The Errant Notebook

So This is Goodbye...

2011-12-13T20:53:00.000-08:00

I haven't been around these cyber pages for awhile. Whether I keep returning only time will tell.

Of course, there probably aren't many of you left anyway. For those that are it's time to tell you the Errant Notebook is being relocated back to Nebraska.

Come this time next week, I'll be somewhere in the desert southwest making my way along the southern route to Fremont.

For the third time, I'll be living in Nebraska - back home again.

Random Thoughts for the Week

2011-05-04T05:41:00.000-07:00

Dry humping followed by copious butt exposure then, well, more exposure which led to someone yelling, "Angie, Angie...what are you doing?"
Angie was just trying to get her undergarments arranged properly...in the middle of a bar with the world watching.
Day 18 of INSANITY (that's how they write it) - 13% of weight loss goal. So at 30% of the routine it sounds like I'm a little behind.

And now for something completely different...

2011-04-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

Here's some blatantly poltical, terrifically biased, but not all that inaccurate video:

This Week with More Random Thoughts

2011-04-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

Spent Saturday morning conducting military funeral honors for a grave left unmarked for 102 years.
Spent 30 minutes this afternoon becoming painfully aware of how out of shape I am...I stress painfully.
I hate to see a bookstore go out of business, but I do love to shop at the store closing sale.
I do not mind Blockbuster closing, but I was just as happy to pick over the shelves.
New Allison Krauss album - so happy.
Is it just me, or does Daniel Tosh have a subtle similarity to Steve?

Random Thoughts (by request)

2011-03-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

I've gotten a little lazy with the random thoughts, but my audience is growing restless.
I've learned that both Verizon and the hot tub salespeople are overly persistent.
I liked Larry (formerly of Hastings, Nebraska) until I learned that his "weekday" house was on Manhattan Beach. Yes, his weekday house.
Is $700 too much for golf irons?
So far...yes, yes it is.
Flew my brother out last weekend to help me move, but since moving was delayed it turns out I flew my brother out to play Trivial Pursuit and Modern Warfare 2.
The rain has finally stopped and the motorcycle has finally left the garage.
Since gas prices have gone up I haven't been able to fill up the truck because the pump won't pre-approve me for that much.
I do not, I repeat, do not like being deposed.
Hopefully, this was enough to entertain those who may be stuck in South Dakota.

Random Thoughts - St. Patrick's Day Edition

2011-03-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

I may just start doing this on holidays only. I think I can keep myself on that schedule.
Ireland is not a country. It is an island. Republic of Ireland is a country.
April 15th - Tax Day and according to new documents the day I finally, absolutely and most assuredly will close on my house. We'll see.
St. Patrick was not Irish; he was English. Also note that England is not an island. It is a country on the island of Great Britain.
My sister implied that I was a nerd for having a favorite presidential speech. I wanted to dispel all doubt...thus trivia.
The first St. Patrick's Day parade was in Boston almost 200 years before the first one in Dublin.

President's Day Random Thoughts

2011-02-22T19:01:00.000-08:00

Best weekend ever? If not, it was a close second.
Favorite President - the more I learn, the more it is John Adams.
The house deal is almost done - waiting for final loan approval.
Favorite movie president - Andrew Shepard (Michael Douglas) in The American President. (How could it be anyone else?)
I've opened the karaoke Pandora's box - 2 hours of my Saturday night.
Favorite television president - you know it, Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen) in The West Wing.
Wine makes me happy or at least makes me not care much.
Favorite presidential speech (fictional) - John Quincy Adams' closing argument to the Supreme Court in Amistad.
Congratulations Doc Sadler on finally getting the big win.
Favorite presidential speech - Lincoln's second inaugural.
Upon further consideration - yes, best weekend.

Thoughts for the Week - Home Edition

2011-02-08T21:10:00.000-08:00

Another set of random house pictures. Well, hopefully not random - so far there's been no drama, no partially signed documents, no problems with lenders and generally no funny business.
Now on to thinking again about why I own so many damn books.
And stuff...so much stuff.
Two men and a truck?

Random Thoughts - Timely and...

2011-02-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

One house deal down the tubes while another is in the works.
This time the house is in north Norwalk and the owner is in Mexico.
One more counter offer sent out this evening.
The house has a ready to occupy man cave!
And a sun-drenched, mostly glass south wall.
In another unexpected turn of events I find myself reverse engineering a small red envelope for "red pocket money".
Happy Year of the Rabbit!

Back to Some Random Thoughts

2011-01-25T19:16:00.001-08:00

The little "x" that popped up on my MLS list would be the first tangible sign that in several weeks this could be home.
It was a whole hell of a lot easier to buy a house in Iowa.
Cheaper too!
I have the chest hair to pull off the 70s look, but that doesn't mean I want the style to return.
New saddlebags - yea!
Ooh, ooh - I've eaten chili with the guy giving the Republican response to the State of the Union address. (Sadly, I think he's younger than me.)
Looking back it's been quite a month just not random enough for blogging.
Honestly, I'm ready for bed.

Random Thoughts Again

2010-12-14T20:57:00.000-08:00

Any house under $200,000 in Norwalk is either on a street too narrow for my vehicle or missing important features - like a kitchen.
Is $300 a month too much to pay for lawn work and a pool I'll almost never use?
Sometimes you find yourself lying on the beach in December and think, "Does life get much better than this?"
All the gifts but one are bought, but how, oh how, to get two princess tea sets in my luggage.
My life's current small victory is when the cat makes it in the litter box.
Christmas Bonus!!!
I was told I have a nice voice.
I was told I have a nice voice after my karoake renditions of "Hey Good Lookin" and "Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys".
I was also given a shot of Patron Silver for singing so I finished off the night with "El Paso".

Hmm - It's Getting Harder to be Random

2010-12-07T18:11:00.000-08:00

Though I've never seen anyone with their hair on fire, I did see a lady with smoking hair at lunch yesterday.
Literally smoking.
My cats had a memorable evening. First, they broke into a stash of catnip from the 1-800-Petmeds box. Second, they got deworming pills. Finally, they got dosed with topical anti-flea meds.
I would rather do almost anything other than give a cat a pill. My tattered and torn skin would agree.
Ah, a real Christmas tree.
Rufus likes the dryer. Chip prefers the cupboards.

The aforementioned Chip (he also collects water bottles, possibly the reason for being in the cupboard).

Random Picture for the Week

2010-11-23T20:02:00.000-08:00

And this is why I don't dance often.

This Week's Random Thoughts

2010-11-16T18:23:00.000-08:00

So I screwed up. I didn't realize it till it was too late and then I didn't step up and fix it. Damn it.
So five years in LA, 10 years with Hormel and just shy of another birthday and I still don't know what I want. Damn it.
My cat's still afraid of the litter box. Damn it.

This Week's Random Thoughts

2010-11-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

So...yeah...fleas!
The cat I consider the evil, mean one actually took her first bath like a real trooper.
The little, cute cat...not so much.
The fantasy football season has turned south, really south, Antarctica south.
It's not so easy to get into the special screening of Tangled as you might think.
Had a retro moment last weekend - with one text message I was whisked back to high school (and not in a good way).
Special prize to my sister for correctly identifying Diamond Rio as the artist in my last entry.
Also, congratulations to my sister and brother-in-law now expecting baby number two.

Pre-Halloween Random Thoughts

2010-10-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

Preliminary evidence would suggest that for Nebraska to win I must watch the game from the Long Beach Hooters.
This theory will be further tested this weekend. Details to follow.
Oktoberfest had a vague resemblance to many a wedding reception I've attended. Could it be the chicken dance?
Strangely apropos song lyric on a random drive home: "What a sweet addiction that I'm caught up in." Bonus points if you can name the artist.
Annual performance appraisal time has arrived.
I hate annual performance appraisal time.
Annual performance appraisal time makes me wonder whether it's my poor management or their innate poor performance. (Not everybody...calm down!)
I've also begin to wonder what makes a person a good manager, which led to wondering what make a person good and then, of course, to wonder what constitutes the makings of a good man.
Turns out that item #2 on eHow's "How to be a Good Man" it reads a good man never second guesses himself.
Shoot!

Random Thoughts - Road Trip Edition

2010-10-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen this many stars in the sky in a long, long time.
I think it's been just about as long since I spent this much time in the Mountain Time zone.
I failed to note last week that I've lived in Los Angeles for 5 years now.
El Paso looks a lot like Los Angeles - the difference being space.
Kerry Collins still plays football!!!
The desert southwest isn't so much different than the Sandhills of Nebraska.
Coolest place I've eaten, maybe ever - Adobe Deli somewhere near Deming, NM.
Random images from Adobe Deli:

Some More Random Thoughts

2010-10-12T17:17:00.000-07:00

Irony: the Technicolor offices in Universal City are black.
It's 3.4 miles from Honda of North Hollywood to Universal Studios.
There's a Roger Dunn golf store, an antique luggage store and one really goofy intersection (for a pedestrian) along the 3.4 miles of Lankershim Blvd that I walked (twice).
There was a man with a small red flag at the Tom Bradley International terminal at LAX. In further proof of Eddie Izzard's premise about empires and flags, the man waved the flag around, said a few things in Mandarin and - poof! - a dozen people and more than two dozen bags zipped out the door.
Of all the many sunburns I've had in my red-headed life, I've never had a sunburn on just my elbows - until now.
I have a bag of duck feet in my refrigerator.

Random Thoughts

2010-10-05T17:36:00.000-07:00

Ah, random notions on a Tuesday. It's been awhile.
So...Beauty and the Beast on Blu-ray arrived in the mail today. Yeah, Beauty and the Beast! I'm man enough to admit it.
Had lunch today and no one to help eat my fries...how sad.
The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not. - Mark Twain
One Monday it's 113, the next it's 60 and raining. What is this, Nebraska?
Yesterday I read two articles: "The End of Men" by Hanna Rosin in The Atlantic and "The Decadence of Election 2010" by Peter Morici. Neither will help me get up in the morning.
Of course, that's why I have an alarm clock.

Random Thoughts (Now Brought to You at Random Times)

2010-09-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

Another Saturday at Hooter's...enough to be recognized by the GM as a regular. And to be thanked for bringing along Jim and Brenda.
How did I ever end up being a regular at Hooter's - in Long Beach - California? How?
With the arrival of Civ V on Tuesday I have once again embraced my computer geek inner self.
I was mistaken for someone's father. A little part of me wanted to scream and flee.
I realized I haven't gone to see a movie in nearly a month - too much Hooters? Maybe.
Has anyone else noticed that 2010 has gone by way too fast?

Delay, but Random Thoughts

2010-09-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

1. Life is...

a mystery
a journey
a dance you learn as you go...sometimes you lead and sometimes you follow

2. Blue hair is never a good choice.
3. Ferrets like loose pants.
4. Hooters and Nebraska football...who knew?

Random Thoughts for the Week

2010-08-31T18:18:00.001-07:00

1. Picture from the Nebraska State Fair looking out at the Midway.

2. Alex and Deuce.
3. A random video clip from the Nebraska State Fair Draft Hitch Show.

4. Random encounters while in Nebraska - Matt Luth at Spaghetti Works, Justin Steinhauser at Target and Brian Botsford at the fair.

5. Morgan is now married and the number of unmarried cousins dwindles ever lower. Soon the cheese may stand alone.

6. I got to drive around in my brother's new pimp wagon. "New" being used very loosely.

Random Thoughts from the DMV

2010-08-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

In pursuit of my motorcycle license (now complete) I have spent a bit of time at the California DMV. I've been to three and while they are all eerily similar inside, the customer base is very different. And yesterday...it was the Hope St. DMV - basically downtown.

Random things seen at the DMV:

A very long line stretching outside and around the building (word has it they waited for two hours, in the sun, in the 90 degree weather).
USE THE APPOINTMENT SYSTEM!
A woman with the largest boobs I have ever, in my young life, seen. The same woman also had a tattoo on her arm - the only word I could read: "Chunky".
Another woman with a dress that was just a tad too short, but we did all get a little bit of show when she raised her arm to point at something.
A man's nipple - he was wearing a "wife-beater" and it wasn't on straight.
The nipple man's gray, long back hair. It was at that moment that I seriously considered for myself and for the first time in my life, back waxing.

Random Thoughts - Sparkly Unicorn Edition

2010-08-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

It's hard to be taken seriously with a pink, glittering unicorn on your face.
Enough said.

Random Stuff for the Week

2010-08-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

1. A picture from the "Brent in Funny Hats" file.

2. I found it right there in Arcadia - The Temple of Love. Now, if my sacrifices work...

3. "I'm tired of cleaning up the trail of broken hearts you leave behind." - a moment of poetic license from a slow afternoon at work.
4. I wish I had been able to take my parents to see "Young Frankenstein" instead of "Cats". Way, way better.
5. Two days without Camille and counting.

