"Christmahanukwanzakah"...stop it!

It might have been funny about 3 years ago when I first heard it, but seriously, once Old Navy starts using it in their TV commercials it's no longer okay to use in normal everyday conversation, attempting to get a laugh.

And btw...why does Hanukah get an extra share in said "consolidated holiday word"? I'm pretty sure that "kah" wasn't there originally, either it's just a case of one person accidentally saying it that way and spreading or perhaps the Jews DO own the media! ha ha

Well, I only have to endure the word for a few more days, thankfully. But please, for my sake, stop saying it. Just stick to the PC term "Happy Holidays", or say "Merry Christmas" 'cause that's what I'm celebratin'.

Peace

Back to the grindstone...

It's both comforting and slightly disturbing when you can take a 2 week vacation from work and come back only find everything is exactly the same as when you left it. I don't know why I expected any change, 'cause usually if there's ever any change in the office I'm the one to blame. But I discovered today something worse than going 3 years without a REAL vacation, it's that first day BACK from vacation. It's so hard to work today, I wanna be outside, I wanna take the train to the beach, I wanna drive down to Fort Point or have some chowder at the wharf. Well, at least I get 3 extra days off next week for Christmas and New Years, maybe I'll satisfy my fix enough then to last me until my next vacation.

I wish I could say that my vacation was totally relaxing, but honestly it wasn't. Despite any goals I might have set to get some rest and do nothing for 2 weeks, "life" always seemed to step in and give me something new to deal with each day. I guess I should be thankful for the "Jon Time" that I was allotted, but I really needed more than I was able to squander out of those 2 weeks. There's no doubt I'll be a little reserved and detached for the next few days as I put some finishing touches on some of the projects that I should have finished, but it's something that must be done.

Tonight's my last final, no big whoop, just gotta show my portfolio in my drawing class. Should go well, I got kinda lazy towards the end of the semester and my teacher noticed, but I still got enough work done so hopefully I'll get at least a B in the class...as if a grade in an Art class really matters anyway.

OK, I'm going to try and work now. Don't wish me luck, I don't need the distraction.

Dear creepy Scientologist...

I'm not "stressed", I'm not "looking pretty dark there" and I've never "contemplated suicide" like you have, although I'll admit you really should have spared us. So stop trying to work an angle with me thinking your Jedi scientologist mind tricks are actually going to work. Good luck with your self-indulgent, science fictionitive, anti-depressant reliance life. Your repulsed acquaintance, Jon B.

Need some background on the matter? I was sitting in the hallway at school waiting for my Art class teacher to show up when this bearded, middle aged, tapered jeans wearing dude walked past me saying "You look really stressed! Yep, lookin' pretty dark there." I thought, who the hell is this guy? Then a couple minutes later I was still sitting in the same spot when he came out of his classroom and said "Yeah...you know, I contemplated suicide once, but decided it wasn't worth it." To which I replied, "Ha ha, well, I'm not quite there yet buddy, but death is overrated anyway." He looked at me, puzzled and probably without a way to approach me for a Scientologist "stress clearing". Which leads me to wonder, why do child molesters start fake churches?

Fat girls sure can dance...but should they?

Saturday night I went to one of best concerts I've ever been to. NINE INCH NAILS at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

We had OK seats, 2nd row in the upper reserve with a nice complete view of the stage. Binocs would have been nice to have, but we really weren't THAT far away. We got there about a half hour late so we missed the first group "Autolux", but that's OK, we saw them a couple years ago and they sucked. Then Queens of the Stone Age came on. They were OK, they played a good mix of their older stuff with a few songs from their latest album. "Burn the Witch" was the highlight of their set.

Then it came time for Mr. Reznor and NIN. I have this to say, Trent Reznor is as big a rock god now as he's ever been. With an elaborate yet simplistic stage design, a translucent projection screen that drops down in front and possibly the best lighting design I've seen in a while his performance was nothing less than amazing. I just awed at how much energy is in his voice and how he's able to maintain that vocal strength throughout the show.

The entrancing "Right Beside You in Time" and Joy Division's "Dead Souls" were the most surprising songs to hear in the set. There were a couple songs that I didn't recognize and supposedly he's been playing songs from his future second part to "With Teeth", so it's possible that either those songs were new or I just need to educate myself better in the NIN catalog. But may I just say that "Head Like a Hole" is probably the best song to end a show with, it really brought everything to a climactic and satisfying close as we bid farewell to Trent and NIN until next time.

My only complaint about the show, which finally explains the title of this "blog", is since we were in the second row, that means that there was a row of people in front of us, obviously. And wouldn't know it, there were about 4 chubby girls in black t-shirts and wearing thick black eyeliner who just couldn't resist the temptation to get up and dance along with the music. After about the second song from NIN, we couldn't take it anymore and moved one section over to where for some reason the entire front row was empty. So we sat, put our feet up and enjoyed the show comfortably, which I think is the best and most effective way to take in a NIN show. The dancing chubbers reminded me of an old SNL sketch where they were at a Phil Collins concert and this one fat and drunk chick kept dancing while all the adult contemporaries were sitting and trying to enjoy the show. Now, don't get me wrong, I love seeing people dance at concerts, just don't stand right in people's line of sight to the stage. For example, I could see across the arena a pair of girls dancing (quite provocatively, might I ad) in an entry way. And it looked cool because the light behind them created a sexy kind of silhouette, like an opening sequence from a Bond film. So please, girls, fat, average or thin as a toothpick, please dance in more open areas where you're not going to annoy people.

After the concert we went to Mel's with our friends Ben & Leila who just happened to run into us at the BART station afterwards. A word to the wise, never go to a Mel's Diner at 2am...apparently that's when the start doing things like serving wilted/brown green salads, waffles with green onions mixed in the batter and nearly rare burgers even though you requested it to be well-done.

I write the best surveys...

1. What’s your deep psychological or sociological reason for even starting this survey?
It's just a little temporary escapism from my job.

2. If you were to purposefully piss somebody off, who would it be and how would you do it?
That one dude in my editing class, I'd take his cell phone and throw it on the ground then stomp on it, busting it to pieces

3. Is an open fly sexy?
It's more of a preview really

4. “The Thong” Sanitary or Unsanitary?
If your curious, look in that girl's laundry basket...yeah, an article of clothing really can't get any dirtier.

5. In your opinion, is President George W. Bush from Texas or Connecticut?
He has land in Texas, but I maintain that he's from Conn.

6. Why don’t you clean your room?
'Cause it's really not THAT messy

7. What are your skills?
Origami skills, knife and hatchet throwing skills, 22 calibre rifle skills, drawing skills, writing skills, filmmaking skills, macking skills

8. What Thanksgiving food item do you NOT like?
My mom made candied yams using Peeps instead of real marshmallows...it was horrific

9. What’s public transportation’s biggest annoyance?
The stinky homeless people who sneak in through the back door and populate the rear of the bus.

10. What’s the best thing about riding a bike?
It's excercise as you're sitting plus the scenery is great, what can be better?

11. Was Paris Hilton ever “hot”?
Not really, before I knew who she was I thought she was some greasy Eurotrash.

12. What horror flick scares you the most?
"Poltergeist" freaked me out the most as a kid, yet I watched it all the time.

13. Are you closer to your mother or father, and why?
I spend more time with my Mom, we have the same taste in a lot of things. But my personality is a lot like my dad's.

14. What childhood TV actor or character would you most like to meet in person?
Mark Summers, Double Dare was the shiznit

15. How do you get rid of your nose hair?
I detach the razor from it's handle then stroke the inside of my nostrils...it works really well

16. Somebody totally eats it on the sidewalk, do you help him/her? (Honest answer please)
If I'm within his/her vicinity, yeah. Vicinity meaning about 30 yards

17. Nestling under a shady tree or basking in the noonday sun?
I enjoy nice cool grass more than anything, so yeah, shady tree please

18. When a bird craps on someone else, do you tell them?
I probably should, but I always assume that maybe they already know and I don't want to remind them.

19. When candy gets stuck in your teeth, do you painstakingly pick it out or just wait for it to dissolve away?
Just wait it out, it'll go away

20. What recreational drug needs a big time comeback?
LSD, so much good music came out of it. I think it would be a cure for a lot of the crap that's coming out nowadays.

21. How much time should pass from when you get his/her number before you call him/her?
The next day, late afternoon or evening I'd say.

22. What is it you love that you could also possibly make a career out of?
Filmmaking

23. Do you ever find Bugs Bunny attractive when he dresses up like a girl bunny?
No, but I used to wish that Jessica Rabbit would really exist

24. What are your means of turning a light switch ON or OFF when your hands are wet?
It's all in the elbow

25. What distinguishing body marks are you most self conscious of, and why?
The scar on my cheek I guess...it wasn't there when I was born

26. What’s your definition of “Emo”?
I refrain from defining, I just know that I like it sometimes and hate it other times.

27. What celebrity do you have dreams of punching out?
I actually had a dream that I punched James Woods square in the nose, he seems like a cool guy, he's just really good at playing the jerk in the films he'sin.

28. Which tastes better, toe nails or inner cheek skin?
Inner cheek skin...mmmmm

29. What is Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” really about?
I think it's about the innocense and excitement of newfound love. Quentin Tarantino's definition is always entertaining though.

30. What if he/she DOES like you?
I'd be flattered

31. What’s your best move?
Being Jon and not going totally over the top or lying to impress someone.

32. What’s REALLY goin’ on?
Couldn't tell ya, why don't you ask Stephen Hawking or somebody smarter.

I don't know what happened...

...it's all a repressed memory that's going to surface at an ill-opportune moment

My top 10 favorite films of all time...

After reading my friend's list, I figured I'd make my own as well. Not worried about what others might think and not concerned with the fact that some more pretentious film buffs will find my selections cliche, I mainly aimed for films that have in one way or another inspired me to be a filmmaker and have also entertained me without end.

And of course this list excludes the Star Wars films and all but one Terry Gilliam film, as it just wouldn't be fair.

So here it is, my top 10 and the reasons why they made the cut...

10. Fellini's "8 1/2" & "La Strada"
I know, I've just started and I'm already cheating by trying to squeeze two films in one slot, but I honestly could not decide which of these films I enjoyed the most. "8 1/2" is perhaps Fellini's most personal film and his most surreal with beautiful cinematography, symbolism and dream sequences to give us just a little peek into the man's brain. "La Strada" is perhaps the best "road movie" ever, a traveling sideshow performer Zampano and his newly acquired assistant Gelsomina (Fellini's wife Giulietta Masina) venture across the wide plains of Itay. These two films opened my eyes to foreign cinema, and most importantly to the world of Federico Fellini.
Favorite Scene: (8 1/2) The cocktail party with the psychic and the "Cabaret-esque" MC "Asa Nisi Masa!"
(La Strada) Everytime Gelsomina is dressed is a clown.

9. "Raging Bull" by Martin Scorsese
Flawless performances by the dynamic duo DeNiro and Pesci, a boxing match has never been approached in a more effective manner and the b&w cinematography is without flaw. Not to mention the writing is excellent and it's a story of failure and regret that's all too common in society. Scorsese's best film in my opinion.
Favorite Scene: Any of the boxing matches with the great cross dissolves between the fight, flash bulbs, bells and round card girls. Stunning and memorable.

8. "Metropolis" by Fritz Lang
Lang, a true pioneer in filmmaking, really set the standard with this film. It's probably the most impressive silent film ever created and is the root influence to possibly every sci fi film that has followed in its wake. Be sure to check out the new restored version which has the original music.
Favorite Scene: "The Seven Deadly Sins" dance performance as hundreds of men pant and writhe with lust for her.

7. "Vertigo" by Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock's masterpiece they say and I believe it's his personal favorite of the films he's made. Based in San Francisco, this psychological mystery, drama and thriller sums up everything that Hitchcock was about. Obsession, dementia, love, lust, death, deception, it's got it all. Jimmy Stewart is great as a retired cop hired by an old friend to tail his wife who he suspects of either going insane or under the influence of a deceased relative...and the plot thickens.
Favorite Scene: Madeline jumping into the SF Bay

6. "Edward Scissorhands" by Tim Burton
It's a suburban fairytale with Johnny Depp as a pale young man with cutting utensils for hands. How could you not love this film.
Favorite Scene: Winona Ryder dancing in the falling snow from Edward's ice sculpture shavings.

5. "Dr. Strangelove: Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb" by Stanley Kubrick
Dark comedy at its best, this film was made in the heat of the cold war and is just as funny then as it is now. Sellers should have won an Oscar for his role as both the President of the US, a British Private soldier and as the enigmatic Dr. Strangelove.
Favorite Scene: Dr. Strangelove's final monologue

4. "Citizen Kane" by Orson Welles
Yes, yes, we all know that Citizen Kane is a beautiful film and uses nearly every photographic technique in the book. But what's amazing is that every technique it uses is extremely effective and couldn't have been shown differently. It is also one of the first great battles between filmmakers and executives, brought on by W.R. Hearst who was under the belief that the film was about him. This is THE film that should be seen by all. And don't forget, Welles has directed a good number of beautiful films that should all be seen as well.
Favorite Scene: When Charles Foster Kane first arrives at the Inquirer.

3. "Dead Poets Society" by Peter Weir
There have been countless "boarding school films" that have tried to replicate without success what this film is. A group of intelligent yet uninspired students at a preparatory school receive a new English instructor (Robin Williams) who opens their eyes to a whole new world and broadens their tunnel vision to consider other options and to pursue their passions.
Favorite Scene: Robin Williams places his hands over Ethan Hawke's eyes as Ethan describes in poetic detail a picture that hangs on the classroom wall.

2. "Miller's Crossing" by the Coen Bros.
Every shot is a work of art, every line necessary to the story, every character is quirky and interesting making for a movie experience that is entertaining while also at times a bit disturbing and at other times emotionally gripping. Great cinematography by Barry Sonnenfeld in his last film with the Coen's and possibly my favorite score by Coen collaborator Carter Burwell.
Favorite Scene: Gabriel Byrne taking John Torturro out to the middle of the forest to kill him.

1. "Brazil" by Terry Gilliam
For me to go into everything that I love about this film would require a 1000 word essay, at least. Needless to say it made me want to be a filmmaker and also made me fall in love with the wide angle lens. Be sure to get the Criterion Collection "Director's Cut".
Favorite Scene: When we first meet Harry Tuttle

Gloomy...

...that's what today is. I mean really, it's a word we hear all the time and usually doesn't really hold too much meaning. But today, is seriously as gloomy as it gets. Not one ray of sunshine all day, not one distinct shadow from any pedestrian or vehicle fell on to the asphalt today. I didn't see one smile exchanged during my pair of ventures outdoors for lunch and a snack. There wasn't any music playing in my office all afternoon, I think we've gotten so bored of Eric's porno/funkadelic/r&b/hip hop that silence was the preferrence for the day. But it nearly drove me insane, my eyes are glazed over as I eat my trail mix and sip on my Coke. My highlight of the day...winning a free 1 liter of Coke with my 20 oz.'s bottlecap! Woo hoo!

Oh, and btw, I think I have my first "Missed Connection" from CL...I shall not pursue, but it's nice to think that someone notices a nice handsome white boy from time to time.

Happy Flux Capacitor Day!

This Saturday, November 5th, 2005, marks the 50th Anniversary for the invention of the Flux Capacitor - the very thing that makes time travel possible. Some of you may remember that it was on this day, fifty years ago, that Dr. Emmett Brown conceived the idea after hitting his head on his sink while standing on his toilet in his bathroom. So be sure to celebrate and watch your favorite Back to the Future film, or hell, all three. (stolen from Roman)

Yeah...

...it's more difficult than it seems.

Taxis honking past my window...

A line of taxi cabs that stretched 3 block just drove past my office, the drivers honking their horns while their passengers waved flags and signs to protest "Illegal Limo Drivers".

First of all, I thought taxi companies only competed with eachother.

And second, aren't limos a whole different demographic and means of business? I mean, you never see limos racing through the streets of SF looking for patrons.

Eh, what do I care what they're protesting, I'm just pissed off at the honking.

Last wishes...

At my funeral, I'd like it to be open casket and I'd like to have pennies placed over my eyes.

Gimme a minute...

Yeah, work and school is just a tad time consuming, blah blah blah, yak yak yak, whine whine whine, I know. But that's why I'm looking forward to this weekend and well, November in general.

For Halloween I figured it'd be a good time as ever to check out Alcatraz during it's hours of twilight...creepy, eh? I hope so. I'm just hoping our tour guide rivals Phil Hartman's character in "So I married an Axe Murderer" (lol). Then later that evening, guess what's happening? BAUHAUS is happenin'! Woo hooo! I've been burnin' to see'em ever since I heard about their show at Coachella earlier this year. It's gonna be quite awesome...yes yes

Day of the Dead is on Wednesday, I have class, but it's an art class so I'm going to see if I can get extra credit for attending the cultural art center or something instead. I always enjoy the procession through the Mission, if you have the time, I recommend you go and at least walk half of it. But don't stay in the same spot in the crowd, move around and see all the people and groups that will be there. It's so fun.

So, October is my favorite month of the year usually, but this November is gearing up to be pretty awesome. Oct. was a good movie month though, gotta give it that.

The Founder, President and CEO of the company I work for has been in town all week. It's been really cool, he's a swell Irish lad. He's not here to criticize how I run the office, so that's nice. He's mainly here to interview freelance writers for the company and to buy me lunch.

Today we went to Murphy's Pub downstairs from our office where I expected a nice lunch but ended up having a bath too! The glass slipped out of the waitress' hand as she was handing it to me and it spilled over my right pant leg. Had I been wearing an expensive pair of slacks I might have been angry, but their Levi's, no big whoop. But the Aussie waitress felt so sorry and angry at herself, I told her it really wasn't a big deal and that it happens. Besides, she didn't charge for my meal which pleased Spencer (my boss). She swore that it had never happened to before, that she's never spilled a glass of anything on anybody, yet when she went to hand Spencer the check on one of those little plastic plates she happened to drop that too...sensing a pattern?

Yesterday while we were sitting at the bar at Murphy's, he with his pint of Guiness and me with my pint of Coke, he leaned over and told me that once the UK office has moved to it's new location in central London that he's going to ship me out there for a week to check out the new digs...(picture a shocked look on my face). He'd hinted to it in the past, but now it looks like it's actually going to happen. I'll have one week of work in London and a whole other week of doing tourist stuff and traveling around England in a rental car. All expenses paid plus I get to bring m'lady...how cool is that? It's incalculaculacable.

You wanna test the limits of your gag reflex...

...just spend 24 hours with my in-laws

Did you repose well?

I'm very sleep deprived. I hear there's a course at Stanford that studies sleep and sleep deprivation, and that if you fall asleep in class you actually get extra credit for the day. Yeah, my grade sheet would be all marked up with extra credit.

Yesterday as I walked zombily to my drawing class, I looked at a statue that stood in a park that's on my way to the campus. I'm not sure who the statue is of, but from far off it looks like Walt Disney with his arms out. Have you ever been so tired you've hallucinated? 'Cause I swear to you, this statue's arms were flapping up and down like the audience in the movie "Angels in the Outfield". I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and as I looked around, everything was slightly distored, as if I were looking through a 50mm Wide Angle lens. To avoid anymore disturbing sights, I kept my head down a bit and just focused on the sidewalk ahead of me until I made it to class.

I arrived an hour early, at some food, drank an Orange Juice and took a nice 30 minute nap.

I'm much better now

This place is dead anyways...

...well, North Beach is anyhow.

Last night upon leaving work I was tired, spent even, from a long day of doing nothing but searching on the internet for "important people". It's amazing how just sitting in a seat all day could be more draining than doing manual labor all day. It's true, I know from experience and comparison. I managed to escape the office by 6pm, swaggering and moseying down the street in hopes to catch the 30 bus up to the Marina where my drawing class is.

I always forget that the months between Sept and Nov are the film industry's favorite months to be shooting in the city, I never really realize it until I'm stuck in traffic for a half hour and sitting among a few dozen grumbling public transit patrons. For some reason Jackson St. was a prime location where some film was shooting, and it took the bus about a 1/2 hour to go one block from Washington to Jackson. I'd had enough, so I got off the bus and decided to just walk somewhere that I could draw on my own, without the confines of a crowded classroom.

I first went to Washington Square...eh, nothing interested me, so I proceded to walk North through the North Beach area. It's kinda eerie how quiet that area is, it's just so dead, absolutely no nightlife at all. I don't think I heard one human voice for a stretch of 10 blocks as I made my way to the wharf. Weird.

I arrived at pier and had a seat with a nice view of Alcatraz...hmm, Alcatraz, now there's a challenging subject. I broke out the paper and charcoal and commenced to outline my drawing. (BZZZ!) What hell?! (swat!)...ugh. I continued to draw, unaware the size of the bugs that were buzzing around me. I began to draw the backdrop behind Alcatraz (BZZZZ!) Damnit! (swat!) Holy crap! What is that? A locust? Somekind of mutated flying ant! Screw this! I brush off my jacket to assure myself that there weren't anymore insects clinging to my person. I packed up my drawing utensils and paper and got out of there.

I walked down Embarcadero for a stretch, saw the Bushman get someone really good and denied my craving for Ben & Jerry's as I pass their little parlor.

I was just a little disappointed that I wasn't able to complete my drawing, but that's OK, I don't think Alcatraz is going anywhere anytime soon.

A survey that's worthy of the blog...

1) My mother once: performed in a talent show dressed like a California Raisin

2) Never in my life: will I live in Utah

3) When I was five: I thought I was Superman

4) High School was: was good for the social aspect

5) I will never forget: the Alamo

6) I once met: my Aunt Sharon not long before she passed on after a fatal heart attack.

7) There's this person I know who: will never understand some of my ticks.

8) Once, at a bar: I ordered a glass of water

9) By noon I'm usually: already bored at work

10) Last night: I was again freaked out by Danny Bonaducci's self-destructiveness

11) If I only had: the new Canon HD cam

12) Next time I go to church/temple: I'll try and stay awake

13) Terri Schiavo: was loved by many, but no one loved her more than her long suffering husband.

14)I like: when ladies where big fat fake pearls

15) When I turn my head left, I see: a brick wall

16) When I turn my head right, I see: an iron pillar painted the same color as the GG Bridge.

17) You know I'm lying when: ...what, and reveal my "tell", pfft

18) In grade school: I had a really bad temper and would frequently throw tantrums while totally wailing on some kid who deserved it.

19) If I was a character written by Shakespeare: I'd be "Dogberry" from Much Ado About Nothing

21) A better name for me would be: Sherunous

22) I have a hard time understanding: Swahili

23) If I ever go back to school: I'd have to commit totally and live off of student loans.

24) You know I like you if: I give you an honest smile.

25) If I won an award, the first person I'd thank would be: whoever helped me out the most on whatever the award was for.

26) I hope that: everything works out alright :/

27) Take my advice: into count

28) My ideal breakfast is: Honey Nut Cheerios with a banana and OJ

29) A song I love, but do not have is: "Detachable Penis"

30) If you visit my hometown, I suggest: you visit 1/4 lb. Big Burger, aka "White Trash Burger"! Open 24/7

31) Tulips, character flaws, microchips & track stars: smell good, are valued, need to be destroyed so there aren't more Terminators and sweat a lot.

32) Why won't anyone: give me a ride to class on Tues & Thurs so I don't have to endure the 45 min train ride.

33) If you spend the night at my house: I'll probably keep you awake until 2am

34) I'd stop my wedding: if my trust were betrayed

35) The world could do without: Ashlee Simpson

36) I'd rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: the rectum of a cockroach

37) My favorite blonde is: Rita Hayworth in "Lady from Shanghai"

38) Paper clips are more useful than: a sack of hammers.

40) And by the way: Jay Leno isn't funny

41) The last time I was drunk,: I was dreaming

42) My grandmother always: kept butterscotch candy in a jar for me.

Diversity at your local Walgreens...

Taken at the one on Market & 4th in San Francisco:

Messageboards...

Lemme just say that it's a very interesting dynamic "the messageboard". It's a place where people feel safe to say things that they otherwise wouldn't say to anyone in person. So long as they have their anonymity it's OK to bash and insult other people.

That said, I also think that a lot of posts are just taken too seriously and with the wrong tone. Since most people who write in messageboards are not seasoned writers, the majority do not have the ability to convey their feelings in words. They have no grasp of how to share with everyone else what their mood or voice is like when writing their posting, which is why they come off sounding mean when most likely they're being sarcastic and/or facetious.

Fool! You be trippin'...

The highlight of my day today: As I was walking home today this young couple came from behind me while they were on their morning jog. The woman (obviously in better shape than her manfriend) jogged in perfect form, good posture and proper separation extention with each step. The man however (wearing an oversized white t-shirt), I really can't explain what he was doing. With each step he took his other foot would almost cross complete behind the other. His feet were just barely missing, almost dodging eachother with each lunging step that he took until finally the man tripped, nearly hit a tree and almost fell into a newspaper box. The woman, smiling in disbelief that she was with such a clutz, looked on and just waited at the next corner while her male counterpart returned to the spot of where he tripped, wondering what it was he tripped over. It was your own foot moron! I muffled my laugh all the way home until I arrived within the auditory safety of my apartment and let out the laugh that was bursting to get out.

Holes in bone...

Today I went to the dentist for the first time in just over 3 years. I expected poor results would arise once the x-rays were ready. At my last appointment 3 years ago, I had one filling out of 5 filled, so I expected at least 4 to still be present. Warning: If you need to go to the dentist and want to save some dough, try the UOP School of Dentistry, it's cheap, always good quality and the students are always nice...however, every sadistic aspect of what dentistry does to you is tiresome and dragged out since they are in fact only students and always need an instructor to check up on their work. The x-rays were in, a total of 7 cavities...but only 2 of the previous 4 were still present, while 5 whole new ones had burrowed into molers and next to one canine. I'm in for some torture over the next few months. Seinfeld Joke to make me feel better: "What's the difference between a sadist and a dentist? A sadist has newer magazines" ha ha

A hard rain's a gonna fall...

How do you know when you're thinking about something way too much. Whether it's good or bad thinkin', either one in excess can be damaging either to yourself or those around you. Sometimes I'm just not sure where the line is, yet once I realize that I've crossed that line that's when I feel as if too much is bottles inside. I'm like a carbonated beverage, I've got that fizzy goodness inside that wants to tickle your nose, but if you open me up I might explode in your face from being shook around too much, and that could make a sticky mess. I need an outlet...oh wait, I have one, now I just need to act on it and get it done with.

On another note, "Serenity" was such a horrible movie, it was like watching a 2 hour pilot for a WB show or a SciFi Channel movie of the week. It's so full of cliche, cheaply made sets, some "Rolling eye causing" melodrama and mediocre one liners that die hard fans of the original show "Firefly" were chuckling all too loud at. I have nothing against Joss Whedon and his success within the television medium, in fact, he should stick to writing episodic shows. Stick with what works, that should be his motto.

I need a new CD tower/rack/cabinet...thing. I have about 400 CD's and a tower that only holds about half. I'm pretty sure I've lost a couple CD's to the under-couch monster, if anybody out there who reads this knows where I could find a cool lookin' CD tower, lemme know :)

The Corpse Bride...

Only Tim Burton can take an old Ukrainian fairy tale derived from a dark European anti-semitic history and turn it into something so delightful, colorful and visually gratifying as is "The Corpse Bride". Stop motion filmmaking has truly made some advances since his genius Nightmare Before Christmas, plus with the inclusion of a little CGI for making fog and other effects everything in this film is seemless, beautiful and every frame has the Tim Burton stamp on it (Tim Burton stamp = a spiral or swirl). My only complaints about the film are that for one, there are far too many puns in the script. Sure, some of them are quite charming and creative, but then there's a point where you're like "OK, enough". And second, the ending felt just a little too abrupt, I won't tell you why. True, everything in the end is resolved and makes sense when you remember what the very first shot of the film was, but I guess at a running time of 1hr 15min I suppose any ending WOULD feel abrupt. But despite any complaints, it's thoroughly enjoyable, I nearly had a smile on my face throughout the entire film.

A tiny motorcycle and yellow jumpsuit...

I watched "Bottle Rocket" in its entirety last night for the first time. I'd seen parts of it on Comedy Central before and was intrigued by its absurdity, that and I'm already a big Wes Anderson fan. As I was pointing out to some of my co-workers today, and as other have pointed out to me, Wes Anderson films don't really ever feel like films. There's a quiet reality to them that's mixed with some indescribably surreal elements that almost make you forget that you're watching a movie. He's constantly breaking from formula and showing us the world as he sees it, nearly every shot engages me as do the complexities of all his characters. He's truly up in my top 10 list of favorite directors, and it's not only because it's suddenly hip to like Wes Anderson, I truly admire him as a film artist. "The Corpse Bride" opens this weekend, I'll probably see it tomorrow with my friends Ben & Lela. I'm super excited, which is my typical feeling whenever a new Tim Burton film is released. But I'm also interested to see what kinds of advances they've made in stop motion animation. Telling from the trailers the motion looks somewhat cleaner, as do the surfaces of the animated faces, you'll be reading a review of it before the end of the weekend for sure.

Skippin' school for some alternative inspiration...

I walked out of the office today at 4:30 planning on goin' to my Art class up in the Marina. Well, that plan went out the window when my personal mood and fatigue vetoed that idea and guided me to the land of escapism...the movie theatre. Having seen "City of God" only a few months ago, I was easily amazed by Fernando Meirelles' abilities as a director, and that forced me to place some trust in the fact that "The Constant Gardener" was going to be yet another amazing film. My wife, being quite sensitive when it comes to dramatic and/or disturbing cinema, would not come with me to see it. So I went by myself to the film, which is something I do often as with some films I actually prefer it. It makes the experience of watching the film MY OWN experience, and sometimes it makes it more special. "The Constant Gardener" indeed is a great film. Shot documentary style, using really long lenses nearly the entire time, even on closeups, really gave it the effect it needed to keep our eyes busy and our emotions engaged even during some of the down moments. Now, this isn't a bloodbath like City of God was, but Meirelles really knows how to construct a film where we deeply care for the characters and know almost exactly what they're feeling at any given time. We know that the couple in this story are deeply in love, due to some mysterious findings we have our own accusations that perhaps one of them was unfaithful at any given time, yet the other continues to fight and follow the trail ahead of him to find the truth. Among all the conspiracies with Pharmaceutical companies, the Kenyan and UK governments and the people who are behind a cruelly motivated murder this film is ultimately about love and how love truly does conquer all, whether or not the story is a happy or a sad ending. I walked out of the theatre with a different view on the world that surrounded me. I watched people as I passed them on the street and listened to the sounds of the city in a way I hadn't before. I was spiritually and morally uplifted but also perhaps a bit more cautious as I had a re-realisation that everything that surrounds me is so fragile and can be taken away in a heartbeat. I am indeed thankful. So go see "The Constant Gardener", there's not a regret that you'll have

Mos Def-initely...

Being bored on a Saturday afternoon makes me go out and buy things, namely "media" products. Therefore, today around 1pm I hopped on the bus headed downtown so I could make a visit to Rasputin Music. When I arrived I immediatly went to the DVD floor and instantly grabbed the new "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" disc, great movie, just thoroughly entertaining in my opinion. I then took the "Transporter Room" aka elevator back down to the 2nd level to look through CD's. It had been a while since I'd looked through the hip hop section, so basically I strolled down the aisle looking for interesting covers. Mos Def's "Black on Both Sides" caught my eye, I listened to some of it at work the other day and enjoyed nearly every track that my co-worker played, so I decided to get it for myself. It wasn't until I got to the cashier that I noticed that I was about to purchase two items that both had Mos Def in'em. I had a chuckle to myself and declared my Saturday the "Jon wide Mos Def day". I also downloaded another one of his albums, "The New Danger", it's definitely a different kind of hip hop album. He takes every influence he could have and throws'em into one piece of modern recording art. Simply awesome. I'd forgotten how much I appreciated true hip hop, and not the thug life talkin' about big booties.

When poor black people are in perile...

...poor black people die. Apparently that's the strongest domestic policy in the Bush Administration. Disgusting

What's really going on?

Wow, it's been a while since my last posting. I guess that's manifest of how busy I've been, because when I'm incredibly busy everything really seems like a blur, at least I have the sense enough to actually come out with some kind of worthwhile result in the end though. So school has started and it's a lot funner than I expected. Three hours a night isn't so bad when you're doing something you love. I hadn't looked at my short films in a while and I've fallen in love with them again as I am at the moment capturing them to my hard-drive for editing in my FCP class. I'm hoping to finish editing at least 3 of my films this semester, maybe 4 if I feel like even completing what I feel is my worst short film. It had disaster written all over it when I cast it, but at least the soundtrack was good, ha ha. Today's labor day. Katie and I decided to visit the SF landmark "The Ferry Building". Honestly, there isn't much there. A couple restaurants, some office buildings upstairs and a nice view of Treasure Island and the Bay Bridge. After looking at a couple of the restaurants that were open today, we really didn't see anything appetizing. It was all greasy fast food fit to fill the stomachs of hungry tourists. So we decided to do something that seemed to me slightly European (although I know very little about Euros or their diets), we went to ACME bread and got a nice long baguette. i was hoping to get the "Sweet Baguette" since it's airier and has the overly floured outside that I'm such a fan of. But apparently they were out of it. No worries. After paying a cold $1.50 for the bread we went next door to the cheese monger (I love that word) and got ourselves a few ounces of the tastiest Gorgonzola I've ever tasted. Our next stop was a little produce shop where we got an Asian Pear and a sweet juicy peach. We decided to go outside where the view of the island was and eat our light meal. We grabbed a couple Italian Sodas from a little refreshment booth and went outside. How was I to know that today was take your loud animals to the Ferry Building day? 3 pugs, 2 other little yappers, a big black lab and somebody's Cockatu were out there all arguing as if some wild racial battle had ensued between species. The pugs were fighting with eachother as if they were all from different economic classes of pug, the yappers were yelling at the cockatu for being so beautiful and getting all the attention. And the cockatu was barking back at the yappers just to mock them. The cockatu should have been called the mockingbird. The cheese we got was so creamy and yummy and succulent. I spread it onto a broken off piece of baguette as I marvelled at the buds of bluish green fungus that had grown inside the flavorful fromage. Once it was spread evenly on the bread I sliced off a piece of peach and layed it on the bread and folded it up like a sandwich. I took my first bite and felt my madula omblangata suddenly relax as I experienced utter bliss from the many flavors that were being welcomed to my lusting palate. The peach balanced out the strong taste of the gorgonzola, the bread served as the tasty utensil and I was the vehicle being fueled. It was glorious. After eating we moved on to Fisherman's Wharf. I find myself more and more bored wit the place the more I visit it. We walked around a bit, dodged tourists, laughed at sea lions then grabbed some chowder at Boudin. I hate that new building of theirs, it's such an eyesore and looks so out of place, but I like their sandwiches so much that I couldn't help but gravitate there and take advantage of the half sandwich & a bowl of chowder deal. Splended it was. All in all, today was a good day. We rented a couple flicks. Katie was in the mood for a good horror flick so as we walked around the horror section I spotted Bill Paxton's directorial debut "Frailty". I was intrigued to watch it back in 2001 when it came out, but never got around to it. Such a great film, many elements of Hitchcock with a great story that gets to you if you've ever existed as a member of a family in any form. Class again tomorrow, let the piecing together of the puzzle begin...

My review of Brothers Grimm...

Hey everyone! Jon here just gettin' back from watching Brothers Grimm on the silver screen and let me tell ya, it's a real treat. If you want a precursor to what you should expect, just watch every Gilliam film ever made, this film is an orgy of Gilliam visuals. The comedy in the film is reminiscent to Jabberwocky, the pacing of the film calls back to Baron Munchausen, the comradery of the Brothers is a love hate one not too different from Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo. Just throw in a little Jonathan Pryce and those crazy French and you have a film that we are all pre-destined to adore. Give it to Terry to take a big budget production and create something totally original out of the fairy tales that we already know and love. It is such a bizaar film with some very haunting imagery, grotesque humour and some great performances from the actors involved. Heath Ledger is particularly good and seems to connect better with the audience than Damon is able to, considering the nature of his incredulous character. Stormare's Cavaldi is a tortured individual with a loveable/demonic charm who has some great "moments" throughout the film. Lena Headey brings a fresh face to the film (for me anyway) and does a quality job as the leading lady. As for Monica Bellucci, I would really have liked to have more of her, but who wouldn't, right? All in all, I give it 3 1/2 stars out of 4 in comparison with other fantasy films that have been coming out. To compare it to Terry's past films, it's not one of his best and does start out a little slow, but the rest of the film and how it just get more and more psychotic in nature makes up for everything. Go see it, I highly recommend it

Complexities of Jon

Still waters run deep, but I feel a geyser is about to go off, at which point the ambiguity of this posting will be demolished to show the truth. Change is in the wind, but I have a fan to keep me cool until it reaches me. That's all I can tell you for now :)

The start of a new semester in life...

During the summer break I had the hardest time trying to choose what classes I wanted to take this fall. Then finally, sometime last week I narrowed my choices down to 3 courses that I was interested in: Creative Writing, Digital Film Editing and Drawing After careful consideration I've decided to enroll in the latter two of my choices. The Creative Writing class, although I'm sure it would have been interesting, just didn't hold any promise. I think as far as having the ability to write creatively goes, I'm good for now, I'm happy with what I'm creating when I put pen to paper. But my drawing skills have diminished due to lack of practice and I really want to take a crash course in editing so I won't be lost while editing with my new editing software at home. My drawing class started tonight. The classroom is at Fort Mason in the Marina on a beautiful location with a clear view of both Alcatraz and the Golden Gate bridge. I arrived over an hour early so I took to working on my script as I sat at the edge of the dock to enjoy the sound of the bay waters crashing against the pier and the pelicans swooping across the bay in "V" formation. There's a pic up on my profile of me while I was writing. My art teacher is cool, the first thing he told us was that he'd been an Art teacher at CCSF since 1972, which got a good chuckle from the class. I'm not sure whether or not he meant it as a joke, but it was funny nonetheless. When he speaks he shakes his head just like Will Ferrell does when he immitates Harry Carey. And he's missing half a pinky on his left hand. At the end of class he asked if there were any questions regarding the syllabus, I had to bite my tongue before I dared to ask how he lost it. He looks sorta like Geoffrey Lewis, Juliette Lewis' dad, only he has more hair and a white mustache.

How'd I miss it?

Remember that cruddy Raul Midon CD that I hated? Well, I sold it to Raspy's (Rasputin Music) today and got a whole $2 for it. Thanks alot impulse buying bug and Virgin return policy! In return, I got myself a couple of used DVDs. The classic "Better Off Dead" (Gee, I'm sorry your mom blew up, Ricky) and "Panic Room". I only saw the second half of "Panic Room" this past weekend, and even then it was fragmented viewing as I was cleaning my apartment. But what I saw simply amazed me and held me in suspense for the parts that I was able to watch. I was shocked when I saw a used "Superbit" DVD version of it at Rasputin for only $3! How could I not get it! My DVD collection is growing immensely, along with my CD collection. I may have to invest in a good sized "Media Cabinet" sooner or later to house all my "stuff".

Sacrifices galore...

