New Look & Feel...

The Hunter and The Hunted

I've always said that a little country never hurt anyone.  Although I was originally referring to country music it moreso applied to Far Hills, NJ earlier this month.  We've all heard the stories about how crazy the tailgates are at this horse steeplechase and how many people have yet to see a horse.  This was my third time at this beautiful establishment and I was eager to Get Involved (See 2008 Theme).  I'd like to start with a quote...

"Horse sense is the only thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people" - W.C. Fields

If the horses happened to be betting on that sunny Fall afternoon in October, I sure hope they were betting on me to mix everything in sight and cut my jeans into capris for no apparent reason.  I should have know that Yoo-Hoo w/ Baileys followed by Orange Juice and Vodka didn't exactly get the day started off right.  

Our crew really did a great job of turning heads at the tailgate and The Hunt overall.  Things started off slowly, like always, but then continued to escalate exponentially.  Once again, if I knew how to properly use my Macbook I would post several pictures that illustrate our uncanny ability to branch out and make friends.  Randomly, Laura became BFF's with this woman that teaches at my former elementary school.  I thought it was a good idea to ask her if she's ever heard of me, as if people still talk about how I used to dominate recess.  Confirmed.  

If only we caught the train and went straight home to crush some sleep.  Instead, we took 2 bottles of red wine from the tailgate and polished them off on the train ride home.  I don't exactly remember much of the ride so I guess that means that I managed to, yet again, 'lose my bearings' at The Hunt.  Please note:  At this time I was wearing jeans cut into capris.  We embarked on the town of Hoboken with Wicked Wolf and the Shannon in our sights.  I remember eating a burger then sipping on a RBV before venturing off on my own.  I wound up finding my former roommate, Joe, and for whatever reason we thought it was a good idea to meet up with the remaining crew at The Shannon.  

My apologies for dropping an entire beer in my incoherent state and getting us all thrown out.  

The next day was Sunday and may have been the worst day of the year.  I sat on the couch and the lyrics of Dierks Bently came to mind almost immediately ... "What Was I Thinkin?"

Program Update:

I have started eating 3 meals a day and it's paying huge dividends.  My diet is shocking but I feel great about filling out my tiny body at an alarming rate.

Haiku:

The Hunt in Far Hills

Let's Drink the Entire Bar

I Lost my Bearings

Running at the Front of the Pack,

Romo

Kev's Night Out and a Collection of Unrelated Events

So the title pretty much sums up tonight's post.  It's Wednesday night and I'm watching Orlando Magic preseason basketball with my roommate because Fox is not airing on Cablevision right now.  I'd probably be watching the Magic anyways but that's besides the point.  The team looks great and I'll be sure to post some bold predictions later on...

Shocking News: Another big week for Romo's Spot

Thursday:

Once again the weekend started early last week with a night out on the town.  I started out at a networking event in the city then made my way back across the river to Madison's in Hoboken with my brother (not literally), Vinny.  The music was playing and the drinks were flowing, but I knew that I not only had to make it to work on Friday but actually be on time for once.  There was a moment around 11:45 when Quinn and Co. wanted to make the move downtown.  Luckily, we came to the realization that we all live uptown and that was a terrible idea.  Maybe next Thursday.  

Friday:

Tonight was the SUPER DIAMOND (Neil Diamond Tribute Band) concert at the Highline Ballroom in New York City.  My brother Kevin got Adam and I tickets for the event which was shocking behavior since he's usually too busy walking his dog, LILY!  I knew this night was going to be a marathon, not a sprint, due to the fact that it was also my Not-So-New-Best-Friend's birthday party at Slate in the city.  We hit a couple bars in the area before making our way to the lesser known concert hall.  Upon arrival, we knew we were in for a treat.

If you haven't seen a Michael McDonald cover band then you need to immediately...

I still have no idea who he is, but he made great music.  The 8-man band mixed in a few crowd favorites as well including the Ghostbuster's Theme Song and Toto's 'Rain Down in Africa'.  When they closed with 'Rain Down in Africa' I remember Adam confirming that they were, in fact, playing this song live.  The crowd seemed a bit uneasy as they were all kinds of fired up for Super Diamond.  