Another Week of Random Thoughts

2010-08-04T05:33:00.000-07:00

Pictured above - the Kearney High class of '95 reunion. Like herding cats.
I think I've lived places for a shorter amount of time than I've spent in the Denver airport over the years.
It was good to go home, good to be back home and sometimes confusing what I mean by home.

This Week's Random Thoughts

2010-07-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

You know you're in trouble when you buy a book entitled "How To Improve Your Memory" only to discover you already own a copy. -heard on the radio during my commute
Somebody is giving me flowers...every few days I'm left a few dying violet blooms on my desk. It's still flowers, damn it.
The rapid decline has begun. Joanne had to help me work the voicemail on my iPhone.
The fellowship of the three has broken. One of our little group is moving to Greeley, Colorado. The novelty of being the one staying put is not lost on me.
I find I enjoy going to school a lot more when the homework assignment is to buy a motorcycle.

Random Song Lyric?

2010-07-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

Silver wings

Shining in the sunlight
Roaring engines
Headed somewhere in flight
They're taking you away
And leaving me lonely
Silver wings
Slowly fading out of sight

By: Stefano Anghileri | View Full Portfolio (79 images)

Random Questions

2010-07-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

If I were offered a job with another company, would I seriously consider it?
How big a fool do I really appear to be?
Is a mutiny possible?
Why do I like the Statler Brothers?
Isn't Pure Country one of the most horrible movies ever made?
Then why do I like it so much?
How can I be so apathetic about the really important things and completely incapable of apathy on the things that really shouldn't matter?
Why do so many women want babies?
Is it Friday yet?

July 4th and Beyond Random Thoughts

2010-07-06T18:53:00.001-07:00

1. That's the Queen Mary in the distance as we work our way into the Long Beach harbor for fireworks.
2. This is someone that looks likes she's in trouble (or a picture for which I'm certain to get in trouble). Why would I put it here then? I'm not very bright.

3. This is the new ride. It's a 2008 Honda Shadow Aero (now with 37 miles on it) and my membership into the Farmer John motorcycle gang.

4. Why a motorcycle? Why not. Or...because I need my toys, I want desperately to be cool and/or the ladies dig men with motorcycles. You choose.

5. Slipping across the water, wrapped in a blanket against the ocean breeze I had a thought - Ah, so this is it. Bad luck on me, then.

Late June Random Thoughts

2010-06-29T19:52:00.001-07:00

Random childhood picture above.
I was given a most unexpected gift over the weekend. I'm never sure whether the giver of this gift reads these posts, but if she does, thank you again. I'm still delighted.
Traveling down the road I noticed a truck pulling two large tandem trailers with storage between the wheels and I thought, "That's one big truck." As I pulled up beside it I noticed it was truck full of caskets. My next thought, "Well, I guess caskets don't weigh much with all that dead space."
That terrible joke was wasted without anyone near to groan and roll their eyes at me.
Fifteen year class reunion is now one month away. Time to come up with a good answer why I'm still single.
Possible solution to being single - new motorcycle this Thursday.

Tuesday's Random Thoughts

2010-06-22T13:05:00.001-07:00

Cultivate friends.
Create memories.
Live life's small adventures.
Love what you will as much as you can.
The fortune cookie told me, "Don't be afraid of competition." Because I'm going to win?
I now have a motorcycle permit, the corrective lens restriction lifted from my driver's license and I'm good for another 5 years driving in California. This definitely points toward the early onset of a mid-life crisis.

Random Thoughts for the Week

2010-06-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

New design - I'm not sure. Change scares me.
I don't know why, but I had to do it. I watched the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy again (took four days - that's a lot of movie).
So...15 years. I thought only old people went to their 15 year class reunions. I must have been wrong all those years.
From a note card stuck in a binder on my shelf: If you look deep enough into the night sky, you can see the beginning of time.
Sometimes the hardest act of all is to let something be. (Not from a note card in a binder, but it could be. That's how they show up on note cards in the first place.)
Two random Hoover Dam pictures:

This Week's Random Thoughts

2010-06-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

"Blankets! Cheaper than prostitutes and twice as cuddly." - words of wisdom from my brother.
"I sense I'm being discriminated, but not for any of those." - Camille, with 'those' being gender, race and ethnicity.
"Some fools never learn." - John Scott Sherrill lyric sung by Steve Wariner and something I should have posted on my wall.
"These things are driving me crazy!" - Joanne referring to life with slightly smelly companion animals.
"I'd rather stay right here and figure out what's important." - Me.

Not So Random Story

2010-06-01T18:15:00.000-07:00

I took a nefarious trip to Las Vegas and as the advertisement says: what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. As such, I leave you today with a story (one of my favorites) that stands as a metaphor for my weekend.

The doors loomed. The sleek, brushed aluminum and thick glass that spoke of just the right amount of tint, doors that one could see anywhere, struck him with a subtle terror. Then again, it wasn't the doors, was it? He had walked through many doors: tall wooden ones, elegant French ones, the round and revolving sort, doors with handles and doors without, the kind that hinge from the middle and slide both out and back, doors with signs, doors with intricate designs and even those doors that stood before him.

It was the guardians of the doors that bothered him. Four little technological sentinels arranged so that to get out, to get to the doors and to the freedom on the other side one had to pass the guards. They each looked unassuming. Grey and black plastic with a white light on the top. That light, that was thing. If he wasn't very careful. If the world was not set in perfect harmony, the white light would flash, a horn would sound, resonating and echoing through hangars of clothes and boxes of hardware. It would beckon the tellers, managers, Food Avenue deep fat fryers and maybe a wide girthed department store guard (tiny gold badge included).

He held the receipt in his hand. The digits were in order. The sales items marked with a tiny downward pointing arrow. Taxes had been paid. Everything in the cart matched everything on the white strip of paper in his hand. He stood there still, in the no man's land between register and door, glaring down the unblinking pillars. He had to pass. He had to test the gateway.

One leaden foot at a time he pushed the cart forward. The front, right wheel voiced concern rhythmically, rubber against metal, tire against brace. A lady in red, with a white name tag decorated with a target stood at the service counter, smiling. Watching too it seemed. A sign above her head flashed 66. A short woman with pink, tight, polyester pants waited in line with a return, but still he was being watched. Forward he marched.

The front of the cart struck the invisible barrier. They all aligned, the sentinels' lights and the front line of the cart. No sound came. No lights flashed. He stepped again. A bead of sweat trickled with cold delight down his back. The goods were through. The cart had passed.

He stopped then. All that was left was him. His watch was dead even with the light on the right most pillar. Just two more steps and he'd be through. Just two more steps and he'd be to the doors. He'd be free again.

Quick, one step and two, he bolted out the door, cart rattling through the threshold. For a second he heard it, the horns, and saw it, the lights. His heart leapt up to his throat and swung from a tonsil. Then it dropped again. There were no alarms, just the swoosh of air from outside to inside and the distant rumble of passing traffic.

He sighed.

He loaded the groceries into the trunk of his car, tucked the receipt away in his right hand pocket and unlocked the door. After opening the door he turned back to the store and to the set of aluminum, automatic doors and smiled. He reached into his left hand pocket and removed an unopened pack of Big Red gum. He had fooled them again.

This Week's Random Thoughts

2010-05-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

While walking across the courtyard, past the hog pens and on my way up to the training room I had the following thought: Dread sat looking over at Dreams in the opposite chair. Dread said, "We will lose. We will try but in the end we will simply, plainly and most assuredly lose." Dreams considered this for a moment and replied, "But we could win."
I found this to be happily random and odd and wrote it down.
Alone used to be easier.
Alta Vista Country Club has a dress code.
I have a new pair of shorts from the Alta Vista Country Club pro shop.
I also have passes to the Huntington Library and VIP tickets to the LA Galaxy. Thank you raffle gods.
I could really use the $400 Jim won at the raffle to purchase a couple fuzzy creatures in Nevada. The raffle gods have a sense of humor.
It didn't seem like many steps, but by the top that was one heavy washing machine.

Random Thoughts for the Week

2010-05-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

Maybe it was true - I did need a little more Neil Diamond in my morning commute.
After a month long and futile search I may have finally found my golf swing.
It's still a little cool for a Saturday on the beach.
Strangers think I'm strange.
Sgt. Benjamin Franklin Youngs has been dead for 83 years, but it was still a moving moment as the bugler played Taps for the Medal of Honor winner.
Is 33 too young for a mid-life crisis? Which begs the question...
Is buying a motorcycle a sign of a mid-life crisis?
No leather pants.
New favorite description - sweet burden.

This Week's Random Thoughts

2010-05-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

Walking into my local Target is like walking onto the set of Dark City. They are adding a fresh produce section and each week the store shifts slightly. Walls emerge. Shelves lay bare. This also results in happily random arrangements - movies shelved with the glasses, clearance toys on the beauty supply end caps and pillows in the tools.
I have convinced myself that a new driver would improve my golf score.
I do my best thinking in the shower.
I found a moment of pure bliss in a Lawry's prime rib.
Happy 2nd anniversary weekend girls!
I can now literally sit on Joanne and Camille. You want to ask, I know you do.
It's time to give a little love to my blogging friends:

Time for More Random Thoughts

2010-05-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I listen to the words of "The Gambler" and think it is the most profound song ever written.
Also eminently singable.
It seems that since I've gone to work here I've been part of many record breaking feats. Sadly, they are records in futility.
My marriage proposal was denied. ;)
Hirsute.
Am I a compulsive shopper? Actually, compulsive buyer might be the better question.
Can someone explain to me when it's a lie by omission and when its just something left unsaid?
List of things that are apparently not allowed to be left unsaid about yourself prior to marrying someone: a) I was in prison, b) I 'was' gay, c) I was married before, d) I am bipolar and, my favorite, e) I had a sex change operation.
Finally, happy birthday to my sister today. And happy birthday to Mom a couple days ago. And happy birthday to my niece who I forgot about and happy birthday to whoever else I know I am forgetting but whose birthday is fast approaching.

Random Thoughts Renaissance Edition

2010-04-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

I attended my first Renaissance Fair last Saturday and these are my unnumbered random thoughts.

Hooters in your hooters - hilarious.

Asking for a picture of a woman's cleavage is not in my repertoire. Thank heavens for Camille and Joanne.

At the end of the day was the Wishing Well Wenches Show featuring special guest star - Me! playing the role of Bubba.

The smoking guns pictures below did not win me the manliest man competition, but did spare me the false breasts.

It did not, however, spare me from the bra hat.

I also was not saved from:

making my Vin Diesel face (a crowd favorite),
having the top of my head licked,
an awkward man hug with Veronica (he with the false breasts),
looking down the wench's skirt in search of Veronica
and getting a kiss from said wench.

I was spared other humiliations such as running to the top of hill, putting on briefs and yelling, "In my man pants I can do anything!" I feel oddly fortunate for this.

And yes there is video of some of this.

And maybe I'll share it later.

Lastly, it is strangely nice to be recognized for your star turn on stage, even if its only for an hour and it's a bunch of half drunk people calling you Bubba.

Day Late Random Thoughts

2010-04-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

Chicago is probably the best show I've seen at The Pantages.
I wish these shows ended at 8 instead of beginning at 8.
Five AM is really early.
I think I'm unnaturally happy about the fall release of Civilization V.
Jury duty service number 2 is in the books. Still haven't been selected.
Oval tracks are better than road courses.
There's a stop sign pointing out a Thai food stand near the Long Beach Convention Center that I will remember forever and each time I'll smile.
It is apparently possible to take a nap while attending an Indy Car race. And here I thought that was only possible while watching on TV.

New Week - New Random Thoughts

2010-04-13T17:42:00.000-07:00

Is it wrong that when I saw a Facebook post about eating burritos my first thought was, "Honey, put down the burrito." Yes, it probably is.
At the intersection of Slauson and Gage, Sunday about 3;30 - turned over the first 10,000 miles.
I wish the distance between needing and wanting was far enough that I couldn't see the one from the other.
Have I gotten so old that bowling can make me that sore?
Speaking of old - 15 year class reunion - say it ain't so!

Random Thoughts to Begin April

2010-04-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

Learning Mandarin - hard, very hard.
The word for person in Mandarin sounds a great deal like the Klingon word for 'over'.
Star Trek 6 - that's how I know that.
I don't need your judgment so stow it.
I spent the weekend pretty much alone (might be because I shared that Klingon reference at work on Friday). Most startling, I can't remember the last weekend I spent alone. How did that happen?
My cats both had birthdays last weekend - Oreo turned 8 and Garfield turned 5.
Still wondering how such a nice lady gave me such a mean cat.
Time of death: 8:00 AM. The victim: another wayward dream. The dreamer expressed relief that the suffering of this ill and abused dream had come to an end.

