i dunno, but for some reason, whenever i get away; whether it be camping or someone's birthday bash or even a road trip/mini vacation, it doesnt take that much to get me and my homegirls and homeboys all excited. in other words, spending large sums of cash and going to extravagent places aren't things that make a good trip a great trip - i whole-heartedly feel that it's who you're with that makes the whole experience. then again, i cant speak for all who took part in this past long weekend and virginia road-trip - the above statement might just be my cheapskate alter-ego talking, who knows?

whatever the case, i'm sure we can all agree that
VIRGINIA WAS DA BOMB.



[abs & japes]

[the cheesecake factory]


hebrew hot dogs: ruler of the salted and cured meat kingdom
i've had some good hotdogs in my lifetime; some composed of chicken, some composed of pork, some were vegan-friendly and some were a mysterious combination of nitrates, snouts and hooves. although each were good in their own right, nothing beats the delicious juicy flavour of hebrew national 100% kosher beef hot dogs. i mean those wieners were like whoa. i can't state that enough. our first day of breakfast there [in fairfax, virginia] had me rolling my eyes back into my skull out of pleasure while i devoured 5 giant sized hebrew red-hots for breakfast followed by 2 later on in the day. all i can say is hebrew national, you have a mean giant wiener. i sure hope you americans are thankful to have access to this resource (i'd be).
[hebrewnational.com]


"are those hebrew national 100% beef kosher hotdogs i smell? booya! REPRESENT!!"


[champps: is this a gameshow rocky?]

[washington d.c.: my peoples]

[we bring our antics to the u.s.]


the intinerary

friday

- left mississauga ON at 3:30p.m.
-3 roadstops in between: buffalo, New York & a couple in Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh and some boonieville locale)
gas refills and splurging on junk food (20pack nuggets for snacking and that triple decker wendy's burger. why are you so delicious yet so nasty to me, junk food? why?)
-arrived in fairfax, VA at roughly 2am
welcomed by abs and gus..damn i love that pooch and the way he chews on my hand and smells my crotch.

saturday

-breakfast fit for kings and queens [including delicious hebrew hotdogs mentioned above, pandasal (sweet and tasty filipino rolls), fried eggs, ham, and my special formulated o.j.]
-potomac mills outlet mall
a lot of mexicans, a lot of sales and...an indoor skate-park?
-dinner at cheesecake factory
and no, it's not just cheesecakes! and how about that location???...a really posh mall. too big butt for my liking..yanno, "big butt" can't fly coach..that 'big butt'. nonetheless, a flawless meal with good company. and dare i mention the hard time i gave the waiter ("excuse me, how big is the soup? exactly how many millilitres does the bowl hold?")???

sunday

-brunch at i.h.o.p.
-quick GMU tour
a really nice school and also a place that will forever be etched in my memory and heart; me and j.p. took part in a tag team bowel movement of sorts there.
-2-hr journey through virginian farmlands to UVA to pick up toni
lush pastures and never-ending blue skies and rolling hills would have anyone enjoying the scenery - unfortunately, i fell asleep in the back of the car. as for UVA, we visited edgar allen poe's room, the historical buildings and the big ass football stadium that puts any canadian university stadium to shame. damn you americans and your funding to athletics..damn you!! i'm booger-green with envy!
-dinner at sakura
think that scene in beverly hills ninja where chris farley disguises himself as a japanese master chef on the grill. except this was the real deal but just as funny. onion volcanoes and shrimp tossing into mouths (and eyes???)..what more could you ask for? me personally, could use some more of those chicken livers (mmmm goodness)

monday

-another stellar breakfast prepped by abby's mom (thanks tita!)
pancakes and never-ending bacon!! not hebrew hotdogs but pretty damn good in its own right.
-hopped on the metro to washington d.c.
checked out the holocaust museum, the washington monument, the vietnam war memorial, the WWII memorial and the lincoln memorial. this was the mecca of america's patriotism. i know i mock it at times, but to be there and bear witness in the nation's capital...well i really admire y'all for that. it's different when youre there rather than some canadian at home looking at the rest of the world from your glass tube.
-pentagon city mall
snacked and took some pictures (w/ strangers??? hahaha)
-relaxing dinner at home
carbonara & garlic bread by abs and her moms
-short walk out in the cold....
oops, that's your entry abs. mah bad.
[read here for a different perspective of the trip]


[if that's your hand..and that's abs'..then mine must be holding...??..!!]

