Rubble44's P.T.B.

Love is in the air....

2011-12-08T18:43:00.000-08:00

It was brought to my attention by some people that my last blog about the things I hate in sports was not only harsh, but depressing to some. I don't want people to think that I'm only about the hate...so here are some things that I love about sports, playing and watching them.....

My favorite baseball player of all time is Willie Stargell. Bigger than life (I was nine when the Pirates won the World Series, so he was even bigger) a leader and an all around nice guy. I was only two when Roberto Clemente died, so I never saw him play, but both of them have been an inspiration.

Blake Griffin - From the first shot he made as a pro, he is a joy to watch. And he seems like a stand up guy. The Clippers are lucky to have him and better do whatever they can to keep him.

Troy Polamalu - Yeah, he went to USC, but being a Steeler trumps that. Gives 100% and is a quiet, well manner thoughtful person off the field. I like Hines Ward too because he has always been a fighter, but I can see where people dislike him for dirty play.

...there is no sweeter feeling than making solid contact when swinging a bat (with a baseball or softball, not a body part). When you make that type of contact, it's like a surge goes all the way up your arms as the ball rockets off deep into the night. Also, making a three point shot or a perfect pass when playing basketball thrilled me as much as an adult as it did when I was 10.

I consider myself lucky I got to see the following players play live: Magic Johnson, Mario Lemieux, Ken Griffey, Jr., Albert Pujols, Vladimir Guerrero, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, John Elway (in college), Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken, Jr., Hakeem Olajuwon (college and pro), Frank Thomas, Kirby Puckett, Tony Gwynn, Larry Bird, Kevin Mchale, Jaromir Jagr, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Fernando Valenzuela, Dave Parker, Andrew McCutchen, Junior Seau, Ladainian Tomlinson, Charles Barkley, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Elton Brand and Sam Cassell (yeah, he doesn't really belong on the list, but he was so fun to watch off the court as well as on it).

Players I didn't get to see live but wish I did: Clemente (of course), Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Michael Jordan, Barry Sanders, Jack Lambert, (basically a lot of Steelers, who I would see at training camp, but I've never been to an actual Steeler game), Joe Montana, Dell Curry (he was my favorite player for a long time wow he could shoot), A lot of boxers (never been to a live boxing match), Macho Man Randy Savage (although I did see Polish Power Ivan Putski, which would make Jason Hoffman happy), Sidney Crosby, Pedro Martinez (although he gave me a piece of gum at an Angels game) and Earl Anthony (man that guy could bowl).

I've read a ton about sports When I was a kid, I would to to the library one block away from the house and get any sports books on the shelves (basketball, baseball and football basically). Some of my favorite sports books (fiction and non fiction) are:

The Breaks of the Game - David Halberstam

A Season on the Brink - John Feinstein

North Dallas Forty - Peter Gent

Ball Four - Jim Bouton

Semi Tough - Dan Jenkins

Instant Replay -Jerry Kramer

The Bronx Zoo - Sparky Lyle

Heaven is a Playground - Rick Telander

Loose Balls - Terry Pluto

And I got to read Jim Murray in the LA Times growing up. And now I get to read J.A. Adande.... :)

Sports movies - Caddyshack, Bull Durham, Raging Bull, The Natural, North Dallas Forty (again), Hoosiers, Rocky 1-3 and I'm sure a bunch more....

I got to play some sports with famous people, not often athletes, but a lot of TV and movie stars, which may be a good idea for a blog sometime, there are some good stories involved there.

I love talking about sports with my friends. Back in the day, it was a constant conversation, but thankfully, we've evolved and talk about a bunch of subjects, but we used to sit in a restaurant and talk for hours about all kinds of sports. A little sad, but fun.

I don't play any sports anymore. I stopped playing basketball about 4 years ago and softball shortly after that. I sometimes feel a twinge of regret and want to drive down to Lincoln JHS and play a couple games, but I wouldn't make it a couple trips down their much shorter court. I keep saying someday though and until then, I'll watch, and read and talk about sports until I'm old and gray, which shouldn't be too long from now.

sometimes, it's so easy to hate....

2011-11-26T21:09:00.000-08:00

I've said in the past the things I love, I love with everything I have and the things I hate I hate with the intensity of a thousand suns. Of course, there's a lot of middle ground out there. Hate is a really strong word and when I say I hate certain people, it's only because of their lengthy track record of self involvement and belittlement of the public that sets my blood to boil. For example, in entertainment (because if I talk about politics, all hell would break loose), when I see a press conference where Madonna gets flowers unsolicited and complains about the type of flower she gets, I hate. I see Jennifer Lopez shoot a commercial driving a car she wouldn't be caught dead in talking about going back to "her block" in NYC but the commercials were shot 3,000 miles away in L.A and I hate. I see the worst strain of the stage mom virus (Kris Jenner and Dina Lohan) pollute their older children and I know the cycle is going to repeat itself with their younger kids and I hate. But even entertainment is not nearly as black and white as hatred is in sports.

I haven't written on here in a while and the reason I was going to write was because I'm home by myself. My fiancee is visiting family in Wisconsin and I've been noodling on the computer and watching shows on my DVR. In between shows, I've seen less than a minute of the USC/UCLA game (I figured USC would win and I can't stand them). I saw two plays. When USC went up 20-0, they passed for a 2 point conversion...which is bad form in itself. Then at the start of the 3rd quarter, when they were up 29-0, their QB threw a long pass going for the end zone that was incomplete. I turned off the TV because it would only work me up. Apparently, they did the same exact thing on the next play and have kept on doing it, as the score is now 50-0 and the first string is still in throwing bomb after bomb. And their fans are going batshit crazy and cheering them on with every point they run up. The hater in me says that it's because they are all a bunch of self entitled douchebags who have a proven jackass as their coach. Lane Kiffin got into coaching football because his daddy was successful and he has failed upwards into possibly the top coaching position in college football. He is the George W. Bush of coaching, surrounded by quality assistants who hide the fact he is a socially and mentally inept jerkoff who failed on his own with Tennessee and the Raiders. Now, if the tables were turned and UCLA was winning by this much, I know their fans would be rooting for them to hit 100. That is what being a sports fan will make you do sometimes.

I am well known among my friends for hating not only teams, not only players, but fan bases as well. I hate them truly, madly and deeply. And yes, I am a hypocrite, I love players who have done things while wearing my team's colors that I would spend hours ranting against if they played for my teams rival (Ben Roethlisberger comes to mind). I was born in Western PA, and love the Pirates, Steelers and Penguins. I am also a Clipper fan. I have been so basically after Magic left the Lakers and they started bringing in players like Nick Van Exel, Elden Campbell and the loathsome Kobe Bryant. I've suffered through hard times (The Pirates haven't had a winning record in 19 years and the Clippers have had flashes, but been mostly inept). Thankfully, the Steelers and Penguins have won several times, but there are some cases where I would rather see certain teams lose than my team win. I revel in the schadenfreude that takes place when the Lakers get swept by Dallas, or when the Raiders are 2-14. I see someone who roots for Duke crying on the sidelines and I squeal with glee. I hear USC is on probation and I will actually strut. But it used to be a lot worse. As a teenager and in my 20's, I would get physically ill if bad things happened. When Neil O'Donnell threw that second interception against Dallas, I punched a hole in my bedroom door. Now I can calmly say the receiver missed O'Donnell's sign to him to run the hot route. When the Ravens came down the field and won a couple weeks ago, I didn't lose it. It didn't follow me in my interactions with people the next couple days. People brought it up at work and I was calm and said the Steelers didn't deserve to win. In the old days, I'd have bitched for an hour about the DB's or how Ray Lewis is a murderer (allegedly).

Yes, I guess hating is more of a young mans game when it comes to sports. That being said, a list of the people and teams I truly detest:

(others receiving votes - Frank McCourt (but he's out of sports now); Brian Wilson (enough already); Bud Selig (see Brian Wilson); Jerry Sandusky (there's a special place in hell for people like you); Roger Clemens (I used to love watching you pitch, but you've ruined it over the last several years);

10. Barry Bonds - I will use the words of a journalist to describe him - "if I got a phone call from Barry Bonds and he said he wanted to give me an exclusive one hour interview telling the world he did steroids, I don't know if I would do it, because it means I would have to spend an hour with Barry Bonds"

9. Duke Blue Devils - from the fans, to their ratfaced coach, to the same 12 McDonalds All Americans playing every year, yet still expecting to be called the underdog. It started with Hurley and Laettner (nobody ever liked him) and then J.J. Redick to Kyle Singler to the three Plumlee brothers who must have lived near a nuclear plant.

8. Washington Capitals - Fuck Alex Ovechkin

7. Chris Berman - You should have quit 10 years ago. You were getting tiresome then, but at least you hadn't burned out the last strand of goodwill you had with the public. You are a one trick pony whose trick wasn't that great to begin with. Yeah, Bert "Be home" Blyleven was cool when he was playing (he stopped in 1992). "He...could...go...all...the...way" was innovative, but you need to switch out your cliches every 100,000 uses. For God's sake, you used it in a Hootie and the Blowfish video (in 1995). And when someone calls you on it, you are so offended. Let some other people do their schtick, your 15 minutes was over 20 years ago.

