One More Thing...

New Year's Resolutions...

2011-12-21T07:30:00.000-08:00

Unlike a lot of people I know I like the idea of New Year's Resolutions. The new year is a time to reflect on the things we are thankful for and the things we wish to continue and change about our lives. Resolutions, even the ones that are hard to stick to, are ways for us to recommit ourselves to being a better person, taking better care of ourselves and those around us.

I have a many many things to be thankful for in 2011 and a lot of things I want to do in 2012. One, I want to volunteer my time more. I know that their are ways that I can contribute to making other people's lives better other than donating money. Donations are critically important to most charity and service organizations but it allows many people (myself included) to remain somewhat emotionally and intellectually detached from the issue that the organization addresses. One of my goals for the new year is to be more involved by volunteering for charity.

The other thing I would love to do starting next year is to take a photo everyday of the year. I think it would be a cool way to chronicle my year. Plus, photography is always something that has interested me.

If I Ever Have A Boy...

2011-12-18T23:50:00.000-08:00

If I ever have a boy he will grow up playing baseball, and not basketball. I have made this decision not just because I love baseball more than basketball, but because it just makes more sense financially if my child is athletically inclined. I came to this decision the morning after going to the Watch The Throne concert at Staples Center with a friend of mine.

As we were checking Watch The Throne hashtags on Twitter I mentioned that Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers would be at the concert the same night. My friend, Kati, looked at me puzzled?
"Who is that?"

I explained that he was the best player on the Dodgers and had just come in second place for the Most Valuable Player award in baseball. Kati had no clue who this guy was. Kati is not clueless when it comes to sports. She knows the basics and follows her favorite teams and knows their star players. She just didn't know who Matt Kemp, a star baseball player in the second largest media market in America, was.

The next day I realized something, Matt Kemp is a great player, but unless your a Dodger fan or a pretty tuned in baseball fan you probably won't know who he is; and you can't be blamed for that. In spite of that fact he just signed a new 8 year contract for (wait for it) 160 million dollars. That's right 20 million a year!

Compare that to Kobe Bryant. Even if you don't know anything about basketball or care about sports you probably know who he is. My 98 year old grandfather who doesn't speak a word of english knows who he is. Do you know how much he makes a year? 25 million dollars.

More than Matt Kemp.

But what isn't mentioned is that the amount of money Kobe Bryant can make playing basketball is limited by salary limits. If Matt Kemp is "worth" 20 million dollars a year how is Kobe "only worth" 25? What would this guy be paid if there weren't salary limits? 35 million? 40 million? 50 million?

To put this in greater perspective, LeBron James (another household basketball name) only makes 16 million a year compared to Matt Kemp's 20 million. All I am saying is that if I ever have a boy I am putting a bat and a baseball glove in his hand immediately. There are no salary restrictions in baseball and you can be as fat Prince Fielder and still make over 20 million a year...

Losing Weight...

2011-10-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

My absence from writing had basically coincided with my attempt to be healthier and lose some weight. I feel like every waking moment I am not at work I am spending traveling or at the gym, which has not been very conducive to writing. So I am going to try and recommit to updating the blog. I am very happy with my weight loss though. I took some pictures and as you can see I am making some significant progress.

It Must Be Hard To Be A Woman At The Gym...

2011-04-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

I have started going to the gym more frequently and I have noticed something. The TVs in front ot the aerboic machines are tuned to only two channels: E! and the Food Network.

It's hard enough for me as a dude to stare at Dinner, Drive-Ins and Dives without feeling like a sad sack. I can't imagine what it's like to be one of the women on the elyptical machine, bike or treadmill who are trying to be healthier and feel better about themselves. They are being forced to stare at rich fatty foods or watch one of the 13 shows on E! that feature a Playboy playmate. It's as if the managment at the gym is saying, "thanks for coming to the gym, ladies. Now who is ready to feel bad about themselves?" Dear gym, please change the channel before you give them (and me) an eating disorder.

Thanks.

Just An Observation...

2011-04-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Has anyone else noticed that Twitter has been uniquely successful at attracting young black users. I mean if you look at hash tag trends on twitter they seem to be dominated by tweets from young black people.

Even prominent black celebrities get in on the action (I almost never see a white celebrity use a hash tag meme in a tweet). Very interesting.

I would love to find out if (and why) black youth prefer Twitter is preferred over Facebook.

Not Feeling Great...

2011-04-06T08:25:00.000-07:00

I can feel the tightness in my chest. Like someone living inside of me is giving me a merciless bear-hug, and not in a loving way. It feels painful and make my chest feel heavy. It's not a feeling that is uncommon to me but the source of the feeling is.

In the past my emotional downward spirals, my unhappiness, were relationship based. Almost always I felt resent towards others who were in happy relationships or I felt doomed to a life of loneliness when I was rejected. Other times I felt doomed because of my own self-perceived inadequacies and how they made me afraid to even pursue a relationship.

But that's not whats causing me to feel this way now. I've felt sad/ambivalent/depressed for the better part of a month. I feel trapped. As the school year ends I think, 'my God, here comes an 11th year of living on a college campus. An 11th year of opening a building, dealing with drunk students, weeknight meetings, dealing with student in crisis, the same training, diversity discussions and on and on and on'.

10 years ago I thought I was stepping on a road. Now it feels like I just ended up stepping onto a treadmill. Never moving, always repeating the same thing over and over.

The truth is, I just don't care anymore. I don't love my job anymore and that makes me feel terrible. It makes me feel terrible because I live were I work and so every second of everyday is a constant reminder of how I feel. I feel terrible because other people can tell that I am unhappy and I don't want to burden others or have them affected by it.

I feel terrible because I feel guilty about being that employee. The kind who is unhappy and starts going through the motions and everyone can tell doesn't want to be there. I love my boss and I love my co-worker. I consider them friends and wonderful people but I can't change the way I feel about this job and it makes me feel like a horrible person knowing that I am going to have a negative impact on them.

I feel terrible because even though I feel this way about my work I know I have caring and supportive people around me and I still feel this way.

What makes it even worse are the lingering doubts. Is it really the job or am I just depressed? What options do I have? I can find another job but not one as financially lucrative as this. How will I find a job that can pay for my rent, my car and help me keep my grandfather in his home? If I find a job and move back home (with my mother) will I be happy? Will having a regular 9-5 make everything all right, or will I just come to resent my family for how their actions and the burden of obligation have led me to a series of less than favorable choices?

Maybe the problem is that I suffer from an overwhelming need for stability. All I have ever wanted in my life has been stability. The problem is, I fear, that I have confused stability with routine. I'm used to not being happy - that's my routine. I'm used to having to help out my family - it's my routine. I'm used to being alone - it's my routine. I've become complacent about the things that cause me pain, grief, sadness and hopelessness. It's easy to say that I don't love my job anymore. The scariest part is that I don't know what I love at all. I feel empty inside.

The few moments of happiness I get are spending time with my friends. Sharing a meal with them, going to the movies, going over there homes and chatting. The thought of leaving these people behind to start an uncertain future is scary and disheartening.

I hope that as in the past this feeling fades. I hope that I come out out of this funk and find a renewed sense of hope; but for now I will just have to wrestle with the doubt, the fear and the sadness.

Sometimes It's Nice To Disconnect...

2011-04-03T23:10:00.000-07:00

I had a great weekend. I got to spend time with people I love and care about deeply. On Friday night I drove to Irvine with three friends and we had a great time watching another one of my friends perform in his men's choir.

I spent Saturday with another couple of friends. We had dinner and went to a comedy show in L.A. Sunday, I got to spend some quality time with family.

However, I think the most underrated part of my weekend was a result of a mistake I made. I knew that I was going to be staying over my friends' apartment after the comedy show on Saturday night. However, I forgot to pack my cell phone charger. I tried to preserve the battery as best as I could but the phone died around 12:30pm on Sunday afternoon. All of Saturday night and Sunday morning I wrestled with the idea of just buying an extra battery for the phone. Alas, my pocketbook won out and I decided that I could live without my phone for a while. Not only did I survive without it, but I actually enjoyed being without it.

Before I continue I want to explain myself a bit. I am not saying that this 10 hours has turned me off to technology or the interconnectedness it brings us. In fact it may have done the opposite. On Friday night my friend Gina posited that the people who aggressively reject using Twitter, Facebook or blogging are basing their stance on a misguided principle. They see technology as a way for people to communicate about the most mundane aspects of their life. Those who reject these forms of technology only see people who use our interconnectedness to live out every single aspect of their day to day lives out in the public, hoping of garner some kind of attention. To be fair, some of those folks do exist. However, in between those who wholly reject the interconnectedness that technology brings and those who view it as a way to remind us of what they had for breakfast, there is a majority of us who hope to use this technology to have conversations, spread ideas, humor, culture and ultimately learn from one another.

So after making a case for why technology is so great, why am I writing a post about how I enjoyed being disconnected from the world for 10 hours. When I got back home I began to charge my phone. After about twenty minutes I turned it on. Then came the notifications:

3 Missed Calls

New Voicemail

New Text Messages

New Personal E-mail

New Work E-mail

New Facebook Message

I was about to go to through them when I stopped myself and thought, 'I don't have to do this right now. These messages are all probably a few hours old and I didn't respond to them then yet the world didn't fall apart. These things can wait.' I realized then that just because I can be connected at all times doesn't mean I have to be connected at all times. I had effectively burned myself out. I realized that when someone sent me YouTube clip I wasn't thinking, 'awesome!'. No, Instead I was thinking, 'ugghh, why won't this person leave me alone! Now I have to watch this because I am going to go into work tomorrow and this person is going to ask if I watched the clip'.

I ceased being connected and had begun feeling saturated. Everything felt like a homework assignment that I had to do right then and there. Worse than that, the homework assignments just kept coming and coming. For me personally, I had lost sight of how great the internet and technology can be. I had become overwhelmed and overburdened by them. I had become inundated with information and messages and email and the feeling that I had to respond to all this incoming information and stimulation. But after those few short hours I realized the importance of finding time to be disconnected. There is something to be said for turning of my phone, for not ehcking email, for not having a computer screen in front of me. There is something nice about being at a concert and not feeling the urge to have to look at a work email that just landed in my inbox or check a text message while I am having dinner with my brother. It was nice to disconnect. It was nice to be fully present around those I cared about and focus on the world around me and not feel as though this larger virtual world was going to interrupt me.

I love that the internet and other technologies allows me to be connected to a world that is larger and more vibrant than any other world I would have know during any other period of recorded history. Yet, this weekend reminded me that absence can make the heart grow fonder. Just because I am connected to a larger world doesn't mean that I am obligated to it. In fact, by disconnecting and focusing on my real time experiences and the smaller world around me I may be able to find something worth sharing with the rest of the world.

Fear and Loathing In Arizona...

2011-03-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here in the Phoenix Airport thinking about the vacation I just took here to see Angels and Dodgers Training Camp.

It was a great time and a nice respit from work and other realities. I want to briefly run down some thoughts:

1. I am no longer allowed to travel with an iPod. I lost my iPod Touch on this trip. I lost it taking the Super Shuttle from PHX. Here is the thing: my head phones are great in terms of comfort but the cord is awful. the cord comes in two separate parts. One piece is approx. 14 inches long - which is not long at all. There is no slack at all and you constantly have to connect this cord to an extension cord that adds another 20 inches or so. I dont know why Sony decided to have this stupid two part cord - but they did. Well the when I walked out of the shuttle I felt my head phones around my neck and assumed my iPod was still with me. Nope. The cords detached from one another and I just had on a pair of head phones with a 14 inch cord connected to nothing. I figured it out in an hour and half called Super Shuttle but they said they couldn't find it. In sum, I am an idiot.

2. Arizona hates recycling. I couldn't find recycling bins to save my life. They were nowhere to be found in the hotel, and the Spring Training Facilities, at restaurants or bars. I couldn't find any recycle friendly bins anywhere. I was ecstatic when I saw one at the airport.

3. Arizona has some beautiful women. Well, not just some - ALOT! However, the sun does not treat them kindly. By the time you see an AZ woman who is in here late forties there skin looks like it was replaced by leather suitcase. It's a shame.

4. I am not a party guy. I do not like going to bars and dropping 40 or so bucks on drinks that are going to lead me to make more bad decisions. However, when you are surrounded by 7 other dudes chances are you are going to deal with shenanigans like people falling asleep in restaurant bathrooms, inappropriate behavior in strip clubs (and think about what you have to do at a strip club for it to be considered inappropriate by the way), vandalism, and guys looking to pick fights. No good.

5. Old people LOVE to give unsolicited advice. An older cab driver gave me some advice as to what religion I should practice. Yesterday an elderly couple made recommendations about what food I should eat for breakfast and the older gentleman in the wheelchair sitting in front of me is at this very moment is giving school/life advice to the airport to the terminal attendant who is assigned to him.

Vacations Are Exhuasting

2011-03-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

I have been in Arizona all of 24 hours and I am exhausted. Don't get me wrong, I have had a great time but I am beat. Drinks, dinner, sun and crazy friends takes it out of you.

My biggest take away lesson from this trip so far: I will never drink to the point were I nod off on a toilet.

Random Musings...

2011-03-13T18:50:00.000-07:00

Who looks for change when they tip someone?

I went to Starbucks this weekend and saw a woman take 50 cents out of a tip jar and then put a dollar in. Are you f**king serious? note to the woman who did this:
1. You live in La Jolla, something tells me you can part with the full dollar.
2. If you cant afford to give the whole dollar as a tip, don't give anything. It's embarrassing to you and disrespectful to the barista to watch you scour through tip jar looking for two quarters so you can put a dollar in there.
3. Lastly, what the hell are you doing trying to save pennies at a Starbucks? If you're that budget conscious make your coffee at home!

Lastly, I have a recommendation to folks looking for cookware and bakeware. I recently overhauled both with purchases of Giada De Laurentiis' cook and bakeware from Target and they are both great.

The non-stick surfaces are really really easy to clean and the food cooks evenly. The bakeware keeps things warm well after you pull them out of the oven.

The only downside is that the bakeware is heavy, and I mean heavy. These things have the density of a dying sun. On the upside, they look wonderful. Two thumbs up from me.

Are You Watching This?

2011-03-06T23:19:00.000-08:00

Caught Between Two Generations
People between the ages of 25 and 35, in post-industrial nations anyway, are special in that they have lived in almost two completely different worlds. One before the maturation of the Internet and one after the maturation of the Internet. Since the development of the internet and other technologies, media consumption has become more and more fragmented and specialized to consumer interests. New technologies and new media outlets have altered the way people experience popular culture.

We don’t have 72 channels anymore, we have 700. We don’t have to watch those shows when they air, we can record them and watch them later. We don’t have to listen to the radio, we can plug in your iPod and listen to our music library or listen to a podcast whenever we please. In the past there were less choices. Less channels, less radio options, no DVR, no podcasts and the Internet still in infancy.

