Mariner Mania

Yesterday, I went to the Mariners game. For a birthday present to myself, I had purchased tickets to the game a couple weeks ago. Well, I never reimbursed my dad, so I guess he bought them. At the time I purchased these tickets, the idea was if I couldn't go for some reason I would be able to sell the tickets for more than I payed for them because the Mariners would be in the playoff race. Let's just say, it didn't quite work out that way.

The tickets I bought were in centerfield on the lower level, pretty cool right. It gets better, they were in the second row! Let me explain, basically it was me, a row of people, and then Ichiro. He was less than 20 feet away the whole game, and sometime closer. It was a Saturday night game, 7:05 start, against the Texas Rangers.

Oh yeah, I wasn't the only person who went. I had only purchased two tickets, because that was the only way to get them so close to the field, so incredibly close. My dad and I were going to go, but we also wanted my sister to be able to come with us. So, my dad purchased a ticket at the stadium for himself so my sister and I could sit next to each other. His seat was even better than mine. It was in right field lower level, row 3.

I really wanted to get to the game early for batting practice, I was trying to make up for my last experience at Dodgers stadium (click here). I got to the game, and they were still having batting practice. I was so excited. I joined the hundreds of people out in the outfield hoping to get a ball. I even had my mitt. After waiting for a while, it happened. The ball was flying right to me. I got it, I got it. I reached my glove out in the row in front of me. I was finally going to have a baseball from a game after years of trying. Just as quickly as the ball had flown right to me, it was gone. It went a couple inches under my outreached glove, and was snatched by a man in front of me. I had lost my one chance to get a ball, I was devastated. Anyways, the guy who ended up with the ball gave it to a little kid, which was nice. So I guess it worked out. If I got the ball, I am sorry, but there is no way I was going to give it to that little kid.

Soon after, batting practice was over. Now, it was time to find some food. After circling around the entire stadium, and looking at all the shops, we finally decided where we were going to get food, Papa John's. In honor of my day at Dodgers stadium, my sister and I ordered a helmet souvenir ice cream. It came in a little helmet, and was piled high with ice cream. My sister and I also each ordered a personal pepperoni pizza.

We headed to our seats, and started eating the ice cream. This took around 15 minutes straight of eating to finish all of it. Oh, and did I mention it was really cold that night. Even the guy sitting by us, a very nice by the way, commented about eating ice cream on such a cold night. By the end, we were shivering, more like shaking uncontrollably, while shoveling the ice cream in our mouths as fast as we could. We just wanted the souvenir hat! Finally, it was time for the pizza. You know, Papa John's "better ingredients, better pizza". Let me tell you, it was the nastiest pizza I have ever eaten. It wasn't even hot, or warm for that matter, it didn't warm us up after all the ice cream we had just finished consuming. The "pizza sauce" was cheap tasting ketchup in color and taste, the cheese was in half melted chunks, and the whole thing seemed undercooked. It was nasty. My sister took one bite, and was done with it. That would have been the smart thing, but there was no way I was going to throw away a pizza that cost me 6 bucks. I choked it all down, and got a stomach ache later.

Anyways, it was time for the game to start. Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention the lady sitting next to me. How could I ever forget? I wish I could. It was more like sitting on top of me. She was very large, and the seats very small. Let me put it this way, I had my cellphone on vibrate, and my sister sitting next to me would tell me when it was ringing. Okay, that is my sister. Now imaging a 300+ pound lady on the other side. Our legs/thighs were pushing into each other. We were like siamese twins, every time her leg moved, my leg moved. It was rather awkward, but as wrong as it may sound, I eventually got used to it.

It was a really good game, the Mariners were pitching, hitting, and fielding well. Unfortunately, Ichiro didn't make any plays up near the wall, which would have quite literally been five feet away from us. Back to Ichiro, man did the fans love him. Especially the Japanese fans. The entire game I could hear them, both male and female, yelling/screaming trying to get his attention. The couple in front of us probably took 100 pictures of him in roughly the same pose every time, stretching. After a while, we decided to leave our seats. We met up with our dad, and were walking around the stadium for a while. Then it happened. When I saw it, I almost didn't believe it.

Raul Ibanez was up to bat. He launched a ball into deep right field. It was a home run. Those happen all the time, well not all the time, but this was different. It appeared it was right at my dads unoccupied seat. I couldn't believe it. It had been chance number two that night of getting a ball. My dad found out later a person a few rows back had ended up with the ball. Would it have been different if my old man was there? We will never know. What I do know, is even if he didn't catch it, he would have been on TV.

After that, my sister and I decided to hurry back to our seats. We would have practically died if a ball went to our seats while we were gone like our father. Then, it happened. Ichiro had a ball, and was going to throw it into the stands. It all seemed so familiar (click here). He throw a high lob, would I finally get a ball? Is the third time really the charm? It landed in our row, eight seat away in an empty seat after it bounced off a person's hand. What was stopping me from getting it? Well, the before mentioned very large lady and her slightly less large friend. That was it. Two people. If only I could have rolled over their seated bodies somehow. I mean, Ichiro had actually held that ball, in his hand! Alas, that would be our last chance at getting a ball.

Another hit at the game was the wave. It took a group of students I saw by third base four tries to get it started. They would try starting the wave to the right, then the left, then it started both ways and somehow worked. It circled the stadium on all levels seven times. In the leftfield upperlevel bleachers, there were only a handful of people to keep the wave alive. It was quite funny to watch around 10 people keep the wave alive. The wave eventually ended, and so did the game. The Mariners had won. The game had been exciting, view spectacular, ice cream cold, pizza disgusting, and playoff implication a joke. I had a ball, even though I didn't get one. Maybe next time, please next time. I don't know if I could handle biffing three chances again.

