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The Idi-Odyssey
Sunday Mar 28, 2004 - Link to Entry
Unlike my trip to Japan, which I potentially may not finish updating you on, I embarked on a journey that only had idiocy wreaking from its pores. An idea so half baked that I got salmonella just dreaming it up. And yet, when a young man has a little bit of time and money, things happen. This adventure was to Vegas.
So Sandye and Wayne, my surrogate parents, came down to LA to help me scout it out. The purpose of the trip was to find areas that I'd be interested in and potentially buy property. This was only to take Friday, but of course I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. Our twist stems from young Gabe and our band of idiot friends. Every year more and more of our college friends have joined up for a long weekend in Vegas. I have yet to attend this event, but had every intention of doing so this year. Not so fast Jro, its the same weekend as the parental visit in LA. Game over. You lose. Unless...unless what? I could take a flight that leaves after our dinner plans on Saturday night and return Sunday morning before anyone misses me. Now don't get any false pretenses or go off fantasizing that I was trying to pull some cockamany Saved By the Bell Style trick by trying to go without being noticed. No, no. Everyone knew of this journey, I'm not THAT good.
Flight one leaves at 10:17pm, landing in Vegas at 11:24pm. I figured with the cab ride I would arrive at Midnight upon the strip and ready for drinking and gaming. Correct assumption. Flight two leaves vegas at 8:00am. I figured after making my millions I would flag a limo down at 6:30am or so after not sleeping all night to go to the airport. Well I didn't make those millions....
Here's what really happened. I arrived at the Mirage at the stroke of midnight. Dare I say the gentlemen who I jetted off to enjoy the company of were almost Vegased out. They were enjoying a slow meal at a cafe near the rear of the hotel. I went off gaming alone for an hour or so. After the meal it became abundantly clear that most peeps were going to bed and that I was going to have to rally anyone I could to hit the strip with me for some gaming. That rally cry was heard only by none other than Gabe, the Viking. Gabe, sporting a helmet won by our friend Barn for playing guess my weight, resembled a Scandanavian Warrior with plastic horns to boot. It was the perfect look for the Idi-Odessey.
I went down big early and really never looked back. Though there were some brief glimpses of hope I think the best I could have done at any point would have been to walk even, but I had time to kill, drinks to drink, and chips to play. Needless to say, my adventure which lasted 7 hours on the strip, ended with a 3 mile hike to the airport as the sun came up in my eyes. It was beautiful, it was honest, and it was Idiotic!
Next week: JRo prepares for the Devil. Get tix from me for cheap.
Resting and Relaxing
Tuesday Mar 23, 2004 - Link to Entry
So we are back in Kagoshima finally getting a bit of rest and relaxation. After all, what is vacation about? This was the most low key part of the trip but it included some really great highlights.
One such highlight was Steak Anne's also named Steak and Beer. Now any restaurant named Steak and Beer has to be good! And it did not disappoint. The reason it truly makes the blog though is the process it entailed. Arriving during the peak of lunch hour we were seated at the counter. When you walk in as well as when you leave you get a resounding welcome/hello from the entire staff and a thank you for being here. It is not unlike the loud wait staff of the Japanese restaurant in the film "Defending Your Life." This demenour goes hand in hand with the way food is prepared and served. Steak Anne's is an in-your-face establishment. After ordering you sit and watch as they literally set your meal on fire. At first a very small fire just barely engulfing your plate, but then, BOOM, flames almost to the ceiling. I feared for my life and I was over 10 feet away from the stove. When they serve the meal you place your napkin on the table so that the plate is placed upon the upper half and you lift the lower half to prevent scortching hot sauces to find your clothing, skin, face, etc. Beyond the heart racing excitement and adreneline rush caused by the fear of being burned to death the meal was amazingly delicious. As good as Ron of Japan/Benihana style steak. I'm sure there would be Steak Anne's allover the states if it weren't for our fire codes and human rights laws. Damn our silly democracy.
Other highlights included the rental of Charlie Kauffman's lesser known film, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" which chronicals the life story of Chuck Barris, TV producer of horrible gameshows and simultaneous CIA operative. Great film! Kauffman is just the greatest screenwriter ever.
