Monthly Archives: July 2025

22/07/2025
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Baseball, California, Sport, Travel, USA

A Trip to the 2024 World Series

With the current baseball season at its midway point, I figured it would be the right time to return to one of my favorite memories of 2024.

This will, of course, be about the 2024 World Series.

Throughout my life, I have attended hundreds of baseball games. Most of them have been at Dodger Stadium. Chavez Ravine is a pain in the ass to leave after the game is over, but it’s a gorgeous stadium to visit. It has, when the air isn’t smoggy, a perfect view of the San Gabriel Mountains beyond center field. Opposite the mountains and behind home plate, at the edge of the parking lot, you have an unparalleled view of Downtown Los Angeles. I may wax poetic here because it’s my hometown team, but I love attending a home Dodger game.

Since I was in high school, from 2001 to 2005, I have attended numerous regular-season and playoff games, but I have never attended a World Series. I am part of a group that holds season tickets, and when it comes time for playoff games, we rotate our attendance. During my time in this group, the Dodgers have appeared in four World Series. But I was not in attendance for any of those games.

Let me tell you where I was during those four World Series runs. In 2017, I attended NLCS Game 2 at Dodger Stadium against the Cubs, and as a result of the game, I lost my voice. In 2018, I attended another NLCS game, this time Game 3, and it was a forgettable loss to the Brewers. In 2020, only a limited number of fans were allowed to attend the World Series, which was held in Texas. I had a work trip that had me miss a game by one day. Grrr! Finally, in 2024, the rotation landed with me going to a World Series game. I was in my hotel room watching Game 1, and if you don’t know, this is how it ended. It would be hard to beat that moment, but I didn’t need it. I just wanted to be at a game and see my team play in person.

After arriving hours before first pitch, we snaked our way through the concourse to find merchandise. The lines were insane! I was lucky to get a program and a bottle opener. I ended up finding a ball and a few pins while I was in my seat, via online marketplaces (Etsy and eBay for the win!). The only bright spot to being in line was when Magic Johnson walked by.

Yes, they are blurry! I had to act fast!

Sitting in our seats, primed for the action, we waited for a long ass time. We got there early. Very early. But I would rather that than rushing to my seat and missing a moment of the action. It was a really entertaining game. The Dodgers took the lead. The Yankees came back. The Dodgers retook the lead. The Yankees clawed back and made it too close for comfort in the ninth inning before being shut down. Here are highlights, if you have 13 minutes to spare.

The guys had done it and needed to win two more. There was no way I was putting the cart before the horse, though. In 2017 and 2018, I bought World Series-branded hats because it had been since 1988 that the Dodgers played in the Fall Classic. They lost those two series, and I learned my lesson. Superstition got the best of me, and in 2020 and 2024, I didn’t buy any hats or shirts until the Series was won.

This was also the game in which Shohei Ohtani injured his arm while sliding into second base. I heard a stadium go quiet once before, but not like this. This was on the biggest stage. Ohtani had done so much to help push and carry this team to this point. The rest of the team picked it up and eventually brought the team over the line to become champions, but not before Ohtani scared the living bejeezus out of everyone in attendance.

When the final out was caught, and Randy Newman’s I Love LA began to play, the sweetest sense of relief overcame me. How can you not be romantic about baseball?

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15/07/2025
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Europe, Travel, Wales

Wales’ Stunning Beaches: A Paradise for Beach Lovers

When you think of Wales, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it Doctor Who? Because for me, it’s Doctor Who. Many of the newer seasons (think Christopher Eccleston, also known as The Ninth Doctor, and beyond) have been filmed almost exclusively in Wales. Little did I know that Wales was also famous for its beaches!

Upon closer consideration, it makes sense. There are 1,680 miles of coastline. There are also numerous stunning beach communities and spots that dot the coastline. Even in the wintertime, these spots were excellent to visit.

Our first stop was Tenby. I mean, look at that coastline. The beach stretches for miles, making it an excellent spot for a walk. It’s also a great spot to bring your dog! Not only was the beach a great spot to bring your dog, but Wales was severely more accommodating of dogs than anywhere I have seen in the States. It was wonderful to take our Labrador retriever hostess, Agnes, along with us on each of our stops.

Miss Agnes has a paddle.

Even with the clouds and quasi-chilly weather, it was a wonderful place for a stroll.

Turning our focus away from the beach, we went into town. The entire village is dotted with these brightly colored buildings that speak to its vibrancy. Sidenote, how do these cars drive down these tiny roads? Very carefully.

Tenby Harbour

After wandering through the streets and the shops, slightly depressed that there wasn’t an ice cream shop open, we found our way to a pub. Naturally.

My mom has this thing about drinking local beers wherever she goes. I like to do that too, so having a Harbwr Brewery beer in Tenby just made delicious sense. There are numerous shops and restaurants to choose from throughout the town. Being that it was Christmas Eve, I was surprised at how many spots were open. I was also surprised at seeing just how many people were out and about. Everyone was taking advantage of the weather, and it was delightful to be a part of it.

