Happy Birthday Goldie!!!

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Let’s see… what has happened since the epic Carla & Larry Show? Work is its usual busyness… which is good, but difficult when being short-staffed… but over my now TWELVE YEARS of being “short-staffed” with the company, I’ve become used to it. You remember the days at Tahoe, right? I just had more free time in my lack of social life & cultural activity to keep this blog updated. You know… when you work during all the daylight hours… and it gets dangerously cold once the sun goes down, you’ve got a lot of stay-at-home time. Anyway, so that’s that. No worries, just means the time flies by & it takes care of most of that pesky free time that I simply had too much of anyway.

Sunday night, the roommates & I watched the usual HBO lineup including “Game of Thrones”, “Girls” & “Veep” but then afterwards somehow stumbled onto TLC… and watched “Sister Wives”. Yes, the “reality TV” show about the polygamist family in Vegas but what’s worse is we continued to watch the show after it… “My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding”! Now, I’ve seen the British version about gypsies and their… let’s say unique (and possibly antiquated) lifestyle… but the American one was a new breed to me. Basically, if you haven’t seen it, I suggest that you check it out… but be warned, it’s kind of addicting. The men go and work (though they never specified what they do to earn money other than there’s a season for it), the women stay home & take care of the kids and clean, the boys are absolute douches (like Jersey Shore on even MORE crack) & the girls are as whorish & slutty as unwed virgins can be, they’re all crazy and LOVE BEDAZZLING EVERYTHING!!! It’s perfectly okay though… because it’s their tradition.

Fun fact: The episode I saw was a Thanksgiving celebration at a hotel… and then a guy famous in the gypsy community as “Fightin’ Frank” came to the party. Long story short, the party was shut down at 8:30 PM because Frank punches a hotel worker in the face & ran like a b**ch. Who could have possibly guessed that? Besides everybody? Oh… and everybody was already REALLY drunk by 8:30 too… but that’s to be expected when you start drinking with your corn flakes. I warned you… it’s addictive.

Tuesday night, Dizzy & I went to a little art show at Café International in the Haight district for one of her friends at school. Have I mentioned that she’s an art student? Probably not… but there you go. The collection was about a dozen drawings of nude models in various positions… and was pretty amazing stuff. If you’re interested, he’s on the Facebook & I’m sure he’d friend you. His name is Terry Koch. Great guy.

The rest of the week was basically work... with basketball watching, TV and working out in between... occasionally sleep too... then Friday night, Nurse, her cousin Nursette, one of her friends & I went to a little celebration in honor of the Golden Gate Bridge's 75th birthday. This instance was the first installment of outdoor movies that they have in the Main Post Green with movies featuring Goldie herself. This one was "It Came From Beneath The Sea" (but we didn't stick around because it was pretty chilly). They also had live bluegrassy music from the Whiskey Family & food trucks... so we enjoyed some Chairman Bao & grilled cheeses (mine had bacon & macaroni & cheese in it).

Saturday night was a beautiful fireworks display for the bridge. They had fireworks coming off the bridge, off the port at Marin & from a giant boat in the bay. It was pretty amazing... and I was able to get a few pictures before my cameras inexplicably died almost instantly.

Sunday was a lot of relaxing with Dizzy & the roommates. That's really about it... and now I'm getting ready for the big party week with the Wingmans as they come to visit & we're planning on visiting Half Moon Bay, Monterey, Wine Country... and of course I have to show off my city by the Bay. Anyway... more on that in future posts... busy busy... have a great evening everybody!!!

Carla & Larry Show 2012

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Okay... so my last entry was a few days ago... and I left you with some cliffhangers. First off, I have a new roommate. This is roommate #4... and yes, it's another girl. Her name is Aria... and I can't quite make out her nationality... but she's REALLY cute. She has a problem with leaving messes around the house & is noisy from time to time since she moved in last week... but she's also REALLY affectionate and is constantly "puttin' it up on me" as the club kids would say... and seems to ALWAYS be naked. Like... exhibitionism squared. Anyway, here's a picture... let me know what you think...

Friday night after work, I met up with Dizzy for dinner... with her mom and two of her aunts. Yes... I was meeting the first parent. It's official now. Dizzy cooked some wonderful chicken enchiladas... and we talked over a few Turbodogs & some wine... and embarassing stories were had... and apparently I passed the test with flying colors. There was never any doubt but it's always good when it's officially certified.

Saturday, I helped with the Carla & Larry Show. What is that? Well, Carlita is a friend of mine that I met at the Meals on Wheels fundraiser last year that you might recall... and she with a friend Larry orchestrate a fundraiser for their friend Sharky who was hit by a motorcyclist while crossing a crosswalk a few years back & has been unable to work and recover quickly because he doesn't have health insurance and... let's face it, that system doesn't work. So... once a year they coordinate this live telethon over U-Stream at Cafe Prague (my favorite bar in SF) that has live entertainment with bands, comedians, dancing, great music, beer deals, food and raffled prizes from donations from radio stations & other institutions... as well as a live auction... all to help raise money for Sharky.

