So instead we've created our own American Idol Bingo game.

Here are the squares:

• Pitchy
• Thanks a Parent
• Mention of Jesus
• Inspired by Baby
• Our Soldiers in Iraq
• Dream
• Talent
• Inappropriate Crying
• Childhood Illness
• Dream Montage
• Comparison to Past Contestant
• "DAWG"
• Wildcard!
• Glassy Eyes (Kara)
• Simon Wearing Non V-neck Tee
• Random Performance by Previous Contestants
• Laryngitis
• Told to be More "Age Appropriate"
• More than 5 Seconds of an Uncomfortable Silence
• Syrupy Interview Sequence
• Someone Describing this Ridiculous Show as "The most important stage in the world"
• Best Performance of the Entire Competition
• Weird Tension - Ryan vs Simon
• Ellen - Weird Shocking Lesbian Reference

Note: Instead of Bingo Stamps, you can use Spree, change and beer bottle caps.

However, the ever cautious owner takes the time to put The Club on the steering wheel everyday. After all, this is a classic.

My utilitarian office design philosophy stands in stark contrast to that of my home.

Paintings:

Fishing rod art installation:

Colorful kitchen things:

Couch and rug:

Creature collection (yes, a real alligator head):

Fridge spice rack:

Finally, jazzy pomegranate seeds (great on salads):

Oh, and did you notice the crazy kitchen tile? The 1920's at its best!

(This has been my attempt at a useless blog post, and I believe I've succeeded.)

The plane, NC3242, was built in May of 1927 -- yep, that makes it nearly 83 years old, and was originally used to transport mail. There are very few of these planes still in active operation and it's a pleasure and humbling experience to get a chance to take to the air in one. Remember, the Wright Brothers first flew in 1903, only 24 years prior to this plane being built.

Even if you’ve flown in small planes before it’s still thrilling to ride in an open cockpit biplane flying low and slow. The pilot threw in a few descending, 50+ degree banked turns to give you a view of the beautiful California coast. Not to mention that great sinking feeling in your gut!

If you are ever in San Diego and have a few bucks to blow, I highly recommending taking a flight with Barnstorming Adventures.

We departed San Diego on Sunday, December 27. After getting north of LA we headed for the coast and Highway 1/101. I was amazed at the amount of farmland in California. Mile after mile of crops -- mainly artichokes this time of year -- that lead right up to the sea.

We stayed the first night in Pacific Grove on Monterey Bay.

After getting settled in at the Pacific Grove Inn and having dinner, we took a walk around town. No matter where you were you could feel the presence of the sea.

The next morning we decided to check out the included breakfast at the inn. Hey, it's a bed and breakfast after all. Let's just say it was bleak and we mistook the coffee for dishwater.

The next stop was San Francisco! There was no real agenda for San Francisco other than to go to the SFMOMA on Tuesday. Monday night we walked from our hotel near Union Square to Pier 39 and then back -- around 6 miles. It was pretty cool and drizzling, which felt really nice. In fact it's probably the only time I'll get to wear a coat this winter.

The view from the hotel was great.

Tuesday included visiting the SFMOMA, which has a great collection, and having some pretty decent Indian food for dinner.

We did not go here.

Wednesday we got the Jeep from the belly of the hotel and set off for the Golden Gate Bridge. Seeing the bridge in person is something you must do. Its shear size it daunting. I also found its orange color wonderful.

After driving across the Golden Gate Bridge we headed towards Muir Woods National Monument to view some redwoods. Muir Woods gets extremely busy, and today was no exception. After driving down a road lined with cars for a mile trying to find a parking spot, we called it quits. Back to Highway 1!

This is pretty much where the trip ends. We drove north on Highway 1 -- void of guardrails, along a roadway perched on cliffs! -- until we came to a road that would take us east back to Highway 101. From there we shot over to Sacramento and then headed south on Interstate 5 back to San Diego.

Long drive, but totally worth it.

Here's the plane:

I'll post some pictures after the flight!

In hindsight, I'm pretty happy with how I prepared for this test. Instead of the "learn it in a weekend, guaranteed!" DVD method, I chose to study myself using:

• Jeppesen Private Pilot Manual
• ASA Private Pilot Test Prep
• FAR/AIM

I then took a ground school class at Golden State Flying Club. The class met twice a week for about three months and used the books I already had. Although I had already learned most of the material, it was great reinforcing the material in a classroom setting and being able to ask questions.

Here's one of them:

• Cubed orange Jell-O
• Dried cranberries
• Walnuts
• Spinach leaves

Now toss the above in:

• 1 cup of mayonnaise

It would be a fun experiment to bring this to a potluck and see who actually eats it. But I promise to never do so...

I took the liberty to add the cherry and orange face and nipples.

Note: It was also God's birthday.

I have two major issues with this book:

1.) After spending three months riding around the world, I expect more details. Tell me more about the land and people. Throw in some history along the way to bind it all together (sympathy and guilt are not reliable substitutes for facts here, fellas). I'm sure in an attempt to keep the book around 300 pages a lot had to be cut, but less time could have been spent whining about how much they missed their wives and children – we got the point, no need to remind us every other page.

2.) Heard of packing light? Not Ewan and Charley. Two 4x4 support vehicles, a camera man on a third bike, a doctor, and local "fixers" is all it takes to ride around the world? God I hope not! Throughout the book Ewan complains about the local media attention that awaits their arrival in each town. No wonder! To many of these people it must have looked like the carnival was rolling into town with as much crap as you guys had in tow.

In the end this book is nothing more than two personal journals – seemingly written after the fact – clobbered together in an attempt to create an epic travel novel. Had there been more details about the trip itself and less self-absorbed introspection and whining it could have been a good read.

Many men and women have completed this same trip without any sponsors or support vehicles. In fact, I've gained more knowledge about the land and people from reading firsthand accounts on ADVrider.