Posted 3:05 AM by John A. Seafisk

There are three known large-capacity pyramid structures in the United States: The Pyramid arena in Memphis, Tennessee; the Luxor Casino in Las Vegas, and the Pyramid sports arena in Long Beach, California.

Since I have already visited #2 on my list, this past evening I took a trip to check out #3. This Pyramid is where the basketball and volleyball squads of Long Beach State compete (at least the home games, anyway). I enjoy attending sporting events, and usually the less expensive and crowded, the better. I'm a big fan of minor league baseball, minor league hockey, and of smaller college sports, notably football and basketball.

Since my Saturday evening schedule was clear, I decided to check out "The Beach". I've already attended games at Cal State Northridge, Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine and UC Santa Barbara the past few seasons.

The Pyramid sits on the north end of campus. After I parked, I had trouble locating it. Not because the lot was far away or that it was hidden behind various university buildings, but because it was dark out and the Pyramid itself seems to be painted black or a very very very deep blue. From the outside, it literally looked like a set of doors that led to nowhere.

There wasn't even a light on top, or even a red blinking light, which might be a good idea, since there's a regional airport nearby and small planes kept flying over throughout the evening.

Once inside, the Pyramid is much brighter and more spacious. The basketball court & seats are situated in a diagonal layout to the outside structure. And there's plenty of head room, since there's a lot of open space up to the tip-top.

Most of the seats were individual back-bracers, complete with beverage holder in front. There were some bleachers, but they also appeared to be cushioned. The Pyramid was built in 1994, and still felt new & clean. I had a seat 6 rows up just to the left of center court. The crowd was small and the student section was mostly vacant, which I believe is due to the fact that this week was a semester break.

The 49ers (Long Beach's numerical nickname) faced off against Utah State, the team that won the Big West Conference tournament last year and went to play in March Madness. After about 10 minutes, the score was 32-8, Utah State. Guess there was a good reason why Long Beach was 1-7 in the conference before this game.

Right before halftime, the fire alarm went off. Or at least, that's what we thought. All these little white lights began flashing all over the place, and not-that-boisterous buzzers could be heard. But the game went on despite the threat of fiery death, and dang it, I wanted t get my money's worth! During halftime, the PA announcer told us it was a false alarm, so we were all safe for the evening. (It may have been pulled by some of the Long Beach coaching staff, 'cause how else could you escape from a 30-point deficit?) The lights and buzzers stopped just as a 50-year-old woman won a halftime shooting contest.

The rest of the game remained a blowout, with the Aggies winning 75-44. But there was a silver lining to this cloud. Actually, it was more like a silver mug, which was the night's promotional giveaway. Sure, the home team lost, but I got a new drinking vessel out of it.

Long story short, two U.S. Pyraminds down, one to go. Maybe I can send myself to the Fed Ex offices to help achieve this goal. Via FedEx, of course.

Posted 1:54 AM by John A. Seafisk

Is it late January already? My, how time flies.

Let's see, what have I done since my last documented rambling? Well, I....

-Made garlic mashed potatoes & green bean casserole for Thanksgiving dinner

-Attended a Chargers-Bucs game with Jim and a co-worker friend of his (more details detailed further down this page)

-Drank some Windhoek Lager from Namibia

-Helped put out a mini-fire at someone's party

-Got mad at co-workers

-Drank some Boddingtons from Manchester

-Re-made garlic mashed potatoes for Christmas dinner

-Went to Disneyland the day after Christmas

-Watched a Bakersfield Condors ice hockey game from ice-level seats

-Became ill, then consumed a few Coldbusters from Jamba Juice to help eradicate it.

-Bought SCTV Volume 2 to place next to my copy of SCTV Volume 1, while anticipating the upcoming release of SCTV Volume 3

-Got mad again at co-workers

-Drank some Stella Artois from Belgium

All in all, an eventful two and some months. I hope the following year has just as many adventures for me. Like, maybe I'll finally try Steinlager.