Halloween Madness

Why haven't I posted? WHY HAVEN'T I POSTED? Oh, I don't know, maybe because I am up to my ears in Halloween! The scary holiday has literally vomited all over our house. I have a roommate/girlfriend who may or may not have the biggest obsession with ol' Hallow's Eve in history of humankind.

We are doing everything imaginable. From a living graveyard (tombstones with our friends names and projected cause of death), to wine bottles with tapered candles to spider webs to skulls to witches to black lights...you name it, it's in or on our house. And if I didn't list it, Julie is probably buying it right now.

*ADDENDUM TO LAST POST - some of you have expressed your worry about my Michael Phelps costume, especially with regard to me answering the door for trick-or-treaters in a Speedo. Well, don't you worry. The gold-medaled pothead costume only comes out on Saturday, 10/30 for our party. On actual Halloween, I will be wearing a much tamer Ace Ventura costume (the mental institute scene where he checks himself in wearing a tutu):

Sunday's Costume - Ace Ventura

So put your hearts at rest. I am not going to expose some 6-year old Ninja Turtle or Princess to my oh-so-fit Michael Phelps body at the front door. I got the tutu, combat boots and everything. And it's been a while since I've cut my hair, so we'll see if I can duplicate this awesome double-wing 'do.

For all of your sake, I doubt I'll post photos....

Halloween Costume

Ladies and Gentlemen...Your 2010 Marc Sawyer Halloween Costume Is....

(*suspense builds*)...

(**more suspense builds**)...

(***almost unbearable***)...

MICHAEL PHELPS!

Halloween, 2010

That's right, hide your women and children, cuz this Halloween Marc is bearing all. Let's see if this costume news changes some of your party RSVP's from "Yes" to "Maybe Not"!

Yep, I'm serious. Julie suggested the costume, and for some reason I thought it was a great idea. And just to clarify, I'm not wearing one of those full body-suits or even the shorts-version of Speedo's products - I'm wearing THE SPEEDO. Eat your heart out European trend-setters!

So who's excited?!

Here's What I'm Thinkin'...

I am turning off the filter between brain and keyboard (yes, I actually do have one). I am just writing whatever comes to mind. Today, here's what I'm thinkin'...

-I really don't like soup. And I hate stew. Who wants liquid meals? Or soggy vegetables? Ick.

-I also hate bread pudding. Bread should not be mushy.

-My girlfriend loves Halloween. Holy hell. I have jack-o-lanterns coming out of my ears and spiderwebs in my nose. Our party is going to be ridiculous.

-If there was a statistical football category for "Teams That Find New and Creative Ways to Kill Their Hype", the Chargers would be at the top of the list...every year.

-Baseball season is hard for me to follow if my team was in it, but didn't make the playoffs. I feel empty. But if the Padres were bad all season and were never in the race, I'd probably be enjoying the playoffs. Instead, I have to watch blank-faced as the ugly-bearded Brian Wilson gets saves for the stupid Giants.

Brian Wilson - The Beard

-I think it is silly that pro and college football have different rules.

-I think it is okay if men sit with their legs crossed "like women do", as long as they are wearing pants. But if you are wearing shorts, you are not allowed to cross your legs.

Legs Crossed = Okay

-I think it's awesome that my mom called me yesterday and said "I have an extra pumpkin pie I made, you want it?"

-Where is Johnny Depp? I miss him.

Where has he gone?

10/7 - THIS DAY IN MARC'S LIFE...

PLAYING OUT OF MY LEAGUE
In personal news, today is mine and Julie's one-year anniversary. Yep, after my perfect bowling form, witty humor, and rugged good looks made her heart swoon when we met a year ago, she didn't stand a chance. As I bowled strike after strike, her knees buckled more and more. She knew she had found the man of her dreams....

Oh man, if only that story were true. In reality, I wore a goofy bowling hat, was totally worried about saying something dumb in front of this girl (a virtual certainty with me) and now I have a quasi-creepy story about how I'm dating (and living with) a girl I met in a bowling alley. It must have been the size-14 bowling shoes. I guarantee it.

How I managed to convince a sponsored Adidas runner/corporate attorney that lived on the beach in Del Mar to go on a date with me is probably a testament to my bowling skills. Her choosing to stick around for a year is beyond me. But I'm not about to start asking questions.

On that note, "Happy Anniversary To Us!"


"DOCTOR NO-NO"
Roy Halladay is not human. Who goes into their very first postseason start, shakes off the nerves of being the staff ace and the pressure to perform, and goes out and pitches a no-hitter?! Oh, and it was his SECOND of the season (after his perfect game earlier this year). So sick. It's not even fair. I love me some Doc Halladay.

Padres, House, and Stuff

PADRES LAST GASP COMES UP SHORT
Well, they didn't do it.

They made a valiant effort to salvage September, but in the end, the San Diego Padres couldn't right the ship after their abysmal 10-game losing streak to start the final month of the season, or the three home losses to the Cubs leading up to the Giants series.

