Rafting & Camping by the River

Alas, I long overdue blog of my unfiltered thoughts. Remember the 3rd week of the month is the lull period where I can go home at the usual time, hence the blogging spree. So here is another E-Go Tripping installment [egotrip was an old hip-hop mag; these entries are online entries about my trips, so that's how you get e-go tripping].

Destination: Lotus , CA - homebase for Gold Rush Rafting.
Dates: July 18th-19th

- props to everyone showing up at Al's at 7:30a, since I told Jefe that time. And I ended up being the latest one there.
- Michelle - pre-camping MVP as she must've been a really good Tetris player
- Car 1: me, g, al, ar, rol; Car 2: jefe, jeff, mich, tiff b; Car 3: nick, dan, louise, tiff l, alex
- FYI the spots in my car were filled as soon as it was established I was a driver
- we literally drove a mile before we had our first stop - Tennessee Grill!
- had to play "Heart Songs" to start off the trip, as it bridged last year's camping weekend
- I think the Ajoste's fell asleep even before we hit the freeway
- potential song of the trip: Flo-Rida feat. Ne-Yo "Be on You" - not to be confused with Pee on You, which is can sound like if not listening to closely
- the thermometer on Black Starr rises expotentially as we continue on 80
- 2.5 hours later, we arrive at the site without getting lost!
- initial observations - no campfires?! uhhh we'll pass on the s'mores, since they weren't worth the $25K fine
- whoa…we got the whole campgrounds to ourselves
- who decided to build a canopy 2 feet away from the BBQ pit? luckily we easily moved it.
- rol and al pitched tents really fast. hehehe
- dan might outspeak the 2008 version - or not.
- note to self and future campers: make sure you have cooking tools! thanks to tiff l's resourcefulness, we had some tongs
- next time we're gonna have committees, and if they fail they'll suffer from something
- it was mad hot, but the river was mad cold initially. it was like a katy perry weekend.
- kingsbury brought out the whiskey again! but for real, that was pretty tasty. too bad we ran out =/
- dammit alan, you broke another chair. at least it wasn't mine this year
- what - no stories of dwendes?
- it's the return of Rappin' and Dancin' "I'm so horny and I need a hug" Jeff!
- why is everyone sleeping like before midnight, and not just tiff "how am I supposed to sleep?! l"
- I think we had enough space in the man-tent, yet nick stayed in the canopy all night. he was our watchdog.
- I hope Michelle's keys eventually be like the music group and surface
- day 2 was the rafting part!
- the safety tutorial was pretty funny…basically just lay flat on the water since you don't want your knees undercut
- we should've known our guide was a crackhead when his name was Steel
- we got flipped off the raft thrice. and I thought I was gonna die each time.
- once I was riding with the current and this boulder was approaching. due to my sharp survival skills, I eluded it.
- I'll just let the pics do the rest of the talking

Pics from Day 1 of Camping

AND...


.

Whoa...it's getting contagious

Whoa...the sabotaging is spreading. Instead of a Dan, now I'm a verb. I hope people regain spell check on their computers. Grrrrr.


.

eBay Inbox, volume Summer of '09

Life is like a box of eBay emails, you never know what to expect. So here is another edition of my crazy bidders and their comments/questions/inquiries:

Dear reegsta,

i get paid on frii can u hold em till then

- 5719sarah

Dear reegsta,

it must have been a mix up i get paid this fri im sorry lol

- 5719sarah

Hey Sarah, it's not that funny. Show me the $$! It's been like 2 weeks since the auction ended. Grrrr.

Dear reegsta,

can u call me asap at 215 668 xxxx my name is brian cuz i wanna by the case only

- acura7885

Hey Mr. Integra, I'm not gonna call you ASAP just because you want an accessory! Sheesh.

Dear reegsta,

Hey i was wondering if you can do me a favour and cancel my bid if bidding get over $145 i do relize i put my maximum bid at 165 but I don't really want to pay that but if you decide you dont want to cancel my bid when it reaches $145 that is no problem to me i will still pay you what I owe you.

- markjk1441

Yo Mark, please use a period! and I read that like 5x and still am unsure what you're requesting. And you shouldn't tell the seller what your max bid is. *Shakes head*.