Children are arriving here in the classroom so I will continue on about the graduation, Japanese pizza, Dr. Seuss park, no tanukee, and the volcano later!
to be continued....
Nag and beyond
Monday Mar 22, 2004 - Link to Entry
You must forgive my fatigue. I am still suffering from slight jet lag. As a result there will be no photos posted as of yet, but they are coming soon I promise.
So we wake up in the Ryoken. Breakfast is waiting. Our choices consist of fish, chicken, rice, soup, and other dinner foods. I just wanted a bowl of oatmeal. Japan! I fill up on chicken salad and we are off for our adventure in Nagasaki.
First destination: Mr. Donut and Starbucks. What can I say, I'm a sucker for Carbs and Sachiko is a sucker for coffee chains. After I offend the merchant at the counter by attempting to eat in the restaurant with a takeout tray instead of a dine-in plate, I enjoy the tasty treat and we're on our way. Our first stop was the train station because even after hours of driving back and forth through this city the previous night we have no idea where anything is. At the station we load up on tourist maps that are in fact in English! Cha Ching :) Goals for the day include, Bomb Museum, Chinatown, Little Amsterdam, find somewhere to stay for the night, and the Peace Memorial. Sachiko asks if I want to take a train. Figuring the city couldn't possibly be that big I lean towards an adventure on foot. 8 hours and 15 miles later I regret this decision, but at the time it made sense.
On our way towards the bomb museum we stumble upon a sign pointing to a cemetary. I having never seen a Buddhist graveyard am highly intrigued. After climbing uphill for about half a mile we stumbled upon a sign that in Japanese said something about Gygein (Foreigners). We enter the Foreign cemetary and find at the lowest point on the grounds is a Jewish burial site. This of course confirmed my theory that the food is in fact fatal to the Jews. But seriously, it was amazing to stumble upon graves half in Hebrew, and the other half split between English and Japanese. There were only 5 graves, but I still thought it was an amazing discovery. The rest of the Foreigner cemetary was dedicated to Christians and Non-Religion graves. The Jewish part was seperated and was physically closer to sea-level than the rest of the cemetary.
Up high on the hill about a block away began an enormous memorial site to Buddhists who had passed away. Unlike the Gyjean counter part, these graves seemed to be visited regularly having food, water, flowers, and incense on and around them. Sachiko told me that they leave them food and water just in case. I thought, this is a great place to be homeless. I have no shame.
Moving along. The Atomic Bomb museum. Warning: If you do not enjoy my somewhat contraversial humor please skip this paragraph. Aunt Judy, this means you :) Before arriving in Nagasaki, I decided I would like nothing more than to have Saganaki in Nagasaki. Learning that there are in fact no greek restaurants in the city (terrible shame), I wanted to do something else funny that I could remember. Thus came one of my silliest and in a way most offensive ideas of all time. I decided that I was going to use a squatter at the bomb museum. For those of you not familar with squatters, it is a toilet that basically looks like a urinal placed in the floor. It is called a squatter because you squat over it to take care of business. Though reluctant to do it fearing that I would miss and hit my own clothing with number two I decided to trust the process and in doing so I, "Dropped a bomb on Nagasaki." My maturity fluctuates, what can I say?
The bomb museum. At first I really did not like it. It seemed it was designed for the pure intentions of upsetting British and American visitors by making them feel guilty. But as we moved further in there were some amazing exhibits and testimonies from surivivors of this most horrendous event. I began thinking just how awful it was that we retaliated with a nuclear weapon in an urban area. Just to get an idea of the damage, approximately 1 in 2 people were either injured or murdered by its explosion. The overwhelming majority were civilians and posed no threat to the rest of the world. Really sad! Made me feel a little bad about the squatter. But only a little.
Highlights from the rest of the day: We stumbled upon a little league game being played at the pro Nagasaki stadium. Cute little stadium that reminded me a bit of spring training parks. Not a bad seat in the house. We made our way to the peace park which was really just a bunch of fountains and trees, but it was pretty. We were so tired from all of our adventures that we ended up pigging out at a diner that served American style foods and went to sleep before 8pm. So no Chinatown, but we felt we saw a lot of the city!