The lack of choices, in a way, unified generations because they were forced into consuming the same pop culture/media and that was what they would have to talk about. For example, as an undergrad if I didn’t watch Conan O’Brien on a Wednesday night there wasn’t a way for me to see the show later on. I had to stay up late so that I knew what happened on Conan so that me and my friend Amber could talk about it over lunch the next day. Now I can watch Conan whenever I want online. That is great for me and my sleep schedule (but not for Conan’s ratings as he unfortunately learned last year). While I appreciate the option to watch when I want, I feel that this hurts my viewing experience.

Here is an example, a few months back Conan had Harrison Ford on as a guest. Mr. Ford appeared less than “present”. When media outlets, friends and podcasts I listen to discussed the appearance the whole conversation didn’t resonate because I hadn’t seen it. I didn’t see it until four days after it happened, and when I did watch it the experience was colored because I already knew what to expect and had already heard other peoples opinions.

Fragmentation
We’ve become more fragmented as a society. Our media is more and more specialized to our own interests and needs. We don’t even need to watch things as they air anymore. This has created a generation of people who don’t know what it means to have a collective experience or collective memory of that experience. There is/was something special about having large groups of people feel the urgency to have to watch things live and then come together to discuss it.

Our popular media unified us and provided us with common experiences that we could. To be clear, I am not saying we have to experience or feel the same way about those events or media; but at least by watching it together we can all have a common knowledge that will allow us to talk to one another in a way that builds community. For example, in 1994 Beverly Hills, 90210 averaged 21 million viewers and it was not anywhere close to the most watched show in television. Two and Half Men, by contrast, is among the highest rated sitcoms on television and it only has about 15 million viewers.

My point is that we aren’t unified by our popular media anymore. We have so many media options that it’s hard to have "water cooler" talks about TV shows, movies, music, etc. because one we have so many specialized media outlets and because nobody has to watch anything when it originally airs.

"Hey did you see that last night?"
"Nope. I recorded it."
"What about you, Jim? Did you see the Conan/Harrison Ford interview?"
"Nah, I was busy watching a show on the mating habits of beavers on the Semi-Aquatic Rodent Channel."

The Argument Against The Collective Experience
Many will argue that the more options there are the better it is for the consumer and the producers of content. That isn’t the issue for me. I agree that the more options to create and produce content is great. But popular media has always been a way for us to culturally connect with one another. When we don’t have these unifying cultural connections we lose something. We lose the experiences that tie generations, communities and nations together.

The Technology That Once Fragmented Us May Now Be Unifying Us
Twitter. I believe that social media tools that is bringing back the “must see event.” Because Twitter is an information and conversation tool (I think more so than Facebook) people want to be in the loop so they can join in that conversation. Twitter is, in a way, encouraging people to come together and have those common experiences and conversations that we have been missing.
Google TV with it's integration of Twitter and a full internet browser allows people to watch TV and connect online to discuss as we watch. Google TV may not necessarily become super popular, but I believe it could be the precursor for the successful integration of TV and the internet.

The “I Hate This” Problem
Here is a potential problem. What are the conversations that we will have have over social media and what will be the nature of those conversations? As Chris Connley recently mentioned on Bill Simmon’s podcast there is a concern that the conversations we have on our social media tend to be overly negative. For example, the Oscars. It seemed like the entire universe seemed focus on how bad James Franco and Anne Hathaway were. What unifies us isn’t the fact that we are collectively enjoying something, but rather that we collectively hate something and this too can be dangerous.

My Hope
My hope is that we don’t lose the ability to share in popular cultural as a group. It’s great that we have choices but sometimes choices can pull us apart. Hopefully we can use technology that gives us choices, but also allows us to experience things together and thus brings us together.

Tom Hanks Gives Great Speeches...

2011-02-25T15:25:00.000-08:00

In anticipation of this weeks Academy Awards I would like to share his acceptances speeches for Best Actor (won in back to back years '93 and '94). While enthusiasm (Marion Cotillard, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) is great, I love Oscar winners who mix raw emotion and honesty with the poise and class that we attribute to old Hollywood.

embedding is disabled but you can follow the links to Youtube:

1993 Philadelphia

1994 Forrest Gump

Sex In Public Is Legal...

2011-02-22T00:42:00.000-08:00

...in one Amsterdam park it is atleast. Vondelpark, a park in Amsterdam is going to allow public sex to occur in the wooded area of the park. The park apparently has been famous for having same-sex and heterosexual couples engaging in sexual activity for years. But rather than fight it the local lawmakers have decided to legalize it. As long as the acts do not occur near the sandboxes, playgrounds, and open theaters that attract families and tourists it will be all good for those who choose to get down at Vondelpark.

Ah, but before you think that Amsterdam is a place that legalizes anything you should know that local authorities have decided to add stiff penalties and fines for dog owners who allow their dogs to run free without a leash. So if you are scoring at home - Amsterdam is OK with smoking pot, prostitution and public sex in a park; but they are putting their foot down when it comes to dogs running without a leash.

Regrets...

2011-02-19T18:44:00.000-08:00

I hate when people say they have no regrets. I guess I dislike when people say stuff like that because I find it hard to believe that people can actually feel that there is nothing in their lives that they regret doing, or not doing, saying, or not saying. I know that it feels like we should say we have no regrets. It feels better to say that there is nothing we would change about our lives. But I think people are being dishonest when they say something like, "I have no regrets. Everything I've done, good or bad, has made me the person I am today." Really? I understand that I am the sum of my experiences and choices but not everything in the equation that is my life is of such value that I can't go back and say, "oh man, i would love a do over of that" or "I wish I hadn't done this". In looking up regret I saw this:

When I saw this I thought, "Are you serious? People want things all the time. Just because they want them doesn't mean the desire was justified or wasn't a mistake/destructive."

For example, in college I was infatuated with a fellow student. She did not reciprocate. Do I regret the pain of not being loved back, or the sting of rejection or the awkwardness of trying to hold on to a friendship with this person after we both let our feelings known? No of course, not. It was an important life experience and taught me a lot about myself, what I value and how to deal with other people. What I do regret is spending the next year in a half in this dumb game of still trying to see if I could get her to like me! It led to a lot of misplaced emotions, time and energy. That is something I regret. I wish I would have just gotten the message right the first time instead of constantly putting myself in the same situation over and over and over again.

I regret things all the time. I think regret can be a good thing as long as you don't get hang up on it or if you can use the regret to inform future decisions. Regret shows thoughtful and careful inspection about your life choices and evaluates those decisions meaningfulness and impact on your life. If I had to do it all over again i would try and pursue a more artistic line of work. I regret not taking advantage of the opportunities I had as an undergrad to take more art classes. I can use that regret to push me towards going to a local community college to take a graphic design class or something.

I don't know why it bugs me, I just think people should have regrets. When it comes to having regrets, I have no regrets.

Stepping on Snails...

2011-02-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

Stepping on snails is really sad. These are super defenseless animals. To make it worse, when you step on a snail not only are you killing the snail, but you're destroying their home. That's just insult to injury.

Depositing Rolls of Change...

2011-02-12T10:11:00.000-08:00

Recently I ran into some financial trouble and I realized that I was going to have to deposit rolls of change in order to make sure some checks didn't bounce. There are few things in this world more embarrassing than having to deposit rolls of change at a bank.

First off, you are forced to get into a line where people are making legitimate financial and business transactions. Meanwhile you have a deposit slip in one hand and 18 dollars worth of quarters, nickels and dimes in another. You're literally holding your shame in your hands and everyone else in line can see it. Nobody in any kind of good financial standing stands in line at the bank with 14 dollars worth of change. That whole Coin-Star thing was built around the simple fact that people were so ashamed about depositing change that they would rather have a machine charge them than take it to a bank teller.

Second, when you finally make it to the teller you have to plop down the rolls of change, and it makes that loud clunky sound. It's the sounds of change and desperation. You just have this unrelenting sense of shame. You know that the teller is just judging you as they ask you how they can help you. "Hello sir, how can I help you? Oh I see that you'r depositing 7 dollars in change. I am sure this is in no way a reflection on your ability to manage money...you loser!"

Here is why dealing with the teller is so embarrassing. It's one thing for you to know that you're broke and being forced to deposit change, that's embarrassing and shameful enough. But in a few short moments - the teller is going to see exactly how broke you are too! Even if the teller is a wonderful person who has convinced themselves that you're not a broke loser they have to deposit the money into your account and that's when they see that you're deposit of 20 dollars worth of quarters is increasing your balance by 200 percent.

Depositing rolls of change is really just sad. I know because I am forced to do it atleast twice a year. So lets hope that someday in the future they will have some kind of anonymous backroom in the bank that people like me can slink into. This backroom can have some kind of coin counting machine where I can deposit my rolls of change and try to hide my shame from the rest of the bank customers. Now that makes cents.

Look On The Bright Side...

2011-02-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

Whenever I feel bad about my job I think to myself, at least I don't have a job where when I am done I look like this:

Chrysler: Imported From Detroit Commercial

2011-02-06T23:08:00.001-08:00

I was blown away by this ad. It was a tremendous use of 2 minutes from the one Detroit automaker that we have heard little from since the auto industry bailouts. Chrysler was in the worst shape of the big three (GM, Ford and Chrysler). It was so bad that they were forced not only into bankruptcy but a partnership with Fiat before they could even recieve the bailout money. Reintroducing and reconnecting with the american people is a big part of Chrysler's 5 year plan which was announced in late 2009.

This ad was 25 percent about the Chrysler 200 and 75 percent about reintroducing the Chrysler brand. The music fit that message. Lose Yourself is about having one chance to prove yourself. Chrysler has one chance to prove itself after the bailout. It must now follow through on that promise by making great cars. The words fit that message. The narrative is all about resilience. The visuals are used to reinforce the idea that Detroit, and Chrysler, know about luxury, class and aesthetic beauty. By using some of the great visuals of downtown Detroit (the Fox Theater, The Joe Luis statue, The Spirit of Man statue) it challenged our thinking of Detroit as a dead or dying city. As a city gloomy pace filed with boarded up industry and run down vacant houses.It reminded us of the uniquely American beauty of Detroit and thus the unique American aesthetic of Chrysler.

This commercial was Chrysler trying to mirror its story to that of Detroit (people think we're dead. we're not. We're alive and we are going to thrive again). It was about reaffirming it's ties to Detroit and at the same time tying Detroit to the way most people in this country feel (i.e. "don't count us out, and those that do don't know us and what we are about"). I thought it waspowerful. This was, in my opinion, super effective advertising. It creates a hope about the company, hope about the city, about the country and thus about ourselves.

photos are from my 2007 trip to Detroit.

Super Bowl 45

2011-02-05T22:34:00.001-08:00

Why the Packers Will Win:

The Packers are the younger, healthier (and that is using the word loosely), and more athletic team. Even though the Packers are famous for the power sweep and playing in cold weather, this Packers team is built like a turf team. They are athletic, quick and built to march down the field on long passes or slants that lead to mismatches with safeties and linebackers. Aaron Rodgers is a great passer, who is also capable of moving out the pocket and making something out of a broken play. The Green Bay receivers can beat you deep (Greg Jennings) or eat you up all day with slant plays (Donal Driver).

The Steelers are a great defensive team against the run, Green Bay is a bad running team. So who cares. Green Bay is a pass first team and the Steelers will have to prove they can stop the passing game.

The Steelers linebackers and ball hawking DBs will have a tough time dealing with the receivers speed and will be forced to play physical, which may lead to penalties. Defensively, B.J. Raji should be able to eat up the Steelers back up center, Doug Legersky. When a front line can get penetration on a QB it makes it easier to use your LBs in disguise blitz packages or to have them cover the Steelers' check down options, Rashad Mendenall and Heath Miller.

Lastly, Hines Ward has had less than 3 catches in each game he has played against an elite team this season. If he doesnt have at least four catches it's hard to imagine the Packers defensive backs not being able cheat on Mike Wallace and thus stop him from making a big play.

Best case senario for the Packers is that they shake off the two week rust and put some early scoring drives together. The Steelers aren't built to come from behind in games - they are built to win close grind em out games. If they jump out to an early lead this could be a route.

Why the Steelers Will Win:

Though they are an injured mess, the Steelers are the veteran, championship tested team, who has been here before. Defensive players like James Harrison, Lawrence Timmons, James Farrior and Troy Polamalu don't just stop drives; they help win the turnover battle that often gives the Steelers offense a short field.

The Steelers offensive line has been decimated all season. The fact that the Packers are the healthy team going into this Super Bowl is an indicator of how badly hurt the Steelers are. So how do the Steelers score enough points to win? Ben Roethlisberger. As good as Aaron Rodgers is out of the pocket, Big Ben is the Picasso of turning a broken play into a big play.

Another reason the Steelers will win: The Packers always let other teams hang around. With the exception of the Atlanta playoff game the Packers let the Bears hang around two weeks ago and in week 17. In both cases they had to rely on late game interceptions to seal the deal. Same goes for their game against Philly. They let Philly hang around and had to be saved by a game saving INT. If the Packers let the Steelers hang around there will be no saving them. The Steelers love close games and have the experience to win them.

I feel that the real key to the Steelers success will be four fold. Cause at least two turnovers, will the penalty battle, use Heath Miller on first and third downs and lastly, have Rashad Mendenhall gain at least 80 yards on the ground. If the Steelers can run on the Packers it will force the Packers to play more conservatively on defense and that will allow the Pittsburgh offensive line to give their QB time to find his receivers.

Final Prediction:

If they can avoid crumbling under the spotlight of the super Bowl, the Packers are just too young, too quick, and too athletic to be stopped; especially on turf. There is only one way the Packers lose this game: they commit multiple turnovers and commit dumb penalties. Although part of me really believes that Pittsburgh can really win this game (especially if they establish a decent run game). But I think the probability of that happening with a weekend offensive line is slim. So I say Packers 28 - Steelers 17.

Racism On The Family Feud...

2011-02-03T09:29:00.000-08:00

I don't get to watch daytime TV very often. So during my winter vacation when I saw the Family Feud I was surprised to see that Steve Harvey now hosts that show! I started watching the show midway through and saw that an African-American family was playing a latino family. The question they asked them to answer, I shit you not, was: "how do you get a bill collector off your back?"

My head almost fucking exploded!

By the way, what the hell was with the phrasing of the question!? The question wasn't, "how do people avoid bill collectors" it was, "how do YOU get bill collectors OFF YOUR BACK!"

Just the fact that a black and a latino family were on TV and being asked how to avoid a bill collector was funny/shocking. I had to watch how this played out.
Here were some of the answers that were given:

don't answer the phone,
screen your calls
have someone else answer,
change your number,
tell them your not working
disconnect your phone
move and,
tell them the person is dead!

Unbelievable. Who thinks to tell a bill collector that the person is dead? Who moves? how can you afford to up and move but not afford to pay a bill.

Well, if the unintentional racism couldn't get any worse/funnier there was one answer left on the board and neither family could correctly guess it. The answer was: "Pay the bill".

