Things done changed

Well, so much for all that.

I'm back in Maryland, got in last night. Needless to say, my trip up to visit my brother in Portland has been postponed, as has my trip to visit Walsh out in Tucson. What a pain in the ass.

Tomorrow, myself and the Strine are headed to Wisconsin for a fun filled week of electromagnetic surveying... woohoo! The plan is to fly out Sunday, stay in Minneapolis (Sp.?) or Deluth or some shit, then head to northern Wisconsin. Not only will mass amounts of cheese and beer be consumed, but we're apparently staying at a hotel with an indoor water park... This shall be glorious (mild amount of sarcasm).

As for today, plan on riding my bike, playing a round of golf with Jay and otherwise just hanging out... Not sure if I want to go out tonight.

Anyone have any suggestions for good books/authors to read? Aside from the Simon Winchester book Timbo gave me, I've been hung up on the same type of books lately; those entertaining but sort of lame fictitious, conspiracy, action-thriller type books... you know, Robert Ludlum, Dan Brown, James Rollins type books. I think it's time to switch up the genre. maybe some beneficial books, like self help... "How not to be a loser who blogs" or something like that.

I need to learn a foreign language... Spanish or French? French or Spanish? I think that'll be my poll.

-Esteban

p.s. How awesome does that new Discovery series look, "When We Left Earth"? Awesomeness! Looks as ill as the "Planet Earth" series... HD is super.

California Love

You know what?... I feel the love.

My coworkers dish it out, the hotel staff dishes it out, mother nature dishes it out in the most generous of portions and the staff at Sushi King hooks it up like none other... Why again do I live on the east coast?

Flying into San Diego made me want to go there again so bad. I was there when I was in 3rd grade, with my older brother and dad. We went out to visit my great aunt Grace. Unfortunately, I don't remember all that much... and obviously I couldn't have appreciated it as much as I can now. But I mean, come on... how gorgeous is that area?!?! Bonkers.

Anywho, I'm back in the Sac for another 2 week stint, and I have mixed feelings about being out here. Sort of a bummer that I have to leave home for a while, but I'm packing a lot of cool stuff into this trip, and I get to see some people I haven't seen in a while. Plus, the points I'm getting from Marriott, Hertz and Southwest are clutch... hello free vacations.

I'm staying at the same place I stayed at last time. Aside from a few new faces, nothings changed. See below... Collin, note the music. It had to be done. I know it's not the Sac Anthem, but it'll have to do.

Obviously I'm bored, hence the video. I got done work fairly early today, drank a few beers by the pool, read some, mingled with the staff, took a shower, drank another beer, downloaded the data, wrote this blog up to this point, and it's still only 1735.

As for work out here, got right back into the swing of things. We're working down on a golf course in Stockton. That's only fitting though, seeing as the theme of this trip is golf, golf and more golf. Here's a pic of part of the site. Check out the middle work vehicle we got, nice. There's my main man Luis as well.

Not sure if I have to work this weekend, probably won't find out until Thursday or Friday. I'm not sure what I'll do if I have both days off... any suggestions? I'd like to venture to San Fran or Tahoe or check out Yosemite, but I don't know how much fun that would be all by my lonesome. May stick around, play some golf, and see if I can't get into something around here. We shall see.

I guess tomorrow I'm going to Mr. Hernandez's place for a family dinner/party after work. It's his wife's bday, and they're making a feast. He was nice enough to insist that I come, and I'm not one to turn down free food and cervezas... so cheers.

Just wanted to throw a blog out there, rest assured there will be plenty more to come. Off to get some dinner... Pho sounds tasty.

Forgot to mention that I'm disappointed with the USMNT 2-0 loss to England at Wembley today. Hopefully they can win one of their upcoming friendlies... some serious competition though. Think they have Spain next, then Argentina. You should tune in if you can, won't regret it.

every sperm is sacred vostfr monty python

If I'm posting MP on here, it's required that I throw this one on here... Enjoy!

