I don't suck...the worst!

Well, as I said before I entered a photoshop contest at the ADVANCED level. Truthfully, my picture wasn't THAT good, but I had an idea for the contest and figured, "What the hell, just enter it and hope you don't get last place." So, after the voting began and I saw all the entries, I realized even more how much I have to learn. But, I didn't think I had the WORST one. And I was correct! I got 99th out of 121 people which is way down the list, but hey, think of all the people I did beat. What was cool is that I asked for constructive criticism and I got a lot of good ideas. It felt good. I don't think I will enter an advanced one for awhile unless I have a REALLY good idea, but it was still fun. Anyway, the contest was to take a cartoon character and put it in a real life setting. I thought of the game Mouse Trap, and figured I would put a few cartoon mice we all know and love in the game. Here is what I came up with:


Some of them were just awesome! One of our favorite things to do now is vote for each contest. There are two contests to vote on every day, one beginner and one advanced. All you have to do to vote is register and registration is FREE. Of course, you can always just look at the daily contests without registering. Curious? Check out www.Worth1000.com I promise, sometimes you see the most amazing entries. Be sure to tell me if you check it out, and be sure to REALLY tell me if you become addicted to the site like me! Hey, maybe you will see a contest that you have an idea for me to do! I always like ideas...

Tomorrow - My views on my PS3.......and my new tv I bought to go along with it after.

Saturday - A special day!

Lazy, disgusting, and stupid...

Three stories, but first my results. I ended up getting 49th place out of 99. So I just squeaked into the top half of entries. I know I was better than some of the ones that beat me, but what can you do? What kills me is that I actually got a lower score average than I did on my last entry, the musical note crop circle. I feel my new entry was better, but somehow, got a lower average score. Oh well. I actually entered an advanced contest today for fun, but I will talk about that tomorrow.

LAZY
Yesterday I went to Sam's Club to pick up some stuff. I found a great spot and then as I am pulling in, I notice that there is a cart right in there. I sihn and park a few spaces back. As I am walking to the store, I notice that the cart that was in the spot I did want, is RIGHT next to the cart rack. Seriously, is it that hard to take your cart back to the cart rack out of consideration for others? That is why I ALWAYS take my cart back. Racks are never that far that it is that big of an inconvenience. Please people, rerack your cart!

DISGUSTING
On the drive to the same said trip to the Sam's Club, I pulled up to a stoplight. I look around and notice a girl in her sports bra and shorts jog up to the light. I look over as any male would and notice she is quite attractive. She jogged in place to keep up her heart rate and then.....she barfed. Yeah, that is what I get for looking at other women I guess.

STUPID
So this morning I wake up and turn on the shower. If I haven't put on my contacts already, one of the first things I do is put on my contacts as the water warms up. So this morning, I go to the toothpaste instead. I proceed to open the toothpaste, spread it on my finger, and finally put the toothpastey finger in my eye as if I am putting on my contact. It only took a second to realize what I had done and I jumped in the shower to quickly wash off the burn that had overcome my eye. How I mistook toothpaste for contacts this morning, we will never know. But trust me, do not spread toothpaste in your eye.

Pissed.....

Ok, with 12 hours left in voting, my photoshop entry is on SIXTY THIRD place out of 99. That is crap! I saw all the entries. Yes, some are better than mine. I can't deny that. But nowhere near 62 of them are better than mine. That is bullshit. Some in fact are really crappy. Some people commented that the hat on Steve was unrealistic and too bright. Maybe a tad too bright, but I don't think that it makes a HUGE difference in the poster. This pisses me off because I know I am going to see the ones that got better than me and be pissed off at some of them. Remember my crop circle entry awhile back that was musical notes?? That got a better score than the one I have right now and that wasn't even that good. You know one reason why I think my entry is doing so poorly? My entry is near the bottom of the list for voting so once people get that far down, they are tired of voting. That could be killing me with 99 entries. Look, I may come off as bitter and a poor sport, but after seeing what I am up against, I think I deserve better. CRAP!!!

Photoshop contest

I entered another photoshop contest today. I won't find out the results for awhile as today was just the first day. It ends tomorrow and there is another whole day of voting after. So, I won't find out how I did until Monday around 9pm. However, I decided to show it to you guys ahead of time. The contest was to take a movie poster that has nothing to do with Christmas, and make it a holiday film. I thought about it only briefly and came up with this.

Here is the original poster.





















Here is what I changed it to. The guns they are holding, in case you didn't know, are old Nintendo guns. What do you think?

Hot Fuzz

Here is the trailer for Hot Fuzz, a new movie that I am super excited to see. This movie is created and stars all the same people who made Shaun of the Dead. In case you didn't see it, and I wouldn't be surprised, Shaun was a zombie movie that was half horror, half HILARIOUS comedy. Jessica and I watched it and found it to be a very pleasant surprise. It comes highly recommended. Anyways, here is their new movie. Check it out and if the trailer seems even remotely funny, rent Shaun.



Jess and I are going to attempt to Christmas shop today. We truthfully haven't started yet and I am not freaking out quite yet, but I would like to get as much done today as I can.

6 weird things about me

I was tagged by Sebastian to do a 6 weird things about me post. As I had really nothing to write about tonight, and I am trying to write everyday this week, I'll go with this. Damnit though, I have to think about what is weird about me. Sorry Battlerocker, I know you have tuned out already! Damn memes!

1. I can crush a soda can and break a pencil with my toes alone. Yes, my toes are both freakishly strong and ape-like. If I am barefoot, I NEVER bend down to pick anything up. I just simply grab it with my toes and lift it up.

2. I enjoy getting boxers. Not just regular boxers though, fun boxers. All the boxers in my drawer have some sort of print on them - Simpsons, super heroes, movies, etc.

3. My toe nails grow funky. Instead of growing staright out, they curl down around my toes. That is why they are always long. They curl around my toes and I never realize they are long. By the way, and this is the truth, my feet NEVER smell.

4. I am 28 years old and afraid of the dark. It's true. When Jessica used to work night shift, I used to have to sleep with the tv on simply because it couldn't be totally dark when I was going to sleep.

5. I often get told by women that they are jealous of my eyelashes. By now I am used to it, but it used to be embarassing when a female would call her friends over to show off my eyelashes. No, I don't use mascara. They are natural.

6. I hate to eat anything that gets my hands dirty. Ribs...I won't eat them because my hands are constantly dirty. When I eat pizza, I pick up the piece, take a bite, set it down, and wipe my hands. I repeat this for EVERY bite. I don't like the grease on my hand so I go throuhg a lot of napkins when I eat. Jessica thinks it is cute that I ALWAYS pack a napkin when I eat.

There ya go. My six things. I won't tag anyone, but if anyone else feels like doing this, go right ahead...

Liquid Courage.

Any one else notice that my blog titles usually have nothing to do with what I am writing at the time? Aren't I the clever fella?

It finally hit me. I have discussed my past and my regrets and how I have things I'd change. This without a doubt is something I would do over again. This one moment has pretty much defined me without ever really running through my mind much at all. Maybe I have changed certain memories cause it's kinda depressing and I may just be remembering things the way I want to. So be it. This is my take and I don't really know too many people who can contribute much to change the way it went down in my own mind. Except for maybe Coach Sondra, but I don't think she will be reading this any time soon.

Junior year of High School. Best I can recall I was 16 years old. I was the starting goalkeeper for the best division 3 varsity soccer team in the city. Perhaps by default, but I had the job. I can readily admit that I was not the heart and soul of the team. I was not making any all-conference teams, but for our team at the time I was in between the pipes. It was playoff time. As the number one seed in the playoffs, we earned a home game against a High School by the name of Ceres. I did nothing all day at school cause all I thought about was that game later that afternoon. As I write this I can feel that same tension and nervous excitement again running through me. A chance at immortality. Maybe that sounds like a cliche, but it is what it is. I heard talk of people actually being charged to attend the game cause it was a playoff game and certainly any chance for the section to make money off the kids is a good thing. Ok I made that part up, but it sounded funny didn't it? Final bell and now there was maybe 2 hours to kill till game time. I'm really not sure if I went home or just hung out at Manuel's house as was a usual occurrence back in those days. By the way Mom, thanks for all the food back in the day. I can remember getting to the field and seeing something that changed my life.

Someone else was in my goal.

I won't name him cause he doesn't deserve to even be named, but here is the back story. He was basically the kid who took my spot on the varsity team when I transferred overto Foothill High School as a sophomore. Coach Sondra felt I wasn't the right fit for the team at the time. Come the next year he was a field player and I was inserted in goal. He got injured about midway through the season and wasn't playing for us the rest of the season. Until that day. He dusted off his goalie uniform and got to the field early and started warming up for the game in MY goal. And yes I keep saying my goal cause it was my job. I had earned it all year and no one had questioned it all year as far as I know. It seemed to work out well for us considering our record and all, but on with the story.

