BOLT

If you know me pretty well, you'll know that I've always been a kid at heart. I still enjoy some milk with Quik, I still like to catch some Saturday morning cartoons (though they just aren't as good as they used to be, in my opinion), and I even still get excited over little free random toys in the cereals. LOL So it's no surprise that I still get excited to go see the newest Disney animated movies, such as this past weekend's "Bolt". I grew up watching them, over and over, as well as the animated tv shows (loved the "Disney Afternoon"!) and the classic Disney shorts featuring Mickey & the gang.

"Bolt", in a nutshell, is the story about a dog that stars in his own tv show as a super powered canine, but he doesn't realize it's all just a show. He thinks it's real and that he really does have superdog powers. So when his "human"...his owner, Penny...gets kidnapped on the show, he breaks out of his trailer and sets out to find her.

I'm not gonna say that the story was something amazing, moving or award worthy. It didn't make me "feel" too much like I did watching Wall-E. Damn lil robot nearly made me cry at some points. lol If I have to be honest, I thought Bolt was just a good story. Something nice that the kids and grown ups will enjoy. It was fun, often fast paced (especially the cool opening sequence), had some cute and funny characters and moments (my favorite was the trailer begging park scene). It probably won't get as much attention as I think it deserves due to the whole "Twilight" craziness going on....but if you get a chance, and you like good, fun animated movies, go check this one out. If you have a theater near you playing the 3D version, definitely see it there! They may charge an extra couple of bucks, but I really think it's worth it. The picture, with the 3D glasses on, is pretty crystal clear and looks amazing! And they don't overdo it with the "wow look at this hand popping out of the screen about to grab you" type of scenes. lol

If you see it, or saw it already, feel free to share your thoughts. :) There was a trailer for the new Ice Age movie (also in 3D) that was funny too, staring the little creature Scrat that's always in the teaser trailers. The other 3D trailers I saw were for Pixar's new flick, "Up" and for the movie "Coraline". They all looked great in 3D and I can't wait to check them out.

Oh, Canada!

Good news everyone! And by "good news" I mean "good news for me that you could probably care less about." And by "everyone" I mean the one or two people, aside from me, that might actually still read this blog. hehe Anyhow...turns out I'll be taking a trip to visit our neighbors...or should I say neighbours...up north, in the land o' hockey, Canada! :) I love traveling, as I'm sure most people do. But of course there's always the common money and time issues that get in the way. Actually, I had the time, just kinda needed to save up some money. hehe But because I have the sweetest bf ever...not to mention one that didn't want to wait much longer lol...he's getting me an early X-Mas gift...this trip to Vancouver, Canada. :)

We'll be visiting Vancouver, British Columbia, which is just north of Seattle, Washington, for a whole week! The good thing is that we're in the same time zone and the flight is relatively short, so we get more actual time there than if we were to travel to Europe or Australia or other places where you spend a good chunk of your trip on the plane and then trying to adjust to jet lag.

We literally booked the trip just last Thursday! So we'll be planning and planning for the next month. I know Canadian culture is similar to ours in many ways, so it should be easy to adjust. Just gotta plan out where we want to go and what we want to do. I've even been trying to hit up a few chat rooms from there for some tips on the gay scene, so we can have some fun night activities, but of course most of 'em just wanna hook up in those chats. lol Still, I did get a few tips already though.

If any of you that drop by have ever been there, hit me up! Would love to pick your brain for some ideas and hear about your experience. :)

R.I.P. Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton was always one of my favorite authors, if not THE favorite. As much as I loved Jurassic Park the movie, it was the books that truly captivated me. I still remember reading the Jurassic Park sequel novel, The Lost World, laying down on my stomach on my hard living room floor, not the most comfortable position, while my family talked around me and watched TV, yet I was so lost in the book that all of that just became invisible to me. I was in my own little world...one that only he could capture. So I was very sad to hear about his passing away today. :(


From Hollywood Reporter:

'Jurassic Park' author, 'ER' creator was 66

Michael Crichton -- whose books were made into films including "Jurassic Park" and "The Andromeda Strain" -- died Tuesday. He was 66.

The author died "after a courageous and private battle against cancer," according to his Web site. A statement on MichaelCrichton.net said Crichton died "unexpectedly" in Los Angeles.

Crichton was a brand-name author, known for his stories of disaster and systematic breakdown, such as the rampant microbe of "Andromeda" or dinosaurs running amok in "Jurassic Park," one of his many books that spawned major Hollywood movies.

Crichton also was a screenwriter and filmmaker, earning producing and writing credits for the film versions of many of his titles. He also created the NBC hospital drama "ER" in 1994.

In recent years, he was the rare writer to get on well with President Bush, perhaps because of his skepticism about global warming, which Crichton addressed in the 2004 novel "State of Favor." Crichton's views were strongly condemned by environmentalists, who alleged that he was hurting efforts to pass legislation to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.

A new novel by Crichton had been tentatively scheduled to come next month, but publisher HarperCollins said the book was postponed indefinitely because of his illness.

An "in memoriam" posting on his Web site read, "While the world knew him as a great storyteller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us -- and entertained us all while doing so -- his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes. He did this with a wry sense of humor that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget.

"Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand.

A private funeral service is expected.




"Michael's talent out-scaled even his own dinosaurs of JURASSIC PARK. He was the greatest at blending science with big theatrical concepts, which is what gave credibility to dinosaurs again walking the earth. In the early days, Michael had just sold the ANDROMEDA STRAIN to Robert Wise at Universal and I had recently signed on as a contract TV director there. My first assignment was to show Michael Crichton around the Universal lot. We became friends and professionally JURASSIC PARK, ER, and TWISTER followed. Michael was a gentle soul who reserved his flamboyant side for his novels. There is no one in the wings that will ever take his place."
-Steven Spielberg

Congrats Obama!

Another election day has come and gone. Some questions/predictions have been answered, while a few still remain to be determined. Despite Prop 8 (which aims to ban California's gay marriages) looking more and more like it's going to pass...I've still gotta say...

There's a new hope & a new changes coming. And the fight, our fight for marriage equality, here in California...is far from over!

Halloweenie

I ask you... if a sexy vampire offers to give you a BJ...should you accept it? I mean, it's like a blood buffet for them "down there"! lol And on that note, if a zombie eats your brains, does that mean you've "given him head"?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

$FREE.99

Us humans, we are interesting creatures. I can't help but wonder why we do some of the things we do. And I'm not even talking about the crazy, horrible, unbelievable, insane and tragic things you hear about. I'm talking about the simpler things, such as the mini-mobs that flock to "free" promotions at restaurants.

Taco Bell had some "get a free Taco" promotion going on yesterday. It was connected to the baseball World Series I believe. Basically, they were offering one free taco per person as long as you're in line before 6pm. So of course, a bunch of people rush to Taco Bells and, not surprisingly, it even makes the ten o'clock news! 'Cause nothing is more newsworthy than people in line for free tacos, right? lol But what I really don't get is why people would want to deal with the crowds and waiting in line and all the commotion just for a simple free taco that normally probably will only set you back about a dollar! I get that part of it is probably just the excitement of it being connected to the big game and whatnot....but come on! I'd much rather drive over to another taco place, get a taco that tastes just as good, if not better, and fork over a dollar.

But hey, that's just me. Still, offer up a free pizza slice and I'll knock you and your momma out of the line to get to it! ;)

My "Thing"

It's kinda funny... I'll be at a store, and see some nice shoes I like. At any given time, I usually own just one decent pair of dressy shoes and one pair of sneakers (as well as an older pair for working out). But when I spot a pair of shoes I like, I'm usually turned off by the prices. "75 bucks!? WTF! Are you crazy!?" Ahhh...but then a few minutes later I can be at the enertainment store and spot some DVDs I want. Without even thinking much about it, I shell out several 20's for 'em. lol Just goes to show ya what an addiction can do. hehe I'll spend some good money on something I'll watch a few times then will lay dormant most of the time, whereas I get very picky on spending money on something I can use over and over, every day if I wanted. But hey, my collections make me happy for some reason. It's my "thing." LOL To each their own, right? What's your "thing" that you love to shop for, putting all other needs aside?

