SPAM, Shopping, and Samosas

 Pella in Paradise

Day 2: Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Shopping Day

We woke up hungry because of time difference from California, and we had some shopping to do, so we decided to get breakfast at Zippy's.  V and I almost went into the wrong door, which would have been sad because that's an entirely different restaurant.  Once we went into the correct door, I checked out the menu and I was very happy that I could get a "mini bowl" of SPAM, egg, and rice.  That's the typical Hawaiian breakfast for me!  They also had malasadas, which are kind of like filled doughnuts.  

While we were there, I saw that somebody had left their wallet on the seat in one of the nearby booths.  I told the cashier, and he said that it probably belonged to the guy that was sitting there, and he would likely be back soon.  It made me nervous to just leave it there because I'm from a land where that would be stolen very quickly, so I gave it to the cashier for safe keeping.  The guy did call shortly afterward to ask if he had left his wallet there, and returned for it.  As we left, we saw roosters in the parking lot.  This would not be the last time.  There were roosters pretty much everywhere we went.

Breakfast!

Breakfast Dessert! Malasadas

The correct door

Even the trees in the parking lot
are pretty.

Bro and V like to find flea markets when they travel, so we went to the swap meet at Aloha Stadium.  The flea market is actually in the circle outside the stadium, and it was a bit warm that day.  Pleasant, but warm.  Bro went ahead of us as V and I checked out most of the booths.  I found Little Mermaid stuff!  One was a Tsum Tsum figurine, and the other was a puzzle box.  Artist Sandy Yee was actually there, so I took a photo with her and the box she made.  She was very nice and even gave me a nice discount on a wooden ornament of a cross with plumerias on it.

With Sandy Yee & Ariel box

I also liked the different wooden carvings, especially of the turtles.  I didn't buy any because they were big and I wouldn't be able to decide on one anyway.  But here is an artist at work.

In addition to some clothing, I bought a dragonfruit for only $2.00.  Yes, this is a big deal, at $2.00/pound, because I've seen them go for $8.00/pound in California.  There was also a fruit that I had seen before, but V had not.  We learned that it was rambutan, and not lychee, which was V's guess.  I didn't know when we would eat that, or I might have bought some.  V bought candy and dried lychees with the li huan powder that was on her dessert from the night before.  It was really good, and now we want to find it everywhere.  V found laserdiscs of "Star Trek: The Next Generation", too.  

As I was waiting for V at one point, I saw a food stand, and saw something very familiar to me.

Cascaron / Carioca

I asked the vendor, and they confirmed what it was.  My grandmother used to make these fried mochi flour and coconut balls, caramelized with sugar.  Hers were a bit more dense and not so round, though.  If they had been freshly made, I would have bought some, but they had been made several hours before and I knew I'd probably be disappointed.  They also didn't have the drink that I was looking for because their machine wasn't working.  But I did enjoy talking to them and reminiscing about Mama.  They said that their grandmother made these, and I teared up a little bit.  These were my favorite treat that she would make in the afternoons for merienda (snack).  

V and I found a vendor selling stickers with tribal markings.  I marveled at the one with the Lakers logo.  The vendor offered to show me logos of other teams.  "There's no other team," I said defiantly to her.  V smiled knowingly.  The lady laughed at me.

Me with my haul

I like the pretty canopy trees that were around the circle.  I took a lot of photos of the canopy trees on this trip, but on this day, I wanted to take them from underneath, too.

V and I also took some pics at this cool metal sculpture near the entrance to the Bowl.  

V inside

I have no idea what these mean

View from inside

Hanging out inside a sculpture

We weren't done shopping yet!  They also like to go antiquing in different places.  The first place we went to is called "Ali'i Antiques".  The store is so small that they only allow two visitors inside at a time.  So I stood outside for a little while as they shopped.  I was told that I could come in, and it was so tiny in there that I was scared to turn around and knock over stuff.  bro got a cool E.T. figurine made of brass, as well as Lady and the Tramp figurines.

The next place we went to, Kailua Pickers, was in a strip mall with parking lot issues.  They had parking meters, but they didn't work very well, and they were old fashioned quarter machines.  So Bro stayed in the car most of the time to avoid getting a ticket.  Meanwhile, V found a bunch of drinking glasses that she collects.

