there can only be one

thanks for the overwhelming response. after careful review and deliberation, we have a winner! so here it is…

congrats mike – nice work!!

now get out there and spread some 'cheer'!!!

and check back soon for the schedule of the first event. i’m working on it.

here it is

the long awaited, much anticipated, over hyped, first annual, 2010 south bay man of the year competition is here. it’s time to step up. or you can start a book club... set up a blog, bug me to follow it and come up with a schedule (if it involves drinking with the boys and not reading a book on oprah’s list – sign me up next year). right now man up!

schedule:
month - event - place - coinsides with
jan - darts - besties - world dart federation blue bonnet tourney
feb - go kart racing -  k-1 speed  - daytona 500
mar - free throw contest and ncaa bracket - stick n stein - march madness
apr - batting cages - total baseball - spring training
may - best band presentation - tbd - coachella music festival
jun - foosball - besties - fifa world cup
jul - hot dog eating - tbd or dodger stadium - nathans contest
aug - full round, driving range, or miniatue golf - the lakes or mulligans - pga chamionship
sep - pub crawl and iq test - bars tbd - a good time to walk around
oct - pumpkin carving - tbd - halloween
nov - shooting range - redondo gun and rod - open season for bison hunting
dec - chili cook off - tbd - good winter food

scoring:
5 points for 1st place
4 points for 2nd place
3 points for 3rd place
1 point for showing up
the event host will also have 3 discretionary points which can be used any way he wishes.

the man with the most points at the end of the year wins.

there is a $25 entry fee which will go into a pot. the winnings will be spilt between the top three finishers. first 70%, second 20% and third place finisher will get 10%. contestants will be asked to assist with the planning by hosting an event. it is first come first serve, so if there is one you like - stake your claim. the events are not set in stone until someone commits to hosting it. if there is another event you’d rather do or host and it is not on the list; by all means toss it out there. your participation is truly appreciated. (don’t everyone jump in at once).

rules:
some are obvious. others can be made up as we go. come when you can, be cool, play fair and have fun.

good luck and may the best man win!

case in point

it’s officially that time   the folks on acacia are starting to set up their displays. the big guy’s sleigh schedule is out. the boat parade and firework festivities are planned, decorations are up everywhere and tree lightings are happening all over the beach cities. the entire southbay’s getting its commercialized “christ-on” (i can almost hear sister rosemary clinching her ruler behind me for that one).

hell, i’ve got the christmas music playing. our home is making another transformation. it seemed easy from halloween to thanksgivng. come to think of it, it happened so fast, i'm not sure i did anything. well that was then... right now i’m putting up our lights* (actually right now i'm procrastinating - doing this blog and trying out the 'links' feature). but it is next on my list because i’m totally filled with holiday cheer! and some of the other items will require a trip to the poe. time to start spiking the egg nog! (if that’s not a euphemism for something... it should be).

with that said, i hope you had the good fortune of getting booZed for halloween

or basted er ah wasted for thanksgiving.

how’s about a little pre moty competition contest? (yep im procrastinating here too - list of events, schedule, scoring i know). so get your thinking caps on, design the next boo’d for christmas, chanuka or kwanzaa. the winner will get a bottle of jett {must be twenty one or older to play, odds of winning are yada yahdah yaahdaahh}. all entries must be submitted by post or emailed to me by friday dec 11. concept must include artwork and tag line. so let’s keep the prosperity going and keep the alcohol flowing. there is no reason the kids should have all the fun. i'm just makin this up as i go... are you with me boys?!. (there really should be an emocon for the sound of crickets).

good luck

*i wont officially turn on the christmas lights until december first

t minus 6 and counting

many of you may know i set out to exercise regularly again. i made a plan and stuck with it. i realize that it has only been since the first of november, but i’m still impressed by my effort.  there were some ups and downs over the past three weeks here’s the run down:



i’m feeling fantastic!

• glad to be back running again
• watching the sun rise over grand
• the water at the plunge has warmed up (maybe water polo season is over)
• had some great conversations about the kids, family, how not to pack for a trip and  knowing when to say when
• fixed the sprinkler heads that were only watering my neighbor’s lawn (sorry joe)
• spent a lot of time in the jacuzzi
• even worked in quite a bit more 'other' vigorous activities
• been sleeping like a log (there is a correlation in those last three)
• my blood pressure is exellent and i have a resting heart rate of 48 (keep reading)

i’m friggin exhausted!

