Where were they when I was young?

Walked into Urban Outfitters in Santa Monica last weekend and found 2 things I had wished I found like 10 years ago. First, in the T-shirt section they had a "Where the Wild Things Are" t-shirt. I LOVED that book and had looked forever for a t-shirt and now I finally found it. Unfortunately for me, it was white and I just don't see myself in a white t-shirt. Damn. Had it been black, I woulda shelled out that $26 in a heartbeat. Oh well. Maybe i'll find a block one in another 15 years.

The other interesting find was in the figurine section. Urban Outfitters always has all kinds of cool little figurines and these definitely caught my eye. They're Mr. Potato Head dressed up in Star Wars outfits. Awesome. Look closely at the weapon that the storm trooper is holding...it looks to be shaped like potato masher. Brilliant! Another one they had that I didn't get to click a pic of was the Transformers series of Mr. Potato Heads. They had one dressed up as Optimus Prime named Optimash Prime. Sweet. Where were these when I was younger?

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A tip for when getting your car serviced...

Ok, when getting your car serviced at a shop, especially if your complaint requires the Automotive Technician to go into your trunk, I suggest that you clean out the crap in your trunk. Just makes it easier for the technician to deal with...so he doesn't have to clean up your mess. And above all else...please, please, please remove your bag of sex toys.

The other day a coworker of mine was working on a 7 series and had to go into the trunk and was greeted by this:



In case you can't tell, that's a bag full of various adult "instruments". You can't really read the box well in the pic, but the red box is actually a large, black strap-on. Nice. And the best part...it's a woman's car which begs the question, "Just who exactly does she use that thing on?". A girlfriend perhaps? Or better yet...on her husband?
So, do us all a favor and clean out your trunk before you take your car for service...LOL.

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Happy New Year!...LOL

Yes, yes, I know it's almost the end of January and this post is a bit late but whatever...I've been busy. Or Lazy. Truth is, I got sick while I was back in Baltimore for Christmas and my motivation for blog writing was definitely hindered during that time. Then, right after the start of the New Year I caught some kind of crazy strain of the Flu from people at work which caused me to miss some days at work and generally had me feeling all around miserable. For a short stretch I was even running an 103.8 degree fever...not fun. Even now, a few weeks afterward I still have a bit of a cough that just won't go away...God I hate getting sick. Needless to say, when every muscle in your body aches from the flu when your sick the last thing you want to do is sit in front of the computer and write. On top of that, when work is very physical (like my blue-collar job at BMW), after a hard day's work all you want to do is sit and veg-out in front of the boob tube. Using brain power to put thought into what to write is usually really low on my priorities list. But alas...here I am...

Wow, can't believe it's now 2008. How time flies. Is it me or does time just fly by faster and faster the older you get? Anyway, with the advent of the New Year naturaly comes New Year's resolutions. Here's a list of some of mine for this year (they're more like "goals" for 2008):

- Be more positive.
- Be more assertive.
- Learn to Surf...WELL.
- Be active in Eskrima (Filipino Martial Arts) again.
- Spend less time watching TV and more time being productive
- Eat "healthier"
- Write to my Blogs regularly

This is just a sample of my list for this year. So what are your NY resolutions? Let's see em! Anyway, I hope 2008 is a prosperous year for everyone!

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I've seen the future...

Ladies and Gents...i've seen the future. Well, sort-of. I've seen the inside of what I envision a space station on Mars will look like sometime in the future. Let me explain. Today, we were driving around town semi-close to where P's parents live in Lewisville, Texas trying to figure out where to eat for lunch. We had almost settled on lunch at La Madeleine (since they don't exist in Cali) when we happened to pass this resort/convention center called the Gaylord Texan (Yeah, interesting name, huh?). P's rents suggested we eat at one of the buffet restaurants at this gargantuan resort...

The Gaylord Texan is true to the state it is built in. This place is huge. And I don't mean just huge....it's HUUUUGE. It feels like Vegas on steroids with a Texan, cowboy twist (minus the casinos). The main hotel building is like a small city...indoors. Well, here's where the space station part comes in. The place is built to look like you are outdoors in a texan town but it is all enclosed within this elaborate glass roof so the lighting is all natural. It's got a western movie set feel with the weird glass and steel structure to top it all off...just like I imagine space stations of the future will be like. To add to the space stationness of the place, the whole inside is climate controlled (it must cost a small fortune to run the A/C in this place!) to a nice, comfortable and cool temperature. Meanwhile, outside it is scorching hot....kinda akin to the surface temperature on Mars I imagine. Anyway, feast your eyes on the pics and tell me if you don't think it looks a little space station-like. I've seen the future I tell ya...mark my words. 30 years from now I bet we'll see something like this again....except that it'll actually BE on Mars...

