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?)