When Super Diamond finally made it out on stage at 10:30 I feared that I would never make it to the birthday party.  Similar to the classic Flintstone's episode where Fred needs to be two places at once.  Those feelings subsided once the lights came on and Surreal Neal broke the silence.  This guy was no joke and he sounded more like Neil Diamond than Neil Diamond.  My favorite moment, however, was when I was showing off my air drums to the drummer from the opening Michael McDonald cover band.  Needless to say, he was very impressed...

Adam and I made our way to Slate around 1am and I felt like I was going to pass out on one of the couches.  Fortunately Janal was already lying on the couch so I decided to go with a Red Bull & Vodka instead.  Good Choice.  Me, Adam, Laura, Keating, and Karl decided to keep the party going so we took a cab crosstown to Sap's favorite bar, TONIC.  Next thing I know I'm back at Malibu Diner then woke up on the couch to the blinding sun at 8am.  Seamless..

Sunday:

KARL LAUFENBERG!!

Karl invited Adam and I to the Giants game vs. the Lions at the new stadium.  His family and friends had a great tailgate setup and I don't think I've eaten that much since college when I was trying to put on weight for basketball.  Some of the guys stayed in the parking lot to watch the games on Directv, but we made our way to the seats.  I'm not sure if I ever mentioned it before but I don't do well with blood and/or fighting.  I'm tough as nails and I crush the bag at CKO Kickboxing, but my last fight was with two girls at homecoming in college and I lost.  I won't get into details about that fight but I will tell you that catching a pint of ice cold beer in your eyes really burns.  Anyways, Karl and I went down to grab some beers midway through the 2nd quarter only to return to find a trail of blood leading back to our seats.  Adam sat in his seat looking like he just saw a ghost.  Instead he witnessed an angry father beat the living hell out of some guy for throwing up on his son earlier in the game.  When that guy's friend tried to stop the beating he was nearly thrown off the upper deck.  We left early in the second half to head back to the tailgate where I wasn't in danger of throwing up.  The last train left at 5:45 so we stuck around for that and I got back to Hoboken a few pounds heavier with a sick tan.  I knew I was getting burned earlier in the day but Karl assured me that it was a Fall Sun so there was nothing to worry about.  Thanks Karl.

Kickball Update:

Going into Tuesday night's matchup against 'When I Kick It Burns' our team 'PUT HIM IN A BODY BAG, JOHNNY!!' was 0-2 in desperate need of a win.  I sat down with Soko and Adam at Willie's to split a couple pitchers and put together a more strategic approach in week 3.  We had just enough players and everyone came out to play.  Soko crushed it in Left Field and Tozzi showed some real signs of life at Shortstop.  We picked up a 6-4 victory and we all felt great about it.  Hopefully the team can Crush it again next week in my absence.

NBA Prediction:

The Orlando Magic will beat the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals and win the championship in 7 games.  Getcha' Popcorn Ready!!

The Hunt is this Saturday and I have a big trip planned to Chicago next week.  At this point, I have no plans for Halloween but my guess is that will change pretty quickly.  We cancelled Ragnar in the Florida Keys because I'm actually headed to Dubai.  Hopefully we can lock up Ragnar race in Southern California next April to make up for it.  Next thing I know I'll be back in Myrtle Beach looking to redeem last year's performance.

Haiku:

Michael McDonald

Not a Great Kickball Player

Voice of an Angel

Running at the Front of the Pack,

Romo

What a Difference a Year Makes...

So Columbus Day marked the 1 year anniversary of Romo's Spot.  I want to take this time to thank my followers and let them know that I'm ready to Crush It in year 2.  There were so many story lines over the past 12 months that I tried to touch on, but I don't want to focus too much on the past.  If you haven't noticed already, the blogspot has a new look and feel in this new era.  On the right hand side I set up links to Killer Blogs that may or may not still exist due to potential copyright infringements.  Once I learn how to use my Macbook I will start including more photos as a form of visual confirmation.  

Let's take a quick look back and prepare for what is to come in the next few months...

Just 12 months ago I remember taking resumes from friends who were eager to get involved with Romo's Spot.  Once the team was set, we created business cards that are still in circulation today with my beautiful face plastered on the front.  I quickly learned to take it as positive feedback whenever someone took a look at card and broke out into laughter.  Blogspot Crush!  Within a few months I began posting meaningless content to a limited number of followers.  It didn't look like romosspot.blogspot.com would keep its head above water.  I just couldn't understand why people didn't care about the Orlando Magic and/or Lost ...  But then we took our talents to Facebook.

