Stay Tuned

new blog posts are coming (and by new i mean, more extensive then this notification that is merely informing you of the forthcoming presence of said posts)…

July, July!

wow. it is a great day to be an American.

the 6 year reign of Takeru Kobayashi is over. that’s right, for those of you who have not yet heard (but really, i’m sure everyone knows and is celebrating this glorious victory) yesterday marked the end of Kobayashi’s dominance in the I.F.O.C.E. (International Federation Of Competitive Eating) 4th Of July Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest. As American, Joey Chestnut, won the gold with a record breaking performance of 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes.

leading up to the event there were signs that this would finally be the year that America would once again reign supreme in a sport that measures who can eat the most in a short period of time. Chestnut had a few weeks earlier bested Kobayashi’s world record mark in a warm-up contest leading up to the showdown. And of course there was the wisdom tooth removal and subsequent chiropractor visits that had many questioning whether Kobayashi would be able to compete at full strength if at all.

but come yesterday morning, Kobayahsi and Chestnut stood head to head and ate like no men on the planet before them ever have.

in the end, both men passed Chestnut’s world record mark (eliminating any doubt that Kobayashi wasn’t at full strength), but it was Chestnut who came out the victor.

the rest of the day was spent enjoying the holiday and reveling in the triumphant afterglow that comes from being an American on the 4th of July knowing your fellow countryman is now the world champion of hot dog eating (there was also a bbq, lots of drinking, a concert and fireworks that added to the enjoyment).

in other news, i’m going to The Decemberists show on Saturday and haven’t been this excited for a concert since last year’s Belle & Sebastian show. and although i have been known in the past to exaggerate and am prone to excessive use of hyperbole, i am pretty certain it will be one of the 5 greatest concerts ever.

Why I Love LA...Reason #236

first off, i wanted to let anyone who was wondering or waiting for my evaluation know that coke zero vanilla is everything that i hoped it would be. seriously, absolutely fantastic.

i highly recommend you begin drinking this beverage in large quantities (this is really more for selfish reasons then anything else — as in order for coke to continue to manufacture the product they’re gonna have to see it selling well — that said if you do purchase some you won’t be disappointed, it’s delicious).

okay, now on to the aforementioned reason.

so i was doing a little grocery shopping earlier this afternoon and after acquiring all of the other items that i had set out to purchase i was perusing the cards section to pick out a father’s day card.

because the card section of the grocery store i was in (the mayfair market) is a narrow one, i had moved my cart off to the side in case others needed to pass while i was browsing.

standing next to me during this time was a woman (i’ll guess mid 50s hoping to pass for mid 30s) who was also browsing the cards. after a few moments she found a card that was to her liking, dropped it into her cart, and began walking away while i continued to peruse the selection.

but then a few seconds later she came walking back to near where i was in order to get a customer service person to open up the locked section of the liquor aisle. the customer service person told her that they’d be over in a minute and so the woman turned and headed back towards the liquor.

i finished picking out a card and turned around to put it in my cart only to find that my cart was nowhere to be found. i looked around unsure if i had perhaps forgotten where i had placed it, but there were no carts in sight…except for the one that was being pushed by, you guessed it, the woman.

i walked towards her and could clearly see that she had my cart.

“Excuse me, mam, I think you have my cart,” I said.

she looked down at the cart for what seemed like a solid 15 seconds (perhaps examining the contents, i really have no idea), before looking up at me with an expressionless face that only multiple injections of botox can provide, and replied, “No, I don’t.”

at which point i looked down again to see if perhaps i was the stupid jackass who didn’t know what grocery items i had just spent the last 30 minutes or so filling my cart with.

but sure enough, the items in the cart were definitely mine. I tried again, “Uh, I’m pretty sure this is my cart…the items in this cart are an exact match to the items on my grocery list.” at which point i proceeded to hand over said list for her to inspect…

which she did.

for about a minute.

after looking over my list and (presumably) seeing the items on the list all in the cart she looked up and said, “Gee, that’s strange. Well you must have my cart then.”

“No, I don’t have any other cart,” I replied.

“Well you must have moved it then, because I don’t think I would lose my cart.”

seeing how her circular logic would clearly trump any rationale explanation about how I had nothing to do with her a) having my cart and b) not knowing where hers was, I opted instead to look around to see if I might find a quicker way to resolve the situation.

it was at this point that i spotted another cart about fifteen feet from where we were standing, and upon directing her attention to it asked, “Is that your cart?”

she again took a long look over at this other cart, before breaking into a hyena like laugh. this was followed by, “I’m such an idiot…there’s my cart!”

this was a point that i decided not to argue partly because i was a little freaked out by the woman and was hoping to avoid prolonging the encounter any longer than necessary, but also because there was a grand total of 5 items in her cart as compared to mine which was semi full. i really had no idea how someone could even come close to mistaking the two, and as such her self-assessment seemed pretty spot on.

now everything up to this point in the story would be something that could (probably) take place in any number of different cities throughout the country. but, here’s why i love LA.

the woman finally let go of my cart and walked over to hers. i started to push past and head towards the checkout line, which is when she looked at me and said, “That’s so funny, don’t you think? I’m totally going to put that into my screenplay.”

i smiled politely and replied, “Good luck with that.”

indeed.

