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911

I'm a hero to high school girls.

No, really. About thirty minutes ago, I did the chivalrous thing and walked a couple of very thankful high school girls back to their car after a bit of an incident at Caruth Park. It wasn't much, but they made it seem liked I'd saved their lives or something. And that was kinda cool.

But let me start at the beginning. I was over at Caruth Park playing tennis with my friend Beth. We decided to wait until nightfall to play because it would be too hot when the Sun was out. It was still 95 degrees at 8pm, but we were able to play for about an hour without completely dying.

To start, there was this car that pulled up to the courts, and no one ever got out. They sat there for a good 20 minutes, thought about leaving, stayed a bit longer, and eventually drove off. That was weird, but it wasn't a huge deal.

Then said high school girls show up to play on the court beside us. And we're playing for a few minutes when a couple of guys sprint beside the court, behind the court, and into a little alleyway. It didn't seem entirely unusual - it did seem like one kid was chasing the other, but he had to have seen the four of us on the courts, and he made no plea for help. A couple minutes later, we heard some ruckus from the alleyway.

And then the lights went out at the park. It was about 9:15, and we tried to turn them back on to no avail. But as we were waiting to see if they'd come on again, there was more noise from the alley. It was obviously some kind of argument/fight between one kid and another, but we didn't hear anything from either of them.

So the girls were scared - it was dark, these two boys were fighting, and no one was around but myself and Beth. They stood by us for a second waiting to see what we'd do, and I asked if they wanted me to walk them back to their cars. They quickly accepted and thanked me for my kindness. It really wasn't anything...the car was simply outside the cage of the tennis court, in complete sight the entire time, and only a few yards away. No big deal.

But it was also kinda cool to be the guy and take charge and take that heroic role - I realize I didn't do anything, but it was still kinda cool.

So they drove off safely, and I went back to the court. I wasn't really sure what to do. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to go over there (I couldn't see it from the court...and with the lights off, it was very dark over there) or just call the police. Considering I'm not really a fighter (and the fact that Beth was with me), I decided to just call 911 and have them send a car by. It was in University Park, and they could probably spare someone for a few minutes.

But as soon as I start calling, one of the guys runs out of the darkness towards us. We're still inside the cage of the court, and I hang up the phone. He tells us that a guy he knows tried to take his wallet. I ask if he needs us to call anyone, and he tells us that he doesn't.

So the Dallas 911 office calls me back because I dialed 911 and hung up. I tell them that I thought we needed help but that we didn't - after all, the apparent victim was standing in front of me, seemingly no worse for wear, and he wasn't asking for help.

He thanked me for not involving the police, and he called a friend who picked him up almost immediately. And so we left, and everything seemed to be fine.

But things were definitely strange:

1. I never saw the second kid after they sprinted passed the courts. He didn't chase after the kid when he came to the courts, and I didn't see him going anywhere else. As far as I know, he's still there.

2. Honestly, I don't know if the kid that came out of the area was the victim or not. I didn't recognize their voices, and I can't really remember if he was the one chasing or being chased. He seemed scared, but it might've been because he'd just jumped another kid.

3. The whole "don't call the cops" thing is always worrisome. He was really ambiguous on whether or not the other guy was a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger. He implied all three in the two minutes we talked to him. If it was just a harmless fight between the two of them, I can see not wanting to involve the police. But he also escaped pretty quickly - which would make sense for either kid.

4. The whole thing took way too long for the kid's story to make sense. He said that the one kid tried to steal the other kid's wallet. The one kid ended up taking it and wouldn't give it back. The "victim" was able to fight off his attacker and put him in a choke hold, and then he ran off to us.

But here's the thing. The whole thing easily took 5-10 minutes. We saw them sprinting...played a bit more tennis...heard the commotion...played a bit more...then the lights went off...we checked on the lights...talked about it for a minute...I walked the girls back to their car...walked back to the court...talked to Beth about calling the police...and then tried calling them before the one kid emerged.

That doesn't sound like the kind of scuffle that we heard. That being said, I also have no idea what kind of scuffle it sounded like. The kid we saw was wearing an "HP Wresting" shirt, and seemed to be able to take care of himself. He didn't seem hurt - I saw no blood or bruising or redness, and we didn't hear anything resembling a fistfight.

But I still wonder if I should've asked more questions, checked out the scene myself, or told the police about it. But then I think about it, and I'm not sure. I could've asked more questions, but if he was lying, he would've continued to lie. I could've gone and checked it out, but it was dark and I had no idea what situation I was entering into. One of the kids could've had some kind of weapon, and it would've been difficult to fight them off if I walked in unprepared. And I could've told the police, but the one kid was just about to run off...and it wasn't like I knew anything anyway.

And I realized I'd never called 911 before - I grew up in the Park Cities, and it's never been necessary. And like those two high school girls, I expected the park to be safe...no matter what time of day it is.

I'm lucky to have lived in a place with that kind of security - where you can feel totally safe no matter what. But when something happens, it really throws you off balance.