6. Donald T. Sterling - I am a Clipper fan in spite of him. This penny pinching racist asshole will never sell the team, and he will never put in enough money to win it all. But I love players like Elton Brand and Blake Griffin who worked their ass off for him so I watch and root and he reaps the financial benefits. I got a call a couple weeks ago to ask if I was interested in Clipper seats. I told him to call me the day after Sterling dies and we can talk.

5. Raiders and their fans - At Tony P's where I used to watch football every week, one of our favorite things to do was yell out "Raiders suuuuuuuuccccckkk" when they made a mistake. It happened a lot. What I really hate is this whole Raiders mystique Al Davis tried to perpetrate. When we were 14, we went to the Raider/Seahawk AFC championship game, My brother wore his little Seahawk t-shirt and was threatened by a group of adult Raider fans. Combined with the stories of beatings that took place, I sincerely hope the Raiders don't ever come back to L.A.

4. Baltimore Ravens -The Steelers/Ravens rivalry is blowing up now. I hate the Ravens, and the fact that the Steelers knocked them out of the playoffs three years in a row tickled me. Ray Lewis (you know what he did) annoys the shit out of me.

3. USC and their fans. It's weird that one of my favorite players (Troy Polamalu) went there as he is the antithesis of a Trojan or their fan base. Loud, obnoxious and entitled sums up my feelings about the University of Spoiled Children. And there's a new breed of asshole that comes in each year. T.J. McDonald is holding up the modern USC standard of douchebaggery singlehandedly, taking the title from Bush and Leinart who took it from others all the way back to O.J. Simpson (just about the worst person on the planet). I think my hatred of USC has to do with living in Santa Monica as I was growing up. Westwood was right there, USC may as well have been on the moon. My brother, fiancee and best friend all graduated from UCLA. Basically we all pick a side and I chose not to be a douche.

2. Laker fans - Least knowledgeable fans on the planet. Who cares about the showing up late, the Staples Center is in the middle of a traffic nightmare, but when you show up, don't whine about every call or foul and for God's sake read up on the sport you are watching. Instead we have a bunch of people who watch the games in a cursory fashion because the real fans can't afford to pay for the seats in Staples. But the ones outside are just as bad. Listen to an hour of L.A. sports talk radio and you will see the levels of stupidity that coarse through Laker Nation. Once you've heard let's trade Luke Walton and Derek Fisher for Chris Paul and draft picks fifteen times or that WE are all haters because we don't give up enough love and respect to the Lakers. And anyone who is able to root for a team Vic the Brick roots for is a moron by definition. I feel terrible because I loooooooved the Showtime Lakers. But once and for all, Magic is the best Laker ever..and stop answering questions about why you are going to win because someone scored 81 in one night. Which leads me to......

1. Kobe Bean Bryant - smug, self important, puts himself above everyone else, makes mistakes but still has the balls to bitch every time something doesn't go his way, gave himself a nickname because no one likes him enough to do it. Wears out his welcome with everyone who wants to play with him. (He is a talented player, no doubt, but listening to him each day must be like Chinese water torture on the brain, he ran out Shaq and Phil twice) Not only an alleged rapist, but he broke the man code by selling out Shaq after he was caught in Eagle (dude, you got caught, don't try to take focus away from you by saying, er, um, Shaq cheated on his wife too) and then you went out like a little bitch and bought a 4 million dollar apology ring. By the way, wasn't she like 17 when you met her? And whatever you have is contagious, because I hear she's a raging bitch just like you. Just because you stick your lower jaw out when you run doesn't make you a tough competitor, it makes you look like an idiot. You will never be Jordan....

(exhales)

See? Hatred in sports comes so easily. I'm worked up now, I'm going to go read a book or something to calm down.

America's taste in music has sucked a long time.....

2010-08-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

I love Sporcle. It's a trivia site where you can answer questions on a wide range of topics with varying degrees of difficulty. From the starting lineups of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1992 - 2010 to the words to the Soft Kitty song from The Big Bang Theory, basically anything anyone has an interest in, they have a quiz for it.

Anyway, I was going through it tonight and I came across a new music quiz - Can you name the popular artists who have never had a #1 song? It then had a list of songs, the years they came out and the performers peak on the Billboard chart. Here's the page the quiz is on then an example with the answer:

Can you name the Popular artists who've never had #1 Hot 100 hit (1955-present) on the Billboard chart? - sporcle

As I went through the quiz, I was amazed at some of the artists who have never made it to #1. After taking the quiz, I went to the Billboard charts to first make sure that was the case, then come up with a list of some of the worst songs ever to be #1. Here's what I came up with.

Singers/Bands that never made it to #1:

Peaked at #2
Bruce Springsteen
Journey
Green Day
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Bob Dylan
Moody Blues
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Tom Jones
Johnny Cash

#3
James Brown
The Cars
Sarah Mclachlan

#4
Led Zeppelin
REM
Steely Dan
Alanis Morissette

#5
Cream
Garth Brooks
The Pretenders
Willie Nelson
Bonnie Raitt

#6
Nirvana
The Kinks
Little Richard

#7
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Joni Mitchell
KISS
Jackson Browne
Crosby, Stills and Nash

#8
The Clash
Lynyrd Skynryd
Grateful Dead

#9
Talking Heads
The Who
Patsy Cline
Van Morrison

#10
Metallica

Below #10 - Elvis Costello (19), Jimi Hendrix (20) AC/DC (23), Ella Fitzgerald (27), Bob Marley (51), Black Sabbath (52).

I'm not a fan of some of these people. I'd rather hear the sound of my teeth being drilled than a 29 minute version of Truckin' by the Grateful Dead or some Bob Dylan. But that doesn't mean I'm not stunned to hear that they were never #1. And I can't figure out how bands like The Who or Metallica and especially James Brown or Springsteen never made it to #1. You would think that the music that did make it to #1 had to be brilliant, moving pieces that raise the spirit and yet also compel you to get out on the floor and shake that ass. But no!!!! There are songs that have been #1 that are among the worst ever put to record, tape, CD or MP3, with one song so noxious, so foul, that it placed a stranglehold on our nation for months at a time.

Here are some of the so-called best songs of their era:

Disco Duck by Rick Dees

Don't Worry, Be Happy - Chuck D said it best.....

Rollin' by Limp Bizkit - I know no one who ever liked Fred Durst. His mom probably changed her name

We Built This City by Starship - Maybe the worst song ever....no...there is another....

Batdance and Cream by Prince - Now I love Prince, but both those songs were pieces of crap

4 songs for Jennifer Lopez - Wow....each one suckier than the last. What does she bring to the table now that Kim Kardashian has brought forth an ass for the new millenium?

Believe by Cher - South Park said it best, no need to add to it.

Gettin' Jiggy Wit it and Wild Wild West by Will Smith - Good thing the acting worked out. These were probably why there was no theme song to Hancock or I am Legend.

My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion - and my stomach will lose all that is in it.

Butterfly by 311 - wow, just unforgettable tripe, Insipid poser rock. Made me long for the stylings of Sugar Ray. (not really)

Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue by Toby Keith - made me wish for a second I was Canadian

How You Remind Me by Nickelback/ With Arms Wide Open by Creed - Overwrought, fake singing and self importance coming out of its pores. A Christian band like Creed will make you question your faith in a deity that allows a band like that to celebrate in his name. Scott Stapp should have been hit with a lightning bolt years ago.

I can't really comment on most songs since 2008 because I've never heard of most of them. But that stupid Kesha song(I refuse to put a f'n dollar sign in her name and can't find the cent sign) was #1 this year for 9 weeks. But the worst abomination ever perpetrated on American music was a song that was #1 from July 11th to October 16th in 2009. Yes, the Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling". "Born to Run" never made it to #1, but this piece of shit with lyrics lifted from a 3rd graders notebook was #1 for OVER THREE MONTHS!!!! And you know what band was #1 for almost three months before that? Yep, the f'n Black Eyed Peas with a song called "Boom Boom Pow"that was #1 from April 18th to July 10th.. I never heard it, but I have to believe it's better than Baba O' Riley, Brown Eyed Girl, Smells Like Teen Spirit and Even Flow combined.

For just under six months, America's ears were hijacked by some of the worst prefab crap ever made. And combine that with the fact that Fergie had 3 #1 songs by herself before that and it makes me want to puncture my eardrums. Thankfully "My Humps" only made it to #3, or I may have lost faith entirely.

H.L. Mencken was right when he said "No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public". We all like to think that the time we were growing up was so much better than it is now, but musicians have been throwing crap against the wall for years and we've been buying it. It's a matter of personal taste, but you can't tell me that Purple Haze is not as good of a song as Ghostbusters. But people looking back hundreds of years from now will see which one of those was a #1 song and we as a society are worse off for that.

I once stood on a corner in Winslow, Arizona

2010-07-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

While setting up for what seems to be her 563rd garage sale in the last five years, my mother came across my expandable file that I used to keep my records in back in the mid 90's. Some things were interesting (paystubs from when I was a bank teller/New Accounts Rep at Bank of America pulling down a hefty $7.45 per hour, a card from my mom, autographs from several Pittsburgh Pirates who all pretty much sucked) and there were some things that I couldn't throw away fast enough because they brought up bad memories.

