Vancouver - Day 5 - 12/30/08

After we showered and got ready, we headed to the 7-11 that was near our hotel and picked up a day pass for the buses. It was about $9 (Canadian) for unlimited use on the TransLink system (bus, seabus or skytrain). We'd planned to take a few buses that day so figured it'd be better to buy it. We wanted to head over to Stanley Park and visit the aquarium and Totem Poles.

We were both getting hungry, it was around 10 AM at this point, so we took a quick stop at a McDonald's on Granville for a bite to eat, then from there just went up to Pender St where we took the 19 bus to Stanley Park. At one point along the route, a lady came in with her stroller and three kids. She was talking to them, telling them they were going to the aquarium. So if we got lost we could just follow her. hehe One thing I noticed, as soon as she got on the bus, several people started getting up off their seats to make room for her, the stroller and the kids. And a few others helped her get the kids seated and settled in. I only point this out because having taken the bus in L.A. many years in the past, I would rarely see this kind of behavior, where almost everyone around her would go out of their way to help her. Here, maybe one or two will do so while the rest just mind their own business. lol Another brownie point for Vancouverites! :) Once we got to the aquarium, that same lady helped out some other tourists by showing them how to find the aquarium from the bus stop. Things like these just seem like common sense. You know...help out your fellow man/woman. But living in L.A., a city where at times it seems like it's every man for himself...sometimes I really do miss that feeling of community, love and respect for others.

Anyhow, we finally get to the Vancouver Aquarium and spent probably no more than an hour and a half there. There were lots of nice exhibits, fishes and animals of all sorts. I love animals, so I really get into all that. I had fun checking the place out. There were even some dolphins, belugas, sharks and my favorites...the sea otters! It's not a huge aquarium so we were able to stop by each area and then we headed out to look for the Totem Poles. According to my map, they weren't that far from the aquarium. They were just another of several places you can visit within Stanley Park. Unfortunately, what I didn't account for was all the snow laying around! It was covering up a lot of the grass, paths, sidewalks and streets. So I kept getting confused as to where we needed to walk through. lol

We walked along the sea wall for a while. I figured, as long as I follow the edges of the park I can't get lost. Eventually it'll take me back to the entrance leading into Downtown Vancouver. So call it luck, or my excellent navigational skills, but we eventually found the Totem Poles. It's just a little section of the park but if you're in the area, as we were, it's worth hunting them down. We took the touristy photos with them and then just went on our way, because it was getting pretty cold out there at times.

After leaving the Totem Poles, I was still a bit lost. Well, not lost, per se...more like...confused. lol I knew where I was and where I should go, but with all the snow around I couldn't find the right path. So we just kept walking and finally wound up back on Georgia St and found the bus stop to take us back into Downtown. We could've even walked if we wanted, but we needed a break by that point. Plus, we still had the day pass. lol We were back in our room around 2:30 probably.

The plan for the evening/night was to go across the Granville Bridge and visit Granville Island, which we'd heard had some nice farmer's markets and places of that sort to visit. Then from there we wanted to visit the VanDusen Botanical Gardens, which was a bit south from Granville Island. So that was the plan. What actually ended up happening was a bit different...

We took a quick shower and rested for a little bit back in the room before heading out to Granville Island. Having had some navigational difficulties earlier in the day, I tried to make sure I got the right directions and bus info this time. hehe Granville Island was located directly south of our hotel, which was also on Granville St. So I figured we could take a quick scenic route and just walk over the Granville Bridge which would take us to Granville Island. Well...I was almost right. It took us to Granville Island alright...but just over it! hehe For some reason I assumed the bridge went down into the island rather than over it. I hadn't planned for this so I didn't have an alternate plan. I think it was at some point along our walk here that I got a text from Kevin, telling me they were at the Island and would be heading to the Gardens as well. So I responded to him telling him we'd meet them at the Gardens. We didn't want to get even more lost trying to find a way down from the bridge so we just saved the Island visit for another day (though, unfortunately, we never got to go back later on).

We were able to see Granville Island from above, as we walked over it on the bridge, so at leas that was nice. It looked nice down there from what we saw. lol Now we just needed to find the bus stop for bus # 17 to take us to the VanDusen Gardens. We saw one of the buses drive by, so we just followed it to a bus stop and took the next one. The Gardens were pretty much in a direct southward path from our location. So it seemed weird when all of a sudden the bus started to travel westbound. Hmmmm....strange. I checked the brochure and noticed it said "17 Oak" was the bus we needed. We were on the 17 alright. But then I heard the robotic voice calling out street names, saying that we were on "17 UBC". UBC is the University of British Columbia, which is definitely not on the way to the Gardens. lol Juan at first said we could just take the bus and eventually it had to pass by our destination, that maybe it would turn around. But I knew that we were on the wrong route for this line, so I took us off, got us on the 17 back near to where we started, on Granville & Broadway. We walked down Broadway a bit until we reached Oak St, and finally saw the "17 Oak" bus that we were supposed to have been on in the first place.

Finally we reached the VanDusen Botanical Gardens at around 6PM and met Kevin & Sara over by the food area. The whole place was beautifully decorated in lights and holiday cheer for their "Festival of Lights". It literally felt like a Winter Wonderland. I'm pretty sure at one point they even played the "Winter Wonderland" song. hehe We got some hot chocolates and then spent some time walking around with our friends, just hanging out, taking in the decorations and scenery, and of course capturing those special moments with our cameras. Toward the end, we came across this room where a children's magic show was taking place. Sara wanted us to go in and check it out, so we did. Truth be told, I had fun in there. lol The "opening" act were a couple of singing gnomes who I laughed at mostly because of how silly they were. lol They just sang a few cover songs and then the magician guy came out. What I really loved more though was seeing the excitement that the show was bringing to the kids. Some of them literally could not stay in their seats and kept trying to walk up on the stage for a closer look. They'd also yell out in response to the magician and burst out laughing in unison at his silly acts. One poor kid, during some magic trick where she was tied up and was going to be cut in half, ended up nearly toppling over during the bit. At that point I just couldn't stop laughing. lol I know it was probably wrong...but I just thought it was the funniest thing. :)

After the Gardens, we all took a taxi back to the West End. We stopped by a liquor store where Kevin bought some wines and we got some vodka...you know, to get ready for the New Year's festivities. lol One thing I didn't know at that point, which Juan & Kevin pointed out, was that in Vancouver they only sell liquor at liquor stores. You can't get it at the markets or others stores like we do here. You have to go to stores that sell just liquor! The one we went to had a big selection of drinks, all neatly organized by country of origin. Juan & I represented our country by picking up some American Vodka. LOL

