USC Scrimmage: A Family Tradition

Last night we headed out to the Coliseum to watch the public scrimmage that the USC Football team puts on in an effort to get ready for their first game of the year. We started going to this in 2005 when Bella was just 5 months old (pictured left). It was about 85 degrees out and she slept through most of it. In 2006 (middle), Bella was about a year and a half and was trying to jump the seat the whole night. Last night was great (pictured right). Bella was clapping, cheering, and even trying to do the traditional “V” sign with the rest of Trojan faithful. It was definitely one of the more memorable outings with her.

When you get into your mid 20’s as I am now, you start to think back to the family outings you had. Whether it was a Dodger game, or a camping trip, etc. You remember “those days”. Considering the fact that we live around 80 years, the time frame where we actually get to be a kid and have those family outings is so short. It’s our intention to give Bella as many as these memories as possible.

Well, I hope this is one of those things Bella will look back on and say, “I remember going to those USC games with Mom and Dad, those were the days.”

McDonald’s: I’m Loathing It

I headed over to McDonald’s for lunch today and I realized something. I figured out that I only want McDonald’s when I feel like I’m starving. I get to the point where I’m so hungry that I will go order the most familiar item known to man; the Big Mac. What I still haven’t figured out is why McDonald’s can’t give me an extra large coke with my meal. There is a special going on at Mickey D’s in which you get a 42 oz soda for 69 cents. So my conversation with the drive thru “clerk” goes like this:

Clerk: Welcome to McDonald’s how can I help you?
Me: Uhh…I’ll take a #1 with an extra large coke.
Clerk: I’m sorry, we can’t give you an extra large coke with your meal, but we can make it a large size.
Me: I wanted to get the extra large coke for 69 cents, that can’t be included in the combo?
Clerk: No, I’m sorry.
Me: Fine, can you just give me the extra large coke instead of the large?
Clerk: I have no way of doing that. I’m sorry sir.
Me: Are you kidding me?

Well, that was my lunch time excitement and I had to vent about it somewhere. This wasn’t my first run in with McDonald’s. About 7 years ago (wow, time flies) I went through the drive thru with Josh and I asked for an extra package of BBQ sauce. The McDonald’s worker told me it was going to be 15 cents for an extra container. Once again I said, “Are you kidding me?”. So I gave her a five dollar bill and she handed me a bag full of sauce.

McDonald’s is tricky. I love the taste of the food, but I always feel like crap afterwards. Lately if I’m going to eat out I will try to go to a sandwich shop, sushi, or even a place that cooks their burgers as if it were homemade (ie; Steve’s, Rod’s, Y-Not). I’m never going to do the trendy “Yuck” when a co-worker or friend tells me they had McDonald’s for lunch or dinner. It’s a good restaurant for what it’s designed for, a quick meal that tastes good in which you aren’t suppose to have every day because it’s not really good for you.

It’s Been….slow.

Yesterday I surpassed the one month mark at this new agency I work for. The first 3 weeks were very busy, almost to the point where I was either on the phone or quoting something throughout the whole day. This last week has been the complete opposite. It’s 10:30a and I’ve answered around 7 phone calls in the last hour and a half, and have really nothing administrative to take care of. However, this is what I enjoy about working here. There is never any question as to what needs to be done. I’m doing a good job if I have nothing to do. It means that I am on top of things and nothing has fallen through the cracks. I’m sure this lull is temporary and I’ll be back to answering 15 calls per hour soon as most people are probably doing some summer vacationing right now.

Speaking of vacationing, I’ve been getting the itch to go somewhere far. Perhaps New York or another trip with Genie to Alabama. At the very least, I’d like to jump in a plane with my wife and head to Las Vegas for the weekend. It’s just kind of hard right now. With Bella being 2 1/2, it’s hard to consider flying across the country with her and it doesn’t sound too exciting to take her to Vegas. I suppose this is why a drive up to San Luis Obispo or down to San Diego constitutes as a road trip. Those are two places where we can go and know that Bella will have a good time. Because when it all comes down to it, we need to go somewhere that will interest our little girl.

