The Month of September - Top 10

Why hello all....... Since it has been a while since I've contributed to this blog and I know how highly anticipated postings are, i figured I should take the remainder of my work day to give you the Top 10 from September 2010. Here is goes:

10. Concerts - Something Corporate and Jimmy Eat World - Memories, Memories, Memories.. Oh how it takes me back.

9. Playing cornhole (otherwise known as bean bag toss) in front of our house during the Folsom street fair... Most uncomfortable moment occured when a naked man walked down our desserted street up to Raman and I and chester bolts to sniff him.... Awkward....

8. In my last post, i talked about the season finales... Well good news!! September was filled with season premieres!!! Grey's, the Office, Modern Family, Gossip Girl, 90210, Jersey Shore... need i go on further - probably not.

7. September has been the month where shamelessly I have become addicted to online shopping..... Just a click away and you can trade in your life savings for a kate spade bag.. Seems too easy..

6. The first month of enjoying our new laminate floors and hard wood stairs. Best part of it is watching chester slip and slide around as he tries to go up the stairs at an excelarated pace... I think he might have to get him little booties so he'll have some traction.

5. Received the invitation to my high school reunion during September and was ever so pleased to see that it's during the time we're in DC/NY in November!!! That could have been an awkward evening.

4. Our birthdays were celebrated by friends and family aboard a little yacht with a green screen covering it. Enjoyed a beautiful day on the bay with too much booze... Bad decisions did occur (like purchasing shots for 25 people at Public House) but good decisions did occur as well (I still believe walking from Public House to union square was brillant thanks to good company (Erin, Wang, and Simon)

3. Figured out the receipe for a Chipote burrito bowl! Chili rubbed pork with corn/tomato salsa and cilantro lime rice.. That one's going into the routine.

2. Half Dome - September 18th... Zach, Raman, Jami, Chris, Chris, Al, and I completed Half

Dome!! What a feat! There were times when I didn't think I would make it but we all did it!! Best part (besides for making it to the top was coming down the cables to see Chris and Al making their way up! - we thought for sure they'd turned around and had been enjoying beers back at the camp!)...

1. While this did not occur during the month of September, it might be one of the cutest, funniest, sadiest, most annoying, and more endearing moments of 2010. Chester in a cone.......

South Africa: 5 more pictures, 5 more stories

Bunny Chow

A truly South African dish, bunny chow has nothing to do with rabbits and everything to do with deliciousness. Making bunny chow goes something like this:

1. Take a loaf of white bread, and cut it into quarters

2. Hollow out a quarter piece, saving the insides for dipping

3. Fill with delightful curry

4. Eat with your hands

The Indian Wedding

Raman's mom and Durban relatives put together an amazing wedding reception for Raman and Christie. There was a feast (so much food!), everyone was dressed to impress, and there were a bunch of traditions that I don't claim to understand. All I know is I had to trade some nuts or something for a pineapple, which I felt pretty good about. Anyways, the real joy of the occasion was seeing the love and support of Raman's family (well that, and seeing Raman up on his throne like Eddie Murphy in Coming to America). It was definitely an honor to able to not only witness the event, but to be able to participate as well.

Zulu Beer

While in Durban we went to a Zulu village where we were able to try beer made with the traditional Zulu methods that they've been using for hundreds of years. Wasn't the best beer I've ever had, but it was definitely the most unique. They also let us try some of their beer mixed with pineapple and other fruit juices, which was so good even Christie drank it.

If you can't bring South Africa to the Bay...

...then bring a little bit of the Bay to South Africa. April and Raman conspired to get everyone the same San Francisco t-shirt from Chinatown for $1.88 a pop. We all wore them when we went over to one of Raman's relative's house one night for a braai. Several people liked them so much that most of us left our shirts in Durban, and one of Raman's younger cousins wore his at least twice before we left. But don't worry, Raman kept one and it made an appearance in Vegas.

Relationships Blossomed

We were all friends before heading off to South Africa, but some relationships were taken to new levels while we were there. Chachee seemed to do the most blossoming, going on "dates" with April and Mandy, making friends with Raman's 80 year old aunt and, as seen above, showing his appreciation for Igor in idyllic South African wine country.

South Africa: 5 pictures, 5 stories

The Vuvuzela

Chachee was the undisputed king of the infamous vuvuzela. He carried his with him almost all the time, and did his best to abide by the rules set forth by his fellow travelers: no vuvuzela in the van; no vuvuzela before noon; and no vuvuzela at World Heritage sites (namely Robben Island). The vuvuzela is not just your run of the mill noise maker, however. It was also used for drinking champagne (as seen above), as a make-shift beer bong, and to smoke out of a hookah.