After the liquor store, we all went to the Safeway and Kevin bought some ingredients for a salad he was making us for dinner. He'd have to keep asking us what ingredients we did or didn't like, since we can both be picky. lol So that was nice of him to keep that in mind. We then went back to his apartment and he prepared us all a nice, delicious chicken salad for dinner. It seemed pretty easy to make, as I watched him prepare it, and it was really delicious. Definitely the type of food I enjoy. hehe After dinner we all just chilled in his living room, had some wine, listened to music and talked about random things. Juan & I then just walked back to our room at some point and went to bed. We'd made plans to return for New Year's eve and hang out with them. So I was really looking forward to that. :)

Vancouver - Day 4 - 12/29/08

Monday morning we woke up at Kevin's apt, rather than our hotel room. We both ended up curling up on his living room couch and spending the night, so it was really cool of him to let us stay there. I actually slept all the way through, which I'm guessing in part was probably due to having "passed out"...which left me in a nice, comfy sleep. Right before doing so, I remember Kevin had made me drink some water to help me feel better. And it helped, 'cause I woke up feeling pretty good. Just a slight feeling of tiredness but otherwise normal. So that was good. Wouldn't want an all day hangover during a vacation! :)

I believe we left his apt at around 9:30 or so, and then we just walked back to our hotel room. We drank some more water and then took a nap for a while, to recover a bit more and prepare for later that night (we were planning to go to the club again). Once we finally got up and showered, we headed out for lunch. Anyone that knows us will tell you that we can both be picky eaters in our own ways, and when we do eat out we don't really go for the super expensive/fancy places. Not that we can't afford it every now and then, but it just isn't really "us." We both would much rather go to a simpler, casual type place (such as a Cheesecake Factory) as opposed to a super fancy place (such as....well...I can't even name one since we never look for them! lol). So at some points in this trip we did think about going somewhere "nice" to eat, but in the end we just stuck to the usual foods we eat back home. lol On this day, it was a Hamburger Mary's that we came across on Davie St. :)

We got there at around 2pm, and I just ordered a Teriyaki Chicken burger with fries and Juan got some other Chicken Burger (forgot which) with a side salad. They were pretty good. At that point I don't think I was 100% back to normal, so I didn't clean my whole plate like I normally would. hehe But at least I got some food energy in me. I'm just glad I never had a hangover or anything, it just more of that "slightly tired" feeling. Definitely owe that thanks to Kevin for getting some H2O in my system before I dozed off that previous night.

After we ate we decided to walk back down Davie St, toward or hotel, and go past it into Yaletown. Yaletown, back in the day, used to be a railway works yard. Now, it's home to several offices, condos, boutiques, clubs, pubs and restaurants. It's a really nice area. We walked all the way down to the edge, and ended up at the Quayside Marina and Cooper's Park, where we checked out the views beyond False Creek to the other side of Vancouver. We were just enjoying the cool night, taking pictures and walking up along the edge. When we got to the Plaza of Nations, we went into a casino that was there because Juan wanted to gamble a bit. You know...just so we can say he gambled in Vancouver. hehe It was only a couple dollars and we were out as quickly as we'd gone in. We then just continued past the BC Place and GM Place stadiums and ended up in Chinatown.

Without meaning to do so, I ended up taking us over to East Hastings St, which I'd been told by a couple of people, including Kevin, that we wouldn't really want to end up in. It's the "bad part" of town in that it's where people on drugs and whatnot hang out. It was only around 5PM when we went through there, but in just a short walk we did see people that seemed to be "on something", as well as a prostitute and a guy who started to pick a fight with a random guy walking by. Needless to say, we didn't stop for any pictures and I just looked at my map to guide us out of there and toward Gastown. From what I read, I know this is a historic part of Vancouver, but we were only there for a bit and went to visit the Steam Clock, which is on Cambie & Water St. We did what any good tourist would do and took pictures with it. lol There were a couple of souvenir shops nearby that we just browsed but didn't buy anything.

Once we left Gastown we just walked back westward toward the Downtown area and took Thurlow down to Davie. Along the way, we passed by the world famous Nelson Park! Ok...it probably isn't famous. I don't even know anything about it to be honest. All I know is that it's on Nelson St. and is called Nelson Park, so with a name like Nelson, it's gotta be good, right? lol So of course I had to take pictures with the sign. I know...I'm a dork. hehe It was already dark and the park was snow covered so I couldn't really tell if it was a nice park to honor my name. :)

Once our long walk was done with, we headed back to the room for a while to relax and clean up a bit for "Latino Night" at Numbers. This happens ever last Monday of the month there. Since we happened to be there on the last Monday of the month, we figured we'd check it out. To our surprise, as soon as we got there, it was already a bit more packed than the first time we'd gone there on our first night in town! Being a Monday night, we didn't think a lot of people would show. Some people were locals, some looked to be travelers like us and others were actually recent arrivals, like this one guy that Juan invited to dance with us at one point. I believe his name was Ivan. Seemed nice enough and whatnot. We just all danced a few songs together, had some small chit-chat (though it's hard to hear on the dance floor) and he then just went on his way. This was the one night we went out that I didn't drink, only because I felt I wasn't ready to drink again yet and didn't want to overdo it before the New Year's festivities even began! lol

At one point, as with many gay clubs, there was a drag show. One diva did a Thalia song, I believe. Then a guy came out, shirtless, wearing some jeans with an iPod video screen as the belt buckle, some chains over his chest and some random lights on his wrists and legs to illuminate his face and body in the darkened stage. We'd actually seen him walking around earlier in the club, and I pointed him out to Juan, to which he just kinda mocked the attire. hehe We didn't know it was part of his performance at that point. hehe I don't know what songs he did, whether they were originals or covers. All I know is that in one song, the lyrics pretty much said "I like to play with my dildo..." among other things. lol So for the rest of the trip, at random moments, Juan would start singing it, "I like to play with toys...". hehe It became a little running joke. :)

To our surprise, there was also a drag performance of two Jenni Rivera songs! If you don't know who she is, no worries...I really didn't either until a while back when Juan's cuz became her designer. She's especially famous around here in Banda music, and is known as la diva de la banda. Anyhow, it was kinda cool seeing someone do her songs all the way there! Juan went all crazy during her performance yelling and cheering at the top of his lungs. Meanwhile, I was recording it with my camera, trying to peek it through the two latina lesbianas that were making out in front of me. Awwww...too cute. :)

So that was pretty much it for that day. We visited a few sections of Vancouver we hadn't been to and then partied it up a bit at night. We then got some rest back at the hotel.

Vancouver - Interlude

I'll blog more later on, probably back home, about my remaining time here. For now, here's a little funny incident from our very first day. While we were at the airport here in Vancouver, waiting outside for the Airporter shuttle that would take us to the hotel, there was a Mexican family (or at least I think they were) that had just arrived as well. A lady had her video camera on, pointed at a little girl, and asked her, "¿Donde estamos?" To which the little girl responded, "Estamos en Bancomer!", a Mexican bank, instead of saying Vancouver. The lady just laughed. I thought it was funny & cute, too. :)

That was pretty much about a week ago. Damn, where did the time go? It's 2009 now! It makes me a bit sad to think that soon I have to return home. Sure, I miss my family and friends and life at home, but why can't this, my winter paradise, last just a bit longer? hehe

Vancouver - Day 3 - 12/28/08

We saw the first signs of sunlight today! Finally! It wasn't around for too long and wasn't very strong...but something is something, right?

