PICS: Vincent Went To Berkeley To Visit His Friend Mike And His Family

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Father's Day was rough for me. I was an emotional wreck.

I texted all of my close friends who are dads and told them I love them and how I proud of them I am.

Most got back - except Anthony and Chuck, what's up with that?! Actually they were both busy travelling that weekend so I didn't mind. Much.

***UPDATE: Anthony got back to me this morning. Like I said, his excuse was he was visiting family in Southern California. I accepted his apology and we've moved on but I'll probably be passive aggressive and bitter towards him for the rest of my life. So that leaves only Chuck!***

My good friend from college Mike (sometimes I call him Michael Peter) and I started texting, chatting, catching up, going back and forth.

It was going to be like 104 degrees in Sac, so like any good friend, I invited myself over to his place Saturday.

It was exactly what I needed.

Mike and his lady Sylvia have 5 kids b/w them. Only 3 were there Saturday, but I did see a 4th as she was leaving.

Watching them be parents and their kiddos be kiddos was so good for me. I was in awe and quite envious, to be honest. They're great parents and make a great team as a couple and their kids are cute, sweet, and well behaved.

Wifey goals. Kiddo goals. Family goals. Life goals.

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Mike has become quite the chef. He had appetizers (ceviche and hummus w/ pita chips) ready when we arrived, made some slow cooked beef stuff that had been in the oven all day (low temperature is key, he told me) and which was to die for, and also dished up like 4 homemade pizzas after that.

And we drank beer and wine the entire time.

Then we walked to the park down the street from his house where his kids ran wild.

It was a wonderful Saturday. =)

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Now here are some pics from Berkeley..

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Mike and Sylvia suggested I go to Bette's Oceanview Diner in Berkeley for breakfast. I'd heard of this place for years and figured why not. They told me to order their pancake souffle thing. Sure.

I ordered the banana rum pancake souffle with a side of bacon.

It was good, but it was huge. For whatever reason I thought it was going to be smaller. And I ate it way too fast cuz I was super excited to eat it and quite hungry.

I wanted to lay down and take a nap after.

The main problem I had with it was the texture. It was quite soft in the middle. Uncooked, almost. Like a warm ricotta cheese. I much prefer crunch so I woulda rather had a fresh waffle or just some eggs n potatoes.

Whatever. I'm glad I ordered it but will never order a souflee in my life ever again. Unless they start making them well done. =)

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In the morning I went to Bay Street in Emeryville. It's essentially a posh outdoor mall. It was quite early, around 6 AM, so it was closed and deserted, but I enjoyed walking around by myself.

I also walked to Emeryville Public Market. They have tons of food options. Mike and I used to come here with our friends back in the day to eat, so it was cool to go back. Aww memories! It was also closed but again, I didn't mind.

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