After all of that treasure hunting, we were famished and ate lunch at Maui Brewing Company.  I had an MBC Mai Tai with Pineapple Whip on top.  A mai tai with Dole Whip!  I also had some fish and chips.

FYI that is not my chest

Fish n Chips n Mai Tai with Dole Whip

V wanted to go to the nearby Salvation Army, and that didn't interest me, so I went to the very non-antique Ulta store while I waited for them.  Bro thought that it was a mattress store.  So I had to teach him that it was a beauty store.  I hope he remembers that when his daughter grows up and wants to go there to be girly.

On our way home, we were able to get a glimpse of the "Stairway to Heaven" (or Ha'iku Stairs) that V had been talking about all day long.  In the video below, you can only see it at 0:42 or so, and it is difficult to see if you don't know what you're looking for.  It is a wooden and metal stairway that has been eroding and is not accessible to the public.  It was built by the US Navy to reach the top secret radio communications station on the island of Oahu.  

 

Exhausted after all of the shopping, we all took naps when we returned to the house.  We didn't even want to go out for dinner, so we baked the samosas that Mona had told us were in the freezer, and ate that with the Turtle Chips.  I'm glad they liked the turtle chips!

Thanks for the samosas, Mo!

Here are the cool stickers that we got at the swap meet, some of which were made of bamboo!

Afterward, we watched "I Love You, Man", a movie that I've seen many times, because V and Bro had not seen it yet even though they really like Paul Rudd.  Totes Ma Goats.

Next Up:  Sightseeing Day

Family Matters

Rockapella and the Company Men

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Bankhead Theatre

Livermore, CA

I arrived in San Jose after the awesome week of drum corps, yet I still had lots of energy despite the restless sleep I had on the plane.  I bought a breakfast sandwich and a chai latte at one of the airport restaurants, and sat down and relaxed for a little bit after retrieving my luggage.  I ordered a Lyft to take me to my hotel in Livermore, and my driver was very friendly.  I'm always amazed at what people will tell total strangers when nobody else in their life is there to hear them.  No, I wasn't the one talking.  The hotel had a room available for early check-in, so I had a chance to change and get pretty for the show.

Weff arrived at the hotel, and I met up with them when we were all ready to go to the theatre.  After parking on the second floor of the parking structure, we walked down the stairs and somebody recognized my voice: my cousin, Marie!  She was about to go to her first Rockapella show, and I was excited about that, as well as excited that I was seeing her, because we rarely get to see each other.  I still needed to wait for Jen to arrive, and Auntie Milda was stuck in horrid traffic, so I left her ticket at will call.  Since we were allowed to bring beverages into the theater, Jen and I bought wine that came in cups with coffee cup lids so that our drinks were covered.  The only problem with those lids is that they were a little awkward and little drops dribbled, so I needed to be extra careful not to spill anywhere.

Our seats were in the front row, house right, Row A, seats 2-8.  We had wondered how this show would work, and I guess Calvin told Weff on Friday night that he wasn't sure.  Like, would they each sing a whole set?  Why is Rockapella on stage first?  Shouldn't they be headlining?  Was Auntie Milda going to make it to her seat before the show started?  Why, YES! There she is!  YAY!

ROCKAPELLA

The introductory film graphics were like a comic book, as the theme from "Avengers" played.  The graphics included a superpower for each of them, none of which I understand from my scribbly notes.  Whoa.  I'm out of practice writing in the dark.  I just hope that by the end of the concert, all of them would still be there, and not little piles of dust.

Rock Around the Clock

Hmmm. Moments of sound issues.

After the song, Scott asked the audience, "How you doing?", then asked, "What's up with the sound?!?" He did not wait for an answer.  They immediately went into the next song.

Jailhouse Rock

Scott pointed at us when he sang "Do you no good."  Then we saw Pella Butts.  OK!  I think those did me *some* good.

Scott: "I love Livermore, it's 60 degrees at night and 105 degrees in the daytime."