But I think everyone ended up okay. The one kid who's unaccounted for is the alleged attacker, and I assume he's okay (unless the wrestling kid choked him to death...which I suppose is possible). It was a strange end to the night, but it's definitely something interesting to think and/or talk about.

More Flags, More Fun

On Wednesday night, I had a bit of a funny interaction. Tucker had called me, and while I was talking to him, his wife Keely called me.

"Why is your wife calling me?"
"I don't know, she just called me too."

A few seconds later, I had a message. Intrigued. Sometimes Keely will call me if she's looking for Tucker, but she was just with Tucker. So this was something different. I check the message, and Keely is purposely vague about a "proposal" she had for me.

A proposal, huh? My mind started racing with the possibilities. All dirty stuff aside, maybe her former employer Michael Young wants to try me out as his backup. Maybe she and Tucker wanted to pay me $100,000 to mow their lawn. Maybe she's finally found a cute girl to set me up with.

The real answer was a bit different - the little girl she babysits for hurt her toe, and this gave Keely an idea. Six Flags would be fun - and if your child is injured, you can get him/her a wheelchair for going around the park - and kids in wheelchairs don't wait in lines. Yeah, we were taking advantage of a rule designed to help disabled kids. We were going to be five young and healthy people at an amusement park going to the front of the line because one of our fifty toes was busted up. It didn't seem fair, but I wasn't going to complain.

I tried to remember the last time I'd been to Six Flags. I know I went sometime in high school, and I think I went with my sister Lane sometime between then and now. I know I went on the Titan, which opened in 2001, and I don't think the Superman: Tower of Power was opened when I went (that opened in 2003). So it's been at least seven years since I've been to Six Flags, and I wasn't really sure what to expect. But it sounded like a fun idea, and I agreed to go.

Let me take a second and talk about roller coasters. For some reason, I've never been as excited about roller coasters as the next guy. It probably has something to do with my fear of heights (which makes rides like the Texas Giant and Titan a bit unnerving) and my lack of complete trust in the rides themselves. I had a dream that my car was thrown from the Shockwave once...that wasn't very fun.

And in my previous trips to Six Flags, I had fun on the Batman ride and Mr. Freeze ride - the only ride that I remember not loving was the Titan. It just goes too high for my blood, and I don't necessarily love that feeling in my stomach when I'm free-falling.

Of course, when we get to the park, the first place we go is the Titan. And as we're waiting to go on the ride, I'm starting to get a bit nervous. Again, I don't like heights. But I look over at these 12-year-old girls who are really excited about going on this ride - and the countless kids in line who are also pumped about going - and I realize that it's time to just not worry about it.

But as I'm sitting on top of Arlington, above Jerry World and just a few feet below an American Airlines 747, I don't feel great about it. I try to regulate my breathing as the drop goes, and then we race down. It's over before I know it, but then I'm at the sadistic part. They completely stop the car as it's hanging sideways on this huge drop. And since my biggest fear is falling out of the cart - this is the part I hate the most. But then there are more twists and hills and the ride is over. Not as bad as I remember, and I feel like I've passed the first test.

Then we're going to the Superman: Tower of Power, another ride that I'm not thrilled about. This one is all about heights, and I'm not really happy about that. But it seems to be everyone's favorite ride, and I suck it up again.

Let me now talk about the heat. As we're sitting in line for Superman, we are just baking. There's an awning over the waiting area, but it doesn't matter. It's 100 degrees, and I have a relatively fresh sunburn on my neck and shoulders from tennis Tuesday. The heat had luckily kept the park relatively clear, but it was relentless.

So we finally got to the ride, and it wasn't that bad. It shoots you up and then takes you up and down a couple of times. It was actually pretty nice to have the wind from all the movement because it really just cooled me down. And safely strapped in and looking out (not down), the view of the city was actually pretty cool. In fact, I'd say "calmed" was my number one emotion - moreso than "thrilled" or "scared."

And that's when Keely got an inspired idea. They were selling souvenir cups for $12.99 with infinite refills on the day of purchase. She decided that we could get one for the group and share it...refilling it as many times as necessary. I'm not sure if this was also taking advantage of the system, but it didn't really matter at this point. We quickly drank the first cup and immediately had it refilled. So far, so good.

After that, we knocked out most of the rides. The Shockwave. Batman. Mr. Freeze. The Flashback. These were all rides that I liked, and I wasn't really worried about them. I love the Batman ride, an inverted coaster that's more about cool twists and turns than actually tricking you into thinking you're going to die. And Mr. Freeze is fun because it's so fast that you don't really know what you're doing.

At the end of the day, only the Titan was legitimately scary to me, and it was still a lot of fun. Despite the heat, it was a really nice day.

And what was pretty cool were the little girls with us. They were really fun and excited about everything, and it was pretty cool to be there with them. Their enthusiasm about everything made the rides more fun for me, and they were basically the driving force behind everything we did. When they were excited, we were excited. And when their exhaustion grew and their excitement waned, we knew it was okay to start talking about going home.