Braai

Braai is basically South African barbeque. Only it's way better. Pictured above is the braai we had in a township outside of Durban. This establishment featured an array of uncooked meats that in the US you could never find outside of a butcher. You pay for any and all meats that you want, which are piled on a cutting board which you take out back to a giant grill, where it's cooked for you and then brought to your table. Then you just hang out, drink, and eat meat (sorry Beth!). The platter above featured sausage, pork, lamb, and kidneys, and ran us about $20.

Wild Animals

Hopefully you at least sort of tell what's happening in the picture above. In case you can't, allow me to set the stage. We went on a sunrise safari drive (after already going on a sunset/night drive the evening before and seeing tons of animals) and didn't see a single animal for the entire first hour. Just when I was starting to give up hope, we pulled along side two other jeeps on the side of the road who clearly had something interesting going on. Lo and behold, three female lions have caught something and are having a nice little breakfast for themselves. Turns out breakfast was a baby rhinoceros (Sorry again Beth)! One lion was off to the side gnawing on big gray leg. Another was pulling entrails out of the rhino (which I'm pretty sure is basically just showing off). All in all, pretty spectacular.

Korea DPR

Better known to most Americans as North Korea, Korea DPR played Portugal in the last match we attended in South Africa. Since the Ronaldos, err, I mean, Portugal, had no shortage of people rooting for them at the World Cup three brave souls (Chachee, myself, and another traveler who wishes to remain anonymous, I guess to preserve his future in politics) decided to support the underdogs. So we bought flags, we painted our faces, and we made up cheers ("Hana, dhool, seht. We're not done yet!"). We got other people in our section rooting for the Koreans. And I have to tell you -- I may get the CIA knocking on my door, but it was a blast.

Just Because...

...this is maybe the most amazing picture ever. This was after the Spain-Switzerland match, and I have no idea what was said to get the policemen to offer up their vests. But the looks on both of their faces cannot be taken lightly.

I have grand desires for a part two to this post (5 more pictures, 5 more stories). I'm only telling you that so that I feel guilty about not posting another.

SHAME!!!!!

If this virtual shaming doesn't guilt people into posting, I don't know what will. Oh yes I do! Dun, Dun, Dun! You have two weeks, or embarrassing pictures of the following people might begin to surface on this blog....
Erin
Raman
Danielle
Jami

Things About Things

(In case you forgot what I looked like)

I don't have a ton to say, and this blog post is being written more out of guilt of not posting than out of actual, interesting news... but here it goes, a top ten list of things about things (or "potpourri", as Jeopardy would call it).

10. I am on my way to turning into my fantasy; a thick skinned, hard scrabblin', ole country boy from Texas. The person that I want to be when I grow up has invited to mentor me, and I am getting my first lesson on Saturday. He has already gifted me with a corncob pipe, and will provide sipping Wild Turkey and a garage. I need to provide a dog, and we'll sit in his garage with our dogs, and the aforementioned whiskey and tobacco. I hope I can live up to his expectations.

9. The Bay Area will be graced by the presence of a one Chachee Ramos over the weekend. Our South Africa encounters went swimmingly, so I am optimistic that this weekend will be great. I just hope that he has weaned himself from his biltong (South African beef jerky) dependency by Saturday, I really don't want to find him sleeping on a couch covered in jerky with one hand in a biltong bag and the rest of his body twitching occasionally.

8. My father got married on Saturday. It was a fun, mellow, casual affair filled with family, friends and good food. I raided the bar at the end (at the bartender's suggestion), which made the event that much better. For all of those with questions: no, I'm not going to call her mom, and; who knows, maybe we'll paint our toes and braid each others hair someday, I'm not ruling it out.

7. The UCSB crew is heading to our annual Vegas trip in a couple weeks. Madness will surely ensue. There are 17 Gauchos (or those that love Gauchos) making the trip, and to up the ante, the other Bible sister is bringing along another 20 or so friends, including 11 boys who have decided to treat this weekend as a bachelor party for one of his friends. I'm assuming that we'll find deuce deuce with them at the Crazy Horse II at 3:00 am on Sunday.

6. I've been thinking about instituting a "jello shot Friday" tradition. I think it will be something to look forward to.

5. Our book club is tonight. I chose the book Lowboy, and I'm interested in seeing how it went over. I'm afraid the bar was set too high by the author and Zach Galifianakis, who had a pretty funny interview/short video on amazon.com. I've somehow conned Zach (my Zach, not Zach the one man wolf pack) into making dinner, so our readers can look forward to oxtails and polenta. Yum.

