Grab Him By the Persimmons

Rockapella in Modesto

Friday, November 16, 2018

Gallo Center for the Performing Arts

Modesto, CA  

I met up with Glenndy and Weff at the Ontario airport and experienced my first "give me one of your electronics so I can scan it" TSA screening.  Interesting.  I didn't sit next to any of them on the flight, but enjoyed my window seat for the short flight up to Sacramento.  Hi, Spider Bunny!  Long time no see!  Due to raging wildfires earlier that week, the air was thick with smoke, which we could smell from inside the jetway, and we could see from the airport terminal.  We all had trouble breathing at first once we got outside, and wondered if we should have brought masks.  

Wendy had done her homework and suggested we eat lunch at Iron Horse Tavern in Sacramento before making our trek down to Modesto.  What a great choice!  I needed to start the weekend off right and ordered alcohol to go with my Impossible Burger and house-made potato chips.  We all shared an order of beignets for dessert, which came with dipping sauces of vanilla bean creme anglaise, berry compote, and chocolate ganache. I need to come back here for weekend brunch sometime.

Vanilla Sky Cocktail

First Selfie of The Road Trip

Banh Mi Impossible Burger and Chips

Mmmm...beignets

Mmmm....dipping sauce

We then made our way to Modesto, Glenndy in a separate car from Weff and me.  As we traveled south, the smoke became thinner, but it was still smoky.  We checked into our hotel and got ready for the show.  The hotel had a cool electronic gizmo instead of the regular hotel information brochure.  

We parked at the structure near the venue, but the entrance was about a block away.  The Gallo Center is a beautiful venue, and Glenndy met us in the lobby. So did Nick!  Yay!  His and his friends' seats were right behind ours (we were in the front row), and one of his friends, Frank, sat next to me because we had an extra seat due to someone not being able to join us.  

Rockapella took the stage after the Marvel-ish comic book video played to introduce them.  Cindy hadn't seen that before, and recognized the theme song.  The guys were all dressed in all-black.

Rock Around the Clock

Jailhouse Rock

I got a mile from Bryant when I got excited about a part of the song, and got a wink from Mitch, too.  Hi, guys!

Scott asked who has seen Rockapella before.  "I remember some fans from other years."  He talked about the atmosphere, saying it was smoky, and that they were "sorry for what you're going through," and they were "hoping we can bring something happy."

Like JT's beat.  "That can part the smoke right there."

Dancing in the Moonlight

Don't Mess With Jim

Wait.  I never noticed before that JT doesn't join in until Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.  Scott's Junkyard Dog is awesome.

Scott introduced Cal but forgot where Cal was from.  

Satisfaction

I love when JT makes the sound effective of an arrow going through the air during Cupid.  Thanks for singing, Valerie!

The Middle

You go with that hip action, Mitch!

Moon River

Bryant's new mom-in-law is here!  

Loved JT's priceless look when Scott said this about him: "Jeff doesn't get to talk much because his mouth is very busy doing other stuff."

Scott:  I love California.  I lived in New York City, and they said, "Are you from California, man?  You look like a surfer from California."  

Paper Doll

JT was very bouncy.

L-O-V-E

Commercials

"Where in the world is..." Bryant: "Matt Lauer?" <looks at audience> "What?"  

Yeah, it's all awkward now.  I waved to JT because he pointed at us,

Linda from Oakdale joined the guys on stage.  

Scott: "Stanislaus doesn't sound like an INdian name to me, but I trust you because you're an educator."

Stand By Me (with Linda)

Ain't Too Proud to Beg

Macklemore

When Bryant first saw JT perform, he thought JT was doing the coolest thing ever.  He asked JT what he does on his tax forms.

JT: Lie.

JT:  Pro Spitter

Then they did a cool back-and-forth vocal percussion thing together!  I loved it.

Rock The Boat

(My notes say something about Mitch and his back pocket, and an exclamation point, but I can't read them anymore because it's more than 2 months later, so maybe somebody else can tell me what actually happened during this song).  

Carmen SanDiego / Shape of You

Encore

Boogie Tonight

This included Rapper's Delight and Uptown Funk and was a lot of fun.

"Valerie likes it."

Up On The Roof / Wonderful World (off mic)

Meet and Greet

I was able to catch up a little bit more with Nick, whom wouldn't be at the shows in Arroyo Grande.

NICK!

