Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

This is the post that will finish any hopes I have for running for any kind of public office. As we know if you want to be President of the United States you have to dress up like a middle-aged parent.

I did not do that for Halloween.

While some people dressed up like trashy ice skaters, sexy genies, or clever puns; I did something a little more unorthodox. I’m not talking about forming a tracksuit mafia, changing my religion, or going back home.

I spent my Halloween putting on a midnight performance of the Rocky Horror Show (still going on for two more weekends!) I knew that Halloween, midnight, and Rocky Horror meant a big crowd and lots of costumes. Most of my cast arrived to the stage in costume, only to take them off and put on their show costumes. The director showed up looking like the belle of the ball. I was dressed in grey dress pants and a grey T-shirt.

But I had an ace up my sleeve.

First I had to get some make-up on, so I went downstairs and got the cast to put make-up on my face, citing I had no costume for Halloween. The cast was glad to help and I sat down and each cast member took some of their make-up and put it on a different part of my face:

Step One: Make-Up on Face

Next was the more nerve wracking part, earlier in the week I asked our costumer if she had any extra costume pieces I could wear for Halloween. She agreed to help me out and would pass by the stage before the show. I nervously waited in the upstairs loft for her to arrive. 20 minutes til curtain and no sign of her yet. Finally she arrived with a large bag full of pieces. The heels barely fit and the corset was way too small. But like Tim Gunn I made it work.

My sound guy and light board operator walked in on me getting undressed with the costumer, they wanted to take a photo of me in my boxers but I convinced them they would get a better photo if they waited 10 minutes. After I put on the fishnet stockings I got at Hot Topic earlier that day they got their photo:

Step Two: Hot Tranny Mess.

I was so hot. It was also very breezy, never wore anything that short before.

So I put on a long coat I brought from home and went downstairs to the dressing room. I was about to call the five minute warning and a few people noticed my legs and knew something was up.

I strut into the dressing room and yell, “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your five minute warning!”

And with those lines I take off my coat to the roar of the cast.

I called the entire show in costume, walking in heels wasn’t too bad except for a few moments I almost took a spill. During every intermission I walk out on stage to sweep up the stage, that night I got a few calls from the audience.

There’s a reason I’m not a performer: I can’t act, sing, or dance. But I will tell you- I didn’t mind being on stage at all in that moment. Dressing up is part of the Rocky Horror Culture and I totally enjoyed being a part of it for a night.

Tags: blog, holidays, rocky horror show, theatre

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Thanks to @meggiepoo for the tip, I almost went to bed after a long night without watching this gem of a clip:

We all know when JT and Andy get together it’s going to be magical, but Susan Sarandon and Patricia Clarkson as the moms totally turns this into another SNL Digital Short hit!

Tags: andy samberg, film & video, holidays, justin timberlake, patricia clarkson, snl, susan sarandon

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

This week’s recap is brought to you byTMI Thursday, a blog meme column by Live It, Love It.

I had ambitious plans this past Saturday. I wanted to run some errands around town and I had to get my geek on and prepare for my upcoming fantasy baseball drafts.

Well Friday night I get several e-mails, text messages, facebook notes, smoke signals, etc. about a “Kegs & Eggs” gathering at my friend’s house down the street. I wasn’t planning on drinking a lot of beer but I did want some eggs. So I replied to his text to show up the next day at 9 AM.

I arrived the next day around 10 AM and the scene was really chill: no eggs, no people. At first I suspected that it was going to be a quiet morning. I was wrong.

The door flew open and one of housemates came walking in with his girlfriend and a crowd of people. Next thing I know there’s bacon on the grill, games of beer pong were going in the front yard, and everyone is having a great time. I played a game of beer pong but it wasn’t til a group game of Kings erupted that my goals of productivity flew out the window. Then she came along.

She was tall and blonde, not the type I usually find myself with. As people went inside to enjoy some eggs and warmth she challenged me to a game of 1 on 1 beer pong. Next thing I know we are sitting on the porch and we somehow start talking about Internet videos- and she brings up 2 Girls 1 Cup.

“Wait, you’ve never seen 2 Girls 1 cup!?! You need to see it right now!”

That’s when I knew things were getting interesting.

She took my hand and dragged me back inside in search of a computer. The one downstairs had the blue screen of death and I began to explain how I really didn’t need to see the infamous video. I was feeling a little buzzed and I was trying not to kill that. She didn’t take no for an answer. She took me upstairs and like any teen movie you’ve seen- you know that when you go upstairs, something is going to happen.

Turns out a lot of things were already happening.

We ran into my friend upstairs who was excited to point out that another roommate was hooking up with another girl at the party. It explained the crowd around said roommate’s door. I found the booty paparazzi a little bit immature & random but so was the event that was about to happen.

We go into an empty bedroom and she tries to turn on the computer, maybe she really does want to show me porn.

When the computer boots up to a password protected login prompt I quipped that it looks like I won’t be seeing 2 Girls anytime soon.

That’s when she reaches over me and closes the door.

She steps towards me and as she put her arms around me I knew what came next.

In the words of Penelope Trunk, “it is a very good kiss, slow and soft, and a little bit wet.”

Time slowed down in that 15 second span, then it sped back up and things got a little hazy- which often happens during alcohol fueled endeavors such as this one.