• either early morning or late evening - i mostly work out in the dark
• often smell like ben gay
• all the kids good halloween candy is gone (i get the cliche, "stealing candy from a child" and no i'm not proud it)
• stepped on a stingray (i know you only pee on a jellyfish sting...)
• lost two pairs of goggles (that's one pair a week if you're counting)
• had some serious chest pains
• add sharp left arm pain (hindsight i fell asleep on it). coupled with enough anxiety to cause shortness of breath earned me a trip to the emergency room at three am.  i whispered my concerns to lisa - her groggy response was, "then go to urgent care" as she rolled over and went right back to sleep.  after getting hooked up to an ekg machine, some oxygen, blood work and a thorough evaluation- final prognosis: i’m in perfect health (ergo explaining my earlier bp and hr comment {who says ergo}). other than a sore pectoral muscle from swimming three thousand yards, eating a burrito from the roach coach and thai food for dinner i'm fine. prescription: stretch, take some tums and relax.  uh, "thanks dr cant-stop-yawning."

looking forward to picking it up again after the holiday week. the offer still stands.


have a great t-day if i don’t see you tomorrow

free food and two fer drinks

did that get your attention?  a friend (but more importantly a follower - of the blog) has extended his good fortune!  apparently, he put his business card into a bucket and wah lah – insta low budg night out!  it is this friday night, nov 20th at sharkeez in hermosa from 5 to 8pm.  they do need a headcount to cover the pub grub, so i'm sending this out early trying to give you/him/them as much advance notice as possible.  so let me know by using the rsvp.

side note: rumor has it, or should i say that experience has shown, someone for the party usually wins a party in the near future.  if you come please bring a stack of business cards.  lets see if we can tip the odds.

so this thing might be working!  it works if you work it - oops wrong crowd

last night

with the emails going around last night i threw in the show at the mint instead of posting it here.  last minute and tuesday night, i know. so i'll fill you in on what you missed.

my original expectation held true. the bright, other than a slamming version of led zep's cashmere and a risque flapper dress was mediocre. the next band, the make peace brothers were fantastic! well you’d have to like jack johnson and paul simon, with a bit of blue grass, reggae and folk. not normally my genre but it works. as they set up, the horn cases, mandolin, ukuleles (my favorite), acoustical guitar and bongos made their way to stage. i was hooked. we were staying. did i mention the box? one of the guys (we assume brothers because they looked alike) was sitting on this box and as they began he was patting it like a drum. the crowd had really filled in. grovin through the first few songs, the two stood up and the guy picked up the box and put the strap over his head and was really playing it now –wft. we laughed out loud as the crowd (think tues night size) cheered. i still don’t know what it is, but i want to go check them out online. i decided to write this before googling them as i didn’t want to taint the post by actually reading about the band. support live music

first picture post maybe this will work

still having trouble with the counter

i hesitate to call it a mission statement

Inception
I read that "if you plan it they will come" (it sounded promising). It went on to say an event planner must be: creative -check, communicative -ok, enthusiastic –YES!, honest -i am...i swear, organized -you should see my office, decisive –maybe... So that's the kink in my armor. A friend suggested i start a blog. I quickly decided to 'just do it' (yet i still don't feel any more decisive). Some might call this a kitchen pass, a reason to get out of the house, hook up with the boys for a little male bonding. yes yes and yes. Hence the name the eject button, it’ll get you up and out quickly.

Purpose
This blog is set up primarily to promote and document the first annual Southbay Man of the Year Competition to begin in 2010. I will post the schedule of events, set up the rules, coordinate the organization of each event, send out reminders, publish the scores/standings and hopefully include only non-incriminating pictures along the way. At this point it is an invitational event, only because i don’t know any better (but if you know how to plan something like this – you’re totally invited). With that said, I would like to get an idea as to who is in, and further i will need a few good men to help with the coordination. I intend on asking participants to host at least one event. Beyond that i’d also like to offer this site to all of you, the men of the Gundo, as a place to post your happy hour hang outs, impromptu mudbowl or volleyball pickup games, carpool road trips to san ono, a heads up that a cool band is playing out, or if you have to dump those laker floor seats in a pinch (and i absolutely can’t go – then post it here). And finally this isn't y chroms only. if you're taking the family to the beach or you got the kids while your wife is doing her girls night out - share it here. Maybe you can get a group to 'man up'.

Summation
I’m devoted to my family. It will always be my wife and kids first. me-time is second. This rule will trump all others. But there is no rule stopping anyone from bagging on you for it. If you can’t laugh at yourself then laugh at me. {note to wives if you come across, “ball and chain” or any other malphemism on this site. it was meant with love and sincerity}. i am a general contractor by trade. rarely the first one to the party so to speak. Architects and engineers typically come before me. I can read the plans. handle mathatical calucations. I'll even follow most uniform building codes (to an extent), but this is uncharted territory. I can coordinate a fairly large group of men to build huge structures form the ground up, down to some very discerning details - so this should be easy right? You are more than welcome to just watch me try or you can help me out.