We were in one part of the lobby while others were buying stuff on the other side of the wall.  The guys walked out and talked to us for a while, and it was like we were having a little VIP meet and greet!   We got hugs from JT.  He gave me a kiss on the cheek, so I gave him one, too, and said, "Mwah!"  (George isn't reading this, right?  Oh, he kisses my hand, so it's probably OK.)  I got an air hug from Cal, because he had posted on instagram before the show and said that he wasn't feeling well.  Then Mitch saw me and sang "Sheeeeerrrrrry Baby!" 

Sher:  I love when you sing that to me!

Mitch: I know, that's why I do it. <squeeee!>

After we all talked for awhile, Mitch finally said, " Maybe we should go to the meet and greet."  Yes, let's acknowledge your other fans, shall we?

Hi, Robin!

I asked Scott if he moved to New York yet.  He said, "Yeah.  It's cold in New York."
Sher:  Are you, like, "I miss wearing my shorts every day"?
Scott:  I hadn't thought about that, but yeah.
Sher: It's good that you're near the kids, though.
We talked about how well the kids are doing with their music, and that they got performance genes from him and Lisa.
Scott:  I guess it was inevitable.
Sher:  They could be doctors and you'd be like, "what a failure you are".
Scott:  Ha!  No.

Wendy asked Scott how Princess was doing, and he told her that she saw snow for the first time, and still hasn't gotten shoes for her yet.  He told JeffEvs that New York is a dog-friendly town, with all kinds of dogs everywhere, which Scott now notices because he has a dog.

I told Cal that I wished he would feel better, and said he should get some rest.
Cal:  It comes from you guys, lifting me up from the front, and it kept me going.
Sher: I wish I could sing like you when I'm sick.  You still sound great.

Scott asked JeffEvs if we would be going to the show in Arroyo Grande.  JeffEvs said yes, he, Wendy, and I would be driving down.  Scott told Cal and JT asked me who was going.  I started to say "Weff" and realized that the guys don't know that nickname, so I stumbled verbally before saying "Wendy and Jeff".  JT heard "Lady" and said, "Lady? That's what you're calling her?  Like 'Lady and the Tramp'?"
Sher:  No, WENDY! (and gently touched his hand).
Scott and Cal simultaneously:  Wendy.  It's WENDY!

JT told JeffEvs that he and Fred would leave first in the morning.

I told Mitch that Weff allowed me to ride with them if I brought "games, entertainment, and..."
Mitch: "Cookies!"
Sher: No, I didn't bake, but I did bring snacks.
I told him that I made MadLibs and they were Rockapella-themed.  It seemed that he didn't understand me, so I explained to him what MadLibs were.  He told JT, and JT, after I corrected Mitch, said, "That's such a fan thing to do.  Oh, Sherry."
Sher:  "Oh, Jeff."

Mitch told me that Bryant was talking to people in the back, so I should go get him.  I started to look around, but didn't want to go where I wasn't allowed.

Wendy commented to Mitch on how he has so much energy.  She asked if he traveled today.  He said, "Yes, I get energized when I travel."

Bryant finally made his appearance at the meet and greet.
Wendy:  Now, you're MISTER Bryant Vance.
Mitch:  What am I?
Bryant:  You're junior.  You're master.  
This exchange makes me think that Mitch is the LEGO Robin to Bryant's LEGO Batman.

We waited to get a picture with all of the guys.  Robin gave persimmons to the guys at the table.  Cal had never had them before.  Scott put hit in his back pocket.  Mitch told me to get Scott in this manner: "grab him by the persimmons".  I started to reach out a few times and just couldn't do it.
Mitch:  You know you want to.
Sher:  I kinda do, but I'm scared.  I don't want to get in trouble.
Mitch  You won't get in trouble.
Sher: Maybe not with him, but with Lisa?
Then Mitch full out told Scott that I wanted to grab him by the persimmons.  I subsequently hid behind JeffEvs and didn't want to look Scott in the eye for the rest of the night.

Mitch then told me to get JT.  I asked him why he wouldn't do it.
Mitch:  It's your job.
Sher:  How did that become my job?  You're his bandmate!  Besides, he's counting money.
Bryant: He's fast.

JeffEvs talked to Fred about the new microphones due to government regulations requring a different frequency.  All I know is that they're shiny.

I finally got everyone together.  I guess I'm the designated cat-herder now?