I put my uniform on and then I stood on the sideline. WAITING. For someone. Anyone. To say something to me. For my coach to explain to me that this was the best move for the team cause he was the better goalie. For my replacement to walk up to me and talk to me about the situation. For my friends and teammates that I had spent nearly 5 months working with to get to this point to look in the goal and ask, "Where is Rich?" I waited. I got no answer. To make it worse I did not ask anyone why. I didn't ask my coach why. I didn't ask my teammates why I was being replaced. I have talked about that day with some of my friends and they don't really have a good answer for me. Part of me hated them for a while for just brushing me off as easily as my coach did. The part that makes me cringe even till this day?

I TOOK IT!

I watched someone else take my goal. I watched someone else play my playoff game. I watched my teammates that I thought depended on me go at it with someone else and they didn't even flinch. I watched for 100 minutes. If memory recalls we played two 40 minute halves and two 10 minute overtimes. I sat in my coat as the rain fell on us all and I did something that still to this day kinda disgusts me. I watched that second goal sail over the back-up goalies head in the final minute of that overtime as we lossed the game and I smiled. "GOOD!"

Talk about repressed anger and memories. My coach was running around trying to get her penalty kick list together as our 5'7" goalie gave up the game winner. Yes I mention his height cause maybe a slightly taller goalie makes the save that he couldn't. Perhaps revisionist history on my part cause no one really knows, but go with me on this one cause I'm being a jerk at the moment.

If you go back to Foothill High School and see the 1994 Capital Valley Conference championship banner for boys soccer hanging wherever it hangs at the school you will know one thing. I spent the next few years telling everyone that I wasn't apart of that team. I wasn't on the field at San Juan HS when we clinched the title cause the injured midfielder took my spot on that day as well. Maybe I should have said something then as well. Maybe I am just remembering this all differently for the effect of the story, but I got a descent memory. I don't recall my coach ever saying you gotta sit now cause our best goalie is back now and he is gonna finish the season for us. If memory serves me correctly He was given a game to perhaps feel him out and see how he was as far as coming back from the injury. The nature of the injury would prevent him from playing his normal midfield position, so the only way to get him in the lineup was through ME. I was good enough to help beat Rio Americano, Center and so on. I was good enough at the beginning of the season, but not the end. Maybe somewhere along the way I showed that I wasn't going to be good enough to get the job done come playoff time. Maybe my teammates didn't believe in me, so they told our coach to replace me. I wish I had a photographic memory, but this is gonna have to do.

Why do I tell this story to you? Cause I have always waited. Just like that. I didn't find a way to get my job back. I didn't go the extra mile to overcome the obstacle. I didn't shake the powers that be cause I wasn't a shaker or a mover. I was a witness to my own lil tragedy. The thing that I think about now? I never got to really know if I was good enough. My senior year we bowed out in the first round of the playoffs with a torn and tattered team as the same kid who replaced me in goal my Junior year yelled, "WAY TO BLOW IT FELLAS." Ya I do remember that clear as day. The last organized soccer game of my life and I got a turncoat teammate spitting on me after the final whistle. If I could relive that moment you can damn sure bet that I would throw the first punch in my life towards that SOB.

I still do it today. Wait that is. I believe I have what might be referred to as excellent self-recognition. I could tell you a lot more stories that followed this lil soccer story, but that would be redundant. I guess I finally found a new fuel. Maybe a slight chip on my shoulder would do me a lil good. I don't call it a grude anymore. Maybe for the first couple of years after, but not so much nowadays. I just wish I had more answers than questions. If that was the case I wouldn't be writing this here blog. So it would be a win-win for everyone, right? Self-deprecating humor is the best kind. No clever lines today after all that.

Oh wait! What are your measurements again Cassie? I gotta get the right sizes for that package. ( wink wink ) I really am just asking for a butt-kicking soon. But it's just too damn fun to insert foot into mouth and be EDGY! Rabble Rock people!

Book review and then some...

I finally found time to finish Deception Point today. Pretty good book I must say as I quite enjoyed it. I can't say I am surprised though as I enjoyed Dan Brown's other three books. If I had to rank them in order of my preference, I would start at the top with Angels and Demons, Da Vinci Code, Deception Point, and finally Digital Fortress which was a good book in itself. Brown just has such an easy writing style, it is easy to just flow right through his books. If you liked his other books and haven't read this one, go ahead and check it out.

At the right in my What I am Reading column, I have an issue of Card Player magazine, a magazine I subscribe to. Each issue runs nearly 200 pages of small print articles and comes every 2 weeks. It is easy to fall behind, which is what I have done. I am behind three issues so I am going to concentrate on finishing those before I start a new book. Besides, I don't have a book in mind right now anyway.

I am giving my experiment from yesterday a couple of more days.

Today my sister told me she found a wedding cake she likes, but wanted it in chocolate. She said she couldn't imagine what it would look like though and asked if I could change it in photoshop. Well, I told her I would give it a try. Here is my result.

I took this....



















..and turned it into this. What do you think?

A simple experiment

Today I was looking at my site meter to see the new fun ways that people have found my website lately. There were some crazy ones, but I am going to skip listing them this time. The point of my post is, sometimes, it doesn't make any sense how they got to my website based on what they typed. If I wrote one post on "television" and one post on "dogs", someone who searches for "dogs on television" will find my site. It doesn't make sense, but that is how it goes sometimes. I didn't write a post on different dogs on television, but they still end up on my site. So, it made me think, if I type out a bunch of random words that people might be interested in, will the amount of people visiting go up. I am not looking just to get my numbers up. I don't really care so much about winning any popularity contests. I have my loyal readers and if I happen to get more, so be it. I am just curious if a random headline would make the sitemeter spike dramatically from a bunch of random nonsense. So without further ado, "Scientist admits on tape that the female sex chromosome of a hairy chinchilla can be found in the DNA of Jessica Simpson." Yes, random, but there are of course some certain key words that might drive my site meter bonkers. Or not. Like I said, it is just a test.

Because you got this far, here is the teaser for the new Harry Potter:

The Power of Words

Hopefully this actually comes out of my head properly cause if it doesn't I may just turn a lot of people off. Thanks to Michael Richards for the inspiration. I don't approve of what he did, but for some reason this popped in my head. This will probably be the last time I talk in such a manner.

I, in my life, have used exactly one racial slur. I was 18 and in a Chicago hotel lobby with my friend Matt. For the purposes of the story I add that my friend Matt is White. For some reason that truly shows my lack of ignorance I stated to my friend that, "I felt like a freaking mully," as we waited in line. My friend Matt looked shocked and asked me, "Do you know what that means?" I honestly did not at the time. I don't know why it came out as much as it was just an exasperation with the long travel and because I had heard only one place ever in my life. Eddie Murphy said it in his comedy concert titled "RAW." I, at the time, was pretty young when I saw the film and didn't make the connection that mully was basically an Italian form of saying niggar. Even right now I'm not a hundred percent sure that is the exact translation, but if I recall that is what my friend Matt told me right away. At the time we were traveling 4 deep into a hotel room and one of matt's friends and one of my new acquaintances was a black guy. He wasn't around when I made my statement, so nothing ever came of that. Needless to say I walked around that entire day feeling like a fool. Even today my reason for even saying it sounds lame. I heard it in a movie once and never used the word until that moment? I just plain didn't know what it meant and felt it was ok to use because I saw one of my favorite comedians use the term. I was so ignorant that I used it to describe myself. I, for the record, am a Filipino-Irish-German fella which makes me the opposite of a Mully. If that is even how you spell the damn word. Deep down I always had this feeling that my friend Matt always looked at me differently from that day on. Did just simply saying the word Mully make me a racist?

I prefer to think that it was just my ignorance and lack of knowledge that led to that moment in time. Regardless of intent it still sticks out to me as a memory burn. My question now after the event at the Laugh Factory and my memory included is do we give words way too much power?


Comedian George Carlin once concluded in a famous bit of his that it's not the racists words coming out of a guy's mouth that makes him a racists. Instead, it's the racists asshole saying them that makes him a racists. Perhaps not as clear cut when being recycled out of my mouth, but hopefully you get the point. Terms like Niggar, Mully, Cunt...etc......Just words. I have no experience having to bear the brunt of being called any one of these terms, so I may just sound very naive. Aren't they just words? I have been insulted plenty of times in my life and snapped at lesser terms than the ones I just described. By no means am I saying that people are expected to not react to insensitive and hurtful remarks. But what if we really treated words as just words?

