Friday, March 31
So 2/3 of the WeMakeItRain crew, and 3/4 of the Southwestern Central coaching staff, are travelling together for the Final Four. Allison and Racecar once again choose not to attend. This makes 2 years in a row, after two missed final fours in 2020 (Covid - canceled) and 2021 (Covid - rampant.) And although Houston was nowhere near close to our favorite Final Four city based upon its performance in 2016, we are determined to make this a fun trip - and give Houston another chance. This is a highly unusual Final Four - Connecticut, Miami, San Diego State, and Florida Atlantic - which could make this more interesting. The fact that South Florida makes up half of the teams, coupled with the fact that we all know people that live in Houston, we are certain that there will be several guest appearances this weekend. So, here we go with our arrival day. [Ed. Note - all times are the local times in which the event occurs.]
8:45 E.D.T. - Pepster begins the drive to FLL, when Racecar texts him asking him to leave the mail key. Pepster returns to leave the mail key.
9:01 - Kevin enters the Delta Sky Club in Reagan National and upon entering they thank travelers for being a diamond medallion member. As he walks in the door, the person in front of him his taking a video for Instagram. Kevin believes that person should immediately lose their Diamond medallion member status.
6:15 P.D.T. - Sinickal is waiting for an Uber at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles. The Wrestlemania crowd has been wild for the last few days.
6:24 - Sinickal says he can't wait until we figure out how to weave seeing Ric Flair in a pink and black blazer yesterday into this. (AND WE DID!)
10:21 E.D.T. Tony, in LaGuardia, exclaims to us via text, "There should be a MFing test that potential travelers need to take and pass with a min score of 85% before being allowed near any airport!"
10:27 - Pepster - thankful that their isn't such a test - is in Terminal 1 at the Fort Lauderdale airport checking into his flight at the Southwest counter. Pepster is flying Spirit. This is not going to go well.
10:28 - Kevin texts us that "In 2022, I gave everyone a pass because of the pandemic, but we are all past that now.
10:29 - Tony responds, "So, what you're saying is that you lowered your standards and now we are all paying for such a mistake?!
10:29:30 - Kevin, "It's possible."
10:44 - Pepster walks to Terminal 4 to check into is flight on Spirit. Has to sign a waiver understanding that his luggage may not arrive on the same flight. After he completes his check-in, the agent tells him that he now has to walk back to Terminal 3 for his gate. F'in Spirit.
11:16 - Pepster boards his Spirit airlines flight - and it is a BRAND NEW PLANE!!! A few obvious Final Four goers on the plane as several people are rocking FAU and Miami gear (I mean - the plane is leaving Fort Lauderdale), a few UConn, including the couple in Pepster's row, 1 San Diego State, 1 Gonzaga, 1 Kentucky and a whole lot of people who do not understand the fuss over "baloncesta."
11:40 - Kevin, "I do admire people boarding this plane walking past open luggage slots as the attendants are announcing that it's full if you're seated past a certain row." [Ed. note - this is textbook sarcasm.]
11:45 - From Kevin's plane - a male flight attendant yelled loudly on the topic of gate-checking bags because of the full flight, "I'm trying to tell them but they aren't listening to the words coming out of my mouth!" Man, Chris Tucker has fallen on hard times.
9:00 P.D.T. -Sinickal has a double Woodford and soda. Guy next to him nods approvingly and orders a double vodka soda. And, we're off.
12:11 E.D.T. - Pepster wheels up to Houston (50 minutes late so his bag better arrive on time too!)'
13:33 C.D.T. - Pepster arrives!
14:03 - While waiting (and hoping for his luggage) Pepster notices that apparently taupe is a popular color for luggage nowadays.
14:07 - After gathering his suitcase, Pepster heads to First Glass Bistro and Bar outside Terminal 1 security to wait for Tony.
14:20 - Three people at the bar are taling about somebody they know from some small town in upstate New York, and they then punctuate it by saying, "Upstate Upstate! You know, because some people consider Pougkeepsie upstate!" Pepster tells them, "And some people consider Westchester Upstate!" All 9 people in the bar laugh together!
