July 2000
7/4/2000
July 4th…hmm…I just want to and sign up for the Armed Forces, grab an M16, and go defend democracy some where in the world…yea right!!! Sarcasm…it's a beautiful thing. On the real though, I have the utmost respect for the men and women. Everyday they risk their lives either in training, missions, or even just being in a country with people who don't sympathize with Americans. Nat, Tish, Aparna, and Junko came over and we BBQ'd and hung out. It was much fun. Afterwards, we went to stadium at UCSB to watch the fireworks. Aiight I love live music as much as the next person, but when people BUTCHER a song…yeesh! There were trying to sing, emphasis on trying, to sing 'I Believe I Can Fly'. They should have been singing, 'I Believe I Can Sing'. Two words came to mind during their performance: tone deaf. Then 3 people parachuted in bearing the red, white, and blue. Skydiving is definitely on my Life's To-Do list. The fireworks show was the da bomb! I love fireworks! Not sure if it's the bright lights or just watching things go boom!…haha.
7/9/2000
This was a very cool day. My father took me sport fishing off the coast of Oxnard, and it was tight. We went on this boat that takes people out. The only uncool thing was the ungodly hour that we had to get up! After getting there, getting the tackle, and stuff we set out for a couple of spots near the Channel Islands. We didn't catch squat!! We seem to be feeding the fish fine enough though! I'm looking forward to Highlight: We talked about some really deep stuff that we don't usually get a chance to. It was cool to go there, ya know? He and I are pretty expressive when it comes to generic things, however we don't really go there, ya know? Hmm…this sounds like the most father/son relationship may be…haha
7/13/2000
My friend Laura called me up and we went down to the beach for a walk and talk. Laura graduated from UCSB and in my major, so we had a lot of classes together. Anyway we chilled down by pier downtown, and talked about life and stuff. Graduating (her) and about to graduate (me), can give folks a lot of anxiety as y'all may already know. It was cool to have a friend in fear...haha. Afterwards we went to Carrow's and I saw this girl there I've seen a few times before. This time she was looking especially good looking. She's 'bout 5'6", smallish frame, flawless complexion and with the coolest red hair. (What's with me and redheads??) When I usually would see her should would be in her work clothes, but tonight she was wearing this incredible sexy outfit. Laura and I sat at the counter, and I was able to talk with the mystery woman. It just so happens that it was her last night at Carrow's…well hell's bells! There goes my incentive for enduring crappy service, lukewarm food, and the friggin' seemingly interminable wait for chicken tenders!
7/14/2000
Did I mention I love comic books? Well comic books and sci-fi are just the start. Tonight I saw X-men with a friend of mine's roommate. That made for an interesting night out….woohaaa. I think she's from a Slavic country, and she had the funniest notions on all kinds of things. If she wasn't dating someone else, wasn't looking for someone to take care of her financially and…may be we could have had something. Haha! She does have a thing for thongs, so that was a redeeming quality… That having been said…the movie was ok. You can tell they were setting up for the sequels. Guess it's hard to setup years of history in a 2 hours movie. Let's see what the sequels have to offer…
7/15/2000
Today went down to Oxnard to play mini-golf and hang out with my friend Jennifer. So I got my butt spanked at golf AND air hockey by her! And no I wasn't trying to loose deliberately…ahem. Haha. On the real it was fun. Unfortunately the guy she's seeing thinks that we were doing something else. But NOTHING happened! I'm good but I'm not that good. J Damned if you do and damned if you don't!
7/16/2000
Did I mention that I'm from the Caribbean? I was born and raised on St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. You go there and you'll fall in love with the crystal clear water, powder white sandy beaches, and yes incredible food. Have I mentioned that I love food? Not just any food, but flavorful food…food that reinforces the simple pleasure of eating! Back home we have this sort of thing. Food inspired by different European countries, as well other Caribbean nations. Today I wanted to go back home…culinarily speaking. My friend and co-worker Beth and I wanted to get together and see if we could recreate 'jerk'. The deal was she would bring over the chicken marinated in a jerk recipe her father gave her. The hitch was, I was responsible for grilling the chicken and providing the sides. To go with the Caribbean deal I made red beans and rice using coconut milk and fried plantains. My roommates grow vege's so I tossed on some zucchini and Vidalia onions from the garden. The chicken came out well, but since the sauce was soy based, the soy was very present in the chicken.
