crossroads to nowhere

Letters Home: Wish List

2006-09-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

vox

2006-07-26T01:25:00.000-07:00

tauntingjeans2.vox.com

happy mrthday to me

2006-07-11T00:32:00.000-07:00

my brother and a friend at work wished me happy birthday last week. my bro called and left a message and i returned his call, the friend at work sent me a myspace message, said nothing at work. parental units didn't call or send a card, payback for me forgetting my dads bday then trying to call the next day...not getting anything out of their will so whatever.

3 day notice on my door today. i paid rent, but the building was sold and no one told me where t0 pay rent. i know where that address is, they are getting exactly 450 from me and my 30 day notice. well, that is if the interview goes well tomorrow.

i have an interview at*** in Oakland tomorrow. this should be fun...as I put together a portfolio tonight. a sad and little one. they think i am off to see the Dr....I guess I am

Cheers from Tristan de Cahuna burger.
Mas

yahoo chat

2006-07-03T21:02:00.000-07:00

well at least it was entertaining

pm: hi
me: hi
pm: hi:
pm: like to chat?
me: sure
pm: ok
pm: 28 f usa and u?
pm: are you there?
me: does it matter if I don't respond immediately
pm: no
pm: are you busy?
me: no, just don't know why you want to talk to ME
pm: ok
pm: do you attend naked parties?
me: wtf kind of question is that?
me: do you speak english?
pm: the is a naked party coming up in texas and i want to invite someone
me: texas is a little far to walk for me
pm: not familiar with that
pm: ok
pm: but is in the weekend
pm: so you can always make it

email from the east

2006-05-26T23:27:00.000-07:00

conversations in the queue of the british bookshop:

(clerk)
"15 euro please"
(customer)
"thanks"

(clerk)
"17 euro please"
(customer)
"thank you"

(clerk)
"pi and the master and margarita? wow, these are GREAT books, you will REALLY like them! i read them recently and they are SO good!"

(me) "yup, that's what my sources say."

so your excellent taste in books is now officially approved by a viennese bookshop clerk.

-----------------------------

"(me)" is not me, of course, as i have never been to Wien, ever, i swear to god. i might just go if all the bookshop clerks are this nice though and someone can offer me a place to crash in their flat (wtf is a flat anyways?).

meanwhile...Once upon a time in Westphalia....

HI

2006-03-05T16:07:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to poke my head in here and say hello. Not that anyone comes here anymore, just out of curiosity.

New stuff. I bought a used car. An 86 Honda Accord. It gets me to work and back, to the store and to games. Work is still sucky, though I got a raise (50 centavos) on my last check. I got a microwave for xmas from the parents. I am able to cook all sorts of stuff now. Its all premade-frozen shit, but better than salami sadwiches for dinner. I quit drinking coffee, so now my coffee maker is my hot-water maker.

I bought a mini-season ticket package (9 games) for the local Ice Hockey club. It's AA Hockey, so not really like watching NHL or Olympic teams. They are not very good at all, but hey, it is a lot of fun to go to the games and cheer. Except when your date just wants to be taken home afterwards and she doesnt say more than 2 words in the car on the way there. Bad sex would be worse, but not by much. In all I have been to 11 games so far (5 from the package). They have won none of them. I was supposed to go last night, then Lisa bailed on Friday and Sakub flaked Saturday afternoon. So I didn't go. And they won. Figures.

Feburary 15

2006-02-16T00:20:00.000-08:00

wow, im so off right now

amazing thing on the driving range tho. I learned how to hit a driver. just go crazy and hit the ball, full strength (118 lbs. here). I am hitting them 230 to 250, fucking straight.

merry japotle

2005-12-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

HI! HOW ARE YOU? I AM FINE. I DON'T POST MUCH ANYMORE IN HERE

its raining and windy. called my mom to wish her a happy b-day. ate food. worked. came home and vegged. stupid tv.

tried to call my bro (still am) to find out what he wants for xmas, keep getting the machine.

I have joined the green banana hats gang. flickr is funny. heck its the only way i get goopy stuff anymore.

Danielle got a job as a cookie decorator. Just in time for the holidays. I told her i want the mistakes, but she said she'd have to ask (a likely story).

Lisa, lets not go there

Get tickets to Coachella. On Sale Feb 7th (my estimate). Buy camping tickets if you can afford them, seriously. And buy a tent, a nice two person one, and please learn how to set it up beforehand.

Bored in rainyville,
Oregon Petri Dish

gas and tattoos

2005-10-19T22:04:00.000-07:00

i have neither, thank god

but i do wanna speak

gas is so much fun, beans gas.
sans car, i pay 20 for rides home. its well worth it as you cant smoke on the bus. Still on the bus to work, but 6.25 is well worth it.

Started a savings account with t-mobile. have a nice phone/bill.

tattoos, not for me, but cool on other peeps. maybe its a hip-hop thing.

Stupid new neighbors playing U2, loudly.

Friends want to get an a house, they dont have money, what are they to do
Shit gotta go

blog

2005-09-26T21:14:00.000-07:00

shite whatever. crazy weekend. i don't really want to talk about it.

Sal's party was good. It was nice being with peeps who dont give a shit who you are, just good to be out and seeing peeps.

With no car I am restricted, but I have done that to myself. I know, shut the hell up already.

Your inner being is what? mine is spelling the teh.

I have been asked to read the Bible, specifically John and report back on it on Wednesday. I am up to (?) Verse 7 and so far Jesus is doing pretty good. I guess John, of the Bible, is 'witnessing'.

My friend asked me to talk about it. That is cool. We have an appointment.

Sal's party was better than good.

Oh, im getting a cell phone! and a tv! getting a k in the mail (at work) was cool. i am off to pay some bills.

peace.
sam

Insurance and Coachella 2006

2005-09-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

I signed up for medical and dental insurance at work this week. It's actually cheaper than I thought. Medical will be around 100-120 per month and dental is 46 per month (Hello false teeth). Thank goodness I will be able to see a real doctor . The ones at the local cheap clinic suck. You never get the same doctor, so each time is an adventure in ESL. I was told "Go home, Be Happy" 10 times yesterday. That is a nice thought, but tell me what is going on!!!!

I think I have an ulcer. Which being a high strung person working under pressure in a deadline driven environment (wow, good resume line Sam) under a lot of stress some might come to conclude would be logical. I dunno. May you know a good doctor? I signed up with Spracher by Dameron.

I never wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to be a CPA. But I turned out as an artist. WTF?

I can't draw or paint, have bad handwriting, am anti-social but I can manipulate a computer pretty well. Or at least some software.

--------------------------------------------

Right. Coachella 2006 will probably be on the weekend of April 29-30. I am there. So are Sakub and Lisa from work. If you want to go we have arranged a house at no cost for the Friday-Monday, and I will post details of location, sleeps, milage from venue, etc. when I get it. Tix last year were 175 for both days and they come on sale in the first week of February. Thats also when they post the lineups. Usually 40+ bands per day on 5 stages. You WILL have a good time.

I really don't care about the lineup right now. I have been the last two years and saw music that blew my mind. Join us, if you dare.

peace,
sam

Happy Labor Day to all in labor

2005-09-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

shortirishtea has some pretty good stuff. It's my brothers blog.

I did wash today. That was fun, especially teaching my neighbor Ravi how the washer and dryer operate. I guess he never had to operate these fine appliances, let alone sort clothes and wash them on different cycles. Not a physics major.

He'd never seen a dryer sheet before either, and had no idea what it was for. I guess he didn't know what static electricity was either. Not a science major.

He did lock himself out of his apartment the first night he was here. And this guy is a junior in college (you must live on campus in a dorm for your first two years). Ahh, political science major for sure.

Someone moved into 10, which is right next door. apparently his family always left the front door open with the tv blaring at 2am on the weekends. He isn't going to last here.

The only actual apartment left is 8 which is right across from my place. But I wouldnt live there if you paid my rent. Some freaky shit was going on in there.

We start carpooling tomorrow. By "We" I mean peeps from work. Sal is going to be picking me up and dropping me off and I help him with gas. I think Jason will come back onboard too. Maybe even Daniel, and have Daniel switch off with Sal, at least until I can get a car and Jason too.

My dad called me today. He asked about my trip to LA and how was X-games (which happened a month ago, and I already told him about the weekend afterwards). He got bored, naturally, and said "here's your mother". So I talked to my mom. we had a bit of a chat. that information is classified.

I have an opinion and this is where I speak it.
peace and love,
me

NOLA

2005-09-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

Sad, sad, sad.

I have been watching streaming video of this whole fiasco all week. Where the hell has the Federal government been? People are dying and the only thing I heard was politicians telling them to be patient, help was on the way. What? A week later? I am not at all surprised by what I have seen going on in NO. How would you react if your government officials left you to fend for yourself for 5 days after a major disaster?

And it's not like no one knew this could happen. The National Hurricane Center predicted this storm to hit NO the Thursday before it arrived. They were 13(!!!!) miles off, on a 400 mile wide storm. Louisianians have been screaming for the levee system to be upgraded for years (5 million instead of the 50 million they asked for this year alone). They needed funding for coastal reclamation and it wasn't given. There are whole parishes where there are NO HOUSES LEFT STANDING! Places on the north shore and on the Mississippi coast look like they were hit with nuclear weapons.

There are some politicians who won't be able to run for dogcatcher, let alone the office they now hold after the screwed up job they did. I am sorry to see the Govenor lose it on TV, but being sad doesn't save lives or help people. Neither does sitting on your ass for 5 days Dubbya. Talk about impeachment. What the hell are "American Values" now bitch?

I am not proud to be an American, and haven't been for a while. This just reinforces that feeling.

Pissed off,
Me

hammy's ad

2005-08-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

cheer up bitch

there is no such thing as too bloated or too drunk

More golf

2005-08-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sal shot a 41, Daniel shot 45, Sam a 46, and Sakub a 55. So I didn't finish in last. I do not have clubs, so I was playing with some crappy ones. No disrepect but I'll rent clubs next time instead. Or buy a nice set, just to spite you all.

46 isn't all that bad considering I haven't played in 5 years, bought the glove for the wrong hand and got screwed for a dozen balls. I have a good swing, though. 30+ years of golf and I am still a duffer.

I am on the bike all this week. I have to do it. Bringing lunch everyday too, and lots of water.

I really dont give a shit what you think of my body, but i am doing it for it's sake.

War... We Are Right (and yer fucking stoopid)

Opine, Oh Pine,
Groucho Marxist

Golf

2005-08-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

Golf.

Yes Golf. At the par 3 course at Swenson. With Sal and Sakub.

It's a 9 hole course, good for beginners and those of us who haven't swung a club it a bit.

Sakub, Daniel and I went out to hit range balls earlier this week. Had not hit a golf ball in 4(?) years. It is like riding a bike, i was smacking some shots as the balls ran out.

I do need to get a glove for this, and golfballs, and tees. Unfortunately my clubs were "lost in the move". So I am using Sal's other clubs.

Well Ravi Shavakavi just knocked on my door, he locked himself out of #7. "umm, damn, sorry, call a locksmith dood" was my response. Like I have a key? WTF?

Cat-butt flavored dog food! Now in tins! A great idea whose meme has now passed on.

The Ambassador to Red China (as opposed to the Blue one?),
Immoral Hijinks

Tuesday night in Stockton

2005-08-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

it has slowed down a lot at work. printing goes in cycles. mid-summer and late autumn seem to be the peak periods for labels.

UOP is back in session. Kids making noise in the alley tonight. good for them.

I sent brax a usb joystick today. hope he gets it before the weekend. cost me nothing to send it from work. I hope his girlfriend likes it, the joystick i mean. well fipi ads do work!

the felt is for sale, and the Roand RE-501, as i need a car. both will go on craigslist this weekend. I may ebay the roland instead.

All clear at the Capitol,
Peirre Slanderer

hola

2005-08-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

i am alive, send cash and gold and shit

Monday

2005-08-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

I did my work today and then prety much shot the afternon in half. After 3:00 nothing happened, except Emily kept working. There isn't a camera in the art dept, yet.

I get "scheduled" work, which varies from day to day. And I get most of the hard stuff. I actaully took a job from Sakub today that they f-ed up on.

I get pulled jobs every once in a while, mostly for little stuff. Oh, yeah, it pisses me off, beacuse I can do better but don't give a fuck right now.

There is a job in Whittier that I am thinking of sending my resume off to and one in HB too. I think I'll just get the car and then take a few days off to explore the southland area.

Called lisa on her cell. she has a new (for her) car. Honda Si. Sounded like a cool ride, plus cd player. I need to go get into debt again too.

Your pilgrim in toto,
Arc Welder

What really happened last weekend

2005-08-14T21:52:00.000-07:00

Umm, not much really. I was too afraid to even try. That's lame, but that was me. So nothing actually happened. I hopw you aren't too disappointed in me. I am, now, but who the hell cares what I think?

I was thinking of a location change anyway. My bro has moved and that sucks for me, being sans car. I may just have to take a day or two off and get a car. I liked Long Beach, and Torrance was cool. I am actually looking for jobs down in SoCal. Thats nuts for me, but I have no ties that bind me here. Just a bad feeling and no response.

I don't care for Stockton much anymore. It isn't the same place I grew up in. It's nasty and I hate that.

My apartment just got a bit nicer today, as I cleaned and did wash. I need a shredder for my paperwork though. and a vacum cleaner. my bathroom is better too and I have taken control of the kitchen again. I still need a nice TV but cable bills i dont want.

Well off to eat something,
Okra Wimpy

Triphoprockpoplatindancehiphop!

2005-08-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

X-Games was the shit!

And thats all I am going to say about that.

Who?

Mike Jones

X-Games part 14

2005-08-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

Well the tix are in hand, the rental car (nice one, ac cd, nissan centra) parked out front (it screams "Whitey"). I have a few errands to run in the am, namely a haircut at 10 am. at the mall. then ice and diet pepsi's (to go with the water and sports drinks) in the cooler for the trip down. I have a case of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups which will come in handy.

Parts 2-13 were taken off-line due to their blandisment factor. (though part 8 went on and on how i can't smoke in the rental).

I have packed about nothing so far. I guess I should do that. and go though my cd's to take. I burned some good ones at work today. The Cookbook (Missy Elliot) is my new commute music, along with a tribute album to Sublime (thanks lise!).

Hoping them shuttle folks get back home all fine and dandy. 95% of the reporters that are sent to Houston haven't a clue, sad

Well I must go pack,

Your ever slim customer,
Barry Whitey

me

2005-07-31T20:58:00.000-07:00

i miss so much because my focus is on me. and i can't take good photographs.

X-games

2005-07-27T22:27:00.000-07:00

I am rather stupid. At some things. At others I can be quite brilliant.

I have a farmers tan this year. It's been quite hot lately, so the bikes have been gaining particles of dust the last few weeks.

NOTICE!!!!

I have learned how the 'crappy' pump works. First you must read Mayan, then translate that into Sanskrit. And thats just for the captions on the pictures of the "instruction Manuel".

Oh well, it was printed in Crete.

X-Games - LB, CA! I am there on Saturday for the Wakeboarding Finals and then the BMX at Staples in the evening. Time off to explore too. Maybe meet some fellow '...is a good chap" peeps too. Unless they go to get real lumpia. ;)

I love lumpia. my mom taught ESL at a multi-cultural school for a few years and the teachers would have parties. Heck get a few different cultures together and there is a celebration every day (more or less). She used to bring back lumpia and other nice treats from the parties.

Maybe that is what people should be doing, instead of invading countries or blowing up people. Bring back nice treats for your neighbors.

Destination Anywhere,
Gern Blanstrom, LLC

what the hey?

2005-06-28T22:34:00.000-07:00

A post. Not thinking about my bikes. Just dreaming of them. Used car for me. I really need a car.

It shall cost me, but that I can afford. Don't get me wrong, i love rididng the bikes, but i NEED to buy overpriced stuff.

Your serf,
Iago (sans Desdemona)

Hot dog v Pork chop

2005-06-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

My lunch choices. I chose the Hotdog and soda. The potato salad in the icebox is looking real good.

The Apples come back Wednesday. I hope mine doesnt run the fan at 350% all the time anymore. Well, if they fix the going to sleep when you are working on it feature, (i-snore?), that would be bloody loverly. I hope the other one will be able to turn on and off. Made in China!

Lots of stuff is made in China. Like firecrackers. Fourth of July coming up. But you can't buy fireworks here. So a drive to Galt, Modesto, anywhere outside the county and you can get them.

umm...Tax!

Crete over,
Killacademus the LLIX

Blog forgotten

2005-06-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I have not posted lately. I know some peeps come here sometimes.

my friend Marc wrote this (and took the pic).

My brother is moving to Linden, a small community just east of here. Cherry farmers mostly. He isn't exactly in town either. But he has access to a recording studio 24/7. Poor bastard.

Work is great, they gave me a 400,000,000 dollar an hour raise and i am now trying to buy Sri Lanka (sans Tamil Fighters). I sit around all day smoking Cuban cigars and no one complains...

Oh WORK, not that dream. Well it is lovely. I enjoy my work (if you call popping tums like popping skittles). Every day is a new challange. And people are so fucking stupid it makes you want to scream.

I used to do those logic puzzles in my mom's crossword books. She could do the Cryptographs like mad. And she would pen in the crosswords. Expert ones.

One night, when I was 9 or 10, my Mom and Billie Wilkinson (a family friend) were talking about college. Billie's husband had gone to Stanford and she said "You have to have a 4.0 or better to be accepted there". My mom said that she would have not been accepted there, as her GPA was 3.5 or so.

They then got to talking about what to do with their bodies when they died. I don't recall if Bilie said anything, but I do remember my mom saying that she would want her body left to science.

I had never heard of this, so I asked her what she meant. Mom said "I would like my body to be donated to Stanford University as a cadaver when I die."

But I protested "Mom, you dont have a high enough GPA!"

Well it was funny then.

Peace, cheers, love yas

Herr Herring, smeller of fish

P.S. Trout have funny hearts, they are triangular.

It's Memorial Day Weekend

2005-05-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

I have been looking for a car, not that I can afford one right now. But just looking. If I drop 3K i can pick up a ride that will get me back and forth to work, bay area, etc.

The place next door sells 'used' cars at 20% interest. screw that. I know what Interest times Rate times Time equals. I can probably get 600 for the roadie (if not 8, or a K). Might just put it on craigslist. I dunno.

Work, is funny. I tore apart three desks yesterday looking for some software. This morning the software was in one of the desks. I wonder how that happened???

Posted more shots on flickr. Got a 'favorite' tag from Goopy. What a fucking ego boost. Almost as good as working with Marc. Marc is brill. I have never worked with Goop, but he is brill too. Someday I Will Meet That Guy. BLEEP BLEEP!!!

Its just the ideas. the brainwave that gets them, translates them, and serves them out is what i am amazed at. Sometimes I get them, but then again i am just a production artist. So I muddle along in the slow lane. But I am happy to do so. Every once in a bit I do brill stuff too, just not daily.

My dad can kick your dads ass,
Donald Trumpet

Tape Backups!

2005-05-23T21:03:00.000-07:00

Well the full backup failed. So I have gone to backing up individual drives. Maybe I'll get to work saturdays again. I could pretty much just sit around all day surfing and get paid overtime for doing the backups. At least I wouldn't game anymore. I might actually make money and do something useful at the same time. Or that is how I shall explain it at work.

My co-workers didn't quite know what to make of the 'Thingamagoop' today. Good for them, they are 'normal'. I only found one bird corpse under my window this morning.

Firey Furnaces. What good music, Blueberry Boat has convinced me that they are fucking briliant.

Throwing Muses are quite delightful to hear too. I have about one months worth of listening to do though. My ears will be happy, nevertheless.

This new game is going into the big box under the table.

Alpha Particular Matter 129B,
"Chacka" Kon Tiki, ESQ.

Bleep Labs

2005-05-21T22:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I recieved a parcel via USPS. It was my Thingamagoop. A blue one. It is annoying, yet fun and the birds seem to like it, considering a couple of them smashed themselves to death trying to enter my apartment via a halfway opened window this am. Quite disconcerting, but birds are dumb.

The dvd drive seems to be working again. I dunno, maybe the good kick I gave it last night may have helped. Yes, I know, shut up already.

Palermo tied ACMilan 3-3. Shit, Juventus have won the Scudetto. Some say ACM's defense is the best ever, but I have seen big holes this year. I hope the team doesn't get too big a shake-up over the summer. Still they can win Champions League by beating Liverpool. Granted winning your own league is great, but winning against the best in Europe is better.

David Lean was a hell of a director. I have been watching Lawrence of Arabia and The Bridge on the River Kwai as of late and I do not get tired of them. Just outstanding acting and direction and set, and music, etc...

I keep picking up more and more Sonic Youth. The more I hear the more I wonder why I wasn't listening to them 15-20 years ago. I guess Ratt and Metallica were more important. Or some such bullshite.

Your evelasting-gobstopper,
Lancelot Link

blog this and that

2005-05-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

I did a remix. twas pretty well recieved. not much on the place anymore. i have other things to do, i guess.

Lame is me at iming peeps. It sucks. I'd rather talk on my crappy phone.

The busride in this week has been The Fiery Furnaces - 'Blueberry Boat' on the cd player.

The busrides are packed now. lots of ganstars finishing up high school. They'll go far.

Teh bike tomorrow. i am packed and ready to go. Farking rain in May, all month.

Sincerely says someone sans seletcion so she shows San Salvador,
Jesus de santa maria del crustias el clowno

FiXored

2005-05-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

I am now back on the intarweb. Last night, between beers, I swapped out my broken, aging, infected (???) boot drive. It is now holding down a pile of papers. I put in a Seagate 120GB drive, formatted it and have been loading software, between beers (and sleeping and going to the store for more beer), and generally trying to get shite to work correctly again.

Funny thing is the boot drive isn't C:

Oh well the box works.

Listened to The Fiery Furnaces "Blueberry Boat" cd this am. I like them more and more each time I hear them. I wish I could have stayed for the whole set...farking coachella and the 900 bands that play there...I am there next year though. :)

Listening to The Kills "No Wow" right now. More good good. They were pretty raw at the show, but that tent was packed with about 3000 people going ape-shit. Good blurry pictures of them...farking coachella...

I have a new game. Winning Eleven 8. It's cool so far. It's a football game (read soccer fer teh 'mericans). Big surprise eh? I may hook up the joystick and try it on that. Except that thing has about 30 buttons. Progamming it to a game is an hours worth of time.

I need a new pump for my bikes. The one I got on sale is a piece of dookey. I pulled out the roadie last weekend and the tires were compleltely flat and it was covered with dust. The MTB just sat there, mocking me, while I tried to fill the tubes of the roadie. I am not sure what type of valve the pump was made for. It sure wasn't for presta's or schraeder's. Maybe for car tires, or for blowing up volleyballs. I dunno.

Yer unfortunate guest,
Speedy Magillicuddy

FuXored

2005-05-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

There is something seriously wrong with my computer. Trying to figure it out is not a ton of fun.

This all started last night. I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary. I simply downloaded critical updates from Microsoft. Of course I had to launch IE and that is when the crap hit the fan. I downloaded the patches and the box went insane, kept restarting. And I was getting a "can't find NVcla.dll (my nvidia drivers I have since reintalled) and active-X went 'poof', gone like a farking airplane.

I get these popup boxes saying "Messanger Service" just appearing out of nowhere. That one says "Message from STOP to Alert on XX/XX/XXXX XX:XXam/pm STOP! WINDOWS REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. Windows has found Critical Systems Errors. To fil the errors please do the following: 1. Download Regisrty Repair from: www.reg-patch.com 2. Install Regisrty Repair 3. Run Registry Repair 4. Reboot your computer FAILURE TO ACT NOW MAY LEAD TO SYSTEM FAILURE".

Oh sure, i'll run right over there so you can load some more crap on my box. I cant play games (locks up), watch video (locks up), surf for more than a minute on IE (locks up). I am on firefox and am damn doubtful this will work correctly.

Part of the WhoIs:

Contact: ContentCleaner@gmail

ContentCleaner
3655 W. Anthem Way, Suite A-109
Phoenix

602.357.3224

Don't worry, I have tried, its off the hook. But I do know where to rent a car and buy sporting goods. I know some peeps in Phoenix. though. hmm...

And okay, fine if you want to screw up a browser, but now my box. This is unacceptable windows bullshit. I am buying a mac this weekend, screw mircosoft. I'll be poor, but thats nothing new.

I guess it will result in more bike posts. The weather is nicer today (partly cloudy). Much better than the crappy rain on Sunday and Monday. And it is lighter earlier, and I can go without music for a bit.

And I love riding. I just get lazy and into routines.

Hey this thing keeps popping up, oh you heard that before.

Nolan Nerverminderberger,
Assistant Counsel, Swiss Federation

The weekend!

2005-05-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

I don't usually post on the weekends, for some good reasons. But I am posting today. The flickr badge is up and working. Thanks to all of you who viewed my photos. And thanks for the flickr links.

Flickr is way cool. I shall upgrade to pro anon.

new artist #1 is not working out (been there a week). New artist #2 is going to be a kick-ass find (been there a day).

Somehow it doesn't surprise me that I now have one completely farked imac at work. not mine. Alphonzo's. and no he didn't fuck it up, new artist #1 did. one must perform circus acts to get it to boot, and I am going to wipe the hd clean on monday. just to spite the thing.

Out in the back 40,
Barney Trubble

Coachella 2005 photos

2005-05-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

I have made a flickr badge and will be putting it on the blog. Probably under the 'i power blogger' button. It contains my set of edited photos from last weekend. Also, does anyone know where I can get a hit counter that actually works? Farking HTML drives me nuts.

Still working on the reviews. Not sure about the format. I am not a paid critic, just an amateur. I tried last night, but it's still a draft, fer now.

I'll try a short list here:
Best of show: Rilo Kiley
Best act I had never heard of: Jem
Most energy: Tie! The Fiery Furnaces/The Dresden Dolls
Best performance by a 'Big' group: Bauhaus
The "In Your Face Mr. LA Times Reviewer" award: Ambulance LTD
Most fun with my pants on: The Kills
Most disappointed with: Snow Patrol
Watch out for this group: Razorlight

I just realized I spelled NIN with an M! Ha!

Aight, gotta add some code. If stuff looks funny, it's just me messin around.

A man on the street,
Chalk Outline III

Coachella 2005

2005-05-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from Coachella. It was worth every penny.

The trip down was, well, longer than expected. First off the rental car company that I booked with refused to take my debit card (though their website said they would with a cash deposit). Never again Hertz. So I walked a block to Enterprise and they set me up with a car costing twice as much. But it was a ride. A Ford Focus, not a great design (ergonomically) but it got me there and back.

Got to the campsite at 9:00pm and the line was long as hell. After filling out an emergency notice form (in the dark with the wind gusting at 40 mph) they made us form up into blocks of four. Each 'square' holds 4 people. So 4 as a group, or 2 and 2, 1-3, etc. I was a single and got grouped with a couple and another single. Granted the couple didn't know us singles or us any of the others. So we registered and they assigned us space H-81. Thats when the fun started.

First off the couple got ahead of us because the other single had to buy a camping ticket. But I think they just left us so that they could camp with their friends. So the other single (Joseph G., Calgary, Alberta, Canada) and I wandered around in the dark looking for the spot. We had no luck finding it. A 'camp counselor' walked by and we asked him where our spot was and he promptly put us in the right area (H) and in the right row (73-81) but at the wrong end of the row. Of course Joseph and I didn't know that, so we put up our tents in a gale and then another counselor came and told us we were in the wrong spot and we should break down out tents and move them 60 feet north. We were flabergasted.

My tent wasn't so bad, a little doggie tent. But his had a rainfly and the stakes kept pulling out. We worked on it for about 45 minutes to get it right and were not about to do that again. So the counselor said he would go fix the paperwork so we could stay there. We waited about 30 minutes for him to return and when he didn't we hailed another counselor. This guy fixed everything in about 8 minutes. We could stay where we were and 2 new people were assigned to camp there.

Camping suxors, but it is cheap. It's hotter than Halifax in your tent after 7:00am, so you can't sleep in. After 8:00 you don't go into your tent unless you REALLY need something out of it. There is hardly any shade, as it is on a big polo ground (read not a tree anywhere). Porta-potties and mobile showers (4 semi trailers with 6 stalls each for men and women). Expensive crappy food. People being loud and drunk at all hours of the night. (There was a noise curfew after 2:00am but no one enforced it.) Dust and sand everywhere, especially when the wind picked up each night. I saw big tents doing cartwheels last night, wreaking havoc wherever they touched down. It looked like a mini tornado went though there this morning. Stuff was scattered everywhere.

But the music, urgh, so GOOD!

I saw...
Saturday:
Buck 65
Radio 4
The Raveonettes
Ambulance LTD
Snow Patrol
The Kills
Razorlight
Rilo Kiley
MF Doom
Weezer
Bauhaus

Sunday:
Diplo
Autolux
Jem
The Fiery Furnaces
Roots Manuva
The Dresden Dolls
Nine Inch Nails

I only saw the full sets of: Ambulance LTD, Rilo Kiley, Weezer, Bauhaus, Jem, Roots Manuva, The Dresden Dolls, and NIN. The others listed i saw some songs, because I had to leave to get to another venue, find a porta-pottie, get food and/or water, cool off in the shade, buy crap, or just gawk at stuff (people included).

I'll give my best/worst of shows on another post. I had a great time, met some relly cool people, fnirt, hixter and hixters daughter (we had a mini pile-up!) and my fellow camping pal Joseph.

By the way, never, ever hit the 210 @ 4:35pm on a friday. Took me 45 minutes to go 4 miles, then I had to cut off a big-rig (at 5 mph!) to get onto the 57. I do not care for LA freeways. I found my way back fine though.

Also, I'll flick'r the pics later in the week and leave a link here.
All are quite big, some are good and some are crap, so one must edit and crop. I like the camera, but I need more control over some aspects of it.

Space Monkey-Robot Hybrid #420
OOK! OOK!

Snow Patrol

2005-04-28T21:51:00.000-07:00

Find and buy Final Straw. This stuff is Rilo Kiley good!

I shall inform on liveness/goodness after further inspection. I am seeing them this weekend, so I shall let my opine be heard, but later in the week.

I will try to post when I get back on Monday night, even if to say "Oy! me be home"

I'll have to farking get there first.

I may update this around (PST) noon on friday, if'n i do then I am fuxors, if not, its a road trip.

Bound to a rental,
Olivia De Havilland Mosquito

Its raining cats and dogs, but i dont care

2005-04-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

Coachella set times can be found here.

So far my lineup on saturday suxors because of conflicts (and because Doves have cancelled).
Sunday might be a day to sleep in and then go nuts again.

Saturday

3:00-3:50 Raveonettes (Main Stage)
3:35-4:20 Ambulance LTD (Mojave Tent)
4:15-5:05 Snow Patrol (Main)
5:30-6:20 Keane (Main)
6:20-7:10 Rilo Kiley (Outdoor Theater)
6:45-7:35 Wilco (Main)
8:00-8:50 Weezer (Main)
9:15-10:15 Bauhaus (Main)
10:40-11:55 Coldplay (Main)

Sunday

1:00-1:40 Shout Out Louds (Outdoor)
1:40-2:25 Gram Rabbit (Main)
2:45-3:35 Autolux (Mojave)
4:20-5:10 Fiery Furnaces (Outdoor)
7:45-8:35 Dresden Dolls (Mojave)
9:10-10:15 Nine Inch Nails (Main)
11:10-12:00 Bright Eyes (Outdoor)

We are planning on a meetup in the parking lot on Saturday. Hixter is bringing beer, so I am pretty much there. If I find fnirt (who is camping too) on Saturday am, ill drag him along too. Threeze has come in from Australia (and Gwydieon too, right?) and also Iris will be there.

I am taking the camera and i have lots-O-batteries and a 512mb card for it, so i'll flick'r the picks when I get back.

Doo-wop Doo-wop, my babeeee,
Ralph Waldo "Keith" Emerson

Uncle Jerry

2005-04-20T22:57:00.001-07:00

My uncle, Gerald Dragoo, passed away last Saturday. I went to his funeral today.

He was the guy that I first learned to say 'uncle' to, in the sense of him tickling me so much that I had to beg him to stop. And the guy who used to give me a 'handshake', whereby he'd grab my hand and and just wiggle my whole arm (he did this to me about a thousand times, then i learned). Yesh, a practical joker.

Jerry loved Dixieland Jazz. He'd said it was really Jass, but "the kids used to come by and whitewash the J out of every sign, so they changed it". I worked with him one year (1986?) at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee. Jerry was in charge of records (i.e. selling vinyl) and I was in charge of taking boxes of these things and restocking them in a little music store. I saw so much good music, by so many bands that weekend (for free). wonder why I go the lenghts to see music live? bueler, bueler, anyone?

I remember we both had time off on Saturday and he took me over to see a band from Hungary. I can't remember the name of them. But he said 'these guys are good, they even play the mistakes'. Meaning that, obviously Hungary isn't a hotbed of dixieland jazz, and that they learned the music by listening to it. They were a very good band (drummer, piano/vox, trumpet, trombone) and later that night he played me a record of one of the songs that they did. And then he played the original, and went 'hear that, thats where the trombone player comes in to early and fades out'. Then he put the first one back on and sure enough, the trombone player comes in to early and fades out! I think that is when I got my ear.

So thanks Uncle. You done good by me.

Peace all.

2 posts

2005-04-20T00:25:00.000-07:00

oh well,

i'll get over it. i have a sleeping bag and some other stuff to buy.

money on gas sucks

I will get back way more.

Cheers from Tuscany,
Arpeggio 'teh' crab

Burns-Tower---UOP

2005-04-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

Burns-Tower---UOP
Originally uploaded by tauntingjeans2.

I took this photo last Thursday while waiting for my bus. I live just across the street from the University of the Pacific. This is Burns Tower. It has an information desk in the lobby, has the campus radio station on the next floor and up behind the stained glass is a water storage tank.

Vamos II

2005-04-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

Such a good song (Vamos, Pixies) Let's go play on the beach!

I now have part of my list. got some other essentials today. this weekend will involve a big change. but oh well, change is inevitable (or some such nonsense).

ever get one of those cigarettes that seem to smoke themselves, i have one now and it makes me wonder why my fire alarm doesn't go off.

I was mad today, just out of my head mad. maybe this vacation will do good. or else i may have shag off somewhere else.

seven-hundred-thirteen-dollars and 16 cents. i am not getting another paycheck like that, ever again.

teh girl gave me gary's tent this morning. after a haircut on saturday i am off to target/gap/old navy to buy 'stuff'.
then to longs on sunday, mebbee stop by big 5.

camping is not my forte. but neither is some other stuff.

Souyuz Captain,
Jose De Le Catessian

yahwan!

2005-04-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

Rental car is rented, tent is gotten, sleeping bag coming.

now for all the little shite, like a bottle of earplugs, hadiwipes, an 18 pak of tp (and kneenex packets), etc.

My list is building, but i think the less is better.

i have a bunch of stuff, so this will be okay.

Buying Freedom,
Che Guano

Good Stuff (Coachella)

2005-04-11T21:10:00.000-07:00

Today I bought some new music.

A Ambulance LTD
B British Sea Power
K Keane
S Snow Patrol

ABKS!

I think i have some winners here. yeah, it's alt/punk/whatever etc..., but good farking stuff. This goes along with The Kills album which arrived via amazon last week.

So absoulutely no one I know has a tent. I get a 7x7 space to camp in, so if'n i get off my ass and buy a tent it's going to be small. not that i'll ever use the fooker again, but hey, there is always next year. Yesh, I am getting excited about Coachealla. Saturday is going to be good and Sunday looks pretty good after all. It's just the drive is gonna murder me. oh well, i'll get the t-shirt this year.

I spent 125 €'s last night (168 USD). I was bored. But I really wanted an AC Milan home Jersey (Go Rossoneri!). I got KAKA’'s. Oh and I got a hat too.

KAKA’ is a sort of midfielder/forward. Milan play a 4-3-1-2 usually (trans. 4 defenders, 3 midfielders, an advanced midfielder, and two strikers). KAKA’ is the 'advanced midfielder' and he is Brazilian, 22, and a very exceptional player. When Brazil wins the World Cup in 2006, remember you heard of this guy here first. oh nevermind, i don't expect you too even care. :P

Well I still have to do my taxes. Bought the software today. Bleh, boring, boring but nothing beats spending 60 bucks to get back 30! Plus I koow that after I install it I'll have let it have acces to the intarweb and get updates. At least i got to shop for music.

A small furry animal,
Ho Che Minion

wtflinky linky (the document contains no data)

2005-04-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

heh? wtf is up with blogger?

Coalinga

2005-04-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

i did not have a good day today.
i am stewing on it

and i get to go in about 10 hours, its fun

fun, learning software, fun learning that other people should NEVER be given access to the same software.

It is like Word. I can't do anything with that, don't see the need. Memo's? 'Teh Greater-Americanised' Novel? bleh

So I write a book entitled "graphic artist's handbook for cutbacks on waterbased ink flexo web', or another in mind that tells the story of a man named Jack Tripper, shit, or a screenplay about 4 kids that used to dress up in football pads and play a game.

I had a lot of fun when I was a child, having less fun as a child now.

The Killers for breakfast, and Marcella was good to me. Yeah, teh girl, pant, pant,

Funny thing about Marcella, she isn't what i thought i would ever look at. there is an intelligence there. or at least a manipulation factor. mebbe i should just ask her out. nay here, yeah on the other side.

Sorry i am just taking orders

hoping only Taurus's complain.
J Nelson Rockafeller

The Pope died

2005-04-04T23:10:00.000-07:00

I guess this isn't a 5 star spot

2005-03-31T21:35:00.000-08:00

that was what a guy said, who was propped up in a shopping cart going through my dumpster.

The new mercury rev is bleh. 2 stars.

I bought a bunch of music (cd's) yesterday.

Wait for late May and June and it is a recycling gold mine.

work

is actally getting better. i get peeved, but i thought of something today.

I am not about to share it with you, yet.

Been mainlining on Sonic Youth's Dirty for the bus rides in. Amanda Palmer, out Thurston Moore, in.

no hockey (anyone notice how boxing is only on ppv?) suxors

I have been getting way to many 'P' coins (twenty-five cent peices, especially), go back to the east coast.

the terrorists are here spreadin' these p coinage! up the alert to hold you breath!

The 49th president of the star data union,
Hawkings, Steve Svelt

I hope we get paid tomorrow

2005-03-30T21:50:00.000-08:00

I now have 1138 songs, 2.8 days, 4.36 GB of music. not a lot, and not alot not paid for.

music is an idea, basically. it's art. I am not denied acess to the british museum or the smithsonian because i might take a picture in my head. I might go back to relive that. and that is what music is about, in my troubled head.

I was at one point, a musician

I had no job except playing in a band. it wasn't a good job, but it was damn fun.

now i get paid for fixing others deficiencies and that is a whole bunch of fun.

I work in a place of pain, i can be an ass and i can teach and learn, at least i am myself.

TJ gives lessons in being a complete ass (compassion not included), $29.99 an episode.

teh girl slept in today, gary was in to open, in a bit of a tissy, but got over it when i auto-responsed in to say "it's almost friday".

I almost reached over the counter and hit the girl on the register at lunch. Her "how are you today?" was the most ineffectual thing i have ever heard from a human being. beyond being falsely concerned with me or my well-being, don't say that to the next customer while i am still standing there, dumb ass.

Rental cars. so much fun, tents too. A Mustang is now rented for 6 days to myself that has the hugely large amount of X. X sucks, but oh well, someone has to like Papas Fritas.

I have slept in a tent once, for a weekend, we had cots and good sleeping bags. The Johnson's went to Kennedy Meadows. I was brought along at my best friend Eric Johnson's request. I remember we started to sing 99 bottles of beer on the wall, and the next thing Carl was waking us up. Grandpa Rossi came up the next day and fished in the river, and caught trout like a madman, and we all got to reel in our own 'catch' (hell doc had got em on fly's) We each cleaned our fish, and had it for dinner.

And that is all about me being the king of england,
A Low-Fat Snack

The temerature at the airport is 64, but no one lives at the airport

2005-03-29T21:07:00.000-08:00

A george carlin routine that makes me laugh. Or richard prior records.Or robin williams insulting everone while making them aware they are insulting too. or chris rock just being a bad ass for us skinny guys.

these are a few of my favorite things (well JA sings it much better than me).

Wikipedia is one of my favorite sites.

Yesterday i got a ton of information on how the capital of brazil (quick, name it) was set up. amazing. today i read about George Fox. amazing.

I geve a cd of DD to teh girl this am. She is getting light blue star tatts down the back of her hand this weekend (she has wicked ones on her arms that wrap around and they are in italian. solid black good ones). I shall have her write it down in trasnslateable form.

I am not normally a tattoo loving persona, they just work on some peeps. I for instance could never get one. i think i would look stupid with one (as if I don't have that advantage already).

I am so in lust. and unable to do anything about it. well that is me right there, in a nut(job)shell.

acceptance is a hard thing to swallow, especially when you get to be self-depricating. it's like making something. not perfect, go back and blang yerself on the head with crap, load it on, perfection my boy, give us that NOW!

what amazes me is that i wound up having 'artist' as part of my job description. Graphic Artist (really a Production Artist). When the hell did I fall into this rabbit hole that I can never escape from? oh, oy, omg, i have been doing this for 20 years?

Apparently the DCS files are printed on rolls now (i.e produced) and sitting on a pallete and they look like the rest of our crap printing. good to know that no one cares.

The singing and arguing is going on in the alley! UOPish is back to normal.

When Ivan Meets G.I. Joe,
The Edge (of humanity)

nevermind

2005-03-28T22:21:00.000-08:00

this is a really good album.

err, blogger lost my post that took me 2 hours to write. but one cant actaully get with it and LJ can they, now way, too lazy for that, plus i know what it said. this shit is like writing songs. they are all for yourself, if others get it well then you have a 'hit'.

funny thing i read this evening about people without tv's "it's just one less addiction in your life" Ha, if you only knew.

I guess the kids are all back at school. UOPish that is. I had to leave the trash besides the dumpster tonight as it is overflowing and kids keep coming down the back alley giggling.

the original post was me bitching about Italy taking a week off from doing anything (miss my seria a matches) and about someone stealing the only pair of scissors (again) from the art dept. boring, yes, boring not to me.

I have now made up for that by posting this, and learning 'girl anachronism' on the casio. your fingers have to do some crazy shit on a midi-sized keyboard, so not bad. and keys jut dont exist, but my fingers went and played them. Please Fax me a Bosendorfer, or a Kurziwell, or a Yamaha CS-80 if you have one just lying around. or a pair of scissors, sharp ones, mind you: 209-946-0164. Actually just fax pictures of scissors (Attn Maureen Conner). Hahaha

I need to get a haircut. badly. It now seems to raining and I am cutting a mix fer work (blossoms, i'll be delivered too). just stuff from YKW.

The Mercury Rev album is in the CD case. I need more bus rides home to listen to it. The Dolls are my new wake up music, and then there is what's her name (no, i am not going to ask her out!).

Fark, i gotta do my taxes. stupid software.

I like moppies,
Henry the 840th

i don't post on the weekends

2005-03-25T23:00:00.000-08:00

her name is Marcella.

and she is the most beautiful thing i have ever seen. a down-right freak. she gets me coffee in the morning and makes my lunch. if she can play the drums were going somewhere to record an album.

this is the reason i don't post on the weekends. see you monday night.

yer jalapeno eating fiend,
Bubbles du Pont

81-800 Avenue 5

2005-03-24T21:45:00.000-08:00

81-800 Avenue 51
Indio, CA 92201

mapquest refuses to map this. or empire polo fiields. Yep, and its bigger than an airforce base. Thank the heavens I have been there before.

i don't think the right coast is anywhere close to CA. Georgia downright scared me at times, at other times i was looking at amazing stuff. And Mexico can fucking wait, Wyoming was very cool.

My bro went to ski-racing camp in the mountains that border Idaho and Wyoming. right on the contionetal divide. we (my mom, maternal grandmother, my sister and I) drove from the hamlet of schmuctown, CA up to get him.

I remember spending the night in Winnemucca, NV. Going to eat dinner at Joe Mackey's Star Casino (a coffee shop with 400 slot machines). we played games (my sister and I) in the back seat the whole way up and back.

One was count the beetles (VW-type). You got one point for everyone you spotted first, and ten points if it was painted black! I think we came back home in a virtual tie.

The other was the licence plate game. If you see a licence plate from another state then you call it out, and if it's not checked off of Nana's list/map thing, then you get a point.

So, anyways

We picked up my brother and went down to Jackson, WY. There was a sod roof house. This amazes me even to this day. Not a 1800's sod house in the middle of 'injun' county, but a flat topped roof with manicured grass growing on it. I think that there were kids playing football on it (or maybe we just talked about that).

Jackson was cool (i was 9). my bro and i played outside until the mosquitoes descended upon us. then we ran for cover. mosquitoes the size of you hand, fun!

My brother bought enough fireworks in Jackson to last us about a century.

We promptly left there and went to Yellowstone. Saw Old Faithful ereupt, etc. then drove over to craters of the moon, so i remember.

I think they took the apollo nauts out there, some such bs, it was boring as fuck, a national park dedicated to impact craters. we wer probably lucky the car didn't get hit by an asteroid, because we were the only people in the park that week.

Then we went to Sun Valley.

A very nice place. I has been there the winter proir, a gang of us 4th graders had commandered a car and its geriatric driver and took him on a two day death ride to hell. (not!)

Actually our parents took us out of school to go ski for a week, at Sun Valley. Then took us the next year too, then to Park City the next year. I remember coming back to school all racoon eyed.

Well more later. mebbe

The reason why oil and water don't mix,
Pancho Del Tacos Fartamente

Barry Bonds

2005-03-23T19:24:00.000-08:00

Love him or hate him.

I have a bit of text here...

is 3rd member of exclusive 700 Home Run Club, joining Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth...with 703 career roundtrippers, will open 2005 campaign just 11 homers shy of Ruth (714) and 52 behind all-time leader Aaron (755)...tied his godfather, Willie Mays, for 3rd on all-time list at 660 career clouts with "Splash Hit" into McCovey Cove April 12, 2004 off Milwaukee's Matt Kinney...passed Mays next day, again reaching Cove with solo drive off Brewers' Ben Ford...reached hallowed 700 plateau Sept. 17, 2004, connecting for solo homer off San Diego's Jake Peavy...has homered off record 414 Major League pitchers, with Mark McGwire 2nd at 362...is in line to win unprecedented 7th National League Most Valuable Player Award, with no other player winning more than 3...has taken home hardware in 1990, '92, '93, 2001, '02 and '03...single season Home Run King won 2nd batting title in 3 years with .362 mark in 2004, becoming oldest player ever to lead league in hitting at 40 years and 71 days old...surpassed Ted Williams, who won his 2nd consecutive AL title in 1958 at 40 years and 29 days...only 4th Giant to win NL batting crown, he became 1st player in franchise history to capture pair of titles (also in 2002 with SF-record .370 avg.)...other Giants champions were Larry Doyle (1915, .320), Bill Tery (1930, .401) and Willie Mays (1954, .345)...shattered single-season on-base pct. record in 2004, becoming 1st player in history to crest .600 plateau with pheonomenal .609 mark...bested his own standard, which he set with .582 on-base pct. in 2002...also obliterated his own single-season records for walks and intentional walks, drawing 232 free passes (120 intentional)...to put this in perspective, only 23 other active players have 100 career intentional walks...supplanted Rickey Henderson for all-time walk record with his 2,191st free pass, from Oakland's Chad Bradford July 4...finished season with 2,302 lifetime walks...in fact, ranks 5th all-time for extra-base hits (1,343) and slugging pct. (.611), 7th for runs (2,070) and total bases (5,556), 11th for RBI (1,843), 18th for doubles (563), 24th for games (2,716), 38th for steals (506) and 49th for hits (2,730)...became just 7th player in Major League history to reach base 5,000 times when he was issued 1st winning walk by Pittsburgh's Josh Fopgg Aug. 10, 2004...has now reached base 5,125 times via hit, walk and hit-by-pitch, joining Pete Rose (5,929 times), Ty Cobb (5,532), Rickey Henderson (5,343), Carl Yastrzemski (5,304), Stan Musial (5,282) and Aaron (5,205)...with ML-best .812 slugging pct. in 2004, became 2nd player in baseball history to reach .800 slugging mark twice in career (also ML-record .863 in 2001)...Ruth also crested .800 plateau on 2 occasions, with .847 pct. in 1920 and .846 mark in 1921...posted historic 2001 campaign in which he established 5 ML records, including single-season HR mark, hitting 73 clouts to break Mark McGwire's standard of 70 in 1998...signed 5-year contract with Giants Jan. 14, 2002, and had option for 2006 season excerised Sept. 21, 2004, thus insuring future Hall of Famer will close his career in Giants uniform...also signed 10-year personal services contract with club that kicks in at conclusion of current player contract...13-time All-Star and 8-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner was named Player of Decade for 1990s by The Sporting News...has garnered 11 Silver Sluggers, while earning Players Choice Award for Player of Year in 2001 and National League Player of Year 4 times (1992, '93, 2001 and '02)...with 45 homers in 2004, established Major League record with his 13th consecutive season with at least 30 clouts, besting 12-year run by Jimmie Foxx (1929-40)...marked 14th season overall that he's reached 30-homer level, 1 shy of Aaron's ML standard of 15 different 30-homer campaigns...45 clouts also marked his 8th 40-homer season, tying Aaron's NL record...Ruth holds ML mark with 11 such years...struck out only 41 times in 2004, becoming 5th player ever to hit at least 40 homers and strike out less than he homered...marked only 10th time feat has been accomplished...in 573 games since Opening Day 2001, has hit .349 (573-for-1,642) with 486 runs, 209 HRs, 438 RBI and 755 walks (284 intentional) while posting .559 on-base pct. and .809 slugging mark...has raised career avg. 11 points during span, from .289 to even .300...became 3rd Major Leaguer to lead league in both slugging and on-base pct. in at least 4-consecutive seasons, having led majors in both categories from 2001-04...Rogers Hornsby (1920-25) and Ted Williams (1946-49) are only other players to also win both titles in 4-or-more straight years...laid claim to being greatest package of both power and speed in baseball history by becoming charter member of 500-homer/500-steal club...swiped 500th career base June 23, 2003 vs. Dodgers with 11th-inning theft (off Eric Gagne, with Paul Lo Duca not even making throw), as he moved himself into position to later score winning run in SF's 3-2 victory...only 3 other players have even reached 300-300 barrier: Mays (660 HRs, 338 SBs), Andre Dawson (436 HRs, 314 SBs) and his late father Bobby Bonds (332 HRs, 461 SBs)...has established himself as most prolific home run hitter in club's San Francisco annals with 527 clouts in Giants uniform...is 2nd highest total in franchise history, behind only 646 hit by Mays with NY and SF...in fact, Giants franchise is only one in Major League history to boast trio players who belted 500 homers with club, as Mel Ott also hit 511 with NY...became 1st player in franchise history to hit 40 or more HRs in 8 campaigns and 5-straight seasons with his 2nd consecutive 45-homer output in 2004...became only 2nd member of 40-40 club and only National Leaguer to accomplish feat after clubbing 42 home runs and stealing 40 bases in 1996...Oakland's Jose Canseco in 1988 and Seattle's Alex Rodriguez in 1998 are only other members of club...with 40 HR and 37 stolen bases in 1997, became 1st player in Major League history to compile at least 40 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 2 different seasons...has reached 30-30 plateau 5 times in career (1990, '92, '95, '96 and '97), joining his father Bobby (1969, '73, '75, '77 and '78) as only 5-time 30-30 men in ML history...only 7 other ML players have accomplished feat more than once: Mays, Howard Johnson, Sammy Sosa, Ron Gant, Jeff Bagwell, Raul Mondesi and Alfonso Soriano (all twice)...has hit 20-or-more HRs in season 17 times...ML record for 20-HR seasons is 20 by Aaron...in 2004, became just 3rd player in baseball history to post at least 100 RBI in season in which he had less than 400 at-bats, driving in 101 runs in 373 at-bats...joined Rudy York (1937 Tigers) and Frank Thomas (1994 White Sox) in select group...now holds ML record with 12 career 100-RBI seasons...only players in history to have recorded as many years with at least 100 RBI are Jimmie Foxx (13 seasons), Lou Gehrig (13) and Al Simmons (12)...holds NL record with 12 seasons of 100-or-more walks, 1 behind Ruth for ML standard...has amassed 12 different 100-run campaigns, 3 shy of Aaron for all-time record...Barry and his late father, Bobby (332 HRs), represent the ultimate show of power and speed in father-son pair, holding ML mark for HRs by father-son combo with 1,035...pair also holds same distinction for stolen bases with 967 thefts combined (Bobby 461, Barry 506)...with combined 2,867 RBI, Barry (1,742) and Bobby (1,024) are also tops for father-son runs driven in...holds Major League record with 604 career intentional walks, surpassing Aaron (293) in 1999...has 68 multi-homer games to rank 2nd in category on all-time list, behind only Ruth (72)...has connected for 281 home runs since his 35th birthday (in 2000), most by any player after that age in ML history...Aaron hit 249...has reached base safely in 442 of his last 461 games (95.9%) dating back to 2001...included was pair of 58-game streaks in which he reached base safely every contest (Aug. 15, 2001-April 20, 2002 and June 27-Sept. 20, 2003) that matched NL record (also BKN's Duke Snider in 1954)...for his career, has played for playoff contending teams in 11 of his 19 seasons...during regular season in Sept. and Oct. of those 11 years, has hit combined .321 (325-for-1,012) with 93 HRs and 229 RBI...has played 1,706 contests in Giants uniform, which is 3rd most on SF games list and 5th in franchise annals...he trails only Willie McCovey (2,256) and Willie Mays (2,095) in SF history...became just 4th Giant to start at least 12 season openers with club by making Opening Day start in left field April 5, 2004 at Houston, joining Willie Mays (19 openers), Mel Ott (18) and Willie McCovey (15)...collected 2,000th hit in 1999, becoming just 210th player in ML history and 47th to have worn Giants uniform to reach milestone...is only 25th player in ML history to amass 2,000 hits and 400 home runs in career, and is 1 of just 6 players to accumulate 2,000 hits, 200 homers and 400 stolen bases (joining Roberto Alomar, Marquis Grissom, Rickey Henderson, Paul Molitor and Joe Morgan)...has homered in 34 big league parks, with Seattle's Kingdome being only facility in which he has played during regular season and not homered...in fan balloting during 1999 season, was named left fielder on San Francisco Giants All-Time team...was also named left fielder on 1990's All-Decade team in balloting among local media...was originally drafted by SF in 2nd round of 1982 draft, but elected to attend Arizona State.

oh, they say he took steriods, so i guess this is all for naught.

get over it fools

Signing off from freedom,
Meadowlark Lemonade

Postcard from Nice

2005-03-22T22:22:00.000-08:00

My friend Anjo is on vacation in Nice, France. I recieved a postcard from her today. The weather in the south of France is great, so is the food and the wine, so she's having a good time.

That made my day, week, month...

Someone sent a postcard. And written, with a human hand, and french stamps and Postmark! The last time I got a postcard was when my brother sent me one from Hawaii, in 1986ish.

Big Wave Dave was the name of it. A surfer on a wave off Oahu's Northshore. He was tiny compared to the wave he was 'riding' on.

And on the back was written "This guy is a nutjob! Having a...etc, etc, etc. " That one made my day, week, month also.

Anjo is Dutch. And Dutch people are cool. I mean the people from Holland, umm, well, The Netherlands....the people with more bikes than people, and ice skates, and canals, and flowers...

Q: Why isn't a rose beneath your nose?
A: Because I have tulips!

My grandmother's kitchen (which was bigger than my studio) may have been the single largest collection of Delftware this side of the Mississippi. My sister has all the pieces, execpt for the tiles (so that may make it the largest collection east of the Mississippi, except for Deflt). My grandma loved going to Europe, and she loved going to Delft to buy things, namely Delftware.

The postmark says 'Marseille Ville CTC -Bouches du Rhone' and is postmarked on 18.03.05 12h. I'd say that was pretty fast delivery, but it's not like they have packets and packets of mail anymore.

I like spelling Mississippi,
but I like California.

I'd like to go to Nice, France.

Your announcer for this match between Parma and Jueventus,
Luigi Englishguy

bowling for rental cars

2005-03-21T23:01:00.000-08:00

Hi.
I am going solo to Coachella. Serves me right. At least I can buy a small tent. I shall have to leave my fellow campers a small stash of earplugs. (as I snore).

Really it is probablly better for me. The attention just encourages me to learn how to spell and use punctuation correctly (or not).

A rental car, 465 miles (each way), 1500 dollars, a carton of Marlboro Mediums, two Bic lighters, a tent, 400 bottles of water, and a concert done by PDA's.

My friend hasn't sent me a post card yet, well if you were in Nice would you send me a post card? (well you dont have me addy do you?) ????

I have this thing that keeps pushing out on my lower left ribcage, hurts like hell at times, like now. pancreas? i dunno anatomy

funny thing about coachella is that you can't run from venue to venue. you are forced to walk. to hot to run (104º!)

it is in the desert of deserts (norte americanca only). on big polo fields. it is huge. and like HPG once said "it is physically impossible to see all the bands". so one picks and chooses.

wanted to see Stereolab last year, but, umm, Pixies were the reason i was there. (they played at the same times, at venues 1/2 a mile away)

Defeinte sees are (unless clashes occur, which they will): Dresden Dolls, Rilo Kiley, Ambulance LTD, Bright Eyes, Bauhaus, Doves, Wilco, Weezer, NIN, MF Doom, and Autolux.

Basically Saturday is fooked up. Sunday is better. I'd like to see British Sea Power. We shall see.

5 stages going for about 12 hours (noon to midnight) both days, and it is hot and you need water all the time.

Umm, I have to rent a car, since I don't own one. and buy a tent and sleeping bag...well, i will be poor but i will be poor forever, so fuck that!

yer coachella going fool,
Hairplugs McGurtry

Bad Habit (coachella references)

2005-03-16T21:47:00.000-08:00

On the bus this am, the usually suspicious persona, but no place to sit. the song in my headphones was "bad habit" (yesh, Dresden Dolls). so i dealt with it and missed getting on the bike.

I cant listen to music on the bike. one must look out for traffic and such. you people in cars need to look for us fookers on bikes. again, only look for us that obey traffic laws (and dress like dorks), hit the other ones, please.

Got a new cd (for me) Mercury Rev's Japanese import of 'The Secret Migration'. I'll let you know. I love the live stuff i have heard. I'm mulling on this riot neow (Ryied Saally Ryied, not Rhyde Sually Rhyde)

Rilo Kiley kicksaaaaaaasssssssss!

(apparently Amanda Palmer has now revealed to the media that she has '"tried Vaseline"'!)

I am shocked!

Cocteau Twins quit, what a waste of time...

Press release from the Cocteau Twins:

It is with regret that Cocteau Twins announce they will not be performing at the Coachella Valley Music Festival on April 30th as had been planned. Due to personal reasons, member Elizabeth Fraser has decided that she is unable to participate in the reunion, and apologies for any inconvenience that this has caused.

Thanks Elizibeth Fraser, i will never get to see you perform. Thank god that the Pixies has the spine to get together again. I shall go enjoy myself nonetheless.

Anyone got a tent?

God it's been a lovely day,
everythings been going my way
I took out the trash today
and i'm on fire!

Picking up my peices of my broken ego,
Sir Alec (6-pack of) Guinness

teh bike

2005-03-15T23:42:00.000-08:00

talking to you at left-coast 11:45

There is not much going on here, meaning there are rumblings. I am on for Coachella, and I am camping there for both days (well actally four) and I have to buy a tent and figure out how to put the bastard together. Tix, for me only (both days, mind you), were 178 and change and i get to camp, so that was 50 more...

And am renting a car to drive down there (465 miles!), so that is about 129, plus insurance, tax, gas (@2.25). i am pretty screwed on that. just myself going at the moment.

oh, teh bike.

went in today on the cannondale. had a blast (i have a good route), got my coffee (no, I still don't know what her name is) and went to work. enough of work, right...

nothing funny yet. I love riding it, as you know. it has developed a bad squeaking noise on the rear v-brake, so i may jam over to PB next weekend and they'll fix it. mebbee. maybe if someone comes over and breaks my dvd of 'teh sims 2'

People-Trainer-Extraordinarie,
Kerberos de Nyomishy

I kill dcs files

2005-03-14T22:27:00.000-08:00

I have done it,

yet no big deal, umm make us money and stuff.

thats what i get at work,

i have enough shots of vodka on my head

tom, when i showed him the negs, just said "great, so you know how to do these now?" and i said yep, and i think to myself, you will never get the concept and it is in MY HEAD and you fuckers will NEVER get it.

my friend once told me something

oh, listen to morecheeba

Totally Stupid,
Sham Kittlebopper

people who make dcs files are....

going to nice on holiday

2005-03-11T23:12:00.000-08:00

i wonder what the hell that would be like. my friend anjo is going there for holiday. promised to send me a post card. thats nice

too much email, and im, crap my diary is online.

or my crap dairy is online, mmm cow shit

that's what you see (and smell) on CA-Interstate 5 in parts of the central valley

there are points in the trip from sac to sck that you roll the windows up, turn off the AC and hold a good breath for 1/4 mile, if the sunroof is opened your gagging the whole way.

There are dairy farms and dairy farms have cows, which happen to eat grass, and shit in hectacres and this smells. so the dairy farmers pile this stuff in big piles and cover it in plastic, right near I-5. they do this on purpose!

not a whiff of jif, i'll tell you, especially when the wind is blowing w2e (99.99% of the time)

Goodnight from doogieville,
Daft Francis

fantaskicks

2005-03-11T00:11:00.000-08:00

the new girl at subway has some awesome tatts on her arms. and she has a really great smile. but she works at subway and is 400 million years younger than me. she screwed up this am too, so that makes it even better. i do miss erica and rose. rose liked going to vegas and erica has 2 kids and is just 20-ish. but they ran that shop pretty good. kicked ass at lunchtime. i could walk in and make eye contact and they knew i wanted a 6" turkey on wheat, mayo, mustard, cheese, lettuce, tomato, olives, salt and pepper and vinegar and oil. well shit that is what i always get, but sometimes i'd get into line and erica would hand me lunch (bought by her, a sammich she screwed up on) and that made me happy. or rose would talk to me when i was getting my coffee in the am, about her latest trip to Las Vegas and how many strippers she had seen. guess i'll have to ask the new girl her name, even though she is already in my blog.

ALREADY?

umm yeah, fantastik eh?

scare me evil, go boweviles, go alambama state

i dont have a great smile, but that is due to my lack of consideration of my person

i am not the president of this club, just the one with the red hair

i told a freind that this is my diary, guess it is.

the typing of the phrases "'humm', 'hmm', and 'sorry' need to be rescinded from my fingers.

there once was a girl in delaware
and she kicked all your dumb asses

spouting shite for your reading pleasure,
Hack Kneed (in the groin)

sacratomato

2005-03-09T19:10:00.000-08:00

i went to capital city today to attend a seminar. it was pretty good too. i learned all about version 8.0 rev 5 of our rip software, how to create a workflow for these nasty DCS 2.0 files i have been dealing with at work, got a chance to bash adobe, and they gave us a free lunch too.

but the funny thing was when i went out to go for a smoke, i just noticed that i was in a real city, you know, like when not some armpit of a large town where i currently reside. now granted capital city is the capital of this state, so there are lots of government workers, thus there are real buildings. skyscrapers and such. not as many as other big cities, but better that the tallest building where i live.

that one is called the medical-dental building and you could kill yourself if you flung yourself off the top. most of the other buildings here you might break an arm or get a really bad buise.

yes, yes, i live in pancake town. everything is squashed flat here, even the people. i saw people jogging downtown today, and riding bikes, and out walking around generally enjoying themselves. not here. the only people who do that downtown here are the police.

they are trying to revitalize here. i don't think it is going very well. a kind of hit and miss approach seems to be going on.

there is an old hotel here, it was closed down years ago, but since it is a historical site they couldn't just tear it down. so they gutted it and put in shop and restaurant space on the first floor and made the second and third floors into senior housing.

but there is no parking lot for the tennants and the nearest food market is over 2 miles away. so where do you park your car on a weekday? on the street most of the spots are metered with a two hour max time limit. there are lots, but they are around $1.00 hour and they wont let you park over night.

do they think these people will drive around from 8-5 every day going to the supermarket that they can't walk to. or maybe you can't own a car if you live there and are forced to take public transportation (ha!). i duuno, just seems like building a bunch of houses without garages and telling people they can't park their cars on the street.

anyway, i found my flash drive. it was is a pocket of a coat i had't worn in a while. i wonder what is on it. ohh, absolutely nothing of any real value. erase. 128mb free space.

we use these little guys to transfer files to and from our csr's at work. mostly art in, pdf's out. they come in handy since the art department is on a closed network. we also use them for getting software updates off the net. and that's about as exicting as it gets!

see i told you yesterday you didn't want to know about work.

clearly better than 46.5% of the competition,
martian short

coin-operated buoy

2005-03-08T19:25:00.000-08:00

hi from frogtown,

it was foggy as all getout this am so i didn't ride the bike. I took the dreaded 16 bus this am. it gets me to work on time, but taking the bus is not fun. (hey, i'm freak who takes the bus, because?...).

there is a usual crowd when i get on. four or five kids who didn't go to high-school now going to the Adult School (and one can see why). An older guy (60ish) who gets at the most inconvenient spot. Bless his heart, but i want to get a sawz-all and cut that post down. three of four philipino ladies (speaking tagalog at 5 jillion miles an hour) who work in some hole downtown, like me. a lady who resembles doris the maid, but with a mean-assed scowl (she is actaully nice to talk to, and can get you on any bus anywhere in the lower 48th). a cryp/blood wanna-be (or two) going to work farther south than me. an okie grandma (mid forties) and her cute grand daughter (maybe 3 1/2) who waves at you if you make eye contact, who get off at the second most inconvenient stop. and then off course there is me.

being a dork, with my ghey-assed black gap backpack, stupid 'i-need-coffee' look and music going full-blast (in earbuds, mind you), i wait for the chinese woman (probably a professor, i dunno) to get off at my pick-up. (the drivers give you a FULL-STOP hand signal if someone is getting off and you ignore them, and they eat abundantley). then it's pay the fare ($1.25, realtively cheap) and go and find a seat. it usually takes around 10 minutes to get to my load off point, and considering the stops we make, it isn't so bad. and the people make it different, at least.

immediately after leaving the bus i head over to get coffee at my friend gary c's establishment. then after getting my jo (in my Toronto Maple Leafs insulated coffee keg), i walk four blocks to work. again the earbuds are inserted and i am sipping coffee, fumbling to get a cig out, and singing music lyrics (or humming along, or banging my head) until i get to work.

And you don't even want to know about my work.

The neverending quest for cheese-doodles continues later,
Sgt. Pepperspray's All-Male Cat Band

i did not got to work today.

2005-03-07T21:23:00.000-08:00

yeah, whatever, you get days off all over the place, i have to be ill on certain dates or im screwed

no really, i have these days off planned, for now, because we get 5 (COUNT THEM ON ONE HAND) holidays off each year and no sickdays, none. oh and you get a week of vacation that get used up real quick, by having to take time off no insurance either

lovely.

i may just take tommorrow off too and go down to EDD on hunter street and see what they have...

friends

2005-03-06T23:29:00.000-08:00

yeah, i mean YAHOOOO! i like having friends

HI

2005-03-05T23:03:00.000-08:00

sorry i got mad

i just talked to a friend and you are all forgiven

well most of you are

i am mean

2005-03-05T21:40:00.000-08:00

i mean it, i can be really mean to people.

i do it by either ignoring them (which i do often) or slighting them in a cruel way.

Hey Pacific won, as if you care.

I am getting better at lingustic slap-backs (but i am not a black belt yet).

People are so rude and i have to say SOMETHING sometimes. like Fuxorsamonkeyrobot!

or plecibicitemotherhumpers!

Later
The Donnas

miss me kiss me

2005-03-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

a conversation heard at a workplace today (phone and speaker phone included)

Fxq: Fxq here.
VP Marketing: Hi, Fxq, we seem to be missing a small part of something here, I 'll let Sonia get on speakerphone and tell you what she needs...BLARRP!, um here's Sonia (whisper: his name is Fxq)
Sonia: Hi Fxq, I hope I pronounced that right.
Fxq: Umm, close enough, Gart isn't here.
Sonia: Well we need you to do a redirect in PIC, no, PHP. you know what that is right?
Fxq: Umm, you want me to make a PHP redirect line in the code ?
Sonia: kind of, talk to Vern, he knows what it's for
Fxq: can you wait for a minute, my printer is on fire!!!
Vern: Hi Fxvqre, (hope i pronounced that right), what we need is...damn the fire alarm is going off
Fxq:Here is your code, I threw the printer out the window and it landed on someones car in space A-14. the fire alarm will go off in a bit.
VP Marketing: Thanks QxF, we've been counting on you. 'CLICK'

i siad nonsense and i mean it

2005-03-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

hey if you just called, i don't own a tv so i can't answer your phone call.

I hope that clears that up. Otherwise LEAVE A MESSAGE AFTER THE T-VONE.

I love that no-one comments here.
in the blog here. on my blog here.
why should you, do you know me?
or are we just an interaction?

false moves going on again.
predictable chaos is predictable.

I bought a new bic lighter, it is green.

I, I, I, well it is about I soldiers, isn't about it. screw teamwork and 'service days' and the like.

Just put on Dresden Dolls (9:03 Pacific), and i am listening to it LOUDLY!

wow, found the Maya song on this album, posting to teh wfiki

immune to gravity and stuff

by the way it makes you make excuses

yeah Pacific won again

where did all the rain go? i may have to ride the bike in again tommorrowwwwww

Hey first thing I did, when I got off the bike, at work, was to SMOKE A CIGARETTE. yeshm self defeating behaviour is my norm.

As smart as i appear I am dumber than you can possible fathom.

oh, now i have to get a piano, this is so fucking good (Dresden Dolls)!

Cheers from BamLAG, Siberia
Zh. 560796

nonsense

2005-03-02T20:15:00.000-08:00

i called my dad today to wish him a happy 71st birthday. we talked for about 20 minutes.

this is a new record with my dad. what i mean is his phone converstaions are usually "grunt, yeah, urgh, here's your mother". he just doesn't like talking on the phone, to me at least, until today. so that kind of made my day/night.

i have been watching the seria a matches on yahoo because there is no ice hockey to watch and i don't own a TV! damn my evil eyes...

seria a matches=~ Amer. Speaky: Italian Soccer Games in a league.

i said this was all nonsense, didn't i?

on teh bike:

tomorrow, mebbe. yeah, more than likely. i have had tooooo many rides home from folks and i got a double buzz this week so i am cool. the bus is okay, its there, and such. but the bike is fun, as long as the weather co-operates.

i have a kelley deal song going round and round in my head and if i don't listen to it right now i might not listen to it...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

that is usually how i go to work. you can substitute for kelley...

this weeks picks are and have been'

mon: pixies - dollitle
tue: throwing muses - throwing muses
wed: sonic youth - dirty
thu: the dresden dolls - dresden dolls
fri: kelley deal 6000 - Boom! Boom! Boom!

i am so not hip

Clink and Shultz, stupid germans, ha ha

the only gang sign i know how to flash is ... [this is good]

i'd teach it to you, but it takes years to learn how to do it properly, and right now you dont have the time....

my boyfriend died

that is the kelley deal song that was going on in my head. no, i am not ghey

Lord Haw Haw signing off now...
campbells cheese soup kills!

led zep

super bowl ads

2005-02-06T20:54:00.000-08:00

Off the Ap wire:

...With even greater attention being paid to the ads each passing year, some marketing professors even turn the Super Bowl ad extravaganza into a case study. One such professor, Tim Calkins of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management in Chicago, assembled a group of about 35 students on Sunday to view and rate the ads for their effectiveness.

Calkins said his students were especially impressed with a spot for Anheuser-Busch Cos.' Bud Light in which a scared parachuter is left alone in a plane after the pilot jumps out, having grabbed a six-pack of Bud Light from the parachuting instructor. "It got attention, it was well branded ... and people really liked it. It communicated a desire for Bud Light," Calkins said....

Well...

Umm, no fucking shit.

They are college kids who want a Bud Light (tm), because they were in your asinine class on a Sunday doing "research" while the rest of the campus is having a party. this is why marketing people are fucked up, stupid shite like this.

Later,
Shades McCoy

Merry Chistmas

2004-12-21T20:39:00.000-08:00

hi!

i am going on vacation

up to the folks for a week or so. My Mom and Dad live about 4000 ft. up in the Sierras. It's a nice place, especially in winter.

I like snow, and being around my family, and on vacation and gifts (har!)!

Joyous New Year To All!
Samuel

And since you read all that.

you get this...

war and peace

2004-12-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

okay,

reread i and now I am getting what this thing is all about. not the book but life, and that is coo,
death is an awakening to the everafter. my eyes are so closed, here all I think about is myself

Self
sam

Arise, Wash Your Face

2004-12-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

well i just wrote something pretty good and then f#*ked it up, so thats par for the course. So I guess you get the shite version here, because right now i just don't care. the ghist of it was, i am farked at work, but my coworkers are making my life less miserable. well, some are and some aren't but what can you do. i bought a bunch of good music and movies, and am enjoying them very much in the evenings. i haven't been on the bike(s) but it is cold and dark here. i learned something new about myself, but i wont share it with you because i don't like explaining it again, even to myself. its actually so trivial its not worth it. other than that every thing is peachy, as you can tell.

the best thing I heard today was...

"Arise, wash your face
From cinder and soot
You are a nuisance
And I Don't Like Dirt"

...you figure it out

Adieu From,
Chuckee Cheesey

hi

2004-11-10T23:01:00.000-08:00

that is the best greeting I have had in a long while, lisey saying hi to me.

So work...ah alas they have become stupid beyond belief. we are now to clock out on our breaks.

WTF? make me clock out to go smoke a cig... are you insane? I may just quit unless this is recinded tomorrow.

more later

Yer gumbling Irishman,
Paddy Ohell

We are screwed

2004-11-02T20:54:00.000-08:00

What am I supposed to do?

2004-10-27T01:20:00.001-07:00

Hi,

sorry, have to go to work...

that is my life right now...

pathetic, i know but i am too tired write something 'witty'

this is all,

Julius Ceaser

What am I supposed to do?

2004-10-27T01:20:00.000-07:00

Hi,

sorry, have to go to work...

that is my life right now...

pathetic, i know but i am too tired write something 'witty'

this is all,

Julius Ceaser

Hi, I have been at work

2004-10-19T22:58:00.000-07:00

Bleh,

Sorry I havent been posting lately. I have been at work. Well not 24/7 but 8/6 and saturdays. Gives me just enough time to get my wash done (the pile gets higher each week) and hang with my bro enough. I do wash at his place, since it is free (i am a cheap bastard, I know) and we hang out and talk computers and watch little uniformed men play games on the TV. Ah Testosterone, what will you give me next? Anyway I have been busy (and lazy) so...

I have a new Imac at work. Yesh, it is the one I spoke about before. It's very nice, fast and takes up nothing on my desk. I did have a few problems loading software, configuring an IP address etc., but after a day it seems to be up to speed. (BTW, I am now the IS department at work, or so my boss tells me). It is a widescreen so I need to take a DVD in and see if it plays okay. The only thing freaky is that when you eject a CD/DVD from the slot on the side it, the ejected media, is hot, literally telling you to "handle by edges only". There seems to be a vent running along the back (near the top) to expell the heat, so we will see.

Marc is doing well at work as far as I can tell (An A so far, plus peeps like youze and your sick ass humor). They finally got him a desk and a work station (he has my "old" G4 box). A little bird told me that new chairs are coming and maybe, new computers like mine once every few months. Sorry we didn't get you a workstation earlier, but you kind of knew this was a half-assed, seat-of-the-pants, panic-at-will, promise-everything-on-time-and-dont-deliver, run-by-psychotics kind of company...or maybe I forgot to tell you about that...oops (hey its a paycheck)! ;)

And now prepare to faint...I am looking to buy an AUTOMOBLE. More later, to keep you in suspense.

Absouletely Curtained Coffee Tester,
Jaun Valdez

Hired in Hell

2004-10-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

No, not me. My friend Marc (of CanHed fame) was hired today by the place I work at. We now have 7 graphic artists! Well, two real Graphic Artists (Marc and Alphonzo) and three of us (Me, David {the head honcho}, and Carrie) are the production artists/negative makers. The other two (Sakub and Daniel) are production artists/graphic artists, meaning they do proofs excusively. Its a fine line at defining what anyone does, but to get to being a prod/neg person is cool. Don't worry Marc, you'll get trained very quickly on negatives. That is, when you get a workstation, and a desk and a chair...

What I mean is that they just hire people (sometimes) and they have nothing for them to work on, be it press, computer, telephone, etc. and then they buy stuff that the person needs. Actually not in my case though, because Marc is getting my G4 box with the 19" monitor. It is the slowest (400mhz) machine we have, but it does kick ass, because it has a fast HD, and 734MB of RAM. Now who was that guy that got it upgraded from a 20GB (2mb cache) HD and 256 RAM? Oh that would be ME...

So I am not going to go without a computer am I? Not on your life. I am getting this, a 1.6ghz, Imac G5. Its all monitor, SCHA-WEET!. Upgraded to 734MB Ram and a 80 GB HD is cool too. It's not a Power Mac, but hey, at ~1200 ducats thats a freaking deal.

So what to expect for our newbie...you poor bastard, run away now, join the French Foreign Legion, you would be better off...(Now you know why I kept the "Work is Hell" button for so long!) Well, surprise, I am not going to tell you! It's more fun that way.

Kurt Valdhiem (dat's vift a V nons a double jew)
President, Hanseatic League

fuckheads with computers and nukes

2004-09-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

Note to fuckwads who want into my box, why the hell?

Dorks, I have no secret info, maybe a bank card that debits my account, but not a CC.
I seem to try to run all sorts of stuff, but someone hacks it, per MS, thank you Mr. Gates.

Nice, chinese Joe and Louie South Korean, are hitting my box 24/7. Sorry about the non PC (whatever the fuck that is) comment, but I am a fucking mick who does not care about the millions in east Asia, test missles and fire then at each other you stupid dumb asses. Fuck the planet up even worse, Go for it! inane, wreckless, fucks.

Kaboom Myscorsablahblahblah

More bike stuff

2004-09-24T20:42:00.000-07:00

Our proofreader at work, Gia, asked me about bikes today. She wants to get a cruiser, with more than one gear and reasonably priced (less than $500). So I came home and looked at a bunch of bike sites and was pretty impressed by two manufacturers.

The first is Schwinn. They have been making bikes forever and have some very sweet cruisers with quality components and reasonable prices. They have a line of bikes based on thier 1955 model but with updated components. Overall a good bike at a good price. BTW, Schwinn, and Bontrager, and Santa Cruz and a bunch of other domestic bikes are actually divisions of Trek Bicycles. Trek bought up a bunch of these companies over the past 10 years, but generally left things status quo as far as possible. There is some dude named Lance who has really boosted Trek sales worldwide for some strange reason...Oh I remember, he dates Cheryl Crow...

The other bikes that I like are made by a company called Electra Bicycles. Now these are COOL bikes. I dig on the Men's Classic. For less than a 5 spot it may just be mine very soon. Hey, I NEED 3 bikes, ya know. Anyway, again quality components and very stylish bikes. I think Gia would look good one one of these bikes (she looks good anyway). And the prices are better (IMHO) than the Schwinn's.

Luckily both bikes are sold locally (but not at my bike shop) so I'll have to tell her about this and maybe go test ride a couple.

In other news work is just great, as I am being allowed to work on Saturday from 7am to 3pm. I worked a 7-6 schedule the past three days and I must say that I want to work 24/7/365 from now on. It's so lovely there at work and the owners are so understanding and the customers bend over backwards for us and everyone does thier job and no one makes mistakes and the birds chirp and greet me as I go to work and come home and the sky is not cloudy all day and if you believe any of this paragraph you are living in a fantasy world.

Angst Steamroller, Channel 74 News, reporting live from the Kremlin.

Bike vs. Toy

2004-09-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

Up on the soap box for a bit...

My friend Marc said that his mom bought him a bike for his birthday. It was a "run of the mill" bike and he enjoys riding it. Cool, but you may want to get back in the car for a while, as you sell that thing on e-bay...

I am glad that you liked biking but "run of the mill" sounds like crap to me. There are bikes (bought at bike shops) and there is crap (bought at Target, Wal-Mart [shudder], etc.) , The big difference is in how they ride and how they fall apart. You can spend 369 on a "top of the line" bike from target, but you could go to a bike shop and get a nicer one for 187. Seriously, the shite sold at department stores are TOYS. Just remember that you can't take it back if something breaks or goes awry. And guess who assembled that bike? Francine, the 80 year old chain smoker with no idea, or Pablo, who has a job and cares shit about what you buy (as long as la migra doesn't show up), or Davion, who is smart but doesn't know fuck about bikes, but is getting that sex change...

On the other hand, go buy a BIKE, a real bike from a shop. Ask about stuff, and tell them what you want to do with it. Hell you aren't going to go out on the NORBA or UCI circut, but you may want it for exercise, or to go to the store to get stuff, or maybe just noodle. They will fit a bike that is made/sized for you (they come in sizes, yes the real ones do (road bikes get broken down into half cms in the typical ranges!!!, MTB's in XS, S M, L [usually 14", 15, 17. 19). Try finding a 46.5 cm road bike at Kmart, ain't gonna happen, its one size fits all (sorry two, adult and kid). And the sales people ride (all of the employees ride) so they know what is up. Just don't get pressured into something you dont like. They will let you ride bikes in the parking lot (ever buy a car without a test drive???) Doing a little reaseach beforehand (or asking a bike weenie, like me) doesn't hurt.

Another thing, if you buy a bike from a "bike" shop it will be put together correctly. The mechanics take great pride in not having one of "their" bikes come into the shop because the assembly was sloppy (or someone got hurt because of that). The people at Target won't give a rat's ass. Also real bikes won't frame fail. What I mean is a lot of the generic bikes (Pacifica, Next, etc) are built by robots (ie the frames are welded by them, ie fire a robot?). Good bikes are built by hand, and someone is responsible for the intergrity of his/her welds. My Cannondale is clean on the welds, the Felt (though made in Taiwan) is even cleaner. The first bikes mentioned are not even close to the latter ones, as far as quality. Really you don't need a Ferrarri, a Chevy or Honda really, but you don't want a Yugo or a Zil.

If it comes down to it, I will buy you a nice (though not expensive one) bike if you'll give me the peice o'crap that you have, so that I can bend the frame out and make sure that no one rides its unworthy ass ever again.

Aight, off the soap box.

Work is stupid as fuck, as usually is the case. I am getting more 4 color stuff done but the csr's are doing lame shit. Not that I am perfect, far from it, but its the little shit, wrong size on the main page but the dieline is correct (so the proof gets made wrong, no one questions it and then, after i make negs, the thing doesn't jive) Huge waste of my time (oh well, i get paid) but still fucking stupid, very frustrating to work like that.

BLEH!

Axis Betty reporting from Luft Stalag 19

Atkins diet, and why I am not on it

2004-09-22T22:03:00.000-07:00

What is with this Atkins diet thing? I mean the guy DIED (probably due to lack of carbs). Sorry I don't see the point of fad dieting. Then again I am a skinny little mick, so I have never had to "diet". What I mean is if you don't eat like a pig (everything in moderation), then why would you get fat? Maybe for some its that they don't exercise, some others are just loving food too much, but for some others its just part of ones dna (or whatever, hyperactive thyroid?). I do have fat on my body, but most of it is geting worked off by riding. Now I won't say fat is a bad thing, but some people are grossly fat and do nothing about it.

I think I read in the "nutrion for cyclists" book that you need carbs to burn fat. And carbs are the basic energy source in exercise. Carbs enhance brain fuction by burning glycogens to be released. You only burn fat by long, slow exercise (i.e. when your body runs out of glycogens and then burns fat for energy). You cant race the Tour de Your neighborhood on carbs alone, but you can't go out and lose weight if you bonk (i.e. run out of fuel). Maybe instead of taking the car to the gym, you should (good heavens) WALK there instead. You didn't buy a 6 month pass to the gym because it was far away, you found the nearest one and take your car to it, don't you? So walk, get warmed up on the way over and take a recovery walk on the way back. Maybe that makes no sense, but getting in ones car and drving 1 mile to work out for an hour makes less sense.

Nothing against cars (I don't own one, for now). Well somthing about cars, since I don't own one. Guess what? I don't have to buy gas, pay insurance, get oil/lube changes, register/smog my vehicle, or make a payment every month. I do have to get it fixed, at times, but usually its under 20 bucks (most times free). A complete overhaul may run me 125!!! Plus if I drop the dime and half (1500) I can go to UBI and learn how to maintain and fix every part on my bikes.

Some stuff from my manefesto that I left out...

California Vehicle Code 21200 states: Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway has all the rights and is subject to all the provisions applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this division, including, but not limited to, provisions dealing with driving under the influence of alcoholic beverages or drugs, and by Division 10 (commencing with Section 20000), Section 27400, Division 16.7 (commencing with Section 39000), Division 17 (commencing with Section 40000), and Division 18 (commencing with Section 42000), except those provisions which by their very nature can have no application. READ IT AND BE AWARE!

Helmets. I caught up to a commuter last week and we both stopped at a Stop Light. Of course I stopped behind him and we said "nice bike" to each other (he had a Trek roadie, and not a cheap one). Before the light changed I asked him why he wasn't wearing a helmet. He said "I dont sweat as much without one, and they aren't cheap, you know". I said buy if you fall or get hit then what happens to your skull? I never got an answer, as he took off (blowing me out of the water) and I was left kind of wondering. Car/truck vs. bike is car/truck winning. Bike vs. pavement is a 50/50 deal. But I play those odds every day. I can get hit by a car or wipe out, a broken leg or collarbone is recoverable, but if my brain takes a hit, I could be jello (or dead). Please hit the fools sans helmets.