Return Of The King

oh sweet, glorious day…

while i was out running some errands earlier today i received a bit of good news that has put an end to a dark period of time (approx. 16 months) in my life…a period that hopefully i will look back on some years from now and remember as an unfortunate piece of history that hopefully will be able to be fixed without any long lasting scars (kinda like the bush presidency).

today, while driving down franklin i came face to face with a giant billboard (thank you corporate america!) announcing the return of vanilla coke.

some of you who have been reading my blog for some time now may remember a post a while back (over on friendster - before i became part of the myspace community) lamenting the end of diet vanilla coke’s production (feel free to refresh your memory here the end of an era).

for those of you who are too lazy to reread that old post, the short version is that i was a huge fan of diet vanilla coke and its removal from the marketplace left a substantial void in my life that had been (temporarily) filled by diet black cherry vanilla dr. pepper.

but no more settling for an inferior dinner beverage (sorry diet black cherry vanilla dr. pepper, we both knew that our arrangement was a marriage of circumstance not of choice).

my baby is (kinda) back!

coke apparently relaunched their vanilla coke brand a couple of weeks ago and stores across the country have begun restocking their shelves with the tasty beverage.

the one drawback is that diet vanilla coke is not part of the new relaunching…instead there is only vanilla coke and coke vanilla zero.

but, i am hopeful (and fully expect) that coke vanilla zero will be able to step in and provide a much more worthy replacement for diet vanilla coke than anything else i have tried in the past year and a half while searching for a worthy successor to the crown for beverage of my choice.

the only negative that came from today’s discovery was that i saw the billboard on the way home from the grocery store. I ran over to pick up a few items and didn’t pass down the soda aisle and so i was unaware of this new development until after the opportunity had passed to purchase the deliciousness that has been missing from my life.

this is okay, as the joy experienced upon learning of this good news far outweighed the disappointment from having to wait an extra day or two to be reunited (or technically speaking introduced).

as you can i’m sure tell, i am clearly ecstatic over this development. i do have a few cans of dbcvdrp left in my fridge from my most recently purchased case, but i suspect that i will go out tomorrow and pick up some of the coke vanilla zero anyways…i mean it was hard enough to stop myself from turning around the instant i saw the billboard and return to the grocery store (rush hour, the start of the mets game, and a need to use the commode all eventually tipped the scales in favor of continuing home).

so…i guess what i’m trying to say is…

welcome back…i missed you.

Early Morning May 25th...

…shots ring out in the Hollywood sky.

that’s right…last night i witnessed my first ever shooting (sort of).

i suppose it was inevitable, not that i live in a bad neighborhood per se, but it’s certainly not a gated community (well…actually i do live in a gated apartment complex, but you know what i mean).

while drifting off to sleep last night/early this morning I was startled by the sound of two very odd, loud POPS. then there was a brief pause of silence. then four more loud POPS.

since i was half asleep it took me a few seconds to realize what had just happened, but after about 30 seconds passed and the wail of police sirens began to approach from the distance I realized that the aforementioned POPS had to have been gunshots.

i rose from my bed and made my way to my bedroom window to look out and see what was going on…

and sure enough, about 10-12 police cars came speeding up Cahuenga Blvd, and pulled to a stop a block away at the Franklin Ave intersection.

unfortunately my view was partially obstructed by a large billboard (damn you corporate america!), however i was able to determine that at least someone who was involved in the (presumed) altercation was no longer at the scene.

this deduction of logic was made when about 6 of the cars sped off in various directions, and was further reinforced when the police chopper arrived and began circling the area shining their spotlight into the various alleys and corners of the neighborhood.

pretty soon the police had established a perimeter and blocked off the road, and at one point there were some officers with flashlights on the roof of a building nearby.

I don’t think anyone was injured as there didn’t seem to be any ambulance or first aid vehicles on the scene, just cops.

and unfortunately, as of yet, i have been unable to find any details regarding the incident online or in the news.

to be honest, i’m not quite sure how i feel about the whole situation. never once were my thoughts anything other than “gee, i wonder what the hell happened/is happening?” which is similar to the thoughts that i have whenever the occassional high speed chase comes flying down the 101 past my window.

that said, unlike the occassional high speed chase, the idea of gunplay a mere block from my apartment is, to be sure, slightly unsettling.

of course, it’s not like i live in an area where there are gang drive by’s going on, but still.

in the immediate vicinity of the Franklin/Cahuenga intersection there is a small, kinda shady looking liquor store, a small, kinda shady looking pool hall, and a size-unknown, kinda shady looking club.

my guess would be that the shooting probably took place in or involving patrons of one of these three establishments.

i’ve never felt unsafe walking around my area (including at night), whether it was by myself or in a group…and as of the moment i don’t think this is going to change.

i mean, prior to last night the scariest thing i’ve seen in the area was a homeless man peeing on the side of the road (and this took place in the middle of the day, and was seen while driving…so admittedly, the level of actual fear involved was not too much).

still…it would probably be comforting to know what the circumstances were that led to the shooting.

you know, like if the shooting was the result of a heated argument between ardent Elizabeth Hasselbeck and Rosie O’Donnell supporters or the result of some crazed junkie trying to rob someone to get some money to support his crystal meth habbit.

stuff like that.

anyways, i didn’t have any trouble falling back to sleep, and when i woke up this morning there was no sign of any remaining police activity, so i suppose whatever went down was taken care of (that, or the cops couldn’t find whomever it was they were looking for and called it a night when their shift ended…either way).

regardless…coming at a time when the majority of my weekly tv shows are on summer hiatus, perhaps this (and potential future) shooting(s) might be just the source of entertainment i need to carry me through till the fall when fictional violence and entertainment resumes.

i am strongly considering purchasing some binoculars so as to have a better view next time stuff goes down.

now, if only i could figure out some way to get rid of the damn billboard…

Curiousity #2

although this post is less curiousity and more an example of what’s wrong with the world, the title is, i believe, still aplicable.

i’ve recently begun picking up the occassional copy of Los Angeles magazine, mostly for the reviews on new restaurants as well as news of what’s going on around town.

however, along with the aforementioned information, the Los Angeles magazine has become a source of frequent comedic entertainment, as i’ve taken to perusing the “Super Lawyers” section located in the back pages.

the “Super Lawyers” section, for all those unfamiliar with the magazine, is essentially an advertisement that allows lawyers to put up pictures and blurbs about who they are and what area their legal expertise is in.

now, most of the time the blurbs are boring and of no value whatsoever to someone like myself not currently seeking any kind of litigation services.

but, occassionally i stumble across a blurb that makes me realize not only how unbelievably stupid most people in our society are, but also makes me wonder (hence the inclusion under this post title) why in the hell any educated person (which presumably most attorneys are) can not only take part in enabling these stupid people, but also boast about it as means to attract similarly stupid people searching for an attorney to sue someone.

for example…

one attorney’s (who shall remain nameless, after all he’s an attorney and clearly has no problem suing people) ad reads as followed:

“______ has obtained verdicts and settlements in many difficult cases including: $1.555 million for a diabetic who burned his feet in his bathtub, $1 million for a broken leg in a car accident where the client was ruled at fault by police, $865,000 for a broken ankle when a lady fell off a roof she built, $600,000 for a man struck by a door he opened during a wind storm, $300,000 for a man hit by a tennis ball, $262,000 for soft tissue injury in a car accident - despite no visible property damage, and (my personal favorite) $122,500 for a woman with $800 in medical bills who claimed she fell on a sidewalk, but her medical records indicated she fell “at home.” _____’s strength is complex liability cases involving significant injury.”

ahh…i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again, there’s really nothing better than having pride in what you do for a living and being able to contribute to making this world a better place.

