Last call for societal meltdown

This is how we conquered Boston/New York

2005-09-14T19:15:00.000-07:00

I’ve been back from my east coast trip for a couple of days and I figure I really need to knock these thoughts/memories out before I completely forget them.

We arrived at Boston on a Saturday morning where Cindy picked us up from the airport. At this point I’d like to give a big thanks to Cindy, Jess, and Sanchez for allowing us to completely mess up their apartment. Thanks ladies! You three are officially the coolest girls in Boston. After unpacking, Cindy gave us a brief tour of the city. She gave us a more in-depth explanation about the “T,” which is their train system. And I have to admit, public transportation is pretty neat. Not just in Boston, but in New York as well. But more on that later.

I probably won’t give a day to day update about the trip because quite frankly, I forgot what order we did certain events in. Mike has a great recap on his page, so feel free to check it out. Also leave him comments saying how much of a hot stud he is. As for me, I’ll just post about events that I actually remember doing.

For the first two nights in Boston, we danced at a club called Felt (or Felt’s). The first night we went just because the ladies wanted to show us the nightlife of Boston. But really I think they just wanted to get freaky with us. The second night we went because Jess heard that a great DJ was spinning.

The third day a lot of us overslept. Well, we actually overslept everyday. But on the third day I woke up early enough to walk around Boston with Mike. We stopped by Boston’s big ass food court (Quincy’s Marketplace) and I swear, it’s just one big hallway of restaurants. Like 50 food places easily. Mike and I had clam chowder and sat down across this elderly couple who were so nice. They gave us advice on sightseeing attractions and gave us a little history about Boston. We also talked about how crazy it was to get Red Sox tickets, as we tried to purchase some during one of our days. After lunch, Mike and I continued on our journey. We headed over to Bunker Hill and just chilled. Nothing too extravagant. Just a nice little relaxing time.

Later that night we all went to Wally’s, which was this hole in the wall jazz place. Unfortunately, Cindy and I didn’t get to enjoy the music as we had a nice little conversation on the steps outside of Wally’s. It was some east coast-west coast beef that we had to settle. Also, before we went to Wally’s, the whole group did some pre-game drinking. Cindy made this bet that she can outdrink me. Silly girl. Our wager was dinner and a lap dance. And it was pretty close, but I somehow managed to blow it. I passed out for a little bit and therefore she won. So Cindy, when you come back to California, I will take you to In-N-Out and we will kick it. Minus the lap dance.

The night before we left for New York, the ladies took us out to Jillians, which is the equivalent of a Dave and Busters. Had a few drinks there and then headed over to a restaurant called News. News had this nice dating atmosphere where the lights were dimmed low and the table was set up all pretty. Cindy and I split French Toast .

During the bus ride to New York I started thinking of a new piece, only I didn’t have a pen and paper to write it down. I remember writing a little bit of it when we went to a pub called O’Lunneys. That was right before I was drunk and passed out. But I have it on a napkin somewhere and I will find it and I will try to finish whatever it is that I started.

When we got to New York, we all decided that we should not waste time so we took off and went sight seeing. Cherry was dead tired so she stayed back at the hotel. So here we are, four bad ass motherfuckers in their twentysomethings walking around New York. Clearly New York was not ready for us. We walked around like we owned the city. Walking around like we were the shit. So what happens? We got punked at Toys R’ Us. Some employee asked Karega, “Want to take a picture with Jeffrey the Giraffe?” And Karega said, “No thanks. I’m afraid of giraffes.” Instead of rolling with the joke, the employee looks Karega dead in the eye and says, “So why aren’t you running, huh?” But he said it in such a way that startled us. Like, ease up man, we were just kidding. We messed around at Toys R’ Us for a good two hours. Yeah, we were four bad ass motherfuckers alright. But who can resist the huge aisles of Transformers, Ninja Turtles, G.I. Joes, Star Wars interactive games, the WWE wrestling mat complete with entrance music, and Bratz?

Once we were finally able to leave Toys R’ Us, we walked around Times Square. Saw the bright lights, experienced the hustle and bustle of everyone moving, and took pictures of the TRL studios. Then we went into ESPN Zone. The four of us had quite the intense air hockey match. Karega/Dario vs. Ro/Mike. They took the series, 3-2.

After we finished unpacking, Mike calls me and tells me to gather everyone up and meet him at TGIFs down the street. When we got there, Mike greeted me with a “Happy Birthday” and I was confused. Then I remembered it was midnight and it was September 8^th and duh, it actually was my birthday. So these guys take me around, get me some pizza, and then got me to pass out at O’Lunneys. And the bartender called me a pansy because I was buzzed by my third drink. Hey, it happens.

The next day was all sight seeing, which was great. We got a chance to visit a majority of the things we had on our list. Central Park, Grand Central Station, Chrysler Building, Empire State Building (complete with gargoyles), and Ground Zero. And yes, Ground Zero gave me chills.

On Friday we lounged around for a bit before we took a long ass subway ride to Coney Island. Walked around until we finally got to Nathan’s, which Dario suggested was one of the places we have to eat at. Damn good choice. I had a Philly cheesesteak, a cheese hot dog with the works, fries, and a large coke. Then we played games and headed back to our hotel.

When Cindy arrived in New York, we walked around until we got to Lindy’s (apparently they have the best cheesecake in the world). Everyone got different types of cheesecakes so we all passed it around. There was blueberry, strawberry, cherry, and a brownie cheesecake. Cin, you missed out. You should have went with our philosophy. Sure you’re lactose intolerant, but sometimes the rewards outweigh the risks.