In one of the pockets was a small folded up sheet of paper. On it was a list of cities starting with Monroeville, PA (Wednesday 10:00 AM) all the way across the country until Los Angeles, CA (Friday 10:00 PM). It was the list of cities I rode through as I took a Greyhound Bus across country over the longest 36 hours of my life.

I had been living with my grandmother for 8 months in the quiet little town of Bovard, PA after my mother and I decided we needed some space apart from one another. 3,000 miles was just about far enough to make us both comfortable at the time. During those eight months, I was able to piss off both sides of my family, get a 104 temperature from shoveling the walk after the biggest blizzard in 15 years wearing shorts and flip flops, work at a Burger King and get one of my female bosses fired for doing what was so eloquently documented in the song "The Humpty Dance" by Digital Underground, bear witness to history as I saw O.J. drive his white Bronco down the 405 while sitting in a bar where the DJ started a chant of "Go O.J. Go O.J.". start drinking again after being sober for almost two years and basically have a breakdown/realization that if every person you know in the world is angry with you, maybe it's because of you, not all of them.

At this point, I reconciled with my mother and she said I could come home if I went back to college and got a job. I readily agreed and my father said he would pay my way back to L.A. A plane ticket one way was $103.00 and it would have taken 5 and a half hours to get home. However, a 36 hour ride through the bowels of hell with Satan's minions was only $79.00. So, for the hefty savings of $24.00, he bought me a bus ticket. (BTW, I had to have my bags shipped to me, if I rode on the plane, I could have brought them with me as bags flew free then. My dad paid $41.00 to ship the bags...not a financial wizard was he).

The following was the list of cities I rolled through and stopped at over those 36 hours:

Monroeville, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Wheeling, WV
Cambridge, OH
Zanesville, OH
Columbus, OH
Springfield, OH
Dayton, OH
Richmond, IN
Indianapolis, IN
St. Louis, MO
Springfield, MO
Tulsa, OK
Oklahoma City, OK
Amarillo, TX
Albuquerque, NM
Gallup, NM
Houck, AZ
Holbrook, AZ
Winslow, AZ
Flagstaff, AZ
Camp Verde, AZ
Glendale, AZ
Phoenix, AZ
Blythe, CA
Claremont, CA
Los Angeles, CA

I only remember a few things from the trip. I sat in the back of the bus basically the whole way across the country and I think I slept about 23 minutes. Except for a 4 hour layover in St. Louis, the longest the stops were was about 15 minutes. I got out in Winslow, AZ....walked to the nearest corner....stood there for a second and felt like I had made my obligation to the Eagles paid in full. I ate candy bars because none of the terminals had a restaurant until I hit Amarillo.

From Amarillo to L.A., there was this little kid, about 4 years old, whose name was also Kevin. He wore a Bart Simpson t-shirt and raised hell the whole way. As he ran back and forth on the bus and crawled around, he got dirtier and dirtier and his shirt went from white to black. I myself smelled like an outhouse after Woodstock. My smell was getting to me, but no one else seemed to notice. By the time I hit L.A., I had a full beard, my hair was matted down and sweaty and I hadn't changed clothes in two days. Thankfully, there was no paparazzi at the bus terminal.

Seeing my mother and brother, I was so happy to have made it home. Looking back, I feel like that trip was the final threshhold between the person I was and the person that I soon became. I was changed after that, still had some problems, but at least I realized I needed help and it was time to start my life in earnest. I look at the other Kevin as how I had been acting and I left him behind on that bus. We walked out and Part Two of my life had just begun.

A final note. My mother was driving us home and I was sitting in the passengers seat as we made our way thorough a particularily seedy part of L.A. We stopped at a light and there were a group of 6-8 men on the other corner. They got up and started walking towards the car. My mom was oblivious to my telling her to go and finally, I reached my leg over and hit the gas pedal myself. We shot off into the night and a crisis was averted. :)

Let's play catch up, shall we?

2010-06-03T00:16:00.000-07:00

I haven't written a blog in a while. Actually it's been like a year. I don't know exactly why, maybe it's a lack of motivation on my part, but I am going to make a concerted effort to bitch here once in a while so the two or so people who read this can catch up on the ABC's of me.

Lessee, what's happened. I went back to school and finished my degree. I'm particualarly proud of this because I went to class everyday and didn't do too badly (Dean's List my second semester, combined GPA 3.5). My fiancee, friends and family had a lot to do with pushing me to show up and get it done. And I met some great people there too. Not that I'll probably ever see them again, but the fact they allowed someone twice their age to hang with them was nice of them. Maybe because I did a lot of the work, especially study guides and such. I was even older than some of the professors (up to 10 years) and some didn't get some of my references because they were outdated. That always makes someone feel good.

Speaking of age, I turn 40 in a couple months. When I was a teenager, I figured I'd be married by 27 and have some kids. Then when I was in college, I said 32, then when I was working, I said 35. I met the fiancee 5 1/2 years ago and we've been engaged for almost 2 years. It's not because we don't want to get married, it's just that the job situation has been ridiculous. After getting laid off 5 times in 2 years, now I only get offers to work at half the salary I was making before, which is basically what you get on unemployment. And if you were in the mortgage industry, it's like you are cursed and no one wants to hire you. There's a definite stigma.

Anyway, oh yeah, marriage. My friends are marrying and having kids and I want to be a part of that so badly you don't even know, but there's no logical way to do that if I'm not working. I had some promising leads, and some people said I was going to get hired, but then poof, the offers evaporated. I'm sick to my stomach about it on an almost daily basis. I feel like a burden on my fiancee and family. But we all will get past this, I know someone wants me. I hope someone does that is. I read there was a guy who sent out 847 resumes and finally got a job making half of what he made before. I'm at about 500 or so, and it's getting to be close to that time.

Both parents got sick this year and had to have serious surgery. I've always looked upon my mom as this force of nature, she was able to raise me and my brother by herself and handle everything work and life threw at her. Right before her surgery, we went to Paris for a week and she walked miles and miles all over Paris and Versailles and left me in the dust, a whimpering baby who couldn't keep up. So to then see her laying there in a hospital bed wrecked me. She's a lot better now. She's even going back to work next week. Like I said, she's really strong. Dad's ok too, he's been beating the odds for many years for many reasons.

So what am I doing while I look for work? I'm reading a lot of books, like one or two a week. Right now I'm reading Doyle Brunson's autobiography, which is cool. I also read a Bill Russell biography that was really good and can't wait to read the sequel to the Presumed Innocent book. I'm filling out applications and sending resumes and I'm trying to work out. I started a 30 day program on my Wii and I can feel some results already. I hang with my brother and fiancee. I try not to call my other friends that much because they have their own things going on. One just had a kid, one moved in with his girlfriend, one moved, one is buried in work cause it's his busy time of the year, etc. It's not like when we used to meet every Wednesday at Jerry's Deli or Enzo's and had dinner. I miss that, but I also know we grow up and apart eventually. I know if I needed them, they are a call away.

I didn't set out to be depressing, so if I was, I'm sorry. I will be getting to some more enjoyable subjects and I promise to blog a lot more. It's good to get stuff on

Fiberglass, Santa Claus and Lebowski

2009-04-08T01:57:00.000-07:00

When I was 25, I moved back to Los Angeles from Western Pennsylvania where I fell off the face of the earth for nine months. There are stories from my hiatus that definitely need to be told someday, but not this day. I dabbled around in the temp world and tried to figure out what I was going to do with my life. I took some classes at SMC, but mostly I hung out with friends and did whatever work came my way. I usually worked long term temp jobs. I worked six months for a firm that designs stuff with your company logo on it, you know, t shirts, foam rubber houses with Century 21 written on them, golf balls, etc. I worked for a guy who was a class A dickhead. He even threw a paperweight at my head one time because he didn't like the phone call he had just gotten off of even though I had nothing to do with it. Apparently he didn't like me and the only reason I stayed as long as I did was because they wanted to keep me on the company softball team. Once the season was over, I was sent back to my temp agency.

I worked at different places for two years. One day, I helped remove fiberglass from an office building roof and throw it away. They didn't give us gloves to do the work and it was 90 degrees, so we were in t shirts and shorts. It was verrrrry itchy. One day I was Santa Claus at the Westside Pavilion. That was cool in the fact they paid 12 bucks an hour and I met Loni Anderson and John Ritter (God rest his soul). It was like an episode of Love Boat. But I shaved before I put on their beard, and you shouldn't do that, because the stuff they put the beard on with works better with some stubble, which they didn't mention in the first Simpsons episode when Homer was a Santa. (Comet, Cupid...um...Donna Dixon?) I got a rash on my face that stayed for a couple days. It was verrrrrry itchy.

Finally, I got placed as an assistant apartment manager in Westwood for two buildings across the street from each other on Wellworth with 125 units. I was going to make sure the units were in shape and if there was work to be done, I was to call in people to do it. I just had to show open units and collect rent checks and make small talk with the tenants. In return, I was going to get a discounted apartment (after 120 days) and a pretty fair salary at the time. And this was a big company with room to grow. People all over were leaving individual buildings and working for the main company....I had a job with some potential.