We woke up a bit later today, since we stayed up til the morning hours on Sat night. Once we got all showered and ready, we headed out for a late breakfast...brunch...early lunch...whatever you wanna call it! We just hit up the Denny's that's on Davie. What can I say? We love it on Davie St. lol Saw a few more couples walking hand in hand today. So sweet. Though Juan & I...that's not really our thing. lol We prefer to just walk at our own pace.

We've still been noticing a lot of Spanish speaking people, which has surprised us somewhat. From everything we'd heard and read before getting here, we didn't expect too many Spanish-speaking people around here. Still, they could be tourists just like us. So who knows. We still haven't really made any new friends, which I've kinda been wanting to do. It'd be nice to meet a local and then keep in touch later on, maybe even have them visit our city and show them around down the road. We still got time...so maybe we'll make a friend or two soon.

So back to our breakfast. We ate at the Denny's and then decided to just take Davie all the way down through the West End section and ending at the beach area. I believe we started out at English Bay Beach then worked our way down to First Beach, Sunset Beach Park and then just walked back onto the main streets after the Burrard Bridge. The beach itself was covered in snow. The ocean water was so clean & clear and I imagine cold (we didn't go that far into it). At times the sun would come out so it would make for such beautiful scenery. We had a snow covered beach, with random snow men positioned through it, a section of wet sand just past the snow lead up to the ocean, a group of ducks all swam together, off in the distance the ships were afloat and the False Creek Ferry made it's trips across the waters, taking people from one oceanside of Vancouver to another. We took a bunch of photos as we played in the snow, throwing snowballs at each other and laying down on the cold snow. We made a few snowmen friends and posed with them for pictures. Such tourists!

I'll definitely say one thing, if any of you ever plan to visit here in the winter season when it's snowing or raining...I'd definitely recommend investing in one good pair of weatherproof shoes! We both bought some right before leaving and they have come in very handy, keeping our feet always dry despite the many slush & water puddles that we step into. Plus, they are nice enough to wear when we go out too, so we didn't have to bring more than that one pair each. :)

The whole walk and visit to the beach probably took us a couple of hours, so we were pretty cooled up by then. Not frozen though. Despite all the cold snow, it wasn't as cold as we'd thought. Helps that we had some weatherproof jackets, a sweater underneath, plus our gloves and beanies. lol But a nice hot cup of chocolate still sounded so good. So we hit up the Blenz Coffee, the Canadian Coffee Company, that's located right on the corner from our hotel. Juan got a Belgian Milk Chocolate and I got the Belgian White Chocolate. Both were very good. We took a seat at some stools by the window and watched the people walking by. We finished the rest of our hot chocolate back at the room with some of those cookies we'd gotten from the market. :)

That night, at around 10, we decided to meet up with a new friend, Kevin, at Delilah's, a bar & restaurant out in the West End area, near where we'd spent the time playing in the snow. When we got there though we found out the place was already closing. lol So he then just told us to meet up at another spot a few blocks down instead, The Calling, another bar/restaurant. We finally met him (and his friend who was also visiting, from Venezuela, Sara) and had a great time talking over food & drinks and some live music. I just had a mojito while Juan had a salad. Little did I know that I probably should've gotten some food at that point too. hehe 'Cause after we were done there all four of us headed over to Kevin's apt, which was pretty much around the corner. He had a really nice place overlooking the streets of West End Vancouver. I liked how he had it decorated and whatnot, including some of his own paintings and photographs, which I liked. So, there we all just talked some more, listened to music and had a few more drinks. I loved getting to know some new people and making new friends. This was something we've never really been able to do on previous trips. While we were chilling there, that was when I went for the vodka mixed drinks and...well, we had to spend the night. hehe I remember most of the night...other parts had to be filled in for me the next morning. lol Good times.

Vancouver - Day 2 - 12/27/08

The snow is starting to melt away now, little by little. More of Vancouver's sidewalk is finally becoming visible, but there are still some ice, muddy snow, slush and water puddles in certain sections that make for some tricky walking. But so far so good, neither of us has taken a fall. Although, I did forget to mention that as I was walking down some stairs last night at Numbers, I near took a fall right at the bottom of the stairs. I didn't notice there was one more stop and I was about to miss it and had I fallen, it would've been right in front of a group of guys just entering the club. lol But I kept my balance and didn't even spill a drop of my Vodka RedBull. haha

Anyhow, we woke up this morning probably around 9:30 or so. Not dramatically late but also enough to get some sleep from our 3am end yesterday. We took a quick shower and then around noon we headed out to grab a bite. We just ended up going to that Subway that was near us for a quick lunch. We still need to find a more nicer sit-down place soon. Neither of us is big on fancy sushi, seafoods or other exotics...so whatever we end up going to will most likely be something more simpler...but hopefully still nice and fancy atmosphere. hehe


(Canada Place - 12/27/08)

After we ate, we came back to the room to grab a few things and plan out the day a bit. We decided that today we'd hit the shopping areas. We walked from our hotel all the way up north to the Vancouver Harbor, where Canada Place is located. Canada Place was built for the 1986 Vancouver expo and is a landmark here, with it's sail-like roof reflecting Canada's nautical history. On our way there though we stopped at the Pacific Centre shopping area, where more than 150 stores and services are located. It's a nice spot if you need to do some shopping or grab a snack, though some of the stores can be pretty pricey, such as the Harry Rosen. I wasn't planning to, but I ended up buying a nice long sleeve Tshirt that I liked. You know...something new to wear for New Year's. hehe (It was on clearance at the Sears...shhhh. Though, truth be told, the Sears here in Vancouver had way nicer clothes than the ones back home.) We also walked along some of the shops on Robson Street, just checking out the areas. Along the way we snapped a few pictures at some nice snow covered wintery sections. I love how the whole snow filled landscape looks but I would also love to be able to see what's underneath all that snow! Plus, as mentioned earlier, it's tricky walking in it at times. hehe

Once our walks through Downtown were done we just came back to our room, took a quick refresher nap, and then later went for a quick snack at the KFC on Davie St, the gay 'hood. Yeah yeah, I know, I can hear many of you yelling "You're travelling and eating there!?" LOL But no worries, we do plan to eat something nicer soon. We can't always eat fancy after all. hehe As we sat there at the counters eating our chicken, we looked out the windows at the happy gay couples walking by, some hand in hand. Awww...gotta love that. hehe