Don't ask me where my other hand is.  I can't remember if they're anywhere near any persimmons. 

After saying bye to the guys and Nick and wishing them safe drives, we walked to a restaurant nearby called "Tresetti's".  Their bar area was quite lively and loud, but we were seated in a much quieter part of the restaurant.  

Caesar salad with anchovy fillets

Prosciutto Wrapped Lollipop Scallops

The food was delicious!  We wondered if we could just take bottles of wine with us because they were just sitting there on the shelves, but someone said there were probably cameras on us.  I mean, it's not like I NEED more wine, right?  We said bye to Glenndy and went back to our hotel.  

Ah, what a fun-filled night!  I don't think I'll ever look at dried persimmons the same way again.

Next up: Arroyo Grande

Not My Favourite

The second movie of my Best Picture nominee double feature was "The Favourite".

• The titles for each segment kind of threw me off because of the spacing of the letters.
• Queen Anne is crazy.  
• I liked the outfits Sarah wore when they were shooting.  I did not like that they were shooting at animals.
• I was Team Abigail until she stepped on that bunny.
• The dance was funny, especially during the stroll line.  Was it supposed to be funny?
• "As it turns out, I'm capable of much unpleasantness."
• " If you do not go, I will start kicking you and I will not stop."

I didn't like this film as much as I liked the others that are up for Best Picture.  I think the characters were too mean-spirited for my taste.  I wish I had ended my Best Picture viewing with "Green Book" instead.

Put It Back, Tony

During my vacation, I gave myself a double feature movie day.  I got my free large popcorn from AMC (part of a birthday gift for A-List subscribers), and my large drink (no craziness this time), and watched the first one, "Green Book".

• I didn't know about the derogatory term "eggplant".
• I loved the performances of both Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali, and I loved both of their characters, warts and all.
• So did Dolores pick up the glasses out of the trash to just wash them?  Or did she leave them there?
• "How about some quiet time?"
• "I've never had fried chicken in my life."
• "It takes courage to change people's hearts."
• "Dear Dolores, you remind me of a house."
• "Thank you for helping him with the letters."
• "Those weren't children on the cover, those were demons in the bowels of Hell." "They must've been naughty kids!"
• "The world's full of lonely people afraid to make the first move."

I really enjoyed this movie!  I hope I get to watch it on HBO several more times if it ever gets aired there.

DLR LotD 02/01/2019

Disneyland Resort
Line of the Day

Friday, February 1, 2019

"Ooh!" -- Sherry, Rudy, Glenn, Cindy, Mox, and Linda, tasting Jolly Rancher-flavored cotton candy, at Catal

Bananaman with the Candy Shoppe

Amor Verdadero

I was happy to realize that I had already seen 5 of the 8 Best Picture nominees for this year's Academy Awards, because I won't be able to do the AMC Best Picture Showcase this time.  One of the remaining three is "Roma", which I watched today.  I figured that while I'm still understanding a bit of Spanish after my trip, let's continue the language lesson.

• This is one of the movies wherein I'm happily just watching people live their lives, and all of a sudden I'm crying a lot because I've invested over an hour into the characters and I'm feeling their pain.
• "I like being dead."
• Does Borras really poop that much, or do they not clean up after him every day?
• What I got from this film is that most guys are a-holes.
• "We are alone. No matter what they tell you, we women are always alone."
• Also, don't ever trust a guy that does his martial arts training in the nude.
• Oh, they're fighting over Twinkies!
• So Cleo is as centered as that Martial Arts guru.  Makes sense to me.
• I really liked Yalitza Aparicio's portrayal as Cleo, because she just seemed so real, almost like we were watching a documentary instead of a fictional movie.  The black and white also helped.
• OK, I loved it when Sofia squeezed the car between the two trucks and totally messed it up.
• That film clip from "Marooned" made me think of Cuaron's "Gravity".

I enjoyed this film, although it is not my favorite for Best Picture.  Now that I know that the film is based on Cuaron's own maid/nanny when he was growing up, I'd like to see it from that view.  It's no wonder that they loved her so much: she so fiercely loved those kids, and it is truly "amor".

One Last Time

Puerto Rico Trip

Day 5 

Tuesday, January 22, 2019

We slept off our cocktails from yesterday, and packed our luggage in the morning.  Boo, we have to go home.

