8.13.2011

Status Quo

Mon August 8, 2011, 8:33 pm: would like to revisit this: http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/20/11-asian-girls/

Sat August 6, 2011, 2:37 pm: Let the annual facebook-ing commence!!!

Sat July 23, 2011, 7:44 pm: Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes! (On a side note: Facebook has aggregated your said wishes, and now all of the advertisements on here are trying to sell me birthday vacations and get-a-ways, haha)

Thu July 21, 2011, 11:50 pm: just saw the movie "Leave." True to it's title, it was the only thing I could think of doing the whole time it was on. (Evidently Brian Cranston, who had a cameo in it, was thinking the same thing. He bailed out of the QA with the excuse that his "wife's back hurts," after admitting it was his first time seeing the completed film.)

Tue July 19, 2011, 11:15 pm: So far movie week has been a success. "Attack the Block" entertained the 15-year-old boy inside of me, and "Life in a Day" made me feel like a spoiled American brat!

Sat July 2, 2011, 8:20 pm: is standing in line for Andrew W.K.'s "Party Lecture"

Tue June 28, 2011, 7:25 pm: Take that ab-1179! [Freedom +1] (sets off illegal fireworks)

Tue June 28, 2011, 7:11 pm: LA Noire, Portal 2, Civilization V, Amnesia, Trenches, Starcraft 2, Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, Metro 2012, The Path, and Torchlight are queued up and ready to go -- and now Team Fortress 2 and World of Warcraft are free-to-play!?! Ahhh!!! Gahhhdammit!!! I'm never going to have time to go to the beach!

Fri June 3, 2011, 10:48 am: just bought a pack of Stride 2.0 gum. How am I supposed to know what they fixed if there's no .nfo file inside!?

Thu May 26, 2011, 7:43 am: wants to know what happened to automatic seatbelts.

Sat May 21, 2011, 3:55 pm: Cheer up, it's not the end of the world.

Fri May 20, 2011, 10:20 pm: Grief over loss of a twin as a special psychological phenomenon has been investigated. Issues of survival guilt, as well as being a living reminder/representation of the deceased twin are central to Nancy Segal’s study, in which she concludes that twin loss is especially traumatic because it upsets the implication that twins should exit the world in the same way they entered: together.

Sun May 8, 2011, 12:05 pm: Good news everyone! (yup, Futurama reference) http://m.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/may/07/scientists-prove-einstein-right?cat=science&type=article

Tue May 3, 2011, 3:58 pm: Does the glimmer of a battle between a clearly defined hero and villain excite you?

Wed April 20, 2011, 10:17 am: Did you know your iPhone keeps a secret log of every location you've ever been to? Oh Apple. You so controversy. http://petewarden.github.com/iPhoneTracker/

Fri April 8, 2011, 11:16 am: Ahhhhhmaaaazing! http://www.joystiq.com/2011/04/07/mega64-enters-limbo-yes-its-as-awkward-as-you-imagine/

Thu March 31, 2011, 3:14 am: Dear World, At first I thought Uwe Boll was the worst thing that could happen to film, but them M. Night Shyamalan came along. M. Knight, you just got served. World: meet James Wan and his gift to you, "Insidious."

Thu March 24, 2011, 10:16 pm: "Anyone reading this present book has no doubt heard many versions of this response, starting with the long line of John Q. Publics who tend to question television and media studies students and researchers about why we would even bother to study television in the first place." -Gray I'll drink to that.

Fri March 11, 2011, 10:30 am: Japan :(

Wed March 9, 2011, 8:46 pm: - Commute, work, commute, sleep . . . - All power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. - We want structures that serve people, not people serving structures. - Those who lack imagination cannot imagine what is lacking. - The more you consume, the less you live. Commodities are the opium of the people. - The future will only contain what we put into it now. - Run, comrade, the old world is behind you!

Fri March 4, 2011, 3:10 pm: 20 pc. Chicken McNuggets for $4.99 - McDonalds, you ol' temptress!

Thu March 3, 2011, 6:16 pm: "Advances in contraceptive and reproductive technologies have enabled western women to enter the labour force and thus gain economic independence, and yet they have also been used to control women through programmes of enforced sterilisation." And that's the way it should be! AMMARIGHT GUYS!?!? EH!? EHH!??! 'dribbles Bud Light on wife-beater and continues to eat Hungry Man frozen dinner'

Thu March 3, 2011, 1:11 am: "...develop a more sophisticated understanding of how these materials reflect the current “garage sale” state of global culture." - Ol' Mr. Jenkins 'starts stopwatch to see how long it takes for Jorge to comment'

Tue March 1, 2011, 8:51 pm: So today I accidentally learned that if you double-tap the "arrow" icon in iPhone's Google Maps (the one that enables your GPS location), it puts Google Maps into a compass orientation mode...so like...North is actually "up." ...and now I'm going to go sit in the corner and hate myself for using Facebook and having an iPhone.

Thu February 24, 2011, 7:30 pm: It seems more and more often that I hear friends and family turn towards the future with optimism, in lieu of their present-day problems. To that I say, in my curmudgeon and callus old-manly way, I don't think there are any more or less problems than usual -- I think we've all just grown up.

Fri February 11, 2011, 11:24 am: 'high five' Egypt.

Thu February 10, 2011, 11:08 pm: misses being cyberpunk.

Tue February 8, 2011, 6:27 pm: got a parking ticket last night -- for being too awesome.

Sun February 6, 2011, 9:40 pm: Disneyland, Enchanted Village, Magic Mountain, Marine World: Los Angeles is encircled by these "imaginary stations" which feed reality, reality-energy, to a town whose mystery is precisely that it is nothing more than a network of endless, unreal circulation: a town of fabulous proportions, but without space or dimensions.

Sat February 5, 2011, 9:13 pm: The Russian producers of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire eliminated the “ask the audience” lifeline because people intentionally give the wrong answer to contestants.

Thu February 3, 2011, 2:12 am: Deretrish Phameck: The Next Generation

Wed January 26, 2011, 7:32 pm: I take it back, there is a God. http://dinnerinabottle.com/

Sat January 22, 2011, 3:32 pm: And I think it's gonna be a long long time; Till touch down brings me round again to find; I'm not the man they think I am at home; Oh no no no I'm a rocket man.

Fri January 21, 2011, 9:39 pm: Yes! Yes! 1,000 x Yes!!! ( http://gizmodo.com/5739091/how-creed-saved-a-norwegian-boy-from-a-pack-of-wolves )

Fri January 21, 2011, 11:26 am: Hahahaha ( http://www.joystiq.com/2011/01/20/ubisoft-launching-smurfs-movie-tie-in-for-wii-and-ds-this-august/#continued )

Wed January 19, 2011, 9:03 pm: Well color me mutragrutaloise.

Tue January 18, 2011, 3:46 pm: "Now that we've covered all of those bases...and they belong to us!" -My Professor

Mon January 17, 2011, 10:07 pm: Stevie Wonder has a Happy Birthday song for MLK Day!? Badass.

Fri January 14, 2011, 10:54 am: Not to be a cynic...but seriously? This is some pretty medieval shit for it being the year 2011. ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/14/pope-john-paul-sainthood? )

Mon January 10, 2011, 8:27 pm: is rockin' his first day of school (for this semester), and chillin' with Roberto Orci tonight! Woot Woot!

Thu December 30, 2010, 2:09 pm: Tomorrow is the last day ever you can submit over-the-counter drugs to a FLEX plan. SHOPPING SPREE!!!

Mon December 27, 2010, 11:25 pm: 's Mojo [is] So Dope. Erase Me.

Mon December 27, 2010, 8:52 pm: is constantly impressed with Virgin America. Earlier, a super awesome rep walked me 100 yards to a hidden ticket terminal -- and right now I'm watching a different rep hold a paper airplane flying competition with all the bored kids at the gate (because of our delayed flight). The reps plane has a Virgin America sticker on it's tail, bahahaha!

Sat December 25, 2010, 1:06 pm: Happy holidays everyone :) (now get the hell off Facebook!)

Thu December 23, 2010, 8:57 am: misses Nook-Nook, the one sock wonder.

Sun December 19, 2010, 11:55 pm: went down to the basement to see why the hot water wasn't working. I'm no expert, but I'm guessing the pilot light being submerged beneath a foot of standing water is the problem...

Mon December 13, 2010, 10:11 pm: officially completed his Freshmen semester. Sophomore semester, here I come!

Fri December 10, 2010, 10:43 pm: Butterscotch pudding...doesn't taste like either of those things...

Thu December 9, 2010, 7:27 pm: The radio traffic reporter just informed me that the highway I'm on, "...has a mattress in the middle of lanes 3 and 4 - pause - nothing good can come of that!" How right you are, radio traffic reporter!