I've always liked kids, and I don't think it's a coincidence that people start having their own kids about the same time that they start feeling old. Because kids can be loud and annoying, but they can also make you feel young again. For a day, I didn't feel like a JPMorgan employee in my mid-20s - I was a high school student going on rides because rides are fun.

And that's why, at the end of the day, I was very happy with the "proposal." And I guess I can admit that more flags does mean more fun.

LA - Conclusion

My trip ended almost a week ago, and I've had some time to reflect. What's really odd about trips is how quickly things go back to normal. This time last week, I was in Huntington Beach, California with a bunch of people I'd never met in person before. I was a stranger in a strange land, driving a rental car by myself in a place I'd never been.

Tonight, I'm sitting on my couch watching an episode of Psych. A week from today, I'll be tired from a long day at work, and Huntington Beach will just be a memory. And memories are cool, but I think that's the reason why we travel so much. It's also probably why we travel back to the same place again and again. Because time numbs everything - good or bad, for better or worse.

In fact, time did enough of a good job that I've already forgotten a few things about the trip. So here they are:

The Earthquake

I'm not going to lie. One of the reasons I don't like going to California is the threat of the earthquake. Not an earthquake - the earthquake. The one that has been prophesied by everyone, displayed in movies, and looming at all times. People have said that the Big One could happen anywhere from the next five minutes to the next fifty years.

And that's what I don't like about earthquakes - there's no detecting them. Living in Texas, our biggest concern is tornadoes, but we get ample warning about them. Tornadoes only show up during certain weather conditions, are predicted by highly paid weathermen using very expensive equipment, and prompts a huge tornado siren that can be heard all over the city. Plus, Dallas has Fort Worth, it's own private tornado defense system - tornadoes are much more likely to hit there than here (and I thank all my Fort Worth friends for this).

But earthquakes can happen at any time without warning. One minute, you're enjoying dinner...and the next minute, your dinner has been thrown on the ground by violent shaking. Oh, and you're running for your life as the building collapses around you.

And, yes, I'm afraid of getting sucked up into the sky by a tornado and taken to the Land of Oz. But I'm a lot more afraid of suddenly falling into the Earth and into a Brendan Fraser movie.

However, I can tell you that I've been in two earthquakes. One was about ten years ago in San Diego, and one was a week ago tonight (in fact, it happened almost exactly one week ago). The funny thing is that I didn't feel either.

The earthquake last week was a 5.3 and happened pretty close to my aunt's house - close enough to shake some things off the table. It was pretty big news locally, and it seemed like a pretty big deal. But I was at a happy hour at the time, and I didn't feel anything. And not only that, no one seemed to feel anything. The three people I was with didn't feel anything, and the group I had dinner with didn't say anything about it. And no one in either restaurant said anything about it.

So this one wasn't bad, and I'm okay with earthquakes that I find out about after the fact. But I'm guessing I'd feel The Big One. And that's enough to keep me away from California a lot of the time.

Real Sushi

One of the great reasons to travel is to experience different foods. You go to Kansas City and try the barbecue, you try the seafood in New Orleans, and you try the pizza in Chicago/New York. And when I was in Los Angeles, I decided to try some real sushi. I say "real" because I've only had sushi from Dallas-based places, and I wanted something from Little Tokyo.

So we went over to Little Tokyo, and we had some legitimate sushi. The menu was in Japanese, and everything looked authentic (at least, moreso than the Tom Thumb down the street) so it was pretty good. I decided to get an assortment of the sushi that they had - tuna, shrimp, eel, and a few others. Add in some California rolls, and it was a pretty cool meal.

I've recently started to get a taste for sushi, and that probably helped get me a little closer to finally accepting it. I've been told that there's actually some good sushi in Dallas - I wonder if that's true.

One Hundred Percent

When we were at dinner (Bubba Gump Shrimp at Universal Studios), our waiter was very charismatic and entertaining. It turned out that he was an aspiring stand-up comedian, and we asked him what percent of people in the front of the house (the wait staff, hosts/hostesses, and bartenders) were working to be in the entertainment industry. So...actors, actresses, writers, singers, dancers, directors, etc.

He said it was pretty much one hundred percent, which makes sense. And it was accentuated by the fact that we met several others that seemed to be looking in the same direction. And what it really does is make Los Angeles a great place to go out to eat - all the waiters/waitresses that you have are attractive, charismatic, funny, and entertaining.

Conclusion

So there you have it. My trip was fun, and it was pretty cool to throw together a trip on a whim and a prayer. It was nice to stare out at the ocean and allow myself to sink into the sand. And it was fun to be out in sunny California for a week, even though it wasn't all that sunny most of the time.

I wanted to thank my aunt for having me and for setting up everything. Every minute was filled with something fun and interesting, and it made for an exciting trip.

And it makes sense that I'm wrapping up the LA trip today because I booked my plane tickets for my next trip (to Washington, DC) today. There will be more on that later, but I definitely have the travel bug at the moment. Hopefully, I can win the lottery soon and I can continue to feed it.

