My "To-Do list" Life

My friend, Evan, noticed a habit of mine where I refer to everything that I do as a nagging obligation, even activities that I normally enjoy. I didn’t believe him at first, but then I looked at one of my infamous “To Do” lists and realized he was right:

TO DO:
1. Watch Netflix movies
2. Check facebook / catch up on webcomics
3. Drinks at Lucky Baldwins

And while I have now added “do not refer to fun activities as obligations” to my list of things to do, I had to argue that, in the hectic lifestyle of the modern-day twenty-something year-old, I kind of *need* to think of those things as obligations…..otherwise, I’ll dismiss them in lieu of other, more pressing things that I feel I need to do. 

But really – I need to devote as much time to the fun things in life as I do my responsibilities….and thinking of them as obligations is how I get it done.

I started this train of thought when I realized I don’t write as much as I used to anymore. In college I did a lot of writing; even produced a play or two. But I always viewed it as more of a ‘hobby’ than anything else….and work would always come first.

Later, as my work / responsibilities piled up, the less time I had to devote to writing and now….I don’t write. At least not the way I used to.

....and I kinda regret that.

Sorry this post is such a downer, but I've been meaning to write it for a while. 

Not so X-mas-y movies

I dunno if you can tell from reading the entries on my old blog, but I kinda like Christmas; people tend to make an effort to be a lot nicer (and closer) to each other around this time of year. Maybe it’s all those sappy “Christmas movies” I used to watch over and over as a kid…!

(24 hrs of “A Christmas Story” on TNT- FTW!)

But I have noticed that I’m a little de-sensitized to “Christmas-themed” movies after all these years. So I like to watch some of the “non Christmas-y” movies that pop up on cable around this time to get a break from all this “Holiday Cheer”

DIE HARD

That’s right – the original John McClain action movie was set during his wife’s Christmas party. It was kind of easy to forget with all the blood, explosions and crawling through vents that happened in this movie. 
 

GREMLINS

Remember that Gizmo was originally bought by Billy’s dad as a Christmas gift for his son! I think my favorite scene in this movie is when the mom is fighting off the Gremlins in the kitchen, brandishing a butcher’s knife. 

THE REF

This movie wasn't so much about Christmas as it was about marriage & family counseling.  Kevin Spacey & Judy Davis do a pretty good rendition of George and Martha from "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" in this movie, with Dennis Leary as a burglar-turned-hostage taker.   

IT’S A VERY MERRY, MUPPET CHRISTMAS MOVIE

Okay, so this is a pretty big “holiday-themed” movie, but the scene where Kermit finds out what happens to the Muppet Theatre if he was never born is worth the 2 hours it takes to watch this movie I couldn’t find a clip of it on youtube, but the Muppet Theatre turns into a Rave club - I'm not joking. 

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Not so Single Helping

Hey everybody - guess who's back to blogging?  

That's right - it's me.....kinda.  

I just had a really good idea for a blog post....and here it is! 

A lot of people think that Thanksgiving can be a pretty rough time for people like me who are single and living away from their families.  I mean, the holiday obviously reminds us of how we don't have anyone to cook Thanksgiving dinner for us like we used to when we were little.  And it can even make some of us feel a little lonely at times.  But it you know your way around the Holiday--and how to manipulate it to your advantage-- Thanksgiving can be pretty awesome. 

For you see, Thanksgiving is a "Family Holiday" - a time when everybody gets it into their heads that if they're not part of some wedded, coupley, baby-harvesting, child-rearing collective, then they're unhappy.  And that widely-held belief (which might possibly be true) is how you can manipulate tons of families and couples into inviting you to their Thanksgiving meals!

All you have to do is mention you don't have plans for Thanksgiving to your "coupled" friends and one of them will eventually invite you to theirs.  And if you mention this multiple times to multiple people, you will get invited to multiple Thanksgivings. 

That's right - MULTIPLE THANKSGIVINGS.  

And if you're lucky enough to have friends who are celebrating Thanksgiving at a different time of day, you can go to ALL of them....and win Thanksgiving.  

