Not many know this about me, but I’m a geek for cars. It might have stemmed from my many logged hours on the video game/racing simulator Gran Turismo on the original Playstation. The world-famous Laguna Seca, a gorgeous & pristine racetrack in Monterey, California, is hallowed ground for racing enthusiasts. Driving up to the track is awe-inspiring, no doubt. The day’s event: the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series.

With our day passes, we were allowed to go wander inside the staging area, which means that you can (theoretically) go up & touch the cars that just came back from a hot run on the track. Even for the non-racing crowd, taking a look under the hoods of these beasts, anyone can appreciate the engineering required to make these things roar. The cars were gorgeous, & there’s new appreciation now that I’ve got to witness these cars fly by 20 feet in front of you. As you can imagine, the cars were loud. Earplugs are a necessity.

Most notable is the Mazda MX-5 stock car races. With the exception of the sponsor stickers plastered all over the bodies & a few minor suspension tweaks, these MX-5 are stock as they came out of the factory. Budding racers who want to participate in structured, high-level competition should look into this.

The highlight of the day—and the point that persuaded me to take a day off work—was the Parade Lap, a chance to drive your own stock car on the track for two laps. I’ll probably only need to do this just once in my life, so along with my buddy Ricky, we brought a whole bunch of recording devices & rigged them inside my tiny GTI to record the event so I can re-live it forever (that’s healthy, right?):

Sure, we’re not flying down the corkscrew at 60mph, but it was still such a thrill. Perhaps this marks the start of my racing career? Who knows? Maybe I just need to fire up Gran Turismo 5 the next time I feel the need for speed.

Since I was only a few months old, we have gone on an annual camping trip with some of my parents’ ski club friends. It started out as traditional camping complete with tents, outdoor cooking, smores and snipes but as we grew up it gradually evolved into golf and condos. This year, we met the group, affectionately know as the Over the Hill Gang down in Pismo Beach.

Unfortunately, we were only able to make it down there for a night, but we made the most of our time there. We met my brother and future sister in law and a couple others in San Luis Obispo to have lunch at the famous Firestone Grill. I forgot how delicious their tri-tip sandwich is and ribs were equally good. After filling our bellies and strolling down Bubblegum Alley, we headed down to Pismo to do some ATV-ing.

ATV-ing was quite an experience for a couple reasons. For me it was my first time going so it was a mix of fear and exhilaration. For the first 45 minutes or so I was really hesitant but after finding a few straightaways to race up and down I finally gained my confidence and was brave enough to take on a few hills. Just before we headed back we decided to go our separate ways and to meet back at a marker a few minutes later. Four of us stayed pretty close together but my brother and fiancee decided to go out on their own. As the time came to an end, we saw my brother’s fiancee waving to us near our meeting spot. She kept waving as we got near and we kept waving back to assure her that we saw her. It was only as we got closer that we saw that my brother was sitting in a dune buggy holding his head. It turns out that he flipped over his ATV and knocked his head and ribs on his way over. Fortunately after a couple hours in the emergency room, he was okay with only a super glued gash in his head and some bruised ribs. Not exactly the way we planned to end the day but at least it wasn’t more serious.

When we got back to the condo, it was dinner time. Another group of people spent the day fishing so they prepared fish tacos with some of their catch. They also brought several other kinds of meats complete with all the fixings, including La Vic’s orange sauce. One thing you can always count on at these events is good food.

After dinner we had a casual baby shower for the ladies to help welcome one of the next generation of the group. It’s really fun to see the group growing. This year we had one of the biggest turnouts in recent history so it was really great to see everyone and we can’t wait for next year.

Congrats to my cousin Sara, now Sara Sabino Guitierrez! After months & months of planning, she finally tied the knot last Saturday, August 20th. We added one more to our massive family wolfpack, & we couldn’t be happier!

