Saturday, June 30, 2012

Basketball's Christmas 2012

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,
Sigh… I know… I know… I’m getting lazy with this thing. Hey now, I’ve just got a lot on my platter & yet it feels like I’m not doing much. How bad is it? Thursday night was Basketball’s Christmas & I went to a baseball game. A BASEBALL GAME!!! Also, it was my second of the week. I know, it's scary... but hey, it's just the draft. WHAT AM I SAYING??? The draft is how champions are made. "But $teve, what about the recently crowned Miami Heat? All of their big names are free agents." Yeah? Where do you think LeBron, Dwayne & Bosh 1.0 met? Where? What was that? Oh yeah... the f**king 2003 NBA Draft where they were three of the top 5 picks (along with Carmelo & Darko). FACE!!! Anyway, on top of that… then my mom’s coming to visit for the 4th of July. SURPRISE!!! She's on her way driving through the barren wasteland of Nevada right now. Okay, so what have I been up to since the last entry?
Last weekend, I hung out with Dizzy & she introduced me to something new… something exciting… something that may or may not completely change my life… and that is… IKEA!!! I had never been before… but that place is pretty f**king amazing. For those who haven't been... it's basically where you can get all kinds of basic furniture for storage, functional or any other kind of purpose (though it's not really going to be any artistic fancy stuff made from oak & rich mahogany). There's also some cute little things for decorating... but it's an epic large scale adventure (we spent over 5 hours there & I'm not one for wandering through a BS store) and they even have a place half way through for dining... well, eating... but the buffalo chicken wraps & meatballs are pretty f**king amazing for a furniture store. Anyway, I highly recommend checking that out. Oh... and what did I get? Let's see... I didn't take measurements of my room beforehand so it was just a few things like a man sized robe for $20, some risers for the downstairs sofa (pick it up 5-6 inches), a hanging clothes compartment, some crown royal purple suit covers, & a magnet board for in the kitchen (our fridge was getting overrun). When I go back, daddy may be getting some shelves for his limited space... and finally going vertical with his storage. God help us all...
Tuesday night was a Giants game versus the Los Angeles Dodgers... and if you'll remember, I got those tickets from winning the auction at Sharky Rescue 2012 about a month or so back. This was also Dizzy's first time visiting AT&T Park... so it was doubly special. Our tickets were lower bowl along the left field line... and the game was pretty amazing. Before it starts, pitcher Matt Cain was award the key to the city of San Francisco as he threw a perfect game two weeks earlier. I've always wondered what those thing really opened. They seem too big for most keyholes... but then again, we all have experience with that problem, am I right guys? Eh? Too big... for keyholes... I'm talking about penis & vagina... it's a metaphor... f**k, never mind, I'm an idiot. Anyway, the game was pretty good... and the Giants won 2-0.
Then Thursday night, Dizzy's friend who she hadn't seen in a while called her up... and offered tickets to the Cincinatti Reds Game at AT&T Park... so we went to that too. What happened? Well, another part of that Giants package was an autographed baseball by Madison Bumgarner... who was pitching for the Giants... and he threw a complete game one hitter shutout, which is pretty f**king cool... and the Giants won 5-0. It was their 4th straight shutout... and we were there for two of them. Sweet! Also, I met her friend Donovan & he's cool as hell.
Friday night was my work's little unofficial Summer Kickoff party at Jillian's... so we went out, played some pool, had some drinks, ate some fine niblets like sliders, calamari, bruschetta, etc but I called it a pretty early night because I had been out a few times this week & wasn't sleeping well. Also, I was in my work clothes yet again so that played a part... but it was great hanging out with the coworkers for a few hours. That pretty much brings us to today, where my mom is en route... but without my niece & nephew because my brother (completely expectedly) decided to go rogue douche... and I'm frantically trying to clean up so it doesn't look like an oversexed teenage bachelor lives in my apartment. That basically brings us to what you've all been waiting for...