I work about 2.9 miles from where I live. It takes me on average (at 11MPH) 18 minutes to ride home from work and 22 minutes to get there (because I stop and get coffee at Subway and bullshit with Gary). And I don't even push. I bet I would lose 90% of the time to someone in a car, but that other 10% I would win by a long margin. I take streets that are not well traveled, and though I do ride in my lane I get out of the way (and sometimes pull over) if someone seems, well, not so friendly. If I did push, I'd cut it down to 12-15 minutes each way, and then I'd be kicking a cars ass to work by 1-5 minutes and the same back home.

One more thing...would you rather lose 15 seconds on your commute or run over (and possibly kill) someone? Just a stupid question, but think about it.

Your biking, know-it-all-save-the-planet fickleshit pal,
Bodybag Harvey

work sucks

2004-09-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

Hey, big surprise for a blog headline. But work sucks nonetheless. We are behind with our negatives, apparently, (though I haven't seen any pressmen sitting around twidling thier thumbs) so I "get" to work overtime for the rest of the week. BFD, get up early and catch the bus (too dark to ride the bike) and then be ineffective from 3-5. The fucking logic of some folks is beyond me.

What I mean is they had over a month to get someone up to speed doing the easy negs, but kept loading us up with stuff so that we couldn't get the time to do it. I will probably yell at Daniel and Sakub in the am about doing thier jobs right (sorry, no training, but a tounge-lashing may knock some sense into them, I hope). I keep telling my boss to get on them and he does (for about half a second) and they just go and do shit wrong. I am tired of doing someone else's job and I am not going to stand it anymore. I'll just throw stuff back in the dept. I did proofs for 8 months and asked questions the whole time, these dopes just do stuff as lazily as possible. I'll talk to David about it in the morning, and maybe we can get some type of schedule (when the workload eases) to have me train these guys. My other (stupid) suggestion is to fire them, but that doesn't solve the problem and it's not thier fault because they weren't given any training early on. Carch 22 I guess.

Man I miss Danielle and Ernesto.

Father Mick O'Breaksomeballs

yes and quite frankfully no

2004-09-18T21:11:00.000-07:00

Yes was good, quite good actually. Dream Theater opened and played a 1 hour set. Amazing musicans, quite frankly better than Yes. Yes was great too (good god they are old) but Steve Howe ripped, and wakeman was kickass. They went acoustic halfway into the set with alan white on a 2 piece and wakeman on a grand piano, anderson played a harp at one point and I was blown away at everything that they did . When Howe did "the clap" we were all stunnned. wow! He ripped! They played a lot of stuff off of "the yes album" including Starship Trooper! It was nutsly good! Wakeman may be old but he kicks ass on the keys.

Anyways, betwen the bands we went to get t-shirts and who did we run into?....Ron (my old roomie). It was good seeing him, kind of freaky when Ron saw my bro, dave and then me. He saw them then I just walked into his line and he went "HEY BRO!". That made my day right there, knowing the shit is all over. Ron looks great, and he's down to 199 (congrats!) and he has hair!!! I must say he looked better than I have seen him i ages.

Got to watch Pixies live on launch tonight. Great stuff, but Kim is getting BIG, her ass was half the stage, but a least she was sober for the tour and they raked in the bucks. Good for them, and good for us 'cause Pixies are freaks and kck ass. Hey good music is good music and if you try to discect it you cut yourself in half (my note to music "critics")

I guess it all depends on where one stands. I am for peeps seeing Yes and going "FUCK YEH" you rock! (i did last night) Peace on earth. War fucking sucks and GWB is a war criminal IMHO.

Am going to buy a 74 dollar seat for my bike then call my bro. I bought a tritip and will have him marinate it while I do wash and hang out with him, the cow that we are eating didn't see it that way, but oh well, its a cow, little choice there...

Charlie Chaplin, Caliph of Constantinople (cjudest cjiddin')

Bike stuff

2004-09-16T22:53:00.000-07:00

(excert from a letter to my brother, who is considering buying a bike) Please note I am a bike fanatic, plus a computer geek too, anyway here is my take on advice that i will give him about buying a bike (Part 1)

Bike Stuff
Clothes:
Shorts - There are a couple of options here. 99.99% of it is how the shorts keep you comfortable, wick moisture away and hold your thighs/butt/uglies. You might not like the look of a spandex/lycra short (like 'roadies' wear) riding a mountain bike. They make specific baggy-type shorts (with the chamios built in) so you don't look too dorky. Personally I wear Pearl-Izumi shorts and bib-shorts. They fit me nice, don't chafe and the gel chamois are great on my dangly bits. Other good brands are Sugoi, Santini, Descente, Castelli, Assos, De Marchi, Giordana. These latter ones are a bit pricy and hard to find, but many of the pro race teams wear them, so that should tell you that they aren't crap. Also. personally I have tried Performance shorts and don't care for them. Yeah they are cheap, but being uncomfortable and getting saddle sores will make me spend 100 bucks more on a pair of good shorts. Expect to pay around 90-120 for a good pair of shorts, bibs about 110-145. The high end stuff can run up to 300 for a pair of bibs!!
Jersey - Again two schools of thought. Do I want to be a billboard or be plain (but in both cases visible). You've probably seen the Tour de France guys who have more advertizing on thier chests, backs and sleeves than Jeff Gordon does on his car. Well, they get paid, like our NASCAR buddies, to be billboards. On the other hand being visible in traffic by wearing bright colors (without the ads) is great too. Even on a "bike" trail, like the one on the Calavaras river, it's better to be seen than show off you brand. Again good brands are Pearl-Izumi, Performance, Fox, Santini, Nalini, Louis Garneau, Sugoi, Primal Wear (cool graphics) and Descente. The reason that you want to wear a jersey is that they wick moisture away from your skin and allow air to flow. If you go out and ride in a cotton shirt, you'll sweat like a pig in no time under minimal effort. Cotton traps heat and moisture. These jerseys are designed to get sweat to the surface so it can evaporate (remember, when you are riding you are making your own wind, so the sweat will evaporate even faster.).
Socks - Here is the thing with socks, cotton is great, it's comfy, but your feet will sweat when you ride. And having wet socks on is not a great feeling. So they make socks that wick like jerseys and shorts do. You can get them plain white, colored, or with cool/cute/dumbass statemets on them. They come in low cut (cant see it above your shoe), ankle lenth (covers the ankle), and higher (for cold weather). Defeet. Pearl, eurosock, and even Perfomance make great socks.

Sheesh, all that about clothes...I am insane, but it helps being that way because all of the rest of you are crazier than me, except Bush. Hell he got us into a war and we didn't even challenge him (some did), but the rest of crazy USA just went "okay". Pretty pathetic if you ask me. Then again I didn't do shite either.

Your crazy Thailand Hooker,
Sam

The Black Keys (sans Yes and vomit)

2004-09-10T01:28:00.000-07:00

We left Crossraods a bit later than I thought. My bud had to go play with his kids in the park, so that is okay by me any day. Got to The Fillmore around 9:30ish and saw the last 3 songs by "The Cuts". Don't hold your breath waiting for them to be the next big thing. Rocked okay, but wierd stuff (five people to make that much noise is, well, funny). Lead singer looked like Bryan May, but with those big 18'th century whiskers what dont make a beard or mustache. After they got off stage (they were their own rodies) they walked right in front of me and Alfonzo. They were heading to the bar, hey free drinks are FREE, so why not. I guess they didn't get fat by refusing anything.

The Black Keys. Well once again going to Coachella was way worth the money, because otherwise I would have never seen this duo. The White Stripes had better beware, because these guys were kicking ass last night. They played a shortish set. About 10 songs for an hour, then did an encore of 3 songs in 15 minutes. And they just ripped. The drummer was playing a marraca (sp?) on his snare hand on one song, then on his high-hat hand on another (he was actually playing it on some parts, then going back to a stick). The guitarist was again nuts, detuning the strings on some songs, but mostly just ripping leads when he could. They don't have a bass player but you would not notice it, but then again, thats all part of it.

I will say that I was not as amazed as I was at the Hives show, but overall these guys are freaking great. Better musicians, and really rough, as the hives were polished. Both great shite though, and I guess thats what makes me like "good music", whatever that definition may be.

Impressed and compressed and buying an iron lung to press my premanant press dress slack in,

Cheeseball McCoy

The Black Keys and Yes and a Vomitorium

2004-09-08T22:31:00.000-07:00

Going to see Black Keys on Thursday (tomorrow for me). I can't wait. These guys were great at Coachella, so I can't wait to see them live again. The Cuts are opening up, so I'll let you know what they are all about. And Marc called me up and gave me free(!!!) tickets to see Yes at the Chronicle Pavillion next Friday. Thanks Marc. I saw Yes on the 90125 tour at the Berkeley Ampitheater. They were great, but that was years ago and I have know idea what the lineup is now. Anyway, I am stoked.

I guess 3 times in a year for Sahara Hotnights is out. I dunno. I've never been to Slim's, but I have been to way too many shows this year that have involved me taking a day off, or losing a weeks worth of sleep afterwards. What I mean is Coachella was great, so were The Hives/SH, but I was useless at work after those shows. It's not like I dropped acid (probably should have), but the travel and the late nights and getting back at 2am to go into work (Hives) or the long ass drive from Indio to Stockton (5o0 miles in a day) gets to you. I am not getting any younger. At least Rush was on a Saturday, and I got to crash over at Dave's place.

I have been doing more 4 color work. I haven't been doing color corrections (in PS), just what we call reapeat with changes. Its where text changes or colors change on 4+ color job. Its interseting and also a challange. Even more interesting is my new co workers who just do stuff blindly. Getting over thier fuck-ups is even more of a challange. The problem is they aren't properly trained so it gets harder and harder to get stuff done "right". And the entire art department is getting so screwed by customer service on a regular basis that it makes me want to VOMIT!

And its not customer service that really screws us, it the salespeople/owners who promise shit that CAN"T be done. Its enough to drive me insane. I just want to scream at them, and the owners moreso. What I mean is "How much money do you need?"

You drive Mercedes, I own a bicycle, you go on Baltic Sea Crusies for two weeks, I have never been to a foreign country (unless you count Georgia [the US state]), you have a watch on your wrist that is worth my salary in a year, I wear one that I bought in the mall. You live in 5000 sq ft. home and I am in a 350 sq ft. studio. But I MAKE you that money, I kick ass at my job (so do most of my co-workers) and we get no Health Insurance, or Dental Plan, or Vision Plan unless we pay for it? Fuck me, lets trade jobs for a year, I am sure I could outsell you and you'd have no clue how to do mine (you could even take classes and you'd be clueless). C'mon lets trade palces for one year and you'd die on my salary, because your horses and llamas would starve...VOMIT VOMIT VOMIT.

I am starting looking for another job right now.

One pissed off mick,

O' Samuel O'Reilly

P.S. Thanks a bundle Can, See yas Sunday (i'll email you)

Crazy random thoughts

2004-09-03T22:28:00.000-07:00

Well the "foot" is better today. Not 100%, but better than yesterday. The new issue of 'Bicycling' came and it (of course) has a part about new bike shoes that can be worn at the office. More flexible soles, nice looks, and clipless compatible.

Sahara Hotnights are playing again up in 'The City'. This time on the 27th (a Monday :( ). They are the headliners so I'll ask Alfonzo if he wants to go and see them again (probably not), and if he passes I might ask someone else. If I do go this will be the 3rd time in 5 months that I have seen them play. I love the new album, and it gets heavy rotation on I-tunes at work. And maybe they'll play over an hour's worth of songs (they are promoting "Kiss and Tell").

The someone else is Lisa. Yeah get off my case already. She is very cute and very smart and a BMX'er (once was #2 nationally in her age group). So she is someone who knows the difference between a seatstay and a chainstay, what clipless pedals are like to ride (and fall) in and knows what an aheadset is. Plus she was very, very sweet to me today, giving me a gallon of water and a nice smile after lunch. I have been getting on her case to get back on the bmx bike too, so maybe that is good. Maybe I am dreaming, but what's life without dreams. Anyway, It would be cool to go see a show with her, even a movie. Who knows? Asking women out on dates isn't a strong suit on my part, but waiting for them to ask me out hasn't been a strong suit either.

Danielle sent email out about the second part of her trip to Bulgaria. They had a great time and got to go to the Black Sea coast. I am very proud of her commitment to her cause. What a great feeling it must be to go and inspire people. If all religious people were like her, war wouldn't exist and we could all live in peace on this tumbling orb of ours. She used to have a Christmas tree on her wall at work , made of paper clips (for the outlines) and cd's for the bulbs. And it had a big sign that said "WAR IS OVER" on the top of it. The crap in Russia lately makes me think that hate is winning against love. This will change though.

The new bike has been good to me. I actually think my thighs and calves are getting into shape (skinny as i am). I will have to see if I gained any weight. I don't have a scale (though thinking of buying a Tamita body-fat monitor/scale [90 bucks!!!]) so I use the one at my bro's place. I have noticed that I can ride a bit faster the last few days. I do need to get the bike fitted (I think the seat is too far back, need a shorter stem and wider bar) and ride with experienced people just so they can tell me what I am doing wrong (especially on the road bike). I did read a great article in VeloNews today about pedal stroke, which was very insightful about what I am doing wrong on the road bike.

If you want to buy me a Christmas gift (a long way off) then get me a tea kettle (i.e. thingy that heats water to a boil) that I can plug into the wall. Or if that is out of your budget, a nice pair of warm wool winter socks would be cool. Or the Island of Mallorca, or one of those big stone Easter Island Heads, or the planet Jupiter (I'd have to get a bigger place though).

"Teh" Oracle at Deplhi,
Grack Srchtrecteerspleesbodumstuffundubersh

My Left Foot

2004-09-02T22:29:00.000-07:00

I never saw the movie of the name of my post. I will note that I don't see many movies, but this is besides the point (of which I will eventually get to).

Nothing much has been going on so I haven't been posting on a daily basis, but hey there are maybe 1-2 people who read this and they have lives too, but thanks marc, hope all goes well on Friday.

So my left foot.. it hurts like hell, can't bend the toes and walking is painful (though on the MTB it goes and goes). I wore a pair of MTB shoes with stiff soles for a couple of days and I blame it on them. The funny thing is that its a pain is on the top of my foot. So I may have bruised the bones there (my theory) or maybe pinched a nerve at my ankle, by wearing the shoes. Either way it FUCKING SUCKS! Icy-hot isn't working on it and the only relief is to take the shoe off, but I still limp around if I put too much weight on it (all 122 lbs of me). Walking to the store sucks major donkey dick and walking around the shop at work is worse.