We then headed to Staten Island where we took a ferry. Cindy and I walked to the back to get one last look at the Statue of Liberty. I told her that I had actually been inside of the Statue when I was little, but she didn’t believe me. Maybe it’s because she was jealous (jelly). Then she made a comment about how dirty the water was and she dared me to jump in. I would have done it too, if not for the fact that we just docked. Oh well…

Then we got some drinks for a little pre-game partying (because drinks are expensive at clubs and why not walk around New York with a little buzz). Mike, Dario, and Karega took about 5 shots of Patron each and finished the whole fucking bottle. Crazy. We headed to a club and just danced the hell out. Mike and Karega had some sort of crip walk battle and that was fun to watch. Then some girl decides she wants to partake, so she battles Mike. And I don’t think she could handle it because she had to sit right back down. Then Mike and Dario got their pimp on with some ladies from Cerritos. Then Mike and Cindy headed back to the dance floor. Can you tell Mike got buckwild? On a side note, I danced with Transformers comics in my back pocket. Outside the subway station, some guy was selling comics and I couldn’t pass up the sweet deal he gave me. Three Generation 1 comics for $5.

Walking back, Mike passed out everywhere and anywhere, which was hilarious. He would just lie down on the streets of New York and on the floors of the subway station. Dario had to put Mike in a headlock just to check him.

What else? There’s something so very comforting about a falafel at 5 in the morning. Maybe it's the crack sauce they put on it. But after coming home from that club, I just wanted something to eat. I tried to make Cindy eat a little bit, but she knocked out. And who can blame her? We walked quite a bit that night and everyone was exhausted. In fact, within five minutes of finishing half of what I ordered, I knocked out next to Cindy.

We took a lot of pictures and after looking through 700 or so, I realized I’m not very photogenic. I’m looking at the ground when everyone is looking at the camera, my eyes are closed, my smile is crooked, I have my hand down my pants… and so on.

One of the craziest things we saw was when this truck rear-ended some car and the two drivers got into an intense shouting match. Oh, it makes me laugh a bit… the way watching someone else get punched in the balls does.

Dunkin Donuts. Enough said, right fellas? And all the unintentional porn that was found in statues, pretzels, and Cheers sign was enough to win us a prize in Maxim.

As far as my health, I just want to say that whatever progress I was making with my six-pack, I seem to have regressed while on this trip. That’s what happens when you eat cheesesteaks, pizza, and hot dogs all day. So now it seems I have a little bit of a chubbiness around the stomach area. And it’s not even cute. It’s just… there. And while looking down at the belly… I have made plans for the next few months. Just to prove that I’m not lazy and just to have some sense of direction for a little bit. They are:

Work out hardcore and get a six-pack
Learn to drive stick
Find ways to get into a Credential/Masters program
Try to figure out exactly what is up

I arrived in Southern California on Monday and I felt myself getting a little panicky upon returning home (due to the extreme chaos of my room, reminding me of the extreme chaos of my life), but I talked myself down, talked to Cindy on the phone for a bit, put in a movie, and drifted into unconsciousness, where I had weird dreams about a robot that was much cooler than Optimus Prime.

Mike, thanks for dragging me along on this trip. In May we kept saying how nice it would be if we could go to Boston for a little bit. Sure enough, we did the damn thing. Um, not to sound gay, but I’m glad we went on this trip man. There was so much shit we had to worry about (i.e. finances, school, job searches) but it all worked out in the end. And just to reiterate what you said, I wouldn’t have gone without you. Hell to the NAW!

Cherry, you are the cutest (and littlest) person in the world. Check out the pictures of you sleeping on the bus. Classic. Thanks for keeping my head about me during times when I thought I was being stupid. Also, I can’t believe you put up with us guys for as long as you did. Oh wait… you acted worse than us!

Dario, it was great that you were able to come along at the last minute. Honestly, the trip wouldn’t have been the same without you. We needed your calm and composed persona to balance the rest of us out. That’s not to say you weren’t crazy at times, it’s just you were the more level-headed person on this trip. Don’t forget… my “pet peeve is reading the dictionary!”

Karega, it was fun chilling with you throughout this whole thing. “You are one funny motherfucker!” “Yeah, tell me about it.” There were far too many jokes for me to put on this thing, but I have to say you are one of the funniest guys I know. And hey man… Team Male Martha! The Windy City ain’t ready for no gummycakes.

Cindy, dude, seriously… you are probably the nicest person I have ever met. I can talk for days about how much I enjoyed your company, but I know you hate mushy. And besides, I’ll probably tell you these things over the phone again and again anyway. But yeah… you’re neat.

Jess, I wish you luck with your endeavors with Ahmed. I think we all approved of him. He’s got really cool hair. And I’m sure he’s not that much of a bore. But when you come back, you’re more than welcome to hang out/get drunk with us. We’ll play ten fingers and see what kind of adventures you’ve been getting yourself into.

Sanchez, I didn’t really get the chance to know you that well, but you seem very cool. And you study a lot. And I’m sorry we made a lot of noise.

Ted*, I’m sorry my friend Mike tried to spoon you. He was drunk.

Now it’s back to my normal life. It feels good to be back, yet at the same time it kind of sucks. Obviously the fam and the friends are here, but while on the trip I just got this sense of peace. And it’s not even Boston or New York. Don’t get me wrong, they were very beautiful places. It was just the “getaway from it all” kind of feeling. I left everything at home and just went balls out on my vacation, and in that sense… the trip was a success. Because vacations are meant for you to have the time of your life. And I know these things don’t happen on the regular… so I will cherish these memories and the pictures will always be proof of the craziness that we got ourselves into. And here’s to my next vacation… whenever that may be.

I have been blessed with so much love and positivity during these past 10 days from folks who make my heart swell to dangerous proportions and for that, I wanna take this last time out to thank all you guys again.

* Ted is some guy that Mike tried to spoon with. Mike just kind of laid there and put his arms around Ted and told him, “Shhh… it’s okay, just stay quiet. I’ll take care of the rest.” Sadly, no proof of this exists because Mike deleted the pictures. But the rest of us knows what’s up.

