So who was at the Dodgers game last night? Do the rest of you even know what happend? Yesterday had my most memorable baseball moment ever. That being said, I don't attend many baseball games, I probably average 1 or 2 games a year. I haven't gone in a couple years though because of work, but seeing how I am unemployed, got free tickets, haven't seen Manny play before, and it was Manny bobble head night, all the stars lined up to tell me to go. But before we go, we hear the news that Manny isn't going to play because he got hit by the ball on the hand the night before. So I take Etum to the game (originally I asked Jen but she told me to take Etum instead because he seemed lonely) and we eat Dodger dogs, fries that come in the baseball hat, look around in the gift shop, and have a nice cold beer. We are a little dissappointed that Manny isn't playing, but we have good pitchers and expect to see a good duel. By the bottom of the 6th inning it is a 2-2 game. We have 2 on and one out with Russell Marting coming to the plate. This is when I tell Etum that we will get bases loaded, and then Manny will pitch hit and hit a grand slam. And what do you know, Martin hits a single and the bases are loaded. Right as he hits it, I am the first to start screaming for Manny (I was the first I say). After a couple seconds, the stadium errupts and starts chanting, "MANNY! MANNY!" And then Joe Torre sends him in. Cincy desides to switch pitchers so we wait with anticipation for the next at bat. Manny steps into the batters box, the pitcher throws one pitch, Manny hits it, you see the ball flying towards the outfield, it looks like it has the distance but from my angle I don't know if it will stay fair, and it lands in Mannywood, as if some homing beacon was turned on inside the ball. Once the ball had safely reached Mannywood, the stadium explodes in jubilation and excitement. A type of atmosphere that can't be described, only felt. It was krazy. The crowd was so excited that Manny did a curtain call to try and quiet the crowd. But we would not submit, he had to do a second curtain call at the end of the inning before the fans in blue were satisfied. OMG, what an amazing moment.
Anyway, here is a conversation I had with my friend from Boston (that is where Manny came from)
Angelino to Bostonian Just wanted to say thanks for giving us Manny. That was seriously my greatest baseball moment. Bases loaded, pitch hit, one pitch, grand slam, plus manny bobblehead night. I love LA. Now we need to get a world series, then we can rival Pittsburgh as THE sports city for a moment.
Bostonian to Angelino response Hahaha - you're welcome. How did he treat you during that 50 game ban? In all seriousness, I got sort of bummed out watching that highlight over and over last night because I do miss the Manny Experience in a way. He's crazy, but he's just THAT GOOD. The Sox this year are all good guys and pretty good players, but you never really get the sense that there's just that one guy who will do something Herculian when you need it. Enjoy it while it lasts. Because it will sour.
People from every latitude and longitude come to visit 9'N, 84'W. With two oceans only separated by 100 miles of land and more microclimates than Mercedes in the country, it makes for an amazing and memorable trip. Costa Rica offers beauty, serenity, and most of all, a FUCKING good time.
My two friends and I start our adventure by landing in San Jose (the capital city), where a private driver takes us to Jaco Beach. In a country with only a handful of stoplights and no freeways, a two hour car ride is not your average commute. As we travel to our destination, we are constantly surrounded by the jungle with every shade of green on showcase. A myriad of green colors, so many that even the people at Crayola would have trouble naming them all. You can't help but think that god used all the other colors making the world and was left with only green to finish Costa Rica.
The roads could loosely be defined as "paved" and just like a man with a lisp, hardly ever straight. The path turns left up a hill and then bends violently down a mountain, every curve hugging the contour of the mountain like a brasserie on an overweight stripper. And as we gaze upon the landscape, time seemed to travel fast because in the blink of the eye, we arrive at Jaco Beach, with a cerveza in one hand and some ceviche in the other.
Jaco Beach was fun yet forgettable, just like the second time you had sex. We departed just 24 hours after arriving, but in that short time, we were able to hit the beach, crack a coconut, and visit the local watering holes. And just as we are catching our breathe from the excitement of being in a foreign land, we are on the road again to Manuel Antonio.
