Never forget your dream

My wife Marchette did some modeling during her college years (above) and now has found a second opportunity to live her dream. It all started when she won a reader's contest giving her an appearance in More Magazine.

That led to her recent work.

Candlelight Wedding Chapel

I got married back in 1995 at the Candlelight Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. I met my future wife Marchette in LA in January of that year, got engaged in February, and married in July.

We really pissed our families off by eloping and Marchette wanted the more traditional ceremony that little girls dream of, so we did it again a year later in Detroit where she grew up.

Despite the humble beginnings, we we're still happy in 2000

and in 2003

and even last July when we hit 12 years together.



Thirteen may be an unlucky number, but I'll be the lucky one when we celebrate our 13th anniversary this July 18.

My second favorite city

I'm not sure which city is my favorite. I've lived in New York for 16 of the last 22 years, so perhaps that speaks for itself. But I also really loved living in and visiting San Francisco, Miami, San Diego, New Orleans, Nashville, Vancouver, and Hong Kong. But while I'm undecided on #1, then #2 is certainly is Los Angeles.

My mother and brother moved to LA in 1983 while I was a student at Stanford and for the next 3 years it was my home whenever I wasn't at school. In 1992 I moved to LA myself and over the next 6 years found some of the most important things in my current life. I found a job in The Disney Channel's on-air promotion department which united me with my childhood goal of making commercials for movies. I found my wife in the LA suburb of Glendale. I found our two Lhasa Apsos at the pet store in the Arcadia Shopping Center.

We left LA in 1998, but thanks to work I've been back about 40 times since then. Each time I go back I drive by "points of prior interest" I like to call them, like my first LA apartment, the restaurant where my wife and I got engaged, etc. One of the nice things about getting older is that for every year you lose from your remaining lifespan, you gain another year of great memories.

When I was 20 I spent most of my time thinking about the future and almost no time looking back. Now at 44 I spend equal amounts of time on each.

One my most cherished memories is dining on Orange Chicken at the Grandview Palace restaurant on Fair Oaks Blvd in Pasadena. It was the first place I recall eating out with mother after she moved to LA in 1983. I had dinner with my brother there in 2003 just after he started dating the mother of my yet to be born nephew. I ordered take out (Orange Chicken as usual)during my trip to LA this past February.

During a LA trip last year, I drove back to my old 1850 North Whitley apartment in Hollywood where I lived from 1992 to 1996. The good news is that I lived in a top floor penthouse with a spectacular view of the city.

The bad news is that it was long before the current regentrification of Hollywood. It was seedy time of dive bars, street people, and tattoo parlors. But it was all pretty exciting for a 29 year old wanna-be entertainment biz hotshot.





One very special silver lining was living within walking distance of the famed music and supp club the Cinegrill. My most memorable visit was seeing my all-time favorite jazz singer Shirley Horn perform live in 1996. Shirley passed in 2005, but the Cinegrill lives on, looking pretty seductive during my 2007 visit.

My favorite pastime

I used to spend all my spare time writing and recording original music. But in 2004 I noticed my blood pressure was no longer easily managed by medication alone and my doctor told me that walking 10 blocks to work did not qualify as aerobic activity. Then my office moved 2.5 miles away - accessible only by subway. Hating the subway - avoiding has kept NYC liveable for the past 10 years - I discovered folding bikes. My favorite brand is Dahon http://www.dahon.com/ and I have two of their bikes.

One that I ride to work at the Food Network in Chelsea Market every day, 365 days a year, rain or shine on my Dahon Helios SL. The key is clothing. To get through the winter I rely on a Craft Balaclava for the head, Pearl Izumi Loster Gloves for the hands, Gore-tex parka for the torso, and Smartwool heavy socks for the feet. The ride is only 20 minutes, so even the coldest 15 degree morning is bearable when dressed right.

On weekends I ride for fun and fitness on my folding racing bike - a Dahon Jetsream XP. I swear by Gore Bike Wear clothing, Sidi shoes, and my Garmin Edge 305 GPS heart rate trainer.

This winter I discovered Sidi Toaster heated insoles. When paired with Sidi Diablo winter biking shoes I was able to ride in 24 degree weather for over 2 hours comfortably. There's a great review here:

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=4667

more info here:

http://www.sidiusa.com/toaster.html

They're expensive, but worth every penny if you love to ride despite the weather.

The first pair of Toaster I bought had a problem when after 3 months the right insole would go dead after a few minutes of use. The online retailer I bought them from was wonderful. http://www.beyondbikes.com/bb/ They replaced the pair for free right away. I even bought a second pair so that I'll always be prepared next winter - I can't go a day without my Toasters.

Let's take it from the top

This is my first blog post and I think I'll start with a recap of my life from May 10, 1963 to today in a single post.

It all started with my birth from Jamaican parents in Red Deer, a small town in Alberta, Canada. Then a childhood filled with moves - Mandeville Jamaica, Miami, FL, Rochester NY, Berrien Springs MI, Columbia MD all before college.

1979

1994

I've always loved cars, which is ironic since I live in Manhattan NYC and haven't had a car since 2000.

But I digress. Spent my years of higher learning at Stanford and Berkeley where I made good on the special provided to me by the National Merit Scholarship other charitable foundations dedicated to helping an immigrant of color grasp the American dream.

After graduating I moved to New York and pursued my dream of becoming a big time TV executive - the kind that poses vainly next to TV sets in hotel rooms.

Well after 20 years in TV with CBS, Disney, ABC, and Food Network, I've gotten better at being a TV exec, at least in pictures.

For the last 13 years my partners in crime has been my beloved wife Marchette (Ph.D and part-time model) - how did a bum like me get so lucky.

And last but not least the two who complete our family, Marty and Mindy.