LA - Day Four

The final day in Los Angeles was relatively calm. It's always a bit sad to pack everything up to go home after a trip, but I was also ready to get back to Texas. So I got my stuff together, and we headed out to enjoy one last day in California.

We started off by going to "Its a Wrap" - a store in Burbank where they sell clothing that has been used in television and movies. You can get great deals there, and I found a golf shirt and sweater for less than $20 total. I got the golf shirt because it came from "30 Rock" - I got the sweater because I liked it (it came from "My Boys", incidentally). I looked for stuff from LOST but couldn't find anything.

After that, we went for a hike up in the mountains. Like at the observatory, the mountain had a great view of downtown LA and the Hollywood sign. And not only that, it seems to be the place where the beautiful people hoping to be famous go for their morning jog. Most of the people on the mountain were attractive, and my aunt says that a lot of people go there hoping to be seen by someone.

My final activity in LA was to go to a farmer's market in Hollywood. I've been to LA several times, and I've never really seen a celebrity. One of Margaret's friends claims to have seen a lot of them at this market, and I went there in search of finally seeing someone. And while I had a great pastrami sandwich, I didn't actually see any celebrities. I guess they have some kind of anti-Drew radar.

With that, I went to the airport. Getting through security wasn't eventful this time, and I arrived at the gate with plenty of time to spare. And that's when I started getting text messages - the Rangers made a trade. They had Cliff Lee.

I'd decided to wear a Rangers' cap to the airport, and this made me very proud to wear it. At that point, the rumors were pretty unclear - I called Ashley, and the rumor was that Smoak and Holland were both gone. Maybe Smaok and Martin Perez, one of the Rangers' top pitching prospects. It wasn't until I landed in Austin that I saw that Blake Beaven was the pitching prospect traded. Which made the trade pretty good in my book.

So I left California about 3pm California time. I'd eaten lunch at about 1pm. My flight was going to land in Austin at 8pm, and I'd be there for one hour. I wouldn't reach Dallas until 10pm.

My plan was to get something to eat at the Austin airport - I'd had a relatively light lunch and would be hungry, despite the time change. But when we reached Austin, something was wrong - everything was closed. I went all around, and nothing was open.

I realize that people don't need to work to the odd hours of the night, but flights were still arriving and leaving. It seemed really odd that nothing would be open as early as 8pm, but there wasn't really anything I could do about it. I walked from one end of the airport to the other, and there was nothing.

The bar was open, but they weren't serving drinks. A store was open (with fruit out), but the cashier that was still inside said they'd already locked up the register. I saw no signs of any vending machines or anything like that. I was hungry, tired, and apparently out of luck.

I finally found a bookstore that was open, and they had a limited number of snacks available. So here's what I ended up having for dinner:

- Peanut Butter Crackers

- Sun Chips

- Beef Jerky

- Raw Almonds

- Pepsi

And, yeah, that was a nice $15 meal. Thanks a lot, Austin.

Well, I finally got on my plane with my improvised dinner, ready to do the 35-minute flight back to Dallas. And right before take off, I looked over and this young woman (I'm guessing younger than me, but she could've been the same age) was on her cell phone. The flight attendant saw her on it, and she told the woman to turn it off. The attitudinal girl scoffed but pressed a button that made the screen go black.

The flight attendant wasn't easily tricked. She asked if the phone was off or if the screen was just black, and she got another attitudinal answer from the woman, who seemed very annoyed by something.

Well, the flight was uneventful, but when it landed, I couldn't help but notice the young woman and the man she was with. He looked like a rancher type, with a mustache, and he was easily in his late 40s or early 50s. And as far as looks go, I'd say he was below average. I guessed that the young woman was his daughter.

Wrong. It was his girlfriend. The pair started holding hands on their way to the baggage claim, and I nearly exploded with laughter. I looked over at a girl walking beside me, and she seemed to have the same reaction.

Me - "That's about the grossest thing I've ever seen. It has to be money, right?"

Girl - "Yeah, but you'd think he wouldn't be flying Southwest if he had that kind of money."

Me - "I know, right? It'd have to be private plane money."

And what made it worse was the fact that I'd seen the same exact thing (young and cute girl with an older, not that attractive guy...riding coach on Southwest). I can understand having girls my age stolen by rich executives, but old guys with the same bank account? Really, girls? You can do better than that.

And that was it. Ashley graciously picked me up from the airport, and I was home. Five days in LA and a lot done. Tomorrow, I'll wrap up my little LA series with some interesting things that I forgot to mention.

LA - Day Three

The last full day in Los Angeles was going to be packed. My aunt had arranged for us to have a VIP tour of the Warner Bros. lot - which promised to be a bit like the Universal Studios backlot tour - minus the little attractions but with added personal touch.

So we arrived in the morning and got on board with a nice family from Houston and a confused family from Austria. The tour itself was, basically, the same kind of thing as the Universal Studios tour except that we got to get out of the tram. It's the same kind of stuff, though - huge sets that get redressed and giant studios with sets inside.