Please sir, can I have some more?  I have no one to share Thanksgiving with! 

Obviously there are drawbacks to celebrating this many Thanksgivings: it's greedy, manipulative, and takes advantage of your friend's well-meaning generosity.  Plus, eating all that turkey is bound to make you fat.  Maybe man was not meant to celebrate Thanksgiving more than once. 


......but it's a fun thought, isn't it?

Blogging Return - TBD

Hey Everybody who follows my blog! 

So I dunno if you realized by my lack of posts this month, but I’ve been slacking on my blogging lately.  Otherwise you'd probably be seeing some obligatory posts about the Election, Daylights Savings and Halloween (again). 

Unfortunately there’s a good reason for that.  I got promoted to a new position at my job this past week and the training is turning out to be pretty intense!  And since the majority of my posts are written during work hours, I just haven’t had time to write (or think about) new posts.  

I’m *HOPING* this will change once my training is over (next month) but the job seems to keep a lot of my new co-workers really busy, so the blogging slump MIGHT be a permanent change. 

On the plus side though, I get business cards through my new position!  Now I can toss them into fishbowls at Sandwich shops in hopes of getting a free sandwich!  

See you when I see you....!  

More Fun w/Zombies!

OH JAPAN, YOU SO CRAZY...! 

Getting into the Spirit

Since Halloween is coming up, I figured I would post some "Halloween-related" videos for your viewing pleasure. 

Hope you like this one! 



Pre-Halloween / Party Foul

This past weekend, Lauren and Ryan invited me and Carol over to a Halloween Party Ryan’s cousin was hosting in Thousand Oaks. Not sure why they were throwing it the weekend BEFORE Halloween, but I think it might have been someone’s birthday as well?

Anyway, this meant I had even less time to throw together a Halloween costume – luckily I already knew what I wanted to be since last year.

THIS GUY

So Carol and I drove up to Thousand Oaks, costumes in hand, ready to meet up with Lauren and Ryan.

The party was a rather posh-looking mansion up in the Hills, complete with a pool, catered food and a couple of DJs to help get the party going. Apparently, Ryan’s cousins were rich and threw out all the stops when decorating for their party. (The entire ground floor was covered in Halloween decorations!)

Anyway, here are some of the better pictures I took that evening.

BLIND REFS

CAROL WENT AS A GHOST

CHILEAN MINER - One of the better costumes at the Party

RYAN (AS LADY GAGA) & ME, CLEAVIN' SOME CLEAVAGE)

"ENERGIZER BUNNY"

I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THIS LADY ON THE RIGHT IS

I THINK THE GUY IN THE MIDDLE (THE ANGEL) IS THE HOST

LOOKIT HIS HUGE ARM! 

RYAN & HIS SISTER

GHOSTLY GAGA

TEQUILA SHOOTERS

AfterI got back from the party that I realized that, if you didn’t already know who Uncle Istvan was, I probably looked like some kind of Terrorist.....which is in pretty poor taste as far as costumes go. 

Maybe if I get rid of the beard...

Maybe I should find something else to wear for THIS weekend......!

(In)tolerance

With Election Day coming up in California, (Tuesday 11/02/10!) I’ve been watching some of the Gubernatorial debates. (Meg Whitman vs. Jerry Brown) I’ve also been listening to a lot of people go off on their opinions about the Propositions that are on the ballot this year. And it’s gotten me thinking about how tolerant / intolerant people get when it comes to their opinions.

I think a lot of people believe they’re “tolerant” and “accepting of others” because they don’t go out of their way to convert people to their way of life. This is otherwise known as the “live and let live” policy of life. (As long as you don’t bug me, I won’t bug you)

But somehow I think “tolerance” goes a bit further than that.

To me, it’s more than letting other people live their lives as long as they don’t bug you. It’s not much further, mind you, but I tend to think of “tolerance” as letting someone voice a different opinion than you and not telling them they’re wrong.

Every debate I’ve seen or ‘discussion’ I’ve listened in on about this or that issue has always had both parties trying to yell on top of each other, interrupting each other and both mocking the other’s opinion.

And I’m starting to notice that it doesn’t just happen around Election season.

