Today's blog comes from the town of Yountville in Napa Valley where Tony Baldini just moved into a new apt. After a long 4 day visit by Mike Asport to La Jolla and an interview with a two week reply, I decided to come up north for a long Thanksgiving trip. First Asport's visit: 4 days of eating every 3 hours, utilizing my bathroom in between and hearing him speak in ebonics about life in the hood. On the last day, after trail running around a lake, he fished out a dead trout with a stick for a bbq lunch. All in all, a good time. After flying up on Thursday, I met Tony Baldini up at Stonestreet winery in Alexander Valley in Sonoma on Friday where he is Director of Marketing. He gave me a tour, we picked up procuito sandwiches, a couple bottles of wine and took a drive up an adjacent mountain range on the private property of Jess Jackson, owner of Kendall Jackson and Jackson Family wineries. Lunch and Stonestreet wine overlooking the Sonoma Valley on a sunny day is something I recommend any friend of Tony take him up on. Its an incredible area, winery, property and wines. Then it was off to SF that night for Indian food in the tenderloin and cocktails in Russian Hill. The next morning, coffee in Cow Hollow, a run out to the Golden Gate Bridge thru the Marina, beers watching the Big Game (Cal vs Stanford), lunch and some wine, then out to Lafayette for cocktails at Tony & Mona Keeler's. Paul Yasuda came up from the So Bay to round out our table for Italian in Walnut Creek with a few more excellent bottles of Stonestreet. The next day, it was our typical breakfast at Mels back in WC, then watching the Niner's game, then the Raiders game with Wes Smith. Then back to Napa for a great bbq of rack of lamb and more wine. Tonight its dinner out in Napa and more wine. A great time so far. Everyone is well and living the life.

Schmidt: what did I tell you about getting your own blog to rant on?? Especially with your porn recommendations. Everyone was happy to hear about Ndugu. We all made lots of fun of you throughout the weekend. Especially when Asport was down in LJ. Have you let little Ndugu have a go at your man boobs??

Here's some pic's from the Schmidt's new kid, which they named Joe. But while they were deciding, I took Simran's recommendation and held a national contest. And the winner, coincidently the same choice as Simran, is: NDUGU. And how ironic that it's based on a movie about an old, fat, angry guy trying to bond with his kid in a movie called..."About Schmidt". Coincidence?? I think not. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet Ndugu Schmidt.

When you're feeling down, a little depressed or just bored, do what I did last night and watch even part of Average Joe, that new reality show where the hot girl has to choose among so-called average guys. Those 12 losers will make anyone feel better. Just don't switch to Cribs, then you'll feel like a loser because you don't live in a huge mansion.

Congrats to Lynne Pescherine who completed the NY Marathon last weekend. Her and Michael completed it together a few years ago.

Paris Hilton, one of the "celebutante" stars of FOX's upcoming The Simple Life series, is no stranger to controversy and gossip headlines, but apparently her latest escapades are making even her blush. According to a New York Post report, Hilton, who's previous exploits have included a Hollywood catfight with actress Shannen Doherty and a widely-circulated paparazzi photo of her exiting a car sans panties, is now at the center of a "Pamela and Tommy Lee"-style sex tape controversy involving Hilton and Rick Solomon, Doherty's husband.

The Post, which claims to have received a copy of the tape from "an anonymous donor, who may be planning to sell the tape over the Internet," doesn't pin the leak on Solomon, but quotes a Hilton spokesperson as saying "This was something she did with Rick while they were dating, after he was no longer with Shannen, and it was something that was intended for their own personal use. This tape was never intended to be viewed by the public and it is in poor taste that someone has decided to release it."

Solomon, 33, who's on-again off-again marriage to Doherty reported included a ten-day stay with Hilton at the Beverly Hills Hotel in March 2003, dated Hilton several years ago. The video was apparently filmed during that time and features Solomon and a 19-year-old Paris Hilton. According to sources quoted in the New York Post who have seen the footage, Hilton "keeps staring into the camera and trying to show her best side…She knows she is being taped and keeps trying to get her into sex positions that are better for taping, if you know what I mean."

According to E!, Solomon, an Internet gambling site owner, recently launched a too-hot-for-TV video venture called Beverly Hills Pimps and Ho's. Given the Girls Gone Wild-wannabe company's stated goal of shedding a "scandalous" light on the "saddest, richest and hottest girl of Beverly Hills" as well as his obvious access to the video, initial speculation centered on his involvement, but Solomon is currently denying (at least publicly) any role in the marketing of the video.