What if, after Michael Richards explosion the people in the balcony had no response? Instead, they just simply sighed, smiled and shook their head at a pathetic man who was so fed up with being heckled that all he could do was pulled out the insult atom bomb. Sure they had every right to get mad and leave the facility. People have every right to take offence at Richards' tirade. What if they had just killed the power of the word by not saying a damn thing? I know there is a sordid past and for the longest time it has meant nothing but bad things to a whole lot of people. In my theoretical world I would suggest doing this to every insulting and degrading word. Not just Niggar. I am not here to free the use of the word for everyone simply because I alone don't take offence to many insults. I have not been practicing what I am currently preaching, so I don't have any empirical evidence handy. I will though. Next time I am in that situation I will sigh, smile and shake my head disapprovingly. Cause calling me a worthless lazy mother fucker doesn't indeed make me that. Just cause Michael Richards called a group of black people niggars does not indeed make them niggars. And ladies, just cause some jerk calls you a bitch or a whore or cunt, does not make you any of those things. They are all still just words.

Maybe I am being liberal and idealistic. Naive for sure. What if? What if people didn't respond to racial slurs, sexists remarks or otherwise unsavory language? They would not lose their meaning, but wouldn't they lose the power we have given them over time? The FCC and other forms of censoring groups are policing the words we use and the way we use them to protect from how powerful they are to us, but are they really that powerful? Would the world come to a screetching halt cause some radio DJ referred to a caller as cock? I'm not saying this would stop hate. Maybe it would just put words in a slightly better perspective.

I know I may have lost a lot of people with this. Honesty has ruined my life before. I guess I will just let all of you decide for me cause I am in no place to judge my actions or thoughts. I am biased. I kinda like me. And I kinda like people. So if you find fault in who I am please respond. I think I am still the same dude that I was before I wrote this. I'd provide more history for you, but that just seems like me attempting to justify my mistake. I am not sorry for being a racist cause I am not a racist. I am sorry for being an ignorant fool who lemminged his way into saying what I saw on TV without actually getting it. This post was after all about the power of words. I say give it a try sometime. Deflate the power of an insult instantly. Smile and walk away from it. Maybe then words can just be words. And people can just be people.

Shout out to Opie and Anthony and Lil Jimmy Norton. You guys actually make me think outside the box and this post is for you. Special hello to Cassie as well. Just cause you are engaged doesn't mean I am going to stop being my charming self. And I have to state that for the record I got clearance to deliver the package. :) Then again after this post I might be exiled into blogdom hell for all eternity, so no one will get that package. Spread the virus! Rabble Rock!

About damn time....

Yes, I am back and I apologize for being away so long. Here is what happened: As you may remember, I was sick a few weeks back. Well, over three weeks later, I am starting to get better. I developed bronchitis and it just made me feel pretty crappy. I wasn't down and out sick, but energy was low. In the middle of all that, I got my Playstation 3. Well, besides playing games, it also has wireless internet access. After opening it up, I attempted to get the wireless to work. I messed with my router and with some tinkering by me, I not only managed to not get my internet on the Playstation working, but lost my internet on my laptop as well. It wasn't until a few days ago that a friend of mine got everything back up again. So now, everything is back to normal. I feel way behind though. I haven't checked everyone's blog in almost 2 weeks, in addition to the countless entertainment websites I browse on a daily basis. But I am back. I know I am too far behind to catch up with all of what I have missed, but I promise that I am back on a regular basis, both here and on your respective blogs.

So what else has happened lately:

A couple of weeks ago, Jess and I, with the help of my sis, threw a surprise 30th wedding anniversary party for my folks. We rented a hall, invited people from as far as 8 hours away, and had a GREAT party. It was fun to have so many people together for the first time in a long time. Some pictures from the fun event:





















Thanksgiving was a great time as usual, preceded by the annual Turkey Bowl - tackle football with my friends. Well, it used to be with my friends. Each year, more drop out and we have to bring in other people to fill numbers. It feels like the game might be reaching its end unfortunately. My injuries weren't quite as bad this year. If you remember from last year, I scraped up my leg and that led to blood poisoning and a nasty infection. Look back a year if you want to see the pictures. This year, just some bruises. Some bad bad bruises, but just bruises nonetheless. I hope this picture doesn't disgust you too much!

That one on my chest hurt like a son of a bitch and actually ended up looking worse than pictured here. Maybe I am getting to old for this...







That is it for now, but damnit, I'm back!

ERROR!!!!

Sorry, experiencing technical difficulties - computer stuff. I have so much to talk about too - Michael Richards, OJ, new Rocky trailer, new Harry Potter poster, my PS3 adventure, my parents' surprise party, but I won't be able to for a while. Have a Happy Thaksgiving, sorry to all my fellow bloggers that I have been unable to visit, and I will see you all hopefully after Thanksgiving.

Where's Manuel?

Has anyone noticed we haven't heard from Manuel in a few days? Has anyone wondered why? I'll show you...

Yep, that's him, camped out in front of Target since 11am Wednesday waiting for his Playstation 3, which comes out tomorrow at 8am. I'm sure we'll hear all about his adventures when he comes back. In the mean time, wish him warmth.

Do-It-Yourself IS NOT Always Best

Like the vast majority of women, I feel the need to control my body hair. This includes shaving my legs and underarms, as well as occasionally having the hair pulled off my face in the form of waxing my eyebrows.

I used to pay to have this done. I would give someone my hard-earned money to torture me and pull the hair off my face. Then it occurred to me - I could torture myself basically for free, after I bought all the stuff. And, crunching the numbers, I figured that after I had done it twice, it would pay for itself.

The first time I waxed my eyebrows, it went very well. I found that it hurt considerably less simply because I knew when the rip was coming. I broke out less afterward, and, like I did when I paid for it, I didn't have to come home and tweeze the hairs I could see but they couldn't. Yes, this waxing my own eyebrows was a BRILLIANT idea!

Until today...

My right eyebrow is considerably thinner than I would normally have it, and my left eyebrow is this close to having a bald spot. I don't know if I wasn't in the mood to do it or if I just wasn't as careful as I was last time, but today I learned that doing it yourself is not always best. Sometimes is it worth spending your hard-earned money to be tortured. At least you don't walk out of the salon looking like a dork...

Guitar Hero 2

As you know, Manuel and I recently celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. We discussed the gifts we would give each other, and it was decided that I would buy him a Playstation 3 game when he got his Playstation 3 (be it when it comes out next week or later when supplies increase.)

We were out and about tonight, as I was going crazy from being cooped up in the house because of Manuel's cold all last week. We stopped by Best Buy because we needed some color cartridges for our photo printer, and they had a demo set up where you could play the new Guitar Hero 2 that came out for Playstation 2 this week. We had seen a few videos on YouTube where people were playing in expert mode, and we were fascinated. The kids playing at Best Buy were nowhere near as good, but it was still fun to watch.

Having been married to Manuel for 4 years, and dating him for 6 years before we got married, I know him pretty well, and I could see it in his eyes - he wanted it. He REALLY wanted it. So, after a little but of protesting on his part (and truthfully, I think the protesting was all a show only because he believed it was the right thing to do) I bought it for him.

And here we are, at 1240 am, taking turns playing with it. In case you don't know what it is, it's a video game where you play a guitar and have to push the "notes" in time with the "notes" on the screen to make beautiful music. And if you don't hit them right on, the song doesn't sound nearly as good.

I took pictures of Manuel playing, to document his enjoyment of his anniversary gift (and dare I admit, I think it's quite fun as well!)

RIP Jack Palance 1919-2006

So, so sad to see this fine actor go. I still remember him doing his pushups at the Acadamy Awards. Post your favorite Jack moment!

It's Friday Part 2

Thought this should go in its own post so it doesn't steal the thunder of everything else I wrote! This is a picture of my beautiful, wonderful sister(What is with my big eyes?). Now, I can say, this is a picture of my beautiful, wonderful, ENGAGED sister. Yes, her and her boyfriend are now engaged and getting married next September 1st. Yes, it is many months away, but be sure to wish them love and happiness. May they have a long, sucessful marriage! Love you sis!

It's Friday Part 1

It's Friday and I have so much news to report. I might actually split this into two posts so I don't overwhelm you and some of what I wrote doesn't get overlooked.

First off, the photoshop news. Like I said, I entered a photoshop contest. The contest was to insert musical notes into an image. Some people made clouds that looked like a musical note, some made bamboo into a muscial note(the winner), and I did this:



It is supposed to look like a crop circle shaped like a musical note. What do you think? It was fun, so I think I'll enter one again when I contest interests me. By the way, 75 people entered and I got 29th place. I was more than satisfied with it.