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being married and all, but sometimes there are times when I feel that a "compromise" is just a different word for "caving in" to make her happy. Yesterday, her best friend came out to the city to go to dinner with us and hang out in the Haight for a bit. She brought her husband, who just a few months ago was this close (holds index and thumb close to eachother) to getting a divorce do to his distasteful addictions. I've never liked the guy, there were times when we'd hang out and I'd be forced to act as if I was enjoying myself so I wouldn't spoil things for everyone else. He mumbles every other word, his eloquency is non-existent and his personality is draining. When they drove up to our apartment's driveway, she came upstairs to meet us while he waited in the car. It sent chills up my spine, I could already tell that the evening was not going to go well. We went downstairs and got in the car. He didn't say a word the whole way to the Ethiopian restaurant apart from asking me for directions. I tried to bypass the uncomfortable feeling of sitting behind him by imagining that he was just a cab driver who didn't know the way. We arrived at Axum Cafe on Haight St. and found a parking spot right in front of it, thus answering my prayer to shorten this awkward car ride. The food at Axum cafe was good, the ambience perfect for having conversations with interesting people and yet I found myself surrounded by people with nothing to say about anything besides Hanson's new album (yes, it's true, Hanson has a new album). We drove to Haight Ashbury, parked and walked down to Amoeba, digesting our Tibsie Beef and Lamb on the way. Upon arrival at the haven of a recordstore, I quickly escaped to the red tag vinyl section and started doing my Billy Goat Gruff impression as I searched the bottom bins of records. I found the half hour of freedom quite refreshing as my wife and I embarked together in our search for some nostalgiac sounds and the other couple roamed the store without purpose. I managed to find some vintage George Harrison, Van morrison and Traffic. Katie had a good find and got the Tears for Fears album "The Hurting", I love her. I was hoping to find some Bauhaus in the mix, but no luck. While we were purchasing our records we noticed that our accompanying couple were nowhere to be seen. I payed for the records and went outside for a moment of fresh air and silence while Katie went back in to retrieve them. I saw an older black man sitting on the curb using a McDonald's cup to panhandle and I noticed he had a shiny solar blanket. I thought to myself "How'd he score that choice solar blanket". Those who are unaware as to what it is should know that one of these blankets will keep you warm in the coldest conditions. Just as I pondered what he might have done to be so fortunate, Katie came out with the annoying couple and I let out a sigh as my moment of inner thought was interrupted. The rest of the evening continued in the same fashion that is to be expected after hanging out with this couple several times before. We went back to our place, hung out until 11pm, then they went home. I have to admit, there were moments of laughter and fun, but the overall experience was a trial and sacrifice that was almost too much to bear. Looks like the only way Katie will be able to hang out with her friend in the future will be under the monacre "Ladies' Night!". As I will not be able to tolerate another evening with him.

Appraisal seeks more praise...

The past couple weeks have been quite busy for me. There was a visitor from my company's London office, Harry, a really cool guy who helped out the situation in the San Francisco more than he knows. His last day here he pulled me into the other room for an "Appraisal" that he was assigned to do. I could tell he hated doing it and just wanted to get it overwith. Overall, regarding my performance as the Office Manager, I got a C grade. A C is quite good, that means I'm basically doing the job the way it should be done. The only way to get to an A or B for that matter is to really go out of my way, put in tons of extra hours and most likely invest some of my own money to keep the office running to the best of its ability. But hey, I work pretty hard and my sups seem to be satisfied with my work so I find some fulfillment in that.

I've discovered that it's so much easier for me to write when I do it longhand. Sitting in front of a computer typing words onto a digital screen just doesn't have the motivating effect that I need. I have this pad of graph paper that I've been using lately, and it's so much easier not having to meddle with formatting or having to resist the temptation to sign onto the internet. The only time I'll probably use my script writing software from now on is to just transcribe what I've already written.

I'm feeling outdoorsy, got a craving to go camping. There's a great spot north of SF that I don't care to reveal to you, my few readers, that I'll be reserving for a lovely night of wilderness survival and s'mores.

If you're interested in joining me and my friends, let me know, it'll be a jolly ol' time. But in the meantime, I'm going to be hanging out in parks more often.

Moving sucks...

...to put it eloquently.

Over the weekend I took to helping my brother Jeff move from one house without a pool to his new house with a pool. A couple years ago he and his family moved from a smaller apartment to the house they just left, and back then we used a medium sized U-haul and it took two trips. This time, we had the biggest U-haul they had, and it still took two trips. Shows what living in a house and the addition of another kid will do to your collection of "stuff"

The move went alright though, it was just my bro, myself and a couple of other guys, and some others who were only able to hang around for a small portion of the move. Jeff and I were the only ones who's joints and backbones were still in good shape (relatively), so we were in charge of loading most of the heavier stuff. My brother has a 60" HD TV, and believe it or not, the thing is way lighter than it appears to be. Then there's his infamous 32" bedroom TV. I've had to move this TV before, whether it be from one house to another or from one room to another, it's a pain in the neck. We laded the TV into a friend's car since it's more likely to survive if it's not loaded into the truck. We got to his new place, got the TV out of the car and shared the duty of moving it to his new bedroom. We got to the porch first and had to put it down from the soreness in our backs and forearms. We rested for a moment then got it moving again, we made it inside the house, went down the hallway leading to his bedroom and just in front of the door we put it down. Both of us let out a muffled grunt (there might have been a self-censored profane word), Jeff immediately grabbed the muscle near the elbow and I felt and saw both my arms suddenly bend up to my chest on their own. I started laughing as Jeff walked away for a moment, massaging his arm with his other hand. I pushed both of my arms down and rested them, when they again began to go up to my chest. I recalled working out in high school and witnessing the same result after completing 5 sets of bicep curls. I just had to stretch them out and they'd be fine, but it looks like Jeff had a pretty bad cramp in his. After a couple minutes rest, we managed to get it in the bedroom and continue unloading the rest of the stuff. We were appreciative for the help we had, but the level of commitment to the job was almost minimal as really only a few of them seemed like they were there to sincerely help, while the others were just being "nice" and not doing it out of the kindness in their hearts.

I really hadn't been exercising or doing anything active (or physically proactive) for sometime, so it felt good to get out into the Concord heat and do some manual labor for a change. I have a huge rainbow color bruise on my thigh from trying to get the U-haul ramp back up when we were done. I look at it as a battle scar after fighting with honor, but that's just a dilusion of grandeur really.

Not all great musicians have good taste...

A couple weeks of weeks ago I was watching the Late Show with David Letterman, and this great guitarist named Raul Midon (who was also blind) performed a great song with a great dynamic that attracted me. A few days later I was strolling around Best Buy and I saw that his album was on sale. I lifted it from the shelf, read the song titles and noticed that Jason Mraz was on one of the songs. This immediately repulsed me and I quickly put it back on the shelf and proceeded to purchase a NIN cd. I was in Virgin Megastore today to pick up a Devendra Banhart CD, and I felt I needed something more, with soul (like the "brotha" soul, Devendra's got plenty spirit). So I gave Raul Midon a try and got his CD since it was priced at a reasonable $9. I took it back to work and put it on almost immediately. I enjoyed the first song, and a couple others, but the album in whole was just way too full of cheese and sunshine. And we all know what happens to cheese when it's been in the sun too long, it makes you sick. I had to cut it off at some point because I just couldn't stand it. I'll admit, the man is a gifted guitarist, he just needs to shut up sometimes and let us hear his guitar. There are too many words, too many awkward singing moments and Jason Mraz is a good way to gay up your album. I hope Virgin will let me return it

Wise words from Inigo Montaya...

"There's not much money in revenge"

If you wanna "Tab" you gotta order somethin'!

I forgot to mention another highlight from my return trip from Utah. We stopped at a small grocery store in Hurricane, UT (aka Hurrakin) in search of munchies and beverages for our long haul across the desert called Nevada. After aimlessly walking around hoping to find some rare things to nibble on we came upon the "Pop" aisle. It was filled with all the regular sodas that you would expect, but then I saw a 12 Pack box with the letters "Tab" written on it. I nearly exploded from excitement. It's been years since I've had a can of Tab, the world's first diet soda and quite frankly it's the best tasting. It's between Coke and Pepsi, in that it's sweeter than Pepsi and not as sweet as Coke, it's near perfect. I couldn't pass up on the 3 for $10 deal and stocked up on the stuff since it's practically impossible to find anywhere here in the bay area. Later in the trip I grabbed a can of the hailed beverage from our cooler, took a sip and was immediately hit with a wave of nostalgia and memories of those long rode trips my family used to make (I could also taste a hint of licorice in its aftertaste). Truthfully, these trips didn't compare to the one I was currently on, the drive from Concord to Escalon, CA where my grandparents lived really isn't that long, but when you're an 8 year old kid an hour trapped in a moving vehicle can seem like an eternity. At that age there's no sense of time or urgency, except that you don't like being stuck inside anything and need to get out and run around. I wish I were that innocent again, full of absurd ideas and not afraid to be mischevious. Alas, I'm glad that I know the things I know now and truthfully wouldn't want to return to my youth, not as long as I'm enjoying adulthood. On a tangent, I'm watching the Discovery Channel, and this show called "Dirty Jobs" is on. It's possibly one of the best "reality" shows ever. This guy goes around the US and literally partakes and educates us in the ways of some of the dirtiest jobs you can think of. The grosses and most disturbing job he's shown thus far is that of a horse breeder. They brought a "stud" to what seriously looked like a clinic where sperm donations would be made. There was a stump about 4 feet in the air that was sprayed with horny female horse scent to get the stud nice and randy. The show's host then had to handle a padded and cylindrical recepticle which he had to cover the 3 foot long erect horse penis with to catch the horse's love nectar. It was thorougly disgusting, coming up after the commercial was the insemenation process, and after seeing the KY jelly being sprayed on the horse's backside I had to change the channel immediately.

Being pinched by Satan's anus...

Had a splendifurous time in southern Utah this past weekend. The drive up was a trial on my patience, but the beautiful scenery to behold in Arizona and Kanab, UT makes up for it all. We arrived at the Heaton Ranch around 6pm, before any of Katie's immediate family had arrived, so we enjoyed a good 2 hours of awkward mingling with Katie's all but estranged aunts, uncles and cousins.

Tired from the effort, we took a nap and woke up to find her parents tearing down the dirt road that leads to the ranch, arriving in a cloud of dust. We visited with them briefly then let them to set up camp. The ranch is one of my favorite spots to camp, it's been two years since our last visit, and we both missed it. Back in ye olde days it was a working ranch with cows, pigs, chickens etc. And in the winter it was a micro ice cream factory, which is what started the yearly tradition of having homemade ice cream at the family reunion. It was creamy, slightly milky and heavenly. Bliss is sitting on a 100 year old porch eating homemade ice cream and and drinking a few glasses of homemade root beer. It rained the second day we were there, so there wasn't much to do.