Of course, the people of color wouldn't ever guess to actually pay the bill...Jesus Christ! I couldn't believe what I had just seen. Maybe I need to buy a Tivo and record some more daytime TV.

More Randy Moller Goal Calls...

2011-01-30T13:40:00.000-08:00

The great Randy Moller strikes again with some of the best goal calls EVVA!

PayPass

2011-01-28T22:05:00.000-08:00

Remember PayPass? This was Mastercard's promotion for it's credit and debit cards. The idea was that you could just wave your card in front of a reader and pay for your items. No swiping, no showing idea, no signature, no punching in your zipcode. Well a number of other credit companies and banks followed suit. Well, it's a great idea. I try it every single time I can. Here is the problem. It works less than 50 percent of the time. Grocery stores, fast food places, convenience stores. I whip out my card and wave it in front of the scanner. I look cool, i am on the cutting edge of technology with my fancy credit/debit card. But the sale doesn't go through. Then I try it again. The little lights flash. but no dice. Then the person and the counter says, "oh that thing doesn't work. You can swipe it or you can give me your card."
Great! I thought the purpose of these new cards was that I would be able to get in and out quicker. Instead i am taking longer and looking like an idiot in front of the rest of the people in line. The people behind me have places to go and I am slowing them down because I think I can play George Jetson with my futuristic credit card!
The strange thing is the companies aren;t trying to fix the card readers that don't work. Oh no, they are working on the next step of making it easier to pay for your stuff. Within the next 3 years (if not sooner) most smartphones will come with NFC chips (Near Field Communication). The idea is that you won't even need a card anymore. Instead you will be able to wave your phone in front of another reader (that probably won't work) and pay for your stuff. Hopefully it will work this time, because if not I am going to have to juggle my wallet, cards and phones while i get the stink eye from all the people in the line forming behind me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V6X0bCvCPE

ASL version of Cee Lo's "Fuck You"

2011-01-24T10:32:00.000-08:00

This is so freaking awesome!!!

Address Labels Make Me Nervous...

2011-01-23T11:19:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post. I give to quite a few charities. AIDS Project LA, Oxfam and a few others. Well over the course of the year I get small gifts from these folks, and those small gifts are almost always address labels. Most charities love to send you address labels as a sign of their appreciation and I appreciate the sentiment. But those little address labels freak me out! I now they are supposed to be tokens of gratitude - but I am a catholic. I have nothing but guilt and self-doubt driving me. The address labels make me feel bad for not giving more to these causes.

Then it gets worse, the guilt turns to fear. All of a sudden these address labels start to scare me. They are like a reminder from each of these organizations: "we know where you live and we are going to keep sending stuff! NOW HAND OVER THE MONEY OR WE'RE GOING OVER THERE!" The labels might as well be made out of letters cut from magazines.

So I say to these charities, 'please stop sending me address labels, they're freaking me out. Plus, I have enough address labels to last me a life time! Who sends out this many physical letters anymore?

Rich School, Poor School

2011-01-20T23:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, to say the least, was a horrible day for public schools in Los Angeles. After a school shooting at El Camino Real high school a number of schools were put on lock down. The shooting occured when the unknown gunman, attempting to break into cars, was approached by a by a police officer assigned to the school. The gunman proceeded to shoot the police officer. Luckily the officer’s life was saved by the bullet proof vest he was wearing. It’s a sad and disturbing situation - but it got me wondering: having police officers assigned to your school is something that happens at really rich school and at really poor schools.
There is a strong police presence at well to do schools in order to keep the rift-raff out. At the poor school the police are there because the rift-raff are inside the school and we need to keep them from killing each other. There is no middle ground when it comes to a police presence at school. You don’t see police at a ‘middle of the road’ school.
It's like outdoor showers, only two types of people have them: really really super duper rich people and poor people who can't afford indoor plumbing.
So let us say you see a police officer at your local school. How can you tell if you are at a rich school or a poor school? Rule one, if the police officer seems generally happy - your probably at the rich school. if the police officer is monitoring a metal detector, you guessed it, you’re at the poor school.

Who Are The Assholes...

2010-12-23T11:57:00.000-08:00

Who is voting against providing health care to first responders of the 9/11 attacks? There has to be a special place in hell for these people.

Gus Johnson is the man!!!

2010-12-20T23:14:00.000-08:00

For those of you who are not familiar with Gus Johnson he is the hands down greatest announcer in sports today. Gus is great because he becomes an absolute madman when he calls big time plays. Don't believe me, enjoy some of his greatest moments.

p.s. also notice his trademark crazy laugh during some of these: "HAHA!"

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d81d072de/Jacoby-Ford-71-yard-TD

"He has got get away from the cops speed"

The famous Brandon Stockley play:

Maybe Gus' best performance:

He can even do MMA:

Why I Love My Apple TV...

2010-12-13T10:02:00.000-08:00

Last month I purchased an Apple TV. While it's not perfect, and not a replacement for cable, it's still a pretty sweet machine and has tons of potential.

Why It's Good:
Airplay. I can stream video and audio from my laptop and to my TV. If I have family over I can play clips of Thanksgiving dinner or my grandparents dancing on their 50th wedding anniversary. My friend from college can see pictures of us from our days as undergrads or watch clips of concerts we have gone to. It's a great way to share memories.

Streaming You Tube content on a TV is super enjoyable. You Tube can be addictive on it's own, but when you are streaming on your TV it is even more so.

There is lots of good content available. between podcast, Netflix, the iTunes store and the ability to stream content from your own computer there is plenty to watch and share. But there could always be more (as you will see below).

What Are the Problems:
the keyboard on the screen is awful. A full on screen keyboard is what you have to navigate when typing and it is awful. It takes forever to type things in.

Second, you have limited content on the device. The selection of movies and TV shows available through iTunes and Netflix is pretty strong but it's not perfect by any means. i can't stream The Wire but I can get a whole bunch of Carlos Mencia stand ups - great. (p.s. I am being sarcastic).

Airplay. Airplay is great but if you keeping downloading movies, music, pictures and TV shows onto your laptop you are going to run out of room on your hard drive. Watching the amount of space on my hard drive go down is depressing, but there is a potential solution down the road (see below).

How Can It Better:
Depends on the content providers. I would love for content providers (networks such as HBO, or NBC) to provide subscriptions to their content, instead of me having to pay for individual episodes. This would be super helpful because even with Netflix and the iTunes store you can't find everything you may want to see. If content providers would cut out middle men, the cable companies, consumers could pick and choose what kind of channels we want (instead of being forced to pay for a bunch of channels we don't watch). Which brings me to my next point...

Apple TV essentially runs iOS (the operating system on iPhones, iPads and the like). Which means that hopefully, one day, apps will be available on Apple TV. ABC already has a video player app on the iPad. It would be great if I could buy an ESPN or HBO app and pay a monthly or yearly subscription for an al a carte list of shows I want to watch.

Lastly, the cloud. I complained about all the space that gets taken up on my hardrive. Hopefully Apple will move their photo, music and video ecosystems (iPhoto, iTunes) to the cloud. I will be able to stream MY content from any computer without having to take up hard drive space.

Apple has to move in this direction. More and more apple products have no storage space (Apple TV for example) or have limited space because they have flash drives (the Macbook Air, iPads and iPods). At the most you will get 64 GBs of space and that simply isn't enough. Apple has to allow users to move their content to some kind of cloud based system and I look forward to that day!

How People Describe You...

2010-12-09T23:37:00.000-08:00

I have said this for a while but you can really tell a lot about a person by the way others describe them. That is if your willing to read between the lines. I believe that if someone describes a person by saying they are who they are - then that person is more than likely an asshole.

Here is an example of what that might sound like, "Jim is a great guy. Salt of the earth. He would give someone the shirt off of his back. Susy? She is a really sweet girl. She has a great sense of humor and is sharp as a tack. Frankie? Well, Frankie is Frankie." That description should set off an alarm for anybody. The translation is: "Frankie is a jerk and nobody likes him."

Can you think of anybody who is described using their name that people like? The answer is no.

It's basically the equivalent of somebody using Thumper's "if you dont have anything nice to say don't say anything at all" advice. We re trying to be polite about the fact that this person is annoying but we aren't exactly hiding it either. So the moral of the story is a) don't be that person and b) if you hear someone described that way, run in the opposite direction.

A Quick Thought...real quick

2010-10-27T22:48:00.001-07:00

Slugs are essentially homeless snails. Think about it.

Billy Ray Cyrus' Revenge...

2010-10-19T22:47:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about this the other night. remember the early 1990s when Billy Ray Cyrus was a joke. The man was a walking punchline. Achy Breaky Heart dance, the crazy mullet. Well guess who got the last laugh?

I can't believe that all these years later this guy is relevant again, if only because of his daughter.

Do you think that 18 years ago he was sitting back somewhere thinking, "yea these people are making fun of me, but wait until my little girl turns into a Disney channel sensation. Then we'll see who is laughing."

This guy's revenge/return to cultural relevancy is predicated on the fact that he was able to get someone pregnant. Well done Billy Ray Cyrus. Well done.

Kanye West...

2010-10-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

Just some quick thoughts. When you are talented and artistic enough to produce the performance below, I think you should be allowed to walk up to as many run of the mill pop/country artist and tell them that their shit is lame!

By the way Taylor Swift, you should be sending this motherfucker royalty checks. You owe your skyrocket in popularity to this man ruining your moment by (correctly) pointing out that your music video was not as good as Beyonce's Single Ladies.

Which brings me to my last point. Who in the hell watches the MTV's Video Music Awards anyway? They don't play any fucking videos! It would be like P.E.T.A giving awards for the best steakhouses!

The year of the whole Kanye/Swift fiasco Swift won for Best Video by a Female Artist. You know who won Best Video of the Year? Beyonce!!! How is Beyonce good enough to win the best video - but not good enough to win the best video produced by someone of her own gender!!! And how is it that if someone calls this kind of nonsense out (Kanye) they get shit on for it!? I am going to stop writing now before my head explodes and my brains start running out of my ear.

Lap Dances and Welfare: Two Things That Shouldn't Go Together

2010-10-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

It was reported in July that California welfare recipients were able to get cash (meant for food, clothes and other items) from ATMs located in strip clubs across the state.

I was outraged. Welfare debit cards have to approved for use at ATM locations. How in the hell did the state allow welfare debit cards to be used at ATMs located in strip clubs?! This is money people should be using to feed, cloth and shelter themselves and their children. Instead this money, tax payer money, was being used to pay for lap dances. Like i said, i was outraged. That is until I read that the total amount that was deducted from those ATMs was 12,000 over two years. A total of approximately just under 17 dollars a day. Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t like the idea of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families being abused. But the abuse turned out to be less than a lap dance a day and in this state we waste our money on way more stupid crap than stripper. That shouldn’t come as a shock when we live in a state that allows its welfare recipients to take out money at strip clubs.

The Flintstones Turn 50...

2010-09-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

The Flintstones are 50 years old. The first prime time animated sitcom began 50 years ago and ran for 6 years. It was the first animated show that entertained adults, not kids. As a huge fan of animation and television history it is hard to understate the impact of The Flintstones. From The Simpson to King of the Hill (even Family guy <- I write this begrudgingly), they all owe their existence to The Flintstones. I remember watching the flintstones growing up and it was great even then. it holds up. I owe a lot to The Flintstones in terms of my artistic tastes. For me, and I am sure many others my age, The Flintstones were an evoluntionary step in terms of introducing children to adult material and themes. I love the The Simpson, Park and Recs, The Office, curb You Enthusiasm because I was introduced to The Flintstones. All that said, here are two quick pieces of Flintstones trivia:

"The Flintstones: was the first American animated show to depict two people of the opposite sex (Fred and Wilma; Barney and Betty) sleeping together in one bed.
The fact that the Rubbles adopted superstrong Bamm-Bamm (they could not have children on their own) made "The Flintstones" the first animated series in history to address the issue of infertility.

Yabba Dabba Doo my friends.

In 26 Years We're All Gonna Die (maybe)...

2010-09-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

On Friday April 13 2029 Apophis, an asteroid the size of the Rose Bowl, will become the closest asteroid to pass by our planet in recorded history. Oh and by the way, it may hit us seven years later. Apophis is named after the Egyptian god of Death and Darkness; and for good reason.

Astronomers have determined that the asteroid has an uncertain orbit. Computer models show the asteroid’s range of orbits based on the available data. There is a range within that range called “the key hole”. If the comet passes through that key hole the asteroid will most certainly hit earth seven years later (Thursday April 13, 2036). It would hit the pacific ocean, off the coast of Santa Monica and create an unimaginable tsunami.

If you have thinks to do on your bucketlist, I would try to get those done in the next 26 years.

If you want to hear someone way smater than me talk about it. please check out the video below. I love Neil deGrasse Tyson by the way, he is like Bill Nye for adults.

Cell Phones and Washing Machines Don't Mix...

2010-09-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

I bought some new jeans yesterday. I never wash new jeans before putting them on at least once. But these jeans had a particularly strong "funky new jeans smell." So after wearing them for just a couple of hours I decided I should wash them.

Flash forward to me getting ready for bed and looking for my cell phone. After looking in all the normal places I thought, 'Oh no! Did I put my cell phone in my jeans?"

I rarely have my cell phone in my actual pants' pocket when I am at home. It usually sits out on my coffee table. Well, not this time. This time it was definitely in my jeans and it had definitely gone through a full cycle in my washing machine. I dried it as best as i could and I am currently putting it in the a tub of rice - hoping to fully dry it out.

I am going to give it until Wednesday night and hope that it works, but as of right now my Nexus One seems to be Nexus Done.

2010-09-10T00:28:00.001-07:00

Too Many Podcasts...

2010-08-30T22:32:00.001-07:00

I am going to have to quit my job just so I can actually listen to all the podcasts I download each week. As of right now I typically download nineteen and a half hours worth of podcasts (This Week in Google, The Kevin and Bean Show, Adam Carolla Podcast, Jay and Silent Bob Get Old, Hollywood Babble-On: with Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman and The B.S. Report with Bill Simmons). The podcasts are a mixture of my interest in technology, old radio morning shows I used to listen to in LA, entertainment, and sports.

I love listening to all of these podcasts. i need to prep for my fantasy football league. BOOM! I listen to the B.S. Report to do my fantasy homework. Want to get the scoop on Google Me or learn how to use Gmail's new "priority inbox" efficiently? I have TWIG for that. As much as i love these shows there is no getting around the fact that 20 hours is a hell of a lot of content to go through in one week. I listen to it when i drive, while I get ready in the morning, for 30 minutes each night before I go to bed, when I go for walks...

I am crushed under the weight of podcasts. It's so easy to find something that you are really into and interesting personalities. I love Kevin smith but the man produces nearly eight hours of content a week! It's story-telling overload!