Random Thoughts for the March's Last Week

2010-03-30T19:03:00.001-07:00

Is a tattoo a requirement to play men's basketball?
How long before women need the same tattoos?
Should someone of my (let's call it limited) golfing ability really be teaching someone else to golf?
A slowly dawning thought finally emerged above the distant horizon and like the rising sun its beauty turned to a searing misery. Sadly, that thought was far more poetic than the idea.
When the Tea Party revolution turns militant (not if, but when), will I need a gun? And will I be killed without a trial just for living in Los Angeles?
Happy retirement, Mrs. Rose! We love you and the students to come will miss you without knowing it.
What exactly is the marketing/business relationship between Chemistry.com and Match.com?

More and More and More Random Thoughts

2010-03-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

Funny how tired you can be at the end of a vacation.
Never trust the traffic in LA - it'll get you every time.
Apparently the American West is so big that it had to have an equally big museum.
Baby Blues BBQ is less fun without my favorite waitress.
Camille and my mom should hang out more.
Joanne and Dad crinkled all the way home from the game.
Leo Dicaprio is hard to spot in a baseball cap and sunglasses.
Bathrooms are hard to find in LA.
The Paseo Colorado was this close to receiving the coveted Brent's A+ public restroom rating until the faucet was one of those that you press, then race to wash your hands before the button releases.
Jesse James, you are a dumb man.
Sandra Bullock - I'm here for you.

This Week's Random Thoughts

2010-03-16T18:49:00.000-07:00

San Luis Obispo is north, not south of Los Angeles.
San Luis Obispo is also 3 and half hours away, not 1 and half hours away.
It was my good fortune to learn a little California geography before I began my trip.
I'm told earthquakes are most common in hot weather and early in the morning.
"I'm really a thoughtful person when I think about it." Pearl of wisdom from Thaddeus.
Be wary of the handwash sink that looks like the old style trough urinal.
Never have I seen so many obsessive personalities assembled in one room (God bless them anyway).
I met a man whose mother was born in the same town as me. This would be less phenomenal if Ogallala, Nebraska was the size of Los Angeles, California.
The trip from LA to SLO - one of the most beautiful road trips I've taken.
Civil War color guard, sun setting over the green hills, Taps echoing through the trees - nothing quite like it.

This Week's Random Notions

2010-03-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

I was scanning old photos and stumbled across two senior pictures from girls in my class. I had forgotten anything was written on them and was almost touched when I read them. They had said very nice things about me. I wonder what else I'm missing.
Has there ever been a single Oscar review that didn't come across as sanctimonious?
Did Sandra Bullock deserve an Oscar? Maybe not. Do I care? No, I don't.
It's much more fun to shop for a condo for someone else than to shop one for myself. Maybe it's that old saying that it's more fun to spend someone else's money.
The funny thing about stereotypes is when they hold true. At an open house we saw a very large penis sculpture in the bathroom. Was the owner gay? The pictures of men kissing says yes. The penis sculpture? Maybe just poor taste.
"You make a good couple." Well, we play one on TV (or something like that). Poor Rob.

The Top 10 Movies of the Last Decade

2010-03-06T08:53:00.001-08:00

I've been saying it all along - this is not a list of good movies. There will not be a word uttered about camera angles, acting quality or Oscar caliber anything. That's for movie critics and pretentious movie snobs. I can talk about those things and sound reasonably convincing doing it, but it's not fun. Movies should be about fun...enjoyment...happiness. Now that I've defended myself against your judgments and potential slanders against my good name I give you my top 10 movies of the last decade (the aughts or whatever we're calling it).

Stardust
Maybe it was trying hard to be The Princess Bride. Maybe it was goofy. Maybe it was complete garbage, but it was my kind of garbage and I will happily wallow in it like a pig in mud, thank you very much.

The Bourne Supremecy
I'm a big fan of the Bourne movies. The explosions, the gun fights, the car chases and the tortured assassin's soul speaks to some carnal, manly part of me buried deep in my rather geeky exterior.

Serendipity
When I'm not delighting in Jason Bourne's exploits I'm a big, sappy romantic pining for a Hollywood romance. I'm also a sucker for milking a plot device down to its death rattle. Plug in John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale and, well, I'm done.

Transformers
On the list of movie experiences, this was tops, perhaps all time. It was opening day, 10:00 AM matinee and the theater was packed with people my age dragging there children to experience what might have been a touchstone of their own childhoods. The group applauded, laughed at all the references to the cartoon series and even talked back to the screen. For two hours we were one big, happy family.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings
Nerd porn. As such, there's considerable debate about which of the trilogy is the best. I'm a Two Towers guy, but only by a whisker. If these movies weren't 3 hours long I'd probably sit and watch them more than I do.

(500) Days of Summer
A chord was struck as I watched this movie. Somewhere in this very blog there's a long, detailed explanation as to which chord and why. Simply put, it was a great day, a great movie in the company of a great person.

The Bourne Identity
The original Bourne film and still the best. Amnesia, gun play, pretty girl and sinister government agents - do I need anything more from a movie. No, I do not.

Underworld
Please refrain from the eye rolling. I hear your voices all muttering about my sanity. I will not listen to it. Before vampires became mainstream, teenage girl drivel, there was Kate in tight, leather pants beating up lycans and falling for her sometimes whiny hybrid vampire wolfman. And I love it. God help me, but I do. We all have our problems and this one is mine.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The last movie was ruinously long and Frodo got on my nerves and the first movie was the most freestanding story but I prefer the movie sandwiched between. I think it was the horses. Maybe it was the talking trees. Then again, it could have been the elf and the dwarf ribbing each other while killing Orcs. Probably doesn't matter - by asking why I've revealed how uncool I am - oops.

And finally, the moment we've all been waiting for (if only to make this all stop), my top movie of the aught decade...

Lars and the Real Girl
The quirky premise drew me in, but the sweet story of a small town coming together around one strange, lovable man was fantastic. The moment when I was sitting in a theater holding back tears during the funeral of a sex doll, I knew the movie had won. I loved the novelty. I loved the wacky town folk. I loved the idea that so many people would do so much for one of their own. In the end, it was the biggest surprise I've had going to the movies.

Random Notions for the Week

2010-03-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

I keep my door locked - not for security so much as for the random neighbor that confuses my door with the exit. (It's an interesting, but somewhat upsetting way to meet new people.)
After more than 20 years, I let one of my bookcases go to the dump. We had a long life together. I bought it with the money I got finding a woman's bracelet at a junior high football game in Texas. It spent time in 6 states and survived a couple basement apartment floods, but finally its time had come.
The cat loves my new recliner more than I do.
The Oscars are this weekend and this new 10 best picture nominee thing makes it impossible to see all those movies by Sunday.
I bought a shirt that is very near pink on the color wheel. I may never wear it.
Provide, protect and plan - apparently these are three essentially requirements for men.
Don't stop until I pass out - words overheard in response to an item in Esquire's article on the essential woman. (This may also be the unspoken fourth requirement of men.)

The Top 50 Movies of the Decade - The Awkward Teens

2010-03-01T19:13:00.000-08:00

I once again I ask your indulgence and that you remember this is not an Oscar ballot. This is not about technical merit. It hardly has anything to do with any coherent rationale at all. It's just movies - movies I love to watch.

These are the movies ranked 11th to 20th on my decade's favorites list (starting with #20).

Brick - This movie made me question whether there was a lot more going on at high school than I realized and if so, how did I miss it?

The Illusionist - For most everyone else it was The Prestige, but I'm a sucker for a love story so I preferred this magician movie over the other.

Batman Begins - to get interesting again.

The Dark Knight - I was not in the "this is the greatest movie ever made" camp, but I still love to watch it.

V for Vendetta - It may have been the monologue that included every word beginning with V or it may have been the eerie sense that I could be looking at our own bleak future, but whatever it was it was good.

Dan in Real Life - Hit me right on the sappy, romantic comedy solar plexus. Not as good on second viewing, but I'll always remember the first time.

The Whole Nine Yards - Yes, I can see the eye rolling from here. My response: get off my back. I love it. I think it's funny. I laugh ever time and I feel good about it.

Star Trek - Whatever genius warped the space-time continuum, you are the man!

Definitely, Maybe - I told you Ryan Reynolds would be back and here we find him. A love mystery - priceless.

The Bourne Ultimatum - And the Bourne movies begin where they ended, but they'll be back soon enough.

Randoms Notes on Random Things

2010-02-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

Anti-Valentine's Day gathering epiphany - my "single problem" is probably a direct result of being a snob with low self esteem.
Is there any job worse than the Roto-Rooter guy? Probably, but I don't want to know what it is.
It fascinates me that a group of executives sat in a room, watched the newest batch of Old Spice commercials and then said, "Yes, we like those."
Must. Learn. To. Keep. Quiet. I was good at that once.
The Winter Olympics could use a few less time trials and individual events and more head to head action.
Anyone want to help put antibiotic ointment in my cat's eye. Yeah, didn't think so.

The Top 50 Movies of the Decade - The Roaring Twenties

2010-02-20T13:45:00.001-08:00

As you read on (and on and on and on...), I ask that you remember this is not an Oscar ballot. This is not about technical merit. It hardly has anything to do with any coherent rationale at all. It's just movies - movies I love to watch.

These are the movies ranked 21st to 30th on my decade's favorites list (starting with #30).

Monster House - If nothing else it reminded me of my own childhood and my exploits with cousin Kurt.

Julie & Julia - A love story - between people yes, but also between people and food.

Hellboy - Giant, cigar smoking, demon that's a good guy - what more need be said?

Up - A sweet, little story good for all ages.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose - Scary done with intelligence and complexity.

Minority Report - I overcame my Tom Cruise aversion for the science fiction. Yes, sci-fi has that much power over me.

Spider-man - I waited for years for this movie and was not disappointed...not until the sequels.

The Proposal - Sandra Bullock returns to the list. Go Sandra! Ryan Reynolds also makes his debut. Will it be his last?

Shrek - Remember Spider-man and its sequels. Ditto.

I, Robot - More sci-fi, more happy movie watching.

Random Thoughts on the Week Gone By

2010-02-16T19:00:00.000-08:00

BEHOLD...the power of flowers!
Example of why fat and lazy go together. I am too lazy to go buy a box of cereal so I stop at the McDonald's drive-thru for breakfast (two days in a row if you count the planned trip for tomorrow).
Observations from Texas (There and Back Again):

John Wayne Airport - 5 min security line (Great!). $20/day for parking (Bad!)
More boob jobs at the John Wayne Airport versus LAX.
Fish net stockings for air travel?
Two hairy arms - one tiny arm rest.
12 years since I've been to Texas and it snows.
Why does it always take a funeral...?
Caddo Mills - new high school, new elementary school - no fair!
It's hard to find one of your childhood homes when they've removed the only landmark you remember, in this case, King Saver.
The church across from one of our family homes is still there and so are the lights that my cousin and I blinded ourselves with so we could see the burned image in the night. My sisters response when she heard this story - Idiots (or something like that).
Two hairy men - one tiny bed.
My niece would not sleep in the same bed with me. My sister told her this was okay because I was used to women not sleeping with me.
Not funny, I said. Because it's true, my sister replied.

Random Stuff for the Week

2010-02-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

I've caught Garfield peeing on the floor once. Occasionally, the peeing on the floor (right next to the box even) has happened since. Though I'm pretty sure its still Garfield I do harbor some fear that Oreo is doing it just to get Garfield in trouble. Yes, she's that smart and that evil.
Do the people working at Irish Spring go home smelling like Irish Spring?
Life is too uncertain. Eat dessert first. - Words of wisdom that Joanne discovered while at Stan's Doughnuts.
Hail - or as they call it here in LA, raining ice.

The Top 50 Movies of the Decade - The 30s

2010-02-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

As you read on (and your excitement undoubtedly grows), I ask that you remember this is not an Oscar ballot. This is not about technical merit. It hardly has anything to do with any coherent rationale at all. It's just movies - movies I love to watch.

These are the movies ranked 31st to 40th on my decade's favorites list (starting with #40).

Miss Congeniality - The first movie I saw when I moved to Wisconsin (somewhere there is someone raising her hand with a few fingers extended to denote how many times this annoyingly irrelevant piece of trivia has come up in conversation). Still love it though. Is that because of Sandra Bullock? Maybe, just maybe.

The Notebook - I'm not sure what sickness makes me enjoy a movie that makes me cry, but I have it.