Doggone It

Have you ever heard the saying, let a sleeping dog lie? Well, I think it should be changed to don't let a sleeping dog lie next to you. Last night, I was really tired and trying to fall asleep. Most nights, the family dog, Red, sleeps in my room. When I let him in my room at night, he goes straight to my bed and lies down right in the middle. One night, this happened so I just slept with my feet on top of him. Last night, was such a night. I tried to get him to move, but he wouldn't. Then, Red started snoring. This was no ordinary snoring either, it was unnaturally loud. It sounded like a cows mooing for some strange reason. I kept pushing him, hoping he would move or stop snoring, but I had no such luck. The snoring got louder and the noises more bizarre. Eventually, the noises stopped. Oh wait, that is because I fell asleep. The moral of this rather strange story, don't let a snoring dog lie by you, and take up all your bed.

TGIF!

I'm so glad today is Friday. It has been a very long week, well I guess it has been the same amount of days as any other week. The days have just felt so long and the mornings so early. It will be nice to finally get to sleep in tomorrow. Yes, sleeping in. It almost makes me want to go to bed early, just so I can sleep in more. I guess that doesn't make a bunch of sense, but when you are tired, cold, and hungry, it makes a lot of sense.

18

Today is my birthday. I'm 18. Yah, wahooo.

Do You Know Eachother?

I bet the other guy in my Spanish class was so confused. My sister, who is in that class, and this guy and I were doing a skit. My sister and I were having casual arguments, mainly playful. "Can we share a book", "Get your own book", "How about you say this line", "I don't want that line, you say it, my idea was better", and so on and so on. He saw us outside class, and asked if we knew each other. We said, yeah kind of, we're are brother and sister. He thought we didn't even know each other until the class. At least now he knows and probably understands why we have the interactions we do.

Sarah's a Super Soccer Star

Tonight, I went to my sister's soccer game. Man, it was fun. She is so good. She was dribbling around people left and right. I am serious, she made the defenders look like they were stuck in quicksand. She also made good passes. One play, she dribbled past 2 defenders and was sprinting towards the goal. She got "taken out", and a foul was called on the other team. My mom, felt like jumping up out of her seat, what she planned on doing after she jumped out of her seat, I still don't know. Watching my sister's team win made me miss playing soccer, and look forward to my next season.

Start of Running Start

Today, it was finally time to go back to the classroom. The day had finally arrived. What were my feelings towards this inevitable event? Well, they were mixed, but leaning more toward being semi-glad to start school again.

The new school year didn't start off very well. On the way to school, I remembered that I had forgotten my schedule. Thankfully, my mom was able to tell me the schedule over the phone. I didn't arrive to the campus early enough to find exactly where all my classes were, but I had a pretty good general idea.

So far, all my classes seem okay. There is one I am not too excited about. It is still a little early to tell though. In my Spanish class my name is Zorro. Why, did I choose this name, I don't know. It was a case of peer pressure mixed with not really knowing many Spanish man names off the top of my head in a pressure situation.

The bus ride home, however, was not so enjoyable. Besides the fact it took over an hour to get to Shelton, it was just the beginning of a long trip home. My poor sister, the whole ride home, she had her shirt pulled up over her nose to block the smell. That amateur, I am such a seasoned bus riding veteran that the smell didn't even bother me that much. My sister and I had to walk home from the bus, it took over an hour. It was hot, our backpacks weighed around 50 pounds, it was up hill, and our house was over 3 miles away. Oh, and did I mention that it was well past lunch time. When we finally did get home, I was glad. Overall, the first day was okay. Getting home however, was a different story.

Schooled

Today was the official "last day of summer". It was sad to see the summer come to an end, but at the same time, it is time to get back to the whole school routine thingy. In better news, the Seahawks won, and my sister just baked some really good chocolate chip cookies. Now, I must try to get to sleep earlier than normal. Sad, but true.

Debunked

Today, we finally set up my sisters new bunk bed. Actually, we set up half the bed. My little sister was going to sleep on it tonight, she was really excited. She fell asleep quickly. Later, she came out to the living room half awake. My dad took her back to her new bed, and laid down on it with her to help her fall back asleep. The next thing you know, we all heard a loud crashing sound. We rush into the bedroom to find that the boards on the bottom of the bed had shifted, causing my dad to fall off. It was rather funny, especially because he didn't get hurt. I guess we now know the maximum weight capacity for the bed. Actually, we just have to tighten some of the boards. But, a good lesson was learned, what it was, I'm not sure.

Friday, No Fun Day

Today was a rather depressing day. It was my last Friday of summer break. I know, most people started school a long time ago, but still, it was depressing for me. I slept in until 1:00 pm. Now, it is time to start thinking about school, no more summer. As much as I hate to admit it, it is true.

Yes, No, Maybe So

Today, I went to Olympia and hung out with some friends. We had fun. We went to an ice cream place. I ordered a chocolate milkshake. The worker guy asked if I wanted whip cream on it. I said yes. He thought I said no. He said "no?", and I said yes. He said "yes-no" or "no-yes". It was rather confusing, and in the end, I didn't end up with any whip cream. The shake was still good though.

Merging Madness

Today, I was driving around, a lot. I drove to Olympia, not just to Olympia, but all around it. No big deal. I will soon be taking my drivers test, and am not too worried about it. Something interesting did happen though when I was merging on the freeway. First of all, the speed limit was 70 on this stretch, so cars were moving fast. Secondly, the cars didn't seem to want to let me in. I sped up, and squeezed in between two cars. It was fine. Then, I saw flashing lights behind me. The car behind me looked like an ambulance, and was flashing it's headlights at me. Can an ambulance pull you over? I was worried for a little bit. When they eventually passed me, I saw it was a construction company in an old ambulance. I guess they were mad at me. And no, ambulances can't pull you over, especially construction companies using one.