Of course, since it’s a family event, I volunteered to set up my photobooth at the reception in Oakland. The wife was behind the camera, & I was in front running around & organizing shots. Check out our handiwork:

Bless Cindy & her generous heart. Actually, she rolls with a group of her college friends who are equally as generous. Every year, they participate in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Her group fundraises to participate in a very tolling march through San Francisco.

Specifically, the first day of the walk starts at Fort Mason, through San Francisco streets, across the Golden Gate Bridge, then end the day in a tent in Corte Madera. The trip ends as the walkers make their way back to Fort Mason.

Cindy couldn’t wait to put her feet up after arrival, but despite all the miles, many who crossed the finish did it with a smile on their face.

Ahh, I love summers. Sorry, to be more accurate, I love warm summers. The meteorologists finally thought it was cool to give us a warm, Northern California week (that’s what meteorologists do, right?), so our buddy Axel at work organized a small county fair outing after office hours. This fair was totally true to it’s form, too: carnival rides, a petting zoo, deep-fried everything, & carnies that smell like cabbage.

Is this place for adults? Not necessarily, but it’s a place for adults to be like little children again. Ahh…deep-fried Oreos. Genius idea!

Edit: Axel went through my photos & made a photo edit that’s safe for work:

The first time I visited Angelique’s cubicle, I knew that we would get along. The Jordan Knight pin on her wall foretold of a friendship to come. A couple weeks ago, Ian and I were thrilled to be present to witness Angelique and Ron’s nuptials at the Old Mission San Juan Bautista. It was a gorgeous day and a beautiful setting both at the mission and at the reception site, Villa Montalvo. The food catered by Le Papillon only added to the elegant experience. The night was full of fun memories a perfect celebration of the newly wedded couple. Congratulations Angelique and Ron. We wish you a long, happy life together!

What an exciting day!

It started out with a brunch at our favorite place to commemorate special occasions, Astaria with the Nakasuji and Blohowiak families. It was a delicious and perfect way to start off an action packed day. Then it was off to the airport to welcome Gina home from India and to witness the proposal. The families hid at the cafe in the terminal while Riki and his photography and videography crew of Will, Joel and Ian perched nearby. Gina walked out, we heard the claps and the cheers of the crowds so we cautiously crept from our hiding place. By the time we arrived, it was clear that it was a yes and hugs were shared all around.

After a brief rest and some freshening up, it was time to celebrate at Fresca with more friends and family.

Congratulations Riki and Gina! We are so happy for you and so glad that we were able to share the day with you.

I may have said this last year: March is an awesome month to visit Arizona. We got to escape the insane Bay Area weather & got to take in some sun while enjoying our beloved A’s baseball! Score!

After she got married, my cousin Myra moved out to Glendale in Arizona, not too far from Phoenix & it’s many Spring Training ballparks. When my cousins learned that one of their old classmates/bandmates was playing baseball in Arizona (for the curious, it’s this dude named Troy Tulowitski of the Colorado Rockies, no big deal), my cousin Myra & new cousin-in-law Jay, cousin Mel, the wife & myself made it a mission to go out to visit him during practice at the gorgeous Salt River Fields at Talking Stick to see if he remembers them. We tried our darndest to try to catch him during at his home practice field, but was unsuccessful. Oh well, there’s next year.

By the end of the weekend, I was in the positive. I scored:

• a Phoenix Suns bag
• an $8-off coupon at a local drugstore, which we used to buy sunscreen (the Phoenix Suns shot eight 3-pointers that day)
• a Verizon t-shirt
• a souvenir game ball from A’s relief pitcher Grant Balfour
• & a Jared Dudley Phoenix Suns t-shirt, which I ‘earned’ by doing this:

Can’t wait until next year! It’s fun to hang out with family outside of the Bay Area!

We’re back from our annual Phoenix trip! More pics to come & more stories to tell about my awesome time with my cousins & the wife, but I wanted to share this story with you before my horrible memory betrays me.

The last day of our weekend trip, we went to an A’s Spring Training game at the Phoenix Municipal Stadium. In my research, I read online that the best place to sit is right behind the A’s bullpen because fans can literally sit about a foot away from the players.