I told you I had some Michael Jackson news and it is exciting!. Next week, at the World Music Awards in London, MJ will be making a comeback of sorts by perfoming Thriller on stage, complete with dancers dressed as zombies doing the Thriller dance. I think this is exciting news. Call him what you want, and I know his is all kooky in the head now, but if he ever decided to return to normalcy again and tour here, I would SO be there! Regardless, I hope this performance makes it onto tv. Here is the Thriller video to make you nostalgic. You know you want to watch!!!



Wanted to show more of the google searches people are doing to get to my site. There were some funny ones last time, so here are some from the last few days or so:

1."what does schnike mean?" - They don't already know?!?!?
2."when someone is insane as you clearly are movie quotes" - Someone likes Se7en!
3."Chris Klein Total Alpha heterosexual" - Interesting...
4."gg: vampires "do not explode when sunlight hits them" - I am mpre curious what the gg at the beginning means
5."stephanie mcmahon .vs playboy" - A fight? Rich, know anything about this?
6."ufc 65 will suck" - Huh? Maybe Rich or my sis know something about this.

There you have. Some interesting ones...

Finally, the new Spiderman III trailer was released last night. I was going to post it, but isnce it was on like every channel last night, you probably caught it. If not, go check it out online it's good.

FINALLY!

What a day of finallys(is that even a word?)! I am finally starting to feel better, and Rich finally posted again in what seems like a month. I always like his posts because they have more meat to them. More substance. My posts are like a cheeseburger. His are like filet mignon. Totally different, but both yummy. It is no suprise though that my posts tend to go more in the cheeseburger direction as I would prefer a cheeseburger to a filet mignon. Go figure...

I read that some people around the country are starting to line up already for the Playstation 3. Over a week ahead of schedule. Now, I really want one, but I am not going to THOSE lengths. I just hope when I decide to get in line Thursday morning still 24 hours early, it is not too late.

There is a great website that I found recently that does nothing but photoshop contests. They give you a topic, and you have 2 days to complete it. They have advanced and beginner contests. I finally entered one yesterday and today they are being voted on. I think around 75 people entered the contest, so being my first one, I just want to finish in the top HALF of entries. That would be a good goal. I find out tonight. My contest was to put musical notes somewhere in a scene or some kind of object made to look like a music note. The example was a cord for a computer mouse tangled up to look like a music note. This of course had to be done with photoshop, not really done in real life. I'll show you what I made tomorrow.

I don't think I ever sent out kudos for the last movie quote quiz. At least I don't think I did. Either way, congrats to Nani for getting the first one and for Kelly to get the other two. Other people got them right, but they were first. Congrats.

Take care, and be sure to check out and comment on Rich's post below. Exciting Micheal Jackson news tomorrow as well as the new trailer for Spiderman 3!!!

Forever taking the SAT's

I guess I wonder about things way too much. That is usually why I never sit down and complete one thought because I have already moved onto the next random idea by the time I document my original light bulb. That is my lame excuse for not doing anything for the past 2 months or so. I have sooo much free time and what do I do with it all? Usually nothing productive. That said, here is my one moment of literary genius for the day.

I voted yesterday. Got my little sticker and filled in the tiny bubbles. As I did this I realized something. Perhaps not an original thought or even a mantra or whatnot.

Isn't life just a series of Mad Libs and Multiple Choice Tests?????

Today everyone will wake up and make a choice. Shower or no shower? Then it will continue. Cereal or oatmeal? Ya see what I mean? My point being that as ordinary as your life can be on a day to day basis it is always different. ALWAYS. As ordinary as these choices are they will effect everything you do for the day. One decision leads to the next question and you will arrive at your answer for that next question based upon what you did prior to that moment. Within all these multiple choice pop quizzes are the mad libs. The template questions that we all get every single day. How do you fill in the blanks with those classic, "Well my day is going ______."

So you get my drift, right? I guess I think of life in this matter cause I wonder sometimes if I had chosen bubble B instead of A where would I be? I think for the most part that kind of thinking comes from dissatisfaction with the results of what I actually did choose. Otherwise why would I be looking back. Maybe instead of wanting to change past decisions I should worry about the new ones I am about to make today. Makes that whole life is a test kinda thing more of a reality to me I suppose. Ya know I have no clever way to end this, so just hi to all my fans out there and make sure you stay alert. The next pop quiz is on it's way ASAP. Rabble Rock

News to make me feel better...

It's all over the news! Britney Spears has filed for divorce from Keven Federline. I miss the days when I would drool over Britney. it really has nothing to do with her being pregnant, she just started looking trashy. Hopefully, this divorce will bring back the hot Britney. The news inspired me to do this photoshop creation on the fly....

Yuck...

Still sick and have been since Friday night. I'm tired of this. I am usually a quick recovery kind of guy, but not this one I guess. I'm barely sleeping. I feel a little better today so hopefully I am on the upward slope.

The image on my face in the last pic was Morro Rock at sunset. I am so disappointed in my family...

It is only a little over a week now until Playstation 3 comes out. On Friday the 17th, supposedly at 8am, they are scheduled to be released. I was hoping that would go on sale at 12:01 am. Maybe they still will as I don't want to camp overnight. I guess you do what you have to do to get one though. Supplies are SUPER limited so I am going to have to get there pretty early. Wish me luck...

Still sick...

Yeah, my last post was just earlier today, but I'm just keeping you updated.

Here is a photoshop pic I just did. It's pretty similar to that last one, but with a scenery background. My family should know where this is....

Sick...

The post applies both to me and this funny article. I'm sick right now, so all you are going to get from me right now is an article I cam across this morning. Sorry to everyone to all fellow bloggers as I haven't been up to checking out other blogs the last couple of days. I hope I get better soon. In the meantime, check out this article...


Naked man arrested for concealed weapon

EL CERRITO, Calif. - A man was arrested on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon after police found him outdoors — naked — and he told them he had a tool in his rectum, authorities said.

The man was lying on a tree stump, masturbating beside a nature path, near a Bay Area Rapid Transit station Thursday, police said.

John Sheehan, 33, of Pittsburg, was initially arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure. But when asked whether he was carrying anything police should know about, Sheehan mentioned the tool, said El Cerrito Detective Cpl. Don Horgan.

"You can't get much more concealed than that," Horgan said.

Officers drew their weapons and firefighters were called to the scene. Sheehan removed a 6-inch metal awl wrapped in black electrical tape without incident.

Sheehan, who was paroled from state prison last week, was then booked into jail on suspicion of parole violations, indecent exposure and one felony count of possessing a concealed weapon.

"When you're talking about an awl or an ice pick and you're dealing with somebody who's fresh out of prison, it's a weapon. That's a stabbing instrument," Horgan said.

It was not immediately clear what Sheehan was on parole for. A person answering the phone at the jail Friday night did not know whether Sheehan had a lawyer.

I LOVE crazy people!!!

Love trivia

As you can see from the post my wife left below, today is my anniversary. In honor of that, here are some romatic movie quotes to set the mood. Hope someone knows some of these. Have a good day...

1)Well, yes, ma'am, I do... I mean, I got everything I need right here with me. I got air in my lungs, a few blank sheets of paper. I mean, I love waking up in the morning not knowing what's gonna happen or, who I'm gonna meet, where I'm gonna wind up. Just the other night I was sleeping under a bridge and now here I am on the grandest ship in the world having champagne with you fine people. I figure life's a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You don't know what hand you're gonna get dealt next. You learn to take life as it comes at you... to make each day count.

2)Where do they teach you to talk like this? In some Panama City "Sailor wanna hump-hump" bar, or is it getaway day and your last shot at his whiskey? Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here.

3)Your true love lives. And you marry another. True Love saved her in the Fire Swamp, and she treated it like garbage. And that's what she is, the Queen of Refuse. So bow down to her if you want, bow to her. Bow to the Queen of Slime, the Queen of Filth, the Queen of Putrescence. Boo. Boo. Rubbish. Filth. Slime. Muck. Boo. Boo. Boo.

Happy Anniversary, My Sunshine!

4 years ago today Manuel and I got married. What an absolutely fantastic day that was. Here are some random thoughts on that day...