There was a knock on the door.

I hear y friend’s voice- seeing how we both went in and have yet to come out, his curiosity was probably peaked.

I stop him from opening the door and lock it. I don’t need to become the next  victim of the paparazzi crowd outside, but I know my time is limited before full on announcements of hooking up are made.

We embrace and make-out for several more minutes, I fumble with my glasses and questioned my choice in not wearing contacts that morning. Of course I also figured I was only over for breakfast but it was now 1 PM and I’m having a little bit more fun.

She throws herself onto the bed and my head gets the better of me.

I do not want to hook up with her in my friend’s roommate’s bed- it’ll haunt me every time I’m over.

After some rolling around I lean into her ear and told her, “let’s take this somewhere else.”

She looks at me and asks, “well aren’t you coming with me to Shamrock Fest? All of us are.”

In fact this crazy Kegs & Eggs is a pre-game event for Shamrock Fest over at RFK, most of the crowd there were planning on going.

She doesn’t want to but we eventually are forced to cool it off with the hallway crowds getting more and more ansy. I felt like we were playing seven minutes in heaven with the entire party cheering. I start to think how much action was going on with two bedrooms occupied at that very moment.

We walk out of the room and re-join the party, that has moved on into my friend’s room. He looks on as our friends vandalize his facebook account and try to print out Shamrock Fest tickets on his printer. It would explain the weird wall posts from him later that day.

The crowd moves downstairs out of his room and we found ourselves alone in his room. As if a switch was flipped she throws herself onto his bed and propositions me one more time. After suggesting we perhaps not turn this into a traveling make-out show she proceeds downstairs. My friend re-enters his room and does what any friend should do in that situation, he offers me some protection.

Before going downstairs, I had the urge to empty out some of the beer I’ve been drinking. I exit my friend’s room and I go into the neighboring bathroom.

I am standing in front of the toilet admiring my piss when I hear a knock at the door. I turn around and see one of the housemates push the door open. Luckily the bathroom was laid out so I wasn’t facing the door in any obscene way.

As I shouted for the intruder to close the goddamn door I see him leave and push the blonde into the bathroom. He then proceeds to close the door.

After quickly zipping up my pants I ask WTF is going on. Her answer came in the form of another make-out session. (photo courtesy of Flickr user Crissy Teena)

We head back downstairs and I feel as if everyone’s eyes are on us, despite the reality that everyone was occupied with their own debauchery.

As we sit down on the couch her arm reaches around behind me. I take her shoulder and pull her head next to mine. She leans for a kiss but I’m a little hesitant, I’m not a fan of public displays of drunken affection so early in the day.

She was- after a couple of quick smooches so lays herself on the couch, wanting to take things a bit further- right in the middle of the packed living room. A housemate makes the keen observation that he thinks that girl wants me.

This situation needs to get out of this house because we are already getting out of hand.

She continues to convince me to go with her to Shamrock Fest. I don’t have tickets, I had other plans, and I didn’t feel like spending money to sit in the rain. I suggest that perhaps we should just hang out maybe walk back up the street to my place. She thinks it’s a wonderful idea. In fact she’s so eager to leave she waits for me on the porch without any shoes or socks on.

As I try and make an exit I am met by various roommates for their take on the situation:

“Dude you need to hit that man- she totally wants you!”

“Ya man do it- just don’t do it in my room.”

“Ya and don’t do it in my room either- do it in my brother’s room (his brother being the housemate I mentioned earlier- the one who already got some that day.)”

I don’t want to do it in anybody’s room, especially the room that was already used for sex.

Then out comes the line that changes everything.

“She’s a nice girl man, but I think she has a boyfriend or something.”

I walk over to her and offer her a glass of water, and I casually ask if she’s seeing anyone. She tells me no and stands by it after further questioning.

As I walk back to the guys I am met by her friends as the party prepares to leave for Shamrock Fest.

“I think you need to know she has a serious boyfriend.”

Well things are just shaping up great now.

The party quickly takes sides as guys take me into one room and the girls take her upstairs. All of a sudden I feel like I’m in the ring and I’m staring my opponent down. Except there really isn’t one, it’s clear that I should make a clean exit before things get potentially explosive.

Thanks to hours of drinking the advice I’m getting it questionable at best- some say that I should still hit that, others question if there really is a bf, I cannot believe what I’m hearing.

This is where I’d like to say that the answer to this situation was clear the moment I heard she had a boyfriend and lied to me about it. I need to walk away.

I grabbed a friend and former roommate who was enjoying watching all this unfold and told him to get me out of there.

I was met by the girls who wanted to let me know that “I did nothing wrong” and that “you are totally her type- if she didn’t have a boyfriend she would totally hook up with you” I don’t even know what to think of that as I get the hell out of one of the craziest morning parties I’ve been too.

We proceeded to get into my car and he drove us to Costco, to do the errands I originally wanted to get done.

I’m sure I did the right thing but I have to say things got way too dramatic way too fast. What is it about those situations that turns perfectly mature adults into gossiping 15 year olds?

Tags: blog, debauchery, favorites, fun times with friends, girls, holidays, shamrock fest

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I got the best text message from my sister Kim today. Apparently my mom used a handful of coupons to shrink a $10 $31 CVS tab down to $5.