The blog is still a work in progress but I am confident that my shocking lifestyle and willingness to live for the blog will lead to some entertaining posts in the near future.  I recently formed an alliance with jamsofthemonth.blogspot.com, but it has since been shut down by 'The Man'.  Keating boarded a plane and nobody knows his whereabouts so hopefully he's just laying low for the time being until the recording industry can recover.  This puts a lot of weight on my shoulders but I'm up for the challenge.  

Here are a list of key events in the next few months:

Super Diamond Concert

Not-So-New-Best-Friend's Birthday Party

The Hunt

Roommate's Birthday

First Trip to Chi-town

Cousin's Wedding

New Year's

Ragnar Relay

Dubai/Barcelona???

I hope you enjoy the new layout and I'll see you in the winner's circle...

Haiku:

Blog has gone global

Kickball career has gone south

Still without a theme

Running at the Front of the Pack,

Romo

Jack Shephard isn't about to Walk Through that Door...

So I saw the new facebook movie this weekend with my old roommate, Joe, after a night out at Quay's in Hoboken celebrating Laura's birthday.  We figured there was no better way to spend a beautiful, sunny Fall afternoon than at the Movies devouring a large popcorn and soda.  

They got me to upgrade from a Medium for only 30 cents more ... Guilty!!

The movie is called The Social Network and it's meant to tell the story around how Facebook was created and the legal cases that ensued.  We learn that his best and only friend sued him for $600 million after he purposely forced him out of the company and eliminated his agreed upon ownership stake in the start-up company.  I know my roommates would never do that to em.  Most viewers walked out of that theatre thinking about how Mark Zuckerberg is really smart albeit a complete dousche.  I, however, can't stop talking about how it all started with a blog post one drunken evening.  This plain and simple fact has given Romo's Spot new life.  Now all we need is some direction, some followers, and maybe even a theme.

This cinematic adventure took place at the end of yet another long week out on the town.  Let's take a quick look at the Life of Ryan (Not the Skater who had his own tv show)...

Monday:

October was fast approaching and Ragnar is only 3 months away.  Instead of Crushing free wing night at 10th and Willow I hit the ground running with a purpose.  For the first time in awhile I actually felt pretty good despite the fact that I could taste the booze from the weekend and my hip flexors were still recovering from Kickball ten days earlier ... DOMS!  I took down a protein shake and went to bed thinking that I actually accomplished something today.  

Tuesday:

Happy Birthday Laura!  We had a Kickball game scheduled so it looked like either Willie McBrides or Madison's afterwards, but mother nature spoiled those plans.  Instead, we drove to Union City for some bowling.  Fortunately, my NSNBF and my roommate were willing to drive with me.  I know it was only because the other car was full, but I won't take it personally.  I'm still looking to name my car something classic but it hasn't hit me just yet.  My first thought was Black Mamba except Kobe Bryant stole that one.  Anyways, it wound up being League Night so all the lanes were occupied.  The birthday girl wasn't too happy so we decided the next best spot was Willow Billiards across from the Rite Aid parking lot.  Of course they were hosting leagues that night as well.  Thankfully 'The Spot' was open on Willow so we celebrated in that sweat box.  Overall it was a fun night and yes I took down a Birthday Cake shot.  I'm embarrassed...

Wednesday:

Just another Wednesday night at Brojos on 31st and Lexington.  My Life Coach and I may have jumped the gun when we headed there directly after work, but those nights never end quietly.  Natty Light pounders are still my drink of choice and a little country music never hurt anyone.  A couple college buddies met up before we left for The Hill on 3rd Avenue around 10pm.  I had managed to pace myself and I was pretty excited about my performance.  Fast forward an hour or so and Fredo tells me the bartender wants to take a shot with us.  I take down what appeared to be a double shot of Patron for some unknown reason and found myself walking swiftly towards the men's room.  Perfect!  Later I decide to forego public transportation and take a cab back to Hoboken.  I must be the worst negotiator in the city because somehow the price kept going up.  