Curiousity #1

some things in the world just don’t make sense to me.

granted the same could be said by anyone else, i mean there’s probably only a finite number of people on the planet with a firm grasp of nuclear physics (and those people probably have difficulties elsewhere), but nuclear physics aside, i’m referring to things of a more commonplace nature…well, sort of.

for example, the other day i was driving down the street and saw a homeless man holding an extremely colorful and elaborate sign asking for money so that he could eat. now, some people might see a homeless man holding that sign and wonder what set of circumstances led to his current station in life (i.e. standing on a corner, begging for change). I, however, wonder how this man came to possess the necessary materials to construct such a colorful and artistic sign.

clearly, there were markers used on the creation of this sign that one (presumably) does not often find on the street (believe me, this sign was impressive).

and so this begs the question…

was the homeless man given these things, or did he go out and buy them?

if he was given the markers, then i’d like to know who walks around and sees a homeless person and thinks, you know what might help that guy out…some really nice markers.

if he bought them, then how much did they cost? i mean, maybe he thought (from an opportunity cost perspective) that spending the money on the markers to make the sign would in the long run equate to more money from people on the street.

then again, maybe if i were homeless (not to be too insensitive) i might consider using whatever money i had on food, instead of putting together signs (albeit extremely nice ones) that ask for money to buy food.

Debbie Does Dallas (Again)

I don’t really enjoy watching porn.

I can (sorta) understand people who do like pornography and certainly don’t find anything wrong per se in the producing, selling, or consuming of porn…however, I just never found that watching it produced the intended effect (unless it was porn bloopers and outtakes — yes, they do exist — being watched for comedic purposes, because those are extremely funny).

I’m not sure if this is because I’m an extremely cynical person whose most prevalent thought while watching porn tends to be - I wonder if the dead stare in that girls eyes is courtesy of a heroin addiction, child abuse, boredom, the fact that she no longer has a soul or some combination of the four.

Whatever the reason may be, it’s just not my thing. However, what is my thing (apparently) is watching Showtime’s new docu-reality series Debbie Does Dallas Again.

This new series which chronicals the (re)making of 2 versions of the seminal porn classic Debbie Does Dallas courtesy of porn producing giants Vivid Entertainment might be one of the greatest half hours of reality programming ever conceived.

Aside from the obvious appeal for those people who enjoy the voyeuristic aspects of watching naked people engage in sex for monetary gain. The show contains some of the most unintentionally and ironically hysterical things any person could hope to find on a reality series that takes place behind the scenes of a porn film.

There’s the striving to maintain his artistic integrity director who makes grandiose statements like, “With my work I’m trying to do what Scorsese is trying to do with his,” is aptly named “PT” and at one point references Boogie Nights to describe a shot.

And, of course, the catty pornstars who fight and bitch and moan when they don’t get the lead parts or get cast in the “good” sex scenes.

Etc.

But for me, the thing that really makes the show worthwhile is all the philosophical and logistical questions watching these films being made raises.

For instance…

How does one secure a location permit to shoot two (or more) people fucking on a coffin in an actual cemetery (something that occurs in one version of the film)?

I mean, surely, a cemetery cannot shut down business entirely for a porn shoot (can it?).

And this begs the question — if they cannot — how do they prevent bereaved loved ones from visiting the graves of their dead relatives while people are fucking nearby?

What kind of answer suffices when people show up to pay respects and find a porn shoot under way?

The alternate being true as well…if they do indeed close an entire cemetery to allow access to a porn crew, what do they (the cemetery) tell people they (potentially) have to turn away so that they don’t encounter the sights and sounds of fucking while trying to pay their respects.

I really would like to know the answer to this.

Anyways, if you have (or know of someone who has) Showtime and don’t have any moral aversion to watching a show about the making of a porn film I highly recommend checking this one out.

Tune in next week as the “Alt Porn” version of Debbie director Eon may or may not be getting arrested for trying to film in an unfinished warehouse (with no a/c where it is so hot porn stars resort to sleeping until they’re ready to shoot because “it’s so hot and i need to be rested for when James Dean pounds me”) without a permit.

It's Come To This

oh my dear sweet blog…

it’s time we faced facts.

we’ve grown apart. it’s not that i don’t care about you as much as i used to, it’s just that lately i don’t have as much time available to give you the attention you deserve.

i think, maybe, it’s time we redefined the nature of our relationship. maybe it would be for the best if you and i just came to some sort of understanding. i’ll still post stuff from time to time, but (for now at any rate) our relationship can no longer exist on a daily/semi-daily basis.

don’t be sad, on the contrary you should rejoice. i’ve been out working. and when i’m not working, i’ve been out enjoying the world. these are good things…these are things we’ve always dreamed about, and i couldn’t have done it without you.

like i said, i’ll definitely do my best to keep posting…i just don’t want to see you there looking at me, and feel guilty that i haven’t had the chance to spend 20-30 min. with you in a few weeks. maybe, posting will be resuming at a more regular pace soon…i really can’t say.

what i can say is…you’re still my blog, and i sleep soundly at night (mostly) knowing that you’ll always be here for me.

