The Masters

Hey guys,

The mother of all golf tournaments – the Masters – starts next Thursday at Augusta National.  This is the one tournament that every professional golfer wants to win because the prestige and glory that comes with it is unlike any other PGA event.  For this golf wannabee, however, the closest I’ll ever get to the Masters is at Murphy’s Bar & Grill downtown where my buddies and I gather every year for the Masters Draw.  We all throw our names into a hat and then do a blind draw.  As each person’s name is called out they throw a few bucks into the pot and then try to choose one golfer who they think will win the tournament.  When it was my turn to pick, for some lame reason I chose Angel Cabrera … what was I thinking?!  That’s like picking Rosie O’Donnell to win the Boston Marathon!

We had a fun gig at The Swim last night although I was still feeling some of the effects from my recent cold.  It was our friend Yutaka’s birthday, so he came down to celebrate with friends, Misa and Mina, Studio Rim DJs, Reiko and Hiroko, and a couple of Reiko’s guests from Sendai.  I also want to thank Ken and Sylvia from Chicago who told me they initially stopped by to grab a quick drink but ended up staying til the end because they enjoyed the music so much!  And a big mahalo to Ohbuchi-san from Fukuoka for also stopping by … he’s a musician and radio DJ there, and a big fan of MDNA.  We’ll be up there in a couple of weeks so we hope to see him again …

I was pretty tired after we were done so I decided not to join Yutaka and the gang for some karaoke afterward.  I did receive a text photo from Nick later showing our song “Aloha You – Kizuna” on the karaoke screen … pretty cool!  Instead, Mark and I headed over to Ryan’s in the Ward Center to grab a quick bite before heading home.  Boy, that 2nd floor seems so deserted now since Compadres and E&O Trading Co. closed … Ryan’s is the only restaurant there now but they still seem to be doing ok.  I always order their pizza insalata – a crispy crusted pizza topped with fresh greens and tomatoes, a cider vinegar dressing, and grated parmesan cheese.  It is so awesome … try it the next time you’re there!

Aloha, “D”