My role in this fundraiser, being a rookie, was "executive assistant to Ms. Carla" which basically meant I was a "go-fer" but also helped coordinate some of the events once the party had started. I've already volunteered my services for next year to help with a few smoother transitioning & signals & planning... because that's just how I am... a casual perfectionist. Anyway, here are some pictures from the event & all the craziness... but if you'd like... the podcast should be up at the website soon... so feel free to check it out... and  you may see some surprising technical difficulties that we're hoping to work out next year... enjoy...

Also... my role was a pretty big donator as well. I dropped $100 in raffle tickets ($5 each) and spent $300 at the live auction... but out of that, I donated $400 to a worthwhile cause, got season 7 of "Weeds" (never seen it, but $35 on best buy) on blu ray, season 3 of "Nurse Jackie" (also never seen it, but $20), Martin Scorsese's film about George Harrison with soundtrack ($30), plenty of free fine beer ($30), and a SF Giants prize package that included two club level lower bowl tickets to the Dodgers rivalry game next month (currently offered at over $200 each on StubHub WITHOUT club access), an autographed baseball by pitcher Madison Bumgarner (ebay has one for $50) and a limited edition Tim Lincecum home jersey with gold numbers ($189 retail). Yup... and this was also on top of meeting a lot of great people including the owners of my favorite bar & their family, hot girls everywhere including a very cute comedian (who actually wasn't that funny on stage but is in person) even getting hit on by a quite attractive (and intoxicated) Czech woman, a great British chap who has two yachts... because one isn't enough, and getting to enjoy all of the entertainment of the bands, comedians & party goers... oh... and I also got a ride all over SF with a super stretch limo for over an hour dropping people off (Presidio was last stop). Yeah... it was a great night. Y'all should come out for it next year. It's a great warmup for Bay to Breakers which is going on as I type... but yeah, woke up a little late for it.

Anyway, that's my weekend thus far... this week, I'm going to an art show (with plenty of nudity), working a bunch as usual, then it's Memorial Day weekend along with the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge in my neighborhood... and then immediately after that... is the visit of the Wingmans & that EPIC journey soon to come. Good times. Have a great day everybody!!!

I'll Have Another

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Another busy couple of weeks in the books… but a lot of fun mixed in as well. During the week it was mostly work with a bit of TV in the late evenings. I also had a drink with Bubbles one night to catch up on the latest gossip & happenings in her life at the Tonga Room. Pretty nice little place with a tiki hut vibe where you can get a Scorpion Bowl or Mai Tai. Oh… and things are good in her life, since I knew you were wondering. As for me, things are pretty fantastic too.

Last Friday night, Dizzy came over for a Game Night that my roommate Nurse was holding for her friends… so we played Cranium (our team dominated), had a few drinks for Quattro de Mayo, and basically just had a good time. Only one glass of red wine was spilled… which isn’t a bad party at all. Good peeps & good fun.

Saturday morning, Dizzy treated me to bacon waffles (absolutely amazing!!!) and then we went to a Kentucky Derby party held by a neighbor we’ll call Quacklin (she’s a Ducks fan). We dressed up in our usual race track finest, played some bean bag toss, had a few drinks, barbecued some chicken & garlic bread, and enjoyed the “greatest two minutes in sports” in the middle. By the way, leading up to the race, I thought it was hilarious that there was a horse named “I’ll Have Another” on a race on Cinco de Mayo… and that’s the horse that ended up winning. It makes total sense, right?

That evening, Dizzy, Batgirl & a few of their friends & I met up in the Mission for some Cinco de Mayo celebrations. We started out at Fritz, which was a Belgian fries place very similar to my breakfast spot near my last apartment in Slick City. They have a few dozen varieties of dipping sauces ranging from bacon mayo to spice pomegranate ketchup to chipotle and everything in between. Great spot for some starches before you get into your drinking for the night. However, for a twist, the committee decided to walk over to the Castro and hit a few bars there instead of the Mission where we drove to. No matter, it was a beautiful night with a “super moon” and good peeps, so we enjoyed the walk, had a few drinks, went to a few bars in the Castro including the Mix & Last Call… and then we were off by just before 2 AM call. It was a pretty good night.

During most of the week, I had a bit of a cold… so that kinda sucked balls… and I don’t know, I kinda blame work. Why? Am I allergic to work? Maybe… but more realistically, there’s always somebody sick there & it just kind of goes around… especially if I’m in my poorly ventilated closet at the end of the hall… but whatever, I’m a man, I’ll deal with it thusly. What doesn’t kill me can only make my voice sexier (when not full of phlegm).

