extreme psychotic alcoholism. it’s a new sport.

Athough many of you were in Tahoe last weekend I somehow ended up agreeing to spend the weekend with Tu and her friends. However I penned my name with the impression that this would be a tame and civilized cabin trip, little did I know that I was about to enter into Real World Lake Tahoe. The house was a cavernous two story, sunken floored, wood-beamed, steel-bolted architectural masterpiece complete with not only a hot tub but lake access as well. The cast was made up of people from the Bay Area (Alex, Calvin, Tu and Myself), Los Angeles (Pierre), New York (Amber, Andrew, Brian, Rahra, and Thomas), Washington DC (Dana), and who knows where everyone else came from. It was a house full of alcoholics, and nearly every type of drunk you can imagine… I was definitely in for one extreme weekend.

To cover what happened over the next 72 hours would require a short novel, therefore I will just highlight the moments that made this trip memorable.

1. Sour Feet - “My feet don’t stink…” “Oh yeah they do.”
2. High/Low card drinks - This little game got us wasted as soon as we arrived, we don’t sleep till 6am the first night.
3. Drunk (aka “Extreme) Snowboarding - This is a first and last experience for me. Your reflexes suck and this is how I ended up with a bruised kneecap and Tu a busted tailbone.
4. The Wall - This infamous run at Kirkwood is always fun. Even more entertaining when the run is iced and your drunk.
5. Montreal Steak Seasoning, the Spicy variety - I thought Tu was being nice, grilling steaks. Little did I know these were the spiciest rib-eyes I would ever eat, I couldn’t even taste the meat! It hurt going in, and let’s not even talk about how it came out.
6. Ice Breakers - So we’re near drunk and in the hot tub, there’s new people at the house so we decide to prod each other with questions. Some of the answers were…well let’s just say even I was surprised.
7. Peer Pressure Calvin - With little coaxing he’ll do anything, even slathering his boys in Icy Hot. As much as I wanted to witness this, I could not knowingly let a fellow male do this to himself. He agreed.
8. Punched in the throat - Don’t mess with Tu when she’s drunk and passed out. This one’s crazy.
9. Sasha - The biggest slut of the house. Hooked up with anyone at anytime, 2 or 3 within minutes even.
10. EXTREME!!! - I didn’t know what was going on, I warm up to this by the end of the trip though.

As horrible as I have made the weekend sound, I am content that I made this trip. I’ve learned a whole lot more about these cats; why they exist, what motivates them, and where they draw their maddness from. Yes some things weren’t a great idea like drinking nightly and I’m paying for it now, as I’m sick again, but would I do this all again? In a heart beat.

With that said…it’s time to go to Blowfish to catch Barry spin and chill with the boys.

-Wallace

ps. Sorry guys, I will not be going back this coming weekend. I’m still dying here and I want to become healthy at some point before the end of the month. Let’s do Februrary right!

Yep, today was a lot of fun. Spontanious trip to Laguna Seca.

I’m tired. Good night.

-w

checkerboard & outgoing mail

check out those lugs

The first week of 2007 has been pretty interesting and next week looks to be even more entertaining. A few noteworthy happenings this past week:

1. Oliver has moved to an Los Altos office, all this means is more frequent lunches.

2. Tu impressed me on Thursday night (although I froze my ass outside her office for a brief 30 minutes before she appeared) she planed a solid night. Bourbon & Branch had to of been the highlight; the whole concept is a bit gimmicky especially with the “america’s anti-saloon league” sign out front, but 2 Macallen 18’s on lumps and I was at home. This place appealed to every sensory receptor in your body; your sight, touch, olfactory, and most important conversation and taste. I want to go back, although someone else is mumbling “Cast a kitten” this time.