Cut to two months later. There was a guy I met named Razz. He worked at L.A. Fitness a couple blocks away from our buildings and was looking to move in. We went through the process and he was going to be approved. The day before he signed his lease, it was pouring buckets of rain. He had all of his stuff in the back of a Datsun truck. He asked me if he could put the stuff in the apartment one day early. I said OK. Annnnnddddddd....I got fired. Apparently you can't do stuff like that. To top it off, I had made friends with a woman in one of the units, we went out and I liked hanging out with her. After I left, the manager told her all I did was talk about how I was going to bang her....and she believed him....classic dick move.

Well, Razz's boss, Chris, felt bad for me and asked me if I wanted to sell gym memberships. You had to bring in 5 people on your own, then you could get on the rotation list. After two weeks, I brought in.....no one. I was just taking the hourly and while I tried, no one wanted a membership. I was going to the UCLA campus every day until finally one Saturday, I went and saw The Big Lebowski instead. Chris knew I was not cut out for it and he recommended I call his friend who did mortgages in L.A. I'd be making more in salary than I ever had plus commission on deals I closed. I got the job and was going to start working in the business I've been in for the last 11 years. And that will be part two of this story, cause it's late.

Society is fucking ignorant...or the Taken kiddie matinee

2009-02-18T00:42:00.000-08:00

I have never been a fan of Valentine's Day. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that my parents were married on that day. If you knew the trainwreck that that turned out to be, you wouldn't want to celebrate a day like that either. Combine it with the fact that, except for the last few years, I have been single on that day, it's a no brainer.

Well, this year, my darling Michele had to work from 7-7, which means usually 7-9:30 or 10:00 depending on the patients. I, of course, had no complaints as while I may be a hopeless romantic, I still don't like Valentines Day. So, instead, I was going to go see Taken with my good friend Andrea. We had dinner right before it opened and both said how much we wanted to see it. Despite the reviews, I still wanted to see it.

So, the movie starts at 4:00. Andrea lives two minutes from an AMC Theater in Woodland Hills. I don't like to go to the AMC, I am an Arclight man all the way. I like the idea of selecting my seats before I get there and not having to deal with the assholes who show up 30 seconds before the movie starts and ask "Duh, iz them seats taken?" Why no....150 people walked in here and sat down in other spots because who would want to sit in halfway up right in the middle? Thank God you are here to take the bullet for us on this one.

Where was I? Oh yeah, Andrea doesn't like the AMC either, but I had free passes and she had a gift card there. We figured that in the third week of showing, and with a half hour to get there, things would be dandy. I had parked illegally in their lot, but I figured who cares, only going to go in, get her and leave. I get back to the car. Try to start it.....fucking battery is dead. No problem, we'll take our friend Gillian's car. Gillian is her roommate and a wonderful woman, but had no intention of seeing what she called Schindler's Pissed. The problem was, we had to move the car into her spot. I drive a 2005 Toyota Camry. I had no idea they weighed 173,000 metric tons. I pushed that car about 30 feet up a slight (meaning almost negligible) incline and I was ready to puke up a kidney. Thank God there wasn't a speed bump as I'd be writing this from the hospital.

Now we have 10 minutes. We get in Gillian's car and drive to the mall. The place is packed. We look for the Valet. There's a sign, there's an umbrella. We wait 30 seconds and realize there is no valet. Because why would you have one on Saturday night, and a supposed holiday to boot?

We open the door to the mall and there is a line 40 people deep to get to the ticket booth. Fuck that, we mosey over to the credit card machine and get tickets. It's a 16 theater setup...there is one guy ripping tickets...........slowly. Thankfully another guy shambles over and we hand him the tickets.

As I said, 16 theaters....our movie is in the 15th....which is like a broom closet with a screen. The place is packed. There's seats in the front row and that's it. We contemplate motion sickness but then, like a VD miracle, some people get up and leave several rows back. We sit down with 3 seconds to go before previews. I have a large diet coke and we have a large popcorn. I am in flavor country and quite content.......

The previews suck. State of Play has Andrea cursing Ben Affleck. Apparently the BBC version is the tits and they are fucking it up. There's one for Miss March about some guy who falls into a coma on prom night right before he's about to get some ass. He wakes up four years later and his girl is a Playmate. Hijinks must ensue. Hefner looks like a wax statue.

Since the previews are sucking, I look around the theater. Sitting next to me is a child and her dad. The child appears to be about 7 or 8. To the left of me is Andrea, then two kids about 6 and 8 who are sitting by themselves unattended with no parents. Then, a guy walks in and sits in the front row pushing a stroller. I check my ticket stub. Yep, Taken, not Hotel for Dogs or some other kiddie movie. Isn't this movie supposed to be violent? Let's see.....

PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, disturbing thematic material, sexual content, some drug references and language.

Yeah, that's the movie to take your kiddies to. But it's none of my business. I smile at the little girl munching on her popcorn and she smiles back. The movie starts.......

And for the next 30 minutes all I hear is this.

"Daddy, who is that?"
"Daddy, why is he running"
"Daddy, did he stab that guy?"
"Daddy, who is that again?"

I'm going out of my fucking mind. I hate hate HATE it when people talk in the theater. I give the father a death stare and he leans over and whispers to his daughter. The guy in the front has the sense to leave the second his infant starts to cry and we never hear from them again. Then the daughter starts playing 20 questions again.

"Daddy, is that the Eiffel Tower?"
"Daddy, who are those guys"
"Daddy, is he a good guy?"

I look at Andrea and see that there is an open seat on her left. I leap over her and sit down, and sigh the sigh of contentment. But then I remember there are TWO kids on this side of me.

They begin to kick one another. Andrea is shushing the little girl I had shielded her from before. I lean over and look at the kids and half whisper "quit kicking each other now and watch the movie" and glare at them. For some reason, they got up and were never heard from again.

I liked the movie. I would have liked it a lot more if some parents weren't so fucking stupid as to bring their kids to this movie. Was it their Valentine's Day gift to their kids? Here you go honey, let's go to a movie you have no clue how to follow and may have nightmares about the shootings and stabbings and the guy who was hit by a truck. Enjoy it, then we'll go eat dinner. I know people need to get out. I've heard stories about R rated movies where couples bring infants to the movie and don't leave when they start crying. That should count for immediate dismissal. I hope to be a father soon and when I do, I'll just not go to a movie with my kid until they are old enough to go or if it's a kiddie flick. Because I am a considerate fucking guy. But there were at least 10 kids in the theater and that is unfuckingacceptable.

At least the night ended well. The AAA guy came and brought a battery with him, which worked out well because Gillian and Andrea checked and there were no places open. We all went to Kate Mantilini's for dinner and then went over to Corbin Bowl.to sing karaoke. Gillian has her version of Epic by Faith No More up on her Myspace and apparently my version of Fiona Apple's Criminal was taped, so maybe I can get a copy of that up.

Sometime, I may talk about the different people who go to this karaoke bar because it's funny, but I'll save it.

People have no fucking taste....

2009-02-01T21:30:00.001-08:00

***This is going to be a long one people, maybe you should get a beverage first***

So I'm minding my own business, basking in the glow of a Steelers Super Bowl Victory. I don't know if they deserved to win, but they did. Still and all, props to Arizona and especially Larry Fitzgerald, who has been my favorite non Steeler for about two years. Anyhoo, I turn on my computer and AIM comes on. With it comes a page that says...50 hottest redheads. I'm a sucker for redheads, and Pajiba just had a vote recently about it, so I decide to take a look. What I saw was not only terrible, but downright disgusting. I don't know who voted for this but whoever it was wasn't either 1. Male or 2. Over the age of 18. Either that or this was a list made based on whose publicists did the most work. Because now only haven't I heard of half of these people, but most of the people who are on it I know are laughable. And apparently it's based on anyone who they have a picture of with red hair, because some people who are known as a brunette or blonde are on here as well.

The site is http://dashboard.aim.com/aim/galleries/50-hottest-redheads?icid=aimDBPromoOne_1

I recommend you look along as I make my comments.

50. Jenna Fischer - A great start to the list. I think 50 is pretty low, but at least she is on it. She's downright adorable.

49. Gia Ferrell - Don't know who she is. Not cuter than Jenna. In line for a beak tweak. Average at best.

48. Alison Sudol - Who is this? Apparently a singer. The pic on the list makes her look goofy.

47. Rumer Willis -

(stares at screen, mouth agape)
(sighs)
(takes a sip of water)

HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

Are you fucking kidding me? I've had bowel movements with blood in them that were prettier redheads than her. She looks like a misshapen Mister Potato Head. I went into a full body heave when I say her on the screen. She must have made Demi Moore's vagina look like a manhole when she was born. Sweet Tapdancing Christ on a pogo stick. She's not the 50 cutest anything. I don't know who Jenna Fischer pissed off, but she needs to fire her publicist ASAP.

46. Alyson Hannigan - Wayyyyyyyy too soon for her to be on this list. Not based on the picture on the site, but all of the other ones. She's adorable and a top 10 contender here and on Pajiba when we had our vote. At least she is ahead of 47 (which is also her hat size)

45. Cris Winger - No fucking clue. IMBD says she did makeup for 20 movies and was in one. she's cute, but not deserving to be on this list if we don't know who the fuck she is.

