Fri, Sept. 22-- Oktoberfest

When: Friday September 22, 8:30pm

What we will serve: German sausages, sauerkraut, potato fries with mustard, and of course beer. It's Oktoberfest, what do you expect? Brie? Chardonnay? If you show up with an armful of baguettes, well, you're liable to get tank marks up and down your beret.

What to bring: A drinking stein, a drinking boot, and beer. It's Oktoberfest you can't have enough.

What to Wear: Lederhosen, Audrey's Sexy Hitler costume from last Halloween, comfortable slacks, or whatever.

Why: First of all autumn is the best season there is, ever. That's as much as an answer as you're gonna get. Just show up, and as they say in Munich, "Zetzin brachton der flukensn kanziukiempunston zetzkreg."

Scully Event Turns Into Agassi Event (then back into Scully event)

The roomies plus special guest stars Pauls and Clint gathered in the basement to watch the Dodgers and Reds, announced by legendary Vin Scully. But Clint alerted us to the fact that Andre Agassi was playing in the US Open. Agassi is retiring after this tournament, so any match could be his last.

It looked like this would be the one. Agassi's opponent, Something Pavel, was overpowering him. Agassi looked slow and weak. With the match tied at one set a piece, Agassi was down two breaks in the third. It was the considered opinion of the roomies that Agassi ought to give up on the third set and conserve his energy for the fourth.

There's a reason we never won a Grand Slam tennis tournament.

Agassi stormed back in the third set, finally winning a tiebreak (the third in as many sets) to take a two set lead. We jumped from our seats in full throat when Agassi won the point. He then obliterated Pavel in the fourth set, winning the match, and yet somehow *he* was the one who had to talk to John McEnroe afterwards. Seems like the loser should do that, no?

Then we went back to the Dodger game, which we'd timefreeze for a bit, and where the incompetence of the Dodgers' Brett Tomko was matched only by the incompetence of Pauls, who checked the score on the internet and told everyone about it (huge party foul) and Seth, who accidentally fast forwarded through a crucial home run.

Rising above it all was Vin Scully, who proved once again why we love him when he started in on a story about Reds manager Jerry Narron. Well, not about Jerry Narron, but about Narron's uncle Sam, who was a coach for the Dodgers, and who liked to "tell stories about an imaginary baseball player named Clabber Meeks."

Vin Scully, you are a God among us.

9/15 Garfield vs. Franklin tailgating--then, Gridiron Gang with "The Rock"

When: September 15th, 4pm

Where: The parking lot in front of Memorial Stadium (afterwards wherever Gridiron Gang with "The Rock" is playing.)

What we will serve: Football fare

What to bring: Garfield Bulldog Pride

Why: Garfield vs. Franklin isn't much of a musical rivalry (Jimi Hendrix vs. Kenny G)

It isn't much of a comedy rivalry (David Swidler vs. John Keister)

But it is the best athletic rivalry in the city. It's a neighborhood bragging rights game, no less now (we saw a injured Franklin player throw a female trainer practically to the ground in an effort to re-enter the b-ball game last year at GHS) than it was in our day (remember the bleacher collapse? the last-second waved off shot? the game at Royal Brougham?)

Less so in football, where Franklin's reigned supreme. But now things are evening out. Both schools have alumni and former UW stars for coaches (Mario Bailey for Franklin, Anthony Allen and former NFL assistant Al Roberts for Garfield). Both programs look to compete in Kingco this year after several years in the cellar.

We're going to tailgate out of the back of Pauls Toutonghi's truck before this year's Garfield/Franklin game. The game's at 5pm, so knock off work a little early and join us at 4pm for hot dogs, wings, whatever else we decide to get up to. Good times!

Then, after the game (timing TBD) we'll head to opening night of "Gridiron Gang", which stars former NFL football player "The Rock" as the coach of a youth prison football team. What more do you need to know?

Holy crap, this could be the greatest night of our lives.

Scully. Griffey. Monday.

Monday night, 7502 will be the domain of true baseball fans. The pennant race is underway, and since we dropped $159 on the MLB Extra Innings package (in three easy payments of $85! Have to talk to Comcast about that), we can follow the action with intensity.

