come up with a quicker way to order, that will be a constant issue. The outdoor patio looked nice, with a high bar that watches the road, but I stayed inside this time.

I’d say I’ll probably go back again, just to try a few more things, but I don’t think it will be come a regular hot spot for me.

I have a friend who has dedicated an entire Facebook album to getting older and I’m in it.

I see kids driving cars and wonder if they are really old enough to be driving.

I ice my knees after my non-impact speed walk. But my calves still look HOT.

I scheme how best to pack liquor in my luggage post 9/11 (didn’t start drinking till I was 21 so I’m a little late on this one).

I turn 30 in a little over six months. But I’m okay with that, I think.

Six months ago, I was preparing for the biggest professional endeavor of my career. 1 personal office move, 7 departmental move phases (moving over 800 employees) and 3 open houses later, and my project is almost complete. And “almost” is pretty good. The economy pushed off a few of the phases, but those will come a bit easier now that we are in the swing of things here. Not that I’m going to take it any less seriously, I just feel more confident in the planning process and have already been able to use what I’ve learned to prepare for the upcoming months. Its a really great feeling. Just thought I’d share.

This weekend I went to see the new X-men movie (officially “X-men Origins: Wolverine”) with my good friend Lyndi, who I haven’t seen in way too long. We saw an early matinee which turned out to be a great idea, since the theater was mostly empty and not full of whispering fans or bright cellphone screens.

I’d heard mixed reviews of the movie, but IMHO the negative ones really only came from hardcore X-men comic book readers who didn’t like the 2nd or 3rd X-men movies either. Really, those people are just asking to be disappointed, or really want a reason to critique and complain about how “unrealistic” it is. Gimme a break.

Anyway, I would say I left the theater feeling satisfied that the movie met my expectations and gave me a little more. There was a solid amount of sci-fi technology stuff, plenty of action and explosions, and Hugh Jackman naked. Really, the latter is pretty much enough in normal circumstances, but here it was definitely an added bonus.

As far as the story-line goes, and me not being much of a “pre-X-men Wolverine expert”, I thought they made a convincing story out of the bits and pieces Logan’s hinted at in the “later” movies. The whole Xavier-showing-up-in-the-field-at-the-end-of-the-escape-route was a little far-fetched (haha, I just did the “unrealistic” thing), but I guess if he was telepathically communicating with one of the kids, it is possible.

So yeah, I liked it. As much as I liked the 2nd and 3rd X-men movies. And I’m excited to see which character they profile next!