As I mentioned earlier, Wales is frequently used as a filming location for the show Doctor Who. One of its beaches was also used in the filming of the Harry Potter film series. Specifically, it was used for the final scene of The Deathly Hallows: Part One and the beginning of Part Two. The following section contains a massive spoiler; if you haven’t read the books or seen the movies, please continue scrolling until after the photos. ************* Scroll now to avoid it *************

I knew from research that there was a nearby beach that was the home of Dobby’s grave. I’ve got a brother-in-law who hates Dobby because of how much trouble he got Harry in. But enough about him and his myopic thinking. I wanted to see where they filmed the scene. It’s a moving scene because Dobby was one of the first sentient, magical creatures that Harry befriended, and in the end, Dobby sacrificed his own safety and well-being to save Harry and his friends. It’s a real gut punch given everything Harry has already lost up to that point.

First, we made our way to Freshwater West beach. The spot of Dobby’s grave is not too difficult to find. There will, more than likely, be people hovering around the makeshift grave just above the main beach. I was not expecting the site to be as moving as it was. When I walked up, I saw the sheer volume of stones with personal messages written on them for Dobby. This is a character in a book and film series. People from around the world have come here to pay their respects. It’s heartwarming to think about the impact he had on all of these people who left a note or message.

It should be noted that the Welsh government has asked people not to leave socks (it’s a house elf thing) by the grave because they could end up in the ocean, adding pollution to the beach. Leave your socks on your feet or in your drawers.

***** Spoilers Over *****

Our last beach of the day took us to Broad Haven Beach, located near Haverfordwest.

As you can see, it’s a lovely, crescent-shaped bay. The sand was soft. The mist coming off the water created an almost mythical atmosphere, making the space even more enchanting. As we walked the beach, along with Agnes, I couldn’t help but take in the beauty of the area. I live in and was born in California. It’s a place known for its beaches. But the Welsh beaches felt more magical. Maybe I’m seeing these beaches through Red Dragon-colored glasses, but all the spots we visited that day were places I want to return to and visit in the summer. I can’t say that about Santa Monica or Redondo Beach.

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09/07/2025
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Europe, Travel, United Kingdom, Wales

Welcome to Wales! From Football to Pantomimes

Why didn’t I stick with the “From The UK…” title? Well, it’s because of history.

I don’t know much about the Welsh-English conflict, but I know it has been, to make it tame, tumultuous. The English (ahem, Monarchy) forced the Welsh people to change their surnames and actively suppressed the Welsh language, to name a couple of instances. Side note: I am learning Welsh through Duolingo! It’s a beautiful and, at times, frustrating language.

Oh, and the Welsh flag is not depicted on the Union Jack. This is due to the Welsh flag being, technically, part of the kingdom of England at the time of its creation. So that awesome Dragon (Draig in Welsh) is absent from the UK flag. One more thing to blame the English for! 😅

The other reason for the title is football. If you weren’t aware, there is a documentary series on FX called Welcome to Wrexham. It follows Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney through their lives as owners of a Welsh football club, Wrexham AFC. It’s a truly great show, highlighting not only the club but also the people who support it. Even when the game results are known, it is at times thrilling. Then it also becomes incredibly heartfelt in its depiction of the citizens of The Town. They love their club as much as they love their town.

All that said…We went to Wales!

After leaving Liverpool, we headed off to our destination in South Wales. With that aforementioned FX show in mind, we took a little stop in Wrexham. It was very brief, as we were on a time crunch.

If you look at the right side of the photo above, you will see The Turf. It’s the white building next to the stadium. It is the local pub for fans of the team. We drove past it, and the parking lot, and I literally said out loud, “Oh! There’s the guy!” The “guy” was Wayne Jones, the owner and operator of The Turf. I don’t know why I was surprised to see the man from the show doing his actual job of running the quick-service burger stand next to the pub, but I was. It was like seeing a celebrity, and there he was, living his life.

After watching the series, we wanted to see a match, but it did not line up this time around. Plus, we had to get to Pembrokeshire for a Pantomime!

After making our way through the windy ways of Wales, we ended up in Pembrokeshire and the town of Llangwm. Our hosts, my partner’s former Au Pair, who now has a family of her own, wanted to take us to something that was a staple in the United Kingdom. That would be a Pantomime, also known as a Panto. In the States, we hear ‘pantomime’ and think about being voiceless, using music to express those words unsaid. That’s not what it means in British.

A Pantomime in the British vernacular refers to a musical or comedy show set to a fairy tale aimed at children but also featuring elements that appeal to adults. The audience is encouraged to participate. Characters will interact with the crowd. The audience will boo the villain and cheer for the prince. I had a few pints before we settled in, and I knew from the jump that this would be something special. The opening number was “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas. I had no idea what was going on but in the best way.

What followed was a retelling of Snow White filled with songs straight out of a jukebox musical, as well as one from a literal musical. “Symphony” by Clean Bandit, and “What is this Feeling?” from Wicked, to name a couple. I was told that most of the cast were locals. There were a few outliers. Our Prince was on Love Island (!) and the Fairy was in an early 2000s pop band, Liberty X. The rest of the cast seemed to be plucked out of the town, and that added to the charm and enjoyment factor. A sense of joy emanated from them. It was palpable and enhanced the experience.

The audience was feeling it. The cast was very animated. We were encouraged to boo the villain, but I thought he was misunderstood and only doing what he was told, even though deep down he didn’t want to. So I cheered for him. I even turned a few other audience boos into cheers. At one point, I managed to get the attention of the Dame and get one of our friends to go up on stage. He then got a pie to the face. Sorry Dylan!

It was, all in all, a really great experience and something wholly unique to this part of the world. It was a great way to begin our Welsh journey.

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