Now--as we've mentioned before, we love Vin Scully. The guy's a legend. He'll be calling the game Monday between the Dodgers and the Reds, both scrambling to make the playoffs. In fact, though they are in different divisions, the wild card could come down to these two teams...this is an important game.

Playing for the Reds is Ken Griffey, Jr., our childhood hero. He's having a solid year, leading Cincinnati into a pennant race for the first time since 1999. Good stuff.

Special guest star Clint, a huge Dodgers fan, who works with Seth, will be there. Join us!

Just when you though it was impossible...

...7502 got a little less manly.

Monday evening, after work, Saira and Jason hopped on the Seattle-Bainbridge ferry to see a man about a scooter. When they returned, Jason was a different man. He was a man riding a scooter--yes, we know what you call those kind of men where you're from.

Next week: We drag race the 49cc scooter against Seth's Saturn. Seth is demanding a 1/2 block head start.

David's Big Day

Photos

David turned some new age on August 7th and, even though we all gave up on counting the years after his celebate first 23, we celebrated by grilling sausage, chicken, burgers made of beef and of Boca, and hot dogs.

It was a grande fete, attended by all the moved and shakers we know from newlyweds Carrie and Nate to the always hilarious Mike Story to Jason's friend Nikki (who is a statistician but is pretty cool anyways, even though she stood us up for happy hour the next day) to that guy Merideth spends a ton of time with even though they're "just friends" (I'm just saying, that's all).

As the man of the hour, David was in rare form. He was thouroughly trashed by the time the bunny cake Sean and Debbie brought by was brought out and Happy Birthday was sung. He lead the team through a bottle of Dickle and capped the night by threatening to throw a chair into the back yard. That's how we know he really loves us.

All in all, it was a great time and a very happy however-the-hell-old-you-are to you, David!

ps Word is, David got to SECOND base after the party broke up.

Soccer Rules...are simple.

The house enjoyed the World Cup, and even had teams to root for. We all backed the US of A. (A quick note, when we touch a sports team, they turn to shit. We are kind of like the President Bush of the sports world). The team scored one goal on their own, and were out quicker then you could say, "Donovan you are a piece of crap."

Proving, however, that our patriotism runs arm hair deep we all had back up nations. David of course took England. Seth, who was without his motherland because you can’t ski in soccer, went with his home during the 2003 playoffs, Ecuador. And Jason, well the guys loves soccer so much that he didn’t care who was playing just as long as some 5’6’’ guy was kicking a ball towards a net.

We adopted the Kiwi and Kangaroo as our soccer home. It was close, not crowded, and for 3 bucks all the coffee and orange juice you could eat.

For the final however we went to Maximilien in the Market to the get the full French feal Seattlest captuted the moment.

Photos From the World Cup

Photos from the World Cup Final at Maximilien.

We had so much fun watching the World Cup that we grabbed a bunch of people (Mike Story, Siano, Emmy, and others) to watch Real Madrid play DC United. The game ended in a 1-1 tie, and was the highest scoring game in history.

Photos.

If you don’t believe me, here is what David wrote for Seattlest about the event.

It was much more fun to watch these famous athletes play in person. But barely.

Ahhh, caring about soccer every four years. Is there anything better?

We dress up like hicks and go see a movie

Photos

How do WE go watch Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby? 7502-style, that's how.

The three roommates, plus Saira and Sarah (against their wills), dressed up like our image of NASCAR fans and headed to Ballard for the new Will Ferrell movie.

Seth killed an old pair of jeans for the event, turning them into too-tight jean shorts. The growing hole in the crotch accentuated the effect.

He and David had their matching "Git er Done" caps (gifts from Matt and Erika Ayer), and the rest of the crew was attired in a variety of tank tops and jeans. Saira ended up sort of looking like Huck Finn, really, and Jason like Kid Rock. But it was all good. See photos.

The movie was AWESOME, and after we met up with someone's friends (Jason's, David's?--can't remember now) at the Fiddler's Inn--where David and I spent many hours in the early months of 2005, drinking to dull our pain. LOOK AT US NOW, FIDDLER'S INN! Or, actually, don't.