Damn, it's been a while!!!

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Alright, finally getting a few minutes to blog… and tell you about my favorite time of year… CHRISTMAS!!! Well, at least my adventures in Utah during Christmas!!! Basically, the day that I flew in, I showed up early, it was really cold… and it was going to warm up the next day so that it could snow for 2-3 days straight… then go back to really cold. That’s weather in Utah in December, back to you Melissa!!! (“Thanks Steve, unrest in the Middle East as…”)

The first day, I stayed in Salt Lake City area… but my mom came and joined me, so we went to see some of the sights… like the Christmas Lights at Temple Square…

The next morning, we went to the fairly new Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, which is a LOT better than what the aquarium used to be in Utah… here are some pictures but… definitely check it out if you’re in the area…

Then we headed to This is The Place Memorial up in the foothills. This is the located where Brigham Young, leader of the Mormon party of pioneers that were cast from Missouri basically decided to set up shop for a new State of Deseret back when NOBODY was in the area, except maybe some Native Americans. Basically, after their long journey across the Rocky Mountains, they found a stream, saw a barren salty desert ahead of them as far as the eye could see (Western Utah & Nevada) and said, “This is the Place!” Probably followed by “F**k it, we’re done! Unload! I ain’t going any further!” Anyway, the Memorial is pretty cool and has a LOT of buildings that were built exactly as they were back in the day in surprising detail… and there was a cool train that took you around…

The next day, there was the Family Christmas Party with… I don’t know, probably 200 in attendance… kind of a small turnout this year… my mom is one of 17 children… and they’re all (grand)parents-plus now…

Then there was my brother introducing me to Playstation VR… and I was skeptic. I’ve used VR machines in the past… and it was pretty cool… but eh. HOWEVER!!! This Playstation VR setup… was pretty f**king awesome!!! My brother had no hesitations in putting me RIGHT INTO the freakiest stuff too… like an Underwater Shark Encounter, being part of a Saw-like scenario, open-heart surgery, all kinds of stuff. It was pretty cool! I highly recommend checking it out… but be prepared for some eyes adjusting headaches and stuff like that…

Christmas Morning was at my brother’s house…

Christmas Day was at my Aunt Pat’s house…

Christmas Night was at my Mom’s house… and Izzy & I got a GoPro Hero Session, a Christmas Ornament, some drinking glasses, and a horrifying unicorn mask. However, the snow was really coming down, so it was just me, my mom & my stepdad (sleeping) so we watched some movies…

 Then a few days later, back home with my lovely wife...

The next days after that, I was pretty sick (as was everybody around me leading up to it) so not much else to tell… but Christmas is amazing! I love spending time with my family! I miss those little sh*ts like all the time… and I’m sure they miss me too… but yeah, I was also glad to be back home to my wife after a week away! I kinda love & miss her too! CHRISTMAS!!! Anyway, love & miss y’all as well… and it’s among my resolutions to update this more often… but if you’re missing me, follow the Everything I Learned From Movies podcast(eilfm.podbean.com) and you know how to find me on Facebook. If not, reach out to me!!! I’ll get you connected on the latest info. Until then, have a great day everybody!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Lasers & Cars

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

 

I’m not sure if you’ve been checking out the news lately… but it’s been kind of the perfect rave storm here in San Francisco the past few days with the Supreme Court deciding that same-sex marriage shall be recognized in all 50 states (and I’m assuming Guam, Puerto Rico & the U.S. Virgin Islands as well) and it corresponded perfectly with same-sex Pride Week. It’s a same-sex cyclone of celebration! The streets are literally flowing with rainbow-colored vomit & décor! It’s pretty fantastic… so how did we celebrate the weekend, you ask? Oh, you didn’t? Well… it’s slightly less colorful than you might expect… but only slightly.

 

Saturday, I went to do something that I haven’t done in YEARS!!! I went to play some Laser Tag at Q-Zar in Concord with Izzy & J-Mo… and some of J-Mo’s buddies who live out there. If you haven’t played Laser Tag with energetic bodybuilders & a gaggle of pre-teens… then you simply haven’t lived… and you should do it… like yesterday. Basically for $30 per person, you get up to five hours of fantastic real-life Halo going against your peers… and in between, you have 20 tokens to play arcade games & earn tickets towards outstanding prices… and then get right back into combat when the Pop-A-Shot machine screws you out of half your game because the flat balls get stuck or it closes up just to f**k with you and you scream things like “GET SOME, YOU DEFLATED BALLS!!!” to an eleven-year old while the sixteen-year old referee says “No foul language” and you reply, “Kumquat! Listerine! Moist! Go get your shinebox & get outta my shot!!!” and you simulate blasting him a few times. Okay, it wasn’t quite that intense… but yeah, a LOT of fun… and we were all pretty f**king sweaty afterwards. Great workout & great fun… go check it out.

 

Sunday morning, Izzy & I met up with her aunts and we went to the Pinole Car Show near Pinole Creek. This is an event where gearheads and all of their restore collector cars can go on display & they sit for hours telling perfect strangers about their vehicles… and it’s not weird at all. It’s just people with mutual interests discussing their hobbies… and it’s typically good people (as long as they haven’t been hitting the mimosas since 6 AM in the sweltering heat). Here are some of the beautiful cars that were lining the streets & Pinole Creek Park…

Aside from that, it was a pretty chill weekend… we did do a little walk along the bay...

 

We pretty much had the apartment to ourselves (roommates out partying & spending time with their family) and basically just getting ready for Mom’s visit starting Tuesday for a week. What’s on the agenda? A literal sh*t ton. You’ll see. Who’s all coming? Well… my mom first off… and then HER mom, my grandma… making her first trip to San Francisco in her 75+ years but with a shiny new hip… and of course, the niece & nephew are coming to see their favorite Uncle $teve. Ugh… so excited to see all four of these awesome people in my life!!! Have a great week everybody!!!