44. Sara Rue - She was on some TV show, where she was perky and chunky. Then she lost weight. I think she was on The Big Bang Theory recently. If I could possibly pull her in a bar, she shouldn't be on the list.

43. Emilie Dequenne - French actress. Meh.

42. Barbara Meier - German Model. Won Germany's Next Top Model. Bad picture I guess.

41. Susan Sarandon - 20 years ago maybe. Come on people, I understand that we are supposed to celebrate older women and say that they are just as hot and vibrant as women 20-30 years younger than them. Horseshit. Susan Sarandon is a good looking woman and I thought she was great in Bull Durham, but is she hotter than Alyson Hannigan? Um, hell no.

40. Tori Amos - She wasn't hot before, she isn't hot now. Looks like a Muppet who sings depressing songs. This is a list of the HOTTEST Redheads and there have been 2 out of 11 that should be on the list.

39. Kristen Stewart - Bitch is boring when she acts. Looks boring in her pictures. It's funny, there's also a list of Top 100 performers under 25 that I couldn't bear to look the whole way through. Here's a hint. She's in the top 15, Lauren Conrad is 3rd. Dakota Fanning is 100th. Something is wrong wrong wrong here.

38. Kate Walsh - OK, not bad, this is about her range. I remember her when she was Drew's girlfriend on the Drew Carey Show and she wore a fat suit, but when she wasn't in it was sneaky cute. Then she gets on that crappy Grey's Anatomy show and she's sultry? Things change.

37. Deirdre Quinn - Apparently she is on Heroes. I don't know. I have never watched it. I watch How I Met Your Mother, a better show with a better redhead.

36. Aviva - There is no record of her on Google, just some company. Did a little deeper dig and she is Aviva Farber, the hot little redhead McLovin goes to bed with in Superbad. Jesus, that is the worst picture ever taken of her. I'd fire her agent for letting that represent her hotness.

35. Kate Nash - British singer. Once again the pic provided is the worst ever. Was the guy putting this together running late and needed to get out of the office? Take an extra 10 minutes and have some pride in your craft.

34. Emily Bergl - Another bad pic. And she doesn't look good with short red hair. She was in that Carrie 2 movie...there she had the creepy hot look aka the Fairuza Balk. You know, the look where she was going to fuck the shit out of you then kill you with a butter knife and use your skin as a Snugglie.

33. Claire Danes - Good pick, good placement. May be one of the rare women who is cuter as a blonde.

32. Danneel Harris - She's on One Tree Hill and was in the 2nd Harold and Kumar movie. And she will be in the upcoming Sony release Fired Up (that was for you Shawn). Maybe she should be higher than she is ranked here.

31. Bonnie McKee - she's a singer. Meh.

30. Lily Cole - Apparently this woman is a "Supermodel" She must be able to suck a tennis ball through a racket, though I don't know how with the bottom of your head missing. If we took Rumer Willis's jaw and put it on the top of hers, it would look like an Easter Island statue.

29. Michelle Stafford - Apparently she's won two Emmys. Then I looked further and they are Daytime Emmy's. I won a Daytime Emmy for the time I withdrew money at the ATM. She looks like an average soccer mom, the one who brings vegetables for the team snack.

28. Kirsten Dunst - I guess they don't take teeth into account. Britain's Sweetheart looks like she makes keys with those bad boys.

27. Shayna Rose - Another soap actress and was on Mad Men and Ugly Betty. Where she shouldn't be. On this list at 27. Plain pale redhead with no merit to be where she is.

26. Rachel Boston - Played the sister on The Ex List, which was cancelled in like a week. Another OK but not special pick who should be lower.

25. Scarlett Pomers - Like I'm going to back someone who's main role was on Reba. I don't get this list so far.

24. Christina Ricci - Much hotter with jet black hair. I don't even know when she was a redhead.

23. Gillian Anderson - Guys are crazy about her for some reason. She's cute, but has the personality of a tube sock. But the list is for hottest, so she should be here, and here's a good a spot as any.

22. Nicola Roberts - There's a band called Girls Aloud, I guess. Never heard of them. Never heard of her. She needs a nose job.

21. Phoebe Price - No fucking clue. She looks like she is a candidate for Crack Whore Magazine. But after starring in such classics as "The Junkyard Willie Movie - Lost in Transit" and "Strawberries for the Homeless" and one episode of Arliss as "Photographer" she clearly deserves to be on this list.

20. Julianne Moore - Now we are getting somewhere. Yes and double yes. Insanely hot back in the day and holds up nicely.

19. Bryce Dallas Howard - No and hell no. Clint is hotter than her. ***I went to the Pajiba list to look at this after I was done. Apparently, I used the same joke. It still applies.

18. Shirley Manson - Under the Freaky hot section (see Emily Bergl) but too high for this list.

17. Lindsay Lohan - I thought the idiots who made this list would rank her higher. But when she has her shit together and her mouth shut, she is attractive. Look that that to happen again in 2056.

16. Joss Stone - She has a good voice. I liked the first album where she sang standards. As for being hot? She is a two face. (see Seinfeld for reference) and hotter as a blonde.

15. Kate Winslet - Talented and hot. Deserves to be where she is, if not higher.

14. Karen Elson - British model and singer. eh, ok, you can stay.

13. Laura Prepon - Very very hot. I was saddened by three things about her. 1. when she went blonde. That was a sad day. She was hot and different looking then she went bimbo. 2. Dating Christopher Masterson, the less manly Masterson brother (which is saying a mouthful). 3. Is a Scientologist. Takes her out of the running forever.

12. Emma Stone - Another girl from Superbad. You know, for a movie I didn't much like, they did have some talented redheads. What? I think Michael Cera does the same thing every movie and Jonah Hill isn't funny at all. He aspires to be Jack Black.....who isn't funny anymore either.

11. Angie Everhart - Hall of Famer. Still has it.

10. Debra Messing - WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?!?!?!? Are you kidding me? Personality goes a long way on this one. She is more annoying than crotch rot.

9. Alicia Witt - A personal favorite from waaaaaayyyyy back. When I lived at home, my mom loved Cybill. I would watch it just to see her. And Cybill is more annoying and self centered than Debra Messing, so that tells you how hot I think Alicia Witt is.

8. Ashlee Simpson - Ahead of Alicia Witt? Fuck you voters. She is the ugly sister. Hell, O.J., Marge and Grampa Simpson have more to offer than this talentless bim. the only couple I hate more than her and her gay husband are the two dickheads from the Hills. BTW, on that list of Top people under 25, Heidi was 24th. Kat Demmings was 25th. There is no God.

7. Amy Adams - Top 3 on my list. hell, at least she is in the top 10 and ahead of Asslee.

6. Drew Barrymore - Don't know what to say. For a while I had a full length poster of her in my old apartment that was hot. http://www.boxingscene.com/media/data/513/medium/3776Drew_Barrymore_boxing_again.jpg

She don't look like that anymore. She's attractive, but not top 10.

5. Rose McGowan - She is Top 5. Hot and curvy....and crazy!!!!

4. Lydia Hearst - Didn't know who she was. If you are allegedly top 5, we should know you. And eat a fucking burger while you're at it. I will trade Alyson Hannigan's spot for this one.

3. Marcia Cross - ?????? Do you remember that movie "Death Becomes Her" where Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep end up with eternal life, but have to spackle and duct tape themselves? I think Marcia Cross is going the same way. When she was on Melrose Place, she deserved to be up this high, but not now....no sirree bob. Good thing Teri Hatcher was never a redhead or her dumb ass would be on here as well.

2. Christina Hendricks - I have never watched Mad Men. I have seen pictures of Christina Hendricks. Mad Men is a great fucking show. And it's great some curvy women are coming on the scene.

1. Evan Rachel Wood - #1? The Hottest redhead? I mean she's cute, but not the hottest redhead. Not the hottest young actress. Not the hottest actress in the movie The Wrestler. Marisa Tomei, FTW. What a depressing end to the list.

OVERALL - Obviously the list sucked. I didn't know 18 of them. Some were criminally low, some were criminally high and Rumer fucking Willis was on the list. Do you know who wasn't on the list?

Lauren Ambrose
Nicole Kidman
Laura Leighton
Rachel McAdams
and the hottest redhead of them all (no, not Shawn Hugus)

Isla Fisher

As I said, I don't know who made this list, but here's my top 10 and I'll let you decide which is better.

10. Julianne Moore
9. Jenna Fischer
8. Christina Hendricks
7. Laura Prepon
6. Alyson Hannigan
5. Alicia Witt
4. Rose McGowan
3. Rachel McAdams
2. Amy Adams
1. Isla Fisher

....and I'm spent.

Now that's good eatin!!!!

2008-12-23T22:12:00.000-08:00

OK, I'll tend more to the blog now after removing myself from the poker sites for a couple weeks. I am growing tired of having pocket Aces and losing to lesser hands (in this case he has AK and hit runner runner straight) I am beginning to believe the theorists out there who say that the games are rigged. I have lost with pocket aces 5 times in the last 7 tournaments. That can't be a coincidence.

Anyway, I said before to friends I was going to write about my favorite meals. You don't get to be my size and not enjoy a meal or two. So, here are my five favorite comfort meals....the things that make the big man happy.

