Aaron Riveroll | Photographer

Ever had one of those weeks where the days seem to lag but when Friday rolls around you stop and think to yourself, “Wow, where did the week go?â€? Well, I had one of those weeks. It’s been really slow at work, so there was barely anything to keep myself occupied with. So I used the time to catch up on things, do some training, and get myself ready for when things pick up again. Things are a bit frustrating work-wise…but it’s nothing I can do anything about. I am enjoying work, don’t get me wrong…but there are just issues that seem to come up every now and then which are sort of annoying to deal with.

But next week is our party with Sales…so that should be fun. Only thing is it’s about an hour away in Menifee. But it should be good to schmooze with our fellow co-workers up there over food and drink. :)

Yesterday was a scene right out of a sitcom. Danny was expecting some guys over for cards…and Dave had wanted to get a keg of beer just to get one. So Dave and I headed over to the local Keg and Bottle down the road from our house to pick one up. Not only was this place impressively stocked from floor to ceiling with every different kind of alcohol you could think of, it was also frequented by frat boy types and many SDSU kids (being that it’s down the block from state, it’s a no-brainer). So we got a small 7.5 gallon keg of Coors and brought it back to NGS East.

Now, at this point we are a bunch of dorks. After Danny packed the keg in ice (my advice, after doing a little research), we sat around wondering how to tap the damn thing. It was like three monkeys staring at a coconut.

But being the nerd that I am, I Googled it. I finally figured out how to do it, that is of course without any help from eHow.com. They had a lot of useful tips on how to purchase a keg (Step One: Locate a liquor store), but not so many useful tips on how to tap it. (Tapping a keg: Make sure you, or someone you know, knows how to tap a keg. You don’t want to be starring at a full keg all night.)

But folks, it’s as simple as pushing the tap in and twisting. Just pay attention to what you are doing and make sure you have ample light. My first try was not so precise, and the keg spat some of the luscious brew right in my face. Since I was going out to dinner later, I decided to change so I didn’t smell like beer. Imagine explaining that one.

I partook in a cup before my departure, however. And I have to admit that once you have had beer from a keg, you may never go back to the bottle. It was COLD, crisp, refreshing…fresh from the Rockies. It had such outstanding flavor, and this is from a guy who hates beer.

After the beer adventures, I met up with some friends at The Pomegranate in North Park. This quaint, little Russian restaurant on the corner of ECB and Louisiana has some of the most flavorful, tasty, and downright delicious food I have ever had. The food appears simple, but the first bite blows you away with all the flavor. It is simply amazing. I had the lamb shashlik, which is basically cubes of meat that have been marinated and grilled or roasted on a spit and served with eggplant, tomato, and onion. The guy at the grill out back was less than friendly when Schmidts Gay asked him (in Russian) if there was going to be shashlik tonight. He just stared at him, which is the Russian way of saying, “Yes, you imbecile, of course there is going to be shashlik or I wouldn’t be out here grilling shashlik.” And when he came out with the sharp spit, I cowered in the corner while he dished up the meat. Don’t anger a Russian who is obviously angry to begin with and that happens to be carrying a sharp stabbing implement. Even Brian’s non-alcoholic Ginger Ale was not for the faint of heart. The ginger packed a powerful pow of spice in your face and created a warming sensation in your throat. Definitely a good time.

After our marathon dinner, we stepped outside and conversed with a gentleman from the next door bar. He had been asked to leave and since he had been exiled to the streets, he serenaded us with his rendition of Steppenwolf’s Magic Carpet Ride and repeatedly asked us if we liked the food at the Pomegranate.

We must have been distracted by our street-side crooner, because we noticed several police cars arriving down the block with their lights and siren flashing and didn’t know why.

Come to find out later that there had been a serious-injury accident just a block away from where we were standing.

One of my favorite movies is Meet Joe Black. The story is interesting, but Claire Forlani is one of the cutest actresses ever. *sigh* But one of my favorite scenes in the movie is right after the coffee shop scene. Susan meets Joe for the first time and they seem to have an inexplicable connection. Susan is dating Drew, this pompous dude who works with her dad…but for a moment, she forgets all about him and gets tongue-tied with Joe.

After saying their goodbyes and a little awkward flirting, they part ways, continuing to look back at the other. Susan looks back at Joe for the last time and then turns the corner at the end of the block. Joe does the same thing and without thinking, takes a step into the crosswalk of a busy street. Without any warning, Joe is struck by a car traveling extremely fast and is hurled into the air…only to be struck by another car going the opposite direction.

I laugh at it, but in all seriousness it’s tragic. What makes it funny is it’s an unexpected moment at a very romantic part of the movie.

Well, last night, a pedestrian stepped out in front of a police car. The police car hit the pedestrian and hurled him in such a way that he was struck again by another car. The police closed the entire block. But we were standing just a few feet away and didn’t hear anything at all.

Anyway, that was the evening. I am going to get to work on some stuff I need to get done. More later? Indeed.