Thu December 9, 2010, 7:26 pm: The radio traffic reporter just informed me that the highway I'm on, "...has a mattress in the middle of lanes 3 and 4 - pause - nothing good can come of that!"

Tue December 7, 2010, 2:21 pm: State-censorship has always been an area I have trouble relating to, when talking to people I meet in foreign countries. Today though, when I couldn't load wikileaks.org (which is now blocked due to government mandate), I got one step closer...

Fri December 3, 2010, 6:13 pm: Netflix just sent me 4 movies in a row that star Adrien Brody. ...Help

Wed December 1, 2010, 10:21 pm: : Q: How many PETA members does it take to change a light bulb? A: None. PETA can't change anything!

Sun November 28, 2010, 7:54 pm: "127 Hours" got me all excited for some rare steak!

Fri November 19, 2010, 11:32 pm: Walmart is selling GPS' starting at $59.99. That seems ridiculously cheap for a global positioning satellite. (I should get some money from the automated teller machine machine and buy one)

Tue November 16, 2010, 1:06 pm: It comes as no surprise that the cruise I booked would be cancelled due to an unprecedented (first time in 35 years) ship fire. You win this round fate. You win this round.

Tue November 16, 2010, 1:49 am: Have you ever had one of those times where you were eating dinner and didn't know someone was staring at you through your dining-room window? ...Yeah. Me too.

Mon November 15, 2010, 8:11 pm: Beautiful. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2010/nov/14/sarah-palin-alaska-reality-tv

Thu November 11, 2010, 1:17 pm: Konichiwa bitches. (check out the song with the same title by Robyn)

Mon November 8, 2010, 6:57 pm: "There will be no priest, we are getting a Billy Corgan impersonator to marry us." ...Only you Franco. Only you. (Well, except for Googin. He probably would too.)

Tue November 2, 2010, 2:19 pm: Well well well. So we meet again Mc Ribwich. 'glare'

Tue November 2, 2010, 12:04 am: A guy just approached me at the bus stop and told me he's from the UCLA economics program, just broke up with someone, had his car stolen, and has been sleeping in Leavey Library for 4 days. He said he didn't want to be a beggar, but really needed some money. ...I told him, "Fuck you UCLA." Fight On.

Mon November 1, 2010, 1:35 pm: It's so true: http://www.awkwardzombie.com/comic1-101810.php

Tue October 26, 2010, 3:06 pm: officially waived CTPR 507! SUCK MA' BALLZ FILM FAGS!!!

Wed October 20, 2010, 12:57 pm: I got a real nice piece With a handle of bone A good friend to have When you're out on you're own But you don't miss twice... When you're shavin' with a knife

Tue October 19, 2010, 7:59 pm: is sitting in the bottom of a well.

Mon October 18, 2010, 4:25 pm: Anyone want to have lunch?

Fri October 15, 2010, 6:08 pm: Phambearpig: Now with more cuntilicious crunch!!!

Tue October 12, 2010, 2:56 am: Karl Fuckhell Kim Marx Jong-il Jr.

Sun October 10, 2010, 8:17 pm: can't get enough of that Shutter Island.

Tue October 5, 2010, 9:09 pm: hasn't seen many Ethiopians in Little Ethiopia...

Sat October 2, 2010, 4:23 pm: It seems as though the authors of these academic articles belong to a sub-culture dick waving competition that is judged via sentence lengths.

Sat October 2, 2010, 2:09 pm: "The ultimate condition of production is [therefore] the reproduction of the conditions of production." ...and only 120 more pages to go...

Mon September 27, 2010, 11:59 pm: has had a Steven Hawkings lecture DVD patiently waiting on the coffee table for over a week. Grease up your wheelchair Steve, tonight may be the night.

Sun September 26, 2010, 11:37 pm: has a theory, you see. I have a theory. About magic...and miracles. (Effin' magnets. How do they work?)

Fri September 24, 2010, 5:31 pm: can't wait to see M. Night Shyamalan's "Devil"

Wed September 22, 2010, 11:30 am: Nothing like some light Bazin reading in the morning. Statements like, "For death is but the victory of time," go great with these Cheerios...

Mon September 20, 2010, 11:52 am: Mouthwash is great, until you screw it up.

Mon September 20, 2010, 1:09 am: 's last name is a combination of the words "Hell" and "Fuck." (according to the internet- which is never wrong)

Mon September 13, 2010, 3:23 pm: This school has more fountains than it does students...