We walked to the market again to get pastries and V got a smoothie, then checked out of the hotel.  We had a couple of hours before going to the airport, so we sat at the pool to enjoy our last breakfast in Puerto Rico.  The hotel lobby has plenty of outlets for patrons to charge their electronic devices, so Bro and I sat in there for a while before we left.  I said goodbye to the Doubletree and their crazy bathrooms.

Sad inside because we have to leave.

Bro got an Uber, and the map showed that he was driving through buildings to get to us, going diagonally across blocks.  "DEBRIS!", I fake-shouted.  Our Uber driver didn't speak much English, but he did point out someone trying to get back to the freeway from the offramp, and said, "Mal!"  Acknowledgement of bad driving is universal.

Airport Entrance
Hey, he's a LMM, too!

We shopped around at the airport, and I bought some adult drinks at the Duty Free Shop.  I also bought Lin-Manuel Miranda's book, "Buen Dias, Buenas Noches".  I wanted to get the English version at the show, but they only had the Spanish one left.  They didn't have an English one at the airport either, but I really wanted to buy the book while I was in Puerto Rico, so I bought it there.  V pointed out that the phrases are mostly short (thanks, twitter!), so I could probably figure them out, what with my mad skillz via the Duolingo app.

We sat at the gate for a while, which seemed even longer without wifi or outlets to charge our devices.  V got a hot dog, and also bought a six-pack of biscuits from Church's Chicken for Bro and me.  Mmmmm...honey biscuits!  Our airplane seats also didn't have individual screens or outlets.  It's good I was sleepy!  I did have the window seat, so I got some nice shots as we left.

SJU Control Tower

Up, up....

...and away.
Adios, Puerto Rico.

Our stop on the way home was in Charlotte, NC.  I have never been at this airport before, and had we time and unlimited money, I would have tried out some of the Carolina BBQ at the food court.  Instead, we finished off our Church's biscuits and ate stuff at the Admiral's Club before boarding the next non-screen, non-outlet flight.  Still sleepy, I finished the book on my Kindle anyway.

Pretty view at sunset on the way to CLT

Carolina Coast

Bro and V were kind enough to let me get something at In-N-Out on the way back to their house, because I was reeeeealllly hungry.  We said our good nights, and I left the next morning.

This was an amazing trip, and I'm grateful to Bro and V for their company, for arranging everything, and for the credit on our ever-changing bank account with each other.  :)  Seeing Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton was a dream come true.  Relaxing on a Puerto Rican beach was all kinds of wonderful.  Doing both on the weekend of my birthday was an awesome perk!  We had great food, met very nice people, and even got to see a dog that we called "The Puerto Rican Cadence".  PR, I love you.

  

I only wish Bananaman had been there, too.

Take A Break

Puerto Rico Trip

Day 4

Monday, January 21, 2019

I did my Puerto Rico Trip get-coffee-downstairs-and-sit-by-the-pool thing this morning, and tried to figure out the type of bird that was making sounds like a mockingjay from "Hunger Games".  I had heard their song every morning, and finally got a picture of one so that I could look it up on Google Lens.  The bird is a type of grackle, and the description of their song is "metallic tone".  

Are you, are you going to the tree?

I went inside when it started to rain, which subsided by the time we left the hotel.  We walked a couple of blocks to get breakfast, but the place we wanted to go to was under renovation.  Bummer.  APPARENTLY, most of the restaurants are closed on Mondays.  So we decided to go to the market located across the street from the hotel.

Very cool mural of the Puerto Rican flag on Loiza Street

Bro and I decided to get pastries for breakfast, and V ordered a smoothie without chunks of fruit in it.  I also got a cool-looking bottle of water from Spain, and bought drinks for our beach time, scheduled for later in the day.  We brought our goodies back to the hotel, and ate breakfast near the pool.  The pastries were all yummy!

PIctured from top: Quesito de Nutella; Guayaba pastelillo;
 panadilla con pollo; Guayaba con queso pastelillo
Not pictured:  panadilla con carne

Agua de Solan de Cabras

We were seated under a tree, and V asked about the fruit hanging from it.  A plaque next to the tree showed that it was a Calabash tree, and the gourd is used as cups or bowls, but is more well-known as being used to make maracas! 

Shake those maracas!