Peace, love, and rockets

2005-09-02T13:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so today is our flight to Boston and what am I doing? I’m blogging. I guess it’s become sort of necessary. Like whenever an event happens, you just have to blog about it. So yes, in that sense, I have become lame and have completely given in to this blogging phenomenon. With that said, here is what the plans are for today.

I am going to have coffee with Lisa, the girl I met at Hotel Café during the David Ryan Harris performance. It’ll be a quick lunch kind of thing. I told her I was leaving today and we both decided that it would be cool if we met up real quick rather than wait a whole two weeks before the next opportunity arises. Joseph insists that her friend was cuter, but I stand by my decision to go with Lisa. I still think she was the better looking one and besides, who am I to choose? Plus she’s a red-head and that sounds kinda fun. From our talks on the phone, she sounds like a real neat person. However, our talks have been limited to the standard “getting to know you” kind of questions, so I have yet to see how funny or how crazy Lisa really is.

After that I have to finish packing. Would it reveal a lot about my character if I actually admitted that I have to start packing? Well um, in my defense, I have been busy this past week doing that thing where you sit on the computer and watch funny videos from websites such as collegehumor, e-baums, gorillamask, and so forth. Also, I’ve done a great job this week of organizing my music collection. But okay, I will start packing later and I will finish it and I will be in good shape. In your face, Responsibility!

And finally, tonight, we leave for Boston. And I can’t express enough how excited I am about it, so I will let one of my friends do it for me. In the words of Jeannie, “Wow.”

Now, I may not have access to a computer for the next ten days so I don’t know if I’ll be able to update this site. Makes me wonder if this trip is even worth it anymore.

Count your blessings, keep your head up, and please pray

2005-09-01T01:37:00.000-07:00

I was watching CNN and they were interviewing some guy and he was crying because he couldn't hold onto his wife. She got swept away right after telling him, "You can't hold on to me, take care of the kids." It even made the newsreporter cry. She asked him where he was headed now, and the man said through his sobs, "I ain't got nowhere to go, that was all I had, all I had..."

David Ryan Harris Live

2005-08-30T11:09:00.001-07:00

I would just like to give my cousin Joseph a big thanks. He gave me 12 gigs of music ranging from jazz to soul to rap (Ice Cube’s Greatest Hits!!) to funk to you get the idea. My plane ride is going to be a very entertaining one. Also, going out to Hotel Cafe to watch David Ryan Harris perform was a pleasant experience. The highlight of the night was Eric Hutchinson singing “My Girl” and then mixing R. Kelly’s “Ignition” into the song. Nice touch.

Is this why the Horoscopes are in the Comics section?

2005-08-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

So I’m at Borders and I get this call from Ben and he asks, “What are you doing, you sexy thing?” And I say something about how I’m reading and then I try to explain what my horoscope told me, only I couldn’t find the word for horoscope so I muttered something like “My astrological sign says…” when I could have just as easily said “My horoscope says…” and then I felt silly afterwards because I’m sure it came across as if I was trying to sound more intelligent. Or maybe it didn’t. I don’t know, I’m just self-conscious like that. Either way… Ben, sorry. This is my first time posting about my “astrological sign,” much less actually taking the time out to search for it and read it. And I’m sure there are a million interpretations of one’s daily horoscope, but this is what I got from the Calendar section of the L.A. Times:

“Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22): You don’t have a particularly strong attachment to the outcome of business and financial arrangements. This is part of the reason why you’re surprised and delighted. Tonight, intellectual pursuit leads to love.”

And it’s amazing because this thing is so right on. I never gave a shit about Enron going bankrupt. However, I was “surprised and delighted.” Like how the hell does a cool sounding company with a name like Enron lose all of its money? I like the name Enron. It sounds like a Transformer, almost like it would be a Decepticon.

Now, I’d like to point out something about my horoscope. Is it odd that the third sentence had nothing to do with the first two sentences? And now I’m wondering whether all horoscopes are like that. Whether they give you a little bit of truth about your personality and then hit you with something completely random at the end. I mean, it’s somewhat funny. Like in a “what the hell?!?” kinda way funny. And if this is the case, then I might read my horoscope DAILY for shits and giggles and have that replace my comics (although they’re in the same section of the paper).

But okay, here’s the eerie part about this whole horoscope business. I was reading this at Culinary Wraps in Brea. My plan for the evening was to eat dinner, get some chap stick and car freshener at Wal-Mart, and then go read some books at Borders. This was BEFORE I read that Calendar section. So as I’m eating and reading, I come across that part about “intellectual pursuit leading to love.” And you know, I assumed that since they were right about that whole business thing, then surely they must be right about me finding love at a book store. If not love, then at least something like a fling. In fact, I would actually prefer that. Yeah… to whoever’s in charge of this, let’s just make mine a fling. But whatever, it’s your call.

I decided to forego buying the items at Wal-Mart and as soon as I finished my dinner, I drove down to Borders where I waited to see what the love of my life looked like. I imagined her to be 5’6, wearing glasses, big pouty lips, and… oh, I don’t know, a nice set of tits and ass with a great sense of humor and a penchant for making out when I say so. I had to grab something to read that showed I was mindful of current issues and that I can hold an interesting conversation about whatever it is that refined people talk about. At the same time I didn’t want to get something that said I might be too political or something that displayed half-naked women on its cover. So I grabbed ESPN the Magazine and I sat down and listened to my iPod.

Not surprisingly, I didn’t find love tonight. She didn’t come around. I’m sure I spotted her somewhere in between the humor and the fiction aisles, but whatever… that’s her loss right? I did leave the store with a new book. And seriously, that’s as close to a companion as I could want right now.

I can honestly say I’m at a point in my life where I’d be fine if I wasn’t in anything serious. It’s like I fell so hard for Janet and Melissa and for the past 5-6 years of my life, I held onto the notion that as long as I had SOMEBODY, then my existence would be validated. Like since I had a girlfriend, then my life was complete. Even during breaks with Janet I felt as though I still had something, and that was good enough. I slept easy at nights.

