Twenty-Something "Wisdom"

“Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist.”

2012-03-02T06:47:00.002-08:00

March is National Optimism Month! And while I've long considered myself a realist (never getting too overexcited), I have what I consider to be the gift of finding the silver lining in things, and the ability to not let petty shit bother me when there are so many other things in this life for which to be grateful. Below are a few tried and true steps to help you on your way this month. These are things that I find help differentiate me from my co-workers and a number of acquaintances:

• Act like an optimist. 'Fake it to make it'. Not in the sense of being "fake" per se, but try and trick yourself into being optimistic when you really feel like you are unable to. Use the word choices and body posture of optimistic people. Use "upbeat" words instead of "upset" words - Challenged vs. Overwhelmed. It's a lot like smiling when your unhappy. As soon as you force a smile, it's nearly impossible not to be overcome with good feelings, or to reflect back on a time when you laughed so hard it hurt. (Go ahead, I'll wait).

• Move quickly from problem-identification to problem-solving. We all get angry and upset, but the challenge is to move past these emotions and start looking for strategies and solutions that will help you to deal with that challenge. WAY too many dwell on shit that absolutely DOES. NOT. MATTER. Will that Facebook comment have any affect on you 10 years from now? How about 10 days from now? Didn't think so. By identifying if the situation you are dealing with can even be remotely considered a problem, you can easily lean to stop 'sweating the small stuff' and get back to living YOUR life.

• Avoid emotional leeches. BOOM. Easily one of the biggest pitfalls I see in my everyday life. Co-workers, friends, and strangers are constantly oozing negativity. Pessimists suck the life energy from those around them. These are the people who swarm to one another in the effort to commiserate how 'tough' everything is. They've never once come together to explore the opportunities available that will serve to help them move past the 'problem' they seem to be facing (see above). Minimize your contact with those who look on the down-side of everything; trust me, this is harder than you might think. Perhaps you are doing it yourself...?

Reflect back on the first bullet point and start each day fresh. Dragging yourself down because of things you have no control over, or things that can't be changed, will get you absolutely nowhere - fast. Optimism is not a disposition people are born with. It's a learned skill, and one that takes consistent practice. Give it a shot. You just might come out a little happier in the end.

Resolutions

2012-01-13T08:18:00.000-08:00

My 2012 resolution is simple. To get a god damn Clipper card and start taking the bus instead of paying out the ass for a taxi to take me 10 blocks. I mean, I've been in this City way too long to have only taken the bus a handful of times (maybe 6?) pre-2012. Ridiculous.

Anyhow, I also stumbled upon this little post from The Frenemy talking about resolutions for 2012. It's pretty well stated, and the blog/site is always entertaining. Here's the takeaway (it's written for women, but you should be grown enough to figure out how to change it, right?):

2012 will be my year of the “no big deal.” You’ve got one life, remember? If I was a plant in my last life I don’t remember it, so right now it’s me and this and it’s what we’ve got. It’s not worth spent in moments of self-doubt, so one has got to get pretty zen about this shit. You think something’s so awful? It’s probably not. Will you die alone if this guy doesn’t like you? Definitely not. Grow up. Rationalize. Remember what you have and cherish and love-your family or your friends or your favorite fucking pen. And also:

1. Give It Up

There are people I should be distancing myself from, there are insecurities about myself I know are just cattle prods to make myself feel like shit. There are toxic things in my life that aren’t worth the time of day, arguments I shouldn’t start or have, the last drinks at the bar I should cut off, attitudes that are indulgent because they are self-pitying. The judgements I am quick to make, the bad moods I am too eager to partake in, the bullshit sarcasm in serious situations, the moments I dwell on somebody—there are too many things I hold onto that drag me down. Lighten the brain load. Free yourself from the worst parts of yourself. You can give it up. You can let go of the things that dragged you down for so long. You deserve to be rid of them and it’s about time they stopped you from moving on to new, better things.

2. Go For It

Here’s a fuckin’ fun fact about me-I’d like to meet a cool person that I want to hug and kiss and shit. I’m not good at expressing this at all. There are times in my life where I should have made a move but I didn’t, or said something and didn’t. That sucks, because it only makes me want to punch myself in the dumb baby face for being so silly and childish. So now, I’m just going to try to go for it. Make some moves. Woman up. Get rejected or not. Feel things other than ‘being on the Internet,’ real things. If it’s not a romance kissy thing, it’ll be telling my friend when they’re making me feel like shit. It’ll be moments I get up early and work harder and write more and do more and feel more and just get some fire under my feet. Plenty of fire under these tiny feet, much of which I have yet to ignite.

Reminder: you are the only person responsible for your happiness. There are plenty of people who will let you down. Don’t be one of them.

So hey! Here’s to a year of mistakes and kisses and drinks and laughter, you guys. A year of dancing till your feet hurt and good crys and new friends and old friends and a whole mess of good and bad things. Let’s start this shit now. Good luck.

Now get out there and live. I'm most likely going to disappear from this blog for another 4 months. So, yeah.

The City?

2011-09-26T10:52:00.000-07:00

I always get excited to see these Vimeos pop up, but was a little depressed at the lack of neighborhoods shown in the one below. Most of the clip is focused on The Embarcadero, Pier 39, the FiDi, and Fisherman's Wharf - places most people living in SF never go outside of work obligations and the occasional out-of town guest.

At the 3 minute mark there are a couple of shots from the Western Addition (Painted Ladies, duh), Dolores Park, and Duboce Park that brought a slight smile to my face. Aside from those 30 seconds though, there were considerable absences of Golden Gate Park, The Mission, The Haight, The Castro, Inner/Outer Sunset/Richmond (minus the obligatory Cliff House shot), etc...

Anyway, I'm still a sucker for stop motion, so check it out below.

The City from WTK Photography on Vimeo.

Deal with the Devil.

2011-08-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Well this is just ridiculous.

I mean, with all the discussion surrounding the MLB trade deadline, and the Giants' "anemic" offense, you'd be hard pressed to find a Giants fan (long-term or otherwise) who wasn’t calling for an upgraded bat. But what we saw was a deviation from the norm for Sabean, and an even further deviation from the formula that helped the Giants become World Champions. Rather than picking (young/underrated/talented) players off the scrap heap, Sabean went out of his way to trade for THREE aging players to fill spots in the lineup that were in need of some ‘oomph’ (all while other, potentially dynamic players were on the block – *cough* Hunter Pence *cough* Michael Bourn). While I’m not particularly worried about what we gave up (trading chip wise), I’m definitely concerned with the fact that this massive shake-up may have sacrificed the synergy (BUZZWORD!) that brought this team together last year, through the off-season and well into the early half of this season.

Not to say these guys aren’t professionals. Obviously, their careers averages and track records speak for themselves. However, when we look at the drastic change in quality of ball being played since the trade-deadline, it’s overtly obvious that we essentially dug our own grave. If the old adage, “when it rains, it pours” ever showed its profound meaning, this would be Case 101. You deal with the Devil and he eventually comes back to collect. If the injuries piling up are any form of currency, it appears Sabean went deep into debt since what we’re seeing now is nothing short of unbelievable.

In the last two weeks: Carlos Beltran (trade deadline acquisition) tweaked his wrist (on a swing!) – to the DL; Jeff Keppinger (trade deadline acquisition) messed his wrist up on a collision with first basemen Freddy Freeman – MRI not looking good; Sergio Romo (one of (if not) THE most dominant bullpen guys in the game) has an elbow that’s been acting up – to the DL; Nate Schierholtz messed up his hip on a slide and missed a couple of games, only to come back and smash a ball off his foot that may or may not have broken it - ‘hooray’; to top it off, Jonathan Sanchez - who had juuuust started to show a glimmer of his late-run 2010 self in last night’s game - goes and sprains his ankle on a botched play on an easy bunt (eerily familiar to Zito, I might add…).

This is downright frustrating. The Giants don't have a lineup that can lose guys and still have steam in the tank like, say, the Phillies (and to be perfectly honest - a pitching staff like their's either) But that’s baseball, right? That’s what makes this game so great, and why the season is 162 games - not 16, like some "other" sports.

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The only thing I’ve been picturing (praying for, really) is Aubrey Huff standing up like Jake Taylor in Major League and pronouncing that, “There’s only one thing left to do. Win the WHOLE. FUCKIN’. THING.”

But that’s a little ridiculous in itself, right? I mean for one, Jake Taylor was the only one in the movie who had to deal with any injuries, while the Giants are down several key components from last year’s squad (read: all those above not to mention those out for the season like Buster Posey and Freddy Sanchez). Also, the Giants don’t really have a hitter like Pedro Cerrano, and nobody even close to having the speed of Willie Mays Hayes – both of which are dynamic game changers.

What the Giants do have is a manager like Lou Brown, in both appearance and demeanor, see:

Plus a closer who’s more of a celebrity than a pitcher (though this doesn’t come about until Major League II ). I just wish we had a Dorn who would walk over to Wilson and tell him straight to his face to stop playing around and STRIKE MOTHER FUCKERS OUT!

But I digress. From the looks of things, this might not be the Giants' year. But it's exactly those types of sentences that pushed last year's team to prove everyone wrong. With the September callups the Giants just might get their Roger Dorns (Gillespie), Willie Mays Hayes' (Darren Ford), and Jake Taylors (2010 Aubrey Huff?). Hell, the may even get a Pedro Cerrano (Pill). Only time and a few dozen heart attacks will tell.

One Man. Two Hands. One Dream.

2011-08-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Yup. I imagine this is like a wet-dream for a real Mexican right here. Something waited to be molded to perfection:

But, since I'm only half-Mexican, this is what my backyard has looked like since I moved into my place - back in late February 2011. Pretty gross, but a ton of potential. And as most of those who remember my last place, I've had an outdoor firepit I've been dying to use, but since purchased has been either sitting in the wind and rain at the top of Ashbury Heights, or in my new dining room, covered up... just waiting for late the SF "Summer" to show up so it can warm an outdoor gathering of friends and beer (can you say, House "Warming" Party...get it...)

Anyway. The point is, it's been a ridiculously long time since I've moved in and the fact still stands I haven't done shit with this decently sized backyard. I'm sure my Dad is ever-so-disappointed in his son, so today I did something about it. After getting my afternoon workout in (a doozy really: 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 body weight squats; every minute for a half hour - sounds easy, but it really only gives you about 20-30 seconds of rest each minute depedning on your fitness level...but I digress, try it sometime. You'll see.) I took the momentum from said workout, and decided it had been long enough. I put some music on, grabbed the green waste container, and got down in a squat and started pulling weeds like I did every weeekend for the majority of my childhood.

Within about 15 minutes, my muscles were starting to ache as the lactic acid from my workout began to take over my body. This was also the time at which I realized the green waste bin was going to be full before 1/10 of the yard was even weeded. Not to be discouraged, and taking most of the momentum with which I began this endeavor, I decided to knock out the whole yard. Because, why not?

Two hours and two giants garbage cans later: BAM! Wiped out. Here's a shot from the stairs leading down to the yard:
And here's a shot of what my feet looked like after I took my shoes off.
No, I wasn't weeding the back yard barefooted. There was just so much loose dirt in the backyard, it stained my legs (just a bit, since my feet are whiter than Tony Montana's nostrils) and coated the inside of my socks somethin' tough.

Speaking of nostrils, mine were jam packed with at least a pound of dirt - making for an interesting shower, to say the least. No pictures of that, no worries. But it has been sometime since I've really been able to put in some good work in the yard, and actually see some immediate results. Makes me think what else I may have been putting off that I'd be able to get done if I just got down to it and stopped making excuses.

Next step? Actually laying out a decent place to kick it, and getting that damn firepit some use. I'll let you know when the House "Warming" Party is scheduled.

One More Chance. Biggie Gimme One More Chance.

2011-08-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

How awesome was this song to someone growing up in Gen Y? I mean, just look at the video. Those cameos? I love all the cameos.....Tyson Beckford, Luke from 2 live Crew, Zhane, Mary J. Blige, Aailyah, Da Brat, Craig Mack, Changing Faces, Jermaine Dupri, Heavy D and Queen Latifah pretty sweet. But that isn't what I'm writing about. The reason this song is even in my head is because I undertook mission "Shuffle Songs" on the iPod today. Thus, I'm writing about the strangely perfect mix of music that turned up in succession during my commutes to, and from, work today.

When I drove in to the parking lot at the office this morning, I was pleasantly surprised with a visit from my boy LL:

Which, at 6:25am is quite the entrance song to the parking lot of your job at "Investments R' Us" - (name withheld to protect the innocent). Luckily, the windows were rolled up - since it was still pretty cold, and the sun was just breaking the horizon.

Fast forward to leaving the office and it's a lovely 70 degrees (a far cry from City weather, mind you) and I've got the windows down eager to make the 30 mile commute home and get the weekend started (read: update this shitty blog for the first time in over a month). What song pops up?

For real. I mean, back at HHS I used to rock this. Needless to say, it's been a while since I've heard it so I may or may not have been a bit eager to turn up the volume and get my Master P on'.

So there I am, sitting at a light ready to get on the freeway. I crank the volume loud enough that were someone in the car trying to tell me a story, it would have looked like a mime was trying to do a performance in the seat next to me. In fact, as I was picturing this unlikely scenario taking place, I looked over to the passenger's seat to see a scrapered out purple Lexus with the window rolled down and the driver looking at me over the top of his lowered aviator sunglasses and under his straight brimmed Cincinnati Reds hat with the tags still on it. It was epic. I really don't know how to describe it. This guy was in shock. And understandably. From his view he sees: a 'white-boy'. with glasses. in a suit. driving a VW Golf. with bike racks on top. And BLASTING Master P.

I notice him. Tilt my chin back in the 'what's-up' motion. And get back to enjoying my music. It was amazing. I only wish I was still driving the Karmann Ghia I used to roll around in during my high school days when I would blast the same song. I'm pretty sure that dude's head would have exploded.

Hater.

Is this what it's come to?

2011-08-12T16:01:00.001-07:00

Seriously? It's been over a month since I've posted anything on here, and the best I could do then was post a KOFY TV20 dance party? Holy shit. This is bad. I mean, the entry before that I still consider worthwhile, but it was nearly two months since the last 'real' post about my GoRuck training, and I didn't even have the energy or time to really post a decent rundown of how that went...Well, no. That is totally a lie. I could have easily used one of the 5-6 days a week I spend in front of the TV watching the Giants play a diluted form of Little League Baseball to write up some decent entries, but the truth is I've been pretty okay being away from the blog in the SF "Summer". In all honesty though, I'm tired of being streakier than Cody Ross and Nate Schierholtz (squared), so I'm gonna bust out some stuff I've been meaning to write up for awhile. Hopefully I can keep it up. If not, it's not like any one misses the crap I put on here anyway.

Sometimes, however - just sometimes...something comes along that makes you realize they that just need to be shared. And as has been tradition with this blog, it was the Gross-Eater-Guy at the office who was able to shake to my core and convince me to get back on here.

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

Yesterday, after my customary lunch-time nap I walked back into the office to quite a sight. This mutherfucker had the 7-11 website pulled up and he was checking out the new additions! I kid you not. This was what I saw plastered across his monitor when I walked in:

Disgusting, yes?

Now, anyone who has followed long enough knows that the G.E.G. loves him some fast food, Double Gulps, and pretty much anything unhealthy, but I swear to Jebus, I had no idea it was this intense. Look at those things! Two look like straight shit, one looks like barf, and the other appears to be suffering from some sort of venereal disease. What about this is appetizing? Honestly. I'm beginning to wonder if he's doing this on purpose because he knows how grossed out I am. Wouldn't that be something...

EPIC.

2011-07-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

Why don't they still do this? After watching this video it's no wonder my parents got it on in '82!

And 28 years later, everyone is wearing the same shit.

Worth noting:

The hair at 0:48. The cheery ass, chubby Asian at 1:13 (he comes back hard 2:03). The seizures at 1:22.

Anything particularly ridiculous I left out?

San Francisco Totally Live

2011-07-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

San Francisco Totally Live from MACAFRAMA on Vimeo.

Man, this really makes me happy.

I didn't know you liked to get wet?

2011-05-11T20:35:00.000-07:00

No, not like Wayne Brady and Dave Chappelle. Though, I wouldn't judge you if you were down with that.

Today I took off on a "walk/run" out to the good ol' Golden Gate, truckin' along with 4 bricks, and about 70oz of water sloshing around in the backpack. Most of today was focused on time/not speed, since last Saturday I did a 14 mile RUN with a full backpack of bricks that was weighing around 30-35lbs with everything in it. Of course, if you know me, you know I don't take much of anything "easy". Fortunately I was able to keep the pace to a fast walk - with one minor exception.

Once I had descended the Lyon Street steps (my old friends) and passed the Palace of Fine Arts, I decided to get a little beach running in - except today I decided to actually run through the water. After the initial cold and accepting the fact that my shoes were now FULL of sand, the experience was rather "nice" - mainly because the 50 degree water was cold enough to numb most of the pain in my joints from last weekend's workout. I mainly wanted to break in the trail running shoes that I picked up today - and this was definitely a great test to see if they'd hold up to the GORUCK. Overall I was pretty pleased.

*Ignore the fact that it looks like I have munchkin feet. I have only slightly smaller than average feet for a male, thank you.

Anyway, the length of beach along Crissy Field is about a mile, and as I trudged through the sand and water (and sandy water), I got more than my fair share of strange looks from other beach goers. This is actually something I've been training for, as I know come May 21st our cadre will get more weird looks and photos taken of us than the crackheads at 6th and Market. No matter how many times I drop down at a red light and start doing pushups with a weighted backpack on - people are still going to stare at me like I'm doing the pushups completely naked.

Once I reached the point at which I could go no further, I snapped a photo and turned back. The picture actually turned out rather well - at least I think so:

I also ran through the ramnants of what looked to be an old fishing pier - but I actually think is a "wave wall" of sorts meant to break up the incoming waves from the Pacific. Being that the Hipstamatic was in full force, I figured snapping a shot couldn't hurt. Another one I think came out pretty well.

All in all, the shoes held up, though they let in a ton of sand. Two miles in the sand and waves, and fact I was running in the part of the water that was carrying the most sand were mostly responsible for this, I'm sure, as opposed to the actual design of the shoe. All told I did 7 miles (including the 2 in the water) with about a quarter mile of uphill lunges, and about a hundred pushups thrown in there as well. Not bad for a "light" day, I suppose.

The coolest part, is the fact that I was able to take in one of the most highly sought after views in the world, and it only took me less than an hour to get there - walking. It's pretty awesome to think sometimes that people travel from all over the world to see something I get to see anytime I want. Amazing.

How to know when you have too much money...

2011-05-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

First, you probably live in a house like this:

And it's a given you don't do your own yard work. But, really?

When you can afford a few dozen goats to come in and eat the weeds you've neglected all year, yeah...fair to say you've earned your spot up there around the corner from Billionaires Row.

You will never get today back.

2011-05-10T16:04:00.000-07:00

A friend tipped me to this a couple weeks back. Highly inspirational. I suggest everyone watch it and forward it on to friends as well.

What's your excuse for not being amazing?

Yet another reason why I love San Francisco

2011-05-05T17:01:00.000-07:00

From the crew over at Haighteration

Wait...WHAT?

2011-05-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should weigh in on this whole ‘Osama is Dead’ thing too, because, why the hell not?

September 11th 2001 was exactly 8 days before I started my freshman year of college. I woke up to a phone call from a friend telling me to turn on the television. “What channel?” I asked. “Any channel.”Uh oh. I knew from the tone of his voice that this couldn’t be good. “I’ll be over in a few,” he said.

Begrudgingly, I got out of bed and headed downstairs in my boxers, grabbed a bowl of cereal and plopped down in front of the television. The flurry of news and anchors and panic that came spewing out of the television for the next several days was a literal blur. So, I’ll try to describe what I felt and what I can remember.

A lot of people will say they’ll always remember when they first saw the planes crash into the World Trade Center – but I honestly can’t remember the feelings I initially had. I think I was mostly confused since my Hayward Public Education failed to teach me what the “World Trade Center” even was (let alone, nouns, verbs, pronouns, and adverbs - thanks to MadLibs for that). Or perhaps I wasn’t paying attention that day in class. Either way. When I asked my friend (the one who initially alerted me to the news), he summed it up simply by saying, “It’s the WORLD Trade Center.” OH. Got it.

I remember people thinking it was initially an accident...and then the second plane crashing into the towers. I remember talk of someone named Osama Bin Laden. I remember people vowing revenge and retaliation. What I don’t remember is when I stopped remembering. I suppose it happened in college.

I was fortunate enough to go to school in sunny Santa Barbara, CA – a wealthy beach town that almost seemed insulated from the entire thing. Granted, I was a declared Sociology major entering school, and one of my professors (Mark Juergensmeyer) had just finished writing “Terror in the Mind of God” (making him an instant celebrity for practically predicting what happened), so I was inundated with theories on the rise of religious activism/terrorism and even presented with the “logic” behind terrorist acts and organizations. Unfortunately, like most college classes, after my final I proceeded to destroy any insight or knowledge gleaned through the course with a healthy (read: unhealthy) amount of booze.

Though I briefly entertained pursuing a military career after college, I certainly wasn’t thinking about Osama Bin Laden when I graduated a quarter early in 2005 - less than 4 years after the attack on the World Trade Center. I don’t think it was even mentioned at my commencement ceremony – or any of the other dozen or so I attended while working at the Campus Police Department. Somewhere in there, it wasn’t being remembered.

This of course isn’t to say that the attacks of September 11th, 2001 didn’t have lasting residual effects on thousands and thousands of Americans (and non-Americans) who lost family and loved ones on that day - as I’m sure they still do. Personally, I didn’t know anyone who perished in the attacks. Hell, as an 18 year old I barely knew anyone outside of my high school graduating class…Which is why I was confused to see college students celebrating like they had each just won the Showcase Showdown on The Price is Right (back when it was Barker, not Carey). I mean, these kids were 8-12 when the attacks happened. Aside from those who had immediate familial loss, how many of these kids even remember it happening? I mean, if I was there I suppose I would have gotten my celebration on, too. Kind of rhetorical, kind of not, I guess. Again, I was 18 at the time and didn’t even know what the World Trade Center was, so perhaps my view is invalid anyway.

Did I celebrate? Nah.

In fact, when I first heard the news, I actually thought my roommate told me that they killed OBAMA. Yup. Smack dab in the middle of a Ninja Warrior Marathon on G4, I paused the TV looked at him and said, “What!?”. “Yeah, Obama’s gonna make a statement in a minute.” Again, “What!?” “Yeah, they killed Osama Bin Laden somewhere in Pakistan.” “OH!!! OSAMA.”

For what seemed like 5 minutes, but was really only seconds - time slowed down and I began to tell myself that this was our JFK. Growing up, kids in my high school complained that we never had anything significant happen in our lives (until 9/11). No President assassinations, no MLKs. But now??? Here, it was. Obama was killed. And all I could think was, "Great. When my nephew asks me where I was when Obama was killed, I'm not gonna have anything cool to say. Instead I'm gonna be like, 'Well, I was eating gummy bears on my couch watching Ninja Warrior.' Then he's gonna be all like, 'What's ninja Warrior'? Then I'm gonna be like, "OH MAN, you don't know what NINJA WARRIOR IS!??!" And then he's gonna ask me something ridiculous like whether it was like Power Rangers, and it's all gonna go down from there..."

Oh wait, Obama wasn’t killed. OSAMA was killed.

So what did I do? Set my TiVo to record the Daily Show the following night, knowing I would get only the finest news. And then put the Ninja Warrior Marathon back on.

What a world.

This is what 20 lbs looks like

2011-04-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

REI 60 Pak, full 100oz Camelbak, bike chain and lock, two 2lb ankle weights, towel, bike pump, 30 ft extension cord, jump rope, spare bike tubes, two golf balls, wallet, phone, keys, masterlock, body glide, and spare gloves.

And if you're looking for a nice little workout, try a "brick". It's essentially a bike workout followed immediately by a running workout. Most people will do 3-5 miles on a bike and 1-2 miles on a run for starters (repeating as able). Though no real bricks are involved [yet], I decided to head out Easter Sunday carrying all this shit on my back. Did about 17 miles on the bike, hopped off and ran 8 miles.

Total time was about 2hrs and 30mins, but the workout felt much longer. While it didn't quite match up to the 50 mile race I completed a month ago, it was a much faster pace, and a much harder (read: concrete) path to travel. With the weight, my knees were really feeling it. Fortunately, I was able to get right into a cold bath immediately following my workout to try and eliminate most of the aches I'd feel today.

Why am I running around with 20 pounds of unnecessary crap on my back? Good question. With all the training for the 50 mile Moab race I was actually preparing for a much shorter, but much more ridiculous endurance event. [*Note: Scott and I finished the AXS Race in just under 8 hours: (Team Bangorang! in the 2 Open division), despite some initial mechanical troubles on the first mountain bike section and some nasty cramping from Scott on the run].

The event I've signed up for is less than a month away and things are really taking a turn for the ridiculous. So far in preparation for this, I've done a number of workouts that have sidelined me for a day if not more with lactic acid buildup that would put a donkey on it's ass. I've done a 5 mile run that included a section of lunges for 2/3 mile straight. I've run repeats of all 288 of the Lyon Street steps more times than I'd like to recall (yeah, I counted). I've run with 20 lbs on my back for 4 miles, stopped at home to drench myself with a hose and run another 4 miles cold and soaked. I've run a 13.5 mile loop with a lightened load of about 12lbs on my back. And most recently, the "brick" described above. And things are only going to get crazier.

The event I've signed up for (with Scott again) is The GORUCK Challenge. Something I found through the Tough Mudder site (though they are no longer affiliated), and something I've been pretty pumped about doing since I signed up back in February. A better understanding can come from the description of the inaugural class which took place in San Francisco back in September of last year - though it looks like the Challenge has only taken on more insane parameters since its inception as the captions indicate it was 11 miles, not the 18-20 referenced in the flyer previously linked. Oh yeah, also, our challenge STARTS at 6pm and is listed as being anywhere from 8-10 HOURS. Quick math indicates, we'll be finishing at 2am at the earliest. It also means we'll be drenched and exhausted through the worst temperature/wind times in San Francisco - good livin', right?

Anyhow, keep an eye out for updates on what stupid things I'm doing to punish myself in order to get into the best shape possible for this event. I can only imagine what our instructor will get us into, so I'll be trying my best to match wits on some rather dumb things to do to myself. Run down to/full immersion at Ocean Beach at 1am in the morning? Count on it.

"Only in SF"

2011-04-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit since I shot out a post on things that piss me off. I mean, only like 4 out of my last 5 posts have been PSAs, and even then, it's been 2 weeks.

Anyway, I was trolling SFist a couple days ago and they had a great article about people not truly understanding how to dispense the overly-used phrase: "Only in SF".

Read the article. Understand it. Just because you haven't been to another large metropolitan city, doesn't mean that everything you see "out of the ordinary" of your suburban bubble happens "Only in SF".

Maybe this (be warned) is something that only truly happens in SF.

I warned you.

Summer Anthem

2011-04-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

99 Problems

2011-04-05T18:53:00.001-07:00

And you're a bitch if one of your's sounds like anything from whitewhine.com.

Quoted as a site for a "Collection of First World Problems," I'm hoping people are able to see that it's a little insensitive to "feel" for the people of Haiti/Japan, and then complain about how "people who can't roll crescent rolls correctly, shouldn't be allowed in kitchens" or how too many people have offered to clean your hotel room while on vacation. Must be tough...

Though this one simply takes the cake:

Wah.

Before you hit "share" on your Facebook, think about what you're really saying. For all of us.

Stay tuned.

2011-04-04T17:46:00.000-07:00

A few days ago while out with an old friend, we got into a conversation about my blog and I mentioned the fact that I didn't really know where it was going, what it was really trying to be, or why I was even doing it. Do people really care about poop references and pictures/links from other sites? The answer is: I don't know.

As a result I've decided to take a foray into a 'side project" which will more than likely become the main gig for me. I've decided to branch out to another, much more focused blog with an actual theme. You can find it here. It's definitely just getting started, but if you like it, "follow it". Feel free to share with others who might like it as well.

I'll still post bits of "wisdom" here, but I'm thinking I need something a little more original, rather than simple regurgitation of shit I find on the internet. Besides, I somewhat pigeon-holed myself into a finite time period for this blog anyway - seeing as how I'm technically in my (gasp) late 20s.

Awe, hell.

Don't forget...

2011-04-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

Pic from here.

"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." - Abraham Lincoln

Wear Your Sunscreen

2011-04-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

I was thinking, "Wouldn't he just go horn first"?

2011-04-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

As "found" in Santa Barbara back in February.

What do you think? Couldn't he at least share a little bit of his magic power? Do male unicorns even exist? Help me solve this conundrum.

One of these things does not belong here...

2011-04-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

Acid controller? Lactaid? If you've got heartburn, I don't think Top Ramen is doing you any good.

Friday's Best - Spring Weather Edition

2011-04-01T11:45:00.000-07:00

Found this video on the Vimeo homepage yesterday. Anything look familiar?

Rad, right? The "ruins" of the Sutro Baths! Muni! BART Escalators and turnstiles! Those always recognizable SF trashcans!

So yeah, I'm kind of a nut when it comes to any kind of movie or video or picture showing any part of San Francisco. I'll probably spend a good portion of the next few years trying to figure out the location of every minute detail of the video, kinda like I did after watching Sweet November (don't judge. The movie made the cut of The 100 Most Enjoyably Bad Movies Ever Made. So, HA!)

Luckily, the creator of the video divulged that the beach with the large bluff isn't actually in San Francisco, but rather is Gray Whale Cove down in Pacifica.

They even feature my favorite (read: most pissed in) bathroom in Golden Gate Park at the 3:06 mark. Check it out!

Baseball Season is here!

2011-03-31T16:21:00.001-07:00

I hope you understand. 3 hour games 5-6 nights a week will be taking up most of my free time. I've got some stuff I've been meaning to post, so hopefully I'll get around to it soon. In the meantime, share the love: *Look at the disgust on J. Sanchez' face. Priceless. And then of course, there's Zito in the background daydreaming about how he's going to spend his $126 million. Sigh.

Spring?

2011-03-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

I know, it sure doesn't look like it, right?

Well, for those of you that want a little something to look at until we get some Spring weather of our own, check out a new tumblr dedicated solely to sunsets.

One Million Sunsets, to be exact. The site allows you to upload your own sunset photos, too. So if you think you've got some good ones, go ahead and post 'em to the site.

As of this posting they only need 999,911 more sunsets to hit the 1 million mark!

Get crackin! Here's some inspiration:

Virginia

Rio

Unknown

Friday's "Best" - Rebecca Black Edition

2011-03-18T19:27:00.001-07:00

Simply awful.

If you wanna drive in The City, learn to park in The City.

2011-03-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

This is fantastic.

Click to expand - and read the most ridiculous, passive-aggressive parking note. Ever.

Looks like Kevin over at Uptown Almanac found this over at The Tenderloin Geographic Society. Naturally, it's created quite the debate. Do these thing actually change parking behavior in the future? Do they just piss people off? Does whoever wrote this live in their parents' basement with 12 cats and knit all day in between making ridiculous capitalization and punctuational errors on insanely long notes to leave on cars?

Yes, yes, and most likely, yes.

However, I have to give some credit on this. Having not seen the way in which the car in question was actually parked, it's hard to pass judgement. What I can do is empathize with the author about the all to frequent use of two parking spots for one car. This happens far too often and I myself I have been tempted to leave a note so polite little note on a couple of cars over the years.

The funny thing is, I was victim to one of these notes not too long ago. It's below for your viewing pleasure:

Now, let's break this one down. Fortunately, I know EXACTLY how the car was parked - since it was my car. And it was not "in" a red zone. My front bumper may have been butting up against the edge of the foot of red paint near the driveway of this person's apartment, but in no way was it blocking free exit or entry to the driveway/garage. Furthermore, I know a tenant of the landlord who left this, and he confirmed the guy is a lunatic - as if the note in and of itself doesn't give off a red flag from the outset.

At least the thinly veiled sarcasm was rife with minor threats, right? Was he going to call the SFMTA to come ticket me if this were to happen again? Perhaps this was his attempt at drawing attention to the Parking Ticket Folks in the first place, since the note was BRIGHT yellow...

Who knows? More importantly, who cares?

Oh yeah. The reason why I was so close to the red in the first place? Observing the first and second rules of parking in a three car spot: 1) not taking more than my fair share of space, and 2) moving all the way forward to ensure common courtesy that two other cars would be able to fit in behind me. Trick.

Check it out...

2011-03-15T17:34:00.000-07:00

Unsolicited Advice LADY at the gym (#2 does refer to a guy, but only because it's more common).

I don't care if you think you know something about working out. I'm sure you played college basketball or something and those 15 wind sprints you got as punishment that one time for talking during the video playback of last night's loss made you think you were super tough, but I know a thing or two myself. And I know that I was using proper form - because I always do. Dipshit.

So, while I know I was on the one machine you use at the gym, don't think that you are somehow going to scare me off it by telling me I'm "doing it wrong" and that, "everyone always does it wrong." You ever think that you're the dumb ass who is doing it wrong? Hmm, I know you read one article in SHAPE Magazine 10 years ago, and still hold it to be the workout gospel, but come on...

If anything, I should have been giving you advice. Your cankles were sloppily smushed into your one size too small 'workout' pants, your baggy shirt was hiding your spare tire, and that microfiber, fast wicking hat wasn't doing much since you weren't breaking a fucking sweat. I mean, if you looked like this I might be more apt to listen to your advice. But when you're shaped like Jennifer Hudson (even after the weight loss), I really don't care what you have to say.

Just a friendly PSA. I'm by no means an "I Know Everything Fitness Guru," but this is an area I consider to be one of my strongest knowledge bases. I guess I'm just annoyed that she thought it was pertinent enough to interrupt my workout. I get mad when people interrupt my workout to ASK me something. You can only imagine the look of disgust, and the ridiculous eye roll she received when she dared to interrupt my workout to try and TELL me something.

With the stamina I've built up doing my weekend workouts, next time I'm not getting off the machine until I see her leave. I'm thinking 6 hours should cover it.

Friday's "Best" - 3/11 Edition

2011-03-11T16:16:00.000-08:00

In the wake of the earthquake that hit Japan last night, I'm sure people out there are looking for a little something less depressing. Perhaps I have just what you're looking for in this week's edition of Friday's "Best".

Good shit from the internet this week, folks. A creepy new dating website, a man on a McMission, Mello Yello!, and a newish tumblr that's guaranteed to give you something to post up as your desktop wallpaper.

First up, Time NewsFeed brings us word of a new dating site set to come out this month that's sure to appeal to the Narcissist in all of us - or, maybe not. It appears http://www.findyourfacemate.com/ is a new dating website that actually uses "facial-recognition technology that zeros in on nine points on the face to find similarities." So what's so weird about that? Well, this isn't something where you just go in and select a bunch of good looking individuals and they come up with some super human ala "Weird Science."

Nope. The research is done on YOUR face and then tries to find people that look EXACTLY like you. Yeah. Not sure I'd like to date a chick that looked like me...just sayin'.

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Most of the people reading this blog (all 5 of you, including my Mom) know that I'm training for a pretty epic race at the end of the month. Between the workouts, the rest, and the nutrition, it's shaping up to be the most physically demanding thing I've ever done.

It would be even more ridiculous if I tried to do it by eating only McDonald's food, right? Well, apparently, there is a guy from Chicago who is doing just that in preparation for the LA Marathon. The guy IS running 100 miles a week though, so please, don't try this...um, ever.

I do have quite the soft spot in my heart (read: tummy) for the McDonald's Breakfast - specifically the Sausage McMuffin w/Egg, however. So I'll let that one slide.

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Speaking of things that are awful for you...MELLO YELLO is back! That's right. Coca-Cola's attempt to rival Pepsi's Mountain Dew is back in California after what must have been a good 15-20 year hiatus. During my Sunday workout I was stopped dead in my tracks as I noticed what had to be a 5 hour workout induced hallucination:

I mean, we're talking Days of Thunder, Cole Trickle, Daytona 500 Winning MELLO YELLO! Legend always had it that this stuff was the most caffeinated soda in the world. Not sure that that is still the case, but 20 years ago, I wouldn't doubt it was in the running (NOTE: Mountain Dew (sadly) has 1.5 milligrams more caffeine per can, just FYI).

Anyway, the soda became too awesome for California years ago and languished in Florida and most of the Midwest for a couple decades. Either way, it's back and though I don't have more than a soda every couple of months...well, let's just say I had to celebrate the Yello coming out of retirement.

Yup. Found it right down the road at the local supermarket. And, yup. It tastes terrible. Just like I remember.

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Finally, I was hipped to this tumblr over at GQ Recommends. The name says it all http://pleasingaesthetics.tumblr.com/. I like awesome looking shit, and I think you just might too. Being mildly obsessed with architecture and landscapes might also help you to enjoy wasting time scrolling through the pages of the site. Here are a few of my favorites thus far:

That's it for this week. Enjoy your weekend. Tomorrow's the St. Patty's Day Parade in The City. So, yeah...

Yes. Yes, yes, yes.

2011-03-10T16:32:00.000-08:00

If you were fortunate enough to be living in The City last year during October/November, you won't want to miss this:

Looking for work?

2011-03-09T15:45:00.000-08:00

Got tiger blood? I may have a job for you. Well, Charlie Sheen might have a job for you. Seriously.

From the job posting:

Description: Do you have #TigerBlood? Are you all about #Winning? Can you #PlanBetter than anyone else? If so, we want you on #TeamSheen as our social media #TigerBloodIntern!

This unique internship opportunity will allow a hard-working, self-motivated, creative, resourceful and social media savvy individual to work closely with Charlie Sheen in leveraging his social network. The internship will focus on executing a social media strategy that will build on the success Charlie Sheen has attained in setting the Guinness World Record for the fastest time to reach one million followers on Twitter. The #TigerBloodIntern is expected to be proactive, monitor the day-to-day activities on the major social media platforms, prepare for exciting online projects and increase Charlie’s base of followers.

You will learn how to promote and develop the social media network of Hollywood’s most trending celebrity.

Hurry though. The deadline to apply is March 11th - yes, this Friday.

I mean, who wouldn't want to work for the most ridiculous man in Hollywood since Gary Busey?

The Anatomy of a 6 Hour Workout

2011-03-08T18:02:00.000-08:00

Training took a gnarly turn for the ridiculous Sunday - to the tune of 44.2 total miles and 6 hours of training. In the rain.

After an 80s themed pub-crawl turned dance/pizza party in Oakland that ran well 'til 4:30am Saturday night/Sunday morning, I was more than a bit skeptical about undertaking what would end up being 6 hours of hell (with some awesome thrown in there). Regardless, I was up and on my way back to SF before 9:00am and by 10:15am I was out the door ready to take on the rain for the rest of the morning and the better half of the afternoon.

Here's what I headed out the door with today and carried on my back (or in my belly) for the duration:

- REI Backpack
- 100 oz. Camelbak full of water
- Pack of Strawberry GU Chomps (w/caffeine)
- Chocolate Brownie Clif Bar
- One pita bread
- A bag of dried cranberries
- One Tecate (seriously)

After three and a half of hours of bike loops in Golden Gate Park, I came back to my house to "quickly" transition to the hour and a half run. I'm planning on these transitions being a bit easier during the race since I (hopefully) won't be completely soaked and covered in road grime. In all, the transition only took about 8 minutes - mostly due to the soaked clothing and changing time. I had to change shoes as well, which always messes you up.

Out the door, I was ready for lunch on the run - literally. I cooked some pasta as soon as I got home in the morning, and it was waiting for me when I got back to the house to transition. Nothing fancy - just a sandwich bag full of pasta, olive oil, a little salt and a little pepper. I washed this down with the Tecate I had in my bag. A good move, since the alcohol helped to numb a little bit of the pain, and the additional carbs sure didn't hurt either. Most of the details of the run were pretty boring, although I did head up through Pac Heights and down (and back up) the Lyon Street steps. Planning my mileage accordingly (about 8 miles), I was at the Market Street 24 Hour Fitness just as the run/trek portion was up - luckily too, as my Camelbak had run dry about 20 minutes before.

Once checked in, I moved to the rowing machine and did a 30 minute moderate paced workout which left me feeling reenergized though I was feeling a bit of stiffness in my right lateral collateral ligament. Completed and exhausted - but being only a mile and a half from home, a warm shower and the rest of the day on the couch, I headed out and interspersed slow jogging and walking the rest of the way home. I ended up eating again as soon as I got home and passed out for about an hour on the couch. Before waking up and eating again. Here's why:

Six Hour Workout Totals:

- Miles: 44.20
- Average Pace: 8:15/mile
- Total Ascent/Descent: 7,557 ft
- Hydration: 133 oz water/12 oz Tecate
- Piss Stops: 9
- MP3s Played: 92
- Calories Burned: 5,048

Race is in two and a half weeks. No turning back now.

Note: As much as it completely sucked being out there in the rain, for the better part of what most people my age refer to as either a "lazy Sunday" or "Sunday Funday," I definitely had multiple points during the workout where I completely forgot I was working out and actually enjoyed myself. Most of this came during the run/trek portion, but it was a very surreal experience - one most people will never understand since it takes a certain level of idiocy and slight retardation* to do things like this.

*I know. We're not supposed to use this word. Though, I'm using it to refer to myself in relation to definition 4b. from dictionary.com: i.e. a person who is stupid, obtuse, or ineffective in some way.

Shame on me.

Friday's "Best"

2011-03-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

Whoa. Maybe March is more than just another excuse to grow a mustache. I'm going strong on the blogs, and by popular demand, I'm bringing you another edition of Friday's "Best".

Our pals over at SFist, always keep us San Franciscans up to speed on the happenings in our great City, and with the 100th anniversary of the Bay to Breakers fast approaching, it looks like they've caught wind that registration is already over 80% full.

Since I know all of you plan on purchasing your bibs so you'll be allowed in the 2011, non-ING sponsored "dry" race, I thought this was fairly important for you to know. I know I've harped on this before, but do the race organizers really think they are going to stop a 100,000+ person annual event from going on the way it has for decades? I guess we'll have to wait and see. At least this year the drunken stumble home from the Panhandle will only be a few blocks And, just far enough to keep the pissers away.

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In other news, it looks like Nickelodeon game show "Legends of the Hidden Temple" has made a recent resurgence. So big in fact, that they have been allowed to bring objects from their set to show off at the DeYoung Museum. That's right. Olmec. The giant talking statue that spouted off wisdom and had glowing red eyes. One thing I guarantee won't be there is the Shrine of the Silver Monkey- since no one could ever figure out how that thing was put together on their own.
Anyway, I was able to come across an ad outside the museum itself while I was on a training ride yesterday, and all my suspicions were confirmed:

Yup. Production was outsourced to MEXICO! It makes total sense. Think about it...The original show had 6 teams: The Red Jaguars, Blue Barracudas, Green Monkeys, Orange Iguanas, Purple Parrots and Silver Snakes. Have you ever seen any of these in the United States? Hell nah. This is some shit you could obviously only find in Mexico.

Speaking of the Silver Snakes...this team was ALWAYS heavily favored to win. I don't know why, but the producers always loaded this team with the biggest/strongest/smartest/whatnot, that was needed to succeed in the shows numerous levels. I can't remember an episode where the Purple Parrots even got to the second level. They were like the token girl contestant on GUTS getting whooped in every damn event.

If anybody else is into it, I say we gather a crew and get paired up with some shirts, some gold helmets and elbow pads, and go apeshit inside the DeYoung. Just a thought. Let me know if you're down. That also isn't such a bad B2B costume idea either...

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Finally, MissionMission brings us a ridiculous video of some nut on a mountain bike riding through some Spanish speaking village. Check it out for yourself. Nothing I can say will prepare you for this. Pretty sweet helmet cam though. This is pretty much the equivalent of Devil's Backbone in Airborne (NOTE: Not sure who made this video, but it does an awesome job of getting the ridiculousness of the movie across in .

Ain't nuthin' but a gangster party...

2011-03-04T18:11:00.000-08:00

But seriously...

Today brings some rather upsetting news about my pre-former home. It looks like gang violence is surging again in the Mission, and that's no good for anyone. Back when I was on Shotwell, there were three murders in a matter of weeks back in 2009, which really put the neighborhood on edge.

For those of you still in the Mission, be careful out there. Not that any of you are bangin', but it'd really suck to hear that one of my friends was an innocent bystander caught by a stray bullet.

Proof girls lie.

2011-03-03T15:49:00.000-08:00

You ever notice how girls are ALWAYS complimenting one another on their outfits, and you are sitting there playing boggle in your mind trying to get the letters right to understand what the hell they are thinking stepping out of the house like that? Well, I do.

In particular, there is a girl at work who constantly wears the most ridiculous outfits. Sometimes she looks like a french butler, other times it seems as though she watched an episode of Sex and the City and picked the worst piece of clothing from each episode and threw it all together. You really think you can pull off the shit Carrie Bradshaw does? Guess what, patna? You can't.

Anyway, since my best friend at the office recently left the firm to join the competition - lame -I've been trying to find ways in which to keep myself entertained. This week I decided to wear a hideous thrift store coat that was handed down to me from a friend who bought it to look like a high school principal. Anyway, here's a snap of me in the jacket (and my weekly scruff):

The funny thing? I received more compliments from the girls/ladies at the office wearing this outfit than in the nearly three years I've been there COMBINED. Now, I knew I looked ridiculous. I did. The funny thing is just how over-complimentary all these people felt they needed to be. And it wasn't sarcasm. Anyone that knows me, knows that I lay it on thick, so I'd have been pretty excited to catch a little sarcasm, but I got none! Don't get me wrong here, there were still quite a few people who looked at me like I was crazy, and I even got a couple of really hard double-takes, but the entire day I never let anybody know that the reason for me wearing the jacket was in the name of science. I calmly accepted every compliment, and made mental notes of the sideways glances.

My interpretation: Girls tell you that you look 'good' in the most ridiculous shit in the hopes that you will continue to look like a Project Runway reject and they, by default, will automatically have one less person to outdo. Ladies, especially. Some of the shit you wear is completely sloppy. Seriously. Really think hard about how you look the next time your 'friend' tells you that you look "amazing" in that outfit. It's not fashion forward to look like crap. It's actually crap.

What the hell?

2011-03-02T21:33:00.000-08:00

Good question. In more ways than one. A question that is sure to lead me on a different path than most of my blogs to date, but might actually prove to be a little more interesting for some of you. Strap on your reading glasses as this is gonna be a long one. Let's get started.

Last month we received an eviction notice from my landlord. Nothing we did wrong, except for living in a house that he built and decided he wanted to sell. Upon hearing the news we were certain we would receive some compensation under the Ellis Act. Not a bad deal to get paid to move. If that was in fact the case. Turns out that "awesome modern place" I moved into, was a little too modern - only buildings built pre-1979 qualify. So, we were about 30 years off. Shit. This meant we had, as the landlord mandated, 30 days to vacate the unit AND would not be getting paid to do it. Hooray. Having just moved my stuff in back in December, it was fair to say I was less than pumped about having to do it all over again.