The next day we awoke at the crack of dawn in an attempt to have a full day to do something besides drive. And if I had read the map a little bit more carefully this would have been an option. Long story short, we got in our first little scrap due to my dedication to my map reading skills. Stubborn and immature...Nice Jro. Anyway we finally got on track, caught our ferry in the nick of time, and were back in the main stretch of Kyuto. Sachi decided that I would really like to see Kumamato castle or Mount Aso so we headed towards Kumamato prefecture. Minus a small slight upset stomach from her food at a lovely restaurant called Joyfull (prounounced Joyforough), we had a great adventure through this old castle and into this really nice city. Still it was clear the stress of travel had caught up with both of us and we decided to just get back home to Kagoshima and rest/relax for a few days. Which of course meant $40 highway on the way home.
Now at first I thought, wow, this highway is beautiful. And it was. We were surrounded by lush green forrests and then massive mountains. But we soon learned the difference between locals and the highway. Tunnels. Though we did not count them, we believe that there were somewhere between 50-75 tunnels on the way back and they averaged 1 km in length. We at first used this to entertain ourselves by playing the how long can you hold your breath game. We soon were hyperventilating and were ready for the end of the tunnels. It came and we were finally back in Kag.
Coming soon: Photos, Jeremy bathes with old men on a volcano, The Fire of Steak Anne's, Monkeys, Graduation, and more.
Korean Lazover
Friday Mar 19, 2004 - Link to Entry
No thats not a tzpo...Itás a Korean Kezboard. For some reason the y is the z and vica versa....its verz irritating to saz the least, but free nonetheless....
Okay, where were we? Ah yes, the roadtrip to Nag. The first Saturday, Sachiko and I packed our bags for a trip to the North. Unable to read the signs, struggling with the driving on the opposite side of the road, unable to satisfy our American appetites with Japanese portions, and finding it difficult to speak with the locals, this trip proved to be quite challenging. After some effort we were able to track down a local burger chain. This chain is designed as though it were American, but have you ever heard of Mos Burger? Neither had I. Nonetheless, better serivce you will never receive. The deepest and most appreciative of bows including a full staff in unison bow upon our entry and exit. Yeah, at a fast food chain. Plus it tasted healthy and was awesome. Mos Burger, please come to the states. They would not let us leave empty handed either, they gave us strawberry plants to take home. Crazy.
Then we finally found our way to the ferry to take us towards the final leg of the drive to Nag. We had just missed the previous boat and had an hour to kill or so. Ice cream seemed a logical choice. Ladies and gentlemen. If ever you buy a frozen treat that looks a little too frozen, let it thaw, PLEASE! I went right for it and my upper lip immediately stuck to it. In panic I pulled it away and the results were not pretty. I think its almost healed now, a full week later.
Though the moments leading up to the ferryride were not my best in Japan, getting out of the car and relaxing on this beautiful ride was just what the doctor ordered. I will post photos as soon as I get back to the states.
A few more hours of driving after we docked and we had arrived at the city most famous for being a victim of the atomic bomb. Sachiko was more excited about the starbucks though. I think I was too. We found our way to the ryoken (Japanese style hotel) about as smoothly as we had driven that entire day, but we found our way nonetheless. Waiting for us was, I kid you not, a 7 course meal. But since it was already 9 or so at night it was all served at once. It was in a beautiful old Japanese room with sliding paper doors and tatami mat flooring. Obviously no shoes allowed, and you sat upon pillows. Now I am not a big fan of fish and it turns out the people of Japan really seem to like it. I think it was probably in 4 of the 7 dishes, but one was a plate of fried chicken stacked practically to the ceiling. So I was all taken care of!
After dinner we retired to our paper door room with a private patio and futon (floor beds). The place was very quaint and had a traditional and family feel to it. Incredibly comfortable and beautiful. I of course do not have the maturity for that, so I put on the robe they gave us and instead of tying the belt around my waist, I soon had a Ninja headband. The room became my dojo for at least the next 3 minutes before jetlag set in and I passed out.