Sun September 12, 2010, 3:21 pm: Wake-boarding and water-boarding are two VERY different activities.

Sat September 11, 2010, 9:07 pm: is cooking steak in a cooler...again. (Go see "Catfish")

Fri September 10, 2010, 3:51 pm: Spr srsly u gys, go c Catfish.

Fri September 10, 2010, 1:19 am: Holy shit. Go see "Catfish." It's fucking amazing. (Definitely should get nominated)

Thu September 9, 2010, 11:24 am: Mother Nature must be feelin' pimp today, 'cause she's makin' it rain!

Tue September 7, 2010, 7:36 pm: Hrmm.

Sat September 4, 2010, 4:28 pm: just attended his first Quincé! Holy church mariachi batman! I can't wait to see these guys play at the reception! Ay yay yay yay! Rrrrrrepa!

Fri September 3, 2010, 3:43 pm: In 2001 I updated my OS from Win95 to XP. Nine year later, in response to the horrible system hive corruption of 9/1/10, I'm making the next leap to Windows 7! Behold! THE POWER!

Sun August 29, 2010, 7:07 pm: had an awesome time seeing everyone again at the Crocodile Lounge (NYC) last night!!! ...is what my status would say if I wasn't stuck in LA doing homework. Jerks.

Thu August 26, 2010, 11:58 am: Last night I dreamt I got dumped for Dane Cook. ...I don't even know where to begin with that one.

Mon August 23, 2010, 4:34 pm: It is ABUNDANTLY clear that this week is rush week.

Thu August 19, 2010, 10:52 pm: While walking around today I noticed that the insides of a Metro ticket machine look EXACTLY like the insides of a card-slotted DA rack. And the antenna on an undercover police car looks EXACTLY like the antenna on a digital video transmitter! ...The production withdrawal must be setting in.

Tue August 17, 2010, 12:25 pm: Never thought he'd return to the days of worrying about missing the school bus, forgetting homework, or going to school without pants. (actually, I'd love that last one...)

Tue August 10, 2010, 11:52 am: Never thought using the LA Metro would be nostalgic...

Wed August 4, 2010, 9:46 pm: The Dean of Academic Records and Registrar just accidentally emailed every student at the University...from his iPhone.

Tue August 3, 2010, 3:49 pm: How Americanized is Singapore? Whenever I hear the new Eminem album I think of it (and the schwarma stand). ...I'm not afraid, not afraid...

Mon August 2, 2010, 10:55 pm: just invented the shake-weight dance! ...What? Huh?

Fri July 23, 2010, 10:55 pm: Holy moly! Thank you everyone, for the Birthday wishes! That's a lot of wall posts to respond to!!!

Fri July 2, 2010, 12:20 pm: Sooo...Apple has been improperly displaying the amount of signal bars on all of their iPhone models, thus deceivingly making the phones appear to have high signal quality. They will rectify this by changing the software to accurately display fewer bars...but will also be making the small bars...bigger...Um...?

Wed June 30, 2010, 10:13 am: Is fucking soaked - because his life is experiencing a tropical storm (ie. when it rains, it goddamn pours). ...Where's Rhianna live?

Tue June 29, 2010, 1:33 am: 's iPhone 4 dock has finally shipped! ...Now if they would just ship my goddamn iPhone 4...'grumble grumble'

Fri June 25, 2010, 9:45 pm: was told by Apple that they don't take their own gift-cards for new products. Then was told by Apple that his pre-order on the 15th won't be shipping until next week. Then was told by Apple that his phone will only work if he holds it right. Then was told by Apple that the yellow blotches on it's screen will go away on their own. ...Derek could really use a hug from Bill Gates right now.

Wed June 23, 2010, 1:43 am: Me: "Of course, no BP execs will go to jail because it's too hard to pin the crimes of a corporation onto single individuals."Grandfather: "Yet people that get caught with weed get 8 years of jail." ...Wow! Gramps is informed!

Sun June 20, 2010, 6:34 pm: can confidentally say- painting your apartment walls and ceilings black, is cheaper than repainting them to white. Fact.

Sun June 20, 2010, 12:03 am: found the cure!!! All we had to do was rearrange the bags that were spelling "hope." God! Why didn't anyone think about that before!?!