After a couple of weeks of looking for places that would work with the current roommates, I realized it was too difficult to find a place that would be comparable with the same guys and ventured off on my own. As it turned out, a friend of mine (heretofore known as Bob) was desperately trying to get out of the Inner Richmond. Can't fault him on that one. In a matter of days we found a solid two bedroom, two bath, duplex with backyard and laundry on site North of the Panhandle at Golden Gate and Lyon. Before President's Day weekend we had solidified a year lease and had our move in date set for the 21st - in honor of FDR, naturally.

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This timing actually worked out well. For one thing, it gave me a week to move all of my stuff before the technical eviction date. Anyone who knows what it's like to move their life in one day understands the huge sigh of relief this provides. The second, and clearly more important benefit, was that I wouldn't have to cancel my planned trip to Santa Barbara for the long weekend. Having had a slightly difficult Sunday from the booze (read: 11th Annual Double IPA Fest/house party with 4Loko ans shots and...), I was definitely looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend of soaking up the sun on the beach and slowly but surely raising my BAC. Ha.

Turns out the deluge from Karate Kid II (do yourself a favor and click that link, you won't be disappointed. The beat down at the 6 minute mark is the most ridiculous fight scene ever filmed) followed me down there from the Bay. When this happens in Santa Barbara, there really isn't much you can do. Oh. Except drink. So we did. Since I had just driven 5 hours straight from work, Thursday night was pretty easy. Al and I had a few pints at the James Joyce (a place that would be visited numerous times that weekend) and pretty much called it a night. Friday was awaiting and would be one for the ages.

Friday was a pretty shitty day, weather wise, which meant we would be back at it - only this time, we had the whole day ahead of us Luckily Al and I were able to get a decent hour long run in before the rain really started coming down. After grabbing some "breakfast" at a Vietnamese place, we ended up heading to the local bowling alley in hopes that there would be some refuge from the storm awaiting us. In fact, all we found was a bowling alley full of elementary aged children and a bar. Guess which one we chose?

After spending a good 4 hours playing pool and drinking 23 oz. glasses of Pabst, we decided we had had enough and figured we'd change the venue, head around the corner and grab a drink at Break Time - an old dive that has way too many reminiscent qualities to mention. Another pitcher of Pabst and we got back to the pool table. To my surprise (read: uncontrollable glee) I saw one of my UCSB Professors walk right by me and sit at the bar. Neither of the people I was with had any clue who he was, but it was none other than the legendary Econ Professor, Robert Crouch.Yes, he really is as crazy as he looks. After my mind (and body) stopped uncontrollably orgasming, I turned around to see someone walk in with what looked like a foil wrapped Thanksgiving Day turkey. Looked like one of the regulars was in a giving mood, but there was no way I was going to risk eating a turkey in a dive bar. As the patron unwrapped the foil, we were greeted with the fresh smell of grease and some sort of meat product. Yep. They had brought in a good 100 homemade Jack-in-the-Box style deep fried TACOS. This day couldn't get any better. Could it? Oh yeah.

After slamming down a few tacos, we head to IV to pick up another friend and head downtown. After grabbing some food at one of the breweries, we decide to venture to The Neighborhood - by far the best bar in Santa Barbara that I have ever been to. it truly reminded me of The Mission, Isla Vista, and Butter all in one (please watch the low bit video the owner put up...please). This place had ping pong, pool, cheap pitchers, buck hunter, and an outdoor patio where pretty much anything went. Needless to say, near the time we left The Neighborhood things were starting to get a bit spotty. Over the course of the next 8 hours, we raided Raley's for all the Caguama we could find, played some absolutely unnecessary drinking games, was attacked by a chupacabra, and passed out on the floor waking up trying to use the couch cover as a blanket. Pretty decent little Friday.

Saturday was a horse of a different color. I spent most of the day napping, taking a slight break to attempt some more Vietnamese food but realizing it wasn't going to work, I rushed to the bathroom to handle business. I'm pretty sure I described it as forcing me to "scorpion kick" it was so powerful. Not bad. Finally, 5pm rolled around and there were no more excuses - I took a shower, changed up and we were back downtown for another night at The Joyce. Knowing how I felt that morning I was convinced to take it easy(er) than Friday. Which I did. Still had a blast, ran into some old friends and made some new ones. The camera even made it out, so you know I was keeping it (fairly) under control.

See. Carbombs are the BEST way to maintain for the evening. Right?

Well...this was much later and we look pretty alright, so I guess we can say it worked out well for both of us.

Waking up Sunday had me feeling fantastic. I was certainly out of the doldrums from the morning before. No hangover, and I was pumped to get out and get another run in. The rain had finally let up, and though I initially planned on heading back to SF in the morning, I knew there was no way I was going to leave Santa Barbara on a day like that. I headed up Mission Canyon and even caught a few glimpses of the snow on the mountains.

On the way back down the road, I was intrigued by the idea of cutting through the Botanical Gardens. Running with a backpack on, full trail gear, and having my headphones in, I ran straight past the ticket booth and began my exploration. Despite there not being an official "other way out" that sure wasn't going to stop me. I was able to cut a little path out to the other side and continue my way back to Allison's place. The sunny, yet crisp day had me feeling awesome by the time I finished and I was ready to finally enjoy the sun - beer in hand.

Knowing there was only one place to completely capture the essence of Santa Barbara on a day like this, Al and I headed over to Isla Vista. With sandwiches and beer on the brain, we rolled over to Sam's To Go. A couple of pitchers, a walk around IV and a couple more pitchers set the tone for the remainder of the night. This sunset didn't hurt either:

For the evening, we ended up going back to the James Joyce. Again. But this time it was for a VERY good reason. Sunday is karaoke night. Needless to say, it was as sloppy and amazing as one would imagine me and my very amateur group of friends attempting to sing. The highlight (read: lowlight) is when my buddy Bobby signed up for "Just A Friend," by Biz Markie and about 30 seconds in he realized he didn't know anything beyond the chorus. In a drunken attempt to save him, I hooped on stage and told him to just repeat the chorus over and over. Whether the crowd knew it, or decided to even pay attention to us, I'm not sure, but I felt it went over fairly well. Our friendly host Emmet, felt a bit differently, quote: "No. That's a great song. You guys just ruined it."

Aww, Santa Barbara. 'Til we meet again.

---------

What else...? As one of my last "real" posts talked about, I've been training since the beginning of the year for the 50 mile AXS race in Moab, UT at the end of March. Training has been pretty solid and for the most part I've stuck to the prescribed schedule verbatim - every other day is either biking or running, with a few rowing workouts or gym circuit training days thrown in there. Most workouts only last an hour, but as we've approached the actual race date, I've seen a steady uptick in the duration of the weekend workouts - this past weekend for example, was a 3 hour 3o minute mountain bike ride on Saturday, followed by 1 hour 35 minute run on Sunday. Not too crazy, except that last Thursday I noticed a strange rash on my inner thigh.

Not being one to bitch or complain, I put some hydrocortisone cream on it and thought nothing of it. I sure as hell wasn't going to see a doctor over a heat rash. Next day...

Fresh 'friends' on my other thigh. This was suspicious to say the least, but the striations simply made me believe that I must have irritated my leg while running. No biggie. The workouts go on...Yet, the next day...

Alright! What the fuck!? Now I'm thinking something has got to be up. My right ankle is covered in what look like little mosquito bites. When I was little my mom told me I was allergic to some detergents, but I hadn't changed the detergent I was using. Hmm...Could it be? Noooo...yes? DO I HAVE BED BUGS? Freaking out now, having awoken in the middle of the night scratching at my legs like a dog scratching away when getting a good petting, I'm truly scared/confused/pissed. I throw off my sheets and begin feeling around my mattress with one hand (mind you it's 2:30am) and scratching my crotch area like a bonobo chimp. I don't see anything, but I don't want to get back in my sheets since there may be critters hanging out in there. Instead I throw on a pair of sweats and a hoodie and sleep on top of the covers. Waking up pouring sweat was better than the thought that I was being chomped on all night by some fucked up parasite.

Needless to say, I called the doctor and set an appointment to be seen the next day (yesterday). Anyone who knows me knows that this is rare. I've always fought through most illnesses and ignored the doctor's office like the plague - especially since that's where everybody goes when they are coughing and sneezing germs all over the place. Makes sense right? ANYway, I get to my appointment and I'm greeting by a nurse that looks dead on Blake Griffin. Size, stature, everything. Seriously, THAT Blake Griffin. It was daunting to say the least. We go through the standard weighing, height measurement, temperature, etc. We get to the blood pressure test, and I rank in at 110/70. Considered a perfect score - highly physical athletes, very healthy folks typically score here. (BOOM! Score one for Rick!) He then asks me a few 'lifestyle questions' - uh oh. While most are fairly innocent, he rattles my brain with this one:

Nurse: "In the past year, how many times have you had 5 or more drinks...in a day?"

Me: "In a day?!?" (sideways smirk, big exhale) "psssshhh, man...I don't know..."

Nurse: "...........Well, there are 52 weeks in a year. So, once a week...? Twice a week?"

Me: (Motorboat sound with my mouth) "Uhhhh, sure."

Nurse: "So, twice a week?"

Me: "Not always."

Nurse: "So, 100?"

Me: "Whoa. (Quick calculation in my head...Fridays+Saturdays+ some Sundays and not really wanting to drag this on further than was absolutely necessary) Sure. Let's go with 100."

NOTE: Looking back, this number is completely false, but I figured since I didn't try and overshoot my height when asked (5' 8" not 5' 9") I wouldn't try and undershoot my drinking, neither.

Needless to say, he gave me something to think about - did he really just round 104 down to 100 when I said "not always"? Man, what a jerk. Anyway, he takes off and about 3-4 minutes later the door cracks and I hear a voice greet me. It's my NP who was assigned to me. And, of course, she is bangin'. Awesome. I get to show my rashed up crotchal to perhaps the best looking doc I've ever seen. Oh yeah, she's also got a skirt on. And when she sits down dead in front of me neglects to cross her legs - or even put them together for that matter. I'm thinking, "Am I being punk'd right now?" Sadly, Ashton was nowhere to be found. Instead she cut right to the chase and asked what I was doing there. I pulled up the left pantleg of my shorts and showed her the damage.

"Oh, that looks like it itches." Really? You fuckin' think!? "Umm, yup." Dipshit. "That's definitely poison oak." What? "I've never had it." Bitchily, "And there's some more on your leg. It got you good. Where were you that you might have come in contact with this?"

Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens. You win this round. Karma for not paying, I suppose.

As we wrapped up she gave me some topical ointment and oral medication that I need to take for the next two weeks. Shitty.

I'll let you know how it goes. Or not.

I really need...

2011-02-11T17:39:00.001-08:00

to get back on that blogging tip...

I don't mind if I do...

2011-02-02T19:04:00.000-08:00

Apparently, SF has been deemed the most vain city in the country. And judging by the criteria, I can't argue with 'em - let alone be offended.

According to The Daily Beast, San Francisco boasts a population where 50.3% of people aren't overweight. I mean, is that supposed to be good? Apparently. Good enough to make us #1 in the country. We also apparently spend an average of $111 each on personal care AND (how dare we) have slightly over 1 in 5 people in The City who have a gym membership!

Not only that, but a quick Google search will show you a dozen different boot camps you can join in the area. If you take the time to look around, you'll undoubtedly notice people are out and about running. walking, biking, and hiking, too!

It's called healthy, people. Vanity? Sure, call me what you want if it makes you feel better. Thing is, this is obviously just a spin on something that San Franciscans have long known. We love living healthy lives. What that has to do with being vain, not quite sure.

Personally, I'm proud of My City. My Country? I'm a little embarrassed (but not surprised) that a 50/50 overweight ratio is good enough to come in at #1 in the USA.

The Question to Define Our Generation.

2011-01-27T19:45:00.000-08:00

Does "friends with benefits" work?

Told you...

2011-01-26T20:44:00.000-08:00

Back in October, I posted a little video. I thought the song was pretty cool, and really enjoyed the video. For the last couple of days I've been hearing it on the radio, and now...it's even available for free download over at Channel 92.3. Not saying I'm some super genius when it comes to music, but I'm just telling you, these guys ARE going to be the next big thing. They've got another single out that is also of the ass-kicking vibe, and lucky for you, it's right here:

I honestly can't wait for these guys to come out with a full album. Until then, my Amazon.com downloads are gonna have to suffice. The video is a little trippy, so be warned on that front. Otherwise, enjoy.

Healthier, Slimmer, and Sexier...

2011-01-26T16:33:00.000-08:00

Since a lot of you out there believe in making fitness and health resolutions every New Year, I thought I'd share some of my "secrets" that I am often asked about when it comes to working out and staying fit & healthy.

Fact is, there are no secrets. Truth be told, I've been working out intensely and consistently since I was about 13 years old - or, read another way, more than 50% of my life to date. Over the years I've learned a few things, most of which have come from trial and error, but a lot of which have come from reading up on the subject and taking the time to ask questions and seeking out advice and recommendations from experts in the field.

For a relatively concise list of what I consider to be some of the best information out there for beginners and experienced folks alike, check out Leo Babauta's list of the Top 42 Exercise Hacks. These are all coming from his personal experiences, mind you - and no, I don't agree with them all down to the letter. Some of the most important, in my opinion:

- Forget about weight loss. Yeah, many of us would like to lose some weight. But if you’re motivated solely by weight loss, exercise will be a tough proposition. The reason is that you might not lose weight right away. Oh, it’ll come, if you can keep it up over time, but in the beginning you might be disappointed (especially if you haven’t changed your eating habits). Just get into the habit of exercise, and worry about the weight later. First things first.

- First thing after work. None of those options work for you? Not a problem, my friend. Make it a daily appointment to work out as soon as you get off work. This will also motivate you to finish your work on time so you can get out on time for your workout. It’s great to stop somewhere to do your workout before you even get home, because once you get home you’ll probably want to relax on the couch, fall asleep at the kitchen table, or rush to the computer..
- Just lace up. Yeah, you’re dreading the upcoming workout. But don’t even think about it. Just lace up and head out the door. That’s all. After that, let nature take its course. Just relax and do what comes naturally. Which is exercise.

- Go for the long haul. Most of all, don’t think that you will become fit and healthy and sexy in one month. Think of exercise as a life-long habit, and your
goals will come to you eventually.

While these are nowhere near the entire list of things you can do to ensure you get back into/continue to live a physically active lifestyle, they are often some of the most overlooked aspects involved in starting a workout routine and maintaining a consistent schedule.

In our day and age, people have become accustomed to the expectation of instant gratification - be it our high speed Internet, TiVo, fast food, or our carpool/FasTrak lanes. The fact is, staying in shape and living a physically active life is hard. The odds are against us. But we have to MAKE time. We all have 24 hours in a day. To say that you don't have time (for anything) is to act as though your co-worker who gets up 2 hours earlier than you to work out, has more hours than you do in any given day - which simply isn't the case. You choose how you allocate your time. Think about the time you've already spent reading this post...or the amount of hours you spend scrolling through Facebook updates every week. No time, eh? My ass.

It's easy to want to or need to lose weight, but the effort to actually go out and do it is an entirely different beast - this isn't something that's going to come to you like that Grande Mocha you order at Starbucks every morning.

Been catching a lot of these...

2011-01-19T19:54:00.000-08:00

So I thought I'd post a little video:

The music is a little too epic, but nonetheless, time lapse photography is rad.

3/26/2011 - Mark It On Your Calendars

2011-01-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

No I'm not getting married, or having a baby...or predicting the apocalypse.

