Just What I Needed

It's close, yo. Less than 48 hours away and the Aquaholics will be heading to Westshore on the Lake Tahoe Epic in the persuit of happiness. But we got things happening in the meantime and I can only report that we're going to make it there whether the rental agency likes how we roll or not.

I got to say, working at EMC has been really great and I feel I fit there in the work environment, but since the young guns moved out from Boston, the floor has been more lively, the pain caves aren't so painful and even the shit ball coffee tastes a little less shitty. On that note, the managers stepped up their game faces and called on their secretary to plan a beach day last Thursday. On a wellness scale the day was well to very-well and after a 3 hour meeting highlighted by Big Ed's motivating speech on 'bottomlines' and 'fullfilling promises' we made the journey over the hill for some fun in the sun with the EMC All Star BURA squad, us.

Julia blew it up with tents, TOGO's, music and a helluva rockin' atmosphere. She special ordered this incredible weather that set the backdrop to a Utopian work day(is there work in Utopia? I hope not).

As we got underway there was a debate whether alcohol should be purchased. In one corner there was the 'well, it just doesn't make sense to get everyone liquored up and drive back over the hill' and meanwhile, in the other corner they are on the horn placing an order for 4 12vers of miller light and whatever else looks good. Come on, we're partying here! Work hard play hard and keep an even keel.

KT rolled in with his 6 volleyballs and little booties to keep his feet cool in the blistering hot sand - yea, blisters on everyone's feet. Next time KT, bring booties for everyone. It's kind of like the kid in class that whips out one piece of the bestest gum for himself and eats it in front of everyone.

But the VB game was awesome and props to KT for settin' that up. Big Ed, me, the Mak-attack, Chaz, U-dog, and Kelly-Kel lost the first set, but rallied for 2 in a row off my diving dig save and Chaz's closeout serving. Shut KT and his crew down and wore our sweat proud. I think we made Big Ed proud - you know, everybody loves a winner.

Carrying on with the incredible time, we jumped upstairs to the Crow's Nest patio with the ipod doc and laid down an epic set of Curtis Mayfield, Lionel R, Skynard and the rest. Are you seeing a pattern to the music we roll out? Our waiter, bless is tiny heart, was trying to handle the entire patio and while I had sympathy for the man, I wanted a blasted cocktail to put these flames out.

Curtis ended up having to trek inside to the bar and place the first order. After waiter figured it out and the broad that was late showed up for her shift, the guy came through and it was river of Bay Breezes down the hatch. The kids from Boston were beside themselves. Boats going by, 73 degrees, slight breeze and Jack Johnson telling us the horizon has been defeated. We ate plenty of dead sea life, raw, breaded, seared and the like and enjoyed ourselves until the sun hinted at hiding behind the mountains behind us.

Jules, Curtis and I headed out for a cig and found a couple of cool-ass bros that offered up their final stick to us and we kindly accepted. We kept the ipod rocking the whole time and had about 4 different little dance parties before we got back to the truck where the dance parties continued. (Before I get carried away here, I had stopped drinking the Bay Breeze's and was content with water knowing full well I had a drive back to the pit on my hands.) DJ C-Dub kept the jams going on the ride back and we rocked out to the hip hop hibby all the way back into LG. The ipod wasn't off for more than 30 seconds when it was plugged into the house and Chris Brown was singin Forever to the girls and us.

Jules and MD had a little practice from there Dance Revolution training and wanted to show off some skills. The fish came down and wanted a little action too, so we abliged and the night was epic.

Great day all around and I've never been so sore in the thighs - core volleyball and 8 hours of dancing until the morning light. I forgot all about the worries on my mind and slept like a baby. Friday may have been my most unproductive day in my pain cave, but I don't think I was alone. I hope you all can share a riproaring good time with your co-workes. You spend 50 hours a week with them...embrace it. Love it. And be excellant!

Boats, Booz, Babes, Baunach

What a weekend, and damn-it-all if I didn't have a knee shaken good time. Unfortunately, I broke my camera taking pics with people I really wasn't all that excited about snapping killer shots with. Mid-photo shoot, wouldn't you know, the picture box falls off the tv from the thumping bass beats in the house and crash!! ...done son.

So I leave it to the writing to carry this one. We'll get to last Thursday and making out with a fish when I'm able to get the pictures up, but in the meantime we can blast through the weekend's activity sheet.

Friday was supposed to be a walk in the park. There turned out to be some good crack down at Joe's Northend on the patio, and George and JoAnne came through with the music cranking on the veranda. Mel, Baunach and I rocked it olds school while Johnny Blaze was in town for a brief stay - he's been squatting in a shanty in Boston crushing life for a while and it was good to have the legend back in the game. So laughter, glee, flirts, and blue moon's were abundant and someone, I think me, said dance party...and off we went to the 409 for some good time. Us JB's had to stop at "the shittiest Safeway in the world" for some libation juice when upon my shoulder I felt such rattle, and I turned to my right, to see what was a matter. When out of my eye there comes a big douchebag asshole who feels he should buy his booze before me. So we talked for a while, you know, about politics, the economy, our families, and the fact that he is really a girl, and then we parted ways with words of grace closure spewing from both parties...and to the dancefloor.

It was a hoot. I had already pulled a quad Thursday night but the dancefloor was red hot - I think a couple girls even kissed each other a little bit. Well we tow' it up all night long and the night ended how it started - Mel and I kickin' it real on the 409 stoop. Started to get bright, so we shimmied through the last half of Meridian Chardonnay and hit the sack for the morning.
I didn't really complete a thought until Sunday about noon, and when I did it was good. I had a great one - Go to the lake and swim ...amazing. It's so simple.

Alright, I managed to make it not so simple and got some buddies out there to Anderson just to have Ranger Rick's son tell me I needed a boat registration to play - it was the first real time in my life I thought about bribing someone. Well, I didn't and left gracefully thanking the young lad for his help.

We ended up just slugging a few budweiser and tecate bottles shoreside and the ipod was music to my ears - obvi. The day was not lost and the glass half full says that I got to have a couple beers that I wouldn't had been able to enjoy had I launched the boat and had to drive, so I had that going for me.(How many times did I just say 'had'? Stupid writing) Bottomline, we had fun and will try to squeeze out as many of these lake trips (preferebly with getting in the water) as I can until weather puts a damper on my parade.

I'm going to squander this right here and leave saying the Olympics were off the hinges awesome this year - good job and good-bye atheletes of the world. Beijing did an impressive job to make us forget about Tibet, no freedom of speech and an economy with 50% + make less that 2 dolla a day. But they can throw one hell of a party and build some pretty amazing structures, soooo....yea, no further comment.
Since I got no pics for the post I am just going to find a random picture on the drive and see what happens.

Somewhere in a cave in the swiss alps.