Thursday night, I had a date night with Dizzy & we went to see… THE AVENGERS!!! For those of you who don’t know about it, what the hell is wrong with you? Of course, you know about the Avengers! It’s the last 4-5 Marvel comic book movies (Iron Man 1&2, Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, etc) all squeezed into one… and directed by nerd demi-god Joss Whedon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Firefly” & “Dr Horrible’s Sing Along Blog”) and basically what you get… is actually one of the greatest, most fun & entertaining movies that I’ve been to in a loooong time. Really. Not just nerdy response either… like great character development, comedy mixed in with drama, intrigue, special effects, and given that some of the plot material is kinda stretching the bounds of the imagination a little thin… much respect to all the filmmakers involved for really pulling it off nicely. Enjoy the BILLIONS in revenues because of it. Seriously, go see it now. I plan on seeing it again. J-Mo has yet to see it & we were going to a few days ago but… yeah, sickness.

This week, I saw "The Muppets" starring Jason Segel & Amy Adams. It's a muppets movie... but it's still pretty hilarious & I highly recommend it. Plot is basically the gang need to raise $10 million in a week or so to save muppet studios from being turned into a oil drill sight by a rich Texan named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper, maniacal laugh) but it's good, check it out.

I also watched "Columbiana" starring Zoe Saldana in a Luc Besson-esque action movie about a child whose family is killed by an elusive cartel head... but she's able to escape (using some hard core parkour) and her uncle raises her to be a world-class assassin... and then she needs to avenge her family. It's okay for an action flick... and Zoe's easy on the eyes. Give it a shot.

So yeah... that's really it in a nutshell for the past few weeks. Other stuff with work going on but... yeah, just more busyness & mild irritation but whatever... it's not too bad, just takes up a lot of time & I can't use any of my well-earned vacation. Nice, right? Anyway, having good times with Dizzy, the Wingmans come in less than two weeks, I'm good. Oh... and we have a new dog. What? Did I not mention that before? Stay tuned until next time... when I have more time to elaborate... Have a great weekend!

Birthweek Update

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

I’m officially 31 years old now, which seems like a big number… but whatever. I’m just 21 with a decade of experience & better retirement savings (now that I’m not wasting money on college… stay in school kids!!!). I celebrated the big birthday by… well, going to work. My coworkers put streamers up in my office (closet) and some Golden State Warriors logo… because they knew that I was going to the basketball game at Oracle Arena that night… just might’ve missed that it was against my favorite team since I was 8 years old, the San Antonio Spurs. Still pretty cool & thoughtful of them… and they gave me some of my favorite treats too so, kudos!!!

After work, Dizzy & I met up at Oracle Arena (she drove, I took BART) and we wandered around the arena because it was the season finale & Fan Appreciation day… which meant that food, beverage & merchandise were 50% off!!! So basically it meant that AVAILABLE food, beverage & merchandise were reasonably priced instead of the usual ridiculousness. The lines were long… but I bought some Warriors relax pants (basically long underwear), t-shirts & a few little things, even though I was really looking for a jacket… but I’ll probably just get a SF Giants jacket, cuz the colors are a little better… and I have to represent for the REAL Giants, not those suckers in New Jersey.

We also grabbed some beef brisket sandwiches and a few beers to start the game. Again, this was the regular season finale… and the Spurs were #1 in the west & going to the playoffs… and the Warriors missed the playoffs yet again… so it was basically a matchup of their last 5 available bench players with all the stars resting for the playoffs or starting their summer vacations early. Regardless, I love basketball… so I enjoyed watching these less popular professionals… and it kept the game good & close down to the final minutes, which is really what you want, right? Good times.

Friday was more work… but then my karaoke birthday party at Pandora in the Blue Moon room (yes, based on the beer). Bubbles, Dizzy & I walked through the Tenderloin (corner of crack & cocaine) to get to Pandora, but we also made a stop at a nice little bar based on an old speakeasy called Bourbon & Branch. There’s really no signage or anything from the outside… but then you knock & give the password (make it up?) and they have a few different rooms behind bookshelves & mirrors and such… and it’s pretty cool. I enjoyed it. I tried a drink called the Citizen Shame… and it was delicious.

The party at Pandora’s was fantastic. I sang a few classics like “Superfreak” & Jay-Z’s “Girls Girls Girls” while about a dozen other people came by & donated their talents as well. By the way, I have a coworker named Red… who may be on American Idol one of these days, she can perform… and she did “The Last Dance” & “Lady Marmalade” like she knew what she was doing. Anyway, a few beverages were had (but not too many) and definitely some good times. Afterwards, Dizzy and I went with CC & her Russian friend to Bourbon & Branch again for a drink, then around for some late night burritos & then we called it a night fairly early (I had been up since 6 AM as most people so not too broken hearted by it).