It happened one night back in early November 2010 while I was out enjoying a bunch of free wine (only if it's free) at an art show and received a text from a buddy asking what I was doing on 3/26/2011. Being of the mid-20s range and having friends dropping like flies to marriages and engagements alike - I naturally feared the worst.

Thankfully, he was just asking me to sign on to do something where I could very well perish if I don't keep my game tight - and naturally, with a wine buzz that could only be helped by a street vended grilled cheese sandwich in the Lower Haight, I agreed.

This is the day Scott, some of his Colorado buddies, and I are taking on the AXS (Adventure Xstream Series) Moab 50 miler. Consisting of kayaking, mountain biking, trekking, rappelling, and navigation - not necessarily in that order, nor in equal distances. Check out the video:

Being as we are nearly halfway through the first month of 2011, the training has kicked into a fairly serious stage. So, I guess what I'm really trying to say is...a lot of my posts might be training/workout related. Hint: I may be in the market for a cheap Craigslist kayak to practice in, so I'm sure there'll be plenty of ridiculousness surrounding that thing.

So be braced. I hope to still make some random/stupid/pointless posts here and there, so don't write me off completely until April.

A Plea for Sanity and Hope

2011-01-10T23:54:00.000-08:00

From Time.com
The article is actually pretty good, so go ahead and do yourself a favor - read it.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Arizona Shootings Reaction

http://www.thedailyshow.com/

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog</a>

The Daily Show on Facebook

San Francisco: The Smartest City?

2011-01-07T20:29:00.000-08:00

It has been long debated that San Francisco has (per capita) the most educated population of any city in the country - as measured by most college degrees. Well, if that's the case, we need to get these people to take a class called "Costco 101". I mean, seriously? I walk into the Costco on 10th St. in SoMa, and all of a sudden it's like people have been smacked with a stupid stick.

Granted, half the people are there just to hammer down 30 samples of See's Candy, mixed nuts, Crystal Geysers and random chunks of meat - but still. Proper citizenship (and standard shopping protocol) dictates that you don't ditch your cart in the middle of the walkway and run towards the food like a lemming to the ocean. You have eaten before, haven't you? The samples are FREE, and guess what...THEY AREN'T GOING TO RUN OUT!!! The people standing there are paid by the hour, not by the sample. Relax. Fuck.

You know what my dream shopping experience would be? Costco. Supermarket Sweep style. With a cart that has FOUR SMOOTH WHEELS. Wait a minute... I'd kill a third world infant just to have a smooth rolling cart on a normal, packed Costco shopping experience. I don't get it. Are the people so hungry for samples that they are chewing on the wheels to hold themselves over?

Plus side? You can order food at the checkoout line and walk right up and grab it without waiting in that ridiculous line. Large pizza? No worries. You want that chicken bake? Done. One of them swirl "fro-yos". You got it. The best deal in the world? Straight ahead. The workers and powers that be have their shit together. The customers? Not so much.

For sanity sake, let's not even get into the parking situation.

If You Don't Dance I Feel Sorry For You.

2011-01-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

I mean, you hear this song come on, and all of a sudden you can't help but start sliding a foot, bobbing your head, twitchin' your hands...

Look at the lyrics to the first two verses:

I used to go out to parties, and stand around
'Cause I was too nervous, to really get down
But my body yearned to be free
I got up on the floor, somebody could choose me

No more standin' there beside the walls
Finally got myself together, baby, and I'm havin' a ball
Long as you're groovin', there's always a chance
Somebody watchin' might wanna make romance

Marvin knew he was fuckin' up for awhile trying to be the "cool guy" - waiting for everyone to come to him. Check it: It don't work. You're the last one noticed standing on the wall. Get out there and let loose. Lord knows you spend WAY too much time being stiff and uptight as it is.

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

If you guys really want to get down, check out 'Deep's site. He's the guy who puts on pop-up Flashdances around The City providing music with his audio-outfitted trike. He isn't looking to have one for another couple of months, but if you hop on his mailing list, he'll be sure to hit you up and let you know all the details.

Direct Quotes From the Transportation Security Administration

2011-01-05T20:34:00.000-08:00

Middle aged TSA Agent checking IDs and boarding passes; as said to the guy in front of me in line, heading home from Denver:

Agent: "Back to Florida, eh?"
Passenger: "Yup, a whole lot warmer down that w..."
Agent: "Yeah, but I can out drink you."
Passenger: "..."
Agent: "I went and visited my friends down there, drank 'em ALL under the table, AND drove us all home."
Passenger: "..."
Agent: "Have a good flight!"

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

Real life. Beats fiction. Everytime.

Crank it up to '11. Colorado style.

2011-01-04T21:43:00.000-08:00

Oh Boy, Oberto! What an awesome New Year's Weekend.

Flying into Denver, I was greeted with a brisk temperature of about 14 degrees. Easily some of the coldest weather I had ever experienced up until that point, I was treated to a weekend low of about -3 degrees, before wind chill - something that simply can't be described until you experience it for yourself by shoveling a driveway

or playing a little beer pong in it.

Not the best idea, no. But it's certainly something to say that I (was dumb enough and actually) played a round of beer pong in sub-zero weather. I mean, it's goin' right under that whole Master's degree thing on my resume. Plus, it's always fun to try and tempt hypothermia and a trip to the hospital, right? Right?

Luckily, the crew and I were able to keep fairly warm the entire weekend by visiting breweries

and trying our hand at a deadly round of punchbowl roulette (okay, maybe two)

The chips weren't an actual ingredient in the punch (a delicious side, no doubt), but everything else you see there was combined to make a punch that absolutely worked - Sailor Jerry's Rum, Mount Gay Rum, Orange Mango Juice, Sparkling Raspberry, Midori, Bulleit Bourbon, Southern Comfort, Georgia Moon Corn Whiskey (read: moonshine out of a jar), a bag of white wine, some lemon-lime concentrate, plus a couple of Keystones and some other stuff I'm sure I forgot. Oh yeah, like that 5 hour energy shot. Since there were five of us, we figured we'd be good with an hour of energy a piece...makes total sense. Washed down with a game of "roos is roos" it was a pretty unbeatable combination - especially since this was New Year's DAY. The night after the actual party. Which let's me know that I'm getting ahead of myself...

For New Year's Eve, we actually decided to class it up a bit - as much as my friends and I are actually capable. We ended up buying tickets for an event called the White Rose Gala, which was something my buddy recommended, and seemed like a decent party we'd be able to turn out. And, as a matter of fact, it was.

We were definitely holding that dance floor hostage. Even with the fire dancers and weird stilt people they had, I'm pretty sure we were the most watched group - by guests and security alike.

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

Being that we aren't completely moronic 20-somethings, we made sure to get rooms reserved for the night - not only for the convenience of not having to drive, get a cab, or other form of transportation, but also for the proximity to the party. Ensuring that we'd be able to slip off easily to replenish our drinks on the cheap, was a must. Although the party downstairs kept it goin', and as fun as it was gettin' nutty to an 80s cover band with a bunch of middle-aged folks, some of the best parts of the night seemed to go down in/around the room - at least that's what the photos tell me:

I have no idea what's going on here, but I like it. There were honestly so many ridiculous moments throughout the night (and weekend), it'd take another 30 photos and a case of carpal tunnel for me to get it all on the blog.

All in all, the entire weekend was an absolute blast. From meeting awesome new people in the airports and on my flights, to creating amazing new memories with some of my oldest (and newest) friends, I can't think of a better way to have rung in the New Year - when this group of us gets together, there is little else we need.

Well, except for maybe this guy:

No, he's not pointing to the roof. What we realized much later on, was that he had single handedly knocked our socks off with what will live on for the coming year as a symbol for 2011. Get it? Yeah, it took us a minute too. If you see me this year (and wanna make my week), shoot me one of these. I guarantee I'll shoot you a smile in return.

Happy 2011 everyone. Live it up. If the Mayans were right, we've only got 2 years left. Make 'em count.

What's more dangerous than...

2010-12-27T20:02:00.000-08:00

This guy driving on the freeway?

Probably the guy taking a picture of it with his camera phone...

Nevertheless, check out that bbq grill sitting about 20 feet off the ground traveling 70 MPH! Turns out I wasn't the only one who thought this was ridiculous, since about 10 seconds after I snapped this photo the truck got pulled over by the CHP - hopefully to give him a handshake for somehow getting a bbq grill that high, and a ticket for endangering everyone on the 101 and being a general idiot.

"We're All Going Down"

2010-12-21T21:11:00.000-08:00

Tonight's installment is being brought to us by one of the best sites on the internet, 1000 Awesome Things. Sadly, it's a little bit 'real' for this blog, but I think it's important to talk about. Generally, I try to keep most of the serious stuff off of this blog and try to keep it lighthearted, since, for all the things happening in "real-life," the internet is a perfect place to 'get-away'. Perhaps I'm actually getting away from myself. Let me tell you about my morning.

As per my routine, I wake up at 5:15am and wipe the sleep from my eyes . I get ready to hop in the shower, and as soon as I turn the water on I realize that the water heater has decided it would not be cooperating with me. A quick, brisk shower later; suited and booted, I head out the door for my 40 minute morning commute. With the sun still yet to rise, I arrive at work a few minutes before the market opens and begin reading through my emails.

Reading from the bottom up, I find a message from our Director addressed to us all about 4:15pm - long after most people have left for the day - asking us to pray for a co-worker who was in the hospital after having a heart-attack over the weekend in Boston while taking a walk around his hotel. Apparently (and luckily) an off duty police officer witnessed him fall to the ground and immediately began administering CPR. When he got to the hospital, and all tests had been done, he was scheduled for a quadruple bypass surgery to be administered late last night.

I took a moment to think about how crazy it was to come out of the blue like that, and how lucky we all truly are to make it through each day. I wished for all the best to him and his family, and went back to my emails. *Note: I'm not one to pray for myself, but if it's to help someone else, I generally figure it can't hurt.

About 3 emails later (and 3 hours time wise last night), there was another email from one of the man's sons (the man and his two son's all worked together at our office). It stated simply and quite sadly, something to the effect of: "Dad is looking down on us, telling us to party, and saying GOOOOOOO BEARS!"

Apparently, having heard of his scheduled surgery, he elected to push it back a day so that his daughter who was flying in from Hong Kong would be able to see him before he went under the knife. As it turned out, he hung on just long enough to see her and say goodbye, before passing away.

And I was irritated about having to take a cold shower this morning...Fuck.

-----------

I'm sure you are wondering how this is related to a blog called 1000awesomethings. Right? Well, Awesome Thing #347 is titled "Laughs at a Funeral," and from everything I know about the man who passed away, there is little he would have loved to see more at his service, than everyone out having a good time, cheers-ing him and remembering him for the joy he brought others.

--------

Why am I telling you this? Why am I ruining your perfectly good evening with sad stories of people you don't know? Simple. We are all susceptible to this sort of thing. Not saying we'll all have heart attacks, but that we are all running a race against the clock. Some of us have more sand in our hourglass than others do, but nevertheless, the fact remains that we are all going down. Everyone around us is going down, too.

So, while you head into the final stretch of Holiday shopping, crammed freeways, packed flights, and overall anxiety, do me a favor: take a breath and realize everything you have. Not your bank account, or your clothes, or your house, or your car, or that shitty material gift you're giving someone that will more than likely end up regifted or in the back of a closet. These things won't remember you when you're gone. Think about your family, friends, and loved ones. These will be the ones reminiscing about the good times, laughing about the inside jokes you had, partying in your honor, and crying because you're not there to see it all.

As taken from the site:

"People, it’s sad but it’s true: nothing’s gonna stop your big final drop. So live it up now, live it up large, because at the end of the day you aren’t really in charge. Look, we’re not spinning, gninnips, spinning on this wet rock for long, so let’s all enjoy singing our songs with big days full of belly laughs, loving moments, and late nights with close friends."

Gearing up for 2011

2010-12-16T20:02:00.000-08:00

While most people are busy worrying about what they're going to be doing come 11:59pm on December 31st, the folks over at 7x7 are already looking forward to what is going to be happening in 2011. From their website, here are the things we should all be 'getting ready for'. I've made my notes in red:

1. Ghirardelli Square
Though the businesses in the Square are in foreclosure, Gary Danko asserts he’s still going to open his long-awaited American brasserie.
*No one actually ever willingly goes to Ghirardelli Square, unless they are entertaining newbies to the City or really, really fuckin' bored - so this one strikes out.

2. Pier 35
Get ready for the tourists: San Francisco port officials predict a 39 percent increase in the number of cruise ships docking in the city this year.
*Again, who gives a shit. Pier 35, Pier 39? It's like Happy Gilmore's Gold Jacket/Green Jacket debate. NOTE: The video is of terribly horrible quality.

3. Golden Gate Park/Ocean Beach.
For the first time in history, Bay to Breakers will ban alcohol from the race, making it much harder to lower your inhibitions and run naked.
*This one is something that is actually on everyone's minds. For as long as I can remember the NIMBYs along the course have been trying to "ban alcohol", something that was supposedly in effect for at least the last two years...yeah, if you were there you know how well that worked out. As one of the quintessential San Francisco events (actually hitting 100 years in 2011) it's sad to see the level with which the ridiculousness from both sides of the event have gotten. The folks who come out here, having no ties to the City at all and destroy it vs. the folks who live along the route and can't allow a 100 year old tradition to continue without busting everyone's balls - one that only interrupts the neighborhood one day/year. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see what kind of enforcement they're able to pull together. Something more than the previous few years? Non-registered "runners" not allowed on the course? Like most everything else in the land of NIMBYism, only time will tell.

4. Hayes Valley
PROXY—a rotating, temporary group of boutiques, art galleries,
and mini-restaurants housed in shipping containers designed by SF-based Envelope
Architecture & Design—will take over two empty lots.
*Umm, cool?

5. Mid-Market
CityPlace value retail mall will break ground as part of the city’s ongoing attempt to make Market Street more inviting.
*Another issue that has been talked about for years. I wouldn't mind seeing mid- market cleaned up a bit; if only to get some viable storefronts back out there. The crackhead/homeless population is a whole 'nother issue, but one that may get some attention if business owners are willing to work proactively with the police force in an effort to keep the area sustainable and more inviting to, not only tourists, but folks who actually live in the surrounding 'hoods.

6. Bay Bridge
By the spring, the engineering marvel that is the new Bay Bridge’s self-anchored suspension tower will finally be erected, making for a stunning East Bay commute. (Just don’t drive off the bridge while watching this take place.)
*Oh, you mean that whole bridge thing that is costing us $1.43 billion? Yeah? Oh, that's cool. Wait, what's that? It's not scheduled to actually open 'til 2013? Awesome. Why is this "stunning" again?

7. Dolores Park
Renovation begins on Dolores Park. Relax, hipsters: Work isn't scheduled to start until June at the earliest and will be done in stages. There’ll still be lots of room for Hula-Hooping.
*Waaaah, wahhhhhhh. In what looks like the folks at 7x7 were trying to be funny, it's actually a pretty big deal. As one of the City's premier parks, it's not only one of the warmest places in the City, it's also one of the few places you can actually convince a group of people to meet at. Starting in JUNE? Come on, really? The busiest time of the year? Well played, city planners. Well played...

8. Mission
More good news for jazz lovers: Preservation Hall will open its second branch in the old New College Building (which used to be a mortuary), bringing a little New Orleans flavor to the heart of the Mission.
*Cool. I s'pose. One less morgue and one more music venue works for me.

9. SoMa
Borders Books, RIP. In its stead, Lucky Strike Lanes is slated to open on King Street, bringing SoCal-style bowling (loungey, lowlit, cocktails in hand) to NoCal.
*Borders is going the way of Old Yeller anyhow, what with Amazon.com handling everything they have - and more. So fuck it. Better than trying to throw another big container store in its place. In fact, I'm down to see a stylish little bowling alley pop up in it's place. Something that doesn't have me driving all the way out to the Presidio in order to knock some pins down, have a beer and play some arcades, is fine by me. Although, anything "SoCal Style" is always a bit of a warning sign for me. Again, we'll have to wait and see.

