Sunday, September 21, 2008

Sept 19: Fording the Long Beach Towne Center Fountain

This post is dedicated to those of you who remember playing the original Oregon Trail on the old Apple IIe's in elementary school. Remember the part in the game when you would get to the river and you had the choice of floating across the river or fording it? Check the bottom of the post for a video.
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Friday night was scheduled to be a movie night with some of the guys. We planned on watching Burn After Reading at the Edwards in Long Beach. Jasmine, Stephen and I would be meeting up with Bruce and Daniel. Jasmine's excited!
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Stephen and I relied on our iPhones GPS systems to guide us there. The directions kept telling us to turn "right on Carson". But there was no Carson, only Studebaker. We couldn't figure it out.
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20 minutes after we exit the freeway we arrive at our destination. I'll be late for that.
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We didn't feel too bad though because Bruce and Daniel were 20 minutes late due to traffic.
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We still had time to make the movie, but it felt so pointless to drive so far and long to just see a movie. We had to go big. So we decided to hit up the Indian gaming casino, Hawaiian Gardens which was across the freeway. Doesn't this look like a rearview mirror decoration?
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Now based on my personal experience, a casino is a casino: flashing lights, chummy dealers, booze and smokes. Well I got the last 2 right. Here's what we pulled up to.
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Of course there were no pictures allowed at the casino, so I'll do my best to describe the atmosphere.

It was the a crummy POS spot crammed with poker tables (NO CRAPS WTF?!?), shotty lighting, in what felt like a church hall. It was high school casino night all over again with your grandparents and your uncles that gamble for a living. No chit chat from the dealers, just straight business with straight faces. Boring. The other table players were generally un-friendly and were mean-muggin' you if you even hesitated on a bet. The only positive was that I came out on top with an extra $12 (not bad on $1-$2 limit hold em for a few minutes). Here's the one picture that I was able to snap. I wish I got one at the tables. The look on everyone's faces was classic.
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We head back to the shopping center expecting to find something else to do. Stephen shows off his launch control to daniel in his GTI.
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Check out the tracks. Stephen was an extra in Tokyo Drift you know.
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We decide to go to Friday's for happy hour. P90X hops right here.
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And a P90X high kick for good measure.
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We get to Friday's to find out that they no longer do the After-10PM Happy Hour on Fridays... Another fail for the night.
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We had to save the night. So we decided to do minefields with half of the cups with water and the other half with vodka. Rounds 1 and 2. Thanks for the tag Bruce.
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Jasmine sat out while the guys played.
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To nights of fail.
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Rounds 3 and 4...
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Jasmine was kind enough to be the dealer.
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Now I'm not calling cahoots, but I somehow ended up with 3 shots across 4 rounds. Some people would say I'm lucky because I got 3 shots for the price of 2. I call those people alcoholics and bastards. This didn't save my night at all.
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Stephen was the "unlucky" one who only got 1 shot across 4 rounds. Here's his one though.
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Bruce looks like a girl.
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Daniel had other plans. After the minefields, he bought 2 more long island teas for himself. So wasted.
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The truth comes out when you're drunk. What we found out about Daniel is that he likes to stab things.
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And he hates Guy Fieri. Here he is stabbing his eyes out.
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Determined to truly save the night, Mr. Drinky decides to roll up his jeans and get wet.
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Much to everyone's surprise, he starts walking through the fountains like it's his own personal backyard. Ballsy move my friend. I don't think anyone expected this from him. I couldn't believe he did that, TWICE! This goes back to the beginning of the post: fording the river. Nice form.
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The tracks he left from the second crossing.
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Alright it's 2AM. Let's go home damn it.
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And here's some vlog of the crossing. Daniel successfully made it across both "rivers" without drowning.


Too bad Daniel died of severe dysentery.
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Just kidding. Daniel is alive and well.

1 comment:

fatjodz said...

i guess the night wasnt a total loss after all