To
begin this entry I have to say that John and Cammy are 1 of the coolest
married couples I've ever come across. They give me renewed hope that
long term relationships really do work. I love those guys! From what I
figured out, they started the 'Hodge Podge Reunion' to bring the people
who came together many years ago because of a tragic event. Cammy wanted
a means to bring the people together and the Hodge Podge was born. Today
there was a party on Goleta beach and it was crazy fun. Met up with old
friends and made a few new ones. John played ringmaster and directed folks
in the funniest line dance I've ever seen. Then the kids were given instructions
to find 'buried treasure' some where on the beach. The treasure turned
out to be a bunch of candy and water balloons in an old
trunk. Can we say target practice boys and girls?? Woohaaa! The last thing
we did was, make candles in the sand. Aiight, I was a little skeptical.
The whole Martha Stewart didn't grab me at first, but it turned out to
be a lot of fun. Basically we dug holes in the sand. People brought different
colored hot wax that was melted by the BBQ pit. After setting the wick
up, you have someone pour the color wax that you want into the depression
in the sand…bout an hour later…voila you have a candle. Did I mention
this was late in the day and the tide was marching in?? We dug moats around
our candles and tried to save them…but let's just say that sum fared better
than others…J Afterwards we went back to John and Cammy's and some of
us relaxed in the Jacuzzi. Molly and Max are John and Cammy's kids, are
they are mad cool. Molly is probably a heartbreaker in 9th grade, and
Max I think is a playa in training…haha. If anyone says anything bad about
them or messes with either would have to deal with me though.
7/23/2000 Day II
of
the Hodge Podge. Day 2…wooohaaaa!! Yesterday was tight and today was just
as great. We spent the day over at John and Cammy's. It all started with
brunch…or may be just early lunch..haha. Dave a.k.a. Master Crepe Maker
made crepes from SCRATCH and made this blueberry cassis (sp.?) to along
with them. I made a bananas foster accompaniment. So people could have
their crepe stuffed with Breyer's ice cream, and the either the blueberry
or strawberry on top. Some got smart and starting asking for both…haha.
Boy those things went like hot cakes! Uh…no pun intended. Haha! After
brunch there was, a, um…no talent contest/gong show thingie. Basically,
everyone had to do something, be it a skit, sing a song, or whatever.
Let's see…there was a Gilligan's Island skit and I played Mrs. Howell
(NO I don't swing that way..sometimes a man's job is 
never
done..haha) and another skit, both written by Molly. A couple of ladies
did thing where one stood behind the other, and while the one in front
talked about putting make up on…the one in the back tried to find the
right make up and put it on her face. Max, another guy, and myself did
this little dance routine to the "Blue"…haha There was a lot of no talent
displayed that day, I tell ya what! Thoughts: It's good to come together
with people you care about and love just for the sake of seeing them,
rather than waiting for something else to being you together. The Hodge
Podge Reunion taught me this. It doesn't have to be a whole weekend, but
if there are people that you rarely see, I implore you to make time to
see them.
7/28/2000
Wildcat with Tasha…met Gloria for the first time Wildcat..wooohaaa!! Dang I love this joint. If you ever get to Santa Barbara and need a place to shake your booty…I highly recommend you check it out. If I haven't seen it before, allow me to say it again…I love to dance, but I don't drink. It's a personal decision I made a long time ago when I used to drink. Anyway the place has that 'Coyote Ugly' feel to it, no joke. The female bartenders (there are some male ones, but why would I talk about them? Haha) are all FINE. The walls are in the dance area are covered in red velvet, and they have huge subs in the walls that give you a massage are you're dancing. There is a catch…the place is usually really crowded on a good night. If you don't dig crowds, don't go. However if you're facing the dance floor from the bar, head to the back right corner. Usually back there is a pocket off space that most don't go. Shhhh! This night Tasha and I went. Tasha is crazy cool, recent UCSB graduate with a killer GPA and crazy work skills. She can shake her booty like no other!! It used to be Tasha, Beth, and myself but Beth got pregnant and the booty shaking stopped for her. Beth is an all out booty shaker from Jersey. Much love to ya Beth!! Anyway the funny thing about this night was Tasha was getting more attention from the girls than I was…haha. This on girl Gloria was going toe to toe with Tasha and I think they clicked. Don't ya'll think Tasha swings that way either!