It was cool to see certain stuff - the fake bricks that make up the sets, the way squibs work, backdrops for certain sets, and a bunch of famous cars from several movies (both Batmobiles, the Mystery Machine, Shaguar from Austin Powers, etc). The Warner Bros. museum was cool - it had the costumes from the Dark Knight and costumes/props from several other movies. They even had an entire floor for Harry Potter stuff. I've never read/seen anything from Harry Potter so it wasn't that big of a deal to me, but there was a really creepy doll of the little girl from the movie.

Then there were the sets that we were allowed to visit - the exterior set from Chuck and the entire soundstage for The Big Bang Theory. I've seen both shows a couple of times, but I wouldn't say that I'm a loyal viewer. I did get to see the Central Perk set from Friends, though - that was pretty cool. Although they build it in a way where the set "shrinks" when you get closer to the door. So the only part that really looks real is the part in the front - the rest is just for show. That was pretty cool.

What sucked was that you couldn't really take pictures anywhere. I have one picture from Central Perk, but the other sets were off limits. They said it had to do with concerns about plot details and royalty stuff, but I just thought they were being jerks.

From there, we went to the Autry Museum - it's a museum of Southwestern culture in Griffith Park. My aunt works there, and she was really excited for me to go there (it also gave her an excuse to get some work done). One of the tour guides (Nick) took me around and showed me a behind-the-scenes look at the museum - including a couple of exhibits that haven't been unveiled yet. It was pretty cool - and if you talk to me in person, I can tell you a really cool one that's supposed to be a secret.

After that, I went up to the Griffith Observatory. I'm a bit of an astronomy dork, and I think it's really cool to look up at the stars and wonder. I went during the day, so I couldn't really see the stars, but they did have a telescope that looked at the sun which was pretty cool.

Griffith also has a view of the Hollywood sign and a great view of downtown LA. Apparently, on a clear day, you can see all the way to the ocean. It wasn't a clear day the day I was there.

But, again, Margaret had the hookup. The husband of a friend of hers took me around and showed me the ins and outs of the observatory. Apparently their big telescope is pretty outdated and doesn't serve any research purposes - also, the benefactor of the museum was a crazy man who ended up embarrassing himself to the point that LA couldn't take his money until he died.

They had some cool little exhibits and a Tesla Coil, but the coolest part was the planetarium show. It was called "Centered in the Universe" and dealt with the evolving view of Earth's place in the universe. And just like with Alia on the Universal Tour, I developed a bit of a crush on the woman presenting the show. She presented it very passionately and made it all very interesting. I guess I just have a thing for charismatic women.

But what was interesting was the fact that the show wasn't just your typical "here's a recreation of the stars" kind of thing. They had that, sure, but they also had little bit of CGI animation to help push the point across. It made me a bit motion sick, but it was still awesome.

After the show, I just sat and looked out on the city, soaking in the fact that I was alive and on vacation and in a strange town. It was one of those moments when you forget about your life and remember that you're alive. That's how cool this planetarium show was.

After that, I went back to the Autry for their "Sizzling Summer Nights" happy hour. Every Thursday night, they have a salsa dancing happy hour with margaritas, tacos, and salsa dancing. It was really interesting people watching, and while I didn't dance, I did think about it. Salsa dancing seems pretty cool, but I was having trouble deciding whether it's complete improved or if there were specific steps.

All in all, it was really fun. We finished off the night by going to Casa Bianca in Eagle Rock. Just a short drive from Occidental College, it was the favorite pizza place of President Barack Obama growing up. And since I was there, I figured I needed to order the Hawaiian pizza - the president's favorite pie.

I'm not a huge fan of that type of pizza, but it was pretty cool to eat the same pizza that the president used to eat. It was a nice little way to have my last dinner in Los Angeles.

And, with that, I went to bed for the last time in California. The last day involved some hiking, some celebrity searching, and some breaking news. Apparently California wasn't quite done with me yet.

LA - Day Two (plus Dodgers)

Okay, this isn't really organized all that well. I've already talked about day one of my trip (which was actually day two) and then explained my first day and the reason for going in the first place. And now I'm actually gonna wrap up day one/two and move on to day two/three.

But to confuse the order a bit more, I'm going to explain some of the key characters on this trip. First and foremost is my aunt Margaret. She's my dad's youngest sister, and she's lived in Los Angeles for as long as I've been alive. She lived with her mother for most of those years, and she was very close with her until her death a couple of years ago. She has always wanted family to come visit her, but I'm the only one who's actually come.

Margaret is actually very connected in the entertainment industry. She got us free passes to Universal Studios ($70 usually), got us VIP passes on the Warner Bros. lot through a connection with the president of the studio, and she knows a bunch of celebrities. Over the course of the trip, she mentioned encounters with Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Jim Carrey, and a bunch of others.

And one of her connections was with the LA Dodgers. I've been to Dodger Stadium before, and it's a pretty cool place. A lot of Dodger history is in Brooklyn, but they have a lot of memories in Los Angeles as well. And I've always had a bit of a soft spot for the Dodgers, and I knew it'd be fun to go.