Only my mom would use a billion coupons on a purchase. It reminds me of the time she managed to get money back after buying Halloween candy after Halloween.

Talking about being Vietnamese, I was trying to find the Dat Phan joke about how his mom uses double coupons when shopping and instead I ran into this video:

The day I bring a girl home is the day this will happen to me.

Tags: asians, blog, dat phan, family, holidays

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

On Martin Luther King day I went into Georgetown with Carrie to see Frost/Nixon, one of the Oscar films I’ve been waiting to see for awhile.

The Ron Howard directed historical thriller tells the story behind 1977 Richard Nixon interviews with David Frost. The film is based on the award winning play of the same name. The film starts off with the obligatory intro montage that breezes past the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s impeachment. Nixon (Frank Langella) gives his impeachment speech and is then shown leaving The White House, waving to the crowd with his trademark V-signs. Meanwhile British talk show personality David Frost (Michael Sheen) wants to interview Nixon, seeing it as a way to revitalize his waning career.  Nixon agrees thinking Frost will be soft and can leverage the interview to clear his name.

What was great about the film was  it’s ability to keep me hanging on til the end, which I would find hard for a film based from history. You know the end- then where’s the suspense? Even though at times I felt the film dragged a little, things got really intense once the interviews began. The interviews played out like a boxing match, with each side fighting for the prize. Otherwise the build up to the interviews were ho hum. Frost’s pressures to prepare while trying to raise money for the film came off weak. Most of the time he is seen charming and carefree, partying and schmoozing.

Performance of the film has to go to Langella as Nixon. He nailed him perfectly, to the point that little mannerisms and moments garnered laughs from the audience. I am happy to see him nominated for Best Actor.

Notes: Frank Langella was amazing. I gotta rethink the pacing. Lots of funny moments from Nixon. Got me more interested in watching the original interviews.

Overall I think the film is a great historical thriller that has garnered my interest in seeing the actual interviews. That in itself tells me that the film does not only a great job in telling the story but capturing the audiences’ interest beyond seeing it on the silver screen.

Tags: david frost, film & video, frank langella, frost/nixon, georegetown, holidays, michael sheen, oscar watch, oscars, richard nixon, ron howard

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I thought I was going to get some rest before the next three weeks of production for Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. I was wrong.

Last Friday I went out with Wendi to see Frank Warren of PostSecret speak at GW. It was a real interesting lecture, Frank let me hang out with him before the show and I got to see a lot of the behinds the scenes action. After the show we headed out to Eastern Market to check out The Ugly Mug and The Pour House where we told secrets of our own.

Last night after the Q-2-Q rehearsal I met up with Rebecca and Adam to get our white trash on at Monster Jam. It’s kinda like WWE but with monster trucks and ATVs. After the show I met up with Mattie and others at the Cleveland Park Bar & Grill. It is actually a really cool place, a neighborhood I should think about going out to again- too bad it’s so damn far away.

Well it’s Tet this weekend and today I celebrated by visiting Eden Center without my Mom begging me too! I bought so roast pork for dinner tonight and this week. Now next week is Chinese New Year but it looks like I’m going to miss the parade since my production is starting.

That also means my life is going to get really busy, you may not see me on the weekends- however I’m really excited to get back into theatre and I can’t wait to get behind that stage!

Tags: blog, capitol hill, cat on a hot tin roof, cleveland park, eastern market, eden center, falls church, frank warren, gwu, holidays, monster jam, postsecret, washington dc, wwe

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I have never been to a show quite like this one.

I’m talking about the Lil Wayne/I Am Music tour concert I went to last Tuesday at the Verizon Center.

It was a pretty good show, Gym Class Heroes were good as well as T-Pain. While Gym Class Heroes and Lil Wayne were more like a traditional set, T-Pain had this elaborate “circus” theme and sang halves of songs with lots of set-up and stunts. T-Pain even came out during Lil Wayne’s set on a Segway. I guess the rappers are getting more and more technologically advanced.

While Corey, Adam, Meg, and I watched the show from the suite I couldn’t notice how everyone else got all dressed up- even if you were in the nosebleed section you looked pretty good as you danced along.

I celebrated New Years Eve at my place with a party for all of our friends. While some circles already had plans I was happy to see quite a few of my friends drop by. I was rocking a cool paper crown from my office’s holiday party- because I’m king of the castle. Sarah and I decked out the place with a projector to show the ball drop, beer pong played on a door in my basement (tres ghetto), and games of drunken Jenga in the living room. We bought a knock off Jenga set called “Jumbling Towers” and it quickly became the joke was we wrote down our instructions. It’s actually still not complete yet so if anyone has any ideas let me know. Also if anyone wants to hang out at my place I have enough leftover beer and liquor to last us past Inauguration, Super Bowl, and beyond.

New Years Day was a full of cleaning up the house and taking naps. My kind of day.

The weekend was supposed to be dedicated to shopping and editing- I only got so much editing done when Rebecca called me out to come out with her and the crew. I couldn’t turn down an offer like that. We went bowling over at Strike Bethesda then grabbed some drinks at Chadwicks.

I thought I was going to get some work done on Sunday but after some brunch with Carrie I just wasted some time watching The Rock and D3: The Mighty Ducks. Man FiOS and all those channels are deadly.

