Die Hard Fan

During the Warriors' postseason run, K-bao has been keeping close tabs on her favorite team. This last series with the Thunder, who were up 3-1 at one point but who finally conceded tonight in Game 7, was tremendously anxiety-inducing.

Not surprisingly, the "No TV during dinner" rule has been put on ice for most of the playoffs thus far.

Generally in the 4th quarter K-bao is a nervous wreck and occasionally has to run into the next room  and hide during Warriors' offensive possessions (from where she will call out, "Wait, did he make it? What's the score?"). She also has taken to various good-luck charms and idiosyncratic routines, such as yelling "Noooooo!" at the top of her lungs when a Warriors shot is launched in order for "the opposite" to happen. These little shenanigans are wearing thin with the K-folks, who prefer to watch the game in peace.

Her criticism for poor-performing players can be withering. During a difficult stretch for Bogut today, her comment was "Playing with Bogut is like playing with 4 players. I'm SOOOO mad at him right now." Tough critic.

Below, during the critical Game 6 on the Thunder home court, she describes how she feels.

Horsey

Despite having spent virtually no time around horses her whole life, and K-Pop's careful avoidance over the past seven years of all things related to that dreaded franchise My Little Pony, K-bao has now determined that her favorite animal is in fact the horse. In fact, she made horses the subject of a recent first-grade research paper. During her research period, she educated her family on facts such as the differences between pygmy horses and shire breeds. This weekend the K-folks finally decided to give her a little hands-on data to supplement her book knowledge.

K-bao had her first real riding experience at Five Brooks, a stable north of the city in a little town called Olema. She got to ride her very own horse, a feisty gal by the name of "Mac."

Here a ranch guide named Jordan leads her out on Mac to the trail.



Coincidentally, sister C-bao, who wasn't quite old enough for an independent ride, got a chaperoned ride on Mac's twin sister, Tornado.

Mac was a bit of a stubborn one, and after some misbehavior, the guides decided they had to tighten the reins a bit, so to speak. Entirely apropos symbolism, thought K-Pop approvingly from behind. (Notice the blue rope being held by Jordan in the below video)



 A couple of times the group broke into a steady trot, which K-bao had to admit afterwards was a little jarring. But overall,  K-bao handled the 45-minute trail ride like an old pro, even digging her heels in a few times to urge Mac on. "Go, Mac, go!"

Sea World Reprise

After a frolicking Day 3 at Safari Park, K-bao reacquainted herself with San Diego's famed Sea World on Day 4. It's been a while since her last visit, and this time she had a sister to show around.

The first order of business of course was to get properly oriented.

"I see an ice-cream stand about six minutes away, how about you?"

At Dolphin Theater, K-bao convinces a trainer to let her feed a dolphin (happily, sister C-bao got to participate too, tossing what turned out to be the last piece of fish).



It's hard to imagine that K-bao still remembered Shamu from her last visit. Either way, she got to see him up close and personal this time.

Indeed, while the family parked themselves safely outside the Splash Zone during Shamu's show, K-bao requested permission to run down to get closer to Shamu. Of course, the real motivation was to get thoroughly soaked. Mission accomplished.

Sea World actually has a few relatively solid roller coasters. K-bao is a pro at this point with roller coasters, but even this old hand had a few scary moments during her ride on The Manta.



Here she is getting ready for one of the other main rides, Journey to Atlantis.

"I like big splashes and I cannot lie"

The classic cheap iPhone retake

After a full day, K-bao returned to an old favorite, The Old Spaghetti Factory in the Gaslamp.

Predictably, dinner was heavy, greasy, and delicious.

"How's the food, girls?"