My aunt got us tickets behind home plate on the third deck - which is coincidentally the same place where my friends and I usually sit at Rangers' games. In fact, I sat in that same place at a Rangers' game tonight.

So we arrived at the stadium early to see some warm-ups and get situated. The stadium is positioned in a great place. Walking up to the stadium, you have a great view of the LA skyline. Inside the stadium, you have a great view of the mountains - including a nice "Think Blue" spelled like the Hollywood sign on one of the mountains.

After the first inning, we went up the press box. Margaret knows one of the producers of the radio show, and we were led into the Dodgers' booth. Vin Scully, the famous voice of the Dodgers, does the radio and TV broadcast for the first three innings before moving exclusively to TV for the final innings. So the radio crew, which includes Charlie Steiner, doesn't have much to do for the first three innings.

And it was cool to hang out with this guy who has a job that I'd love to have. He gets to travel with the team everywhere he goes, he hangs out with Vin Scully and Charlie Steiner, and he gets to watch baseball for a living. It's just a cool job.

The game itself was pretty conventional. It was interesting that the starting pitcher for Los Angeles was Vicente Padilla. Padilla, the former Ranger pitcher, was the guy who I always saw when I went to Rangers' games, and I guess that followed me to LA now that he's a Dodger.

And that was Tuesday. Wednesday was my free day...which leads me into two new characters - Diosa and Alisa.

When I first started at JPMorgan, one of the big clients that I got was PIMCO - the Pacific Investment Company. My contact there was Alisa, who had a reputation of being a bit of a hardass. When I met her, I couldn't disagree with those thoughts. Alisa liked to get the job done correctly and simply didn't give an inch to anyone who made that harder for her. She did her job well and efficiently, and she expected the same from everyone she worked with. I respected that, and I loved talked to her.

She's young, she's fun, and she's cool. Of all my clients, she was the only one who's work phone I bothered to memorize. And we talked every workday, for the most part, developing a bit of a friendship in addition to our work relationship.

One day, Diosa appeared on the scene as someone who helped Alisa. I liked working with Alisa, so I didn't call Diosa (Jo-sa) very often at first. Eventually, though, Diosa won me over. She was my age, and she loved LOST. That was enough for me.

Oh...and these girls are both really cute, by the way. Taken...but cute.

So when I found out I was coming to Los Angeles, one of the first things I did was email the two of them. "I'm coming - please clear a night for me!" They agreed that Wednesday would work the best for them, and I told my aunt to leave that day open for me. She did, and we agreed to make that a beach day in the morning and leave the night to my PIMCO friends.

But there was a problem - Diosa and Alisa worked across town from my aunt. I was going to need a car to get to them because I wasn't going to make them drive all the way out to me.

So I rented a car - a nice Nissan Versa - in the morning and that's how Margaret and I traveled to the beach. But there was another problem - LA was having unseasonably cold and cloudy weather - not exactly great beach weather. But I had to see the water - so I didn't care. We took the rental car to Malibu and drove down the Pacific Coast Highway.

It's always fun for me to see the water. I don't know what it is about the ocean, but I love seeing it. I've been asked why I don't live closer to it, and I argue that it'd lose a lot of its magic if I saw it every day. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

So we stopped on a nice little beach, and I went in the water for a couple of minutes. The air and the ocean were both 60 degrees, so it was pretty cold. But it's always nice to sink into the sand as the waves roll in. It wasn't perfect weather, but it was still worth being out there and watching an endless landscape of water.

We also stopped at a little shop where we hoped to see someone famous. It's a little chic Malibu market where celebrities are said to have gone. We didn't see anyone, but I did buy an expensive cherry Coke. So I guess that was worth it.

After that, we headed back. My aunt needed to go into work, and I was going to be headed to Huntington Beach for a happy hour with Diosa, Alisa, and Alisa's fiance Chris. I got a navigation system for the Versa so that I could make the one-hour trip all the way across LA, and I sure needed it. I left Pasadena about 2:50, and I arrived just after 4pm. I coordinated with Diosa and Alisa, and we were going to meet at Cheesecake Factory. They both were off work, and we met.

And that's when a bit of panic set in. Here I was in Huntington Beach, a town I've never been to, and I looked down at my phone. Low battery. The battery light was flashing, and the screen refused to illuminate fully. My friends hadn't found me, and my phone was about to die.

So I rushed inside the restaurant and wrote down Margaret's number. At the very least, I needed to know how to call her if things went wrong. I told the girls where I was going to be, and I shut my phone off. Diosa found me, and we hung out for a little bit. I checked my phone...and luckily, it re-activated with a couple of bars. So I was saved for a bit in case of emergency.

Eventually, Alisa and Chris showed up, and we had a good time. It was really weird to meet the girls in person - I'd only every communicated with them on the phone and on email. I knew what they looked like from facebook, but you never know what to expect when you run into someone for real.

But they were everything I expected them to be. We had a great time at happy hour, and eventually moved over to a family-style Italian restaurant for dinner. It was one of Chris' friend's birthdays, and we were all invited. And these people were all in their 30s, but they were a lot of fun. We laughed and told stories, and they were all curious about my life as a Texan. It was really cool.