Dear reegsta,

Hey hows it going ? First id like to say you have some great J's and I was looking and you sell some straight up solid sneaks. The reason im emailing you is i am (or was) a collector for a few years and i have decided to sell whats left of my collection- I was hoping you could tell me have you been getting fair prices for your J's ? I am a size 12 so im not sure if thats a good selling size or not but I see you have much experience- Thanks David

- shipley954

Yo Shipley, I'm not auctioning off consultations. JP! I actually gave him a legit response. Game recognize game.

Dear reegsta,

Hi Good Morning Reegan,

Sorry for the late reply (again, lol) don't worry just been mad busy at the hospital, too much drama going on. But anyway, will e-mail you FULLY detailing everything including payment schedules etc later this week etc...

Thanks.

(Please don't think that just because I don't commuicate regularly, that we're OFF for the deal... it's not like that at all.... it's just that some weeks ARE real busy for me being a hospital warden on night shifts!)

Anyway, will touch down with you over the weekend again!

:o)
- nike-air-max-95_in_london

Dear reegsta,

I'll happily chuck-on an extra 100 buck so that you receive 400 dollars for the sneaks when I come to pay in about a month or two (well, actually, it'll be 450 including the shipping!).

What do you say? Are you down with that?

You ain't NEVER gonna get some-one paying you even 275 bucks, LET ALONE the crazy sky-high 450 i'm offering you. And that's ACTUALLY true.

It's the time dude... nothing else, just TIME.

It all depends on just how ''desperate'' you are for the cash, because if you can hold-on for until, say, August/Sept/Oct, then that's kool, i'll hit you up for the 450 via PayPal at that time in the future, but if you need the cash RIGHT NOW (and at the moment, I'm seriously out of a dime!) then you're gonna get people bidding for prices MUCH lower than even just 180/200 bucks which is pathetic given the rarity of these 1998 Desert Red's.

Are you ok to work with me on this please buddy?

Please let me know, thanks.

any questions?? ask away!!

:o)
- nike-air-max-95_in_london

Dear reegsta,

Yo Regan 'sup, thanks for your message a couple of days ago asking me to advise you on the payment situation for these 95's - sorry that it's taken me slightly longer than normal to respond back, ut I've been kinda busy and this is the one of the only chances today to actually just sit down for a sec to update you on what's goin' on...

To cut a long story short (I can FULLY explain my financial and personal circumstances in a seperate e-mail after this one if you REALLY want me to....?) I'm abit strapped for cash at the moment (what with the credit crunch and recession etc etc, it's hitting us very hard over here in London), so very politely ask you for a substantial payment time extension to come up with the money for these Desert Red's.

I mean, you know, when I say ''substantial'' i DO mean exactly that... kinda like, about a month or two.

Yeah,I know that might sound kinda crazy to you, but as s gesture of goodwill and as a kinda-like, you know, ''token of my appreciation''

- nike-air-max-95_in_london

Wow. This is probably the longest drawn out eBay message I've seen. I might feel sorry for your HS English teacher. Anyway he sounds legit and I'm giving him the benefit of a doubt, considering he has AIR-MAX-95 in his username and appreciates the rarity of the shoes he's bought. And if he's throwing on another c-note on there, then consider them reserved.

Dear reegsta,

hey there friend

i love those shoes.how much you want for them to buy them right now?i give you 126$

- blakkheim25

Lol the funny thing is the current bid was at $125. and he's offering a dollar more. wow hold the presses. and mentioning we're friends won't get you a discount!

Dear reegsta,

Yo! Whats up man... I purchased some kicks from you in the past. You have some sweet listings but a little close to the first for me. Do you plan to relist if they dont sell? Sorry to see a savvy collector out the game... I feel alone in my shoe game, all the old school is getting out.

- dauniqueone

Dear reegsta,

Hey Home skillet! I thought these sold? I was going to bid when I mailed you but did not want you waiting for a week to get paid! I am watching some items now I dont know what to do.

- dauniqueone

Oh man I think I'd prefer friend moreso than "home skillet". Now I'ma a frying pan…yay. See, these dudes keep searching for advice. I think this dude just needs a hug.

Dear reegsta,

Hey, why are so many of your shoes in 10.5 and where
do you ship from I would like to buy two pairs.

- neazy2

Oh Neazy I don't know…maybe because that's the size I wear?! That's like asking why does Polo only sell Polo clothes.

