Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,
HAPPY ST PATRICK’S DAY!!! Well, yet again it has been a while. Just been hella busy with roommate interviews, social activities, errands, trips to exotic locations, natural disasters, and the like. Let’s see, last I left off was Monday I think… so about a week ago. We had some more roommate interviews… and long boring & slightly frustrating story short, we have a new roommate… with paperwork signed & she moved in over the weekend. We interviewed four people (including one incredibly energetic girl who was my favorite) on Tuesday, but basically just ended up offering the room like “First one to sign a check & start the paperwork, gets the room” so the student sleeping on a friend’s couch was the first… but she seems okay in the four minutes that I spent chatting with her thus far. I’ll keep you posted. I don’t even have a nickname for her yet… that’s how little we’ve met.
Thursday night, Jackie D, Carmen & I went out to dinner at Pasquale’s near Carmen’s new apartment. We had a fun dinner, just the three of us, some fine Italian food, a bottle of wine & good times. We filled each other in on events like Jackie D’s move to Philly, Carmen’s new apartment, my ongoing roommate search & how it was frustrating me because I was thoroughly convinced that Tracy was trying to sabotage it by being genuinely creepy & pointing out ever flaw in a horrible manner… but yeah, mostly just laughs & then we hung out at Carmen’s place for a bit.
So… later on that night, I got a text message around midnight from my Wingman saying, “Not sure if you’re up but Japan just got seriously pimp handed by Mother Nature! DAMN!!!” of course this was in regards to the 8.9 earthquake that everybody’s talking about on the news. As details started coming in, there was talk of a tsunami… and then it hit me… I live on the coast now. Of course the news reported it with tsunamis being ten meter high waves traveling hundreds of miles an hour and destroying everything in its path… but after my initial thought of “What did that Christmas time tsunami in Indonesia do the West Coast of the US? Nothing, right?” then I thought… “Well damn, should I be packing up Gretchen, waking up the roommates & heading for Tahoe?” I mean… it was around 1 AM when I went to fill up Gretchen’s tank just in case (and I was going on a road trip the next day) but the more I thought about it, the more I thought that it would be best for me to stick around. I was in a fairly safe situation anyway, being on the backside of the first MAJOR hill on the coast, but I also have a 4WD vehicle to help get people out if they’re trapped, I’m prepared for such things, and you know me… I just want to be a hero deep down. So the next morning, after getting a few hours of sleep, I went about the day as usual. Told Jackie D about the tsunami as we drove to work, fielded text messages from friends & family as they awoke to the news, but nothing really happened along the coast other than a few boats in Santa Cruz got knocked around apparently. However, it is a tragedy in Japan. Please give donations to help them out… or Godzilla will be a REALITY!!!
The thing that really struck me about the whole incident… was how little I thought about material things when there was an impeding threat. A giant wave could’ve been heading out to wipe out the Bay Area… and maybe the state of California… but the things that were rushing through my head wasn’t “Oh my gosh, I’m going to die… and all of my stuff is going to be underwater.” I was taking a quick inventory of what I really care about. “Let’s see, Bubbles is in Utah so she’s safe. If I head for Tahoe, I’m going to tell my roommates to see if they want to ride… but Brutis has to come with me otherwise Bubbles will literally kill me… and then we’ll have to swing by Carmen’s because she doesn’t have a car… do I have water? Grab a few things from the pantry… med kit… flashlight batteries are charged… got the scotch brite pads so we can start a fire if needed… I’m already packed for clothes… would the bridge be the best way? Definitely. Should I call my mom to let her know that I’m fine? My dad? Should I wait until morning or I’m safe? I don’t want them to worry…” You know, stuff like that. I was even trying to figure out a good way to get Bubbles’ roommates in the Jeep if needs be (even though they all have their own cars). I don’t know, just makes you kind of think about what’s really important to you. Again, if you get the chance, help out Japan. Obviously the community here in San Francisco is affected by it, lots of friends & family across the ocean… and our hearts go out to them.