Prize Pizza

Today, I went to my sister's soccer game. She played good, she even scored a goal. Her team won 6 to 0. We decided to stay for part of the varsity game. I thought you had to pay 5 bucks each to get into the game, but they never collected the money. Whether I was lucky, beat the system, or they weren't collecting money, I don't know.

A lady for the home team handed out a booklet. I glanced through it, and felt like throwing it away. All it had was stuff about the other team. The lady said to hang on to it, so I thought something might be up. At halftime, she announced the person with a sticker on Dirty Dave's Pizza won a free pizza. Not only that, it was a giant pizza. Yeah, the winner was me. Just goes to show you never know when you might win a free dinner. I hope I win the Deal or No Deal million dollar case game.

Remembering LA, and Missing it Too

Here is a list of my top 14 memories from my trip to Los Angeles, one for each day, but not necessarily one from each day. Oh, and they are in no particular order, not even chronological order.

1. Disneyland. My second trip, my cousin's first. Highlights included FastPass, Space and Splash Mountain. Worst part, my sunglasses getting broken on Indiana Jones.

2. Two Trips to the Beach. Boogie boarding, big waves, and dolphins.

3. Dodgers Game. Learning the "secret code word" to the lower level. Thinking about ordering a bat.

4. Heat Wave. First days there, temperature above 100. Man, it was unnaturally hot.

5. Griffith Park Observatory. A place everyone should go at least once, especially at night.

6. Lunch at the Park. Until, the observatory, this place had the best view of LA.

7. The Ride Down. 19 hours in car.

8. The Plane Ride Home. 2 hours at 40,000 feet.

9. Ed's cooking. Onion pancakes, the best food ever. And good dinners.

10. The Zoo. Watching crazy monkeys, fat pigs, snoring goats, and bobble head elephants.

11. Deal or No Deal Taping. 3 hours of nonstop clapping.

12. Drinking Boba. Tapioca balls in milkshakes, brilliant.

13. Tour of LA. House from Father of the Bride, wall from Italian job blocking view of house, Gamble mansion, elevator ride, and China town.

14. In N' Out. Yes, they are that good.

There are lots of other memories, those were just a few that stuck out to me.

Utter-ance Perfection

Today, I was able to use my new favorite saying. It isn't really that much of a saying, it is more an utterance or emotional outburst. I love to say aiyah. Why, I don't know. It is a Chinese exclamation, and I love it.

I was in the store with my sister. She was picking out some food to take to a potluck she was already 10 minutes late to. I was trying to say she should just get a container of cookies, but she wanted to continue to look around. I belted out an aiyah, a little bit louder than I wanted. The lady shopper by us really got a kick out of it for some reason. I don't know if she was laughing at the situation, the way I look, or the aiyah. I like to think it was the perfectly executed aiyah. AIYAH!

Trip OverCast Back to Reality

I am back in Shelton. I arrived tonight. While I am happy to be back home, I already miss LA. I really had a great time there, and can't wait to go back. Hopefully next time, my family can also go.

The trip to the plane didn't start out very good. Out of the blue, I suddenly realized I left my cell phone charger plugged in the wall at their house. Thankfully, my uncle was gracious enough to run back to the house to pick it up for me. Other than that though, everything went smoothly. After passing the shoe test, I waved goodbye to my cousins and finished going through security. I got a little bit worried because the plane was supposed to start loading at 3:01, and it was 3:25, and I was still waiting. But finally, I did get on the plane.

I sat in 22A, a window seat. In the isle, an empty seat away from me was a very old lady. The only words we exchanged were when I was sitting down, and when she wanted me to help her open her complementary bag of pretzels. Even then, not many words were exchanged. I had fun looking out the window. Going over California, it was interesting to look at all the small cars, roads, houses, and countless swimming pools.

I knew we had arrived in Washington, because all the sudden there were clouds everywhere. It looked spectacular. We were way above the clouds, and the cloud layer was so thick, I couldn't even see the ground. All I saw was miles of puffy white clouds of varying sizes and elevations. It was amazing. It looked like something from another planet. Going through the cloud layer looked cool out the window, but was rather turbulent. The only part of the plane ride that wasn't so great was my stomach. I had a a little bit of cramping and gas. Is that normal at 40,000 feet? I don't know. Maybe it was my last meal of In N' Out working its way out. I am not sure. I feel sorry for the old lady sitting by me, well, I don't really think she noticed anything.

On the plane ride, the people in front of me liked the trees in Seattle. They were amazed at the amount, and said they wanted to move here. They also talked about the "big lake" with all the boats on it. It was actually Puget Sound. When I arrived in Seattle, I was happy to finally be "home". It was 65 degrees, overcast, and felt like it could start raining. That's about when I knew I was no longer in California. I had almost forgotten what clouds were.

Now, I had to get my checked in bag. I followed the signs to the baggage area. When I got there, it was crazy. There were people everywhere, and these large metal spinning things with luggage on it. The problem, there were multiple large metal spinning things, and I didn't know which one my luggage was at. After about 20-30 minutes, I finally found my bag. Thanks grandpa and Sarah for coming to pick me up. As I approached Shelton, there were these large lights in the sky. I thought maybe I was seeing things. I wasn't though. They were those spinning search light things events use. It was almost symbolic of my trip home, why, I don't know. When I got home, a cake was waiting for me. Oh wait, that was for my sister's birthday. Today is my sister and brother's birthday. Happy Birthday Harrison and Gabby.

