Other Golf Blog Entries
Tuesday, October 4, 2005	Wednesday, October 5, 2005	Thursday, October 6, 2005
Friday, October 7, 2005	Saturday, October 8, 2005	Sunday, October 9, 2005

Friendly Friday - Friday, October 7, 2005

Another early night with another early rising. This morning, Peter is going to show me where he works - a supersecret think tank. Okay, maybe it's not supersecret, but I did have to sign an Non Disclosure Agreement, so I can't talk about what I saw there. Suffice it to say that it's amazingly cool. It resides in a nondescript building in a nondescript area of town, and the interior walls have no right angles. The environment is extremely conducive to creativity - bright, cheery, with various people who obviously enjoy their jobs very much. "Where are the applications?" I ask. "Sign me up!" Alas, I have to return to Colorado in a few days, but I'd commute from there if the opportunity arose. Freddie and I are going to meet soon and go up PCH to the Topanga Beach Cantina for lunch - I'll remember my camera this time!! Roe asked if I'd walk Sahara this morning, so I'm off to do that now. I took Sahara for a casual stroll around the block, and reflected upon how nice it was not to be stressing about, well, anything. I desperately needed this vacation. Next, I sat down and read Book Two of the graphic novel Ex Machina, an interesting story about a man who can control machines by thought alone. It takes place in New York City, in an alternate universe where he was able to stop the second plane from striking the towers. Interesting reading. After calling Fred to find out when he'd be heading up this way, I wandered around the house for a bit before deciding to get some lunch. Despite my sense of direction being reversed from Denver (the mountains are to the east instead of west here) I managed to retrace the route we took to Poquito Mas and had two more steak tacos. These were even bigger than yesterday's and my stomach was nearly over-filled from them and the chips. As I sat waiting for Fred to arrive - he's about 20 minutes away - I've decided that I don't want to drive out to Topanga Beach Cantina any more. It'll be two o'clock before he gets here. We're meeting up with Steve and Greg for drinks in Pasadena at seven, and I somehow don't think that four hours is enough to get to Topanga and back in time. Not to mention the fact that I'm going to be doing a lot of driving in the coming days as I head back to Denver, and sitting in traffic today doesn't seem worthwhile. The net connection at the house has been down all morning, so I'm not sure what we'll end up doing. Curious how not having net access handicaps me in today's world. I do want to hit the USC bookstore to get Tommy & Cassidy tee shirts, so perhaps we'll just do that instead. Well, we didn't do that. Fred got here and we chatted for a while, then decided to go to the Grove to grab a drink and check out the L.A. flagship Apple store where Fred used to work. After checking the two-story store out, we sat down at a bar by the main thoroughfare and sipped our drinks. He ordered a Bombay gin and tonic, while I opted for a Captain and Diet Coke. We chatted away and watched the people go by. Now, in case you haven't been to Los Angeles, I feel I must attempt to explain something about the women here. Simply put, they've got a higher concentration of gorgeous women per capita here than anywhere else in the world. Even the ugly girls are good looking. We watched innumerable models pass by - and not just J.C. Penny-esque models, but six-foot tall supermodels abound. We're talking women that make men forget what they were saying good looking. It's simply unbelievable, like watching a Victoria Secret catalog come to life and meander by. Damn! When we finished our drinks, we headed back to Burbank to meet up with Pete for our night out. Unfortunately, Peter had thrown out his back at work, and wouldn't be joining us for the evening's festivities with Greg and Steve. He was going to rest up for the next day, because he was going to the USC football game against Arizona if we had to carry him there on a stretcher. Fred hadn't visited Pete and Roe in over ten years, so he spent some time catching up with them. Just before we were about to leave, he received a call from his sister who was in the hospital. She had contracted some form of Hepatitis and was receiving treatment at a nearby hospital, so he was going to stop by, check in on her, and give me a call later on with an update. He said it wasn't like she was dying or anything, and that he expected to join us later on that night. He never made it. It was close to seven when I hit the road for Pasadena for the planned 7pm meet up at Porter Biersch for drinks and dinner. The highway was at a standstill - gasp! - on a Friday night, no less. The traffic here never stops, it's always rush hour. I make it past the main freeway intersection on the 134 and it lets up a bit, so I crank up the speed to get to Pasadena closer to seven. I notice my exit too late, dart across three lanes of traffic to get off at the next exit, only to be blocked in by two semis occupying the lane I need to get into. They're trying to get into mine. So I pull up really close to the first, signalling my desire to come into the right lane, and check my mirror to see if I'm clear of the second. Just then, the tractor trailer in front of me hits his brakes and I swerve violently to the right, between the two. The car sticks like glue, and I thank the gods that I put the racing suspension on the car. Violent moves like that might have spun out a lesser car. As I'm weaving through downtown Pasadena looking for the spot, my phone rings - it's Greg. I simultaneously try to drive, turn off the stereo, answer the phone and not crash - all while driving in the video game of SoCal roads. Greg's running late, I tell him no worries, I'll get us a table, and find a spot to park in a nearby lot. Steve wasn't kidding when he said the place couldn't be seen from the road - I meander around several blocks searching for it before finally locating it down an alley, in a plaza that has a sign that doesn't include Biersch. I put my name on the list for a table and proceed to the bar for a beer while I wait for the others to show. An hour later, the coaster buzzes indicating my table's ready. Nobody has show up yet. Steve called twenty minutes ago to say he and Susan were on their way. I pay my bar tab, go and get the table, and no sooner do I sit down than Greg walks through the door. We exchange hugs and greetings and sit down. As we sip on our beers and catch up, Steve and Susan and Elizabeth(?) walk in and join us. Party is on! After stories all around, Steve tells us that Mike will be meeting us at the game tomorrow after all. He was scheduled to be in Toronto and flying back to L.A. Saturday morning, but apparently the trip was cancelled. Originally, we had planned to try and meet up with him after the game, as he had family commitments early Saturday. As it turned out, it was supposed to be a baby shower for his wife's sister. She must have sensed the impending reunion, because she had her baby today or yesterday - before even throwing the shower. So Mike will be joining us for tailgating tomorrow after all - wooHOO!

Other Golf Blog Entries
Tuesday, October 4, 2005	Wednesday, October 5, 2005	Thursday, October 6, 2005
Friday, October 7, 2005	Saturday, October 8, 2005	Sunday, October 9, 2005

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