To make my dilemma worse, I have actually cut the number of podcasts I download down. I also used to download Meet The Press (now I just watching the online webcast) and the Parent Experiment; and no, i don't have any good explanation for why I was listening to a parenting podcast.

Patriots Don't Pick And Choose...

2010-08-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

I am a political science major and someone who tries to be reasonable about politics and our world. Which is why the recent backlash against a proposed mosque near the site of the September 11 attacks has been so frustrating. Here are my problems with those who are protesting:

1. The mosque is being tied to radical muslim figures. however, what people are failing to mention is that the figure that is consistently being mentioned, but not by name (Iman Rauf), is the second largest shareholder in NEWCORP (aka FOX). How radical and extremist can the man be when he is the second largest shareholder in FOX! Unless this is some kind of Russel Edgington (True Blood reference) type of psych out, this is an argument with no teeth.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

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The second is that the tragedy of 9/11 is so very real and painful that building a mosque so close to the site of the attacks is rubbing salt in the wound. here is my problem with that. First, it associates Islam with what the attackers of 9/11 did. This of course continues an incredibly stupid and damaging cycle of "the terrorist were muslim, they did it because of Islam, Islam is bad, muslims are terrorist." I mean that whole it's too close to the site argument really boils down to "i have tied Islam to this negative experience. I blame is Islam and thus I don't want it around the site." The fact is that what these people did was because they were psychos and not because they were muslim.

Third argument. the LA Times quoted a protestor as saying:

"Everyone has closure when they lose someone," said O'Shea, a paralegal. "We'll never have closure."

That simply isn't true.

Not everyone has closure after a traumatic event. in fact most people don't. People are more likely to find peace after a traumatic event, not closure. Closure is about something you receive from others, which we can't count on happening. While, finding peace about giving something to yourself through meaningful, thoughtful reflection and resiliency. The problem is we have become "soft" (for lack of a better word) as a nation. We don't want to deal with negative things, or things that make us think and challenge us. so we do crap like this were we find the dumbest freaking argument in order to avoid thinking critically. Which brings me to my next point...

YOU ARE NEW YORKERS! You people are supposed to be the "toughest, thickest skinned, bring em on, we don't care what you think or do" people in our country. And now you can't emotionally deal with a completely unrelated mosque being built two blocks from the site of WTC. C'mon. If you can deal with this, if you can't find peace and resolve to move forward without having this single event (continue) to change the geography of your city, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Fourth, another protester said:

"They want to build a memorial to the terrorists before a memorial to the victims."

This proves my first point. Also, this whole thing about a memorial victim has nothing to do with this issue. If anything this proves, again, our lack of resolve and ability to get things done.

Lastly, patriots don't pick and choose the principles that we choose to uphold. The reason they are so meaningful is because they are supposed to guide us in difficult moments. This nation was founded on the principles of religious tolerance and this is as good a test as any of that principle. It would be a shame if we failed it. Those towers may no longer stand but we must have the courage to stand. To stand for principles that have guided us. To show the resolve to live by those principles even when they are painful, because it's the right thing to do.

The Power of Family...

2010-08-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

I realized this week, just yesterday in fact, that in the near future I will play a patriarchal role in my family. Both sides. Mom and dad's. While my family has churned out incredibly strong and intelligent women who play leading roles in their families, there is always this reverence and respect for my grandfathers. Normally, that reverence and respect would be passed down to their children (their male children) upon their passing. But I don't think that will happen. Their have been too many public indiscretions and too many character flaws for them to be candidates.

I on the other hand, because of the level of education I have achieved and the type of work I do, am someone who elicits a sense of pride and trust from my family. I believe that they would be more than willing to trust me with playing a role in leading our family.

Maybe I have always subconsciously known this. Maybe that's why I worry about them as much as I do. It's probably why I have always felt a sense of responsibility and duty. Maybe that's why I try to help family as much as I can. Maybe that's why I have always feel guilt when I think of family members as burdens. Maybe I get anxious about my ability to love and care, because at some point it will be my job to move our family, in it's totality, into the future. And I want to do so in a way that shows care and love for all of my family, not just parts of it.

Maybe, I am just over thinking things. Maybe there is no such thing as a patriarch in my family. Maybe it's just a projection of my own making used to make sense of how my family interacts with itself.

Whatever the case is, I want to be like my grandfather Cecilio. I want to be a good son, cousin, nephew, uncle (and eventually father) in order to honor him. Everyone loves and admires him. He is, in many ways, our rock. he doesn't say much, but when he does you know he means it and you should be listening. He never says "I love

you". Never. Hearing him say those words is the Holy Grail of our family.

"I love you Papa Chilo"

"Me too."

But he doesn't have to say it. Because his actions speak louder than his words ever could. We know he loves us because of the way he loves us. We don't have to hear it. Our hearts know it. I had to ask him for a favor today. In an attempt to help someone else out I needed a favor from him and my grandmother. After explaining the situation to my grandmother she passed the phone to him. I explained once more. I told him, as I told my grandmother, that I was embarrassed to ask him for this favor. He immediately put me at ease. "OK. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure? I know you generous but this also isn't anything concerning you, so if you don't want to please don't feel obligated to..."

"Don't worry we will take care of it Sunday."

It's not just that he is willing to help, it was his ability to take away the embarrassment I felt. One moment I felt ashamed. I felt like a beggar. The next moment I felt loved and cared for. Maybe that's why we love him and my grandmother so much. I want to be that for the people I care about. Whether they be family or otherwise. When my days are done I hope that I will have done enough so that the people I care about know that I loved them.

Last Thought On Flying (for now)...

2010-08-12T23:13:00.000-07:00

Traveling on an airplane is the opposite of riding a school bus. Forget about the obvious difference that one is flying and one is driving. Think about the following:
On a bus there aren't even seatbelts. On an airplane you are consistently beaten about the head about safety measures. You are reminded what to do in case of water landings, if air pressure becomes low. Chimes consistency remind you to sit down and buckle in.

On a school bus there is nothing but energy. Kids are practically standing on the seats shouting and yelling across the bus. No one is every trying to sleep on a school bus. Hell, with all the noise from the kids I often wondered how a school bus driver could concentrate long enough to keep the thing on the road. A flight is the complete opposite. There is zero energy. People pay 9 dollars for a drink in hopes of being drunk enough to fall asleep on the plane. And even if you don't fall asleep no one talks anyone. People barely make eye contact with one another. People pray that they don't even have to sit next to anybody.
No two forms of transportation could be as disparate as a school bus and a commercial airplane.

Don't Do Nice Things For Your Children....

2010-08-09T21:47:00.000-07:00

In my last post I lamented the future disappointment of a child who has been led to believe she has superpowers. When that child finds out that they don't control flight they are going to be incredibly disillusioned. Who cares about being able to hang upside down on the monkey bars when you though you could make airplanes shake with your mind?!

Well, I noticed a similar scenario at Dodger Stadium. I noticed a family that was having dinner on the field of Dodger Stadium after the game. The sun was beaming, round tables were covered with beautiful white cloth and chefs in aprons and hats prepared food. All the while three children, two girls around 13 and 11, and a little boy no older than 8, ran around the foul area between home and third base. Then I noticed that All-Star left fielder Andre Ethier was on the field with them. He went up to the kids. signed some balls and then he joined them and their parents at the dinner table!
Some people might have looked at this scene and thought. Wow, what a great moment for those kids. what an awesome day for them. not me though. All I kept thinking was, "how bummed out are they going to be the next time they go out to dinner."
I can see it now...
Dad yells upstairs, "Kids were going out to dinner!"
The kids run to the top of the stairs all abuzz with excitement.
"We are going to Chuck E. Cheese." The kids look puzzled. The youngest asks, "Chuck E. Cheese?"
"Yea, it's going to be great. Aren't you excited," dad asks.
"Who is going to be there", questions the 13 year old.
"Well, just us honey."
The 11 year old girl chimes in, "So no professional athletes? What about a famous actor or actress? Lady Gaga?"
Once the kids realize that it's just a regular night out they will attack.
"What gives old man! You call this quality time with your kids!?!? Don't you love us?"

Those parents have set the bar way too high now. How are they going to top that? Everything they do from now on is going to pale in comparison to that moment. Their children are going to be so underwhelmed by the rest of their lives it won't even be funny. What's worse is that other people are going to be held to those same lofty standards and expectations. Can you imagine having to take anyone of those girls to prom? You better have Shaq, Kobe or LeBron as your driver. If not she is going to be unimpressed.

Here is my point, if you are a parent, set your kids expectations low. Don't do things with them at such a young age that th rest of their life experiences seem bland. Its gotta be tough when you're eight years old and the rest of your life is all down hill.

Disillusioned Children

2010-08-06T21:36:00.000-07:00

As I have noted, I have been traveling recently. There was a small child crying as my flight into Raleigh, North Carolina approached its landing. The kid must have been about five years old and was fidgeting and crying. And rightfully so, it was a very turbulent landing. The child's mother was anxious to have her kid stop squirming and crying so she told her child, "Look what you are making the plane do."

She actually said this to the kid.

She told her daughter that the plane was shaking uncontrollably because she couldn't stop crying. Now some people would argue that this was a traumatic and horrible thing to do to your child. 'What kind of parent puts that kind of guilt on their child', my friends say. But I am not concerned with the trauma and the guilt caused by this act. No. in fact, I have an almost opposite reaction.

What if this kid grows up to think she has superpowers? She is going to her kindergarten class on Monday proclaiming, "I can control airplanes!" How bummed is that kid going to be when she realize she doesn't? Or even worse, how scared is she going to be when she does behave during a planes descent and there is still turbulence?

That parent shouldn't be yelled at for scaring their kid, they should be chastised for setting their little one up for unbelievable disappointment when find out that you can't control airplanes.

MTV and Teen Pregnancy...

2010-07-23T14:58:00.000-07:00

Just a quick thought. What should I be more concerned about:

1. That it seems like 1/3 of all of MTV's programming centers around teen pregnancy or,

2. That there are enough pregnant teens in this country to account for 1/3 of MTV's programming?

I mean this is crazy right? It's MTV - MUSIC TELEVISION!

Can you imagine if you went back in time to 1990 and told somebody, "hey you know MTV? Well in twenty years you won't be able to watch music videos on there because they will be too busy showing TV shows about pregnant 16 years and 20 year olds who are constantly drinking, sleeping with each other and getting into fights."

Here is the strange thing about MTV. They are largely responsible for creating a generation of short attention spanned, attention hungry derelicts and now their programming consists of them filming said derelicts and showing them off to a new generation of future blights on society. MTV is the entertainment version of a snake eating it's own tail.

Seriously MTV, stop with the pregnant teen programming. It's depressing and scummy...even for you.

Some Thoughts on Flying...

2010-07-21T16:19:00.001-07:00

Last week I flew out to Toledo, Ohio. On my connector flights to and from Chicago Midway I had crying children in the row in front of me. This got me thinking. Why don't we shame parents that bring toddlers and babies on flights longer than an hour and a half?

Am I wrong in saying that bringing a baby or a toddler on a plane is inconsiderate. Maybe it's just me, but when you decide to have a kid you have forfeited your right to be a normal person for at least 5 years. That means there are restrictions on taking your kids flying, taking them to movies so on and so forth. It's not punishment. It's common courtesy. No one wants to be trapped in a movie theater with a crying child. And that sentiment goes double for being trapped in a metal tube hurdling through the air at 500 miles per hour. Seriously, this isn't like a movie were you can leave the theater if your kid gets out of handed. The parent, the baby and everyone else are trapped on the freaking plane, we can't move, we can't walk out.

So here is my plan. Have small camera is those overhead compartments with the lights and the air ventilation things. When a kid starts uncontrollably crying a flight attendant turns on the camera and the whole scene is broadcast throughout the plane. Now, this may seem strange but let me explain. One, it shames parents. It will hopefully make someone think twice before they travel with their screaming bundle of joy. Second, it lets the rest of the plane know whats going on. Nothing is worse than not being able to see what is causing all this crying. I sat through this plane flight thinking, "is the kid hungry, are they uncomfortable, are the performing a circumcision on a new born?" I need answers. I wan't to know why this already uncomfortable flight is being made even more torturous. Best case scenario some other parents on the plane can shout out advice or instructions that will help calm the kid down.

Lastly, I was flying Southwest which has Spirit Magazine. I have never actually opened the thing. But while I was on the flight someone sitting across the aisle I saw that there was a "Letter to the Editor" page. I was dumb founded. Who in the hell rights a letter to Spirit Magazine! Who has the time, the energy and most importantly, motivation to write a response letter to Spirit Magazine. I hope to God that none of those letters are real.

More flying observations and rants to come...

Pauly Shore Is Motivational...

2010-07-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

Pauly Shore has a new movie coming out.

That's right. It's 2010 and Pauly Shore has a new movie coming out.

Yes, that Pauly Shore.

At first I was amazed and confounded. But the more I thought about it, the happier I was. The fact that in this day and age Pauly Shore can still have a movie coming out (even if it is direct to Netflix) gives me hope.

I see a lot of inspirational and uplifting stories. People who have lost limps who still compete in Iron Men and Iron Women events, cancer survivors who fight everyday, the autistic kid who fights his way onto the basketball team. Those stories and incredibly and those people should be lauded for their efforts. But at the end of it I feel bad about myself.

All I think is, "here are people was worse off than me, have all these obstacles and yet are achieving more than I can. I am a loser."

I don't have to deal with any of that when it comes to Pauly Shore. Pauly Shore is someone who has "less" but doesn't "work hard" and yet still succeeds. So why is he inspirational. Stay with me (and my low self-esteem for a second).

Puly Shore gives hope to people like me! His story gives me hope. It give me hope that maybe I can hang around long enough to have my marginal talents and abilities (coupled with a so-so work wthic) turn into moderate success. Yes, Pauly Shore is proof that with minimal talent and little work ethic, you too can some how stumble aimlessly into success. And for the average Joe, that's motivation!

You Know You Live In A Good Neighborhood When...

2010-07-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

So last week I was at breakfast when I saw a family of 5. A husband and wife and their three children. The kids were loud and energetic as they are prone to do. They ran around the patio area loud and full of life. And I am sure that at 9 in the morning their energy was probably frustrating and annoying for most of the patrons out on the patio. Well, long story short as they were trying to herd there kids the parents decided that they needed to go get coffee and a bunch of other stuff. So they decided to go back into the coffee shop with two of them and just left one of them outside sitting by themselves.

All I kept thinking was, "you know you live in a good neighborhood when you can choose to be a negligent parent."

I mean seriously, this is the parenting equivalent of being able to leave your front door unlocked because you live in a neighborhood were you don't have to worry about break in thefts. How do you just leave your kid alone for three minutes on a patio while eating a bagel? It must be nice to not have to worry about these types of things. I remember one time my mom dropped my brother and I off at my grandparents for a sleep over. As we met my grandmother in the drive way a man covered in blood ran in front of us screaming unintelligibly. And I am not being over dramatic when I say he was covered in blood. The man's entire face and shirt was covered in blood. My grandmother and mom looked at each other, there was a pause, and then my mom said, "all right I will come by to pick them up in a couple of days." Ha!