Now, I’m over it all. It feels good to not have to think whether 85% of the things I do will be met with approval by my significant other. I’ve actually managed to save up a decent amount of money. I’m running, swimming, and lifting more. I’m listening to the songs that I want to listen to. This is all about Ro time.

And horoscopes man, are they a trip or what.

What happens in Vegas... ends up on my blog

2005-08-22T11:16:00.004-07:00

Las fucking Vegas. To recap:

80’s music, Simpsons, Assault on Precinct 13, Gorillaz, and Foo Fighters to keep us entertained during our road trip.

All of us losing money at Blackjack (except for Jimmy) and justifying our losses by saying “it’s all in good times.” And it always works.

A lot of Chappelle Show references. Especially that “tootaloo tootaloo tootalatie” (or something like that) song that we couldn’t get out of our heads.

“Hey! Are you guys hookers?!?” Women with big tits. And yes, for one weekend, we were superficial. Otherwise it’s always, always about personality.

AJ breaking the tv. “It would be great if we could watch tv right now.”

Buffet and our conversation about mice and little balls. What started off as a corny joke by Ben became the laugh riot of the trip.

The Sony store where we were all on tv and a bunch of high tech shit that we marveled at. I was fascinated by the fact that “The Nanny” was out on DVD. FAO Schwartz where they had a stuffed dog that sold for $980. I contemplated whether or not I should hump it, but I had a drink in my hand and I was afraid I would spill it on the damn dog. I’m not gonna risk a grand for some faux bestiality.

All of us kicking a bottle cap from the strip all the way back home.

Taking a picture with Jimmy where he and I were lying down next to each other. I swear I was only looking at his phone, but it looks as if we were cuddling. Just so you know. In case it ends up on Myspace or some other website.

Waiting for Andy later that night. Getting mad because he was late and this is Vegas and why are we in a hotel room at 9 o’clock and we should be out doing shit like getting drunk or getting laid. Or at least “it would be great if we could watch tv right now.”

Heading over to Old Vegas and commenting on how much more relaxed and laid back this place was in comparison to the strip. So naturally, we were back in the strip in an hour. Hooray for more tits.

Doing a little dancing. Rina (Reina?) bought us the first round of drinks, probably because she won like $700. I think Ben bought the second round and Jimmy bought the third (it was around this time that things got a little fuzzy). I do remember thinking that Ben lost money, yet this motherfucker still shells out whatever money he has left to take care of his friends.

Meeting the girl of my dreams only to realize her name isn’t Vicky, she has a boyfriend, and I was drunk, so… on to meeting the girl for right now and realizing I don’t even remember her name, what she looked like, and that she was from Georgia.

At around four in the morning I left the fellas (sorry y’all, I had to) to meet up with Natalie, Kim, Art, and Jeff. Hung out for a little bit, then met up with girl from Georgia.

Walking out of the casino and thinking “hot damn, it was night a few hours ago… it’s freaking morning already?” Walked back to the hotel to get whatever sleep I can before we head out.

AJ throwing up in the morning. Ben pointing out that AJ fucked up the tv and the air conditioning. Urban ninja. Four floors of M&Ms, which was three floors more than what was necessary. AJ throwing up some more, this time the vomit “spitting out like hot fire.” More great music to take us home.

This is how we do.

Here’s to breakfast at 5 in the morning and sleeping AFTER breakfast. More importantly, here’s to us. We have got to be the sexiest, baddest motherfuckers in the world.

Sidenote: There is nothing sexier than when a girl winks at you.

BIG MIKE!

2005-08-19T03:24:00.000-07:00

I finally got a chance to visit Big Mike's house out in Chino today. It's nice man, they have this great view of the mountains from where they're at. Big backyard where they are going to buy a new jacuzzi. Spacious bedrooms that actually have floor space to walk around. Perhaps the thing that impressed me the most was the kitchen. Their kitchen is super neat. Because the floor of their kitchen is wood, it is ideal for sock sliding. If one happens to be wearing socks, one can run, hypothetically, from the start of where the television is, past the couch, and then slide all the way to the fridge. Try it. It's fun. Also, Big Mike and I finally played Madden. We haven't played in maybe a year. But it's hard to convey this without sounding like a complete dork. To the casual reader, it may just be, "oh ok, what a bunch of losers, still playing video games..." but it's not JUST playing Madden, it's also the talks we have during our games. You know, bonding time. For example:

Me: Star Wars Episode III was totally misinterpreted. I keep trying to explain to everyone about how Annakin was supposed to bring balance to the Force, but people always misunderstand it.
Mike: Annakin really should be given more props for fulfilling his destiny. He is a prophecy fulfiller.

I don't know if that conversation actually took place (I'm sure a similar one did, it's just hard to be accurate right now), but we do talk about Star Wars on numerous occasions. See, doesn't that make us a lot cooler now? Also, we talk about daily happenings, such as work, women, and "Hey Ro, listen to this song... who sings this song?" Most recently, we're trying to come up with clever ways to scare children this Halloween. I'm going to be a clown named Pickles. If all of this is not considered intellectual discourse, then I don't know what is.

But yes, it was great hanging out with Big Mike. I even saw Lady (she was on her best behavior, she didn't hump Mike once) and I got a little update from Mick (she says hi to all of us and misses us... Mick invites us to her housewarming party sometime soon). I didn't see Ray, but I'm sure he was out doing the homo activities that Ray is known for doing.

I feel so maudlin* thinking about it because we used to hang out almost every other day. With our schedules and now the distance, we hardly see each other anymore. But it works out, because we're both doing the damn thing and we might even get the chance to work together in the future. Mike finally got on that Police Academy (no, not the movie... just wasn't sure whether capitalization was necessary) and he will be taking his test in January, along with some of the required classes. Visit his myspace and give him some encouraging words and don't forget to remind him how big his forehead is. I say we might get the chance to work together because when I have my own class, I want to invite him as my DARE officer. It'll be great. I'll pretend I'm high or on crack and Mike can come in and kick the door down and arrest me in front of my students and explain how bad that stuff is or Mike can come in and do a Tyrone Biggums (Chappelle Show) type skit.