4. I'm beginning a slow transition to a different unit over the summer. Sort of a "helping out" probationary period type of thing. I'm optimistic that it is a good move, and it should allow me to travel (although not to South America). If anyone wants to be my traveling buddy to Asia, let me know.

3. Zach and I ran the tables at darts in SB over the weekend. It was the closest thing I've felt (and will probably ever feel) to glory. And, I hit three bulls eyes during out reign of terror, which, I'm pretty sure, is a personal best. Autograph requests and personal appearances are currently being considered.

2. I recently got Mandy and Z to watch Grownups with me. This is an official warning, don't.make.the.same.mistake.I.did. On a vaguely related note, I know the guy that made the poster. He is an amazing designer who gets stuck with shitty movies. The last one I remember him telling me he made was "don't mess with the zohan," maybe he is cursed?

1. With SA under our belts, I'm beggining to feel a little restless. I think Z and I are going to plan to visit the sister (overrated) in June and do a little Italy, Slovenia, Croatia trifecta. It sounds like fun, but I'm also willing to hear other suggestions in case something better pops up! Either way, any ideas of which region of Italy to go to is highly appreciated.

0. (Bonus!) Although I am thrilled that my star-eyed wandering buddies are having the time of their lives abroad, I am really beginning to miss them pretty badly, and as I am a selfish person, I would really appreciate it if they got their wandering out of their system so they could just come home already, okay?

N.O.L.A.

My girlfriend and I went to a wedding in Lafayette, Louisiana for my buddy Mark. I also, stayed in New Orleans for a few days beforehand. In keeping with the top 10 lists here we go...

10. Plantation - So after spending a couple nights in New Orleans hanging w/ the guys, we drove over to Lafayette, LA (more technically New Iberia) for the wedding. We obviously took the less traveled highway 90 with a whole day to kill before we needed to arrive in New Iberia. Along the way Jen (our navigator and factologist) found a historic plantation that did daily tours, however, by the time we got there it was closed. From the fence that read, "Beware watch dog on premises." we could see the main house and it was pretty impressive.

9. FOOD - While in New Orleans I got to eat at several good restaurants. On the first night we went to Dickie Brennen's Steakhouse (http://www.dickiebrennanssteakhouse.com/) because Travis owes me 3 (now 2) steak dinners. The other reason we decided on this place is that in the if you eat in the bar the only restrictions was that you had to have sleeves on your shirt. I didn't pack the cut offs so I was good to go. Had the house filet w/ fried oysters for good measure. the following day we ate at Acme Oyster House and this small divey soul food joint called Mother's. Had a shrimp po boy and some red beans and rice. It was probably the best po boy I've ever had.

8. La Quinta & Chilis - New Iberia, despite the great name, is not the most happening place in Louisiana. All the guests of the wedding were pretty much staying at the La Quinta Inn (newly remodeled and very nice). The only place that had a bar was Chili's. Don't get me wrong, I do like Chili's, but there is only so much chain food atmosphere I can handle. This Chili's did have an amazing deal as all draft beers were 2 for 1. This deal was taken advantage of over and over again throughout the weekend.

7. Omni Pool - After a night of long dirnking there is nothing more this pasty white guy likes to do than hang by the pool and by pool I mean covered area by a pool that has a bar. A few people were staying at the Omni in the French Quarter so we decided to take advantage of the rooftop pool w/ bar. Nothing like getting rid of a hangover by drinking Corona cans all day ;)

6. Beignets and Cafe Ole - I have never had a beignet before and apparently Cafe Du Monde is the most touristy place to go for them but they sure are good. Not a big sweets guy but something about the outdoor seating, the street musicians, and the cafe ole made this a great experience. In the outdoor seating area they have ceiling fans to help you cool off which reminded me of Hong Kong.

5. Acme Oyester House Balcony - If you go to New Orleans there is one thing that we all think of and the is Balcony's. Instead of doing a really expensive dinner Travis decided it would be a better idea to rent out the top of the Acme Oyster House place that has a balcony looking over Bourbon street. We ordered a ton of Oysters and had a 2 hour all you could drink deal. It was definitely a highlight of staying in New Orleans.

4. Tabasco Tour - Avery Island is really close to New Iberia and this is where Tabasco is made. If you look closely on the bottle is says "McIlhenny Co." and "Avery Island LA." McIlhenny is the founder of the company that got a patent for the recipe which goes something like this...Take Tabasco peppers, vinegar, and salt ground up and age it for 3 years in a bourbon oak barrel. After the mash is aged you strain it, add more vinegar, and stir for 28 days and then bottle. They have a tour and gift shop that has all kinds of Tabasco products. Overall it was pretty cool and i bought wood chips that they chop out of the oak barrels that they are done using for Zach, hopefully he smokes something good (thanks Dickers).