Dear reegsta,

Yah thanks that'll workout. shoot me your email address. Again Im sorry moneys a little tight right now.

- djes11_916

This dude bid $240 for some kicks but backed out. You should've never bid on them if you don't have the loot! It worked out though, since I actually sold them higher the 2nd time around.

Dear reegsta,

Please cal me about your set of Pings. I have a few questions but I am ver interestd in buying them. I am a very honest and outgoing person and look forward to your call thank you. Ross Blankenship

- rossb03569f1

I'm glad your outgoing Ross. But this isn't a match.com auction, it's an eBay one! And he low-balled me, so I eventually sold it to the highest bidder.

Dear reegsta,

Hello there Regan and hope all is well.

I already sent my payment. Kindly double box the shoes when you ship it out usps express mail. May I also request that it be declared as GIFT and valued at only $30 so I won't have to deal with exorbitant custom duties and taxes. I actually know the customs people in my city and since my uncle works as a customs police, they told me to have it declared that way so they won't have to charge me the taxes but only the minimum $20 tax.

Thanks a lot and looking forward to getting the tracking number. Have a nice day

- saviourfriendjesus

A guy with this username couldn't have been a fraud. He was based in the PI and I felt bad [for like 2 seconds] for selling a $300 pair of kicks over there. But how come every Filipino is connected to someone official? Like a mayor or in this case a post master.

Dear reegsta,

gibt es denn schuh auch in gr. 43,5 ?

- sweet_tlik_choclate

Ummmm yeah. I still don't know what that means.
.

Ish I Love…and Hate

Nothing can ever be perfect, so here are some appreciations and their drawbacks pertinent to Reeg:

Mint.com - love how it organizes all my finances…hate how it reminds me I should be saving more
Travelling with a Golf Set - love to play while on vacay…hate lugging it around and paying extra for it
Coffee - love how it feels when it touches the lips…hate the subsequent coffee breath
Cereal - love the crunchiness and how I never can just have one bowl…hate how I have to scarf it down so it won't get soggy
Facebook - love how a lot of people I know are on it…hate how it's a time-murderer
Kicks - love that I still have 150ish pairs…hate that I still have 150ish pairs
Mexican Food - love the taste when I eat it…hate how my stomach reacts soon after
Photography - love how it can capture the moment…hate that I can't take decent pics
Online Chatting - love communicating with alternate methods…hate how it takes away the face-to-face interaction
Lauren London - love her natural beauty…hate that she got knocked up by Lil Wayne!
.

Underrated in Hip-Hop Goes To…

Babyface! I had this blog for some months in the making, but dude comes hard [pause] since I first heard him bless hip-hop laced tracks. Let's rewind to peep the hip-hop section of his resume:

- This Is For The Lover In You - both the original and remix. "Yo 'Face, on the real was the honey looking laced?!" And if you can have a remix with Ghostface to have a 'Face and 'Face collab [just missing Scarface], then it is indeed official.

- Always be My Sunshine - off the underappreciated In My Lifetime Vol 1. I know Jay made the song, but without 'Face singing the hook, ish wouldn't be the same.

- There She Goes - a Neptunes beat at their peak, and tells the story of a dude falling for a chick. Definitely relatable and one of my fav 'Face songs ever.

- Stressed Out - not of the ATCQ or UNLV variety, but another Neptunes laced song. Not as dope as the aborementioned one, but a decent track anyway.

- Comfortable - yes this track was circulating for awhile before finally officially appearing on the Carter III. But 'Ye + Wayne + 'Face= my favorite song off the best selling rap album of 2008.

Okay maybe his sample size isn't as big, and maybe I'm biased because before there was Ne-Yo, there was Musiq. But before Musiq, there was Babyface! "The Day" got constant spins on the discman. Peep the songs dude has written: Top 100. Ne-Yo has awhile to get to his song-writing level. Anyway, bottom line - more hip-hop artists should utilize Babyface. If I needed an R&B dude to do my hook, I wouldn't call Justin or John L or definitely not Akon, but it would be Kenneth Edmonds for sure.
.