Katie cousin Robin married just a few weeks ago to a really cool guy named Collin. It was cool to get to know him, we got along real well, which is more than I can say for Katie's sister's ass for a husband. I just don't like the guy, I don't like his vibe and his family is one of the creepiest things to walk the earth. The dad smelled of fermented wine, which was explained to me as being a side effect of a diabetic who isn't taking care of himself. But besides the smell, the man is just plain weird. He's one of those old guys who thinks that just because he's over 50 that he's wise and feels it's his responsibility to speak to all the 20-30 year olds and share his unwelcomed insight on things that don't matter. Parents at the reunion advised their children not to talk to him, and most of us escaped, I managed to only hear one of his BS stories then slip out. It had something to do with an old lady paying off her tax debt by pawning her furniture, it had absolutely nothing to do with anything and I did nothing to segue to the topic. I think this experience gave me some good practice in slipping away from saddlers & conversation traps. I'll have to use the tactics I've developed in the future.

Saturday was really nice, it was sunny with a cool breeze sweeping down the mountains and into the small canyon where the ranch lay. I had planned to climb up to "Frog Rock", which had a gorgeous view of the canyon and the ranch itself. But instead I sought the comfort of the old porch again and imagined the heritage and the stories that have been told on those boards of pine through the years. I grabbed my notepad, a pen and immediately got to work on my script. Within a half hour I wrote a healthy 5 pages that I was quite proud of. I was surprised that nobody came up to me to bug me about what I was doing or to get my opinion on some of the new films coming out. I was able to write a page then enjoy my surroundings for a bit to gather some inspiration, then return to write another page. I should really write out in public more often.

Sunday morning we said our goodbyes and started on our return home to San Francisco. The ride was quick and smooth until lunchtime came around and we decided to get a meal at Treasure Island in Vegas. Both Katie and I have our opinions on Vegas and the people who choose to live there, but let's face it, if you have a lot of money Vegas can be a lot of fun. We had an awesome buffet, got back to the car dripping in sweat after the 3 minute walk to the parking lot and quickly made an effort to leave Las Vegas. The time it took for us to get from Vegas to Baker, CA we could have watch the movie Leaving Las Vegas at least twice. Traffic was so bad, the weather was so hot and the vibe in Nevada is so negative it started to really get to me. None of the happy bubble gum music we had could remedy my feelings, but soon the anger subsided and I learned to accept the congestion and just wait it out.

We made it to Baker just before my tank got empty. After spending a few minutes in this town, I quickly realized that "Baker" is not a name, it's an adjective. It was so hot there I couldn't believe it. Should you ever drive that way, look for the giant thermometer they have there then keep on driving.

The next town was Barstowe, yet another pointless town, but soon after that came the rural town of Hinkley. I swear Hinkley is the result of a giant meth lab explosion. I can't even think of how to describe it really, it's just barren, dead and run down with a very sad feeling clouding it's every square foot of farmland. But we made it through and got to I-5 which is possibly the most boring road in all of California. We had to stop at the King City "In N Out" after not having eaten since Vegas. We noticed that the parking was fuller than usual and that there were a couple buses in the parking lot that were empty. But we hadn't made the connection until we walked into the burger joynt and saw about 200 cheerleaders from various bay area high schools. Now, had I been a high school lad and single I probably would have fainted from the hormonal rush of so many ditzy blonds scurrying around the place with scrunchies in their hair and burgers in their hands. At this exact moment I realized how "adult" I was. I was actually annoyed by all these spirit finger gals.

We got our ..1 and ..2 meals and hurried out to the outdoor picnic area where we half-consciously ate our burgers while trying to not fall asleep. I drank my second refill of Dr. Pepper, woke up a bit and started back on the road.

The air in San Francisco is so crisp, cool and refreshing that sometimes it takes a drive through Nevada to be truly thankful for it. Some random tidbits from my travels: - a man in Jayne attempting to talk at the payphone while the sprinklers of the lawn next to it sprayed him every 5 seconds. - If a squirrel and a cat were to mate, it would be called a "squat" - butt cleavage is a good place to drop a penny - I got stagefright in a Texaco bathroom from the audience of cockroaches that was watching me

To the mountains!

I'm driving to southern Utah tomorrow. There's not much to say about it since most of the drive is through the deserts of So Cal & Nevada. Miles upon miles of barren land full of people who I will never understand because it takes a certain kind of brain to decide upon living in a desert. I guess housing is quite cheap out there, but what's the point if you can't even enjoy the place you live in.

I'll be spending a couple days at a ranch that Katie's entire family owns. It's nestled among the mountains just past Zion National Park. There's a really cool cliff there that overlooks the entire ranch, I might bring a notepad & pen so I could get some quiet time and try to write out a few scenes for my script. Plus it'll be a good excuse for not wanting to socialize with Katie's sister's husband.

Last time we drove there MapQuest sent me through the Park and we lost an hour in our trip after having to manage the extremely windy and switchbacking roads that run all through it. Sad thing is we went through it at night, so we didn't get to see any of its beauty, we only loathed it's difficulty.

This time we're taking a detour through the northern tip of Arizona. Katie used to live on an Indian Reservation there called Moccasin, a really small town with a really cool history which I don't care to get into right now. I remember there being some really awesome flea markets and antique stores where you could find some of the most random and vintage trinkets, toys and kitchy items. I'm for sure bringing some cash just in case I find something that's impossible to pass up.

Wo is me, working for the Brits is so frustrating...

For the past year I've been working for a company that's based out of London, England. I can't say it's been the best experience of my life having to deal with people who have absolutely no idea what to do with their branch here in the US.

For starters, when I first began my career here they just gave us a quick 2 day training then left for their homeland, leaving myself and a few others to fend for ourselves and manage the office without any knowledge about the company or how things were done. Not much has changed in the past year, except that I'm the last man standing, I'm the sole contact for the company on these here American shores, and to top it off the medical benefits are the worst. It's impossible to talk with them about the benefits issue because there's no such thing in England, everybody goes to public clinics and hospitals. Well, I finally rubbed and squeeked enough to get them to budge and up the amount of medical coverage that I can have. Now I have to wait until September though, thanks to their lazy procrastinating selves.

A word to the wise, if you ever have an opportunity to work for an English company just starting here in the US and they offer medical benefits, bare in mind that they have no idea what that means.

I'm so stressed out today that I don't want to do any work, Tuesdays are the most boring of the week anyway, but after all the hub bub that I went through this morning I've decided to just chill and try and relax for the remainder of the day.

A's game tonight! Should be fun, gonna get me some garlic fries, mmmmmmmm

Women's footwear etiquette...

There's going to be an article tomorrow in the Chronicle about how the country's Women's Field Hockey Championship team visited the White House recently, all wearing open toed shoes & sandals. The "hoopla" surrounding it is whether today's youth are receiving proper lessons in etiquette. There are reasons why I can't read the paper too much or watch the nightly news, this is just another addition to my list. Not that I care either way, but I would prefer a little more class from young women when visiting places where they're going to be honored by a world leader, even if it is ol' Dubyah. I would no doubt present myself in a nice, snazzy perhaps olde timey suit, I think just the formality is lost. And formality isn't always a bad thing

Don't get all "emo" on me...

Yesteday's blog was way too serious and slightly depressing. I apologize to all you people who might have read it, sometimes when I write like that I think it does more damage to society than it does good to myself. But I digress...no more depressing blogs.

I'm feeling much better today, it must have been that Italian BMT, man that thing did a number on me. I wasn't able to eat anything until this afternoon, but I just had a fatty Bistro Burger and the bowels are now back and going at full blast!

A week from yesterday I get to embark on a long drive to southern Utah (or Utard) for a family reunion. There's a lot of drama surrounding it this year. Apparently Katie's parents invited her sister's in-laws to the reunion. Now, we weren't too crazy about that in the first place because truthfully, we just don't like them. But they're not my in-laws, so it doesn't matter. What really made things difficult was that the said in-laws also took the liberty to invite some extended family members...nearly 50 more! Holy crap! What are these people thinking?!

The campground on the ranch isn't nearly big enough and there probably isn't going to be enough food to feed everyone! I'm not going to be motivated to meet any of these people since honestly, they just don't matter. It's like 4 or 5 degrees of separation, and two of those degrees I don't even care to be acquainted with. So we're just going to go, have fun, do our own thing with some of the REAL family members that are going to be there and I hope come back refreshed from a vacation in the woods.

All alone with company...

Today was such a strange day. Now, I'm not notoriously moody, but I am entitled to be in a bad mood now and then, right? It didn't help much when I had problems with a crashed $2000 Mac computer after a power outage yesterday, that's all fine now, but it definitely put a huge damper on my day today. There were only a few people in work today, and everyone was out by 3pm, I got even more bored and by 3:30 I was on my way home. A sudden feeling of loneliness enveloped me, that and a sick feeling in my stomach from a Subway sandwich I had today (I'm never getting the Thursday special again). I'm going to watch a funny movie, eat some chicken soup then possibly work on my script some more. I wish "Charlie & the Chocolate Factory" were already on DVD so I could watch it in the comfort of my own home, you know it's a good movie if after a few days of not seeing it you actually begin to miss it. Maybe these feelings are just cravings for more Wonka.

Sonically whisked off to a brave new world...

So there I was, taking advantage of my work's internet bandwidth and downloading music from a cheap Russian mp3 site when I fell upon the works of Philip Glass.

He's scored films such as Kundun, The Hours, The Fog of War and perhaps his greatest accomplishment the "Qatsi" trilogy. I downloaded the soundtracks for the first two films mentioned and the first installment in the trilogy "Koyaanisqatsi". I was curious as to whether or not the music was as effective without the wonderful visuals of that film, but as I began to listen to it at work I found myself taken away at the beat of a racing pulse by the intensity of this man's music which is a symphonic and electronic mix that works perfectly.

If you haven't seen the films he's scored, or heard any of his soundtracks for that matter, have a listen and enjoy. It's like electronica for smart people, which sounds more pompous than it really is.

Where it's at...

