Happy Birthday Self!

So I went to work today just like any usual day. Its just that this day was special. It was a work day for me, but not everyone else in the office. Just me, lynn, and the Boss. They offered to take me to lunch (there was no 'special' reason, they were going just cause they could) but I couldn't join them cause I brought my lunch. I had spaghetti from 2 weeks ago, and yes, it was still good. I worked only until 5 or so when the bosses told me we were done for the day. So I left. It was nice leaving earlier than usual, when there was still light in the sky.

When I got home it was indeed dark, but you'll never guess who I ran into there, yup, it was that Cheryl girl. I admit, I was bored and hungry but Cheryl graciously announced that she'd let me take somewhere to get food. We went to C&O Tattoria. It was good. I got the usual, oily-shrimp-artichoke-noodles. There weren't as many luscious buttery bread balls as normal either, so in a true Jeff fashion I loudly complained about it to someone passing by who tried to help me with the situation. Since I was celebrating this day, we also got dessert. Whatever it was, it was recomended by the waitress. Cheryl seemed eager to taste it, so I got two of them. Whatever they were I should have only gotten 1. It didn't taste like chocolate(cardboard), it didn't feel like cream inside(paste), and it didn't look like it taste that bad(very plain). But I was mistaken. It wasn't the ideal birthday dessert, but it had to do.

Then we went home and I treated myself to an evening of video games. It was great.

Merry Christmas!

This is my Christmas Card to you all.

Inside it says "Merry Christmas to y'all!"

Then I signed it in my most beautiful signature possible:
"Jim C"

If you didn't get the actual copy, please take this as a replacement, and blame the postman for not delivering it to you personally.

Trisha's Annual Cookie Party!

So after weeks of negotiations with Trisha's people, we finally settled on a time for the Christmas Cookie Party. In the days leading up to this event, I spent hours of preparation, scheduling, and planning out every detail possible to make it a completely fabulous event. After work on Wednesday I hurried home to find Cheryl baking away. She made two full tubs of splendidly plain sugar cookies (ready for decoration), AND a large plate of Peppermint Brownies! It took all my willpower to not take a bite out of them before she was finished frosting them.

Also, as I was preparing to leave work, I got a voice mail from Josh, saying that they were planning to go out to eat before the long awaited Cookie Party. THEN on the way home from work I got a call from Jeff, seeing if I had received Josh's message. 5 minutes later, while still on the way home, I got a call from Josh, seeing if I had gotten his first message. I figured if they were that excited for me to attend, I better attend, otherwise I'd never hear the end of it. And I wanted to support them in their party planning endeavors. We went to some Mexican Place down by where Jeff works. It was OK, and I might one day think of going there again.

The Holidays are Upon us!

Happy Holidays my dear Blog Readers! I made an 'e-Christmas Card for you all, presented to you through Blogger.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Thanksgiving again

This year for Thanksgiving Cheryl and I found ourselves in Utah. It was cold in Utah. I don't like the cold that much. But I had to go because my (bratty) little sister had just come home off her mission the very day before Thanksgiving. So it was a big family event, n' stuff. It was Fun. I got to hang out with all my family. Its been a while since we'd done that.

I was a little disappointed that my mom failed to bake freshly made Chocolate Chip Cookies for my arrival. I had specifically requested them be ready, no more than 20 minutes before my arrival. Apparently she got carried away making all other Thanksgiving feast items for the next day, so I let that one slide. We had arrived, after all, the day before the big day of feasting.

Another funny note, because everyone was staying with my parents, so they were tight on space, luckily they had two extra mattresses in the basement. I don't know the proper term for the size, but they were 3'x 6', single person size, and since every other room was taken, they put me and Cheryl in the same room. I didn't mind cause her snoring doesn't bother me, and I know that I'm a peaceful sound sleeper. It was funny that they had decorated our old 'computer' room to resemble Ward & June Cleaver's house. (You know, from 'Leave It To Beaver'. One of the dumbest shows ever created- to show etiquette and manners n such.)

My sister had just returned off a mission from New York, so she was there, and super hyper. Apparently she had sent a box home at least once a month full of clothes, extra bars of soap, shampoo, and many toys, and then even more clothes. (I wonder where she got the money for all that dad? I wasn't allowed to send stuff home. I wonder why she was...) Joe and I started making fun of all her weird 'New York' clothes and she got all annoyed, then went crying to dad to try to get him to stop, but it was late, so luckily for us he was in bed. She sent a Lot of stuff home that she didn't need to.

We woke up late on Thanksgiving Thursday, only to have the urge to eat Pancakes, so I made some for myself, and then when everyone else saw what I was doing, they remembered how glorious they are, so they all wanted some too. My tummy liked them.

Our typical Feast didn't start until a bit later because my little brother Was going to come, but then opted out cause he already promised his in-laws they'd go there. So our family was going to wait for him to come over, but then he realized that he was going to binge once that day, and didn't want to do it twice, so he just backed out. And he didn't tell my family that until later in the day. AND my mom misjudged the cooking time on the turkey. Instead of cooking for 90 min, like my mom had thought, it really needed to be cooked for 150 minutes. But after all the food was on the table, we quickly dug in and continued eating until we were all over-full. It was good. I was so full that I didn't even have room to gorge myself on my favorite Pecan Pie. But I did have enough room to continually sample chocolate covered nuts all day and most of the night until I did work up enough free room in my stomach to eat many slices of pie.

The next day was just as full of exciting events. We got up pretty early (10:30am) and went to paint pottery at the local Color Me Mine store. It has become a family tradition for us in the last few years. It all started with me and my brothers wanting to 'Out-do' the girls, so instead of flowers and 'cute' things, we all did German Polka bands, Godzilla vs. Mothra, and then Greek Minotaurs chopping heads off. And every year the fun escalates from there. For some reason I've taken the longest every time we go. I don't know why; maybe I'm slower than them at it, but maybe good designs take longer. I've definitely crowned myself champion of the plate designs every year that I've done it.

On Saturday morning we went shooting. It was warmer than it is to go shooting in Boise, thats for sure. Its usually freezing cold in Boise, but here its only Cold. Its another family tradition to go shooting guns on Thanksgiving weekend. Its our way of honoring the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution I guess.

My Grandma came to visit.
We watched football on TV.
My sister spoke in Church.
Then we came home.

'Proposition 8'

Only in California... Or should I say, Only in LA and San Fran (it seems). I'm sure I don't need to convince any of you reading this, but I still have something to say about it. People are being so ridiculous about it. They are acting like its a civil rights movement for crying out loud. Well, its NOT.

If Prop 8 passes, Nothing changes! If it doesn't pass, then the way I practice religion will come into question (government scrutiny more like). Government WILL encroach upon how I practice my religion as well as any 'traditional' religion. My church will be sued because of the beliefs that I've had since the beginning of Time. The clergy could then be sued for preaching from the Bible even. And I don't like that idea.

If it doesn't pass, then this state created institution will have to be defended by the state. And that is where all the weird stupid laws come into play which will complicate everyone's lives, especially more costs to all government offices (because of twice as much paper work for example), and I am not a fan of more laws. More laws seem like more paper to waist, which means more taxes for me, which means more headache for me, and I'll eventually get more parking and speeding tickets, which I Don't want!
And next, kids will be forced to hear about how your parent should be gay, and parents won't be able to control it (at the school level that is). Now there's tons of horror stories about how the state will pretty much indoctrinate the kids out there, and all those who oppose (mostly on tv) say that its NOT about kids, its about 'me' (speaking of themselves). They are all thinking only of themselves, and not the future of kids minds; lets face it when taught about that stuff that early, it 'changes' people, and could mess horribly with kids thinking. When kids are taught the 'right' thing at home, then the parents have power. But with every gay lesson the school has, it is an attempt to undermine the family.

Here is a link that I saw that was interesting, and described it pretty well.
http://www.protectmarriage.com/ballot/

But anyway. Its just my ranting opinion for now. No need to hate me for it (I don't think). Beth already told me that people are out to get me because I have an opinion on it, and that I should 'watch out'. But whatever. Its just 1 opinion.

Second Quote of the Year

I honestly thought there would only be one quote of the year, but I was proven wrong last night....
[I was leaving the apartment to go running. Cheryl was just walking up the hallway]

"Oh Hi, are you leaving right now? Oh, can I borrow your credit Card? I have to run to the store in a minute."

Wedding Day - aka Party of the Century

So I wake up, and immediately need pancakes. Jeff didn't have the 'ingredients' for the best mix ever, so I decided to run over to Pelham and get my mix. On the way there I ran into the girl who does my hair, so I decided to get her to fix my hair up; cause after all, I was on my way to the party of the century later on today.

So back to Veteran for Pancakes. I made some, which were most excellent, and then Jeff made some, which I didn't exactly try, but I can not vouch for their quality. I can say that they were thicker than I've ever seen before, and I really think he was going for some sort of record with their size, and thickness. It was so 'Odd' when they weren't done cooking when he wanted them to be. They were so thick that when he forked into one batter came oozing out of the center just like a jelly donut. It was pretty odd. But hey, I'm happy that he loved it. Joe and Tiffany came over too for breakfast.

A bit later my brother Joe decided that one shower wasn't enough on the day of a party, so he started harassing me about taking another one. I assured him that 1 was enough per day, but then Jeff and Josh decided to start harassing me. So I was pretty much forced into bathing again. Which was annoying. Especially cause Josh was itching to try out some of his Submission holds on me if I resisted any longer than I did.

Later that day Cheryl met up at the temple with a few friends. it was nice. We got 'hitched'.

When leaving the temple we were surprised to see all the people outside waiting for us. It was all our families, and many wonderful friends. It was nice to see them all together. There was even a lady there taking pictures of us. She did great. You can see her stuff at http://ryelphotoblog.com/. (She has some pictures of us up, and our pies!) After a short group photo session, our friends and families parted and went to finish setting up at the Stake Center. We then finished our 1-on-1 photo session with Ryel. She marched us all over the temple grounds. It was nice cause she allowed me some 'artistic expression' on some of the shots. It thus captured the essence of the photo shoot. When walking up the front stairs of the Temple, Cheryl accidentially tripped over her long flowing dress, and ripped some of the front flowing dress part, from the snug torso part. In a panic I was sent inside and I asked for safety pins. After a long wait, the guys there found 2 pins for me, so I raced back out to the photo shoot. We mended the dress as best we could given No supplies and little time. but we made due with covering the slight rip with a beautifully plump bouquet of flowers, or the long sassy brown sash. While on the lawn, many cars on the street would honk at us, acknowledging that we were indeed the coolest people ever. I wanted to show my thanks, so I would wave to everyone that would honk at us.

From there we drove right over to the Stake center to assist in what we could. Our photo shoot took longer than we exptected (partly due to dress-rippage), but when we got there, it looked spectacular. It was just like walking into... Disneyland; except no weirdo's, less Disney paraphinalia, and we wern't selling crap, and no rides; but there were still kids everywhere. In the last two hours our families and friends had worked their magic to fix everything up, and in working order too! The lights were glowing sublimly. The lanterns were also lit, which was an added bonus, cause we didn't think they worked. The tables were all set and adorned with the Damask runners that Cheryl had made, crowned with beautiful fluffy autumnn colored flower arrangements that Trisha had assembled. Right as you entered the courtyard, you would come across the Sign-In table, and the Pie Table. Both looked very attractive. At the sign in table there was a huge bowl of hershy's miniture chocolates, re-wrapped with our own design, names, and the date on it. They were there to 'tide' you over until you made it to the actual food tables. Then the photo book that we made was there, filled with all the wonderful pictures that Tiffany had taken from our Engagement Photo session. There was plenty of blank area for everyone to sign in, along with our Martha Stewart Scrapbooking Pens for people to write with. Across the way was the Pie table, with heaping mounds of Pies on it. Oh the smell was wonderful, and the look of it was fantastic! Everybody was impressed. From there you would enter the more open courtyard area. The corner of the courtyard acted as a pedistal to the rest of the courtyard, so that is where Cheryl and I stood to greet people. It was spacious enough to contain many people so it wasn't uncomfortable standing there greeting everyone who came to our party. As you entered, you enjoyed the field of decorated tables, along with the beautiful atmosphere. Off to the right, in the back, was the heaping tables of Food and punch and water(I spilled quite a bit of punch for some reason. It was a little to slippery for my fingers I guess). It was delicious, and plentifyl, and was prepaired by Trisha's friend Linda. (Danny at work verified that Linda is a great cook, and good at doing weddings, and brings plenty of food, and boy was he right.) And again in the middle of the food table was a mountainous explosion of flowers in an arrangement. I'm really glad that Cheryl and I took the time to sit and eat some of the wonderful food.

And of course in the background, with the combined efforts: Britt & Steve put together a wonderful music Play-list for the occasion, and Jeff supplied the sound system, speakers, cables and all that technical stuff. He had some pretty good equipment, and they all came through for us.

Flowers, of course, were done by none other than Trisha, and they were gorgeous. I want to first say that when we were talking about flowers weeks before Our Big Party, my only requirements for my flower on my suit, was that it had to me Manly, and it had to scream 'I am tough and I won't take your crap', and it also had to have a sensitive side so that when Cheryl looked at it, she would see the sensitivity and softness, and beauty of it. And i also told her that it couldn't be 'cute', by anyones standards. And she did a fine job. I don't remember what kind of flower it was, but it didn't seem traditional, it did seem manly, and it fulfilled my requirments! It was great. It did however take three women to pin it on me becuase it was so 'tough' (ha ha ha, yes that was a play on words.) All the tables were centered with wonderful blossoming center pieces that Trisha and her shop did. I hope that someone took lots of pictures of them cause they were fabulous, and I definitely want to see them again.

Thanks again to everyone to helped us in every whay with our Big Day.
And thanks for coming, if you were able to make it.

Party-Prep for the Party of the Century

On Thursday (the 9th) both my parents and Cheryl's parents came into town. To celebrate their meeting, we (I) decided that we all should go to BJ's, and that they should all partake of my most favorite BBQ Chicken Pizza, followed by the ever so scrumptious Pazookie. After that my parents left, and I stayed to help make cute little apple pies. We were making so many that we ran out of ingredients, so I ran to the store to fetch more. Unlucky for me, my car was still over at the temple apartments from when I picked the parents up, so I had to get 'exercise'! ugh. Making apple pies was fun, and laborsome. I think almost everyone working with them cut their fingers somehow. Cheryl was washing stuff and a knife jumped up and bit her finger pretty good (unfortunately, of course).

So I took last Friday off in order to prepare for 'the Party of the Century'. Lots of family was coming to town, and I had to help them coordinate the with the 'Set-Up' efforts. We had our day all mapped out, but nothing seemed to fit just right into our pre-suggested schedule, that we wanted it to fit into.
I had lots of running around to do, things to buy, stuff to pick up, and so on. I'd stop by Pelham to drop stuff off now and then. Around noon when I stopped there I was greeted by what seemed like a herd of kids all racing round the apartment. I froze as I entered, to analyze the situation. For a moment I thought that we were under invasion by an adorable little-person army. My fright only lasted a few moments until about 3 of them all started yelling 'Uncle Jim' all at the same time. I wanted to question each of them, as to how they knew me, but my schedule didn't allow for that. Luckily Cheryl explained. Cheryl's sisters and parents were hard at work making the coolest little pies ever (part of our party favors).

Later that day, as all our families were assembling, we planned to all meet at the Stake Center. Unfortunately I hadn't planned on the building being locked! I didn't plan on that at all. So a lot of us had to practice our patience for a while, while some of the smaller children started roaming randomly around the neighborhood. Fortunately my mom called me with an address of a member of the stake presidency, so Cheryl and I ran over to his house to plead our case, and ask for a key. So then the set-up procedure began.

Just as we finished setting up, we all marched over to El Cholo for dinner. It was a big sigh of relief knowing that the big and heavy, and timely parts of the set-up were done with. So I could then feast in peace. And boy was it good. I don't remember much of it, only that I didn't get enough refills, and I wanted ice cream afterwords.

Quote of theYear

"I don't need a wallet, I have a husband"
-Cheryl

My days are numbered

72 some-odd hours away, till the big day/party of the century.
Man, I really need a vacation.

Less than 2 weeks til the Big Day!

If there is anything that you can never escape, its Time. Its closing in on me non-stop. Its like one of those 'boobie-traped' rooms where the walls continually close in on you (Don't tell Cheryl I said that). There's only 11 days left to the Big Day , from today. I keep forgeting that too.

So little time, and so much to do.

1 month and counting!

Hello Friends. 1 Month till Jim's Big Day. My bags are [semi] packed, and I'm [almost] ready to go. The past few months have been pretty intense.

We found a cute little Palace over on Pelham. Its a 1 bedroom dream-shack, in a 10 unit building. The rest of our neighbors are Asian students, so its going to be nice and quiet around the Palace. Cheryl's all moved in, as she ditched her old place, and I'm beginning my Eastborne Exodus and trying to integrate My treasures where she'll let me:) We even went furniture shopping last weekend to round out the place, and to bring it up to a minimum cuteness level.

I put my design skills to use by designing the invitations 'packages'. It was just like being back in school for a few hours (which was enough). Our pictures are spectacular. My brother Joe and Tiffany came down last month to take our engagement pictures. It took a week to narrow the list down, then I sent our final 37 pics off for Post-production; again, thanks to my other brother Dave for that.

The Food has been taken care of. The Photos have been arranged. Now all we need to do is arrange the setting up and taking down.

This last week I've been suffering from a cold, which I so generously shared with Ms. Cheryl. (oops, sorry about that. )

Jim's Big Day!

So, here is how it happened:
Many weeks ago I started wondering if it was time to talk to 'That Cheryl Girl' about 'The M-Word'. It wasn't a matter if I thought it was right, It was only a matter if She would agree with me. Seriously how bad would that suck if I tried to surprise her and the answer was 'uh... I don't know'!

Then a week or two after that (and only a few weeks back from now) we were hanging out at her place; I think it was July 4th now that I think about it. But there were many things leading up to this of course, but while watching TV together in the last two weeks in particular there were many references to Marriage, Rings, Engagements, Honeymoons and things of that nature. I didn't mind hearing those words at that time so I didn't think anything about it, BUT right after I heard those words on the television I swear that I could hear the gears turning in her head (and the room got even more silent and tense). So that made me think, "well if she hears those words and then the gears turn in her head, maybe my gears should be turning in my head when I hear those words too". So I started to think about it more, until eventually I started telling myself that I needed to work up the courage to talk about those sorts of 'things' with her. And eventually by... July 4th I believe, I finally was giddy enough to bring it up. But only after she kept prying with questions as to why I was giggling so much. I think I started with something like this: "So Cheryl, how's it going". "Oh, thats good". "So in general, what do you think about...Marriage?". "Do you like weddings, n' stuff like that?". Each question was separated by at least 1 full minute of giggling at least. But the hard part for me was how she refused to answer me directly! No, I'm not kidding at all. Its like she was trying to get me to speak in complete sentences or something! And because I was flustered, I would giggle more, cause it was kind of funny. So I finally came out and asked if she liked me enough to think about marring me. So she's like; "Sure, sounds good". So then I in a super nervous way am like, "uh, thats a Yes, right?" And she responded in the affirmative, then shook hands on it.

Of course we decided not to tell all of you until I made it official with a ring. (Sorry, I'm just secretive like that). So on Saturday July 12th we arranged to go to Downtown LA to the Jewelry District and go Ring shopping. It was pretty overwhelming. So many stores, and so many options, and every vendor is convinced that I'd only be able to find the best designs, and best deals in their shop. After shop-hopping all day we had only found three possible options. So we sat in the shade, discussed the options, then I think I slowly convinced her that there was only One option available (I only fell in love with one of them [but was still open to her ideas]). So we decided and went with ring that we both had liked.

[On July 15th Cheryl reminded me that I still needed to talk to her Dad. I apparently completly forgot about that sort of thing, so I told her that I would prepare my speach for the next night, Wednesday the 16th. So on Wednesday night Cheryl called and got her dad on the phone, then told him that 'there's someone here that wants to talk to you'. And that someone was ME. So I formally asked his permission, and he agreed to it. ]

Ten days later, Wednesday July 23rd, the ring was ready to be picked up. But not really. First off we chose which cut of Diamond we wanted (because we couldn't decided at the store, they offered to show us two different cuts, then we could choose) then after realizing that it was very difficult to take the ring off her finger, we had them resize the ring to fit her finger without choking it. But that just meant we had to wait another day to actually get the ring. Luckily I called the Jeweler and asked of its status, so I was warned of this delay so I stopped by the store and purchased a few Ring-Pop's to take the real one's place.

But in anticipating the ring being finished on that Wednesday, I had made arrangements at the restaurant at the top of the Bonaventure hotel, at their New York Steakhouse called 'L.A. Prime'. Its super fancy, and it's on the 35th floor. Its a circular building with the elevators on the outside of the building! (Which means I almost fainted when I glanced out the windows. Going up wasn't that bad with a bunch of people, but oh the way down, when the doors opened, and you looked out and saw that we were 35 floors up, It was hard to get on the elevator and I wanted to ask where the stairs were. But I decided that I needed to brave my fears, so I got on, and just stuck my nose into the doors, and held as tight to the handrail as I could.) But anyway, it was a really cool place to go. They put us in a booth that had a great view up toward the north and the hills and Dodger Stadium. I was impressed with the amount of people they had working there too. There was at least 2-3 servers for every guest! My water was never more than half empty, and the managers kept stopping by to make sure we liked it there too. Mark, the waiter, was very nice. He brought us weird 'fancy' snacks of Eggplant topped with raw tuna flown in from Mexico that morning, again topped with succulent chunks of non-salmonella tomatoes, and crisp green Watercress sprinkled over the top, all baked together lightly with a radiant Parmesan cheese. Cheryl made me try part of one, and it wasn't that bad (cause I couldn't taste the fish).

After we ordered I found the time to talk with her, and eventually 'Popped the Question'. And YES, it was very 'romantic'.

When the food came we were even more in awe. The Menu was clipped into a metal binder to tell you the seriousness of the food there. They rolled it out on a wheeled-waiter, and as it pulled up to our table it was like the Harry Potter train pulling into Hogwarts. I got the Endangered Australian Lobster which was flown in that morning. It was amazing. I don't have lobster that often, but this was very enjoyable to eat. They also gave me a gravy-boat full of butter sauce to douse it in. We also got side dishes of Potato au graten, and Sweet Creamed corn. They were also very delectable. So much so that I had four helpings. Cheryl got the Fillet Mignon. I had never actually seen it before, only mis-pronounced the name of it, but it was tremendously good too. I sampled a small very pink slice if it, with her permission of course, and it was almost like a meat flavored bread. If all steak was like that I might like steak. The only sad part of the evening was the fact that we didn't have room for dessert.

Then we went home and started calling people. I think I called my whole family and three other people in the same amount of time that she called two. I'm not saying I'm better, I'm just saying that if you want more 'details' you'll want to talk to her, cause I'm not always into that I guess.

In calling family and friends, it was funny cause most people I told didn't believe me. Its just how I act when I ate a 14 pound lobster, and have barley survived an ultra hot day in a Tie no less. Jessica did scream the loudest. Jeff was the most skeptical, and Kami was the most nonchalant (not in a bad way). Tiffany's response was the most formal, and Joe showed the most 'concern'. But I must say that I thought Kristen's response was the most enjoyable to me, cause as soon as I told her she dropped the box and backpack in her hands, donned her new cowboy hat, and started dancing around in the street, then said 'its about damn time'.

So there you have it, in a nutshell, the True story.

Viva Las Vegas

A few of us went on a road trip to Las Vegas this last weekend. We went for Matt and Gliedy's Vegas Reception, and cause it would be fun. We stayed at the Monte Carlo Casino-Resort. We walked around, took pictures, hung out at the pool, and ate at buffets. It was fabulous.

The Buffet's:










The Journey:

YES on Eminent Domain!

Just a little Political Rant:
Some of the 'uninformed' people on 'wardstuff' were trying to tell me who to vote for. They were trying to argue about 'Eminent Domain'. Oh how foolish they were. Do you know what Eminent Domain is? In a nutshell, its the power the government has to take land Under Drastic Circumstances. This is a benefit to the city, because a lovely/desirable neighborhood raises value. A higher value means higher sale prices (taxes), and higher sales taxes (and more taxes). Taxes, in case you were wondering, is Income to the City. Why do you think so many people want to live in Beverly Hills? Its because the city has strict guidelines as to what can be built, where, and every city council has a Design Review Board to approve or dismiss the look of EVERY building that goes up in their city.

The Supreme Court case of 'Kelo vs. New London' was the last major case to highlight the use of Eminent Domain. The city of New London condemned a bunch of land, studied possible outcomes for 5 years, per city rules. Then when the city told the people to finally move out, they threw a fit. The whole court case WASN'T about the Gov. simply taking land from owners, it was about the Supreme Court upholding the guidelines/rules/laws that the city put in place to protect itself, and it followed through with! Why can't the media say that? Its should be so simple.

Let me start this argument by saying that I worked for the city of LA, in the Community Redevelopment Agency for a summer. The government needs such a tool to protect itself from retards who don't keep up their land/business/house, etc! The case which made this popular was in London, RI. The city did a 5 year study proving that 1 neighborhood was causing problems. Then at the end of the 5th year they paid the people to leave. 1 old lady and some Korean dude didn't want to leave after all, and must not have noticed any of the research, or letters, or notices, over those 5 years, cause then they didn't want to leave.

How many of you want crappy neighbors? Do you want to live next to Crack-houses? Or how about people who don't do anything to take care of their yards or buildings? Do you want to live next to the mysterious haunted house? He has the right to do that, right? WRONG! Cities are allowed to enforce their codes FOR MY PROTECTION too! I have a right according to the constitution to 'Life, Liberty, and Property'. So why are people voting to reject the city, (who we all pay taxes to, so they can make my city a more livable place), from keeping my city a nice livable place?! Cities have fewer and fewer tools these days to combat vagrant home/business owners.

This eminent domain is indeed extreme, but its a valid option. They don't simply take it away. They have 3 or 4 different appraisers look at the property, and the city pays the average fair value price! Then they pay for moving expenses, and if you're friendly, they even give you other moving bonuses.

Do you know how hard it is to evict a Deadbeat tenant? It usually takes a landlord no shorter than 90 days to evict someone. And thats already after they've missed at least 2-3 months rent. (for my landlord, in my apartment, that would be at least $10,800!) But who is going to 'evict' the property owner? Thats right, the city. They have strict rules and guidelines, just like we do. So as long as they follow their rules, it all works out fine.

Do you want to live in the slums? Slums don't bring the city any money. The nicer a neighborhood is, the more people want to live there. Cities want nice neighborhoods. When people want to live there, land value goes up. As that happens, the amount of taxes increases. Cities need tax money to pay for newer nicer stuff. The city wants nicer/newer stuff so more people live and shop there. Its a chicken/egg situation, and its just how cities work.

So don't try to tell me how to vote you foolish Wardstuffers! You should inform yourselves to the REAL issues, not the ones the Media tells you to hear!

(feel free to comment on this but please realize (evan and/or danny) no matter how much you try to argue against me, you won't change my mind. Thanks.)

Office Identity

Front of Office

Back of Office

From across the street

Collins and Tor Jamming in their spare time after work.

After a long time (1 1/2 years) my office finally got our own signage put up. So now as you walk by, it will say more than just 'Architects' (which was part of the last office's sign). Now I can describe it with more than 'the white building by Diddy Reese'.

Movie Time- Revisited

Yes yes, I know what you're all thinking: 'What is Jim going to watch at the Movie Theater this summer'? Well, let me make it easy for you (I've also ranked each movie into a viewabity catagorie where 1=Won't Miss, 2= I'll see it if I get the chance and feel like it at the time, then 3= I'm interested, so maybe it it plays at the FOX Studios) :
- Semi-Pro (I'll have to catch on video)
- Run Fatboy Run (I'll have to catch on video)
- Superhero Movie (I'll have to catch on video)
2 Forbidden Kingdom (Current)
1 Iron Man (April 30) (awesome!)
2 Speed Racer (May 9)
1 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (May 16)
1 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22)
2 You don't mess with the Zohan (June 6)
1 The Incredible Hulk (June 13)
1 Get Smart (June 20)
3 The Love Guru (June 20)
1 Wall-E (June 27)
3 Hancock (July 2)
2 Hellboy II: The Golden Army (July 11)
2 The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (July 11)
1 The Dark Knight (July 18)
1 Step Brothers (July 25)
2 The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Aug 1)
3 Tropic Thunder (Aug 15)
1 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (November 21)
2 Punisher: War Zone (December 5)
2 Star Trek (December- moved to May 8, 2009)
3 Underworld (Jan 5)

*Please note that this list is a work in progress*

A Painting for Joe and Tiffany

I know its long overdue, but I have finally completed the painting that I started for Joe and Tiffany. Getting it to them is going to be a more interesting adventure story, so for starters I'll just try to show you my painting process:

step 1. 11-3-7
(I sketched this maybe a year ago, this is just when I photographed it)

step 2. 1-31-8

step 3. 2-2-8

step 4. 2-6-8

step 5. 2-7-8

step 6. 2-8-8

step 7. 2-9-8

step 8. 2-10-8

step 9. 2-11-8

step 10. 2-12-8

step 11. 2-15-8

step 12. 2-16-8

step 14. 2-17-8

step 15. 2-18-8

step 16. 2-20-8

step 17. 2-23-8

step 18. 2-26-8

step 19. 2-27-8

step 20. 2-28-8

step 21. 2-29-8

step 22. 3-5-8

step 23. 3-6-8

Final. 3-7-8

Finally a Californian... Again

Oh, look at ME! I'm officially a Californian , cause my licence plates now say so. Sure it took me a little 'proding' from the local 'friendly' highway partolman. My car is now registered too!
(I've blurred the exact numbers for protection of the innocent.)

Important Blog-a-riffic notice!

My blog is changing locations! I'm moving it to another site, with a more appropriate title, Starting RIGHT NOW I'm posting ALL my daily adventures to this location.

The new Daily Update resource is:

http://jimsdailyupdate.blogspot.com/

Thanks, come again.

Daily Update - St. Patrick's Day Edition

On Friday night, I was kind of bored so I went over to the 7-11 across Santa Monica for any bit of excitement. I ran into Cheryl there too who was also looking for an exciting 7-11 visit, what a coincidence! I casually asked if she wanted to go see a movie. Half joking, and not expecting an answer, she responded in the affirmative. So we went to see the 10,000 BC movie. I though it was alright. a fellow show viewer put it best when he said upon exiting that it would have been a lot better if it wasn't so cheesy. But at the beginning of the show, 5 minutes after the previews had started, this couple came in and asked us to move down one seat. I then turned to Cheryl and asked if she wanted to move down one seat, and she said, "what the hell? no... why did we get here 30 minutes early? just to make room for those retards?" Then she saw that he was on crutches and reluctantly moved down, but was bitter about it, then therefore didn't really like the movie. For a second there, I thought that she was going to start throwing popcorn or soda at the people for asking us that. Oh, and we didn't have any food, so it would have belonged to our the people sitting on the other side of us too.

Saturday was a special day, ('and its the day that I got ready for Sun-day'). I got so much done its unbelievable. First I took care of my tummy with my normal Pancake breakfast. It was so good. At first I added a little to much syrup, but I sopped up that mess with round 2, if you know what I mean. they were smaller than I normally make, but for that, they were just that much better.

Next I had to deal with my car registration. I took all morning searching through my room for my car title that my dad sent me a few months back... I think. But to no avail. So at 11am I drove over to the DMV in Santa Monica which is open the third Saturday of every month luckily till noon, and jumped through all their hoops and paid there fines, etc.. I saw Brig there too, which was funny. But finally after having all the paperwork done, they handed me my new license plates, and I left at the stroke of noon just as they were locking the doors. I think they even locked all the people behind me inside until Monday. (on the way out some lady was commenting that 'they must close for lunch', little did she know that they were doing the world a favor by being open for only a few hours on Saturday per month.)

Late Saturday afternoon I had the chance to go to Phil and Jill's wedding reception in Rancho Palos Verdes, at the golf club there overlooking the water. It was simply amazing. I'm pretty sure I was invited cause Jill did send an email telling me about a returned invite, and allowing me to bring ( +1). (I ended up bringing Cheryl as my +1). The one tough thing about the day was that it was so cold because it was really windy. When they had the ring ceremony and walked down the aisle, the wind was blowing its strongest, and it was coming right off the ocean. Which means the wind was coming straight from the north pole in a convection cell like manner. Kind of rude of Santa Clause to do that to us. It was fun cause it was very Pink. and there were pink rose petals everywhere. Inside for the reception there was also a strong pink/dark purple theme, with accents of red and white. As a few of us kids found our table, I noticed that we were the furthest table from the bride and groom possible. I had to laugh cause I figured that a few of us just barley made the cut to make the List. (Either way, I was thrilled to have been there.) Or we we were the most trusted guests, cause The Happy Couple thought that we were the least likely to leave early, which also turned out to be true, besides family of course. I assure you that many more fun things took place that I either can't remember or don't have time to mention, so I'll just leave it at that. Everyone had a great time, thanks Jill & Phil.

Another glorious thing that I started Saturday and then continued Sunday morning was my MAN-BOX. I printed out my sketches for the top cover, and I started etching the image freeze into the top panel of wood. I'm so excited, its going to look so good when I'm done! My fingers are not excited though, cause Mahogany is a hardwood, and the small metal X-acto blades are very unforgiving.
I'm listening to Chris Isaak right now.

Lunch was sponsored by In N Out.

Daily Update

There are so many things to say about yesterday. I almost don't even know where to start. But here goes... Work was busy. I almost got frustrated with Rey, who I've been working with pleasently for the last 2-3 weeks. The little Brazillian Fireball in him almost got the most of me, but then I just pawned the blame off on someone else and then kept working. its a pretty funny thing to do; when someone is sitting at your desk, telling you "you need to do this, do this, do this" it gets annoying, so to combat that attitude, I pulled an ultra lazy attitude. so when Rey said to go fetch a stapler, I said, " I think we just sold out of them". or to look something up on the internet, " Sorry, I think the internet is broke today." It was trivial stuff that he wanted me to do, and its not that I wouldn't have done it, I just had to pull that attitude to combat his attitude. It seemed to work too.

I also took the chance to go running yesterday. It was an inner struggle if I should go or not. At first I simply didn't think I had the energy, but then my inner conscience persuaded me to Just do It. It was a rugged track in the Australian Outback that night. I ran with the hyena's. I had a little more energy, but I set myself at a typical pace. What was funny about last night was that I ran into a squad of dopey looking ninja who were training with three instructors. I thought of going up and challenging them there on the spot, but I didn't. I knew I could take on three simple Ninja instructors, but I didn't trust the retarded students. Not that they're good, but they'd hurt themselves and me with their foolish swordplay or knife work. They'll get theirs in due time, those feebelish Chicken-shrimps.

Immediately after running I start getting phone calls from family members about random stuff. I talked with them for much of the night. Then when I was done with that, I tried calling this girl I know. It turns out it was during her favorite TV show so I just got scolded, so I then had to pretend it was the wrong number and just hung up. But I guess her cell phone has caller ID, so she called me back and scolded me more. Oops. Sorry bout that.

So all the (few) emails that I've tried to send my missionary sister have been to the wrong account, so I have to go back and re-send all my scolding letters. It will be good for her.

Lunch was sponsored by Marvin's

I'm listening to a German punk band called Die Aertze.

Daily Update

I don't know if you can even call this a 'European morning'. It was foggy all over the place. By afternoon it cleared up though.

So, I know you all want to hear about my car situation. Yesterday during lunch I dropped it off at a VW place down on Venice. After 3 hours they called and said that all they did was replace a temperature gauge/switch and that was it! It fixed many of the problems. Now, it runs in super-stealth mode. You can barley hear it even when standing right next to the engine. So I picked it up from the car place right after work with the help of one Ms. Cheryl. Now I just need to get it registered. But on that note, I went this morning to the Smog Check place, and their machine was broken! What misfortune.

I also know that a few of you care about my ebay-ing habits. Well, I've had to put those adventures on the top shelf, as I have purchased everything that I needed. Mostly little Lord of the Rings stuff. Also last night after I picked my car up, with the help of Ms. Cheryl, I had to go retrieve my goods from the transport vehicle, which was her car. While this exchange was happening, I wound up at her place. Both she and her roommate, L-Train, were then interrogating me as to what I've purchased. (Yesterday I received my second to last package of all the crap I've ordered... I think.) It was packaged in a 'Shoe box' so they immediately wanted to know what kind of shoes I had. I tried to explain that it wasn't fashionable, bit it was nerddom in my package. They made me prove it, so I reluctantly removed my new treasure from its incasement. After they saw it, they delighted in teasing me about my new toy. I didn't let it get to me though. I was strong. They agreed that I was indeed a super-nerd, then let me back on my way.

I also went frame shopping last night. Dang, picture frames are expensive! They're not what I remember paying in Utah anyway. But I found something that would suit my Painting at Michaels. The only downside is that its going to take 10 or so days to get it. Sorry Joe, That doesn't meet the 'Mike going to Tahoe' deadline. We'll have to figure something else out.

Lunch was sponsored by The great Chipotle.

I'm listening to absolutely nothing right now.

Daily UPdate

Our 'run in' last night it was no coincidence. I had planned it all out this time. A few days ago, I worked up the courage to ask a girl to go on a date with me. I think a few of you may know her, her name is Cheryl, and she agreed to it too. After I got off work I picked her up. I even left work early cause I was so nervous for this evenings events. We made the long drive into Hollywood to see the musical called 'Wicked'. (NO Joe, its not a dirty movie, or R-rated. Its about the 'wicked' witch of the east from the wizard of OZ.) It was quite fun. (except for the theater being to hot and sweaty, and a bunch of crazy Germans sitting right behind us, and the nazi ushers taking peoples cameras and cell phones away! (no joke, he would actually take them, give a claim ticket, and then you'd have to pick them up at the front desk afterwards!)) You'd have to see it for your selves, but it sat well with me. But what sat even weller with me was the Thai-Chicken Pizza that we ate right before the play. Ooooooh yummy. The jury is still out, but it may have been the best part of the night. Then the worst part of the night was when it let-out at 11pm, past Cold Stone's closing time, so we couldn't get ice cream! just awful!

During my lunch break I rushed down to a VW repair shop to have them look at the problem that Firestone caused. After 3 hours they called and said it was done, and they only replaced a $6 temperature gauge. Gee, I remember Firestone taking 5 days to find a temperature gauge, and charging me A LOT MORE! Needless to say, angry letters are already in the works, and I will never go there again!

Lunch was sponsored by California Chicken Cafe.

I'm listening to Christopher Parkening (or something like that) play J.S. Bach on Classical Guitar.

Daily Update

Ya, after a brief review, yesterday ended up being one of the crappiest days ever. Not only did all that other stuff happen from the weekend, when I got home I got a few letters from my credit card which freaked me out. Remember that whole string of charges that suddenly 'appeared' a few months back? I guess they didn't get my written statement soon enough cause they re-charged my account the amount that some euro-ass-face charged me. And another letter from my student loan company who I think decided to change the due dates of a loan of mine, so the letter said a payment was 4 days late, so this morning I had to call and set them straight too. As well as our usual JJCCHE was canceled. Jeff was out shopping at the Beverly Center with his sister and her friends. Not only that but there wasn't anything on TV, AND I was busy at work all day. To my benefit I did work more yesterday than I have in a while. Maybe thats what makes it frustrating. I wasn't able to give my Daily Update the quality time that it deserves.

I told you all that I finished my painting, right. Its a masterpiece. I outdo myself every time. I can't wait to see what I do next :) My next project it the Man Box. Yes, it has been about a year since they were first planned, but it will indeed be glorious when they get going I tell you. I have mine all planned out, I just have to do about 3 weeks worth of decorative carving on the top and sides. Josh and Jeff are starting over from scratch, and they're making super bit boxes.

I'm listening to John Cougar Mellencamp right now.

Lunch was sponsored by the elusive Chipotle. I only had to wait in line for 13 minutes, and oh was it worth the wait. Mmmm, so good.

Daily Update- Daylight Savings Edition

This weekend was supposed to be all fun and happy. It started out decent. I made myself the obligatory Pancake Breakfast early on Saturday. I was planning to go visit my Grandma when I ran into Cheryl on the street. She said that she was thinking of going to some small town called Yucipa, just to visit, cause she had heard that its an interesting rural town. What a coincidence, that where my grandma lives! So we decided to carpool. We started making the 100 minute drive when some irrational highway patrolman decided that I needed to be pulled over. Sure my car hasn't been registered for about 9 months now, but that was no reason to flash your lights, and then yell at me through his loudspeaker multiple times. He didn't seem like he was having a good day either. He probably didn't get to make himself pancakes. I shook my head at myself for much of the rest of the drive, but I still don't understand why he had to tack on infractions like no proper insurance, illegal lane change, and speeding. And the worst part is that I have to show up so some court thing to get it resolved at 8 in the morning next week, I think! Bah humbug to that.

Other than that the trip was fine. It wiped me out dealing with a few of my little 8 year old cousins. They kept wanting to be spun around and thrown in the air, and I got pretty dizzy every time. And they kept wanting more and more! Crazy little girls. But I had a lovely luncheon afternoon with my Grandma and Aunt and cousin, and her little one, and other cousins kids too.

That night I ran into Cheryl again as she was just going to meet some of her other friends for dinner. I asked to tag along too cause my stomach was pushing me in that direction, so she let me. How nice of her.

Sara had her 'going away' brunch on Sunday morning. She's going to India again. After Jeff rudely woke me up at 8 freaking am, I made my way over to Greenfield. I 'patiently' waited for delectable waffles, chocolate, cookies, and some other fruity delight that Sara made. The best part of the morning, other than my cranky fit after I just arrived, was when Maggie shows up to Sara's party (yes, she lives there too) and decides to tell everyone how bad the food was. Oh, I'm sorry Maggie, I didn't know that you were royalty! I wonder if she wants special invites to all of our parties to criticize all the food that we give out for free? Hmmm. Bless her heart. I'll tell you the only problem with the food, and that was that there wasn't enough for ME! As well not enough time before Church to wolf it all down. I mean seriously Sara, I had to wait like... 5 minutes before I could eat!

Also on Sunday I got a little interested in an ebay item. I send out a bid, just to be curious, but was immediately rejected. I was curious about how much the other guy wanted it; cause in the last minute the price went up like 300%. I figured that the guy wanted it pretty bad, so I helped the seller by making him pay more for it. Instead of using my two set monetary amounts for how much I wanted it, I used my high amount to determine how much I could sell it for, if I won. So I kept bidding this guy up until the auction ended. It turns out that he wanted it pretty bad, cause I sure didn't want to pay that much! :)

So on Monday Morning I marched my car over to the Smog check place where I was hoping to get in and out before work started. I was actually walking back to my apartment when I changed my mind and went back to the car place. There the guy told me that there was some sort of electrical problem and he wasn't allowed to even look at it. So I said I'd take it back to the place who jimmy-rigged it in the first place. So then back to Firestone. Those retards messed my car up last summer by cutting wires and faking it. When I go to bed tonight I will pray for harmful vengeance upon them for doing this to me.

Also for a minute I thought that my court date was today, the 10th, cause on the ticket it reads the 16th, and thats a Sunday, and they don't do Sunday's. After a short frustrating investigation I noticed it was in April, not March. whew!

I'm just so frustrated at everything right now. I wish someone would come up to me and try to argue with me so I could just punch the crap out of them. I was almost looking forward to giving the retards at the Firestone shop a 'Shot at the Title', if you know what I mean (if they were to try to charge me that is).

Also, not to forget Chris, we went to some Mexican place for dinner in his honor. For some reason he thinks it's necessary to go back to Texas. It was delightful.

Lunch was sponsored by In N Out

I'm listening to Queen right now.

Daily Update

So I had a meeting early at work this morning. Rey and I finally met with our nemesis, the alleged 'Interior Designer'. he was 7 minutes late to our meeting. The meeting lasted maybe 90 minutes, and Rey, the little Brazilian Fireball from my office was on the attack the entire time. I tried to lighten the tension when I could, but Rey was ruthless. It wasn't rude, or anything out of the ordinary, but the fact that this dude hasn't called or emailed us when he said he would, or when he needed to, that bothered all of us here in the office.

I went running last night. Actually I went the last two nights and I just forgot to tell you all about it. On Wednesday night I took a jog through the Ural Mtn's. I was like a little Tweetie Bird, soaring in the clouds. My flight was short and sweet. On Thursday I was like a big huge Mountain Goat sturdy and angry as can be. Tough as nails too I might add. I took the usual desert trail through the Australian Outback. It was a lot more rigorous than the night before. This night I wasn't allowed to coast from hilltop to hilltop. I had to fight for every step I took. It was funny cause on the way up to the Outback, we passed a big group of people waiting to see some basketball match. I was the funny guy when I said real loud that I was looking forward to this womens volleyball game. I got a lot of weird/dirty looks. So I kept talking volleyball up.

Scott-the Justin-Hammer moved out yesterday. He called me to make sure it was OK, just like in the Godfather. I said it was OK.

Big news on the project front: I FINISHED MY PAINTING! Yes, its correct. (I'll repeat it for Kristen and Chris again just so they hear, I FINISHED MY PROJECT). It was not that difficult. I only added the brushed, wind flowing clouds, which gave life to the sky. I was careful not to add to many, in fear of it depressing the viewer, to an utterly true European attitude. But I didn't want to few fearing that the viewer would be left lonely in the wide spacious sky. So I have formed the perfect middle. Just enough for a warm hug as the wind rustles your hair. You'll understand when you see it. I was careful to take pictures of it every night so you'll also be able to see the progression of every day I worked on it.

I'm listening to Phantom of the Opera right now.

Lunch was sponsored by Marvin's again. (the line at Chipotle is still way to long.)

Daily Update

Hello friends. I don't know if you were able to catch Project Runway last night, but the one person I wanted to loose all season ended up winning the finale. I was pretty pissed. If I ever see him in real life, I might slap him in public, then shave his head. I might even scar his scalp so his lame hair won't grow back. And whats even more disappointing is that Heidi Klum my dream girl was involved in this debockle. I might have to stop being infatuated with her. I might have to move on to someone like Scarlett Johannsen; she has a movie coming out soon I think.

So I'm still thinking of the glorious Disneyland adventure from last Saturday. The one memorable souvenir was a box of Fudge. Oh, its the best stuff ever. Your teeth sink cleanly into its succulent shape. One or two pieces are large enough that its hard for me to fit them in my mouth, and we all know I have a large mouth. Its the perfect blend of chocolaty goodness and soft deliciousness. The only possible down side is that this little piece of heaven is very rich. When I was at the counter this last Saturday, I got over excited when it became my turn to check out. Amy, who was working the counter, had just gotten done slaving over some short 'round' retarded lady. The lady was asking for all this stuff from the back room, and was having Amy run around to the front of the counter to fetch stuff that the Troll Lady didn't want to reach for. When it came time for her to pay, oops, she only had a nameless credit card, and NO ID. So Amy luckily sent that wench packing. When it came my turn, we instantly became friends because 1) I'm nice and friendly. 2) I'm understanding of short-'big' retarded trolls. 3) I already had my method of payment ready. And 4) most importantly she informed me that she would give me 6 tantalizing pieces of glorious fudge for the price of 4! How could that be a bad thing?! I shared with Cheryl, so she could be part of the goodness (and it was her birthday), but other than that I refuse to share it with anyone. Its that good. So, why I mention this... Because of its richness, I can only have one small bite per day. Each piece is about the size of a brownie, so each bite is about 1/10th of a piece. So yes, my goodness will last just that much longer. Ooooh I can't wait to put more of that goodness in my mouth.

After watching TV, I started looking at my painting. I started dabbling a little bit while Mike kept me up as he watched TV. I did a lot of touch ups, and added shadow and life to the courtyard by the bay. I opened some windows to let air in some of the buildings. I added trees to the courtyard, which will shade the tired beach-goers on their way home. I added tables to the busy street cafe for all the tourists who will one day visit. The only thing to do is add life and texture to the sky; and I'll do that with cirrus nimbus clouds.

Lunch was sponsored by Jamba Juice.

I'm listening to Ozzy Osborne right now.

Daily Update

So last night I left work abruptly, after staying pretty late. I don't think I'm allowed to tell you the reason for this. Thats for Someone else's blog. But I hung out with Cheryl for a bit. We watched my two favorite shows, American Idol, and Biggest Looser. There great for boosting my confidence in myself.

This morning I got a call from some lady doing a service auction. Apparently on Sunday when the sign-up sheet went around, I was signed up for painting a nude portrait of someone. (thanks Chris and Mike, you retards) I forget how they worded it exactly. I guess thats payback for me signing up Mr. Ryan Plewe for 'Interpretive Dance Lessons'. Oh just you wait until the next sign up sheet comes around. I'm going to get them good.

A few of you may know that I've taken an interest in ebay again. Its been a long while since I used that method to purchase goods. I'm starting to like it all over again. Probably the most likable thing about it is right after you win something it tells you that 'You're a Winner!'. Its like I just made a friend. I 'win' an item, and I gain a friend. Its just a nice pat on the back. Another enjoyable thing I do with the stuff I like, I keep track of only the stuff that I could potentially buy and I notice when the auction is ending and I, like my dad, will sit and stare at the screen for long amounts of time, just watching the time go down. Then, with the auction clock nears 1 minute and 30 seconds, that is when I place my bid. Usually the first bid. That give my opponent minimal time to get real nervous at the new bidding threat, and even less time to respond to my actions. I usually have two dollar amounts prepared for this bidding war. The first is the amount I'm OK with paying, and won't want to go over, but the second amount is established in case they have time to respond, I have a second, and slightly higher amount, which is my maximum amount. Anything more, than whoever spent that much is a retard; any less, and you could tell that I just really wanted the item. The trill of winning, combined with the thrill of taking the bid away from someone is just terrific to me.

Work is super busy right now. Remember that Interior Designer that I've been telling you about, the one who never calls back. Well, Rey finally got a hold of him and let him have it. Rey is a little Brazilian fireball. Me and someone else joined him for a conference call. It was quite entertaining. This dude said he has been out of the country for a week and a half, thats why he hadn't called or emailed, or anything. But coincidentally, he happened to be back in the country every time my boss CC'd the owner on our emails. We now get to have a meeting with this cowboy on Friday. I think Rey is going to try to murder this guy. I'm only going to watch, and maybe take picture. But I don't want to be an 'Accessory to Murder' if things go south.

I'm listening to Oingo Boingo right now.

Lunch was sponsored by Marvin's, and Hosted by the new 'Courtney Arizona'. ... (does that mean she's the new Ms. Arizona?)

Daily Update

I've been swamped at work, like I've mentioned before. Nothing to keep me up late at night... yet. But it will this week. Today at work I went with my boss to the Peninsula Hotel again. Wow is it fancy. no wonder they can so much per guest. I think they have 1 employee for every 3 guests they have there, or something ridiculous like that. The suite we were in was bigger than any house I've ever lived in, or apartment. The one bedroom was as big as my current living room and dining room combined. I think the bathroom was even bigger than my bedroom now. holy crap, I don't see how people can do that for themselves. On the way home my boss had gotten a new car, an Audi, and he decided to 'Open er up' on the open road, holy crap I almost wet my pants as I gripped onto any handle I could find. Sure new cars are nice, but that doesn't mean that you MUST go as fast as they can. Oh ya, and he got the racing model too, of course.

Then there was last night. During the day I got an invite to go to Cheryl's Birthday party. How cool! I guess we bump into each other enough that she remembers who I am, enough so for in invite to an exclusive party too. We went over to some place by the Grove called Woodland Ranch, or something like that. It was OK food. The waiter, Desmond, was pretty cool. He made the trip over there to that side of town more worth it. He was pretty funny, and he could put up with my 'Restaurant sense of humor', which helped, cause I was pretty obnoxious. I kept taking pictures of everyone else taking bites of their food, and they all hated that.

After that there was a proper Birthday Party over at Jessica's place with cake and Ice cream. Ohhh it was yummy.

I got home kind of early, but Mike kept me up talking about the day's events. Mike found out the hard way that you can't slide into a fence without getting banged up a bit. I think he was trying to impress a girl, but he denied it.

Lunch was sponsored by In N Out.

I'm listening to Arcade Fire right now.

Daily Update - Disneyland Edition

So like some of you may know, it was a very eventful weekend. On Saturday I was in need of some excitement, so I went down to Disneyland. It was funny cause I was just going down for fun, and on the way I ran into Cheryl, who was also thinking about going. What a coincidence! AND it turns out that it was her birthday too (on Monday though). So we decided to carpool. It was pretty fun. I'm sure you all know how wonderful it all is, but what made it even funner for me is that Cheryl hadn't been before. It was like reliving my childhood all over again. I tried the whole day to get her to hold hands and then skip with me, but she would have none of that. She even made fun of me for wanting to do such a thing. It took me all day of egging her on to finally convince her to skip to the tram on our way to the parking lot. Then she guaranteed me it would never happen again.

During the day though we were trying to follow some of the Thompson family advice and find the best tasting restaurant there. Jeff told us that right at the exit of Pirates of the Carribean there was the best restaurant ever. So Cheryl and I stopped by. I got the 'Monte Cristo Sandwich'. Have you ever heard of such a thing? Its a ham and turkey and cheese sandwich that is Deep Fried. And it has a dark raspberry Jam to dip into for eating. It was sooo good. But all that grease that I ate prohibited us from any fast rides for an hour. I think my favorite ride was still the Matterhorn. Maybe because of the Swiss theme, and maybe because of the 10 minute wait in line, but I like that one. All the others were cool too. Except for splash mountain! The jerks there drenched us! As we were entering the ride, no one was wet. But as WE went on it, it was like standing under a water fall. And both on this ride and on Space mountain we where they take your picture, we had great pictures, worth buying, but I didn't feel right about spending $20 bucks on 1 picture. Then on Space Mt. I was going to photograph the display, just to show you all, but the two fat little brats in front of us wouldn't move, and wouldn't stop poking the screen, and kept trying to take picture with their cell phones. I really should have 'tripped' and fallen right onto them, then have them 'accidentally' trip down the stairs.

I found Disneyland the prime place to practice my game of 'Chicken'. You know how people walk straight at you and you stay on course and make them move? well, I did that as much as possible. I wouldn't even move for strollers. I was so proud of myself.

There are lots more stories, but they'll have to wait...

I forgot what happened on Friday night. Does anyone remember?

Work has been super busy, and the project I'm working on, I just found out that we're not getting paid for it. We're doing it as a favor. I now know why all architects are sworn to hate interior designers.

Lunch was sponsored by Marvin's. Only because Chipotle was to crowded.

I'm listening to Talk Radio right now.

Daily Update - Leap Year Edition

Wow, Today is the is the Tungsten Anniversary (Or the Silk Anniversary-if you're going from Feb 29 to Feb 29) of when I broke my leg for the first time. Thats right, 16 years ago this very Leap Day, I was attending the Junior High District wrestling meet. It was a Saturday morning in early 1992, and I was just warming up for the day with a friend (at the time). His last words " Come here Jim, my brother just taught me a new move that I want to try out..." From there, Snap, crackle, Pop,... Thud! (me hitting the ground) then me screaming as my lower leg lay dangling from my body, limp, and lifeless; leaving me agonizing in pain. But enough of that, so I don't get sick again. It still make me nauseous to think about that horrible day. We lost the meet by 3/4 of a point. That was cause I was forced to forfeit all my matches. That was the first time in 4 years that my school lost a meet like that. Simply Tragic.

So, I went running last night. I wasn't in the best of shape, but I sure looked good while doing it. I was like the wild boar, fiercely in the night ransacking all the local villages of the Outback. I felt like I was slower than normal, but I did run longer than normal to make up for it. There were many other people up there to distract me from my goal at hand. But that didn't work, cause i would then act like I was an airplane and with my arms extended I would zoom around making airplane noises. Probably the funniest part of the night was when I was running by a swinging gate that was extended over the first three lanes of the track (so people cant run there) so a bunch of people were using this gate as a cup holder apparently, cause there were 6 or 7 Gator-Aid cups sitting on top of it. So as I run by, I decided i don't want those cups there anymore, so I punch the gate arm down, springing the cups down, then up like a trampoline. I thought nothing of this until I heard the paper cup crash on the ground beneath, accompanied by a few splashing sounds. The cups were full, and thus still being used. They were probably being used by the people who were still there too. 'Ooops'.

Also yesterday, as I think I've mentioned before, it was Free Burrito day at Chipotle in Westwood Village. I attempted to go 3 times yesterday. Once right before lunch. That was no good, cause the line was an hour long and extended down the street and wrapped around the corner. Once at 4:30, and that didn't work cause school had just gotten out and the line was even longer. On my way home I looked at the line and I lost sight of it as it went down the street, around the corner, and then up the next street. Then after running, 8pm, I swung by again, just to be turned away by a big fat bouncer who had been standing at the end of the line for probably an hour or more. So whatever, I'll just go back when I don't have to wait for more than an hour in line.

Lunch was sponsored by Marvin's. It was going to offer the sponsorship to the new Chipotle, but there was still a freaking line! I can wait until there isn't one of those.

I'm listening to the Beasty Boys right now.

Collins and Lynn went to Lunch again, and Patrick made a funny comment about them too.