Atta Boys

The Giants (and I) had an awesome weekend!!! :-) Sweeping the Rockies felt really nice. And hey, who wouldn’t have enjoyed this weekend at the ballpark? It was total textbook and couldn’t have gone any better…the weather was super nice, the games were very exciting…and better yet, the Giants won all their games. And now, the Giants are tied with the Rockies. Hallelujah! I’m glad they took my advice and stepped up their game. Their offense was amazing. See, all they needed was a letter from me to get their mojo going. Ha! If they can just keep up their momentum, then we shouldn’t have any problems getting to the playoffs…so let’s all just keep that in mind.

Me enjoying a beer at the game.

Timmy pitching.

A Giants win.

The Race

Dear All San Francisco Giants Players:

After another awesome win against the Arizona Diamondbacks last night, I beg of you, please, please, don't lose this winning momentum. I hate to be the one harping on you boys and reminding you all that we are in tight race for a wild card spot in the playoffs, but we are in a must-win-every-freakin'-game situation. Since we are now only (you notice how I'm trying to be positive by saying..."only") three games behind Colorado, we must win every freakin' game, guys. C'mon!!!

I need to ask you all a question. Seriously, what are you guys doing to me? I love how you all thrive on this nail-biting journey towards the end of the season...but I hope you know you guys are close to giving me a huge sports related heart attack. It's just not right. I mean, shit, the defense has been solid (hey, Renteria…how ya’ doing Lewis…lookin’ good Sandoval and Ishikawa), the pitching has been admirable (hi, Timmy…what’s up, Barry)...but hello? Where the heck has the freakin' offense been all season?!?!?! I mean, ok ok, last night was a great game. Uribe and Molina, you guys rocked it out last night. Yes, I slap you guys on the back and butt for a job well-done. But you Giants really know how to keep me on the edge of my seat. I’m going to need to start popping pills to control my blood pressure if you guys keep this up. But don’t worry, don’t worry, I’m keeping the faith alive…and I just have to remember to breathe.

OK, on a more serious note. Our buddies from Colorado will be visiting this weekend and we need to give them the reception they deserve…maybe some spiders in their garlic fries, some extra sun in their eyes, and some wind in their face. Ha! Wouldn’t that be awesome? Yeah, I know, I think it’s funny too. But seriously, guys. Let’s just settle for kicking their butts back to Colorado and letting them return home as losers. Wouldn’t that be more fun? Hell yeah, it would! We can do this...we have to do this. Whose with me?!?!...Hello? I said…whose with me?!?!

C'mon boys! It's time to dig deep and keep things moving in a positive direction. I’m sure you would all hate for me to come down there and kick your butts…I’m sure it wouldn’t bode well for team morale to get your asses kicked by a girl…because then it would totally suck to be you.

With that said…I'll see you all at the games this weekend. Let's Go Giants!

Respectfully,

Kristina Chu

Detox Needed

Sometimes the best weekend plans are to have no plans at all.

As most of you know, I like to stay busy. So typically, I have my weekends booked a few weeks in advance to accommodate all the people I want to see and the things I want to do, but on those rare occasions when I have to fly by the seat of my pants…I end up having an awesome time. Case in point…this weekend.

I was on-call for work this past weekend, and I’m always a little hesitant to schedule any plans in advance since I’m not sure what my weekend duties will include. So I made some last minute plans to spend some time at the County Fair on Saturday...and I haven’t been to the County Fair in…forever. The fair, in general, was nothing special. It included all the familiar sights and sounds that I remember as a kid. But the food was definitely more amazing than I remember. Going to amusement parks, fairs and festivals is always a good excuse to eat good food that is just so bad for you…and as an adult, I have a greater appreciation for that than I did when I was a kid. So Saturday was definitely an exception for me…which is why I feel the great desire to detox my system as soon as possible.

Let’s go over what I ate on Saturday shall we...a 3 foot long corn dog, a funnel cake with powdered sugar, deep fried zucchini sticks dipped in ranch dressing, a deep fried twinkie and deep fried oreos covered in chocolate sauce…oh and a huge glass of lemonade to wash it all down. And amazingly enough, that list doesn’t include the huge plate of greasy bbq I had for lunch or the sushi I had for dinner. Now, before the heart attack sets in, let me just say that I had some help chowing down all this food…which, I know, does little to make my insides feel any better…but hey, I only get to live once and I might as well live with no regrets (and also spend this week working off all those extra calories). I’ve included some pictures for your tasty enjoyment:

Funnel Cake.