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Did the rains bring the swells?...Nope!

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I was gonna try to hit the surf today. Well, I spent the morning doing some junk yard diving for P's car. Then we met A & C (with Ian in tow) for some lunch downtown. After we came back to Hermosa Beach, I squeezed in some beach time hoping that the recent storms brought some swells with them. I couldn't have been more far off. Not sure what it was like in the morning, but I did't get out into the water till around 6PM and honestly it wasnt' even worth paddling out. Was only 1-2 feet and choppy with an onshore breeze. On top of that, the beach was practically empty and I was the only person actually IN the water.

Being in the water alone is an interesting thing. On one hand, It's very serene and calming to be out there alone. It's a very soulful experience....just you and the ocean. At the same time, it is also a very eerie experience. I couldn't help but think, "It's just you and the sharks...". Nice. Well, despite the crappy waves I at least got to catch a great sunset. That alone was worth paddling out for...

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Aaahhh...so THAT'S what rain looks like!

Heh...rained pretty hard here in SoCal the past couple of days. Honestly, I can't even remember the last time it actually rained more than just a short little sprinkle, but we definitely needed it. Long Beach had already declared a water shortage and was restricting the water usage of it's residents. It was only a matter of time before Hermosa Beach did the same. I wonder if the storms brought some swells with them? Maybe i'll have to go hit the surf tomorrow morning to find out...

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Ode to the Bullies...

Even though I have a specific blog dedicated to the dogs I felt like posting some pics of them here anyway. My Ode to the dogs if you will. Tonka and Moses bring a great deal of happiness and enjoyment to my life so I think it's the least I can do for them...

Dogs are such a wonderful thing and can bring a great deal of pleasure (and grief!) to their owners. In fact, it has been a proven statistic that dog owners have a lower level of stress as a whole than non-dog owners. Who couldn't use a little reduced stress these days, right? I love the fact that after a hard day's work, I can always come home to dogs that are always happy to see me. They never hold anything against you...even when you scold them or correct their wrong-doings. They love you regardless of the kind of day you've had or what else is happening in the world. They're always ready to give you a loving kiss or to receive a hearty petting and they're always ready to give so much in return.

I also find that I take a great deal of pride in our dogs. Every time P and I take a trip out with the dogs in tow, we are bombarded with comments and compliments of how cool they are, how good looking they are, or strangely enough, how "manly" they are. As strange as it is, I take great pride in these compliments. Just the other day, I took the Dogs to the dog park in Redondo Beach and was complimented by another dog owner when she said, in reference to Tonka Truck, "He's such a good looking bulldog. You should put him in movies."
Yeah, he's a good looking dog, but she obviously didn't know his level of obedience....or rather, lack thereof. Now, if only he were like Tyson the Skateboarding Bulldog...maybe then he could be a star. Alas, Tyson they are not, but I love them both none-the-less...

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Home...is Where the Heart Is

It's no secret that I love Southern California...or SoCal as it's otherwise known. The Beaches are endless, the weather is amazing (I can't even remember the last time it rained out here), and the car culture is a notch above any other place in the country...all traits which are big "plusses" in my book. For a long, long time I've wanted to move to the LA area...it just has so much to offer to a person with my interests. Pretty much every hobby that I have ever had a passion for, from cars to snowboarding to paintball to bodyboarding to mountaing biking to the Filipino Martial Arts (or any Martial Arts for that matter)...you can pretty much find some of the best places for those hobbies in or around (within hours) of the LA area. What can't I find in good ole SoCal? My Family and close knit group of friends...

I have always felt very blessed to have the friends that I have and have always taken a great deal of pride in the friendships I have built up over the years. I have friends that I have known for a long, long time (some from as far back as second grade), and friends that I have been through thick and thin with. This, in addition to having a very close-knit family definitely made it hard to decide to move to a place over 3000 miles away. Why did I do it then? Well, I didn't want to turn 40 (which isn't too far away) and look back and wonder "what if?". I didn't want to look back and regret not making that decision and trying something new. And it hasn't been without it's ups and downs.

On one hand I kinda like being away and doing something different from the "norm". I like being out and about "doing my own thing". However, I do miss the sense of community that I have with my family and friends back home. That sense of community isn't something you can create overnight....or even in a year or two. Our most recent trip back to Baltimore for R&R's wedding definitely placed emphasis on this for me. During our previous visits back to Baltimore, I have always enjoyed our time there and very much enjoyed seeing everyone, but I did't necessarily feel sad when leaving and heading back to LA (Am I dead inside? What's wrong with me?). For some reason, this time was different. This time, on the plane ride back I found myself feeling a little sad...Feeling like I really missed that sense of community...like I was missing out on something. I'm not sure why it was different this time, though. Maybe it was getting to see almost everyone at the wedding and getting to hang out like old times or maybe it was the fact that the kids now seem to out-number the adults and we (P and I) are missing them grow up. I just dont know. The fact of the matter is, it made me sad to leave...regardless of the reason.