2 In 2

hey, how bout that, 2 posts in 2 days…

well, sorta.

this isn’t really a full blog post per se (although i suppose I could spend some time holding a semantic discussion over what constitutes a full blog post, since i’m not entirely sure what the arbitrary length a blogger must fill to constitue a full post equates to. And that might, after this unknown number of lines, eventually eliminate the need for my previous disclaimer and render this post as one that does qualify for full blog post status and thereby also eliminate - in theory - the need for this rather long aside).

anyways.

what i am here to do is post the track listings for the feb 2007 mix. granted it is no longer february, but i’ll once again refer you to the whole shortest month of the year thing and offer that i can’t be held accountable for some roman’s decision to do something screwy with the calendar.

as you may or may not notice this month’s mix features some new songs, some songs that have relevance to this year’s grammy’s, as well as some songs to pay tribute to the end of The O.C., with just a hint of valentine’s day romance sprinkled in.

so, without further ado, I give you the…

Feb 2007 Mix:

1. Save Room - John Legend
2. Grace Kelly - Mika
3. SexyBack - Justin Timberlake
4. Discotech - Young Love
5. Running Up That Hill - Placebo
6. Play Tough - The Apples In Stereo
7. Nothing At All - The Shins
8. Leslie Anne Levine - The Decemberists
9. The Mating Game - Bitter Sweet
10. I Still Remember - Bloc Party
11. A Bad Dream - Keane
12. Stereo - John Legend
13. Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae
14. Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap
15. Same Old Drag - The Apples In Stereo
16. Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers
17. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
18. Waiting On The World To Change - John Mayer

and to wet your appetites before i go, there are a few albums that i’ve been looking forward to for some time coming out this month including the new Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, and Air…so look for selections from those (and many more!) towards the end of the month in the forthcoming March 2007 mix.

aight. i’m ghost.

Ok

so, admittedly february has not been my most proficient month as far as blog postings go.

in fact, for those of you keeping score at home, this will only be my second post for the entire month (granted, february is the shortest month - and i’m liable to think that had i been given the 2-3 more days that every other month offers i could have increased my total of posts in the month to a whopping 3).

presumably, this will put a serious crimp in my previously mentioned intent to try and increase the frequency with which i post blogs this year. after recenly reaching the 100 post mark in about a year, my current pace puts me at 200 posts sometime around 2010.

oh well.

anyways, here’s some stuff that you missed hearing about, and which i probably would have devoted entire blogs to had i been more conscientious about posting lately.

first off, i saw Abraham Benrubi (who some of you might know from his time as jerry on “ER”, but who will always in my mind be larry kubiak of “parker lewis can’t lose” fame) walking down beverly blvd about a week ago.

from the irony department: last week at the gym two things occurred that made me once again spend several minutes pondering whether or not the end of our civilization would necessarily be a bad thing.

the first thing was a group of 4 girls waiting for an elevator to take them up from the first floor of the gym to the second floor.

now, the fact that the gym (a building whose primary purpose is to encourage and facilitate physical fitness) even has an elevator to begin with is perhaps a bit perplexing - however, i suppose that perhaps a person in a wheelchair or someone engaging in physical therapy might require/benefit from its use - but these were 4 (at least as far as external appearances go) healthy, young women who just seemed either a)oblivious to the fact that there were stairs around the corner or b)were too lazy to actually use said stairs in their quest to achieve the results they desired. good luck with that.

but, this was nothing compared to what occurred shortly thereafter. i was on the treadmill when a young woman stepped onto a treadmill in front of me with a cup of coffee in hand. now granted the cup had a lid on it, but i still found it rather odd that she had decided that a cup of coffee would be an appropriate beverage to consume either before or during a session on the treadmill.

at first i wasn’t certain as to whether she was looking to boost her energy with some caffeine, was trying not to be wasteful and throw out the last few sips, or was just plain stupid.

needless to say my uncertainty lasted only a brief time, and all questions were answered as she proceeded to spill hot coffee on herself while she was running. causing her to not only curse in pain, but to also nearly fall off the treadmill from the burns, and her subsequent attempt to quickly rid her arms of the scalding liquid.

the other really entertaining thing that’s happened lately (not involving brittany spears) is all the hullabuloo being made over the american idol chick’s photos.

now, first off let me state i hate american idol (along with pretty much every other reality tv program), although i do enjoy watching paula abdul interview segments from local news affiliates online. so, really, i could care less about what any of these contestants have or may have done prior to, while, or after appearing on the show (unless it involves some sort of actual artistic endeavor having nothing to do with the show - ala jennifer hudson).

that said, the reason i am enjoying this current “scandal” is because the young woman in question hails from pt. pleasant (which along with being the name of a - what i’m sure was a very awful - short-lived television show, is also a town located very close to where i grew up in new jersey).

the part that i am enjoying most revolves around the photograph of her on the toilet bowl. not for any particular scatological fetish i might have, but rather for the comments made recently in an ap story by a local resident regarding the photo and the implications it has for people from the jersey shore.

“It’s the way this town is: Everybody knows everything about their friends,” said Mark Dillon, 17. “At least half the people in this town have pictures of their friends on the toilet. I’ve personally seen at least 20. It’s only because she’s on TV that they’re online.”

so, in lieu of all this, i would like to take this opportunity to state that i do not have any pictures of my friends on the toilet. and as far as i know nobody i knew growing up possessed any photos of friends on the toilet.

but then again, things change…

they say you can never go home again, maybe it’s because when you get there everyone is walking around with pictures of people on the crapper.