Thursday:

I don't even remember what I did Thursday night.  I did, however, post a picture on Facebook with my new Droid Incredible of a waitress serving me a tiny beer.  My guess is that I promoted my blog and tried to recruit people for Ragnar Relay.  Shocking.

Friday:

Tonight was a celebration of life.  An open bar at The Quay's with a welcoming dance floor was clearly the place to be.  I wore my high tops that I haven't sported since Janal's Bday Party last summer.  They may lack mileage but they should do grab people's attention.  My favorite part was walking home at the end of the night and having a car pull up beside me with 2-3 guys inside yelling, "Nice Sneakers Pussy!"  They sped off and I didn't even have time to respond.  Drive-By Crush!!

Now that Fall is underway I need to buckle down and start seriously training for Ragnar Relay in the Florida Keys.  Suddenly there are talks of a global sales conference in Dubai this January so I am hoping we don't have a conflict.  I can't imagine that being true, but I'm sure crazier things have happened.  I'm back in the gym trying to transform my tiny body and I'm really started to look forward to The Hunt.  

Haiku:

Tuesday is league night

Scared to tell the birthday girl

Late night drive-by crush

See you in the Winner's Circle,

Romo

The Event (a.k.a. My Birthday Week)

"Though an old man I am but a young gardener" - Thomas Jefferson

Let's just start this off by saying that I am still in a mild state of disbelief that I am now 27 years old.  The jury is still out as to whether or not that is consider mid or late twenties, but there was no way that I was going to let that get in the way of my birthday celebration...

In recent years I have treated every birthday like I was turning 12 years old again.  This year would be no different.  Coming off a 26th birthday where I partied at the new W Hotel in Hoboken and joined King Phillippe's Court, I couldn't help but get involved.  Here is a daily recap of my birthday week leaving me to wonder if my liver will make it to 28.

Sunday:

I woke up at 8am on Sunday morning and the forecast spelled trouble.  It was the Giants home opener at the new meadowlands stadium and my friends from home were throwing a big tailgate.  Although I didn't have tickets, a few of us were thinking about trying to scalp or even just watch the game from a TV in the parking lot.  My dad told me that is was going to rain so I reverted back to adolescence and decided that meant I should probably go against his word and head to the train station.  Next thing I know, it was 9:30am and I was crushing beers with my new best friend, Jermaine.  We reached our destination just as the clouds were rolling in.  I could feel myself turning heads as I walked to the farthest point in the parking lot where my friends set up their tailgate, lot K12.  Everyone had on their Giants gear and several idiots mistook my Kenny Phillips #21 jersey for Tiki Barber.  

Hours later, the game was set to begin but Joe and I were still without tickets.  Luckily Laura and her crew from 'God's Country' had a tailgate of their own that showed no signs of slowing down.  You would think that Lot M1 would be relatively close to K12, but that was not the case.  It took about 20 minutes to find the Minnie Winnie, but we were pleased to find an active game of flip cup and a TV covered by two large tents.  Next thing I know, Autumn tells a reporter from The Star Ledger that I would gladly answer a few questions.  I was about 8 drinks in when she started asking me about the fan experience in the stadium versus a social setting with friends.  I immediately ignored her questions and decided to promote my Fantasy Football team and of course my Blog, romosspot.blogspot.com.  She took down the url but the conversation pretty much stopped when she asked me what I blog about.  I'm still waiting for a phone call from the photographer, Jennifer Gregg.   We left the stadium at 5:30pm after most of the fans were already gone and I remember walking into my apartment a couple hours later thinking that this was going to be a long week.

Monday:

I take Fantasy Football a little too seriously and tonight was a big night for my work league.  My co-owner and I were down 38 points with 2 games remaining and things were looking bleak.  Adam, Austin, and I thought it would be a good idea to crush Rogo's in Hoboken for 'ribs night' and see if the Fantasy Gods were going to show up...

Adam ordered two racks of ribs.

Mid-game, Adam started to look a bit fatigued but my guys were coming up with big play after big play.  The daquiri machine was working hard for us, and it looked like we might be able to pull this one out.  I remember Jamaal Charles breaking a 56-yard touchdown run to give my team the lead and we would never look back.  The three of us returned to the apartment after a pit stop at 'The Spot' and it was 1am in the morning by the time I dropped a pretty sweet cannonball on my mattress.