Friday, went to work as normal, fielded texts & emails from family & friends, then after a half day, picked up Jackie D & headed for SoCal. The drive was pretty uneventful other than we listened to a lot of music… and we both love love LOVE “The Blueprint” through & through… so that was played a few times. CLASSIC!!! I was also educated a little bit on the likes of Drake, Bruno Mars, Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj & a whole bunch of others that I hadn’t really heard much of before. Yes, I’m that guy. It was about a five hour drive, we checked into the hotel, & had dinner at Farm of Beverly Hills. FYI – The over roasted chicken breast there… absolutely delicious. Go for it. After dinner, we met up with Lilie in Marina del Rey for some salsa dancing at The Warehouse. It was a lot of fun… and it had been a while since I could show off some of the salsa moves. Sigh… like almost a decade now since I was doing it a lot. Sh*t! Time flies…
Thursday night, Jackie D, Carmen & I went out to dinner at Pasquale’s near Carmen’s new apartment. We had a fun dinner, just the three of us, some fine Italian food, a bottle of wine & good times. We filled each other in on events like Jackie D’s move to Philly, Carmen’s new apartment, my ongoing roommate search & how it was frustrating me because I was thoroughly convinced that Tracy was trying to sabotage it by being genuinely creepy & pointing out ever flaw in a horrible manner… but yeah, mostly just laughs & then we hung out at Carmen’s place for a bit.
So… later on that night, I got a text message around midnight from my Wingman saying, “Not sure if you’re up but Japan just got seriously pimp handed by Mother Nature! DAMN!!!” of course this was in regards to the 8.9 earthquake that everybody’s talking about on the news. As details started coming in, there was talk of a tsunami… and then it hit me… I live on the coast now. Of course the news reported it with tsunamis being ten meter high waves traveling hundreds of miles an hour and destroying everything in its path… but after my initial thought of “What did that Christmas time tsunami in Indonesia do the West Coast of the US? Nothing, right?” then I thought… “Well damn, should I be packing up Gretchen, waking up the roommates & heading for Tahoe?” I mean… it was around 1 AM when I went to fill up Gretchen’s tank just in case (and I was going on a road trip the next day) but the more I thought about it, the more I thought that it would be best for me to stick around. I was in a fairly safe situation anyway, being on the backside of the first MAJOR hill on the coast, but I also have a 4WD vehicle to help get people out if they’re trapped, I’m prepared for such things, and you know me… I just want to be a hero deep down. So the next morning, after getting a few hours of sleep, I went about the day as usual. Told Jackie D about the tsunami as we drove to work, fielded text messages from friends & family as they awoke to the news, but nothing really happened along the coast other than a few boats in Santa Cruz got knocked around apparently. However, it is a tragedy in Japan. Please give donations to help them out… or Godzilla will be a REALITY!!!
The thing that really struck me about the whole incident… was how little I thought about material things when there was an impeding threat. A giant wave could’ve been heading out to wipe out the Bay Area… and maybe the state of California… but the things that were rushing through my head wasn’t “Oh my gosh, I’m going to die… and all of my stuff is going to be underwater.” I was taking a quick inventory of what I really care about. “Let’s see, Bubbles is in Utah so she’s safe. If I head for Tahoe, I’m going to tell my roommates to see if they want to ride… but Brutis has to come with me otherwise Bubbles will literally kill me… and then we’ll have to swing by Carmen’s because she doesn’t have a car… do I have water? Grab a few things from the pantry… med kit… flashlight batteries are charged… got the scotch brite pads so we can start a fire if needed… I’m already packed for clothes… would the bridge be the best way? Definitely. Should I call my mom to let her know that I’m fine? My dad? Should I wait until morning or I’m safe? I don’t want them to worry…” You know, stuff like that. I was even trying to figure out a good way to get Bubbles’ roommates in the Jeep if needs be (even though they all have their own cars). I don’t know, just makes you kind of think about what’s really important to you. Again, if you get the chance, help out Japan. Obviously the community here in San Francisco is affected by it, lots of friends & family across the ocean… and our hearts go out to them.