Honorable mention - A Ham Salad Sandwich from Andersons on a fresh roll with Snyders Potato Chips and Cherokee Red. The reason this is honorable mention is because Andersons is closed. I will never be able to get that particular type of Ham Salad anymore. And I loved it so much. Anything else will be a weak sister to that. Also, they don't sell Snyders Potato Chips and Cherokee Red in L.A., it's strictly East Coast. Like back in the day, they didn't sell Ho-Ho's here. Also, back in the day, every individual Ho-Ho was wrapped in aluminum foil. That was weird. BTW, Shawn and Michele HATE ham salad and were grossed out when I ate it. But I don't take food advice from someone who doesn't put milk on cereal, doesn't eat eggs or drink cola.

Others receiving votes - Large Poorboy sammich from Bay Cities, the Garlic rolls at Pizza Cookery, House Special Chicken from Pick Up Stix. Pad See Ew from Thai and I in Encino, Shrimp Scampi from the Cheesecake Factory. A Grilled Ham and Swiss from any deli. Scrambled Eggs with Biscuits and Gravy from Raes.

5 - A Shrimp Scampi Burrito from Poquito Mas, Mojado style - Walker took me to this place for lunch one day when we were working at OOMC. Now, I love shrimp like Bubba Blue did. So I ordered it. Fresh tortillas and shrimp with really good soft white rice wrapped up, drenched in red sauce and with a caesar salad and black beans on the side. And the price ranges depending on the volatile shrimp market. So it can be 7.99 or 11.99. Either way, it is quite choice.

4 - Porterhouse steak with the garlic seasoning, medium well with mashed potatoes AND French fries with a Ciroc and Ginger Ale to drink from Prime at the Bellagio - I used to not be a steak guy. My affinity for it has grown as I have been able to upgrade from Steak-um's and Steak and Eggs at Norms (AKA the Trevor Shickman Special). Back in the days, when the troops would roll up to Vegas, our good friend Al would get us hooked up at Prime. It was our friend J.P. (who has the tastebuds of a 7 year old) who insisted on the fries. And what a great choice he made. They are light as air and not greasy at all. It's goofy, but running a fry through your mashed potatoes and eating it is a fun thing to do for me. As for the drink, I'll say it again. Fuck Poof Drizzle, I was drinking Ciroc way before his punk ass did. Other steak houses like Mastros, Fins and Fogo De Chao are good, but Prime is the balls.

3 - King Cheese well done with Lettuce, Onions, Mayo and Pickles from Fatburger - Some will say In and Out is the best burger out there, but they are flimsy and I don't like the condiment selection as much. A King Burger needs two hands and it has some heft to it. And I like steak fries, so the fat fries are better than the ones at In and Out. Now, if we are going to In and Out, I will eat it happily, but the Fatboogie is my favorite.

2 - Chicken Parmesan with a side of spaghetti and meat sauce from Maggiano's - I just had this yesterday, the serving is so huge you can take it home and have it for another meal. The sauce from the Chicken Parm mixed with the meat sauce from the spaghetti is really tasty. I have tried only one other meal at Maggiano's and while it was good, I had to order a chicken parm to go because I regretted turning my back on my true Maggiano's love.

1B - Spaghetti and Meatballs from Rizzo's in Crabtree, Pennsylvania - Their sauce is so good that I have it shipped to me by the case from http://www.rizzosmalabarinn.com/sauces.aspx. I know it's a bias, but East Coast Italian food is far superior to the stuff you get here. Like Ray Liotta said in Goodfellas "Ketchup and noodles with burnt meatballs". Oh, and you have to get the Garlic bread and a salad, no beets. If Rizzo's closes, based on Anderson's closing this year, I have no reason to go back to Western PA, except family. :)

1A - Chick Fil-A Sandwich, no pickles, Large Waffle fries with barbecue sauce to dip in and a small cole slaw - It's a running joke with all of my friends, but it is the best fast food there is. The closest one is 20 miles away and I will make road trips to go get it. And I bring back several sandwiches and nuggets for Michele and I to eat during the week. Chick Fil-A was my first job back in 1986 at Santa Monica Place. (And no, despite rumors to the contrary, I never wore the chicken suit. I did dress up as Santa Claus at the Westside Pavilion when I was 26, but thats another story for another blog). We used to get free food as a perk for working there and it's no wonder the place went out of business. I wish one was closer, but am also aftaid I would be 350 lbs.

I didn't say this was the best food, just the food that makes me the happiest. Feel free to advise me on what else I should try.

Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves

2008-12-12T18:22:00.000-08:00

1. Put your music on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

1) IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Bring Me Edelweiss - Edelweiss

2) WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
What You Won’t Do for Love – Bobby Caldwell - Yeah, I’m a sucker for attention and making people happy.

3) WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Second Time Around – Shalamar – I don’t know what that means. Does it mean I only like someone the second time we’re together? I’m happy now.

4) HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
I’m Housin’ – EPMD – Yes, I am housin…..I rule!

5) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE??
Walking in Memphis – Marc Cohn – Um, am I to be a transient?

6) WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Everytime You Go Away – Paul Young – You take a piece of me with you….

7) WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Mr. Scarface, The Final Chapter – Mr. Scarface - I’m a drug dealer?

8) WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Riptide – Robert Palmer – I don’t swim, and the song is about being torn between two lovers. It is not true.

9) WHAT IS 2+2?
Your Song – Elton John – Yeah, it is a basic song.

10) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Sanford and Son Theme Song - HAHAHAHAHAHA

11) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Trip and a Half/Mia Bocca – Jill Jones - She is a trip and a half

12) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Love My Way – The Psychedelic Furs – Yep, it has to be my way…

13) WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Mexican Radio – Wall of Voodoo – I don’t know

14) WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
How Do You Keep the Music Playing? – James Ingram and Patti Austin - Hmmmm, guess I’m worried about keeping her.

15) WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Tin Man – America – But you had heart all along….

16)WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Amazing – Josh Kelley – Maybe.

17) WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Shock the Monkey – Peter Gabriel - LOL

18) WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Put Your Hands on Me – Sinead O’Connor - playing with yourself isn’t a hobby, it’s a vocation.

19) WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
I Wonder if I’ll Take You Home – Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force – Did I have a one night stand I don’t know about? Or when I did back in the days…..did something happen?

20) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Out of Touch – Hall and Oates – Again…..HAHAHHAHAHA

21) WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Fire and Rain – James Taylor – Don’t like burning, don’t like drowning.

22) HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Polka Your Eyes Out – Weird Al Yankovic – I can see that.

23) WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Light of Day – Joan Jett – See previous mentions to one night stands.

24) WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
My Ever Changing Moods – Style Council – Yep, I’m a moody sonofabitch

25) WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Steal My Sunshine – Len – I don’t like when my sunshine is stolen. 

26) WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
I Don’t Want to Wait – Paula Cole – I am engaged….so there you go.

27) WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Possession – Sarah Mclachlan – Yeah, I don’t like to be possessed by the devil.

28) DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Tiny Dancer – Elton John – she is petite, and can shake it…..yep, that’s my girl

29) IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Goody Two Shoes – Adam and the Ants - I don’t know, would I be one? Or would I stop myself from being one? I didn’t think I was one.

30) WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Guilty – Barry Gibb and Barbra Streisand – Cant think why.

31) WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves - Cher

32) HOW DOES THE WORLD SEE YOU?
Naturally Mine – Al. B. Sure! – Yes, I am there for the whole world.

33)WILL I HAVE A HAPPY LIFE?
Beautiful Day – U2 –Fuckin’ A – Nice!!!

34)WHAT DO MY FRIENDS REALLY THINK OF ME?
I’m Bad – LL Cool J – Yep, I’m a bad ass

35) DO PEOPLE SECRETLY LUST AFTER ME?
Calling All Angels – Train – Vladimir Guerrero wants me? Um, I’m a fan, but no.

36) HOW CAN I MAKE MYSELF HAPPY?
Just Another Night – Mick Jagger – of what?

37)WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY LIFE?
Undercover Angel – Alan O’Day – Great, I’m gonna be a detective or manwhore.

38) WILL I EVER HAVE CHILDREN?
Jimmy – Boogie Down Productions – A song about condoms doesn’t bode well.

39) WHAT IS SOME GOOD ADVICE FOR ME?
You Can’t Change That – Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio – Yeah, just let things that you can’t change go, don’t let them get to you.

40) HOW WILL I BE REMEMBERED?
Stop Draggin My Heart Around – Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty – Um, this isn’t good.

41) WHAT IS MY SIGNATURE DANCING SONG?
Your Smiling Face – James Taylor - I don’t know.

42)WHAT DO I THINK IS MY CURRENT SIGNATURE SONG?
Life’s Been Good to Me So Far – Joe Walsh – Yeah, that’s cool.

43) WHAT DOES EVERYONE THINK MY SONG IS?
Ghetto Thang – De La Soul – Because I am so down, I guess?

44) WHAT TYPE OF WOMEN DO YOU LIKE?
Night and Day – Al B. Sure! – Manic depressive? Not likely.

45) WHAT IS MY DAY GOING TO BE LIKE?
Isn’t She Lovely – Stevie Wonder – OK.