And, in case you were wondering, I beat Mike in Madden. 38-33. Just like old times.

* "Maudlin" will become the new replacement for nostalgia. I will personally see to it.

Don't bother me, I'm on a cell phone

2005-08-15T23:32:00.000-07:00

Alright, just an observation.

In LA, cellphones have become the new sunglasses.

It used to be that if someone wanted to act like you weren't there when they were standing right next to you, they'd wear sunglasses.

Now I'm noticing that people just whip out their cellphones and start scrolling through their menus. Not that they're calling anyone, mind you, but if they're too busy looking at their cell, then why engage you in a simple "hello" or even acknowledge your presence?

Cellphones are the new shades.

Especially on elevators.

Justin's "Frozen Destruction"

2005-08-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

ImDrinkingMilk12: what are you doing today?
ImDrinkingMilk12: oh wait... you get Madden??
its j diggity: using my drew bennett stick
ImDrinkingMilk12: HAHAHA
its j diggity: i call it that
its j diggity: because
ImDrinkingMilk12: isn't it the juke stick?
its j diggity: when billy volek throws int's
its j diggity: drew bennett lays down the fucking law
ImDrinkingMilk12: LOL
ImDrinkingMilk12: HAHAHA
ImDrinkingMilk12: i thought you were referring to the new madden... there's like a juke stick now
ImDrinkingMilk12: HAHAHA... DREW BENNETT LAYING DOWN THE LAW

ImDrinkingMilk12: Chris Brown doesn't strike me as the type to "truck" people
its j diggity: haha
its j diggity: he's the type to get turf toe

its j diggity: u wanna hear my cold stone creation
ImDrinkingMilk12: sure
its j diggity: it's coffee ice cream with pecans, gummi bears, reeses, and pineapple
ImDrinkingMilk12: oh wow
its j diggity: i call it frozen destruction

*EDIT* I just had a "frozen destruction" yesterday and my inexperience got the best of me. I couldn't handle it. Ice cream dripping down my hand, gummi bears being too much to handle, and I didn't even finish the damn thing. Next time my friend, next time...

Lazy days in the Breakfast Club

2005-08-07T15:37:00.000-07:00

I just woke up from a 12-hour slumber. Good shit. Had Cheerios at 3 in the afternoon and found out that Circuit City is selling The Breakfast Club for $9. Man... does this day (or whatever's left of it) look promising or what? Alright then, off to play in a double header... be back in time for some Simpsons and Family Guy. Did I mention how great this day is going to be?

Those who can't see can still find ways to open up your eyes

2005-08-05T03:39:00.000-07:00

Cranberry juice tastes likes shit. I got two blades today. I still have Jay's Cal Poly ID and I feel guilty/terrible/irresponsible for not giving it back yet. Thanks Joe for "real music" aka Dwele. Thanks Charlene for picking me up in Fullerton. I imagine the drive must have taken its toll on your foot. mental_floss: go cop it. I'm lucky that my mom is so lucky. Ain't nothing better than getting a free iPod with all the fixins. Also, maybe her good luck is rubbing off on me. I just won three dollars from the Super Lotto. But I forgot to cash it, so that irresponsibleness is still all mine. It seems this post is starting to become a post about my mom... so I'll tell one more story before I change topics and continue my profound, humorously witty, entertaining random rumbling. Okay, here goes... so mom and I take the train this week and when we get off our stop in Fullerton, we're walking behind this blind guy (African American... just for visuals sake). And it's like this guy really has his shit together, because he handles his own quite nicely. And my mom can sense the ensuing pity that I will naturally feel for him, so she tells me how one day he was walking with his dad and they're just having a jolly old time, laughing it up at the cafe... no cares in the world type shit. And I need to hear this... I need to be constantly reminded that people endure harder difficulties then I ever will... and that they do find ways to succeed because their will is that damn strong and their strength is immeasurable. All this humbles me because (disclaimer... classic Ro sap moment coming up) I know how fortunate I am to be in my current situation and how wonderful my life is. Also, it tells me that, "hey dumbass, people don't have it quite as nice as you do, yet they bust their ass everyday and always without complaint... so better get on that thing called 'hustle' and do something with yourself." I guess it was just one of those "count your blessing" moments and I'm always thankful for having them. Can we go back to the randomness that this post was initially supposed to have? Man, I wish I could... but I'm longwinded now and anything I say from here on out will just sound forced. It's 3:00 in the morning, and I might as well just call it a night. Peace out you sexy motherfuckers... I'm gonna let The Beatles and Dwele sing me to sleep.

“Open your eyes… and let me show you the light… there is a light that shines special for you and me”
-- Dwele

Mike's got guns

2005-07-31T14:32:00.000-07:00

"I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it's not some place you can look for, cause it's not where you go. It's how you feel for a moment in your life when you're a part of something, and if you find that moment... it lasts forever..."
-- Alex Garland, courtesy of Janet

yes yes y’all

So I'm a little worn out, drinking my fifth glass of orange juice, working out a new piece, cleansing my room of all this dirtiness, studying for the CSET, and I’m hoping that everything smooths itself out with the substitute teaching search soon, because applications are going to be due this month and right now, I hate this feeling of suspense, like I won’t get ANYTHING… or for that matter, even anything DONE

And Janet’s on the phone right now, my voice of reason, my super soul sister. So I shall kick it with her and keep my head about me, and get ready for a neat day of inspiration and friendship.

And thanks Ben for the endless supply of music. The Shout Out Louds has been in heavy rotation in my winamp, along with Beck, Weezer, and Bad Religion. The Social Distortion didn’t rip properly, so I’ll get back to that later. The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s album is like a cornucopia of hits (“Lovely Rita… meta maid!”... meter maid I say motherfuckers).

