Slippery When Wet

This past weekend I attended some Memorial parties to kick off the unofficial beginning of summer. The party at one of the local engineer's house was the best; we were actually celebrating some 30th birthdays. There was the food, drinks, and outdoor games. However, the real entertainment didn't begin until night fall. A three-lane slip and slide was brought out for the older kids and the younger kids. Oh, I can't believe how much fun these things can be. As the night went on, the slip n' slide held its own as it was battered from the heavy bodys careening out of control. Then something magical happened. You could continue sliding past the regular 18 feet of plastic and slide on the grass. I'm not sure who thought it was good idea to continue sliding, but many of the boys took up the challenge to slide as far as possible. Do you see the problem yet? Grass can give you cuts like paper. Let's just say the following day it was clearly visible who tried to slide on grass. Ouch! Oh, by the way, I'm one of those dummies.

Congratulations to Tika & Rudy Santosa

This past weekend I was in Philly celebrating the union between my two friends, Tika and Rudy. Well, I never actually met Rudy till this weekend, but our good friend, cognac, was nice enough to get us acquainted. It was a nice wedding service even though I couldn't understand a lick of it. The service was in Indonesian, but I'm confident that it was a nice Catholic service. I made some new friends from Philly - Eddie, Athony, Erlin and Yong. I just had a great time. I wish I had pictures of the games we did. I think that got people fired up! Woohoo!

In retrospect this weekend was spectacular; so many great things happened. First, at the Detroit airport my friend Josh helped me find a discount for my car rental. So when I rented my vehicle I didn't get the Toyota Camry, but instead I chose the Infiniti G35 sedan. Yeah, they didn't have coupe, but this car is really nice - no offense to my 96 Mercury Sable. I met my friends Csilla, Austin, Alan and Vanessa. I also met my friend SooJin, Myeong, and their son,TaeHa. I'm not sure if I just butchered those Korean names, but if someone knows the proper Romanization please let me know. I drank some great local microbrew beer. But most importantly I was able to satiate my craving for a real genuine don't try to imitate me Philadelphia cheese steak.

Plus, today when I was in the city for one more thrill I when was walking past Sansom I heard a cornet being played. What was more amazing I knew the music being played. It was some warm up scales from the Arben book. This doesn't make sense unless you played a brass instrument, but we spoke briefly and he gave me his card. His name is Jafar Barron and he plays in a small band with his bro. I really love this city. It's not the size of the city that counts but the hearts and souls that breathe life into it.

Buying the Stuff You Already Own

Today, I went to Best Buy to repurchase items that at one time I have already owned. Yes, I spent $30 to get the Aladdin DVD and Rachael Yamagata's CD. It seems odd when I think about it. I could have done something better with that money but I'm attached to certain items. It's like my first pair of running shoes from 6th grade that I still own and carry with me every time I own. I really like those shoes because they are part of me. The CD and DVD? I'm not exactly sure why I worry about them. However, tonight I tossed Rachael into the CD player and I was surprised to hear how good it sounds on a pair of speakers rather than a pair of ear buds. Oh, to all those who are reading this... this summer Butch Walker and Rachael Yamagata will have new CDs coming out. Go out and purchase them, you won't be disappointed. If you don't like them then feel free to yell at me. Haha!

Marathon Fun

Okay, I'm a little behind about posting pictures from the marathon. However, nothing says Nashville like western music, the Parthenon and foreign beer. Yes, there is a Parthenon in Nashville. Can't you tell from the photo?

Hopefully, I'll post the photos from the Kentucky Derby a little faster. The strange thing though is that I don't have a single photo of a horse. Hmmm...don't worry because I had lots of fun with my OMLP friends. At least I had a $9 mint julep. They're kinda gross tasting, but after a few I'm sure you couldn't taste them. I still prefer beer. I just realized that I don't have any good stories to tell. That's really strange. I'll have to think about this. Am I losing my touch?