This was how I felt when my Ducks won the Rose Bowl this year. So many years of getting SO close and watching it fall apart. I was there the year before when we lost the National Championship by a field goal. I remember drowning my misery in drinks afterward with the friends who had trekked to Arizona to see it in person. We convened in Pasadena after an insane season, one which -- for the first time ever -- I had season tickets for. We all hoped and prayed but remained cautiously optimistic. No one wanted to say or do anything that might jinx it. We were excited on the outside, but bloody terrified inside. What if it happens again? Should we stop going? How would we handle a second heartbreak? For the whole game it was back and forth, and Duck fans lived and died with every play. At the end we were close to seeing it turn to ash again. The final play of regulation was being reviewed. We all held hands, strangers united by our love for our school and our team, and prayed. You could hear a pin drop, people were barely breathing. When the ref announced that the play hadn't worked, that the game was over and the Ducks were finally victorious in one of the biggest games in school history, the dam broke. The screams of joy and relief as the confetti cannon went off and rained down on our section is something I will never forget for as long as I live. That joyful moment of shared celebration. Even when I think back to it now, it makes me smile like a fool. Enjoy it, it is one of the best feelings there is!

How does one even get tickets for the show? The one website I see NEVER has available dates listed, and I check every day! I've been trying for months. Argh! :(

I absolutely had an amazing experience because of Twitter just last night. My neighbor from downstairs came to my door in tears because her dog, Boris, had gone missing. I hadn't seen him, but told her I'd keep an eye out for him. I was scrolling through my Twitter and saw a tweet by a well-known actress that I randomly follow, and thought it was a bit curious. It had a picture link, so I clicked it...and it was Boris! She had found my neighbor's dog! I scrambled to reach her and thankfully was able to contact her management, who passed the message on to her. She called my neighbor within 15 minutes, and after confirming that it was indeed the proper dog, invited us to come and fetch him. She was lovely and very sweet, and had gone to all lengths to try and find who Boris belonged to, including taking him to a vet to see if they could find a microchip and prepping fliers that she planned to post in the neighborhood in the morning. The Twitter post was a random thought, and its the one that paid off. Thanks to Twitter and this sweet woman posting, a lost pup made his way home. Twitter rules, and I'm so glad I'm part of it! :)

Thanks, Wil! It was a good birthday, all in all. OH! And before I forget, Mr. Garcia asked me to please tell you he says hello :)

I find it funny that you named your iPod "Batman." I named mine "The BatPod." Great post. I live in Hollywood and fight the traffic and tourists every day, every time I want to go someplace. I see them staring, reading the names on the stars, looking for those places they've seen on TV. I've often wondered the same thing, "are they disappointed?" Is it like they'd hoped? A larger than life place that outshines its TV image? Some of them get the treatment if there is a premiere happening at the Chinese and they can press up against the barricades and take pictures of stars or, like it was during my birthday dinner on this past Saturday, the boulevard is closed off at Highland because they're filming some crazy Japanese rock video complete with pyrotechnics (talk about a serious pain in the ass traffic-wise).

The Trader Joe's song cracked me up. I've passed it around work to those I know who also shop there. Well played, sir!

To make you feel a tiny bit better about the Dodgers, Will. This made me laugh pretty hard. http://www.viddler.com/explore/failblog/videos/321/

Add me to the list of folks who would 100% be in if you did one of these in LA! Sounds like a blast and I am pretty sure I still have a mini and a dice set tucked away someplace! I feel so liberated having outed myself as a geek just now. :)