Special Ed's, I Mean Ed's Special

Today, was my last full day down in LA. I am having conflicting thoughts. I will be glad to be home with my family, but will also miss having a good time with my cousins down here. Right now, I am about to enjoy my uncle's famous specialty onion pancakes with bacon. I can't wait. They are so good. In fact, I am done blogging for now, I am going to go stuff myself.

Eating Good Things at Chung Kings

Today, I went to a really good Chinese restaurant for lunch, Chung King. It had really good, non-Americanized food. I even tried a sea weed salad, and anchovies. The sea weed was quite good, but I didn't really like the anchovies. Thankfully, it wasn't offered to me, because I would not have enjoyed the pig intestines, roasted duck head, or chicken legs. The food we did get was excellent. The waitresses were nice too. On the way out, a Chinese woman was talking to me. I don't know if she worked there, but she said I had a nice beard, in a non-flirtatious manner. I didn't understand everything she said, but I understood that part.

After picking up my cousin from school, I went to another restaurant. This time, it was a Taiwanese one. My cousin was hungry for an after school snack, I was still stuffed from lunch. He ordered some chicken nuggets. I tried a few, and let me tell you, there were very good. I will never look at McDonald's chicken nuggets the same. For dinner, my uncle cooked some very good Chinese food. I am stuffed from all the food I ate today, all of which, was quite good. Thanks Ed for cooking the dinner and buying the lunch.

This afternoon, I played the role of photographer. They wanted me to get a good family picture of them. It took around 25 pictures, but I think we got a few good ones. Let me tell you, getting a good family picture is no easy thing. Someone always wrecks the picture, whether on purpose or not. But luckily for them, they had a very good photographer.

Dodger Day

Today, I went to a baseball game. Don't worry, it was the real LA team, not the Angels. We went to a Dodgers game. It was a 7:10 pm game against the Padres. It was my first time ever not rooting for the Mariners. I felt like I could freely root for the Dodgers because they are in the other league, and are actually still in the playoff race.

We didn't buy tickets in advance, because it is cheaper to buy them the day of the game at the stadium. It was even cheaper to buy them from scalpers outside the stadium, eight dollars cheaper.

We tried to get to the game in time for batting practice. We went to our seats, in the nosebleed upper deck section, and then me and my cousin went to try to get to left field to get a ball during batting practice. We didn't make it very far. Let me explain. The stadium has lots of levels, ours was the highest. When you try to go to a lower section, they ask to see your ticket. They will only let you go to a lower level if you have the expensive tickets to that level. We were only able to go down one level before they sent us back up, I even tried to explain we just wanted to get a ball from batting practice, but it didn't work. Disappointed, we returned to our seats.

After telling the story to my uncle, he went to ask someone if there was any way to get to batting practice. He was told to tell them you are interested in ordering a bat. I am serious, it was the magic word. At every level, when they asked to see our tickets, we would just say we were interested in ordering a bat. Using this password, we finally made it to the lower section where we could get a ball from batting practice, we were just in time to see them put everything away. Oh well, it was still neat to get to the lower level, and see the $100 and up view. Our seats weren't that bad though.

I liked the stadium, it had a huge TV screen and TV screens on the outfield wall. It seemed high tech. The game itself was good too. The Dodgers won 6 to 1. We left after the 7th inning stretch, because after all, it was a school night for my cousins. In the middle of the game, I used the password again to get to the lower level, but this time I meant it. I really was interested in getting a custom major league bat, until I saw the price tag of 75 dollars. One of the highlights of the game for me was the wave. It circled the stadium four times, and everyone was in to it. It was fun to watch it on the four different levels, usually at all different speeds. Overall, it was a nice game and a even nicer experience.

Since I've Been Gone

A lot has happened since I decided to join my cousins on their trip home to California, and begun my two week trip to LA. The Mariners have won two games, and lost eight, and basically eliminated themselves from the playoff race. Even so, I have not started rooting for the Angels, even though it is a little bit tempting. The NFL season has started, and thus so has fantasy football. The Seahawks won their opener.

The high temperature for Shelton has been 87 degrees, not bad, but not even close to the LA high of 107. There has been a thunderstorm in Shelton, I only dream of rain here. My sister and dad have gone back to school, with my dad being my sister's second grade teacher. My other sister has started her soccer season, and from what I hear, been winning.

I have finally discovered the gloriousness that is In N' Out. I have been to Disneyland, a taping of Deal or No Deal, the beach twice, the Griffith Park Observatory, the LA zoo, and other places. And, the trip isn't over yet. I have been to a bunch of restaurants. Shelton's food choice is going to seem very bland from now on. In fact, all of Shelton is going to seem bland for a while.

Awesome Observatory

Today, I didn't wake up any earlier than yesterday. It wasn't my fault though, the clock in the room says the wrong time, so I didn't know I was sleeping in so late. This afternoon, I watched Hawaii-Five-O, an old favorite of mine. I used to watch it all the time until the channel stopped airing it. Book em Dano! When all the cousins got home, we washed the family van. It looks a lot better. I not sure if I believe the saying though many hands lighten than the load or quicken it, or however that saying goes.

Tonight, we went to the Griffith Park Observatory. The other day, when I said I had the best view of LA, I'll admit it, I lied. Tonight I had the best view of LA. It was spectacular, smog and all. It was especially breathtaking at night when you can see the lights. It seemed to me like one of those places everyone needs to go in their life at least once. The actual observatory was neat also. The Tesla coil was a hit. It was funny watching the tour guide do Frankenstein impersonations as electricity flowed through the machine, it was also a bit scary. It was nice of one of the museum people to give our group a private viewing after some of the group missed the scheduled presentation. Other highlights included destroying earth on the create your own asteroid machine, and making earthquakes on the seismograph machine by all jumping in the air. They also had the coolest periodic table of the elements I had ever seen, it had most the elements, and showed what they look like. My cousin was disappointed they didn't have plutonium.