* We were so lucky - nothing except the caterers putting the punch out too late went wrong.
* Manuel looked very handsome in his tuxedo.
* I was surprised with a bouquet of red roses from my soon-to-be-husband, delivered to my hotel room as I was putting on my earrings.
* I stepped on my wedding dress as I was walking up the few stairs leading to the aisle. I was stuck and couldn't go anywhere until I let go of either my mom or my dad (I can't remember which, as they both walked me down the aisle) to lift my dress out from under my shoes.
* When we kissed, the harpist played a magical music sound.
* Everyone laughed at the part in the vows where Manuel promised to be my partner in mischief. In fact, they laughed so loudly that he didn't hear the rest of the vow and mumbled a response instead.
* When I took pictures with my family before the wedding, Manuel's grandparents walked in and I freaked out because I thought he was going to come inside and see me.
* My last breakfast as a single woman was a bowl of Frosted Flakes.
* We got a $100 bill from someone during the money dance!
* My step-dad was so drunk that when he made his toast, he told us that "it doesn't get any better than this," when really he meant to say, "it only gets better." When we danced our father/daughter dance later, he said to me, "I think I messed up the toast. What I meant to say was that it doesn't get any better than this." He said the same thing again!
* When Cassie, my sister-in-law, took the microphone from the DJ to make her toast, he shocked her and she said, "SHIT!" right into the microphone.
* The DJ put Manuel on the spot and told him to do a sexy walk over to me to take my garter off. The DJ told me that if I didn't like his sexy walk, I could clap my hands, sending him back to make him do it again. His sexy walk was fine, but even if it wasn't, I wouldn't have clapped because I know it would have pissed Manuel off and that's not the way to start a marriage.
* We went to the hotel bar after the reception was over, and a lady in the bar bought us a bottle of champagne and told us that she hoped our marriage worked out better than any of hers had.
* When we went up to the hotel room when the day was finally done, Manuel helped me take my hair down, and I was nearly in tears because the bobby pins were stuck in my hair so well that it hurt to take them out.

Such fond memories of the happiest day of my life. And I would do it again in a heartbeat. Not everyone is lucky enough to be married to their best friend.

In honor of our anniversary, here are the lyrics to our song, the first song we danced to as husband and wife.

Nothing Else Matters by Metallica

So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
And nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
But I know

So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
But I know

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
And nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters

Never cared for what they say
Never cared for games they play
Never cared for what they do
Never cared for what they know
And I know

So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
No nothing else matters

Thank you, Manuel, for everything you do for me. I love you with every ounce of my being.

New season, new hope

Today the Kings have their first game of the NBA season. In the recent past, a new season meant high expectations for a team that could contend for the title. Those days are now gone for the Kings. In fact, I don't know what to expect from this group. Having one of our stars out to begin the season doesn't help. If I had to guess, I would say the Kings are going to win somewhere between 40 and 45 games. That should give them somewhere between the 7th and 9th place teams in the conference. Yes, they might not even make the playoffs. No matter what happens, I'll watch and it should be interesting. Hey, if they lose a lot, I can always swith to another game as I paid the $170 again to have every single NBA game available to me. Love that NBA league pass! Nothing like turning on the tv and having 12 NBA games on...

You know what I have been having fun with? Checking my site meter to see what people type in on google to get to my blog. Now you regulars, you guys don't usually show up because you have it bookmarked or something like that. But how about stangers to visit my site? How do they end up on my site? These are a list of things people have typed in on a search engine the last few days to get to my site:
1)Jessica Manuel (ok, maybe that is someone's name they are looking for)
2)USPS Lost and misdirected mail facts jury summons (What does that even mean?)
3)Eddie Guerrero LatiNo Heat 1967-2005 Photos (Sweet!)
4)oriental not politically correct (Hmm...)
5)Manuel gay (I CERTAINLY AM NOT!!!)
6)her feet smelled (What were they looking for?)
7)Ewok dog (ORKO!!!)
8)NITRO BLOWS UP A SCHOOLYARD FULL OF KIDS (Comic reference...someone likes caps)
9)En Manuel CANT (Uhh.....???)
10)ufc after parties in sacramento (That you Rich?)

I'll try to keep you updated as more fun searches come along....

Congrats to my wife for getting all the quotes right! Sad though that nobody else has even tried the last two times. I'll try one more time and see if I get responses. Tomorrow, I'll post some romance movie quotes in honor of my 4th wedding anniversary tomorrow....

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everybody. No party for me tonight, but I did dress up my face anyways, courtesy of photoshop. I wanted to go as the Thing from the Fantastic Four. Here is a pic in case you don't know who I am talking about:

I'll post the photoshop pic at the end.

I heard some VERY exciting news today on the comic front. One of the best comics I have read since I started up again was a mini series called Marvel Zombies. It is a series that imagines what would happen if all the super heroes turned into zombies. It was very fun and a big commercial success. Well, like all success stories these days, it demanded a sequal. Yesterday, Marbel announced that they are bringing back the zombies, and they will have to fight none other than ASH. If you haven't seen the Evil Dead/Army of Darkness films, you have no idea who I am talking about. Ash, played by the awesome Bruce Campbell, will make an appearance to fight the zombies in a mini series called Marvel Zombies vs The Army of Darkness. Should be really fun. I can think of at least one person who will want this... Valkyrie, I'm looking at you! Here is some preview art, complete with a spelling typo!

I am disappointed that everyone did so poorly in the movie quote quiz. I guess it was too obscure an actor. Well, it was Carl Weathers, and the movies were 1)Rocky, 2)Predator, and 3)(which Jess got!) Happy Gilmore.

I'll make this one easier! The rules are change din honor of Halloween. These are three totally different actors. What horror movies are these from? Bonus if you know the actors who said them...

1)Because he's probably dead. His body will come popping up in the last reel somewhere. Eyes gouged out, fingers cut off, teeth knocked out! See, the police are always off track with this shit! If they'd watch Prom Night, they'd save time! There's a formula to it. A very simple formula! Everybody's a suspect!

2)Did they look like psychos? Is that what they looked like? They were vampires. Psychos do not explode when sunlight hits them, I don't give a fuck how crazy they are!

3)I've been trying to figure something in my head, and maybe you can help me out, yeah? When a person is insane, as you clearly are, do you know that you're insane? Maybe you're just sitting around, reading "Guns and Ammo", masturbating in your own feces, do you just stop and go, "Wow! It is amazing how fucking crazy I really am!"? Yeah. Do you guys do that?

I think these are easy...hopefully. I know at least Jess should get them so beat her to the punch...


Happy Halloween everybody!

GG's 100th Birthday Party 10/21/06

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

Book review and a new photoshop pic

I finished Beach Road last night. Not a bad book. I quite enjoyed it. Basically, it is a murder mystery with all the court room drama in the last third of the book. If you are into that kind of book, you will really enjoy it. The twist ending is a good one. It didn't make my jaw drop like it did to Jessica who read this right before me, but it was definitely not an ending that I saw coming at all. I should probably start giving my books ratings if I am going to be doing these book reviews. On a scale of one to ten, I'd give it about a 7. A good fast read.

Played with a photoshop tutorial today that I found online. This tutorial aimed to take a photo, and make it look like it is graffiti on a wall.

So I took these two pictures:


...and turned it into this:


I know I am new to this whole photoshop thing, but I think I am getting better. I think for Christmas, I am going to ask for a photoshop tutorial book for beginners that has LOTS of pictures. I work better with pictures. I have a photoshop book, but it is nothing but text, and am having a hard time getting into it.

BTW, if you haven't tried your hand at the movie quote quiz on the post below, be sure to give it a try. Have a good weekend everybody.

I missed you...

I'm talking about my laptop of course. All week, I have been without my laptop because the powed cord broke. I've had to use the computer in one of the bedrooms. I've missed being able to type, surf, and chat in front of the tv on the sofa. Lazy? Sure. But it makes me realize how spoiled I am. So welcome back to my life Mr. Laptop. I'm so happy you got a new cord today.

The trailer for Season 6 of 24 was released yesterday. I am sure this is just for the first handful of episodes, but it sure looks fun! Can't wait! God, I hope they kill Chloe! Worst character on tv, maybe ever.




You know what I haven't done in a while? A movie quote quiz. For those of you new readers, I will give three quotes, all from the same actor. You just name the actor and what movie he/she said them in. But like always, please, no cheating. If you don't know it, you don't know it. I don't remember who I have and have not used before, so it could be a repeat actor...

1. "Ain't gonna be no rematch."

2. "I woke up. Why don't you? You're an asset. An expendable asset. And I used you to get the job done, got it?"

3. "Damned alligator just POPPED up, cut me down on my prime. He got me, but I tore one of the bastard's eyes out though"

Asshole

So today, I had scheduled a pickup of TONS of old clothes with the Sacramento Association for the Retarded. Jessica and I cleaned out our closets and had a huge pile of clothes we didn't want anymore. When I talked to the people for pickup, I asked if I could have them in a pile outside since I didn't really have big trash bags to put them in. They said it was ok. All I have are the bags that fit in our trash can under the sink. Those aren't that big.