3. Pre-Jeans - This is traditional cajun restaurant that was recommended by Laurie (the bride and LA native) and her family. The food was really good as we tried fried crawfish, alligator, frog legs, crab legs, and oysters. For my entree I had crawfish etoufee which was ridiculously good. The funny part of this story is that the entire time at the restaurant and when a buddy was talking to Laurie's family about where we went to dinner we pronounced it Pre-Jeans which they had no idea what we were talking about. It is cajun country so obviously it is pronounced with a French inflection.

2. Air Boat Tour - You're not in the Bayou until you do a air boat swamp tour. This was really really cool. Basically a air boat is a raft with a V8 engine that powers a fan. It can go really fast and basically glide on the water or it can maneuver deep in the swamp land even jump over floating tree stumps. We saw some birds but no alligators. It was told to us later that because it was so hot and late in the day (around 2PM) that they had already called it a day. Despite wearing headphones I still can't hear.

1. Wedding - It was a very nice wedding where there was a live band, friends, booze, and tons of fun. During on part of the night they broke out a bunch of Mardi Gras masks and handed them out to everyone w/ beads. Truly a great end to a fun weekend.

PS My girlfriend, who wishes to go nameless on the blog wants to add, I ate Alligator

I can't be original...so I decided to go with the flow...here's another top 10, possibly 7.

I promised April that I would contribute at well, and 2 weeks after she sent me the email to signup, I'm finally doing it. Which, to my credit, is alot better than Christie and her 30 days apparently. I'm intrigued by these lists that people are doing; it's straight and to the point, but at the same time it's evenly spaced out so that it makes it easier on the eyes. Here are the top thoughts currently going on in my head at the moment. These are in no random order.

1) After multiple people telling me that they watch Glee and that it's a good show, i've also decided to start watching it. I have a lot of episodes to catch up on, but being the savvy Asian that I am, I will "download" them like I do all shows that I missed or aren't on hulu. Also, the show must be half decent if Raman has urges to youtube Glee songs when we were in Santa Barbara for New Year's.

2) Wang-Dang Consulting is in full force, the following positions have been filled. If you thin you can help this company, please contact one of the following people:

CEO- Janea Marking
CWO (chief weed officer) - Arlen Marking
CPO (chief porn officer) - Wang Dizzle
Muscle- Dickers
Venture Capitalist- Gordon Chang

At this current time Gordon has yet to venture any capital into our company, so if you do see him, please slap him on my behalf. What the company does is consult currently on weed, porn, and strippers. Given the recession we feel that these 3 things are recession proof, much like Pabst Blue Ribbon. CAO (chief alcohol officer) is up for grabs...anyone?!?!

3) I'm still in my tequila phase, I've had Patron Reposado, which I found out that reposado means aged between 2 months to 2 years, and anejo means more than 2 years. Very smooth. I enjoyed it.

4) In July is the Annual Vegas Trip, I am excited to look forward to Vegas just like the other 3 times already this year. Should be fun. It's not where you go...it's who you go with.

5) Happy Wife...Happy Life

...gotta run for a bday dinner!

GO COLTS!

Comments, Y'all

A certain debonair, mustachioed wandering man has informed me that the comments are not working on this blog. Heads have been scratched and settings have been changed, and I think all is now well in the commenting world, so please feel free to extol the greatness of this fine blog.

What I've Been Doing With My Liver Lately

2010 has been a good year for beer. A sampling of my beer-ventures thus far...

Strong beer month / SF beer week

February is always a good beer month in San Francisco, and this year did not disappoint. With April in the Philippines for most of the month, I tried to make the most of it. By my count (and yes, I tried to keep a tally), I tried 37 different beers while April was gone. Not bad for 3 weeks work.

Included in that total was a Russian River tasting at the Jug Shop, in which Raman, Christie and I had the opportunity to try 13 different RR beers. The vast majority of these were their trademark barrel-aged beers, including a few that aren't even available for purchase any more. I was a little nervous that Christie would curse me for talking her into the tasting, but I dare say we might have converted her into a fan of (some) sour beers, which I consider no mean feat. The tasting was simply jaw-dropping, and naturally we capped the night off at Nob Hill Tavern (RIP).