Gladiator - Finally, a man's movie...except for that whole floating above the ground, heaven is a farm in Spain bit.

Legally Blonde - Saw this one in Austin, Minnesota while trying to entertain myself during a week long training of some sort. I wasn't expecting much, which probably makes it better than it was.

Love Actually - Ah, another romantic comedy and another example of my sissified movie affliction.

X-Men - The movie trilogy sadly went downhill, but the original is still a good time.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Quirky, irreverent and one of the few Jim Carrey movies that doesn't make me want to be beaten into unconsciousness. (Yes, yes...it's also a romantic comedy.)

Terminator Salvation - The second Terminator movie was by far the gold standard, but this one is a close second.

The Blind Side - Sandra Bullock again (and yes that makes any movie better) but this is also just a nice, wholesome film that makes you feel good and sometimes that hits the spot.

Underworld: Evolution - Right now you are wondering how it is possible that this movie can be rated this high. Later, you'll wonder even harder when you see where Underworld fell on my list. (Someone suggested that it had to do with Kate Beckinsale in tight, black, leather pants - possibly.)

Random Observation for the Week

2010-02-02T16:54:00.000-08:00

Irony of the week - Thursday at lunch we saw a hog truck rear-end a car of Orthodox Jews.
All I want is 4 rolls of toilet paper. I don't need sixteen, 48, 92 and I definitely do not need to haul my toilet paper home on a pallet. What do you people do with all that toilet paper?!
Two weeks and three days - the amount of time without a vehicle before the insanity started to overwhelm me.
While rewatching the Back to the Future trilogy I realized part 2 takes place in just 5 years from now. Where, then, is my flying car and Mr. Fusion?
Reading through the list of Grammy winners and nominees I realized I am a pop culture idiot.
I was equally shocked that I was more familiar with the names on the Metal Rock category than any other (even country).
Lunch discussion Friday: 5 movies we can watch over and over. The Shawshank Redemption, Goonies, The American President, The Hunt for Red October and Underworld. I can feel you passing unkind judgments - don't.

Top 50 Movies of the Decade - The Bottom 10

2010-01-30T09:43:00.000-08:00

We watch movies for a variety of reasons. I watch them to enjoy a couple hours of storytelling - not necessarily to escape, but to visit somewhere else for awhile. This is a deciding factor in why I keep the ratio of "art films" as low as I do. I say this as a warning about the list to follow. My top movies are not based solely, perhaps not even largely, on technical merit. That will become obvious. I just like them.

I begin with the bottom 10 (41-50). These just made the cut, perhaps pushing out some equally worthy film but a line must be drawn somewhere.

Sweet Home Alabama - It was the lightning glass sculptures, that's what did it. Or was it the sappy, love story. I am a sucker for a sappy, love story.

From Hell - Darkly appealing.

Chocolat - More Johnny Depp. This worries me. I just remember it was a good movie outing with Michelle and Amy.

About Schmidt - Filmed in my home state. Kathy Bates naked. What more need be said?

The Incredibles - Incredible...almost.

Memento - Worthy for its wonderfully warped use of chronology.

Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King - By far the worst of the three, but saved by the Director's cut. (Not really saved, but dampened down my original rage at all that was missing from the book and that god awful ending that would never end.)

A Knight's Tale - Rock music meets Robin Hood.

The Count of Monte Christo - There's just something about a good prison escape.

The Day After Tomorrow - Bad in so many ways that I couldn't help but love it.

Next week, the next 10. I know, I know...you can't wait.

This Week's Randomness

2010-01-26T16:50:00.000-08:00

I am now officially as cool as Joanne and Carlos - well...I too have an iPhone so I am at least that cool.
Sitting on the curb outside I noticed a man wearing a sweatshirt with a hand drawn map on the front. The X marked roughly the location of his belly button. If this is the location of the hidden treasure then I'll have to pass.
It seems I may need an app for finding appropriate apps.
In movies where God (or is it god in this case) is bent on the destruction of mankind, how come he can never pull it off? He's god, right?
Seriously, how long does it take to get a fuel line?
Double seriously, who designs a fuel line that is fused into the gas tank so that you have to replace the entire gas tank? WHO?
Is one star a week the limit of our Modern Warfare talents at this point?
The toilet is leaking. I should call the maintenance people. Where's the number? Don't know. Good thing I have towels.

Another Random Thoughts and Observations

2010-01-19T17:47:00.000-08:00

"Ok, Dad. Let's do it. Let's go get the shit kicked out of us by love." - quote from Love, Actually that was posted by a Facebook friend (which is sometimes different from a real friend). Also notable for an order for said movie being placed shortly thereafter.
"Your truck is on fire." - quote from the next door neighbor and now on my short list of things I'd rather not hear as the first words of my day.
Breakfast at Denny's + Gaming on the Playstation with Joanne = Not a bad Sunday, not bad at all.
The Jets! I'll be...
Avatar as Best Picture - one of the signs of the apocalpyse - let me check Revelations.
The Book of Eli - nothing about Avatar being a sign of the end times, but it does beg a more pressing question: In a world without shampoo and hardly any water, how does Mila Kunis remain so well coiffed and beautiful? Hand of God, perhaps?
I'm just this close to an iPhone...just this close. (As used here, this is defined as the space between the monthly fee, my fear of gadget addiction and the desperate need to be as cool as Joanne and Carlos).

One Day

2010-01-17T07:42:00.000-08:00

Thursday

2:30 AM - The high pitched, insanely loud apartment fire alarm system wakes me and sends the cats into a tizzy.

2:33 AM - After a couple minutes determining whether this is a real fire (which you do in apartment buildings because there's no sense getting dressed and standing outside if someone just pulled the damn alarm and ran) I smell smoke and decide to find my shoes.

2:34 AM - With one shoe in hand, the neighbor begins beating on my door furiously. When I open it I hear the first words of the day, "Your truck is on fire." The only appropriate response, "My truck!?"

2:35 AM - Standing with my neighbors outside the parking garage, it looks like my neighbor was right. Through the smoke and flames, its hard to tell which car is one fire, but if its not mine, then mine is sure to have some melty bits when this thing is over. This will be the topic of conversation for the next few minutes.

~2:40 AM - The fire department has arrived. The LA Sheriff's Department has arrived.

~3:00 AM - The fire is out and the smoke thinned enough that my neighbors are reporting my truck looks fine (how so many people knew it was my truck has started to interest me). The truck does appear fine. The apartment fire sprinklers seem to have saved my bacon.

~3:20 AM - The fire department lets me in to examine my truck and other than a layer of black soot, it appears unscathed. Now I'm getting annoyed because I just spent $20 getting a very nice car wash and this is how the fates repay me.

5:00 AM - Bathed, fed and less annoyed about being up so early I head downstairs to go to work. The truck won't start. Could it be soot in the air cleaner? Did some computer chip get overheated?

5:01 AM - I call the boss to see if he has left for work and whether he can pick me up. After hearing my story he actually returns from work to get me.

5:02 AM - I open the door of my truck and step into a large puddle of gasoline. For the next several minutes I try to determine its source. This involves the discovery that my usually reliable flashlight is losing power and that all my other flashlights are dead. It may be time to develop a better emergency response system. I also discover that the fuel line has been ripped from my gas tank. Car fire next to me...broken fuel line on my car...coincidence? I think not.

5:10 AM - I call the Sheriff's Department with my tale. There's some conversation about non-criminal events and what they should do about it. "Send someone out here, maybe," I say. Brilliant.

5:30 AM - The boss and the deputy show up at the same time (the boss drove 15 miles, the deputy 1 block...just an observation). The deputy takes some notes and I got to work.

4:00 PM - The people from AEG (owners of LA Live, the Staples Center, Nokia Theater, etc.) have invited us on a tour and to LA Kings hockey game. My company makes the official hot dogs and sausage of the Kings. The boss and I head downtown.

4:45 PM - Drinks at ESPN Zone.

5:30 PM - Meet with AEG reps and begin tour.

~5:40 PM - Standing in the front row seats of an empty Nokia Theatre.

~6:00 PM - Standing in the VIP area of Club Nokia watching the tech people rehearse the PeeWee Herman's Playhouse stage show. The set, just like from the television show, is occasionally moving.

6:30 PM - Open the door to the suite at Staples. The bartender welcomes us in. There's free hats and bobbleheads and food. We eat. I marvel at what it must be like to be rich.

7:30 PM - The hockey game begins.

7:45 PM - One of the unbelievably attractive ice girls takes away Ed.

~8:00 PM - Bailey, the Lion mascot for the Kings, stops by the suite to dish out grief, kisses, hugs and high fives in equal measure. The Kings score a goal and Bailey throws all our napkins over the ledge.

~8:15 PM - Ed appears on the Zamboni.

~8:30 PM - The dessert car arrives. My day has reached its zenith.

~8:45 PM - The full contingent of ice girls return. Eric pops up from his seat like his pants are on fire. Pictures are taken. Many married men have disappeared as the cameras start emerging.

A little after 9:00 PM - The boss is tired and wants to go. In so doing we miss meeting a hockey celebrity and having our bobblehead autographed. Fortunately, hockey is not a sport I have a vested interest in and missing Luc Robitaille will not haunt me.

10:00 PM - I go to bed. This may not have been the most interesting day of my life, but it's in the top 5.

Other notes: It turns out that someone had pulled the fuel lines on several vehicles in the parking garage. For what purpose, we do not know but it did melt one Ford Explorer Hybrid into a charred remnant. Meanwhile, I have $580 worth of fuel lines, vacuum hoses and return lines being shipped from Detroit and get to keep riding with the boss for a few more days.

It's Tuesday - Let the Randomness Flow

2010-01-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

eHarmony Update - Gosh, that's a lot of money each month.
My cousin Kurt found me on Facebook. When was the last time we even talked? When did Kurt have kids...get married...? When did I get so old?
Had a few butterflies before speaking at my latest Dale Carnegie course.
They're on to us - after many blissful months of 25 cent washes, they fixed the machine and I'm back to $1.25 a load. Damn!
Modern Warfare 2 on PS3 - sweet! (Thanks Dan.)
Joanne and I finally getting that second star on the timed shooting - even sweeter!
I became Senior Vice Commander of my Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War camp.
My sister thinks #7 makes me a dork. She may not be alone.
I've been told Underworld cannot possibly be one of my favorite movies of the last decade. I'll reconsider...maybe. (Yes, it has something to do with tight leather pants...yes it does.)
I wish my life was half as interesting as the work gossip machine believes it to be...maybe even just a third as interesting.

More Random Musings for the Week

2010-01-05T18:54:00.001-08:00

1. I wonder if the same people that design crossword puzzles also design assemble-at-home furniture.

2. Goatee or not to goatee, that is the question.

3. What motivates a person to spend a week gluing flowers to a float that starts to wilt before the parade is over?

4. Where are you Stephanie Edwards?

5. My cat now watches television and, coincidentally, prefers Animal Planet.

6. Everyone's getting a Droid. Should I?

7. For a couple days I was a reluctant jungle gym.

8. Disney Princesses is not my game.

9. Lunch group at Little Mexico in Kearney, Nebraska: one from New York, one from Kansas City, one from LA and one from Wahoo - when did I ever imagine that? Never, that's when.

10. eHarmony update - can't I just keeping hanging out with the weekend girls?

11. I forgot the difficulty and time expense in compiling a favorite movies of the decade list. My solution - start small.

12. My favorite romantic comedies of the last decade (in no particular order):

13. Oh yeah, I'm a sucker for romantic comedies. And no I don't care if they aren't good movies - love is blind!

Minor Inconvenience of the Week

2010-01-02T17:21:00.000-08:00

The Garage Door

There are two ways to get to my car:

1) I walk down the hall in the opposite direction of my parked car, take the stairs and double back through the garage, or
2) I walk down the stairs next to my apartment, unlock the door into the garage and take a few steps over to the car.

I often take the long walk. Somehow this is easier than digging out my keys, finding the correct key and unlocking the garage door.

