What every 12 year old boy wants for his birthday - ring side seats at the implosion of a building.

My best friend Jeff is the head of the San Diego office of the architectural firm Gensler and Associates, and when he saw that the 94 year old Hotel San Diego was going to be imploded on Brandon's birthday, he got us the best seats in the house. The boys were thrilled. His daughter was terrified. Brandon thought this was about the best birthday present ever.

A grand time was had by all, except for Klarissa, Jeff's daughter, who is still shaking.

(Just to give an idea of how close we were, these pictures were taken using the camera on my cellular phone.)