Of course February is also Strong Beer month, and Spencer and I defied all odds to add another glass to our growing collections. 21st Amendment was conquered with relative ease, and another All-Star weekend Saturday was spent having lunch at Magnolia. But by the time April returned from the Philippines and we went back to Magnolia to knock out the last 3 beers, they had already run out of a few of their beers! The waitress informed us that they were under strict instructions not to give out any glasses unless all 12 beers were punched, and no substitutions would be made. Of course this simply wouldn't do. April worked her considerable charm on the waitress, and Spencer and I were allowed to substitute and were duly rewarded for all of our, um, hard work.

New Orleans

I went to New Orleans in March for a bachelor party. New Orleans might not be known for their microbrews, but I always like to try the local selections when in a new region. Of course, Abita is the craft brew of choice down there and the selection is a lot better than in California. Based on my somewhat hazy tasting of the Abita lineup I could get my hands on, their best beers get wide distribution. Of note were their IPA, for being pretty awful (there's a reason west coast IPAs dominate the market), and Andy Gator, which is technically a doppelbock but was described to me in one bar as a "high alcohol, malt liquor-like beer". The description alone sold me.

I also lunched at the Crescent City Brewhouse my last day in town and got their beer sampler, as I am wont to do. Basically, 4 of their 5 beers were terrible. So thanks New Orleans, for the good times, but feel free to keep your beer.

Brewventure 2010

By far my most massive beer undertaking of 2010, April, Danielle, Spencer and I embarked on Brewventure 2010 just after tax day. Taking Friday off, we started the day with some breakfast at Mama's (you know, just to get a good base). From there we drove up to Anderson Valley Brewery in Boonville, just missed the tour, and did our first tasting of the day slightly after noon. Anderson Valley has a super-impressive set up, complete with a disc golf course on the grounds and a solar-powered brewery. (Aside: I noticed that they canned some of their beers, and inquired about their reasoning, expecting a response about how it was more environmentally friendly, etc, etc. Instead, the woman manning the bar basically intimated that they were only doing it because it was the new hotness.)

Next we hopped over to Hopland, home to California's oldest brewpub, which is run by Mendocino Brewery. Another sampler and a few darts wins later and we were back on the road.

Our third stop was at Bear Republic's brewpub in Healdsburg, where we indulged in lunch and yet another sampler.

We ended the night in Santa Rosa, where we had a hotel a short walk from Russian River Brewery. We ordered, you guessed it, their sampler, which brought our total for different beers tried on the day to a staggering 52. Needless to say, it was completely over the top and completely worth it. There is already talk of an East Coast brewventure in the future...

Hawaii

I was expecting good weather, good relaxation, and good times when we shipped off to Hawaii for April's cousin's wedding. I was not, by any means, expecting good beer. But when our cabbie informed us that there was a brewpub just minutes from our hotel, I immediately started plotting how to make it happen (I mean, we had to check it out, right?). And let me tell you, Maui Brewing Company exceeded all of my expectations. The six of us split a sampler, and they make a bunch quality beers, some of which are available in cans at the local markets (perfect for beach drinking). As if I needed another reason to like Hawaii.

On The Horizon

2010 isn't even half over yet, so there's plenty of beer yet to be had. Things to look forward to include: San Francisco Giants' 1st annual Beerfest, South African beer and of course homebrews (on tap: IPA; on deck: Saison).

Cheers!

how long does it take a person to figure out how to post a blog....

Apparently, almost a month because it was about a month ago, i was called out for not posting (then subsequently received weekly verbal reminders). So after long adue i've figured it out!

I hear through the grapevine that Top 10 lists were the way to go, so here's my Top 10 as to what's going on with me!

10) Folsoma has been deemed to exist by the Bold Itatic in a "Meet the Microhood" event that was hosted last evening on our street. We've got a pretty solid street, if i do say so myself. The Whip, Ram-Bomb and I were able to make it out for a delicious seasonal flights of beer ($5) at city beer store, free beer at TripTych, and some delicious oysters and wine at Radius.

9) Got my shots for South Africa yesterday and yes, my arm hurts like a b***h.

8) The neighbhorhood raised enough money to get all of the graffii on the mural across the street removed! The Eagle now looks so prestine and confident. His eye that stares at us through the living room window screams "don't mess with me taggers or else i'll just sit here and continue staring into their living room"....

7) Uncorked wine event at ghiradelli square with Zapril & Ram-Bomb. There's nothing like a 5 hour wine tasting event to be followed up demolishing an earthquake (10 ice scoops, 8 sauces, cherries, whip cream) between 7 people. Next time you think "what should I pair with my wine", think dairy.......