It's time to update an old list

2008-12-02T22:32:00.001-08:00

My good friend Chris Walker and I had a conversation one day over lunch about the 10 women you would be allowed to sleep with and your significant other couldn't complain. I wrote this list on August 17th, 2006. It was a pretty solid list, but for some reason, I had Elisha Cuthbert and Katherine Heigl on the top, but they were moved for Rachel McAdams a couple days later. Know that this was before I ever heard one of them speak. The list was as follows:

Others receiving votes: Sophie Marceau, Claire Forlani, Rose McGowan, Salma Hayek, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Asia Argento, Liv Tyler, Jenna Fischer, Audrey Tautou, Carla Gugino, Gabrielle Union, Rachel Weisz, Alyson Hannigan, Jessica Biel, Michelle Monaghan, Mary Louise Parker, Alicia Witt, Jennifer Esposito, Kate Beckinsale.

10 - Eliza Dushku
9 - Kelly Hu - I liked the idea of the name Kelly Hu Hugus....like a stutter or hiccup.
8 - Elizabeth Banks
7 - Ashley Judd
6 - Famke Janssen
5 - Lauren Graham
4 - Diane Lane
3 - Jessica Alba
2 - Cuthbert or Heigl
1 - Rachel McAdams

The list is outdated....things need to be switched around and changed. I'm not interested in almost every one of these new celubutards that have hit the scene. There are no Audrey Hepburns on the horizon. But as I get older, I like a woman who has a little more substance. I don't understand why.....but now here's the new list.

10 - Gemma Arterton - Strawberry Fields in Quantum of Solace, best thing about the movie.
9- Mary Louise Parker - Should have been on the other list, I like her quirkiness
8 - Jenna Fischer - too adorable on the Office
7 - Emmanuelle Chriqui - incredibly hot, almost worth watching Zohan for
6 - Lauren Graham - Still on the list
5 - Isla Fisher - attractive and funny
4 - Diane Lane - the lifetime achievement award, has not lost a step
3 - Rachel McAdams - still beautiful, was #1, but been out of the picture.
2 - Elizabeth Banks - Good movies, insanely attractive, right on the cusp of #1
1 - Amy Adams - Total package. No need to elaborate.

Feel free to give your opinions.

2008-11-24T02:07:00.000-08:00

I can't sleep......

Once I fall asleep, I can sleep for 12 hours, but I am unable to fall asleep before 2 AM. It's 2:07 right now on a Sunday night and I am wide awake. I tried to sleep, but obviously it didn't happen. I did the LA Times Sunday crossword puzzle, but that only took up 29 minutes of my time (I usually do it in under 30 with a personal best of 21 minutes). I played Yahtzee and Word Whomp on Pogo. I read a chapter of Blink by Malcolm Gladwell (great book BTW, Shawn).

During the day there are a lot of things to occupy my time. When night falls, I worry about if I'm going to go to get a job. If not, am I going to go to school full time. If I do, can I afford it? When am I going to get married? How can we have a wedding if I am unemployed? Why can't I lose 30 pounds? (the answer to that is because every Monday, I try to start a workout plan, do 30-45 minutes on the treadmill and don't touch it again until the following week. But tomorrow, I'll start for real).

It's a different week with Thanksgiving coming up. A lot of places aren't going to interview. I've had a couple companies say they won't be contacting anyone until the New Year. So.....I will take the unemployment checks (I'm eligible for one year, woo hoo) and hopefully I will be working by MLK day. But I'm still going to worry until then. I'm going to be 40 in a year and 9 months. And yet I feel like I have no plan. I always said my work would not define the type of person I am, my family and friends would do that, but I'm not alone anymore. It's not like I'm afraid to work, and I've worked for some of the all time assholes in my life, so I can take abuse and criticism. Yet, I think going to school is the move. Most jobs, even on the entry level, require some type of degree. Since I will have 8 classes left after this, why not do it now? The market sucks and it doesn't seem like it's getting any better. Yeah, it's time to start looking for student loans tomorrow.....I promised people I would finish my degree, so it's time to live up to my word.

I feel better to put it in words. And now I'm getting a little sleepy. So maybe it's time to go to bed.

And I have so little to look forward to.....but it could be worse

2008-11-19T17:17:00.000-08:00

Since leaving the old jobsite on Halloween, I've had a lot of time to study and look for new jobs. I've been flip flopping on the idea of whether or not I am just going to go back to school and finish the last 8 classes I have and get my degree. I applied for Unemployment, so that's going to kick in soon. Anyway, it's stressful to me. So, even though I have a lot of free time, I don't go out and do things. But this week, I had plans for a couple of things I was looking forward to.

1. I saw Quantum of Solace
2. I was going to a taping of the Craig Ferguson show where James Lipton and Sarah McLachlan were going to be on. But before that, I was getting a tour of the CBS lot.
3. This Saturday a pub crawl then a birthday party at a bowling alley/karaoke bar. I love to singa about the moon-a and the June-a and the spring-a

At the start of the year, I wrote a blog on Myspace outlining the top movies I was looking forward to in 2008. They were Iron Man, The Dark Knight and Quantum of Solace. I am not a big comic book geek, but the first two seemed they were going to kick ass. And they most certainly did. I saw commercials for Quantum of Solace (piss poor name by the way, but I understand keeping with the Ian Fleming titles and the other ones left were worse) and I thought it was going to rock.....

Well, the movie was OK. Not horrible by any stretch, not phenomenal, just bleh. There were several well choreographed fight scenes but other than that, no real movement of story line and the villain was weak. And the Bond girl sucked. They should have had the other one be the main lady....Strawberry Fields....now she was cool. So that was a disappointment.

I woke up this morning, got dressed to go to CBS. Stopped at Pink's for a hot dog (which wasn't that good....especially when you take into account the line....it was a short line for there, but still took 20 minutes to order). Got bumped by someone and got a little chili on my shirt. A white dress shirt with blue lines...but I was able to cover it up. I get to the CBS Lot and my friend Dave is unable to make it for the tour. So he got his coworker Lisa to do it. She was wonderful. She took me to the Price is Right stage (I got to touch the wheel, It's not that heavy....I could probably make it spin for a long time.) The Dancing With the Stars and American Idol stages (both empty) and then she takes me to the Craig Ferguson stage. I hear someone say "she's on stage warming up" and I get goose pimples....Sarah McLachlan is my favorite singer. I turn the corner and it's some chick named Adele who is testing the mikes (check check sibalance) Lisa asks a guy when Sarah is going to be there he says

"Oh, she came in and taped it last week....we don't usually tape the same people the same day"

So I ask, who is going to be there.....

"Larry the Cable Guy"

MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!! GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!!!!!!

Why in the fuck would the website for the show say that the tickets were for that show and then she's not even actually there? It was the worst type of bait and switch. I was pissed off, but maintained my composure. Lisa felt terrible, but it's not her fault, she was really kind to give me a tour and take time out of her busy day to schlep some nobody around the whole lot. We looked around a little more, went to the CBS Shop (Bought a Letterman Late Show shirt....Lisa felt so bad, she used her discount) and got in the car and left without seeing ol' Larry.

I have no inherent problem with Larry, I liked the Blue Collar tours, but I am not waiting in a line for an hour and a half to hear him talk with Craig about electing a Kneegrow or eating at Stuckeys or whatever the hell he will say. I called Dave to thank him for getting Lisa to give me the tour and told him what happened and he said Larry was on the other lot and he had to wear the same shit he wears on stage in case he gets recognized. That must suck.

So I was driving home and moping...for several reasons, this being the most recent. I got a phone call from an old friend, Mike from my Option One days.....he tells me one of our old coworkers lost their house in the fire last week and he has a 4 year old son and a 1 year old daughter. They are safe, but have no home. So take that into consideration when you are moping about not seeing some singer. All in all, it sucked I didn't see Sarah again, but at least I am writing from my home. And as for the pubcrawl and the party later that night, I'll fill you in on the details...I predict I will sing Fiona Apple's "Criminal" because it is a fan favorite and I predict I will have a collasal hangover on Sunday. Until then......

Maybe I need to let the PMOT come and play next time....

2008-11-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

After high school, I went to college for a while. Actually, let's amend that.....I went to the college to meet friends to go hang out with and smoke pot, have a few drinks with and goof off with until it was time to go home. I had a 0.75 GPA my first year of community college because I only went on test days and such. My study habits sucked and they didn't get much better when I went to CSUN and tried to work a 40 hour work week and take a full load of classes. Let's just say that I never made the Dean's list. I kept taking and dropping classes and barely getting by. By the time I was 24, I had reached Junior status but was on Academic Probation. There was an incident that kept me from going to school for a year that I may get into at some point, but not right now. However, that was finally the time I got my head on straight and was working and taking one or classes at a time and getting decent grades (A's and B's) I found that actually attending the classes made a huge difference.

When I was 26, I went into the Mortgage industry, working for Ameriquest (again, another story I'll have to tell). Because the hours were so long and because I was making a good salary, I didn't go back to finish the 10 classes I had left. For the last 12 years, I worked for various mortgage companies, made some cash, pissed it away and now with the mortgage crisis, I'm without a job, I spent all of the money I made and seem to have no prospects.