After our lil meal, we stopped by the Super Value on Davie to pick up some cookies and snacks for when we get the munchies back at the hotel room. It's kinda funny...but I love little walks like this, stopping by at random markets and whatnot. Makes me feel like if I live here,just one of the locals. hehe We then just walked back, chilled for a bit and looked up more info on what's to be done on a Saturday night. As we were walking back, we noticed an ad for the Latino night at Numbers, the club we went to last night. We are so going there this Monday night! Turns out it only happens the last Monday of the night. hehe

For tonight we decided to check out another gay club, which is supposed to be the biggest one here, Celebrities. If you're from L.A., think of Arena...it had one main dance floor with some stairs leading up to some walkways on the side (though they were closed off). We sent in our names to the guest list at around 8pm from the room and were at the door to the club around 11pm. Unfortunately, turns out we had to send in our names at least 24 hours in advance for whatever night we wanted. But further proof that Canadians here are pretty nice & friendly...the guy at the door let one of us get in free anyway. :)

The club played mostly dance/remix music. Lots of bass, beats, electronic music, etc. I don't mind it, I actually knew most of the songs. Juan, on the other hand, isn't into that much. So he wasn't feeling the music. Also, it was a much younger crowd than our night at Numbers, and it seemed like at least half the place was straight couples too. Not that there's anything wrong with that of course, but we were hoping for more fellow gay men since it is a gay club. lol But from what we've been told the gay clubs here are popular with a lot of straight people, too. So I guess it's a good thing. Long story short, we just ended up leaving a bit earlier than planned. Oh and at one point a photographer for their website (Jonathan Evans) came by and snapped our picture. I guess we'll see if we make it on the Celebrities site soon. Watch for us. hehe (Update: we made it on the site! hehe)

Tomorrow we probably won't do a club at night, might actually check out a movie at night if we've got nothing else to do...just do to something more chill. We'll see...

Vancouver - Day 1 - 12/26/08

We woke up this morning bright and early around 4 am and were at the airport by around 5. Our plane was scheduled to leave at 7 am, so we had a quick breakfast at Burger King (damn airport prices lol) and then we finallly boarded the plane at around 6:30. Unfortunately, due to some mechanical issues we weren't able to leave on time. We took off around 7:45 and had a nice, smooth ride. Our plane landed around 11:30, an hour and a half later than our scheduled 10 am. But that was the least of our problems...

After we finally left the plane and entered the airport, we stood by the luggage carousel waiting for our suitcases. And waiting...and waiting...and nothing. The carousel stopped spinning and we still had no luggage, along with a few others on our plane. Turned out that because of the snow some of the luggage carts weren't able to make it to the terminal so they were delayed a bit. Fortunately we were able to finally get them there.

We then headed out to look for the Airporter, a lower fare shuttle (compared to Taxis) that goes to all the major hotels in the Dowtown Vancouver area, which is where we were staying. The driver was really cool, very nice and friendly, reminded me of Hans, the tour guide we had in our 2005 Eurotrip. About the weather here...it was snowing non stop all afternoon and the whole city was covered in snow. I had never really seen anything like it....so we were in awe. It was a Winter Wonderland. Unfortunately, this also meant that traffic was moving quite slow. Turns out that despite getting quite a bit of rain here, they don't really get too much snow. But at least we got a mini-tour of the area as the bus wound it's way from hotel to hotel. We also got a glimpse of some stores having their Boxing Day sales, such as the Coach store which had a huge line of people outside. They're still doing a bunch of Boxing Day/Week sales around here. Who knows we may have to take advantage of a few sales. hehe

In the end, we ended up finally reaching our hotel at around 3:30, checked in, and then went to grab some food because we hadn't had a bite since the early morning BK breakfast. lol We were looking for a Subway but never found one, so ended up at a Numero Uno pizza joint, and had a couple of slices. Near us were a few other spanish-speaking people...so it was nice to see other latino people. hehe Once we walked back to the hotel, I noticed there was a Subway just about three doors down from our hotel! But it was in the other direction from when we left the hotel...so we missed it! lol

On our way back to the room we just grabbed a few snacks at a market and then took a short nap to recover a bit. After waking up around 9 we showered and got ready to head out and hit Davie St, the local gay neighborhood (a la' West Hollywood). While doing so, "Celine", the Celine Dion story, was playing on TV. hehe

We ended up at Numbers for our first night, a somewhat smaller 3 floor bar/club. We both had a couple of drinks and just danced all night! It was really fun, and the people are really friendly, especially this one guy that kept going around to everyone. He'd come by and hug us and tell us he loved our happiness and we were beautiful and loved to see us happy and whatnot. hehe He was quite the friendly guy. There were quite a few hotties too, and apparently we weren't half bad ourselves cuz we did notice we caught a few looks. LOL Nice to know we still got something at our age. hehe

So now we're just here chilling a bit before knocking out. It's 3 am. Tomorrow we'll figure out what we want to do...and most likely hit another club at night. We still have to figure out our New Year's plans.

Aside from a bunch of delays due to the snow at the start of our day, it was a pretty good day overall. The snow apparently is ending and we'll have more rain, but it's cool. As long as we have our winter apparel it's not as bad as we imagined outside, not even at night. :)

'Twas the night before Canada

I'm sitting here at J's desk at his house. He's writing in his actual journal and here I am blogging in my virtual one. hehe We're both pretty much packed and ready to go. Hopefully we don't forget anything and have enough warm clothes. Our flight, if all goes as planned, leaves at 7am tomorrow morning...so we have to be up bright and early! In just over 12 hours from now we should be there!

I can't wait! Can't wait to see what the city is like, what the people are like, the places...everything. I'm sure we're gonna have a nice time no matter what we do. And if I get the chance to, I may post a few blogs while I'm there or share some pics over at MySpace or something. hehe We'll see.

For now...almost time to hit the hay. Merry X-Mas, one and all!

Let it snow!

Wow. Seeing that live image above, from Vancouver.com's webcam, now I actually kind of hope it does snow a bit while we're in Vancouver! I was crossing my fingers for some sunny days. But with this being the holiday season, a nice, cool, snowy landscape would be just perfect! Plus, for some reason I've noticed that when the forecast shows "sunny", the temps are lower than when it rains or snows. Hmmm...I'm not sure why that is. Anyone?

Rain though, that's another story. I've gotten enough here lately, thank you very much mother nature! So all I ask for is a niche, light coating of snow. Not TOO much, mind you. I don't wanna be snowed in all the time! But just enough so that I can go around humming to "Winter Wonderland".

One Week 'Til VancouBRRRR, Canada

So the countdown is now officially down to one week! By this time next Friday, we'll be well on our way to visit our neighbors up north in beautiful Vancouver, Canada. Am I excited? Yep. Am I prepared? Hell nah! LOL

For whatever reason, I've procrastinated so much in my preparations for this trip. I've made a few purchases for the trip (a guidebook, map, new shoes) but other than that haven't gotten other stuff I may need, such as some thermals, sweaters for layering, new socks to replaced the hole-ridden ones I have now, and maybe even some new pants. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of dinero to begin with so that kinda makes it tough. Plus, it's the holidays and I want to get my family some gifts! I just need my parent's gifts now. I'm trying to economize wherever I can. Last night, I saw season six of "24" on sale for $18. I'd been waiting forever for that one to go on sale to update my collection! But, alas, I was strong and resisted that temptation. :(

So this weekend, which unfortunately I forgot is also known as one of "the busiest holiday shopping weekends", I'll be heading out to try and make some of my final purchases. Watch out closeout stores and clearance racks, here I come!