Sat June 19, 2010, 8:43 pm: thinks the reason no one has found a cure yet is because they organize these damn things on the hottest days of the year!

Sat June 19, 2010, 5:09 pm: feels counter-productive. Walking to fight cancer....while getting a sunburn...

Sat June 19, 2010, 3:47 pm: has walked around this damn track 18 times and still hasn't found the cure for boob cancer.

Tue June 15, 2010, 8:43 pm: if you live outside of CA, your iPhone is probably $30 less expensive. The fine print "*In CA, MA and RI sales tax is collected on the unbundled price of the iPhone." We get taxed $60. ...This makes so little sense my head hurts. Why, again, do we get sales taxed for $599 when we clearly are not purchasing an item at that price. Shouldn't AT&T be taking this hit? ...and if not, why do we STILL have a bankrupt state?

Tue June 15, 2010, 5:32 pm: For every step forward Apple takes with technology, AT&T seems to hold them back 2 steps. This pre-order business is the worst execution I've ever seen. (Edit: Apple's schistey gift card policies don't seem to be helping. Both companies suck.)

Tue June 15, 2010, 5:29 pm: For every step forward Apple takes with technology, AT&T seems to hold them back 2 steps. This pre-order business is the worst execution I've ever seen.

Mon June 14, 2010, 2:14 pm: tastes his bacon breakfast when he burps, and is heading to see the Derby Dolls (roller derby). Today is going to be a good day.

Fri June 11, 2010, 5:09 pm: just turned down working for Microsoft at E3, for instead, BBQ's and roller derby. What kind of god would face me with these decisions!?

Thu June 10, 2010, 2:00 am: can't believe what a difference it makes when you put a box of baking soda in your fridge. (...Yeah, yeah. "You know how I know you're gay.)

Mon June 7, 2010, 10:55 am: Little known fact: December 25th is Baduchi's 2nd favorite day of the year. Today is Baduchi's REAL Christmas.

Fri June 4, 2010, 5:11 pm: Californ-ya-ya! Super cool to the homeless! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMsr0cLnQPI

Wed June 2, 2010, 8:36 pm: just got a shout-out on a college radio station! Hell yeah!

Tue June 1, 2010, 11:23 pm: is psyched that "Invader Zim" is on Netflix Instant Queue!

Tue May 25, 2010, 12:37 pm: is in the final stages of packing. The one where you run out of boxes, and just start throwing things in garbage bags. Soon I will reach the threshhold of having 15 more items to pack, but keep procrastinating the act of doing so.

Sat May 22, 2010, 3:09 pm: Um. Yeah. Good luck beating this status update. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3MSfcHv0_c&feature=player_embedded

Fri May 21, 2010, 5:45 pm: is packing up the ol' apartment. You wouldn't believe how much electronics and copper wiring I own. Speaking of which...what wall did I put that hooker in...

Tue May 18, 2010, 3:38 pm: gives mad props to the arcade light-gun game Carnevil. Thems was the days.

Sat May 15, 2010, 6:08 pm: , according to Valerie, closes jelly jars with the strength of a thousand bears.

Sat May 15, 2010, 3:27 pm: loathes the elephant shrew.

Wed May 12, 2010, 9:15 am: is swimmin' with the fishes ya' hear.

Tue May 11, 2010, 11:47 am: saw the MacGruber movie, and never wants to eat celery again.

Mon May 10, 2010, 11:00 pm: brings you another public service announcement: If you are married and on Facebook, consider using your original last name with your married one. This will help the people you send friend requests to, but don't talk to often.

Sat May 8, 2010, 11:16 pm: You'll never guess where I ate dinner. Two clues: 1) Lettuce wraps 2) Chang sauce.

Fri May 7, 2010, 6:49 pm: is lookin' for a 1 bedroom in the Silverlake/Los Feliz area. Anyone got a hot tip?!

Mon May 3, 2010, 5:06 pm: is Catalina-bound! ("I'm on a boat!" "Fuckin' Catalina wine mixer!" etc.)

Fri April 30, 2010, 4:03 pm: is now considered an elite member by Microsoft's customer support. As Kid Rock would say, "I'm goin' platinum!"

Wed April 28, 2010, 8:59 pm: once traded in his blue and gold for blue and white. Now he's trading those in for red and gold. (sidenote: if you are associated with UCLA...I guess I hate you)

Sun April 25, 2010, 2:06 am: doesn't know what part of his day was more badass: "God of War 3" or "Kick-Ass".