Deja Nouveau

Is there a word for when you learn something new, something you didn't know about before, and then all of a sudden you start to notice it all around you? It's always been there, around you, but it didn't stand out before. And so once you learned about that person, place or thing, you suddenly start to notice it all over and it feels like it's just popped into this world. You kind of get that feeling of "wow, this thing is suddenly all over the place!". In reality, it's always been there, but since you didn't know what it was, it just blended into the background and to your mind...your brain...it was pretty much invisible. You know what I mean?

I'm sure this is a common thing, as it happens to me so often. I just got curious if there was a word for this. Kind of like 'deja vu' is used to describe the feeling of having done/seen something before. If there's no official word to describe this, then I'll suggest "deja nouveau" ("already new") just because it sounds like it fits. :)

Remember Baby Jessica?

I have a pretty bad memory when it comes to my childhood. Hell, most of the time I can barely remember what I did just days ago! :) But there are a few things that I can always remember quite clearly. One of them was the rescue of little "Baby Jessica" from that Texas well. I remember watching the live coverage on TV, hoping that she'd be rescued and would be ok, and then being happy when they did get her out. So it's kind of wild to think that all this happened 21 years ago! I was just 7 years old at the time. Baby Jessica is now 22-year-old Jessica with a husband and baby of her own, from what I've read. Do you remember when all this happened too?

I know something similar happens in a Simpsons episode, where Bart falls down a well (though he's faking it) and the community gathers for his rescue. Wheter it was a direct reference, who knows...


"On this day in 1987, 18-month-old Jessica McClure was pulled from a well in MIdland, Texas, where she had been trapped for three days. People from all over the United States had been watching the rescue efforts on television, as 400 emergency workers and volunteers worked to extricate "Baby Jessica" from the 8-inch wide space, 22 feet below the surface. After her rescue, Jessica had several surgeries, and she was able to make a full recovery.


The story gained worldwide attention (leading to some criticism as a media circus), and later became the subject of a 1989 ABC TV movie, "Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure," starring Patty Duke and Beau Bridges. As presented in the movie, a vital part of the rescue was the use of the then relatively new technology of waterjet cutting."

Jay Watch: Quarantine

I saw the new horror movie, Quarantine, last night. Aside from the trailers, I hadn't really read much on it. I knew it was about some scary shit going on inside some apartment building in L.A., and people are apparently trapped inside it, not being let out. Overall it was a pretty cool movie, definitely something fun to go see during the scariest month of the year. It's all shot through the lens of a TV reporter's camera though...so if you're not into the whole shakey-cam look and feel of movies such as Blair With and Cloverfield, then this one might not be for you. My biggest surprise in the movie was the presence of one of my celeb-crushes...Mr. Jay Hernandez! He played Jake, a fireman who is called to the scene. Gotta love a man in uniform! :)

Is she for real?

I was driving to work this morning, stopped at a red light just around the corner from my building. To my right, on the sidewalk, I noticed this young blond girl, dressed in her dark pants and bright yellow top. On her left hand she was holding a capuccino, on her right hand she had her cell phone, pressed against her ear, yaking away about God knows what. She looked as if she was trying to cross the street. I was stopped at the red light and so her light was green. But she didn't move. Then the lights switch. My lanes get the green light so cars in both directions start to move, while her light is now red. And of course, that's when she decides to cross the street!!! And it wasn't like she was frantically rushing across because she noticed that the light was red, nor did she ever try to back up and return to the sidewalk. Nope, she just casually strolled across the pedestrian lane as if she didn't have a care in the world. Cars speeding by in front of her had to stop and she looked like she never even noticed! She never looked at the cars to make sure they were stopping. Did she really not notice that she was pretty much in the crossfire? Was her drink that intoxicating or her conversation that provoking that everything else around her just became a total blank? And she wasn't some little kid or some old lady...she was a young woman, probably in her 20's. I was just shocked at this. lol It was like something out of the movies...where someone just crosses across a street completely oblivious to all the speeding cars around them and makes it through without a scratch!

HEROES: Villains (Ep 1 & 2)

It's 11:02 as I start to write this. I just finished watching the third season premiere of Heroes. Finally! It'd been way too long since the last episode, which I believe was over 9 months ago! So I was definitely excited to watch two new hours tonight. Even the one hour premiere party/special that aired before was fun to watch. If you haven't seen the new episodes yet and want no spoilers, then definitely stop reading now. These are just my quick reactions right after the episode. I'll probably forget to mention some things, but feel free to comment and add your own inputs.



****SPOILERS BELOW****

Where do I begin? I guess I could start by saying that I really loved the episode. Then again, when haven't I? Despite some negative things that some people may have said about the last season, I still enjoyed that one. But so far, I think this season's already off to a great start. In just the first two hours they've already answered some of the "questions" as well as brought about so many new and exciting possibilities and futures.

We finally know the answer to the big question that was posed at the end of season 2. Who was that mysterious man in the cap that shot Nathan at the press conference? I would've put my money down on Noah Bennett. But then again, that seemed like the easy answer. I'm never good at guessing these things. hehe But I figured there'd have to be some sort of twist. The three people I never would've guessed were the three men up at the podium (Peter, Nathan and Matt). Ah, but then again I didn't think about the whole "futures" people. Scar-face Peter travels back in time to stop Nathan from revealing his...THEIR...secrets to the world, in hopes of changing the future for the better. But as with any tweaks in time, there are always consequences, changes, different outcomes and new futures set in motion. That dream-vision that Angela Petrelli has, in which the Heroes are all scattered, dead, and then poor Claire loses her head. Damn!

Which brings us to another big answer. Finally we know Angela's power! Then again, I know the hints were always there. Peter had to have gotten his dream-visions from somebody, after all. For some reason though, I don't think that's the only power Angela has. I still think she's keeping something back, maybe something bigger? Hmmmm.


And speaking of bigger, let's go to everybody's favorite smarty-pants, Mohinder Suresh. Have I not been paying that close attention before? Was he always that...beefcakey!? lol Or was it all a part of the Maya-power-juice he injected himself with? Did they make him literally bulk up and become muscle-man instantly? And what was with his milk cravings. I guess milk really does a body good, or at least Mohinder's! But if the fine print in that injection included "may cause sudden gruesome skin infections and peeling"....hmmm....I think I'd have to pass.

What was up with Nicky...or wait, was it Jessica? Actually, I think this ice princess may be someone new after all. Tracy Strauss, she called herself. And her power was definitely not one Nicky or Jessica had before. Exactly how many Nicky doppelgangers are there? I guess we'll have to wait to find that out.

I think my favorite little funny scene was when Parkman was talking to the tortoise. At first I figured there was someone standing above him. But then the tortoise kept "talking" so I thought...hmmmm....maybe his power has gone to the next level and he can communicate with the animal kingdom now! That would actually be pretty damn cool! But nope, my first thought was right. There was that mysterious African man, who apparently works for Sprint's outsourcing department, too. LOL

And what would Heroes be without the further adventures of Hiro! I know some people didn't care for his ancient Japan adventures, but his new ones with his speedster "nemesis" are already looking like a lot more fun. And now he's got the financial backings to help him on his journeys, such as his little GPS gizmo. He's like Batman and Ando is his Robin, which was actually made pretty clear in the episode. lol

Finally, there's the whole Level 5 deal, where they keep the best of the best worst. Sylar finally got what he's been wanting from the cheerleader for so long! (And no Mrs. Bennett, it wasn't what you think!) And while helping himself to some Claire knowledge, he grabbed some revealing documents from Noah's office. That scene when Claire was trapped in the closet and Sylar was just outside the door reminded me a lot of the original Halloween. I almost expected Sylar to bust his hand through the door. Oh and when he is checking out Claire's brain, she asks him "Are you gonna eat my brain?"...a question that we've been wondering so long. I loved Sylar's answer, "That's disgusting." lol And then off to Level 5 he goes, kills Elle's dad, but ultimately ends up being captured after being shocked unconscious by Elle. Unfortunately, that same little electrical outburst ends up freeing twelve of the worst superpowered people from Level 5. The dirty dozen are now on the loose, and it's up to Noah to stop them. But is he gonna let Claire join him? She apparently feels no pain anymore and can't die, so what's the worse that can happen....right? Father-Daughter quality time. It's the American way!

Quick side note....for Veronica Mars fans...as Elle was laying there beaten up and sees Jesse (actually Peter trapped inside Jesse...still not sure how Scar-face Peter pulled that one off)...but I almost expected to hear Elle say..."Weevil...is that you?" lol

I guess this ended up being more of a recap than a review. But how many more ways can I say how much I love the show, and especially the start of this new season! I wasn't disappointed one bit, and I really felt like the story is a lot more action and fast paced than ever. I love that! And it's cool that there are actually more villains out there, the dirty dozen as I was calling them earlier. I look forward to seeing how they hunt them down one by one, and what kinda damage the villains can bring to the Heroes.

