a little place called Fordham...A decade and change Later.

A recent picture of me and my boy Danny chillin in Manhattan Beach after a 13 year hiatus sparked some fire in me to write a tribute to the residence known as Fordham. I'm pretty sure Fordham didn't have a legit address and was just known as "Fordham" and the mail man even figured it out. He didn’t ever want to deliver mail there but he knew where it went.

A couple of years ago 3 friends graduated from CKM with the world in our hands. Those 3 friends were Patrick Bowles our fearless leader, Rondell Baptiste the Captain on the S.S. Awesome and myself David Fernandes Jr. the CEO of domination. We all moved into a house in a quaint, quiet, family, once upon safe neighborhood in Southland Park. The house was equipped with a pool, diving board, hot tub, pool table, built in brick bbq, and had a perfect layout to throw rager style parties. I remember the day we moved in. I walked through the French doors and entered the sun room to observe the back yard setting. The pool was BLUE! The trees were swaying, lawn chairs lined the pool area and there wasn't a frog in sight. It was easily the most glorious sight these eyes have seen in 18 years.

Our first night at Fordham we had about a total of 6 people over and played some tunes on a boom box that may have raised minimal noise. The most noise 6 people inside of their house not sacrificing a banshee could make at least. The next morning we were greeted by the neighbor. "Excuse me but you guys were a little loud last night. We are going to ask you keep it down". This lady had no idea what her life was going to become the months to follow. I looked at her and just thought "Ohhhhhh honeeeeyyy". She holds a spot in my heart to this day because I'm pretty sure their life has never been the same.
From night one Fordham came out of the gates guns blazing. Me, Dell and Pat all worked at Round Table and had a sub crew of delivery homies that consisted of Nick Duren, Corey Watts, Scottie Roberts and Justin Reeber. And we all kicked it. Just a group of pizza delivering assholes. That wasn't all that experienced Fordham though. I’m almost 98% positive that if you were between the ages of 15 and 21 and lived in the Sacramento area during 1998 you at least heard of Fordham. I mean we threw blowout parties on a monthly basis. Pat's entrepreneurial mind was in full bloom being the head of the helm and saw Fordham as a gold mine while me and Rondell saw Fordham as a place to possibly die at a young age and smile about it. On any given Sunday I would stumble out of my Fordham lair and lurk around the house to see random dead or alive bodies curled up in every nook of the place. Red cups carpeted the floors. Beer cans provide the back splash in the kitchen. Empty pizza boxes lined the walls. It was pure chaos in the most poetic way.
Fordham had a pretty big team as well. A lot of people were regulars at Fordham. We all knew it was because we had the awesome hangout crib but whatever the more the merrier I always thought. Weeknights would be spent in the dining room playing pool or sitting in the living room at the carved up table that everyone was encouraged to leave their mark on while passing around numerous blunts. The room was dense with cigar leaf and chronic smoke and jokes. Jokes and jokes and jokes and jokes. Maybe a few magic mushrooms too but whatever we made 18 our bitch. There are way too many stories to tell about Fordham that I can't even get into right now. Maybe one day I will write a book about it. Send me some stories to help me out. One thing I know about Fordham is that there is one way to do 18 years old and I'm pretty sure me, Pat (Joe) and Delly Dell did it right.

Team Fordham Hall of Fame shout outs

Patrick Bowles (Joe)
David Fernandes Jr. (D.J.)
Rondell Baptiste (Ronsmell Bapstank)
Stephanie Bozeman
Danny Royster
Matt (Fiasco) Cardenas (now Matt Cali)
Brandon Carter
Gary Magonia
Victor Torza
Amy Maroni and Hilary Hollenbeck (come as a pair)
Emily Webb
Meghan Farnsworth
Matt Kurtz
Danny Schultz
Alec Smith and his chic
Scottie Roberts
Jermy Acey
(Shout out to Florin high homies who kicked it hard and established presence with authority)
Rene (Juanita) Garcia
Liz Johnson
Sylvia Correa
Matt Bonovich
Adam Rakela
Krissy Rakela (Pretty sure Fordham made this marriage happen)
Anyone that worked at Round Table in 98 (especially fat lesbians in white pickups that did not hog all the deliveries).
Nick Grey
Nick Duren
Vince Latino
Mike Perry
Regina Latino
Zac Greenbaum (peeked his dome in once or twice)

Pete Anderson and Greg Maroni (because Pete lived directly behind Fordham and him and Greg would spy on us while Pete's girlfriend Hillary and Greg's sister Amy rocked our rager parties. And Pete still knew how to party enough to provide us with a keg tap one night as I tried to tell hime to beat it. Damn I'm a prick. My bad Pete. Thanks for your patience fella's).


If I forgot anyone feel free to give me a shout out. I will probably remember if you tell me.

-Fordham (in the voice that says Rosebud at the end of Citizen Kane)