overidon.com Central Database for Overidon Omnimedia

This is where I got the latte - Antonello Espresso Bar

Antonello Espresso Bar

3800 South Plaza Drive (Inside South Coast Plaza Mall)
Santa Ana, California  92704
Telephone: 714.751.7153

The reason why this Latte was the best latte of my life is NOT because it had the silkiest foam. I have had much better foam at my local Starbucks and at Peet’s Coffee in Irvine. The reason why this is the best latte of my life is because the espresso actually tasted, nutty and buttery. At first I was surprised that I was drinking a latte, because I have been acclimated to either drinking strong or bitter espresso. But the flavor of this espresso was to die for. And the girl poured a lot of espresso into the drink and I was thinking that it was going to be overwhelmingly strong and bitter when she did that. But I was blown away by the delicious flavor. I live miles away and I am seriously tempted to drive back over to the mall just so I can have another latte from these people.

The main reason why I think the espresso tasted so good is because they used an old style machine to pull the shots. You see, at Starbucks they use a machine that pulls the shots automatically. The only real control that the barista has over the flavor of the shots are the amount of time that the shot gets water pulled through them, and the fineness or coarseness of the grind of the beans. I am not complaining about this, it generally gives a decent shot this way. But the old school machines require that you tamp the ground beans into the thing that pulls the shot (I can’t remember what that’s called right now). Tamping is when you tap the ground beans with a blunt object in order to press them to the desired density before pulling the shot. I think Peet’s Coffee uses manual machines like this, but their espresso never tastes this smooth and creamy.

When I first tasted the drink I was actually surprised. It was so good, I felt like someone gave me the wrong drink. I didn’t get any sweetener and was given their standard milk and I was like, “Whaaaa?” The closest thing I can think of to describe the flavor would be if you mixed espresso flavor with a little butter some milk and half-and-half with a nutty aftertaste. But the crazy thing is that I watched the girl make my drink and she just used espresso and steamed milk and that was it. The one thing I noticed about the espresso was that it was a more dark caramel-looking color instead of being dark brown or black. And there was a lot of espresso. So what I’m thinking, is that she pulled shots that had a lot of “crema.” This means that the shots she pulled had the foamier sweeter part of the espresso as the focal point of each shot. It did not taste watery at all. So I don’t think she ran the shots for a long time. I’m not exactly sure how she got the espresso to taste that good. But it is definitely worth a repeat visit under another barista to see if they can reproduce such a great latte.

The other emotion that I felt when I drank the latte was, confusion. I was confused and perplexed by how she was able to make my drink taste so good. I wish I had a picture of my face when I first tasted it. That was I could have a firm record of the moment when I drank the best latte of my life to date.

Again, this drink didn’t have the best foam. If it had the foam that the amazing baristas at my local Starbucks have been making lately, I would have probably came back for another one after I tried on clothes.

-Tyler

Click on the picture to buy Red Moon!

Red Moon is an impressive Graphic Novel by David McAdoo. It mostly a highly detailed black & white book about a dog named, “Mox” that has extraordinary vision and a special purpose. The animals depicted in Red Moon have a tremendous amount of character and likability. Red Moon is 200 pages long and is currently selling on Etsy.com for $20.00 plus shipping and handling. Even though it is 200 pages long, the book is a fast read because you get sucked into the story and the art is so stupendous that you really want to keep reading so you can look at the next masterpiece waiting on the next page. I am a real animal lover. I have had a dog in my life as long as I can remember. So reading Red Moon was a special treat for me because there are many depictions of dogs, cats and other creatures like centipedes birds, deer, frogs, snakes, and tons of others. What really makes Red Moon special is the art. Each frame has a unique perspective. No two pictures look the same. It is obvious that McAdoo gave every drawing the utmost care and effort. You can see the texture of the fur, the deepness of the eyes, and the sincerity of the smile of every character. It is a real pleasure to read.

There is some action and animal violence in the book but it isn’t gory or bloody. Most of the book is very pleasurable to look at because of the many scenes of walking through beautiful landscapes. There are pages where you get to see what is happening inside Mox’s mind. Those pictures are breathtaking and a real wonder to look at. You will find yourself stopping and examining those pages for a long time and just immersing yourself in the flow of the art. McAdoo uses a great deal of sensual curves and lines in his artwork that make scenes feel like they are spanning across miles. Some of the drawings I had trouble figuring out how they were created at all. It’s not just detail. It is storytelling through each tentacle or claw, narration through each fang and tree branch.

I am very glad that I bought a copy of Red Moon. I have read several graphic novels throughout my lifetime. But Red Moon is the first that I have actually purchased and I have decided to use it to start my collection. If I ever have a family of my own and have kids. I will definitely show them Red Moon once they become teenagers. I feel that this story tells a great deal about one’s purpose and listening to one’s inner self.

You can purchase Red Moon by clicking here.

INTERVIEW with David McAdoo about Red Moon!

Tyler: What was your inspiration for the story behind RED MOON?

McAdoo: Well, the main character, Mox, is a dog I had growing up. He was a great dog but before he passed he started having seizures and we didn’t know why. Naturally, my frontal lobe blocked the sadness of him being sick by creating an alternate reason that maybe he was having some strange visions or premonitions. If only we could understand what our pets were thinking…

Tyler: Let’s talk about the art in the book. What would you call your style of the art in the book?

McAdoo: That’s tough. I don’t have a name for my art style. Someone else can call it something. It’s just how I draw. I like detail and I like it dark and moody and I try to make it more realistic than cartoony.

Tyler: The main character, Mox has a unique ability. Can you tell us a little about that?

McAdoo: Early on in Red Moon Mox starts having “visions” of the world in destruction. They are a total mystery to Mox and his friend Daeden. Another idea that spawned my writing of Red Moon was the largely undocumented phenomenon of animals “knowing” when disasters will strike. If you look deep enough in the newspapers and science journals you’ll find small stories and skipped-over tales of animals moving to higher ground in floods and tsunamis, hiding days before an earthquake or tornado, fleeing the area before storms of all kinds. They know something we don’t. I firmly believe that.

Tyler: In “RED MOON” there is a special connection that the creatures on Earth share called the “Omi Tara.” Is this something that is real in everyday life? Or is this something that you created for the story?

McAdoo: I created the Om-tira as a representation of the animal world’s spirituality and connection to nature. It’s my attempt to give the animals a unifying strength without introducing some kind of human-like religion. For me personally it represents a harnessing of the chaos of Mother Nature and the universe.

Tyler: My personal favorite character in RED MOON is a gigantic psychic centipede named Colotal. What was going through your mind when you created this uncanny character?

McAdoo: What have we never seen before? What could be lurking deep in the forests of North America, if there was only one, no matter how big? And what would happen to a millipede if it never died and kept growing?My thought process was that insects are among the oldest living land animals and that they would be prime candidates for the wisest and oldest sages.

Tyler: Tell us a little about why you decided to create a graphic novel about animals as the primary characters.

McAdoo: I grew up with Disney and Don Bluth movies. I love the Jungle Book, The Fox and the Hound, The Secret of NIMH, Watership Down. Aside from Watership Down, those stories just skimmed over the darker elements and possibilities. I wanted to take it a bit further and really make my mark in the genre.

Tyler: What was your favorite part of making RED MOON?

McAdoo: Seeing it all come together and having the final book in my hands after 2 years of work.

Thank you David for taking the time to share your thoughts with us here at overidon.com! You have done some triumphant work and I look forward to seeing your future creations.

You can purchase Red Moon by clicking here.

Zuzana from the Bodyrock.tv workout videos

I recently have gotten back into exercising. I’ve been going to the gym about 3 times per week. It’s not a lot but it’s a start. But Zuzana is REALLY into exercising. She does workouts that look very exhausting and I bet they burn calories fast. Check out the video and be careful if you actually try any of these exercises.