Backtracking

June 25, 2008

Up earlier this morning, making our way up towards San Simeon to see Hearst Castle before heading back south.

We left Monterey yesterday morning and began the trek down through Big Sur and toward Cambria on the south end. However, after driving about 30 miles down Highway 1, we hit a roadblock informing us that wildfires ahead of us had forced the highway to be closed.

It was pretty unfortunate, since that drive was a highlight we had all been looking forward to, but at least we still got to see part of it. We briefly stopped at the River Inn to walk around; Chris and I hung out for a little while down in the cold creek while Justin and John shopped. Afterwards, we turned around, made our way back to Monterey and over to Highway 101, which we took about 125 miles down from Salinas to San Luis Obispo.

We did make one eventful stop in Paso Robles to get our oil changed. After we had told our attendant, George, about our journey, he began sharing stories of the days he hitchhiked all over the country — except to Minnesota: “Why would anyone go to Minnesota?” He then told us about the time his sister hitchhiked from London to Istanbul; though she made sure to get back to London in time, because she got knocked up in Rome and if she made it back, the public health system would cover it.

We all just kind of nodded, not knowing what the hell to say, but appreciated the story.

Getting to San Luis Obispo, we settled into a hotel and made our way to the downtown area for dinner. We have seen a lot of beautiful coastal cities, but for four recent college grads, this one felt like the best fit. Being a college town — home to Cal Poly — we found a good BBQ restaurant, before following the crowds to the Frog & Peach for pints.

We’re about 40 miles south of Hearst Castle, so we have to backtrack a little up Highway 1. Afterwards, we’ll make our way down to Santa Barbara — about 150 miles from the castle — where we’ll meet one of Justin’s friends for dinner. The plan is to stay there for two nights, before making our way to Los Angeles on Friday for a night game between the Dodgers and the Angels.

Today, Chris is sporting his traveling hat found at a drugstore, complete with his newly purchased Hawaiian shirt from Wal-Mart. Should make for some good photo-ops.


A Word with the “Underdog”

June 25, 2008

[A note for transparency’s sake: Phil was too lazy to actually conduct this interview.]

Phil: First and foremost, according to the Facebook Event Wall, Justin “Golden Beard” Malenius is favored roughly 2 to 1. How do you respond to that, and what, perhaps, is your strategy to defeat the man-boy that is the all-consumer?

C$C: Frankly, Mr. Phil, I relish that disparity. I have no fear. Some say this is madness–well I say, this is Sparta.

Phil: Come again?

C$C: [giggles] Come. I mean, I thrive in the crunch-zone. If there is pressure, adversity, fog-on-the-motherfuckin’-horizon, I will overcome it with a springboard-like zeal, heretofore unseen.

Phil: Right… So what’s your plan?

C$C: What’s the Marines’ motto? “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast”?

Phil: That’s “Survivor.”

C$C: Right. But anyway, he’s a pussy. I know this.

Phil: You’re an idiot. You’re going to lose.

C$C: No, I’m serious, no one’s ever let me show them what I can do–well, now I can.

Phil: There you have it folks. God help us all.


Interview with the Golden Boy

June 25, 2008

Here is a little Q&A with one of the contestants, Justin “Golden Boy” Malenius, regarding his preparation for the upcoming battle.

Me: So, how does one prepare for a cheeseburger eating contest?

Golden Boy: To be honest, I have been training my whole life. Similar to a professional athlete that lives his sport from whenever he can remember, I have been eating a lot for the same duration. Every time a normal person has a plate of food and reaches that point where they think they are “full,” I recognize that like a unicorn or sasquatch, being “full” is just a figment of my imagination. This will only be another circumstance to which I get past the notion of being full.

Me: Where did you learn this eating style?

Golden Boy: I attribute all of my eating success to my family. Besides a very pale exterior adorned with baby blue eyes and golden fleece that my parents gave me, they also gave me a large appetite (and something else large too, thanks Beefsman). Ever since I was a child, I have always eaten large amounts of food. I simply followed my mother’s saying that “I was a growing boy.” Well the growing has not stopped, and neither has my consumption of large amounts of food.

Me: You are bound to get to a point in the bout to where you are in pain and will want to stop. What will you do to attempt to get past this point?

Golden Boy: I have always been a proponent of finding a happy place to get my mind out of a bad one. An example: I am having a conversation with an attractive woman that usually has the personality of egg salad and I want to pay enough attention so that she doesn’t just think I am oogling at her, while at the same time trying to save my time and my ears to avoid hearing about Juicy Couture and Paris Hilton. Knowing that me having a conversation with an attractive woman (that’s interested in me, not a friend) is a rarity in itself, I will not want to mess it up (but usually do). Similar to having a hyped cheeseburger eating contest and not wanting to look like a clown in front of my friends. Solution: pay just enough attention to stay in the conversation while analyzing the Cubs chances of winning the World Series and how great the next Batman is going to be. Unfortunately I do not have a lot of experience in either situation, but this will be my strategy nonetheless.

Me: Not really sure what that means or if that strategy even works, with women or with food. In fact, it really was just a long winded attempt to do something that was not good at all.

Golden Boy: That’s what she said.

Me: If she was with you, probably. My last question is, if you are to win this contest, what is the one thing that you will attribute your victory to?

Golden Boy: The blond beard. All of my strength is derived from the blond beard and I will be dedicating my upcoming victory to all blond men that struggle with facial hair.