There's nothing like a Beck concert to show you how freakin' boring Billy Corgan can be. As mentioned in my previous message, Billy Corgan was good, but not great. The show was quite boring and on par with hanging out at a bar. But man, Beck is a freakin' party! People dancin' everywhere, on stage, underneath me, on top of me, all around me and the music was condusive to this behavior. I can't say that Bill Graham Civic Auditorium is a great venue, it's floor area is just way too big and the stage is way too low, which is a common problem with most venues around here. So it was hard to find a good place to stand, but we managed to get pretty close to the stage and enjoyed every minute of the show. Oh, and not to mention Le Tigre was opening for him. Man they were awesome, their musicianship is quite questionable since most of the time they're just hitting play on their computer and occasionally strumming a few power cords. But their performance was great and I love the tunes. All 'round great show, I'd go two nights in a row if it were possible.

You're more than a punching bag with lipstick...

That's a lyric from one of the bands that opened for Billy Corgan tonight. His set was pretty good, I just miss the days of Smashing Pumpkins hard rock/metal, plus the performance was just too electronic, drumset and all. But despite the technology used the music still had a quality level of integrity so I was able to enjoy his entire performance. He gave a little speech at the end where he vowed that he would never sell out and that perhaps the Pumpkins will come back to SF in a year or two and play Golden Gate Park. I'm looking forward to that. What bugged me at the show were all these people up front and close to the stage who seemingly were "marks" for the guy. You know, the kinds of fans who would worship him even if he crapped in his own hand and stuffed it down their throats. There were guys next to me who were hugging themselves and swaying to the music lovingly as if they were imagining having Billy all to themselves. Every hand motion that Billy made (raising his hand, putting his hands out, etc..) seemed to spark some excitement and cheer from the people. It was just sickening to see what sheeps these people were to the man, he had them eating out of the palm in his hand, luckily it didn't have any crap. What I think happened was that the Smashing Pumpkins fans of the rock/metal version of Corgan didn't show up, it was mainly the ballad/electronica raver fans, and it was just lame. Halfway through his set, Katie and I decided to move to the back where the air was cooler and you could actually hear the music better.

Saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was awesome, an orgy of Tim Burton visuals and some excellent performances. The music was great, classic Danny Elfman, and Johnny Depp was adequately creepy as the haunted Willy Wonka. I highly recommend it, it's just as good as the first film in my opinion.

Something old, something new, something cancerous in Lance grew...

Lance Armstrong sent me a letter today asking if I'd like to donate money to his charity. You'd think that asking such a worthwhile favor wouldn't take more than a couple paragraphs, but before I knew it I was reading a whole second page. I don't know if the point was to try and play on my guilty conscience to just to cover all the bases and try various keys to everybody's money giving heart. It made me think of my grandpa Higginbotham, a dairy farmer from Escalon, CA who all his life was diagnosed with cancer in his neck. He had it removed on various occasions and it didn't spread at all until he was nearly in his 80's when it took over his entire body and resulted in a very slow and sad demise. I don't want to die that way, I tell people that if when I'm old I'm not able to regulate my bowel movements or wipe myself for that matter I'd rather just end it there. Of course I'm not going to kill myself Hunter S. Thompson style, but if I'm not going to serve society by rocking anymore I'd rather just call it 'a life'. Lately I've been craving new music while also wanting to satisfy my vintage self simultaneously. So I got a BB King compilation and an album from a new Swedish rock group called "Shoud Out Louds". They have an interesting sound, I can't quite point out any one influence they might have, they have a few different sounds in just one album which is something I enjoy. It keeps an album from being boring and droning.

I don't know you, why are you waving to me?

After work today I decided to venture over to Virgin Megastore to see if I could pick up the Aquabats new album and possibly pick up another random band's CD. Everytime I go there I decide to walk the Market St. route because it's virtually and geographically the fastest way there, however, socially it's the slowest way imagineable. Out in front of Virgin there is always a pack of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) kids trying to earn money for college. They say they're trying to help the dying pandas, but I know what their real motivation is. What bugs me is that they're almost always kids who are about my age, they're smiling, and some of the girls are cute even. So I feel like a real jerk if I ignore them.

Today it was a chubby acne faced girl who chose me to be her next victim. As I attempted to non-chalantally walk by acting as if I was watching the pidgeons overhead, she waved a huge overhead wave with her hand and said "Hello there!" to which I responded with an equally unnecessary wave saying "Good bye!". Well, it didn't stop her, this girl turned out to be a saddler as she saddled up next to me and walked the whole length of the sidewalk telling me about what cause she was working for and how it was helping her (the latter detail was the least convincing part to get my dinero). I kindly told her I really didn't have time, which was a complete lie, but come on, what person just decides to give money to a pimply faced kid on Market St?

After shedding myself of this two-faced do-gooder, I reached my planned destination only to be appauled by their prices as I usually am at Virgin. So I walked one more block to Rasputin's (or Raspy's as I like to call it) where I was hoping to find a better deal. Although their setup is kinda trashy, rundown and hokey, I always find my experiences at Raspy's to be good ones. They got a fitting selection and I enjoy the occasional banter with the over-sinical and sometimes pompous staff. Sure, they act like they know more about music than anybody else because they work at an "independent" record shop, but let's face it, how many of them can strum a power chord?

I got my CD's and rode the bus home. Sitting next to me on the bus was a guy maybe just a couple years older than me. He was dressed in an all black suit wearing black Docs and sporting a hairstyle not unlike Trent Reznor's current do. Only this kid was balding and had about an inch of blonde outgrowth. The NIN song that came to mind was "The Persistence of Loss"

What would I do...

So today I was looking at my badass Superman watch and was reminded of Lex Luthor's awesome underground lair in the first Superman movie. And I made a decision, if I ever become rich enough, I'm going to do the same. Move to New York, buy one of their old run down and no longer used subway stations and fix it up classy like to live in it.

Yeah, that would be awesome.

I think I subconsciously want to kill my cat...

...only now it doesn't seem so subconscious.

I had a dream last night that I was holding a 44 Magnum to the head of a cat that looked a lot like my cat Arwen. I didn't pull the trigger, but when I woke up I had what seemed to be a strange smerk on my face.

Do I want to kill my cat? Probably not, but I did blow an entire weekend looking after it while at the same time laying down 5 Benjamins to have a meesly little wart removed. It had me pissed beyond expression. But it's over now, the cat has been chastised by the vet, and I'm over it now.

I guess it's a good thing I don't own a gun

Sensory overload to come...

3 shows and a movie within a 5 day period, there's no doubt that I'll have fun, I just hope my body is prepared for the sensory overload that will be inflicted upon it.

Demetri Martin (hilarious comedian) is tomorrow night
"Charlie & The Chocolate Factory" the movie Saturday afternoon
Billy Corgan at the Fillmore Saturday night
Beck on Monday night

I'm so excited for all these that I can't even express it clear enough. I'm just overwhelmed.

There's a guy from my work's London office who's here all week, he's a cool guy, he's just hanging out and interviewing potential freelance writers for the company. He was so hopped up on caffeine yesterday that he couldn't stop shaking, I don't know if that's the best way to get over a bad case of jetlag, but I guess it worked because he's fine today.

Reconnecting...

My work has disconnected me slightly from the part of my life that I enjoy the most, and that's the goofy, non-self conscious, not afraid to embarrass myself side. My script, although the story is awesome and something different in my opinion, still lacks that Jon Bowerbank spirit that I've been trying to access during this whole writing process. It doesn't mean that I'm going to quit my job or anything, NOOOO, far from it. I still got bills to pay damnit. But this just means that I'm going to try and just work harder AT work to make the time go by faster and hone my concentration in on some of the lighter or free spirited parts that make me who I am. So, although the story is based in the revolutionary war, you can expect it to have a Coen Bros./Terry Gilliam absurdness to it. And now that I'm rewriting it and constantly putting these ideas in to lighten things up, my excitement for finishing the script has only grown more than before.

Early to bed...

...late to rise in my case.

I fell asleep at 9:30 yesterday, and still managed to get up around 8:00am, just as groggy as I would have felt had I only slept 5 hours. What a waste of a night, all the more reason to keep staying up late at night. I dunno, perhaps I needed the sleep and just don't want to admit it. Or maybe it was just a way to sleep through the boredom and make it go by faster. Either way, I feel the same.

My cat got a wart removed from her nose today, so I gotta stay home all weekend to make sure she doesn't pick at it. Sounds like fun doesn't it? ("Take my cat, please!")

Well, maybe I'll find a good selection of flicks at the library or rent something to help pass the time. Or I'll just write, which I should do anyway. I took a week off trying to get over some blockage.

What's really going on in the Sunset?

"visiongain Inc." (the company I work for and manage on the US homefront) was treated to a free Wednesday at the SF Zoo today. It was cool, fun and everything that a zoo could be. I was only moderately pissed when I found out that the monkey cages were being renovated. Why? Were the monkeys so bored with their decor that they needed a renovation in the middle of the summer? Plus there weren't any elephants, since one died and the other was so lonely that she was shipped down to SoCal. The trip home was interesting as is usual when riding the MUNI trains. An old lady who was standing in front of me was mumbling little rants and ravings to herself, I could barely hear most of it, but then all of a sudden she said in a normal speaking volume "SODOMIZING FREAK! WHERE'S YOUR AMERICAN FLAG!?"

The local news is selling GM vehicles?

Channel 5 news today took 5 minutes out of my life, out of the lives of the loyal news watching audience and out of all the other stories in the world to be told just to make sure I knew that GM was giving an "Employee Discount" to all customers on their cars for the summer. I guess this is the last time I watch this channel, from now on I'm just sticking to good ol' independent non-sequiter NPR. My Final Cut Studio bundle pack arrived today, FINALLY I can re-edit all my short films and get some watchable copies of my films made. The DVD's will be out in a few months, let me know if you'd like a copy, otherwise I'll be trying to submit them to some local venues (ie Red Devil Lounge, StudentFilm.com, etc...) to get a little exposure and perhaps get away from the career I seem to be stuck in for the time being. I got home today and immedately felt all my energy suddenly being sucked from my body, as if my work hadn't already taken all of it already. I don't know what's got me so bored, maybe I should turn the TV off during Prime Time hours and read more. No more digital or analog media between the hours of 6pm to 10:30pm, just me and a bunch of thinly sliced trees with print on them to sooth my mood.

Physically sickened from unexpected causes...