3. Lucas is moving to Newport Beach. Oh Noes!!! He’ll be missed but a Natalie; who is a professional stripper is taking his room, now this will be a interesting chapter in our lives. Anyways - We all go out Saturday night in Lucas’ honor. Sam calls up a limo and this is the biggest 20 person or so monstrocity I have ever seen, we hop in and roll into the Marina like so many nights before. The only difference with this night, besidest he limo, is that I am surrounded by most of my good friends in the area, and stumble into more throughout the night. Not only that Ryan feeds a hippo, Ally likes my hat, Jenny smuggles my gum, and Ryan for the two count maneuvers around asian Ryan Seacrest to close on some Taiwanese chick. A very entertaining, yet surprisenly civil night. I finally get home and pass out around 5am.

4. Noah and I connect on the topic of Hash House a Go Go; fond memories of eating over porportioned brunch dishes along with mimosas and bloody mary’s in surf shorts and reefs. If you’re ever in San Diego, you’re going to have to go. The vegas joint is just not the same. Noah also told me the Hash House guy opened a Steakhouse in San Diego. You know what that means…I’m going to have to go.

5. I pick up a lugged reynolds 531 bicycle frame, look at those carved lugs! I realize it’s kind of ugly right now, I stripped the paint before I took pictures, therefore you’ll just have to wait for the after photos!

6. Cycled a bit over 50 miles this year already, pretty pathetic however you must take my health and weather into account. I’m sure I’ll surpass 5000 miles by the end of the year. Progress to follow.

In other news my heath is gradually improving, I’m almost back at 100%. This cold has been more of an inconvenience then anything. I’m hoping to be at 100% by Tuesday night’s dinner, and I wonder how ‘xiao zhu mei‘ is doing. Anyways…looking forward to Dinner with Ron & Kari, Rich, Brooks, and whoever else shows up as well as Kirkwood this weekend.

-Wallace

under 10 seconds…

Goals. How important are goals to you? Do you have any? Goals are fairly important to me, I say this as I don’t believe or care to achieve all my goals. I believe they are like Polaris, a point of reference; goals are there as something to strive for, however if you find mid-strive that it’s not what you actually want it’s ok to set a new goal. That being said I don’t have any resolutions this year, not even sub-conciously which is a first. I have the same bearings as I had earlier this year; to be financially secure by age 30, to open my own mortgage firm within 3 years, and to form solid relationships with those in my life that matter.

Work with passion, that is unless you have a mortgage, family, bills, a dog to feed and a lawn to water.

new year, new pills…

What did I do for new year’s? We had dinner at Pizza Antica and a few drinks at Blowfish, toured Frank & Carol’s Santana Row loft and after that I retreated to nurse this cold I caught the night before. Exciting huh? A far cry from NYE’06, although I didn’t wake up with clothes missing and drunk I was actually content with it. 2007 has gotten off to a pretty good start in my opinion, nothing really to complain about. Went ice skating for the first time with Melinda in who knows how many years, I’m surprised I didn’t bust my ass. Ran into Gloria who I have not seen or spoke with in close to 3 years and received a set of stemless wine glasses; something I’ve always fancied but never had the motivation to purchase.

On top of all this Dennis (our bartender at Park Place) finally bought us a round, not only that but he introduced me to two great reds (Avalon Cab & Burrell School Merlot Reserve). I never got the fascination with having a neighborhood bar, I always thought it was some fiction made up by alcoholics (ummm…wait…). Although Park Place is pretty upscale to be considered a regular bar; it is our bar, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Dennis clued is into Picchetti Winery as well as Ridge Wiinery, of which I am already incredibly fond of. I discovered they were both within Cupertino, a day of wine tasting will happen soon! Wished him a happy new year and dropped off a bottle of Rouge’s Santa’s Reserve 2006. An awesome night. Hopefully I’ll get over this cold soon. I’m enjoying 2007 thus far, I hope you are too.

My Best,
Wallace

update: solved that blasted cube, took me about 12 minutes and a ton of cursing. this was with the ‘cross‘ instructions. i just learned that this method is only good for 1-1:30 minute solutions, if i want faster i’m going to have to go into the relm of ‘speedbriks.’ hmmm…