Friday, went to work as normal, fielded texts & emails from family & friends, then after a half day, picked up Jackie D & headed for SoCal. The drive was pretty uneventful other than we listened to a lot of music… and we both love love LOVE “The Blueprint” through & through… so that was played a few times. CLASSIC!!! I was also educated a little bit on the likes of Drake, Bruno Mars, Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj & a whole bunch of others that I hadn’t really heard much of before. Yes, I’m that guy. It was about a five hour drive, we checked into the hotel, & had dinner at Farm of Beverly Hills. FYI – The over roasted chicken breast there… absolutely delicious. Go for it. After dinner, we met up with Lilie in Marina del Rey for some salsa dancing at The Warehouse. It was a lot of fun… and it had been a while since I could show off some of the salsa moves. Sigh… like almost a decade now since I was doing it a lot. Sh*t! Time flies…
Blurry Celebrity Sighting - I think it's Billy Baldwin...
That night, after a few drinks, Jackie D & I were just chatting about this and that… and she said something along the lines of “$teve, I gotta tell you something. You’re a different guy when you’re around different people.” “Well yeah… isn’t everybody kinda that way?” “What I mean is… I’ve seen how you are around me… obviously… and we’re cool, laid back, whatever. I’ve hung out with you & Bubbles… and you guys are best friends & all… but you’re also always checking to make sure she’s doing okay & watching over her and all that stuff. Tonight with Lilie, I noticed that when we were talking, she say you out dancing & having a good time… and it was like… she had never seen that side of you before… and when we were chatting out on the deck having drinks, you were a little more… calm & collected. It just might be the way you are… but yeah, it’s just odd because… I don’t know who you are, ya know?” “Wow… I guess you’ve got a point there. Yeah, I do kind of adapt to my audience & environment a lot… but I like to think it’s still me.” “Yeah, I can see that… I don’t know, just something I noticed… and it was a HUGE difference between the personalities or whatever.” She may have a point. I really adapt to the people I’m around. I know with Bubbles, she’s been sick a lot of the times the three of us have hung out. When we were out on the deck, I didn’t need to yell or anything. Jackie D’s a big girl… and I don’t feel like I need to check to see how she’s doing as much as if… I were hanging with Bubbles (because I’ve let her be her… and ended up carrying her home TOO many times) but yeah… am I really being ME? Who is ME? Great thought-provoking question, right? Who are YOU? Do you know the REAL you? Or just the you that you pretend to be for the sake of others? Deep thoughts… by Dr Love…
Saturday, we had some breakfast burgers at Big Dean’s on Santa Monica Beach, then met up with Lilie again to see the Pier, ride the roller coaster, drive out to Beverly Hills to stalk some celebrities, gander along Rodeo Drive, cruise the Sunset Strip, then up to Griffith Observatory for these pictures…
Hollywood Sign & Griffith Observatory
After that was dinner at House of Blues, checking out Mann’s Chinese Theatre & then surprisingly… no clubbing, but instead we headed down to Laguna Niguel for a few bottles of wine & relaxing. Here are some pictures of that too…
Celebrity Sighting #2 - My inspiration Shrek
Celebrity Sighting #3 - The Foxx & Jackie D
(please disregard the Madame Tussaud in the background)
View from room at Laguna Niguel...