The rest of this week is jammed packed so at least I know I won’t be wasting time watching any TV.

Tags: bethesda, blog, bowling, debauchery, girls, holidays, lil wayne, tenleytown, verizon center, washington dc

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

452 miles.

That’s how far I live from the family home back in Massachusetts

According to Google Maps it’s about 8 hours.

However in yesterday I spent almost 10 hours on the road. I used to be able to bang out these road trips home like it was the Bull Run (when I visited the site to insert that link I discovered that the footage I shot while doing Bull Run back in 2007 was used in the official videos of the event) but the week leading up to the trip back home was a blur. And as always, I never get enough sleep the night before- I was too busy trying to clean my room while doing laundry and finishing videos.

As always I’m trying to edit some videos before Christmas. I didn’t get it totally finished with my latest project but I hope to wrap it up after the holidays.

Tuesday was my birthday and I didn’t do a whole lot. I did go to a holiday party thrown by Strauss Radio over at Hudson. As always, they know how to throw a lavish affair. I had a nightcap over at Science Club with Clarence from work.

Thursday I hung out with Carrie and she helped me with an annual holiday tradition- getting my gifts wrapped by women who know how to do it. I’m not really good at wrapping gifts. I mean I know how to do it I am just not as good in tying those loose ends and making them look neat. Sounds like a possible analogy for my life. Looking back, a lot of my gifts were actually able to fit an envelope- so I didn’t have to wrap a lot of gifts.

I am really proud of these gifts I made for my co-workers: I filled little gift boxes full of miniature bottles of alcohol and liquor-filled chocolates. I may not be able to bake like my friend Mallory but I do enjoy showing my appreciation for fellow friends and co-workers.
So now I am back in town. The reason I rushed back on Saturday was to catch Emily’s birthday bash over at The Harp. It was funny that I ran into Jeff Frost- of future OBX Season 2 fame. The cover band there was really good and everyone got nice and drunk. I didn’t however, I was the driver. So after a day of driving- I drive some more into Boston and then at 3 AM I am driving some more- except this time I got to drive in the blizzard that has snowbound everyone this weekend. I am not looking forward to digging myself out but it’s experiences like these that remind me of where I came from. Down in DC it never snows.

Since there was a couple of feet of snow on the ground I kept it chill Sunday and watched the Patriots game at home with Dave. It was so satisfying to see us take care of the Cardinals in the snow.

I’m not planning a whole lot for this week- I want to focus on relaxing and seeing old friends since I’m only here for a week, then it’s back to DC for a week of entertaining then New Years.

Tags: birthday, blog, boston, bullrun, fun times with friends, girls, holidays, massachusetts, patriots, travel, washington dc, weather

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Living in the DC area for a couple of years now has certainly turned me on to politics and current events. It’s the bug everyone gets when they move in. As much as I could see myself working in the government I don’t think I’ll be running for office anytime soon- but you never know. Thanks to Anh “Joseph” Cao- the new congressman from Louisiana’s 2nd district and first Vietnamese-American ever elected to Congress I now have new hope in what I can do as a proud Vietnamese-American.

A lot of this week has been centered around politics. The highlight of this week was a visit to the White House. Now closed to public tours, you have to know someone in order to get in there. In this case Carrie knew someone and we went on a tour this past Thursday.

I thought it was interested how the photos on the wall are constantly updated. As we walked in there were photos on the wall of Bush’s recent Holiday Reception. He certainly knew how to fit in with kids. I was also amazed to see the photos that adorned the walls around Cheney’s offices. By the elevator there’s a really sinister looking half portrait of his face. One of Carrie’s friends and I had one goal while we were there- and that was to use the bathroom. I wanted my own Forrest Gump moment. I was impressed that the bathrooms had a cool machine that buffed your shoes.

The Oval Office was brighter than I thought. It was roped off and guarded by Secret Service after-hours. So I guess I won’t be having any cool moments inside the room. As we went from room-to-room it was interesting how the seat the President sits in is always taller than the rest. Talk about King of the Nation. The new Press Room was certainly impressive, from the camera banks to the engraved seats. Everyone has a specific spot- with the best seat in the house going to Helen Thomas (who is also the only one that has their name on their seat, usually it’s just the outlet.)

Carrie and I capped off the night at this quaint Greek place in Dupont called Mourayo. It was quiet for the night but still classy- except for the waiter that was dressed like a European sailor. I don’t know how classy it is to be served by a member of the Village people.

Well besides stealing sugar packets from the White House I was up to other things, I’ve finally got back to editing “The OBX Season 2” and I hope to have something done before I go back home for Xmas.  I also got to catch up with Wendi over dinner and a Bruins/Capitals game- it’s amazing to hear that the Bruins were in first place in the Eastern Conference as they lost to the Caps.

This weekend I wanted to celebrate my big quarter century but personally I’ve been too busy to effectively plan a bash. Last minute attempts at a night out ended up falling through. I’ve had great birthday nights the past three years and this year should be a special one, but with work killing me softly and the fact my birthday is always around the holidays makes it tough. I

Saturday I did go out with Sarah and Falkor to celebrate our friend Owen who was in town. We met up at a small place in Bethesda called Saphire. Carrie, Doug, and Katie met up with us later that night.