MONTY PYTHON ... sit on my face

One of my favorite songs... used to have this as a ringtone back in the day. Slightly inappropriate, but that's alright.

A little mix

What an incredible end to a great game.

The Champions League Final was all it was cracked up to be, and then some. No regrets skipping lunch and leaving work at 2:30 to head to the pub to watch all 120 minutes, plus pks of that game. Great match, great finale. Couldn't have asked for more. Congrats to Man U for their double.

After eating a burger from Five Guys yesterday for lunch, it can be said that their burgers and fries are the bomb... this fact cannot be argued.

Seeing as though I've gotten around of late (in the traveling sense of course), I've decided to figure out how the different food joints I've eaten at lately stack up with one another. Not only will this help me straighten out this dilemma in my own mind, but it will undoubtedly be of huge help to you, my friends, as you travel to these different places and look for an excellent place to grab a bite.

Round 1 - The previously aforementioned cheeseburger.

I think I've narrowed it down to three places, all chains.

Five Guys (Everywhere except for the far northeast, southeast and northwest)

vs.

In-N-Out Burger (California and the southeast)

vs.

Burgerville (Washington & Oregon)

This one is a toughy, and will require another visit to In-N-Out burger next week when in SacTown, and maybe a stop up at Burgerville when I go up to Portland for a weekend. I shall address this one in a week or two.

Round 2 - Sushi

I would love to say that I've found a great place in Maryland, but I haven't. Only been to a few, and haven't been happy with any. I'm under the assumption that an amazing place exists in DC, but until I find it, I'm going to have to venture to two other cities for this one.

RAW Sushi & Sake Lounge (Center City, Philadelphia)

vs.

Sushi King Japanese Cuisine & Sushi Bar (Sacramento)

I'm sure there's much better places out there, but these two are at the top of my list as of right now. Sushi King edges out RAW in regards to hospitality and the fact that they will make anything your clever little mind can come up with. RAW however had some bomb ass lunch platters and one of the greatest bathrooms I've ever urinated in. It's a toss-up. I recommend eating at each if your in the neighborhood.

Round 3 - Pho

Unfortunately, there isn't any debate right now.

PhoNam (Gaithersburg, MD) takes the cake for the time being. I've yet to eat at a comparable place. I'm determined to find one out in Sacramento that stacks up. Wish me luck.

Round 4 - Steaks & Hoagies

This is the debate of all debates. I don't think it possible to say that one place has the best cheesesteak or best hoagie, but I'll throw out some of my favorites.
For steaks, I have to go with Jims (South Street, Phila.), Pat's (9th, Wharton & Passyunk, S. Phila.), and Brothers, which I grew up with (Harleysville). Nearly every pizza shop in southeast PA and S Jersey has a great steak though.

Hoagies are pretty much in the same boat. Again, there are so many delis and pizza shops in the Philadelphia area that make amazing hoagies, it's hard to pick a favorite. The most important thing is to use Amoroso's bread, and never put too much meat on the hoagie.

I have however, finally found a crazy good shop down here in Maryland. The Italian Market up in Gaithersburg has by far, the best hoagies I've come across in MD. I had high hopes for a place called Philly Mike's down in Bethesda, but it's just not that great.

It's been nice being home for the past few weeks. This year has been a bit hectic thus far, hopefully the next few months will involve a little less travel... or at least more local work.

Been doing a bit of everything since I got back. Had the chance the frequent some of the local watering holes, played some basketball, some tennis and a little soccer. Even got out this past weekend and messed around with some roller-hockey with Ryan & J. Played a few games of beer-pong, decided to hop a fence at a local community center and play some hockey. Felt like a little kid... definitely brought back some memories.

Got out and played a round of golf for the first time this week as well... I choose not to reveal my score, seeing as though I played the worst round of golf since I was maybe 16. But it was fun regardless. I'm now committing myself to dropping my score and bettering my game. I'm going to play a quick 9 tomorrow morning with J.