"I see some of our friends in the front row." Awww....that's us, Posse! 

Jeff laid down the beats, which led to Dancin' in the Moonlight.

Love that choreography.

Don't Mess With Jim

"RRRUFFFF!"  I'm pretty sure Scott barked at me.

Scott introduced us to "Bad, Bad Calvin Jones".

Scott: "I love liver.  Pate is my favorite."  

L-O-V-E / What Lovers Do

Ooh, I haven't seen this as performed by Rockapella, only Sun Brothers (L-O-V-E).  I've seen the video, but not live.  They added something like "wishing for some of that Califronia wine", and "How about a little avocado?"  So clever!

The Middle Medley

This was the song on their most recently released video. Cute that Mitch was stuck between Scott and Cal at the end of the piece.

Scott forced Mitch to talk because he's a Cavs fan, and they were in Warriors country.  

Scott:  "I've always been a Steph Curry fan.  I keep telling you that."

<talking about JT> "Jeff started as a toddler, he was so cute."  

Scott "used to listen to Andy Williams every year, from Labor Day on."

Moon River

Bryant told us about Rockapella Jams Vol. 2 - Whoo!  Wait.  When is that being released?! Did I even hear that right?

Bryant first saw Rockapella live at 8 years old.  Jeff:  "I was 10."  
Bryant wanted to be a..."what do you call it?"  JT:  "Moisturizer.  Pro Spitter."  Bryant:  "I always wanted to be a pro-spitter.

So they did some vocal percussion together and it was awesome!  Then JT did a drum solo, and Bryant came in with his bass.

Rock The Boat

Rapper's Delight / Uptown Funk
Scott danced like Bruno Mars.  Mitch pointed at Wendy when he sang, "She likes it", and Wendy nodded.

Scott:  We sang this song every day for 75 years:
Carmen SanDiego / Shape of You

For some reason, I wrote down "Calvin does not want to sweat."  Neither my friends nor I can remember why I wrote that.  Did someone say it?  Did Calvin say it about himself?  Why was Calvin talking in the third person?  Why am I just making up stuff?  (This is a rhetorical question, BTW.)

<Intermission>
KP left because she had a train to catch.  Sorry I didn't say bye, KP!  We were catching up on family stuff.

Then The Company Men took the stage.

I got ready to write notes, but realized that I didn't really want to do so.  The Company Men is a 4-man group.  They sing in harmony with instrumental tracks (and, we found out later, some vocal tracks, too).  Well, at least they did tonight.  I see videos on the 'net with live instruments.  Their songs were medleys of lots of different songs, like one of the medleys (or, they called them mash-ups and tried to sound like this was an original thing when we had just heard Rockapella) was a bunch of Motown songs.  This made me thankful that Rockapella is singing stuff from JAMS Volume 1 and not their Motown & More CD, or I would have gone out for more wine.  They all had good voices, and did some Temptations-like dancing.  It was fun, but you know me: I missed Rockapella halfway through the first song.

Then Rockapella joined The Company Men!  I told my seatmates, "I've missed them SO much!"  Jen told me they were on stage earlier that day.  I told her it was still agonizing this entire time.  I'm never dramatic.

This Time
Ooh, I like this song, which is by John Legend.  The Company Men has this in their regular repertoire, and it's very pretty.  It's even better with my guys.  

One of The Company Men guys talked about performing with the USO, and how proud he was to sing for the troops.  That other guy took Mitch's stool, so Mitch had to sit on Thacher Island.  Rude.

Battle Hymn of the Republic / America the Beautiful
I love hearing a male choir sing Battle Hymn.  I love singing it, too, but I always want to sing it in their range because I like the low voices for it.  I tried not to cry.  It did not work.

Up On The Roof / Wonderful World (off mic)
Wait a minute.  That guy that took Mitch's stool?  He ALSO sang Mitch's part on "Roof"!!!  If anyone had sung the lead to Wonderful World other than Scott, I would have been pissed.  Lucky for them, they kept their heads about them.

Also luckily for them: none of them turned into piles of dust.

Meet and Greet
Marie and Auntie Milda bought CDs from both groups, and I introduced them to the guys I knew, and told Rockapella that it was Marie's first show.  They also took a picture with them.