So right now, the door knocks and I answer it:

Me: Hello

Ass: We can't take those like that.

Me: When I called, they told me it was ok since I didn't have big enough bags.

Ass: No, they didn't tell you that.

(OK, so excuse me. Were you on the phone with me)

Me: I guess I have some bags they could fit in.

Ass: Well, they go in there or we aren't taking this!

(Listen here, cock knocker, I am donating clothes to you! You don't try to threaten me like that. I almost, ALMOST, said to forget it and I would call some other worthy non-asshole charity. I guess what kept me from doing it was guilt over telling a charity that I have stuff for them and then take it back. I didn't want to punish the charity because of one man's asshole-ishness.)

Me: Fine, let me open the garage and I will be right out with the bags.

Ass: ...

So I go outside with the bags and start filling the bags, wondering if he is going to get out of the car and help. Luckily, he did because if he hadn't, I had made up my mind to finally say forget it. 8 or 9 bags later, we were done.

Me: Ok, so you got it from here?

Ass: Got it.

Me: Ok, then, thanks.

Ass: ...

So, I called the number on the receipt and complained about him. They said it would get back to his supervisor. They apologized and said they hope it doesn't prevent me from doing future donations.

Me: Don't count on it.

If you live in the Sacramento area, help me boycott the Sacramento ASSociation for the Retarded. There are plenty of other worthwhile charities that need out help.

Tasteless...

I'm speechless. This is about as tasteless as you can get. You have to read this utter grbage...

From Washingpost.com:

Conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh today attacked actor Michael J. Fox for inserting his halting voice into the U.S. Senate campaign in Missouri, suggesting Fox was "acting" in a commercial where he's shown shaking while endorsing the importance of stem cell research.

"He is exaggerating the effects of the disease," Limbaugh told listeners today, encouraging them to go online to watch Fox's commercial, which first aired Oct. 21 in St. Louis during a World Series game. "He's moving all around and shaking and it's purely an act."

The ads bear witness to the actor's unmistakable decline from Parkinson's, which the actor has suffered from for a long time, and harnesses that physical degeneration into a political message.

"What you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans, Americans like me," Fox said in the television spot, which will continue airing throughout Missouri this week.

"This is the only time I've ever seen Michael J. Fox portray any of the symptoms of the disease he has," Limbaugh said. "He can barely control himself."

Limbaugh said Fox could "control himself enough to stay in the frame of the picture" and to keep "his eyes right on the . . . teleprompter. But his head and shoulders are moving all over the place."

"He is acting like his disease is deteriorating because Jim Talent opposes research that would help him get cured," Limbaugh said, adding that Talent only opposes "fetal stem cell research, but not adult."

"This is really shameless of Michael J. Fox," Limbaugh said. "Either he didn't take his medication or he's acting."

HOLY CRAP! Did he just say that? I mean really, does it get much worse than that? What a fucking asshole...

Monday

Clever title huh? Sorry for the lack of posts since Thursday. My A/C cord on my laptop took a dump on me and only is going on whatever battery I have left in the laptop. I ordered a new one today, but I am sure it will be a couple of days until Fed/Ex gets it to me. Sure, I have the desktop computer, but one can get really spoiled using a laptop from the living room for so long.

Saturday, we had a birthday party to celebrate Jessica's great grandma's 100th birthday. I am sure she will have pictures later, but I have to say, that is simply an amazing achievement. What a lady! It was really a great time.

No word on a government job yet. Almost every job I applied for back in August/September hasn't even closed yet, so I could be waiting a while. There is one test I want to take that Jerry over at One Sided War suggested, but I am still waiting for it to open again. Talk to one lady who works for some state recruiting office who told me to not get discouraged. She said, with my background and education, I WILL find something, but it will just take time for someone to find me.

I do have a new dilemma though. I have been working more and more for Jessica's stepmom's medical billing agency. In fact, I really like it. She mentioned that someone who has a business similar to her's is thinking of selling it. She mentioned that I oculd buy it, and then we could kind of go into business together. I say kind of because I would have my clients, she would have hers, but we could help each other when needed. In my head, it sounds like a great idea. It would be my own business from home, doing something I like, and it is pretty profitable. It is not like I would be trying to start up a new business from scratch. The clients are in place. It is just scary to try another venture like that. I left a good teaching job to try my hand at real estate. When the market took a dump, I had to get out. It just scares me to try another job like this rather than getting a regular old office, 9-5, white collar job. I don't know. I just need to see how it all looks on paper I guess. What do you guys think?

Dipshit

Ok, so I know everyone have probably heard about the threats that were made on football stadiums this coming weekend, and how the FBI said it wasn't credible. Some more info was released today courtesy of cnn.com:

MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (CNN) -- A law enforcement official told CNN that a man has admitted he posted a fake bomb threat against National Football League stadiums in major U.S. cities as part of an Internet competition with a person in Texas to create the scariest terror scenario possible.

The official told CNN that it's too early to say whether the man will be charged.

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security had earlier determined that the threat was a hoax, FBI spokesman Richard Kolko told CNN Thursday.

Earlier Thursday, the FBI interviewed and released a 20-year-old Milwaukee, Wisconsin, man after his friend came forward with information about the online posting of a threat against NFL stadiums.

An FBI source told CNN that agents do not believe the man has any connections to terrorism, but do believe he was involved in making the threat.

The DHS this week sent an advisory to the National Football League and local officials describing a possible uncorroborated threat against some NFL stadiums.

The threat, posted on a Web site, alleged that bombs could be used this weekend against stadiums in New York; Miami, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; Houston, Texas; Oakland, California; and Cleveland, Ohio. The posting said the bombs were to be delivered by truck.

The DHS said earlier the posting was not considered credible, and that the information was being shared only out of caution so that league officials and others could determine what steps to take.

So, this came about simply because two guys wanted to see who could come up with the scariest terror threat? This was all a fucking game? The article mentions that he might not be charged. Are you kidding me? Game or not, this guy should be punished to the highest extent. You just don't joke about shit like that!!!

Stories

One of the perks of the old job was the stories I'd come home with. I mean, the things I saw, the things people said, the things that happened - all of it made for great stories. I was afraid, taking this new job, that I'd lose the stories. I mean, what could there possibly be to tell stories about?

Thankfully, I was wrong. Here are two...

A lady called saying that she was having some itching "in her personal area." (It's funny to hear what people call their vaginas. Sometimes they actually say it, but they whisper it.) Upon asking this lady a few questions, something interesting came out. She said, "Yeah, and my butt itches too. I did sleep on a homeless guy's blanket, and the dog had fleas. Do you think that's why I'm itching?"

Ummm... You slept on a homeless guy's blanket?!

A 15 year old girl called saying she had symptoms of gonorrhea. I asked how she knew she had gonorrhea. She said she had been treated for it before. I asked where she had been treated. Her response? "Giggle giggle, Juvie."

Ummm... You think it's funny that you are 15 years old and were treated for gonorrhea in juvenile hall?!

Ah yes, the stories didn't stop...

Control your f'n kid!!!!!!!!!!!!

So Jessica and I were at the gym tonight, finishing up our workout by doing the eliptical machine(missed you again mom and sis!). There was a kid, probably about 10 years old by my estimations on the treadmill in front of us. At first, he would jog about 10 seconds, and then jump up and hang on the handlebars for a while. He kept doing that and I whispered to Jessica that I hope he falls. Then, he stood on the rails and turned up the speed on the treadmill as fast as it would go. I think the machine started to shake from never hitting this speed before. Finally, his mother, who was on a machine a few down from me, told him to turn it off and get down. Did he stop? Of course not. She repeated, no joke, like 5 times before he turned the speed down. She continued to to tell him to get off it, obviously because he was still in trouble from playing on it in the first place. Did he get off it? Of course not. He started jogging on it, turning to laugh at her each time she told him to get off. He never did get off the machine even though she told him a total of about 15 times.

So, the kid is a little shit. You could just tell. But really, how can you NOT blame the mother as well? Why should he listen? It is obvious that she has nothing but empty threats and he knows that. Why should he get down if he already knows the mother has NO follow through? I know I am not a parent and have no parenting experience, but it sure seems like a GOOD parent could do a little better in this situation. Maybe if he had fallen and broken a bone, she would have figured it out...

