Friday started off with me waking up a gang of Facebook emails and texts. I was supposed to go to Buca Di Beppo near my house for lunch but since they were closed til 4 p.m., Mom, my godbro Ron and I called an audible and went to my favorite sushi buffet spot in Torrance. Good ole O-Nami, where I finally got a couple of hand rolls along with the usual goodness.
I didn't make plans on my actual bday night because I had to cover a game for the Daily Breeze. Plus, I knew Saturday was gonna be a blast but that didn't stop me from kinda driving around the South Bay a lil aimlessly while I figured out who to call. Ended up just going to In-N-Out and treating myself.
Oh yeah, I scored some nice loot courtesy of my sis. Radiohead's 1st classic album "The Bends" and several books I wanted. In the mix, an unpublished collection of James Baldwin's essays and Ben Mezrich's book on the story behind Facebook's founding - soon to be seen on the big screen in "The Social Network".
It was all about Saturday night though. After we celebrated my friend's daughter's 1st birthday, we got down at Joe's Crab Shack not too far from my house. I've done it twice before - No. 20 down in San Diego where I realized that 1) I didn't have any guys there, 2) I got embarrassed not by hula dancing but by getting sprayed senseless by Silly String, 3) I was the only one who ate seafood there. Go figure.
Two years later, I went to Joe's in 2006 (my first bday post college) under a stranger circumstances. I had just quit my sales job and I had assumed all my co-workers were coming to dinner like I told them. By late in the evening nobody called so I had to quickly call up a few folks. Fortunately Ron, his girlfriend, my friend Sharon and old schoolmate Heidi, who just happened to be in LA that weekend, showed up and it was a quiet #22.
Needless to say, this time was much different. I had 24 friends show up from church and schools. My homegirl Liz saved the best by coming last and immediately hooking me up with a drink. Danced around with the waiters, danced around as a reggae pirate while everyone sang to me. Did I mention TWO red velvet cakes?? TWO son? Can it get any better?
Only downside was that I got smoked bowling later on. How I could get 4 strikes and still finish last says something. But then we ended up singing karaoke in the lounge. Why I was possessed to sing "Inside Out" by Eve 6, I'll never know but I didn't care. I knew the words, song was in my range so why not?
It was cool seeing one chick sing like 3 Bob Marley songs and almost everybody singing some type of slow jam. Somebody needs to ask why all the girls I was with decided to sing "A Thousand Miles"? Maybe a throwback to me liking it back in 2001. But all in all, a great weekend and the pictures say it all.
Here y'all go via Facebook (And thanks to UCLA, CC Sabathia, the San Diego Chargers for making it extra special, more on that tomorrow in my football recap)
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