25K

I surpassed the 25,000 hit mark yesterday. A major milestone in what can aptly be described as a one of the finest blogs from Foster City's neighborhood #2.

OK, so I'm slugging out lately. I missed the revised SLA. Maybe if you people sent me $50 a week like my real gig, I'd produce. I think that comes out to $5 per reader. You know where I live.

So I'm always on the prowl for a new dining sensation in our lovely corner of suburbia. I got handed a menu in the Safeway parking lot last week for Richy Fusion. This place is just a stone's throw from my abode. It's my understanding that it is owned and operated by Richy and his publicity shy brother, Eddie Fusion. Their menu claims they have the best prime rib in Foster City. Since they have the only prime rib in Foster City, that's tough to dispute. The last occupant of that space, 88 Pho Cafe, lasted about five minutes. I hope the Fusion brothers have more success.

Charlie Sheen is "tired of pretending I'm not special. I'm tired of pretending like I'm not [expletive] a total frickin' rock star from Mars." Me too damn it!

Oaktown

We crossed the bay Saturday for some socializing. Our first stop was the home of our first au pair. She came to us as 19 year old back in '95 and she now has a family of her own, including a great husband, one of the cutest three year olds I've ever met, and bambino #2 due next month. We took in their gorgeous view as wifey chatted them up and I read Mr. Noisy to the boy. On a side note, Mr. Noisy is the sixteenth book in the Mr. Men series, according to Wikipedia. I get the feeling I'm going to be a good grandpa, even though I expect that is a decade or so away. Say hey to Gampy DJ.

We then went to the house of my sister and her partner LA. We were spending the night and they always provide us a luxurious hotel like experience. I walked in with my CPAP and introduced myself as DJ and The Machine. We were heading out to Plum in uptown Oakland. It turns out my sister also invited my brother. I was a little pissed and I'll tell you why.

Although I've often discussed our brotherly bond, but in actuality there's been a long standing rift. You see, my brother is a tiger brother. As far back as our early days in Western PA, he insisted I spend two hours a day on penny whistle practice. After that, I'd say let's go out back and have an apple fight. But no, that was not in the plans. Next was math and vocabulary flashcards. I was really overjoyed when he joined the Navy.

But I don't want to dwell on the negative. We headed out to the restaurant. which was dimly lit and minimalist. LA referred to it as precious, which was spot on. We went with the prix fixe and became a little concerned when our first course arrived. It was a couple thimbles full of beets topped with beet puree. An alarm went off in my head. Burger! Burger! Burger! But as it turns out, our fears were unfounded. Although the portions were small, they were tasty and there were enough of them for a good meal.

We had some lively dinner conversation. Sis told me of her adventures on the hard court. She still runs full court hoops, with dudes no less. I guess my remark about her being an ex-jock was premature. She's a studette. The women are the best athletes in my family. I'd like to be out there taking her to the hoop but those days are far behind me. My brother reminded me that when he took me to a Stanford neurosurgeon back in '98, I asked the guy if I'd be able to play b-ball again. If he had to be blunt, he could have said, "No pal, but you'll be able to walk into the gym to watch your daughter play." I'm glad to be able to do that these days.

I'm Sold

After seeing Eminem's Super Bowl commercial, I ran out and bought a Chrysler. My next move is to rent an apartment in Detroit. I don't want to be rash and buy a house just yet.

So I spent the big day with the work dudes, losing money at poker. But I got a bunch of free chow, including wonton wrapped shrimp, wrapped in bacon and deep fried. This fits perfectly into my new diet, which has allowed me to lose 10 pounds since the New Year. I used to be svelte. Now I'm ripped.

I also took 2nd place in the pool, which I won last year, so that made up for my losses in Midnight Baseball etc. I won one hand with a pair, but I had declared I had two pair. And I was only on my second beer. Those guys won't be letting me live that down any time soon.

The game was good and the halftime entertainment was even better. I'm glad they finally turned the page on those geezer bands like The Stones and The Who. Will. I. Am's auto-tuned crooning combined with Fergie wailing that classic Sweet Child O' Mine was unbeatable.

The pre-Super Bowl party was my daughter's hoops game Saturday night. This was the annual Catfight, Tigers vs. Panthers. #1 and his missus joined us for a barn burner. We had lost by 26 at their court earlier this year but, in what I felt was their best game of the year, they were neck and neck with the Panthers all the way to the end. The kid got 17 points. After the game, she thanked me for passing on the hoop gene.

During the game, #1 told me about a TV series called The League. He says it reminds him of our FC crew, always busting each others chops. He sent a note out to the boys to let them know about it. TCG responded that he plans to Tivo it. We had a nice email exchange about that. I'm always interested in hearing what TCG plans to Tivo

I recently become reacquainted with my college roomie. He found me on Facebook. I gotta get off that thing before anybody else hunts me down. In any case, he reminded me of the shit pit we lived in on Vestal Ave. back in Binghamton. I think we dragged our feet and ending up taking the only rental left in the city. While most students were luxuriating in cheap, stodgy apartments, we occupied a building that should have been condemned. In retrospect, I'm probably responsible for that. I was the only one that was spending quality and quantity time in The Parlor City that summer of '79. I was probably hugging a six pack of Molson when I should have been house hunting. In any case, that semester was cut short. I had to drop out due to rehab a severe case of eczematous dermatitis, which was exacerbated by shitpititis.