Test it out: Find a group of friends who think alike and try to voice an opposing opinion. It doesn’t have to be something you believe, just something that you can objectively see the logic behind. And see what happens.

POST YOUR RESULTS IN THE
COMMENTS SECTION!

"Stay in School, kids"

HEY KIDS - STAY IN SCHOOL

....OR WIND UP LOOKING LIKE A MORON ON THE INTERNET. 



Worst Costume Ideas

I went shopping for Halloween costumes this weekend. 

When I went to look at what some of the stores had for their ‘Adult Costumes,' these were all I saw: 





"ONE NIGHT STAND"



"HAPPY CAMPER"

"HOT DOG VENDER"

"BEER KEG"

"BREATHALYZER"

"CHICK MAGNET"

"CHOKING THE CHICKEN"

UH...SOMETHING TO DO WITH MUSCLE MAGAZINES? 

"GOD'S GIFT TO WOMEN"

"GREEN-EYED MONSTER"

"HUNG LIKE A HORSE"

THESE COSTUMES ARE TERRIBLE. 

DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY WEAR THESE? 

Hipsters are People too

A lot of people make fun of “Hipsters” these days:

- I saw this youtube video parodying them called “Hipster Olympics”

- Not to mention the website “Look at this Fucking Hipster”

- There’s even a song out called “Fuck you Hipsters”

One could even say that there’s an “Anti-Hipster” movement on the rise. I recently read this blogpost and then this article about “Hipster discrimination” up in Portland, OR. And another one in New York.

Isn’t that a lot of negativity directed towards a certain group of people?

From what I’ve heard, it’s because “hipsters think they’re too cool for school,” or that “it’s what they get for dressing /acting like that.” And while I admit that some of them can be pretty weird to the point of obnoxious, we all need to remember: 

Hipsters are people too.

And just like people, some of them can be the jerky-jerks who deserve a good ass-stomping. But, also just like people, (you see where I’m going with this?) they can be really cool if you get to know them.

For one thing – hipsters are pretty well-educated / well-informed about certain subjects. If you actually take the time to listen to one of them, instead of dismissing it as “hipster devil-speak,” you might find that they’re pretty knowledgeable about this or that.

(Granted, you should take anything anyone says with a grain of salt until you can verify it yourself)

Also – hipsters are pretty thrifty and know a lot of ways to save money. Shopping at thrift stores? Buying / drinking “two-buck chuck”? Riding a bike or taking public transit instead of buying a car? All made popular / socially acceptable by hipsters. You should be thanking them.

And finally – hipsters can be pretty fun to hang out with. They’re usually very creative and witty (smart) and know a lot of fun things to do that don’t cost a lot of money. I think they’re (partially) responsible for the “Ugly sweater Christmas Party” I went to a couple years ago and the resurgence of the artwalks.

Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t hate that one jerk hipster who made fun of you for still owning CDs or the other one who thought you were a fascist for eating meat. Those people are judgmental and naturally inspire feelings of anger/disdain. But don’t use those people to signify the whole subculture of hipsters in general; underneath that flannel shirt and hidden behind those Buddy Holly glasses is a person like you who deserves to be treated with respect.

And if you don’t, then you’re a bigot – and I will no longer consort with the likes of you!

GOOD DAY!

Corned Beef Hash

Realizing that I had all the ingredients, I decided to make some Corned Beef Hash last night for dinner like the kind my mom used to make when I was little.  Here's the recipe: 

INGREDIENTS:  1 Can of Corned Beef
1 Raw Egg
A small potato
half an onion
some green onions
Pan-ko (bread flakes)
Seasonings (salt, pepper, etc.) 

DIRECTIONS:  Frist - wash the potato and nuke it in the microwave for about five to six minutes.  While you're waiting, chop up the onions (real small-like), green onions and pour it, along with the corned beef, into a mixing bowl.  When the potato's done, peel it and mash it in with everything else in the bowl.  Then crack the egg over it all & mix it all together. 

After that, take a clump of your 'batter' and start sculpting them into hamburger-like patties, "breading" them individually with the bread flakes (or flour in my case) when done. 