Last night I went out with a whole group of friends to see Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The show was similar to the one I saw last year but it was still a great show to watch, and it always helps to enjoy it with a suite full of your friends.

As we enter the last week before Christmas- there’s a lot I need to do before I go home. I need to finish my shopping. I took the day off of work today and knocked a lot of it out with a trip to Potomac Mills.

I also need to finalize my plans for New Years. I also want to finish “The OBX Season 2.” I also need to plan out all the people I need to see while I’m back home. You can see how celebrating my birthday isn’t going to fit in the immediate picture, yet as I write this I’ve now crossed over to December 16th.

Tags: asians, bethesda, blog, dick cheney, dupont circle, forrest gump, george bush, girls, helen thomas, holidays, joseph cao, louisiana, potomac mills, trans-siberian orchestra, washington dc

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

“This defense should stop them for sure!”

What is normally said by Madden while I’m playing on the computer was tossed around as we all joked on the real life football field.

This Thanksgiving I got up early and drove down to Cranston, RI to participate in an annual tradition that Falkor puts on- the Turkey Bowl. It’s a 11 on 11 full tackle game- it’s the real deal. For a bunch of average joes it’s our chance to pretend we are the players we watch on TV and play in video games.

The game was definitely hard-hitting, first play I got on the field I squared up for a tackle and got stiffed armed in the face. It’s been a couple of days and I’m finally able to move all my body parts.

It was a real blast to play some real football on a real football field. We even enjoyed a “half-time” show when the Cranston West Cheerleaders and Color Guard showed up to practice.

Home for Thanksgiving always means seeing lots of friends and I was able to catch up with a few this week.

Tuesday I picked up Diana and Mike in New York in a late night run back home. It was a definite challenge but as always I was able to tough it out and make it back home in one piece. I decided to drive back home this year since the price of gas was dropping like a Braylon Edwards pass. Driving up the coast prices were just dropping and dropping- always a great thing to see.

Friday I did a little bit of shopping and that night I met up with Dave, Jimmy, and others to go out in Kendall Square. We then went back to Jimmy’s and watched Grandma’s Boy- a very enjoyable movie. Also clearly not a flick for the chicks. Every other minute the guys would crack up and the girls would stare and shake their heads.

Saturday I had the family dinner over at Longhorn’s then I went out with the TH404 boys in Allston. We reminisced and caught up over several towers of PBR- oh the college days.

Yesterday I checked out Mike’s new place in Groton while enjoying the Steelers/Patriots game. Always happy to see a Pats game back home- ironically it’s also the flagship game for CBS, and was probably able to be seen at my house in DC.

Ok well I gotta pack things up here in Massachusetts and get back to DC.

Tags: blog, boston, braylon edwards, football, holidays, kendall square, madden, patriots, rhode island, travel

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

The Bucket List is a terrible movie. Not that I actually watched it, but it’s one of those movies you know is terrible and if you were to ask a critic, he would only confirm what you already knew.

However the film grossed over $173 million (surprising I know!) Lots of us have “bucket lists”, like my DC blogger pal Monica. I feel that it is time not for a bucket list; but a list of goals to help kickstart the social life I’ve missed so.

Goals To Regain A Life

• Watch “W” with Adam and LJ
• Watch a Capitals game
• Watch a Wizards game
• Party like it’s 1996 on Election Day
• Find a nearby corn maze
• Check out Lucky Strike Lanes
• Give Ethiopian food one more try
• Enjoy a Sunday brunch at Delhi Dhaba
• Reconnect with Rebecca, Adam, and crew
• Reconnect with Sarah, Falkor, Doug, Emily, and crew
• Watch a Patriots game with Wendi
• Catch up with Ian
• Catch up on my Netflix queue
• Take lots of time off and think about a Winter trip before the holidays

Ok now on to some news…

If you don’t already know, I am a writer for DC Metblogs- and I had lots of fun doing a live blog of the final Presidential Debates last week. Check out my post if you want to know all my thoughts on Joe the Plumber.

Last Thursday I took an amazing road trip to see an amazing man- there will be more details (and photos) sometime later this week.

While I was in Fitchburg on my last business trip I had dinner with Kim. Her new boy told us all the dangers of climbing Mount Everest which spurred a good hour of wikipedia-ing afterward. They also told me to watch an amazing SNL sketch- Mark Wahlberg talks to animals:

After watching the video and watching Game 6 of the ALCS I tuned into SNL, exciting to see what Sarah Palin was going to do. Here’s the gist of it:

Personally I thought it was funny but rather safe. Mark Wahlberg almost stole the show with that appearance. Check out this video to see what happens.

This week has been rather quiet as I try and rest up. However everything hasn’t been quiet around the house- but that story is for another day. Thursday Adam and I visited the Obama campaign office down the street. I wanted to check it out ahead of time since I wanted to volunteer some hours leading up to the big day. We ended up meeting some friendly faces and donating an hour to enter some data. We also walked away with tons of Obama swag. It was really cool- I am looking forward to helping out some more in the next two weeks.

I continued my Obama efforts yesterday when Adam, Meg, and I hit the streets in Sterling. We traveled out to Loudon County and walked the streets under not so pleasant conditions. Still it was fun to knock on doors and gage public opinion, I was surprised at first to encounter a lot of McCain supporters but after realizing that I was canvassing one of the richest counties in America; it all made sense. I think I’m going to pitch in with some office work the days leading up to the big day and hopefully make a difference and meet some new faces in the process.