Aside from random toiletries to replace the cheap crap hotels give, some of the other main purchases I want to get done are for things to keep me warm. Turns out...going up north...gets colder! Who would've thought, right? lol Being a Southern California native, I don't get too many days of extreme cold. Yesterday morning, for example, my car told me it was about 43F outside! (No, it didn't talk to me! I'm not crazy! I just read the temperature dial.) It was cold enough so that there was a thin layer of ice near the top of my windshield. I was freezing out there! And that was probably just the low for the day here in L.A.. Turns out that upon our arrival at Vancouver, 43F would be considered a high for them! Brrrrrrr....As of now, this is what it's looking like on our first weekend there...

QUESTION: What is about 15 feet tall, travels at probably no more than 10 MPH on the surface streets, and when on the freeways is most likely responsible for some of those random objects (chairs, ladders, mattresses, brooms, etc.) that get dropped on the freeway, causing traffic problems each morning?

ANSWER:



I had the "pleasure" of being stuck behind this car this morning.

HEROES: What Would YOUR Power Be?

So this past Monday night was the last new Heroes for the current volume. The next volume, "Fugitives", will start back up in early 2009. Rather than go into a full on review, I thought I'd do a little episode inspired question instead. 'Cause, I mean, really, you already know I would have just raved about how much I loved the episode and big bad Sylar rocks, anyway! But hey do feel free to leave any comments on the episode if you'd like, or hit me up and we can discuss one-on-one. :) And if you aren't caught up on episodes, you may want to stop reading, I may inadvertently drop some SPOILERS below.

Anyhow, while responding to my friend Franky's comments on the episode, I was talking about the injections that people were giving themselves to obtain the super-human powers. Daphne, on the show, was saying that there may be a connection between people's personalities/needs/hopes and the powers that they end up receiving. Daphne, a paraplegic, wanted to be able to run so she ends up with super speed. Matt, always worried about what people thought about him, ends up being able to read minds. And my little analysis was that Ando, once he injected himself, ended up having the power to boost other people's abilities because he's always been there helping out others, giving them that support they need when things didn't look so great, especially to Hiro. He was always boosting Hiro's confidence. And if you really think about it, I guess you can figure out connections to other's powers too. Peter always seemed like someone willing to help people out, to understand them, to connect...so he ends up being able to literally connect into people's powers. Hiro, as the series began, was stuck in a boring office job, probably wishing the day could just go by faster, just as I always do. So then he ends up being able to control time and space.

This brings me to the actual question part of all this. IF YOU WERE TO INJECT YOURSELF WITH THE SUPER-FORMULA, WHAT POWER DO YOU THINK YOU'D GET?

As I thought about it, one of my answers was that I think I'd get the power of the sonic yell (being able to use my voice to send out super destructive sound waves). This power has actually already appeared on the show. My reason behind this being that I tend to be a soft spoken person. In most situations, I'll usually only speak out if I really need to say something. Otherwise I tend to stay mostly quiet and listen more than anything. (This all varies though, depending on how well I know the person then I may actually talk more.) But still, I've often wished I could be more like those people that are comfortable talking out loud, on and on, with anyone and everyone, treating even strangers as if they've known them for years. :) Or...now that I really think about it, I think I might also end up with the power of multiplicity. Being able to multiply, make copies of myself. So that one copy of myself can be out working all day, while the other me, the "original" me, can just be out having fun or stay home all day. This, of course, would stem from the fact that I'm just lazy and wish I didn't have to work but could still have fun. lol

So again I ask you, IF YOU WERE TO INJECT YOURSELF WITH THE SUPER-FORMULA, WHAT POWER DO YOU THINK YOU'D GET?

The Trips is Better than the Destination

I woke up today feeling a big groggy, lazy, sleepy and cold. I would've given anything to just be able to stay in bed for a few more hours. Then again, that's me pretty much every morning! But what's not always the same is what happens after I've showered, had a little breakfast and left my house. When I'm in my car, driving to work, there are mornings where I still feel pretty damn sleepy and feel like turning that damn car around and just go back home. Today though, for whatever reason, wasn't really one of those mornings. Well ok...I would have still loved to turn the car and go back home. lol But what I mean was that I was actually feeling a bit more awake and engergized for some reason.

It was raining a bit this morning and was pretty damn cold and grey outside. I'm still feeling like a sore throat is coming on, but so far it hasn't hit full force so I'm doing my best to fight it off. But despite all that, there I was in my car, heater on, driving to work. I popped in my Lady Gaga "The Fame" and really got into the music. I was in a good mood, relaxed, travelling down the busy morning traffic and nothing was getting to me. For a few brief moments I almost forgot where this
nice feeling trip was taking me to. It was one of those times when the trip itself was way better than the destination, know what I mean? :) And now here I am, starting the brand new day at work. To which I say, "Grrrrrrrrr!"

"Christmas Really Sucks" by Jay Brannan

'Tis the season for some good ol' fashion holiday blues...

Jay Brannan, one of my favorite singer/songwriters and all around funny and cool guy, put up a little youtube video of a holiday themed song. Just thought I'd share it. Yeah it's a bit of a sad one but hey, not all Xmas songs can be all jingly bells and snowmen!



Christmas Really Sucks
music and lyrics by Jay Brannan

it's cold, but light outside
another sleepless night
and santa never made it

it's just another day
at least it feels that way
it's christmas, and i hate it

the streets are empty
and so am i
to "merry christmas" i reply

don't put your trust
in happily ever after
fall if you must
for simple things like laughter
you said you'd always be here
but then you had to go
well, christmas really sucks this year
thought you should know

i'm craving pancakes
so much my stomach aches
but there is nothing open

you're on the telephone
sounds like you're not alone
it's been so long since we've spoken

has your day been merry?
cuz mine's been blue
hey, can i stay in love with you?

don't put your trust
in happily ever after
fall if you must
for simple things like laughter
you said you'd always be here
but then you had to go
well, christmas really sucks this year
thought you should know
© 2008 great depression publishing

For more of his videos, visit his youtube page, youtube.com/jaybrannan

What is this???

Can somebody help answer something that's been bugging me for quite a while now?
What the hell is that thing for, in the picture below?

And no I don't mean the bottles of sauces. lol I'm taking about that metallic, standing thing with the white plastic upside down Y shaped thing sticking down from it. I see them often near the beverage sections at certain restaurants...but as much as I try to figure it out, I can never get what the hell it's for. I'm probably just being totally clueless here and I should know this...but then again, who knows, maybe I'm not alone on this one!? LOL First person to fill me in get's a cookie! lol

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Trailer)

Seen the new X-Men Origins: WOLVERINE trailer yet? If not, check it out!