The telescopes themselves were also impressive. I got to look into the most looked into telescope in the world, or was it the US, I don't remember. I was busy thinking about all the "finger oil" that must be on it. It was pointed towards Jupiter. You could even see 3 of it's moons. I hurried out to see a (insert large space term here) on a satellite. It basically is when the sun reflects off a satellite, I think I saw it, so obviously it wasn't that amazing. I also looked through another telescope and saw something I am too tired to remember the name of, and a cluster of over a million stars. It was impressive, but not as impressive of the nerd talk of the people running the telescopes. I really loved the trip to the observatory, it had a breathtaking view, and really cool exhibits. It was also free because we walked the half mile up the hill to the observatory instead of riding the bus.

On the walk back down, we saw a large frog. We also saw a deer. I know that is not very impressive to people back home where a deer sighting is an everyday experience, but in the heart of LA, that is something you don't see everyday. Well, okay it wasn't the heart of LA, but still, I think you get the point. On the ride home, I saw the nicest car I have seen here in LA. It was a Lamborghini. My uncle tried to catch up to it, but it turned on an off ramp before we could reach it. We still got a really good view of it. The trip to the observatory was worth the walk uphill, way worth it. I think everyone should have the honor of seeing LA from up at the observatory, especially at night. I heard someone asking what the cloudy layer above LA was, they were such tourist. I hope I blend in better than that.

Zoo Trip, a Howling Good Time

Today, I slept in for the first time this trip. Well, maybe not slept in for the first time, but slept in as much as I would at home for the first time. I got up at 11:30am. Why, I don't know, but it did feel good to get some extra sleep.

Once I was finally up, and the kids were home from an early release at school, we went on an outing. We went to the Los Angeles Zoo. It was a fun trip. My favorite animal was probably the Orangutan. They were so smart. One of the orangutans had a bag outside the cage it was able to reach to get it's food from. He kept reaching into the bag and pulling out different foods. He ate a piece of corn and was able to spin it in his mouth to just eat the corn and not the cob. He also had some biscuit looking things he gathered in one hand and slowly ate one at a time. Actually, I guess he didn't eat them, because later he spit them all into his hand. A zoo keeper threw him a slice of apple and he caught it with his hand. He was very coordinated and smart. My cousin joked he should sign up for the Yankees. There was also a younger orangutan that was swinging up on ropes through the cage. They were fun to watch, and we spent the most time watching them.

The Chimpanzees also were quite entertaining to watch. We were told they were going to be fed, so we went to a place where we had a good view of where they were going to eat. They were funny. They were making loud noises, chasing each other, banging on doors, and in general just causing chaos. It was quite fun to watch.

Other highlights included the elephant bobble head, a elephant that constantly bobbled its head. Also, a large spider. Oh, of course you'll see large spiders at the zoo, no big deal. Well, this spider was not at Spider City. It was outside, near the bear cages. A wild spider. It was the biggest spider I have ever seen in the wild. It was amazing, and first spotted by my 4 year old cousin. The petting zoo was also a hit. The snoring goat was funny. There was also a fat pig that reminded me of my dog, Cinder. One of the coolest parts of the zoo was not an animal or exhibit. It was misting stations. It was quite literally the coolest part of the zoo. It was a nice way to cool down from the heat.

Other animals viewed included the flamingos, alligator, kangaroo, koala, komodo dragon, lion, tiger, bear, oh my, hippo, giraffe, and rhino. It was a fun trip. After that we stopped by Costco for part one of our three part meal. Next, we stopped by an Indian restaurant. Lastly, we had some Cuban food. It was all delicious. Now, I am going to go to bed. Hopefully, I'll wake up before 11:30 tomorrow.

Free Rides, Cheap Weapons, Priceless View

Today, after church, we had a picnic dinner at a really cool park. The park itself wasn't so grand, it wasn't bad either, but the view it had was spectacular. The park was located up on a hill, and had a great view of LA. You could see 20 miles in each direction. Dodger Stadium was directly in front of us. It was probably the best viewpoint you could find in LA.

After that, we stopped by a fancy hotel, the Westin Bonaventure. Our goal, act like we belonged and ride their elevators. Now, these were not your ordinary elevators. They are glass and go outside the building all the way up to the 35th floor. They have such a great view. We could even see the Hollywood sign from the elevator. We rode on two of the elevators and decided to leave, we didn't want to get kicked out. It was really fun and the best part, free.

After that, I was given a tour through downtown LA. It was neat seeing all the buildings and shops. We drove by a few TV or commercial filmings, but couldn't see much. We stopped at a few shops. The first was a Japanese store. Everything was so neat and orderly in the Japanese way. The products were ordered in like groups in order of their price. Workers were going around cleaning everything. Next, we went to a Chinese store. It was the complete opposite. Stuff was everywhere, and not nearly as neat and orderly as the Japanese store. I stopped in a little Chinese souvenir shop. It was a little bit scary. No, I didn't want brass knuckles, a switch blade, or any large sword. Oh, and I definitely didn't want a taser. Not even after he showed it off. And even if I had wanted something like that, I would have had a very hard and illegal time trying to bring it home on the plane. That's about when I decided to leave, who knows what else he had behind the counter.

For dinner, we had homemade pork sandwiches. They were quite good. The dessert was even better though. We had bananas and strawberries dipped in chocolate and with whipped cream on top. It was delicious, and we all had a great time making and consuming our masterpieces.

