For those of you who are not fans of mixed martial arts, Saturday night was one of the biggest events of the  MMA year. Defending heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos of Brazil and San Jose-based former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez met for their long anticipated rematch. There were four other fights preceding the main event and, all in all, it made for an exciting evening of top-flight MMA action.

For me, Saturday night at the fights was all the more exciting because of where and with whom I was watching. I was there with my buddy and fellow fight fan A., who drove up from San Mateo to go with me to Ricky’s Sports Theater in San Leandro. Ricky’s has been named the #2 sports bar in the country by Sports Illustrated Magazine, and with good reason. The friendly service, top quality bar food (very tasty wings), and generously-sized soft drinks are part of its appeal. The best thing about this establishment, though, is that it features more than 90 television screens spread throughout the place. The effect is that wherever you are sitting, you can see the featured sports event on multiple screens. It was like sportsbar heaven.

The guy in this drawing is one of my folks of all ages (over 21) who were there on Saturday for UFC 155. Notice the multiple screens in the background (including one where I subbed my logo for the football games being broadcast).

Many thanks to A. for joining me in this excursion. Looking forward to watching more UFC events for you in the very near future! Perhaps UFC 156…or 157. I hear Anderson Silva just signed a ten-fight deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, so…

Ajuan Mance

I’d planned to use my holiday break to catch up on all the movies I’d missed during the end-of-semester grading rush. As it happens, I’ve only had time to see one movie, This is 40. Not to rely too heavily on cliche, but if you only see one movie during the holiday season, This Is 40 is a really good choice. I laughed for the entire 2 hours, and I left with a smile on my face. I still have a week before my fabulous partner goes back to work, and so I still have time to see Jack Reacher, Lincoln, The Hobbit and Django Unchained. I’ll definitely report back after Django. Stay tuned…

Ajuan Mance

PS: I almost forgot to say a word about the man in this photo. How much do you love that even when there is no superhero film currently in theaters, this young brother was sporting his Shazam belt buckle (I took a few liberties with the shape). Anyone remember the Shazam television show from the 1970s? It came on on Saturday mornings, either before or after Isis (“Oh zephyr winds which blow on high/lift me now so I can fly”).

–Ajuan

Folsom and 9th St., San Francisco, CA.

Ajuan Mance

Panda Express, Oakport St., Oakland, CA.

Ajuan Mance

Alameda Free Library, Alameda, CA.

Ajuan Mance

The serenity in this man’s expression is so very compelling to me. I love the look on his face. When I saw him at Starbucks on Park St. (Alameda), his expression seemed judgemental, and then simply aloof. After drawing him, though, I realized that his expression was not aloof from or a judgement of anyone around him. He was just reacting to his own thoughts,

Ajuan Mance

Finally finished my Christmas post. I submit for your enjoyment a selection of Santas in some of the ways in which I’ve imagined him.

Ajuan Mance

I passed this guy on the street as I was heading to Ikaros. He was walking in the opposite direction from me as we both walked by the Pure 510 store on Grand Ave. I put an Oakland-themed image on his t-shirt since Pure 510 has so many Oakland shirts in the window. He was not actually wearing an Oakland t-shirt; but since he and I passed each other in front of a store whose shirts are intended to capture Oakland, I thought I’d dress this figure in an iconic image from our port.

Ajuan Mance

This is a composite drawing of some of the African American men I saw on Saturday afternoon, as I waiting in front of Sidebar (on Grand Ave., a couple blocks past the 580 overpass). We were going to meet there for lunch, but Sidebar doesn’t serve lunch on Saturdays, so we went to Ikaros, instead. It’s lso on grand, but on the other side of 580. I look forward to going to Sidebar one day when it’s open, but I have to give a shout out to Ikaros. It was really pleasant. The food was simple and good and the service was very friendly. I also liked the atmosphere. It felt cozy, but not cramped, and the lighting was sufficient without being overwhelming. If you go there, order the beef and lamb gyro salad. It’s good-tasting and really satisfying. If you order the hot tea, ask to get yours extra hot, or else you’ll end up with lukewarm water in your teapot.

Ajuan Mance

Walgreens, Alameda, CA.

Ajuan Mance