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD


I'm also really excited to see another X-Men character I've always enjoyed, Gambit, coming to live action! :) Check him out...

The Face to Face Shuffle

A few posts back, I was wondering if there was a name for that feeling you get when you learn about somethign for the first time and then you suddenly feel as if you see or hear about it over and over. I was surprised, and very grateful, that I actually received an answer! It was the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (thanks to superlative's comment)! Though, I doubt I'll be able to remember it if I'm ever asked to name it on the spot. lol

Anyhow, with that in mind, I was wondering if there's a name for another little thing that happens to me often. I'll call it the "Face to Face Shuffle" for now. lol You know...when you're walking in on direction and someone is coming toward you, then when you both are face to face you move to one side, they move to that same side, so then you move to the other side, then they do it also, until finally one person stops moving and the other is able to go around. It's like a little dance! These awkward yet kinda funny moments happen quite too often here in my office. So makes me wonder if there's an official term for these incidents. :)

Rainy Monday Morning

It's almost 6:30 AM right now, on this Monday morning. I'm at J's house, I spent the night here last night. I woke up this morning to the sound of rain outside his window, but I was so comfy snuggled up in the warm bed. I don't always get to wake up at his side each day, so when I do it's a nice treat. With this looming feeling of having to return to work this morning, plus the comfortable warm bed, plus the cold wet weather outside...I just really didn't want to get up! hehe Would've loved to spend the day just snuggled up in bed. But duty calls I guess. Damn work...always gotta ruin a perfectly good feeling.

Random Hottie

To the random hottie that I spotted today at the gym, out by the weight machines, wearing a black workout T with some super short, body tight red & black striped trunks...kudos to you! Kudos guy, for rockin' those tight workout trunks and not giving a damn! ;)

Funny Bumper Sticker

Leaving the gym today, as I was walking in the parking lot, I spotted this big pickup truck that had a bumber sticker that just made me smile. It said:

"YES, THIS IS MY TRUCK.
NO, I WON'T HELP YOU MOVE."

Last Night's HEROES: Does it Tingle?

It's no secret that I love HEROES. Despite some complaints people may have had about the show, and the rise and fall in the ratings, I've been a fan through it all. From the very first preview I ever saw for it, I knew then that this was going to be my show to watch! :) Needless to say, I loved last night's episode. So as I sometimes like to do, here are a few of my thoughts & comments. Please forgive any typos and my random jumping around on topics...I don't exactly plan these things out neatly. lol

If you're not caught up to last night's Heroes episode, then don't read on after the picture of Elle below! I'm warning ya...spoilers to be found through the rest of the post...

****SPOILERS BELOW****

First off, I just have to say...I'm gonna miss our favorite little shocker girl! I guess any and all doubts that may have been left after last week's episode, about whether or not Sylar really killed Elle or if something else was going to happen
to save her at the last minute...those are all thrown out now. Poor little Elle is really dead. And not just dead...burned to a crisp! :( There was a lot of outrage from many of the fans from what I read online, some saying they aren't going to watch the show anymore. But I ask you, were those the true fans to begin with then? LOL I'll miss having her on but if the trade off is having big bad Sylar back again, then I'm game! I love having the Sylar that we knew and feared finally coming back! As Sylar was burning Elle's body, and we got that closeup of the fire reflected in his eyes...I loved that shot. To me part of it showed some sadness he felt in what he had to do, but also that fire in his eyes kinda showed how he's been ignited again...Sylar is back!

I was one of those that felt that Elle might still be alive. We never saw him fully kill her last week. Oh and by the way, is it just me or did it seem like she never tried to fight back? She didn't try to at least throw him back using her electricity did she? I'm not sure. Either way, I was hoping she'd get out of that situation somehow. I guess because of that whole future episode earlier in the season when Sylar had a son, I figured it would be Elle's because of their little romantic interest. And from what I read on Greg Beeman's Heroe's blog, one of the people that works on the show, I was probably right. He said, "Tim Kring and Kristen had explored keeping her around longer – and I know Kristen wanted to come back. There were potential storylines about pregnancies and babies…. But the truth is she has a very busy career with a lot of feature films, pilots and much else in the works. We had no official contract with her – and she couldn’t commit to exactly when she could return. And so it was decided that this would be the most exciting way to end her character. She will be missed."

Of course, on Heroes, with a few time travellers in the bunch, no character ever truly stays dead. :) So who knows, she may make a cameo or two later on.

Before I forget, something I was discussing with a friend recently...I love the music they use for some of the characters. Such as those creepy snake sounds they play in the music for some of Mohinder's scenes, and especially the random tic-tocs of the clocks that play for some of Sylar's scenes, particularly when he's killing someone. If you've never noticed those themes, pay attention and you'll catch them, such as in the scene when Sylar kills the lie detecting birthday girl.

I love that "Cake?" line Sylar delivers when the other office people walk in on him killing the birthday girl. And then the way he tests his power on that elevator guy. Sylar is morbidly funny...I love that. lol

So let's see, what else did I have to say about this episode. Oh yeah, Mr. Petrelli! Looks like "our father" is finally dead. For real this time. At least it seems that way...cuz he did do some weird glowing vaporizing thing after he was shot. Maybe his soul transferred to someone else? Nah. Maybe some remnants of the conduit? Or perhaps it was all the powers he'd stolen from people before...being returned to their rightul owners? If that's the case, poor Maya is in for another disappointment, but super Peter will be back. Your thoughts on that thing that came out of Mr. Petrelli? You think it was just a cool random death scene effect or was there more to it?

And here's a little something to ponder. Peter shot his father...as in he pulled the trigger. The bullet flew out, just inches from his father's head, only to be temporarily stopped by Sylar. But then Sylar tell's Peter that he's not a killer, and decides to let the bullet go so that he (Sylar) kills Petrelli. But since it was Peter who shot the bullet to begin with...who REALLY killed him? Had Sylar not been there, the bullet would've shot him anyway. :)

And poor Hiro, trapped in time again, but this time without any powers! Maybe this is why Ando ends up getting his powers, if that really was Ando we saw killing Hiro. Or is that a future that's not gonna happen anymore? I get lost sometimes. lol

The next volume of the series is going to be called "Fugitives." I didn't know who or what the fugitives would be running from, or exactly who the fugitives would be. But hmm....maybe it's this super army that become the hunters and the good guys become the fugitives that have to run because they are outnumbered? How cool would it be to see a big fight somewhere down the series, all the good guys vs all the bad guys, fighting it all out! Can't wait!

**** END OF SPOILERS ****

Why...

Why is it that when you're just looking around in a store and want to be left alone, you get store employee after store employee asking you "Are you finding everything ok?" or "Do you need any help?" But then when you really do need help, there's not a damn employee anythere in sight?

