Meet Kathleen Boyle – OC Executive of the Month

It’s no secret that the aerospace and defense industry is one that is dominated by male executives. However, gender has little to do with the reasons why Kathleen Boyle stands out in a crowd. As President of the aerospace supply chain management services company Verify, Kathleen’s success lay in her uncanny ability to bring a lifetime’s worth of global perspective to an industry where possessing a worldly view is oftentimes of the utmost importance. And while Kathleen’s robust work habits and depth of knowledge has made her one of the most respected executives in her field, her passion for providing insight to others and her knack for infusing personnel development with a creatively entrepreneurial spirit enables her to cultivate a warm sense of personality within her business’s purposefully rigid parameters... read more

Beaucoup Beverages
A Look at Some of the World’s Most Expensive Cocktails

By Drew Donaldson

“Let’s get a drink.”

It’s a simple, easy phrase; designed to be the genesis of conversations, business meetings, and in some certain circumstances something decidedly naughtier. And usually, there is a bit of a financial subtext to that casual utterance. That is, the person that is making the statement is perfectly cool with parting ways with roughly $10 to 15 per tasty, properly put together cocktail – or $20 to $30, if tabs are being consolidated out of kindness or other up-sleeved mischief. This is how the cocktail universe typically works, and that is perfectly fine... Read More >>

Reeling in a Little Luxury

A look at High-End Fly Fishing Rods
By Rich Manning

What do you think of when you hear someone talking about fly fishing rods? Do you think of a flimsy pole slung on the shoulder of a child clad in a thatched hat and jeans rolled up to their knees, with a hayseed dangling between gently clenched teeth? It’s perfectly fine if your mind drifts that way. Such imagery is charming and romantic; a reflection of the simplistic nature that we often project onto the pastime. However, even though the notion of junior strolling down to the ol’ fishin’ hole has its inimitable sweetness (and yes, in this case, it is absolutely fishin’ – the g is nowhere to be found, and rightly so), it is an ill reflection on the raw power, speed, and technological bliss that lay at the heart of the modern fly fishing rod. Frankly, such pastoral backwoods imagery doesn’t really have a place in Orange County, a region whose vastly underrated fly-fishing scene is constantly overshadowed by the abundance of oceanic fishing opportunities that exist. Yet a discussion on the luxuriousness of the modern high-end fly fishing rods that are out there seem quite apropos for OC’s modern sensibilities.... Read More >>

A Different Form of Camping
Grown-up Fantasy Camps Aren’t Kids Stuff

One of the most endearing parts of our childhood is the hope that one day, we will meet our heroes. It’s just a rote part of growing up, like wishing for a pony or getting your heart crushed by that girl or boy who was way out of your league. We watch a baseball game, listen to a rock band, or go to a movie and fantasize about how just darn cool it would be to meet your favorite team’s first baseman, your favorite group’s guitarist, or being on stage in New York. It is a part of childhood that we tend to let go the most reluctantly. This chunk of Never-Never Land that we try to lay claim to as long as possible is the whole reason fantasy camps exist. At first glance, fantasy camps can be kind of hokey. Yes, it’s the fulfillment of a dream that you never have been able to achieve in real life, like stepping onto a field in a major league uniform or jamming with a long-worshipped musician... Read More >>

A Good Walk Enhanced

CaddyTrek’s Robot Assistant Brings a Modern Touch to a Grand Old Game

Not too long ago, the concept of robots and robotics infiltrating our everyday lives was something that oscillated somewhere between the bizarre and the eerie; a technological advance that was going to take away jobs before coming self-aware and destroying mankind.  Thankfully, this era that coincided with the first wave of automated machines has passed, leaving in its wake the notion that robots are helpful, industrious, and pretty cool.  Their reputation for possessing these attributes has enabled them to infiltrate the world of golf, a sport whose pastoral, leisurely nature almost seems like an odd fit for such advances.  However, as the amazed reaction to Bubba Watson’s magical hovercraft proved.... Read More >>

A Centralized Escape

Sunstone Winery Seeks to Exemplify the Central Coast Wine Country Experience
When I first pull up to Sunstone Winery in Santa Ynez, CA, I don’t notice the villa.  Yes, I see it on the top of the hill as it looks down upon the rustic tasting room.  And I can tell that there’s something really cool about it from a cursory glance.  However, as my traveling partner and I get out of the car and hear the crumble of dirt beneath each step as I approach the winery’s entrance, I am too focused on the quiet beauty of the immediate surroundings to truly fathom what the villa has in store for me (more on this in a moment).... Read More >>

Oh, the Places You May Want to Go - Top Travel Destinations for 2013

If you’re like most people, you have already started to plot out your rendition of 2013. Hopefully, this planning has included blocking out chunks of time in order to get away from the grind of daily life. But even as you designate some vacation time on the calendar, you still may have no idea on where to actually go. That’s perfectly fine, of course. In some cases, the act of deciding where to go is almost as fun as actually going.
If you are completely drawing a blank on this topic, don’t worry. We’ve taken the liberty of compiling some of the upcoming year’s most intriguing destinations for your perusal.... Read More >>

The World of Tomorrow…Eventually!

The Top Technological Gadgets and Gizmos to Look Out for in 2013

Let’s face it: January’s here, so you should expect a bunch of articles with “2013” in its title, going on about various things you should expect within the new year. It’s just the way things roll – even with us, as evidenced by the title of the very article you are currently reading. It makes sense, of course. Can you think of a better time to showcase stuff to watch for in the upcoming year than at the start of said upcoming year? You can’t, because there isn’t any. So there.
And as you’ve undoubtedly figured out by now, this here is another one of those kinds of preview articles. In this case, we’re featuring a few super cool tech items that will be rolling out your way sometime within the next twelve months. We think these items will range from “that’s pretty neat” to “WANT WANT WANT NOW NOW NOW!” Your mileage may vary.... Read More >>

Thinking Inside the Box 

There may be no more underrated accessory in existence than a good pocket square.  It is seldom brought up when a conversation turns to male fashion.  In some regards, it’s a lost piece of fabric, banished to the same nether region as wristwatches in this era of business casual offices and their penchant for events like Hawaiian Shirt day.  However, when it is used, it is a very crucial accessory to a man’s overall appearance, perhaps, daresay, the most important.  In fact, it is impossible to deny that a disheveled pocket square that messily protrudes from a suit pocket has the unmatched power to utterly destroy a look, reducing a potential alluring or sexy visage to one of abject slovenliness... Read More >>