the big hit. since the dawn of memorial day dance people gatherings, there's always been this crazy thought of how dope it would be if everyone was able to get to san diego for a trip. but it seemed logistically difficult. people would have to fly in from around the country, cars and drivers would be needed, that sort of thing. new york gatherings had the advantage of having mass people already situated there and transportation was built right in. appreciative clap here for the nyc mass transit authority.



six weeks or so ago, word began to spread that some people would be willing to fly to san diego. once the first person bought their ticket, other people started to jump on the san diego train. then more people, then more people, then more people. each new addition made me go dope, dope, dope. this is gonna be great. but with increasing numbers comes increased pressure to make the trip a good one. showing three people a good time in sd is easy: thirty people, slightly more difficult. but dammit, with the party to go any gathering is bound to be a fun one, even if it's just an empty room. so how can any gathering go wrong? it can't! it's meta-physic-spirit-logistic-mental-everything-ally impossible.



this weekend was great. on so many levels. when friday rolled around and the skies were cloudy we were getting hella worried that our finely crafted and detailed plan would be busted up by that bitch mother nature. luckily, the elements were on our side -- as if there should of been any doubt -- and the sun rolled around. and we could enjoy the beach, the pool, the outdoors. san diego is not a fun place if it's cloudy and drizzly, especially when people are coming here expecting clear skies and paradise, with hopes of returning with a tan. well, as annalisa would say, "goal accomplished."



i'm not even gonna go into what we did, since i feel like we did enough of san diego for everyone to get a taste of what it had to offer -- and to come back?. having everyone in hotel pan worked out superbly. sleeping space was tight but people (for the most part) had room and the bathtub didn't have to serve double duty as emergency cot. fuck it, i'm gonna go into what we did. it's not like i have a normal life really.



basketball east coast versus west coast was off the hook. both teams left with some bragging rights and just having a dozen guys who you know running up and down the court together is the greatest feeling in the world. the away team was physically smaller but they had some crazy swarming defense, team orientated offense and mad quickness. team west coast lost the first day's series and was down 2-1 after friday night. can we talk about how crappy it feels to be down in a seven game series? bottomless pit of despair doesn't even begin to describe it. i felt like we were on some lakers-celtics shit with the desire to win on both sides. in the end, it doesn't matter at all who won the games because just the act of playing basketball with friends is enough for me.



throw in boogie boards, the beach, the pool, a greek bath symposium of all guys in a small hot tub and the outdoor activities were taken care of. indoors there was games. mafia, catchphrase, tetris, ping pong, poker, making fun of each other. people were hanging out, san diego friends got to meet michigan friends, it was just lovely. i know with a group of thirty people it's hard to mobilize but people were so dope about being patient and putting up with the inevitable delays. chaos may not have taken a full on vacation but he was present only minimally, much to the surprise of many. i think any fears or hesitations about how this would work out was put to rest by the second day. people were cool about helping out, keeping organized and clean, adjusting to shifts in schedule, and chilling on downtime. yeah, showers were a bitch but what's a little dirt and an hour long bathroom line between friends? all lost cell phones have now been recovered by the way, and we have a collection of left behind towels that you'll have to come back to pick up.



question: is catchphrase the greatest and most accessible group game of all time? it is certainly one of the loudest, as the bitch next door calling the police can attest to. luckily, only a warning was assessed. why oh why was mr alchohol gene kim out there with hong talking to the cops? someone explain this one to me. anyway, this police warning will end up as some sort of suburban legend. has anybody else ever had a board game moment busted up by the cops? can i see a show of hands? exactly.



i love looking at huge groups assembled at a long table or at a club or anywhere. it's just like...damn. i love it. i try to capture the image in my head so i can re-experience the feeling later. the big ass group pictures just really do it for me. i can't wait until we have like ten of these and all the photos can be presented via slideshow or something. with the most memorable moments acted out via live montage -- onstage, choreographed to music. i can see it now "memorial day ten: the musical." memories man, this stuff is for real.



taking over an establishment is fun too. whether it be gene's performance, restaurants, clubs or the local boba store. more on the boba store later. suffice to say, dancing, boba and roasting have been been fusion-ed together. or should i say funktion-ed?



we went out once and thanks to babbs' eminent popularity and hookups, things worked out real easy. we had a guest list of fifty plus. i don't even really know fifty people, much less ever having fifty people that i personally knew in one building. my whole high school class was only eighty kids for jiminy's sake.



i had to be filled in on all the clubbing hijinks because i was sorta maybe possibly drunk. my buzzed state was due to four or five jager bombs (i am weak sauce i know), mostly attributed to megan's insistence that i be on my way to the trash bin. i started the night with the goal of being super designated driver but somehow ended up having to be driven home. i missed all the dancing, all the fun that was happening inside, so i guess i'll have to live vicariously through pictures. but i'm good at that, living vicariously through pictures. i saw pictures on my camera the next morning i don't remember taking. yes, i jon yang, drank for once in my san diego incarnation. i wasn't drunk -- thank you pepcid ac -- but i was definitely on super buzz and talking shit that i don't even know what. but i remembered all the conversations and there was no puking at the end of my night. go me. the next semi-not-really goal is for me to be a fun drunk, as opposed to just being noteworthy for actually drinking. then again, i don't really mind being boring dead weight at clubbing parties. that role sort of fits me like an armani.



i wish people coulda stayed longer. seriously. i feel bad for everyone because they have/had to go right back to reality and work; getting off the plane and changing in airport bathrooms to arrive at the office in the morning. that's dedication. my ass will be on memorial day high for a month at least, with no distracting reality to get in the way of euphoria. i can't believe people were able to mobilize and get out here on their own dime and then turn back around and thank hong and i with ipods. i freaking pods. are you seriously kidding me right now? how dope are you? i'm not even gonna verbalize how amazing that present was. i think it was way too much. shit, other people are organizing and hosting all the time, they didn't get no ipods. but i'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, even if i just saw troy. plus i've been dying to join the white earphone club. and now i'm in, i am somebody, and i feel oh so cool and maybe now the shadowy figures on those colorful posters will now dance for me. thank you all so damn much. it's really amazing present enough for me that everyone can get together and just have a good ass time. that's really all i can ask for in life, meeting up at least once a year. a huge gathering that reminds us that we can still be irresponsible and bummy again. i mean, yeah, i live that life daily but thirty people and time to burn is college all over again. let's put to rest the "when will this happen again?" because it's gonna keep happening, it's kinda unstoppable.



trips that transcend expectations and continental divides are great. i need to learn more words to describe this sort of thing. or make up a word to describe the essence that is party to go. somehow, repeated usage of "great" "dope" and "cool" just doesn't give the experience enough justice.



my spirit is filled, my brain is running at ninety miles an hour, i'm just infused with energy. i slept like five hours a day and saw the sunrise every morning but yet was up before eleven. hallelujah. that was the most surprising thing, people were gathering outside the house and awake by ten am every day. east coast time i guess. once some morning person wakes up, it was over for the rest of us. i'm gonna try to write down and record every moment and thing and conversation for posterity, just for the "life is really good" book. thanks again for coming out. seriously. don't thank us, thank you. ya'll are amazing. and i just used "ya'll" like i thought i could, when obviously i can't. [pictures] [1] [2] [3] [$]