Basketball’s Christmas

This is my annual look in the NBA Draft... as I seem to think I know a little bit about basketball... and I make predictions & observations about the picks. If you're new, please feel free to check out my past entries & see how I've done with my predictions. In the meantime, here's what I noticed this year (after checking the outcome since I didn't watch the actual draft):

1. New Orleans - Anthony Davis (center from Kentucky) - Everybody knew that AD was going to be the number one pick... even before Commissioner Stern rigged the draft lottery. What? Oh yeah... Commissioner Stern, I know you get off on running this league like your own private fantasy league... but seriously, if you want to prove all the naysayers who call you on your bluffs wrong... it's very f**king simple, just hold the lottery LIVE!!! You have nothing to hide, right? I thought so, don't take it out on Jim Rome cuz you a b**ch. I'm not even a Rome fan... but still, deal with it when you're called on it. What's my point? Oh yeah, back to Davis. Yeah, he's already a great defender, rebounder, and can actually shoot decent. For a 19 year old kid whose still growing into his seven foot body that magically appeared over the summer (puberty will do that) who knows how tall he'll be a few years from now. Also, the pickup of the Son of Doc, Austin Rivers from Duke with the 10th pick might be good... but then again, he might be all hype. I'll go with decent shooter because he has the size, the attitude & the shot to be the next Ray Allen if he puts his mind to it. Two potential starters for this team depending on how the Eric Gordon thing goes.

2. Charlotte - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (forward from Kentucky) - Wildcats make the top two picks (there will be five or so before the draft is over) but I like MKG. He's hard working, good size, and he just wins. Well... at least until he lands in Charlotte & realizes how completely f**king that franchise is... but hey, they HAVE to win more than last year... and besides, he may be the savior that finally ends that pesky 23 game losing streak that the team had to finish last year. Seriously, why doesn't Commissioner Stern do something about this team? Is he just trying to rub it in Michael Jordan's face or something?

3. Washington - Bradley Beal (guard from Florida) - I didn't see too much of this guy... but apparently he's one of the best slashers in the college game, can shoot & has good size. The team over in Washington looks like it might be pretty good with John Wall, him, Nene & Emeka Okafor... plus with last year's pick Jan Vesely & his recently drafted Czech friend Tomas Satoransky, they have a dynamic duo of dunkin' Czech swingers... er, swingmen. Okay, they'll probably still kinda suck... but give them a few years, we'll see.

4. Cleveland - Dion Waiters (guard from Syracuse) - Okay... I don't know what the f**k to think about the Cavs & how they draft. I saw Waiters play... and yes, he's a pretty good shooter, though undersized for the pro game... but here's my thing... he didn't even start on his college team. Which means, at best, he was the 6th best player on a Big East basketball team... so HOW is he the 4th best player in all of college basketball? I think you f**ked up this pick royally Cleveland (and I keep thinking about Jonny Flynn when Minnesota drafted him a few years ago when they already had an abundance of point guards, is David Kahn with the Cavs now?) but hey, prove me wrong. Is Tristan Thompson, last year's #4 pick any good? I haven't seen him in the pros yet. Apparently the Cavs aren't worth watching on TV without LeBron. That being said, I kinda like their pickup of UNC center Tyler Zeller with the 17th pick because they could use some talented height... but did they need to trade three picks in to get him? I don't know. Probably not... but whatever, we shall see.

5. Sacramento - Thomas Robinson (forward from Kansas) - In my opinion, second best player in the draft falls to Sactown at number five... and I'm sure they'll find a way to f**k it up... but in the meantime, great rebounder, great defender, talented in the post, great attitude & work ethic... I like him a lot... like a David West kind of player before David got paid & hurt. Great pick!

