Bringing the Drama

I’ve had a cell phone for almost ten years. My first phone was light blue, because the other color was black and I did not want a phone like everyone else’s. When I went to renew my contract the first time, I got one of the first camera phones. The second time I renewed my contract, I ended up getting a phone that would be the best phone ever. One of the last normal things before Katrina was receiving my E815 in the mail and playing with it on the way to my sister’s birthday dinner. My phone has been so awesome, I kept it despite smaller phones coming out. It’s a big phone compared to other flip phones, and I am one of the only people I know who still has a phone with an antenna. I would read about new phones and see how they did not have the same great reception as my phone, and I did not want to feel like I was settling. It was so bad that when my phone died a couple of years ago, I bought a replacement of the exact model off eBay. I’ve been eligible for an upgrade since the summer of 2007.

When the iPhone came out, I thought it was awesome. It was only on AT&T though, and I was not leaving Verizon. That and I could not get my head around paying $30 a month for data. When the Droids came out they were cool, I still didn’t want to pay for a data plan. I like my cheap cell phone bill. I know I WANT a smartphone, but I don’t NEED a smartphone. I don’t need a smartphone to post on Twitter and I call people to go into the map for me when I’m lost. I can even text without looking at the phone!

Now that the iPhone will be available on Verizon though, I have been swayed. The phone I have been waiting years for is now going to be a reality. I’ve been googling almost daily for updates and watched a live blog of the Verizon announcement. To say I’m excited may be an understatement. I saw this commercial late last week, and was stoked. I am one of those customers who never stopped believing.

So I’ve been on Twitter, and I follow a few sports writers. My friend Aaron also follows a couple of the same sportswriters, and we’ve been keeping unrecorded score of who gets responses from the sportswriters. I think unofficially I’m in the lead because I notched Peter King, but everything is unrecorded. Monday the heavily twittering duo of ESPN (Mortensen and Schefter) were concluding their training camp bus tour with the Saints. My grand plan involved somehow meeting them and persuading them to tweet to my friend Aaron. It didn’t matter what it was really, just that he got it. In my scheming mind it would be a photo of me with one of them with “wish you were here @am_mgmt” or something.

Since I was going to training camp, I took along my copies of the books from Sean Payton and Drew Brees that I just received last week. Players and coaches sign autographs after practice, and even though I’m not a big autograph guy, it would be cool to have them sign their books. I figured if for some reason they signed after practice, I’d give it a shot. I got there about 20 minutes after practice started and snapped a few photos. After practice was over, I stood over where the players were signing autographs. Other players like Reggie Bush signed, but no Brees or Payton. I waited around, but no results, so I started walking back to my car.

The ESPN buses were parked outside of the practice fields on the way to my car. Since I had shown up later, I had to park in a Zephyr Field lot. It wasn’t a big deal, it was better than parking across Airline Hwy. I saw there were about 15 people waiting at the buses, so I figured maybe Mort and Schefter would come out and talk to people. Here was my chance! People were walking around the buses, taking pictures, holding the ESPN mic that had been left on one of the chairs, etc. Then some sheriff’s deputies showed up and shooed us back away from the buses. Good thing I had already taken a few pictures.

It was cool seeing the stickers and what people had signed in person after seeing it on TV and reading about it.

So I’m in this group of people who have been herded a safe distance away from the broadcasting equipment, when all of a sudden Drew Brees comes walking out of the Saints office building with some PR people. He comes right over to the group of people, but I didn’t have my book or Sharpie ready. By the time I had my book ready he was on a bus to film an interview. Then, Sean Payton gets off a bus, and walks across the parking lot. Luckily I was standing with people who are REALLY into autographs, so they were the ones yelling “Coach! HEY COACH, could we get an autograph, there’s only a few of us over here!” Sure enough, my buddy Sean came over and signed autographs. I figured, I was standing there, I might as well get my book signed. Someone had brought a gold Sharpie to get his poster or something signed, so then that pen ended up being used for all 8 or 10 things, including my book, so I have my book signed by Sean Payton in gold Sharpie. What up.

