Cindy’s friend Ivy, a long-time friend from college, wanted to celebrate her birthday outside of the traditional grown-up birthday party: she decided to throw it on the softball field.
It was kinda unusual (for me) at first, but once it began, I’ve realized it’s been such a long time since I’ve played in the dirt. It didn’t take long for me to cut loose & have fun out there. With any softball birthday parties, the game usually wraps up with the game-ending cake:
Happy birthday, Ivy! We look forward to many more softball parties in the future.
That’s right, we’re going to the 2009 MLB All-Star game in St. Louis, Missouri! It’s gonna be my first time out in that part of the US. Yay for summertime humidity!
Seriously, though…I’m extremely thrilled to be going. Vacation starts tomorrow evening at the San Francisco Airport, flying down to LA for Cindy’s cousin’s wedding on Saturday. Then we fly out of LA on Sunday morning to all the baseball-related festivities happening all throughout St. Louis! Cindy’s good ol’ friend June lives out there & we’re really excited to see her again. The last time we met was during our last Hawaii trip. We’re excited to see all the sites outside of the Gateway Arch & Busch Stadium.
Cindy scored us some awesome bleacher seats, seven rows from the field:
This year’s All-Star game will be televised nationwide on FOX with a lot of fanfare. There will be some big-name players who will put on a show & swing for the fences. We can only hope that multiple home runs will be hit in our area. In addition, I learned at one of my most recent A’s games that my fluorescent green jacket really works for visibility:
Set your DVRs/VCRs for Tuesday night on FOX. I’m gonna try my darndest to get some airtime on TV!
Outside of trying to act a fool on national television, I’m not exactly sure what to see/do in St. Louis. Any recommendations?
Sure, it may be old news, but I’m still reveling in Pacquiao’s recent victory. The excitement & energy from last Saturday’s fight has since died down, but my head still buzzing with Pacquiao mania.
During my short breaks at work, I scoured the Internet trying to find the killer knockout that took Hatton out. Ultimately (& naturally), YouTube was my only source of Pacquiao-related videos. Of course, HBO doesn’t wanna play nice & share any clips with the inquiring fans. I did, however, find some clips that would entertain my mania for the time being…
Here’s a commercial shot with past opponent (& apparently now good friend) Erik Morales for San Miguel beer. You gotta give Pacquiao a lot of credit, as he insists on using his heavily-accented English (“‘Sup coats, how ya doin’?”):
For those familiar with the comedy stylings of fellow Filipino comedian Rex Navarrette, here’s his commentary of Manny’s post-bout, cringe-worthy interviews:
All in good nature, of course!
It’s impossible to hate this guy. Pacquiao fought his way to the top, earning the respect of his peers & gaining a vast number of fans. Class act all the way. One more inspirational Filipino to add to the list!
The energy is still buzzing at the party. It’s late, but we all still have energy from all the hootin’ & hollerin’ earlier this night. I’m not a big basketball fan, but I’m a diehard Oakland A’s fan & there was so much buzz surrounding the Pacquiao/Hatton fight.
The A’s earned a triumphant win, but the fight was the crowning event. The knockout was best spent with good people, ideally fans. A very engaging win!
The way we celebrate? A barbeque feast that spans three meals:
