Wedding #23

For months I've been begging my friend for pictures from his wedding last year (almost a year ago today) and he STILL hasn't sent me a single one!

The ironic thing is, we took several (6 hour photo shoot) and I still haven't seen them. 

So the only picture I can show you is from the day before the wedding, when I took this photo at a place we went out to eat for breakfast. It ended up being the only thing we'd do together all weekend long. 

I have to say, my invitation to be a part of the wedding party came as a shock. I had no idea he was going to ask. I planned on attending but ended up being a part of the wedding party instead. 

This was in northern California, which is beautiful. I loved the area but we didn't get to do anything together that weekend but after we got back from breakfast, we were informed that we (the 5 groomsmen) would be setting up the entire wedding for 300 people that day. 

All day we worked in time for the rehearsal party. Then came a 6 hour photo shoot the day of the wedding. We almost didn't get back in time for the actual wedding to take place. 

Oh and how long was the ceremony? Under 2 minutes.....not joking. 

But when the best man refused to give a speech at the reception (he is an introvert and incredibly shy) the groom asked me on the spot to give a speech. 

I felt like I was on the show "Who's Line is it Anyway?" and preceded to make something up on the fly.

I'll be honest...it was one of the best speeches I ever gave. Had both parents shake my hand afterwards telling me what a great job I did. Got to party with a bunch of welders, who I still keep in touch with today. 

It was a blast. 

Plus there was a mountain in background and the whole thing was beautiful. I remember sitting right there on the front steps thinking how luck I was to have been a part of the wedding party and if this was the end, I was at peace with that. 

But when the party went on till about mid-night (those people in Cali don't STOP!) I realized there was no point taking a 2 hour nap, just to wake up and drive all the way back to the airport. So I took off right afterwards and ended staying up all night, until finally getting home and going to bed 38 hours after I'd woken up the day before. 

Never. Again. 

My body can't handle that. 

Anyway, the groomsmen and I still laugh about all the things we didn't get to do on that trip as well as my favorite story of when I walked into the store and asked if that had any razor blades the guy behind the counter said "To cut stuff?" 

To which I responded "How about to shave?"

......I have no words..... 

 

Wedding #22

 

After wedding #21, I thought I'd blown my last wedding party experience....then along came #22!

My best friend (and board game buddy) at the time was getting married. There's a 20-something year age gap between us, so I really didn't think I'd be in his wedding. I was just happy to get an invite to attend. 

But he surprised me with the offer and I gladly accepted. 

Redemption!!!

This was a great wedding. I got to have fun and do all the things I didn't get to do at the last one. This time, I savored every moment of it. Because I knew (or thought at the time) this would be my last rodeo. 

Sadly, we don't speak much anymore. He got busy with his job and we've only seen each other once this year and rarely talk anymore. 

But I'm grateful for the times we did have together and hope he has a wonderful life moving forward. 

There's a lot of grooms I don't speak to anymore. Not for any bad blood or what not, but rather losing touch over time. I wish I could've done a better job at keeping in touch with each one of them over the years.  

AU vs World Survivor Episode 9

 Shonne played a very dull game this season. She didn't connect with any of the players and without an alliance, so was twisting in the wind. But its her own fault too because she was so wishy-washy. Willing to flip on anyone who wanted to team with her which made her extremely untrustworthy. 

So now she's gone and the endgame is in sight. Luke sealed his fate not turning on Parv. The only winner and most dangerous player left in the season. Amazing. How she loses this I'll never know!

AU vs World Survivor Episode 8

 Wow. They finally went with the easy vote. Lisa, who destroyed her game in the last episode. Another winner down, leaving Parv the sole remaining winner. But no one cares I guess. 

Luke got Parv to tear apart her advantage which was crazy. But I don't think it's going to damage her game. She WILL go to the end, that much is obvious. She would win it all as well. I don't know why everyone loves her when she's such a huge threat??

It's like watching Rob's season from South Africa all over again. EVERYONE wants to go with Parv to the end but PARV WILL WIN in each scenario. 

So sad, no one cares about waking up and taking her out. 

And to think....if Lisa wasn't a dumbass, it would've happened too. 

Wedding #21

 A few years back I counted down all 20 weddings (including mine) that I've been a part of over the years. 

This week, I'd like to talk about the other 3 weddings I've been a part of since. 

To catch you up, I wrote back in 2019 on the blog that I was done doing weddings. I'd "aged" out of them so to speak and was now delegated to sitting in the audience from here on out. But starting in 2022 that all changed when one of my friends finally found someone and settled down, putting me in my first wedding in years. 

I remember at the rehearsal dinner saying that I'd felt like a baseball player who'd come out of retirement for one more season. I was grateful for the opportunity and happy to be in my 21st wedding. 

But I ate something that disagreed with my stomach and had diarrhea the entire day of the wedding. It was so bad I was afraid to get up there at the ceremony because every 10 minutes I was back on the toilet. 

They gave me the nastiest tasting ginger candy to help settle my stomach but nothing worked. I was miserable. 

I somehow managed to keep it together for the ceremony but afterwards told the groom I wouldn't stay for the reception. When he promised they planned to make an early departure (an hour tops he promised) I decided to stay.

3 hours later, they left. 

I was completely spent. 

I was also bummed. This was (I thought at the time) the last wedding I'd ever be in and I didn't get a chance to dance or celebrate at it. Instead it was constant trips to the toilet, and sitting at tables wishing for the night to be over. 

I'd felt like I'd blown my last chance to have fun at wedding. 

Thankfully, I was wrong. 

Happy Labor Day

 Traditionally, this is a day I play board games all day...I pray it remains that way forever. Because this is one of my favorite holidays of the year because of that.

Have a good one folks!

AU vs World Episode 7

 Wow.

Parv was about to meet her fate in the game. But Lisa (the earliest Survivor winner in this group) is WAY out of her league and made a huge mistake that took out both her allies in one night and Parv sitting on the throne with more power than she's ever had. 

Unbelievable. 

In looking at the preview, Luke has set himself up to be the next one out the door but confiding in Parv. Why after so many seasons she's played does NO ONE know how powerful she is????? It's like all common sense flies out the door when people look at her. 

This season started off getting rid of big game players but STOPPED when it came to Parv. 

Incredible. 

At this point, I don't know who will be able to stop her. 

Nos Sonic Sour

 While making a quick stop along the way to work this week, I came across this little gem. 

I've had the grape and regular flavors in the past but haven't seen this one before I think. 

It's really sour apple, but it wasn't too bad. Heavy on the apple flavor and a little light on the sour, but overall, the best of its line. 

Still nothing beats Ghost, but you never know unless you try something new every once in a while right?

Have a good weekend folks!

M3gan 2.0 (review)

 The first one was a horror movie. 

This one was a sci-fi-spy-action movie with a musical number included for whatever reason. 

I don't know how this movie got made. Nor WHY.

Megan comes back from the dead (her program will forever live on) and this time she's given a new body to stop another AI robot (who worked for the government before going rogue) from taking over the world. 

Megan even sings a song in the middle because....the writer never thought they'd take his script seriously in the first place. 

For real. This sounds like those movie pitched you here about, that are unbelievable. (i.e. Kevin Smith's story about how they wanted Superman to fight giant robot spiders in his fortress)

But they really made this movie folks. And it's really out there for everyone to see. Exactly what we're supposed to be seeing, I don't know. 

It wasn't bad....or maybe it was and I was intrigued but the sheer lunacy of it all? I'm not sure. 

Either way, if you plan on watching this circus....hang out, because it's a crazy ride. 

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

 Recently watched this again with my nephew a few weeks ago and the movie holds up really well. 

This movie is smarter than you know. Brilliant moments that they don't spoon feed the audience on. If you're paying attention, you'll know them. I was even shocked by how smart the movie made connections without alerting you with call backs from earlier moments in the film where you would've understood certain scenes better. 

It's an incredible film all around. 

If you've never seen it before, you're doing yourselves an injustice. And if you have....time to go back and watch it again. 

It's just that good.  

AU vs World Survivor (Episode 6)

 Kirby learned the hard way never to trust Parvarti. Just as expected (to anyone with knowledge of the game) betraying your alliance for someone your infatuated with, never works out. 

Parv is STILL the strongest competitor in the game. I think at this point, it may be too late to get rid of her but we'll see. 

