Jul 13, 2010

The early part of the day was mostly rainy and gray, keeping me from doing anything outside. I ran a few errands that I've been putting off for a while and then went to the gym for a while in the afternoon.

My grandmom invited me over for dinner. We had raviolis that Aiden enjoyed playing with once he was done eating.

We went to Quizzo at night. My sister came for about two rounds but left somewhat early. Between the four of that were left, we ended up getting second place. We came back from an early deficit, even though the last question about Forbes' list of powerful musicians was confusing to say the least. (Miley Cyrus is on it but neither U2 nor Bono are..)

We felt like doing something else after the quiz but there really isn't anything to do in Millville at night so Jeff and Jimmy got in my car and we went to Philly. We got to the pretzel factory just as they opened and we picked some fresh, hot pretzels right off the belt. If only I had peanut butter.

We were satisfied with our pretzel run and headed home, where I ate my last pretzel before getting to sleep.

Jul 12, 2010

I started the day with a nice, long bike ride around town past the race track and back home. It was a good day for it; not too warm. I need to fix my brakes. Ever since I got my tire fixed, they don't work very well.

I came home and threw the frisbee to Sketch for a while and then headed to the gym to do some arm and ab exercises since I knew I'd be using my legs again later.

It's that time of year again: haircut time! Yes, I actually got my hair cut quite short. I was tired of it being the awkward length so I couldn't do anything with it so I figured it was time for a summer cut.

After my cut Jeff picked me up and we got Moe's before heading to Allentown to the Crocodile Rock. We met Jimmy and Dave there and had a few drinks at the bar, watching Jeopardy and answering clues with the bartender.

We walked down to the car to have some of Dave's homemade wine since drinks weren't cheap in the bar. We did head back in and had some more drinks and some garlic knots before the show though. The guys from Reel Big Fish came out to the pizza shop and got slices just before their set.

We went into the stage area as the lights were going out and the Fish were taking the stage. They played a great set from beginning to end.

I was dancing for their entire set and I was soaked with sweat. It was so much fun.

It sucks that this picture is blurry but I kinda like it anyway. It was great being there with everyone like the old days. We all had a really good time.

The drive home wasn't too bad. Jeff and I listened to old MxPx most of the way and talked about old shows. When I got home it felt so good to get a shower and change. After a sandwich I was ready for bed.

Jul 11, 2010

Ryan and I went to the gym in the morning. That's us. We did some exercises in the grass room that had me pretty worn out before we even got to the ab things that hurt. That's how you know it's working.

After the gym I went to Philly with Katie to try the Loving Hut, a new vegan place on South Street. It popped up conveniently after the Bubble House closed. And now I hear Gianna's is closed or closing! We got wraps with imitation meats that were delicious. Their smoothies aren't half bad either. We came home right after eating there.

In the evening I went to my grandmom's house to help cook for her birthday. I grilled up eggplant and squash on the grill. It was hot but I was trying to stay out of the sun.

My sister made baked macaroni and cheese that was really good and the veggie sandwiches were delicious as well. It was a good birthday meal if I do say so myself. My grandmom was happy with it.

I went swimming with Ryan later. There I am.

I had plans for the rest of the night but they fell through one by one so I ended up home by myself, writing and watching Scrubs.

Jul 10, 2010

When I got up, I had a slight hangover. That's to be expected I suppose. The city looked something like this. But not really. Jackie decided to come out with me in search of food.

Jamba Juice. My savior. I love these things. Why are there none around here???? It made me feel better and less hungry. I had wanted food since around 5 yesterday. It was so good and full of berries and bananas and granola. We walked with our treats to Union Square, where I got a new phone battery to replace my old, dead one. I got messages from Nate, who I invited to hang out with us last night and my phone died after I told him where to go and before he told me he was there so we never met up.

We spent the dreary day walking. We went to Macy's so Jacq could get some things for her room and ate at the Au Bon Pain. That Macy's is insanely huge. The bedding was on the eighth floor. It has an eighth floor. Anyway, after eating and shopping and going back we hung out in the apartment and took a nap until Lizzy and her boyfriend, Dan showed up.

We headed out again to see where Jackie works her day job. EMI Records has a nice building but an even nicer roof. This is where they entertain bands and have rock shows sometimes. I hope to attend one someday. Too bad I won't be here Monday for AM Taxi.

We enjoyed the view for a while and then headed down to figure out where to get dinner. Sushi was out because you can't just pop into a popular place on Saturday night in New York without a reservation and hope to get seated.

I spotted a Thai place that looked really good (that's almost redundant) so we ducked in. Nathan had found us by this time so he joined us! It was a nice place where I had no trouble deciding what to order. Nathan simply ordered the house whiskey, neat. Wholesome dinner. The peanut curry was amazing. I love curry. It was Thaisty.

We were having a great time and it was Lizzy's birthday so we told them to put a candle on her ice cream. They came out with a big cake singing happy birthday and walked right by our table to the big group next to us. It was hilarious.. we really thought they were bringing her a cake! Next they brought out the ice cream with one candle singing and put it in front of Jackie! Everyone stopped singing about one line before the end of the happy birthday song and just started laughing. It was great and I'm sure she won't forget it.