Book Review

Finished World War Z last night. WOW! What a FANTASTIC book. This book is basically a zombie book, but it is SO much more. The style of the book is not your usual start to finish narrative. The books begins(I'm not giving anything away here)with the author explaining that what follows are all the personal narratives he got while interviewing people across the world. The war against the zombies that ended 10 years ago affected people greatly so he goes around interviewing various people on their point of view. This is not really a horror book by any means. Many of the interviews are touching and really show many facets of the human spirit. The author's views on politics are clear as he writes of government ignoring the warning signs and abandoning the people. He writes of people trying to take advantage of the situation. He basically describes how everyone around the world discovered the zombies, how they reacted, and what they did to combat it. All of this is done soley in interview and personal narrative fashion. I HIGHLY recommend this book to everyone. You like horror books, there is something there for you. You like war books, there is something there for you. Like stories about people overcoming obstacles and the truimph of the human spirit, there is something there for you. Don't just discount this book as a simple zombie book as you will be missing a lot. If anyone decides to read it, let me know.

Nacho, Nacho Man

I want to be, a Nacho Man!

OH MY GOD!

Stole this from the Rhys' blog. This is an AMAZING goal from last night's England/Croatia Euro 2008 qualifier. Be sure to watch the whole thing to see all the different camera angle replays. The last one is the best...

The answer....

Yesterday, I asked what was wrong with the unhappy dog in the picture. 4 of you(only 4?!), responded with a variety of answers - all very good. Unfortunately, none of you were right. While cruising celebrity news sites, I found the answer...



This poor, unhappy pooch, is Paris Hilton's new dog. I'd have that face too....

Thanks to those who played along!

Poor dog...

Doesn't this dog look miserable? I know why! Give me some guesses and I will give you the real answers tomorrow...

Misdirected Relief

What kind of a world do we live in now where a plane crashes into a high rise in NYC, and after a few moments of shock, we feel relief that reports say it was just an accident? It is not surprising that our first thoughts are of terrorism when we hear of a crash like this. It is not unreasonable for us to think that. What is weird though is to hear television reports talk about relief that it was not a terrorist attack. Pre 9/11, we would be talking right away about what a tragedy this was. In the world we live in today, somehow, some people have something positive to take from this - at least it wasn't a terrorist attack. It's really weird to think like that.

Now we hear that it was a Yankee player who crashed his plane into the building. Just weird...

I thought I had seen it all....

...and then I find out today that Marilyn Manson has done a song for DISNEY!!! I LOVE IT! Disney is rereleasing the very cool Nightmare Before Christmas to the theaters in 3D. Manson in playing the main title song - This is Halloween. Not sure if they will change it in the movie or if it will just be on the soundtrack, but it is very cool.

Go here: and watch the trailer first to remind you of the movie and song. Then scroll a teeny ways down to the MySpace player(right under the dowloadable icons.) Click on This is Halloween to hear it play. I would just put it on my page, but as of this typing, the don't have it available yet to download. Boo. Check it out!

North Korea

North Korea is beginning to scare me more and more. I don't know why the leadership over there seems to hate us so much. I mean, I know their ideological communist regime is mainly to blame, but it is scary as hell. World affairs just seem to be getting worse and worse...

Just for the hell of it

This one is just for Cassie cause this is the only place I talk to her and figured she should know just in case it slipped by her. I'm looking forward to Ortiz/Shamrock 3 this week, but I found this on the UFC website.

10/06/2006
UFC 65: Bad Intentions in Sacramento on Nov. 18
LIVE FROM ARCO ARENA
UFC® PRESENTS TWO CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHTS
HUGHES vs. ST. PIERRE 2 SYLVIA vs. MONSON AT UFC 65: BAD INTENTION
SSATURDAY, NOV. 18, 2006
Tickets on Sale Sunday, October 15 at 12Noon PT
Las Vegas, NV Seven weeks from now, the over 17,000-seat ARCO Arena in Sacramento, Calif. will be a sight to see when UFC fans from all around the world pack the house to watch UFC World Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia face Jeff Monson and UFC World Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes take on No. 1 Contender Georges St. Pierre in their long-awaited rematch at the Ultimate Fighting Championships UFC 65: BAD INTENTIONS Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006.Tickets for UFC 65: BAD INTENTIONS will go on sale priced at $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50 Sunday, October 15 at 12 Noon PT. The fastest and most convenient way to purchase tickets is by visiting the Ticketmaster Web site at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone at (916) 649-TIXS, (530) 528-TIXS and (209) 551-TIXS. Tickets are also available at the ARCO Arena Box Office, which is open Monday thru Saturday from 10am to 6pm at all Sacramento-area Ticketmaster locations and at www.ufc.com. A special Internet ticket presale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers October 10 starting at 10am PT and ending October 14 at 7pm PT. To access this presale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through ufc.com. There will also be a special auction for Octagon™-side seating available only through Ticketmaster.com starting October 15 at 12 Noon and ending October 27 at 4pm.

Im pleased to bring the most exciting live combat sport in the world the UFC to ARCO Arena and to give fans two great championship title fights in one night, said UFC President Dana White. The Tim Sylvia and Jeff Monson fight is going to be incredible, and the main event rematch between Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre has to be one of the most anticipated mixed martial arts fights ever. Im looking forward to Nov. 18 and to finally holding a UFC event in Sacramento. Hughes and St. Pierre were originally set to fight each other at UFC 63 (9/23/06). Both fighters were deep in their training when the UFC announced that St. Pierre had pulled a groin muscle. He recuperated, but not in time to prepare for the fight. Instead, BJ The Prodigy Penn stepped up to the challenge, giving Hughes the opportunity to avenge his most recent loss against the former champion. After two incredible rounds of MMA, Hughes stopped Penn in the third round, retaining his welterweight crown and evening the score between the two. Not one to wait, Hughes is all set to get back in the Octagon™ at UFC 65 and give fans the fight they were promised at UFC 63. I think this will be a great fight and that fans will appreciate this rematch, said Hughes. Im already in shape and Im definitely ready for St. Pierre. Ive been waiting for this fight against Matt Hughes for a long time, said St. Pierre. I want that belt so bad I want to become the champion. Hughes and St. Pierre last fought
October 22, 2004 at UFC 50: THE WAR OF 04 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. At the time, St. Pierre had a perfect record. But Hughes ended up giving St. Pierre his first career loss, forcing him to tapout at the end of the first round. Since that day, Hughes has maintained the welterweight crown, and St. Pierre has aggressively fought to put himself back in line for the title, defeating former champion BJ Penn, Jason Mayhem Miller, Frank Trigg and Sean Sherk. Meanwhile, Matt Hughes defeated Frank Trigg, Joe Riggs, the legendary Royce Gracie and most recently former champion BJ Penn.Sylvia and Monson will also engage in a championship title fight at UFC 65.

Sylvia (24-2-0), fighting out of Davenport, Iowa, is the UFC heavyweight champion. He first stormed into the UFC defeating Cabbage Correira in his first fight and knocking out Ricco Rodriguez in his second fight to become the champion. Following his knock out of Gan McGee to defend the title, Sylvia relinquished his belt when the Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended his license after he tested positive for an anabolic agent. He then fought Frank Mir for the vacant title at UFC 48 and suffered multiple breaks in his arm from a Mir armbar. After recovering, he returned at UFC 51 fighting Arlovski only to suffer another setback as he was forced to tap out in the first round due to an Achilles lock. At UFC 54 he returned to his winning ways with a devastating head kick knockout over Tra Telligman, followed by a unanimous decision victory over Assuerio Silva at Ultimate Fight Night™ Jan. 16, 2006. Sylvia faced UFC World Heavyweight Champion Arlovski again at UFC 59 and defeated him by a devastating first round knockout. He followed that up with another win, a decision, over Arlovski at UFC 61 (7/8/06). Now hes ready to make his third title defense, this time against the devastating challenger Jeff Monson.Monson (24-5), fighting out of Olympia, Wash., is a world champion submission grappler who trains with the American Top Team. Monson is most well known for his strength and his wrestling skills. Lately, he has become a threat standing as well as on the ground, as he showed in his first round KO over Anthony Perosh at UFC 61 (7/8/06). Previously, at UFC 57 (2/4/06) Monson submitted Branden Lee Hinkle with a north/south choke in the first round. He also defeated jiu-jitsu champion Marcio Cruz by split-decision. Monson feels he is ready for a title shot and is eager to face Sylvia on Nov. 18.

The remaining bouts for UFC 65: BAD INTENTIONS will be announced in the near future.

It can be our first date. What do ya say? I'll buy the tickets and you buy the coldstone afterwards? hehe Hope Mike doesn'tnecessary. Oh and I don't think it was neccessary to leave that Victoria's Secret catalog in my bedroom the other night. Did ya have to leave it open to the filled out order form cause that isn't a very subtle hint. Sorry Mom and Manuel. Just amusing myself with that last paragraph. Peace people. PEACE!