6) We have spiders and ladybugs. Spiders because apparently there's only one neighborhood in all of SF that has spiders and that's ours and ladybugs because apparently you can buy them in bulk (1,500) on amazon and Ram-bomb thought that would be a good idea.... i'm just glad he didn't decide to purchase the pary mantis (500 for $15) as well. Creepy

5) Let's talk season/series finales: Grey's - amazing & thought provoking (while maybe just amazing), Lost - why did i waste over 120 hours on you, Gossip Girl - was i expecting anything less, probably not, The Office - being replaced by How I meant your Mom and Modern Family, 30 Rock - never lets me down even when i haven't watch any episodes except the finale.

4) The Whip's Birthday dinner at R&G Lounge. What can i say, the largest lazy susan i've ever seen, Shark fin soup, salt and pepper crab, peking duck, the list goes on. Delicious!

3) Did someone say Something Corporate Reunion concert in August.... tickets purchased! Done!

2) The Whip's Birthday gets a 2nd nod on the top 10 list. Chinese Food Olympics, a dueling game of chubby bunny between the Whip and Yingster with Red bean curd buns. The Whip 2, Yingster 4. Ying wins.

1) Last but not least, I haven't slept solid in over a week now, as that is how long we have been watching Roxy (Rani's dog). While Roxy is cute and endearing, Chester looks like he is one a continious IV drip of valume in comparison. Thus far, Roxy has chewed up two pens and one highlight (on the bed), proceeds to hide my shoes under my bed, and has absolutely no sense of bladder control. To top it off, she weighs about 7 pounds and has the belief that if she is awake, you should be too......


I think that's pretty much it with me. Peace out!

Mookalakaheeki. Come on, you wanna lei me. Pass the poi, Mahalo.

(The beach in front of our hotel. Suh-weet.)

Instead of being sad and jealous in cold, rainy San Francisco that a certain two so-and-so's were having the most epic trip of their lives, I decided to do something about it and get my pale extremities to a place warm and sunny... Hawaii. (If we are looking for accuracy, the reason that I really went to Hawaii was to be a bridesmaid in a wedding... details, details). So, without further ado, the top ten reasons why this Maui trip was radical, tubular, and righteous, brah.

10. A five day weekend. Any weekend that is longer than your weekday is pretty epic in my books. The joy of this weekend was only compounded by the fact that much of it was spent lounging on the beach, or floating in crystal clear waters.

9. Paddle boarding. This was my first attempt at paddle boarding, and even though it is tough, it is pretty, pretty, pretty fun. I highly recommend giving it a whirl. Highlights of paddle boarding included (uh oh, mini list, get ready!)

• Watching Zach try and fail to get up on the board during gale force winds about a quarter mile away from shore. I wasn't sure if he was going to make it back to land, and was trying to remember what his life insurance policy was like. Don't worry, he made it and I'm still broke.
  
• Watching my almost 60 year old aunt hop up, never fall, and paddle around like she was born to do it (and having Mandy follow her around like a little sea puppy just in case she does go over).
• Attempting to go double on the board. Trust me, it doesn't work.

8. Learning a new Slovenian drinking game. Basically, you put a deck of cards on a can or shot glass and try to blow the cards off. The person to blow the last card off has to drink whatever is in the can/shot glass. Hilarity ensues. This quickly became the most popular game of the weekend.

7. Lava Flows all weekend. Basically a Pina Colada with strawberry puree in it. Delicious, $5, and served right next to the pool What could go wrong?

6. Flatbread Pizza Co. Amazing flatbread pizza using local ingredients. Hurley (from Lost! Is anyone watching the season finale?) recommended it on his blog, so we went to check it out. Any pizza good enough for Hurley is good enough for me! Believe it or not, my fave was the veggie (can you believe it Beth?), with potatoes and goat cheese, although the sausage pizza was nothing to sneeze at.

5. Pterodactyl flip cup. You may have had to be there, but this almost killed my cousin. Seriously, she disappeared and we didn't see her for most the next day, we were worried. Basically, you have to drink and flip with your hand backwards (I know this makes no sense, don't worry, I'll show it to you). Quick, right now reach behind you and pretend you are picking up a cup from a shelf without looking. Now, with your arm like that, reach around in front of you and try to drink like that, with your elbow out all wonky. That is Pterodactyl flip cup.

4. Beer flights at Maui Brew co. I highly recommend that you try all of their beer. Some of it it weird and rum flavored, but all of them are worth a taste. Bonus points if you get a pulled pork slider to chase the beer with.

3. Safeway. Weird but true, Safeway came through for us time and time again. The main highlight was the ability to order ahi tuna poke by the container at the seafood counter. $8 a pound and the freshest ahi I have ever had. Mmmmm, delicious, especially on a cracker with some brie.

