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'!