6. Portland - Damian Lillard (guard from WEBER STATE) - YES, B**CHES!!! IT'S OFFICAL!!! WEBER STATE FINALLY HAS A LOTTERY PICK TO MAKE THEM AN OFFICIAL UNIVERSITY!!! CITY OF OGDEN, THROW YOUR MUTHA F**KIN HANDS UP!!! Anyway, so yeah... I haven't seen much of Mr. Lillard since I haven't been to the Dee Events Center (if it's still called that) since Harold Arceneaux was in the house... and the highlights that I see are all against Big Sky conference opponents that I used to play pickup games against... but he appears to be fast, can shoot with the best of them, unlimited distance, and not gonna lie... I was kind of hoping that he'd fall to the 7th pick so that the native son of Oakland & man of Ogden could come back to play for the Warriors... but hey, he should be a good fit in Portland too. Hopefully better than Jerryd Bayless anyway. Also, picking up Illinois center Meyers Leonard basically game him the kiss of death with being a big guy in the NBA. Portland just destroys them. Remember when Sam Bowie was picked before MJ? Bill Walton lasted a few years before he was destroyed? They picked Greg Oden before Kevin Durant? Yeah, I know I thought Oden would prove them all wrong & there's still time... but yeah, unless he leads them to 3-4 rings, I'm gonna look kinda foolish for that one.

7. Golden State - Harrison Barnes (forward from UNC) - So... I know the last thing that the Warriors needed was another guy who can shoot all f**king day... but I REALLY like this pick. Barnes was supposed to be the #1 overall pick coming straight outta high school... then after some ACC competition for two years, his stock slipped a bit because they found out he wasn't LeBron... but he was still a really good player... like JJ Redick a few years back... but with a 38 inch vertical... so yeah, good things probably coming for the Warriors... plus he should have a chip on his shoulder since Cleveland didn't draft him. God knows I would. Seriously, Dion Waiters? Anyway, they also drafted a decent center from Vanderbilt named Festus Ezeli (just fun to say) and what I'm putting down as my potential steal of the draft... Draymond Green from Michigan State. Yeah, I know his college career crashed with blowing out his knee... but he's young... and the NBA has great doctors... and he's already got the knowledge & skills, not one of these f**king potential picks that I kind of despise & rarely work out. Anyway, with their trades last year & a potential offseason under coach Mark Jackson, watch out for the Warriors in 2012-2013. They may surprise you... sigh... but that'll mean that ticket prices are gonna be sh*tty... compounded with them moving to San Francisco in 2017 allegedly. Oh, did I mention that? Cuz that's kind of exciting in it's own right.

8. Toronto - Terence Ross (Washington) - Okay, I'm not gonna lie, I don't have an opinion one way or another about Ross because all I've heard or seen is that I've heard he can jump... the reason I'm bringing up the Raptors at all (besides the coolest mascot name in sports) is their second round pickup of Baylor's Quincy Acy. I really like this guy. Always have since he was a freshman. He's a little undersized for power forward... but strong, resilient, & can jump outta the building. All he seems to do is grab offensive boards and dunk them back in. What's not to love about that? Great weak side shot blocker too. Should really work well coming off the bench for a little punch with the Raptors international coalition that they have going up there. I'll say it... he reminds me of Charles Barkley without the nastiness... which really makes him like a Reggie Evans or Lavoy Allen kind of journeyman. Still, I like it.

9. Detroit - Andre Drummond (center from UConn) - Everybody picks this guy apart. EVERYBODY!!! They like to focus on what he isn't... which apparently is a free throw shooter (29%? Really? I hit more with my eye closed, no joke, I'd check his f**king vision, they ain't got optomistrists in Storrs?), but I'm gonna tell you what he is. He's big (7 feet, 280 pounds) and 19 years old... so may still be growing a bit. He's athletic. They keep saying that he's immature & doesn't really know how to play the game at a high level or something... so I'll say it again. OF COURSE HE'S IMMATURE!!! HE'S 19 F**KING YEARS OLD!!! TEACH THE GIANT TO PLAY!!! Do you have any idea what kind of stupid immature sh*t I was doing when I was 19? I'll give you a hint... I'm not gonna talk about it on this blog. Anyway, I kinda love this pic. He could be a big deal in Detroit for a long time to come if he wants to focus on his game.