Work is well, different. I got my raise today so that was good, as my paycheck is neting me 120 more, but we are scheduling work now, so if I don't get stuff done then I can get written up (doubtful, as I pretty much bill over 10 hours daily). There are some good things about it though, like Lisa giving me a hug for dropping my scheduled work and busting out some proofs for her. Lisa is cool but she is 22....

In other news, I may skip the painfully slow process of figuring out how to service/repair the bikes and just get off my ass and go up to Ashland, Oregon and take a class at UBI. The price is good and its something I really want to do, and I think it would grow my self-esteem (whatever that means). So anyway I might not go to Toronto over New Years, hope my pals up there don't take it wrong. I'll let them know soon enough though.

Yeh, Plus c'est le change, plus c'est le nem change (the more that things change, the more they same they stay the same) .

Anyway cheers from a rodeo in the middle of a sumo match going on while a rugby game is being played in a game of chess.

Fartfull (Poot-poot) Dodger hater out.

Cosmic

The games are over

2004-08-28T22:39:00.000-07:00

I have been in gaming mode for a bit. bought a ton a software and it runs like shit. even bought a new agp card (128mb's) and the software freezes the box, crashes and freezes or is just shit. First off, The Sims...just freezes within 30 seconds of gameplay, havent played it in over 6 months. Syberia, freezes for no apparent reason after I talk to the barge captian (how else am I going to get my train to the wall?). Medal of Honor (medal of crap). Besides being unplayable in anything less than "God mode" (just try getting up to the shingle at Omaha), even if you do get to Town Hall, you are faced with spawning snipers (where you went and took out all the peeps in a building, and then they kill the tank crew (who are wortrhless as fuck in defending themselves) because you missed one guy back there (400 to 1 is not very doable, game fucks). So I did get there and there are '?" invisible sniper shots. or if I get up and run for a doorway the tank crew gets killed. Maybe I am an old man and my reaction time is slow but I am a meticulous mofo when I game .

Bleh, other useless games are Republic (whoever designed the insane interface should be caned). nice concept, crappy interface. No support and no "republic" help sites anywhere. Terrible interface, Maybe the designers got the concept but none of the rest of us do. Singles (download gets you one hour of game play (huh? an HOUR?) At least you can get them nude, but you cant make them bump uglies.

There is another game (i think I trashed the box) but its name is something like "Naval warfare". just absolute crap. When trying to sneak up on a convoy in a sub you are detected at 4 miles if on the surface and about a mile if you are submerged (SOME SECRET JAPANESE SONAR?), and you are on a clock, meaning you have to sink ships in a certain time frame (caning again) so you have to appoach at shoot on the surface which isn't a good idea on a sub, absouluetly playless.

good thing I have the bikes and Hoyle Casino

Kaiser Marc, My Reply is WAR!

2004-08-27T00:13:00.000-07:00

We People of the (oft' abused) French Nation declare War on the German people led by Kaiser Marc. We do this because a grape was bought in Paris that was "not up to snuff". It was an old grape and had a German flavor about it, therefore it ruined the entire grape havest of the Kingdom of France. So get ready to die Tutonic/Prussian bastards! We will kill you (unless you take over our country again).

Signed,
Silly French King, Umberto the Foolish

More "fun" on the bike

2004-08-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

This morning on the way to work, I was cruising my bike through the neighborhood south of me. The streets are narrow, and kind of funny in their layout. But anyway, I'm on the Cannondale and as I make a right a light purple van makes a left right behind me. And yeah, I am taking up my space on the road so there is nowhere to pass me. So he stays behind me for the next 25 feet, then guns it to the next Yield sign nearly hitting me (guess I was in his way???). He turned right (the road curves so actually you wind up going south) So I grumbled to myself and made a left at the yield sign and didn't think anything about it. We were both going south, so I figured he got mad that I held him up for maybe 5 seconds of his commute...

As I came to the next corner, there was a stop sign, so I stopped and waited for a couple of south-bound cars to go by, then made a right, and what do I see? the purple van coming right at me (very narrow street with cars parked on both sides), so i just gave him the finger and popped up on the sidewalk between two cars. I kept looking back and he kept going north, so I figured he just wanted a reaction from me (which he got), and kept going south (he intentionally came back at me, because if he was going North he would have made a left at the Yeild sign)...

About a minute later when I was approaching a red light he came by me and screeched to a halt at the curb about fifty feet in front of me, jumped out of his van and screamed "Come here ~'Muther Trucker'". Well about 10 feet went by and I just turned around and snaked my way through the neighborhood, looking over my shoulder the whole way. I guess he gave up, but I figure that I will see him again, I'll have to deal with this "bikehater" at some point. (note to self, give them a big ass missing tooth grin and a thumbs up next time!)

To the "Bikehater"...Real nice, sorry I got in your way fartbrain. You spent way too much time chasing me, and then when you came up to me you wanted to commit a FELONY? I have some 'salsa' for any more fuckwads like you (oh, and I do know where you live, and have a description of your van, and I'll get the plate numbers in a few days).

How many times do I have to say it? I have the same right to the road as you! Get off of us bikers that obey the law. Get on an bike and see how fun it is in traffic. A drivers license is a priviledge, not something written in the fucking Constitution. Sorry but I just don't need this bullcrap from anyone.

So now i get down from my puplit and say that actually most drivers are very good about respecting us bikers. That is if we obey the laws that they have to. I wave at people that give me the "it's okay to go" sign, or understand that I need space from the parked cars and pass with a bit of room. See my manifesto if you need ANY clarification on it.

Work is okay, they are interviewing for another graphic artist. Well, actually someone that knows how to do the stuff that we do that doesn't need a whole lot of training. Our 2 new guys are okay, though I'd fire both of them if I was the head honcho, but thats just perfectionist me speaking there. One is realy good, just needs to follow directions, the other, well, he'd be better off in his old job (CSR). Sorry to be brutal, but I do my job and see no need to do someone elses.

Well. enough of my bitching and complaining (which I won the Noble prize for 14 years in a row).
My boss and I were looking at some bleak resumes today and I had never heard of the print shops that one person had listed (they weren't local) and I thought maybe on my resume I'll put "President of Peru 1984-1987" and see if anyone reacts to it. Or maybe "King of France 1990-present, Dauphine 1963-1990". I am the King of France, by the way...Im not kidding either, quit laughing, i'll have your head on a platter...GUARDS! GUARDS!

Easter Island Rap Superstar out (bling bling),
le Roi de french fries

Crackheads and being a Mick

2004-08-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah its getting boring reading about me and my bike. But not much else to report (trying to do a post every day).

So I rode it to work. Stopped in at my usual place (Subway) and showed the owner (Gary, he likes cars) the bike and didn't buy coffee. Bought an orange juice instead. It was $1.50!!! Man, I will just bring my Toronto Maple Leaf's mug instead and have him fill that up for a buck and put it in my downtube cage. It might spill a bit, but hey I need coffee in the am.

So I went off to work. Just got on the bike and rode down to the next intersection. There was a red light. So I stopped, but I noticed that a guy was walking by on the next corner over, who, I think, stopped and looked at me and my bike. I did not like the look he was giving me.

Now, I am a very small man, 115 lbs dripping wet with arms smaller than your girlfriend, and I don't fight (did in 7th grade but never won, once), but if you want to take something of mine (that is mine) I'll fight/kill you for it (unless you pull a gun, or maybe even if you do). I am a Mick (read Irish) and I take no crap from anyone, especially since I have pulled myself up from the gutter and gotten this far. And this fuckhead yelled at me "I want that bike, and now it's mine!". (he was so high he couldn't have stumbled far enough over to get it) , so I shot back "Come and get it then bitch, I'll crack your skull".

So anyway, the light was way too long being red, and this guy (crackhead, IMHO, his eyes were too dilated) starts walking directly at me but ran into one of the little posts that are on the street corners, fell over, and couldn't get up and the light turned green. I just blew by him in nothing flat. It was sweet leaving him in the dust. But also scary that I may come upon this type of person more and more in downtown.

Work was okay, until Fred (the owner and a native of Germany) and said "So, you are learning the negatives okay, you are comfortable with that?" I shot back, without even looking at him (which I shouldn't have) "Yeah, I am comforatble doing negatives since I have been doing them for over a year." My boss was right there and told me afterwards that I just should have said "Yes". But then my boss is a Mick too, and understands that we sometimes are (most times actually) smart asses. So he was actually proud of me telling the owner that I know what the hell I am doing, and basically telling him not to bug me anymore.

The ride home was good, sweaty, but taking showers 2 times a day is okay with me.

Your pal on Pluto (please send oxygen and weed, we'll send back ice cubes).
Gern Blanston

No pain, no gain

2004-08-22T22:00:00.000-07:00

Wow I love the cannondale (anyone want to buy a nice Felt 65 with a full 105 gruppo, for a K?). I took the new bike out for a spin at 8 am and rode it farther and (probably) faster than I ever rode the roadie bike (got back home at 9:30) I just doodled around the neighborhood, riding down most of the streets, looking at how the rich people live, after taking it down to the Marina at Brookside and back. My ass hurts a bit (actually my sit bones, thighs, calves and well, nads), but no saddle sores!!! I am not clipped in, which takes a bit of getting used to. I kept trying to clip out then discovered that here were no clips, stupid, but different.

I then packed a bunch of clothes to be washed into my backpack and scooted over to my bro's house on the bike (which is about two miles away). That was at 11:30. Hung out with my bro, watching NASCAR, Olympics, Little League Baseball, MLB, etc. Left (after doing my wash and smoking way too may cigs) at 3:45. Made it back here and just died trying to take the full backpack and the bike up the narrow ass stairs. I did manage though, so I rewarded myself with a half pound of pasta salad and half of a bag of gummy bears. I am needing them carbs! I have no problem with them.

In other news...

My ex-coworker (at petertheslimeball.com) and friend Marc has gotten his comic strip accepted (is that the right word?) to be published by one of our local newspapers. Congrats to Marc! Upwards and Onwards man! Canhed is the shit! When you get famous just remember that I did actually nothing to help you get there.

Naomi called me Saturday afternoon and I had a great time talking to her. Stuff is kind of crazy in her neck of the woods, but knowing her, she'll do fine. (sorry about the bill).

Music... Black Keys are next, as far as live shows. Let me know what you are listening to. Fresh stuff only, preferred.

Your reporter in Ulan Bator,
Maxwell Smartass

bought a MTB

2004-08-21T22:31:00.000-07:00

Yes I bought a bike (real big surprise). it was a $419 bike [on sale from 550] (a cannondale F300) , so thats a big bump on me, but I hate taking the bus, because it, well, sucks. I may be eating ramen for a bit, but i'll manage. i rode it home and only one fool honked the horn at me. You know I am looking to buy a car, but you car drivers are generally okay, but DONT honk at us. We have the same right to you in a lane, so fuck off if I maintain a distance from the curb/or ride in my lane to avoid car-doors opening up, see my manifesto if you aren't sure on anything...

New bike etc.

2004-08-20T23:05:00.000-07:00

I am buying a ~$250 MTB bike on Saturday. I will shock you by saying this is my new commute bike (i don't own a car). Actually the Felt is a better bike, but there is nowhere to change and shower at work, so I am getting a real easy ride for work. Yeah, yeah i am dumber than box of rocks, but the roadie stuff is for the weekends for now. And this new bike will not have clipless pedals (for now).

My rotation has been Sahara Hotnights, Hives, Mooney Suzuki, Black Keys, White Stripes, Radiohead, REM, Velvet Undeground and Pixies (live at coachella). Pretty different, but Hives and Sahara I just saw and both were great. Mooney Suzuki kicks ass, and i saw the Black Keys at coachella and am seeing then again on the 9th of September (at the Fillmore!). REM is okay in my book, and well Velvet Underground are cooooooool. and pixies, well go fuck a goat if you don't like them, or send me the goat an I'll change into an angel, or a beast that brings about the end of the world...

"its not the fall of your empire, the end of your world, i say it will pass, you say this time its neverending, you say its elusive, It's out of your reach, I say the solution might be closer than it seems" - Maria Elisabeth Andersson - Vocals and Lead guitar, Sahara Hotnights

Your idiot in Spain,
Sam

Falling on the bike

2004-08-18T23:01:00.000-07:00

I fell over again today, and now I really know what pain is. My left knee has a big bruise and sends me pain messages whenever I get my butt up of the sofa. I don't think that anything's broken (in my knee), but I hate winceing whenever I extend it. Not good.

I must thank the driver that caused me to fall though. He was most helpful by driving around me (i take MY lane, one away from car doors opening up) and then making a right turn in front of me while I was unclipping and braking hard. That got my weight on the wrong side and I just went down hard. I am pretty skinny so it hurt. I was okay at work, but on the way home my knee kept hurting more and more, and now its painful. Luckily though I had the tights on so not much skin was ripped off, but my knee doesn't care now. Thanks Jackass! Hope you were late to work and got fired and your car caught on fire on the way home, etc.

So now my manefesto on drivers vs. bicyclists. 1.) We share the same space on the road, if I ride in "your lane" please excuse me, a car door opening and catching me could, literaly, kill me. 2.) Your car goes faster than my bike, so pass me when its safe. I have the same right to the road that you do. 3.) Not all people who ride bikes are the same, I obey traffic laws, some people on "bikes" don't. That is at there discretion to act like idiots. Run them over, not me (You can spot them by the fact that they are over 21, and they don't wear a helmet.) 4.) If we are on the same street and come to a stop sign or traffic light I will not pass up any cars to get to the "front of the line". Hell, you already passed me, and so why should I make you pass me again (again your car is faster). And if I am at the back, understand that I need a little space to get going again, whereas your right foot is all you need. 5.) So 'we get in your way', people ride the wrong way down streets, they cut through red lights/stop signs, think they can do whatever they want to, etc. just remember that a geo and a big rig equally bad problems if they hit us, and that most of us real cyclists are very safety oriented. we wear helmets, avoid busy streets and obey traffic laws ( I can get a ticket too). 6.) If know of someone who rides without a helmet, please tell them to get one, or buy one for them, and make sure they wear it.

Wel; I am done, I am sure my 'manifesto' will get better. it just sucks that my knee hurts because someone was a fucking dick.

Stockton out,
sam

Ernesto

2004-08-18T00:17:00.000-07:00

Ernesto is leaving. this sucks major donkey dick. besides being the guy who knows mac hardware and software, he kicks ass on 4-color stuff. I don't blame him for leaving though. mepco offers no benefits (unless you pay for it) , and he has a mortgage to pay for.

So its on me to learn 4-color stuff. I can do it, but not like him.