Flight time...Still to come...the squatter, secret jews and baseball, bedtime at 6pm, the Castle, the tunnel game, thank goodness for highways, Kag in the sunlight, volcanic bath, MONKEYS, starvation, more Kareoke, nightlife, Jeremy drives in Japan, did I mention monkeys? Oh and of course Pachinko.
Time to fly. See you soon. Lates Korea.
Konichiwa!
Tuesday Mar 16, 2004 - Link to Entry
Hello from Kagoshima-shi, the capital of the South Eastern most prefecture on the island of Kyushu. Behind me sits a volcano constantly smoking and bringing life to new clouds in the sky. I am a giant here. I am a spectacle. I am Gyjean (a foreigner).
So far the world tour has been strong. After crashing hard my first night here the second day brought cold weather and rain to Kag. This did not deter Sachiko and I. Sporting her umbrella (parapluit in French) and I wearing my new gap raincoat/all purpose coat which cost $78 back in SF (trust me that's a relevant detail), we weaved in and out of the streets and alleys of the city visiting some of its finer indoor attractions. Included in such were Pachinko, Japanese gambling that is the combination between a slot machine and that game on the price is right where you dropped pucks and hoped they bounced the right way. In this game you use minuture pin balls. Each one is worth a certain amount of yen and if they go through a certain part of the machine the slots activate and if they match up properly you win more balls. When you want to cash out you bring trays of the balls you have won to the cashier and they give you tokens that have no fiscal value. You can then exchange these for prizes or go to the shady shack next door where they will turn the coins into Yen for you. Some strange gambling law. I would have been playing this since the moment I arrived but the problem is, the spinning slots are always a video screen and if anyone has been gambling with me they know I do not trust video gambling, so I have yet to engage in a round of Pachinko, although it has been calling to me.
Beyond Pachinko we visited some shops and arcades. The arcades are really funny because almost all of the games are those crane ones where you try to retrieve a prize or this hyper insane photo booths. The way the photo booths work is you put in like 400 yen (around $4). They then take a thousand or so pictures of you while playing crazy sounding cell phone music and talking really fast in Japanese. Then you select one and you have about 100 seconds to do anything you want to do to the photo, not unlike photoshop. Mostly you just draw colorful lines around it and add little anime drawings. Strange, very strange!
In the shops I discovered that every single magazine is pornographic. Even "seventeen" had compromising pictures of cartoon characters. I couldn't find a sports magazine with Japanese baseball, which of course is what I was looking for.
That evening was my big premier. Karaoke! Karaoke in Japan is quite different from what you and I are used to. Instead of embarrasing yourself in front of strangers and having to wait almost an hour to sing your song you are sent to a small private room with your friends. Once you arrive in the room you have catalogs with every song you could ever think of, two mics, and two remote controls. Using the remote control you type in the song number you want and Voila! There it is on your private TV with just you and your friends. Also instead of having to wait in line at the bar, you just pick up the phone, "Kon ban wa, sumimasen, nomimono onegaishimasu." And then the drinks come right to your room. Of course this requires being with people who speak Japanese, which happen to be in abundance in Japan. Go figure. So personal karaoke, all the drinks you can handle, and only embarrassement in front of people you know. Not a bad deal. I must have sang at least 15 songs before our time was up. Highlights included, "Cowboy", "Bed of Roses", "A Whole New World", whereas the lowlights consisted of "Come What May." Even with a few drinks in me my upper range was no where to be found. Luckily the fans were so anamoured with my presence they were forgiving of my lackluster performance and I received 81 encores and a standing ovation for over 3 hours, or something like that :)
More updates to follow. Stay tuned for our Roadtrip to Nagasaki, Jeremy uses his first squatter, Oh my lord there is fish in everything, The Children mock me, Children in helmets, Old men examine my balls, and more....
J'ya ne!
Goodbye US, for now
Wednesday Mar 10, 2004 - Link to Entry
I'm leaving on a jet plane, I'll be back in exactly 10 days...
Well folks, this is it, World Tour 2. After playing London and Barcelona, this trip to Japan marks my second musical trip abroad. Though my fan base is strongest here in the states sometimes the pull of those who love you and your music brings you to far off lands. I must make this call for the fans. Okay it has nothing to do with music but its fun to think of these things as tours rather than trips.