Now, don't get me wrong. I don't miss Balimore as a place at all. Deep down inside, I am totally through with Baltimore as a place. The ONLY thing I miss are my Family and Friends...but as we all know, those are definitely a HUGE part of what you are....part of your being. Now, If only I could get all of my family and friends to move here to SoCal...now THAT would be heaven! But I digress...
Anyway, to my Family and Friends that may be reading this...I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything that you are, for everything that you have ever done for me, and anything that you may do for me in the future. I thank you for just being a part of my life and want you to know that you are very much appreciated. I learned a long time ago that you should cherish every moment you have with people as that time could be cut short at any moment and I wanted to acknowledge you all for being a very important aspect of my life. I have the best family and friends in the world and that means more to me than anything...

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Yup...That's my real name...

Yes folks, I do indeed dare to post under my real name. No screename or abbreviation to hide behind. No alias or handle to give me a false sense of internet security. It's just me and my real name out there for everyone to see. You see, in the time that i've used the internet i've seen so much of what I like to call "internet bravado"...people that are willing to post garbage and talk so much trash to other people just because they are on the internet and can hide behind a screename. General respect for your fellow man (or woman) just seems to get thrown out the window in that void we know as the world wide web. Ahhh...the beauty of human nature. Well, ladies and gents, it's time to take a stand...

On every web forum i've ever posted on, i've always signed my posts with my real name. Never solely under an alias or screename. To me, posting with your real name gives you credibility...tells the world you have nothing to hide and are willing to put it all out there. It keeps you accountable for your actions and statements...something that seems to be inherently lacking out in cyberland. But then again, that's just my opinion and you know what they say about opinions. Opinions are like assholes...everyone has one and they all stink.

To my friends, etc...don't worry. I'm not saying everyone has to share my thoughts and beliefs. What fun would that be? I respect other people's decision to stay anonymous and to use screenames or abbreviations. If I make reference to you in this, or one of my other blogs I will maintain usage of an abbreviation or anonymous reference if that's what you desire. If you make reference to me in one of your blogs, you can use my first initial if you wish or you can feel free to use my real first name. Makes no difference to me...

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Alvin & The Chipmunks...The Revival.

As long as I can remember, I've had a problem with introducing myself to people. When I introduce myself as "Alvin", that's almost always immediately followed up by, "Huh?...Allan?". Am I mumbling?! Did I not enunciate the "V" enough?! Don't know what that's all about. Either that, or they hear it right and it's immediately followed up by either an, "AAAALVIIIIINNN!!!" in a Dave Seville type of yelling voice or a question of, "where are Simon and Theodore?". Now, I don't mind the references to The Chipmunks, but I hate going through a conversation with someone that keeps referring to me as "Allan".

My solution for both has always been to just nip it in the bud and introduce myself as, "Alvin...as in Alvin & The Chipmunks". The function of this is three-fold. First, there's no mistaking what my name actually is since most people are familiar with the old cartoon about some rockstar rodents and their weird human manager. No more, "What?...Allan?" replies. Nice. Second, it works as a bit of an ice breaker and usually generates a slight chuckle that eases conversation. Finally, it puts the brakes on any future Alvin & The Chipmunk jokes, references, etc. I already made that joke myself so the other person would end up looking like a fool doing it again. Perfect. But wait!...there's a kink in this plan. Or at least there was...

My Wife, P, has always kind of made fun of me for doing this (she makes fun of me for A LOT of things, actually). It's always worked for me and I have no plans on changing it, but about a month ago she made the comment that, "someday you won't be able to use that because people aren't gonna be familiar with that old cartoon anymore." And I started thinking. She was right...That cartoon was a long time ago, and the popularity of The Chipmunks isn't what it used to be. One day I will say, "Alvin...as in Alvin & The Chipmunks" to someone and it will be followed by...*blink*...*blink*..."What?...Allan?" Aaaarrgh!

Alas, there is a light at the end of this tunnel! Well, sort of. I recently saw something that will save "this little thing of mine"...recently saw a trailer for the live action/CGI Alvin & The Chipmunks movie starring Jason Lee as Dave Seville that is due out this Christmas. Interesting. Now, I can't believe they made a movie out of it and in all honesty it looks pretty bad (will probably go see it anyway just for curiosity's and old time's sake), but this movie ensures that my "intro" will have a much longer life expectancy! Rock on Alvin & The Chipmunks!

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