Edit 9/23/08: Forgot to mention, regarding that online Create Your Hero voting contest where you get to pick your favorite new hero, who might then make his/her way onto the show...my vote went to the Peruvian soccer player, Santiago! With Isaac Mendez gone, we could use some more Latino heroics. As of now, he's got 65% of the votes, going up against French girl Audrey.


****SPOILERS ABOVE****

9/11 Seven Years Later

Today is September 17. It's been almost a week now since the 7 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I meant to write a little something last week, but didn't get time. It almost feels like it was so long ago, yet at the same time it's an event that is still constantly on many people's mind. An event that was unimaginable to many. I can still remember where I was, what I was doing and how I found out that day. Without even having to think back, I know that the date fell on a Tuesday. Tuesday is when new music usually gets released at the stores. At the time, I was still on Summer break from UCLA. Our break was about to end in a few days, since we usually went back to school in mid to late September, a bit later than other universities. On that day, one of my favorite bands, Ozomatli, was set to release a new album. Ironically, the CD was called "Embrace the Chaos". So I woke up excited that day, looking forward to getting the new CD. As I woke up, I turned on the TV. And that's when I saw it. All the chaos that was striking our country that day. That was the moment when so many things changed.

I can't really express the feelings that were going through me that day. Needless to say, I never left my house that day. The CD I wanted suddenly didn't seem important anymore. I did go out and get it later that week. Then a few days later I returned to the Fall quarter at UCLA. Life had to go on as normal, despite the fear and anxiety that was going on. Every plane that would fly over a bit too loudly would have me looking up. Everytime my bus drove between the tall Downtown L.A. buildings, I couldn't help but think back to the images on TV. It was all a new feeling. I was never one to be naive and believe that life in the U.S. is 100% safe from attacks. But I also never imagined I would witness something this tragic, albeit through images on TV. Still, it was a scary time. I can't imagine what it must've felt for the people in/around NY. Ground zero, especially. To know that it was their own city that faced the major impact of the attacks. I don't know how I would've coped with that. Would I have been as strong as so many people I saw in the news?

It's a bit strange to know that there are actually people that really don't know about 9/11. Little people. The kids that were still very young around that time. J, who's a teacher, was telling me about how many of his students had honestly never seen the images of what had happened that day. I guess it must be different, seeing something that happened either in the past or when you were to young to remember, compared to seeing something that happened in your lifetime and you remember that exact day.

So my heart goes out to all the people that were personally affected by this tragedy. I know that with time, many emotional wounds will heal, but of course the people and the heroes of that day will never be forgotten.

This Life, This World

I was reading up on some older entries from a friend's blog this morning. There was one post in particular that caught my attention and left me thinking. He was talking about the idea of a "perfect world." One in which there was no hurt, no suffering, no hopelesness. The idea of a world where the future was bright and things were nice and calm, everything in it's place.

This is what I responded:

I just read this specific post right now for the first time. Your descriptions about this "perfect world" really got me thinking about it and at first, my initial answer was just going to be "no thanks". As "perfect" as that would would seem, sometimes it's the tiny imperfections in the world, the random differences in people, the varied emotions we experience, the ups and downs, and the unexpected that really make a life worth living. Of course, with all those things will come a good part of the "good" variety but also the "bad." Nobody likes the bad, but that's just how it is. Not to get all Buffy-geeky now, but like she said, "The hardest thing in this world...is to live in it." So I'll rather have this imperfect world...and hope for the best.

Still...I can't help but wonder, what if I'd read this post at another time, like say...around 2005...a time when I was going through tough times? I probably would've wanted that "perfect" world in a heartbeat.

There have been at least two speicif points in my life where I almost felt like giving up. The first time I was feeling lost in life. Didn't know where I was headed. The second time I was feeling brokenhearted and didn't know how to cope. In both instances, being in this body, in this world, feeling what this heart and soul felt were just hurting so much. I felt lost, confused, scared, lonely and so much more. At those points...I think I would've asked for that perfect world. I would've wanted all these feelings to go away and in their place be given nothing but the best life had to offer. But that's just being greedy and lazy isn't it? To want the good things in life, to just expect them, and not work toward them. A good relationship, a nice job/career, great friends, loving family, happy life...all those things take lots of work. Day in and day out. We need to deal with life's everyday challenges, and do our best to learn and grow. The world will never be perfect, but we can do our best to make it as best as can be.

I feel like I've learned so much in the past several years. Not just about myself, but about other people. I have seen the good (and the bad) that there is in others. I've learned how to appreciate the good, and how to protect mysel from the bad. I've always tried to be the best person I can be, but even I can't be perfect. I'll have moments when I forget who I am, who I want to be, and may become a different person for a bit. A person I never want to be. I've seen it happen before. And I hope I don't become that person again. I've got plenty of love to give, to my family, my soul mate and my friends. That's one thing I feel brings that feeling of "perfectness" to the world. Love.

FRINGE

The first of the two big new shows I'm looking forward premiered last night, Fringe (the other being Dollhouse coming in early 2009). I think the first time I ever heard about this show, it kinda just surprised me. Joss Whedon, being the creator of my all time favorite show, Buffy, is someone I follow very closely. So from the very first instant any news about his new show Dollhouse started to appear, I was right there online reading it. J.J. Abrams I don't always tend to follow as closely, but I still really love his shows. Felicity, Alias and Lost are all from him and have been some of my favorite shows. So just knowing his name was behind Fringe, I knew I'd definitely be checking it out.

The first trailer that came out for the show looked pretty damn good. It didn't even feel like it was a trailer for a show! It looked like a movie! It felt intense...I was excited about it. So last night, I finally got to see the premiere. And I must say, I wasn't let down. :)

I don't like spoilers, and I don't plan to give any. So I'll just mention a few things I loved about the show. First up, the cast. There's Joshua Jackson. He was always my favorite Dawson's Creek'er. :) He plays a smart (and smart-alecky) guy, Peter Bishop, who's running from some troubles, but is brought back to help on a creepy case that his father might be able to help out on. It's nice to see him back on TV. I think he did a good job in this episode and am looking forward to seeing him more. The leading actress, Anna Torv, who plays the FBI agent, Olivia Dunham, I don't know much about, but she was also cool. So I love those two as the main characters. And the man who plays the dad, Dr. Walter Bishop, the scientist, was great as well. I was also surprised to see Kirk Acevedo, who played Miguel Alvarez on Oz. I'm not sure if he's gonna be a regular, but I hope he is. :)

The show itself would probably fall under the "Thriller-Mystery-Horror-SciFi-Drama" category. Which of course, are usually my favorite categories! lol So there are times when it's a lot of talking and mystery solving, and then there are others when it's fast paced action or scary moments. So a great mix. And of course there are a few funny lines thrown in through it all, especially by Jackson's character.

Oh and I haven't even mentioned what it's about. In case you don't know. Basically, Agent Dunham, Dr Bishop and his son work together to try to solve a mysterious case in which another agent has been infected with some type of virus or disease which is literally making his skin transparent...killing him slowly. This all falls under the category of "Fringe Science"...the strange mysterious scientific phenomena such as mind reading, reanimation, etc. There seems to be some big company that's behind all this. Hush hush, top secret of course. I guess the series will revolve around these mysterious events, trying to solve them and see whose behind them, and ultimately finding a way to stop them. Yeah, my description's not the best. lol But just to give you a general idea.

Although I really did like the show and will definitely continue to watch...I must say it didn't exactly blow me away. I didn't feel that initial excitement I first felt when I saw the Lost and Alias pilots. But nonetheless, I still enjoyed it very much. I also loved that they had limited commercials! For the most part it was just 60 or 90 second breaks! The two hour premiere took just 90 mins of air time. :) The only drawback is that I don't have TiVo so I can't pause it during those very short breaks when I needed to make a run to the kitchen or restroom. lol

Oh and I do have one little bone to pick. Some of the teasers for the show had "real life" people that had seen the pilot giving us their reactions. They focused those ads on a specific comment that several people had made regarding those "last two words" that they say at the end of the episode. So that really had my interest peaked to find out what they were! And yeah, they were pretty interesting...a nice way to end the episode. But they weren't really anything to get THAT excited over. lol Or maybe the little hype from the ads just had me expecting something way more major than what it really was? Sometimes I hate that in ads/marketing. Making me get all hyped up and then just giving me a bit less than I was anticipating. hehe

But no worries, I'll continue to watch. The season previews already look interesting. :)

It's so hard to say goodbye

I'm a very caring person. I'm friendly, considerate, well-mannered, sensitive and an all around nice guy. I always try to see the best in people, be a good friend, and do my best to be a good person.