ShamWOW!

Have you seen these commercials on TV, for the ShamWOW!?



Now, before you start thinking I've gone and sold out my oh-so-popular blog in hopes of making millions, that's not the case. Hell, if I could I would! LOL But the only reason I bring this product up is because usually when I see things on TV, things you'd then end up seeing at the stores on the "As Seen on TV" sections...I can't help but always be skeptical. The video above makes this towel look amazing! It can apparently pick up water from a carpet and even soak up a whole bowl. I could've so used this not long ago when I knocked over a glass of water on my bedroom carpet! lol

This past Saturday, we were walking around at the Block at Orange, after having done some shopping and seeing a movie (Cadillac Records...cool movie btw). Anyhow, there was a little booth set up where a guy was selling the ShamWow and doing demonstrations, the same ones the guy does in the TV spots. Wouldn't ya know...the damn thing actually works! Or at least it looked like it did. hehe I mean, I was standing right there and it really did soak up all that water. LOL But who knows...part of me still can't help but be a bit skeptical. lol

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Dec 8th

It's Monday morning, December 8th, 2008, approximately 8:30 AM. I've been up just over 2 hours so far and already I have for today...
The Good: I had a nearly empty gas tank this morning and had to go fill up. My total? It came out to about $18.50! Now those are numbers I can live with! It wasn't not that long ago that I was doing nearly $40 at times! Fortunately my car gets pretty good mileage and I don't drive crazy distances so a full tank tends to last. Hopefully the low gas prices stick around for a long while.

The Bad: The damn restroom at my job had the "Closed for Cleaning" sign up again this morning! Last week, they had that sign up all day on Thursday because they were doing some repairs to the sinks. The reason I hate this is because all the other floors that have a restroom use a key! So I'd have to stand around and wait for someone to walk in or out of the other restrooms! Our floor's restroom uses a number code so I never have to use a key. And well, sometimes when you have to go...you HAVE TO GO! Last thing you want to do is stand around in front of a restroom, grabbing at your junk, jumping around like you used to when you were five years old and couldn't hold it anymore! lol So rather than deal with all that I just went all the way downstairs to one of the restaurants and used their back entrance which leads to the restrooms. hehe Hopefully whatever work they are doing today gets done quick.

The Ugly: That bitch on the road this morning! (Pardon my moderate cursing.) I am a very patient person with regards to many things, but when it comes to driving people just really push my buttons! I don't get why so many people seem to be in a big rush to get places! I was turning at an intersection this morning and after I had already turned, about midway down the block, I merged to my right lane. At about the same time, Mrs. Bitch comes racing down the same turning route I had just gone through and then stops just behind me and starts waving her hands in the air in that angry mode that I could see from my rearview mirror. Seriously!? What is your problem? Oh I'm so sorry that I decided to merge into an empty lane, where no cars were behind it, seconds before you decide to come racing around the corner. Slow down bitch! Ok sorry...just had to let that out. I'm ok now.

Have a nice week! :)

Franco

James Franco.

Hmmm...I didn't really have anything to say here. LOL Just saw this picture online and well...just look at him! hehe

A Weekend Sort of Life

Every day should feel like a weekend day, don't you think? Being able to wake up whenever your body tells you it's ready to wake up...not when the damn annoying "beep, BEep, BEEp, BEEEEP!" of the alarm clock goes off. Knowing that the day ahead brings whatever your heart desires. Want to go shopping, take a little road trip, have lunch with friends, catch the latest movie, take a nap at the park...go right ahead! Nothing's stopping you! The day is yours! It ends whenever you want it to end. Feel like staying up late into the morning hours...go right ahead, after all...you don't have to be anywhere the next day!

Ahhh...how sweet it would be if EVERY single day was like that. I love weekends. Who doesn't, right? Well, unless you're some kind of super workaholic that gets his kicks from working. But that's not me! No sir...I love my free time more than anything! lol Some may call it being lazy, but I call it jus wanting to enjoy life! I don't have to go climb a mountain, dive to the bottom of the oceans, parachute off a plane or jump off Niagara Falls in a barrell (do people even do that? lol)....nope, don't have to do any of that. I'm perfectly happy just living a simple life, having fun in my simple ways, being with my loved one, my family, my friends and everyone I care about. Doesn't matter what we do, as long as I just get to live life with those that mean most to me. There have been many times where I'll be sitting at my desk at work, thinking back to my weekend, and I'll think of the simplest random moments...like just sitting in my bed reading a magazine, while J sits over at my computer checking some emails, both of us just having some random conversation. Simple moments like that end up meaning a lot more when I look back on them.

Ahhhh, it'd be nice if every day could feel like a weekend. Just that feeling of freedom, relaxation...stressfree sorta life. But of course those moments don't come free. That magazine I was reading, that laptop he was using...everything costs money. So there we are, day in and day out, we work work work....so that we can pay the bills, put food on the table, and use whatever we may have left for a little bit of fun. It's the only thing that gets me through a work week sometimes. Just looking forward to a nice weekend ahead. :)

Don't mind me...it's almost 9:00 PM on this Sunday night. I just hate to see another weekend slowly come to an end....can't help but start thinking about what could be... lol

PROP 8: The Musical!

This has been making the rounds already, so some of you may have seen it. But if you haven't, check it out! It's quite funny yet also pretty damn catchy songs! lol

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Holiday Gadgets Wishlist

Ah, the holiday season is in full swing. For those of you that are fresh out of ideas on what to get me for Christmas, let me help you out. Because after all, that's the kind of person I am, always trying to help others. ;) I present to you, in no particular order, my wish list of the top 5 techno gifts I wouldn't mind seeing under my (non existing) Christmas tree this year!

A Tmobile G1 Google phone.
An iPod touch.
A new digital camera (with great resolution, HD pics/vid, lots of zoom and other hi-tech features)
A new HDTV to replace my old one.
A Playstation 3 (mainly because it's one of the best Blu-Ray players)

MILK

"My name is Harvey Milk, and I'm here to recruite you!" Those are the words oten spoken by Harvey Milk, an openly gay politician & activist in San Francisco, as he spoke to people back in the 1970's. The new film by Gus Van Sant, "Milk", is his story. Sean Penn stars as Milk, along with a great supporting cast (Emile Hirsh, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, James Franco, Victor Garber and others). I'm not revealing much by saying that this biopic, unfortunately, has a tragic ending. Milk was assassinated on November 27, 2008. This was 30 years ago to the date that this movie was released. The movie explores the life, the courage, the determination, the faith, the love...the man that was and forever will live on...Harvey Milk.