Tonight, we went to the 99 cent only store. Everything is less than a dollar. They had some pretty good stuff. Our local dollar store was put to shame. I had fun caring around a grabber and picking stuff up. I didn't by it though because it wouldn't fit in my bag home. Speaking of home, I miss you guys, but will be back soon.

A Park to Remember

Today, I had the honor of going with my cousin on his first trip to Disneyland. It was my second trip, I went when I was 5. It was going to be the first time I would actually remember the experience though. Until this summer, I had the monopoly in my family as being the only one that had gone to Disneyland. That streak was broken when my brother went with some friends at the beginning of summer. But back to today. I went with my cousin and his church youth group. It was both a high school and junior high event.

We got to the park around 9:30am. At first, I was disappointed we had to stay with the group. The reason I was disappointed is because it took the group over an hour to get in the park. We were standing around in front of the park waiting for some people to arrive. I didn't know if I would ever make it inside.

Once we finally got in, we waited a little bit more. Why, I'm not sure. But once we finally got moving, boy did we move. The youth group leaders were old seasoned pros. They knew which order to do the rides in, and had one person get fast track tickets for the group. Fast track tickets are a new feature at the park. It allows you to go to a kiosk, man do I love that word, and get tickets for the popular rides in advance. After an hour time period or so after you order the tickets, you can basically cut the whole line. That way you can spend your hour or so doing something other than standing in line. It is so cool. It kind of feels like cheating, but anyone can do it. Man the looks you would get when you were passing everybody else by in the regular line. It made 45 to an hour ride wait times in line to more like 10-15 minutes. It was great.

A little after lunch, we broke into smaller groups. I stayed with my cousin. Speaking of lunch, I didn't order any from Disneyland, or dinner for that matter. I couldn't bring myself to spend 10 bucks on a "cheap" meal. I ate snacks that were packed with me. Are you supposed to bring snacks into the park? Technically, I think not. They say they don't allow outside food in the park, but the lady who checked my backpack didn't say anything, thankfully.

The smaller group we broke into had a very helpful leader. She was willing to do whatever the group wanted, but at the same time, knew what she was doing. I would have been lost in that place, but she knew where everything was. The four other kids in the group were also friendly.

Now, on to the rides. Boy were they fun. I think I hit all the major rides once or twice. I enjoyed all of them. Speaking of which, the park was packed. Well, not at first. The later in the day, the more people there was. I bet twice the amount of people were there at 9:00pm than at 2:00pm. It was crazy. People were everywhere. I almost got ran over twice by some crazy people in electric wheelchairs. One lady I had to literally jump out of her way when she raced by.

Back to the rides, I mean it this time. Splash Mountain was a hit. My cousin and I went on it twice. The second time, we made funny faces for the picture it takes halfway down the waterfall. I would have bought the picture, but you couldn't see us that well and it was really expensive. Space Mountain was also a hit. We went on that ride twice also. It is basically a crazy roller coaster in the dark. It was probably my favorite ride of the day. I also enjoyed the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Also rode this one twice. Some of the new Jack Sparrow animatronic pirates look so real, it took me until the second trip to figure out they weren't real. Indiana Jones ride was also fun. There is part where a large rock is rolling towards you, like in the movie. It is exciting. That ride is so jolting. Maybe a quick story will put it in better perspective. I had a pair of sunglasses, a new phenomenon since I arrived in LA, in my pocket. The ride was so intense, it broke the glasses. The piece that broke off was lost forever on the ride. In my pocket! How it broke or where it went I will never know. Also went on another roller coaster twice, the Matterhorn water ride twice, the jungle boat tour, and a buzz lightyear ride. Okay, I must admit, that wasn't all the rides. I also went on a teacup ride, and a Winnie the Pooh ride.

There are a few rides I didn't go on though. I didn't want to wait almost 2 hours to go on the new, well new after a 10ish year hiatus, submarine ride. Why it is called submarine, I don't know, it doesn't go under water. I also didn't go on the small world ride. To state it more clearly, I wouldn't go on that ride. That is one of the only rides I remember from my trip over 10 years ago. I hated that ride. I also remembered the Dumbo ride, but didn't go on that this time.

I bet I walked five miles today. It is so much walking. My feet still ache after hours upon hours of waling and standing. They also hurt because of the large blister on my big toe. My shoes must have rubbed my feet wrong or something. Other than that, no major negative experiences from this trip.

Overall, it was a great day, no it was spectacular. The park was even better than I thought it was going to be. It was also special/more fun to be there with my cousin on his first trip. As we were walking towards the bus, the fireworks show erupted overhead. It was so loud and intense that car alarms were going off in the parking lot. To some up the trip in one word, I would have to say magical. Yes, what they say is true, either that, or Disneyland had good marketing. Probably both.

Wheeling and Dealing

Today was a fun day. Early this morning, I got up and left with my aunt to go see a taping of Deal Or No Deal, pretty much my favorite game show of all time. We left with plenty of time to spare, or so we thought. We ran into some bad traffic. I know you always here the stereotyping of LA traffic being bad, let me tell you, it is. It took us over and hour and a half to go about 25 miles. The traffic was stop and go the whole way, with a lot more stopping than going. I wasn't sure if we were going to make it. A shuttle left the free parking at the college at 8:45 am, or so we were told. We got to the parking lot at 9:00 am, and the shuttle left shortly after we got there.

We arrived at the studio, and went through security. After that, we formed lines inside and waited for instructions and seating. The studio sat 360 something people. Getting tickets was a big deal, they want all the seats to be full. You had to buy the tickets and call the night before to validate your spot. They also said to wear dark clothes. My clothes had logos, so they made me put tape over the logos.