So that was my past couple of weeks, to close it out I urge everyone to check out this amazing display of a Sarah Palin White House.

Tags: barack obama, blog, dc metblogs, election 2008, fitchburg, holidays, loudon county, mark wahlberg, metblogs, mount everest, netflix, sarah palin, snl, the bucket list, w

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Another October, another costume

Always wondering of what to do for Halloween. With the Red Sox in World Series I was Daisuke Matsuzaka last year. It was interesting walking around Georgetown last year. While I expected some people to recognize me as Dice-K, a whole lot more people identified me as the more obscure Hideki Okajima.

In the past I’ve played to my strengths for costumes. Last year I threw on some sheets and walked around as a Buddhist monk. Senior year at FSC I was a ninja. What will I be this year?

Right now I’m thinking about dressing up as one of the Crazy 88s from Kill Bill. I always look good in a suit.

October is also about post season baseball and the Red Sox are in the playoffs. I watched Game 2 of the ALDS with Dave and Mark over at Jimmy and Christine’s new apartment. It was a great game to watch and I haven’t had that much fun watching baseball in a long time. We all now have a new dance move thanks to Erick Aybar:

We call it the Aybar.

Saturday I went to Melanie and Jim’s wedding in Worcester. It was a really small affair- besides Mel’s college roommate I was the soul representative of Melanie’s college years. The ceremony took place in Mechanics Hall, which was just beautiful. Oddly enough this was the second wedding where there was an after party in the Bridal Suite. You would think Melanie and Jim had other things they wanted to do that night. I loss a bet that they wouldn’t get to that but I guess they did.

Well one more wedding to go this year and it’s shaping up to be one of the best yet.

Tags: blog, daisuke matsuzaka, hideki okajima, holidays, kill bill, red sox, weddings, worcester

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

July is all about celebrating independence as well as blowing up things. Well I have to tell you that a lot of things have been blowing up both figuratively and litteraly.

To celebrate the upcoming fourth I went out with Rebecca, Adam, Camille, Sarah, and the rest of them downtown to partake in the Liberty City Bar Tour. I’ve done bar tours with Rebecca and I know when I go out with her crew it’s always a great time. We started at Mackey’s and somehow I ended the night in the streets of Dupont. Things I learned about the places I visisted:

• The Singapore Bistro is not a great place to go to on a bar tour- mostly because it’s still in restaurant mode and it looks silly when you are rolling in deep and families look at you weird.
• Ozio is very classy, very swank, but don’t sit on the couches unless you are prepared to make it rain, or at least make it hail.
• Recessions is still in my opinion, one of the best places to go to when you need a cheap drink in a bar that looks like a finished basement.
• Rumors doesn’t serve anything but burgers on bar tour night.

We were all so cool that On Tap magazine snapped our photo.

The next day I had to work a little in Silver Spring then I head back to meet up with Neal where he was having a BBQ- one of the last parties he’ll have in his relatively nice place. There I learned about bocce and why I should be playing it. This year I really wanted to celebrate the 4th of July by watching the DC fireworks so I went down to the Georgetown Waterfront to see them with Rebecca and crew the next day. I really expected that anywhere in DC would be crowded so I wanted to avoid it like the plague- maybe go somewhere in Arlington to watch it like Mallory did. However I took a chance after I was coaxed into it the night before- and it wasn’t that bad! The show was much better than anything Lowell could offer.

What else have I been up to? I got a chance to get back into Nationals Stadium where Adam, Megan, Sarah and I saw the Diamondbacks/Nationals game. I went to a Meet Dave preview with Ashley (and I have to say that I was more entertained than I expected.) I had an great conversation with Caitlin on Friday and we watched Adam light some fireworks in our back yard- not the safest place to shoot things. The nice growth of trees provided plenty of deflection and caused all of us to go running for cover. I went to the Astros/Nationals game this past weekend with Melissa where we enjoyed dinner at Tortilla Coast (home of the all-you-can eat chicken fajitas.)

Well more to recap on later- today I’ll be flying back home to attend Jimmy Clancy’s wedding- the first wedding of someone back home!

Tags: astros, blog, debauchery, diamondbacks, dupont circle, eastern market, food, fun times with friends, girls, holidays, meet dave, nationals, washington dc, wedding

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Yesterday Adam and I traveled up to Philadelphia to help knock on some doors for the Barack Obama campaign. It was a short 2.5 hour trip to the “Brotherly City of Love”, I’ve never been to the city so I didn’t know how big it would be. It pretty much stacks up to Baltimore- but it has a nicer downtown.

This weekend was the last weekend to get people registered to vote so Adam and I walked around, knocked on doors, and got people registered. It was amazing to see people from all over coming to Philadelphia to help out. We met people from New York, Connecticut, and of course Washington DC and Virginia. The gal running things for the Obama campaign was an friend of Adam’sm another ex-staffer from Capital Hill. The neighborhoods we hit were pretty rough, I think it makes Fitchburg look like Montgomery County. A lot of people we talked to were already ardent Obama supporters, and some yelled at us for bothering them and slammed the door at our faces. One volunteer in our group interrupted a European
couple having sex, as he was met at the door by a woman followed by a naked man. All in all it was a really chill way to experience Philadelphia, we even got cheesesteaks at the Reading Terminal Market.