2. Hanging out with the Bible clan. As crazy as they all are, the Bibles are a good group of people. It was a blast seeing cousins, uncles and aunts that I rarely get to see. They are always up for a good time, and what is a better family reunion than Maui?

1. The Bible-Mathy wedding (as if you didn't know this was coming). It was awesome to see my favorite cousin get married to a good guy, with a great group of people showing them love and support. Get ready for another mini list, becuase there were several highlights within the wedding and reception:

• A rainbow broke out right as the groom kissed the bride and they walked back up the aisle. It was so Disney that I almost broke out into "Hakuna Matata"
• The bride getting down on the dance floor. She dances just like me, so you can close your eyes and get a visual.
  
• Getting several people to do the crab dance, its sweeping the nation!
• Taking cactus cooler shots at the bar during the after party. When the red bull ran out, we did vodka/peach schnapps shots. When the vodka ran out, we did beer/schnapps shots. I'll let you guess how I'd rank them in terms of deliciousness. The best part was chanting someones name until they were forced into taking a shot. I love peer pressure!

And that, my amigos, was my mini vacay to Maui. We managed to simultaneously pack a lot in and relax. And while I'm still sad and jealous that you are off gallivanting in exotic lands, at least I have a hint of a tan to console me through the cold San Francisco summer.

(Two people that are not me, but who I hung out with a lot over the course of the trip)

Livin' for the City

I have NEVER followed a blog before Manifest Destino and much like my good friend, JoeBen, I never thought I would. Somehow someway I am writing my first blog post.

When thinking of ideas on how to "update" the two of you with the latest things going on in SF (the city not my initials) I didn't have many ideas. After some deep searching I decided to let you know the most significant thing to happen to me. My work recently moved me from San Bruno (where I rode the shuttle daily for about 4 years and took at least two hours total a day) to the great city of San Francisco. So here is a top ten list of advantages to livin' in the city:

10. Getting to enjoy the great San Francisco summer weather.

9. Having a mini cube at my new location that isn't big enough for a filing cabinet let alone a person.

8. Crossing off the 7x7 top 100 things to eat/drink before you die during my lunch break.

7. Not having to deal with horrible Giants day/night game traffic.

6. Only riding one bus before 9 AM.

5. Actually making it to a bar during happy hour.

4. The daily chance to meet all of my bidness savvy friends for lunch.

3. Spending 20 dollars a pop on those lunches.

2. Getting home or a bar at a reasonable hour to watch sports (namely the East Coast early start games)

1. After 4 year finally having a better work location than Raman. Wear it.

PS I have no idea why my name appears as "big spence"

Thats right... I'm calling you out

(Whaaa? You talkin' bout me???)

Time out!!! Wow, this blog is going downhill fast. I think we need some new blood all up in this hizzy. So, to continue with my never ending lists, here are some people that I think should post asap. Yeah, you saw it, I'm a callin' you out suckas.

1. Zach Morris (obviously he is first), so he can tell you why his new nickname is Manu Ginobli. P.S. He loves the new nickname, so everyone should call him this for the rest of his life.

2. The Big Deuce Deuce, so he can tell you why playing the drinking game hockey is always a good idea. He may also provide insight on why Steve Nash gets better at basketball the uglier he is (how can someone even play with their eye sewn shut? He must have made a deal with the devil, or at the very least, David Stern).

3. The Whip has an epic story about losing a half completed dining room table, and needs to detail and plot out the mission on how to get that table back. My ninja skills are negligible, but I'm still going to put my name on the sign up sheet so that I can be in on Operation Free Bird.

4. Big D little g needs to provide a hard hitting social commentary on how the quality of the fake hair that the gossip girl actors wear is directly proportionate to peace in the Middle East. She can put Cher Horowitz to shame.

5. E-Ro needs to provide an early season update on the hotness level of Dodger players, compared to the hotness level of other baseball teams (please use the Diamondbacks as your standard).

6. C-Town (I don't know another nickname, and sorry, I am not using B**** Taylor) has the pulse of the nation, and can be relied on posting food and culture updates on New York City, Phoenix, Tuscon and Salt Lake City, among others (just to give you a taste of what you are missing by not being in the good ol' U.S. of A.)

7. Ram-Bomb, the King of Pop-ups, can scintillate you by recapping our highly mediocre kickball and flip cup season, and our impending reign of glory as a bowling team (that is too-be-formed). If he has additional time, he can regal you with stories of dancing for screaming bachelorette parties.

Well, that is all the hating I have in me for the moment. See you guys at the Max!