Raising Arizona

Heard it was kidna chilly in the Bay this past weekend, so good thing G and I [no Joe] headed out to the desert to primarily peep the Grand Canyon and see what else the land of the Sun [not the Rising Sun - that would be JP]. Because I can't write full-on sentences just yet, as I'm easing back into blogging shape, here are the Reeg Notes:

- passed the fat test again! had to cinch up the seat-belt on the plane
- I knocked out even before we took off
- Long arse line at Hertz forced them to give us a half-tank return instead of a full-one. Stupid me over-estimates and returns it at 3/4 full
- Why are car rental taxes soo expensive? Booked a $19/day rate, ended up paying ~$36/day WITHOUT insurance
- I still never pay for additional insurance…I think my own policy covers everything when I drive
- If there's no game in town, then PHX seems deserted, and not because its in the desert
- We were able to get a private tour of the US Airways Center since they don't offer public ones
- Stoudemires > Majerles. I think I might need to eat at every NBA namesake restaurant
- Damn its hot
- Not yet ready to check in the telly, we went outlet shopping. I bought a jacket. MLIA
- The Biltmore was a dope resort area. Now recently part of the Waldorf=Astoria collection, no Gossip Girl
- They boast 36 holes, 8 pools, and countless amenities situated on 29 lush acres. We probably ventured over 1 acre
- Is there a grilled cheese renaissance? The one at Roosevelt was pretty tasty
- I can't fathom a car in PHX without AC
- Pretty much an easy 3 hr drive from downtown PHX to the GC. And I'm grateful that the G6 had an AUX output for my iPod. Well G's, since she played DJ on the way up, got my singing musical tunes =|
- Paid $25 for our car for access, which was slightly more than the $12 individual passes. But controlling your own destiny is worth it
- The first view-point was foggy, so that was pretty ominous. Looked like the city of Daly City could fill the Canyon
- Soaking it all in, the Grand Canyon is aptly named. Shoot, they should rename it the Grandest Canyon
- Pictures, maybe even with an SLR, don't do it justice. It's an amazing spectacle
- My folks visited the GC last week. Darn, we could've went together [/sarcasm off]
- Peering off the cliffs made me think how much it would hurt to fall off
- Yes - the sun is coming out!
- Book that caught my eye in the gift shop - "Death in the Grand Canyon" - good thing I saw it after the hiking!
- We only drove through Sedona…wanted to see this sunset there and experience the metaphysical healing of the vortex sites, but there was a downpour compounded with lightning. Doesn't help that you're driving 10mph sideways on a mountain. I wish I had Black Starr
- Delux Burgers - a must stop in PHX. Ish was poppin' on Saturday night and it was in the middle of a strip mall, next to a Safeway haha
- Morning Glory Café - I found a greater Monte Cristo than Mama's. Official like a referee with a whistle, and I didn't care that flies were hovering all over it
- We were lounging by the pool, and there weren't any towels. But since it was so hot, we got up and dried up without the need for one
- G wouldn't let me wear my goggles to the pool, even though I have sensitive eyes
- Next stop: The Botanical Gardens with the Chihuly exhibit. This was situated right next to the A's preseason field, so semi-wood for Francis and Jefe
- Chihuly had dope pieces…I didn't know who he was, but he's the cat responsible for Bellagio's ceilings. Collective "ahhhh" now
- Dinner was mobster-style at Durant's Steakhouse. Nope, it's not Kevin's establishment, but darn good
- Crab Mac N Cheese - yumm. Well you add crab to anything and it'll be better. It's the seafood equivalent of bacon
- Thx Liza & Jeremy for switching tickets! We went from coach to first class in a heartbeat
- Senator McCain was a few rows to the left, to the left, everything you own in a box to the left
- We left in the 8th when the D-Backs were up 7-1. The Padres score 6 runs in the 8th and 9th and win it in the 10th
- Dang the car rental place is far from the airport
- We're back home…nice and chilly when we land!
.
Here are the pictures:


.

Now it's really sabotaged!

Again...she can't spell my name right. Now I'm a whole 'nother person!


.

I'm Still Alive

Damn since I have nothing pressing to do at work, I'd figured I'd recessitate this piece. Sorry Reegspeak, you've been treated like the redheaded stepchild these past few months. Not sure what to blame it on - I guess you can place it on the gol-gol-gol-golf. And Facebook too…them are primary time killers.

