My Word with Douglas E. Welch

I wrote about our day trip to Ojai, a few days ago and Regalo Premium Olive Oil was one of our last stops for the day. We tasted a variety of fine olive oils, all pressed from olives on the estate, crushed and bottled in their small facility right next to the tasting room. We ended up leaving with a coupe of bottles of oil, even though it wasn’t cheap, but the quality was very, very high. I look forward to some great salads and pasta dressed with it in the coming months. An olive olive tasting at Regalo is a great way to spend some time in a lovely setting in, the already lovely town of Ojai. I think a tasting before lunch or dinner would be a great way to whet your appetite for a great meal at one of the many excellent restaurants in town.

Watercolor photograph of Regalo’s Tasting Room

Regalo’s tasting room is open Friday and Saturday from 10a-5pm and Sundays from Noon until 5pm. The setting is lovely amid the surrounding olive and citrus groves and they have a variety of oils and imported balsamic vinegars to taste. I want to return again between October and December to try and catch the harvest and crush. I love seeing how products are made and olive oil production is something I know little about.

Regalo Premium Olive Oil, 283 Carne Road, Ojai, CA

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Previously in my Instagram Photos…

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We had a chance to visit one of my favorite museums this last weekend and I took a bunch of photos both inside and outside. Here are a few select items and a slide show of the complete collection.

A complete slide show of all the pictures from our visit

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We have known that the small pizza chain, PizzaRev was building out a their latest store in the plaza on the Northeast corner of Van Nuys Blvd and Burbank Blvd and last week I received notice from their email list that they were holding an opening party for that branch tonight. Since the location is right here in my neighborhood (only about 2 blocks away) I knew i needed to check it out.

Thanks to Jeff Zuckerman, PizzaRev’s Chief Marketing Officer for putting on a great evening of free pizza. It was great to get a chance to try out the pie. It is a great, crispy, thin crust with tons of toppings to choose from. As you will see from the pictures, I opted for my favorite pizza, which also happens to be something really simply. I think this is the best way to try out any new food. For me, if the basics aren’t good it is probably a good chance that the fancy stuff won’t be good either. I am happy to report that the pizza, basic or complex is quite good and reasonably priced at $7.99 for a pie that feeds on person. I would definitely go there again to try our some more combinations of toppings in the future. It is great to see them in the neighborhood and another great addition to our area. Our neighborhood has really grown over the last 4 years or so and it is nice to have options without going elsewhere in the Valley or, even worse, over the hill.

Here are a few photos from the evening and a complete slide show via Flickr below.

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Shot January 23, 2014 in San Fernando Valley, Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California.

More info on Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura):

• Mourning Dove at Wikipedia
• Mourning Dove at All About Birds
• Mourning Dove at Chipper Wood Bird Observatory

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I’ll be speaking to one of my favorite groups, Tuesdays with Transitioners on “A Year of Opportunity”, a topic based on my recent Career Opportunities column of the same name.

When: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 – 12 Noon – 2 pm [RSVP here] 

Where: Tuesdays with Transitioners, Congregational Church of Northridge, 9659 Balboa Boulevard, Northridge, CA [Map]

Topic:

A Year of Opportunity

Every year Douglas E. Welch selects a theme for his long-running column and podcast, Career Opportunities. This year, Douglas believes it is “A Year of Opportunity”

Building a successful career in 2014 requires that we focus on 3 things this year, including:

1. Attracting Opportunity
2. Recognizing Opportunity
3. Accepting Opportunity

Attracting opportunity to you begins with telling my those around you “what you do and how well you do it.” This can take many forms, but in today’s world it usually starts with social media like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. If you develop good connections, share great information and generally help those connected to you, you can’t help but attract opportunity to you.

Thomas Edison is quoted as saying “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” This is still true today. Work that expands our lives and careers should be sought out and embraced, even if there is a bit of hard work involved. In fact, most opportunities worth pursuing require hard work of some sort. Life doesn’t often give you gold simply for being you. You need to share your knowledge and show your worth and this often means some long hours, if not actual physical labor. In fact, if you don’t feel that a project is worth putting in a good deal of hard work, it is very possible that the project isn’t important enough for you to pursue. You may need to look for another opportunity that you love enough to commit to it completely — hard work and all.

Finally, you will need to accept the opportunities that come your way, even if they seem a little wild, a little challenging and even a little frightening. Remember, fear is a great indicator of projects and opportunities that we need to investigate further. It shows that there is a challenge there, a stretching of our thoughts and abilities in new and different ways. An open door can be scary, but it can also lead to a new, better, greater, more exciting, more fulfilling life and career than you can even imagine.

Douglas E. Welch is writer and host of Career Opportunities, a long running column and podcast dedicated to “Helping to Build the Career You Deserve!” Career Opportunities began in 1997 as a magazine column and expanded to a podcast in 2004. Douglas is also a New Media Consultant, Technology and Career Consultant with over 30 years experience in high-tech. You can find all of Douglas’ work at DouglasEWelch.com.

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On of my photographs of the Providence High School Robotics Team appears in today’s issue of The Tidings, Southern California’s Catholic Weekly.

Here is the original, high – resolution photo

You can view all the photos form this event in this Flickr set, Providence High at Fighting Robots NTMA Tournament 20131123

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View the complete slide show of this Flickr set, Sunet from Mount Washington

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Bonsai Demonstration with Bonsai Master, Frank Goya

February 1, 2014 at 1 PM.

Los Angeles Public Library, Pacific Palisades Branch

861 Alma Real Drive. Pacific Palisades, CA 90272

Frank Goya will give a demonstration of his art at the Pacific Palisades Library. Frank has been a bonsai and saikei artist for over 50 years.

“Saikei” is a creation that consists of bonsai trees, other plants, rocks, and ground cover that form a scene from nature. F

rank is considered to be the Number One practitioner of saikei – as well as one of the top five bonsai masters — in the United States.

He will demonstrate how to make a saikei, starting from scratch, showing all the steps from planting the bonsai trees, to creating mountains and rivers.

When he is finished, this wonderful piece of art will be raffled off.

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A photo montage using my food photos from a previous post. See all the full resolutions photos in this video, Photo: Dinner at Hayat’s Kitchen, North Hollywood, CA.

See all my photos on Flickr

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