10. Mission Bay
More new developments on Third Street. Construction will begin on the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay, a LEED gold–certified hospital spread over 14.5 acres that will focus on the care of women, children, and cancer patients.
*Women, children and cancer patients? Sounds like fodder for Family Guy, but I won't touch that with a ten foot pole. Or did I just do that?

Speaking of gross...

2010-12-16T17:52:00.000-08:00

You never know what you'll find at Rite-Aid...

Who wants to place bets on what she's reading?

Women's health?
Outdoors?
Vogue?
Cosmo?
Food? Yeah, probably...

At least now I know what happened to my missing tanktop.

The Return of Gross Eater Guy

2010-12-13T20:39:00.000-08:00

For the past few weeks, Gross Eater Guy has been out on FMLA to help his mother who had to have heart surgery or something like that. While I typically don't engage or speak to him on daily terms, I was pleasantly surprised to come across this ever so welcoming sight in the fridge this morning, knowing it could only mean one thing:

HE'S BACK!

I mean, you can't even be mad at that. It easily dwarfs the half gallon of soy milk someone has back there. The intense level of disgust is quickly overcome by the simple admiration for someone who can not only drink this amount of soda, but the fact that this was a back up for the one he had on his desk. Bravo.

Welcome back, "G.E.G." Welcome back.

Tom Slick

2010-12-13T20:01:00.000-08:00

Working off a pretty sweet hangover yesterday, I decided to put in some miles on my bike. Not really having a destination in mind, I ended up taking a round about trip heading first to the Richmond for one of the most delicious turkey sandwiches on the planet over at Arguello Super Market. We're talking full roasted turkey carved right there to put on the sandwich. Anyway, after slamming that and a Gatorade, I shot downtown and ended up winding through the Embarcadero and up through North Beach. As soon as I hit Washington square I was presented with the rather normal sight of a few teenage kids smoking some of that "cheech-and-chong". The thing that caught my attention however, was the individual they happened to be smoking with:

Most people remember him as "Epic Beard Guy" or "Vietnam Tom". I personally enjoy "Tom Slick," as this is also how he likes to refer to himself. As I sat on the bench next to these guys and snuck in a few pics, I was actually pretty intrigued by the stories he was telling. One of the best quotes was: "You don't give whiskey to a homeless man. Shit. You want him to go crazy and fight somebody?" Even so, it became apparent that Tom knew one of the kids and was recounting stories of him growing up, to which the kid actually corroborated. Pretty neat.

Knowing that Tom can get a little crazy, I made sure to take in my celebrity shock from a good viewing distance. I mean, the guy was made famous in a video beating the piss out of a guy who taunted him on an AC Transit bus. A hero to many, but a bit 'off' nonetheless. I don't know about you, but a 67 year old man who wears a shirt like this is not the kinda guy you wanna mess with.

Having taken it all in and watching Tom disappear into the distance, walking with the gait and size of a linebacker behind St. Peter and Paul Church, I rode the rest of the way home with a little bit of a smirk on my face, gently pedaling and enjoying the undulations of Russian Hill and the final ascent up Corbett to Clayton, all the while wondering who else could be in and around The City at any given moment - just waiting to be found.

Weekend Special

2010-12-11T09:19:00.000-08:00

BEER.

This sign is fantastic. "Third World" Beer Specials, up off of Fillmore - in the Fillmore. Only made better since the name of the place is actually Third World Market. Check out those reviews and those specials! Rainier? Yes. Please.

Note: Nothing that costs $22.49 is a "special". Stick with the $1.50-$1.75 'out the door' beers and you're still a player at player prices.

Song for Tuesday

2010-12-07T17:47:00.001-08:00

Lesson Learned - Functional Wisdom You Can Use

2010-12-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

Damn, it's been almost 2 full weeks since any postings yet so much has happened. The move went down, and with it everything that accompanies moving: changing your address, changing all the contact information with everyone and everything: Banks, DMV, Credit Card Companies, etc..etc...Though we all know how painful it can be going through the more bureaucratic aspects of moving, I was able to find a few entertaining things while I was at it, and a couple words of advice for you guys next time you head in to any sort of "take a number" type setting where they give out numbers like H288 and A017.

After waiting at the San Mateo DMV for about an hour, I was able to get my vehicle registration changed over to my new address. While nothing particularly awesome took place in the people watching department, there were several people "smelling" experiences within the hour that piqued my sense of disgust. Not sure what these people ate throughout the day, but if they went through the new TSA scanner, they could have easily been caught for smuggling limburger cheese and wads of wet dog hair on their person.

The other 'awesome' thing I found at the DMV is below:

Now, this is a picture of what I originally thought was some tribute to America's Bad-Ass-Ness. However, I noticed later that this was actually the most ridiculously gaudy nameplate I've ever come across. I can only hope that the lady in the picture is actually the Manager that this nameplate serves to absolutely memorialize. I think the plaque at Pearl Harbor is smaller than this thing. Anyway, I'm pretty sure she felt I was taking a picture and picked up that stack of paper, since, the other 10 minutes I was standing at the counter she was simply turning in very slow circles "supervising" - much like the 3 guys that "work" for CalTrans (read: lean on shovels) while the other 2 guys actually bust their asses to get shit done.

Anyway, I'm sure she spent years dealing with jackasses like me who try to game the system - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Is it worth a shot? Absolutely.

Here's what you do:

At most of these places, they start you a line where you walk up to somebody who generates a tag for you (C288, K314, etc.) at which point you sit on your thumb for an hour and hope your foot doesn't fall asleep, since getting out of your chair and falling on the ground in front of people at the DMV would be more embarrassing than having to be at the DMV in the first place. Now, the reason they give these tags with random numbers and letters is simply so you have no idea what order people are actually being called - this is also why you see people who got there after you, go in front of you. Here's the kicker though: I learned this past week that there is a "secret button" that will generate what is known as a "Front of the Line" ticket. Seriously.

How do you get one of these? Aside from having relations with the person giving out the tickets, I've found that you can often get away with one of these Golden Tickets if you do a few things in a very specific order.

1) Go on the website and find a number for the specific bureaucracy you are dealing with: SFMTA, DMV, Social Security, etc... It really doesn't matter which one - almost all of them have the same prefix throughout the building, just make sure it's close enough to make the guy at the desk think you actually got the number from someone there.

2) When you walk up to the counter, the person is going to try and rush you. DON'T LET THEM. Speak calmly and directly. It also helps to have a bunch of papers in your hands - preferably the forms you need. Most importantly, have the number you wrote down from the website handy. Here is where it gets critical - tell the person: "I was here earlier in the day and was given this number to call to have the system updated since it wasn't previously recognizing my information. The guy 'over there' said once it was done I could come to the front and get a 'quick ticket' or something where I wouldn't have to wait so long to update my registration/change my picture/etc..."

Important: Try not to sound like you know about these "front of the line" tickets. If they get specific with who you spoke with, say it was a few hours ago, and you don't see them anymore. Mind you, these folks hear and see all sorts of shit everyday. They don't like attitude, and they sure as hell don't like people thinking they know how the system works. Worst they can do is give you a regular ticket and you wait the requisite time. If you're an ass, I'm sure they have a ticket that can make you wait even longer...

Using this strategy I was able to get my new parking area permit in less than 10 minutes instead of 40 to an hour. Unfortunately, I actually had to call the "database guy" and get my address entered into the system. This was the day before though, and I wasn't going to waste another hour sitting around stank ass people. So, I told him I was there earlier and the "guy on the end" said I could go to the front. It worked. This isn't full proof by any means, but if you follow the steps outlined the odds of you decreasing your wait time are infinite compared to just walking in and taking the number given to you. Also, wear something that makes you look important and very busy. Carry a briefcase, or throw on a suit if you've got one. Trust me. People love to act like they don't play favorites, but study after study shows they do.

Good luck out there.

Whoa...

2010-11-24T14:57:00.000-08:00

Turns out people have been really interested to hear that I'm moving.

Well to be fair, it actually turned out that people were more interested in my hastily thrown together list of things I would miss and, maybe more-so, the things I would NOT miss about the Mission. As a result, my blog was featured on two of the bigger Blogs in SF: Mission Mission and CurbedSF. I've had 1545 page views today alone - almost a quarter of all views since I started this thing.

While I appreciate the love and the new readership, it definitely made me realize I need to be careful what I put out there on a public forum. Not only did my post originally tell people where I was moving, I had a fuckin' picture of the house up and everything. Genius.

It also turns out not everybody thinks the pop culture references I make are exactly PC. *Sigh*. If only I was a black comedian. I'd be able to make fun of everyone and anything and it would be okay (see what I did there?). One commenter over on the Mission Mission site, likened my Bebe's kids reference to the term "pickanninies". Really?

The fact is, the Bebe's kids reference had nothing to do with historical racism. The movie came out in 1992, based on the stand up of Robin Harris (1953-1990). Guess what? He was black. In fact, the only reason I used the reference was because the way the kids in the street were acting is spot on the way the characters in the actual animated film acted (for some reason I had the VHS) - with complete disrespect towards other people. But I digress.

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

It's the night before Thanksgiving. Supposedly one of the biggest drinking nights of the year. This is when all the college students come home to be with their families for the weekend, but realize how much 'home' actually bores the living shit out of them. Naturally, not wanting to sit around and play, "What are you doing when you graduate?" with Gram and Gramps, and Uncle Mike, everyone calls up their friends that are still in town or back from wherever, and they all get together to drink.

So I ask you, why are you still reading this? Why am I still typing this. Go work on that hangover that'll earn you that 3000 calorie meal and a good nap while your Aunt Betsie brags about her middle-school age daughter who made the "honor roll" for the first time.

Moving On...

2010-11-19T18:40:00.000-08:00

After almost 2 years at my place in the Mission, I'm moving. You may (or most likely, may not) remember a post I did a few weeks ago about "stuff" and my wish to simplify and minimalize my life by freeing myself of many of the excess material possessions I have amassed over the years. This move is the perfect opportunity to follow through on my resolution. I'll be moving into a room that is about the half the size of my current room, and getting rid of/selling/donating a ton of stuff. The upside: The room has a HUGE private balcony attached to it that is perfect for barbecues, taking in the sun, and general chillin'. I've got some pretty big ambitions for what I'll be doing with this deck, so I'll ask you guys to stay tuned for updates.

From the rooftop, you can see the tips of the Golden Gate and on the other side, nearly all of Downtown SF. My room (and deck) are at the back of the house. Pretty excited. However, there are some things I'm going to miss. This is obviously begging for a Pros/Cons list, and guess what, you're in luck!

Things I'll Miss About Living in the Mission (specifically 24th and Shotwell):

The 3 minute walk to BART
The 40 Taquerias (Papalote and Vallarta, in particular) and the number of dive bars (Mission Bar, Nap's 3) within walking distance.
The $3 Four Lokos I can conveniently purchase at the corner.
The quick shot up to the top of Bernal Hill.
St. Francis Fountain down the street
The relative flatness of the Mission in general and being able to get anywhere in the area on my bike faster than a car.

Things I'll certainly NOT Miss About Living in the Mission (specifically 24and Shotwell)

All those damn Bebe's kids running around near the Bernal Projects - especially the two 7-10yr olds who saw me approach the stop sign the other day as they were crossing the street, decided it was pertinent to dramatically slow their pace to the point that they were simply lifting their feet and putting them down in the same spot, and then snapped back at me when I asked out the window, "Really?"
The bum/drunk who routinely drinks himself into a coma and pisses/shits himself within two doors of my house.
All the stoop 40s parties that end with a ton of broken glass in the street.
Shotwell being quite possibly the narrowest two-way street in the City of San Francisco, yet people still treating it like a racetrack.
The sirens, gunshots, and fireworks (except for the World Series celebration).

In no way is this list inclusive of everything I'll miss (and not miss), but it was simply the things I was able to rattle off while they were at the forefront of my mind. Being that it's Friday and all, and I don't have plans to do ANYthing, I'm most likely going to start making a concerted effort to go through all my shit and see what's actually worth holding onto, what to try and sell, what to give away, and what is straight trash that I've been holding onto for waaaaaay too long. Wish me luck!

Note: If anyone out there is interested in helping me move, there is a meal of your choice and/or a punchbowl at Hobson's (which is conveniently right down the hill from the new place) in it for you. Leave me a note in the comments if you're down.

It Works Every Time...

2010-11-16T20:39:00.000-08:00

With all the hype surrounding the banning of Four Loko in several US States, it's always good to know that nobody is banning the old standby:

BREAKING NEWS: As I was putting up this post, a quick google search revealed that the company that makes Four Loko announced today that they are planning to remove the caffeine from their recipe, much like Four Loko's predecessor, Sparks. Get out there and hoard the real thing while you still can! There really is nothing like spending $3.00 for the buzz of a six pack of beer and the jolt of two cups of coffee. Except maybe doubling down and spending $6.00.

Tired of Pandora?

2010-11-16T18:35:00.000-08:00

The other day I was perusing the November catalog over at Urban Outfitters and stumbled upon their "music" page. Not only do they have some of the newest trends in fashion, furniture and random toys and books, but they actually let you download 5 new, free tracks every Monday. Not to mention UO Radio, which lets you listen to full length albums (again, for FREE). One of the awesome bands I found on the site is Blonde Redhead (yes, bands still use MySpace - even if no one else does) and their album Penny Sparkle check 'em out. Perfect music to have playing low at your desk in order to get some work done.

Similar to the music you'll hear in one of their massive and awesome stores, most of it comes from the ultra-indie. While some of it is easily skippable, you can't beat the fact that they are essentially giving you the opportunity to be super cool and have knowledge of a band nobody's ever heard of.

So head over to the site, check out the new catalog, see the sale items, and check out the music. And if you're wondering, I like gift cards.

Weekend Best

2010-11-13T15:48:00.000-08:00

24th Street from Strike Anywhere on Vimeo.

Found over at Mission Mission.

If you can, watch this in full screen. My 'hood is in the distance. This is flat out amazing. I might be a little bit in love with this girl. Keep watching. You'll see who I'm talking about. I like quick sentences. See?

24 Hour - Potrero

2010-11-11T18:51:00.000-08:00

Sure, your gym bathrooms don't smell like a thousand animals pissed themselves and died immediately after. And, sure, you get a towel without having to pay extra. You don't have characters like this guy. I'm willing to bet you even have people that put the weights back where they belong. Your pool probably has the correct chemical balance, and you might even have some classes that aren't overflowing out of the door.

I'll show you what you don't have though:

Yup. Big ass windows looking out towards the Pacific, right next to the weight sets. As the sun goes down a little further, you can actually see Sutro Tower in the distance and catch some pretty amazing views of the city lights.

And of course, Sports Basement. I also pay less than $15/month for access to any club since I've been a member for so long. Not too shabby.

Fair to say, however, the view outside is much better than the "view" inside.

Rewind

2010-11-11T18:40:00.000-08:00

It's a shame MTV took the "M" out of their programming. I miss watching the TOP 20 Countdown from back around 1995-1997. Fuck TRL, but the TOP 20 was awesome. I bet this video would've gotten some love had they still actually played music videos when this song came out.

Listening to the song, I find myself thinking about the past. A lot. But who doesn't? After all, everything we happen to be is based on what has happened to us in the past, right? Right. BUT, I think it's important to realize that our past does not dictate our future. Sure we've all made some mistakes or done some things we regret (if you are one of those people who always says, "no regrets" you're a damn liar and you know it), but the important thing to realize is that nothing, absolutely NOTHING, will change what has already taken place. Move on from it. Learn from it, but move on.