12. Houston - Jeremy Lamb (guard from UConn) - Okay three of the next seven picks were by the Rockets who were really just trying to get a bunch of people to trade for Dwight Howard (or really anybody else they could get for the pile of average players on their roster) before that came crashing down... so now they... they just... well, do you remember when Kevin Garnett got traded to the Celtics... and the Timberwolves had like 18-20 players rights... but they could only have 15, so they ended up just dumping a lot of them... and then sucking so hard it ripped the space time continuum up North for a while? I don't think it's a coincidence that Kevin McHale is involved in both of these situation... but with this potential suckhole being placed in Houston, this might threaten the entire United State from getting sucked into this vortex. That might be harsh... and I may be way off... but we'll see. They have a lot of decent assets. Let's see if they know how to handle them.

21. Boston - Jared Sullinger (forward from Ohio State) - This guy might be my other pick for steal of the draft if he lives up to half his potential. Another player that was thought to be a potential #1 overall two years ago... but had a decent college career without giving too much effort (one of his knocks) and had some back injuries that may halt his career at any time... but for a late first round pick, I like him in Boston. Give them size & toughness and a little scoring punch in the post. The next pick was Fab Melo from Syracuse and... what is it about Syracuse players being overrated? I get it, you play in Madision Square Garden all the time... but if you're a seven footer... and you AVERAGE 7 points & 5 boards a game, HOW ARE YOU A FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK??? Oh Big East Defensive player of the year? Who was your competition for that? Anyway... I hate to say it... but Fab Melo reminds me of a skinnier version of Daniel Orton a few years back. Oh who's Daniel Orton? Remember when the Magic drafted him to be Dwight's protege two years ago? 19 year old that average 3 points & 3 boards at Kentucky? Yeah, not sure what he's up to now... but that pretty much says it.

28. Oklahoma City - Perry Jones III (forward from Baylor) - He should actually feel a little blessed that he fell to a team like OKC that could maximize his talents. PJ3 as the kids are calling him had some knee issues & seemingly motivational issues his last year at Baylor... but trainers & millions of dollars as well as a great basketball environment in OKC could turn this slide around and make him a great contributor on this young team that's already established but needed height & skills. They got both with PJ3 if they can keep him healthy.

The Spurs had like the 2nd to last pick of the draft... and it was some guy I never heard of... so yeah, about the only other late pick that I had an opinion about was Minnesota picking up Robbie Hummel from Purdue who should help them out... again, if he can stay healthy (had a few major injuries that brought down the Purdue program during a title run) but yeah, that's about it this round. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for my mom's visit. Have a great 4th of July weekend everybody!!!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Jersey Shore Shark Attack