They had dessert and a few more drinks while we sat and talked, laughing about the crazy events of the night. Then we tried figuring out the bill. Always the hardest part. But not that hard... some people have a harder time calculating the tip it seems...

We left, walking down Broadway on a perfectly beautiful night toward the train station. I stopped to pick up my things at Jackie's place and, after some long goodbyes, the rest of us headed back to where we came from. I love walking in the city at night.

A train ride and a relatively short drive home and I was ready to sleep in my own bed again.

Jul 9, 2010

After a breakfast of sugary cereal followed by an egg and cheese sandwich I hopped on the train in Rahway to New York. I did some reading on the train. It makes me wish I took trains more often.

I met up with Jackie and saw her Chelsea apartment. Pretty nice. We hung out for a while as I cooled down from the balmy weather outside and then decided to head to Brooklyn.

We walked the streets of Williamsburg for a while, checking out some overpriced shops, watching a student film crew shoot some scenes and getting a smoothie to keep it cool.

Any questions? Ask beer. That's what I do. We went to the Brooklyn Ale House to escape the heat and have a few afternoon drinks to kill some time.

A few drinks turned into a few more and then a few shots and then we were drunk. It all happened so fast. The Genessee Cream Ale was really good though. The shots of Honey something or another Wild Turkey were also not bad. The honey really masks the whiskey taste.

We met a couple at the bar who we struck up a conversation with. The girl was a model so Jackie had things to talk to her about and her husband was really funny so we had something in common too... right? We had a good time talking and they posed for some shots. Not too bad for drunk photographer in a poorly lit bar, eh?

They decided we should go back to their apartment and hang out so we ended up in a cab, laughing all the way back to their place. Simon had an amazing vinyl collection of old punk music so we threw on some Bad Religion and hung out having some more drinks. A NOFX album or two later, we decided it was time to head back out.

I have no idea where this bar was but we walked there I think. It's a little blurry at this point. We met a few of Simon's friends from the neighborhood there and had more beers. Ah, more beers, what a great idea! I don't even know what we were drinking at that point. I just said, "I'll have one of those, too!" after someone ordered.

Simon was there some of the time.. I'm not sure where he disappeared to randomly but I was amongst his friends who were either laughing with me or at me. It could have been either at that point. At one point I decided it was time to be sober so I started eating breadsticks and drinking water. It didn't really work.

After losing contact with most people I recognized I started walking to Jackie's apartment only to realize I was in Brooklyn and she lives in Manhattan. I only got about half a block before I came to this realization, by the way. So I came back, sat with people I knew until Jackie got there and we stayed a little longer while I drank more water and then took a nice walk to the train station.

Do I look drunk? I am. I was so tired and felt so bad when I got back. It felt like it should be almost dawn but it was not too long after midnight. That's what happens when you start drinking in the afternoon. I just drank water and fell asleep, waking up every now and then. Oh, what a night! It really was pretty great though.

Jul 8, 2010

Once I decided to get up and drive north, I met Joanna and we headed into Pennsylvania via this tiny bridge over the Delaware. How different than the giant spans that we take into Philly. People were walking in the middle of the river, that's how shallow it was.

The first course we hit was Tinicum, which is a big park with open fields right along the river. The signs were amazingly nice and informative. The first few holes were mostly open with some trees and grass thrown in to spice it up a bit.

When we got to the woods, the first shot was a long, narrow, straight shot which I threw perfectly down the center. I don't know how I did it but I was just in the zone for that shot. The wooded holes were nice and there were quite a few different shots so it kept it interesting.

The back nine was a mix of wooded and open shots, with a few that felt like repeats but an overall nice variation. The last shot was almost 800 feet straight down to a grove of trees. You may notice that the disc in this shot is going hard to the right and into the grass, where thousands of tiny crickets live and jump around all day.

I really like the course for the most part. The park is beautiful and the fairways are well-maintained. Put this one in the "visit if you're in the area" column.

We grabbed some lunch on the way to Nockamixon Park and ate when we got there. After eating, we started on the back nine loop to avoid the large group starting at the beginning. The first hole was long and rocky. It was definitely a sign of what was to come on the course.

The tees were well-marked and the distances written on with sharpie. Pretty much every hole was over five hundred feet. It's not as bad as it sounds because each one was picturesque and fun.

One of the last holes shot to the edge of a nice little pond. This pond would steal one of Joanna's discs for a few minutes until we almost gave up on looking for it. It was recovered easily once it was spotted.

We began playing the front nine after we finished the back. Those nine holes felt like an entire course but they were awesome. Do I looked wiped out? I am a little. It was warm.

The front nine was nice as well, slightly different than the back. We were playing through one hole where I thought my disc was caught in a tree but it somehow sailed through the branches and up to the fairway for a great shot. I had some awesome shots on this course. This is a return-for-sure course.

After the grueling day of golf was over we made the drive back and went to see Grown Ups. It was funny most of the way through. A few of the funnier parts were in the previews so they were spoiled but a quality movie anyway. The ensemble cast makes up for the lack of glory day laughs. I want to watch Happy Gilmore.

I did a little reading before bed but after the long day I got sleepy fast.