Random Thoughts, Observations and Considerations for the Week..er..Decade

2009-12-29T06:54:00.000-08:00

Being it is the end of the year and the decade I set my mind to all that I have done and learned over the last ten years. On January 1, 2000 I lived in Lincoln, Nebraska where I shared a 3 bedroom house with my roommates Steve and Cathy. Ten years later I live in Los Angeles and share a small, one bedroom apartment with my cats Oreo and Garfield. In between:

I moved from one abode to another only 6 times, but across 5 states.
I bought and sold two houses.
I owned 3 Dodge pickups, a Jeep, a Mazda and a Ford F-150.
In that same Ford F-150 I drove for 3 days across the Rockies with 4 cats in the cab.
I flew in a plane for the first time.
I gambled in Vegas.
I saw both oceans for the first time (once I even saw them on the same day).
I strolled through Times Square.
I toured the monuments of Washington, DC.
I was called "one lucky guy" by a complete stranger while driving down Figueroa.
I went on a few dates, but only "dated" one woman and for a very short time.
I had a stalker (or more politically correct - an aggressive female admirer).
I watched football in the Rose Bowl, baseball at Dodger Stadium, hockey at the Honda Center and a Lakers playoff game at the Staples Center.
I attended roughly a dozen weddings, a few funerals and a number of graduations.
My most dramatic moving vehicle accident was in a golf cart rollover on a Wisconsin golf course.
My most expensive vehicle accident was rear-ending a Ford pickup on a snowy street in Lincoln.
I went to 3 different Six Flags amusement parks (a couple of them more than once).
I attended LDS General Conference in Salt Lake City even though I'm not a member of the church.
I met more people that I can remember - most of them good, some of them great.
I lost family and friends and gained them, gaining more than I lost.
I had some really great conversations almost always while standing in a parking lot, on a front porch or leaning against a car.
I never figured out what I want to be when I grow up but I learned not to worry about it.
I've seen hundreds of movies - only a few really terrible, most good and one or two that whispered of greatness, but more importantly I learned that movies are better with friends.

There was more, of course, but most importantly I learned that a decade isn't as long as it used to be.

Random Ruminations and Observations for the Week

2009-12-22T20:31:00.001-08:00

Chili cheese fries - one of God's perfect foods.
Irony on 18 wheels; I saw an Isravi truck (that with the star of David in the logo) sporting a "Real Men Love Jesus" bumper sticker.
I had the shocking revelation that the end of the decade is only days away. It's not something that should sneak up on me, but did.
Is there any better place to have a burger than in a restaurant that was once a rail car?
Why was it only the black guys were in handcuffs along Hollywood Boulevard?
Another birthday - how can that be?
As I think about the passing decade and my birthday I increasingly feel I cannot make it on my own forever.
In related news, I'm considering another stab at eharmony.com not so much to date but to be reminded I don't really want to date as much as I think.
There was a moment - Saturday around 11:30 at night actually - standing on the roof of a parking garage in Hollywood with Joanne and Camille, looking out over a clear view of the LA skyline, when I thought I was living another, far luckier man's life.

Minor Inconvenience of the Week

2009-12-20T10:17:00.001-08:00

Loving and Caring

This comes about from the Christmas season. It also comes about from the ongoing analysis of why me (and one of my friends) remain single. Loving and Caring is a minor inconvenience. Remembering to call. Buying Christmas gifts. Remembering anniversaries, birthdays and other unimportant (yet consequential) trivia. Going over to their place. Cleaning up so they can come to yours. So many minor inconveniences.

This Week's Random Notions

2009-12-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

Is it really possible to meet successful women in their 30's that look like the ladies in those Facebook sidebar ads?
I'll miss our little walks together Freedom.
I'm told I have a boring amazon.com wishlist.
DO NOT play with another person's iPhone.
Be mindful of freshly mopped floors while under the influence of alcohol (as relayed to me in story).
From my dvdloc8 database: Favorite Director: Aaron Sorkin (7 discs), Most Common Distributor: Warner Bros. (44 discs) and Favorite Actor: Morgan Freeman (9 discs).
Random Picture:

Sharon Barth - A Remembrance

2009-12-10T17:46:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we lost the woman I've always thought of as "Steve's Mom". I believe she would have been perfectly happy being nothing more - just Mom. Of course, being Steve's mother, not to mention being mother to Scott, Tammy, Jim and Gary was probably never "just" anything. Indeed, it was everything - to her and to those of us that know any of the family.

What I remember best about Sharon were the phone calls. I'd pick up the phone and hear her voice laced with the prescient knowledge Steve wasn't home (when I answered it usually meant I was the only one in the house). "Is Steve home," she'd ask. I'd tell her that he wasn't and explain that I either wasn't sure where he was or I'd detail what I knew of his busy schedule. Then it would come - the sigh. Deep and heavy, dripping with the disappointment that her little boy wasn't there. "Okay..." followed usually by another big sigh, "this is Steve's mom. Could you tell him to call me when he gets home." I could hear the love in that voice - the love only a mother can transmit in a sigh.

I'll miss you, Steve's Mom.

This Week's Random Thoughts and Ruminations

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

My unofficial calculation shows that the ratio of Wal-Mart customers in line to Wal-Mart cashiers at the Norwalk store is 35:1.
Is there anything worse than dreaming you're at work? (Aside from actually being there maybe?)
Tiger - I don't care.
A chocolate chip cookie baked from scratch has mysterious and magically transformative properties in my coworkers.
One second is a short span of time but much can change within it.
I like the television show Fringe. I can't say why specifically, but I do.
I take life's shortness and fragility for granted and the reminders of this fact are never pleasant.
The eternal struggle - grappling with the distance between what I need and what I really, really want.

Minor Inconvenience of the Week

2009-12-05T13:06:00.001-08:00

The Orange

I like oranges. I like the smell. I like the flavor. I hate the peel. Give me a glass of orange juice (even if the LA Times tells me its worse than a can of Coke). Maybe even give me a wedge of orange where I can gnaw at the good stuff and the leave the peel undisturbed. Just don't give me the whole orange.

Sometimes the peel is thick. Sometimes the peel is thin. Sometimes the peel will come off easily and in a couple pieces. More often the peel sticks and after several agonizing minutes and copious zest under the fingernails you're too tired to bother eating the thing. Someone should hybridize the orange and the banana - then we'd have worthy fruit.

This Week's Random Thoughts and Questionable Observations

2009-12-01T17:58:00.000-08:00

New Moon - what gives?!
Knowing exactly what the little floaties in my water are doesn't make it any easier to drink.
Taiwan cuisine - almond sesame pork jerky trumps dried squid.
A natural gas oven is worthless when the electricity goes out - but the pumpkin pie endures.
I wasn't half bad drawing pictures when I was younger; why did I stop?
I've come to believe that even in a house with wall-to-wall hardwood floors a carpet would materialize just in time for the cat to puke on it.

Thanksgiving this year:

It must be nice to have that kind of money.
My parents are not embarrassing. I know my parents aren't embarrassing because I also learned that:
One reason being stationed in Okinawa over Thanksgiving would be better than spending it at home is in Okinawa your mother cannot question you at length regarding your porn watching habits, specifically, did you watch porn in your mother's room that morning.
It's hard to find the right words to stop a discussion about porn without becoming part of the discussion.
I'm still not an athlete but I got to drive the Champion Turkey Triathlete around town. Also, Joanne plays a mean game of basketball (and yes, yes...she beat me).

Minor Inconvenience of the Week

2009-11-28T07:14:00.000-08:00

Dishes

This is not to say actually washing the dishes by hand. That would be a major inconvenience. No, I have a dishwasher; one that is always full of clean dishes. I'm left with a huge stack of dirty dishes on the counter above the dishwasher. Why? The minor inconvenience of unloading the clean dishes followed by the equally inconvenient need to place the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. It's just oh so much easier to stack them on the counter...or the light stand next to the couch...or in a neat little pile of cereal bowls by the keyboard.

Random Thoughts, Observations and Hardly Worthy Trivia From the Last 7 Days

2009-11-21T12:35:00.001-08:00

I'm always trying to come up with something interesting so here's another stab at it. Sometimes I forget to look around and take note of the world outside. This is a little exercise to keep me in the habit. These are the random, trivial and unnecessary thoughts and observations for the week gone by.

My apartment is small enough that I can vacuum the entire floorspace without unplugging the vacuum.
There is a Kmart just across the way in Bellflower - you heard me - a KMART!
Though I never assumed they were, my small plates are definitely not unbreakable.
I bought my first pair of carpenter jeans and have been pleasantly surprised though I still cannot conceive of when I'll use the hammer loop.
Apparently I'm a natural public speaker (I neglect to mention to those saying this that it took a few years to be that natural).
From Saturday night's party:

I'm still not good with parties involving loud, thumping music.
I'm still not much good with the ladies either.
Dancing might help.
The evidence suggests that the Vietnamese words for 'I'm going to puke' sound amazingly like the actual act of vomiting.
Who knew there was so much entertainment value in watching someone vomit (and their loving man cleaning up, oh, and people taking pictures and video of all of it).

Do not adjust your screen - that's party haze you're looking through.

The Minor Inconvenience

2009-11-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

I've been listening to and watching a great deal of stand-up comedy lately. This started about a year ago when I was in New York visiting a couple friends. One of these friends, someone I'd always noted as one of the funniest people I'd known, was talking about standup she'd seen and SNL skits she loved and comedies she adored. I realized I had no clue what she was talking about and wondered if I wasn't missing something. What had I become? Was I a lifeless dullard? Where was the funny (other than the nonsense that is my work)? Here my friend was talking about doing a stand-up routine on open mike night and I hadn't even watched an HBO comedy special in years.

Later, I bought a vehicle with Sirius radio and its collection of comedy channels. Now, hardly a day goes by when I don't flip over to the Blue Collar Comedy channel at some point in my commute. I think my life is better for it. Thank you, Jill.

Anyway, the point of all this is that having listened to so many acts I realize the key is to have a gimmick, a theme, a catchphrase or what have you. Jeff Foxworthy has his redneck jokes. Bill Engvall has his sign. John Pinnette has his food. I'm not a comedian, but I am an itinerant blogger that rambles across the subjects without any mooring. Perhaps I too need a regular piece of material that speaks to me and thus to you, dear reader.

After some thought I realized I had the perfect topic - minor inconveniences. Truth be told, I may have stole this idea, but what good writer or comedian doesn't steal from others here and there. (Thank you, Joanne!).

I hold in high regard what I call the law minor of inconvenience. For those of you around a couple years ago I have nine other laws. The law of minor inconvenience holds that there are any number of things I dread doing, avoid doing and simply won't do because of some minor inconvenience. For instance, I almost didn't write this owing to the minor inconvenience of typing the word 'inconvenience'. I've built up the motivation to overcome that obstacle and here attempt what I hope to become a regular feature - simply, easy and with endless examples:

Minor Inconvenience of the Week:

Opening and closing the copier lid. (Thank you again Joanne.)

It is a disheartening feeling when I realize the copies I need to make can't be run through the automatic feeder on the copier. I'm left with lifting the cover, placing my original, shutting the lid, pressing the green button, lifting again, removing the original.......just thinking about it makes me die a little inside. If my original has random staples, binding or is of an unnatural size it'll sit there on the desk all day only to be copied at the last possible moment - or never if the problem requiring the copying somehow takes care of itself (but when I'm ever that lucky?).

Truth

2009-11-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

I am an unrepentant fan of Terry Pratchett. I'll tear threw his books almost as fast as I can move my eyes across the page. I do so because somewhere in each one I'll find some little gem that makes me laugh myself silly or touches on some bit of truth or both. For anyone that's read Small Gods the phrase "Oh, my god!" takes on a delightful new meaning.

Last night I cruised through several dozen pages of Pratchett's latest book, Unseen Academicals. I found one of those little gems.

Truth is female, since truth is beauty rather than handsomeness; this, Ridcully reflected as the Council grumbled in, would certainly explain the saying that a lie could run around the world before Truth has got its, correction, her boots on, since she would have to choose which pair - the idea that any woman in a position to choose would have just one pair of boots being beyond rational belief. Indeed, as a goddess she would have lots of shoes, and thus many choices: comfy shoes for home truths, hobnail boots for unpleasant truths, simple clogs for universal truths and possibly some kind of slipper for self-evident truth. More important right now was what kind of truth he was going to have to impart to his colleagues, and he decided not on the whole truth, but instead on nothing but the truth, which dispensed with the need for honesty.

Later, Truth selects a pair of black leather stillettos - the topic: the quality of Anhk-Morpork pies (if your scratching your head, I'll lend you a book or two to get you started).

The Crazy Lady

2009-10-27T18:37:00.000-07:00

Shouldn't have been on the street.

Shouldn't have made eye contact.

Shouldn't have responded when she said hello.

My coworkers say it's a symptom of Midwestern blood - my particular disease. All these shouldn't have dones led me to a few painful moments with the crazy lady on the corner.

She had a bad knee (and I got to see it).

She had a bag full of cards from mental health professionals (and I saw those too).

She had a room that wasn't ready, no clue where she was or where she was going and a diagnosis of suicidal tendencies that she dismissed because should hadn't yet walked into to traffic to be killed by passing cars.

Me...I had no exit strategy.

I lied - I'll call someone when I get inside.

I didn't.