Earlier this week I decided to stay in for St. Patrick’s Day; this year it was on a Monday and personally I didn’t really want to go out so early in the week. Celebrating Caron Butler’s birthday last Thursday taught me how bad work can be the day after partying. However those plans didn’t hold up for long. LJ invited me out to Whitlow’s where I met his roommates, all of whom are really nice people.

Thursday LJ and I got to go to see WVU in the NCAA Tournament. As always I managed to score some tickets and we enjoyed watching the game in my company’s suite. We hit up Capital City Brewing before the game and we ran into Adam’s ex-girlfriend. At Capital City, we were joking how big the blowout would be in the Duke/Belmont game that was playing before the WVU game. However we were surprised to see a close game where Duke won it in the last seconds. A close game from Belmont kept all of us pumped- hoping to see Duke lose another early round game (they finally bowed out this weekend to WVU.)

Checking in on my brackets shows that I’m not having a great start in March Madness:

• The TMG Office Pool: Tied for 14th
• My Bracket O’ Doom on Facebook: Tied for 13th
• Amber’s Yahoo! Pool: 2nd place (take that Amber!)
• ESPN Tourney Challenge: 61413th place (but I’m in the 98.1 percentile!)

Georgetown just lost on TV, otherwise I can’t wait to plan some March Madness watching next weekend!

Two random notes to end on:

I really enjoy Indian brunch buffets on Sundays, I finally made some time to have brunch at Delhi Dhaba and it’s really not that bad!

I need to spend some more time with my friends in Montgomery County, at least we’ll have the beach in May.

Tags: barack obama, blog, election 2008, food, fun times with friends, holidays, march madness, philadelphia

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

It’s been a long week. Work still has me working at all sorts of crazy hours- I hope this week things calm down a bit, but I highly doubt it.

So after a long week I was hoping to get my mind off work and rest a bit. I did have some fun, but resting was something I did little of.

Friday I had some roommate bonding time that lasted late into the night. First I had dinner with Laura at Maggiano’s- it’s now my new favorite Italian place. We also walked around Tyson’s Galleria and felt like we made too little money to even be in the place.

Later that night I had some more roommate bonding with all my current roommates. I learned that Sarah really does eat granola and Caitlin will wake up for Pizza.

Last night Burak and I went to see Juno- by far an amazing film. Ellen Page makes the entire movie in her role as Juno. The film was smart, witty, and I can see why it was nominated for Best Picture. Afterwards Burak, Caitlin, and I went into Dupont to Buffalo Billiards and Madhatter. As always we met many fun people and had a few memorable experiences.
I spent most of today celebrating Tet. I brought some food to the Buddhist Temple where my grandparents’ remains lie in rest. It was a really surreal experience for me mostly because it’s something I’ve never done without my family guiding me every step of the way. It was really intense.

After that I took a nap and Caitlin and I then went into Chinatown to see the celebrations. As always, Wok and Roll was there to satisfy my hunger. It was really crowded to go anywhere else but I’d really like to try another place in the neighborhood next time I go.

Well It’s getting late and I’d really like to get some sleep this weekend. Exciting things coming up: Potomac Primaries and Thursday. Yes I am going to refer to February 14th as Thursday. Take that Hallmark.

Tags: blog, chinatown, dupont circle, ellen page, food, fun times with friends, holidays, juno, stress, tyson's corner

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

First word: By far this was the best New Years I’ve had in recent memory.

I got to be with my favorites and the drinks were flowing. We all went to the Bottom Line in DC for an open bar event complete with Champagne and food. Even Laura showed up and she was at her best.

I got my first kiss when some girl walked up to me and Falkor and asked me if I was single, if I was gay, and if I would kiss her. I guess I had the right answer to all three.

Of course that wasn’t my only kiss. I had my game on like Randy Moss. I’ll boil it down to a few points:

• Becoming friends with the DJ has it’s benefits
• It’s not a bad thing to be covered in whipped cream
• Don’t order Goldschlager and Sprite
• Learning the Bartenders name is a good move
• Trying to pick up the bartender is not the best move
• I have the best friends ever

Tags: blog, debauchery, fun times with friends, holidays, washington dc

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

So after months of planning and talking- the lovely Kimberly Conner and I are embarking in a Year End extravaganza.

Friday I drove back to DC with Kim, the first part of our ultimate destination. Another well long drive ended with a rainy celebration at P.F. Chang’s- it’s definitely as good as Krissy says.

Yesterday we did some sightseeing- walked around the Tidal Basin and checked out the FDR Memorial- off the beaten path but something I’d definitely check out again.

After dinner at CPK, we watched the Patriots go 16-0 at The Front Page.

Now time for the second part- a drive down to Chapel Hill to see the UNC/Valparaiso game.

Next post: 2007 review.

Tags: ballston, blog, dupont circle, food, fun times with friends, holidays, patriots, travel, unc, washington dc

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

My favorite quote during this time of year comes from Alfie:

“And to make matters worse, it all dovetails into the second loneliest night of the year: Christmas Eve. A night that brings on all those familiar festive feelings of hopelessness, anguish, despair. Not a great time to be flying solo. That’s why I’m of the belief couples should never split up between Thanksgiving and January 2nd. Always have a relationship to see you through the holidays. Always.”