So let's see…what have I been doing the first months of being 30?? I guess the same crap I was doing in my late 20s, except blogging less lol. Anyway here's a rundown of the past couple months sprinkled with some random thoughts:

- I'm not yet packed for PHX, and I leave in like 18 hours. Got my list ready though.

- Monterey was awesome. Pics are found here:
From Edward
From Gerald
From Henry

- I saw a band live whom I knew virtually nothing about - The Virgins. Kinda Strokes-ish? I'm not too good with my rock comparisons.

- The 2 music acts prior to that were Blu and JEW. I think I need to alternate my black and white music.

- Just created my summer schedule. If you want a piece of me let me know already. Dates are getting filled.

- Thanks to you guys to still visit this page.

- RIP Wayman Tisdale and that Dolla dude who got gunned down at the Beverly Center. That's why I shopped at Fox Hills Mall when I resided down there.

- Kanye coming correct in the 2K9. Sounding hungry like his pre-College Dropout days. The Ego Remix, the Knock You Down song, the Kinda Like a Big Deal verse, Maybach Music II, Flight School, Poke her Face remix and the years not even halfway over!

- Now if Kanye appears on any track with J-Mac aka Jesse McCartney, I think I'ma spaz out.

- And last Kanye blurb - I still want a pair of them Air Yeezy's [the blk/pnk as featured in the Knock You Down vid], but I don’t have $700 laying around. FML.

- Here goes the FML copy-cat site of the week: My Life is Average. Actually some pretty funny stuff there.

- Anybody want to go camping this summer? Was recently looking at pics from last years trip - good times like JJ Evans.

- It seems the 5th dimension bloggers are in another dimension, since it surely isn't the blog zone.

- Fighting the Twitter urge. Sike.
.

I'ma Golf Nut

Check out my scheduled tee times for the next 4 weeks:

Saturday, April 25th - Sharp Park, Pacifica, CA
Sunday, April 26th - Sharp Park [depending how Saturday goes though]

Saturday, May 2nd - ______ [always gotta play the day of a Pacquaio Fight]
Sunday, May 3d - Hiddenbrooke, Vallejo, CA

Friday, May 8th - Del Monte, Monterey, CA
Saturday, May 9th - Pebble Beach, Monterey, CA

Friday, May 15th - Calippe Preserve, Pleasanton, CA

Plus I might get sick *cough cough* during a weekday for another round!

Golf is like crack. You fiend for it [thinking/talking about it frequently], gotta get all related paraphanelia [got new clubs/shoes/balls], steal for it [took clubs out of my dad's garage] and you look for things to cash out to play some more [selling my excess crap]. Oh well, at least its not actual drugs, but it probably costs just as much lol.
.

I Either Bought Something Really Useful or Useless

So last weekend when it was all sunny, we rode along Ocean Beach and mad people were out. Royce had this little speaker thingy that was attached to the water clamp on his bike frame, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. So I just bought one right now:













iHome Bike to Beach Speaker System for iPod

I don't usually purchase items spontaneously, but considering I've been biking once the past 5 months, I'm not sure how this one is gonna pan out haha. It originally retail for a Benji but I was able to cop it at more than half off, so I just pulled the trigger. But all good, if all else fails I could just use it at my desk, since there's an AC adapter included. Shoot, I used [and still have] my old bike lamp as a flashlight - works wonders. So I think I'll get value out of it.

It'll be like D-Bo's character on Friday when he's on the Cruiser, but not really. I suppose I gotta ride more frequently to get my money's worth!
.

Some of my Plaques Still say Reagan

Grrr, this chick ALWAYS can't get my name right! It's not like I have a Thai last name or anything either. And these were just the last few emails I received...it's been going on for YEARS. I'm gonna start replying to her emails by dropping off the second T. Watch.


.

The World You Love

In honor of the JEW concert like a month ago, here goes something that captures my mindframe:

The World You Love - Jimmy Eat World

I'm in love with the ordinary;
I need a simple space
To rest my head,
and everything gets clear.
well I'm a little ashamed for asking
But just a little helps,
It gets me straight again;
Helps me get over it.

It might seem like a dream
But it's real to me.

Don't it feel like sunshine after all?
The world we love forever gone.
We're only just as happy
As everyone else seems to think we are.