For their part, the elder Hiltons are not taking the news well and are threatening legal action against anyone who helps make the tape public. In a statement released to the New York Post, the Hilton family states that they are "greatly saddened at how low human beings will stoop to exploit their daughter Paris, who is sweet-natured, for their own self-promotion as well as profit motives." "Paris is working very hard on her career. The release of a private tape between a younger girl and her older boyfriend is more than upsetting . . . Anyone in any way involved in this video is guilty of criminal activity, and will be . . . vigorously prosecuted."

Paris might be "sweet-natured" (although perhaps they define the term differently than we do), but she's certainly not above lying. According to E!, when rumors of the tape first surfaced earlier this year, Hilton denied its existence and told New York magazine that Solomon was "a complete liar and scumbag." We agree he's a scumbag... but apparently he's not the one who was lying about the matter. At least not initially.

I just watched VH1 Behind the Music: Britney Spears and felt compelled to share:
http://www.esquire.com/women/gallery/031101_mww_britney_frame.html

I went fishing 6 hours on Friday and all I caught was one fish. Not that I'm not happy to at least get one, but there were mofos all around me catching them all day long. Then I was angry. I was ready to go after 3 hours but people just next to me kept catching fish. Tonight I bbq'd my huge trout and it was all good. Last night, Simran made Indian food while I drank beers and watched Seinfeld reruns for Cindy, John and baby Jillian. The food was great and labor intensive. I found out that their baby (so they say cuz she didn't do it) and others also do a weird thing with their lower bodys straightening like a board when you lift them up and make them fly. I brought it up after doing it all weekend with my godson, flying Jack. I almost don't want to tell Kevin & Eileen, but better they hear it from me. So if you have a baby, make them fly. I also did Stupid Pet Tricks by placing Tuscany's snout in my mouth.

CONGRATULATIONS to Jim & Allsion Schmidt on the birth of a baby boy yesterday. The still un-named boy came in at 8lbs 3oz after 36 hours of labor. That alone had to calm Jim down. Now with the little sleep he'll get, he'll be too tired to be angry. Here's to Jim & Allison on this special occasion. Cheers

Thought I better catch everybody up on my unemployed life, so no one thought I drank a rat poison cocktail. Fires around SD are finally contained and air quality is back to normal. Which is good because my last few days have been out in the sunny & 70 degree weather riding, running, working out and lounging at the beach. This was after a quick 4 day trip out to Phoenix to catch up with my new godson, Jack and Kevin & Eileen Isola in Scottsdale. We also picked up a new Italian Greyhound rescue for Simran to keep Tuscany company. Hangin in Scottsdale with the Isolas was a blast. Jack is an amazing kid that rarely cried the whole time we were there. I assume he's so mellow from all the pot Kevin smoked growing up. I almost had to change my first diaper, but it was a massive poo explosion, so Kevin did the honors. I did watch though and almost puked from the smell. But Kevin's gas throughout the weekend wasn't much better. Friday, when we arrived, was Halloween so we set up camp outside with adult beverages and made fun of neighborhood kids while giving away candy. We got to meet some of their really cool friends with kids, such as Norman who loved to talk about x-rated things he saw at Havasu and Dana who got loaded and bragged about how cute her baby was. The next night, we hooked up with another friend from the Sunnyvale hood, who cashed out of the So Bay to buy a 5,000 sq ft, 6 bedroom house with pool in a gated community for $320,000. California real estate sucks. The house wasn't even full with 6 adults, 4 kids and 4 dogs running around. The highlight was my successful attempt to teach his 6 year daughter to do the Beyounce "Crazy in Love" booty shake. The low point was when his 4 year old son decked me in the face and gave me a fat lip. The rest of the time we ate well, hooked up with some other friends, did doggie adoption stuff and played with Jack. To see Kevin Isola with a kid is an incredible thing. Both he and Eileen are such great parents, as I knew they would be. It was a great weekend. Then I found out I didn't get a job I really wanted on our 5 hour drive home on Monday and now I'm really angry. What the hell.....the beach was nice today.
My final words of wisdom... Do NOT rent Legally Blonde 2. I only hope my friends can learn from my mistakes.