Thu April 22, 2010, 9:29 pm: "Afro Samurai: Ressurection" = awesome. Thank you Samuel L., Lucy Liu, and Mr. RZA.

Fri April 16, 2010, 8:59 am: is going to use an "ask the audience." USC or SU?!

Tue April 13, 2010, 3:41 pm: Have you ever heard of the "Violent Femmes"? They're not half bad. (This update created circa 1990)

Sun April 11, 2010, 3:52 pm: CORRECTION: is going to celebrate God's day (Sunday) by updating his profile pic, eating pizza, and watching "Planet of the Apes." MAYBE at the same time.

Sun April 11, 2010, 3:48 pm: is going to celebrate God's day (Sunday) by updating his profile pic and eating pizza. MAYBE at the same time.

Mon April 5, 2010, 11:33 am: Today could be the day. (The plane I'm on didn't start properly, 3 times in a row, so they're repairing it while we sit on the runway. But the pilot has assured us he will fly FASTER to LA to keep us on time. Hm.)

Sun April 4, 2010, 5:55 pm: hates all of you. I keep missing all the good earthquakes. Lame.

Sat November 14, 2009, 4:25 pm: Quote of the Day: "I love you I love you I love you. Days are torturous without you. But my love for you grows stronger every second. Even if I have to brave cold nights and empty bedsheets. I will wait for you my love. Always and Always," - Phoenix.

Tue October 6, 2009, 9:49 pm: listing to TATU play from the Mezzanine PA system. It kinda blends with the "Red Red Wine" playing from Tony N' Tina's wedding, which is being performed right next to me.

Sat September 5, 2009, 7:33 pm: This Gus discussed his disgust at the gust on the discus.

Fri July 10, 2009, 7:52 pm: has a secret, but he can't tell it.

Sun July 5, 2009, 3:11 pm: diggin' Modest Mouse's newly released cut tracks, "Satellite Skin" in particular.

6.02.2010

Riiiiiise from your grave!

Shit's about to go down y'all, I'm bringin' the blog back!


After a year break, I decided that it's time to continue the documentation of my life.

In typical OCD fashion, I WILL be kicking it off with a ton of retro-event posting. I don't want Brett to feel like he missed his opportunity to be a featured event (he recently visited me).

I'm already getting queezy thinking about all the stuff that happened in the back-logs of my life...

6.10.2009

Blog from a 37,082 ft. altitude.

I'm on Virgin America flight #404 right now, heading to NYC for Erik & Emily's wedding. I'm cuurrently above Iowa. Going 510 mph. It's -76 degrees Fahrenheit outside.

I've never posted to my blog from this high before...so...now I have.

The end.

6.02.2009

This one's for you Brett.


Toshiba-iHome gets docked.


Ron loses a quarter.


Ron gets oppressed.


Derek drops the soap.

3.01.2009

Throw in the towerl 'cause your life ain't shit. No take the towel and hang yourself with it.

'Cause life's short and hard, like a body building elf.

-The Bloodhound Gang


The more I go through life, the more I tend to categorize the types of people I meet. As of lately I've started to put my finger on a new category.

There are people that go to work and go home. They enjoy life for what it is. They enjoy their loved ones. They enjoy the things that entertain them.
And that is their life.
I think it may be safe to say they lead a life mainly fueled by money...for that is their means to get what they need, and more importantly to get what they want. Which is enjoyment.
I'm not the first person to discover that more money equals more enjoyment.
If these people are very lucky, their job will also be a form of enjoyment. I think it is safe to say this is less often the case.

This is probably you.

Then there is the other side of this coin.

These are the people that can't handle routine. They have trouble enjoying life for what it is. They have trouble enjoying the things that entertain them. Yet, at least they enjoy their loved ones.
They're not content with just living life.
Money buys them what they need, but it hardly buys them what they want. Which is to make a difference.
If these people are very lucky, their life won't be a waste.

I'm not sure which one I am yet.

12.05.2008

Meth Heads Sleep In Pine Trees...

...in Salt Lake City. It's kinda neat/cozy looking. You see a hole cut out in the bottom of a large pine tree, and if you peek your head in you see a living space someone has made. Usually involving dirty newspaper, urine, and broken glass pipes.

While in Syracuse for my grandfather's funeral, I was lucky enough to meet up with some old friends.
It's funny...every time I say I won't be back soon to someone...I always end up being back soon.