And before I knew it, the night was over. I said goodnight to the girls and told them they needed to visit me in Texas. I think they might actually come next year - which is nice because none of them had ever been.

As I made my way across LA in the dark, I was really happy. Meeting these people was one of the reasons I was most excited about the trip, and my expectations had been met. With no offense to my aunt, it was fun to hang out with people my own age, and I was happy that things had gone so well.

And while I'd passed the halfway point of the trip, I still had a lot left. And more on that next time.

LA - Day Zero

Yeah, I know there's no such thing as "day zero" - but I already talked about my "day one" - which was really my second day in Los Angeles. And since I actually have things to say about my first day, I figured I should do so.

So let's talk a bit about how the trip evolved. I think I've talked about the "two-week vacation" rule at JPMorgan - so I won't here - but they offered a chance for us to cross-train for a week to give us some of those vacation days back. Cross-training wouldn't amount to much because we're not allowed to log onto our own computers. We couldn't do any work...we'd just be watching.

So I asked for permission to train with one of our settlements areas. I've always kinda complained about their lack of responsiveness, and I wanted to see what the heck is making them so damned busy. They said it was okay, and that it would work out.

One week before, I get a call from their VP - my cross-training wasn't properly approved. And, thus, cancelled. Apparently they're short-staffed, and I tried to argue that I wasn't going to get in the way - I wasn't allowed to do anything but watch - they might not even know that I'm there. "Doesn't matter," she said.

So I had two choices - try to get proper approval for a different department or just screw it and take the full two weeks with my vacation days. I chose the latter - mostly because I don't really care about any other department. I barely care about mine.

With an extra week to work with, I decided to take a vacation. I thought about driving somewhere and just getting away from town to clear my head, but that didn't seem organized enough. The beach has soothed me for as long as I can remember, and I knew I wanted to go there. And so I thought about my aunt, who's been begging for me to visit for the entire year. I figured it would be cool to go there - I could see LA and stay with her for free.

So I did it. Within a couple of hours of being told that my cross-training was cancelled, I'd bought plane tickets. I'd traded the cross-training (Monday-Friday) for a trip to LA - it worked. I also planned a bunch...I was going to go to a Dodger game and I was gonna meet up with the cute girls that work at PIMCO - who I'd met through the job. I was pretty excited.

And for a few moments, I was a bit startled. I'd just spent a few hundred on a whim - I'd planned a trip without thinking about it. It was really out of character for me - I like to do a lot of thinking before I do anything too crazy - but it was also pretty freeing.

Flash-forward to Monday morning. I was a little nervous about it because it all seemed so patchwork, but I was also excited to get away. I got to the airport with my brand-new laptop bag and started to go through security.

Now, before I'd left the house, I realized that I'd forgotten to pack my earphones. I wanted to watch a movie on my laptop on the plane, and I grabbed a pair and stuffed them into my pocket before I left. And as I was emptying my pockets at security, the earphones fell out of my pocket. Since they weren't made of metal, I just put them back in my pocket. Security saw that and didn't like it.

I got pulled aside, and this security person asked to see my hands. She wiped them with this cloth, and then asked to see my "fingertips." I was already showing her my fingertips so I was confused. She repeated her request to see my fingertips, and I was confused. I had no idea what she was asking me to do, and as far as I knew, I was already showing her my fingertips.

Apparently, she meant my fingernails. She wiped them down too and then ordered me to wait until she said "clear." So I did as I was told, but I asked her what the heck the whole search was about. She ignored me until it was clear. And when I repeated my question, she told me that she was testing for "chemicals" on my hands.

I realize that she saw me as some kind of threat because of the earphone wire, but I don't think she needed to be an a-hole about it. I wasn't acting aggressively, and if I was nervous, it was only because I was put on the spot. I had nothing to hide, and I was very cooperative when I finally figured out that "fingertip" meant "fingernail."

But the cloth or whatever was on it kinda burned my fingertips so I went and washed them immediately.

So I flew to El Paso and then to Los Angeles. On the way, I found out that the El Paso airport doesn't have free wi-fi. Neither do the Austin or Los Angeles airports. If you wanted internet, you'd have to pay $10 for it at any place.

Can't we get free wi-fi at the airport considering how expensive everything is? I mean, I see their pattern - food is expensive, books are expensive, checking bags is expensive (not on Southwest!), and the flight is expensive. But can't we get a break for internet? Hopefully those fees are the first to go...although I doubt it.

So I arrived in LA, and the first night, I went to a restaurant called "home." I immediately found out that Los Angeles is more animal friendly than Texas, as there were several dogs at the restaurant. They apparently are okay with dogs at the restaurant, enough so that they bring little water bottles for the dogs to have while they patiently sit under the table. My aunt brought her dog, and it all seemed to work.

And that's how my trip began. I already explained about my trip to Universal Studios. Over the next few days, I'll cover the rest of my trip. And now that I'm back, you all can stop worrying about me - I didn't die in an earthquake.