The Mysterious Case of the Whirlpool Dishwasher

2009-10-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

Apparently Whirlpool has trouble hiring good help these days...

My new apartment has a new dishwasher. My happiness over this ended when I opened it after the first load to discover that my glasses weren't very clean. There was also a big clump of soap in the bottom of the machine. After a few loads and some happenstance I came to discover that the soap dispenser door wouldn't open because the rack was in the way.

I sent the following email to the people at Whirlpool:

model: DU810SWPU3
serial: FY1842524

product: Dishwasher,Built-in

The soap dispenser door does not open on my dishwasher. After some investigation, it appears that the rack blocks the door. No matter which direction the rack is placed into the dishwasher the rack would still block the door.

Is there some solution to this problem?

I received the following response:

We are sorry to learn about the concern you have experienced with your dishwasher.

As we are also consumers, we can certainly understand your frustration and disappointment regarding this matter. For your convenience, we have provided a few troubleshooting suggestions for you to check.

Was the dispenser cup wet when you added detergent?
Make sure the dispenser cup is dry before adding powdered detergent. If dispenser cup is wet, the detergent can clump.

Is the cycle incomplete?
If the previous cycle did not complete, the detergent can become caked in the dispenser cup if it is left sitting in the dishwasher.

Is the detergent old?
Older detergent exposed to air will clump and not dissolve well, which will cause the dispenser door to stick to the detergent. Replace detergent if necessary.

Is the water temperature too low?
For best washing and drying results, water should be 120F (49C) as it enters the dishwasher.

Were items blocking the dispenser that kept it from opening?
Items blocking the detergent dispenser will keep it from opening. Make sure water action can reach the dispenser.

Detergent guidelines
- Use automatic dishwashing detergent only.
- Other detergents can produce excessive suds that can overflow out of the dishwasher and reduce washing performance.
- Store tightly closed detergent in a cool, dry place.
- Fresh automatic dishwasher detergent results in better cleaning.
- Add detergents just before starting the cycle.

If you have checked these suggestions and are still experiencing your concern, we would advise contacting an authorized service provider for the most satisfactory addressing of any issues you may be experiencing.

My response:

The dispenser cup was dry. It was, in fact, the first time I had used this machine ever.

The cycle was complete and had been for several hours.

The detergent was new to me, but may not have been new to store. I cannot speak to its age, but it flows freely from the box.

The water temperature is a balmy 135 F.

There was an item blocking the dispenser from opening. As I pointed out in my question, the rack blocks the dispenser from opening. I suggested this in the email in a less than assertive way to be kind. I have attached a picture demonstrating my point. As can be seen in the picture, with the main dishwasher door opened slightly the door can clearly be seen against the rack. With the main door completely closed, the soap dispenser door does not open at all.

Following your response, I realized that the matter was best handled with a hacksaw. I have attached a picture of my solution. The door opens perfectly.

If you would be so kind, please share this solution with your design engineers. It may serve as a useful guideline as they draw up the next model.

Güero at the Market

2009-10-04T09:07:00.001-07:00

I am the "güero". The gringo, if you prefer. The white guy...that's me. The one that sweats at the thought of jalapeño. This made my first trip to Northgate Market an experience in disorientation.

When I arrived in Los Angeles I settled in little corner of the city between the largely black community of Inglewood and largely white community of Culver City. My new community is neither of those and there isn't a Ralphs or a Vons within walking distance. Northgate Market is across the street. It is not for the güero.

Fortunately I can read Spanish well enough.

There were frijoles negro, pico de gallo, chiccarones, tubs of lard, tortillas stacked to the ceiling, an unrecognizable array of meats including chicken seasoned and with peppers to make fajitas, limes and avacodas in every corner. There was a tortilla making operation in the back. The bakery sold pan caliento. A women sat in a booth where you could send money to Mexico.

I stood out like a gringo thumb in a sea of ladies yelling in Spanish as they bumped and bruised their ways to the front of the butcher line. I nearly tripped on a lime that had tumbled out of the massive bins. I couldn't find a frozen pizza or a Pace Picante in jar (not that I would have bought it for fear of insulting those making fresh salsa at the other end of the store).

In the end, I quickly bought a bag of tortilla chips and a pint of pico de galle and zipped back across the street where I belonged.

Four Years

2009-10-03T06:35:00.000-07:00

I stood in my old apartment one last time last week as I returned the keys.

The carpet was worn and torn. The walls marked by nails, scrapes and a few cobwebs up high in the loft space. The late evening sun poured in through the windows. Four years earlier it smelled of fresh paint and new carpet and the view of the Santa Monica mountains seemed breathtaking. As I stood in the renewed emptiness of that worn space I marveled at how quickly it had all gone.

Four years was a long time but passed like a thought. I felt that I should be doing something other than standing there in the silence.

Of course, in the end it was just a few walls and windows. It was the place I slept, watched TV and movies, played my computer games and occasionally entertained guests. I'll keep doing the same as I have done within so many other sets of walls and windows. On the flip side I've only lived in one other set of rooms for longer. Were I also leaving behind my job and my friends perhaps it would have meant more but as the door closed behind me it was relief I felt. Moving had been, as always before, a grueling ordeal. No wonder I had waited four years.

"World Famous" San Diego Zoo

2009-09-13T18:55:00.001-07:00

The San Diego Zoo is world famous. I was told this a number of times while I was there so it must be true. It is nice. It is big. Neither of these things do they really advertise, but they are busy reminding us that they are world famous so they might not have the time.

They also like their California condors. They mentioned those quite often too. In fact, this was just one of the many birds we saw after watching essentially the same bird show twice. We also watched two different girls fall in the same pool of water accompanied by the same jokes (word for word) but with much different levels of acting ability.

Anyway, a few pictures. First we have the view from our lunch restaurant.

The view made up for the disproportionate sizes of my lunch compared to Joanne's lunch. She was sitting there with a heaping bowl of jambalaya and I had exactly 7 ravioli and 5 shrimp. There was also some disappointment with Kyle who was apparently in charge of refilling drinks but indifferent to actually completing the task.

Our next picture is the feeding of giraffes. My annoyance had been the empty tea glass at lunch. Joanne's aggravation came with the $5 price of 3 giraffe biscuits. There was also some muttering about how there were fewer shows and all the cool things had been shuffled off into some backstage pass that set you back $40. Still, feeding the giraffes was fun.

Finally, we have Joanne and me sitting near the panda exhibit close to the end of our day. Somewhere north of us, Camille was probably in bed having abandoned us to the wilds of San Diego by ourselves.

We did see most of the animals, listened to some interesting zookeepers, admired the new digs for the elephants, got buzzed by birds (intentionally) and by bugs (not so intentionally). We also set a record for the length of an outing. Most remarkably, we didn't kill each other.

The Dumpster Exchange

2009-08-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

As children, one of my cousins and I were avid dumpster divers. We had rooms filled with other people's junk we'd collected with the frequent comment, "How could they have thrown this away?"

At some point the lure of good garbage was surpassed by pride and I could no longer dive into anyone else's dumpster. This is not to say that I haven't thought about, because I have; I'm just too good (in my own mind) to lower myself into a dumpster (or even snag some perfectly acceptable piece of rubble from the top of the pile).

This morning, however, I once again contributed to that great past time by donating my own junk to the heap. I rolled out my office chair and placed it next to the dumpster this morning as I headed out for an oil change. The chair had seen better days. The leather was marked by a thousand cat claws. The seat was formed down to the shape of my butt. Alas, I would have kept it but at some point it started to cause me a great deal of back pain to sit in it.

Two hours after I'd deposited the chair next to the dumpster it had be replaced with someone else's chair. This one was smaller, cloth covered and with less sturdy casters and arms. Someone had traded up at the dumpster exchange. Only a few hours later, that chair too was gone. It was claimed, I'm sure, with an exclamation, "How could someone throw this away?"

Remembering John Hughes

2009-08-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take a moment to remember John Hughes. I haven't seen his best remembered films - Pretty in Pink or The Breakfast Club - that is, other than the tidbits as I troll through the television channels. So for me, the short article from Lawrence Downes - John & John - was the most fitting remembrance.

The New York Times did a nice job appreciating all things John Hughes. Here's a few:

The John Hughes Touch by A.O. Scott

The Neverland Club by Molly Ringwald

Remembering John Hughes

As a child of the 80's, albeit mostly of the late 80's, the passing of John Hughes is another reason to remember the way things were, and of course, to plug in my copies of Uncle Buck or Planes, Trains and Automobiles for one more viewing.

(500) Days of Summer - An Appreciation

2009-08-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

Movies have long been as close to a passion as I might have. For me, movies are meant to accomplish a couple things.

First, they entertain by allowing us to escape for a moment into a place we might not otherwise find ourselves. In the midst of this feat a truly great movie will also shed light into our world by revealing to us the lives, the dreams, the conflicts and the hopes of others. If a movie manages these two things - to entertain and to enlighten - it is both rare and wonderful.

Given the infrequency of a truly great movie, entertainment is often enough. The whiz and the bang, the explosion, the impossible love, the daydream - all the while it flits across the screen we sip our sodas and munch our treats with contentment. If movies offered nothing more than this I would still shell out my cash, sit in the darkness and await the first flashing lights of the projector.

On the other hand, if movies were nothing more than art, I would be less enthralled. The art movie, meant as a work of influence and meaning and imbued with passion and importance, can enlighten and inform but just as likely bore us. When I choose to see these movies I often come away with some new insight or an appreciation for the work itself but much more rarely do I leave the theater entertained.

My lack of enthusiasm for movies that critics might deem important for me to see leads me to consider the sadder development of my long history with movies. As I have grown older, movies have continued to lose their magic. There's no obvious place to put the blame - cynicism, understanding of the process, actually knowing actors, poor movie-making - but this does nothing to alleviate my longing for that singular sense of complete immersion in a movie like when I was child.

The great movies of my youth - or so I think of them - I saw almost exclusively on commercial television or grainy VHS from the gas station movie rental rack. Yet no matter the size of the screen or the quality of the picture and sound those movies were as real and wonderful to me as anything I've seen since.

Often it is the technical that supplants the magical. We can watch a film and know that it is technically superior. We appreciate the insightful story, original and intimate. We marvel at the actors communicating an array of emotion with a single shift of posture. The lighting may be brilliantly cast, the camera angles novel and expertly arranged or the editing might add to the effect of the story but the movie may fail to sweep us away, lift us above the process and deposit us squarely into the heart of the story.

In the end, it takes a perfect balance of many things to make a movie great, but for me there is a silver bullet. It is the same for movies as it is for books, television and even stand-up comedians. It is the connection. If while sitting in a darkened room I can look up to a lighted screen and upon it see a life or a character or a place not unlike one I have known myself then most everything else that makes the movie a movie simply melts away.

In those long ago days when I watched Goonies I wanted to be one of those kids. I wanted those friends and that sort of adventure. When I watched Stand By Me I had had those conversations, told those kinds of stories and lived that type of life. I wanted to meet aliens with the Explorers, fight in my spaceship with The Last Starfighter and I longed for just one Reese's Pieces eating alien in my closet.

Sadly, this connection does not always hold up to the test of time. A connection can be a fleeting thing whereupon the first viewing of a movie is powerful and magical, but when watching it the second time it becomes obvious there was something in that particular moment that captivated me and could not be duplicated. As such, the rarest of all movies must be those that are technically sound, truly entertaining and bridge a connection that stands the test of time.

It remains too early to say whether (500) Day of Summer is such a film. I do know that it entertained me and I enjoyed it. I know that for a time the rest of the world, the real world, dissolved into the mists unseen and unheard. I know that as I walked out the doors I felt I had seen something that may have connected with me more than it might have others, or even my own movie companion. In Tom, the main character, I had seen much that I see in myself. Perhaps I am not so handsome. Maybe I am not so assertive. I do not contend that it was as if looking in a mirror but there was much material on which to draw out the resemblance.

The movie was technically sound if somewhat risky at times with the narration - always dangerous - the shifting back and forth through time, the use of little numbered screens for temporal clarity and one brilliant but difficult split screen showing the differences between Tom's expectations and his reality. In the end, none of that matters because this way my movie. This was a story about a man not unlike me, living in the city in which I live, under circumstances similar to my own and with a perspective frequently indistinguishable from my own. In other words, for this viewer at least, it was movie gold.

My appreciation for (500) Day of Summer resides in the strange recirculation of my thoughts about it. The movie became a reflection of a reflection like two mirrors facing one another. Whenever I stopped to consider the movie and ask myself the questions it posed about the nature of love I was reminded that this act of consideration and analysis was in fact reflected by the parts of the movie I was considering. Thinking about the themes of the movie was also my connection to the movie.