When they're all "pattied", toss em on the stove and fry em until they're evenly cooked.  Then you're ready to eat! 

Delicious, AMIRITE? 

.....okay, maybe they don't look so great (still working on "presentation"), but trust me:  they *are* delicious. 

*NOM* *NOM* *NOM*

**EDIT** 
Add ketchup to make it taste even better! 

Movie Review - Machete

About a week ago, I saw Machete in theatres. And I have to say that this movie deserved every bit of hype it got:

The Plot: Betrayed and left for dead in a burning building, Ex-Mexico federale, Machete, is now nothing more than an illegal day laborer on the streets of Texas. Until one day, a mysterious stranger offers him a million dollars to take out the Mayor of Texas himself (played by Robert DeNiro) who promises to crack down on illegal immigration and tighten up border security.

Machete takes the job, but is betrayed (again!) by the very man who hired him. Now on the run from the Law, Machete vows revenge against the man who hired him and, in the process, uncovers a nationwide conspiracy to control the Border patrol between Texas and Mexico.

My Review: After watching the Trailer, I pretty much assumed that this would be “Black Dynamite” but with Hispanics. And considering that I loved Black Dynamite, I figured I would love this one just as much.

AND I WAS RIGHT!

 

Within the first five minutes of the movie, I saw about twelve people die and a completely naked woman waiting for Machete to rescue her. And considering the movie is about two hours long, rest assured that the rest of it was filled with similar mayhem and sex.

My favorite part had to be where Machete ripped someone’s stomach open and used their small intestines to repel off a wall. 

But the movie isn’t JUST hilarious, over-the-top blood and gore; it’s also (slightly) political in it’s timely message of the country’s problem with illegal immigration / the plight of Mexican immigrants trying to make it in the U.S. That message is a constant theme throughout the movie. (slight though it may be) In fact, I figured that was the only way they could get Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez to do the movie. (and get her to wear that eye-patch)

Now, as great as I found this movie to be, it *did* start to spin out of control into non-sensical shock humor that I didn’t care for. This movie featured a bunch of “all-star” actors that people love to roll their eyes at. And while Don Johnson and Steven Segal weren’t too bad in their respective roles of “corrupt town sherriff” and “Mexican drug lord,” I had no idea why the hell Lindsay Lohan was in this movie - she plays the drugged-out daughter of the man who hires Machete, but somehow ends up as a gun-toting nun by the end of the movie. (no real explanation).

I got the feeling that, since the movie started as a spoof trailer for “Grindhouse,” they had to include her…..but couldn’t figure out how to fit her in the movie.

In any case – Machete is worth seeing. I suggest you do so while you still can. A great movie like this is only going to be around for so long.

Stay Cool....!

Work's been tough this past week.  (also the heat) 

I wanted to blog once more during September (to make it an even 'ten posts' this month) but I just got too busy. 

So I'm gonna make it up by posting more this month (October). 

Don't really have any thoughts sorted out right now though - so I'm just gonna post this video from my "new" favorite show:  Flight of the Conchords - check it out. 

from the episode "The Tough Brets":
Bret creates a gang to help protect him from all the
rappers that he 'dissed' in his latest song. 

STAY COOL, BRETT!

"It could be worse...!"

So I got a ticket over the weekend for "talking on a cell phone while driving."  

I apparently need to go to court(?) and pay some kind of fine.  (dunno how much) 

Needless to say, it put a big damper on my day.  

But when I got home, I saw this.....

A tree fell on this car!

...... and remembered that it's not the worst thing in the world.

Outsourced - the Movie!

Did you know that new show, “Outsourced” (premiering tonight), used to be a movie?

It starred Josh Hamilton as “Todd” & Ayesha Dharker as “Asha” and has the same essential premiset as the series: a Novelty Salesman who gets downsized & has to relocate to India to train his Call Center team which has been outsourced.

The movie is pretty much about Todd learning about Indian culture while trying to train his staff (which includes Asha) and encounters several work-related problems and becomes enchanted with their way of life after experiencing a few Traditional Indian Festivals (such as The Festival of Colors).