But there was one. Stay tuned.

LA - Day One

I'm in Los Angeles for the week. Day one, we went to Universal Studios. I've been a couple of times, and it's always been really fun. For the most part, it's overpriced souvenirs and food. But there were a handful of really fun rides that I was able to go on. Here's a bit of a breakdown.

Universal Studios Tram Ride - Featuring King Kong as himself

The tram ride is Universal Studios' key attraction. You get on a tram, and they take you around to various places on the back lot. So you can see the big sets where Back to the Future was filmed, see the streets that fill in for New York or London or Europe or Ancient Rome, and you can see the huge soundstages where your favorite shows and/or movies were filmed. We were even taken down the street from Desperate Housewives and the enormous "crash" set from War of the Worlds.

But, along the way, they also do little "mini-rides" - there's an earthquake one and a flash flood one. Spitters from Jurassic Park will pop out and spray you with water. Jaws will attack you and your tram-mates.

And they have King Kong. For as long as I can remember, a huge robot King Kong would attack the tram in an attempt to scare everyone. But now, they have a huge 360 degree / 3D little movie. You pull into this tunnel, put on your 3D glasses, and it begins. T-Rexes attack the tram and King Kong comes to save the day. It's actually really well done, and it was one of the most fun parts of the whole tram.

But I can't talk about the tram ride without talking about my future wife, Alia. She was the host of the ride, and I developed a huge crush on her. She had a huge personality, a great stage presence, and she was absolutely adorable. Next time you go, ask for her and tell her I said hi.

The Simpsons Ride

I'm a huge Simpsons fan, and I was really excited about this. You visit KrustyLand, and you get on Krusty's newest attraction. It's one of those big stationary rides with a huge screen that moves all around. In fact, it actually replaced the Back to the Future ride.

It's actually pretty well done, and it's just as funny as the show. My aunt didn't even watch the show, and she enjoyed the ride and humor. It's a great addition.

Jurassic Park

When I was a kid, this was the best thing ever. It was my favorite movie, and I got to live it. The ride is actually a recreation of a scene from the book - a river adventure that gets attacked by the dinosaurs. Its really cool to get welcomed to Jurassic Park (the same way the characters are welcomed) - it sent a chill down my spine every time I've done it - because, like I said, we're talking about my favorite movie as a kid.

The dinosaurs look realistic enough, and there's plenty of ways they try to get you wet. Water is constantly spraying at you, dripping on you, or splashing on you. It's probably a nice relief on a hot summer day, but it was overcast and a little chilly today. So not terrible but not awfully welcome.

Of course, like all the rides, it's supposed to be a "normal" ride and something goes wrong. The dinosaurs have escaped and the ride gets detoured into the most dangerous parts of the park. Raptors attack, spitters attack, cars fall down beside you, and then the big guy shows up. And right when all hope seems lost, the ground drops out from under you, and you free-fall into the water.

And SPLASH - you're covered in water. I was still wet a couple hours later, but it was still the best ride of the day. It takes me back, and the drop is the biggest thrill you'll find.

The Mummy

This is basically just an indoor roller coaster. There's some Mummy stuff in there, some flashing lights, and a couple of chambers. It's the only roller coaster at the park, but it's pretty short. It's a bit like the runaway mine train at Six Flags and only a tiny bit flashier.

Terminator 2 : 3D

This one is fun, but it's a bit dated. Terminator 2 is about 20 years old, and there have been two Terminator films since. They use the cast of T2 (Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, the kid who played John Connor, and of course, Arnold) so it all feels a bit old.

But the 3D adventure was actually done by James Cameron, and it all feels very professional. According to Cameron, it's actually a continuation of the second movie. And despite the dated feel, it is still very well done. They have actors playing tour guides and a movie explaining it. And the show itself is a combination of a live stage show (with actors playing the characters) and a 3D movie.

And it's sad because the 3D also seems a bit dated. But it's still a fun show and the story is well done. Not sure how long it will be there, but it's still fun.

Tonight is a Dodger game and tomorrow, I will get to see the ocean. I'll be here until Friday, and the whole week is jam-packed.

I'll be back...

A Sea of Fireworks

It's dark now.

Everyone is sitting, looking at an empty sky.

Cars are parked as far as the eye can see.

Blankets cover a beach of green sand.

The open air is their ocean.

Then it starts. One blast. Then another.

Silence fills everything.

The only thing that you can hear are the blasts.

Red. Blue. Green. All shapes and sizes.

For a moment, all adults have become children.

All children become something different.

We all know this song because we have heard it.

And yet we act as if we don't know the words.

The blasts are nearby.

But there are others that can be seen.

And more in the distance, just outside the view of the eye.

And beyond that, millions more.

For these minutes, the world stops.

All there is are explosions of bright colors.

Happy birthday to everything that is good.

There is no time for anything else.

It grows exponentially.

They're coming faster and faster.

The rhythm is unstoppable and the smile can't fade.

It seems like it will never stop.

The sky darkens again.

A few moments of silence.

Waiting for an encore.

See you next year.