Later, I sat with my movie companion and quizzed her on her thoughts about the film only to realize that within our conversation of Tom and Summer we were becoming more like them. As I thought more about the movie, indeed, as I sat down to compose this appreciation, I was analyzing life and the nature of love (of movies? of people?) just as Tom would have done.

After chasing this idea around for awhile I realized that whatever anyone else may think, whether my companion gave it 3 and a half stars or hated it, none of that mattered. Love doesn't make sense. Love is coincidence and timing. Love may only reside in one heart - (500) Day of Summer shows us that. It is as truthful for people as it is for movies.

So for now, I love this movie and though time may slowly cause us to drift apart, like Tom and Summer, I have the joy of the first time I saw it and the happiness of this 1 day of my summer.

e-Revelation

2009-08-02T09:59:00.000-07:00

I have long been a computer gaming nerd, but I like to think I don't take it to extremes. I used to sit up through the night playing Age of Empires over a dial-up 56K modem, but that was college. Now I'm more casual. My brother calls me up on random weekends and we kill things on Civilization 4.

Recently, though, has come massive online multiplayer games courtesy of social networking sites like Facebook.

So I maintain my little farm with its chickens, sheep, fruit trees and countless plots of corn or rice (high profit, large cash flow).

I also kill things, rob things, blow things up and buy countless properties that I must maintain and protect from other roving bands of made men.

For awhile I had a castle and village in a place called Evony, but I couldn't seem to dedicate the time and effort necessary to compete on a global scale. I'd check in for a few minutes each day only to discover that neighboring players had spent far more time building and arming their little simulated worlds. Soon, they'd attack and I'd die. I repeated this process three times. Now I just tend my farm back on Facebook.

Then, by chance, I stumbled across Erepublik. I should love this game. The basic premise is that you are a simulated person in a virtual reality version of the actual planet. Each person has a job, trains in the military, takes part in politics and so forth. One can create a business, run for president or write a newspaper keeping track of the myriad intricacies of the game. Also a bit of a perk is that I can literally play for a few minutes each morning and accomplish the basics.

Sadly, Erepublik took gaming too far for me. The realities of the game too closely approximate real life - buying food, going to work, etc. Huge swaths of humanity are at this moment living inside this fantasy world working very hard to become the next president of a fictional United States. I was generally okay with this scenario allowing that others could write newspapers about things that weren't real and I could just accumulate some points and mess about a little. This did not last.

California was invaded and conquered by Indonesia. My US dollars were worthless and I couldn't buy food. I traded some cash on the open market and bought tickets allowing me to move to Peru and then back to the US, this time to Kansas. Within a few days Kansas had been conquered by Russia. I traded the last of my dollars to buy some food so that my simulated me wouldn't expire. Now I'm being asked to send messages to complete strangers to get tickets to move to New Jersey and keep fighting the good fight.

I have decided to die.

This really is too much. I have reached my limit of technological tomfoolery. I have embraced Facebook and the blog, but I will not tweet and I'm done with my cyberspace Kansas existence. I'll spend some time in reality for awhile and catch my breath. Meanwhile, in Erepublik, a man named Atticus will slowly succumb to starvation.

Old Fort MacArthur Days

2009-07-12T20:07:00.001-07:00

On the weekend following Independence Day an interesting cast of characters descend on Old Fort MacArthur Museum each year. First and sixth century Romans, medieval warriors, pirates, Minutemen, Redcoats, Hussars, Union and Confederate soldiers, WWI infantry, WWII including Japanese Imperial soldiers, Marines from the Vietnam War and even a couple actual, active military men set up camp overlooking the Pacific Ocean in San Pedro.

The gathered hoard have encampments and reenactments. Small scale wars rage on the battlefield. Cooks prepare meals from their respective times and places. Vendors sell vintage military wares and reproductions. Fraternal organizations and historical societies disseminate information and shill for new members.

These are people that not only love history, but live it.

The Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War Encampment

Confederate Soldiers
preparing for the 1 o'clock battle

Roman legions preparing lunch

Revolutionary American Camp

Revolutionary British Camp

The armaments of the medieval warriors

Roman blacksmith

Sixth Century Roman Camp

Confederate Soldiers receiving instruction

Old Fort MacArthur Days is about three things - history, camaraderie and fund raising. It sometimes appears that the participants outnumber the public roaming around the grounds and I'd guess most participants would be okay if everyone there was dressed in some period outfit pretending that there's nothing strange about a pirate raid of a Native American camp.

Last year I was only at the event for a short while and missed most of the exhibits down the hill toward the ocean. This year I rambled around from our encampment to the other areas for most the day. The best way to experience the event is to just stop for awhile, pull up a chair and let the people pass you on their way to do other things.

The Fourth

2009-07-05T16:19:00.000-07:00

The weekend girls were back with activities for the long Fourth of July weekend. The highlights:

The Getty Villa
Along the Malibu coast J. Paul Getty commissioned the construction of a Roman villa to house his collection of Greek and Roman antiquities. After a harrowing (and exceedingly long) journey up the Pacific Coast Highway with a million of a our closest friends we arrived.

We were greeted by an array of statues with beguiling eyes (or were they just on drugs).

At some point, bored with our tour guides and a little punchy from hunger, we started pretending that we too were Roman statues.

BBQ and the Woman in the Red Top

Following our cultural outing we desired a meal that was more down to Earth. Again, we worked our way down the Pacific Coast Highway to Venice and Baby Blues Bar-B-Q.

We knew it was a perfect BBQ place the second we arrived. It was small, it was tight and it had a sort of greasy, lived in quality. Serving a more or less Carolina style barbecue the food was wonderful. Ah, but it was really about the wait staff, especially our waitress, heretofore known as the woman in the red top. I expect my share of grief at work on Monday.

The Best Fireworks West of the Mississippi

Saturday, we were off again on another outing. We headed to Pasadena for fireworks at the Rose Bowl (described repeatedly as the biggest in Southern California).

Camille served up a picnic of pulled pork sandwiches, beans, coleslaw, corn on the cob and apple pie. We sipped on ice tea and broke a city ordinance (unwittingly) by drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade (and from a glass bottle!).

Fireworks were preceded by two hours of drum corps which while reasonably entertaining did involve far more interpretive dance than I was expecting or ever cared to see. We were also reminded that these were the biggest fireworks not only in Southern California, but in the western states and then later they were even the biggest west of the Mississippi River.

Amazingly enough, all the hype did not disappoint. Oddly, as I've gotten older the fireworks aren't as much the source of delight they once were. Instead, I revel in the people around me - from the preppy high school boys behind us to the slightly ridiculous couple with their star shaped hats to the weekend girls flanking me, each in turn oohing and giggling their approval. It was not lost on me as I looked at our little trio lit by the sparkling lights above and listening to the soaring music, quiet gasps and delighted laughs that we are what makes this place special. Only here, I thought, in this place could this be.

Another Weekend

2009-06-20T19:54:00.001-07:00

The weekend girls have left me alone to entertain myself for the second weekend in a row. Though they tell me this is because they have other plans in other states, I think it has more to do with sore feet.

The weekend girls would like you to know a few things.

First, I get lost. I remind them often that you aren't lost until you run out of gas, but they have yet to buy this argument. They are especially not persuaded when we are lost on foot. This leads us to the second point, always wear comfortable shoes because I like to walk. And finally, I'm inconsiderate. I haven't worn high heels since a brief dalliance with cross dressing as a small boy. Wait, wait...before you judge let me explain that I was hanging out with my cousins Heather and Kim and grandma had a shed full of old clothes and this is how we kept entertained in the TV-less realm of grandma's home. I particularly liked the wicker purse with the black wig. Yeah, yeah...I know you are judging and that's fine - we all have our moments. Anyway, I sometimes neglect to observe that Joanne is in heels as I take wrong turns all over Hollywood looking for a movie theater that isn't even playing the movie we want to see. So sue me!

As retribution for this act, the following weekend I was forced to pick up two hookers. Judging again, aren't you?! Okay, here's the story.

Following the Sunday matinee performance of Dirty Dancing at the Pantages, we decided to eat at Pig and Whistle (an iconic eating establishment, so I'm told). My memory was that Pig and Whistle was a few blocks down Hollywood Boulevard. The girls were skeptical. Before heading down the street we negotiated a deal in which I would return and get the vehicle to pick them up if it was more than 4 blocks to the restaurant.

I figured that in 4 blocks we'd at least be able to see the place and, in fact, I could. It was only the neon stripe under the word Whistle, but I could see it - two more blocks! This did not matter. I sulked my way back to the truck with repetitive consideration of just leaving the weekend girls behind. Instead I cruised back down Hollywood Boulevard with the windows down.

I am told that Joanne conceived of the plan, but it took Camille to carry it out. The girls were sitting on the bus stop bench as I pulled up to the curb. Camille leaned into the window and offered me a two for one deal on her "services". I scanned for cops in the vicinity in case I had to explain myself and caught a glimpse of too old men at the bus stop who did not think this was a joke. It may have had something to do with the girls talking about "Two Hoes Pimping" while awaiting their ride.

"Two Hoes Pimping" is the outgrowth of Camille's backup retirement plan of being an old hooker. I'm working on the logo design.

Anyway, I think the point here is that we have all suffered enough and could use a few weekends apart.

Making Music Together for 62 Years

2009-06-13T07:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a great little video of a married couple, both 90, playing piano at the Mayo Clinic.

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-24T11:36:00.000-07:00

I can remember a couple times when our family would load into the car and work our way around the small cemeteries of Nebraska and Kansas. We'd stop at the plots of our family members and leave some flowers then move to the next on our list.

As a child, this was a bit boring. As I got older I regretted that I did not do it more.

Last year, long after being recruited I finally joined the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War. My 3rd Great Grandfather was in the 171st Pennsylvania in 1862 & 63. This genealogical fact helped me win a scholarship back in high school and 13 years later I decided I'd waited long enough to join the order.

This was my first Memorial Day with the Sons and I was happy for it. They weren't my own family, but they were veterans of wars that allowed me to have the life I have. For a couple hours I strolled around the Mountain View Cemetery placing flags and flowers at the graves of the Union veterans. This was followed by a short ceremony, a tradition handed down through the years.

We were told stories about the cemetery and the souls resting there. Thaddeus Lowe, his wife Leontine and Eliza Johnston came to life through dedicated storytellers and impersonators. The Confederate sons did a three volley salute.

It felt right. It wasn't just about a day off or grilling in the park. It was about the men and women that bequeathed this country to us.

I shouldn't have waited so long.

For the Nerds...

2009-05-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

For the record - missed one on the short quiz, missed three on the long quiz.

California Strawberry Festival

2009-05-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

Strawberry Shortcake - Good.

Strawberry Beer - Not so good.

Strawberry Pizza - Good excepting the crust.

Strawberry Mango Pineapple Salsa - Not bad, but not good either.

Strawberry (lonely, by itself, with the green leaves still there) - Great.

There were more strawberry things about. There was strawberry wine and champagne. There were strawberry smoothies and strawberry cream lemonade. Ladies wore strawberry decorated clothes and hats, kids wore strawberry stained smiles and by the end I was wearing strawberries on both hands and one leg of my pants.

The adventure began at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles where we caught the 14 train to Oxnard. This was a first for me. I had ridden a train in North Platte once for about a half mile. I had ridden the dinner train in Branson. I had ridden the subways in Washington, D.C. and New York. I had even ridden Thomas the Tank Engine somewhere in Kansas, but Amtrak had somehow elluded me. To Oxnard was nice - we sat in the upper section in spacious, reclining seats. If you're not in a hurry this would be a good way to see the country. The return to Los Angeles was less accomodating. There was a mad rush to more confined cabins as we needed to stuff 200 people into 198 seats (possibly the largest game of music chairs I'd ever played). There was also Roger.

Roger was an asshole. We presume that he may have been a racist asshole. He snapped at Camille that there was only one line. There were two windows and people were standing in two lines so I was mystified at the one line policy, a policy that quickly disintegrated once we had left. His first words to Joanne were, "Do you speak English?" (Probably better than he does.) He then told her that she'd have to get her boarding pass from the guy standing outside even though Camille and I had just gotten our boarding passes from the other guy inside. Later, our dear Roger was an asshole to another young man, was repeatedly seen being an asshole to other passengers and then drove a golf car down the train ramp in a rather condescending way (or so we thought).