Sunday, we slept in a bit, had some lunch at Salt Creek Grille, and then drove back for 7 hours. Again, nothing really eventful other than a lot of music and we made fantastic time. Monday, we met up with Carmen after work for some dinner at an Indian restaurant called Musala & that was pretty good times too. Jackie D was leaving the next morning (like 4 AM) for Philly, so yeah, goodbyes were said… but not before we watched an absolutely horrible movie called “MacGruber” starring Will Forte, Kirsten Wiig & Val Kilmer. Now, when I’m watching a movie based on a pretty lame SNL skit, I tend to give it some leeway. It should go without saying… but yeah, this one was pretty bad… and I think killed any future implications that a “MacGyver” movie franchise would be a good idea. Anyway, it’s the story of a legend in the field of espionage named MacGruber (Forte) who is asked to come out of retirement to get back a nuclear missile from the evil mastermind Cunth (Kilmer… and yes, you know it’s pronounced with a silent H throughout the movie). Well, after accidentally exploding his dream team of soldiers, MacGruber must team up with a new recruit (Ryan Phillippe) & the best friend of his murdered wife (Wiig). Basically, there was a lot of incredibly vulgar stuff going on… and I’m about as desensitized as they come… but yeah, it wasn’t really funny… or coherent… and at times, I realize it was purposely so… but it didn’t matter. I didn’t really care for this movie. Bring on “Hot Rod 2” or something…Monday was back to the usual busyness of business… and it was also the day that Jackie D left for Philly. Also, the newest roommate has moved in… but still haven’t really got a good name for her yet as we haven’t talked much (odd hours & keeps to herself). Soon I’m sure…and basically this week has been busy with work, running errands & then bad weather on top of it all, so not a lot to report on other than a few movies during the late nights… so here we go with those…
First up was “The Presidio” starring Sir Sean Connery, Mark Harmon & a young Meg Ryan. The story is about a murder at… you guessed it… THE Presidio… as in where I live, but back in the 80’s when it was almost exclusively a military base & federal land (still kind of is… but they rent it out). An SFPD detective who used to be a cadet there (Harmon) is brought in to help with the investigation since a car chase led into the city & teams up with his former commanding officer (Connery) to bring the killers to justice. Along the way, the detective meets the hot daughter (Ryan), past issues become prevalent, shots are fired, people are betrayed, people fall in love, you know the routine. Best part about this movie though… was watching the car chase through the Presidio, then into the streets of Pacific Heights, and then through Chinatown and saying out loud “I know that restaurant!!!” or “I just drove that yesterday to go pick up Carmen!” So what if I’m a nerd, it was an okay movie. Then again, Peter Griffin says Mark Harmon is the greatest actor on planet Earth so… who am I to deny him that distinction?
I followed that up with “Saw: The Final Chapter” starring… well, nobody of real relevance except a brief cameo by Cary Elwes (“Robin Hood: Men in Tights”). This is the 7th (and God willing final) installment of the Saw series which has grossed a sh*t ton of money as most half-ass horror movies do. Basically, there’s the Jigsaw killer who puts people in these horrific trap situations with the choice of do some crazy sh*t & get maimed… but survive… or don’t do it & die a horrible death, the choice is yours. The twist in this one… is there’s a Jigsaw survivor who is out promoting his new book about the experience & trying to help those who have been through traumatic situations… but a secret from his past is going to come back & put him through some serious trials… oh and the cops are still trying to find a killer too. Gore, twists & turns, you know the series. My major concern was that… yes, it was made for 3-D, so there was a lot of parts that just seemed REALLY stupid… because you know, in 3-D it’s stuff flying at you… mostly splatter. It was a horror flick. If you like them, check it out.
Last night was “Ong Bak 3” starring Tony Jaa, who before joining a monastery was going to be the future of martial arts movies. Basically it’s a continuation of Ong Bak 2… which is a completely different story from the original Ong Bak… but hey, Ong Bak had recognition because of the amazing athleticism of the star, so they decided to do a period piece with the same name. I am a huge fan of these movies (even though the stories are often a bit to be desired) but the action sequences are amazing. If you like the first two movies… or have seen “The Protector” and it blew your mind, check this movie out… but then again, I’m a bit of a martial arts nerd.Anyway, that’s enough shorthand of the past week plus… and now I must go to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. Have a great night everybody!!! Drive safely (and sober)!!!
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