Bad parenting is relative, or it can be anyway. In bad neighborhoods it is leaving your kids with relative while blood drenched people run around screaming. In a nice town like La Jolla, it's leaving our kids alone out side a bagel shop unattended.

By the way, the kid is clearly 5 or 6 and is already eating food that I didn't eat until I was 21. Unbelievable.

The Boss and The Fourth of the July...

2010-07-05T23:54:00.000-07:00

I know I am a little late here, but I am going to put it out there anyway. People need to stop playing Born in the USA on the Fourth of July. Because of the upbeat rock tempo and the chorus people think that it's the perfect red, white and blue tune to mark our independence day. Clearly those folks have never payed attention to the lyrics. The song chronicles the life of a man forced to fight in Vietnam, his experiences during the war and the harsh realities he finds when he comes back home. Here are some sample lyrics...

Got in a little home town jam

So they put a rifle in my hand

Send me off to a foreign land

to go and kill the yellow man

did I mention he can't find a job when he get home:

Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "Son if it was up to me"
I go down to see the V.A. man
He said "Son don't you understand"

not depressed yet... how about this towards the end of the song:

Out in the Shadow of the penitentiary

out by the gas fires of the refinery

ten years down the road

nowhere to run to

ain't got nowhere to go

Now maybe it's just me but I wouldn't exactly be blaring this from my speakers while I am BBQing, waving the flag or holding a sparkler. Don't get me wrong I love the song and think it's an important reminder of that era and of the way we should treat our veterans when they return home. But there is a time and place for everything, and the Fourth of July isn't the right time for Born in the U.S.A. It's not like I am going to walk into VA Hospital anytime soon and show Born on the Fourth of July, so why would I play this song on the Fourth. By the way watch the trailer to see what Tom Cruise and Kyr Sedgwick looked like 21 years ago.

Anyway, to be fair to people confused about the song's meaning I got blame Bruce a bit for this. The video is fucking confusing. Having a video with kids going to proms and enjoying 5 year olds blowing out birthday cake candles and a father and child enjoying a carnival ride is going to send mixed messages. Link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPudiBR15mk

How Does This Make Any Sense...

2010-06-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

So after watching the World Cup for the last two weeks I have come to a single conclusion. Watching players complain to referees during these games is the most puzzling thing in sports. In a game between Slovokia and the U.S. you have players getting in the face of officials from Italy and the Netherlands. While watching this all i can think is, "there's no way these people can understand each other right?" They might as well be playing pictionary or charades with one another. I am just saying.

I Travel Where the Terrorist Don't

2010-06-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

I have made my summer travel arrangements! I will be headed to Toledo, Ohio and Raleigh, North Carolina. It may not sound like the most fun destinations when you compare it places like Chicago, Miami, New York, Boston, but it's got fun people that I care about and that's all that matters.
Here is the other upside. I am confident that my plane will not have terrorists on it. I feel a 100 percent confident that no terrorist has ever though/said: 'we need to hijack a plane. I know, let's hijack the one going to Toledo, Ohio.' My vacation destinations totally fly under the terrorists' radar. No pun intended. I don't think there are going to be any attacks on North Carolina anytime soon. By the way, if the terrorists really wanted to go after the infidels why wouldn't they attack the midwest and south. The south is populated by white, conservative christians and yet no attacks from muslim extremists. Instead they are constantly attacking large metropolitan areas filled with muslims, liberals, people of color, so on and so forth.

Anyway, good people, good times and no terrorists plots. Three ingredients for a perfect vacation. Well, that and these two characters:

Firsts...

2010-06-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

This year (more specifically the last few months, has seen quite a number of "firsts" for me. For instance, it took me nearly 27 years for me to have my first grilled cheese sandwich. I gotta tell ya, it lived up to the hype. How could two pieces of bread and cheese taste so darn good. throw in a couple of chicken strips on the side and you have a meal fit for a five year old. Just two weeks ago I had another dining related first. My first trip to the Olive Garden. I couldn't believe the looks of shock and disgust I have gotten from my friends when I told them I had never been to Olive Garden. It was OK. Nothing to write home about (but worthy of an honorable mention here on the blog).

Which brings me to some other first. Six years ago I went on my first airplane trip. LA > SAC. I was definitely nervous. the thought of being a 21 year old with no traveling experience getting inside a metal and plastic tube and being hurdled through the year was enough to make me uneasy. But I served. During my stay in Sacramento I experienced another first. My first bagel. Yup I was 21 when I had my first bagel. A lot of people don;t believe me when I say this or they are incredulous with their response but you can't blame me. I come from a mexican family. We don't eat bagels. We have pan dulce or tortillas with everything. By the way we also have rice with just about every damn meal. We don;t need to introduce any more carbs into our diet.

I am usually "late to the dance" when it comes to doing things. For example, I was 21 when I got my drivers license.

Well, a week after turning 27 its fun to think of what other "delayed" firsts are headed my way.

Krispy Kreme

2010-06-12T00:41:00.002-07:00

Last week I went to Krispy Kreme and picked up 15 dozes donuts (don't ask). However, I have noticed something about going to Krispy Kreme. Nobody is happy to work there. It's the strangest thing in the world. You have all these beautiful pastries. It smells like a dream. Everyone is in white. And yet, when you look at the employees they are just dead behind the eyes. Thy look like they want to put their head in that little oven conveyor belt thing. Everyone looks like they are indentured servants. I just imagine them sleeping in the store and never being allowed to leave. I'm not kidding. Whenever I walk in there I feel like I should refer my cashier to the suicide help hotline.
I have only seen Krispy Kreme employees happy ONCE! I was ordering 20 dozen donuts and a FORMER employee came in. I got completely ignored midway through my order and everyone came from behind the counter and mobbed this woman. The smiles on their faces were from ear to ear. I can't even do the smiles justice. They were giddy. It was the kind of giddiness that little kids get on Christmas morning. They went up to her and hugged her, kissed her on the cheek and just chatted it up while I just stood there watching. They looked at her as if to say, "oh my God, how did you escape. Why are you risking it by coming back her. But while you are here tell us how you managed to get out of here! Quick! The person keeping us here went out for a smoke..."

Things I Didn't Think I'd Hear and One Hit Wonders...

2010-06-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

I have a new running theme that I look forward to each day. I wait to hear the most absurd comment that there is no way I could have guessed I would have heard when I woke up that morning. For example, yesterdays winner:

"I don't kid around when it comes to hand jobs." There is no way I could have guessed anyone would have told me that yesterday and that it would have made perfect sense. I am going to try to keep track of these and share them as good ones come along.

Also yesterday I was driving in my car and I heard the song Crush by Jennifer Paige. First thoughts, "holy crap. It has been YEARS since I have heard this song." I felt like I was in some kind of weird time machine. The only question was, how far back in time did I travel. Well crush came out in 1998 which puts me at the ripe old age of 15. Listening to this song also made me think, are there anymore One Hit Wonders? I feel like if you have one hit song now you are guaranteed at least one more because radio stations or MTV will just shove the music and the artist it down your throat. There is no way Jennifer Paige is just a one hit wonder if she comes out in 2007 or 2008. She has at least another hit and then a moderate hit on a second album right. Maybe she gets hooked up with rapper and parlays that into a fourth top 40 song. I'm just saying - is she any worse than the other pop acts we have now? No - but some how these people hang around like a bad case of herpes.

It's incredible to me that in an age were music is so disposable the artist aren't. Pop artist just keep hanging around and hanging around and hanging around. Ms. Paige you were just a few years too soon or you could have had a career spanning atleast a couple of years.

Things I Don't Want To Know...

2010-05-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

I was hanging out with a friend on Friday night and they shared this little tidbit with me. "1 out of every 4 people under the age of 78 dies from some form of cancer." The person threw out this statistic out of nowhere. We weren't talking about death or cancer. Dropping random factoids into conversations is what this person does. For example, did you know that pigeons and cats have the greatest genetic diversity among animals. Thats the type of off the wall info I get from this friend. But thats not exactly my point here. My point is that if you know something like that cancer stat - keep it to yourself!

Yes, I know its an interesting fact but no one wants to hear about how their going to die! You know why dogs are so happy? Because they don't realize that they only have 10-13 years to live. Its Friday night and people are having a good time. No need to be Dr. Death and have me start worrying about what form of cancer is going to kill me. I've said it once and I will say it again. There are just somethings I don't want to know. It's a curse to be smart. Having too much information/knowledge makes you, what I call, "hyper-aware". People who are too smart can't act without over thinking/analyzing everything. They can't relax. They are stress balls. Life is easier when you are dumb. If I want to know about causes of death I will look at a medical publication. Other than that, let me be unaware. As the old adage says, ignorance is bliss: especially when it comes to telling me how I am going to die.

Proactive Commercials...

2010-05-23T20:43:00.000-07:00

Proactiv is a creme that is sold with the promise that it cures acne. When I first saw the Proactiv commerical its spokesperson was P. Diddy of all people. Diddy needed Proactiv to keep his sexy right. You don't understand the man needed to protect his silk smooth skin!

As ridiculous, and LONG, as these commercials can be the thing that bugs me is the use of regular people and celebrities in these things. The celebrity talk about how they were horrified to walk on the red carpet or be on a photo shoot because they had a "break out." Thats the actual photo of Katy Perry they used as an example of her acne "problem".

They then cut to a regular Joe who looks like Two-Face to give their testimonial. I wonder how those people feel when they watch these commercials. How pissed must they be? I would be f'ing insulted to watch a celebrity make a big deal about a few pimples when my face looks like a pizza! And what about the people watching. If people with real acne felt bad about their looks before they must be absolutely devastated after watching Proactiv commercials. Do they even sell any of their kits or do they just drive all their potential clients to suicide?

The Return of Randy Moller's Goal Calls...

2010-05-22T01:49:00.000-07:00

Enjoy...

Kobe v Lebron: Its no comparison...

2010-05-13T20:07:00.000-07:00

To all the Laker fans critiquing Lebron: don't make comparisons to Kobe. Lebron deserves a lot of the crap he is getting but lets get the facts straight. Kobe wasn't expcted to be the best player on his team until 2004 and he stunk up the NBA finals that year. Kobe was fortunate enought to be surrounded by the most dominant center of all time, a tremendous coach, winners like Robert Horry and Jerry West as GM who acted as training wheels for Kobe.
Lebron has been asked to be the best player on his team since day one.

And as far as bad playoff performances lets not forget some Kobe's absolute embarassments: 2004 finals games 3-5, 2008 finals games 4 and 6, and games seven v The Suns. I am not saying Lebron is better or that he shouldn't be criticized for his performance but let's not forget that Kobe had more time to grow and always had more tools and when he didn't have those tools he struggled. So to all the people saying, "Kobe struggled in the playoffs but he had three rings" let's not compare. It took Kobe five years in his prime and an unbelievably one sided trade to get Kobe back to the top of the mountain.

But if you are going to compare then lets do it:

Imagine creating a supporting cast draft. The rules are simple, you take the best player off of all the teams that were still alive at the beginning of Thursday (Boston, Cleveland, Lakers, Suns and Magic) and then you draft the best available player from pool consisting of the remaining players roster. If you did that how many picks someone selects a Cleveland Caviler? Honestly. How long until some takes Antwan Jamison (who I would argue is the second best player on that team? You would have to put the following players ahead of him: Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, Pao Gasol, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson, Amare Stodamire, Jason Richardson (hell maybe even Rashard Lewis). The truth is if you had this draft there wouldnt be a Cav taken in the top 10!!! Dude doesn't have help. Thats just the truth.

Could you imagine Kobe without Pao Gasol...I can because thats what happened in in 2006-2007. Without a legit center (Kwame Brown) and without a point gaurd (Smush Parker) dude got bounced in the first round!!! And not just 2006-2007 but also in 2005-2006. He did have Lamar Odom (the Lakers answer to Antwan Jamison. Again, Kobe has had this period in his career too. When he was handed a bad team and he struggled in the playoffs in terms of success.

We can criticize his leadership and we can criticize the role he plays on his team (for instance maybe he needs to let his point gaurd be the primary distributor - not him) but it is way out of bounds to say Lebron isn't a championship type player until he is given championship type pieces to compliment him.

Somethings I Have Learned About Myself...

2010-05-12T20:21:00.000-07:00

1. I am a horrible judge of milk pouring. I always ruin my cereal by pouring too much milk. I can never do it right. I always think, "its not enough milk" or "maybe just a little more" and then I finish I look at the jug of milk I have basically poured half the gallon into this damn bowl. If anyone has any tips please let me know.

2. No matter how bad a day I have at work I know I didn't have nearly as bad a day as now former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida. As frustrating and soul crushing as my job may be I never look like this afterwards...

Random Thoughts...

2010-05-09T23:03:00.001-07:00

1. Iron Man 2 is a good movie. I was nervous this weekend when I saw some friends say that they thought it was just an OK movie. But I went to go see it Sunday morning and I sat there waiting to be disappointed. I absolutely loved the first 45 minutes of the movie, and the rest of it too of course, but especially the first 45 minutes. I am not usually a summer blockbuster person, and I am usually disappointed by comic book movies. Plus, I was super afraid of Micky Rourke going over the top playing a Russian villain, but I thought this sequel was pulled off really well. Great actors, a lot of laughs and the action sequences were cool without dragging on forever (which is a pet peeve of mine).

2. I love Kevin Smith. I just love listening to hear him talk. The next time he is anywhere in Southern California giving one of his lectures I am there.

3. What is wrong with Brett Michaels. I felt bad a couple of weeks ago because after learning that he suffered a brain hemorrhage I made a "every rose has its thorn jokes." Everyone looked at me like was an a-hole, which was the correct response. But then I see a People Magazine at the grocery store and I see this picture...

I look at the inset picture (the one taken in the hospital) and all I could think was, "what the f***? Are you serious? Even after a brain hemorage this dude still rocking a bandana?" Does he really think he is fooling any of us into thinking he isn't bald. And by the way, even if he is concerned with people seeing he is going bald, you can give it a rest after you almost died. You should really just be focused on your health at that point. I'm just sayin'.

80s Night...

2010-05-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight was a surreal experience. I went out to put gas in my car and go grocery shopping. I pull into the ARCO station and as I open the door and put my foot out of the car the first guitar licks from ZZ Top's Sharp Dressed man played. Freaking awesome. It was like I was in a movie. A comedy, of course. No better comedic timing than having a guy in gym shorts and a white shirt get out of his car while Sharp Dressed Man is playing.

Link to Sharp Dressed Man

Fast forward to the checkout counter at the Grocery Store. The checkout woman, who looks like she is maybe in her late twenties asks me what I am listening to. I tell her I am listening to a news podcast. She looks at me and says, "you mean you're not listening to My Girl Wants to Party All the Time by Eddie Murphy. Thats my favorite song of all time."