Wendy's Fuego Meal

 This is a pic from the first time I tried it last month. 

Excellent. 

Spicy but not overwhelming. The right amount of heat and zest. Loved it. 

I recently had it again. Fast food should take note and do more things like this. 

It's not just the heat it brings, but the flavor too. 

Good job Wendys....good job.

AU vs World Survivor (Episode 5)

 Sarah learns she made a mistake AFTER being voted out and like fools, Team AU implodes. 

It's INSANE how this season has given no quarter to previous winners. Those have been the first to go. BUT when it comes to Parvarti, who's won the game and made it to the end the other times....everyone is blinded by her stardom and take the knee to her. Obeying her every whim. 

Incredible. Parv has the best chance out of anyone to run away with this without anyone getting in her way. She's unstoppable now. Unless someone wakes up SOON, it's in the bag for her. 

AU vs World Survivor (Episode 4)

 Off with the head of the True King. Tony is done (as predicted) and I'm done with Team World. Parvati OWNS that tribe and is the clear leader. I still can't stand her or Cirie. But they're in this game till the bitter end it appears. 

From here on out, it's anyone on Team Aussie. 

Squid Games 3 (review)

 

I had no idea this had come out months ago. 

Just watched it. 

Not bad. 

I still prefer the moments where they're playing the game. All the other stories weren't interesting at all. Yes, it tried to pull on your heart strings from time to time. I guess it's a satisfying ending to the series, but at this point I wish it'd only gone one season and ended things there. The first season was the best and if ever someone asked me about this show, I'll tell them to watch that and just stop afterwards. 

Dark Side of the 90s

 Yes, I love the 80s. But I was a teenager in the 90s and this decade also has a special place in my heart because of that. 

I really enjoyed these episodes. Even the ones I wasn't as familiar with because I felt so connected to the decade. Each episode sent me back in time. It was great. Any child of the 90s would love this series. 

Ok folks, that's it for this week. Have you watched any of these shows? Which ones did you enjoy the best? Let me know in the comments below and have a great weekend!

Dark Side of Comedy

 This (so far) has gone two wonderful seasons, which is why its my #2 show of the series. 

I know just about every comic they featured and so far have enjoyed each episode. Even on the high profile comedians I feel they really did their due diligence to come at information from a different perspective that what anyone else had done before. 

In fact, there's only one other show from this series I thought was better and I'll talk about that one tomorrow...

Dark Side of the 2000s

 

#3 on the list is a fun one. I love the wide range of topics they had to choose from this decade. A lot went on during then and I remember most of the topics featured. Every once in a while, there was one subject I didn't care for as much but overall, a very good series. 

If you're a fan of the decade, this is a no-brainer for you. 

Dark Side of the Cage

 

#4 of the list is this one. 

I kept up with UFC more back in the day when it was banned in all but 4 states. Yes, the gritty days when it was no holds barred. 

I slowly backed out of it as it grew in popularity, not because I wanted to see more blood but because it was more of a passing fad to me than something serious. For years I went over to my buddy's house to the PPVs until I realized I was only going for the free food and fellowship. 

I hardly knew any of the fighter's names at that time and didn't care. That's when I knew I was out. So watching this show was nice and I knew about 2 of the names, but it wasn't enough to hold my attention. 

Fans of UFC are going to love this though. I think this is right up their alley. 

Episode 2

 The Golden God has fallen! I knew he wouldn't last. Everyone saw him as a threat. But if only Sarah would've stood up and been a game changer, she would've had the best chance to win this game. But she's only a follower it seems, so she will be cut soon enough. 

Man, what another excellent episode. With George exposing Kirby in front of David like that, yet STILL remaining in the game! I've never seen a player like George. He walks around blowing up his game at every step yet STILL manages to go far in the game. And I think this one will be another instance of where he won't go home. 

It's good to see Tony realizing that Parvati and her faithful minion Cirie are not to be trusted. Hopefully he can gather the votes to get them off, but I think he'll for sure go before either of them do. My last person to root for on Team World will soon be gone, I'm afraid. 

On the Team AU, Luke is now my the one I'm rooting for most to win. But at the rate things are going, all of my favorites are being picked off, one by one. 

Looking forward to the next episode!