Nightguard update: For those of you who do not know I have TMJ and so I recently purchased a high tech mouth guard from my dentist. I thought it was improving my jaw, but lately its gotten worse. I think I'm going to need something else.
Japan updates: I will try my very best to keep you, the fans, abreast of my travels in J-Pan. I believe that marks the first time I have said 'abreast' on this website. Sweet.
Time for the longest flight ever. But think of the miles! Fans of Japan, prepare yourself, JRo is coming...
Last Days in America
Monday Mar 8, 2004 - Link to Entry
So we're winding down the days remaining before my venture to the FAR East. Quick catch up since we last spoke of Max's big day. Sat Night was a long standing obligation, one that I had been committed to for I believe close to 3 years, that was of course Eric's third and final birthday celebration dinner. This one featured the usual suspects plus Rico's (Eric) entire family: mom, dad, bro, aunt, evil step-brother (JayRow). A very relaxing and elegant meal although I started a mini-religious war that was luckily deflected and no harm was done. Great meal though. We wanted to send the chef our compliments but instead he sent us a potato broth. Strange.
Sunday Sunday. The weather was amazing so my work ethic was not. A little baseball, a little survivor, a little rehearsal, a little bedtime.
Monday. Today marked my return to PE! But this time instead of picture day I got to play kickball for five periods. That's something like three and a half hours of kickball. I learned several things:
1. It is fun to play sports with 12 year olds because I'm bigger and therefore usually better.
2. Sixth graders whine about everything. It didn't matter what happened. People would argue for their own players to be out just to argue. Crazy age.
3. Kickball is a far cry from baseball. Lets face it; a ball the size of a soccer ball is too big to throw around a baseball diamond. Half the runs scored on throwing errors.
4. Unlike softball where I peak early and then simmer down, with Kickball I am dominant in the mid innings and then really suck late in the game. My fielding however remains excellent if I do say so myself.
Alright, I'm burnt and sweaty and I have 400 things to do. Tomorrow is my last day of work for awhile. It's a hard knock life for us!
I kicked tuchas at Max's Bar-Mitzvah
Saturday Mar 6, 2004 - Link to Entry
11 years ago in a galaxy far far away a close friend of mine named Max became a man in the eyes of the Jewish faith. Today another young lad named Max made that leap to adulthood. I was his DJ.
This was hardly the Ritz, but the view could not be topped. The entirety of the Golden Gate lay to our right while the city and bay bridge glistened to the left. The temperature was just shy of 70 and not a cloud disturbed the blue of the sky. I was stuck inside with 12 and 13 year olds....Story of my life it seems. Actually it was a fun little party. It got lengthened a bit though by a simple oversite. See, I left the interior rear light on in my car. Apparently car batteries do not like when you leave lights on when the engine isn't running. Who knew? Anyway, AAA saved the day despite my inability to give them an intersection since I was over three blocks away from a road with a name and this "Yacht Club" was a far cry from listed and obvious to the Triple A eye. Nonetheless good old Steve came and jumped me and I was ready to roll in a matter of moments.
It is now time for Eric's birthday dinner. He has his whole family in and we're celebrating in style. I'm sleepy so I hope I get my second wind before dinner. I leave you with this thought. During my shower this morning I engaged in a session of body percussion to the likes of which I had never previous encountered. I dare say that I have a skill, albeit it a slightly grotesque one and one that depends on body fat continuity which frankly I cannot provide. But if I ever take my shirt off during a show, expect something magical to ensue shortly thereafter.
Mahalo
J
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Friday Mar 5, 2004 - Link to Entry
I won tickets to the sneak preview of Kaufman's new film off of 97.3 Alice FM on my drive back from Harry's 13th B-day party.
You probably have a lot of questions after that statement. Here are the answers without elaboration on what the questions might be:
1. The title is the subject of this post.
2. A screenwriter known for Adaptation and Being John Malkovich.
3. Jim Carrey, amongst others.
4. I just called and they said I won. I also "moted" the DJ. She said, "Round as in the shape?" I replied, " No, Round as in the adjective to describe the shape."
Sweet, eh?