How right he was.

Tags: alfie, blog, favorites, feelings/reflections, holidays

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

I hope everyone had a great Turkey day! I’m relaxing here in Massachusetts, recapping some events before I pass out.

In usual fashion I pull an all nighter before I drive my tired butt to BWI for my flight back to Boston. I thought my drive to the airport was bad- I don’t know how much I’ll hate my drive back home from the airport when I fly back in at 11:30 PM.

After a much needed nap I got a call from Patrick- he finished some work on a film project I helped him with and I got to hang out with him a bit as we watched his first cut. It’s been a long time since I’ve really spent some time with some high school friends, something that would dictate the rest of the break.

Thanksgiving was an interesting one. A lot of the Pho extended family was away on vacation this year- so we spent our Thursday night dinner together with Steaks and Potatoes. As always my mom cooked way too many baked potatoes- how many baked potatoes are we going to eat in one night? Something I really have to give my mom kudos for is her ability to shop. My dad found a big cardboard box full of bags of candy- my mom managed to find a sale where she not only got all of it for free, but she actually got money back through the magic of coupons. It’s something straight out of a Dat Phan joke.
This year a lot of stores had Black Friday sale items online the night before- allowing me to get some good deals before I went to bed that night. Good thing I was able to sleep in- my 5 year high school reunion was later that night.

I met up with Jimmy and we headed over. It was a weird thing driving up to the hotel, I really haven’t kept up with a whole lot of people in high school throughout the years. I really didn’t know what to expect. I geeked out a little right before walking into the ballroom. It turned out to be a really enjoyable night. I walk in and I see Rebecca and Rob Russo at the table. Of course Rebecca was awesome enough to proclaim how cool I was in DC. Rebecca’s the best.

Jimmy and I made the conclusion that as soon as you walk in that room we pretty much reverted back to high school social circles. This was affirmed when we both saw that sketch guy that nobody talked to and we both went, “ya we’re still not talking to that weirdo.” It was great to see everyone from back in the day. Patrick Mongeau summed it up nice-none of us has really changed.

Saturday I went out with two people I missed at the reunion- Jimmy Clancy and Dave Fretwell. We all met up in Kendall Square and enjoyed some drinks and a little pool. Jimmy and Dave are now both engaged and it’s getting kinda weird that all my friends in high school and college are getting hitched. Now I know how Chanelle feels.

After a late night which included watching Transformers with the family, I got up to enjoy some breakfast with Miss Kim Conner. I usually find myself trying to see a lot of college friends and this week was dominated by mostly high school friends. Later that night I went over to Bill’s place to watch the Patriots/Eagles game. It was a close game but at least the Pats came out on top again.

Well it’s almost time to return back to normal life.

Tags: blog, chelmsford, family, fun times with friends, high school, holidays, massachusetts, transformers, travel

Originally published at The Definitive Dmbosstone. Please leave any comments there.

Actually I’m not going to talk about the Patriots as I refer to them in this week’s blog title. It’s a reference to an outrageous headline I heard during an NFL pre-game show back in 2004. My then roommate Phil was shocked to hear it, I wasn’t as they did go on to win another Super Bowl title.

After watching tonight’s game against the Colts may spur on similar headlines. It was a great game, not the blowout that you’d come to expect but I’m glad to see that the Patriots can win even when they don’t have their A-game. That’s prolly why they won’t lose another game.

Sunday football caps off a pretty eventful week. On Tuesday I went to a haunted forest with Neal and a couple of his friends. It was ok, I don’t think I was scared but maybe more surprised. I expected to have people sneak up on me- I just didn’t know when and how. A fortune teller tent at the site got me thinking of getting my fortune told sometime. It could be entertaining.

Wednesday was Halloween and I donned my costume once again and went out with Laura to Georgetown. I was really surprised on the turnout that evening. M street looked more like Adam’s Morgan on a Saturday. I got lots of shout outs for wearing a Red Sox uniform. Gotta love Red Sox Nation. We started the night at McFadden’s- met up with some of Laura’s friends where it was not as crowded as I expected it to be- however it was a Wednesday. One of the last times I was at McFadden’s it was St. Patrick’s Day, prolly not a great day to be there. I ended up at Georgetown at some house party and then a host of other bars on M street. Laura introduced me to Booeymonger, a pretty cool place for a sandwich. Thanks to the DC Cab Strike, we ended up walking all the way home from Georgetown.

Friday I went to the Flyers/Capitals with LJ. First hockey game of the year and I was happy to see all out fighting not just once- but twice. After the game I drove by Neal’s housewarming party- he moved down the street from me and he had quite the party going on, however I didn’t make it a long stay- I had to get up early.

For what? I had to work Saturday morning. It kinda sucked to get up early to pick up pastries but at least I got to see some great General Motors vehicles. After napping for a while I got up so I could meet up with Rebecca and Camille at Local 16, where we were all celebrating Charlotte’s birthda

I feel like a week or two of taking it easy are in order- but I’m sure that’s not happening anytime soon.

Tags: blog, booeymonger, colts, foggy bottom, football, fun times with friends, general motors, georgetown, haunted forest, holidays, patriots, red sox, u-street, work