I whispered to Scott that I preferred when they were the ones on stage.  I don't know if anyone else heard me.  Then I realized that I didn't have one of JeffEvs' Altoids, and Scott could probably smell my Breath of Red Wine.  Sorry, Scott!  ACK, I'm so embarrassed now, so of course I need to confess it to the world in this blog.

After taking pictures with folks, Calvin came over to talk to us.  He and I discussed how he's not happy with LeBron going to the Lakers, and neither am I, so he should just come to a game with me and we can commiserate.

Mitch came to talk to us, and I noticed that he was wearing a new Rockapella shirt.  He said he was trying to market it by wearing it to the meet and greet, and that they have a bunch of them for sale on the website.  He said he hoped people would like it, and I told him I like it.  Then he told me, "You don't count."

So I walked back to the table where the other guys were, and told them that Mitch said that I didn't count.  They looked at me like I was insane.  Or maybe that's the way they always look at me.  Bryant walked over to see what was up with that remark.  Mitch said, "No, Sherry, you don't count because you're one of us! You're FAMILY!"  Then I calmed down.  Mitch said I'm family.  Mitch is forgiven.

We took this picture before I thought he was insulting me.

Then we focused on Bryant and the fact that next time they saw him, he'd be a married man.  I congratulated him and asked him where he and his lovely bride would be going on their honeymoon.  Jen said I was nosy.  Jen, don't you know?  I'm FAMILY.  Also, I want to make sure not to go where they go lest I be accused of stalking anyone.  

Bryant takes our selfie

Bryant starts to lose control

Bryant realizes he's stalking himself

I realize that my phone no longer
belongs to me.

I can't stop giggling.

Fred came over to talk to us, too, and we asked what happened to the sound during the show.  I don't remember the answer, but he said it wasn't his fault.  Well, of course not!

We were the last group to leave, as usual, and ate dinner close by at Sauced.  Mmmm...barbecue!  I decided I didn't need to drink anymore because I was going on almost no sleep and was still a little tipsy from the wine.  

We thought of going to see a famous light bulb in a firehouse, but decided it was too far of a walk, so we just said our goodbyes and Weff and I returned to the hotel.  I had a good sleep and was nice and refreshed for the trip home.  My Lyft driver welcomed a friendly chat, and we talked about the wedding he'd be attending in a couple of weeks.  I did not ask about the couple's honeymoon.

It was an awesome vacation:  DCI Finals with an SCV/SCVC win, and then I saw my Rockapella posse and family!  I'm a happy girl.   So how else to celebrate the great week?  Get cupcakes at My Delight, of course.  And then order a couple of Rockapella shirts.

GF Peach Cobbler; Banana Split;
Unicorn; Caramel Cheesecake

PusherPix 04/13/16

PusherPix

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

#ThankYouKobe
#MambaDay

"Mamba. Out"

Well, today was the day.  After 20 years on the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe "Bean" "Black Mamba" Bryant retired today.  

I almost bit everyone's head off at work when my lunch time was being squeezed shorter and shorter by meetings.  I had already planned to take my time at lunch to walk to Staples Center, take pictures, buy stuff, and soak up all of the #ThankYouKobe atmosphere.  I finally got out of my meeting and high-tailed it on down to Staples.  A LOT of people were there, and they seemed to have posters in their hands, and someone was raffling off something, maybe tickets to the game, I don't know.  I didn't have time to find out.  I was on a mission, and I only had 25 minutes to do it.  Oh, let's be cute and say it was 24.  :)  I took a couple of pictures and quickly walked through the store to check out the merchandise.  Wow.  The entire store had been transformed to the "24 Collection".  Everything was KOBE and the Lakers.  Maybe they had some Clippers and Kings stuff in the closet, I don't know.  There was some of that in the art gallery portion of the store, but not much, and we weren't allowed to take pictures of anything in there anyway.  Had I gone with someone to the store, I would have asked them to take a picture of me at the photo op, but that's OK.  I kept liking stuff that was way too expensive, but found cheaper stuff that wasn't really cheap, but whatever.  I'm wearing my brand new Kobe tank top as I write this.   I wanted to go to the Metro station because they had renamed it "Kobe Station" for the day, but I needed to go back to work for yet another conference call.  Why must work interfere with the enjoyment of life?