Tonight’s gonna be a great night. Here’s to movies and falling asleep in the spooning position. If nothing else… cookies, milk, and a conversation about music and Transformers that doesn’t end til diarrhea forces one of us to call it a night (because we’re both lactose intolerant).

And on that note…

ImDrinkingMilk12: "where yo strap at yo?"
M1ke Duong: in my pants foo
M1ke Duong: dont make me pistol whip u foo

Michael Duong… the epitome of homo.

School me on something

2005-07-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

What do I know? I know only the useless things I hear – that chess was a form of gambling during the Middle Ages, that you can buy a pair of slippers with Freud’s face on them (they’re called Freudian Slippers), that 23 people must be in a room before there is a 50-50 chance that two will have the same birthday, that Chappelle’s wife is Asian. Who cares whether or not all of this is true? These are the things I want to remember. In my head there are paper towels soaking this stuff up. Nothing else seeps through. I’ve grown contemptuous of “facts” for I have come to understand that no accumulation of facts constitutes knowledge, and no amount of impersonal knowledge constitutes the intimacy of knowing. I guess that’s why I love English so much. In Math and Science, there always has to be a right answer. But English is so open-ended that you can draw your own conclusions. Everything is open to discussion and there are infinite possibilities of correct answers.

Yeah, I’ve been called a dumbass before and I often give the impression that I am not at all intelligent. But simply put, there are certain things you wish to know and things that you know you know. Others just don’t appeal to me and I have no interest in learning about them. If all of this comes off as sounding ignorant, then I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention. I’m sure some day I’ll loosen up and I’ll try to learn more about physics or even study 17th century history. Then I’ll truly be well-rounded. For now, however, I’m content with my book about a kid who “knows every prime number up to 7,057 and detests the color yellow” and I’m still easily amused by useless trivia.

Bargain hunting

2005-07-20T01:37:00.000-07:00

I went shopping with Joe Homo yesterday and I bought more shit than I should have. My original plan was to just buy one freakin shirt and save money for my Boston/New York trip. But when you hear what I bought, you’ll agree with me that it was good shit and that it was money well spent (at least that’s what I’ll keep telling myself… you know, so I can justify my purchases… because really, will I ever listen to that “Toad the Wet Sprocket” CD I bought?!?). But anyway, here’s a rundown of things I bought. Oh, and I didn’t even buy a shirt.

I went to Borders and saw that they had a sale. They had two different kinds of sales and when I saw them, I nearly came in my pants. The first one was a “Buy 3 books, get the 4th one free” type sale and the other one was a “Buy 3 books for the price of 2” sale. These were great books too, not just some clearance items. I picked up “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” by Dave Eggers because a friend recommended it a while ago. Then I saw it at Carla’s apartment and seeing that she had such great taste in books, I decided that this one would be worth my time. Then I bought “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien because Ben listed it as one of his favorite books. I’ve started reading this one and so far I haven’t been disappointed. Thanks for the heads up. The last book I bought was “The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night Time” by Mark Haddon. I just read the description and it sounded really bizarre and out there, so I had to pick it up.

Later on we went to a record store that was going out of business. Everything was 60% off! Freakin shit! The thing that sucks is by the time we got there, a lot of the good stuff was already gone. Still, I came away with some really neat things. The ones I’m really really really excited about are my Transformers DVDs. I bought Transformers Season 1 for only $11 and then I bought two Transformers Energon (which is basically a spin-off of the original Tranformers) for only $4 apiece. Wow. Then I bought some CDs. I bought a few Jazz compilations, Lee Ann Womack’s Greatest Hits, Pete Yorn, Jaheim, Carl Thomas, and yes, Toad the Wet Sprocket.

Time to put away Jeopardy, Maxim, and Myspace.

Peace, love, and rockets. I’ll see y’all in a week.

“Sometimes remembering will lead to a story, which makes it forever. That’s what stories are for. Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for those late hours in the night when you can’t remember how you got from where you were to where you are. Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the story.”

-- Tim O’Brien from “The Things They Carried”

"Acknowledging our flawed asses..."

2005-07-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

Warped Tour was awesome. Thanks Justin. I got to meet the lead singer of Motion City Soundtrack at the end of the day, which was cool because he was a nice guy about it. And no, it's not like I was star struck like a giddy little teenage girl meeting Justin Timberlake. Ok, maybe slightly.

Me: Is this Mike Jones' verse?
Justin: I don't know. Who is Mike Jones?

It is now a rule. If anyone says Mike Jones, it has to be said twice.

Closer is a great movie. Natalie Portman is unbelievably hot. I never really thought so, but there's a scene where she just jumps on Jude Law and says "Fuck me." The movie is so fucking twisted though. In the end, I've come to the conclusion that we're all fucked up. Every one of us. We all come to the table with a laundry list of issues and quirks that if we had to wear them literally on our chests would frighten even the most romantic of romantics. That doesn't mean that you give up on love. People are gonna piss each other off. People are gonna say stupid shit. People are gonna fuck up over and over. But if we let that dictate how we love each other, then all marriages would last a week. Acknowledging our flawed asses and being brave enough to still go ahead with this crazy thing called love is the hard part. But ultimately the most rewarding.

Question taken from my "Would You Rather?" book:
Would you rather live in a world where there was a rapper-like East Coast/West Coast feud of mimes
OR
Where the pledge of allegiance was changed to the lyrics to "Eye of the Tiger?

Joe, get in my car!

2005-07-05T17:11:00.000-07:00

Have you all seen the A-1 steak sauce commercial where a man and woman are having dinner at a restaurant? The man is furiously eating a steak drenched in the sauce and the woman is saying things like, "What are you doing?" and "That is completely rude and inappropriate." I'm thinking that she's saying all this because the man is eating his steak really really fast, but then he gets up to leave and then her husband comes back from the restroom or wherever and says, "Hey... did you eat some of my steak?" HAHAHA... wow, that's genius. Also, something that cracked me up recently was watching Joseph dance to "Bitch, Get in My Car" while he was driving. It's funny because he was wearing a large straw hat and he was making all these retarded dance motions, like pretending to steer a wheel. It's one of those things that you had to see. Either that or I get amused too easily.