The World Has Changed

so, it’s been a while since the last blog…to all those concerned that perhaps i might have died, fear not i’ve just been busy lately. to all those wishing i had died, tough shit.

some of you may remember my post from a few weeks back citing the conversation pat robertson recently had with god regarding the impending terrorist attacks that pat “was told” would be unleashed upon major cities towards the end of this year.

you may also remember that in lieu of that conversation i suggested that perhaps i might try to take greater advantage of the world around me and of all the interesting and fun things at my disposal that i had yet to experience since moving to la now nearing two years ago.

well, this is what’s been going on for the last few weeks. i have been experimenting with a little thing that some people who do not spend the majority of their time in front of either a) a computer screen b) a tv or c) at a movie theater - refer to as living.

it’s been fun. and for those of you who are prone to waiting for my signing off on things before giving them a shot, i can now tell you that (although, not for every one) i’m giving you the green light to try life on for size…see how it fits. so far so good on my end.

however, this isn’t to say that life isn’t exactly as i remembered it from the last time i spent a significant amount of time out in the world. in fact, there are some things that have been down right surprising.

the first of these things are that mannequins now apparently come with models that seem to have down syndrome (at least the one’s at nordstroms do).

now, don’t get me wrong i am not making fun of people with down’s syndrome. i do not now nor have i ever promoted making fun of people with this infliction. that said it is a bit odd to have mannequins who seemingly have down syndrome modeling clothes in a department store. but, then, maybe this is a good thing…maybe down syndrome mannequins are just the first step in marketing clothes to a segment of the population that until now has probably been vastly ignored by the fashion community. perhaps this could pave the way to bigger and better things for people with down syndrome. who knows, maybe this spring there will be models with down syndrome walking the runways in france. i bet that guy who played Corky from Life Goes On could have rocked the runways back in the day if he had wanted to.

anyways. some other things that have been going on lately:

saw Cameron Diaz shopping/trying to escape the hounding of paparazzi at Whole Foods (this occurred about a week ago).

yesterday I spent the day in Santa Barbara, while walking down State street there was a man holding a sign that said “free hugs.” he may or may not have been homeless. nevertheless I took advantage of the offer and received a hug - in general i try to make it a rule never to refuse free stuff.

from the corrections department - I realized that my jan 06 mix should actually be titled jan 07 mix as it is in fact now 2007. as for my feb 07 mix, stay tuned it should be up in the next week or so.

other than that, i’ve been eating out quite a bit lately discovering lots of new, good places. and get this, i’ve even gone out drinking a few times…including a night that ended at the Roosevelt Hotel lounge, which is definitely a very enjoyable place to hang out and have a few.

i checked out the hollywood farmer’s market.

and i’ve also recently been introduced to crossword puzzles, they’re fun.

okay, time to get ready to eat some food and watch a little tv…

i promise i’ll try and be a little more vigilant with keeping the blog updates coming more regularly, i know how so many of you depend on them to survive.

until then, keep on keeping on…

Housekeeping And A Weekend Recap

well, my “birthday week” is officially over now, and it’s back to work…which basically translates to still doing mostly the same stuff i did last week, only now i will feel guilty when i’m not productive with my writing. which, thankfully, isn’t the case for today.

anyways, the weekend of celebrating was an outstanding one…arguably one of the best weekends i’ve had in a long, long while (though, really, this had very little to do with it being my birthday). some highlights include: seeing the shins play a free show at amoeba friday evening in support of their new album (which is outstanding by the way, and perhaps their best/most complete album yet), eating an excellent meal at the fabiolus cafe then spending saturday night at the bigfoot lodge with friends, and walking around downtown sunday afternoon taking some photos (some of which are now up in my pics).

the only downsides were the lack of sleep (certainly worth it), and the fact that the weekend is now over (but, i suspect that more activity filled good times shall be forthcoming).

in other news my january ‘06 mix is complete…for those wondering, in the end i opted for the cd version so that i can burn them for posterity. here below are the track listings to the approximately 78 min of january ‘06 goodness:

1. July, July! — The Decemberists, Live From Soho
2. Phantom Limb — The Shins, Wincing The Night Away
3. Gronlandic Edit — Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer
4. A Sentence of Sorts In Kongsvinger — Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna…
5. Australia — The Shins, Wincing The Night Away
6. I’m Waking Up To Us — Belle and Sebastian, Push Barman To Open Old Wounds
7. Take A Chance — The Magic Numbers, Take A Chance Single
8. Long Distance Call — Phoenix, It’s Never Been Like That
9. Fearless (live) — Ambulance Ltd., New English EP
10. You and I Are A Gang Of Losers — The Dears, Gang Of Losers
11. Sea Legs — The Shins, Wincing The Night Away
12. Hold On, Hold On — Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings The Flood
13. Save Me — Jude, Redemption
14. Smiley Faces — Gnarls Barkley, St. Elsewhere
15. No Fit State — Hot Chip, The Warning
16. The Monkeys Are Breaking Out The Zoo — Belle and Sebastian, Colours Are Brighter
17. The Crane Wife 1&2 — The Decemberists, The Crane Wife
18. Sons & Daughters — The Decemberists, The Crane Wife

also, i neglected to mention and subsequently add Leonard Nimoy to the Celebrity List. Leonard was spotted 2 weekends ago at the Laemmle on Sunset as I was waiting to see The Last King Of Scotland. Which, was an outstanding film made slightly less enjoyable by the extremely loud and obnoxious person sitting directly behind me who spent the entire film laughing at inappropriate moments and adding unnecessary comments.

In fact i came very close to telling him to shut up, only to in the end refrain after my brother (because of how unbelievable the guy’s behavior was) suggest that perhaps he might be mentally retarded. As soon as the movie ended the guy immediately got up and left before this was able to be confirmed, so i will never know. But, given the plot to this past sunday’s episode of Extras, perhaps it was a good thing i bit my tongue…

okay, kids, time to get in a bit more writing before tv time.