Thats right. Her favorite song of all time is Part All the Time by Eddie Murphy. Awesome. She told me that it always makes her want to dance and she can't be in a bad mood when she hears it. My friends, please enjoy Mr. Murphy at the peak of his musical powers (notice the cameo by Rick James). One of the best worst music videos ever. I love how psyched everyone gets over Eddie's vocals stating at the 2:50 mark.

This is Why...

2010-05-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

Why are my beloved Dodgers in such bad shape? Why are the struggling at every turn? I have the answer. Driving out of LA on 5 freeway and I saw this. I was in fucking shock!!!

Over the last month I have been trying to decide which is the more embarrassing association I have in my life: being a catholic or being a Dodger fan? Well this made my decision easy - being a Dodger fan.

Why in God's good name would the advertising team ever - I mean EVER - allow Justin fucking Beiber to be part of the marketing campaign for one of the greatest and most storied baseball franchises in history. He is fucking 15 and Canadian. Has he ever been to a baseball game? This is a million times worse than the Angels decision to let a monkey be the face of their franchise for 10 years! Seriously, a monkey was a better marketing decision than this!

Frank McCourt has got to be the worst owner in all of sports. He can't afford a decent veteran starter but he hires staff who will sign off on this kind of bullshit pandering.

And who is this kind of advertising meant for? Have the people who decided this was a good idea ever gone to a Dodger game. Look at your fans for Christ's sake. How many of the bald dudes, with Raider tattoos and wearing loc sunglasses are buying Justin Beiber albums? How many of the middle aged Jewish men who go to games have "Beiber fever"?

The Dodgers - dare I say it - are doomed. At least until that billboard comes down.

Preferred Parking...

2010-04-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

Preferred parking. For years people try to entice us with the offer of preferred parking. But is preferred parking that great? Not really. Preferred parking allows you to park closer to the venue. But is that a good thing. At then end of a concert or a game I don't want to be farthest away from the exit, I want to be closest to the exit. Nothing is worse than realizing that you have payed an extra 15 dollars to fight everyone who parked general admission to get out of the freaking parking lot.

From now on there should be a preferred "get me the hell out of this parking lot" parking. I don't care how they do it. Airlift my car out of the parking lot. Invest in the creation of some kind of escape pods for people who pay for the preferred parking. What about some kind of secret tunnel.

All I am saying is that preferred parking is a scam. The 5 minutes I save walking isn't worth the eternity it takes to get the hell out of The Verizon Amphitheater.

Birthdays...

2010-04-18T11:10:00.001-07:00

So I was thinking recently...Has facebook ruined the act of wishing someone a happy birthday? Wishing someone a happy birthday was traditionally a sign that someone had invested the time and energy needed to remember your birthday, mark it on the calendar, go to a store and buy a card or even go online and find an e-card to send.

But facebook has ruined all that.

Wishing someone a happy birthday is only part of it value. Its real worth comes in knowing that someone has burned some calories in order to remember your birthday and send a message. Wishing someone a happy birthday shouldn't be too easy. I want to know that the person sending me a birthday message had put some time and energy into remembering my birthday. Facebook undermines that.

People no longer need to put their friend's birthdays on a calendar. People no longer need to remember their friend's birthday. Facebook is doing for birthdays what cell phones did for phone numbers. People don't need to remember either because technology will remember it for them. Facebook removes the value from someone wishing you a happy birthday. I honestly get a bigger kick out of someone sending me a happy birthday text three days late then someone writing a note on my wall. Why? Because I figure that the person who sent the text actually had to burn some calories in order to remember my birthday. With the facebook wall post I don't know if the person actually remembered my birthday or if they saw a reminder while they were stalking someone from high school.

Old People Can Be Cocky...

2010-04-02T23:34:00.000-07:00

I was at Costco last week buying some items for work when I noticed something. I was the youngest person in the Costco by, oh I don't know, at least a prehistoric period. I didn't mind. The driving around the parking lot was complicated by little old ladies trying to look over the steering wheel. Cute little elderly couples shuffling their feet as they try, emphasis on the word try, to move swiftly through the aisles. But thats OK by me. It's nice to see older folks out and about. But then it dawned on me, what are people with one foot in the grave doing at a place that sells things in bulk?

When it comes right down to it is a mixture of cockiness and defiance. 'F*** you Grim Reaper - this 74 year old is planning on living long enough to finish these eight 5 gallon jugs of Clamato.' I was impressed and put off all at once. I kept thinking if I were this old there is no way I am buying anything in bulk. I know tomorrow isn't guaranteed to anyone, but come on, a seventy year old buying what amounts to a years worth of soup? Thats confidence!

Savoring Life...

2010-03-22T22:28:00.000-07:00

So I have been reading a book called The Jesuit Guide To (Almost) Everything. It is written by Father James Martin, S.J. He has recently been in the media because he has rebuked Glenn Beck's claims that social justice has no place in religion. I have really enjoyed the book. I am a very slow reader and one who gets distracted/bored easily. So reading a 130ish pages in two days is a pretty good indicator that I have enjoyed the book.

However, there have been a handful of times when the book has, for some reason or another made me contemplate my own mortality. I would begin to get nervous at the idea of death. I worry about falling ill, or losing my memory, becoming a burden for others. Yet when I really sit down and think about it I think I fear something else. I fear not fully enjoying my life. One of the tenants of the book is this idea of reflecting on our day, or what Father Martin calls being contemplative in action. In short to be contemplative in action means be able to reflect upon all the aspects of your daily life, the good, the bad, the banal. Its about taking the time to appreciate the good and beautiful things in your life and being aware of the bad parts too. Its about taking the time to reflect on the people in your life and how you interact with them. Contemplating the things that made you happiest and peaceful, while at the same time taking the time to think about the areas in which you have failed and need to improve.

I've said before that life isn't always fun and that life is difficult. I still hold that to be true. But at the same time I am being reminded that just because life can be hard and busy doesn't mean that I can't or shouldn't take the time to enjoy it. I should take the time to think about my day and my life and all that it is. Because at the end of the day life is like a good meal. A good meal is something you sit with, something you savor and appreciate and it should be the same with the lives we lead. So after sitting with this for a few days I have decided that I should be more contemplative in action. To think about myself as a person, about my desires, my short comings and appreciating my reality. Now I realize that it wasn't so much death I feared, as much as it was letting my life go by without taking the time to enjoy it.

My Scene...

2010-03-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me today what my scene is and I replied, "my scene is that I have no scene." And I dont mean that in the I am too cool to be part of a scene, I am just to lazy and introverted to have ever done anything to be part of a scene. Being part of a scene means burning calories. Scenes mean developing a look, following a lifestyle, going places and having to talk to people. That sounds like a lot of work. I wish I had the motivation to be part of scene but I just don't have the energy or commitment. I need to find a scene that I can do from my couch. Is watching HBO on a Sunday a scene?

Running to Get Home..

2010-03-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

It's sold out!!! For the first time in history the L.A. Marathon is sold out and many people are thanking the newly developed LA Marathon route for the increased registration sales. In the past the route had been essentially a circle that began and ended by the Los Angeles Coliseum. This year planners developed the "Stadium to the Sea" concept, creating a route starting at Dodger Stadium that ends at the Santa Monica Pier and hits all kinds of landmarks along the way.
I loved the idea when I first heard it but I had one question. After running 26.2 miles, and I supposed to run another 26.2 miles to get back to my car? The answer is no. Apparently you are supposed to arrive and park at the Santa Monica pier and then you have to be shuttled over to Dodger Stadium. Participants are being asked to arrive an hour and a half early. That seems like a lot of work to run a race is that is so long that it allegedly killed the guy the race is named after.

But I guess this will serve as motivation to finish the race. You'll have to if you ever want to get back home! No quitting the L.A. Marathon this year, not if you ever want to see you car again. As matter of fact your car is pretty much a deposit on finishing the race this year. And think of the traffic trying to get out of that place. Maybe next year they will have a new slogan for the L.A. Marathon.
THE 2011 L.A. MARATHON: RACE YOU TO THE PARKING LOT

Its Going To Be A Busy April

2010-03-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

April 1, new phone - hopefully the Nexus One gets to Verizon in time.

April 3 I am heading up to L.A. for Kevin and Bean's April Foolishness. It's going to be a heck of a lot of fun

featuring Aziz Ansari and Jeff Ross:

April 14, is Opening Day for the Los Angeles Dodgers

and I am planning my biggest work project all month long.

Why You Gotta Be Like That?

2010-03-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

So last week Kathryn Bigelow won Best Director at the Academy Awards. However, when her film The Hurt Locker was introduced as a Best Picture Nominee the presenter was none other than Keanu Reeves. I didn't hear a single word he said about the eventual winner of the Best Picture. Instead, all I heard was, "I am an EFFFF-BEEE-EEEEYE AGENT." What a kick in the pants to Kathryn Bigelow, or skirt if you will. Here she is at the pinnacle of her career and this is what the Academy decides? I can hear the conversation now.

"Hey, you know who we will get to introduce Kathryn Bigelow's award winning film? The dude she directed in Point Break."

"Patrick Swayze. He is dead?"

"No not him, the other guy."

"Gary Busey? He is insane."

"No the one who had a semi-successful career afterwards."

"Anthony Kedis...?"

Thats right, on arguably the biggest day of her professional life they decided to remind everyone that she was the director behind one of the most comically bad movies of the 80s. Niiiiiiice move Academy Award producers. They didn't freaking trot out Jessica Alba to talk about Avatar!!! No one mentioned that Cameron had directed Piranha 2: The Spawning at the beginning of his career. As much as I love how bad Point Break the Oscars probably wasn't the best time to remind people of that albatross around Ms. Bigelow's neck.

Solitude versus Loneliness

2010-03-08T18:42:00.000-08:00

The really satisfying moments I have working with student leaders come less frequently than they used to. But it always strikes me as special when one of them shares with me some personal insight that shines a light on me.

During a one on one this past week and R.A. told me, "I like solitude but I hate being alone."

As soon as I heard the words I thought, 'damn this kid hit it right on the head.' Solitude is all about having peace and enjoying the tranquility of taking time for yourself. Loneliness is the desperation and pain you feel when you don't feel that there is anyone there for you. In both instance you are "alone." But in solitude you have this sense of comfort. The time alone is about reflection or recharging your battery. When you are lonely the separation between yourself and other people seems like it will have no end. Loneliness makes us hate ourselves and wonder why we drive others away.

Maybe it's just me but I found my student's comment to be real interesting.

Forced Shots...

2010-03-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

I remember when I played rec league basketball as a little kid. I wasn't the fastest or the biggest kid so I played hard on defense and did what I could to get someone else a good look at the basket. But I knew at any given time I was more than likely to be in the bottom 5 of the players out on the court. It was never more evident than when I touched the actual ball.

I'd panic.

Unbelievable panic. I would force up horribly ugly shots. I should be passing the ball. Instead I would freak out look up and shoot. Damn setting my feet and and squaring up. I just hoisted the ball in the air for some of the ugliest shooting you have ever seen.

I would always be so embarrassed after games thinking, 'why do you do that?' Which I guess is a question I ask myself all the time. Recently I have been asking it of myself when it comes to my friendships. One of the horrible flaws I share with my father is the feeling that I always need to impress/buy my friends. I know I don't need to. I know in my heart that I am a good guy. I care deeply about those people who are close to me. I try my damnedest to be their for them when they need support, plus I think that I am amusing and smart enough to make for good company. But when I am with them and the issue of money comes up I feel like I always have to over compensate.

Drinks, there on me. Dinner, I got the check. How much did the tickets cost, don't worry about it.

A quick note here. In no way are my friends leaches. They have paid for their fair share of things and always offer to pay. The problem doesn't lie with them. It's with me. There are times when I am more than happy to pay for them, to buy them things and its not an issue. I have the money for it. But there are other times where I tell myself, "you can't spend more than X." But when the check comes it different story. The blame lies in me. I try to be something I am not. I pay partly to show love and partly to mask my own insecurities. In that moment of laying down the plastic charge card or pulling out the handful of twenties I allow myself to pretend that I am more successful and secure than I really am.

I really need to get a hold of myself. I need to firmly believe and know that the love my friends have for me isn't tied to the amount of money I am willing to spend on them. When I forced up those shots during games I was trying to do things beyond what I was truly capable of, and the result of those actions were negative. It's the same here. I need to be honest with myself and know that if it's good enough for those around me it should be good enough for me too.

Today's Worst Person In The World

2010-02-27T18:02:00.000-08:00

A Wisconsin Teenager was convicted and sentenced for 15 years for facebook blackmail. The male teenager posed as a teenage girl on facebook and tricked fellow male classmates to send naked pictures of themselves to him. Once in possession of the pictures AND videos the wisconsin teen used the pics as blackmail. He told his classmates that he would release the photos or videos if they didn't engage in some sort of sex act with him. Seven of his classmates were fearful enough that they actually had sex with this dude (which he also video taped and photographed).

You can read the rest of the story here:

I don't even no were to begin with my disgust. Obviously the kid is insane and a dirt ball. What kind of sick teenage boy uses the horniness of other teenage boys against them! Not to make too much light of an awful crime but there is a code amongst horny teenagers and using their desperate need to get laid for the purposes of black mail is definitely a no-no.

Jack Black Is Not Funny...

2010-02-24T21:37:00.000-08:00

O.K. So I spent part of my weekend in L.A. going to a comedy benefit show at the Nokia Theater in downtown L.A. When I originally bought the tickets months ago (way back in November I believe) the show was to be hosted by Will Ferrell and headlined by Demetri Martin and Zack Galifinakis. "Awesome," i thought. I immediately bought some tickets and was geeked for a good time. Well sometime in January Zac Galifinakis' name was taken off the advertisements. I got a little nervous. But I went from nervous to horrified when it was announced that Tenacious D would be added to the bill. I held out hope. I prayed that I would be proven wrong. But unfortunately I was correct. Jack Black is NOT funny. The man is a void of comedy. He is a black hole of humor. I assure you that all the artist at the show are less funny just because he was in their general proximity.

I don't understand how this guy has a career? If being fat and annoying gets you to the top in show business I wish someone would have told me! It was bad enough they weren't funny. It was worse that they CLOSED the freaking show. Song after song with no one laughing. It was death. And again, for all the Jack Black lovers who are going to give me a hard time: I wanted him to be funny. I wanted to be wrong. But the whole freaking crowd just sat there nervously watching this awkward unfunny act. Everyone just sat there uncomfortably hoping against hope that they would do something to salvage. People would scream as they went into the opening cords of some of their "hit songs." But thirty seconds in the same people were just sitting there with a look on their face as if to say, "when did I ever laugh at this?"