As we walk to our seats & even before we sit down, A’s setup pitcher Jerry Blevins turns around & greets us:

Jerry Blevins: How are you guys doing?

Me (in awe & surprise): We’re…fine.

Jerry: Awesome seats, huh?

We both look around. There is absolutely nobody sitting in our section. The A’s had a split-squad day, & the other half of the team was in Scottsdale playing the Giants. Just like in the Bay Area, the A’s vs. Giants games usually have a huge turnout.

Jerry: You scored some nice seats in the family section.

I guess it was a tongue-in-cheek joke. I appreciated the effort, though. Again, still in shock. Me & Mel sit close in the first row. Cindy was a bit shy, so she moves a few rows higher.

It was an experience like none other. You can actually hear conversations amongst the bullpen pitchers. It’s mostly talk about the players on the field & making clubhouse runs for cold drinks. Anyway, TV broadcasts or regular season games can never emulate this experience.

A few innings pass. I excuse myself to the bathroom. Coming back & walking down the steps of the metal bleachers to my seat, Cindy & my cousin were trying to tell me something, but I can’t hear over the clanging of my footsteps. Maybe a foul ball was hit & landed in our section. I even brought my baseball glove just for that reason. Bummer.

“You missed it,” they say as I take my seat. Apparently, the bullpen guys saw Mel playing around on her Blackberry, so they asked her if she had any games on it. She said she didn’t, but she gave them my iPhone which she was using while I was using the can. They tried to find games on it, but only opened an app called Speed Download, an app that measures broadband speeds on a network. They couldn’t figure out how to play that game.

Geez…I missed a lot in the two minutes I was away. I get my iPhone, lean into the bullpen & said, “I have Street Fighter IV, if you still wanna play.” Grant Balfour, another A’s bullpen pitcher from Australia, takes the phone from me.

Grant: Aww man! I haven’t played that [game] in such a long time!

He tries to play, but hands the phone back to me. With his Australian accent:

Grant: I’ll play with your phone later. You can ask me again during Game 7 of the World Series.

Me: Sure! I’ll make sure to buy tickets behind the bullpen for that game.

Grant: You know what? I’ll get you those tickets for that game if it means I can play Street Fighter again.

Me: Thanks! I’ll give you my business card so you can get my info.

Of course, no business cards were exchanged, but he came off as a super cool guy. In between innings, the bullpen guys would sometimes get up & play catch with the outfielders. After the catch session, they usually toss those balls into the crowd for a fan. I gesture with my glove toward Grant & asked him for a ball.

Grant: Sorry, man. I can’t give you this ball. It would break the streak & Dallas would get mad at me.

Dallas Braden, Mr. Perfect Game, was the starting pitcher & was throwing a few scoreless innings. Baseball players tend to be superstitious, & I guess they believe that balls shouldn’t leave the field during a scoreless streak, or something to that effect. Totally understandable.

Anyway, as I was looking around the park, my back was to the field & the bullpen. I keep hearing, “Hey, Rudy!” from the field. I turn around, & Grant tosses me another ball he found. I was wearing my bright yellow Joe Rudi throwback jersey that day.

Here’s Mel modeling next to my new souvenir:

Such a grand ol’ time! More weekend stories coming soon!

Another wholesome Friday night activity! Only after we move out of San Jose do we find some really cool hidden gems. (In fact, this gem was even featured on the Travel Channel’s Man vs. Food.)

Every first Friday of the month, downtown San Jose hosts a series of art exhibits in San Jose’s SoFA (South First Area) district called South First Fridays. Luckily, it didn’t rain on us that evening, so it was a pleasant walk around three downtown blocks as we checked out a handful of open galleries. South First Street has a really good, energetic vibe, reminiscent of the Haight-Ashbury district up in San Francisco.

Cindy’s old work buddies invited us out for this nice evening stroll. She was getting into it, too:

I love local artist art exhibits. Hopefully the weather is nice next month when we come back to visit!