Then I tried to leave work on time but people kept making me work.  I mean, what?  But at least I left relatively early for me.  I saw a lot of people walking toward Staples as I walked in the opposite direction, jealous as all heck.  Then the Gold Line was delayed, and I tried not to lose my mind.  People!  I need to get home to watch the game!!!  But I made it, and I got to watch the video tributes and cry.  Of course, I cried. My favorite written tributes by former Lakers were those written by Derek Fisher and Magic Johnson.  I liked the videos showing him at such a young age, the Nike commercial of those who hate him as he conducts them like a maestro, and the pre-game video.  Probably my favorite part of watching that video, though, was seeing his smile on the split screen.  I was a mess and the game hadn't even started.

Then the game.  The Lakers had a difficult time just getting the first basket.  But they finally got one in, and trailed for most of the game.  But Kobe was Kobe.  He finally started getting the ball into the basket, and he was off and running.  I was incredulous at how tough he was.  He was still carrying the team on his shoulders.  He got to 40 and I was amazed.  Then 50 and I was screaming.  Then 60 and I had lost my mind, along with everyone else in the arena.  SIXTY.  His last game.  And he ends it with an assist.  He, the selfish one. And they won after being behind for almost of the game.  What a storybook ending.

I remember when Kobe joined the Lakers.   I was, like, "He never even went to college.  Does he even have the team fundamentals that you need to learn there?"  He was a punk to me.  Then he met Vanessa and I thought that he'd lost his mind because he was so young, but it was love at first sight for him.  Then the allegations in Denver, and I was disappointed, but he eventually rose above it, and I forgave him eventually.  Besides, he was put on this earth to play basketball.   And play he did.  

My favorite player of all time is Michael Jordan, because of his work ethic and his competitiveness.  It is for those same reasons that I have admired Kobe and his determination, his will to get his team to win those games.  He ain't bad to look at, either.  Kobe is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and I was lucky to witness him in person and on TV.  

One of my favorite moments was actually off the court.  During a press conference after the Lakers won the championship over the Celtics, he was asked how much he wanted to win.  Prior to that press conference, Kobe had played it cool, acting like it was no big deal, like they just needed to take one game at a time, no matter the opponent.  Not on this day.  Kobe admitted that he lied to the media.  That this is what he wanted the most.  As a diehard Lakers fan himself, Kobe NEEDED to beat the Celtics and get the championship. I loved his honesty at that moment.  It's what a diehard fan like me thought he should approach that series.

Hearing Kobe in the post-game press conference, I got tears in my eyes as he talked about how much he loved Magic, and how much his statement of Kobe being "the best to wear the purple and gold" meant to him.  We forget sometimes that our favorite players had their own favorites.  Also, I love hearing him speak Spanish and Italian.

Thank you, Kobe.  Thank you for staying in LA for all of these 20 years.  Thank you for the drama.  Thank you for your determination, your competitive spirit, your frankness, and your talent. Thank you for bringing LA the 5 championships.  Thank you for making me scream at my TV.  Thank you for everything you've brought to the game of basketball.  Thank you for making so many kids happy by granting so many wishes.   You deserve the accolades, and now, you deserve a wonderful retirement.  Turn the page.  I look forward to seeing your next fairy tale come true.

Congratulations and best wishes.  In your own words, "Mamba. Out."

PusherPix 02/08/16

PusherPix

Monday, February 8, 2016

Now when I look at this, I picture that Marge is right next to him again in heaven. Miss ya Chick.

Simple Gifts 02/21/14

Simple Gifts
Friday, February 21, 2014

Lakers sweeping the Celtics this season, despite an injury-ridden loss-filled season.  Take THAT, Boston!

Acknowledge Them!

Last week, on June 17, 2010, the Lakers won their 16th NBA World Championship.  WHOO Damn  HOOOO!!!!  Last year, when they won their 15th, I was a happy, happy gal.  This year, I'm ecstatic.