Friday, 3 Days After My Birthday

so here i am 3 days into the start of my 28th year…it’s kinda strange being 28, though honestly i don’t feel a day over 27.

a lot of people this year, while offering their birthday wishes and congratulations, made the point of telling me that i am now old. and while i supppose this is a relative term (people have been saying — and i suspect will continue saying — this to me with varying degrees of seriousness since i turned 13), i can’t but help think it is in some ways now true.

granted, i don’t feel “old.” but seeing as how i’m now closer to 30 than 25, i guess it is something to consider. this isn’t to say that 30 is particularly old either, of course, but certainly nobody aged 30 or older is ever mistaken (despite any behavior that might indicate otherwise) for being anything other than an adult.

most of my friends are now either married or engaged or have forthcoming engagements in their near future. some of my married friends have children, and some have children on the way. and while again these are not necessarily indicators of old age (go visit your local inner city or trailer park for proof) it’s hard to argue the fact that the world around me is changing.

when you are a kid and even through your teenage and young adult years there is always a sense that life as an adult is something that won’t exist for many, many years, in a future time and place far from that which you currently inhabit. and that when adulthood arrives the world will have changed so dramatically that you will be able to look around and recognize that the things that once shaped and defined your existence are no longer there, and that the only conclusion to be drawn is that childhood is now long behind you.

last night i was thinking about the concept of aging and of getting old, and of when (if ever) the day will come when i will look in the mirror and know with absolute certainty that this future has arrived. as i looked at myself in the mirror i didn’t feel old, but then i got into bed and turned on the television.

it was there that a news story appeared and the sense this future, that i had once thought would signal my awareness of adulthood, permeated my consciousness.

apparently, the military has just begun using a RAY GUN weapon that shoots a beam that makes people believe that they will catch fire.

wide-eyed with amazement i watched the news segment and thought to myself that if i could go back and tell the younger version of me that i was now living in a world with ray guns, younger me would tell me that this more so than the fact that almost all my friends are married (or soon to be) with kids (or soon to have) is definitive proof that the world i once knew is gone.

i have to admit it shook me for a moment, and a bit of fear crept into my mind. there’s only so long we can put off the responsibilities of adulthood, only so long that decisions can be made without serious concern to the long-term ramifications they might have. perhaps the time has truly now arrived when the finality of life as an adult sinks in.

thankfully, before my mind began to race too fast, the next story appeared…

a man with an acknowledged sexual fetish for female mannequins was sentenced to more than a year in prison after repeatedly breaking into storefront windows.

the man, Ronald Dotson, 39, was sentenced on charges of breaking and entering and being a habitual criminal. he had previously been arrested and convicted 6 times for b&e in the past 13 years (including one instance when police found him in an alley behind a women’s clothing store with three mannequins dressed in lingerie).

and suddenly i was at peace…

i may live in a world with ray guns, and i may in fact be an adult…but this isn’t something to be afraid of (well, maybe the ray guns a bit).

the one thing i think that most people fear as children when it comes to the idea of getting old, is the sense that you will have to lose some part of yourself in order to truly act like a grownup and exist in a grownup world.

but, i think that if i’ve made it to 28 with the sense that a story about a man with a fetish for lady mannequins is something hysterical to be watched and thoroughly enjoyed still intact, then i suppose that i should be okay from here on out (barring worldwide destruction due to ray gun technology) no matter what the future and life as an adult may hold.

Bam Bam

many of you know that for the better part of my life i was a professional wrestling fan. growing up i loved the action, excitement, and spectacle of pro wrestling with their larger than life characters and soap opera esque story lines.

in many ways pro wrestling is/was the modern day equivalent of the variety shows of decades passed. the blend of comedy, action, song and dance, and more made for a particularly enjoyable hour or two of television.

unfortunately, however, the life of a pro wrestler is often times a difficult one filled with emotional hardship and physical pain that comes from the constant wear and tear of travelling and performing around the world almost every day of the year. night in and night out these men and women put their bodies through tremendous amounts of punishment often leading to chronic injuries that are either a constant source of discomfort or worse, and they rarely get to spend time with their families and loved ones who they work so hard to support.

it is perhaps for these reasons (the physical and mental toll that the life requires) that many professional wrestlers over the years have turned to drugs (mainly pain killers) and alcohol to cope (i say this not as an excuse for their choices, but merely as fact). and as you might imagine (or might know) the use of such substances chronically leads to a large number of premature/unneccessary deaths among pro wrestlers.

and so it is with great sadness that i am here today writing about the too soon passing of another one of pro wrestlings all time greats. as yesterday Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow was found dead in his Hudson, Florida home.

those familiar with pro wrestling (even casually) might recognize Bam Bam Bigelow by name, but more likely would recognize him by his massive size and his tattoo covered bald skull. he most famously feuded with and then wrestled Lawerence Taylor in a highly publicized match at Wrestlemania XI.

but my relationship with Mr. Bigelow runs deeper than that of a fan of his in ring work.

Scott Bigelow was born and lived for many years in Asbury Park, New Jersey (which for those of you unaware is the next town over from where i grew up). He could often be spotted around town riding on his motorcycle, and anyone who ever interacted with him would tell you that he was always especially gracious and kind, a lesson i learned for myself in the spring of 1997.

1997 was my senior year of high school, and as a vice president of our school’s DECA (business) club it was my job to help raise money to support the unexpectedly large number of club members who had qualified for nationals to be held that year in Anaheim, CA.

we (that is myself, our president, Jason Fromer, and several other members) had chosen for a fundraiser a “Battle Of The Teachers” event that would pit members of the faculty from different departments against each other in numerous “athletic” and “cerebral” events (dress em up relay, dizzy bat spin, tug of war, a trivia contest, etc).

we spent weeks acquiring local business sponsors to offer prizes for raffles, and hours convincing teachers and the administration to not only allow us to move forward with the plan, but to also participate (which basically meant making asses of themselves for our cause).

thankfully, things progressed relatively smoothly, and as the event approached we thought that we had things pretty much under control. but, of course, being the ambitious young men and women that we were, we thought that perhaps there might still be a way to ensure a greater success for the fundraiser.

now at the moment I can’t quite recall how the idea was raised or who raised it, but somehow we came up with the idea to see if we might be able to get our local celebrity Bam Bam Bigelow to agree to help us out and appear as a “guest referee.”

so, one afternoon after school (having failed in our attempt to acquire a contact phone number - being unlisted) Jason Fromer and I drove to Mr. Bigelow’s then known place of residence (and by known i mean rumored) and rang the doorbell.

a young woman (who we later learned to be his wife - since divorced) opened the door, and we asked to speak to Mr. Bigelow. at first she played coy, but after explaining our purpose in seeking out his help, she admitted that we did in fact have the right house, but that Mr. Bigelow was currently out of town.

she invited us inside and I remember the large amounts of Bam Bam paraphernalia that adorned the walls, honoring his numerous achievements from around the world. we then continued to further explain who we were, what we were doing, and why we wanted his help. finally, she said that she thought that he would be interested and she gave us their number to call back later in the week upon his return.