They won those first two, and we all had our hearts in our throats, myself included. I was so excited about the game, I did the only thing I could think of...book a flight to San Francisco and go to the final game of the season to see the Padres fight for a playoff berth. That's right, I spent $350 to watch my team get shutout on the final day of the regular season in San Francisco. And I have no regrets.

I won't get into the whole recap of the game (for your benefit), but suffice to say that the biggest hit of the game came from the Giants' starting pitcher...yes, the pitcher.

Like I said last post, they weren't expected to even be a contender, much less be competitive to the final day of the season. I appreciate their effort, and am interested to see what they do this off-season. They got some work to do.

HOUSE!
For the most part, Julie and I are settled into our new place in Solana Beach. The furniture is in, the photos are hung, and the cable and Internet are working. We have some small projects here and there (fire pits, patio furniture, outside lighting) that will last for a while, but that's the fun part. And knowing me, there will always be something to work on.

BAR OF THE MONTH - MCCAFFREY'S
We have also recently discovered McCaffrey's, a local pub in Solana Beach within walking distance of our place. Love this place! Old school bartenders with button-up white shirts, black bar aprons and waxed curly mustaches! They have a free pool table (so they can control who plays and people don't dominate the table), TV's, couches and fun Irish paintings/art on wall. And they have Harp on tap, which makes Marc a happy boy!


I'm slowly getting back into this blog thing...keep readin', and I'll keep writin'!

C'mon Padres! - One Fan's Rally Cry

You gotta believe.

Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know. Everyone has given up on the slump-stricken Padres. They lost 10 in a row when they had a 6-game lead. They just lost three of four from the long-past-eliminated Chicago Cubs...at home. They have to sweep a red-hot Giants team just to get into a tiebreaker on Monday, and then win that (unless the Braves pull the unthinkable and get swept by a Phillies team who is starting two minor leaguers this weekend...and even then we still have to sweep the Giants). They are being written off as the team with the epic collapse of 2010.

But I'm not giving up hope yet.

Am I being unrealistically optimistic? Maybe. Do the Padres have a snowflake's chance in hell of sweeping a team whose pitchers have been lights out for a month now? Probably not. But ya know what...?

They're still in it.

Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to your attention, Exhibit A - the 1996 NL West pennant race between the Padres and Dodgers. After being swept by the lowly Rockies, the Padres found themselves trailing the 1st place Dodgers by two games. They had three games left to play...in Los Angeles. They had to win out, or the season was over. After winning the first two games against the Dodgers, the Padres found themselves tied for first place on Sunday, and in a scoreless dogfight as the season finale went into extra innings. Longtime Padres faithful will remember what happened next...scarcely-used pinch-hitter Chris Gwynn (brother of a certain other Padre) hit a 2-run double in the top of the 11th inning, and Trevor Hoffman, Mr. Automatic, came in and got the save and sent us to the playoffs.

Tony & Chris Gwynn

The point is...

It ain't over.

Yes, our hitting is anemic. Yes, our pitching has floundered a bit down the stretch. Yes our best hitter needs an oxygen mask by the time he reaches first base. Yes, our best pitcher is a kid with a huge temper and no big-game experience. And yes, we have to go to San Francisco and win three straight, and then come home to San Diego and win a one-game playoff against the Giants.

If I'm manager Bud Black, I go into our clubhouse today and say, "We have to win today. If we don't win today, it's over. We win today, we get a chance to play for something tomorrow. Let's get runners on base, manufacture some runs, and do what we've done all year...win with strong starting pitching and our bullpen." And then let 'em go have some fun.

Likely? Not at all.

Probable? No way.

Possible? You bet your ass it is. As cute, little J.P. says in Angels in the Outfield, "It could happen."

"It Could Happen!"

Go Padres. I didn't expect your last series of the year to mean anything other than maybe battling for worst record in baseball and the first overall pick in the 2011 draft You have surprised me, and I, for one, will not stop cheering and being optimistic until it's over. Go get 'em boys!

My Trip to Austin

Well, having returned yesterday from Austin, Texas, I am officially done with all of my summer travels, and although I had a phenomenal time in all the cities and weddings, I am happy to now be home, with no need to pack a suitcase any time soon!

This past weekend was my yearly (or sometimes more often) UCLA Reunion, where my college friends and I organize a trip somewhere in the U.S. to watch a UCLA sporting event. This past weekend's destination - Austin, TX for the UCLA vs. Texas football game!

THE GAME
For those of you who hid under a rock this weekend - UCLA pulled off this season's upset of the year by thrashing the #7-ranked Texas Longhorns 34-12! I can tell you that my friends and I went to Austin with the intent to have a great time, see a great football town, watch a game, and enjoy each other's company. You will notice that list didn't include UCLA winning anywhere. But nonetheless, there we were, leaning over the railing of the stands, high-fiving the UCLA players as they celebrated their shocking victory.

We were all stunned. We couldn't believe it. We not only beat them, we beat them convincingly. They made the mistakes, not us. We made the big plays when it mattered, not them. They dropped passes, fumbled the ball, and never had an answer for us. It was, in a word, perfect.

