[Dana White] said he’s found “the next Anderson Silva,” a lightweight who is competing in Season 8 of TUF at 155 pounds, though he declined to release the fighter’s name because it might spoil the season. “I was going off when I saw this guy,” White said. “He’s 24 and he’s destroying people. It’s sick how bad ass he is. I’m getting goose bumps talking to you about him.”
Mike turned the big Three-Oh on Monday and over the weekend I threw him two birthday parties: one decoy fondue party at Brutus on Saturday night (which got busted up by a f%@!ing riot breaking out before 11PM), and one surprise party at Red on Sunday. I've never thrown a surprise party before...oh wait, that's not true. I kinda sorta threw Julie a surprise party last year but it was really small and there wasn't a lot involved other than gathering a bunch of friends, picking up some food, and showing up at her apartment unannounced. Come to think of it, I don't think she was all too pleased at first (I mean, seriously, who likes it when people just show up unannounced?), but she was totally fine after a few beers and a pound of birthday cake.
Anyway, I planned the surprise party to go down on Sunday around noon at Red. I chose that time and location for several reasons. One, no one gigs at noon on Sunday so all Mike's bandmates could be there. Two, Patrick Palomo plays (or used to play) brunch at Red on Sunday so if any of the boys wanted to get up and play, Patrick was more than happy to share the stage. Three, we spend copious amounts of time in bars at the various gigs and I wanted to take the party out of the bar to a place where people could bring their families if they wanted to. It would be the first time I'd actually see some of Mike's friends in the light of day.
So I had the date and venue in mind, and the next step was to ensure Mike had that day off which would be a little tricky since Mike gets his schedule from Watabe for the whole month a day or so before the month starts. If he was scheduled on July 13 I'd be hard-pressed for an idea or an excuse to get him to take the day off without arousing suspicion. Enter Rich Borja. Rich talked to Mike's boss and told him about my plan and asked him if he could give Mike that day off. And he did! So, thanks, Mike's boss Mike. :)
After that, everything was pretty easy to plan. I designed an invitation and got them delivered to Mike's inner circle. Sure, I could have invited all 223 of his MySpace friends but I wanted to keep the party intimate. 40 invitations went out and 34 RSVPs came back. I was very pleased. I ordered a cake, balloons, a few things here and there, and I designed the Mike Hartendorp Activity Placemat (which turned out pretty cool). Everything was smooth sailing.
So how did I get Mike to Red on Sunday morning without arousing suspicion? After talking to Patrick Palomo about the sound system at Red, I found out Pat was not going to be playing on Sundays anymore and that gave me a brilliant idea on how to get Mike to his surprise party. Re-enter Rich. I called Rich and told him to tell Mike that Ruben at Red asked if Rich and Mike could play brunch on July 13 because they hadn't found a replacement for Patrick yet. Of course, Mike said he'd do it since he didn't have to work that day.
Anyway, this is getting long, so to cut to the chase: after a bit of stalling for time in the bathroom on my part, I drove Mike to Red on Sunday and he was completely surprised. And it was fantastic. My goal from the start was to gather his closest friends to celebrate him in a place where they could all play music together and I did it with the help of some of my friends. A huge thank you to Mindi, Jessica, Julie, Logan, Richard and Madrid for helping me pull off the surprise of the year. And thanks to everyone who came to the party and spent their Sunday afternoons with us.
There are many photos from the party on my flickr stream. I also put this little video together in which I tried to include all the highlights. Enjoy!
Everyone should have a party thrown in their honor at least once in their lifetime. You all have a little over 6 months to plan my 35th birthday party. Hop to it, people!
"A retired astronaut regrets the fact that he missed his chance to go to the moon. He spends his days developing a theme-park ride, until he is given new hope when the commonwealth of Guam hires him to start a space program..." [link: The New York Times]
and here...
"Plot: A washed-up ex-astronaut gets a second chance at going to the moon when he is selected by a wealthy industrialist who wants to put his homeland of Guam on the map by starting a space program..." [link: sciflicks.com]
I don't see a director listed in the credits, but the producer listed is Jordan Kerner who produced Fried Green Tomatoes, a favorite of mine, and many other familiar and successful films. One of the writers listed is Jon Favreau who wrote the screenplay for Swingers, another favorite of mine.
I was depressed last night so I called Lifeline.
Got a call center in Pakistan.
I told them I was suicidal.
They got all excited and asked if I could drive a truck.
Tune in tonight to PBS Guam Channel 12 and help support public broadcasting. The pledge drive is loaded with entertainment... Renaissance, Biggah and Bettah, Maseha, Miko & Stevie, Ryan Imamura, Patrick Palomo & Friends, Mistah Massive, Acoustic Soul, and tons more!
Click to enlarge:
If you can't watch the program because you're off-island or working, you can still call in and pledge your support! Telephone numbers are on the flyer. ;)
The Color Game at the liberation carnival is an institution on Guam. I've always wanted to rock the mic at the Color Game. I totally have the spiel down.
This is going out to all of you who have been away from Guam for x amount of time and might be missing home. :)
Hi! Sorry it's been kinda quiet around here; not much has been going on lately that is worth mentioning. Well, gasoline is up to $4.67 a gallon here on Guam, but is the rising cost of fuel newsworthy anymore?
I've been thinking that it's time for a new segment of 18 Clips. The thing is, I haven't come up with a topic that I think is interesting enough.
