Life 2.1

I know I haven’t kept up very well but that’s ok because it means business is good!

• The Danny Gokey concert at the Napa Towne & Country Fair last night. The dude is an amazing live performer.
• summer berries
• my first funnel cake!

This was painted outside a shcool school in North Carolina. Here’s hoping the painter didn’t forgo English class in favor of work study prior to taking on this job.

Since August is shaping up to be quite the month, I figured I should do a quick recap of the last 2 weeks in July before I’m behind even more than right now.

I suppose it goes without saying that living back in Napa almost brought my New Orleans-style social life to  screeching halt…until I started going to Chef’s Market with MTG, which is how I met my a good portion of the people with whom I have been spending my time.

It took me 27 years, but I suppose I have a pretty solid crew of adult friends now, as opposed to the multiple circles of friends I’ve always had (and still have!). I mean, I’m pretty sure that if the Tom Foolery was still open, we would totally have a team for beach volleyball and adult beverages on a Friday night. Since the sand volleyball courts are riverside, and therefore flood often, we have a team that rules at Washers and Ladder Golf instead.

We do some pretty fun stuff together, like celebrate the birthday of My Buddy (as G will now and forever be known).

The 30th was spent (mostly) in MTG’s backyard, where we BBQ-ed, played Ladder Golf and participated in shenanigans, as evidenced by the below:

The first time I had seen KK in literally months

This is ladder golf

Love these girls!

Lisa & me. I'm pretty sure that, together, we can move mountains.

Me & the Birthday Boy

We kept My Buddy’s birthday festivities going with a trip to the Rivercats game a few days later, with MTG and Matt accompanying us to watch the A’s prospects. We got helmet sundaes, which is always a good choice and had great seats that we only cost us a grand total of $26 (I ♥ minor league games!) We got to see A’s top prospects Chris Carter and Michael Taylor and Carter, I was just informed, will be making his MLB debut tonight, so that wasn’t all bad.

It's an ice cream bowl, it's a helmet AND hours of entertainment

My USF sweatshirt was as close to A's colors as I was getting

The Rivercats game was a lot of fun and I hope we go back again this season (that is a hint, Buddy)

Later in the week, we all got together for the last Chef’s Market of the season and decided that it was only appropriate to take photos of the last of our weekly outings to downtown Napa. These were the results that came from photos taken from our prime people-watching spot that is the lamp post in front of what used to be the First Squeeze Cafe:

MTG, Matt-don't-move-to-Bend-Mohorovich, Morgan and G, who looks less-than-thrilled that I'm taking this picture

Yep, I am pretty convinced that Morgan could look adorably fashionable in a burlap sack

MTG and G

My TFE girls

Generally-speaking, I’m thankful I didn’t have to slow my roll now that I’m back living on the west coast and I’m extra thankful for the posse that rolls with me.

Oh Dodger Stadium. We have such a love-hate relationship. By birth, I’m a Giants fan, and was therefore raised to loathe you. Yet, when I entered, I thought, “self, this isn’t so bad. Just rip the band-aid off and go for it.“

And for about 3 innings I was all right. Then the stands started to fill up and I was surrounded by Dodger fans. Ugh. But, points for having a loyal and passionate fan base.

Bobby and Jason picked me up around 1:30 and we got caught up over a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant near the stadium. Maybe it was the strawberry margarita talking but I went into Dodger Stadium with an open mind. After all, it’s one of the oldest stadiums left with all the rebuilding going on.

Welcome to Dodger Stadium

The boys and I drove into Chavez Ravine around 5:15 and parking was amazingly easy and cheap ($15 compared to $30 at Pac-Bell!) and we proceeded to Will Call, got our tickets no problem and headed up the escalator to enter.

They didn’t let fans in until closer to 5:45 but it was all right, we just stood in line and people-watched. There wasn’t much going on outside the stadium. They have massive parking lots but prohibit tailgating so that’s no fun.

Finally we entered and made our way to our seats to watch BP. We were in the RF upper reserve level, which was a decent view. I was still feeling ok about this whole Dodgers thing.

A shot of that famous LA behind the dish

Before the game got going, we walked around the upper level breezeway and enjoyed an adult beverage, taking it all in. I did appreciate the fact that the ushers didn’t give us any grief about standing in the left field upper reserve shade prior to the game.

We made it back to our seats in time for first pitch and the area around us had really filled up with families and fans, which is another criteria earning positive points. Good family/fan atmosphere. I was thinking it was somewhere around a 7 at this point. Then the game got going and everything was still ok. The stadium had loads of snack bars at which you could buy Dodgerdogs and the lines were never too bad. I happened to be in the world’s slowest line for a bottle of water and a cup of coffee but it was definitely just my unfortunate luck, not standard.

J and me

About the 7th inning, the boys and I decided it was time to walk around and take in some sights of the yard. Only, they wouldn’t let us! It’s baseball fan segregation, I tell you! I’m not looking to swoop on people’s seats down there but God forbid I mix in with the fancy people on the lower levels. Huge point loss for this. I was not a happy camper.

So, in conclusion, the stadium gets points for its history and fan base and snack bar lines but a huge deduction for the lack of pre-game atmosphere and the no-fan-mixing policy. Crowd-control, the usher called it. Whatever. Not my fault that the Dodgers are concerned about their fanbase getting too crazy, but thanks for ruining it for the rest of us trying to appreciate the stadium. On the plus side, I got a chance to take pictures with the guys, since I didn’t have any pics with them prior to 2006. Bob, we’re gonna have to take a re-do, I didn’t realize this was blurry. Fail.

CL and Bob

Right after I was told I was prohibited from mingling with the fancy people, I was feeling like the stadium was a 4 but in hindsight, I give it a high 5. The stadium does come complete with Vin Scully. But since fans don’t get the opportunity to fully enjoy the stadium, I can’t give it higher than that.

Thank goodness I got that one over with.

• Playing 5-card poker while drinking coffee in the mornings
• Getting a call from a friend who I saw at the airport, who guided me to a secret, shorter security line when he saw how long the line I should have been in was going to be and then following up to make sure I got through the secret line ok
• Getting to go to the ballgame in LA with Bob and J