Not So Ancient Chinese Secret: Always Order "To Go" at Panda Express

We are not lacking for Panda Express eateries in Ventura County, with 17 locations throughout the area and neighboring areas ranging from Simi Valley, Agoura Hills, the Conejo Valley, Ventura, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula and Oxnard.

When asked "is this for here or to go," traditionally I have always said "for here" when indeed planning to eat at Panda (which is usually the case) and "to go" when the plan is to take the food with me.

But on a recent visit to Panda Express with a buddy, he insisted that I order "to go" although we fully intended to eat there. "Why?" I asked. Because you get a LOT more food, he said. But is that right to order to go when you know full well you'll be eating at the restaurant?  Aw, what the heck. So I gave in and ordered "to go." And yes, I do agree, you do appear to get more food in the "to go" container than you receive on the plate.

The Wedding of Nolan and Morgan; A Story of Hope, Love, Sadness and Inspiration

Nolan Keane was diagnosed at age 24 with stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme, a type of brain cancer that grows very quickly. Nolan fought hard to beat the odds with four years of countless chemo and radiation treatments and eight brain surgeries.

Nolan's girlfriend and soon-to-be fiance Morgan was by his side the entire time and helped him through his treatments. Late last year, Nolan proposed to Morgan. Friends and family initiated a fundraising effort to enable the two to have a dream wedding. The wedding is captured in the video below. Grab your tissues.

A Love Uniquely Yours // Nolan + Morgan from Forward // Motion Production on Vimeo.

With great sadness, it was noted on a Facebook page set up to help raise funds for the wedding, that just passed away. Nolan and Morgan were married on March 9th.

Nolan was a fighter. Untreated survival time from diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme is typically 3 to 5 months. With treatment, 1 to 2 years is possible. Our thoughts are with Nolan, Morgan and their families.

Thanks to Keith & Tiffany of Forward//Motion Production for this video and story. Read full blog post at forwardmotionproduction.com/blog

Exclusive Breaking News in the Conejo Valley Effective This April 2013

We are excited to announce a partnership with the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.  In exchange for placement of the iconic Conejo Valley Guide bunny on the south side of the Plaza, Conejo Valley Guide will provide free carrot cake to all Civic Plaza attendees at shows during the month of March 2014.

Mock-up of iconic Conejo Valley Guide bunny as it will be seen from 101 Freeway

Jacque Rabitt of the City's Cultural Affairs department stated "We are thrilled that Conejo Valley Guide has offered us an image that brightens up the building" while Conejo Joe of CVG indicated "We are proud to be offering carrot cake at the plaza to those who believe that carrot cake is actually good for them!"

The Conejo Valley Guide bunny image will cover virtually the entire wall of the Plaza that will be in full view of both directions of Highway 101. Additionally, the bunny will be lighted with solar LED lights between the hours of 8 pm and midnight each night.

In other news, the National Park Service announced its first sponsorship agreement in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area with the renaming of Boney Peak as Milk Boney Peak. Similar to branding of NCAA Bowl Games, the Milk Bone logo will be prominently displayed on the shield face of the mountain directly below the peak, as shown below.

Mock up of Milk Bone Dog Treat logo displayed on face of peak looking towards Newbury Park.

NPS official Louda Barker notes that "while dogs are currently not allowed in the Boney Mountain Wilderness, hikers tend to be dog lovers, dog lovers love giving out dog treats and, well, we've been looking to monetize these mountains for awhile, no bones about it."

And finally, a Hidden Valley resident has successfully petitioned the City of Thousand Oaks Planning Commission to change zoning of a horse property to a retail clothing store. A mockup of the new Trashy Lingerie store is shown below, reflecting an earnest effort to blend the store into the surroundings.

The Hidden Valley location will be Trashy Lingerie's second retail store; the other one is located on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles. City spokeswoman I. C. Undrewair notes that this could be a tremendous draw for city tax revenues, particularly with Britney Spears living in the nearby Sherwood Country Club.

APRIL FOOLS'!

Just having some fun!

April Fools' fun in prior years

Have You Heard About the Mysterious "Secret Menu" at Jamba Juice?

While out with my 9 year old son and his friend, we decided to stop by the local Jamba Juice for a smoothie. As I was driving, the kids were talking about "special" flavors at Jamba Juice and how the Sourpatch Kids flavor was so good.

I interjected, "Huh? What are you talking about?" Then my kid's friend educated me a bit. There's a special "Secret Menu" at Jamba Juice that you have to know about to order. I asked him where he saw it. He wasn't exactly sure, but he said it did exist.

As we parked, I had my doubts about this so-called "special" menu. I go to Jamba Juice all the time. How could this 4th grader know something I don't? So we place our orders. He goes first. "I'll have a 16 ounce Sourpatch Kids" he says nonchalantly. My son says, "me too." I ordered my standard Aloha Pineapple and asked the gal behind the counter, "Is there a secret Jamba Juice menu?" She nodded yes. "Is it on the Jamba Juice website?" The answer was non-committal. We left with smoothies in hand and a puzzled look on my face.

While there is no sign of a "secret menu" on the Jamba Juice website, I did find this handy website called Jamba Juice Secrets at www.JambaJuiceSecrets.com where, lo and behold, there is a listing of the "secret menu items."

Apparently this list of secret Jamba Juice concoctions was derived by employees who like to experiment. I have no idea if all Jamba Juice locations and employees are familiar with these items and how to make them, but why not give it a shot and see what happens.

There's a couple risque sounding flavors on the list but some of the top picks include Pink Starburst, the Sourpatch Kid flavor mentioned above (comprised of lemonade, a scoop of pineapple, rasberry, lime and orange sherbet and a scoop of blueberries), White Gummi Bear, Blue Gummi Bear, Skittles, Orange Dream Machine, Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Red Gummi Bear, Fruity Pebbles and nearly 30 more.

I for one will attempt to order some of these in my future Jamba Juice visits, with or without the kids who taught me something new. And if you want a 20% discount on your Jamba Juice, visit Costco and purchase $50 in Jamba Juice gift cards for $39.99.

Recent Progressive Insurance Commercial Appears to Feature Flo in Hidden Valley

I could be wrong, but having driven through Hidden Valley hundreds of times over the years, I'm about 99% sure that this recent Progressive Insurance TV commercial entitled "Chick Flick" was filmed right here on Potrero Road in our very own Hidden Valley in Westlake Village.

Hidden Valley view on a sunny day