All of this traveling was really just so we could eat. We rode on the train for two hours so that we could walk around for four hours trying every strawberry flavored dish imaginable. We interweaved rounds of eating with rounds of looking at "crap". A friend of mine once argued that the arts and crafts normally seen at fairs and festivals had a finite quantity. There was, he argued, no more kitsch creation. The ugly and hideous and goofy stuff just moved from place to place through fairs, festivals and garage sales. I had thought this might be true. I no longer do. The stuff is created in the vicinity of Oxnard, California and begins its life at the Strawberry Festival. I believe this same "crap" meets its ultimate demise in estate auctions where old men looking for a well used hammer buy entire boxes of this stuff for the single quarter inch, extra deep Craftsmen socket rolling around the bottom.

Once back in Los Angeles we ate again, this time at Phillipe for a french dipped sandwich (and a half hour of some chubby guys butt crack).

Throughout the day, we made of fun of Joanne, we made fun of Camille and they made fun of me. This is how we show our affection for one another. Our favorite riffs: Joanne sniffs her food before she eats it. Camille has a purse with the same properties as Santa's sack allowing her to reach inside and pull out whatever it is any of us needs. I was carrying around my water pouch backpack and sucking on a little blue hose all day (it was gift from Thaddeus that I hadn't used before and yes I looked like an idiot, but I would have killed for that thing in Washington, D.C. last year). Somehow all of this works for us - 12 hours together, 5000 calories of sugary strawberry goo, 2 insults from the Amtrak guy and a few tense moments lost in the parking garage (with the endless series of closed exits), we still managed not to kill one another and next weekend we'll be out for some other adventure.

Birthdays and the Zoo

2009-05-02T10:48:00.000-07:00

The weather was cold. Not bone chilling, wish I were dead cold. This was just under the tolerable mark and slowly accumulated with time. My Los Angeles friends would recognize the Omaha weather as the worst they had ever seen, in other words, it was upper 40's with sporadic rain and a gusty north wind which has become pretty much miserable for me too. Yep, I've become wussificated.

The occasion was Lilly's second birthday. The venue was the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. Fortunately most of the zoo's attractions are inside and once Lilly blew out the candles we packed up the decoration and headed for the desert dome. We looked at the animals. The animals looked at us. A chimp licked a glass window. A gorilla tossed around what may have been a hard boiled egg. There was a lot of spotting Nemo(s) in the aquarium. One of the nieces was afraid of the desert dome and every time she saw it from the outside she told us we were not to go back inside.

Now for a few zoo sightings:

Lilly - Age 2

Tiger spotted in the Gift Shop

The rare Chadron State giraffe

The nieces - now both 2

Afterward, it was an early dinner at Spaghetti works in the Old Market (and some ice cream at Maggie Moo's on the way out of town).

Porn...Yeah, I said porn.

2009-04-19T07:48:00.001-07:00

So...not long ago the weekend girls talked me into attending Adultcon, a twice yearly adult entertainment convention at the Los Angeles Convention Center. We just called it the porn convention (usually in a whispered voice when no one was around).

It turns out that in this case, anticipation is the highlight of the event. We had foregone prior attendance because of the $35 price tag, but over 6 months curiosity got the best of us. Waiting in line for the half hour or so before the show we were transformed into giggly teenagers. There were repeated questions about whether we should just forget the whole thing. Still, curiosity.

At the end of the very long line of mostly twenty-something men (one of them positively giddy and trembling and dancing around) there was a security checkpoint. I've become accustomed to the metal detectors, wands, bag checks and occasional pat-down at the entry to sporting events, but I was not fully prepared for the Adultcon full body search. I had to remove everything from my pockets (and I mean everything). As one guy went through my stuff on the table another man did the body search. He ran he hands under my belt and patted me down from shoulders to feet. I hadn't even gotten into the porn convention and yet still I felt violated and used. The weekend girls loved it (and photographed it).

Once inside, we were a little disappointed. It wasn't very big (which seems ironic...if your mind is in the gutter and we're talking p0rn here so I know it is). The girls were perplexed by the swarms of men angling for pictures of the backsides of porn stars and even taking pictures of complete strangers getting massaged by three young women in their underwear. I kept saying, "They're men, they can't help it." This did not satisfy them.

It took us about an hour to make two laps of the convention. The highlights - penis lollipops, 3D High Definition porn (God help us all), a woman trying to sell the weekend girls some oral sex lube (of which she was most expressive in her delight and frequent use especially for the mint flavored), free rubber boobs and numerous television monitors of images we'd just as soon forget including an inexplicable scene of a young, Asian woman dressing and undressing that literally had men standing six inches in front of the screen. Also, porns stars - not always so great to see in person - ooooh!

The weekend girls were good enough to use their $5 tokens to buy me a little souvenir. They got me some bling. I'm now the proud owner of a "Big Daddy" necklace (refer to prior post "Big Daddy and the Fair" for the genesis of this little joke). Though I wore it all through the convention I haven't really used it since, but I carry it in my computer bag for emergency use.

At the end of it all, we quietly left the convention hall feeling dirty and shamed and strolled over to ESPN Zone for a stiff drink and tried to forget.

Net Worth

2009-04-19T07:44:00.001-07:00

Some social commentary courtesy of WrongWayComics.com.

With apologies to my Asian friends

2009-04-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

Created by Kids Halloween Costume

Ah, California

2009-04-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

I have lived in California for 3 and half years. In this time I've come to love it's weather and a few of its inhabitants. It's also entertaining. That's it though.

It took the state 2 years to realize that my auto insurance company was not transmitting my insurance information to the state. Once they realized it, they revoked my registration and charged me $14 to get everything fixed.

It took the state 1 year to realize that I hadn't registered a vehicle that I sold. They still aren't sure I sold it, but they've decided that because the new owner hasn't registered the vehicle either that I should pay some fines, maybe have my wages garnished and as the lettered hinted, do my 45 minutes in jail like Paris Hilton. I can't spend more than 45 minutes in jail because there isn't any room and there isn't any money for new jails, or new police or to keep the roads in good repair or apparently to run the DMV.

Everyone knows the horrors of the DMV. It takes forever, the people aren't usually that nice and the first time I went there I spent $4000 because I had the gall to bring a vehicle into the state that I'd owned for less than a year (I got to pay the difference in sales tax between Kansas and California).

Recently, as the state government spun closer to bankruptcy they raised the sales tax, levied some new fees on doing just about anything, started taxing your sandwich at Subway if you want it toasted (not toasted and there's no tax) and the budget still isn't safe because the California government likes to do everything by ballot measure so I can vote for myself whether I want more taxes.

I plan to vote no to everything and pray that my state goes bankrupt. I know how to ride a horse and I have a saddle, so I don't need a smooth road. If the DMV can't afford to pay it's staff they'll stop threatening me. I'll have to live without the CHP, but the trusty LAPD might still be on the streets. I have no children going to school.

If I'm lucky, Congress will decide to sell California to China to pay down the debt. At least then I can expect an occasional shakedown from the government and be content knowing there is nothing I can do about it.

New Eyes

2009-03-29T15:22:00.000-07:00

A week ago I needed glasses to be functional. After 22 years of looking through lenses of some sort I have spent the last week with nothing more than plain, ordinary and inexpensive sunglasses. This is not to say that I've been fully able to see.

Last Monday I had Lasik surgery - Intralase Custom Wavefront Lasik, actually. It was an ordeal involving eye drops, dark and cold rooms, lots of people telling me to relax without moving and one doctor getting slowly more aggravated because I kept squeezing my eyes shut and ricocheting the eyelid holding device across the room. When the same doctor told me he wasn't happy with the flap on my right eye and that I'd need to go back in for a second round of eyelid holding and cornea brushing I considered telling him some other options for his little medieval torture devices.

I've spent the last week avoiding water or fingers in my eyes. I shower in swimming goggles. I'm never far from a series of eye drops that must be administered to prevent inflammation, kill any germs and substitute for tear ducts that just didn't want to work right. My vision has varied wildly, sometimes within seconds like a camera trying to focus. My right eye finally caught up with my left eye yesterday so that I see out of them with equal clarity. At this point, I'm left with only one side effect - halos.

I was never all that good at seeing in low light situations, especially driving at night in the rain. Whatever lights there were would fill my vision. Now, the glowing haze around lights, especially florescent lights, causes double image distortions and trouble focusing. In fact, I probably shouldn't have driven to work in the dark. Just shy of my one week anniversary, aside from the dwindling halo effect, it seems only my brain is left to adjust to my new eyes.

I keep trying to adjust glasses that aren't there. My vision is clearer with clear lens in front of my eyes than without as if my mind thinks I shouldn't be able to see without something on my face.

It's also been interesting. I can read all the bottles in the shower. I can see my toes in the shower. I can read my alarm clock without moving it. I look a little funny without glasses. I feel a little bit naked.

At this point I don't have any regrets (there were moments though) but I'm still not sure that being able to see my toes in the shower was worth the expense and the small torture of the actual procedure. No glasses is nice though, it really is.

New York and Back

2009-03-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

First, there are some rules and I'll break it just once. The rule involves a ban on posting unapproved photographs. Basically, it's a classic Cold War standoff. Each of us possesses embarassing pictures of the other and so to perserve our friendships and our reputations we've vowed not to post pictures for general viewing unless granted prior approval. Thus, most of these pictures are of me (thank goodness I'm so handsome - ha!).

Second, the best pictures are undoubtedly on Jill and Steve's cameras. There was a great deal of posing and stagecraft which means they're probably too funny to post anyway.

Next, here's a few pictures.

Obviously, at the Statue of Liberty.

The Statue of Liberty (from the ferry)

In Front of the NYSE

Listening to the "white people"

Times Square (the less interesting side)

The picture that should be here - Steve and Jill on the subway.

Hopefully, they'll forgive me.

Over the years I have hesitated going to New York - too big, too crowded, too difficult to maneuver through. Generally intimidating. I'm happy I finally made it and happier still that the college roommates could reunite.

In truth, I would have been just as happy sitting in Steve's apartment hanging out with everyone and doing nothing much else because these are just fun people to spend time with, but it was fun getting out in the city too.

I went to three Broadway shows with only two thirds of one act of Exit the King being really awful (sorry Susan Sarandon and Geoffrey Rush, but you needed to exit the stage about 40 minutes before you did). Before you think I was miserable, I should give kudos to Geoffrey Rush. He was hilarious and without him I probably would have found something to help myself exit the theatre. And I got to see Susan Sarandon and Geoffrey Rush within spitting distance - literally.

Jill and I went to Alfred Hitchcock's 39 Steps. It spoofed or referenced much of Hitchcock's work all the time using just 4 cast members playing "150 parts". The physical comedy was amazing and from my front row perch I could see each of the times the cast started to crack itself up - for some reason they had a case of the giggles, but it made it that much more fun for us.

All of us went to August: Osage County, an award winning show deserving of them all. Steve billed it as his favorite play ever on Broadway so the hype was big. For the first fifteen minutes I wondered and then that guy died (Mr. Rush, pay attention).

Beyond the shows it was the usual touristy stuff. This involves walking...lots of walking...subways...more walking...brief respites of sitting on the subway...more walking. Jill and I were getting a little whiny about the walking part.

The last note I have is about food. I went for the food, the shows and the friends and none of them disappointed. From Karen and Steve's making breakfast to $28 drinks at Spice Market, we ate much and we ate well. There was Dallas BBQ in Times Sqaure, breakfast at 24 hour diners in Brooklyn, $12 a pound M&M's at the M&M store, a Magnolia Bakery cupcake (that wasn't all that) and a little Italian place called Aurora (possibly my favorite of the group).

Of course, there's more stories to tell and were more memories made than I can ever put down in words, but that's why we do these things.

Finally, a big thanks to Steve and Karen for taking care of us over the week.

Rodeo

2009-03-11T17:59:00.001-07:00

Before I forget again, a couple weekends ago we had a new sort of outing by attending a PBR Built Ford Tough...blah, blah, blah...we watched bull riding.

There was a sea of cowboy hats, some buckle bunnies, a few celebrities in the really nice seats and a sense of country (and gently Republican) living right here in the city.

This was not like the 4th of July rodeos I'm used to. It was hard to know when the show was in commercial breaks (and sometimes whether the clown entertaining during those breaks was more fun than the actual bull riding). There were fireworks, confetti, loud music, cheering fans, bright lights and scantily clad Tecate girls hurling things at the fans. All in all - quite fun.

Less successful was our group picture. We should have given up on the poor man when he couldn't figure out how to push the button, but we kept encouraging him. This was the best we got - my chin, Joanne's eye and the brim of Camille's hat. At least we have the memories.

New York, New York

2009-03-01T19:11:00.000-08:00

The New York trip is now booked. Once again, the dynamic trio of Steve, Jill and I will hit the streets together...this time in New York City. Last time we were together was Lawrence, Kansas as Jill got married. Before that, well, before that we lived together and just to remind you that may not remember this picture shows just a how freaking cool we were. New York - watch out!