Griffith

There was a big enough break in the rain yesterday for me to give Melissa a mini tour of Los Angeles.  She's so LA now.  First the Lakers game, then lunch at Urth Caffe, and then hit up Rodeo Drive.  I'm pretty sure I have convinced her to move to LA now.

After those fun things, the skies were clearing and it turned out to be a really pretty day.  I decided to show her the view of LA from Griffith Observatory.  The skies over the West side were dark and covered, while the skies over downtown and more East were nice and clear.  It was pretty pretty. 

Right after that last picture was taken it started to pour.  I had to put the camera away in its safe and dry bag.  But before I did, I managed to snap this picture:

It's nothing special.  I actually wish it was a video because Melissa was making weird noises and skipping away from the rain.  The rain won.  Ask her hair.

I'll be back at night soon Griffith.  Until then...

Lakeshow

The Lakers are awesome.  Ever since I can remember I have watched and loved the Lakers.  My favorite player growing up was Nick Van Exel.  He was so good.  Or at least I thought so.  Since about '99 though, my favorite player has been Kobe Bryant.  Kobe is the kind of player that if you aren't from LA that means you probably hate him.  Is it hate?  I just think everyone else is mad that they do not have a Kobe Bryant on their team.

Anyway, I went with my parents and Melissa to see their Sunday night game against the Portland Trail Blazers at STAPLES Center.  I love going to their games.  The atmosphere is always so exciting.  And Sunday night might have been the best Lakers game I have seen in person.  I know it was only a regular season game, but they needed a win without Bynum and it helped establish themselves in 2nd place in the Western Conference.  Also, Kobe took over in the 4th.  It was a classic closing performance from him.  Even the clutch Derek Fisher hit a huge shot to seal the deal at the end.

Enjoy the photos:

Mr. Whittier Christian

My cousin Mark goes to Whittier Christian High School.  They have this thing called "Mr. Whittier Christian" where guys compete in a number of areas to be crowned the winner.  Mark was entered in this competition and so the whole family made the trip to see how he would do.

I was sitting with Melissa, Ali, and Ali's boyfriend.  Also at the table were some of Mark's friend and a special lady friend of Mark's.  They served Chcik-fil-A and fruit punch for dinner during the introductions.

After introductions, they started the night off with a beach ware category.  Mark, with inspiration from my dad, was a Navy SEAL.

The crowd loved it.  But who doesn't love Navy SEALs?  Terrorists probably.  And Somali pirates.  Anyway, the next part of the night featured sportswear.  Mark went with a different style than the rest and went with a polo getup. 

After the sportswear section, it was time for the Herald-wear section (they are the Heralds).  Mark came out in his letterman jacket which is covered in cross country patches.  Pretty cool.

After the Herald-wear part, there was a talent portion.  Mark and a friend decided to dance as their talent.  Mark is a really sick dancer and the crowd loved him.  He makes Tyler look like the worst dancer in the world.  I didn't get any pics of that though since it was really dark.  Anyway, after that it was time for the formal wear and time to escort their mothers down the catwalk.  This is the part where all the moms start crying and the boys confess their loves to their moms.  It got kinda cheesy. 

 

Mark did not end up winning "Mr. Whittier Christian," but he did win "Mr. Congeniality."  All around it was a fun night and good to see my family over break.  Good job, Mark!

St. Patrick's Day

So Thursday was a nice day: St. Patrick's Day, NCAA Tournament, and the first day of Spring Break for me.  Only went to one class and came home from that class with 5 girls partying on our balcony.  My first instinct was to say "Ah, hell no!"  I then got bribed to open the door and so the festivities carried on.  Later in the night, Melissa and some people came over to start our night.  Beards, Kelly, and Big Ben were sporting their green and ready to get on with the night.

Beards was really into posing.  She went from pose to pose:

 

She thinks she's really cool.

This was also the first time we hung out with Beards in a long time.  So, that was a nice change of pace.  Rebounding from a forgettable weekend, Ben was back to business.  He was playing ABBA like no other and the camera loved him.

And the best part of the night, or at least of what my camera captured, was Melissa dancing to "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus.

She's the best. And super silly.  And I don't think we'll be seeing her on any dancing shows anytime soon.  Sorry, Melissa.  Hope everyone else enjoyed their St. Patrick's Day as well!  Now on Spring Break at home.

My Car

Here are the promised pictures of my car's window:

A Look Back: Saturday Night

I had an eventful night on Saturday.  Here is how it went:

I was downstairs in 110 when I heard this huge shattering sound come from the alley.  Melissa and her friend, Kelly, were just walking up the hall to get me and go to a party.  They said they saw a wine bottle fly from the top level and it looked like it hit either my car or the car next to me.  I ran over to check on my car and sure enough...my car's rear, driver-side window was shattered.  Tinted glass covered the ground next to my car.  Anyone who knows me knows that you don't mess with me or my cars.  I was fine when my neighbor scratched my car because it was an honest accident that got fixed quickly.  This was totally different.  Some idiot threw a bottle and it smashed my window.  Was it deliberate?  Was there malicious intent?  Who knows...

I see this dude in the alley at the time when I run outside and then he starts walking away.  I sprint down the alleyway (making Usain Bolt look slow).  I come to the guy and he tells me he didn't do it and it was someone from upstairs.  I thanked him and Usain Bolted it back to the complex and ran up the stairs to the only place I knew would be harboring someone dumb enough to throw a bottle off the balcony and hit a car...my car.  216.  More specifically, wherever Tyler was.  He just happened to be in 216.

I get to 216 and try to open their ALWAYS unlocked door.  And it's locked.  Suspicion just got raised by 10000%.  So I knock and knock and Peter opens the door.  I ask them to please tell me if one of them threw a bottle off the balcony.  No one answers.  I asked them again to tell me if someone threw a bottle off the balcony.  They said none of them did it. 

Another thing about me: I HATE being lied to.  It's the most annoying thing in the world.  I would never expect my friends to lie to me when I was being serious with them and wanted a straight answer.  They lied.

As I'm walking down the hallway about to interrogate the other apartments, my good ol' buddy Tyler McKnight, followed closely by Peter and James, yells my name.  He comes up to me and told me he did it.  I thought he was being a jackass and was kidding.  Not the case.  He actually did it.

Everything after that is not important.  Tyler had to call my dad yesterday and talk it over.  Tyler said they had a nice chat.  He's clearly paying for everything.  Situation resolved. 

Lesson learned: If you are gonna get your car window smashed, have your friend do it so you can make them pay for it.

(PICS COMING!)

Mondays

I woke up today after spending 3 hours in the library last night and went to the bathroom.  While in the bathroom, I realized it was only Monday.  Usually, I will be aware about the day of the week.  Today was different.  Maybe because I'm dreading everything I have to do this week.

Monday night: Meet with presentation group.

Tuesday day: Take BLaw test.
Tuesday night: Business of Sports meeting and prepare for Wednesday presentation.

Wednesday day: Present our presentation
Wednesday night: Group meeting for three hours.  I am forced to miss the Buffs NIT opener.  Don't get me started on how we didn't get picked for the big dance.

Thursday: St. Patrick's Day and the REAL start of the NCAA Tournament!  One of the greatest days of the year.  Will not be attending class that day.

Friday: Go home to LA with Melissa!!! SPRING BREAK!!