[ahhh my friends]


jay's roadtrip 10
1. cheap gas station junk snacks on the road
2. boonieville gas stations and other roadstops
3. open windows to "freshen" the air of 3 (male, rude) passengers
4. good driving music
5. jack-knifed trucks on the highway + detours
6. high-caffine & other illegal-in-canada stimulant "energy" drinks
7. stealing paper toilet seat-covers from gas stations
8. thrill-full/"good" anxiety at customs
9. pictures; both stupid and semi-artistic
10. sunrise


a playlist entitled "the best of me" (how you like that title? hahaha)
(avail. on md or 5-volume cd set for 39.95 while supplies last!! cop dat.)
i dont wanna brag, but ive made some dope playlists in the past. however, for this trip, i put together errr wanted to put together some selections that me and the boys and possibly anyone in their 20's would all like and relate to. im sure one way or another, every song here has some connection to our individual histories and besides that, these joints and jams were the shit back in the day..and still are (in our minds). enjoy.

r'n'b set I
get on up - jodeci
back and forth - aaliyah
poison - bel biv devoe
no diggity - blackstreet
i wanna be down - brandi
you should know (album ver.) - donnel jones
my boo - ghost town d.j.'s
tell me what you want - guy
i like the way (kissing game) - hi five
twisted - keith sweat
real love (rmx feat. notorious b.i.g.) - mary j. blige
don't take it personal - monica
this is how we do it - montell jordan
big poppa - notorious b.i.g.
only you - 112 feat. mase and notorious b.i.g.
candy rain - soul4real
so into you - swv
just kick it - xscape

r'n'b II
officially missing you - tamia feat. talib kweli
four page letter - aaliyah
if youre girl only knew - aaliyah
afterparty - koffee brown
you know that i love you - donnel jones
you know what's up - donnel jones feat. left eye
pony - genuwine
let's get married (rmx. feat run dmc) - jagged edge
can i get a ____ - jay z, amil & ja rule
forever - li'l mo
hey lover - boyz II men feat. l.l. cool j
loungin' - l.l. cool j
fantasy (rmx. feat ol dirty bastard) - mariah carey
make it hot - nicole feat. missy
no more - ruff endz
anything (wu tang rmx.) - swv
can't you see - total
groove thang - zhane
hey mr. dj - zhane

hip hop
1st of the month - bone thugs n harmony
back in the day - ahmed
flava in ya ear (rmx) - craig mack
put it in your mouth - akinyele
summertime in the LBC - doveshack
deja vu - peter gunz and lord tariq
how high - method man and redman
juicy - notorious b.i.g.
gin 'n' juice - snoop doggy dogg
ice cream - wu tang clan
i wonder if heaven got ghetto - 2pac
regulate - warren g and nate dogg
one more chance (rmx) - notorious b.i.g.
triumph - wu tang clan
the crossroads - bone thugs n harmony

house
one more time - daft punk
you don't even know me - armand van helden
can't get enough - soulsearcher
sing it back - moloko
red alert - basement jaxx
rendezvous - basement jaxx
cassius '99 - cassius
follow me - aly-us
deep down inside - masters at work
get get down - paul johnson
lady - modjo
better off alone - alice deejay [see here for explanation of this song.]

anthems and miami booty bass
insane in the membrane - cypress hill
the humpty dance - digital underground
bust a move - young mc
da dip - freak nasty
jump around - house of pain
whomp there it is - tag team
jump - kriss kross
let your backbone slide - maestro fresh wes
good vibrations - marky mark and the funky bunch
can't touch this - mc hammer
hip hop hooray - naughty by nature
o.p.p. - naughty by nature
tootsie roll - 69 boyz
it takes two - rob base & dj ez rock
i wish - skee-lo
funky cold medina - tone loc
ice ice baby - vanilla ice




[sakura]

[uva]

[vietnam war memorial]

[WWII memorial]





[the aguilar sisters representin']

[fucking around on the metro]

[me, representin']

[mo' metro]



what i come home to
-an empty home
-parents fighting over bills
-cold weather
-a mere 75 channels (vs abs' 300+ digital satellite t.v.)
-$1.00 12-pack of chicken hotdogs (i can't overstate how good those hebrew hotdogs were. really. i'm not the only one, too)
-midterms

once again, thanks abs and family for your hospitality.

things always seem greener on the other side.
i guess that's why they call it a "vacation" rather than daily "real life".



[back home]
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