Venice Beach

Killing time the day before the game we rode over to Venice Beach to get a feel for the California winter. The sun was high and the plastic multi-colored sunglassess were necessities - both for the sun and to look badass. The other necessity was a quick 5 minute workout. I hit the speed bag and tried to do the olympic rings. Brian and Mickey played American Gladiator on a balance beam. The participants from the reality tv show Biggest Loser played games of knockout on the basketball courts. This tourist site is a favorite of mine, as is any hippie gathering place such as Haight St. in San Francisco, Guadalupe St. in Austin, and Union Square in NY. Chillin' the Cali way is all we did. It was fun, but that is all. Truthfully, I felt in a bit of a daze. The impending game was already weighing heavy in my thoughts. The beach setting was calming, but it was a false calm. One that would be inevitably interrupted by a Crimson tide of Alabama supporters in a few days.