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 30^th 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 5^th 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!!!

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!