P.S. Your order is on the way Cassie. Teehee. :)

No explanation needed....

My First Week

I survived my first week of my new job. Here are some of my thoughts...

I felt like I wasn't too helpful. I go to orientation and stuff all next week, and there I'll learn the computer system and get my log-ins. This week I mainly shadowed everyone - the last half of Monday with the advice nurse, Tuesday and Wednesday with the people doing prenatals (which I'll do) and Wednesday I even did one on my own, Thursday again with the advice nurse, and I took calls and gave advice while she did the computer stuff, and today neither the advice nurse nor the people doing prenatals were there so I cleaned out and organized the cabinets with all the informational brochures and helped everyone with their little things. I actually left early - 315pm - because there was nothing to do. I couldn't take advice calls because, again, I don't know the computer system.

The people I work with are all very friendly and willing to help and answer questions. The doctors are all nice. They are fun and laugh, and it is pretty laid back. The only thing is, there is no break room in our office, so everyone gathers in the office of the doctor on-call and eats. Only, nobody invited me. I shouldn't feel like I need an invitation, I mean, I have every right to eat my lunch with them, but at the same time, I feel kinda like I'm intruding. So I ate lunch by myself 3 of the days. It's no big deal - I usually call Manuel or read. It's only 30 minutes (I do that by choice. I'm so used to not even getting a lunch, 30 minutes is fine. I wouldn't know what to do with myself for an hour.)

The commute sucks. I'm so used to having no commute, and the little bit I did drive to the hospital was so early/late there was no traffic. Going to work is usually worse than coming home. The fastest it took me was 20 minutes and that was today with absolutely no traffic. The longest it took me was 45 minutes. Coming home usually takes about 30 to 40 minutes. Still though, even if it takes me an hour to get home, I get there before I would if I was still at the hospital...

This 5 days a week thing... I guess I never realized how nice it is to have days off during the week. It's not awful, but I must admit that the thought, "I have to do this for 3 more days" did cross my mind Tuesday morning.

8 hours - I LOVE IT! The day goes SOOOOOOO fast. Even though it's only 4 hours less than what I did at the hospital, it really makes a difference.

I did inadvertently create trouble this week. I swear, I can't even go a week without stirring up the shit...

During lunch with the advice nurse on Thursday we were talking about the difference between this job and the hospital. Thursday was VERY slow and we actually spent a good chunk of time looking at magazines and talking. During lunch she mentioned something about this probably being the easiest job I've had, and I agreed, saying, in passing, "This is the easiest (insert dollars/hour here) I've ever made!" She said, "You make (insert dollars/hour here)?" Instantly I knew I had screwed up. If I could just turn back time... "No..." "Yes you do. You make (insert dollars/hour here) and I only make (insert less dollars/hour here). You've been a nurse for 2.5 years and I've been a nurse for 22 years and you make more than me?!"

I can understand that she was upset. I admit, the situation is f'd up. If that were me, I'd be pissed too. She went to the bosses and mentioned it to them. They told her that if she went to HR about it, I could get into trouble. She told me she wouldn't do that to me. The bosses called HR and mentioned it to them without mentioning my name. She didn't get more money, but somehow they made her feel better. They told her they were desperate to fill the position and that's why they offered more money. Either way, there went Jessica, on her 4th day, stirring up the shit.

I also like the job because it is a set, regular schedule, allowing Manuel and I to set a gym schedule we can stick to. We went to the gym Monday and Wednesday, more than we were able to do when I worked at the hospital, getting home at 730pm after working my ass off and having to get up at 520am to do it again the next day. So hopefully this new job will assist with the weight loss - if I'm able to exercise self-control when the drug reps bring goodies to the office!

Next week I get my computer learn on, then the plan for the next week is Monday and Tuesday do advice for real so I can learn the computer in our actual setting, then do advice on my own Wednesday (the regular advice nurse takes Wednesdays off.) Thursday and Friday I'll do prenatal appointments.

Overall I am very happy so far. I can feel that I'm happier, perkier, more joyful. I feel better not dreading going to work. It was a good move.

What are you looking at butthead?!?

Saw this video today and had to post it. This is Tom Wilson who played Biff in Back to the Future. Here is a song he wrote about the questions he gets all the time. Pretty funny. The first 5 seconds or so have some funky colors so don't freak out.

CHP Retiree's Day

A quick read...

Sunday was a very enjoyable day for me. After doing my list of chores that Jessica left me while she was at work, I decided that I was going to have a nice leisurely day of reading - with football on in the background of course. As you can see on my sidebar, I'm reading World War Z, but since I am reading that book to Jessica, I had to pick something else. I decided to pick another book that I had checked out at the library, "Mary, Mary", by James Patterson. For those of you who don't know, I am a big James Patterson fan. LOVE his books. This book was the most recent in his Alex Cross series. Like all other Alex Cross books, this one was really good. This one was about a serial killer in L.A. that was killing prominent people in the entertainment industry. As it was only three hundred pages, I was able to polish it off in one day. Great book. If you have never read a book in the Alex Cross series, I highly recommend starting with the first one and moving your way through them. They are all, VERY GOOD.

This next story is almost too crazy to be true, but it is:
From Anova.com


Police hunt farting dissident

Police in Poland have launched a nationwide hunt for a man who farted loudly when asked what he thought of the president.

Hubert Hoffman, 45, was charged with "contempt for the office of the head of state" for his actions after he was stopped by police in a routine check at a Warsaw railway station.

He complained that under President Lech Kaczynski and his twin brother Jaroslaw, the country was returning to a Communist style dictatorship.

When told to show more respect for the country's rulers, he farted loudly and was promptly arrested.

Hoffmann was arrested and released on bail but failed to turn up at a Warsaw court early this week to be tried, and the judge in the case rejected an appeal by defence lawyers to throw the charges out.

A court spokesman said: "Such a case of disrespect is taken very seriously."

Instead the court ordered the police to start a nationwide hunt for the man, and interpol have been alerted."

Really? Arrested for farting? Farting?!? Note to self - DO NOT movie to Poland and fart when the police ask you a question!

Two photoshop pictures today. First is the long awaited MerManuel. It's not my best work. I was actually having a LOT of problems with it because Ben Stiller's chin/neck/face is SO skinny, and mine is....well, not skinny. Made it really hard with my limited skills, but, I did it...kind of.


The next one is a pic of me and my friends spliced in with some poker pros. This one I mainly did to send to all my friends. It was fun to do, but unless you follow poker, this probably means nothing to you...

A Few Things in the World of Jessica

Today was my last day at the hospital. It was actually a really nice day - not busy at all. In fact, I didn't get my first patient until 830. She was very nice and we had a beautiful delivery of a little boy at 1155. Then I hung out, had lunch, opened gifts from my coworkers (a Starbucks mug and a $50 gift card and a pumpkin-scented 4 wick candle in a cute ceramic pumpkin), and ate ice cream cake. I even got to come home early, which was a blessing seeing as how I have to go to the new work in the morning and still had laundry and other things to do. All in all it was a fantastic last day and I am thankful for the generosity and well wishes of my coworkers. I will miss them tremendously.

The new job starts tomorrow. I'm going to HR in Rancho for the first half of the day, then to the clinic for the last half. I have to do my "compliance training," whatever that is, before I can work in the clinic, so I'll do that in the morning so I can work in the clinic the rest of the week. Then next week, the week of the 9th, I have new employee orientation at HR in Rancho the whole week. No clinic work that week. It will suck and be boring but I'll be getting paid to sit there. Can't complain about that... I'll keep you updated.

The following story I told to Manuel today and he said, after laughing, "That's a story for the blog." So here it is...

On my way home from work, I was stopped at a light next to a car whose license plate read "DBAGMAN." I was curious - was his last name Bagman, first initial D or was he "the bagman?" I scooted up to get a look at him, like that would somehow answer my question for me. He was on the phone, holding it with his right hand (I was on the right) so I couldn't see his face. I did notice though, while looking over, that a woman was sitting in the passenger seat. I couldn't see her face because she was leaning back and was blocked by that solid part of car between the front passenger window and the back. I was looking ahead, waiting for the light to change, when I noticed she was looking at me. I looked over and I am not lying when I say that she was THE MOST unattractive woman I've ever seen in my whole entire life. She was UGLY - and I rarely call people flat-out ugly because it's not nice but my God she was ugly. Honestly it took everything I had to not make a face of shock and surprise when I saw her.

The point of the story? I now know what "DBAGMAN" means - he wants her to wear a bag on her head.