Rain, Rain, and More Rain

So I flew back to LA on Thursday the 16th.  It started raining that Thursday night and just finally stopped.  6 days later.  This is a segment I like to call "Rain: as seen from my backyard"

All taken by: DRam

The worst rain was Wednesday.  The only car I had available to me was my awesome Camaro.  Driving around in a 41 year old muscle car in pouring rain/hail is not ideal.  I was fishtailing (party from the rain/partly because it's fun), going through deep, deep puddles, my windows were all fogged up, my little defroster was working overtime and that didn't even help, I couldn't see out my mirrors, AND my whole back windshield was fogged up and I have no rear defroster.  I was afraid I'd hit a car on every lane change and every turn.  Luckily I am the best driver I know and I did not hit anything.  My car was a champ and I made it to all destinations alive.  I love that car.

PSC

The other day I went to lunch at Pasadena Sandwich Co.  It was one of the best sandwiches I've had in a really long time.  Alden, Robbie, and I braved the pouring rain and made the trip to the restaurant. 

Alden and Robbie start naming off some sandwiches they might want.  I think they were leaning towards the French Dip, always a solid choice.  I was searching the menu and noticed a sandwich called "Trust the Cook."  The description is as follows: "How He Feels Is What You Get.... And What You Get Is Big."

We were all pretty hungry and decided to order one each.  After they were made, the chef personally brought them to our table telling us how we made his day for trusting him that much.  He also closed with "There is some really good shit in there."  We were stoked. 

One half of my sandwich was not the same as the other half.  Three layers of goodness on each.  Turkey, pastrami, mustard, cucumbers, ham, roast beef, grilled peppers, cheese, melted cheese, lettuce, some special sauce, tomatoes, onions, and pickles all made appearances on our sandwiches in some way.  I did not have my camera, which I regret, but I did take a pic of my 2nd half of the sandwich from my phone:

We were full for the entire day.  The cook, John, is a really awesome guy.  He made a point of it to know our names and I can't wait to go back and trust him again.

MY BIRTHDAY

Alright, so I hit the big 2-1 on Sunday!  Quite a milestone in one's life.  I didn't go out at midnight the night before, but no one is really 21 and I was pretty tired.  So my bday started out early in the morning with my sister waking me up.  She wanted to open presents and eat a solid breakfast.  So I stroll into the dining room and get ready for all the presents I am about to open.  Then I was shocked, and felt a little sad, when I only saw three gifts.  Bummer.  But, I kept a positive attitude and started opening them.

First gift: a fleece.  Awesome.  Great.  I hate getting clothes as gifts like LOTP hates mustard.  It's a passionate hate.  But it is warm and looks to be useful.

Second gift: a new Nikkor lens for my lovely camera!  it's a nice 55-200mm zoom lens.  now I can take creepy pictures of the homeless people that search through the dumpsters from the comfort of our living room chairs.  be prepared for a feature on them COMING SOON (like when I get back to Boulder).

Third gift: My parents know to save the best for last.  So I see this gift shaped like a basketball and I'm like "oh great, a basketball."  So I rip off the wrapping paper, and BOOM.  The best player in the game signed this ball and now it is sitting in front of me.  Yes, it is who you're thinking.  KOBE BRYANT!!! So now I am a proud owner of a Kobe Bryant signed basketball.

Taken by: DRam

Quality, not quantity.  That is the lesson learned.  A successful birthday.  A successful night out with my friends.  Thanks for all that wished me a happy birthday!

Here is the hot waitress that worked at the bar we went to.  The picture does not do her nearly enough justice. 

Courtesy of Robbie's iPhone

Miller's Vail House

The crew rolled up to Miller's house just outside Vail the other weekend. I always enjoy a good house in the mountains. Miller's house did not let me down. It was the only house around which was awesome. Had parts of trees on the ceiling and a bookshelf made of trees. Antlers for a chandelier, a treehouse, a deer head mounted upstairs, and great views all around. JB drove half of the group, the group I was in, and did a great job. The backseat drivers weren't helping anything while going through the snow, but luckily I helped the situation with good advice and a level head. We make it to the house, become amazed at the size of everything and then decide to have some fun. The next day some people went snowboarding and then nothing really exciting happened. Oh, Mary climbed the bookcase made of trees. Props.

Here are some pics of the house:

The rest of the pictures in between can be left to your imagination...unless you've already seen them.  Then no need to imagine.

End of Classes

Sorry for the time off. Today is the last day of classes for students at CU. A great feeling that turns to a bad feeling. Finals start tomorrow (Saturday). I have two tests tomomrrow. One regular Business Law test and one comprehensive English final. I did have one last graded thing in my Writing class today. A Powerpoint presentation on a paper I wrote before Thanksgiving. Got a 95%. Boom.