What could be sweeter than a Repeat?  A victory over the Lakers' arch rivals, the Boston Celtics (hisssss!).  This rivalry, Lakers vs. Celtics, is, for basketball fans, the ultimate in competition.  The Celtics, with 17 banners hanging over the Garden, shattered the Lakers in Boston in the 2008 Finals.  Last year, the Lakers won, so this rivalry was a step up from usual due to the fact that it was the most recent champions against each other, and the Lakers had something to prove after what happened in 2008.  They'd matured, they'd become tougher.  The Celtics beat all of the odds in the post-season, and made it to the Finals with everyone betting against them.  I mean, it was supposed to be LeBron vs. Kobe, but the Celtics made sure that they wouldn't be counted out.


The basketball world was crazy with anticipation, and being a basketball fan, I was crazy, too.  With every Celtics playoff win, I hoped even more that they would make it to the Finals to face my team.  I couldn't wait to see it happen.  This was probably the first time EVER that I've rooted for the Celtics to win.  It was partly because I didn't want LeBron to win, but it was mostly because I wanted to see the rivals play each other.  I wasn't the only one.  A lot of the fans that I talked to said the same things as me, although some of them just didn't want Shaq to win.  I'm not bitter about Shaq.  I just wish that he'd stop calling every one of his new coaches "the best coach I've ever played for".  It's old.  Anyway, the Lakers needed to get past some tough competition in the Western Conference, most notably the Phoenix Suns.  While I really like Steve Nash, I'm a Lakers fan, so, sorry, Steve.  


So my wish came true.  It would be Lakers vs. Celtics.  Surprisingly, through every one of the first 5 games, I was quite calm.  I guess that I was just so happy that it was all being played out in front of me that I was content.


Game 1: Lakers 102, Celtics 89
Lakers showed the Celtics that they were ready for them, and drew first blood.  Celtics were rusty due to their long rest after the Eastern Conference Finals.  My thought:  "This is how it's supposed to be.  We'll win Game 1, Phil never loses a series when he wins Game 1.  We're golden."


Game 2: Celtics 103, Lakers 94
Ouch!  Celtics beat the Lakers on their home floor, thanks to an amazing run of 3-point shots by Ray Allen, making a record of 8 in one Finals game.  My thought: "Um, guys?  You need to win one in Boston."  At least one, in order to maintain home court advantage.  Still, I was calm.  No, I wasn't on drugs.


Game 3:  Lakers 91, Celtics 84
Phew!  Lakers achieve their goal of winning one on Boston's floor.  Many thanks to D-Fish in the 4th quarter.  I loved that full-court run, leading to an awesome basket.  Thanks, also, to the amazing Lakers bench for achieving a record of highest shooting percentage for a bench attempting at least 10 shots each.  The deafening crowd at the Garden had become a mute crowd.  BFF Michelle texted me about loving how the crowd shut up.  (Actual text not for children's eyes). ;)  


Game 4: Celtics 96, Lakers 89
The Celtics bounce back, taking advantage of the fact that Bynum was out for much of the game due to his knee injury.  Pau and Kobe tried to carry the team, but it was tough to go against a desperate Boston team.  Yup, I was still calm.  This is how it's supposed to be, people!  We push, you push back.  Clash of the Titans and all that.


Game 5:  Celtics 92, Lakers 86
Despite Kobe's MVP efforts in the 3rd quarter, trying to carry his can't-shoot-a-fish-in-a-barrel team, Boston edged out the Lakers, and the teams went back to L.A. with Boston leading 3-2.  Yeah, I kind of expected that to happen.  Those people that said that L.A. would sweep in Boston don't know the power of the fans there and the defensive fight that the Leprechaun blesses upon their team.


Game 6:  Lakers 89, Celtics 67
Just to show the Celtics that the Lakers fans are not as placid as their leaders say, the crowd at the Staples Center gave a ROAR throughout the game that kids imagine when they dream of becoming sports stars.  The Lakers were not going to let the Celtics win Game 6 on their home floor, and they delivered a pretty sound beating to the boys in green.  It was the best that I've ever seen this team play all season, and what a time to give the town a show!  Kobe led the team in the 1st quarter, giving them an early lead that they simply refused to relinquish.  Was I happy?  Hells, YEAH!  Was I calm?  Not anymore.