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,
Of course I’ve been super busy the past few weeks, months, years… but that’s no excuse for not sharing the awesomeness of my life with you… or at least amusing stories from time to time. Remember when I had great crazy ass dreams to share, provocative ideas, panda updates, movie reviews, news tidbits explained as if I was a writer for the Great Stephen Colbert? Yeah… me too. But my ranting is just too imposing for tweets or quick updates… and that’s frankly all I have time for most of the time. Regardless, here’s what’s been going on with me lately.
Last weekend was Dizzy’s birthday… and as if the week leading up to it wasn’t enough (trips to Monterey & Wine Country, magnificent meals, bacon beer, etc), apparently I still had to treat her like a princess. Okay… so I wasn’t “required” to… and yeah, she frankly said that I had done more than enough to impress her already… but still, you remember what she did for me on my birthday, right? Santa Cruz? The Boardwalk? Seacliff Beach? Capitola? Fish & chips? Dippin’ Dots? F**king WHALES? John Wayne-ghes Khan? She even made an arrangement of caricature & cheeses for my dinner. Yeah, she deserved something special… and I’m not going to go into a whole lot of details but it did involve jewelry & a lot of time together.
Fun fact: Her original plans were to go to Chuck E Cheese for her birthday… exactly like somebody else you may know who celebrated their 27th birthday at the home of Charles Edward Cheese. However, when that was becoming too stressful though, the roommate Batgirl & I offered our apartment for a little get-together, I went out for pizza & we basically hung out & watched trashy TV together, including My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding and… this movie review…
Jersey Shore Shark Attack” – God bless the Syfy Channel! From the makers of “Dino Croc vs. Supergator”, “Sharktopus”, and a dense library of other completely unwatchable TV movies… comes this combination of… you’ll never guess… The Jersey Shore… and Sharks Attacking. I have no idea what the story was because… why? Guidos on the shore, doing what they do (allegedly), GTL lifestyle, beatin’ the beat up, drama between the lead couple, I think one of their dads was a police chief, WHAM!!! Joey Fatone gets snacked up by a mutha f**king shark Samuel L Jackson in the Deep Blue Sea style… and just when he was about to start blessing them with his angelic voice. I guess there’s not going to be an N*Sync reunion concert less it’s in the belly of a shark. I can see it now, the Pinnochio Tour. Anyway, yeah… crudely animated sharks eat horrible actors… dialogue written courageously by MTV viewers is spoken… and yeah, you occasionally ask yourself why you’re still watching it… but it’s good fodder for the background conversations that’re going on anyway. “Who’s going to be the first guido eaten?” “I’ve got five bucks on the chick in pink!” “Why do you say that?” “Look how far she is away from the rest of them… you can’t have too many moving people in these low tech animations so it’ll make a more ‘realistic’ shot… besides, why else would she be that far away? Is she looking to cop a squat?” Yes, I’m classy. Spoiler alert: They live! Now you don’t have to watch it at all. You’re welcome! Coming next week… “Piranhaconda”!!!
Speaking of pretty bad movies, I watched “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” starring John Cho, Kal Penn and the great NPH briefly. Harold & Kumar are buddies… and in the first two movies of the trilogy they go out and have a zany bunch of adventures while under the influence of drug paraphernalia ending in learned life lessons & happy endings for all. In this third installment, they’ve grown apart a bit… as Harold & his wife are looking to raise a traditional family… and Kumar quit trying to be a doctor & just wants to get high. Well, their paths cross, a tree is destroyed on Christmas Eve, and now they have to find an identical 12-foot fir before anybody notices… or else Harold father-in-law (Machete himself, Danny Trejo) will decapitate both of his heads in ascending order. Along the way, hijinx ensue… but honestly, I fell asleep watching this movie the first time… and the second time wasn’t much better. Stupid characters in stupid situations can be funny… but usually there has to something there… like you want them to come out on top. I frankly didn’t care because… well, it was a burnt Christmas tree. Also, I know it was made for the whole 3D experience… and unless it’s Avatar or something, I just don’t see the point. When you’re watching it in 2D, it’s just slowed down & predictably lame for the setup of the 3D… and nobody under the age of 18 is allowed to watch the show anyway. Who is that amusing? That being said… I’m glad that the two friends were able to work out their differences & continue their growth. What? Oh, did I REALLY have to say spoiler alert before that? Really? It’s a Christmas movie! Did you really expect there to be a bad ending?
That’s it… just to be “that guy” I’m going to have to make a Christmas movie with a sh*tty ending. I’ll even give it a quirky title like “Bob’s Bodacious Christmas” and get some bitter former Pixar employees to animate it… Here’s a quick setup: Bob didn’t get his Christmas bonus (again), and it has the potential to ruin Christmas for his family of five. Of course he doesn’t have any savings. He’s from this generation where the vast majority of the middle class barely make enough to get by. Heck, he’s even in debt to Dollar Loan Center to make last month’s mortgage & car payment (used 2003 Taurus that’s barely holding together). So in a last ditch effort to get some quick cash, in the weeks leading up to the big day he decides to do a little fund raising. I’m not sure exactly how… but in the Harold & Kumar tradition… I think he’ll try to sell a little weed on the side. Wait, the profit margins are too small. Let’s go Breaking Bad & he’s making it a white crystal Christmas for some lucky people out there using his chemistry savvy. He’s raised just about enough to get that PS3 package that’s on sale with the new Assassin’s Creed 3 game, some of those ugly ass Bratz dolls that his daughter wants, even a little faux sapphire jewelry for the wifey that he saw on TV the other night that he’s paying four easy installments on… Spoiler alert: He gets busted with just enough for intent to distribute charges & gets resisting arrest and assault of a police officer when the undercover accidentally shoots himself with pepper spray, the public defender (he can’t afford a real lawyer) tells him to take a plea, of course the bank quickly forecloses on his house, the presents, car & everything else are repossessed, his family has until New Year’s to move all of their remaining stuff (thankfully not much) into his mother’s basement upstate… but she’s having health issues that medicare isn’t covering so she’s in similar financial states as well… but I’ll save that for the sequel. What? Oh you think he should sell some cookies or wood carvings that he fashioned in his garage? He doesn’t have a garage… and time is short. It’s either that or knock off a liquor store or rob a bank of something. Hell, I think it’d be at least nominated for an Academy Award. Or maybe an MTV Movie Award. “And the nominees for this year’s Grittiest Animated Movie Involving Drug Use are…” Anyway, what’s my point? Oh yeah… Merry Christmas! Let’s try not to be materialistic, okay? Remember who you’re working for & let them know that you love them very much.
A few nights ago, I also watched “Chronicle” which is another one of those “found footage” movies like Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield, Quarantine, etc. but now… it’s basically a superhero movie take on it. I will admit that the format is an interesting way of telling the story… but usually what happens is you REALLY start to draw too much attention to the stupid stuff that the camera guy is yelling or saying or expositioning. For example, the guy from Cloverfield, you’ve seen it… and you wanted him to die just so he would shut up, right? Anyway, sometimes it’s not so bad. In this movie, three teenagers (the awkward loner, his cousin & the cool black kid) stumble upon some meteorite or something… and they soon learn that they have these new telekinetic powers… and they’re getting stronger. Well, long story short, the awkward loner with an abusive father doesn’t use great responsibility with his new powers… and conflict ensues. The movie was actually pretty well done for the format… and I enjoyed it. Some parts were obviously really predictable, but what are you gonna do? I highly recommend it for a change of pace movie.