So what’s on tap for this weekend? Well, I have one of those feelings that I just want to get the house super clean, do some yard work, and throw something on the barbecue tomorrow afternoon. A couple of surf sessions would be nice too. After being away the past few weekends, I’m just looking forward to a good ‘ol fashion family weekend.

Speed Up!

Why is it that I always get stuck driving behind somebody who drives like they don’t care if they ever reach their destination?

Barry Bonds 756 – Congratulations

So Barry Bonds has finally hit number 756 to become baseball’s all-time home run king. Why aren’t we more excited about this? If you would have asked me my opinion on Barry Bonds before the season started, I would have said “I hope he pulls a hamstring and doesn’t break the record.” Now, a day after the record has been broken, I’m happy for him.

Thanks to ESPN’s live coverage of the chase, I’ve been able to watch Barry over the last couple of weeks. I’ve seen him hobble out there at the age of 43 and strive for this record. I’ve seen his family in the stands, and I’ve seen how he is embraced by fans in my home of Los Angeles, then San Diego, and up to San Francisco. Even here in LA where the Giants are hated, people were paying $250 for a right field pavilion ticket that has a face value of $8. We hate Bonds in LA, right? Well then why did we care so much that he was here? Why was it all we talked about on the local sports talk shows for 3 days? It’s because we do care. We love this game and we wanted to be a part of history.

After the series with the Dodgers, Barry and the Giants headed down to San Diego to another round of boos. People held up signs with asterisks, or other symbolic gestures expressing their dismay with Bonds. Again, the house was packed to see somebody everybody supposedly hates. Barry did hit number 755 on Saturday night at Petco Park, and it was great to see the majority of Padre fans give him a round of applause.

Last night it just so happened that I was taking my 2 year old daughter for a car ride (that’s how she falls asleep nowadays) at around 9:00p when Barry hit number 756. Barry was due up second in the inning, but Bella really wanted to go to sleep and take a car ride. I didn’t even hit the record button for some reason, and off we went. I turn on AM 570, the local sports talk in LA, and Joe McDonnell was interviewing somebody about Pro Wrestling and all of a sudden he says, “Barry just hit it” and went back into his interview about Pro Wrestling. That’s how I found out the record had been broken. I remember where I was when Gibson hit the 1988 Game 1 homerun, I remember where I was when McGwire hit number 62, and I bet I’ll remember what I was doing when Barry hit number 756.

So why the change of heart? Being a Dodger fan, what made me pull for a hated Giant and of all people, Barry Bonds? It’s because the whole situation in how he has been treated is blatantly hypocritical of what our country is all about. We say that a person is innocent until proven guilty, well Barry has not been found guilty of anything. He hasn’t failed a drug test, and has repeatedly stated that he has not knowingly used steroids. Why are we sitting here throwing him under a bus? Look, I understand we’ve heard from many people who say Barry is a jerk, is not a good person or teammate, etc. We’ve seen how irritated he has gotten with the media, but wouldn’t you act the same way if you were repeatedly asked about the same thing every day? All I know is what I know. I’m not comparing head sizes, or body fat percentage, or anything like that. Barry said he has not knowingly used steroids, he has not failed a drug test, and the guy has hit 22 Home Runs in 267 At Bats so far this year at the age of 43. On the topic of how his body looks compared to 20 years ago; how does your body look compared to 20 years ago? Are you telling me that you aren’t any bigger at 43 than you were at 23? Your head has stayed the same size? It’s just doesn’t make sense to convict somebody of steroid use because you are comparing pictures of now and 15-20 years ago.

This record should be celebrated, and Barry should be congratulated on an amazing accomplishment. I’m a die hard Dodger fan, but I will give credit were credit is due, and Barry Bonds deserves a lot of credit for what he has done.