We went to our room to change into our swimsuits, then V asked the hotel valet for a ride in the golf cart shuttle to the beach.  My seatbelt didn't work, so I just hung on for dear life.  The shuttle dropped us off near the Doubletree area, where we asked for an umbrella and beach chairs.  While we waited, we pet a bulldog that I will now call Stinky because, well, he was stinky from dampness and beachiness.  But he was friendly, and he's a dog, so that's OK!

I have just met you and I love you!

I don't understand why one couple was seated with their backs to the shore, while another couple was seated with their left sides to the shore.  It was weird.  I sat on the beach chair to watch our stuff and the local fauna (dogs and birds) while Bro and V played at the shore.  They're so cute.

V has Mermaid Hair

When they came back to the chairs, we had our beverages: rum punch in pouches that we bought at the market.  Mmmm.....rum!

It's Adult Capri Sun!  

After some sunning time, I needed to try out the water, so I waded in up to my waist, and let the waves splash me until I'd had enough.  The water temperature was a little warm, at least compared to the water in the Pacific.  Bro told me to go out to the blue area, but with the theory I had the other day, I didn't want to suddenly drop into the depths of the ocean.

We needed to use the facilities, so we packed up and walked back to the hotel.  But wait!  There was a gelato place across the street from the hotel, and I had mentioned earlier that I wanted ice cream!  We gave our orders and brought our gelato to the hotel pool area to enjoy it.

Decisions, decisions

Thank you, PalettAmerica!

Since I was still damp from the beach, I decided to just continue the water time and got in the pool while V put her feet in the whirlpool.  Bro joined me there, and V did so eventually also.  Then I needed to warm up and got in the whirpool.  I even stayed in there when it started to shower from the sky.  It was nice to feel the cool rain hit my face as I sat in the warm water.  I got out when the rain stopped and dried off a little, only for the rain to start again and get me wet.  We all went upstairs to the hotel room, which hadn't been serviced yet.  We were all going to leave our stuff there and wait downstairs for the room to be serviced, but then I realized that we could change into dry clothes first.  OH!  So we sat downstairs, and relaxed when our room was ready for us to return.

We went to dinner across the street at Piola Pizzeria Artesanal Calle Loiza.  It was still Happy Hour, and I ordered a white wine sangria because the Yelp reviews said that the cocktails were very good.  Bro and V ordered locally made beer.  

Sangriiia!

Mermaid Hair girl got beer with a mermaid on the can.
Totally not on purpose.

Not sure that Crash Boat is a good thing.
I'm just glad there's some green and red on the can.

Bro and V shared a pizza (I think it was La Boca), and I ordered a Crispy Chicken sandwich.  Actually, I ordered a "Fried Chicken Sandwich", which totally confused the server, whom didn't speak much English.  It did not help when I continued to talk.  People should not give me alcohol and then ask me questions if they want a simple answer.  Bro had ketchup issues and managed to get a big blob of it onto the table and spread it around.  I told the server it wasn't my fault.  He probably went back to the kitchen to tell everyone else to stop conversing with the crazy lady at our table.  Poor V.  Or me, whatevs.

CRISPY Chicken Burger

Our food was good, our drinks were good (the sangria was especially yummilicious), and dessert looked good, but too rich for us at the moment.  We went back to the hotel to finish off the 6-pack of Rum Punch in a pouch, and watched TV for the rest of the night.

What a nice, relaxing day!  Yay for birthday vacations!

It Must Be Nice

Next up:  Going back to Cali

The Story of Tonight

Puerto Rico Trip

Day 3

"Hamilton"

Centro de Bellas Artes - Luis A Ferre

Sunday, January 20, 2019

Some sharing prior to writing about today:  Back in LA, Miss O eagerly gave me a piece of paper with the Puerto Rican flag on it.  

Text:  Pinch (at bottom), Pull (at top)

Here is what happens, like a pop-up book!

Isn't that the coolest?!  V made that.  I left it at their house because I didn't want anything to happen to it during our travels.  

When I woke up this morning, I decided that I would make it a routine to go downstairs, get coffee, and sit at the pool while Bro and V got ready.  We decided to go to breakfast on the way to the theater box office to get our tickets for the show at will call.   We saw a few Church's Chicken signs that showed the company as one of the sponsors for "Hamilton".

Thank you, Church's!

Several places were not yet open, probably because it was Sunday morning.  We ended up at El Meson Sandwiches.  V ordered her food in Spanish, until the woman taking her order started to ask her questions in Spanish.  I was going to order my food in Spanish, but was afraid that I would receive questions, so I ordered in English.  The food was super inexpensive, and I thought of getting more stuff to go for later, but never did.