One of the minimalist bloggers I follow (and have referenced in the past) recently posted something about this that resonated with me in a number of ways. Everett Bogue over at Far Beyond The Stars, writes:

"The reality is that the past is dead. It happened, it shaped who you are, but
it’s gone now.

And it’s never coming back.

No matter how many Facebook messages you send to your high school ex-girlfriend/boyfriend when you’re drunk at night, you’re never going to be 17 again. You’re never going to share the connection you had then.

No matter how many times you look at that picture of the perfect Halloween, with the displaced tribe of a dozen remarkable individuals, they’ll never be together again in the same way.

And this is okay. The world changes. We evolve into new and better
individuals every single day."

Boom.

Take some time to actually think about that. How many times have you caught yourself telling stories about awesome times in the past, instead of getting out there and actually creating awesome times in the present?

MapCrunch

2010-11-09T21:38:00.001-08:00

If you're like me, you love the idea of traveling. However, if you're truly like me, you don't have the unlimited funds and free time to do it all day everyday. If you haven't heard, the folks over at MapCrunch have solved the crisis for us.

One click and about a half a second later and you'll be whisked away to a random place in the world. I just went to Finland, Denmark, Mexico, and Italy in under 10 seconds. Oh yeah, and freakin' ANTARTICA.

The best part? Each image is similarly functional to the Google Maps Street View we're all used to. Check it out. It'll sure make the days at the cubicle go by a lot more quickly.

Not Smug, Just Better

2010-11-09T21:26:00.001-08:00

Without making excuses (I HATE excuses), it's been a decent while since I've posted a blog - what with The Boys winning the World Series on the first day of November and all...

Anyhow, what didn't slip was my passion for skimming through other blogs in SF and the Bay Area to see what they have been up to. One of my favorite blogs is I Live Here SF. Of all the stories of all the transplants in this great city, few people are as able to capture the essence of it all through pictures like Julie Michelle can. She is currently showing many of the actual prints from a number of her encounters at SOMArts over at 934 Brannan St.

One of my favorite photos is below:

The exhibition runs 'til November 30th. Check it out if you get a chance.

And for my 100th Post..."Texas, Run Tell That"

2010-10-29T18:21:00.000-07:00

via Ice Tubes

Using every last second of his 15 minutes...

2010-10-26T19:30:00.001-07:00

Excellent

2010-10-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

It's been confirmed! Bill and Ted 3 is on the way. We just have to see how long it will actually take to get to us.

I absolutely had the original Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure on VHS. In fact, I watched it so many times it got to the point where the film was wearing thin and you would get the fuzzy screen coming through when you watched it - suspiciously enough it was right around the time you meet Missy/Bill's step-mom. Anyway, I'm pretty pumped to see how they pull this out. Especially with Rufus (George Carlin) now being dead and all...

Hopefully the Wyld Stallyns are still rockin' in the three-qual.

Been sick...

2010-10-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday I noticed my throat was feeling a little scratchy. The next day it was a little worse. The next day after that, I was pretty much out of commission and ended up taking Friday of last week off of work in an effort to knock out whatever it was before it got much worse. Needless to say, it didn't work.

Fast forward a week and I realize I haven't blogged in nearly 10 days. Pretty good hiatus, even for me. I doubt that any of the people who read this were worried about the fact that they wouldn't be able to catch up on asinine videos and random news stories from around the interwebs. Needless to say however, there is a rather large, (Orange and Black) elephant in the room that hasn't been brought up by me since August.

Weird, right? A Giants fan who watched them before the last week of September? Yeah, I know. Don't trip. We really did/do exist.

Anyway, as any true baseball fan knows, nothing is as awesome as playoff baseball. It's even more awesome when your team is competing - and even MORE awesome when they're winning -and EVEN MORE AWESOME when they make it to the World Series! The emotion and excitement in SF these past few weeks has been remarkable to say the least. In a town like SF, that is especially "clique-ish" when going out, it's often hard to break in to new groups of people since most often people travel in packs and tend to stay with those they came with. On Giants' playoff game nights however, everyone is there to support the same cause and cheer for the same thing: Getting drunk and cheering on the Giants. For most of the "new" fans, it actually (read: sadly) goes in that order. The point however, is that this playoff run, and now World Series appearance is actually giving San Franciscans something that they can mutually bond over (aside from living in the 'greatest city in the world').

All I can hope for now is that I kick this sickness before the weekend and before the Giants win the World Series. That will most definitely be a party not to miss.

Amazing song. Amazing video.

2010-10-17T22:00:00.001-07:00

This is what you get for thinking the world owes you something...

2010-10-14T17:52:00.001-07:00

There's no sound, but this is well worth paying attention to.

Been a real, REAL long time since I laughed out loud watching something on the internet.

Thank you once again, Daisy.

My Bridge is Better Than Your Bridge

2010-10-14T17:48:00.001-07:00

I bet you didn't know Mark Zuckerberg was a Giants fan...

2010-10-13T17:40:00.000-07:00

Yup. He even likes to watch the games at King of Thai Noodle House.
Snapped on my anciently shitty, iPhone 3G camera. 10/8/2010.

Olympic Gold

2010-10-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Fairly certain this picture can't be done justice with words.

Found at Golden Gate Bike and Skate. I wouldn't recommend this place unless you have an emergency. I walked in and the guy completely ignored me for almost 5 minutes - mind you the shop is the size of a large walk-in closet, and him and I were the only two people in the joint. The good thing is, while the guy was replacing my flat tire, I was able to look at the "amazing" posters on the wall. And wouldn't you know it, I wound up spotting the greatest Devil's Backbone rollerblader of all time.

Yup. Mitchell effin Goosen! was right there on the wall getting radical. AMAZING! There were actually a ton of other awe-inspiring pictures from the late 80s all over the wall, but unfortunately I didn't have much time to snap them all. If you're ever in the neighborhood, pop your head in and check out the posters - just don't expect to get any assistance from the guy behind the counter.

In Honor of Fleet Week...

2010-10-07T22:09:00.001-07:00

You may hate the Blue Angels, but NO ONE hates this song. No one.

We can all eat and talk again in peace...

2010-10-06T15:42:00.001-07:00

SunChips decided to stop making that INSANELY loud "biodegradable" bag. You all tried it, and you ALL know exactly what I mean. Heading into the Giants' pre-playoff game Sunday we had a bag and thanks to good ol' Scott, everytime we tried to talk he would crinkle the bag and the sounds of a Def Leppard concert would ring throughout the car. I mean, we all know there was a secret parental conspiracy placed on junk food wrappers long ago, making sure they were loud enough for your parents to catch you sneaking into the cookie jar - but this bag was just plain ridiculous.

Check it out for yourself:

The guy's a douche, sure, but you get the point of the video. Be glad someone over SunChips was smart enough to realize it was better to have consumers still buy their products, than file a class action lawsuit against them for deafening anyone who purchased their products.

Minimalism. A goal.

2010-10-05T20:55:00.000-07:00

I have a ton of shit. Seriously. I buy things all the time. From $7 knock-off wayfarers to $750 cameras. I have over 40 baseball hats. I have something in the range of 30-35 pairs of shoes (from my computer chair I can actually touch six pairs of shoes right now). I have more t-shirts than I know what to do with - some of which are over 10 years old. I have dozens of books I've never read, and itunes songs I've never taken the time to listen to. There is something about the accumulation of things that has both an awesome feeling of accomplishment, and yet, a rather empty feeling to it as well.

About a week and a half ago I was on Amazon.com again, searching for nothing and finding something. This time around it happened to be a couple of new books and another pair of shoes. As is the case with most online purchases, this one was primarily impulse, and as soon as the credit card number had been entered and the final "submit order" button had been clicked, I immediately began to question why I chose to buy shoes that cost me nearly $100 that I would probably only wear a few times a year. This is rare, mind you. I actually took a step back and wondered, "Why the fuck are you buying these? You don't need them. So why?" As soon as I realized I was unable to answer my own question, I made a promise to myself to return them as soon I got them in the mail. And I did.

You know what? It felt awesome. It felt awesome knowing that I technically just paid myself back $100. It made the fact that I got a parking ticket minimally draining on my finances. Using part of that money saved, I was able to go watch the Giants win the last game of the season, making the playoffs for the first time since 2003 - A memory that will last a lot longer than those shoes would have. More than anything though, it really made me think about all the crap I have - stuff that has literally cost me thousands of dollars, that has no significant or meaningful value.

In his most recent blog, Everett Bogue writes about what he considers the "Secret of Happiness". His most important message? You don't have to have a lot of money or things. Describing why so many people are unhappy, he says:

"You’re unhappy because you sit in a car all day, and then come back and sit on your couch all night, which makes you want to buy a new car because you think it will make you happy. Really you’re just wasting thousands of dollars on a piece of metal that isolates you from the world — and thus happiness. When you spend 20-grand on a car, you have to work a gazillion hours to pay that off...stop buying, stop watching TV, sell your crap, and start living your life."

No doubt these ideals are a bit extreme considering the way most of us are living our lives, but it sure does make you think when you read his words. Especially when you take a step back and try to realize why it is we are doing the things we do on a daily basis. He discusses all this and more in his book, The Art of Being Minimalist.

Anyway. My "End-Year's" Resolution is to go through a ton of unnecessary things in my life and see what I've been keeping because I want it or if it is in fact something that I truly need. While I will make an honest effort to minimize the unnecessary, I know that there will still be some things I will retain that will undoubtedly be extraneous. This is something new, and I'm sure I will learn to live with a lot less over time, though it has to start somewhere.

I'll let you know how it goes in the in-between time.

Friday's "Best"

2010-10-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a little nervous that "Gross Eater Guy" at the office is going to find this post. Not because he is going to see that I've been chronicling his disgusting habits, but because of this video I came across. This will undoubtedly take his slobishness to astronomical levels not seen since Manuel Uribe.

Seriously, if he sees this, he may just move straight to Korea for the convenience of it all. Check out the full article from over at TIME Newsfeed.

Listen...

2010-09-30T20:44:00.000-07:00

All that stuff that’s stressing you out — it won’t matter in 5 years, let alone 15.

I can't tell you how many people I hear complain about something every. single. day. Next time you think about complaining or whining about something because you're stressed out at your job, think about all the people in the world who would be thrilled to even have a job. Next time you spill something on your shirt or get a rip in your jeans, think about how many people in the world don't have clothes. When you'd rather sit on the couch then go to the gym, take a minute to think about people who can't walk and what they would give just to be able to spend a minute walking on a treadmill.

Be thankful for what you have, because believe it or not, there are well over a billion people on this planet that would lie, murder and steal to be in your shoes.

It Never Gets Easier Than Now

2010-09-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

I was pleasantly surprised to receive an email today from Ramit over at IWTYTBR. Specifically because it talks directly to those of us in our twenties who are young, single, and free.

The article is from 2006, and though we know much has changed in the political and financial landscape since it was written, it still speaks volumes about people you will come across in your everyday life: Those who will complain about the status quo any chance they are given, but still try their hardest to uphold it and do anything and everything to avoid disrupting the "path life has sent them on" vs. those that strive to challenge the "path" and choose to blaze their own trails, ask questions, and seek advice.

Here are his words:

It Never Gets Easier Than Now
July 28, 2006

Every time I hear someone say “I’m too busy” to do something, a little puppy dies and I want to stab myself in the eye with a katana blade. I don’t think people realize how good we have it right now: We’re young, we’re only responsible for ourselves, and we can do basically anything we want. If you think about the responsibilities we’ll have in 20 years–or even 5–you start to appreciate that doing almost anything will never get easier than it is now.

Here are some examples:

Saving money is never easier than now. If you don’t think you can save 25%+ of your salary today, think about this: You have no one else you’re spending on. And while your salary will go up, the increase won’t be commensurate with your expenses–unless you start developing habits right now. Let’s think about some of the expenses we’ll face soon: insurance, a new home, homeowner’s insurance, remodeling, moving costs, a car, car insurance, car repair, medical costs, vacations, giving to charity, giving wedding gifts, giving birthday gifts, giving graduation gifts, a babysitter, diapers, baby formula, kids’ sports, and, finally, unexpected expenses. As Chris Yeh wrote, “Just this morning, I calculated that our monthly expenses are about 10X what they were when my wife and I were just a single couple living on our own, mostly due to our two bundles of joy.” If you think you’ll be able to save more in the future than today, you’re out of your mind. Read my site, read others, start a budget, and find a way.

Working out. We’re in the best natural shape of our lives. There’s a school near my place, and when I run, I see older men sweating like Patrick Ewing after only one lap. I scornfully lap those 72-year-old men over and over again. It’ll never be easier than today.

Starting your own business. Here are some common reasons people give for not starting one “right now” that make me thankful I am not a dragon (my sigh would ignite them): “I’ll just wait until I save a little more money,” they say. Or “I just have to learn some more before I do it.” Now, most people won’t start their own companies and that is perfectly cool. But for those that want to, there’s nothing like learning by doing–and if you fail, what’s the worst that can happen at our age? You don’t lose your house or wife and kids. You go and…get a regular job. You can always go to the corporate world. Going the entrepreneurial route gets harder and harder.

Just hanging out with friends. It’s easier to go out with friends now than it will ever be in the future. Why? Because we all live in the same general area, live similar lifestyles, and have virtually no responsibilities to anyone else. “But Ramit,” you might say, “most of my friends live far away.” Even if they live on another coast, we have such few external responsibilities that we can take a weekend trip to most places. Also, on my comedy blog (Things I Hate), I wrote about the people in college who get “married” by only hanging out with their boyfriend/girlfriend. What a huge mistake. Your friends aren’t all boring and in serious relationships yet. If you have any married friends, have you ever tried hanging out with them? It’s like a giraffe trying to find a pair of lost contact lenses. Impossible. We’re young, our friends are young, and we’re all pretty available to hang.

Doing your own side projects. Holy christ, we have more free time right now than we know what to do with. “But Ramit,” you might say, “I work 12 hours a day and then I study for the GMAT and then I build houses in Guatemala on the weekends. You’re full of shit.” Let’s keep it real: We all have lots and lots of time we use for leisure activities–whether it’s watching The Hills (Heidi surprised me on Wednesday), working out, or whatever. The question is, can you track what you spend your time on and redirect it to something you care about? Something that will have an impact for the next 5, 10, or 50 years? The answer is yes. And we’ll only get busier in the future.

Taking risks in investing and life. I’m going to describe some fears we have about investing, but you can apply this to anything.

Don’t worry so much about losing all your money. Don’t worry about not having the optimal asset allocation. Don’t worry about your friends making more than you. Worry about not getting started. In my 1-hour talks, I ask young people our age about what would happen if we lost all our money right now. After a couple of inevitable gasps, most people admit that it wouldn’t really be that bad. Maybe they’d go live at home for a few months, get back on their feet, and go get another job. But what happens when you’re 35 with a husband, 2 kids, and a mortgage? Losing most (or all) of your money would be catastrophic. And if you’re 65 and spending your money on pills and bingo, losing your money can be a matter of life and death.

Meeting interesting people. You wouldn’t believe how many people are willing to meet to share advice and connections. I meet them all the time, and it’s not because I’m some fancy guy (I’m not). It’s because I’m young and interested. CEOs, VCs, and even small-business proprietors and teachers are so friendly. I think it’s because of 3 things: First, people love to talk about themselves, and I’m interested in their story. Second, people love talking to young people, both to share their experience and to stay connected to young people; for example, last week, I taught a business friend what “Benjamins” are. God I loved it. Third, people love knowing that your intentions are pure and that you got in touch to learn, not to inject some corporate agenda. Who knows what could happen if you just asked?

Traveling. You think when you’re 30, you’ll be able to take a weekend trip to New York, stay out until 5am, then make it back in time for Monday morning? No way. I’m not 30, but aren’t most 30-year-olds plagued with arthritic joints and incontinence? Heh, I hope I don’t get in trouble for that one. Anyway, traveling to visit (or live) in other places is unbelievably easy right now. To visit, it costs about $200 roundtrip to anywhere in country [note: we know now this is NOT the case. - Rick]. To live, we pick a place, get a job, and it’s done. We have no one to answer to, and imagine the amount you can learn by living somewhere else.