Game 7:  Lakers 83, Celtics 79
GAME FRICKIN' SEVEN.  LAKERS VERSUS CELTICS.  It all really did lead to this.  Seriously, what could be better for a basketball fan like me? The excitement I felt during this game was probably the culmination of all that I had suppressed during the first 6 games.  I went nuts.  When the Lakers were behind, I kept hoping for them, knowing that they would pull a victory out somehow, but wondering how in the world it would happen.  Of course, with every nervous moment, I said to myself, "WHY did I wish for this to happen?!"  Ron Artest, both a worry and a blessing to this team, had some plays that got me thinking, "Oh my gosh, he's going to win this game for us."  I thought this several times throughout the game.  Both teams were defensive tigers, and it seemed like neither one of them could shoot. Was the rim of the basket too small?  But there it was, all of a sudden.  As he always does, D-Fish gave an inspirational speech to his team before the start of the 4th quarter, and they responded.  Kobe finally hit his shots.  Pau was monstrous.  D-Fish made a 3-pointer.  Kobe passed the ball to Ron-Ron (which, APPARENTLY, he never does), and Ron-Ron made the shot, catapulting the audience into even more decibels of LOUD.  My house was loud, too, and the only sound happening was the TV and my screaming.  I even closed the back door so that the neighbors wouldn't worry should any bloodcurdling screams emanate from my mouth during the game.  I'm glad I did, because I went CRAZY, pacing, yelling, jumping, screaming...it was exhausting.  


So there you are: Lakers are the Champions of the Basketball World.  Congratulations to The Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant, for the much-deserved Finals MVP title.  This year, he showed that he could rely on his team when he wasn't at his shooting best, being defended at all times by 2 and 3 guys every chance Boston could take.   And yes, he now has "one more than Shaq". Congratulations to The Spaniard, Pau Gasol, for showing us all that he was not soft, and he could fight Boston along with the rest of them, finesse game or not.  Congratulations to Phil for his 11th championship.  I don't care what anyone says, Phil.  It's not the star power that gave you those wins, it's your handling of the stars.  Congratulations to Derek Fisher, the heart and inspiration of the team.  They would not have won without your spirit.  Congratulations to Ron Artest for his first ring, and thank you to his psychiatrist for keeping him calm. :)   Congratulations to Andrew Bynum, who actually got to contribute to this year's championship, and in a huge way.  Congratulations to the guys on the bench for being such a great supporting unit for the starters.  Congratulations to the fans, for whom this victory is sweeter than honey straight from the comb.


Kobe's postgame comments showed that he, as a student of basketball, knew that a victory over the Celtics would mean more than anything to him as a Laker.  He had lied to the press earlier about how much it meant to him, because he needed to just focus on the task at hand, and didn't need to make the drama bigger for himself.  His little girls were way cute in their Lakers dresses, and he had that smile that I've longed to see throughout the series.  The smile of a champion living his dream.


The celebrations, though fewer than last year due to the city of L.A.'s budget woes, were still abundant.  


Pau Gasol appeared on Jay Leno's Tonight Show.  I love that David Spade was the next guest and Pau was 2 feet taller than him.  Spade was, like, a Smurf next to him.

The rest of the team appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live.   Kobe, of course, had the coolest threads.  Ron Ron had the coolest earpiece, though. :)


Here's my favorite clip from that night.








And, of course, the Victory Parade.


Purple and Gold Reign Supreme!  Have I said, "Whoo Damn HOOOOO!" yet? ;)  


Happy Trophy, Sweet Sixteen.

