Lots of 13 mega numbers for my birthday, even the ones I didn't pick myself. That's a bit scary.
Not quite 13.
The staff at the Thursday office got me a birthday cake.
I ate at the Pacific Dining Car near my apartment for lunch. I don't think I'm going to pay $70 for a steak not in the Midwest, though.
It was OK. At least the atmosphere inside the place is really neat.
From the outside.
Aww, Ogii decorated by door for my birthday.
Birthday presents from Dad and Mom.
All spread out.
Birthday presents from Ogii.
Lots of nice things.
She's a present now, too.
I wanted to drive my car and she kept insisting she drive hers because she had decorated it.
That afternoon we went to Family Arcade.
I remember when we were kids we'd get $20 worth of tokens for the bonus and just keep them.
Lots of pinball machines.
Some old-school games.
Everyone used to love this one.
I couldn't remember how to combine players, though.
A little Mortal Kombat.
Pinball.
There was a room in the back with sports games.
Basketball.
A close game.
I won the first one and Ogii won the second.
A truck with guns inside and some Street Fighter games.
Guitar Hero.
A racing game.
Multiplayer Pac-Man.
Ogii on a pinball machine.
Used to love playing this game, too.
A skateboarding game.
This machine was crap; even if you got it right around a prize it wouldn't grip hard enough to pick it up.
I couldn't get one, either.
For dinner we went to Yamashiro, a restaurant in Hollywood up on a hill.
Panorama.
Steak on a salt plate which cooks the steak at the table.
Yummy cake.
Me with a piece.
Ogii and me. Laurence Fishburne was at the table next to ours.
Our group.
After dinner we went to Jumbo's Clown Room; Ogii had fun hats for everyone.
Out front.
Our stack of $1s.
Looking up at the mirror on the ceiling. Some of the dancers were really acrobatic.
Saturday night Ogii and I went to Cirque du Soleil: Totem.
She had bought us front-row seats.
She also paid an extra $12 for a special souvenir. It turned out it was just a program they sell for $12 there.
The passenger train runs between the highway lanes here.
We went to the thrift store to buy clothes for a couple of parties on Saturday. Anything with a green tag was 75% off. Two of Ogii's dresses didn't have green tags, but her selection was pretty limited.
Our items.
We went to a Bowl-A-Prom charity event that afternoon in our newly-purchased outfits.
Our team.
Everyone was supposed to dress in prom outfits.
Ogii's dress was a bit too long, but she just hiked it up a bit.
The kiddy bowling helpers.
Big swing.
Eyes on the target.
From behind.
I broke 100 in the practice game.
We took up the entire alley.
Gutter.
I don't think getting two gutter balls after a strike is optimal strategy.
Mike was the best bowler in our group. I sqeaked over 100.
The balls are color-coordinated by weight.
An example ball with the weights and colors; very helpful.
Some of the other groups.
It was the Saturday of St Patrick's Day, so a few groups were in green.
The costume judges.
An 80s cover band.
Snacks.
Lots of silent auction items. I bet on some jerkey but got outbid.
This was probably the coolest item.
Signed pennant.
Poor Brian kept getting outbid and finally said "Stop it!"
A nice view over west LA. There are some houses up on the hill to the left with great views.
Pretty plant.
We went to the Queen Mary for a St Patrick's Day party on Saturday night.
Kendra and Kat.
Us in a phone booth.
Someone else getting a picture.
Showing off their guns.
There were a few games set up on the side.
Cute cupcakes.
My favorite outfit: this guy dressed as a leprechaun and was giving out Rolos from his pot of gold.
Kat giving Lizzy the Lizard a drink of green beer.
This woman said she had never gotten to photobomb anyone and this was her perfect opportunity.
There were a couple of rooms with bands.
Some played a variety of songs.
I preferred the ones that played traditional Irish, though.
Imitating Titanic.
Ogii pushing me off.
Everyone dancing.
A giant Jenga game. These two had a lot of green on.
In front of the boat.
A Russian submarine is docked there as well.
No matter where I am, if a toilet is running because the chain is stuck under the flap, I'll fix it.
Someone taped a lotto reminder to the gas.
Still trying to get $10-dollar bills; got $5s and $1s instead this time.
A bright green planting growing between the sidewalk and the wall.
I am not a fan of crusts.
A little strip mall we went to had Tekken Tag Tournament, one of my favorite video games, so I had to stop and play.
The new Corvette Stingray, very nice.
I tried getting some Arkanoid-like games on my phone, but none were that great.
The best game description I've ever read.
If they block SpeedTest, they probably have pretty bad internet speed.
My phone will randomly have the wrong time for a few hours and I have no idea why.