Evolution Poem

2005-07-03T00:54:00.001-07:00

Dec. 24th and the Evolution of It All

There are movies I can't watch anymore
Because you have edited your way into them
You have rewritten the intentions of dozens of my favorite songs
Like the one about more than words
And I ain’t even gonna lie
I haven’t seen an episode of CSI since the last time you were here
You left in the same fashion that I met you in:
Without warning
But like DiFranco
“I have found religion in the greeting card aisle”
So I have learned to fold these Hallmark hallways
Into paper airplane runways
That barely keep me grounded
Except you taught me something a while ago about love
And this is what I make of it
Yeah… this is the language of evolution
This is the day that turns into night at a heart-wrenchingly slow pace
This is the night when our last meaningful conversation takes place
This is the beautiful disaster we’ve been careening towards
Where we evaluate our progress and begin evolving apart from the other
And on the eve of this evolution
I want to remember this
I want to chronicle the way our paths crossed like the way historians do
So viewers can see how we did it all: good, bad, and file under other
I want the tales of how we loved to be repeated among campfires and sing-alongs
In between “Kumbaya My Lord” and the one about the man with the hook
However, our passion and belief in each other will transcend urban legend
They’ll be forwarding pieces of our oversized hearts via Myspace bulletins
And what we accomplished will become the ultimate chain letter
After that
I want to take a few gallon jugs
And capture every tear that fell down our faces that night
I want to teach a choir to master the waver in my voice
As we said our goodbyes
On the eve of this evolution
Then, just to make them understand, I want to take up painting
So I could mix together the exact tones that caress your subtle frame
Attentively lovingly
The way that I used to
And I want to hire a really really good deejay to sample your laugh
And lace it throughout those jazz records you love so much
Just so we can all dance and laugh with you
I want to take the seventy-seven poems I’ve written in your light
And compile them into a hardcover volume with only a print run for two
I’ll put mine in between “The Bible” and “The Catcher in the Rye”
To recreate the line we always crossed between the sacred and the profane
I’ll carve “Ro loves Janet” into a tree in Griffith Park
Because whether you are my lover or my friend
This is truly a statement worth carving
I’ll give random people three hugs today
One in your name, one in my name, and one in our name
So they can feel how we can’t stop caring
And years after I finish this poem
We’ll be at lunch somewhere in Brea, probably Culinary Wraps
And I’ll order my usual
And you’ll laugh at me for only eating half and getting the rest to-go
And I’ll notice how great you look
And we’ll talk about these words near the end of our conversation
With bittersweet smiles and “didn’t we almost have it all” stares
And I bet we hold hands on the way to your car just for old times sake
Because you told me that love doesn’t go away, it just evolves
But before it does this time on the eve of this evolution
I want to remember us in this moment
I want to remember how sometimes a heavy heart doesn’t hurt
I want to remember you and me encased in the essence of this poem
I want to remember
This.

JUICE!

2005-06-28T23:41:00.000-07:00

Because I’m pressed for time, I’ve condensed my thoughts into bullet form. Plus it’s more convenient this way and I get the freedom to be more random. Juice.

I’ve been playing this new game called “Sudoku.” It’s in your L.A. Times Calendar section (right next to the Comics). It’s a math game and it’s quite addicting. If you are actually interested, I saved all of them and I will make you copies. If not, eff you.

I beat Joseph in Stump the Chump.

Category: Rappers
Length of time: 30 minutes
Reaction to hearing Joseph say he quits: accomplished/ecstatic/hungry

The scene in Garden State where Natalie Portman tap dances while the song “Fair” by Remy Zero is playing always gives me the chills.

Ben hooks it up every time I see him online. It’s like he knows what I’m craving and shit. I haven’t been online in awhile… but if you see me, just send me whatever links are being passed around your office that day. haha… and I appreciate the Batman game. And the naked pictures.

I’m really happy with the relationship Janet and I have. Thanks for always being there love. And I am glad to see that you're still weird after all these years.

So ummm… Chappelle Season 3 please?

The Timberwolves drafted Rashad McCants. I don’t know about this one. Heading into the Draft I thought we could use a big man… someone along the lines of Sean May. But since it is the off-season and I should be a little more optimistic, I will say drafting McCants makes sense because Spree and Cassell are on their way out anyway.

Have filmmakers completely run out of new ideas? There are a lot of remakes coming out or have been out that make me wonder if we as an audience prefer the predictable instead of being stimulated. That’s why I think all these Indie films are gonna be worthwhile. Because even though they may not have the visual effects that “War of the Worlds” may have, they still try to put something out that’s innovative and makes you think/feel. And this is not to say that I'm not gonna watch "War of the Worlds" (because I am watching it tomorrow), I'm just saying Indie films can be a great escape from the norm.

Ok… I’m writing just for the sake of writing. I need to stop now.

Angels game with Mike

2005-06-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to watch baseball games because well, lets face it... they can be somewhat boring at times. However, I do have fond memories of watching live games (Angels game with my uncle when I was a kid, a couple of Dodger games with my dad, and last year's Angels game where Mike, Ray, Mario, Alex, and I dressed up as superheroes and appeared on the Jumbotron twice). So when Mike offered to buy me tickets for yesterdays Angels-Dodgers game, I said "Shit yeah!" Plus it was free... and although I'm not a big baseball fan, I'm not one to turn down free shit either. haha... j/k... thanks Mike, you know I love you in the most non homo way two dudes can love each other. I'll get you back on some Lakers-Timberwolves tickets this year. But ok... going back to the game... the team formerly known as the Anaheim Angels beat the crap out of the Dodgers (Betty, what's up with your team?!?) And as usual, some embarrassing shit happened to me. It's like I'm an embarrassing moment magnet. During the 5th or 6th inning, the beach ball made its way into our section and the ball freakin hit me right in the face. Then, after the 7th inning, some fireworks went off and scared the hell outta me, prompting me to jump out of my seat and scream "OH SHIT!" The little kids in the row in front of us were even laughing at me. Rat bastards. But yeah, after the game, Mike and I went down to the team store and got some free souvenirs from Christian. Good shit... again, free stuff is always welcome. And Mike... good looking out on these tickets. We had great seats and good times.