Also, Boulder has been warm. Crazy warm. No sign of snow whatsoever. I'm not complaining, just stating. I'm ready to get out of here and go home. Embarking on a cool new thing once I finish finals. Stay tuned.

Qatar? Really?

Dear FIFA execs,

What the hell were you thinking? Qatar?

My favorite ESPN columnist Bill Simmons put it best in his tweet:

@sportsguy33 Any time you can hold a World Cup in a hot Middle East country that's smaller than Connecticut + has no soccer tradition, you have to do it.

America needed to get that World Cup bid to keep interest in the sport. Oh well...

December

The best month of the year is finally here. End of the semester, my birthday, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. No other month even comes close to being better than December. December also means we can go to my friend's cabin in Big Bear. Another positive! Anyway, I like December. To kick of the Christmas season, (Happy Chanukah, btw!) here is a video of our house bringing a little bit of Southern California to the holiday:

USC Game

Haven't been able to post in a while because of coming back to school and getting things ready for that.  On Saturday, I went to a USC football game against Notre Dame.  My buddy, Alden, works as a manager for the team and hooked me up with free tickets.  Even though we were stuck in Row 82, I still love watching USC play.  Thanks to the NCAA and their sanctions, USC just isn't the same team they used to be.  The fans also seem a bit different than the fans of a couple years ago.  The Coliseum has lost some of the luster it once had. 

Peter reppin' the Buffs at the Coliseum.  Now that we're in the Pac-12, we should dominate the Coliseum every 2 years.

 

 

I know it's hard to see, but Alden is the guy right in front of the T in Trojans and in front of the center snapping the ball.  Doin' work.

And we left when it decided to start raining.  We didn't prepare for rain very well.

All taken by: DRam

The General

General George S. Patton was a war hero.  A military genius.  Most people have heard of him and I am lucky to live in the same city he lived in.  I went to Lacy Park today to shoot his memorial.  It's really pretty and today was the first time I really stopped and looked at it.  There is also a memorial for all members of the Armed Forces.  I love my town.

Here is Patton's home.  Huge piece of property that overlooks the Huntington Library.

All taken by: DRam

LA Auto Show

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday.  My dad and I went to the LA Auto Show yesterday morning.  We try to go every year.  We both enjoy cars and like to see what new things each company is coming out with.  This time I made my dad hurry up because I wanted to get back and watch the great college football games of the day.  Since my dad is a proud Porsche owner, we had to spend the most time at the Porsche exhibit.  It also happens to be my favorite section of the entire show.

I love the R8.  They had the new R8 Spyder on display too, but I liked this R8 GT more.

 

Here is the new Camaro.  Some of you might know that I own a 1969 Camaro RS/SS and think that the new Camaro does not even compare.  This one is still pretty.

 

Sticking with my fondness of muscle cars, I really liked this Mustang Boss 302.  I could do without the white roof and the white hood, but I still like it.  

 

Hands down the best thing at the car show.  The first Porsche ever sold in America.  The 356.  Beautiful color, beautiful wheels, beautiful car.  

 

That car was there because Porsche is celebrating 60 years in America.  Big deal.

 

Porsche is bringing back the Speedster.  I fell in love with this.  It is currently on my birthday/Christmas wish list.  I can hope right?

All taken by: DRam

Nom Nom

Earlier this afternoon, my mom, sister, and I went to Pasadena City Hall to check out Nom Nom.  Nom Nom is a well-known food truck thanks to the Food Network show "The Great Food Truck Race."  I got the Grilled Pork Banh Mi combo with a chicken taco and some awesome basil mint lemonade.  Great sandiwch, great taco, and great lemonade.  I highly recommend trying them out.

 

Here is the Grilled Pork Banh Mi.  So good.

 

And here is the delicious chicken taco.

All taken by: DRam

If I had a choice, I'd stick with the Banh Mi.  Great meal.  Follow them on Twitter or Facebook for their locations.

San Diego

Yesterday, my dad and I went down to San Diego for the Monday Night Football game.  They were playing the Denver Broncos in a divisional rivalry game.  We drove down from LA at about 1:45pm and it was easy going until we got close to the stadium.  Trying to get into the stadium parking took longer than the drive from LA to SD.  Seriously.  Here are some pics from the trip:

All taken by: DRam

Thankfully, the Chargers killed the Broncos.  Always nice when a Colorado team loses and the fans back at CU are mad.

Title Inspiration...

My dear friend, Caitlin, is obsessed with my watch.  My watch has no numbers on it, just a black background and one accessory, a diamond.  My parents got it for me as a high school graduation present.  Anyway, Caitlin really likes it.  What she likes even more is what the watch tells you: YES, IT'S REAL.

Taken by: DRam