But the most shocking part of the whole game was what transpired as we left the stadium. As we trekked back to our hotel, we had to walk through about 15-20 blocks of Texas post-game tailgates. We readied ourselves for the constant berating, cat-calls, boo's, and anything else expected from fans of a team who just had their butt handed to them on a platter. So we began our victory lap, proud to have won, but not wanting to be the overly-boisterous fans who rub it in after the fact...

And then we got killed with kindness. We didn't know what hit us. We walked through a graveyard of defeated souls, and they had nothing but praise and compliments for us.

"Great game, you played great."
"Man, y'all kicked our butts out there today."
"You folks enjoy Austin tonight, you earned it."
"This is your town tonight."
"Make sure you go to this bar, you'll have a fun time."

HUH?! We were floored. We went from being ecstatic about our stunning victory, to feeling guilty about winning because these amazingly nice fans lost. We tried to come up with responses to their hospitable attitudes. We wanted to tell them their running back was good for about 3 minutes in the 3rd quarter. We wanted to tell them we respect their coach. But all we could utter was "Thank You", because we didn't know what hit us.

But I digress...let's get to the good stuff...

THE FOOD
If you have a weak stomach, or would prefer not to hear about the unconscionable menu of food I ran through during my 2-day stay, you should skip down to "THE TOWN" section of this post. If you want to hear my legendary ravaging of the Austin fare - enjoy my friends!

When we arrived Friday, it was time for lunch, and we figured we'd start with some Tex-Mex. After walking 6th Street (the central hub) for a bit, we settled on a place called Chupacabra Cantina. Now, in retrospect, we did not select the finest Tex-Mex dining in Austin to kick off our weekend dining experience, but we were starving after our flights and time changes, and we knew we had many delectable meals to come.

The menu at Chupacabra was filled with your stereotypical tacos, burritos, enchilada type place, with one exception - the Tijuana Dog.

Tijuana Dog - my choice of the day...1/4 pound all beef jumbo dog, wrapped in bacon and deep fried, served on a hoagie roll and topped with cheese, jalapenos and spicy mayo. Yep, read it again. Deep fried hot dog. I ate it. I liked it. Let's move on.

Friday dinner, on a recommendation from my buddy's Dad, we went to "Dirty Martin's Kum-Bak Place". This place was my weekend winner. I ordered the Frito Pie, which consisted of Fritos, chili and cheese in a bowl. Best meal of the trip. Hands down.


For Saturday Lunch, we decided it was time to get some good ol' Texas barbecue, so we made our way to Iron Works BBQ, where I ordered the sampler platter that included beef brisket, beef rib and sausage (complete with potato salad, beans, pickles, onions and $0.07 bread). EXCELLENT BRISKET!

After the game, we stopped for a quick snack and slice of pizza at a random trailer. Help me out UCLA people, what was the name? It was GOOOOOOOD.

Saturday's dinner, we went to Zax, a nice low-key place to celebrate our victory (and a birthday). I had the shrimp, pesto, fontina and tomato pizza. Then we shared a chocolate torte, tres leches cake, and mint cheesecake. Excellent food. Not exactly Texas stereotype, but good nonetheless.



Sunday breakfast we went to a food trailer park where we all got breakfast tacos at Torchy's Tacos. I had a Migas taco and a bacon/egg/cheese taco. Very,very, very good.


Sunday snack, about 30min after tacos, Branden and I stopped at Sandy's Hamburgers for a frozen-custard root beer float. AMAZING.

Sunday snack #2, everyone else went to Gourdough's Doughnuts. I don't even know how to describe this, but I'll try. It's a deep-fried doughnut, filled and covered with anything you can think of, including brownie batter, peaches, yellow cake, bacon or chicken....yes...chicken. My gang went for the sweet stuff, and those doughnuts looked and smelled incredible. Julie was in hog heaven...chocolate and brownie batter on a deep-fried doughnut? CHECK!


THE TOWN
As mentioned earlier, the people could not have been nicer or more hospitable. Everywhere we went we had excellent service, helpful locals and lots of smiles. Austin is definitely a wacky, funky town. 6th Street is an animal of its own, with every type of bar imaginable, from old school country to upscale ritzy to pubs to clubs...they had it all.

If you are looking for a unique experience, make your way to the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge at sunset. This bridge is home to over 2 million bats, and at sunset they all fly out from underneath and go out to hunt and find food. So about 15 minutes after the sun goes down, this bridge (which hangs above a river) spews out 2 MILLION bats into the night. It is quite the spectacle. (*note here - 2 million bats don't smell good).


On Saturday, the town is all about football. Tailgates everywhere you look. Every person is wearing burnt orange for their beloved Longhorns. Mack Brown is a God. Lots of Miller Light, cowboy hats, BBQ and music. We had a great time walking around the area to see an entire town with a "football culture."

All in all, I give Austin two, overly-pudgy-due-to-food thumbs up.