14:28 - Bartender turns the volume up on the television (it was inaudible previously) just as the video for Wham's Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go comes on. Twenty-something girl at the bar starts snapping her fingers to the tune, which draws the attention of the 5 of us remaining in the bar. She quickly apologizes. Pepster tells her not to apologize, and to keep having fun. She starts snapping her fingers again - after a sip of wine.
14:31 - Tony arrives!
14:48 - Tony arrives in First Glass.
14:49 - Tony tells Pepster that he does make it hard to find him as Pepster is sitting in the first bar stool in a very small bar but behind the one column in the place.
14:52 - Pepster and Tony toast with the first joint beer of the weekend.
14:53 - Tony exclaims that it is nice to be one of the early arrivals.
14:53:18 - Pepster tells him he is not early, he is a year late! Tony says "well, better late than never!" (paying a homage to Cheech Marin in Ghostbusters). [Ed. Note - due to bad weather and canceled flights - Tony was not able to make New Orleans last year.]
15:58 E.D.T. - Kevin tells us via text that he just saw Teen Wolf. Not the movie Teen Wolf, not any of the actors that played Teen Wolf, but an ACTUAL teen wolf (primarily because of his - let's say overzealous - beard!)
15:58 E.D.T. - Sinickal lands in DC. Dude is mowing people down trying to exit the plane first.
15:30 C.D.T. - Pepster and Tony head to the AirBnB!
16:12 - Arrive at AirBnB! This place is pretty nice. A new four-floor townhouse nestled next to some older houses and wierdly unusual sidewalks. But the place is nice. Check out this shower!!!
16:50 - Pepster and Tony walk the neighborhood a bit with the purpose of finding a liquor store for some supplies - primarily Bloddy Mary ingrediants - but also to see what else we have nearby.
17:03 - Pop into Chapultapec Lupita - a quaint looking Mexican place - for a beer. There is no bar!!! They serve yes, so we had a beer. Felt bad taking up a table so we also grabbed a couple of tacos. Robert Downey, Jr.'s Doctor Doolittle is playing on the television. [Ed: recommend the beef tacos.]
18:05 E.D.T. - Sinickal wiating for his Uber on Capitol Hill to go back to the airport. Caught a smelly car - always the worst!
18:07 - Kevin receives word from his wife that some guy at their local bar just hit on her by asking if she liked sports. Kevin asks us to guess that dude's favorite teams - it is the Cowboys, Lakers, Yankees and UNC.
18:10 - Pepster, "Your wife got hit on by Drake?"
18:19 - Kevin relays that his wife responded to the guy by saying, "So you managed to pick 4 dynasties at their collective low point? Impressive!"
17:47 C.D.T. - Head across the street to the liquor store. They don't sell vodka. Well, they have one brand of peach-flavored vodka. We decide to pass. Good thing too, because they also only sold Clamato as their Bloody Mary mix. Looks like we will be ordering delivery.
18:07 - Kevin wheels down.
19:45 E.D.T. - Sinickal hates the Southwest Airlines business model.
18:58 C.D.T. - While waiting for Kevin to arrive at the AirBnB, Pepster introduces Tony to The Seventh Floor Crew. He had never heard the song before, but somehow was familiar with "G-Reg!"
19:22 - Kevin arrives at the AirBnB.
20:07 - In Uber to Gloria's.
20:14 - At Gloria's. The restaurant is hopping, but plenty of seats available at the bar. Right in front of the television for some Women's Final Four. We realize we missed the first game, which LSU won.
20:17 - As South Carolina and Iowa warm up for their semi-final game, LSU's coach Kim Mulkey arrives for her interview wearing some big, flowy, showy, pink suit with what can only be described as arms made of boas?! Kevin remarks that she looks like Bret "The Hitman" Hart.
As an aside, Silas was in Los Angeles for work, and due to his work's travel regulations has to fly home to D.C. before flying to Houston. While in LA, he shared a hotel with the Chicago Bulls, and investment conference and the stars of Wrestlemania. Among those stars was Ric Flair in a pink and black blazer. Basically, looking like Kim Mulkey.
