I Am An Athelete

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Yes, I am... an athelete. Why the extra e? Because spell check is for people that can't pull off being bad spellers. In the last 24 hours, I have been asked to join two recreation basketball leagues AND the company softball team. Why? Because of my amazing physical prowess? Because of my incredible charm & charisma that'll put lady's asses in the seats? Because they saw demonstrations of my staggering athletic skills? Nope... I played horribly at some pickup games at the YMCA and they still asked me... probably because I'm tall. Oh, and the softball thing, apparently they heard that I was on the company softball team last summer in Tahoe. You remember how that turned out, right? We won our first and last games... and by the end of the season I wasn't completely horrible. This one will actually be coed (then again, last year's was supposed to be coed kickball... but that didn't go as planned). Whatever, I am an athelete... so I will play. Now I just have to find out which basketball league is better for my schedule.

Other than that, not a whole lot going on other than working myself into a stupor during the day... and then watching a few movies at night trying to unwind. Hell, I just realized that other night that I hadn't even mentioned Basketball's Christmas a few weeks back while I was in Utah. I'm surprised that you haven't demanded my foolproof analysis of this year's NBA draft picks... but then again, with the lockout, the season may be shortened anyway... and I've admitted that I haven't really watched any college or professional basketball this season... but I figure it's a sign that the first pick of this year's draft and my niece share a name (both pronounced Ky-Ree). That's right. There was actually a LOT of sexually flexible names in the first 15 or so picks of the draft... but I'll save that for another day.

The other day, I was finally able to watch a movie that was recommended to me by The Mad Scientist (remember him?) a while back... but it finally came to Netflix. It was "Things to Do In Denver When You're Dead" starring Andy Garcia, Christopher Walken, Gabrielle Anwar, Treat Williams & Steve Buscemi. As you can tell from the title, it was recommend to me back when I was living in Denver over two years ago... but basically it's the story of Jimmy the Saint (Garcia) who is living in Denver... but like most former gangsters who try to make a decent living... he gets pulled back into the game... and has to do one last job to nullify his debts. So he gets the team back together... and I don't want to give too much away... but things don't go according to plan. Anyway, I highly recommend this movie if you're into gangster movies. Heck, this one might have even cracked my Movie List for that genre. Great ensemble cast... with the likes of Jack Warden, William Forsythe, and others. Go check it out.

Next up was "The Beach" starring Leonardo DiCaprio and from director Danny Boyle ("Trainspotting", "Slumdog Millionairre" & "127 Hours"). Now... I thought that I had watched this movie before... but then again, all I could remember was the preview with the hot French chick & I thought pirates were involved or something... so maybe I didn't. Anyway, it's about this guy (DiCaprio) who goes to Thailand to find adventure (great place to do it) but not be a tourist, be an adventurer or something. Well, he meets this guy (Robert Carlyle) who tells him about this perfect island with a perfect beach and perfect everything... and even gives him a map, telling him that it's super secret. He then meets this French couple... and they decide to go check it out & see if it really exists. Well, it does... but they're super secretive as I mentioned... and Leo's character is a bit of a douche... like in every situation... and there are Thai drug farmers involved on the island... and you might want to check it out... but it's not the greatest movie ever made. There's one part where Leo kind of freaks out a bit... and I for some reason was totally thinking about Ben Stiller in "Tropic Thunder" wearing a panda on his head. Yeah, it's like that... but trying to be serious.

Last up is "A Wrinkle In Time", which as I've mentioned before... was basically my favorite book growing up as a kid (you know, back when I read books). They made a TV movie about it a few years back starring Alfre Woodard & Katie Stuart... so I thought that I'd check it out. Well, it's pretty much just like the book (except there were a few things that I must've forgot... but it's been about 20 years since I've read it). There's Mag (Stuart) who is just a young teenage girl with twin brothers and another named Charles Wallace. Their father mysteriously disappeared about a year earlier... and then a magical adventure presents itself when Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which & Mrs. Whatsit flutter by & tell them of Tesseracts & IT and the story just kind of goes from there. For a TV movie, it wasn't that bad... and I'd definitely recommend watching it with kids if you have them. I had my roommates... but luckily, they all loved the book as kids too... so good times by all.

Anyway, that'll do it for tonight. I'd better brush up on my basketball knowledge so that I can drop bombs on you... in case they decide to have a season. Sigh... damn football & basketball... why can't you all just enjoy the money you've got? Here's an idea... instead of fighting over the profits, why don't you just lower the mother f**king ticket prices? SOLD!!! Anyway, I'll be back at my 9-5+ hourly wage job in the morning. Have a great night everybody!!!

Hard As Steel & Still Gettin' Harder

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Friday night, the Parliament Funkadelic and their prime minister of funk relations, Mr. George Clinton rocked Yoshi's Jazz Club... and funked with many a mind. Not only that, I think they've done 7-8 shows since Thursday there... and even Bubbles got in on the action Saturday night. The concert was great, though a little shorter than the last time when it was just a single show... but that makes a little sense since they were doing two a night. This time, I even got a complimentary upgrade to a table... but that didn't last long as about ten minutes into the show, I was up on the dance floor and shaking what my mother gave me.

Now, I'm REALLY thinking about going to Lake Tahoe the last weekend of this month... because Steve Miller Band is playing at Montbleu on July 30th... and it'd really help if I could convince some people to go with me. You know... because gas is expensive unless you cut it in half... and then it's just ridiculous. I will keep you posted... as I do miss Lake Tahoe... especially in the summer... and I've yet to make it up there... and maybe I'll meet up with my stepsister and her family for a bit. See, they were in Utah this past 4th of July week so I just missed them... and I know the kids miss their Uncle $teve. How could they not? I'm the bee's knees. Besides, it's only right that I go see this show... as for the first few months when I was living in Tahoe, Steve Miller Band was pretty much the only thing in Gretchen's CD player. "Nooorthern California where the girls are warm..." yeah, it's just a great CD for driving around up there. Anyway, I'll keep you posted.

Saturday, I basically spent the entire morning at the gym... and yes, even after funkin' out to P-Funk the night before, because I'm gonna look like Jesus and still eat what I want dammit. Played a little basketball, though not my best by any stretch of the imagination, but I'll get back into it. Did a little jogging on the machine, lifted some weights, you know the drill. Also trying to do more cooking... so I cooked some tikka masala chicken on rice, hard boiled some eggs (for protein breakfast so that my guns POP), and stocked the pantry for some future adventures. Pretty boring stuff, I know...

So I rented a few movies that you might like... like "Battle: Los Angeles" starring Aaron Eckhart & Michelle Rodriguez. For those who didn't see the previews, this is basically the same story as "Skyline" (which sucked & was released around the same time) but it follows a retiring staff sargeant (Eckhart) who is immediately called back into service because... the coasts of several major cities around the world are being invaded by aliens. Why? Watch the movie... but it's what any war is really about... whether extraterrestrial or domestic... resources. The staff sargeant & his crew are sent on a mission into the battlefield to rescue civilians from a police station... and that's when the action really starts. Now... I could bog you down with the MANY inconsistencies of the story, editing, etc. involved while watching this movie... but it actually wasn't that bad. Ten times better than "Skyline" was... so yeah, give it a chance if that's your thing. I liked it.

Next up was "I Am Number Four" starring Timothy Olyphant & Alex Pettyfer. Now, I know that a whole lot of the appeal of this movie... was that nobody really knew what it was about... you know, like "Super 8" & "Cloverfield" that whole JJ Abrams type marketing that's now being used... but basically the movie is about these aliens that came down to Earth to hide from other evil aliens... but the evil aliens have found them here on Earth and are killing them off... apparently in numerical order which I didn't totally grasp... but hey, maybe it's like a interstellar game of 9-ball or something. Oh yes, Galactic Billiards. Google it. Anyway, the first three are dead... and now Number Four (Pettyfer) and his handler (Olyphant) are being chased... as they have been their whole lives... but now Number Four is in love with this cute girl that he met at high school... and there's bullies... and he doesn't want to run anymore... and he has these new super powers... and it kind of turns into "Twilight" meets "Highlander" or something but all in all, it was actually a pretty decent show. It's set up for sequels... so we'll see if those happen... but obviously you can't go with "I Am Number Four... Two" or something like that... so it'll probably be "Who is Number Five?" to which I reply... "Johnny Five is Alive!" It was a stretch... but I seem to remember there being talks of a "Short Circuit" reboot somewhere so... come on, Hollywood! What the f**k?

Lastly for the evening was another random Netflix selection while watching with my roommate Bee Master. Occasionally we'll just glance through the Netflix selections... and find something that just has to be seen. The other day, it was "Parking Wars" a reality show about meter maids... in other cities where the fines are about a quarter of what they are here in San Francisco. We watched an episode... and then looked for more. Something... Mystery Science Theatre 3000 worthy.

Then we stumbled upon it... a synopsis that totally toyed with my Ten Things That'll Make Me Watch Your Movie... and just a few more titilating words that peaked my interest. Please read it very careful... and tell me that you're not intrigued. "For devilishly mad "astro-scientist" Dr. DeMarco, a typical day involves run-ins with reanimated corpses, bloodthirsty solar-powered killer robot zombies, Chinese communist spies and vicious Mexican secret agents." You simply must watch this movie, right? Then... you look at the poster for it... and it looks like Jason from Friday the 13th in a leisure suit with a machete in one hand... and a hot blonde in a mini skirt in the other... oh, you MUST watch this movie.

So we watched 1969's "Astro Zombies" starring... some people. Let me tell you... from the opening scene... this movie was just... incredible to watch. I believe the writers of this flick basically made a 20 minute movie... and then through the magic of editing, overexposition and just drawing out every possible thing (much like I would honestly do in a horror flick if I made it) they turned it into a 90 minute masterpiece of mockable fun. There's non-sensical plots, hot nurses, random b**ch slaps, knives deterring gun fights for some reason, overuse of the word "Doctor" like I'm watching "Spies Like Us" as a kid again, naked girls dancing for some reason, random shifts between day & night, the worst policemen EVER, a big breasted woman who likes to show a little inner thigh before she puts a cap in your ass, and you'll never guess who are the Chinese communists spies... and who are the vicious Mexican secret agents. Spoiler hint: Don't believe the poncho! Truly a marvelous evening of satirical movie watching. I'd gladly watch it again... but not alone. It's one of those movies to be shared with friends. Because otherwise, they won't believe that this movie is real.

Anyway, this morning was more gym... and now I've got laundry to do... then maybe swing over to Golden Gate Park for some SF Symphony. We shall see. The day is young. Have a great day everybody!!! Let me know if you're interested in a road trip to Lake Tahoe in a few weeks.

George Clinton & P-Funk 2: Funk Harder

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Well, in a few hours in my 2nd concert since February bearing witness to the funk legend George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic at Yoshi's Jazz Club on Fillmore. It should be fantastic... and I got the tickets for half off at the festival the other day. Yippee!!! What's even better though? IT'S FRIDAY, B**CHES!!! BE MERRY!!! Honestly, this week has just been a whole lot of work... followed by taking out my frustrations at the gym... and repeat for about four days. I did, of course, find a little time for movie watching with the roommates. Oh... and the new roommate... I'm thinking her name will be... Bee Master. Why? Because I said so... and yes, it's ridiculous. I don't care. It's my blog. Deal with it.

The first up is one I actually watched a while ago... but just forgot to mention it. It's the mid-90's cult flick "Hackers" starring Angelina Jolie, Johnny Lee Miller & Matthew Lillard. It's a bit of a dated & campy movie... but still kind of fun in its own way. There's this guy (Miller) who is apparently the greatest computer hacker ever... so good that he was banned as a child from ever being near a computer until his 18th birthday because he shut down the system or something. Anyway, he grows up, goes off to NYC to go to college... and he gets pulled into this cool underground of hackers... where he meets the hot chick (Jolie) who wants nothing to do with him... and it goes from there, they get framed, chased by the government, bad one liners, blah blah blah, you know the drill. Give it a gander if you've wondered if Angelina could pull off being a b**ch with short pixie hair. Spoiler alert: She can.

Next up was "How Do You Know?" starring Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson & Jack Nicholson and directed by James L. Brooks ("As Good As It Gets"). It's a modern day love story about a retiring softball player (Witherspoon) who is dating a douchy (but rich) professional baseball pitcher (Wilson). There's also a guy (Rudd) who is suddenly under investgation by the SEC & he doesn't know why... but his father (Nicholson) the president of the company might know why. Well, one day they meet, they chat, they have a good time, and life gets in the way... and its a romantic comedy from there out. A pretty good one... but yeah, you kind of just have to go with it for the most part. I may sound cynical... but that's just my experience. Perhaps I'll find somebody down the road who makes me feel something more for rom-coms... but right now, I'm content with just making fun of them & still a hopeless romantic in real life. Like... completely hopeless maybe. Check it out.

Then there was "Knight & Day" starring Tom Cruise & Cameron Diaz. Now, I had absolutely no intention of EVER watching this movie. None. Then... a fairly reliable source when it comes to movies suggested it to me... and it wasn't too bad actually. The story is about an allegedly rogue secret agent named Roy (Cruise) who meets up with this girl (Diaz) at an airport... and suddenly she's involved in an international manhunt & the only person that can save her... is Roy. The only thing is... he's a little crazy... and the situations that he gets in are a little crazy... and everybody's trying to kill him. Anyway, I actually highly recommend this for a little action-comedy. The humor was pretty good... and I really liked some of the transitions (like the haze when she's under the influence of a calming agent) and the dynamic of how he's so cool under pressure & she freaks out most of the time. I'm also almost certain there were a lot of movie magic with milk crates to get Tom Cruise up to Cameron Diaz height on a few shots but... hey, that's Hollywood. Check it out if that's your thing.

Lastly, I'm going to mention the 2004 version of "Dawn of the Dead" starring Ving Rhames & directed by Zach Snyder ("300" & "Watchmen"). I feel like I had seen parts of this movie before... but never the whole thing... and I have to tell you, it's pretty awesome for a zombie movie. The story is like all zombie movies. The dead come back suddenly & long for brains. Millions dead. Few survivors. This one is set at a mall in Milwaukee... and it's your usual gallery of survivors like a cop, a pregnant chick, a nurse, a salesman, some security guards, a hick, a rich prick, a hot chick that shows her tits, some old people, the list goes on. However, the way that it's told... and the danger that they face... is pretty well done. Sure, there are obviously a few things thrown in to spice things up... like a dumb b**ch risking everybody to save her f**king dog... and everybody trying to be in charge but having no real ideas... but hey, that's what brings conflict into the movie... and makes it more intense, right? Right. Highest of recommendations for zombie movie lovers. You know who you are... and you've probably already seen this... and the original... so why are you still reading? Ah, you must like my rants. Thanks.

Anyway, that'll do it for tonight. I've got a concert to get ready for & I haven't even had dinner yet. Oh well, I can always drink my dinner. IT'S FRIDAY, B**CHES!!! Have a great weekend!!!

Guten Tag Kartoffel

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Well, since I last posted, some pretty cool unexpected stuff has gone down. First off, almost immediately after posting, my roommate Pixie came home... with a few of her friends... and they started cooking & offering me red wine... and before I knew it, I was part of the action. Basically it was a lot of good food, good peeps, good wine & then Rock Band for a few hours... which is usually a great time. There were even a few sleepovers.

Then it was the 4th of July, and one of Pixie's friends invited me to a little Halloween Cookout that she was having. Yes... Halloween... on the 4th of July. I'm down. So after a hearty breakfast, we headed to her place in the Haight-Ashbury (I think) and I helped as best I could with the barbecue & getting things set up... and then we ate, told stories & jokes, drank a few (including some REAL good strawberry lemonade... with tequila) and then around sunset, made our ways to the roof to see the fireworks all over the Bay Area. It was pretty fantastic... and completely unexpected. Kudos to everybody involved!!!

Other than that, just a busy day back at work as always... and I miss my family & friends all over the globe a bit... but hey, I met a few cool cats & we've already talked about going rock climbing soon. I haven't been rock climbing in years... but I love it. Hopefully I still have some skills... I'd hate to be THAT guy. Oh well, the height will help. It usually does. Anyway, I hope that you all had a great weekend too. AMERICA!!! F**K YEAH!!!

Fillmore Jazz Festival

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Well, the weekend is going pretty great so far. Saturday was more of a kick back & relax day, a few hours at the gym, cooked a little bit, ran out to Daly City to do some errands & affordable clothes shopping, with a little stop by The Final Final for some pool & beer in the evening... since I basically was alone in my apartments. All of the roommates & friends had their own things going on with birthday parties & trips to see the family for the holidays so... yeah. Good times.

Today though, Sunday, I was going exploring. I had heard so many things about some of the beautiful parks in the parts of the city that I haven't really exlored yet... and noticed that a few of them were right by the Fillmore Jazz Festival. So I thought... with the help of $2 and a Muni pass... that I could go check some of them out. My first stop was Alamo Square, home of the famous "Painted Ladies" Victorian-esque homes that you might see in a few movies set in San Francisco... or Full House.

You know why I like this name, right?

Next was Buena Vista Park, which I believe is just about the highest point in the city... and a lot of the views of the city are obstructed by giant trees (and my camera doesn't focus on distant things well) so it's even better than these pictures give due...

After strolling around there for a few, I decided to hop back on the Muni and head towards Fillmore Street Jazz Festival. There were about a half dozen musical acts playing & plent of food & beer to go around (for a price). As you might expect, you can't really have Jazz without barbecue (perfect for the weekend) and it can't be San Francisco without alternatives (Thai, vegan, etc) and it was a great atmosphere. I really enjoyed walking around Fillmore Street during the day, as the other times that I had been in the area were at night for concerts. BTW, got a ticket for George Clinton this Friday half off at Yoshi's booth. BOOYAH!!! P-Funk y'all!!! Here are some pictures...

I know it says no photos... but I had to share with you...

Towards the end of the festival, here's the view from Fillmore & Broadway overlooking the Marina District & the Bay.

That's pretty much it so far today. Gonna rehydrate from my day or walking all around town in the gorgeous weather (SO many hills) and may head out on the town again tonight... but we shall see. Tomorrow night, I'm thinking fireworks out on Crissy Fields. What do you think? Any other suggestions? Hope that you are all having a great weekend!!!

2011 Halftime Report

Good Afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen,

Well... believe it or not, 2011 is basically halfway done. Yes, I know... tragic. How time flies when you're having fun & all that jazz. Basically, the first half of the year... lots of change. From scenery to roommates to jobs to the ever growing family and everything in between... except the waistline remains steady thanks to plenty of walking opportunities here in The City. Enough about all that though... you want to hear about my trip back to Utah this weekend, right? Of course you do.

Thursday

Well... basically I worked worked worked for the week prior until the absolute moment that I had to catch a shuttle to Oakland Airport. The shuttle was a little late... but luckily so was my flight (about 20 minutes) so it worked out perfectly. Thursday night, my dad picked me up... and it was the first time that he looked REALLY skinny to me. You know... like old guys do... when they work out... but even when he worked out before, he had muscle. Not so much this time... but I missed him terribly... and gave him a great Father's Day present. What was it you ask? The first two seasons of "Castle" starring Nathan Fillion. Trust me... he loves it.

That night, I met up with JL Clyde and had sushi & a few drinks while listening to the worst garage band I've heard in years at Gracie's. Good times. She also got me a birthday present. What was it you ask? Hot Bitch on the Beach! It's hot sauce... apparently... but has a nice charicature on the bottle.

Friday

Started off the day by meeting up with K-Fish for a road trip out to Taggart (about 45 minutes East of SLC) to a grill for some lunch. I believe it was called Taggart's Grill... but the food is fantastic. There was a ham & apple wrap (yes, I know it sounds weird, but it was great) and I had a chicken, bacon, pesto, etc. Pit-za... which is basically a mini-pizza on pita bread. Fantastic. I highly recommend it. We also caught up on going-ons in each other lives... as you might expect from a lunch. Then we drove along the river. See, it's been in the 90's for a few weeks in Utah... and compounded with record snowfall... leads to some pretty threatening flood possibilities for this altitude. Observe...

The bouncer at the restaurant

"I'M A PEACOCK! I NEED TO FLY!!!"

After that, I went to my brother's to meet up with him & my niece Kairi & nephew Vinny. Sigh... Kairi is going to start school next year... and Vinny's well over 3 years old now. They grow so fast... but we watched "X-Men: First Class" during their nap. Now, if you haven't seen this movie... it's pretty campy at some points as most comic adaptations are... but pretty damn good actually. It's the origin story of the X-Men with Dr. Charles Xavier (Chris McAvoy of "Wanted") and his "sister" Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence of "Winter's Bone") and how they cross paths with a Nazi assassin named Magneto (Michael Fassbender of "Inglorious Basterds") and how they join forces to save the world in the 60's from an evil man named Sebastian Shaw (THE Kevin Bacon) and his own gang of mutants with super powers. You all know the story... but yeah, definitely check it out. The cast is pretty good... even a cameo by Hugh Jackman... but hey, like I said, campy... but not half bad.

After playing with the kids for a bit, taking them up to grandma's (my mom's), we returned to my brother's newly remodeled bachelor pad to watch "Scott Pilgrim vs the World" starring Michael Cena. Another comic adaptation... but this one was more nerdy Nintendo feel to it... and was about a kid (Cena) who falls for a girl & tries to win her over... but first, he must fight her seven evil exes... or DIE!!! The best part about this movie... was the nerdy humor... and the distinctly new visual style... not necessarily the story or anything... but I highly recommend it if you also still have your Nintendo hooked up to the TV in your bedroom.

Saturday

This was the day of Spitso's wedding... and I got to meet up with some of the "other" family... as Spitso & his brother Isaiah have been my brothers from another mother for well over 20 years now. Anway... the pictures tell it best... the setting was Union Station on historic 25th Street in beautiful Ogden, Utah... aka where the $teve was born.

Oh yes... my brother is a nerd...

My brother, Isaiah, Spitso & Nate Dogg

The new family...

That night, I went up to my mom's after the wedding... so around midnight. Lo & behold, somebody was awake and excited to see me... my nephew Vinny. Long story short, he wasn't tired. That quickly changed when I said, "Hey buddy, wanna take a nap with me here under the fan?" "YEAH!!!" Within a few seconds of getting our makeshift bed set up with a few blankets & pillows on the floor, we lied down (lay down?) and he threw his arm over my arm in a little hug... and dozed off to sleep. It was really quiet cute as you could imagine.

Sunday

I awoke in the morning to my mom & my niece Kairi discovering that I was there on the floor sleeping. My mom asked her, "Kairi, do you want to snuggle with Uncle $teve?" "Yeah!" She hopped right down on the ground... and basically just chatted away for about 15 minutes before I decided that it was futile to resist... I was getting up.

I spent the day hanging out with them, going into the hot tub (but my mom didn't know how to turn on the heat... so it was rather cool... about 60 degrees when we started & warmed up to about 70 when we were done), chilled on the porch, played games, all kinds of fun. Even my Aunt Pat & cousin Alicia were there. Good times.

Aren't they just adorable?

Evil smile...

Confused...

Ecstatic...

That night though... was a bit of a surprise. See, the night that I came into town... my dad asked me if I liked Ted Nugent. "The Motor City Madman? Of course!" Well, he was having a concert at The Depot... and even in his mid 60's, the man is a showman... as these pictures don't quite do justice... but still...

Great White Buffalo...

It was just my dad & I... and we had a few beers, listening to most of the greatest hits from Uncle Ted... and good times were had by all. We even went to Sconecutters afterwards for some greasy food. Great day with the families.

Monday

Around noon, I met up with K-Fish again for some lunch at WilDhoG Grill (formerly the Chubby Toad) and had a damn fine bleu bacon burger. Mmm mmm mmm... afterwards, we went around town doing errands, mostly me looking for treats & trinkets to take back to the ladies at work covering for me. Then after that, I basically just chilled at my dad's place for a while watching TV & catching up on current events.

Then, that evening, my dad, stepmom, brother & I went to see "The Green Lantern" starring Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively & Mark Strong. Yes, another comic book adaptation... but tis the season... and a pretty standard genre for anything Hollywood. This one is about a pilot (Reynolds) who basically is chosen to be an intergalactic guardian of the Milky Way and has this ring that converts his Willpower into whatever he wants. Enter super-powerful cosmic force, love story, blah blah blah... and it wasn't horrible or anything, but basically what you would expect. I enjoyed it. The thing that caught me though was... okay... his "mentor" in this movie is named Sinestro (Strong). Now, reading the comics, you know he becomes the main bad guy... but the guy's name... is Sinestro. Sinestro! You can't trust a man named Sinestro! I don't care how you package it. Let's see... you applied to be our babysitter. What was your name again? Ted Bundy! Hmm... thank you for your application... have a nice day. What was your pastor's name again? Lou Cypher! I've seen that movie before. It just... doesn't work.

We followed that up with "The Hangover Part 2" starring the guys from the original (Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifinikas, Ed Helms, etc) and this time it's in Bangkok... and similar stuff happens... and it's hilarious. There's really all you need to hear about the movie. The rest just wouldn't be worth your time. If you liked the first one, this one's pretty good too. Check it out at a theatre near you... or wait for the DVD, I don't care, your choice.

Tuesday

Before my flight back to SF, I chilled at my dad's watching "Game of Thrones" on Xfinity... and it's a kick-ass show that I definitely recommend. Starring Sean Bean & set in a medieval realm of mystery... dragons, savages, swordplay, betrayal, etc. Check it out! You may remember the throne of swords from my visit to Wondercon in April. My dad also stopped by for some lunch... but mostly this was just a day of rest before I started back to work on Wednesday... and boy was it waiting for me. I had a fantastic weekend with the family... and I wish I could've spent more time... but I gotta make that mother f**kin' money, you know what I'm sayin? Not a bad place to do it though...

Thanks for listening to me ramble... and don't worry, the tears have passed since I left so I'm back on my gangsta thug level now, back on my grind in The City. Holla! Have a great 4th of July weekend everybody!!!