You should see the canals are freezing,
You should see me high.
You should just be here,
Be with me here.
It doesn't seem there's hope for me,
I let you down.
But I won't give in now,
Not for any amount.

Don't it feel like sunshine after all?
The world we love forever gone.
We're only just as happy
As everyone else seems to think we are.
.

The Back 9: Golf Etiquette Tips for Weekend Hackers, Part II

Since I was overdue for a Ploomy piece in quite some time, I felt it was appropriate to finish up something I wrote almost a year ago. Especially since the golf virus is going around, I knew it was time. It might not be pertinent to everyone, but here is is anyway!

The Back 9
.

The Madd Blogger

It kinda sucks that all these micro-bloggers pretty much took over the blogosphere. Are people's attention spans not capable of taking in more than 140 characters at a time? WTF is a tweet anyway? Only Tweet I know is that one singer who Missy put on a few years back. And I know I'm guilty of pasting notes into Facebook, but I've learned. All of you blogless people using FB to put up a pseudo-blogs need to recognize the real. Shoot truthfully if you don't have an actual blog, then I'm not even tryna read what you wrote. Yes I'm mad doggie. I don't know why, but all these 60 second blog thoughts kinda bug me. I know I don’t have anything substantial to say usually, but I've created my own space, generated my own followers and retained my own readership. It's pretty easy to have instant followers when you add everyone you vaguely know on these social networking sites.

I'm tired of reading pointless, forced and statuses that are trying too hard. My ish be more John Blaze than that. Yes I've toiled in the virtual world trying to carve my niche via my weblog, but damn, its getting oversaturated up in here. I liken it to American Idol syndrome, and just because there's a medium, it doesn't mean you could sing! Just as essays morphed into articles, then into blogs, then into status updates, then into tweets, then what? Actually, I'd rather see just one word updates. Maybe it'll improve our collective deteriorating vocabulary. Kinda like how albums nowadays rely on a song or 2 with a catchy hook, micro-blogs are ruining the art for me. Your voice is muddled among the other commoners vying for my attention.

So…I wonder how long it'll take me to sign up for twitter?
.

___silog Appreciation

I haven't concocted a list in awhile, and I figured one about food can help me escape my blog rut. Anyways I've eaten a lot of [fill-in-the-blank]-silog dishes in my lifetime, so I can consider myself an authority on the subject. For those in the dark, Silog is a hybrid term to mean fried rice and fried eggs [at least that's how I understand it.] And my ideal combination is garlic fried rice [typically from the prior day], over-medium eggs, tomato [with them pink salted eggs as a bonus] and with vinegar as a condiment. After you have all that, you could plug in any type of meat or fish and you can enjoy a meal! These dishes are typically meant to be had for breakfast, but thanks to places like Lucky Chances, we can enjoy them 24 hours a day.

Here are Reeg's favs in order:

01. Longsilog - Served with Longanisa, which is a sweet [duh] Filipino sausage. This stuff is potent. You could brush your teeth 3 times and exhale a burp the next day which would smell like longanisa still.
02. Tapsilog - Seved with Tapa, which is a dried cured beef. When I want a somewhat healthly, protein laced meal, I'll opted for this. Avoid if you don't like chewy meat and beware of extra sticking in-between the pearlies.
03. Bangsilog - Served with Milkfish, which translates into bangus, which is not to be confused with BangBus. If I prefer a seafood version, I'll choose this, and I prefer the one near Lake Merced that we had during that one fantasy draft. I didn't eat for 24 hours after that!
04. Spamsilog - Served with Spam. I'll never order this at a restaurant but best believe I'll make it once in awhile haha. I'll include grilled onions and substitute ketchup for vinegar, then I'll mash it all up so I can enjoy a cornucopia of edible delights with each bite.
05. Tosilog - Served with Tocino, which is usually a sweetened cured pork meat. If I'm not worried about my cholestoral count for the day, then I'll order this up. It's reddish in color but it's not red meat. Beware though, since often times pieces could be more fat than meat, but at least you get to enjoy the juiciness of it!

And as a bonus, here are Reeg-approved Silog spots:
- Lucky Chances
- Sinugba
- Ongpin
- that aforementioned spot around Lake Merced

I'm sure there's more, I just can't think right now since I'm pretty hungry. Note to self: don't write about food whilst thinking about dinner.
.