We continued to the Centro de Bellas Artes, and I needed to take a photo of one of the barricades.

AT&T was one of the sponsors, too, but their sign was not as cool as the one for Church's.

Thank you, AT&T!

There was a long line of people trying to buy tickets, and I wasn't sure if they were for the ticket lottery or a regular box office line.

Sign Over Theatre Entrance

I really liked the sculptures of the different women of art.  Maybe they were supposed to be muses.

I also liked the Hamilton decor, of course!

Meet Me Inside

There were a few people with "I love PR" photo-op signs, and decided to take some pics.  V calls this one a Hidden Mickey, but it seems more like a "Hidden Sherry".

You'll Be Back

We walked back to the hotel and got ready for the show.  We were glad that the venue was moved from the University because this one was closer to us (the venue was changed due to security issues for possible protests on campus).  I decided on the hilly morning walk that I didn't want to walk to the theatre in my heels, and V agreed, so we called an Uber.  We saw on the app that our driver, Diane, was driving very quickly to get to us, and were a little concerned, but traffic was a bit of a pain, and she dropped us off before the regular dropoff point, which didn't bother us because the line to enter was long and we just wanted to go inside and get souvenirs before the show.

I love these PR Flag shirts with the Hamilton logo as the star!

 I was able to get to two different kiosks and get to the restroom before getting to my seat before the show started.  Our seats were in the balcony, 3 rows up, about halfway to the left center of the row.  The levels of the seats were very well-situated, as the whole stage was visible from our vantage point.

When Lin-Manuel Miranda entered the stage and sang the words "Alexander Hamilton", the entire audience gave a standing ovation for at least a minute or two before Lin patted his heart as a "thank you" so that we would sit down and they could continue the show.

• I may have cried even more this time than I did when I saw the show in LA.   I tried to reach for my tissues at one point, and couldn't find them, so I just forgot about that and tried to wipe away the buckets of tears accumulating on my face so that I could see the show.
• I think I even lost some air in my lungs because I screamed so much for LMM when he took the stage.  There he is!  AAAHHHHHH!!!!!
• The cast was superb, especially the lead guy.  I loved Sabrina Sloan's voice (Anjelica), Julia K Harriman's raw emotion during "Burn" (Eliza), Simon Longnight's playfulness (Lafayette/Jefferson), and Rick Negron's humor (King George).
• This was the same George Washington as I saw in LA, Isiah Johnson, and he was great again.
• I love all of the clever turns of phrase. 
• Everyone was clearly having a great time performing the heck out of this show. 
• Funny to see the conductor raise his own copy of the Reynolds Pamphlet when the four guys walked toward him. 
• "Hurricane" was especially profound, because here was LMM, playing the role he originated, in his home country, singing about a storm that caused the kind of devastation that brought him here to raise funds to help the people recover.  
• I don't remember seeing the lighting of the target on the floor at the last beat.

At intermission, I had time to ask someone to take a picture of me with the big sign.

Not Throwing Away My Shot

There was no real curtain call with the performers receiving individual recognition.  They just had the whole cast at once.  I'm glad I had my camera ready for the moment when LMM pulled out the Puerto Rican flag.

Viva Puerto Rico!

We bought more souvenirs because Bro and V hadn't seen the kiosk for LMM's company Tee Rico, and I saw something else I wanted.  While taking pictures outside, we met Edin and Carmen, PR natives whom told us the different activities we could do around the island.  I asked where we should eat for dinner, and they told us that our hotel was in a great location because one of the cross streets was a street that had a lot of restaurants.  Edin had just eaten at CRU the night before, and highly recommended the farm-to-table restaurant.  We told them that we were trying to get used to the "PR Time" style of service, and Carmen said that they weren't really proud of that.  That's OK, Carmen, my tribe has "Filipino Time".  We took an Uber back to the hotel and told our driver, Gustavo, to try to get tickets to the show via lottery.  I hope he wins tickets!

I might have bought a bunch of stuff 

We walked to CRU, which was a few doors down from Bebo's Cafe.  Our dinner was delicious!  What a great way to end a once-in-a-lifetime day!  Thank you, Bro and V, for the awesomer than awesome birthday gift!

Raise a Glass to the Four of Us
(I'm counting LMM as the fourth)

Next up:  Take A Break