After we were seated, we had to wait for another hour as everyone else was seated, and the preshow mantra was conducted. Unfortunately, I was not seated in the "hot spots", the seats that get lots of airtime on TV. I was seated about 4 rows above where the family stands, but who knows, I just may be seen by the 20 million plus people that turn in to the show. Look for the funny looking guy with the beard and shorts.

Once the show finally started, it was different than I thought. It was way different than it seems on TV. The audience is instructed what and how they are to do everything, we are like little programed applauding robots. I have never clapped so much in my life. If you had a stopwatch and timed how long I was clapping, it would have been over an hour. Speaking of which, with all the clapping, it was hard to hear at times. When my man Howie Mandel was introducing things, such as after the commercials, the models, the contestant, I couldn't even hear anything he said.

Speaking of Howie, he seemed different in person. He was wearing these pointed shoe/cowboy boot looking things that were very bizarre. It is hard to explain, but they just seemed out of proportion. He also wasn't as friendly as I thought. He didn't ever really acknowledge the crowd. During the breaks, he would leave the stage.

A man sitting a few seats away from my aunt and me was very loud. He would yell really loud for a long time and for no apparent reason. And he wasn't even yelling during the game that much, he would yell during the breaks at the guy who job it was to keep the crowd excited. The crowd keeper awake man kept us awake by having a golf game for shirts, giving out shirts and candy, singing the show rules, having a strange name contest, a drawing contest, and a limbo contest. He was loud, but kept the crowd lively.

Overall, the taping took over three hours. I thought commercials breaks were long on TV, you should see them in real life. People came out and coached the contest and family, they also would redo their makeup. Oh yeah, and the makeup of the models. They also would clean the cases and other surfaces. During the breaks, all the models would get into little groups and talk, sit down, and eat.

When the show was over, we weren't done. Stock shots were taken of the audience obeying the directorish guy's command. We would lightly chuckle, laughter followed by applause, pretend to react to a high offer, a low offer, and so on. All these had to be done for each of the different background lights. It was quite fun, but totally contrived.

The actual game played by the contestant was good. I'll leave it a surprise so you have to watch it to see what happened. It is set to air November 30. Overall, it was a really fun experience. Next time I watch the show, I will definitely pay more attention to the audience.

Believe it or not, today's fun had just begun. This evening, we watched a quarter of my uncle's high school football game. This was about as long as everybody's attention span would allow. After that it was time for dinner. Wow, was it a dinner. It was probably the best restaurant I have ever been to. We went to noodle world. I ordered some fried rice, and got a sample of everyone's meal. It was so good. When I finally finished my huge plate of fried rice, I was stuffed, but had just enough room for dessert. I split a chocolate milkshake with boba with my cousin. What is boba you may ask, well I'll tell you. It is little tapioca balls. You can't really taste them, but man is it fun to suck a whole bunch of them up through your straw. Bring back memories dad? It was a great day. I also have big plans for tomorrow, but I'll keep those a surprise for now.

Danny, I've Got a Feeling I'm Not In Shelton Anymore

Los Angeles is the complete opposite of Shelton. The longer I am down here, the more I come to realize that fact. First off, the temperature difference is extreme. The overnight low of LA is close to the daytime high for Shelton. It would never be 113 degrees back home, the temperature it was when I first arrived here. At home, I usually wait until the middle of the day to do stuff so it isn't too cold, here it is the opposite. You do stuff in the morning, or at night, or else it is just too hot. I am not sure which climate I prefer. With the heat wave finally coming to an end, the temperature was quite nice here today. I think I could get used to it, actually, I think I am getting used to it.

There are other differences. The colors here seem different. Everything looks hot and dry. While in Washington, everything looks green, luscious, and alive. Speaking of which, there are no trees here. Well, there are a few palms trees here and there, but nothing like back home where tall trees are everywhere. There are a lot more fruit trees in LA though. I ate a pear from my cousin's aunt's house. It was quite good.

The cars are different. I have yet to see a real junker of a car down here. Even if there is an older car, it usually has tricked out rims or something. A neighbor down the street has a stretch hummer limousine he escorts people in. Not only are the cars different, so are the drivers. People drive faster, closer together, and with more cars around them. It is crazy down here.

The people are different also. First off, there are a ton of people. I was surprised that "minority" groups down here almost seem to make up the majority. There are a lot more ethnic stores and restaurants. With so many people, there are a lot more schools down here. It seems like around every block there is a different school.

The street curbs are higher down here. I've been told it is because of flash flooding. Some of the curbs are so high you have to plan where you let someone on the passengers side out so there door will not hit the curb. Also, the wild green parrots I spoke of in a previous blog, yeah, those are different.

One of the major differences is that there is so much more to do down here it seems. I am not sure if this is true, but it just seems that way. Maybe it is just because I am visiting. The building are different down here. Even the houses look different. There are also a lot more older buildings around here. I mean really old, well, not Europe old, but still.

The biggest difference though, is the pace at which life is lived. Everything is way faster down here. Not only the cars, but also the people. Everything is just moving so fast. I am starting to like it down here, but still miss Shelton. I wonder what I'll think when I get back to Shelton. I'll probably be really bored for a long time.

Back to School: Both at Home and Abroad

Today, I didn't even really notice the heat. That isn't to say it wasn't there, it just is finally becoming bearable and livable. It was a transition day, it is my cousin's last day of summer. My uncle already started teaching.

My oldest cousin and I watched Godzilla while the others were gone. We then went to my cousin's school for an ice cream social. It was fun because it was an ice cream van, and you could ask for anything you wanted. I just wish I was allowed seconds. My aunt was selling some school shirts there. After that, we came home and ordered Pizza Hut for dinner. We had a little picnic on the front lawn. We also helped my uncle clean out his old car, he found a $20 bill in the ashtray. After that, the cousins have been getting ready for their first day of school. I saw some birds fly by, no big deal, but then I thought they looked green. I thought that maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me. Later, I was told that they are a flock of wild parrots. They number up to 30, and are quite loud and obnoxious.