I imagine the new series will include all of this…probably all in the first 6 episodes.

Added to the movie (to make it more interesting) is Todd’s blooming romance with Asha….who’s already arranged to be married by her parents to another man.
 

Hmmm...sound familiar?

It wasn't a bad movie overall – but it’s probably gonna work better as a series….as long as they tone down the “enchantment with Indian Culture” thing.

Spoilers for how the movie ends below!

S


P


O


I


L


E


R



A


L


E


R


T


!


At the end of the movie – the entire team in India gets outsourced to China (I guess labor there is even cheaper than in India?) and Todd returns to America. (without Asha – she stays with her arranged fiancée)

Why I go

My friend, Tessa, & I always try to go to the L.A. Comic & Sci-Fi Convention every month since we found out about it last year. It’s not as big as San Deigo’s Comicon, but we like it just the same.

It’s cheaper, for one thing (Only $8.00 admission!) For another, you get a really good deal on comics (sometimes).

And finally – you find things like this:

Barack the Barbarian - ISSUE #3!

I took a glance at this when I got home and it’s as cheesy as it looks:

THE STORY:  Up in the frozen North (Alaska?) an old man tells some kids the story of “Barack the Barbarian” and his companions, Manny, Bill, and Hilaria as they fight against Red Sarah & the evil Elephant Cultists (composed mainly of the elderly & easily confused villagers) for the treasure of the (Economic) Stimuli. 

Lost Skeleton of Cadaver

Much in the way that "Shaun of the Dead," "Hot Fuzz," "Black Dynamite" & "Machete" are homages to their respective genres, so is "Lost Skeleton" a love-letter to the 1950s science-fiction "B-movie."  A vendor at the Convention told me about this one, and judging from the imdb page - it's gonna be gold. 

The IT-Crow Season 4!

I didn't even know this show was still on the air!  BUT IT IS!  Thanks for letting me know, LA Comic & Sci-Fi Convention! 

Where else could you go to find such gems?

Speaking of movies....!

I'm sure movies like "The GodFather" and "Citizen Kane" are great......

.....but I just think someone is lying when they say a film like that is their *favorite* movie of all time.

Unless it’s “Star Wars” or something……then I believe them.

The Ferris Bueller Synopsis

You know what makes a good movie?

CONFLICT.

There are four basic kinds:

- Inner Conflict (Man vs. Self)
- Relational Conflict (Man vs. Other Man / Woman)
- Societal Conflict (Man vs. Society)
- Situational Conflict (Man vs. Obstacle)

In other words, the main character(s) in a movie should be struggling to overcome *something* that he / she is up against. Audiences should be able to identify this in every movie that they watch.

And yet – some movies don’t have them. In these, the audience just watches the main character(s) enjoy a conflict-free life for 90 minutes or more…..and it’s boring as hell.

I call this the “Ferris Bueller Synopsis” because it’s the first movie I can recall seeing where this happens.

Don’t get me wrong – I *liked* Ferris Bueller’s Day Off  when I first saw it. Hell, I’d probably still like it if I watched it today. But the premise of the entire movie is him and his friends having fun in the City.

That’s it.

He doesn’t overcome anything;
Or learn anything;
Or even really face any sort of enemy of any kind because everyone loves him.
(I *GUESS* his Principal / his sister count as ‘enemies,’ but they play such a minor role in the movie that I don’t really count them)

And yet, SOMEHOW, everyone (including me) loved this movie.

The only reason I can account for this is that it was the first of it’s kind? (Unlikely though) But since then, the movie industry has somehow gotten the idea that they should make more of these ‘feel nothing but good’ movies.

The most recent of these that I’ve seen heard of is Eat Pray Love:  that one where Julia Roberts basically travels around Europe, eating, praying and loving.

OTHER MOVIES GUILTY OF THE FERRIS BUELLER SYNOPSIS:
- Into the Wild
-The Lizzie McGuire movie
- I hope they serve beer in Hell
- Sex and the City 2
- The Darjeeling Limited
- Oceans 13
- Crocodile Dundee
- Outsourced (yes, it was a movie first!) 
...and countless other movies shot “on location” where ‘experiencing an exotic culture’ is an essential plot point.