Tuesday:

Tonight was the Jay-Z/Eminem concert at the new Yankee Stadium.  I knew this concert was going to be shocking when I heard Jay-Z come on the radio and say, "This isn't a concert.  It's a life experience."  I may or may not have looked like a jackass with my purple button down shirt and shiny shoes, but I felt great about it once we walked into the stadium.  The lineup looked something like this:

B.O.B.

Eminem

50 cent

Dr. Dre (I almost forgot about Dre)

Jay-Z

Kanye West

Drake

Niki Minaj (butchered that)

Beyonce

Mary J. Blige

Coldplay

The drinks were flowing and my eyes were burning from all the secondhand smoke, but it was nothing short of amazing.  It actually made me want to be a rapper haha.  Maybe I won't be Mark Wahlberg from Rock Star for Halloween after all.  50 sang me Happy Birthday and I plan on sending him a handwritten letter very soon.  A late night stop at Malibu Diner to crush disco fries never sounded better by the time we got back to Hoboken.  Good thing I took off the next day of work because I remember cracking a beer at 3am and passing out on the small couch.  Perfect!

Wednesday:

So today was my actual birthday.  I woke up at 11am to jump on a call for work before taking my first nap of the day.  I drove to the mall and couldn't resist KFC for lunch and taking a cat nap between bites.  I returned home to throw in a load of laundry and take another nap.  By the time dinner came around I had no plans and that was fine with me.  A few of us ate at Turtle Club before calling it a night in preparation for our first Kickball game of the season.  I think I was awake for about 10-12 hours all day.

Thurday:

Joe was in town and I got a random phone call from Goode.  This night had Willie McBrides written all over it.  Unfortunately the game was cancelled which gave us even more time at the bar.  For some reason I thought it would be a good idea to order 'Trash Cans' from the best bartender in Hoboken, Julie.  The first one gave me a brain freeze I won't soon forget so of course we thought it would be a good idea to crush a second one 15-20 minutes later.  Fast forward to 1am and we were dangerously close to booking a mancation to Punta Cana.  Part of me wishes that we spent the weekend on the beach, but then I realized that I have a tiny body.

Friday:

Tonight was my joint b-day party with Austin at Brojos in the city.  My stomach felt like it was in knots and I very nearly lost it after a fishbowl and a Jaegar bomb.  My goal was to steal another gator friend from the fishbowl, but I quickly lost track of my prized possession.  People were coming and going but I did get to meet a famous poker player and get a picture with him.  I'm sure he appreciated it when I told him not to worry "I'll put on my poker face."  The party was a great success and it wouldn't be right if we hadn't capped it off with a trip to Malibu Diner.  Tom put on another great performance and the waitress definitely recognized me from Tuesday night.  Hopefully I can remove the diner from my 10-day cycle going forward.

Saturday:

At this point my body was shocked with my behavior.  We were pregaming and I noticed the girls had made me a birthday cake with my name on it.  It looked great and there wasn't a mouse in sight.  We made it rain at the bar and tore it up on the dance floor before returning home for an episode of Jersey Shore, Pizza, and Autumn's late night piece of cake haha.

It was a great birthday week to say the least and it's now time to get back on The Program.  Ragnar Relay in the Florida Keys is fast approaching and I am not in the best of shape.  We have another big birthday weekend coming up since everyone was apparently born in September so hopefully I can weather the storm and make a pit stop in the bowling alley before it's all said and done.

Haiku:

Birthday week complete

I throw a premiere party

Nobody shows up

Running at the Front of the Pack,

Romo

Program Update

So it's Friday afternoon and I'm about to punch the clock to officially kick off the weekend. Naturally, my first stop will be CKO to CRUSH THE BAG and turn heads at the gym. One thing to note is that I have recently been jumping rope a lot and I'M SEEING RESULTS!! Take a look at the picture above and try telling me those girls won't be rock stars one day (NOJO), or at least have their own tv show (i.e. Life of Ryan). Jumping rope is one of America's favorite pasttimes and I'm determined to bring it back. At least to the streets of Hoboken, NJ.


Running at the Front of the Pack,

Romo