Young Gunz vs. SOL

2005-06-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

We won our game tonight... in freakin overtime. With under a minute to go, we were down by 1. I dribbled up to the three-point line and sank it... just as their bench was yelling "Number 12... you smell like fried noodles!" That was the weirdest insult/taunt I ever heard in a game... but in your face bitches. They would eventually hit a shot that forced overtime, but we prevailed in the end because we're good guys and they're the bad guys. I finished with 14 points... "but Ro, you should have scored 30." I know, I know... I just felt like taking it easy. Our record is now a mediocre 2-2, but I have faith in our team that we will win our next 3 games and finish 5-2. Maybe we can get lucky and get the #1 seed so we can coast through the playoffs. We'll see.

Father's Day Poem

2005-06-19T17:14:00.000-07:00

I Am Made In My Father's Image

Went to the bathroom to wash the sleep from my eyes
While I was looking at the mirror,
I noticed my chubby cheeks as I smiled
The way my eyes squinted in the morning light
The way my forehead has wrinkles
From the laughter and the good times

I looked and noticed that I am undeniably
My father's and no one elses
His features that I admired so
Have transferred over to me like a carbon copy
And I love him for it
“You look so much like your dad”

How far I have come from tugging
My dad's pant leg for attention,
To be picked up
And placed on his shoulders,
Not knowing that
Was the tallest I would ever be

I feel it now more than ever
As I search the past and prepare for the future
All the teachings that he has taught me
His eyes staring back at me
And I wonder if I'll ever be able to
Raise a son of my own, as he raised me

And so it continues, the lessons learned
And with time I've come to understand
I can never be told enough about
How to lead by example,
How a woman should be treated,
How cold the world can be, and of course

"I love you son"
Here's to his voice
And all it means to be loved
By him, he, who has given all he has
So that I may give more –
To life and to love

And I hope to one day have a son made in my image

As I am made in his.

Happy Father's Day y'all...

Graduation

2005-06-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

I just want to give this a try real quick. This looks complicated as hell, so help me please.

For the weekend recap, I just wanna say big ups to EVERYBODY! You have no idea how much I appreciate the love/support/drinks.

Mike man, thanks for the duffel bag and the collage. My mom loved it and she wants one too (the collage, not the bag). Also, thanks for driving and tolerating the throwing up. Good thing I didn’t throw up in the truck, or else I would have punched you. Seriously, I was gone. I saw the pictures later that night, I was knocked the eff out.

Ben, thanks again for repeatedly saying over and over that you “wouldn’t miss my graduation for the world” and that you “totally want my nuts.” I don’t know if I would have passed English classes in high school without you. In fact, you are part of the reason I chose English as my favorite subject. I was always amazed by your writing (remember all those AIM profiles where you wrote a lot of bs… those were good stuff). Thanks for the cap and gown too. Shit, I would have looked silly without them.

Viet and Amanda, thanks for the kick ass posters. I was trying to find where all you guys were and Cheryl (my walking buddy and lab partner in crime… big ups to you too love) says, “Hey, there’s a sign that says RoRo.” I put up the posters in my room. Also, thanks for the Substitute Teacher hat!

Jimmy and Becky, thanks for taking the days off! Man, I owe you guys dinner or something to compensate for the missed salary. Also, thanks for the drink. I forgot what it was, but I remember I took one with you. And Jimmy, next time I really want to see the bagel.

Andy, thanks for letting me grab your ass. Apparently I got too happy or something while I was drunk and I got a little touchy feely with you, although I don’t recall any of that. haha… but thanks for coming out man, I know you had work that day also and you had to take a half day just to come out and kick it, so thanks big guy.

AJ, thanks for coming to the dinner and hanging out at DNB. The ride you gave me was way better than any limo ride. I hope the camera still works though.

Dario, thanks for holding the bag and making sure I was alright on the way home. I think you took me to the restroom a couple times so I could let it all out. Thanks man, you were the designated look outer.

Melissa and Jenny, thanks for showing up to the graduation. I know we haven’t talked as much as we used to, but your being there meant a lot to me. The card had me cracking up and the book is awesome! No English teacher should be without "Where The Sidewalk Ends."

Mary… haha, thanks for putting up with me in the car. I was annoying as shit and you stood up for me. “Quit yelling at him Michael.”

Big Mike/Hoang/Mai/Benny/Paul… you guys don’t really read this since I hardly see any of you on the internet, but thank you so very much for the cards.

Joe/Natalia/Charlene… you drove a long way just to kick it, so thanks. I know I acted a fool, so we’ll just say a lot of it was the alcohol’s fault. Joe, you need to drink more. Natalia, I owe you. And yes Charlene, it was nice to finally hang out with you again. We haven’t partied like that since our elementary days.

And lastly, I want to thank my family. They probably won’t be reading this either, but if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have been able to do all this. I’ll admit, sometimes I take them for granted. But every now and then I’ll take a step back and just think how blessed I am to have them in my life.

I’ve said a lot, but it can’t be said enough. Thanks for everything y’all. It’s moments like these that I believe that you get what you work for, that all of your struggles will be rewarded, that all of life’s mistakes make sense in the end.

Back to this whole Xanga thing. Let's see if this sticks, or if I get too distracted by shiny things (it happens).