As I said earlier in the blog, I'm headed back to the Sac Tuesday after Memorial Day. Will be out there for a two week stint. Shouldn't be too bad, aside from the triple digit temps. I'll be sure to keep those of you who are interested enough in my goings on to check this blog, up to date.

Apparently I'm making a vacation out of my work trip. I'm heading up to Portland for a weekend, and hitting up Tucson for a 3 night stint on my way back. Bringing the clubs with me; They'll be getting plenty of use.

As of right now, the plans are that I'll travel up to visit my older brother man, Matt, in Portland, my second weekend there. Then on Friday the 13th (dum dum dummmm), I'll head over to Tucson to visit my main man Walsh till Monday. Golf shall be played at each location, and it will be glorious.

So, over the next 3 weeks, I plan on hitting up the Central Valley in CA, driving to the west coast (ie San Fran) for a day, shooting up to Portland, OR for a weekend, then flying into Phoenix and driving down to Tucson for a long weekend, including of course, a trip to Mexico... Playing golf all along the way. We'll see how this plays out. I've enjoyed chilling out around here for the last few weeks, but fuck it, if the opportunity presents itself, why not travel? I'm a transient, what can I say. I'm just waiting for something to make me stop moving. Until that comes, I'm gonna keep doing my thing.

Phailure

This blog has unfortunately been prompted by the Flyer's latest exedous from the Stanley Cup Playoffs...

The curse strikes again...

Brief, brief history for those of you not too familiar with The City of Brotherly Love.

Since the time of its completion in 1894, a statue of William Penn (The founder of the Province of Pennsylvania) has sat atop City Hall as the highest point in Philadelphia. In place, was a gentleman's agreement, ensuring that no structure rise above Billy Boy's hat.

The 70's and early 80's were great years for Philly sports teams. Not only were all the teams solid, having many great seasons, but they actually won championships. The Flyers took back-to-back cups in 74 & 75, the Phils won the series in 80 and the Sixers won the championship in 83. In 1984 though, plans were set in place to build skyscrapers in Center City. Construction of One Liberty Place was completed in 1987.

Since 83, no big four Philly sports team has won a championship.

Back to present day.

As I said before, the Fly-Guys were just knocked out of the eastern conference finals after one hell of a postseason run, making it 100 seasons, since one of the major four teams has won a championship. To commemerate this great milestone, SI compiled a list of the 100 biggest heartbreaks since 83. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/more/05/14/philadelphia.drought/index.html

Here are a few of my "favorites" and most memorable.

100. Phillies lose 10,000th game in franchise history July 15, 2007 With a nationally televised 10-2 loss to the Cardinals, the Phils become the first team in pro sports history to lose 10,000 games.

89. "Talkin' About Practice" May 9, 2002 Was it blown out of proportion? Absolutely. But the negative perception from Allen Iverson's famously surreal half-hour presser would reverse much of the national goodwill earned during his storybook '01 season and haunt the pint-sized scorer for the rest of his Philadelphia career.

87. Brian Westbrook KO'd for playoffs with Week 17 injury Dec. 27, 2003 The scatback Westbrook, one-third of Philly's three-headed monster, led the team with 13 touchdowns during the '03 season. But a torn tricep suffered in a Week 17 blowout victory in Washington required surgery and the Villanova alum missed the playoffs. In his absence, the Eagles mustered just three points in an NFC title game loss to Carolina.

86. Sixers trade for disinterested Chris Webber Feb. 23, 2005 Least favorite Philly sports pastime of the mid-2000s: Watching this gimpy, undersized forward pout and sulk in between hoisting 19-foot jumpers.

80. Fans boo Donovan McNabb at 1999 NFL Draft Apr. 17, 1999 Hindsight undresses Eagles fans on this one. But I'll come clean: I wanted Ricky Williams too.

75. The Charles Barkley spitting incident Mar. 26, 1991 Upset by a courtside heckler's alleged racial epithets in New Jersey, Barkley spit at his tormentor. But the All-Star forward "didn't get enough foam" and the substance ended up hitting an 8-year-old girl was sitting on her mother's lap. The league fined and suspended Barkley, and the subsequent public relations nightmare helped precipitate his trade out of Philly the following year.

57. J.D. Drew sits out whole year instead of signing with Phils 1997 The Phils selected Drew with the second pick of the MLB draft despite warnings the FSU product wouldn't sign for a dime under $10 million. Philadelphia management held their ground and Drew spent a year playing with the St. Paul Saints of the independent Northern League

55. Pat Croce "resigns" from Sixers July 25, 2001
His rags-to-riches ascent from trainer to team president awakened the organization from its mid-'90s dormancy. But when the public face of the Sixers lobbied for a larger ownership stake following the team's Finals run, Ed Snider banished Croce to a greatly diminished consultant role.

49. Scott Rolen forces trade to Cardinals July 29, 2002
After rejecting a 10-year contract extension which could have been worth up to $140 million, Rolen signed a one-year, $8.6M deal with the intent of leaving as a free agent at season's end. Things turned ugly when an anonymous teammate called the All-Star third baseman a clubhouse cancer and Rolen publicly slammed the team for their lack of commitment to winning. The Phils eventually dealt Rolen to the Cardinals for Placido Polanco, pitcher Bud Smith and reliever Mike Timlin.

43. McNabb's season ended (again) with ACL tear Nov. 19, 2006 McNabb's torn ACL marked the third time in five seasons the Pro Bowl quarterback was lost to injury with six or more games left in the season. Garcia stepped in and lead the Eagles to a surprising division title -- but McNabb would never take another snap without the dreaded injury-prone tag.

42. Larry Brown leaves Sixers for Pistons June 2, 2003
One week after resigning as coach of the Sixers after six years, Brown reached a long-term agreement to coach the Pistons -- the team which eliminated Philadelphia from the playoffs weeks prior.

41. Bucs blanks Eagles in first game at Lincoln Financial Field Sept. 8, 2003 The Eagles christened their sparkling $512 million stadium the same way they closed down the Vet: with an emotionally taxing loss to Tampa Bay. The Eagles couldn't even crack the scoreboard in a dismal 17-0 whitewashing to open the '03 season.

40. Terrell Owens horse-collared against Cowboys Dec. 19, 2004 With victories in 12 of their first 13 games, it seemed nothing could go wrong for the high-flying Eagles. Then Dallas cornerback Roy Williams unleashed a since-outlawed horse-collar tackle on Owens, knocking Philadelphia's top receiver out for the regular season and NFC playoffs.

38. "For Who? For What?" Sept. 3, 1995
Ricky Watters sure knew how to make a first impression. The well-compensated free agent fumbled twice in his first game with the Eagles -- a 21-6 loss to the Buccaneers -- and drew throaty boos from the Vet crowd after short-arming a pass over the middle to avoid contact with a Tampa Bay defender. "I'm not going to trip up there and get knocked out," explained Watters. "For who? For what?"

31. The Eric Lindros trade June 30, 1992 Highly controversial to this day, the Flyers traded Ron Hextall, Mike Ricci, Peter Forsberg, Steve Duchesne, Kerry Huffman, a first-round draft pick and future considerations to Quebec in exchange for the rights to Lindros. While he won a Hart Trophy and helped the Flyers to a finals appearance, Lindros earned a reputation for wilting in the spotlight.

25. Oklahoma State debunks the Jameeracle on 54th Street Mar. 27, 2004 The story of the year in college basketball during the '03-04 season centered around a small school from Philadelphia and its diminutive commander at the point. Jameer Nelson led St. Joe's to a No. 1 ranking and a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, but lost 64-62 on a John Lucas III 3-pointer with 6.9 seconds left in a thrilling regional final

24. The Owens meltdown and fallout 2005 Holdout threats. Training camp suspension. Sit-ups on the driveway. Next question! It was completely surreal and, in the end, just not worth the trouble.

20. Iverson's last days in Philadelphia 2006Perhaps the most divisive star athlete in city history, Iverson earned and repelled fans equally, but inspired both camps with his reckless playing style. His last months involved a benching on Fan Appreciation Night, fines, and alleged trade demands. The franchise's second all-time leading scorer never got a proper send-off at home.

17. Eagles drop NFC title game thriller in St. Louis Jan. 27, 2002 The Eagles took a 17-13 lead into halftime, but Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and Isaac Bruce proved too much to handle in the second half as Philly suffered a heartbreaking 29-24 loss in its first conference title game appearance since 1980.

14. Lakers knock out Sixers in Game 5 of NBA Finals June 15, 2001 The Sixers captured the heart of a blue-collar, championship-starved city with their hard-working and defiant approach. When they finally ran out of comebacks against the Lakers in the fifth game of the '01 Finals, the Philadelphia fans gave the team a 10-minute standing ovation after the final horn sounded.

12. Sixers select Shawn Bradley with No. 2 overall pick June 30, 1993 The gangly 7-foot-6 center out of Brigham Young signed a $44M contract, the most lucrative deal in Philadelphia sports history at the time, and ended up becoming a symbol of the team's mid-1990s ineptitude. Bradley hadn't played competitively for two years while working as a Mormon missionary in Australia and it showed. The Sixers gave up on their pet project after just two-and-a-half seasons and sent Bradley to New Jersey in a trade for Derrick Coleman.

11. Red Wings dispense of Flyers in Stanley Cup Finals June 7, 1997 The Flyers went down like lambs against the Red Wings in four games, a quiet end to the team's first Finals trip in a decade. Philadelphia mustered just six goals in the entire series, with Lindros held scoreless until his meaningless tally with 30 seconds left in Game 4.

10. 1993 World Series, Game 4 Oct. 20, 1993 Blue Jays outfielder Joe Carter would deliver the coup de grace three nights later in Toronto, but when Larry Andersen and Mitch Williams couldn't hold down a 14-9 lead in the eighth inning of Game 4, you knew the Phils were cooked. The Phils dropped a 15-14 decision -- the highest-scoring game in Fall Classic history.

9. Sixers trade Barkley to Suns July 17, 1992 In the classic three-quarters-for-a-dollar trade, Sixers owner Harold Katz sent Philly's iconic power forward to the Suns for Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang and Tim Perry. Philadelphia slipped from 35 to 26 victories the following season while Barkley won Most Valuable Player honors and led Phoenix to the Finals.

6. Eagles lose NFC title game for third straight season Jan. 18, 2004 The Eagles fell one game short of the Super Bowl for the third straight year with a 14-3 loss to Carolina in the NFC title game. McNabb tore rib cartilage on a late hit by linebacker Greg Favors and ended up going to the bench in the fourth quarter for understudy Koy Detmer.

5. Sixers miss shot to take '01 Finals stranglehold with Game 2 loss June 8, 2001 After stunning the heavily favored Lakers with an overtime victory in Game 1, the Sixers had a golden opportunity to take a 2-0 series lead back to Philadelphia. Trailing by 13 points in the fourth quarter, Larry Brown's charges used a 13-3 run to close within three points with 2:12 left. But late baskets from Derek Fisher and Robert Horry helped bail the Lakers out, splitting the series at a game apiece.

4. Super Bowl XXXIX Feb. 6, 2005 There was no shortage of talking points following a 24-21 loss to the Patriots, from Philly's failure to capitalize on the Patriots' first-quarter errors to the still-unexplained, time-sapping drive in the fourth quarter.

3. Flyers complete epic East finals collapse against archrivals May 26, 2000 After taking a 3-1 series lead against the Devils, the Flyers mustered just three goals in three games against their Turnpike nemeses to complete a painful seven-game meltdown. Game 7 is best remembered for Scott Stevens' punishing but clean first-period check to knock Eric Lindros out of the game. Lindros would never suit up for the Flyers again.

2. 1993 World Series, Game 6 Oct. 23, 1993
Philadelphians still have a hard time understanding why Jim Fregosi inserted Williams into the game for the ninth inning with the Phils clinging to a 6-5 lead just days after Williams took the loss in the Game 4 disaster. Relief pitchers Roger Mason, David West and Larry Andersen had been shutting down the Blue Jays after starter Terry Mulholland departed in the sixth inning. Williams' fastball to Carter famously ended up in the SkyDome's left-field seats. Touch 'em all, Joe.

1. 2002 NFC Championship Game Jan. 19, 2003
The blindside factor makes the NFC title game between the Eagles and the Bucs the choice as the definitive Philly sports tragedy of the drought era. The idea of losing to Tampa Bay in the final game in Veterans Stadium history was unthinkable. Consider these facts:
* In the three most recent meetings between the teams -- including wild-card showdowns in 2000 and 2001 -- the Eagles had outscored the Bucs by a 72-22 margin.
* The Bucs entered the game 1-21 all-time when the temperature was under 40 degrees (with the lone win coming in Week 17 against the hapless Bears). The gametime temperature in South Philadelphia: 22 degrees and windy.
* Tampa Bay had never won a road playoff game in franchise history.When Brian Mitchell returned the opening kickoff 70 yards -- followed by Duce Staley's touchdown in the first minute -- victory seemed a foregone conclusion. Alas, the Eagles lost the game, 27-10. After sucking the energy out of the Vet with two lengthy touchdown drives during the first half, Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber's sealed the outcome with a 92-yard interception with 3:12 left. It sent 66,713 salty fans to the aisles, an appropriate tribute to a building which provided the stage for 33 years of disappointment and heartbreak.

I was born in 82, that means one championship in my lifetime. My memories of the Sixers winning the NBA championship when I was not even 1 year old is a little blurry. I don't know who I would want to win if I could pick. It'd be between the Phillies and Eagles. I think deep down, the Phils are my squad, but part of me needs the birds to win a Super Bowl so people can't say that they've never won one any longer (even though they're won championships before, just not since the "Super Bowl" was created in I believe 64 or something).

Anyways, just felt like dropping a little knowledge on the history of my four favorite sports franchise's misery.

Plan B

As you're more than likely aware, I've safely returned from my trip. As for the trip... Good, bad, I don't really know. I do however know that I'm definitely glad to be back.

Just returned to my house from work and running a few errands and realized I hadn't posted for a little while; Now I've changed that.

Yesterday after work I rode my bike (yes I finally got my motorcycle down here, and I couldn't be happier about it) to King Farm up in Rockville, where I used to live. I had heard that the people I played soccer with last year had started playing again on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Needless to say, I was eager to get out there and do my thing with my ol' footballing pals. After waiting around for a while, only 2 other people showed up, and none of us had a ball. So if the weather cooperates tomorrow, which it doesn't look like it will, I'll try again.

Today I was hoping to get out and play some tennis or basketball or something, but ran into a few hiccups there as well. My tennis competition is working late and I just realized I don't have my basketball. I could drive up to King Farm, where I know they have decent pickup games everyday, but traffic was bad going north on 270 on my way home from work, and don't really feel like messing with it. Bummer. So instead of running around outside playing games and all, I've opted for a different route. I'm sitting on my sofa, eating 5 day old pizza and cheese sticks, watching tv and surfing the web. Oh how the pendulum has swung.

Oh well, ya win some, ya lose some. Maybe I'll get motivated a little later and go for a run or something. We'll see. I guess you need to bum it every now and again right? I just usually try to reserve my bumming for Sundays, except obviously when fun-in-the-Sundays are taking place.

Now that I've posted a worthless blog, I'll try to redeem myself here in the next few days. You know, do something stupid and blog about it, or at least provide something better than this pathetic post.

Until then, you know where to reach me. And if you don't, well, figure it out.

Ooo, almost forgot. Happy BDay tomorrow Pops. I'll be sure to call. Should have wished you it when I was up there on Saturday. My most sincere apologies, sir.

PS. As brought up by Collin, he and I suffered a devastating blow to our egos today in the form of a loss in the first event in the office olympics. The water balloon toss was our event to lose, and we did just that.