Back on the course

Well, after months of not playing, I finally made it out to the course again. The last time I played was in the SFDB Classic with Rick (from SFDB), Steve Owen (formerly of Owenized), and the king of one-liners, Nonee Moose. So, it only seemed fitting that I play with this motley crew on my return to the course. With the exception of Nonee, who had matters to attend to at the Hall of Justice, we were all confirmed for a 10:10am tee time.

That was the plan anyways...

I show up at the course around 930am and find Rick sitting on the sidewalk. He hops in and asks if I got his email, which I didnt because I didnt check. He's hungover and says he cant play but came to give us the discount pass. Nice gesture, eh? I, of course, had to make sure I gave him a hard time for just about every second that I could. He didnt look too bad. In fact, I snapped a pic of Rick with my trusty new iPhone that Ive posted to the right of this paragraph. I mean, he was a little blue but he had 3-way leak protection!

So, Steve-O arrived and we hit a few balls before heading out to play. I had duffed just about every ball I hit at the range so I was expecting it to be a very long day. Little did we know that Rick's absence would be a blessing in disguise... The starter told us that we were to be paired up with another twosome ahead, Mr. Kimora. We drove up to the 1st tee and made our introductions. Yuke and Taku work for Casio and moved here from Tokyo 2 years ago. Their English was really good but it was their Japanese spirit that made the round so awesome. After we all hit crappy drives, I decide to hit another and smoked it. From the moment of contact, Taku and Yuke let out a, "AAWWWWWWWW!", followed by some laughter. It was like it was the best shot theyd ever seen in their lives and, I gotta tell ya, it made me feel like the best damn golfer on the planet. It was hilarious.

The Japanese guys werent too bad, either. They probably shot about 120 each but they were quick and pretty much laughed no matter what happened. Good shot - laughter. Bad shot - laughter. Another thing I thought was hilarious was Steve-O talking to these guys and using different American figures of speech, etc. I dont think they understood any of them but he kept using them and it was pretty amusing. Taku hit one in the woods and Steve-O says, "well, you gotta play the whole course", followed by silence. LOL

The best part of the day was on the 15th whole when I received the highest honor from Taku after hitting a BOMB off the tee. "That shot was beddy beautiful", he said. "It went row to high. Good shot." It was awesome. I ended up shooting a 91 and edged out Steve-O by a few strokes. It was an inconsistent day for both of us considering I had a 45 on the front with 4 pars, 4 doubles, and 1 bogey. Steve-O made 3 birdies on the day which not only got him compliments, but rounds of applause from our new Japanese friends.

All in all it was a good round, weather was perfect, and the Japanese guys made the round a ton of fun. Now I rest before heading to see Cirque du Soliel tonite downtown. First time going so Im looking forward to it!

An offer I couldnt refuse...

Just got back into town from a great trip to Phoenix where I had the honor of becoming a Godfather. The weekend was a great escape. I spent time with my aunt & uncle, got to see my grandma, and even got to see my cousin, HB, who I rarely get to see. She is the Godmother and that pretty much puts a stamp on it that this kid will never go thru anything his godparents havent gone thru previously. The best part outside of meeting my Godson and becoming a Godfather had to be playing with my little niece. This kid is too damn cute and she knows it. I couldnt get enough of her calling me "uncle" in her little high-pitched voice. Its crazy but Im really starting to like hanging out with little kids, even if theyre whining or fussing about something. Maybe its because it taps into the little kid in me haha. I also got in a round of golf and, with the exception of the last hole, didnt duff any off the tee like I did in the SFDB Classic a month back. Ended up with an 87 and if these greens werent so slow (and if I could putt) Id have broken 80 easy. On Saturday night we went out to dinner and then my 2 cousins and I hit the casino. Yes, I love gambling. After winning a few hundy in Buffalo earlier in the week, I figured Id give another strange Indian casino a try. I got up about $150 early playing blackjack then got buried by a new dealer making 21s like it was his job and found myself down $100. Luckily, I was able to battle back and finish even on the night, playing at a table filled with dumbasses who had no idea what they were doing, people hitting 14s against a dealer showing 4, 5, or 6. It was brutal but a nice comeback. Next up - Bahamas in October and Vegas in November! YAY GAMBLING!

I think my favorite part of the weekend on a personal level was that I hardly consumed any alcohol at all. I had 1 bourbon and a glass of wine the 1st night, a beer the 2nd night, and a beer the last night I was there. Thats unbelievable! It made me feel good though. I had gone WAAAAY overboard at a wedding at the beginning of the month and it scared the crap out of me. I just wasnt paying attention to how much I was drinking because I was having such a good time and I got bombed. I pretty much finished an entire bottle of bourbon by myself. I still barely remember anything after the reception and a lot went on afterwards. Many people confirmed that I wasnt an asshole or a total liability, just having fun and being a clown. That was a semi-relief. Not being able to remember it all really bothered me and was kinda embarrassing and I never get embarrassed. Since then, Ive really been watching my alcohol intake. I know I can still pound em down if I feel like it but Im more conscious as to what Im doing now and Im making an effort to keep it within reason. Being around family and little kids definitely helped. Im happy to say that I came back and had 2 beers while eating dinner with friends and watching Heroes tonite and totally lost interest in having another.

Its good to be back home refreshed and ready to finish off what has been a hellacious travel month. I will bid farewell to some of my best friends tomorrow as they are moving away and taking their little 1yr old with them. That is gonna suck because another outlet for the kid in me will be gone.