I must admit, despite being a gay man myself, I wasn't actually aware of who Milk really was. So this film really opened my eyes to the life of a person that I never really knew about. I've never been a big activist, never studied up too much on the gay movements and our histories. Which yeah, I know it's kinda bad of me. But I guess a movie like this means even more to someone like me that otherwise probably wouldn't have known more about this extraordinary person. Someone whose actions would affect my life, even if I didnt realize it. Seeing this movie reminded me so much of all the protests and community actions that have taken place in the recent weeks after prop 8 passed (the ban on gay marriages). It reminded me of how fortunate we are now, compared to the past, in that so many things have changed. We've gotten more equality...but not yet completely. We still have a ways to go, for us to finally be able to open up the eyes of those that refuse to accept us.

I'm not good at really doing a movie justice in my reviews. Especially when it's one that has such a historical and important topic as this film did. All I can say is that it really moved me. Seeing the scenes of all the people coming together to fight back, it gave me chills...a rush of pride, excitement and other feelings came over me. If that's what it felt like sitting in a theater watching recreations, I can only imagine what it must've felt like for people that were actually there. People that knew Milk personally or even just through his public appearances.

The movie was a mix of news footage (some seemed genuinely real, others probably slight recreations) along with regular movie footage. So I enjoyed the way it was put together, and I thought all the cast was great. I admit, it did take a bit of getting used to the crazy hairstyles and whatnot. hehe But that's the 70's for you!

The film, from what I read online, was only playing in 36 theaters here in the U.S., yet it managed to make the top 10 films of the weekend, at #10! It grossed over $1.9 million since it came out last Wednesday. Pretty damn impressive for a limited engagment film!

I loved how our theater was pretty much full of gay people. hehe I felt so at home. lol But of course this isn't just a movie for gay people...it's something that I feel everyone should see. Especially with all that's been going on lately.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

It's a sensational opening," Focus distribution topper Jack Foley said. "It's a record opening for a film opening in this many theaters, and there were lots of sellouts wherever it was playing."

The "Milk" debut represented the best per-venue average of any film opened with 30-40 engagements, Foley said. Its bow outpaced the December 2007 opening for "Atonement," which Focus unspooled with $784,145 from 32 playdates or a then-record $24,505 per engagement.

"Milk" pours into 60 theaters in 32 markets on Friday. Foley said he believes Focus' marketing campaign has dovetailed well with nationwide publicity over California's Proposition 8, the recently passed anti-gay marriage ballot initiative.

"Milk" will likely remain one of the awards season's most closely watched releases, with Sean Penn's performance in the title role generating early plaudits. James Franco, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch and Diego Luna are also featured in supporting roles.

For more information on the film, check out the official site at http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/milk/

Also, be sure to show your support for the film. Leave your name, age and state over at http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/milk/mosaic/supportMilk.php. I already did.

Thanksgiving Weekend 2008

Where does the (holiday) weekend go!? It just flew by too fast! But oh well, I had a VERY nice time over the Thanksgiving weekend, so I'm happy! hehe What exactly did I do, you ask? Well, let's reeeeeeewwwiiiinnnddddd...

I got off work early on Wednesday, at 1:00, so that was definitely a great way to start the holidays! We had planned to go see a movie, Australia, so we went to a gym that was near the theater, then had a nice meal at Rubio's. But then I found out that the movie wasn't playing at that theater! lol So we ended up just staying in that night. Normally we'd have gone to the Thanksgiving pre-party over at Circus (my local favorite gay latino club for you out-of-towners), but we wanted to save our energy and money for Saturday night, when we were going to a new gay night, Piel Canela, put together by a friend of mine.

Thursday morning, Thanksgiving, we went to the gym (yes, again) and just hung out together a while, until it was time for me to head back home to join my family for dinner at my uncle's house. I tend to get a bit...well...bored...when we head over to my uncle's. Only cause I pretty much just end up sitting on the couch watching a TV I have no control over, only getting up to eat. lol But hey, it's family, it's the holidays...gotta get into the spirit, right?

Friday morning I just cut my hair, gave my mom a ride to a store, and then headed back to Juan's to join him and his family for his sister's son's first birthday buffet! It was nice, he's the cutest little kid! He's my "nephew"! hehe So of course I had to get him a gift. I bought him a cute little "learning puppy" (a stuffed dog that he can press and it teaches him words and songs). After the buffet, in the evening we went to the gym again (had to burn off the turkey dinner and buffet plates!) and then at night just hit up a couple stores, to browse the leftover Black Friday stuff. We didn't buy anything though.

Saturday morning...guess where we went? Did you say the gym? Ding ding ding! lol You're right! By now it's probably looking like we're some hard core gym bunnies. But we're not, I swear. When we go together, we'll do about 30 mins of cardio (threadmill or other machines) and then about 30 mins of the weight machines (haven't gotten to the big boy's play area yet...the free weights). Nothing too strenous, but enough to keep us active and feeling healthier. It's been about 5 months now since I started going and I've definitely noticed an improvement in my overall physical and emotional shape. I feel better and it even helps boost self esteem. So gotta love that, right?

Anyhow, after that I headed back home 'cause Juan was going to visit me that night. Our original plans were to go to my friend's club party, but it unfortunatel had to be cancelled/postponed. We ended up going to another gay club in North Hollywood, club Cobra, along with a small group of friends. So it was nice, we had a nice time, I always love seeing my friends. Doesn't really matter where we go to be honest, just love being able to hang out with them.

So finally, it was Sunday morning. We slept in a bit that day, then headed out to the gym again. lol I'd never been to the gym for so many days in a row at an hour a day! Normally, since I go on my own after work, I only go for 30 mins or so. So by this point I was starting to finally feel burned out. (Today, Monday, is my recovery night...no gym. lol) After the gym, which was in the Hollywood area, we went to the Grove out on 3rd & Fairfax and had a nice filling lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, in honor of our seven year anniversary! Yep, we met seven years ago for the very first time, on December 1st of 2001! Seems like so much has happened since then! There've been tough times, as with any life...any relationship...but fortunately it's all worked out for the best and now I couldn't possibly be happier! Not a day goes by where I don't realize how fortunate I am to have found a person I can share my life with so intimately. It's like we were made for each other...all part of a master plan. hehe So we ate our dinner, and celebrated. Afterward we went to the movies and saw Milk...about the openly gay politician in San Francisco in the 1970's....a really great movie! I'll probably post a seperate entry on that.

We ended the night by just going to the Target in West Hollywood (I love seeing all the gay people/couples doing their shopping there). We bought some stuff we needed for the week, and then it was time for us to each go home.

So aside from the movies and the club, we didn't really go out too much this weekend. But I still had a great time! hehe

You've Got Porn!

I know I work at a laid back company when I get pornographic pictures in my official work inbox, and it's ok because it's work related! LOL A couple of our stores do sell porn, so every now and then I'll get emails from one particular vendor regarding some of their upcoming new releases, which often include stills from the films or just their DVD covers. lol As soon as I see the senders name, I always make sure nobody is around before I open it. Don't want to start giving the wrong idea if someone catches me opening them! And by the "wrong idea" I mean that I don't want people to think I'd be looking at naked women (since that company's titles are all straight videos). LOL

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!