My fiancee has a bachelors and two Masters Degrees. She is wicked smart and she has been pushing me to go back to school and finish since basically our second date. This semester, I went back to Santa Monica College and I am taking a history and a math class. When I'm done with those, I'm 8 classes from a degree in Speech Communication at CSUN. That and 75 cents will get me a USA Today, I know, but it's better to get it done. This is an experience for me. I'm one of the older people in the class (there are a couple senior citizens then me at 38). I don't remember being this annoying (although I am quite sure I was) but some of the people in my class are starting to wear on my patience. Is it the three Freshman girls who decided it's more fun to giggle and yammer the whole time than take notes? Or the six young Asian gentlemen who get up 5 times a class and leave, never together, never for more than a minute, then come back and sit down? Nah, I don't care about that, I just moved to the back corner where I can take my notes in peace. But today, I met a new classmate and he just might have to meet the PMOT.

Anyway, I'm in class tonight. I'm taking down all of my notes on how to solve a quadratic equation by using four different methods (trust me, It's as exciting as it sounds) and I look over to about 2 on my clock and a little dweeb with chin pubes is spitting tobacco into a clear Arrowhead bottle. I hate spitting....it grosses me out. And for an hour (before we went on break) I couldn't be drawn away from this little bastard spitting. When something grosses me out, I am not tolerant, not quiet. I was pissed. We're not even supposed to have drinks in the class, let alone hand carried spitoons. And if you are going to do that, for fuck's sake get a cup that isn't clear so I don't have to see it edge down to the bottom. I was a basket case until about 10 minutes before the break when he put the dip in the bottle, capped it and put it all in his backpack.

I decided not to say anything because he had stopped and I thought that would be it. The break was over and we're taking notes and with about 20 minutes to go in class, he pulls out a Gabby Hayes size golfball o'chaw and starts spitting again. I start to shake inside. I am repulsed yet I cannot look away. I break out our patented family sigh....keep mumbling "that's so fucking gross" under my breath and am holding a pencil in my left hand like Heath Ledger. The class ends, and this kid rockets out of his seat before I can say anything and is gone in a heartbeat. I am not able to bitch him out in the manner I felt I so richly deserved. So I will hold it in until Tuesday....but if that little peckerhead tries to do it again, I will make him swallow the chaw and pour the bottle in his backpack. I will go off meds for a couple days in advance to make sure I am crazy enough to do it and I will keep you posted.

Eloquent Eloquence

2008-11-05T22:42:00.001-08:00

I've been posting comments on Pajiba for about two months. I wanted to make it on their top ten comments list. I set a goal and made it to 7th place the following week. Three weeks later, I made it to #1. I'm not a smart man, so I have to take my victories where I can get them. So here's a copy of that post...it won out of like 5000 or so.....give or take....There was a post going around saying not only was there going to be a sequel to Bull Durham, but Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins' characters were together as husband and wife. If you've seen the movie, you know how little sense that makes...and therefore, my post:

What.......the.......fuck??????

There are so many things wrong with making a sequel to Bull Durham. In the first place, if they were going to do it, it's about 15 years past its shelf life. And in no universe would Annie and Nuke end up getting back together.

Here are a couple other movie sequels being planned that make just about as much sense:

1. Godfather 4 - A Voodoo priestess resurrects Michael, Sonny, Fredo and Moe Green and they take a cross country drive from New York to Las Vegas to see Barbra Streisand perform for the last time. Hijinks ensue as they are chased by the zombie Barzini and Chief McCluskey. Along the way, they pick up a kid (Shia Labeouf) and teach him Omerta and the way of La Cosa Nostra.

2. Smokey and the Bandit 4 - Bandit runs for Governor of Georgia against Buford T. Justice who for some reason is married to Sally Field's character, Frog. Hijinks ensue as Big Enis and Little Enis (Pat McCormick and Paul Williams) dress the same although one is 6'8" and the other is 5'2". Bandit learns he has a son (Shia Labeouf) who also has a knack for fast driving and fast living. Special appearance by Billy Ray Cyrus as a perverted father.

3. Citizen Kane 2- the Wrath of Kane - Charles Foster Kane (Shia Labeouf) rises from the dead to avenge the loss of Rosebud. He does this with Yellow Journalism and 250 pounds of dynamite.
4. Casablanca 2 - Beach Party - Rick (Shia Labeouf) and Louie (Christopher Mintz Plasse) hit Spring Break with $10,000 Francs and no rules!!!!!

5. Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull - the world is at a precipice, this time caused by the specter of nuclear annihilation, and Indy's struggle is once again to ensure that a precious, mysterious object remains safe from those bent on destroying humanity. And there's Aliens!!!!!! And he has a kid....played by Shia Labeouf.

You see, none of those movies make any fucking sense, as this new Bull Durham wouldn't either. It was a great sports movie and while it would be good to see the characters again, they are hinging it on a plot point that totally pisses on the ending of the first movie. For Christ's sake, people, let sleeping dogs lie.

Yep, that was the winner. And now that I have won (and got a free t-shirt, if you know me, you know I love my t-shirts) my thirst for more cannot be sated. I will let you know if it was just beginners luck or if I am snarky enough to take the crown again. I think I'm sarcastic enough to do it!!!!!!

Weren't we supposed to be the cool kids?

2008-11-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

I live in California. I am embarrassed today. For a state that is supposed to be so liberal and open minded when it comes to letting people do what they want to, to see Proposition 8 go down in flames is a disgrace.

I am a heterosexual man, the vote doesn't affect me personally, per se. But we all have friends who are affected. To think that on the day we elect a black President we can still be so discriminatory to another group of people is tragic. As a friend of mine said "I guess gay is the new black". Now, I don't mean to even insinuate that the travails of gays and blacks are the same, as I would probably be attacked from both sides as the big dumb white guy who has never seen a day of discrimination in his life. But I can still feel bad about the events and it is my right to ask WTF? How did this happen? A lot of people are citing the Bradley effect, but over 5 million people are saying that gays don't have the same standing that "normal" people should and I don't understand it.

I don't want to go anymore into the details about it today. Shame on us here in the State of California for this. You think we'd have known better by now.

These are the ABC's of me, baby....

2008-11-04T22:54:00.000-08:00

What a special day in history today is. The fact that our nation chose a man to be President who a scant 221 years ago was counted as 3/5th of a person is great indeed. Let alone how far things have come in the last 40-50 years, before I was born. It doesn't even the scales by a damn sight, but we get closer every day.

My name is Rubble44. I have never blogged before. But I have a lot of opinions. I have never had a hard time saying what I feel about basically any subject. My friends call me the Prime Minister of Tact because my filter is a little bit squiffy. Trust me, it used to be a lot worse. Let's just say Pharmaceutical drugs have helped a lot.

But that doesn't mean that I'm a mute now. I like people to know what I am thinking. I spend a lot of time over at my favorite new website, Pajiba, giving opinions on whatever the current topics of the day are. Since I left my job a couple days ago, I'll have more time to pontificate about what I think is right and wrong with the world. Since I don't expect too many people, if any, to read this, I'll just do this for me, maybe...as a little journal about what I am thinking.

So let's begin, shall we?

1. I'm going to use a shitload of ellipses........I type that way when I send emails, when I IM, everywhere. If you don't like ellipses, you can fuck off right now.

2. I live in Southern California. I am from Western Pennsylvania. What I love, I love completely and without question. What I hate, I loathe with the intensity of a thousand suns. A couple of people I hate, just to get started:

Kobe Bryant and Laker fans in general. This is a bad guy. Petulant, whiny, doesn't give a shit about anyone but himself. Oh, and he's a fucking rapist (allegedly). And yet Laker Fans will break their backs to suck his cock. It goes to show, if O.J. Simpson was still playing when his shit went down and he was on the L.A. Raiders running for 2,000 yards, he'd still have a huge fan base here in Los Angeles. And God Forbid you speak about it. Because all you will hear is how you are a hater. But you ask why they like him and they say 81. Great answer dumbass, now go back to your job at FootAction and leave me the fuck alone. Oh, and his wife is a bitch too.

Anyone on the Hills - I have never watched this show, but I know these people. And I hate the world for that. I would like to bitchslap that little cunt Spencer for taking up any of my gray matter with his douchey beard and spotlight whoring ways.

Paris Hilton - Dumber than a shit sandwich and polluted like Lake Erie in the 70's

Tyra Banks - Self importance mixed in with the brainpower of a popcorn fart.

Elton Brand - Fucker backstabbed the Clippers......I will never forgive him for that.

Kanye West/Poop Drizzle and all of these other modern rappers - They think they split the atom, but Rakim and Chuck D would eat these bitches for lunch. Rap music has been dead a long time to me. I won't even get into the ones with the dances and misspelled names. That's for the tweens to listen to...speaking of which

Miley Cyrus - Creeps me out to the highest of creeptivity. I don't like it when 15 years olds try to act 25. William Raymond, you should know better.

I have a ton of others, but this is only a first blog, not a manifesto.

3. I love a lot of things as well. It's more fun to bitch and gripe.....but I will also give props when they are earned. Not today, but someday soon.

I had a whole blog ready about Proposition 8. But it looks like it is going to lose according to CNN, so I will just go to sleep now