Yes, yes. I know. Where have I been? Well, the short of it is that sometimes you have to take a step back and focus on some other things in life including family, friends, health and prosperity (or lack of prosperity in my case). But, everything is fine, although there are still some rough edges. [...]

At the end of last year and despite the down turn in the economy, my co-worker Angelica decided to abandon us at my place of employment and go to nursing school. The nerve. And it is so in line with her personality as well. I mean, she is a tree-hugging vegetarian, for God’s sake, and [...]

When I was a student at Arizona State, one of my favorite treats was to head to the Dash Inn, a greasy spoon serving nominal Mexican food. However, it was dirt cheap and, for a struggling student, I was happy to have it just a 15 minute walk from the center of campus. (I also [...]

After the decision to get married, I decided to spend some time with my family and inform them of our decision. Since J. and I had actually been engaged since 2003 (in a stunning proposal I did atop the Eiffel Tower… in Las Vegas), the question was only when would the wedding be. Well, the [...]

Sometimes, I scratch my head when I see various restaurants in the Valley. Most of these times occur when I pass by a restaurant like Olive Garden and see the line out the door and down the street with people dying to get in while the outstanding Mom-n-Pop place next door is concerned that the [...]

[NOTE: Yupha's Thai Kitchen recently moved locations. You can now find them at 1805 East Elliot Road, Suite 115, Tempe, AZ 85284.] Many years ago when I attended ASU, the best part of my experience was being able to find great, cheap ethnic food near campus along with some great dives. There were plenty of [...]

Everyone in Phoenix knows the Light Rail mess is enough to make one scream. You never know from day to day what street will be open today, closed tomorrow and then re-opened again tomorrow. I have been struggling with this for about six months now on my commute from Arcadia to mid-town Phoenix. Luckily, there [...]

I have to give Dad a lot of credit. Whereas Mom goes into her “Our Lady of 1001 Fears” routine when I suggest she join us for Thai food, Dad is quick to throw on a polo shirt, cargo shorts and sandals at the mere mention of that cuisine, even though I said we weren’t [...]

Dad was – not surprisingly – craving Thai food. I was also craving Thai food. So, we decided to go out for Thai food. We are like that. However, I wasn’t really sure where to try. It used to be easier 20 years ago when the Valley’s Thai choices were along the lines of Char’s [...]

“I wish there was a great breakfast place in Arcadia.” This was what I relayed to J. as we packed bags and got ready for a trip to the airport. Oh, we have La Grande Orange and The Eggery, but I wanted something more like an independent, sit-down, table service place where you can dine [...]