5. Harry's b-day was not a social event for me but rather my DJing gig for tonight. His mother felt since all his friends get to have Bar Mitzvahs he should get to have a cool birthday party. And he did. There was a magician, lots of crazy little kids, and of course the DJ stylings of yours truly.
Does that clear things up or make them murkier? Oh to put a twist on this whole post, I cannot even use the tickets as the screening is while I am abroad. It's like winning the lottery and dying the next day...or something.
I'm going to shut up before I give myself a headache. Happy Birthday Harry.
Tenacious D
Thursday Mar 4, 2004 - Link to Entry
When KG and JB (Kyle Gass and Jack Black) get together it is anything but dull. These two acoustic rockers are highly skilled, entertaining, and at all times hilarious. What really makes them stunning though is the character of "Tenacious D." This unwavering, committed and driven musical duo, throws around some of the most ridiculous lyrics and vocal riffs without even cracking a smile. Amazing! Oh and major props to Jack and Will F. for their song "You're boring....Dell Taco." That was clearly the highlight of the oscars. Look at me acting like I know them. Shame Jer, you're still a peon. How do you spell peon?
Why the tenacious d comments JRow? A few days ago my roommate Meghan purchased their DVD and I have been watching it for the past hour. I am always stunned by how vocally talented Jack Black is and how amazing Kyle's harmonies and guitar riffs are. They are truly a well-practiced machine of Rock!
Fav. Rock star of the day however goes to Howie Day. I picked up his record over the New Years holiday when I was down visiting Los Angeles with Jacki, seeing Paul, Eric, Jason, et al. We stumbled upon a going out of business sale and I was able to pick up his very new record for something around $6. He has quite a bit of Jump, Little Children in his ballads building beautifully and featuring some very haunting harmonies. He also seems to have Beatles and Musical Theatre flowing through his blood like the good old JRock.
I think I need to settle on a nickname. Your thoughts?
Japan Countdown - Less than six days...My goodness!
I subbed in art today. I tried to draw. I really focused on it. I think I actually have gotten worse since my junior high days. I hate Art!
Keep on rocking.
Feeling left out...
Wednesday Mar 3, 2004 - Link to Entry
As an addendum to an earlier post about Jeff Singer, I would like to now mention his son Daniel who was feeling left out this morning. Dan, a big fan and loyal reader of JRo.com, is also a very very close friend. Dan Singer, welcome to the internet!
The last chapter
Tuesday Mar 2, 2004 - Link to Entry
The good parts of the story are over. This entry is purely epilogue to a great adventure. Feel free to skim it or skip it entirely if pressed for time. It is not essential to your day, life, or even your well being.
I fixed a toilet. Yes that right. I Jeremy Round, a Jew, fixed my toilet. Upon my return from LA I went to flush the toilet and had the plastic lever snap in my hand. An unpleasant and anti-climatic finish to one's relieving of one's self. Anyway, enough was enough. I was going in there and I was fixing this toilet (said with a French accent toy-let). A battle ensued. Memories of another household battle between me and the orphaned couch we adopted and could not seem to get rid of rose up in the back of my head. Would I need a hand saw again? Would there be blood? Would I succeed? And at what cost?
Reno Baby!
Anyway, it was a simple procedure really. In no time the toy-let was back to full function. I think maybe there was a great carpenter somewhere in my bloodline, or perhaps plummer, who knows?
I think that brings us up to speed. I am about a week away from Japan. I finally have freedom at my job to be fairly worthless and relaxed since they hired a teacher to do my job. Oh Red Devil has invited me back to play on April 5th. Sweet huh? I guess I need to pick up the guitar again. It has been awhile. Every since I had that rant against music I haven't been all that driven to play. I have been coming to realize that I am going to be a hobiest in music for sometime and get a film industry job upon my move to LA.
So that's it. This has taken much too long to update. I think I will stay up to speed from now on. Thanks to the fans who stuck out. For those who bailed, Who Needs You?
This is Jeremy, signing off.
Saturday, not the day of rest....