Saturday, Dizzy & I went on a fantastic road trip (all arranged by her) to Santa Cruz. We started off by using coupons from the Warriors game towards some free sourdough jacks at Jack in the Box (delicious) then went to the Boardwalk of Santa Cruz. If you’ve never been there, it’s a mini amusement park / arcade / eatery / historical landmark all in one. The amusement park portion is basically on par with Lagoon in Utah (only frame of reference really & a lot of VERY similar rides… like infringing on trademarks one side of the other, I’m sure) then a full arcade with a LOT of video games, a very decent miniature golf course, the usual funnel cakes, Dippin’ Dots, chocolate covered bananas & all that kind of fair fare… with one added perk… it’s located on a GORGEOUS coastline & it was a beautiful spring day… and I’ll say it, there was a LOT of ladies putting their goods on display. I felt overdressed with a T-shirt & jeans. We also enjoyed some great fish & chips on the pier there & saw sea lions enjoying the warm weather. Here are some pictures…

After a few hours there, Dizzy drove me to her favorite beach in ALL the world in Aptos – Seacliff Beach. There were some stairs down a cliff to the coast, but at the bottom was a pier… and at the end of the pier… was a sunken cement ship. The S.S. Palo Alto to be exact… and the story goes that this cement ship was ooriginally launched in 1919 and was once connected by a pier and used as part of an area amusement park in the late 1920s. A winter storm broke the ship in half, so it was stripped for salvage and turned into a fishing pier in Seacliff State Beach. The pier juts out to the edge of the ship so that you can check out it’s crumbled remains… which is usually covered with sea birds .. but still pretty cool from a completely nerdy perspective, which you know I’m all for. Not only that… we were out on the pier admiring the view as it was approaching “the golden hour” and we saw something off the pier… DOLPHINS!!! LOTS OF THEM!!! Then… as if that wasn’t enough… A MUTHA LOVIN’ HUMPBACK WHALE!!! Like… 20-30 yards at most from us at times. I could’ve easily pegged it with a football… it was truly a romantic & magical moment. Here are some pictures…

 

 Can you see the humpback in this photo?

By the way, I just wanted to mention… since I know that I haven’t been keeping up with this thing… that yeah, I officially have a girlfriend named Dizzy. We started out very casual & it kinda grew from there… but yeah, it’s official, just in case you were speculating out there. As you may also know, it’s been a LONG time since I’ve had one… but apparently I’m doing a pretty good job at being a boyfriend in her eyes… so yeah, finally I was in one of those romantic moments & had somebody to share it with. Awesome!

After a while there on the pier, we decided to head over to Capitola for some more wandering through a little tourist trap town… and it was great as well. The sun started going down & chilling a bit, so we then headed back to my apartment for a fine meal of strawberries, salami, gorgonzola cheese, sourdough bread, dark chocolate & other antipasti as well as bottle of wine that she had prepared. She’s a good woman to have around, right? She must really like me. We enjoyed it while watching… “The Conqueror” starring the great John Wayne. Okay, for those who haven’t seen this film… it’s John Wayne… as Genghis Khan. Now… think about that for a few seconds… ready? Okay. Yes, THE John Wayne plays the role of Mongolian warlord Genghis Khan… which should be awkward enough, right? Well, throw in the fact that he’s playing this notorious murderer of millions as THE GOOD GUY… and he takes a (very white) woman (Susan Hayward) as his prisoner… and then he finds that he can avenge the death of his own father… by killing her father. PLOT TWIST!!! Yeah, so… there’s a lot of betrayal… and then non-betrayal… and romantic lines like “Mother, I take this woman for my pleasure!” in John Wayne’s voice… and yeah, it’s pretty ridiculous to watch for many reasons… but yeah, what do you expect? Good times were had by all.

Sunday was mostly a stay in bed (you know why, don’t deny) and relax kind of day. We watched TV & went for walks in the Presidio & ordered a pizza for sustenance but yeah, pretty lazy day… so that was pretty much the fantastic birthday week. So good that it’s up there with last year’s adventures in New Orleans & the Mexican Riviera for my 30^th, Vegas for my 26^th, even Chuck E. Cheese for my 27^th. Big shout out to Dizzy for making it happen. Seriously! Warriors-Spurs game… karaoke party with friends & coworkers… road trip to a beach wonderland… sea lions, dolphins, whales… perfect weather… great meals… lots of snuggling in between it all… what more could a man want for his 31^st birthday celebration? Have a great night everybody!!!