Today, I wished I could have been there for my sister's and dad's first day of school. My dad is my sister's teacher. I've been told everything went smoothly. We will have to take our annual "first" day of school picture in front of the garage when I get back. I am not super excited for my first day of school, but I think I shall enjoy getting back into the school routine.

Return to Abnormal Normality

Today, the heat finally started to subside. It is still really hot, just not freakishly unnaturally hot. This morning, I helped/encouraged the kids to clean the house a little bit before their parents got home. They did a good job.

After lunch, I went with my cousin as he got ready for his first day of middle school. He got his first locker. It took him a while to get used to opening the lock. I remember my first locker and lock. It was hard to open the lock, but it was harder for me to remember the combinations for my regular and PE locker.

After that, we went to a bookstore while my aunt ran some errands. It was a nice cool place to hangout and read. This afternoon, we went to their neighbors house. She graciously provided the huge pool, and we provided the dinner. It was a fun time of swimming, staying cool, and having taco salad. According to the news, the heat wave is coming to an end. The temperatures should return to normal, if you can even call almost 90 normal.

This Heat is Not Normal

Today, it was hot again. Surprise, surprise. I don't think I could ever get used to it being this hot, but I am constantly told that this heat is not normal. You bet it's not normal. It is not normal when you leave ripe bananas in the car for a little while and they come out jet black from the heat. It is not normal for the inside of a house to be above 90 degrees after 8:00pm. Not normal for the toilet and toilet paper to be warm, and the shampoo, and the clothes you are wearing or going to wear. It is not right, normal, or cool.

This morning, I accompanied my relatives to their aunt's house. It was a nice place to stay with air conditioning and cable. They also cooked a very good meal for us. The reason we went there was because my uncle was taking his brother in law to go look at a car with him. My uncle ended up buying the car, it is really nice. It is the exact same model of car our family owns, just a few years newer. Riding home in the car, I was reminded of being at my home with my family, and missed them. It also made me think of driving and my driving test that is coming up soon. I am glad that I don't have to drive in LA, I don't think I am ready for that, it's intense down here. Thanks for chauffeuring me around Ed and Kathleen.

After that, we stopped by a Chinese supermarket. It was basically the only store in LA to still have air conditioners, and I was basically the only white guy in the entire store. They ended up buying an air conditioner. It should help with this extreme heat.

After stopping by the house and setting up the air conditioner, we left for another fun day at the beach to beat the heat. The beach was packed, again. This beach had bigger waves, and the boogie boarding was spectacular. I saw a couple dolphins swim by really close to the shore. It was almost surreal, that is not something I have ever seen before. We returned home after the beach, the house was waiting for us with probably 95+ degree heat. We are now in the process of trying to cool the house down, it is a slow process. I got an email from my mom that there was a thunderstorm and rain up in Shelton. What I wouldn't give for a little rain, or even just some cooler weather.

INside too hot, N' OUTside better, sort of

Today was another scorcher. We went to church in the morning, it was a nice relaxed and friendly environment. After church, we went to Home Depot. They had finally decided to by an air conditioner. They keep telling me this heat is an aberration, that it isn't like this very often. Unfortunately, all the stores are sold out of air conditioners. I guess everyone else beat us to it.

After lunch, we decided to head to the beach to beat the heat. It was glorious. The beach I'm used to has bone chilling water, and it is usually raining. This beach was the complete opposite. The water was warm, and the waves enormous. I went boogie boarding, it was a blast riding 5 foot waves. The only part not so fun was the sand. Now I know where the term sand paper comes from. After a couple hours at the beach, we left to go get some dinner. I finally did it. I went to In-N-Out burger. It was a great experience. We were right next to LAX. The planes would roar by overhead as they were landing. It was dark out, and amazing to look at all the lights of the planes and city. It was basically perfect, in fact, I don't think it could have been any cooler. Well, scratch that, it could have been a ton cooler temperature wise. We got home, the house was super hot inside. I am now sitting outside while I write this while the house is cooling down. Today was a great day, boogie boarding, burgers, sand, sweat, planes, and people.

Heat Wave Goodbye to Shelton

Yesterday, on a last second whim, I joined my cousins on their return trip to LA. We left Olympia at 7pm after a nice meal at Costco with my family. It was a very long car ride, in all the trip took 19 hours. During the ride, I tried to get some sleep, but could only sleep for around 30 minutes at a time. We reached a long stretch before LA that is especially flat and desolate. We played a game where we looked for exciting stuff, but we really couldn't find any. I mean there was nothing, nothing at all.

After my first step in California, I wasn't sure if I would be able to make another one, quite literally. The parking lot we parked in was really sticky for some strange reason, and your shoes would stick to the pavement. When we finally arrived in LA, a heat wave was waiting for us. It was 113 degrees where I am staying. That was way different from the rain that was predicted for Shelton when I left.

We tried to stay cool, but the house was really hot. We went to Souplantation for dinner. It was so good, almost too good. It is an all you can eat buffet, and I planned to eat all that I could. I reached a point where I could play it safe and stop eating, or risk it and keep stuffing myself. I showed restraint, mainly because I didn't want to pull a Harrison (inside joke). We stayed in the cool air conditioned restaurant as long as we could. After stopping at the store for some groceries, we went to my home away from home. As I sit to write this at 7:30, it is probably 95 degrees on the house. I am now going to try and get some sleep, but it is really hot. LA is sure a lot different than Shelton, about 30 degrees different.