Coincidentally it was the same weekend as the Caz Xmas walk, so it turned out to make a perfect time for a reunion with all the old skool friends.
Tommy G was there, and his brother. Eli of course. Steve G. with some lovely ladies as always. Steph J. and Juli T. were full of smiles, as usual. Then of course there were the Mowers Bros. & Co.
It was great to see everyone. Good to know everyone is doing alright :)


The next night Valerie and I hung out with Eli.


We met up with Steve G. and hung out under the Armory Square LED xmas tree (as seen in the background in the picture above).
Upon closer look it was comprised of many more wires and pieces of 2x4 than you'd probably believe.

Then we went to Dinosaur BBQ to meet up with Brett and his main squeeze, Matt, Garrett, Brother Joncas, etc.


Along the way to the Dino we passed a clock that was counting down slowly.

13...

12...

11...

Had terrorists plotted to blow up Armory Square via an extremely elaborate plan involving a home-made monument bomb?

9...

8...

7...

Seriously. What is this thing doing.

Naturally...we walked closer to it. The second time in recent memory that I did exactly what a stupid-ass-actor would do in a horror movie, "go investigate."
(The other time was when we were in the desert 4-wheeling and came back to a once lit, but now dark, trailer)

3...

2...

1...

24...

23...

What the.

Apparently it was put there in honor of basketballs 24-second shot clock. Which had been invented, developed, tested, and certified locally.
You can read ALL about it on it's plaque.

And we did.

During dinner at Dino BBQ, Valerie got to witness her first substantial snow fall.
She was very excited.
No one else was.


After Dino BBQ we walked down the street to a "pub" to have some "pints."
Look Brett! You're in my blog again!

Then the next day I flew back to L.A.

It was great to see everyone. It's always good to catch up with old faces, and know that your old friends are still...your best friends.

12.04.2008

Assisted Suicide


The above, aired on BBC's Sky news, is a report on (and video of) the final moments of a man named Craig Ewert. This was the first time an assisted suicide was aired on public television.

Watching this video made me cry for the second time in years.

The first time was a few days earlier, after Thanksgiving, when while at my parents we received a phone call that my grandfather had died.



He was an amazing man. Often seen as the gruff type, not unlike in "Grumpy Old Men."
Yet, I'll never forget back when I was a kid, when I had been sick once and he came over to take care of me. He brought me donuts holes and juice...neither of which I could eat (I was too sick). But they were the types of food that would have made him feel better...and as a kid that was enough to show me that he had cared.
That and the secret handshake...

I was ready when he died. I had said all I needed to him. I had made my peace.

Years ago.


He suffered from severe Alzheimer disease. First slowly losing track of what was going on around him... then eventually completely losing all short-term memory (by the time his wife passed away from lung cancer).
I'll never forget the look in his eyes at her funeral. It was like he was watching a story unfold...one he knew the ending to...but couldn't quite grasp the plot of.
He cried, and told her he missed her. Then he'd be ok for a few minutes...only to repeat it all over again.
I thought it horribly sad, through each realization, that his reactions were strikingly similar to that of a confused child.

At least during his funeral we wouldn't have to be put through that again.


Every day, for weeks after, he asked where his wife was.

Eventually he stopped asking.


Over the next few years I would call him.
"Hey papa, it's Derek."


"Hey papa, it's your grandson Derek."


"Hey papa, it's your grandson Derek...Jeff's son."


Once he forgot who my dad was I couldn't call any more.


The reason I'm crying while writing this isn't because I miss him, and I do. It's because of the memories I have of losing him well before his death.
It's because of having to watch my father struggle to hang on to his father. Watching my dad struggle to find peace with himself...knowing that there was nothing he could do to help.

How many times a day can you call someone that doesn't remember you...until you stop.

How many times can you try and comfort yourself...telling yourself there's nothing you can do about it...until you actually believe it.

At what point do you stop trying...because you know it's something you're only doing to content yourself.


My dad didn't find the answer to any of these questions.


Because of our society's close ties to religion, it will probably be a long time before professional assisted suicide becomes an accepted act of death...which is somehow different than over-medicating and pulling the plug on a machine.
By then we'll probably have a cure for Alzheimer disease anyways.

I find it sad that my OTHER grandfather has already built a solution in the event he needs to end his own life.
But I also commend him.
Society isn't going to help his cause.

Your life is your own. As is mine.

I will refuse to live, if my sole existence does nothing but sadden others.