20:25 - The way this menu describes the burrito basically sounds like the voice-over introduction to a Tex-Mex porno.
20:28 - Sinickal on the ground in Houston - where the road ends!
20:47 - Tip-off to the most anticipated basketball game in the Final Four - South Carolina versus Iowa.
20:57 - Pepster notices that the lady 4 seats down the bar from Tony is still sitting by herself, despite the bartender having placed two napkins on the bar; one for her seat and one next to her. We imagine that she is being stood up, probably thinking, "But I got all this surgery for you!"
21:04 - A lady walks in a greets her and they look remarkably similar - even in attire. Kevin asks us, "Mother, sister or aunt?"
21:07 - Discussing the phenomenon that IS Caitlyn Clark ... Kevin says she is basically Larry Bird. We start discussing how good Larry Bird could have been had he not hurt his back. Tony asks, "Do you know how he hurt his back?" Pepster responds, "Running and twisting his way away from his daughter?"
21:13 - We remark that the ladies down the bar were probably attractive with their original faces.
21:15 - WE ARE WHOLE!!!
21:15 - Sinickal sees the group and screams WHO WILL SEX THE SILAS!
21:21 - We notice a guy directly across the bar from us wearing a UConn hoodie eating by himself. We figure that he is the perfect embodiment of the State of Connecticut in that he was alone, and not really wanted by any of his neighbors.
22:18 - After leaving Gloria's to walk to Little Woodrow's and we hear music coming from a nearby establishment. Tony immediately recognizes the song as a dance remix of Taylor Swift's Anti-Hero, and he is absolutely confused that Pepster and Kevin did not know the song.
22:27 - Enter Little Woodrow's. This place is packed.
22:29 - Silas is on the ground.
22:38 - The DJ in Little Woodrow's just played a techo dance re-mix of Peanut Butter Jelly Time. Kevin remarks that it is like triple-stamping a double stamp.
22:42 - Tony, noticing one of the big screens on the outdoor patio states that he wants a yard just to put THAT up. I could watch it all the time and annoy the neighbors, and show scrambled 80s porno when not there. Pepster tells him that when not watching it he could just show an ad for Kenny Rogers' Roasters.
22:41 - Iowa's McKenna Warnock goes down hard, and hits her head solidly on the court. She immediately grabs her head writhing on the ground. Pepster remarks that she is holding her head like it would hurt after debating Herschel Walker.
22:50 - Iowa wins!!! Caitlyn Clark is THE TRUTH (sorry Paul Pierce!)
22:56 - We just found out that Little Woodrow's will not have turtle racing tonight, as they only have turtle racing on Thursdays. Pepster says they could just turn some drunk kids on their backs and see which one stands up first.
23:23 - Pepster friend Rich Samuels from Palm Beach Gardens arrives at Little Woodrow's with his wife Jessica and friends from Houston. His friend Measha from Houston is parking the car. Rich, Jessica and Measha are all long-time participants in Pepster's NCAA Tournament Pool, although Measha did not enter this year because he "didn't have a printer!"
00:06 - During conversation about the Paltrow lawsuit, Kevin refers to her as "Gwyneth Orakpo!"
00:10 - Sinickal has a life altering cheesesteak at Little Woodrow's.
00:47 - While Pepster is at the bar ordering a round, the guy next to him - that has 2 Miller Lites and 2 bottled waters ont he bar in front of him - tells the bartender that he just wanted glasses of water not to pay for bottles. The bartender takes the bottles (all 4 of them - including the Miller Lite) away, and tells him, "Just stand here, I will give you all your money back." And she does.
01:20 - Pepster is giving his definitions of the 1-10 scale. That he has a definitive rating system for just about everything is its own discussion.
01:25 - Completely out of context quotation, but still somehow funny. "Not checking a bag is like leaving it in!"
01:36 - Uber home.
See everyone tomorrow!!!
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