Another Day, Another Dollar

(Homework is not my friend)

I am supposed to be writing a paper, so I thought that I'd detail my top ten time-wasting websites that I peruse when I should be working, just in case you have a few extra pesos/solas/bolivianos/reals/fuertes/guaranis/dollars to spare at the internet cafe. Enjoy!

10. Friend's websites (although obviously not a waste of time), such as the always witty Manifest Destino, the seldom updated Plebisite and the quirky Europe Woo.

9. My favorite Lostie Jorge Garcia's blog. Short and sweet entries, just like I like my drinks and my men (whaaaaa, that doesn't make sense???) http://dispatchesfromtheisland.blogspot.com/

8. Best Week Ever, the most nonsensical pop culture blog out there. If Perez Hilton and Dickers had a baby that was a blog, it would be this one. http://www.bestweekever.tv/

7. Smitten Kitchen, to determine what I am going to eat for dinner (or most likely, dessert). http://smittenkitchen.com/

6. Apartment Therapy, so I can feel bad about how after three years my house still isn't totally decorated. http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/

5. Wikipedia. In the past week, thanks to wikipedia, I have learned these three things: 1) Cinco de Mayo is not the Mexican Independence Day, and most of Mexico doesn't actually celebrate Cinco de Mayo; 2) Tim Duncan enjoys Renaissance Fairs and Dungeons and Dragons, and; 3) Keanu Reeves (dude) is Canadian (sweet).

4. Tom Selleck Waterfall Sandwich. An oldie but goody, cheers me up no matter how bad my case of the Mondays is. http://selleckwaterfallsandwich.tumblr.com/

3. New York Magazine Daily Intel, but only for these three things: 1) Weekly sex diaries (whoa, weirdo); 2) Recap of Gossip Girl, and the recap of the recap, and; 3) Recap of The Real Housewives of New York. I'm sure you are watching both of those shows abroad, I expect a bullet point list of why you are on Team Bethanny or Team Jill, and why Jenny Humphrey is an evil robot.

2. Craigslist. Sometimes, I may or may not buy steamer trunks while Zach is at conferences (score). The goal is to have a steamer trunk/liquor cart by the time you two booze hounds get back. I can't wait to see what else I acquire before you return.

1. Facebook (duh). Because of this brilliant time suck, I no longer feel the need to go to my high school reunion!

(The liquor cabinet to be)

Top Ten Things That Made This Week Pretty Alright

(Our Super Smart Trivia Team)

In no particular order, here are ten things from the past seven days that made the week pretty, pretty good.

10) The Lakers beat the Thunder in six. They will now proceed to stomp all over the Jazz.

9) We won our kickball game AND I managed to get on base. It was pretty thrilling, to say the least.

8) Copious consumption of homemade pork products courtesy of certain Zach Morris. Namely sausages and bacon. And, just to up the ante, homemade pretzel dogs! Life really doesn't get any better.

7) One of my favorite ladies, a Miss Erin Rossello graced us with her presence. Chaos ensued, but luckily no one puked (although it was touch and go for a bit).

6) Jami, Raman, Zach and I (plus a few others), are clearly the second smartest group of people in the world, because we took SECOND Place in Trivia on Thursday night. Because it was not monopoly, nor a beauty contest, we did not win $10. We did, however, receive a pitcher of Bass for our efforts.

5) Jenn threw a great birthday party that started out classy but ended up with a game of beer pong on their marble island. It was truly the best of both worlds.

4) I finally have settled on names for my two future children. They are: Porter Wolfie Bible-Davis and Stout Hammerhead Bible-Davis, regardless of gender. Zach is not yet on board, but I'm sure he'll come around.

3) The knowledge that I have a pretty amazing group of girl friends were reaffirmed with a pretty epic girl's dinner at Beretta. The pizza was fabulous, and a close second in being the most awesome thing of the night (besides the ladies, of course).

2) Free otter pops at Butter. Enough said.

1) The weather has been great, and there is no way to better celebrate that than playing hearts with friends outside, while polishing off two bottles of wine. Which is exactly what we did.

4 months down, 5 to go

This blog was created at the suggestion of a certain vegetarian lady who is currently wandering around South America. While our two amigos have been doing a great job of keeping us up to date on their adventures, some of us (me) have been doing a less than stellar job of letting them know what we have been up to, so I told this lovely lady that I would start a blog for friends to post to when they have done something fun (or, really, anything besides crying themselves to sleep at night because they miss their two traveler friends so much). So, my friends, feel free to post as you see fit, to let our two little traveling hot pockets know that through a tremendous effort, we have allowed our lives to go on in their absence. Cheers!