Tuesday Mar 2, 2004 - Link to Entry
9am, wake up, grab your glove, its Softball time!! Eric came and picked up Ari and I and we headed to a field in Milpidas which seemed like it was somewhere near Phoenix by the time we reached it. But man was it worth it. Soon we had a seven on seven game going. The coach showed alot of faith in me and put me at third base and fifth in the batting order. Now those of you who know me know that I lack some basic skills in coordination. Couple that with the earliness of the game, the lack of recent practicing, wet grounds, no cleats, etc, we had a formula for disaster.
So I took my place at the hot corner. I was really excited to be on a field again playing a semi-organized game. Before I knew it I screamed, "Easy Out." Now mind you I only knew Eric and Ari and neither one of them was at-bat. And of course the first ball hit was right at me. I didn't blink. Something inside of me took over, guided me, I made the play. I was elated...
The game continued in this semi extraordinary fashion. Though my best plays and hits were earlier in the game, I did stay sharp and I felt pretty good about my work. I am definitely joining a permanant team when I get a chance!!
Oy, what a Shabbat.
Lunch, long drive back, get home, crash for a couple hours.
Voices and movement in the hallway. I am awakened. "Are we going to Reno Jeremy?"
Shit....Do I really want to go? I mean yes. Where there is gambling I always am having a goodtime. But its a long drive and I have so much to do. But its been a great weekend so far. This could be the crowning moment. Ari's in. Nichole's in. Janine, host of the Roomate game - brought to you by Allstar Donuts, is in. Away we go!!!!
3 hours, 220 miles later.....We're here!!! It's cold!!! What do you mean no rooms? Well Circus Circus will have to have rooms. Nothing??? Dear Lord! Off to Harrahs.
Desk Clerk: May I help you sir?
JayRow: Any rooms left for tonight?
Desk Clerk: Oooooh, I don't think so...Let me check.
JayRow: You do know this is Reno right? Not Vegas. So there should be rooms a plenty.
DeskClerk: We have one. It's a king sized bed, non-smoking.
JayRow: How many rooms are in this joint?
DeskClerk: Here's your key. Goodnight.
So apparently there are thousands of rooms, but just one vacancy. Weird. Shabbat Shalom, time for gambling.
What happens in Reno stays in Reno. I gambled the night completely away and had quite a bit to show for it. I took about $500 from our hotel that night! Woohoo!!
Desk Clerk: Good Morning this is your wake up call.
JayRow: What time is it?
Desk Clerk: 8:30am. Good day.
Back to SF (to be continued).
Friday (cont)
Tuesday Mar 2, 2004 - Link to Entry
After hanging with Apryl, I headed out to the Mission to celebrate a TFA birthday(TFA is an acronymn for everyone's favorite non-profit, Teach For America). But by the time me and my crew got out there, few remained. So we hit the road to find a quieter spot. An aroma quickly filled the air. Enticing, wonderous, delcious; we had to follow. The culprit? AllStar Donuts of course. T'was not enough to enjoy their delectable goodies, we decided to park our now heavier asses there for awhile. It was then that Janine re-invented the newly weds gameshow and quickly made herself the host of "Do You Know Your Roommate?" sponsored by AllStar Donuts. An hour and a half later the teams were tied and Janine called the game's end. I at this moment called for a trip to Reno the following evening. Everyone seemed to think it was a good idea. Why did I plant those seeds?
To be continued....
Back to posting
Tuesday Mar 2, 2004 - Link to Entry
Sorry folks...as I said life can get busy sometimes.
Last week in review. As I said a friend had a familial tragedy so I went down to support her at the funeral. It was a whirlwind trip down to Los Angeles as I left promptly after work on Monday and returned fairly early on Wednesday. Though the reason for the trip was tragic and horrific the moments spent with good friends and the wonderful words that were spoken in memorandum were touching. The moral of this untimely ending seemed to be at least they were happy and in love when they passed on. I thought that was a beautiful concept!
Upon my return I received a phone call from a close family friend, Jeff. He was in town for a case down near Santa Cruz. We were able to get together for dinner and a drink. Always great to catch up. And the catching up didn't stop there. Another friend, Apryl, was in town for business. She and I got to hang out with a bunch of NU folk and catch up as well.
Wow, this may be the least elegant post ever.... To Be Continued