when we did finally speak to him and once again explained who we were and what we were doing, he instantly agreed to help us out and appear as the guest referee. then on top of that he also suggested that we charge money to people for autographed photos with him and that we keep and use all the money to help as well.

after relaying all this to our teacher and advisor, he insisted that we offer him some kind of appearance fee for being so generous. but, Bam Bam refused, saying that he was happy to do whatever he could for us, and that one day his son (who was in our school system) would be attending our high school, so he felt obligated to do what he deemed no big thing.

but, still our teacher felt somewhat uncomfortable in that we might be taking too great an advantage of his generousity, not to mention part of how he made his livelihood at the time(selling memorabilia - at that point he wasn’t wrestling too much) and so eventually, after we persisted, he suggested that a 6-pack of beer would make us square (and our teacher agreed to provide it), and so we were set.

the night of the event arrived and having done our job in promoting Bam Bam’s appearance that week in school, what we had projected to be a mildly profitable endeavor suddenly became a huge success.

hundreds of students, parents, and friends lined the gym’s bleachers to watch the teachers battle it out for department supremacy, and Bam Bam played the role of guest referee to perfection (even going so far as to at one point film a comedic wrestling segment with some of the people from our school’s tv program, spartan update, where he crushed one of the reporter’s wrestling alter ego in an impromptu match). at the intermission he set up for photos and autographs, and the money rolled in.

by night’s end, we had made almost enough to send everyone to Anaheim (eventually, appealing to the school board for the remaining amount - and receiving it, in part, due to the effort we had displayed in organizing the fundraiser).

unfortunately, due to my responsibilities as one of the organizers, i never got the chance that evening to get an autograph or a picture with Bam Bam, and for a while I always regretted not having it as a keepsake.

but, now, looking back, it’s easy to see that i got something worth a whole lot more than a photo and an autograph that night. i got something that i will have with me to remember the man and all that he did for me and the rest of us, even if it can’t be framed and hung on a wall…a story to tell.

RIP
Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow
9/1/61 - 1/19/07

Certainty

there are two types of people in this world. people who believe there are two types of people in this world and people who don’t (perhaps you could argue for a third type — people who don’t care whether or not there are two types of people…but i think if pressed these people would eventually fall into one of the two aforementioned categories).

this is pretty much the only certainty i have been able to definitively reach in the now fastly approaching end to my 27th year (tuesday the 23rd, for all those potential well-wishers who might have forgotten).

everything else is still tbd.

some people will tell you that the only certainty in life is death and taxes. this is not only not a certainty, it’s a cliche, but it is also (as far as my logic goes) false.

as far as we know death is certain, but this is only because as of yet every person ever born has died. this isn’t to say that at some point someone might not die, or that science may discover a way to “cure” death. it just hasn’t happened yet. but who knows what the future may hold.

taxes on the other hand are something that everyone is subject to, and that most people pay (not always happily), but certainly not something that everyone pays.

take for example ed brown.

ed recently was found guilty of tax evasion and is now currently holed up with armed supporters in his fortress like new hampshire home (sigh, i’m really looking forward to seeing this one play out).

it’s people like ed who keep the the wheels of this blog turning, and who help further my certainty of the above mentioned statement (and coincidentally, i would guess that ed would fall under that category of people who do believe there are two types of people in the word — people who unquestioningly pay their taxes, and people who don’t).

so keep up the good work ed (and by good work i don’t mean tax evasion, rather just keeping us regular folk on our toes), the world of uncertainties is counting on you.

Marathon Man

when people decide to have a conversation with each other during a movie it is not only annoying, but also rude.

however, when one person has a conversation with themself during a movie it is just plain weird.

and yet this was the situation i encountered this past weekend while seeing a showing of Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer. As throughout the entire movie, the woman in the row behind me and my brother continued to have a running stream of commentary (mostly semi-coherent, non-sequiturs) come out of her mouth. I have yet to decide whether this made the movie better or worse.

in other news, i am finally caught up to speed on battlestar galactica. this was accomplished in part due to yesterday’s season 3 marathon on the sci-fi channel. that’s right, yesterday i did absolutely nothing but watch 10 glorious hours of battlestar galactica (well, not quite 10, because i got to fast forward through commercials — thanks tivo).

needless to say, that this is a lot of tv watching for one day, even for me. but, i didn’t stop there. i also took a break at one point to watch the knicks game, and then later in the evening after my brother got back from class, the evening was capped by the final two hours of the season premiere of 24.

by that point in the evening my eyes hurt and my brain kinda felt like cottage cheese, but as jack bauer will tell you, sometimes sacrifices have to be made (he kills and tortures people indiscriminately, i watch 2 more hours of tv - same difference).

anyways, in light of my recent binge, i feel the need to be more productive than usual in the next couple of days, and so for now…

i’m ghost.

We're Not Gonna Protest

yesterday evening on my way home i encountered an iraq war protest induced traffic jam on los feliz blvd.

now, trust me when i say i dislike george w. just as much as the next guy (unless the next guy happens to be a born again republican), and believe me when i tell you that there would be almost nothing more pleasing than to see an end to the needless killing and chaos that is the current state of things in iraq.

however, one of the things that would be more pleasing is not sitting in traffic needlessly.

look, don’t get me wrong, if you could somehow guarantee me that sitting in traffic would mean an end to the war then i would (probably) grit my teeth and bare it. but this isn’t the case. there is no way that last night’s traffic jam and/or protest will have any affect on this administration’s policy in iraq.

so, i don’t really see the need for you to set your protest up in a high traffic area that will only prove effective at disrupting the evening commute (as opposed to say the forthcoming troop surge — said protest’s apparent goal).

then again…maybe these protesters are unknowingly on to something.

perhaps, their intention was in fact to disrupt traffic and to piss everyone off.

while some might consider this strategy dangerous, as it runs the risk of annoying and thereby alienating supporters of their cause. maybe, just maybe, the protesters realize that if there’s one thing that all people (regardless of political ideology) hate, it’s sitting in traffic.

perhaps the protesters secret agenda is to now disrupt the flow of traffic as much as possible until only one logical conclusion remains.

the traffic jams will continue until the war ends.

this, the more i think of it, might actually be an effective way to end the war. imagine the outrcy from millions of americans if their daily commutes were disrupted constantly.

if this is your new strategy, then i guess i take back what i previously said.

and to you now, protesters, i say…well played.

