This review is for the Flavors of San Diego Liver Foundation Gala of 2017 only. What the Liver…read moreFoundation does on a daily basis has nothing to do with my review. Three stars for the food served. This was the first Flavors of San Diego Gala we've been to put on by the Liver Foundation and I was proud to have attended however it was extremely disorganized. We got there early, about 5pm for cocktails and shocked to see the Gala was to be held inside large outdoor tents. We were not allowed inside because they were setting up the event. Everyone checked in outdoors, the auction table was outdoors, No Host bars set up outdoors, (no host?) everything was happening outdoors while we were not allowed inside the tented area for two hours! It was freezing outside. We were right next to the water on Harbor Island and there was a cold breeze. There were no outdoor heaters, no seating for all women who were in dresses and heels and three 2' round tables only for several hundred people to share. The staff came around with tiny appetizers and soon these three tables became a haven for trash and empty drink bottles and cups. They were highly understaffed and nobody was picking up trash. I guess at this point I expected more for $400 per ticket. I had looked at pictures of previous years showing people inside buildings for cocktail hour. That is what I expected. I realize it's a fundraiser but when we asked where the restrooms were, we were told "down the street to next building, upstairs and through the hall to the main entrance of hotel" Are you kidding me? Hundreds of people had to walk clear to main hotel from this tent to use the restroom?!!! Oh boy!!! Once let inside at 7pm, we were cold, windblown and ready to take our stilettos off. The inside was very pretty. Decorated tables, wine bottles and chairs were a happy sight. Once you find your table number, the wait for food was awhile as each chef prepared your food at another long table next to your seating. This was interesting to watch but time consuming. Each main table had their own chef and different food served. We were hungry and the food was good (not great) our chef was pleasant and we were grateful to be sitting down out of the cold. Wine was poured with each 5 courses served. We were told it was wine pairing with each course however there was only two wines. The same one Chardonnay poured with each course and a cab poured once. Our group was fun which made the evening smoother. We had a bag on our chair to bring home that had some flavored water and a few inexpensive treats from sponsors. (Hydration tablets, cookie crunch and water) We have had better goodie bags from $50 marathons. All in all, once was enough for this fundraiser gala. They didn't put much thought or aloha into this one and for $800.00 we do not like freezing like cattle outside and be told "you can't come in for another hour and a half"

I have been a member of SOS Toastmasters for 1.5 years and have enjoyed every minute of it! SOS…read moreToastmasters is fun, friendly and supportive. We have both national and international members with a variety of backgrounds such as postdocs and grad students, admins, HR personnel, and civil engineers. The SOS meetings are without a doubt my highlight of the week! I love to interact with my fellow members while learning valuable speaking and leaderships skills. I would highly recommend SOS Toastmasters to anyone looking to improve their public speaking skills.

I have been a member of SOS Toastmasters for three years and can say that this club is amazing! We…read moreconsistently achieve President's Distinguished Status, Toastmaster International's highest club rating, year after year. Most importantly, we focus on having fun, being relaxed and continually striving to make the club better. Top three characteristics of SOS Toastmasters: - Friendly and supportive. I was really, truly terrible at public speaking when I joined SOS Toastmasters, and yet effective public speaking is one of the most important skills for being successful in my career. Finding a place where I could not only practice but master the art of public speaking from helpful and supportive people (who quickly became good friends) was all I needed. Now I feel completely comfortable speaking in front of anyone, whether its a technical presentation or a family gathering, and I always receive positive feedback. - Diverse. Over half of the members have only been living in the U.S. for a few years or less, so there is a lot of international exchange and sharing of cultures. Makes for interesting speeches! Also makes it a great place for people who have English as a second language - no reason to be intimidated as many members are in the same position. At the same time, I am a native-born American and feel challenged at every meeting. - Scientifically minded. Its location attracts graduate students, postdocs, and support staff from Scripps, as well as other local scientists and engineers.

We needed to get rid of a gargantuan outdoor BBQ and a reclining couch. I saw Trey's website last…read moreWednesday evening, got a good vibe from it, and filled out the online estimate form. Within an hour, he had texted me, came by and hauled it all away for a fair price. He's a cool, super hardworking, local dude. I highly recommend his service!

My family, friends and I love this race. We've had such a great time over the years and will miss…read morethis race dearly. Too bad our crooked Mayor, Catherine Blakespear shut it down, simply because the City of Encinitas wanted to start its own race. In 2017 the Surfing Madonna Beach Run set the Guinness Book of World Records for the "Largest Beach Run in the World", this was an iconic event and local favorite of ours. Unfortunately the City of Encinitas wants to try and put their own beach run together. The City of Encinitas Parks and Recs Department has a terrible reputation for pulling these sorts of shenanigans. Goodbye Surfing Madonna Beach Run, we'll miss you!