This little area of Costa Rica is a confusing environment to look at, the unexpected juxtaposition of ocean and jungle serves as a tasty treat for my eyes. But as I stare upon its tranquility, I understand what it must have felt like for a Spanish explorer to arrive at the "new lands." We decide to take a trip to the national park to get an up close and personal view of nature in motion. The sights and sounds were many and at most times befuddling. Crabs were next to trees in the mountain, the tempestuous roar of the ocean would periodically be silenced by the howl of a monkey, and a deer could be seen within throwing distance of a coconut. Hiking through the park felt like trekking through the largest sauna on the planet, but a quick dip in the nearby beach gave some temporary relief. We cruise on ATVs around palm trees and rivers, snorkel after a little bit of kayaking, walk down streets with no lights at night, and eat the best food we had all trip. A typical dish called "casado" is characteristic of the people who consume it. The dish consists of rice, beans, a protein of your choice, and salad. Prepared slightly differently by every cook, but with similar techniques handed down through the generations. It makes for a satisfying meal when made with passion and determination. The smaller the restaurant, the better the taste. And just like the food, Costa Ricans are simple, unique, and way better than you expect. And after 3 nights at this little jewel of Costa Rica, we make our way to our third and final spot.
We arrive at Arenal/La Fortuna though a small plane that holds 12-14 passengers. This is the only city on our trip that isn't located near a beach, but it did have a volcano which could be seen while laying in the beds of our hotel room. We take the first day here to rest up, but we make sure to make the best of the next days to come. We had the pleasure to repel down 200 ft waterfalls, the privilege to zipline over the canopy of the jungle at approximately 40 mph, and the patience to watch lava flow at night. A healthy dose of alcohol, adrenaline and adventure made this the hands down favorite destination of our trip. And after 3 nights here, we had to say our farewells to a country that had treated us so politely and gave us some great experiences. Thanks Costa Rica.
The highly anticipated conclusion to my birthday weekend is finally here (please ignore the widget or whatever the last post was. I saw 500 points and took it, but I have no idea what I can do with points, but I got 500 of them so suck it. I wonder if that makes me a whore. I traded my cow for some magical beans (cow representing my soul and the magical beans would be the points, jack and the bean stalk reference for those that are a little confused). Wow did I just go on a krazy tangent. Now back to the topic...
Saturday was Beach Extravaganza 2009. This actually turned out to be a semi disaster. So Ivan and I planned on being the first ones to the beach to get a fire pit and start setting up. We decided that getting to the beach by 11am would be sufficient to secure a pit. But because of the activities from the day prior, I did not get there until 2pm, and Ivan did not make it until 5pm. Needless to say, on memorial day weekend, we were unable to get our fire pit. But we will roll with the punches. And let's not forget that Ivan had the football, towels, radio, ice, and BBQ. I had the food and drinks, and...that's it, just the food and drinks. So with Ivan showing up late, us early birds had nothing to do but sit and chill. And the water was too cold to play in, unless you a huge Samoan (but we can get to that later). Anyway, we throw the pig skin around, eat some bomb food (I made it/bought it, so of course it was good), play a pick up game with the peeps next to us...actually, there was a lot that actually happened. Ask us about it next time we hang out. But all you gots to know is, listening to a basketball game at the beach with a radio is pretty damn dope. It's like having surround sound at an auditorium and everyone is on the same page. With every made Laker shot, you hear a flurry of yells and thunderous applause so loud and blaring, that even the ocean became silent for a moment in time. After the beach, cleaned up and went to go watch Terminator. It was alright. The script seemed like it was put together by some 18 year old who had a one week timeline to pump it out. Graphics were dope and you got some good action, but seriously, does Christian Bale really have to talk like that? I hated the way he talked in Batman and he does the same thing in this movie. For real, a husky voice isn't the same as acting. And I know you don't talk like that because I heard you yell and some light guy and it didn't sound like that. And if you are still reading this, I commend you, because I just rambled back there. Normally I would go back, clean it up and have it flow, but 'f' it, the writers of Terminator didn't. Plus I'm going to Costa Rica tomorrow and if I left, this post would never come out. Alright, let's move on to Sunday though.