Next up is a sequel that I’ve been really excited about for a while called “Johnny English Reborn” starring Rowan Atkinson, Rosamund Pike, Dominic West & Scully herself, Ms. Gillian Anderson with an English accent in a parody of the great James Bond film series. For those who didn’t see the classic original, Johnny English (Atkinson) is a bumbling secret agent for MI7 who saved the world from an evil French John Malkovich who wanted to turn the island of Britain into the world’s largest prison (actually not a horrible idea). Anyway, the sequel takes place five years later when after a mission gone bad in Mozambique, English is at a Tibetan monastery learning to find inner peace… when Country comes calling again needing his assistance. The Chinese premier is the target of a deadly group of assassins… and there’s only one man who can save the world from war… but instead Johnny English is given the duty. The movie is actually quite hilarious in the whole Bean meets Bond angle and the plays on the clichés of the genre. For example, I LOVED the chase scene where the assassin is getting away by doing a lot of parkour and dangerous maneuvers… while English uses his “experience” to just take the stairs… or use the door… or squeeze by a gate. Anyway, I highly recommend checking this movie out… and Rowan Atkinson is basically a comedic genius. And if you don’t know, now you know.
Anyway, that’ll do it for me today. Just over a week until my mom comes to visit… and still no word on who will be coming with her… but regardless, I was able to use a little of my vacation so I’ll have a four-day weekend for the 4th of July when it comes around. REALLY excited about that… and she’ll get to meet Dizzy… which apparently is a big step. I don’t know. I think my mom has met just about every girl I’ve ever dated more than twice but whatever. My dad on the other hand, I think he’s only met one or two. Not sure he can be trusted around the ladies. Once a playa always a playa… where do you think I get it from? Have a great night everybody!!!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