I'm always looking for a new race, something a bit different, something creative and unique. A…read moremore challenging course or a refreshing change of scenery, an intriguing series or an awesomely vibrant medal: if the run has energy and excitement, maybe a bit of spectacle​, I'm in. Upon stumbling across the Surfing Madonna Run, I knew then that this race would be what I'd hoped for. Not only did it award super cool, tubular wave medals, and not only was it to be run directly upon the sands of Moonlight Beach, but this race was also heading full-steam toward the Guinness​ Book of World Records. The attempt: the Largest Beach Run on record. Well, I certainly had to be a part of that. There was no question. Plus, in running Surfing Madonna's 15K, along with completing the Encinitas Half, a sweet challenger medal beckoned. The only drawback I'd found, however, and one which wouldn't affect my rating anyway, was the VIP upgrade. This was Surfing Madonna's first go at including one, so I don't want to be too critical, but​ I'd paid extra for VIP upgrades at other races before, and this one was not well thought-out​. Yes, there is VIP parking, but it's further away from the free parking lot immediately​ next to the race. (If you arrive early like we had, closer parking was abundant. Arriving later, though, must have been a blessing for VIP's, as finding street parking quickly became tricky.) And although there were a few tasty refreshments for the VIP crowd, there was no seating, no lounge, no chairs set up to make anyone feel comfortable. And, something that would have been even better but was not made available, there were no private VIP restrooms. Because of which, we spent hardly any time​ at all in our special section. I'm sure that in the future we'll see changes, but this year's VIP upgrade deserves no applause. Here's an article about making it into the Guinness​ Book: http://www.delmartimes.net/encinitas-advocate/news/sd-cm-enc-1110-beach-run-20171108-story.html

Great service. We were happy with it just cutting back. Great to have wine delivered to them while…read morewe were away.

Vintage Wine Storage in Carlsbad is exceptional. Very professional, quick and excellent service. I…read morehighly recommend.

These guys are the best! We have used them twice. They are polite, reasonably price and efficient…read more Currently they are servicing my senior mom and they are making her day. She just raves about them over every phone call. She says they are so respectful and understanding to senior citizens.

I recently stumbled upon a post on the Nextdoor app for these guys. I didn't have junk to haul…read moreaway, but we had gotten a new electric bed frame that we needed help moving upstairs. A quick message to Nick, his prompt response and kind demeanor made me feel comfortable trusting them. I asked if they could help, he said yes, and within the hour they showed up and moved the old bed frame downstairs and the new- not to mention- HEAVY bed frame upstairs. Very nice young men, professional and impressive. We will for sure be calling on them for help in the future! These young men are into something amazing with their entrepreneurial futures. Call on them, you won't be disappointed!!

I went to the Surfrider San Diego Chapter Meeting last week at UTC Forum Hall and we had a speaker…read moregive us a presentation about SurfAid International. This is a non-profit humanitarian organization that's mission is to "significantly improve the health, well being and self-reliance of communities in remote geographical locations connected to surfing." What all that basically means is that some surfers caught some awesome waves off the coast of western Sumatra, Indonesia and decided to help out the locals-big time. Off of Mentawai and Nias islands-which are geographically-isolated archipelagos off Indonesia-there is a high prevalence of easily treatable and preventable diseases and health conditions. Some compassionate surfers saw this and are doing something about it. SurfAid has field programs based on Community Health which aims to reduce infant mortality, improve access to clean water, provide hygiene education, sanitation, malaria reduction and improved nutrition. They also train for emergency preparedness and implementation of programs that address disaster management-especially important because this area of the world is heavily impacted by both frequent earthquakes and tsunami's. SurfAid also promotes educational programs to develop global citizenship and respect for the native flora and fauna of the regions. These beaches and surf breaks off Indonesia's West Sumatran coastline offer some of the most perfect surfing conditions in all the world. The people who inhabit the region are proud but suffer overwhelmingly from 3rd world illnesses-that with some educational assistance-are easily preventable. That is where SurfAid comes in. The SurfAid talk at the Surfrider San Diego Chapter meeting was a real eye-opener. Surfers who travel the world in search of the perfect wave want to help out where they can. It is important that SurfAid be seen as working in conjunction with the local communities in order to empower them to foster solutions. Yes-there are amazing waves in Indonesia, the scenery is breath-taking, the line-ups are uncrowded, but perceptive observers also note there exists areas of need. This Encinitas-based group is right here to offer a hand up, not a hand out!

Great experience today with MSJ Delivery!…read more Our wall bed/desk combo and hutch came today and in a few short hours Johnny and Keith had it assembled and properly installed! They took great care throughout the process and were just great to work with! I highly recommend MSJ!

Time passes. I needed a mover again. I called MSJ…read more After several calls, he agreed to come give an estimate. No show. Twice.