Thats a good question. Here is my theory. Jack Black/Tenacious D fans are people who hear Tenacious D in college. At that point in their lives folks are a weird combination of being altered by some sort of drug mixed with college age immaturity/stupidity. So it doesn't strike me as strange that someone like that would think to themselves, "wow this is funny." Who else could listen to songs, whose only purpose seem to be to allow Jack Black to use words like "shit", "fuck" and "motherfucker" and think thats funny? That maybe funny the first time. But guess what? That shit gets old real quick.

That one of the bigger the problem with Tenacious D, unlike Flight of the Conchords the song's lyrics aren't funny. Tenacious D's punchline is the cuss word. If you grow out of thinking the word "cock" is funny then you aren't going to laugh at a Tenacious D performance. And that was the total vibe at L.A. Live last night. bunch of people who remember Tenacious D being funny 10 years ago all of a sudden sat in front of that same group and went, "oh wait a minute. this is actually pretty shitty."

I guess what I am saying is: Jack Black. Stop it. Seriously. You're not funny.

She Proved Them Right...

2010-02-16T22:49:00.000-08:00

As some of you may now Amy Bishop was University of Alabama professor who is accused of opening fire and killing a number of colleagues after being denied tenure. It's an absolute tragedy. Lives have been unbelievably altered. However, on the bright side doesn't this validate the board's decision to deny her tenure? I mean we can all agree they made the decision right? Clearly somebody who reacts this way to a rejection of tenure shouldn't have been given tenure. Maybe a strongly worded letter would have been a better response. Not getting a gun and shooting three staff members during a faculty meeting.

By the way Prof. Bishop had a 3.4 rating on ratemyprofessor.com (out of 5). Which goes to show, what the f*** do 19-21 year olds know about rating a professor? Answer: Nothing.

Things I Didn't Expect To See...

2010-02-04T20:25:00.001-08:00

This is what I ran into while on the CNN.com health page:

OSCARS

2010-02-02T22:11:00.000-08:00

Oscar nominations came out today. At first I was a little skeptical of expanding the best picture category to 10 nominees but I actually like the way it worked out. It allows for deserving commercially successful films to get their due recognition. It also allows films in genres that are not normally recognized (animation and sci-fi) to get their moment in the limelight. The following are films and actors I am rooting for (not necessarily the poeple who I think will win):

Best Picture: I would love to see Up win but lets face it, it has a snowball's chance in hell. Speaking of hot places I hope the Hurt Locker wins. However, the film hasn't gotten a lot of public buzz and may be overwhelmed by the hype of Avatar.

Best Actress: This thing is a freaking toss up. After getting screwed over the last two years Meryl Streep may get a "make up" Oscar for Julie and Julia, which is a far less impressive performance then what she pulled off in Doubt and the Devil Wears Prada. Hellen Merian is a always a favorite in this category and I can see this category being used to recognize "An Education". Personally, I am rooting for Gaby Sidibe or Sandra Bullock.

Best Actor: Micahel Stuhlbarg! How did this guy NOT get nominated for his performance in A Serious Man! so upset about this. There will be serious buzz for Jeremy Renner and Colin Firth (deservingly so) but I think this one is headed Jeff Bridge's way.

Supporting Actor: Christopher Waltz - no one else even needs to show up.

Supporting Actress: Monique (I hope she refers to the other nominees as "skinny bitches").

Director: Kathryn Bigelow. I really hope James Cameron doesn't win for this one. I don't know why. I know he did is amazing things with regards to redefining film making but directing is about being able to tell a story and thats what Ms. Bigelow does in the Hurt Locker.

Screenplay Original: A Serious Man (one of my top four favorite movies of the year)

Screenplay Adapted: Up In The Air (no way the genius of the young Reitman goes unrecognized on Oscar night)

Training...

2010-01-26T23:22:00.001-08:00

Into my second week of a new training program. Running in the rain was actually pretty cool, although I always worry about slipping and falling (and after tearing up my ankle just a few months ago that always seems like it likely). Anyone I am trying to make the most out of my NIKE + shoes and iPod. I decided to create a new running playlist tonight. Here it is (in no particular order):

Diamonds From Sierra Leone - Kanye West

All Falls Down - Kanye West

Get By - Talib Kweli

I Want You - King of Leon

We Belong Together - Mariah Carey

Can't Tell Me Nothing - Kanye West

Death of Autotune - Jay-Z

Poker Face - Lady Gaga

99 Problems - Jay-Z

Touch the Sky - Kanye West

Just Dance - Lady Gaga

Get Busy - The Roots

List of Demands - Saul Williams

The People - Common

Go! - Common

Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake

30 Something - Jay-Z

Hard Knock Life - Jay-Z

*I would like to say that I can't believe that as of thirty minutes ago I now own a Justin Timberlake and Lady Gaga song(s).

Big Love May Be The Worst Show I Have Ever Seen..

2010-01-19T18:51:00.000-08:00

I remember where I was when BIG LOVE first premiered on HBO. I also remember thinking, "wow they are starting the series with Bill Paxton showing his bare ass." I remember really enjoying the show. Including the use of God Only Knows by the Beach Boys as the show's theme. Well, many years later I now watch Big Love as if it were a great car that broken down almost overnight. I am trying like hell to still enjoy Big Love but they are making it SUPER difficult. Here are a list of some of my general complaints:

crazy plot lines:

Don;t believe me? I kid you not when I sum up one of the critical plot lines by saying "A polygamist mormon teams up with native americans to open up a family friendly casino in Utah." Huh? Can anyone wrap there freaking headed around that. Doesn't it sound like I am just making up sentences using random nouns? Thats the plot folks.

While watching episode one of season four I heard the super annoying Nicolette use the terms fry sauce? Really. I just heard ketchup referred to as "fry sauce." Come on how much longer are they trying to relay to us that she is "folksy" and isn't as "progressive/modern" as the other wives. She grew up in a polygamist compound. Her ridiculous hair and dress give it away. I get it! We are four seasons in. You don't have beat me over the head with it by having her refer to ketchup as fry sauce. It's unnecessary.

Septuagenarians trying to kill one another. What is with this storyline continuing after more than four seasons. At first it was very dark, then it was kind of funny watching old people trying to kill each other but now its just absurd. Its not funny anymore watching old people try to stab each other. As a matter of fact it's so bad it makes me want to stab myself.

Damnit BIG LOVE get it together. Please, or might have to find something else to do with my Sunday Night. Because at this point, its not TV, it's not HBO, it's just pathetic.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day...

2010-01-18T09:31:00.000-08:00

I know I have posted this before but its just so incredibly eerie and inspiring considering what would happen to Dr. King within 24 hours. May his message continue to resonate as we stumble forward towards a more perfect world:

Mom, I'm Sorry...

2010-01-17T21:17:00.000-08:00

Even though she will never see this (because she doesn't own a computer), I want to apologize to my mom. Weekend cleaning around the house was a normal part of childhood. What made it different around my home however was that my mom would always get very tired of the way the house would look. Well, because we lacked the money to buy new things to change the look of rooms she would always reorganize the way the room looked. She was never happy with the look of the room. It would trip me out that she would spend an entire Saturday moving super duper heavy furniture just to give our living a dinning room a "fresh" look.

Well, I have learned over the past six years that I am the same way. I always move furniture around trying to maximize space and to see if I can make my living space "hipper" or more "guest friendly". Its been 6 months and I have already rearranged my living room twice and completely rearranged my bedroom this weekend. At UCSB people would always make fun of me because my room never looked the same twice. In the words of Prince, "maybe I'm just like my mother/she's never satisfied."

So mom after all those years of poking fun at you for being an amateur indoor decorator, I want to say that I'm sorry and I love you. I guess we are both equally crazy.

Why Twitter Is My New Favorite Social Networking Site

2010-01-12T17:43:00.000-08:00

So when I got a Twitter account a little over a year ago I really enjoyed it. And then I fell out of love it. I started missing facebook and all its wonderful features. Well over the past few months the fiery passion in my loins for Twitter has been reignited. I will try to briefly explain why I really enjoy Twitter and its distinct advantages over Facebook. I will also try to cover some of its downsides.

Followers > Friends:

So I looked at the number of friends I had on Facebook two weeks ago. 320. after about a half hour of combing through folks I cut that down to 260. Not bad, but I still had 260 friends. Many of them are people I dont talk to but their pictures still end up in my newsfeed. Along with their status updates, news of who they just became friends with, wall posting and their invitations to events that I have zero intention of attending. I could unfriend them but there is always that hesitation. "What if they notice?" "But they are still friends with one of these other people I still talk to." So on and so forth.

Just last night a student asked me to be her friend on facebook. I have nothing against her and I dont mind if she has access

to my page, but I dont want access to her's and I dont want to be bombarded with her news and updates. I dont want to commit to a "relationship" that I dont

want just so she can see my dang news feed. Twitter solves this problem for me. If she were on Twitter she could simply follow me and that would be that. I would have one new follower but I wouldn't be forced to "follow" her. None of her tweets would show up on my feed stream and I could go on living my life. If for whatever reason I needed to block her later on I could totally do that.

While Facebook forces you into a shotgun type wedding with people, Twitter allows you to casually keep tabs with people you care about without forcing them to do anything they don't want to do.

My Friends, My News

Facebook is great because it lets me keep up with my friends (and as I mentioned above, keeps me updated with people I dont care about). But facebook rarely keeps me informed. I love reading the news, following the latest on my latest sports teams, getting the 411 on upcoming tech gadgets. But I get none of that on Facebook. Before I maximized my twitter experience I would have to skim facebook to see if there was anything I cared about and then go onto Google Reader (which is an RSS feed page that collects new stories from different websites and media outlets that I subscribe to). While Google Reader is helpful because it collects all the news that I ask for and care about it takes several steps to get to the actual article to read it. I have to click on the media "LA Times Front Page" for example.

Then I see all the articles. I click on one and I see a preview page. Then I have to click on the preview page in order to open up the actual article.Twitter solves this for me too. It combines following my friends and getting my news. I merely follow different news agencies and websites and i get their updates (which include links to their articles) in real time. Plus I get the added benefit of also getting my friend's updates from the same place.

I can give a great example of this from today. When Conan O'Brien released his press release regarding his future at NBC I got immediate info from Twitter (three articles from three different media outlets). From Facebook: nada. I have friends who I know love Conan but there were no updates or links to the latest info. Or when the earthquake hit Hati. Some people mentioned it in wall posts but there was no actual info. With Twitter I get the news and my friend's reactions. Advantage: Twitter.

How Twitter Can Get Better:

Photos: Twitter does a good job of letting you post photos (usually the mobile kind) to your page. There are times where I wish it could have a photo album type function but I doubt it will. There are times when Dana White (President of the Ultimate Fighting Championship) posts pics of fighters getting ready in their locker rooms. But there are so many that it kinda bombards your news feed (though that can be fixed with the use of Lists - which I wont go into here). Anyway, at least in this aspect I say Facebook has a hand up on its competition but its not a deal breaker for me.

Who Uses Twitter: I am of the age that most of my friends started using Facebook during their college years. They are now in their late twenties and for them Facebook IS social networking. Add that to the fact that people mock Twitter and many of them are reluctant to join. Many people argue that Twitter is just filled with people giving piffy comments and stupid updates. To them I say, "yea and how is Facebook different...?". Twitter is the new kid on the block and a lot of my friends are set in their ways but I hope that more and more people will see Twitter as a way to start clean on the internet and as a better way to keep and touch and get the news/info they care about.

Todays Worst Person In The World...

2010-01-08T09:54:00.000-08:00

We all know the Clippers are losers but I didnt know that just being associated with the team made you a failure.

According to the charges against Smith, he and a business partner convinced a retired school teacher to put up his paid house (valued at over 700,000 dollars) for a loan that would be used to purchase a plot of land for development in Dana Point, CA. Smith told his friend that the loan was one hundred percent guaranteed. But then the real estate bubble burst and the development project went kaput. The retired school teacher is going to lose his home. Oh and did I mention that the same retired school teacher who is about to be thrown out on the street also has an inoperable brain tumor.

At least when the Clippers player stink up Stales Center people just lose out on the 100.00 bucks they payed to see the game, they dont lose the house.

One of Those Things I Can't Believe Or Understand...

2010-01-07T19:04:00.000-08:00

Heidi Fleiss became famous in the mid-1990. She was the Hollywood Madam. She ran an escort service that served the rich and famous. My question was how in the hell did that happen. Who came to this monster and thought, "yea I want this lady to find me a woman that I can pay to have sex with." How hard up for sex must a dude be to come to THIS woman. Also isnt this the equivalent of a fat person owning and running a gym? Like in a rational world it doesnt make sense. I dont know, maybe this is just nonsense but I just cant believe that this woman was a prominent madam.

Happy New Year?

2010-01-04T18:43:00.000-08:00

So I have a question. What is the cut off with wishing people a "happy new year"? For example, if I dont see someone until feb 16th do i still have to say "happy new year?" What is the statue of limitations on wishing someone a "Happy New Year?" just thinking out loud. By the way, this is the kind of stuff I think at while I am at work.

My Best of 2009

2009-12-30T12:02:00.000-08:00

Best Movies:

Tyson - a great documentary. Even if you don’t like boxing or Mike Tyson this documentary provides a great first person account of one of the most

controversial, complicated and often misunderstood cultural icons of the last twenty years.

Fantastic Mr. Fox - In a time where everyone is looking for the next evolutionary step in computer animation and graphics Wes Anderson spent years bringing the stop-motion Fantastic Mr. Fox to life. The movie is def not for little kids, but it is for those of us who love Wes Anderson and love to be amazed at the intricacies of filming stop-motion animation.

Up - Disney and Pixar have done it again. I was crying 15 minutes into this freaking thing! Just a great fun story that centers around a grumpy old man. How could I not love it!

500 Days of Summer - Its a realistic love story that makes musical references to artists as diverse as Hall and Oates, The Smiths and the Clash. The ending was a little cheesy but the split screen of what a guy imagines will happen with what actually does happen completely resonated with me. Plus I love the musical:

Gran Torino (came out Dec 12 but didn’t see it until March) - Some people say Clint Eastwood makes the same movie over and over again. If they mean absolute classics, they are right! It’s funny, thought provoking and times cringe worthy. Loved this movie!

Movies that I recommend without seeing:

A Serious Man - How can I recommend it without seeing it? First off its the Coen brothers. Second its them dealing with the type of subject matter they do best. A man whose life is falling apart and the world around him that, at best doesnt seem to care, or at worse, adds to his problems.

Website you Better Enjoy Now:

Hulu.com - Over a year after singing the site's praises rumors are that fox and nbc will soon be turning this site into a subscription based site. So much for watching TV for free on my computer.

Albums: Not a great year for music but if you want my opinion:

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Pheonix

Silversun Pickups - Swoon

Also the Beyonce album sounded good (what I heard of it anyway).

If you are into Pop music I would suggest listening to the Glee album

And you might want to also skim iTunes for Norah Jone's latest album or Regina Spektor's 2009 release which includes one my favorite singles of 2009. Laughing With:

Overrated Album

Kings of Leon - Only by the Night

It's All About Timing...