The Wingmans Take the Bay

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,
Yeah… I know… it’s been too long. Well, I assure you that I’ve been busy. Work has been frantic… and it basically exhausts me into the evenings some days… but luckily I’m enjoy to enjoy bliss just about every day thanks to my family, friends, roommates, ladyfriend, even coworkers from time to time. Yeah work can be tough… but that’s why they pay you. Period. Anyway, where did I leave off last time? You know what? I think I’m just going to start with the Wingmans visit…
A few Wednesdays ago, I picked up the Wingmans at Oakland Int’l, we enjoyed some In-n-Out Burger, cracked a few bottles of Rogue Ales Bacon Maple Ale, and basically just chillaxed that first night catching up on life. See, I think the last time that I saw these guys was at my 30th birthday cruise last year… so we had a lot to catch up on.
Thursday, I worked while they played… and I even hooked them up with a nice romantic evening at a nice little place on the coast south of town… because I’m an amazing human being & they deserved it. Oh by the way, this trip was my 5th anniversary present / birthday present for Mrs Wingman aka Chick ‘n’ Wing. I think that I hooked them up pretty good… but they deserved it.
Friday, I worked again but by the graces of my coworkers, I was able to get out at a reasonable hour, meet up with Dizzy & the Wingmans, and head out to Monterey. The drive down there was beautiful along the Pacific Coast Highway… and we even stopped to grab some fruit for snacks. That first night we pulled into town & dinner at the Old Fisherman’s Grotto… and that was pretty much it.
That Saturday, we went to the Monterey Aquarium… and nerded out for the majority of the day… observe!!!

























Next stop was the legendary 17 mile drive through Pebble Beach… and we did some wandering…









That night we ate at the Crown & Anchor, enjoying some great food & great beers… and there was a bachelorette party… but obviously not the crazy Vegas variety, mostly valley girls that were more irritating than anything else. Totally.
That Sunday, we went for round two at the Aquarium (since we didn’t get it all the first day) so here’s more nerdiness…





Then we drove out to Moss Landing Beach



Then out to the Renaissance Lodge Sonoma, ate the magnificent Murphy’s Burgers (half beef – half bacon) and of course… a few beverages in preparation for the hot tub & major relaxation back at the hotel.
That Monday, before they woke up,  Dizzy & I went across the street to Train Town, apparently a local favorite among kids... but when we got there, it was spooky... like abandoned Scooby Doo Amusement park scary... complete with empty strollers & not a soul in sight... Here are some pictures…


And on this Monday, I actually had a weekday off from work. Yes, yes, I know, ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! I agree 100%!!! We celebrated by going to several wineries… and yes, many of them were ones that Dizzy & I had visited during our last trip… but they were so cool that we thought we’d share them with the Wingmans.
…and of course to end the day, we DID visit a really cool new one… Castillo di Amarosa Winery, which is a beautifully constructed castle that actually hosts a pretty wicked looking Renaissance Faire with jousting and such… but it’s also a pretty penny to attend. Regardless, it’s pretty amazing to behold.
That Tuesday, it was back to work… but we all met up again after work and enjoyed a fine night at Café Prague with dinner, drinks, etc. Wednesday was pretty much work followed by driving the Wingmans out to the airport.
In all, the trip was a complete success… and I’m glad that the Wingmans could get to see how I’m living so that they can stop worrying about me (okay, just the Chick ‘n’ Wing… she worries, Mr Wingman knows better) and I could show them just a few of the awesome things to do out here. I miss them terribly… and hope to go visit them soon at their new house… but I’m sure we’ll figure it all out. Hope you enjoyed! Have a great day everybody!!!

Where Should I Go Next?