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Archive for the ‘Bay Area’ Category

Mother’s Day at the apartment

May 17th, 2010

Everyone but my mom has seen our new place. Mother’s Day would be the perfect opportunity to show her our new digs, so we invited the family over to come celebrate with a patio barbecue.

It was the best day ever. Not only did we have good food, but A’s pitcher Dallas Braden throws a perfect game! Being a good son & a gracious host, of course, I TiVo-ed the game while I had company & watched it after they left.

Crazy thing after that: my sister has a her baby 10 days earlier than expected! Now she’ll get to celebrate Mother’s Day with her new baby.

Bay Area, Family, Food, Photo of the day, photography

Brendan’s last day at work

May 15th, 2010

A few weeks ago, our office video expert & former teammate Brendan left the company for bigger opportunities. Since we love him so much, the company threw him a nice party in the middle of the day. I photographed most of these shots using his Canon 7D. A truly bittersweet moment: sad to see him leave, but he has a sweet camera (did I use that word properly?).

We’ll miss you around the office, Brendo!

Bay Area, Photo of the day, photography

Kevin’s Little League Game

May 14th, 2010

Even when I’m not in Oakland catching an A’s game, I’m always trying to find a way to get my baseball fix. When my uncle told me my young cousin started little league, we didn’t hesitate to catch his early morning games across the bridge in Hayward. My little niece Ava shared our enthusiasm as well,  so we took her along to go see him play for the Hayward Athletics (can’t go wrong with a name like that!).

At the game we watched, he was the only player to hit a home run, & he caught a good game to boot.

Ava didn’t understand the rules of the game, so she made friends with a five-year-old girl she met at the ballgame. She didn’t absorb as much baseball as we did, but had just as much fun!

Bay Area, Family, baseball, photography

A night with Conan O’Brien

April 23rd, 2010

I’m a Team CoCo fan for life. Believe that. That’s us in the photo above, on our feet for most of the show.

Not too long after his tour tickets were up for sale, I immediately rounded up a few people to come cheer, chant, & laugh with me. Clay & Marvin were those winners. As expected, the show itself was hilarious. I won’t go into the details so I won’t spoil it for friends who have tickets for the San Jose show.

The San Francisco crowd was a bit lackluster for our tastes, so we were probably the loudest people on the second deck of the theatre. It was a perfect opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation with Conan. In between a joke, when there was a hush in the crowd, I hollered:

me: Conan, we love your beard!

Conan: What’s that, sir?

me: (louder) We love your beard!

Conan: I’m glad you do. A lot of people don’t really like it…I look like the Brawny paper towel guy after a bone marrow transplant.

We had our fun. Again, without spoiling too much of the show, a stage personality was holding a handheld camera to showcase ‘groupies’ to be shown on the big screen behind Conan. I jumped out of my seat, screaming, & pointing to myself. Yep, I got us on big screen at the show. Too bad I didn’t get to do anything cool except scream like a little girl.

We tried to maximize our time after the show, hoping that Conan would make a surprise visit in the lobby (wishful thinking). We stuck around long enough to a point where we were forced to leave, so we finally started the slow journey down a few blocks to the garage. Toward the end of the block, however, was a small group of people waiting behind an imaginary line. “Conan’s coming out? We’re not in a rush to get home. Let’s stay for a bit.” These people were, in fact, waiting for Conan to leave his dressing room to the unmarked white vans waiting for him & his entourage.

Some of you may know that I collect signatures on my iPhone. I’d use this opportunity to do the same, especially since I wasn’t equipped with a pen anyway. After about 15 minutes of waiting on the sidewalk, he comes out:

I shove my iPhone in his face, hoping he will leave his mark on my screen with a drawing app I had open. After giving signatures the traditional way with the pen & paper, he looks at my phone.

Conan: So…what am I supposed to do with this?

me: You can use your finger to sign my phone.

He looks at the phone, confused. He’s still holding a silver ink Sharpie from a previous signature. He flips over my phone.

Conan: What if I just sign the back of this phone? That actually makes a bit more sense.

me: (reluctantly) Umm…okay. That will work, too.

Behold, the ultimate souvenir of the night. I may need to clearcoat or laminate this:

As he boards his white van, I used Clay’s phone to take a picture. When you hold down the shutter button, a big bright light illuminates the subject. Conan used that as a cue to turn to me & pose with a big open smile & a thumbs-up. I took two exposures, but this blurry mess was the better of the two, sadly:

As he was driving away, I thanked him for a good show & a lovely evening in a way only a true Conebone fan could—I looked him in the eyes & started chanting: Circle! Circle! Circle!, but then was quickly silenced by security because we were disturbing the Nob Hill residents who go to bed at 8:30pm.

I’m a Team CoCo fan for life.

Bay Area

Late Sunday celebrity sighting in San Mateo

April 19th, 2010

Just when I thought I was going to wrap up my weekend, Randy texts me, saying that the guys were in town for dessert. Mae & Dave were in the group, & I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to congratulate the newlyweds (they just got married on Saturday—congrats!). The only place open at 11:00pm on a Sunday night was the ABC Bakery Cafe in Downtown San Mateo. It was a pretty quiet night in the shop. The food was good, but lacked a bit on the bakery side.

The private upstairs party was another story. Andrew asked the waitstaff what was going on, & he said that an actress from Hong Kong was named Fiona Sit was in the store, but we—as well as most of the staff—weren’t allowed to go upstairs to take a peek. Feeling giddy, we wait for a moment to see what she’s all about. About an hour after sitting & eating, a young lady walks down the stairs to the restrooms wearing some gold boots. Couldn’t miss her.

Good thing I had my Canon 5D on hand. Thanks to Andrew for asking if we can take a picture with her. She was a nice gal, even congratulating Mae & Dave for the big plunge.

Now we’re all part of the Fiona Sit fan club.

Bay Area, Photo of the day, photography