So back to the waiting. A lot of the people left, and there were only three other guys and me waiting. I still figured Brees would come off the bus, and the ESPN guys would be available to shoot the breeze (HA!). I stood under a tree in the shade while the others stood in the middle of the parking lot. All of a sudden, Brees exits the bus and walks over to the few people left. I had my book ready and he signed it. We all thanked him. I figured, NOW is the time, but no. After Brees left the bus, then Saints owner Tom Benson and a couple of other people got on to do interviews or something. ‘That’s it!’, I thought, and I walked back to my car. On my way back to my car, I called Aaron and left a VM telling him what all happened. I genuinely went over to the buses to talk to the ESPN guys, but walked away with two autographed books. It ended up being a pretty incredible Monday morning.

Earlier this week, I saw a tweet linking to the NPR article about Beck’s Record Club’s newest recording, INXS’s Kick. (that’s a lot of apostrophes) I have not been able to stop thinking about it. I used to like INXS, even when they tried their comeback in 1997. It was really sad when they whored themselves out for that reality show to find a singer. Honestly, some bands just need to realize when they should quit. Anyway, the Record Club article had videos and this one of New Sensation is, for lack of a better word, awesome. New Sensation is one of my favorite INXS songs, maybe my most favorite, and this version is incredible. Check it:

Record Club: INXS “New Sensation” from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

Back when I went to the beach with the youth group for a retreat last summer, I was exposed to the greatness that is Five Guys. My friend Brett led us to this oasis of goodness when we had a free afternoon. The burger I ate was so delicious, I came home and spread the news to everyone I could. A month later when my parents were evacuated for Gustav in Tuscaloosa, they happened upon a Five Guys. Remembering what I had told them, they stopped in and were equally amazed. My dad likes to get weird stuff on his burger, so of course he loved the grilled onions and the bell pepper options. Sadly, no Five Guys exists in the NOLA metro, so none of us have been able to enjoy the great burgers since.

The other day my friend Alisa mentioned Five Guys on her twitter page. She likes In N Out better, but I have had In N Out, and the only thing it has on Five Guys is the t-shirts. Reading about Five Guys got me googling, and I came to find out there is now a Five Guys in Biloxi. I emailed my parents Thursday and shared the news. Since I had gone to see Swell Season Thursday night, I didn’t get a chance to check my email until Friday morning. Both my parents had replied asking if I wanted to take a day trip to Biloxi, and since I had the day off work I figured ‘why not?’.

I called them up Friday morning and the plan was set in motion. I dropped my car off at Honda, and my parents picked me up. We made it to Five Guys and it was everything we had remembered. The bell peppers, the fries, the grilled onions, it was all there. We also found out while there that franchises for the NOLA metro had been sold, so there is hope of a Five Guys opening closer than Biloxi. No matter though, a day trip for a fantastic burger like that is completely worth it.

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Remember how I said it was inevitable I would join Twitter? Well, I did, at the beginning of the month. It was bad for a while, but I think I’ve gotten into a groove and not felt the need to CHECK ALL THE TIME. I posted a bunch of pictures on Saturday while I was in Baton Rouge for the LSU game. It’s cool, and I’ve already had an argument with an accomplished writer through Twitter. Of course, he went with the direct messaging so people couldn’t see his statements, and maybe that’s company policy. Now to get a reply to someone famous who I actually like!

Lots has actually been going on. I’ve been keeping track on my good things for September post, and I’ll probably elaborate on some of that later. However, I just got home from the store restocking on yogurt. I have been addicted to yogurt the past couple of weeks. It first got into my head at work when I saw a friend eating some one afternoon. Then when I was in Dallas for Macca, the hotel had yogurt as part of the continental breakfast. I tried some, and it was not as bad as I remember. I remember one time thinking vanilla yogurt would taste like the stuff from TCBY. Since that day, I really didn’t want any part of yogurt. After Dallas though, I was at the store and grabbed a few things of yogurt in a bunch of different flavors. It’s delicious, and now when I go to the store it’s like a kid in a candy store. There are so many flavors to choose from! I can’t get enough.

In other news, I’m going to my first NOLA Eat Club tomorrow night. It’s going to be a kind of double date thing, and I’m stoked. My friend Chet and I have talked about the Eat Clubs, but they’re usually pricey places in NOLA. We spied a place on the northshore for $45 a person all inclusive, and pounced. I cannot wait, I might even get to namedrop my friend Alton. (BTW, I have not gotten his book yet, but if you have, let me know what you think)