Sunday was the Around the World Tour. Now what that is (and I am proud to say that I came up with the idea and name) is you go to a scene which allows you to bar hop easily (we picked Santa Monica Main Street), drink the drinks that fit the theme of the bar, and then proceed to the next location, and repeat. So the day starts out a little weird because one of the girls I am chilling with wants ice cream. We stop by a liquor store so she can buy a strawberry bar or something and some milanos (I don't know why she was craving these things). As she proceeds inside the store, the rest of us stay in the car waiting for her. As we sit there, a one legged bum walks up to the car, starts yelling at us, and then pretends to pull out a gun. Seriously, I can't make this up, I have no idea hat this dudes problem was. Regardless, good call on locking the doors when he came near the car, because he did try to open the door. And seriously, if we beat him up, I don't want to be that guy on youtube that beat up a one legged man bum. All I know, is we need universal healthcare so shit like this don't happen. Moving on, we start at an Irish pub, so of course we are going to do car bombs and jamieson on the rocks. I had 3.5 car bombs and 1.0 jamiesons on the rocks. Then we hit up world cafe. Normally this is a mojito place, but that's only on friday and saturday. So what's the next best thing, random drinks from across the globe. So Kamikaze shots and absinthe (this is pretty sick by the way, and not the good sick). Then we go to place three which is another pub, and apparently we went to a fourth place but I don't remember. Rest of the story someone is still going to have to fill me in. Anyway, I get dropped off at home and my mom says I am dancing in the middle of the room until she tells me to go to sleep, I can't even deny it because 1) my mom don't lie, and 2) that sounds like something I would do. I just hope I was bringing my 'A' game
Monday was family lunch time. I really like this one restaurant in Rowland that serves the best cold noodle soup ever, I take all my friends there and it is seriously the best dish you could ask for on a hot day. So I tell my parents that I want to eat the cold noodle soup there, and they tell me 'NO'. WTF, how you gonna tell me 'no' to a restaurant I want to eat at on my birthday? If you were just gonna pick the place for me why ask? Anyway, we go to some other korean restaurant where I didn't like the food. But when was the birthday about me anyway? Maybe THIS is why I take an entire weekend to devote to me. Psychologist, what say you? And my dad likes to drink with lunch (father like son or actually it should be son like father, right?), so of course I took a shot of soju with him. I was really against the shot at the time because I was still trying to recover from the Around the World Tour, but to tell you the truth, it went down smoother than water.
Anyway, I know this isn't my normal story telling, but I'll try to get back to form after Costa Rica. Peace out. And thanks to all those that took the time to come out to my birthday, it was seriously unforgettable (when I was sober).
So I am celebrating my birthday and it has been amazing thus far. I feel inclined to share my moments with you, so fasten your seatbelts, it gonna be a bumpy ride.
Friday night was just ridiculous. Went to a place called Soju Town and it definitely lived up to its name. To say that the masses were inebriated would be a gross understatement...we were crunktified (yea, look it up). Just so you readers can gage our level of intoxication, 3 guys and 1 girl threw up, that I know of. At one point, the waiter came out to our table and asked why all our friends were taking up all the stalls in the restroom to throw up. We had great guest appearances from peeps with names like Skim, Swirve, and Mickey Dong. We found out about a girl's engagement, another girl threatened to get a second DUI, and one girl I don't even remember showing up (sorry Wendy). But they say a picture is worth a thousand words...
Wait, am I even in this picture...there I am. It's like freaking Where's Waldo? And how come I'm not the focal point of this photo, is it Ivan's birthday? Anyway, let's do some story telling.
So the night begins with some bomb food, shots and beer. And by my facial expression, I think I am trying to be Pac Man, or I am singing because it looks like some people are clapping. Maybe doing a live rap battle?
As the night progesses, I some how get a job at Soju Town. My new shirt is a testimant to that. And I think my sister is trying to wink at the camera, but she may be winking with both eyes at the same time, so more of a blink, maybe? And who likes my sexy serious pose? Come on, I know you do.
Even though it is a big party, I make sure to give each friend some attention. But by the picture, what the hell are we talking about? Dee, you remember? Why am I guarding my family jewels?
Of course we drink some more (that really is a great picture). See how I am in the middle, unlike the first picture.
And as I start to get totally jacked up, my eyes get smaller and smaller. Shoot, I don't need a breathalyzer to figure out my BAC, just measure how big my eyes are and that will tell you. That's all I got for now, but stay tuned...