CAN YOU ADD TO THIS LIST?

Keeping in Touch

I have a tendency to run into a lot people I used to know at one time or another.

The biggest category of people I meet are usually “old classmates from College.” And since I liked most of them, I usually stop and say hi so we can catch up. And sooner or later, they always ask the same question: 

“So, do you keep up with anyone

else from College?”

This always struck me as an odd question to ask because:  yeah, of course I do. 

It just seems to me that, if you go to a school in a city as big as Los Angeles, you’re going to have a few friends who decide to stick around. And these are the people who you’ll end up hanging out with while you’re there because hey - they’re still around.

These are also the people who will listen to you complain as you look for your first job; who will help you move into that first apartment when you’re too poor to afford to hire movers; who you can ask to be your roommate so you can both save money on rent; and who will even show up to that party you’re throwing over the weekend – with a case of beer in hand.

Also -  there’s really no excuse for you not to in this day and age of social media / free networking.

But I guess a lot of people don’t realize that as they go off to try and make it in the real world because I keep hearing that question.

I make it a point to keep in touch with the friends I’ve made over the years because friendship *is* something that gets easily taken for granted.  

- My friends from high school always get a call to let them know I’m coming back home.
- Saturday mornings are usually reserved for Coffee w/Carol.
- I comment on people’s blogs whenever they make a post.
- Facebook friends who live far away always receive “Happy Birthday” wall-post from me.

They do the same. And we stay connected. It’s simple, see?

In fact – staying in touch with Fred gave me a place to stay when I visited Japan!

What about you all?

Do you keep in touch with old friends?

Scientists Reveal!

(TAKEN FROM ROADLESSTAKEN'S XANGA)

So apparently, scientists have been working very hard to determine what makes someone “a good dancer.”

THIS IS WHAT THEY’VE COME UP WITH:

"GOOD DANCER"

BAD DANCER


LADIES - DID YOU SWOON? 

"Clothes make the Man...."

….which is why naked people are never taken seriously.” (Mark Twain)

I bought a long-sleeve shirt the other day……from the Gap. It looks something like this: 

I’m a little ashamed to admit I bought this, but I can’t quite put my finger on why.

• Am I worried about that shopping at The Gap makes me conformist?
• Am I worried that this is a sign I’m becoming more & more superficial?
• Or am I worried that I’m trying to be something that I’m not?

 (Probably all of the above)

Shopping at places like the Gap / Urban Outfitters / some thrift store comes with certain stigmas of being a preppie / poser / hipster type. I used to worry about this in college (not high school though; I just wore whatever my mom picked out for me back then) and stayed away from those places so that I wouldn’t be “labeled.” Instead, I bought all my shirts from online stores and various places that sold ‘specially made shirts’ in hopes of being thought of as ‘an individual.’ I noticed that these were the kinds of clothes that had designs on them which made me stand out, whereas “designer” clothing did not that made other people blend in with the crowd. (Weird, rite?)

So I think these are (for the most part) valid concerns because my appearance” is a very important part of I am; it’s the part that people see the most and, consequently, rely on to get an accurate judge of who the rest of “me” is. And since my wardrobe is one of the two things about my appearance I can actually control, (the other being ‘my hair.’) I think buying clothes from The Gap says the wrong thing about me (that I’m rich, vain, etc.)

But on the other hand, there’s really nothing wrong with buying shirts from the Gap. A lot of perfectly normal (& awesome) people do it too. True, people are going to make certain assumptions about me for shopping there, but aren’t I a little old to be worrying about what clique I fall under these days? And shouldn’t I *want* people to realize that I can now afford to shop at nice stores instead of where I used to go? (Target)

And for that matter, aren’t I a little old to be wearing shirts with funny designs on them? (Maybe)

……

………

………..

…………… this is an awful lot of thought to come out of me buying a shirt, isn’t it?

Sorry that this was another odd / boring(?) post. I just had to get this all out “on paper” and thought it would make a good blogpost at the time.