In The Mix

a big, hearty welcome to burt young (aka paulie) the latest celebrity to join my list. burt was kicking it at the baggage claim outside the jetblue terminal of burbank airport last thursday evening. my brother and i spotted him as we were waiting for his (my brother’s) luggage.

the rest of the weekend was pretty low-key. the majority of it spent watching football and season 2 of the wire.

i also finally got around to seeing pan’s labyrinth, which was, as i expected, outstanding. had i managed to see it prior to compiling my top ten list it would have definitely earned a place of recognition. anyways, as you might guess, i would highly recommend it.

i also just finished reading an outstanding book called “love is a mixtape” by rob sheffield, a music journalist who writes for rollingstone and other music-oriented publications. the book is an account of how music has played a role in his life, specifically in regards to his relationship with his now deceased wife renee who died 5 years after they were married (at the age of 31).

anyways, along with being a touching statement about love and loss, the book also talks about and made me think about the fact that (sadly) the mixtape is basically an extinct relic from a time long ago.

sure, we still have ipod playlists, which are definitely the modern equivalent. but i think, at the risk of sounding like a character from high fidelity, that there is something to be said about the lack of care and consideration that goes into compiling an ipod playlist as opposed to a mixtape.

mostly this would be due to the fact that a playlist doesn’t require you to make your selections with the same restrictions (and therefore the same skill and precision) that a tape does (i.e. 45 min per side).

that said, i am making it a goal of mine for the upcoming year to compile monthly “mixtapes.” now, granted, these will still be done on and for my ipod, but i plan to craft them in the same way that one would a tape. meaning that i will try and break them down so that they (the playlist) doesn’t exceed 90 min, and so that they could also be further seperated into two 45 min sides (or perhaps i may opt for the cd route - meaning 80min run times and (obviously) only one side — the reasoning behind this choice would be to preserve the “tapes” in a format other than just on my ipod for posterity’s sake).

in a way that is very similar to (some of) my reasonings behind starting this blog a year ago, i think that monthly mixtapes will (some years from now) prove not only insightful, but also enjoyable in a nostalgiac sense allowing me to look back on and see how certain songs were playing a part in my life during this time.

Year 2

so this is the new year…

i hope everyone had a good new years and i hope everyone is enjoying the first few days of ‘07 (i did and i am respectively).

this is actually quite a momentous occasion for my blog. for those of you keeping count, this is my 100th post (cue whistles, bells, confetti, horns, etc.).

this blog began a little over one year ago now in December 05, and i have to admit i’m slightly surprised that i have managed to maintain it with (relatively) frequent consistency throughout the past year (i.e. enough to equal 100 posts, or 1 every 3.68 days or so).

hopefully, this coming year will bring more blog worthy topics to discuss as well as numerous anecdotes to entertain you all. i suppose i might even to be so bold as to suggest, that perhaps i may even increase the frequency with which i post (maybe getting it down to 1 every 3.5 days or something).

of course, there are forces conspiring to prevent this all from occurring. and i must face the prospect that a) i will not only be unable to achieve the maintaining of this blog for the entire year but b) i might be dead before the year is out.

now, let me assure you, my legions of adoring readers, i have no plans to die in the coming year and i promise that nothing short of death (or perhaps serious incapacitation) will stop me from blogging.

however, word has come that 2007 may bring with it death to us infidels in the form of mass killings through terrorist attacks…or at least so sayeth pat robertson

that’s right. apparently god and pat recently had a chat, and god informed pat that the later days of 2007 will be marred by a major terrorist attack, affecting millions of americans in major cities.

“I’m not necessarily saying it’s going to be nuclear,” Mr. Robertson said. “The lord didn’t say nuclear. But I do believe it will be something like that.”

wow.

first off, i’d like to say that this is a downer. not exactly the way i had envisioned starting things off in ‘07 (or ending things either, i suppose).

obviously some questions immediately come to mind:
1. do terrorists consider la to be a major city?
2. would downtown be the most likely target for any attack on la?
3. do i live far enough from downtown to survive said attack if it were of the nuclear variety.

undoubtedly, the answer to the first question would be yes. presumably, there would be a yes to the second question as well. as to the third, i’m not sure — though my initial guess would be in the words of the magic 8 ball - outcome not so good.

so, i suppose this puts a serious kink into any future plans for 2008 and beyond…but, i guess what it also does is help to give me a new sense of purpose to ‘07.

maybe, now more so than ever, there is the need to approach each day with the vigor and appreciation that it might be one of the last. to understand and embrace the fact that life is a gift not to be wasted or squandered.

in some ways this blog…year 2…could end up being the final, lasting testament to my life, my accomplishments (or lack thereof), and to how i lived knowing that mass killings were mere months away.

presumably, this should make for a much more interesting blog this year…as i will hopefully get out and live a life with greater adherence to the above mentioned principles (which would then transitively provide more interesting things to blog/read about).

then again, i suppose there’s the chance that 2007 will just be more of the same for me. more sitting around watching lots of television and films, spending the majority of my time at the computer writing, going out occassionally, if at all, and blogging about things that really aren’t that amazing to begin with (albeit in an entertaining and enjoyable manner).

maybe i’ll just continue to live my life exactly as i have been the past 27+ years or so. maybe, i won’t let the terrorists and their impending attacks affect how i go about my existence, and perhaps this will be my final lasting memory.

how in the face of death, i laughed at the terrorists and said - i like being lazy and not going out and doing too much, and fuck you if you think that i’m gonna radically change how i live just because you’re going to be killing millions of us (potentially including me) later this year.

then again, i suppose there’s the chance that god didn’t speak to pat robertson.

i guess we’ll find out…