Yet, for some reason, I tend to have trouble with goodbyes. They always seem so awkward to me. I don't look forward to when it's someone's last day at work, for example, or if it's my last day. I always feel awkward when I have to say goodbye to someone that's leaving. And if it's me leaving, sometimes I just feel like sneaking out and not being noticed. In fact, that's usually what I do at the end of each work day. I literally just leave. lol I don't know why. I'm not trying to be rude or anything. That's just how I am.

Is that weird? :)

Prison Break & 90210 Return

Wow, I'd almost forgotten what new TV episodes felt like! LOL Seems like so long ago since I enjoyed one. :)

Last night Prison Break returned for it's 4th season. They had a two hour season opener that pretty much reinvented the show. It's no longer about running and hiding...well, ok it still has some of that. But it's also about revenge now. Michael & company are finally starting to fight back, trying to bring down all the people that have had a part in making their lives a living hell. So what did I think of the episode? Well, as a fan of the show I definitel enjoyed it. I did feel that it kinda moved way fast and so many things happened already. And some pretty damn major things, too! But I guess they just wanted to get that all out of the way in order to set things up for the season, which I believe might be the last. The previews for the upcoming episodes look cool. So I can't wait. It may not be the best show in terms of stories, writing, etc. But it's a fun ride nonetheless.

And then tonight, 90210...the revamped 2008 edition...premiered, also with a two hour episode. Aside from the same zip code, high school and a few familiar faces...the show is pretty different from the original, yet kinda similar at the same time...if that makes any sense. lol I watched the episode but after the first hour and a half I was kinda getting distracted and went back online. I would NEVER do that for my other shows. hehe I'll have to wait and see if I continue watching this show. It's just one of those "guilty pleasure" type of shows that I really shouldn't care much about at my age, but I can't quite turn it off. The original will still live on in my heart as my favorite, of course. :)

I can't wait for my other returning favorites, as they come back one by one! :)

. . .

I was gonna write something that I think was supossed to be funny...

but now I can't remember what it was. LOL

Oh well.

Some of them Days

You know what's the only thing worse than when you're having a bad day..."one of them days"? How about when you're having more than one bad day? "Some of them days."

Last Friday, I'm out having a nice time at the club, then get to my car and take off a couple of flyers that were on it. And oh, what do I find? Yep, a little white envelope from the city of L.A., which a nice little $50 parking ticket! WTF!? Apparently it looks like it was a permit parking section??? I've parked on that same street many times...never had a problem. But then again, this time my usual side of the street was full, so I parked on the opposite side. I didn't really think to read the signs there, I just checked that it wasn't red or green or any other color on the curb. So perhaps it was my bad. I'll have to read it next time I'm there. So yeah, a ticket sucks. But I paid it and just going to forget about it now. Can't dwell now can we? At least I didn't get towed.

Then on Saturday I'm out having a nice lunch/dinner with J, when my cell phone screen starts to act up. At first it was flickering to a white screen, and then just completely died on me. The screen died...the rest of the phone was still working. I just couldn't read my texts or see who calls. I could only receive calls and make calls if I knew the number (or speed dial number). Long story short, I ended up borrowing one of J's old cells for now. I already sent my cell off to Samsung to get it fixed. Fortunately, it was still under warranty and I don't have to pay anything. Again, could've been worse but it wasn't.

And then there was today. After a long, dull day at work, I decide to drive straight to the gym. I get there, find parking quick (which is always a plus in the busy evening gym hours), and then head to the locker room. I change into my workout clothes, put everything inside the locker and then put my lock in place. And JUST as I had pressed on the lock to "lock" it, I immediately noticed that it felt different. I tried to reopen it, but it was stuck. The combination dial kept getting stuck. Upon closer observation, I noticed that it looked like it may have been tampered with. Part of the bottom looked a bit bent and the top a bit scratched. The only thing I could think of was that maybe it had been messed with at another gym? Someone trying to get into it but failing? Who knows. I just don't remember ever dropping it hard or banging it. In the end I had to ask one of the personal trainers to cut the lock for me. He then verified it was my stuff with my gym ID that was inside. At that point I didn't even feel like staying, so instead I just went to Target and bought a new lock (two actually...they came in a pair lol).

So yeah, hopefully that's the worse of the week. I want no more drama! lol These things are mild in comparison to some of the crazy stuff that goes on in this world...so I guess we just gotta see it as the glass being half full, sorta.

Edit: Ok, seriously! Did I suddenly become "random bad luck clumsy guy"!? Just a few minutes ago I knocked over a glass of water in my room! It broke into pieces of course, spilling water on my carpet. I soaked up as much as I could and picked out as many glass pieces as I could find. It's too late in the night now to be making too much noise, but tomorrow when I get home I'm gonna pass the vacuum to try and pick up any last pieces of glass. Grrrrr!

Isn't it ironic?

There's some graffiti on the wall of one of our work's restroom stalls. Next to the graffiti, somebody wrote "stop putting graffiti, it's dumb", with an arrow pointing to the original writing on the wall. Now, would Alanis Morissette consider this second writing ironic? Oh, the things I ponder while I'm sitting on the John! lol

Pigeon St.

So you're driving down a street, music playing, having a nice ride and minding your own business...when all of a sudden you see a pigeon (or group of pigeons) standing in the middle of the street just up ahead. Half a block away...the pigeons are still there. A quarter of a block away...yep, still there. You're getting closer and closer...in just a second or two you'll be right on them. At this point, what do you do? Do you slow down and give them time to fly off? Honk the horn to scare them away maybe? Or do you just keep going at your normal speed, telling yourself "They'll fly away just in the nick of time...they always do"?

Personally, I HAVE TO stop. Maybe it's the animal lover in me, or maybe it's that I don't like the thought of a living creature being squished and splattered all over the street because of me. I seriously believe that had I not stopped all those times, I would've run over a few pigeons by now. I'm not a fast driver, I don't like to speed, so I usually approach them at a decent speed. Still, they just stand there, pecking at the floor, not budging until the very last second. Crazy little feathered bastards! As I get closer and closer and see that they haven't moved...I literally get a nasty feeling in my stomach. You know...that feeling you get just before you hurl, after seeing something you find disgusting? Yep...I get that exact physical feeling in my stomach. It forces me to slow down. Anyone else ever get that? Or are most people just able to keep on driving, no regrets, and let the birds decide if they want to fly out in time?

Side note: this all reminds me of that Seinfeld episode, too. When some girl George was seeing was upset that he hit some pigeons with his car. George explains the incident by saying that he believes they have a deal. That pigeons are suppossed to move out of the way and in return we'll forgive them for pooing all over our statues. lol

I Could've Been...

There are times when I can't help but wonder if at some point in my young life I just stopped believing. I used to dream of being a teacher, an artist, an animator, a graphic designer, a computer programmer, a web developer, a photographer, a magazine writer and a few other random interests that came into my head at any given point. Some of them were mostly just dreams. I probably didn't have much (if any) experience or skills. Others were a bit more possible (such as teaching or art fields). I think my problem was that I could never really decide on one main thing I wanted to focus on. So all through college I just took many classes that interested me, got my degree and then just hit the working world. A regular ol' 40-hour-week office job. Sure, it's for a company that's in a field I was interested in. But the job itself didn't exactly turn out to be what I had in mind back when I used to think about my future jobs.

So I don't know. They say it's never too late to go back to school and whatnot. But honestly, I don't think I have it in me anymore. I can barely get enough energy to get myself to work! lol I don't want to have to worry about night classes and all that again. Maybe it makes me look lazy, but that's just me. I enjoy my off time. I love being with my family, friends, partner or just myself, taking in my hobbies. In the end, being able to do all those things is what really gets me through each working day.

I know I'm not exactly at retirement age yet, so anything can still happen. Who knows, next new job I get might end up being something I love and probably never imagined. (Cross your fingers!) Still, I just can't help but wonder if at some point I lost a step toward a promising creative/artistic type career that I'd always imagined. Maybe I should've gone to an arts college? There was a point where I was even looking at the brochures. But oh well, can't dwell too much on the past can we? I just gotta be grateful for what I do have now. And hopefully the future will offer a bit more. :)

Five Days of Summer Vacay

No matter how many days you might take for a vacation, it just never seems like it's enough, does it? The days just fly by and before you know it, that morning you dreaded has arrived, the one where you have to wake up early again, no more sleeping in, and head back to work. For me, that morning arrived today! Grrrrr.

I took three days off this week, to have a little 5 day extended weekend vacation. I wasn't planning to head out of the country again this time, like back in January, and definitely wasn't planning to have to serve on jury duty again. lol This time it was just to relax and enjoy a few days of the summer, work and worry free.

I got out of work early last Friday (part of our summertime schedule at work) and just hit the gym and packed up some stuff at night. At the time, we were planning to head out of town to either San Diego or the Santa Barbara area on Saturday. But due to Comic Con, San Diego hotels were probably too booked. And for some reason, so were the Santa Barbara ones. Maybe we should've planned it more sooner. hehe But oh well, instead we just took a drive down to a beach in northern San Diego and spent the day just relaxing, enjoying our Subway sandwiches for lunch on the sand. hehe We came back that same evening and the next day, Sunday, we just relaxed at J's house. Then on Monday we hit another beach, this time a bit closer to home, Seal Beach. Since it was Monday it wasn't too packed, so it was nice to have a pick of where we wanted to sit at the beach. The sun was nice and bright, the water was warm and the sand was soft. It was a nice beach, very relaxing, not too many people to get in your way. We relaxed a while, took in some sun and water, then took a walk on the pier and through the shops on the main street. The shops were kinda quiet though. Although we were only a few mins drive from J's house, it felt like we'd gone further away from the city. hehe So it was nice.

Come Tuesday, we just headed over to my house and spent some time there, after first experiencing the earthquake over at J's place while getting ready to leave to my house. He lives on a second floor condo so at first he thought it was me shaking the room by jumping, as I do sometimes. So he tells me, "Stop shaking the room!" And I just stare at him and say, "I'm not doing anything!" It then took a split second for us to realize what was going on, and we just kinda looked at each other. lol We just felt the room swaying back and forth, it wasn't rough or shakey...just felt almost like being on a ship. Nothing really fell there, but when I got back home later that day I found a bunch of my little toy figures I have in my room had tipped over. But no major damage. We hadn't felt a relatively big shake here in a while! So Tuesday night we spent at my house, just hit the gym, had dinner and watched some TV. Wednesday we then ran some errands (J's car got an oil change, hit the gym, hit Target, etc.) and at the end of the day chilled back at J's house. It was more of a normal day, but hey anything definitely beats working, especially when I'm with the one I love. :)

Overall, it was a five day weekend spent mostly in town, a lot of sleeping in, relaxing, having lunches and dinners, some gym time and beach time thrown in. And I loved every single minute of it! It took every bit of strength I had to get myself out of bed this morning. I wanted to sleep in so bad. I almost felt like calling in and saying I won't make it today. lol But I toughed it out. It's only one full day of work and part of tomorrow (I get off early). I can do it! Before I know it, another weekend will be here!

Batman For My Bday?

So who wants to be the sweet generous person to buy this for me? lol It's out on November 4th, just a few days before my birthday. Coincidence? I think not! And for what it's worth, the price below is just the SUGGESTED retail price. I'm sure it'll be a bit cheaper on the weeek it's released.

I'm just sayin'!

Night Job

I've noticed something over the past few years that I've been working at my current job. Being an entertainment related company, several of my co-workers are in bands, make movies, play instruments, sing, act, dance, etc. I see them posting flyers all over the office for their gigs, movie releases, art shows, etc. Now why don't I have a night job? So that I can then go to that night job and say how much my day job sucks and that my true passion is what I do after I clock out at 5. LOL Maybe it's time I dust off that old Casio Keyboard from the 80's that's been forever under my bed. ;)

Just Smell It!

Three random things that I usually like how they smell, but I don't like to drink/eat:

1. Coffee Drinks. In particular, those with a hint of vanilla, hazelnut or other similar type of scents. I usually do find the smell coming from a warm cup of coffee quite delightful. But I've never been a coffee drinker, not even the Starbucks variety cold/hot types. I'm more of a smoothie guy, or at least just a regular ol' cup of hot chocolate on a cold night. Still, at times I do wish I was into coffee, especially when I'm dozing off at work. lol

2. Menudo. And no I'm not talking about Ricky Martin's old band. I'm talking about that warm dish that is served in many Latino homes. Wikipedia describes it as "a traditional Mexican dish; a frequently spicy soup made with tripe. It is often thought of as a cure for a hangover, and is traditionally served on special occasions or with family." I've always liked the smell of Menudo in the morning, but I've never actually liked the dish itself. I'm more of a posole person! hehe (Side note: The smell from when the tripe is being cooked the night before....now THAT is a nasty one! lol)


3. Fried Chicken. I've passed by Popeyes Chicken before and found the aroma of greasy deep fried chicken emanating from their restaurants to be quite tempting. lol But I don't like fried chicken that much. I hate all that greasy gunk and that nasty feeling in my tummy after I eat that. I'd much rather just have flame grilled white chicken breast meat. :)

Lost . . .

Don't you just hate it when you lose something and you can't find it, so it ends up driving you crazy looking for it and wondering where the hell you could've left it? Earlier today I put something into my pocket, nothing really important, and then when I reached in to get it later I had lost it. So I was going around the house retracing all my steps in the last hour when I'd last seen it, but to no avail. So it drove me crazy just wondering where the hell it was! And of course, as always, I'll end up finding it when I'm not even looking for it anymore in the most random place! Uggh.

Cents and Sensibility

What goes up, must come down...right? Apparently that works with my bank account as well! lol The past couple of months I've kind of been spending a bit too much. Some things were necessary (paying bills and people I owe)...others were not fully necessary, but at least were good investments (the gym membership). Then there were some things that were from the kindness and generousity of my heart (several birthday presents). And finally, there were the stuff I really didn't NEED at all, but WANTED enough to not be able to resist (mostly my comics, music and DVDs). hehe But all in all, what good is working my ass off day in and day out if I can't indulge in a few pleasures, right? At least it's not drugs. lol Still, now that I got all those things done with I really need to try and focus on saving up a bit. My bank account's frightenly low! And pretty soon my car's lease is up so I either have to return it and get a new one, or try and see how much more I'd have to pay (if it's worth it). Then again I could always go back to the bus. I did it for many years and I know it'd save me money! BUT...I've gotten so used to my car and being self-relient and on my own schedule. I don't think I could go back. Hell, I don't even love driving much. I only do it when I have to. If I can avoid it, I will. lol The only good thing in all this...tomorrow is Pay Day! Woohoo!!!

Active Me - Week 3

Almost three weeks ago, on June 21st, the first day of summer, I began my new gym routine. I'd never been to a gym in my life...at all! Not even for a day trial or anything. So needless to say, I was in pretty bad physical shape. I knew I had to go, but like many other things I just kept putting it off. Finally, Juan came to me with a deal I couldn't resist. The price was right, so to speak. "Sign me up," I said.

Three weeks later, I've been going almost every day! I've only missed three days so far, usually because I didn't have time those days. But each other day that I do have time, I've gone. During the week I go bright and early in the mornings, and on weekends I just go at whatever time is convenient. Weekdays I don't get to work out as long as I'd like, but I try to get more done on the weekends. Overall, I've been enjoying it. I don't see it as a hassle like I thought I would. I've worked it into my routine, made it a part of my daily to-do's, right up there with eating, breathing and sleeping. hehe

It's still a bit early for me to see any physical changes in my body. But hopefully it happens! hehe To be honest, even if it didn't change too much, just getting some physical activity on a daily basis has helped me feel better. It's a great feeling. Actually, I did already lose a few lbs. Not a huge amount, but it's working at least. Maybe over time I'll try more of the other equipment, and maybe even hit some of the weights. I'm still a bit self-conscious about doing weights, because I seriously have no muscle and can barely lift anything. But that'll be later on, if I decide to try it out. For now I'm sticking to my cardio. :)

There He Was Just Walking Down The Street

Driving home yesterday evening, I saw a guy walking down the street. He was a young black guy, probably in his 20's, wearing tennis shoes, shorts, and a backpack...no tshirt...nicely toned body. So naturally I was doing a bit of rubbernecking. I'm human, after all. lol But as I got closer, I noticed they weren't shorts he was wearing. They were boxer briefs. lol Why he was walking around the streets in just his boxer briefs, I have no idea. But just another one of those little reasons I must say... I Love L.A.! LOL

No Money, Mo' Problems

Holy Crap! Why do I keep spending? LOL I just saw that my checking account is getting dangerously low. I've made some big payments and purchases in the past month or so that really took a toll, since it all happened at once. I always have my savings as back up but I don't like to dig into it unless I REALLY have to. But good thing is that I get paid this week, and early too since it's a holiday on Friday! Still, I really need to restrict my spending more...at least for a while.

Drinks and Robots

Oh what a weekend! It just seemed to come and go so damn fast. I got off work around 5 last Friday, went home, ate, showered, changed and then waited for Juan to arrive. Once he did, I drove us out to the hotel where Felipe & Co. were at. Luckily, I found a good parking spot right in front. So I grabbed my iron from the trunk (he'd asked me if I could bring one) and we headed in search of the room. Then I find out he'd also told a couple other people to bring one, just to be sure. So there were three irons there. lol And here I had this whole little dumb joke planned out about how they could call me "Iron Man" lol j/k So anyway, we hung out there for a while, having a couple drinks, taking pictures and listening to music. We then got into a taxi-van, six of us in total, and took the short ride to the club. At that point I was already feeling a bit tipsy. It was the first drink that did it for me. I never mix drinks and don't know what's strong and what isn't, so when Juan was making mine I told him to pour more vodka in it. lol So it ended up giving me a big buzz right off the bat. Needless to say, I was pretty buzzed all night. But I had a great time! I usually drive so have to limit myself and can't really "let loose". lol So it was nice to just enjoy myself after the long slow work week. Plus it was fun celebrating Felipe's bday with some of our friends and meeting a few new people (his friends). Everybody was cool. There are still bits and pieces that kinda seem fuzzy from the night. lol But I remember most of it at least, which is good. When we ended up going back to the hotel, I started getting sleepy. I didn't fall fully asleep though until everyone was all tucked into the beds.

Come morning, I got up around 7:50 because I had to move my car from my parking spot. After 8 am the parking was no longer free. I was still feeling slightly out of it, but I knew I could handle moving the car around the block. What I didn't know was how much trouble I was going to have parallel parking. lol Even when I'm 100% myself I struggle, so add to it a slight morning hangover buzz....took me a few good back and forth motions to get into that spot. lol At least nobody was around to make fun of me. And I was able to find a spot literally around the corner, on the other side of the hotel. So it was perfect. Later that morning, around 11, after we all spent some time reminiscing about our favorite childhood TV shows, it was then time for us all to leave the hotel, so we headed out to breakfast at a restaurant in West Hollywood. I had an omellette, which I never get but it just seemed tempting this time around. Juan got a salad...but barely even touched it. lol It was nice having breakfast with the group after a fun night.

The rest of that day, after Juan and I came back to my place, we mostly just chilled and regained our energy. Come nighttime, we were ready to head out. But no drinks though. lol Instead we went to see Wall*E. That was such a great movie! So sweet, so heartwarming, so cute, so funny....just well-done all around! I mentioned elsewhere that if I had to use one word to describe it, I'd say "emotional". It was very touching, and that's even with the lead characters being robots! Who knew that animated robots can bring more emotion to a film than some human actors can? lol I loved the movie a lot. It made me wish Wall*E was real so I could have one of my own, kind of like what I felt when I saw Gremlins for the first time and wanted my very own real Gizmo.

Sunday was my usual day of running errands. But we also hit the gym for a bit. I'm really loving going to the gym now. I've managed to work it into my routine so that it's just become part of my daily things to do. I don't get grumpy when it's time to go, I look forward to it. I just hope that this feeling is permanent! I want to keep going for as long as my body can take it! lol I've only been going about a week now, I started on the first day of Summer, June 21. But already I'm feeling a lot better. I'm not worried too much yet about whehther I physically see results, 'cause I know that takes time to develop. But when they do start to appear (hopefully)...I'm sure it'll be even more motivation for me to keep on going. :)

So yeah, that was my weekend in a nutshell, surrounded by people I love. That's what makes life worth living after all, right? The people in your life that mean a lot to you. Those are the moments I always look forward to the most.

Who are you, again?

The internet, now more than ever it seems, is a great tool for socializing. You can meet people from around the block or around the world who share your views, interests, hobbies, etc. People you can relate to, have long discussions and perhaps even start friendships with. Some you'll just get to know online through various communications (emails, chats, social site comments, etc.) but others you might invite out for a drink, a movie or a party that's going on. That's all pretty cool right? Never would I have imagined when I was younger how easy it would be to make friends worldwide. Sure, there were "pen pals" and such, but that was usually a slower process. So many things happen in between letters, as they are traveling those thousands of miles for days. Now, you can tell someone not only about what's happened a week ago, but what's going on at that very moment (live chats, video conferencing, pc-to-pc mic conversations, etc.).

All this is great, but there's one little problem I often find myself running across. Sometimes when I run into friends I've made through the net, for the very first time, in person...I totally don't recognize them! I know there are people that can use just one photo as reference and pick out someone from a crowd without any problem. Me, on the other hand, I tend to struggle with that. lol Even if I've met the person before, through another friend for example, and then I see that same person later on there's still the chance that I may not recognize them. Maybe I'm just not that great at making physical observations? Luckily though, I've gotten a bit better at this over the past few years. I'm not as bad at recognizing "new" people as I used to be, but it still happens. Latest incident wasn't more than some weeks ago at the club, a friend from MySpace saw me and I was kinda puzzled at first when he called my name, 'til he said his own name then it clicked. lol So if you ever see me out and about and it looks like I'm ignoring you...I'm not! I probably just didn't pay close attention and recognized you were there. hehe

And don't get me started on movie stars! I'm horrible at recognizing people, especially actresses. Maybe it's because they tend to change their looks a bit more than the guys. So when I'm watching movies I often turn to whoever I'm with and ask "who's that?" And it's usually someone quite famous that I should've known. Maybe this would explain why, after living all my life in L.A. and spending the past ten plus years studying then working near the more star-prone areas of West L.A./Beverly Hills/Hollywood/Wilshire, I don't think I've ever seen any celebrities. Well, I'm pretty sure I probably HAVE seen some...but with my bad visual memory skills I probably didn't realize who it was. :) Plus, it doesn't help that almost everyone walking around here usually looks like they'd be an actor or model, too.

But as I mentioned earlier, I've gotten a bit better at recognizing people, the famous and the friends alike. Not yet perfect, but improving. I just hope I'm never a witness to a crime, because I'd probably end up picking the wrong person out of the police lineup.

Joss Whedon's "Dr. Horrible"

DOCTOR HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG

I'd heard bits and pieces about this project, but got caught up with all the Dollhouse stuff that I'd almost forgotten about this. "Once More, With Feeling" was awesome, so I can't wait for this one! I don't know exactly what the plot details are yet, but who cares! Put Whedo on it, and that's all I need to know.

From the wonderful mind of Joss Whedon comes Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, an online live action musical series. Directed by Whedon himself, and starring Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion and Felicia Day (among others), filming finished in March and nowe there is a teaser trailer!


Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

N-R-G @ J-O-B

So...I've finally been able to get to work in the morning feeling more awake and with some energy this week. I started doing some morning exercises, after 28+ years of being a lazy ass! It was time to make some changes. So far I'm loving it. It really does make a big difference through my day. But...of course, it just so happens to be a slow week at work (so far) with not much work to do. Go figure!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I've been told that I am scared of changes...that when big changes happen in my life, even if they are for the best, I often stress out too much and worry about them. Tough as it may be to hear those descriptions, I have to admit...they're true. I don't know why that is though. I guess I just like the stable feeling. I don't mind routine. Is that so bad? I like knowing what's coming up and being ready. So when big changes happen, I tend to worry a bit too much about them. In particular, jobs tend to stress me out a bit.

I remember when I started my current job, the first few months I would freak out at times. I'd get super nervous about meetings, worried that I'd look stupid and not understand what was going on. Which, granted, I was new...so it was understandable. But I guess I always want to be on top of things, and when I feel like I don't have total control yet I freak out. Now, after a few years, I got the hang of this job. I know it inside out and any problems that arise I can usually handle effectively and with complete confidence. And if I don't know how to do something, I at least know the right people and resources to use. But what if this was all to change again?

I've been thinking about this the past couple of days because of some changes that are stirring up here at work. I don't want to get into all the details just yet, since I just heard about this on Monday and many things are still undecided. Point is...I've just started thinking about my job. Do I want to continue here and accept a possible new position? Or do I want to move on to a new company soon? The people here are great, the location is nice and convenient and the occasional perks...I love them! But a bit more in the paycheck dept would be nice. A change of jobs might help freshen up that feeling of "same ol' same ol'" that one gets when being at the same job for a while. So we'll see. Right now I've made no decisions. Once the dept leaders start telling us what's going to happen next, and any possible offers are placed before me, then I'll really have to figure out what I want to do. In any case, wouldn't be a bad idea to start brushing up my resume. lol

The Big Picture

"In Loving Memory - May 1987 to June 2007" I saw those words on the back of a van as I was driving to work this morning. I see those kind of words on vehicles quite often, but for some reason this one got me thinking about a few things this morning. That guy was only 20 years old! He was still so young, had so much ahead of him. He fought for his country, for what he believed in, to protect all that we as Americans are able to have. I never knew him personally of course, and come to think of it I really don't know exactly how he passed away. Because of other stickers on the car, I knew he was in the military. But it all just got me thinking about how so many of the things that bother me on a daily basis can really seem so trivial compared to what other people face.

It made me think about all the scary things people out there in the world face on a daily basis. I have a job to earn money, a home to go to at the end of the day, a bed to sleep in, food to feed me, etc. I need to start looking at the bigger picture more often. There are bigger problems out there in the world. What difference am I making, if any? I'm not a bad person, I'd like to think that I'm not contributing to the problems...but then, am I helping? Hmmmm.

More Monday Blah

How many possible ways are there to say that Monday's suck!? I don't think I ever get tired of saying that each Monday morning. lol It's not that I'm a lazy person and have no work ethic. I do my job, and I do it pretty well. Yeah, I might lag at times, especially when work is kinda slow. But when there's real work to be done, I get it done quick and efficiently! Maybe I don't always enjoy it, but it has to be done. It's what I signed up for, so to speak. If I want to enjoy the good things in love, I gotta work for them. To me, those good things aren't about fancy cars or stylish clothes and whatnot. What I care about more is just having a nice time. Doing things that make me feel good and happy, and a lot of that has to do with the people I care about. Spending time with my family, friends and my loved one is what brings me lots of joy. Whether it's just hanging out at home with my family, going out for drinks with friends, or just chilling with pizza and a dvd with my bf...those are the moments that mean so much to me. But of course we all still need money even for the simplest things...those drinks and pizzas and dvds aren't coming at me for free! So when a new Monday comes around, I can't help but just feel grumpy I guess. I just want to get the week over with so I can get back to the people and things that really matter to me in life, which I get to see a lot more of on weekends. :)

Today, in particular, is an especially "icky" Monday. First of all, I've been feeling a bit sick (sore throat) since Saturday. Got kind of bad last night with lots of coughing. Right now I'm somewhat calm, maybe it's passing by or the cough drops are helping. But I just really hope it goes away quick. And then there's the fact that this is my second week of being on call for jury duty. Tonight, after 7pm, I find out if I have to show up at the courthouse this week. I REALLY hope I don't. And this time not just because I don't want to go, but because I don't know if I'll be back to 100% health tomorrow. I don't want to be sick AND on jury duty. Uggh! And I also don't want to ask them to postpone again. I just want to get it over with. So cross your fingers that they don't need me again this week. For my health! ;)

Gas Pump Wonders

The other day, as I was at a gas station, I got to wondering...how exactly does the gas pump know when the tank is full? I mean, if you think about it, it's kinda weird. You just stick the nozzle into the gas tank hole, press on the trigger and out comes the gas. It keeps going and going until finally it stops. But how does it know when it's time to stop so that your gas tank won't overflow? At first I thought maybe it was some kind of high tech wireless signal. Maybe the pump communicates with the car and they tell each other how much gas needs to be put in. Or perhaps when the end of the nozzle touches the inside of the gas tank, some kind of sensors communicate to the pump how much gas is needed. I honestly had no idea. lol So I looked it up online. Turns out it's actually quite simpler than I thought, yet still pretty clever. Apparently, at the end of the nozzle there is a small hole that sucks in air (like a vacuum). As the gas is pumping, it keeps sucking in the air. Once the gasoline inside the tank reaches the end of the nozzle, that little hole is blocked and starts to suck in some of the gasoline. That then is the signal that the tank is full and it triggers the "Off" switch. I never would've guessed. :)

Now, if we can only figure out some clever yet simple way to lower those damn gas prices! lol

Duty Free Week 1

Phew! ::wipes forehead:: That was close! I'm free from jury duty! Well, at least for this week. I'm "on call" for two weeks. But luckily I only have to call on Monday night, and if they don't need me that week, then I'm free until the next Monday. Last night, a few minutes after seven, I dialed that 800 number. But no luck...it was just a busy dial tone. I kept trying and trying, but nothing. Finally around 8:30 or so I got through, and never did a robotic lady's voice make me smile as much as when she said the magic words, "You do NOT have to report..." The only bad part is that I still have to call in next Monday, so it's back to crossing my fingers and hoping I don't get called in again. Truth be told, I probably wouldn't care as much about going if my job paid for jury duty days. But they don't, so I'd either have to take any days I'm out without pay, or use up some of my vacation/personal days. But that would suck, to have to use my vacations days for jury duty! So hopefully they don't need me next week. Cross your fingers!!!

Smoothie Dream

I seriously have some strange dreams! Last night was no exception. From what I remember, I started out in some sort of Jamba Juice type place. I was ordering some smoothies, three of them...all for me. Hey, maybe I was super thirsty! For some reason I ordered one avocado one. Yuck. The other two where a strawberry banana one and an orange one, I believe. They took forever to make them, and I felt like I was in a rush. As soon as I got out, I hopped into a car which took me on a quick ride to my high school! Apparently I had to go to two classes. I was already almost completely late for one of them. I told them to take my smoothies home and save them. They could have the avocado one if they wanted. As soon as my classes were over, I went on back home, but now suddenly the school grounds turned into some kind of casino. As I was walking through some slot machines I came across my friends, both the Carlos(es), who looked like they'd just come back from swimming or something. So then I went on home and I was upset to find out somebody drank my smoothies! Hey, what can I say, I love me some smoothies! LOL Just one of those random weird dreams that don't really make much sense. hehe But it was fun.

Dreaming Of You

I've had many dreams throughout my life. Some are just normal everyday dreams...hanging out with friends, going to an amusement park, reliving some high school settings, etc. Others are a bit more out there...vampires, giant city-attacking monsters, being able to fly, etc. Most of them include people I know or at least knew at one point. Often, if they include someone I know, I like to share the dream with that particular person. In part because it's fun to share the dream, but also because I often wonder what if we actually had the same dream and in some twighlight zone kind of twist were actually walking within each others dream states. lol Yeah...a bit of a far stretch, but hey you never know.

But despite what crazy or wacky dreams I may have had, a few of the more interesting experiences have involved those dreams where I feel like I wasn't fully asleep. There are times when I feel like I am only half asleep. My eyes are closed and my body is mostly at rest, but some senses, such as hearing, are still quite responsive to what's going on around me in the physical world. I remember one time, for example, my radio had turned on at 5:30 as it always does (my alarm then goes off around 6, to tell me it's time to get up), and they were interviewing David Boreanaz. I think I must've dozed off for a few minutes again because before I knew it, there I was sitting in the radio station studio, watching David Boreanaz talking into the microphones while the DJ's interviewed him. I was able to walk around the room and touch things, just like in a dream, while at the same time I was hearing the interview go on exactly as it was happening in real life on the radio. I just thought that was pretty cool.

This past Saturday night, I had a dream that tops any I've ever had. Actually, I don't know if I'd call it a dream. I'm not sure what it was. All I know is that I was asleep, in bed, in complete darkness...when all of a sudden I feel a hand on me. I had fallen asleep on my side and I felt a hand being placed on my neck/shoulder area. I reached out with my own hand and placed it above the person's hand. Right away I knew who it was. But what I didn't know was how he'd gotten inside my house. He'd been there earlier that night, but then left to go out with his friends, while I chose to stay home. My whole family was out of town, so it was just me there at home. Nobody else could've let him in. I tried asking him how he got in, but I couldn't talk. My voice felt like it was gone, or at least jumbled...very small sounds came out, but they weren't words. And I tried turning over to face him, but I couldn't even move. I knew it was him though, because over the past six years I've come to recognize the feel of that hand without having to see who it is. I never felt scared at that moment, it was more of a confused feeling. It didn't even feel like any dream. It felt so real. As real as it would feel if I was to touch my own hands at this instant. No dreamlike state or feelings, all pure real physical feelings. That's why I was confused, I wasn't sure what was going on. Why couldn't I move? How did he get in? What happened to my voice? And then, in an instant, as if somebody had flipped the switch, I "woke up" from this state. I don't even remember my eyes actually opening, though. It's as if I already had them open and was staring out toward the wall, and then in an instant I felt the strange feelings go away and I snapped out of it, but I was still in the exact same position staring out at that wall. I was now able to turn around but of course nobody was there.

I went back to sleep right away. I was never scared, eventhough I was all alone in the house. I still don't really get exactly what happened. At the moment I could've sworn it was all real. It felt so real, like no dreamlike feelings I've ever had. lol

Anything like this ever happen to any of you?

Apocalypse...nowish?

Last weekend was all bright, sunny, blue skies and freakin' hot! And now, it's gray, cloudy and rainy. Plus, from what I heard there was some hail and "tornadoes in Riverside County derailed a freight train and flipped a big rig. Orange County saw massive mudslides, while L.A. County faced flash-flood warnings and closure of the 10 Freeway." Is the apocalypse here and nobody told me? If I see birds start crashing at my windows by the dozen or fire falling from the sky...I am outta here! :)

Meet Jay Brannan

Today's musical recommendation is brought to you by the letter JAY!

Have you heard Jay Brannan yet? If not, then you should. I like his songs, so that means you have to as well! :) Check out a couple of his videos below. I got to see him live earlier this year out at the Troubadour.

He's got his first full lenght CD coming out this summer, entitled goddamned. It's set to be released digitally on July 1st, then the hard copy available on July 15 through his site. You can pre-order it at www.jaybrannanstore.com.

He's going on some tour dates as well, which you can check out (and get tickets) at jaybrannan.com. I already got mine for the El Rey show on July 22. :)

HOUSEWIFE

BODY'S A TEMPLE

Joss Whedon's Dollhouse

Dollhouse is coming! And here's the first look at the cast. I can't wait! I need some Whedon-TV!

From what I hear, it'll be a mid-season show, probably starting out in early 2009, on Monday nights on FOX (as a lead in to 24).

If you hadn't heard about the show yet, here's some info on it from Wikipedia:

In Dollhouse, Eliza Dushku plays a young woman named Echo, a member of a group of people known as "Actives" or "Dolls" who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas, including memory, muscle memory, skills, and language, for different assignments. They're then hired out for particular jobs, crimes, fantasies, and occasional good deeds. In between tasks, they are mind-wiped into a child-like state and live in a futuristic dormitory/laboratory, a hidden facility nicknamed "The Dollhouse". The story follows Echo, who begins, in her mind-wiped state, to become self-aware.

Beyond Dushku's character, the show will also revolve around the people who run the mysterious "Dollhouse" and two other "Dolls", Victor and Sierra, a man and woman who are friendly with Echo. Although the Actives are ostensibly volunteers, the operation is highly illegal and under constant threat from Paul Smith, a determined federal agent who has heard a rumor about the dolls on one end and an insane rogue Active on the other.

So Who's with me on this one!?!?

The Totally Rad Show

Love movies, comics, video games, television and other entertainment-technology-pop culture related goodies!?!? Looking for a fun podcast that'll cater to the geek in you? Well, if you haven't already, head on over to www.totallyradshow.com!

I listen to several random podcasts, all related to music, movies or some of my favorite TV shows. But if I had to pick one that I'd say is my favorite, The Totally Rad Show (TRS for short) would definitely be it! It's hosted by three guys, Alex, Dan and Jeff, who each week release a new episode where they cover new comics, films, TV shows, dvds, etc. They open each episode with a parody of certain movies, and then cover each of the topics in segments. They usually close with a fan letter that has them answering a question/topic...which at times is one of my favorite segments, because I love hearing them talk about things they grew up with. A lot of the stuff they talk about, both from the present and the past (such as old TV theme songs, commercials, toys, etc), are things I know about and usually love. So I get a kick out of hearing them talk about them with as much excitement as I would. lol

It's a fun podcast, and best of all it's in video format! So they stand in front of a green screen while images related to what they are talking about appear behind them. Unfortunately I don't always have time to watch the video version so usually end up just listening to the audio version at work. Kinda kills half the fun of seeing the visual. lol

Anyhow, just thought I'd mention them as my podcast recommendation. :) If you're into the same kind of things I am, I know you'll enjoy it!

Martes 13

I haven't written much in the past couple days. Not much out of the ordinary and worth writing down has really happened. lol Hmmm....let's see....what have I done recently. Work, Eat, Sleep. Repeat and rinse 5X a week. lol Weekends mostly just been chilling, a couple bday parties and club nights, and watching movies. I saw Iron Man and Speed Racer so far, two of the big Summer season movies. Iron Man was great. I loved it! I like that they didn't focus too much on just the special effects, they took some time to build the story, and it came out nicely! Speed Racer, I must say I also liked it. Yes, it got pretty bad reviews and didn't even make #1 on opening weekend, falling way short of what was expected. But I don't care! I had fun with that movie. Yes, there were a few parts that did feel a bit childish, but then there were other parts that were just crazy-fun to watch! It's based on an anime cartoon from back in the day, so it borrows a lot of those cartoony elements. Was it a GREAT movie that I say you MUST see? Nope. But I still liked it, and that's what matters! LOL

So yeah, things are going cool. Calm and normal, nothing crazy. This coming weekend is Long Beach Pride. Not sure yet if I'll get to go this year. Also, the new Narnia opens this weekend, so I definitely want to check that out! I love the Summer movie season! :)

Gremlins In The Office

I love this commercial! Brings back some childhood memories, along with hopes of a third Gremlins movie! :)

Cindo De Mayo Monday

Ah, Monday. You, the most hated day of the work week! We meet again! It's inevitable. I knew you were coming. No matter how hard I may try to fight, no matter how long the weekend may be, you always manage to find your way back into my life. Reminding me of that thing I have to do for 40 hours a week. That responsibility that brings in what little money I can get. The job! On the bright side, no more sniffles! As of Friday I think I got through the little random cold or allergies or whatever I had last week that was bugging the hell out of me. But now my nasal passages are feeling way better, much clearer...thank you for asking! hehe

So yeah, it's back to work again, after a nice little three day weekend. Friday I didn't work, was out on a sick day. But fortunately I was feeling better so I was able to have a little fun. So we headed out to eat at Islands, where I enjoyed a nice Teriyaki chicken burger and he had an avocado one. Oh Mr. Teriyaki, where have you been all my life!? Why did I always deny you entry into my mouth! Wait...that came out wrong. Nonetheless, I'd never tried teriyaki until a few months back, and now I love it.

After lunch, we went to watch Iron Man. It was a great movie! I was a bit worried at first that it might be like Ghost Rider. I did go see Ghost Rider, even though I knew it looked bad and it WAS bad, but I still went. What can I say? I love movies, love special FX, love Marvel...couldn't help myself. hehe But fortunately, Iron Man was different. It was a fun, action-packed movie. And it actually took time to tell a story and not just throw in 90% special effects all the time. So go check it out...at only $100 million on opening weekend, it needs all the help it can get. LOL Later that night we headed over to our friend's bday dinner in downtown L.A. (Weiland Brewery Underground) and hung out there for a few hours, then called it a night.

Saturday and Sunday were more "chill" days. We had a nice lunch at Marie Callendar's on Saturday and relaxed at my house, then he went out and I stayed in, even though I couldn't sleep much because I had taken a nap in the day. lol Sunday we just ran some errands and relaxed some more. Overall, it was a nice weekend. So come this morning it was tough to have to get up and head to work. But here I am!