4th of July, a day to celebrate, a day to remember, a day to light and/or watch fireworks, a day to spend with family, a day to get out and see the city, a day to enjoy enjoy our American freedom...yet for some reason on this day of all days I never felt so imprisoned. A couple years ago I wrote a thesis about consumerism in America, how it's a disease on our society and is perhaps at its worst during our Patriotic holidays (ie Independence Day, Memorial Day, etc...) Katie needed some new jeans, and although I warned her repeatedly for the past few months about her deteriorating fibers that were holding her (recently trashed) jeans together, she still refused to give in and get a new pair. Well, today she found a huge hole and therefore I was thrown into a state of purchasing seemingly non-emergency goods on a day that should have had more meaning than just a day to get a great deal on a pair of Levi's. As we walked around the Levi's store on Post St., I noticed that the majority of customers there were not American at all, but were mostly European. Ahhh, Levi Strauss, making jean deprived Europeans envious since the 1840's. But my state of high anxiety and near physical sickness came later in the day after watching War of the Worlds (excellent pic btw). We couldn't decide on what to have for lunch, so we just decided to run over to Whole Foods to find something supposedly healthy and light to make ourselves. I could not believe how many people were rushing around this narrow aisled health food store trying to get their holiday grub. I don't have a history of claustrophobia, but suddenly after grabbing a 4 pack of Virgil's Root Beer (which we would find very unsatisfying) I found myself sweating and breathing short breaths of anxiety. I worded to Katie "I think it's time for me to leave." So we bought our food, left the store and I vowed to never come back to Whole Foods under these nationally desperate situations ever again. With all the anxiety and hypocrisy behind me, I felt it necessary to just stay home the rest of the night and to try to find my comfort zone again. The fireworks weren't starting until 9:30, so we watched Monk with a new level of identification with his character, until it was time. We went upstairs to the roof, which has a terrific view of Aquatic Park, and after seeing the Marin County Fair fireworks go off the Fisherman's Wharf ones started up and it was a great spectacle to behold. Lasting well over 10 minutes, I could look around and see other people shouting and cheering from their rooftops enjoying their spirit of freedom and perhaps thankfulness for all those who have sacrificed and those who continue to sacrifice themselves so we don't have to. My lesson is learned, my behavior to be realized in future years has been more directed towards what's healthier for me and I have a better sense of things that are more important. I just need to know what's next

Anachoristic tendencies...

Have you ever gone to an historic place and felt strangely as if you belonged there? Last week I went to the Hyde St. Pier and climbed aboard a couple of the old ships they had there. One was an old cargo ship which was pretty cool, but the one that impressed me the most was the old ferry boat there that was used early in the 1900's to taxi people between Sausalito and San Francisco before there was a bridge. There was a huge area with just benches and empty seats, and when I sat down in one of the many rows of seats I immediately imagined myself riding the awesome sea...well, bayworthy ship, wearing an old style suit, high collared button up shirt with a tie and bowler cap. And I looked around and noticed hundreds, possibly thousands of other passengers dressed in the same garb, and a small percentage of women wearing their bonnets to protect themselves from the harsh and foggy winds that were blowing sideways across the ship's bow. I wish I could go back to that era, at least for a day, alas I can't. Does anybody wanna recreate it with me?

A Student Union secession...

I decided it would be a good idea to stop into the Apple store today after work to see if I couldn't get myself the new "Final Cut Studio" bundle pack to go along with my new G5. I was so excited, my palms were sweating with anxiety. I walk into the store and I notice immediately that all the employees are wearing bright green shirts with the words "Student Union" on them, to promote a new deal of getting a free iPod mini with your new computer. So I figured, oh good, so I can use my student discount here, awesome! I go to the cashier and ask if they could fetch me a non-previously handled box containing the FC Studio bundle. I then mention that I'll also be needing the student discount to be applied to my purchase, to which the cashier replied "I'm sorry, we don't do student discounts here in store, only online." I expressed my confusion by pointing to his shirt and explaining how dumb that sounded, and he said "I know." Well, the happy ending is that I was able to order it online with my student discount. It's so great, a product that would cost me $1400 is only costing me $750. There are perks to being a student.

Another death is capitalized on...

Yeah, you might have read my little rant about the INXS starsearch. Well, on UPN they're doing a TLC one to replace Lisa "Lefteye" Lopes. Who, although she was annoying, was the hottest one in my opinion. I'm seriously considering cutting myself off from primetime TV during the summer for this.

Da Mayor rides the #1...

On occasion I'll take the #1 bus home from work since it stops just a block from my apartment. Probably at least once a week I see San Francisco's former Mayor Willie Brown riding it as well, sitting confortably and non-chalantly in the elder/disabled seats up front, yeah right, as if nobody would notice him.

I guess he lives somewhere on Nob Hill near Mason St. or something, cause that's where he always gets off. Everytime I see him I'm tempted to say "Hey, you're that guy who was in "The Princess Diaries"!" 'Cause he has a cameo in it.

A suicide is commercialized...

What is wrong with America? Well, that's a question that could take a very long time to answer. But I just wanted to start with one thing that's been bugging me, and probably still will after writing about it, but at least this will help release a little tension. Now, I've never really been an INXS fan. Sure, they had a couple songs that were fun to dance to in the early 90's, but they weren't anything that could snatch my fanatical tendencies. Recently a TV show, not unlike American Idol, has surfaced on CBS to find the ideal singer to replace the original singer of INXS. Who, by the way, committed suicide some 10 years ago. What kind of band with any kind of integrity or self respect would submit themselves to a selection process such as this? I'll tell you who, a band that has nothing else going for them, namely INXS. OK, that's all I had to say about it. It's just lame, and I can't watch a show that only exists because the original singer took his life into his own hands. On a lighter note, I need a new CD shelf. Preferably one that holds approximately 350 CDs, so if you can recommend anything either from an online store or at a local furniture store please let me know. :) Have a loverly evening.

Tahk tahk, tahk tahk...

To get back into the office building where I work, you have to enter the 4 digit code that unlocks the door. And as I was about to enter the code I was reminded of the security guard in "Run Lola Run" and how he would punch the code into the bank's security door.

So when I punched the 4 digits I made the following sounds respectively as I punched each button on the keypad "tahk tahk, tahk tahk"

Isn't that neat? Yeah, I thought so

A possible dynasty?

My oldest brother Rob is visiting from Utah, and with him he brought his lovely wife Tanya and 4 of his 5 kids. After we did some of the regular SF touristy stuff (ie cable car ride, Fisherman's Wharf, etc...) we had dinner at Pier Market. While at dinner, I was surprised to hear that my nephew Brady also wants to be a filmmaker! How awesome is that? The kid is only 8 I think, and he already has aspirations. He even knows directors, is a fan of George Lucas (not just because of Star Wars) and at career day in school he explained exactly what he'd like to do as a filmmaker. I was even surprised to know that he knows what a Producer is. I doubt he knows what they do, but just knowing that it's an actual production title at his age is impressive. This only motivates me more to know that in my future I may have an apprentice of sorts. Somebody who will most likely accomplish more than I will, and I'd be happy to give him an humble and happy hand (the h's are silent). A dynasty in the works? Perhaps. But it'll be years in the making

Truth be known...

As I rode my bike home from work, I took a detour to the library which is next to City Hall. As I crossed in front of this beautiful building so full of corruption, I noticed that if you look East towards Market St. there's a 3 story building made of brick that has the word "TRUTH" painted in giant white letters.

I think somebody is trying to send a message to our civic leadership.

Thoughts during a long day...

I have a firm belief that the orange was given its name before the carrot.

When speaking, I'm going to start making my "H's" silent, like 'herbs', just to make sure you're paying attention.

Is there a certain time of the year when sweet & sour pork can't be served at Chinese restaurants? It seems all the ones near my work don't serve it anymore. Weird

Why won't that light in the bathroom at my work turn off. There must be a solution to the problem, we all know how energy conscious I am.

Sometimes I get the urge to wear a multi-colored or alternatively colorful belt. But then my rational side reminds me that that's quite a gay thing to do.

I would go out and get some snazzy and colorful socks to wear, but I've already made a healthy investment in a bulk pack of white socks. So I guess I'm stuck with these until they wear out.

Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing stains your clothes easily, I gotta remember to not put the snap lid back on its recepticle so close to my body.

I like to put lemon wedges in my Coke, I always take the seeds out of the lemons first because I have a feeling that something as small as a lemon seed just might claim my fate if I were to choke on it.

I wanna go home :)

What happened to the Red Ribbon?

So I go to Virgin Megastore to get Billy Corgan's new album (which is great btw), and the young woman at the register asks me if I'd like to donate a buck to the AIDS foundation and receive a free white rubberband to wear on my wrist. I then started thinking, is the red ribbon no more? Has showing your support for medical research and disease awareness suddenly turned more into a fashion trend? This reminds me of the Jews of ancient days, they would wear a blue piece of yarn that hung from their clothes to show how righteous they were, and the prideful ones liked to wear extremely long pieces of yarn to make sure everyone knew they were righteous. I'm all for supporting the AIDS walk and awareness week, I just don't want people to lose focus because those rubberbands are suddenly cool to wear.

Whatever it was...

Whatever kind of pressure I've been feeling has been magically lifted from my shoulders, and to think a new computer with a highly efficient operating system could do so much. No, I am not a TOTAL computer geek, I just know the basics. And I with what I have now I am able to do so much more.

It's amazing how just having the tools ready can inspire creativity in a person. I think back to artists like Michelangelo with his fresco paintings, Leonardo and his craftsmanship and expertise with oil painting, Shakespeare with his plume and in more modern times the filmmakers variety of digital components that are used to create today films. If you were wondering why so many films are being pumped out nowadays, it's because the production time has been shortened so much and made everything so streamlined that the accumulation of crap and the exhibition of quality films has been facilitated in so many ways.

But enough about that, more about what I'm doing...I'm writing again, but for real this time. Honestly, since my new computer runs quieter than the PC I had, I don't get so annoyed and don't have to force myself to shutdown the computer so I can get some rest from the ear piercing noise.

You can expect my script to be finished within 2 weeks for sure, if you would like to read a bit of it, let me know. I just might let you.