Living in situations your parents would abhor. As we get older, we naturally demand a more comfortable living situation. When we travel abroad, for example, we can stay in hostels with no problem. When older people travel, they need a hotel. In college, we lived in like 150 square feet with 2 other people. Older people measure their homes in the thousands of square feet, and they have things like “dens” and “islands” in their “kitchen.” (Funny thing: You should have seen some of the parents’ horrified faces when they visited Stanford, where the dorms are actually really nice. And then to buy sheets (“linens” to them) at Target? Oh my god!) Ok, that went off on a huge tangent, but the point is that we can live in a way that older people cannot. So whether that’s saving on rent by living in a cheaper place, or driving your 10-year-old car, or just realizing you don’t need that much…it’s never easier than it is now.

Great advice. Some that I am going to make a concerted effort to follow more closely myself.
What about you?

My Secret?

2010-09-27T17:54:00.000-07:00

It's not too often I'm approached when I'm getting in a good workout. It's most likely because I put out every indication that I'm not interested in whatever it is anyone thinks might be worth discussing. Today was different.

About 40 minutes into my workout, dripping sweat and gasping for air like I just got revived by someone doing mouth to mouth resuscitation, a late teenager in an unfilled cutoff shirt, comes up to me and asks, "What's your secret?". The funny thing is, I was severely trying to ignore him the first few times he asked, but being a persistent adolescent, he wouldn't be turned away that easily. After finally giving in, I removed my headphones and in the sassiest tone I could muster whilst still being out of breath I look at him and say, "WHAT??!". He repeats his moronic query, and without skipping a beat I reply, "I workout while I'm here, and don't dare bother other people who are in the middle of a workout". Placing my headphones back in, I shake my head and get back to it.

20 minutes later - no joke - I see the same kid about 6 inches from one of the full wall mirrors squeezing zits out of his face. Seriously. I was stuck. I must have watched in disgust for a full 3 minutes. It was like watching an enormously obese person order a ridiculously large meal at a fast food chain but then INSIST on getting a DIET Coke. I mean, come on. Had the kid actually been trying to do something and asked for a little help in between my sets, I would have been more than happy to show him a couple things. Just asking "my secret"? I mean....

For other decent gym etiquette, check this list out. Number 4 sounds extremely familiar, no?

Big Boi's Back

2010-09-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

On a last minute tip last night (read: 7:30pm, since I'm an old man and get to work before the sun's out), I was offered up an extra ticket to check out Big Boi (of Outkast fame) at the Regency. With the headliner not coming on until 10:15pm, it was a bit of a gamble for me to go and risk sleeping through my alarm on less than 5 hours of sleep, but as Robin Williams would say "carpe diem".

Though I was hesitant about seeing only half of one of the most prolific funk-hip hop groups ever, I was pleasantly surprised when the opening set consisted of a slew of early Outkast - mixing the hits "ATliens", "Skew It On the Bar-B", "So Fresh, So Clean", and "Ms. Jackson." For me personally, it was the high point of the show - the rest was just "meh". After essentially tolerating a set of his new music I was pleased to hear them bring back a little more of the old school with "Bombs Over Baghdad" - as were the several hundred people who may or may not have been (read: they were) enjoying themselves with a little bit of the "sticky-icky".

Of all of Big Boi's new music, I could only find one that resonated with me and brought back the nostalgic excitement I remember during college parties. The new single "Shutterbugg" ft. Cutty, is poised to become a hit - if isn't already.

Regardless of my particular likings of the style of music, it's impossible not to give respect to Big Boi for his lyrical /flow ability. The show overall had an awesome energy to it, and the venue was poppin'. Of anything, I was mostly focused on Big Boi's decision to wear bright red socks on such skinny legs.

I mean, the guy is pretty short, and not the leanest, but the bright red socks and the green hat left him looking like one of Santa's rejected elves from the Eastmont Mall. Regardless however, the guy was amazing at getting the crowd participation joint on lock and truly entertaining the crowd - all of this without Andre 3000's "wacky/zany" outfits and personality. Which was definitely appreciated.

Energy...Seeds?

2010-09-24T17:20:00.000-07:00

Have you seen these?

If you're not sure what exactly they are check out the link on Amazon.

Yup, you read that right. Energy Sunflower Seeds. I think it's an AWESOME idea, especially for staying awake during long road trips. However, there is one thing (aside from the $1.99 price tag and $4.89 shipping cost) that bothers me juuuust a little bit.

Apparently, the geniuses over at Sumseeds thought that Tony Gwynn was the best guy to be the face of a snack food that contains Caffeine, Taurine, and Ginseng. Don't get me wrong, Tony Gwynn is an OG in the game of baseball. The guy batted .394 during the 1996 season, the second highest batting average since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. In fact, he never batted below .309 in any full season during his 20 year career on the San Diego Padres. The fact that he is more well known for his portly stature than for being in the Hall of Fame is more what I'm leaning towards.

I mean, the seeds have several supplements in them known for helping people lose weight. But look at that face! Is this really the ideal image for selling these? Are people trying to get all hyped up on seeds to go play baseball? Not sure. Truly not sure. I suppose will have to wait and see if this is the next banned substance to hit the MLB in the next few seasons...

Unseen Sea

2010-09-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

Make sure you watch through to the end to catch one of the most ridiculous moonsets I've ever seen . OK, so it's probably the only one, but still...you'll see.

Check out some of this guy's other stuff at his website.

Oops, your bad...

2010-09-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

Apparently there is a new study out that says kids are swearing earlier than ever. Like, we're talking 3-4 years old.

I have no idea what they are talking about. And they are blaming it on the adults?!? Say what? Thankfully, you can seek guidance from the Baptist Press if you are so inclined.

Plus, if that's the case, my nephew's repeated f-bombs before he was even 2 years old (used in the correct context and everything!) already puts him ahead of the curve.

Girl Talk

2010-09-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

Big Boi
Unk
Twisted Sister
Ludacris
Birdman
Jay-Z
Avril Lavigne
Cee-Lo
Butthole Surfers
Billy Joel
Pharcyde
Ahmad
Little Jon
Blackstreet
Fatman Scoop
Ace of Base
Salt-N-Pepa
Beastie Boys
Busta Rhymes
Fugees
Paula Cole
Wu-Tang Clan
Jackson 5
Queen
Missy Elliot
The Cranberries
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Mary J Blige
Soul II Soul
Ma$e
Dexy's Midnight Runners
DJ Clue
Earth Wind and Fire
Nu Shooz
LL Cool J
Len
Letters to Cleo
E-40
Jimi Hendrix
Eminem

...

These are just artists featured in the first six songs (let alone those I didn't recognize) on Girl Talk's 2008 album, "Feed the Animals", by far the most amazing compilation of almost every genre of music from the last 40 years. Sure it's 2 years late, but how many of the rest of you out there know what's been going on with this guy? He was featured one Time's Top 10 Albums of 2008.

Anyway, do yourself a favor. Download the $5.00 MP3 album from Amazon.com and enjoy. That's about as much as you'd spend on a beer, and trust me, this buzz will last a lot longer. You'll also be treated to one of the best outros on any album I've ever heard in my life. If this album doesn't put a smile on your face after listening to well over a hundred different throwback and current artists in under an hour, well hell, I don't know what will.

Updated: Blog Reel/Layout

2010-09-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

I decided to switch the layout so these huge YouTube videos don't block out the sidebar info on the right side of the screen. I'm sure there's a way to shrink the videos so they fit, but I haven't figured it out yet. As a part-time blogger, I really don't care all that much (yet) to look too much into it. If you care enough however, you can now let me know if you had a "reaction" to the blogs with a simple click of one of the boxes below each post. Strangely, they didn't provide a "Dumb/Stupid/Irrelevant" box. Hmm...

You guys might have also noticed that down the side of the screen I've added about 30 of my favorite blogs/websites. I suppose I shouldn't be revealing the places where I find most of the things that I post on here, but I figured there are a lot of other things that I don't re-blog that you might be interested in.

Check some of 'em out. Let me know what you think.

Never watched The Amazing Race, but I might start.

2010-09-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

via Daisy

Guess Who?

2010-09-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

Does this actually even work?

Very Busy People

2010-09-13T17:38:00.000-07:00

So, if you've been checking back on the regular (of course you have!), you've noticed that in the last week my blog has been pretty sparse of cool new things. No doubt. With the Giants in a late season playoff run, weekdays have been spent in front of the TV praying and hoping that Wilson won't blow a save and Zito might actually get some run support. Alas, there are a number of other excuses to try and rationalize that I'm "too busy": Went camping in Big Sur this past weekend, leaving me without internet service; patchy internet service at my place all week; and decent weather in SF have left me finding more and more excuses as to why I'm unable to post. The funny thing is, when I really look at it, there have been a number of opportunities for me to post when I simply didn't feel like taking the time to sit back in front of a computer and 'blog'.

One of my favorite artists and cultural commentators, Paul Madonna, captured this perfectly as he wrote in one of his drawings, "We find time for things we want, and make excuses for everything else." So simple, but so right on point. How often do we find ourselves running to a restaurant or getting take-out because "we don't have time to cook". Yeah, think about it. If you've got time to get in your car, drive and grab the food, drive home, set it out and eat that mess, you've definitely got the time to cook. You probably just don't want to, so you make an excuse to satisfy yourself. In fact, last week when I was making excuses not to blog, I was making excuses not to cook, and (gasp) making excuses not to go to the gym. It's a very slippery slope, one that I try to stay away from as much as possible, but being human, we all find ourselves falling victim to these scenarios from time to time.

One of my new favorite bands that has broken on the scene in the last few months, The Limousines, has a pretty catchy little tune that puts this kinda thing in perspective. I've posted the lyrics below the video, for you to check out. The video has a little mini-interview with the band afterward if you're interested.

Lyrics, "Very Busy People"
We'll end up numb from playing video games
and we'll get sick of having sex.
And we'll get fat from eating candy
as we drink ourselves to death.
We'll stay up late
making mix tapes, photoshopping pictures of ourselves
while we masturbate to these pixelated videos
of strangers fucking themselves.

We are very busy people,
We are very busy people.

There's crusty socks
and stacks of pizza boxes
making trails straight to the bed.
And when we're done sleeping
we'll stay busy dreaming of the things
we do not have yet.
Well there's a long, long list of chores
and shit to do before we play,
oh let's just piss away the day.
Crank call the cops down at the station,
just for friendly conversation,
requesting songs they never play;
Let's hear the one that goes like:

We are very busy people,
We are very busy people;
But we've always got time for new friends.

So come on over and knock on our door,
it's open whatcha waitin' for?
We may be sprawled out on the floor,
but we still make lovely company.
Pull up a chair, I'll pour some tea,
We'll shoot the shit, 'bout everything,
till you get sick of politics,
and flip on the TV screen,
we stare at the TV screen.
That Donnie Darko DVD has been repeating for a week,
and we know every single word.
(Every single word).
I've got an iPod like a pirate ship,
I'll sail the sea
with fifty thousand songs I've never heard-
And all the best of them go
La la la la la la...
la la la la la la...

We are very busy people,
We are very busy people;
But we've always got time for new friends.
(Yeah).
La la la la la la...
la la la la la la...

Super Mario's 25th Anniversary

2010-09-13T16:14:00.000-07:00

While this is celebrating the Original NES Video Game, I definitely remember all the different games that came out, and continue to come out - for better or worse. But the most awesome Super Mario spinoff wasn't even a video game. Nope. It was the gem of a television show called - oddly enough - The Super Mario Bros. Super Show. Of course, Captain Lou Albano "starred" as Mario, and at the end of each episode we were graced with this little piece of awesome:

Sightseeing

2010-09-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

City views aren't the only thing you can feast your eyes on at Dolores on a perfect day. See below a number of pictures I caught this Labor Day weekend. I mean, how could you not give it up for this guy who was dancing with the rest of the folks enjoying a nice, and free, DJ set.

Seriously though, the park was absolutely packed and an awesome time. The weather cooperated long enough so that even the most hipster of girls were able to put on a decent little fashion show.

Even a friendly two-color-eye-ball-having dog made his way to the park to enjoy the amazing weather and electric atmosphere.

All in all it was a perfect day, and one of the best ends to one of the best 3-Day weekends I've had in The City in a long, long time.

Plus, there was this androgynous hula-hooper. Best random sighting of the day.

Looks like a few folks made it back from Burning Man a little early just to catch the last bit of the perfect weather in SF.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-03T18:06:00.000-07:00

No plans. Just the way I like it. No being stuck in traffic. Waking up when I want, doing whatever I feel like; yeah, I think I'm okay with that. The last couple of weeks in July and the entire month of August were super busy, so taking some time to relax and catch up on doing nothing sounds right up my alley.

For all those that may take this weekend to head into The City, here's a little something to motivate you:

From Troy over at Caliber SF.

Everyone else, have fun and be safe.

Payday

2010-09-03T17:55:00.000-07:00

Today is my payday. And, per custom, I'll probably go out to eat, get some drinks, and in general, spend a little extra on myself, because, let's face it...money doesn't spend itself - although, during some of those nights we don't remember, it sure seems to, right?

For many people, the 1st of the month brings promise of food and diapers for children, rent payments, ahhh, who am I kidding? 90% of that money goes straight to the newest shoes, iPhones, rims, and drugs anyhow. Which gets us back to our friend that brings us the "Crackhead of the Day" showing just how "fun" payday can be downtown on 6th Street (funniest part about that link is that Google didn't dare go down 6th past Market - tell you anything?).

True, he might be diabetic. Buuuuuuut, I'm gonna guess the full nudity says otherwise. More pics via the link below.

Courtesy of Bluoz.

More of the Gross-Eater Guy Chronicles

2010-09-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

I had to catch this one on the fly since I was being followed, but if you look closely you'll notice the picture is that of the familiarly messy desk of Gross-Eater Guy; and, what we have here is a full Big Gulp right next to an EMPTY Big Gulp from Club 7-1-1. I mean, I'm not sure any water has entered this man's veins since Reagan was President. If that...The crazy thing about this picture is the fact that this is a daily occurrence.

Seriously though, I don't think I've ever even consumed a Big Gulp. I do know I always wanted to fill one of those giant cups with some Slurpee when I was 12, but shit, I used to eat Otis Spunkmeyer cookies, It's It Ice Cream Sandwiches, Funyuns, and Welch's Grape Soda for lunch every-damn-day in Junior High. Gross. Duh. Odds are if you are a product of HUSD, you did too. But now that we realize how unhealthy all that shit is we stopped eating like that. At least most of us.

Until I'm fully disgusted by another sighting...Rick.

Perfect day, Perfect Song

2010-09-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

Fitz and The Tantrums - Breaking The Chains of Love from James Fitzpatrick on Vimeo.

Somethin' in the oven...

2010-08-31T18:11:00.000-07:00

Why is it that anytime you try and cook something, everyone in the vicinity has to peek in the oven to see what the hell it is you are tryin' to schmack on? Seriously, I was trying to cook a pizza at a party Saturday night and 5-6 people in a 5 minute period all came up to me telling me the pizza was done. Interesting, no? How would you know if the pizza was done, unless you were peeking your snoopin' ass face all up in there?

You know, it actually might have been done by the time you looked, had everyone at the party not opened the damn thing and LET ALL THE HEAT OUT.

Anyway, the pizza was delicious and hit the spot as was planned. Just wondering...anyone else out there suffer from the same phenomenon?

Dora the Explorah

2010-08-30T17:01:00.001-07:00

Today Dora explores the life of a bum in the Mission. Doesn't look like she minds it too much, actually. Found at 22nd and S. Van Ness.