Fanueil Day

Boston

Day 2

October 4, 2009

We woke up with no actual plans for the day, but figured that we'd take the Metro around town, in order to avoid parking and Helen woes. After checking out of the hotel, we placed our belongings in the car, looked for my umbrella at Rustic Kitchen (they didn't have it -- it must have been left in the cab), and asked the concierge for directions to the Metro station. We had a map, too, but somehow we still had a little bit of trouble trying to find it. Once we finally found the station, we made our way to the North End and Little Italy, where we could see the Old North Church.  This trip, of course, even sans Helen, was not without its own drama.  At one stop, we had to get off of the train because it was going out of service.  Then it seemed that ALL of the trains were going out of service at that one stop. We wondered if we'd ever get on a train to our destination.  We finally did, but it took a while.

Paul Revere and the Old North Church

The Old North Church is the site of "One if by land, two if by sea". We took pictures of Paul Revere on a horse, and listened to the tour guide talk about the church, which still holds regular church services. I liked that the pews were still in boxes, and that they had Hymnal 1982. This hymnal is what I used to sing out of when I sang with the Episcopal church several years ago. It's nice to see that some things don't change.

We visited the gift shop and I bought a rifle pen for someone as well as a book with Longfellow's "Paul Revere's Ride", and Cindy bought not one, but two containers of tea. One of them was made by the same company that made the tea that was dumped into the harbor during the Boston Tea Party. For some reason, the merchants felt the need to tell Cindy that it wasn't the ACTUAL tea that was dumped. Because that would be really old and Eeeeeewwww. How stupid did they think we were? Whatever.

While walking about town, we passed by Paul Revere's house. We would have gone inside if 1) it didn't cost anything and 2) we had time for an actual tour and 3) they would let us take pictures. Well, maybe we would have paid if they'd let us take pictures, but no, so we just took pictures of the outside. We were hungry, and looked for a place that would serve brunch, but in Little Italy, most of the restaurants were, you guessed it, ITALIAN, and they didn't seem to have brunch-y stuff on the menu.


But then we found Vinoteca di Monica.   The menu posted indicated that they had brunch items, and I wondered if they'd have French Toast, even though they were an Italian restaurant.  Well, lo and behold, they did, but when I asked the server what he recommended between my choices, he, the man with the very Italian accent, of course, chose the Italian dish, Bruschetta con Uovo e Prosciutto.  Cindy chose the Uovo Qualsiasi Stile, which was like a regular breakfast, except for the Rustic Bread that we kept finding this weekend.  Whatever.  We very much enjoyed our meals, and were able to sit by the open window and watch people go by.  That was very pleasant.

Sher at Vinoteca di Monica

Now nice and full, we ventured out again and made our way to Faneuil Hall, where many orators spoke about the British, which led to the colonies' independence.  I told Cindy that the name of the baseball stadium is called "Fenway Park" because the Bostonians just couldn't spell "Faneuil" correctly, so they simplified it.  Yeah, I made that up.  It's wrong, according to Wiki, but I like my explanation better. :)   We also did the touristy marketplace, where Cindy somehow refrained from buying a plush lobster. I didn't find anything pewter that I really wanted & could afford, which was my shopping goal there.  Oh, well.

Inside Faneuil Hall

We walked to the harbor, and it was just a really nice day to walk around and plan our next trips to Boston. :)  Cindy talked about riding the Salem to Ferry, but I think she was confused at the moment.  Perhaps the next time I come to Boston, I can have more time to do that, because I'm really interested in that part of history, too.  Boston is just a really cool place to learn about our nation's history.  If only it wasn't so far away and cold a lot of the time, I'd visit more often. That and the fact that I won't want to go during Lakers season.  Yeah, that's what I call it.  At least in Boston I do.

Pretty Day in Boston

We walked around a lot before finding the metro station where we could catch our train back to the hotel.  Luckily for us, Helen was in a good mood from her 24-hour rest, and she led us back to Logan despite a ton of road closures.  We would have been completely lost if we had followed a regular map.  So Helen ended up redeeming herself in a big, big way, and we were on time to board our flight, even having some time to get some pizza from Wolfgang Puck's to eat on the plane. 


For Cindy's view of the day, go here. 


Our flight home was a pleasant one.  I tried to sleep a little bit, since I needed to wake up early the next morning for yet another flight to Sacramento for business.  Cindy happily watched football on the way home.


Thanks, Cindy, for accompanying me on this trip, and for our great weekend together.