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: