So, when I started this blog I was thoroughly expecting to have some ground-breaking, ultra-inspiring things to write about. You know, use this as my chance to put my insane wittiness on the Internet for allllll to read. But here I sit...in my bed wearing a frock that could be loosely described as a night gown with the worst bed head ever agonizing over the stunning realization that my blog is totally LAME-O. WTF?! How did this happen? I mean, I'm pretty sure I am an interesting person, and I know for damn sure that some funky shit happens in my life.
I suppose this is as good a time as any that I mention to all of you that I had a near-death experience on a little trip I took to San Diego back in May. And by "near-death experience" I mean "near-death experience". Our travel group was small...just 4 of us...and our plan was to attend the Red Bull Air Races (I know...but we're all self-proclaimed airline geeks, so its ok). Well, that was the plan. Since there's little difference between the qualifying heat and the final race, we decided to fore go Saturday's festivities and instead head to the beach. A short train ride up to Encinitas later and we were at the 7-eleven stocking up on the necessary booze to make for a relaxing afternoon. Why is it that I need to continually remind myself to travel with a bottle opener? Anyway, 6 Coronas, 4 Sparks alcoholic energy drinks, and 1 bruised hand later (yes, from opening the beer) and this group of overworked, underpaid airline employees was ready to head back to San Diego.
(photos below by Michael Hamann)
The next few hours were thoroughly uneventful; train ride back to San Diego, bus ride to the hotel, showers for everyone, then off to dinner and partying in the Gas Lamp District. We ate at a great local brewery called Karl Strauss. Food was good...beer was great. From there we meandered to The Shout House to enjoy the dueling pianos, then Rock Bottom Brewery for live music and a hip hop DJ, and ended the drinking binge/bar hopping at Hennessey's for more live music. Our stroll out of the bar to find a cab to get us back to the hotel yielded a different brand of excitement. In an effort to score the cheapest and fastest cab ride possible, we immediately vacated the over-crowded Gas Lamp District in favor of a less crowded street to hail our chariot. Since we were suddenly in a desolate area of downtown, finding a cab proved a little more difficult than we initially anticipated. So...we walked...when out of no where BOOM! A loud bright explosion detonated about 100 yards up and across the street from where we were walking. Almost immediately following the blast, the street was eerily silent then followed by the sound of sirens coming from every direction. We attempted to approach the first responding officers to let them know what we saw, but they were more interested in clearing the area in the event of another blast. So, we picked ourselves up by our drunken bootstraps, hailed a cab and went back to the hotel.
The following morning, just for shits and giggles, one of my travelling companions decided to check the internet to see if our little encounter made the news. And waddya know, it did...read this. Needless to say we were a bit freaked out and super thankful to be alive. Thinking back to the night before, if one of my travelling companions hadn't gone to the restroom just prior to leaving Hennessy's, we'd all probably be dead right now, or at the very least nursing some nasty wounds. We were in the best possible position when the bomb went off...under a part of the federal court house that is built over the road, much like an overpass, thus shielding us from the shrapnel. Being good citizens that we are, we contacted the local police to inform them that we were witnesses to the blast. So, instead of spending that afternoon taking in the finals of the Red Bull Air Races, we had some nice one-on-one time with a few choice federal agencies.
As a knee-jerk, post-traumatic stress induced reaction, I promptly purchased a shiny new pair of shoes. After all, I deserved them, right? I mean, it is the most natural thing to do following a pipe bombing...DUH. So, here they are...Juvett by ALDO.
I would like to take a moment to welcome the newest addition to our family...Kaitlin Donna. She joined us at 8:39a on Saturday July 19th weighing in at 8lb 4oz. Mom and baby are home now and doing well.
were perfect for the occasion. (No, these are not a joke...they're manufactured by a company called Heelarious...and hilarious they are!)
were perfect for the occasion. (No, these are not a joke...they're manufactured by a company called Heelarious...and hilarious they are!)