2009-12-29T18:20:00.000-08:00

A friend recently asked me if they should buy a new iPhone. I told them that buying an iPhone and most Apple porducts for that matter are about timing. Case in point Apple likes to hold a pattern when updating their line of products. If you are thinking about buying a new iPod, MAC, or iPhone checkout Gizmodo's Buyer's Guide. It will tell you if you should buy or hold off for a product upgrade:

Also, checkout this: Ten Things You Should Stop Misspelling Guide. Pretty Funny:

This Is Insane!!!

2009-12-27T22:00:00.000-08:00

You gotta be kidding me. I can't believe this is real.

Why Jack N Box is Open 24 Hours...

2009-12-23T17:13:00.000-08:00

It's the Holiday Season which brings me to a topic that always comes around during this time of year... fast food drive-thru hours. I was driving with a friend when they noticed that Jack N Box would be open 24 hours on Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Years Eve. He couldn't understand why. So I offered an explanation.

24 hour drive-thru windows over the holidays are meant for sad pathetic families whose Christmas and New Years will turn into a disaster. I can't tell you the number of times that my family has had to retreat to the sanctuary of a fast food drive-thru after some family member's drug and alcohol induced meltdown ruins the holiday dinner for everyone.

And while I thank drive-thrus for being there for me and my family after these traumatic gatherings, it really is insult to injury. Because nothing says 'your family is a fucking mess' like coming home with a bag of McDonald's while everyone else's family somehow manages to have a functional Christmas dinner.

Dating Advice...

2009-12-19T18:08:00.000-08:00

I was at Happy Hour last week with some co-workers and they got busy discussing who I should date. One thing stood out from their discussion. They decided that I needed to date a woman who would challenge me. Which got me thinking, is dating the only time people encourage you to try something difficult, uncomfortable and possibly disastrous?

I just bought a car last week and at no point did the salesman go, hey I know you want this car but I think you should go with this other car will be more challenging to drive and maintain. No one would ever say that. Do I have do date someone who's personality is going to clash with mine? Can;t I just date someone who I generally get along with? Just wondering.

With A Grain of Salt...

2009-12-16T22:05:00.000-08:00

So I just realized something. People usually give out life advice after something bad happens to them. Which is weird because if someone who just had something bad happen to them gave you advice wouldn't your first reaction be, "why am I going to follow advice from someone who's life is falling apart?" Shouldn't I find the person who is having a kick ass life and ask them for their advice. Just an observation.

Who you should root for during the World Cup and Olympics...

2009-12-10T20:04:00.000-08:00

With the World Cup and Olympics upon us I want to make one thing perfectly clear. If you live and or work in the U.S. you need to root for the U.S. I have noticed that a lot of my friends tend to root for countries of their ethnic heritage or their former homelands during international sporting competitions.

Well I have one message for you: Stop it.

My argument isn't nationalistic or xenophobic. Let me also say this. I am not asking people to not be proud of the heritage or their homeland. I'm just saying this, dance with the date you took to the prom. Rooting for another country while you live and work in America makes little sense to me. As a citizen, refugee, or immigrant the fact of the matter is you live here, you work here, your educated here. You get the best (and worst) that America has to offer. So come on, isn't the least you can do is to root for the U.S. when we play another country.

I am a good example. My grandparents are from Mexico and Nicaragua. I am latino. But I was born here. I root for this country. I can be proud of my heritage and respect the birthplace of my elders but the U.S. is my home.

The struggle might be harder for folks who were actually born in another country but migrated to the U.S. To them let me offer this analogy. Lets say your married. You have children with your spouse. But after many years together you fall out of the love you originally had. You divorce and you find a new spouse. You make a new home, maybe even start a new family with this new spouse. Now you can still love your old wife as the mother or father of your children. You can look fondly back t your relationship together. BUT what you cannot do is keep a pocket photograph of them in your wallet. You can't tell your new spouse, "man, you sure aren't as good of cook/lover as so and so." Doing so would make you inconsiderate, rude and a horrible spouse. But that is exactly what people do when they root against the U.S. in order to support a country they decided to no longer live in!!! How does this make any sense?

So, before you wave anyone else's flag. Dawn any other colors than red white and blue. Before you pull for anything but the star and stripes. Remember who you come home to every night. Be a team player.

And if you don't love it...leave it ;)

Life Is Hard...

2009-12-01T14:56:00.000-08:00

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO what a ride!'

I have never really understood that quote. It always seemed too happy. Who has the time to eat chocolate? Who has the time to drink wine? I dont really like wine. I always picture people with this outlook as folks with the time and the money to enjoy their lives. I don't have that luxury. Life, for me, isn't a fun ride. I wont be screaming "woo hoo" anytime soon. I got bills to pay, loans, insurance. I have to work. My motto isn't as cheery as the one above but I like it:

Life is a fight. Some rounds you win, some rounds you lose. But at the end of the day what matters is that you are willing to get off your stool and answer the bell.

I think life is hard. Life is filled with turmoil, hardship, challenges, and disappointments. Life is hard work. The easy thing to do is to give up. The easiest thing to do is just stay in bed. But I believe that the fighting spirit is something that is at the heart of life. It's the ability to get out of bed knowing you are going to have a bad day. Its getting up when you have been knocked down. It's putting your head down knowing that whatever this world dishes out you are just going to take it and keep moving forward. Thats what life is. It's about being willing to fight back against a harsh world. I hope I don't come off sounding as negative. That not my intention. My intention is to highlight the incredible fighting spirit of humanity and our willingness to prevail in spite of all the challenges that are put infront of us.

Before My Time...

2009-11-12T20:28:00.000-08:00

Last week an employee of mine was reading a note written by a fellow employee. She read the following:

What would you do if sang out of tune

would you stand up and walk out on me

Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song

I will try not sing out of key

at that point she stopped and looked around the room to the other twenty-two people in the room and asked, "is this a song?"

I erupted, "are you kidding me, please tell me your kidding me." Then another supervisor looked at me and said, "relax. It was before her time." That is really a horrible excuse. Forget the fact that I Get By With a Little Helpful From My Friends is a classic. The excuse is just horrible. According to that argument Harry Potter is what should be read in literature classes, to hell with that old fart Shakespeare. World War II? That was so yesterday. I just wish young people (who have history at their fingertips I might add) had a little appreciation for the past.

Twilight is Like Diet Coke...

2009-11-12T20:23:00.000-08:00

Twilight and Harry Potter are books in the same way Diet Coke is "healthy". Both statements are true but only based on a technicality. Diet Coke is healthier than regular Coke (I guess). Twilight and Harry Potter are books in that they are written down narratives but come on is this really literature.

Diet Coke is supposed to be a healthy alternative but its still filled with tons of calories and aspartame which has been linked to some serious health issues. Plus people that drink Diet Coke become obsessed with it. I have never seen people drink one diet coke - they drink it all day! You know what I am talking about, the Diet Coke lovers who you see chugging it down all day starting with their obligatory 9am bottle or can. These folks think they are avoiding type two diabetes but instead they are just filling their bodies with horrible sugar replacements and empty calories.

Its the same with Twilight. People think they are doing something good for themselves but instead they are just becoming addicted to to a crap disguised as a book. Seriously? teenage vampires and werewolves? Don't even get me started again on how played out this whole plot is. If you are interested please feel free to read my rant on how big a rip off Twilight is here.

Twilight is just so damn awful. Its hacky, it uninspired, and its really geared toward 13 year old Goth girls. Is Diet Coke healthier than regular Coke? Maybe. Is it still bad for you? Definitely. Does Twilight have compelling characters? Yes, it has compelling characters who were created hundreds of years ago by other authors. Is Twilight a book? Yes. Is it a good one? Time will probably tell but I am betting that Twilight will not be remembered fondly.

Under the Weather...

2009-11-04T11:14:00.000-08:00

Feeling a little sick - but I am coming out of it.

While my head is clear let me say the following:

1. Happy Birthday to Sesame Street. It's their 40th birthday. Kermit, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, the Count, Snuffie, Big Bird, Elmo, Oscar the Grouch. All of them are amazing and a big part of my childhood.

2. Game 6 of the World Series tonight is going to be great. If the Phillies force a game 7 it will make this an unbelievably great series (regardless of the outcome). Plus, it will give Pedro Martinez one more chance to horrify Yankee fans. If the Yankees win it was an OK series. But it will be remembered because it will mean the Yankees will have won their 27th world title in the first year of New Yankee Stadium. Plus, they get to do it by beating arch nemesis Pedro Martinez. MVP honors should go to Chase Utley or Mariano Rivera - anyone else would be ridiculous.

3. Stop it facebook!!! Since the redesign of the site (and i feel like facebook changes its layout as often as my mother moves her living room furniture - which is to say every two weeks) I keep getting "suggestions" of people I should talk to. Hey! Listen up facebook, stop bothering me. I will write on someone's wall when I have something to say to them. Don't suggest anything to me. Maybe there is a reason why I don't talk to some of my online "friends". Which, by the way, is the reason I like Twitter's classification of "followers". Half the people on facebook are not my actual "friends" they are people I felt obliged to add or am stalking. "Followers" is a more accurate description of what i do through social networking sites. I follow people. Some may say "stalk" but "following" is nicer because it doest have any of those creepy/illegal connotations. :)

Some Weekend Observations...

2009-10-25T22:39:00.001-07:00

Fortune Cookies should tell you things you don't already know. I got a fortune cookie that read "you are a thoughtful and generous person." I already know that! Fortune cookies don't tell you things you already know. I know how awesome I am. Tell me something about my future or give me some type of advice.

Next, Cherrios are a very underrated cereal. Thats all.

Third, if you sleep in most of the day try to avoid human contact. Interacting with people who went out and washed their car, or went shopping, or got a haircut, hiking, or did anything other than lying in a bed until one in the afternoon will make you feel even worse about yourself.

Four, the Yankees are super hatable

Five, what up with the kid from Where the Wild Things Are. He is like eight years old but knows how to sail a bout like he has been on a America's Cup team all his life. (For those of you who don't know what the America's Cup is - trust me that was funny.) Of all of the things in that movie, including having to sometimes stop myself and ask why Tony Soprano's voice was coming out a hairy monster suit, that was the hardest thing for me to wrap my head around.

Things You Cant Say To A Woman...

2009-10-23T23:01:00.001-07:00

If any guy has ever had to deal with this senario even once they have had to deal with it one too many times.
A woman in your life asks you whether or not another woman is more attractive than she is.

Holy smokes! Here is why this is a horrible spot to be in. One, if the woman who asks you the question is more attractive than you sound like you are just telling her what you want to here. Example:
"No way. You are way prettier than she is."
"You're just saying that!"
A guy is left there to think, "well what the fuck? Do you want my opinion or not? If you were going to discredit my opinion why ask me?"

Then there are guys who (for some unknown reason) have the balls (coupled with the lack of brains) to tell a woman she is not as pretty as another female. Example:
"Is she prettier than me"
"Well, yea. I would say so"
At best the response will be her calling you an asshole and punching you. At worst she starts to cry, punching you and calls you an asshole. Either way you deserve the response. Fucking lie.

But the absolute worse thing you can do is hesitate in your response.
"Is she prettier than me"
pause..."ummm... well... I dont know...No, no way"
Your lady was already going to doubt your answer to begin with. You have done yourself no favors by turning what should be a simple response, into making it sound like you are doing long division in your head.

In any case, whenever faced with this question we, as men, are screwed! If we say no. Then we are going to be accused of lying or just trying to make them feel better. If we say yes we are assholes. If we hesitate we are untrustworthy assholes. If you happen to have a cyanide pill when a woman asks you this question just chomp down on it. You will be better off.

p.s. Ladies what with the weird dress and pant sizes? With guys its very clear. Sizes are tied to inches. We have no fucking way to decipher the difference between a woman who is size 4 or size 8? Size 10, 12, 14??? Its like the metric system of clothing you people got going on here. On behalf on all men" we are confused someone explain this to us.

Dodger Phillies Game4, Angels and Yankees Game 3

2009-10-19T11:39:00.001-07:00

Dodgers took it on the chin last night and Cliff Lee pitched like a cy young winner. But the great thing about a blowout is that its often easier to forget than a close lose. Just ask the Twins. The key is for the Dodgers to get deep into counts and draw the occasional walk. If the Dodgers can score early they will get the bad taste of last night out of their mouth and quiet a racous Philly crowd. The key for the Phillies is simple. Keep the power going. Extra base hits have been their key to success its just a matter of their left handed hitters being able to strike against left hander Randy Wolf.

The Angels have to shake off the cobwebs and avoid errors, which they havent been able to do in the first two games. In addition Vlad Guererro needs to hit with runners in scoring position. He has usually thrived against Yankee pitching but not these "new" Yankee pitchers. I have a feeling that the Angels will be able to quiet A-Rod's bat on the road but need to be wary of Mark Texiera and The Captain (especially in late inning situations).

Its a must win for both Southern California teams tonight and a chance for the Yankees and Phillies to take a major step towards the World Series.

Boy in the Balloon

2009-10-15T14:18:00.000-07:00

Well its sad that this little six year old boy has gone missing but I have a question? What the hell is this family doing with a homemade balloon. Unless these people are meteoroligist they have no reason to have a balloon. Well, after reading some articles apparently the young boys father is a person that chases storms.

In a 2007 interview with The Denver Post, Richard Heene described becoming a storm chaser after a tornado ripped off a roof where he was working as a contractor and said he once flew a plane around Hurricane Wilma's perimeter in 2005.

Pursuing bad weather was a family activity with the children coming along as the father sought evidence to prove his theory that rotating storms create their own magnetic fields.

Although Richard said he has no specialized training, they had a computer tracking system in their car and a special motorcycle.

The Heene family appeared twice on the ABC reality show "Wife Swap," most recently in February. - Associated Press

Not only is this story sad (and hopefully they find this kid alive and well...but how about dad stops paying so much attention to building balloons and chasing storms and spend more time watching his 6 year-old.

UPDATE: Happy to see that they found the little boy. But let this be a lesson to DIYers, once you have kids no more chasing storms, building homemade balloons. and who names their kid Falcon?

Windows 7 Launch Party

2009-10-11T11:01:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to convince people that they finally developed an operating system that doesnt suck, Microsoft has developed Windows 7 Launch Parties. The idea is simple: You are invited by microsoft to hold a party where you show off the new windows 7 operating systme to friends, family and co-workers. Still confused about how you are supposed to pull this off? No worries. Micorsoft has developed a "how-to" video. I am not kidding. This is the worst thing I have ever seen. Its just so poorly acted and hacky. I can't believe someone at Microsoft looked at this and said, "yes! Now go put it on the internet for all to see." And the casting...really? Can we get more cliche than a black man, grandmother, middle aged white woman and hipster nerd are all in a kitchen having a chat about their Launch Parties...

If you can make it through this 6 minute train wreck you have nothing but my admiration. Its trully worth it just to see how bad it is.