A big ass glass of lemonade.

The prices aren't bad for an early heart attack.

Deep fried zucchini, Oreos and a Twinkie.

Deep fried Oreos.

A deep fried Twinkie.

Overall, it was a nice and relaxing weekend.

Candlestick

I spent Friday night at Candlestick Park watching the first 49ers’ game of the season. Granted, it was a preseason game, but still…it made for a good time. It helped a lot that they won!

Getting a first hand look at the offensive line this season, makes me cautiously optimistic. I know it’s too soon to really tell, but hey…I’m trying to be positive. In general, I would say that the offensive line could be more aggressive, the running game could be more dynamic, and the passing game could be utilized more. I’m a big fan of the West Coast Offense and the use of a forceful passing game…but I understand it’s been difficult these past few years, since we’ve had quarterback issues (man, do I miss those Joe Montana and Steve Young days), but hey, it’s a brand new season so I’m keeping my hopes alive. Let’s see, other than that, it’s definitely a far cry from what the line looked like last season. So…I’m keeping my fingers crossed that our offensive game can only get better. Since the defensive line is still pretty solid…hopefully, that’ll mean good things for the entire team this season.

My one big complaint from Friday night…Candlestick Park is such a dump. As I stepped off the massive escalator, my first thought was that the Park looked like a concrete dungeon. I mean, I know that the Park has been around for ages…since I remember going there as a pint-sized kid to watch the Giants play…but damn, after spending so much time at the Giants’ new ballpark these last few years and going to the occasional Sharks game at the Shark Tank…Candlestick Park is like…the drunken, neglected, shunned black sheep of the family. Ha!

On a side note, I’ve been told that considering how many pictures I take, I should include more of them on my blog as opposed to strictly on my picture page…so ok fine…here are some pictures from the game.

Pre-game festivities.

The coin toss.

Kick-Off.

The first pass.

The male spirit squad.

Me and my big ass drink.

Much Needed Vacation

After a week on vacation, I’m back and feeling much better. I spent last week in New Orleans and had a pretty good time. The second I got to New Orleans I removed my watch, turned off my cell phones, and banished all worries from my brain…and it was just what I needed to relax and enjoy a week away from everything.

Since this was my first visit to the South, I had the opportunity to truly experience the southern hospitality that I’ve heard so much about…and you know what? It definitely does provide a welcoming and warm feeling. Granted, I was always someone’s “baby”, “sugar”, “sweetie”, or some other endearment that I don’t hear very often in the Bay Area. And to tell you the truth, when the endearments roll off the tongues of those hunky southern men coupled with their southern drawls…it totally made me weak in the knees. Ha!

As I had dreaded, the weather was rather unpleasant because it was so hot and humid. Even at the crack of dawn it was still boiling hot. On my last morning in New Orleans, I got up extra early to catch the sunrise over the Mississippi River and was surprised at how hot and humid it was at about 5 in the morning. Granted, the sight was beautiful, but damn, it was still so hot. The heat definitely made site-seeing during the day, especially smack in the middle of the afternoon, quite uncomfortable. Not to say that I let it stop me from being out and about, but I did have to take an extra shower or two during the days just to keep myself feeling clean and presentable.

I was pleasantly surprised that the food in New Orleans was everything I had hoped it would be…so completely awesome. I sampled some tasty po-boys, jambalaya, seafood gumbo, fried chicken, red beans and rice, and plenty of other southern dishes that I thoroughly enjoyed. I was told not to leave New Orleans without trying a beignet from Café du Monde and after sampling one, I just had to return to get some more sugary goodness. Granted, how can you go wrong with fried dough covered in powdered sugar…oh man, it was so good. Speaking of fried food…it seemed like everything in New Orleans is fried, it was hard to really think of being able to enjoy all that tasty goodness on a regular basis without dying young from a heart attack. But everything was so amazingly good that it wasn’t worth complaining.

So that was my trip in a nutshell and it’s good to be back. :-)